Phil Sherry : Spring 2008

2009 arrives tomorrow, rendering 2008 obsolete. While there are still a few hours of it to go, I thought I may as well do an end–of–year roundup and make myself feel important in the process. Apart from my decision to start blogging again, these things happened:

• WIN! After months of job hunting and a couple of false starts, I landed a great job.
• FAIL! I was contracted to write a new book about Adobe CS4, but had to pull out due to lack of time.
• WIN! Adobe gave me a full retail copy of CS4 Master Collection after testing it for them.
• FAIL! Massive M.O.T. bill landed at the same time as road tax was due.
• WIN! I got both The Missus and The Child to make the switch to become Mac–using girls.
• FAIL! Our car broke down on the way to Liverpool at xmas, meaning I couldn’t make it to xmas dinner.
• WIN! I started playing in a band again, 12 years after my last band.
• FAIL! The Child needed taking to hospital on xmas morning and didn’t have a great time for a while.
• WIN! The Missus started her own business and appears to have a success on her hands.

I’m sure there were probably a few other things that made the year memorable/forgettable, but that’s all I can think of for now.

Right, 2009, let’s get it on!

Back in 2004, I wrote Foundation Mac OS X Web Development for friends of ED. The book covered all aspects of web development on the Mac OS X platform and sold well around the world. At the time of writing, Mac OS X was at version 10.3 (Panther). The majority of the book still holds up today, but for one wildly out of date section: installing and configuring the MAMP environment.

I figured it was time to address this on my blog. As well as updating these instructions, I’ll be covering the much requested setting up of virtual hosts.

I have a day off from work today.  I’ve already upgraded two WordPress installations, with another one to do.  That one has a few hacks I need to tend to, meaning it’s a bit more involved. Aside from that, I’m fixing up my girlfriend’s PC, which has lovingly gifted her a virus.  Piece of shit operating system.  

It’s fricking freezing in this room, we don’t have a radiator in it. At least I don’t have to do any walking outside today; it was like a bloody ice rink out there last night.

I got myself to the train station this morning and stood in the freezing cold for ages, waiting for my train.

And waiting.

And waiting.

Then one of the other people at the platform wandered over to me and said he’d been on the phone to Northern Rail, that our train had been cancelled, the next one wasn’t even anywhere near Middlesbrough yet (never mind Stockton), and the person he spoke to had “no idea when the next one will show up.”

Wankers.

I didn’t fancy standing around in the freezing cold for what could’ve been hours, so I headed home to work from there.

Northern Rail really are a bunch of retarded fuckwits.

On the plus side, Li is also working from home today, which is causing the cat much confusion.