MegaTao

I have moved (again).

My blog has moved and MegaTao.com is now set up (sorta).

Please change your bookmarks and links.

Website: http://megatao.com
RSS Feed: http://megatao.com/?feed=rss2
Comments RSS Feed: http://megatao.com/?feed=comments-rss2

Still searching

For a .com domain name.

I have come across some cool sites though for finding, generating or searching on new or expired domain names.

ExpiredDomains.com
This site allows you to search on domain names that were once registered but are now available.
I found the following names from there:

• taohq.com
• taoisms.com
• taotemple.com
• toptao.com

Nameboy
This site allows you to put in 2 key words and it searches on variations on that name.  You can opt to include hyphens in the name or allow rhyming.  It also puts in various “key phrases” like “bank” or “hip” too so you can see other options.  However, this site did show taoski.com as available even though I know it is not. From there I found that the following names are available:

• taoskiblog.com
• taoskiwizard.com
• megatao.com
• intelitao.com

Domain Name Generator
This site generates 5 random domain names for you and does a WHOIS lookup to see if they are already taken too.  This is really for when you have reached the end of your possible searches and only a domain like suugrap.com will do.  Pretty crap really – but i’m sure if I click that button enough some good names will come up.

See.  titdom.com, tosaing.com and asstran.com amoungst other vaguely sexual names are available.

MakeWords
Similar to Domain Name Generator, but it allows you to generate 30 names per page.  The names also make more sense.  Runtywish.com is available according to them.  I wonder what kind of site that could be?  Makewords also allows you to make names that begin with, contain or end with a letter, name or word.  Pretty cool!

I still don’t know what to choose though.  Bwah!

[edit] just found this “web 2.0 domain name generator” too.

Domain Names

I promised myself a long time ago that I would quit Blogger and get my own domain name, install WordPress and start doing my own stuff.

I did half of that, well – sorta.  I did quit Blogger and I have moved to using WordPress but I am still hogging on somone elses domain and don’t have any creative control over my template here.

http://www.taoski.com had already been taken, http://www.photao.com has been taken too, so I have been looking around at other possible domain names.  I decided that I did’nt want to go for http://www.taoskiblog.com as I don’t want to be limited to just a “blog” type domain name.  I also wanted to get myself a “cool” and “web 2.0″ sounding name such as Flickr or Labelr or something like that.

The only thing I have come up with a the moment is http://www.spangl.com.  “Spangle”.  Not too sure on it though.  I think the idea came from the obscure title of one of Nick’s postings.

But I have been thinking.

Are domain names so important now?  Most of the sites I come across are through links on http://del.icio.us or through other peoples blogs and Google.  I can’t think of that many occasions where I have given links to people by word of mouth.  So would it really matter if my domain was http://www.taoskis-wonderful-blog.com or http://www.tao-was-ere-again.com?

iPod Book

Those iPod luvvies over at iLounge have released their new “Free iPod Book” featuring all things iPod, iTunes, iAccessories and iOtherStuff.

I downloaded the iPod buyers guide from them back in 2004bi (before iPod) and it was really good.  This one looks even better!

Macbook or iMac?

On my weekly sabatical to Birmingham yesterday I dragged my colleague to the Apple store at the Bullring to check out the new Macbook.  I did look for them at my local John Lewis at the weekend but they were no-where to be found.

I was impressed by them too.  Small, light, neat, smart, fast, clever and great at oral sex too!

But after looking at the 20 inch iMacs and also after reading that my matey WhiteBoyBob has just bought one (and not managed to break it), I am wondering if one of those might be a better purchase.  I have also been reading some benchmarks on gaming with the 20 inch iMac using XP and Boot Camp.  They do seem impressive too.  I think I will have to install XP via Boot Camp as the kids use some games on XP still and the wife will probably get all confused over OSX and will not be able to work her Home Accounts Spreadsheet properly without ringing me all the time.

I do use my laptop at home a little.  Not lots though – just a little.  Sometimes after a hard days internet surfing work I don’t want to be huddled over another PC in the corner of the room.  Sitting on the sofa, slowly cooking my legs with the laptop on wifi is quite nice really.  I have done more of my “Blogger Template Overhaul” series using the laptop than anything else.  My desktop PC setup at home is not perfect for spending lots of time at the screen.  Stuck in the corner next to the dinner table, it is quite restrictive to use and the desk it sits on gets piled with paper, toys, mobile phones and recently, my Xbox360, controllers and headset as I now play that via my LCD monitor.

But the 20 inch iMacs are nice and they are faster and have a bigger hard disk too!  I do quite a bit of photoshop stuff so maybe that would be a better purchase?  But the laptops are nice and “free” and I can take it on holiday and stuff too.  Oh… crap…. more decisions.

Blogger Templates

Some excellent free Blogger Templates here, including a port of the excellent K2 wordpress template!

Almost makes me want to stop writing my Blogger Template Overhaul series….

Via ProBlogger

Darwin has alot to answer for

My son spent most of yesterday at school learning "about God".

He learnt about how God made the earth and the clouds and the air and the land and the animals and the snickers bars.  And he also found out that Adam and Eve were the first people on the earth – and that's where we all came from.

In a way, it is probably easier for children to grasp that God made the world and people and plants rather than trying to explain evolution to them.  I have told him in the past that we were apes a long time ago and about "The Big Bang" but he still asks questions like "so you were a monkey then?" or "Were we monkeys when we were little?".  He also fails to grasp the Big Bang theory, but asks the right questions such as "what was there before?" or "where did the bang come from?".

How can you explain something like the Big Bang theory to children?
Fucked if I know!

Come on…. time to go…

Comfortably numb…..

That's how i'm feeling at the moment.

I rang my boss and told him I would be accepting the offer of early voluntary redundancy that I received last week.
I signed the letter and sent it in the post too. So the jobs almost done.

They now have to agree "financial concurrence" and if that goes ahead, my last day of service to this company will be either this friday – or next week sometime. Well… maybe. Depends on how long they take to pull the paperwork and red tape out of their arses.

So. I shall soon be unemployable unemployed and will be seeking work.

Any bins need emptying anywhere?
Any plates need washing up?

Should i stay…..

The offer is on the table.
Got it through the post this morning.

I know you are supposed to do something that scares you everyday (according to the adverts).

But I am scared.

Early Xmas

Oh go on then….
You should'nt have….