Hopefully I’ve restricted comments in a way that will suppress some of the more pathetic comments that find their way through the spam nuke net.

Just in case anyone were to find this site while looking for info on me - I’d probably rather they weren’t confronted by that sort of nonsense.

Flushed with the success of my radio station widget, here’s a playlist to go with it. Happy listening!

last.fm is apparently worth 64.5 sqazilchillion pounds/dollars/peppercorns, and here was me thinking it might just be a neat way of finding new music, or sharing what I’m listening to.

Anyhoodlum - this widgety here should allow you to listen to my own personalised radio station. There’s just no saying what might be on it. I might even take a listen myself…

Yesterday I registered a domain name for the hand converter to use. In 4-6 weeks I hope to up and running with the converter at a new location. It’ll be so much better than here, trust me - no more stuffing the code into Wordpress, which for all its brilliance was never really ideally suited to the job, and instead of a fairly derelict blog, there will be nothing but useful poker-related goodness to accompany the converter.

Not only that but there will be a bunch of new additions.

Since I changed the converter to only allow registered users to use it, I’m happy with performance (speed-wise), and you will need to be registered at the new site in order to use the converter there. Anyone who registers here will automatically have a user name at the new site, though, so you won’t have to go through any hassle to continue using the converter.

I’ll bring you more news as things start to move along a bit.

Happy converting!

Not something I have to worry about, being on or around my 360th day of giving up, but something which apparently vexes the minds, hearts, and souls, of many of the good people of Britain, or at least those who have felt sufficiently moved to add their comments to the BBC’s “Have your say” page for the imminent total ban on smoking anywhere except in your own private bubble. Does that make me sound biased? I’m not really - both sides of the argument are too heavily populated with self-righteous, pompous egotistical idiots for me to want to sympathise with anyone on this one, so I’m going to play the smug outsider card and ‘observe’ the ‘debate’.

10.

Everyone in this country has a perfect right to inhale tobacco smoke anywhere and at any time. However, they have absolutely no right to exhale that smoke.

Ooh, get you and your satire!

9.

The one good thing about this ban must be that it will be almost impossible for find enough non-smoking “celebrities” to make another Big Brother. Since the house there is also a workplace for the film crews and people are being paid to be there, it must be classified as a workplace and hence smoking cannot be allowed.

Yeah! Right on! Smoking ban = no more reality TV!

8.

i think that if they ban smoking in the pubs then alot of the pubs will have to close down due to people staying home therfore there will be a lot of publicans out of work this is suppose to be a free country isnt it?

i like commas and other sort of punctuation things dont you think there useful

7.

What a welcome relief to many of us who end up with our hair, body and clothes smelling like an ashtray after a night out.

Hair, yes. Clothes, definitely. Body? Um… maybe try pulling a non-smoker next time?

6.

Smoking is bad. So is drinking. So are fatty, salty foods. They should like, build a place in each town were you can go and like, drink, smoke and eat steaks, chips and pork scratchings if you want. Maybe like, call it a pub?- oh my God!!

This might hurt, but sometimes you need to hear the truth. You are unfunny.

5.

I agree with the smoking ban as I am a non-smoker have to breathe in second hand smoke wherever I go. I know it is slowly killing me. The government has enforced this ban just now to help cut down the number of people dying of cancer and to save money on health costs, but if more people stop smoking where is the government going to get its money from as the tax on cigarettes is very high and brings in a hell of a lot of money - £10,500,000,000 a year - which this country really needs.

…and breathe (smoke-free, naturally…)

4.

Yep. Smoking sucks (!) in every way you can think of. It serves no positive purpose. Those involved in its production could find other things to do. Consider - if there never was any tobacco, those people would be doing something else! It is antisocial and unhealthy. I wish I could give up something as expensive as smoking!!!

Hmm. Ever thought of taking up smack?

3.

What civil rights??? How many people will leave the pubs & Clubs now!!!! I ONLY Smoke occasionally and now that right has been taken away, looks like i’m stoppin g in!!!!

We’ll miss you.

2.

I work and pay taxes I am now being dictated to.

Well done! Now quit whining, and get back to work…

Number 1

Top of the pile, though, without question, is this gem. I don’t think I even need to add a footnote…

What’s next? Banning gay bars? Banning Christians from preaching in the street? Seems to me the only people who think a full smoking ban is a good thing is non smokers. The only anti-Christians are non Christians. The only anti-gay are non-gay. HELLO? Sound familiar? Pattern emerging here! No way am I going to start shouting “Heil, Cabinet!”

In the most unexpected of places…