Sunday 15-03-29 KitKat for the Huawei MediaPad M1 8.0

I took a leap of faith the other day. It was either brave, or foolhardy, and I haven’t yet decided which. Just before Christmas I bought a Huawei MediaPad M1 8.0 off of eBay, and I have been loving it.

I have caught up with series 2 of Arrow on there, and am planning to start watching The Wire series 2 (again) as well. I read articles I have saved to Pocket, as well as The Week and tablet editions of the Daily Telegraph.

One thing has been bugging me though; it wasn’t operating on the latest version of Android. Lollipop is only just out, so I am not expecting it to use that, however it would be nice if it was running on KitKat. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the tablet, I am just a neophile.

So I did my usual; I started visiting the XDA forums. Folk were talking about rooting the MediaPad, which I didn't see the need for, as there are no custom ROMs available. But there was mention of KitKat, or a KitKat version, available on a Baidu server somewhere in China. The XDA link is here, and the Baidu page is here. I tried to download the package from the Mega mirror, but after taking an age to download, the website advised that the "file is empty", so that was gutting.

Then I found something on a Russian website, which said it was for the S8-303L, which I thought was a naming error, so I downloaded that and tried to install it. I should clarify at this stage my tablet's model is S8-301LV. You need to be very careful with the naming, as there are several similarly-named versions out there. You have to do some extra stuff with the ROM, like extract the "dload" folder and paste that into the tablet's SD card. Then the download process will recognise that a new version is available. With the Russian 303L version, it started performing its checks and then advised that it couldn't be installed. Maybe there is actually a S8-303L model, it may be a Russian variant? I also saw someone asking if there was an update for a S8-306L, so maybe there are a couple of different regional variants...?

So, emboldened by the fact that the tablet performed some checks itself before installing the software, I went back to the Baidu webpage and downloaded the zip file. It took an age, but once I had downloaded it, I started the install process. I extracted the dload folder, and then transferred it onto the tablet. Then I ran the local update process.

My heart was in my mouth as the familiar black screen appeared, displaying the green android figure. The various milestones ticked by pretty quickly: checking system, writing modem, flashing etc. Then it got to "writing system", which took an age, and I was worried that I had bricked it. But eventually that message cleared (probably after only 90 seconds), and the tablet rebooted.

I could see instantly that there was a difference; the splash page had a big "Powered by Android" message at the bottom, which I don't think was on the previous version. Then it took a while for the homepage to appear, but it did.

I was relieved; I was prepared to end up with a brick. The tablet only cost me £65 off eBay, so if I did destroy it, I wouldn't have lost much. But someone on XDA had written that it had worked for them, so I was hopeful that it would work. An additional benefit is that voice calling is enabled in the update, I swapped the SIM out of my phone and tested it.

A slight downer is that people are now reporting that an OTA (automatic Over The Air) package is available, and I am slightly worried that the version I have downloaded and installed might not be on the update path, so I may be stuck on KitKat for a while. But, we'll wait and see how things turn out. So the update is good, but if you are considering installing it, you might want to wait to see whether you get the OTA.

Good luck, people!

Wednesday 15-03-25 Southern Cross

Last week I was mostly reading Southern Cross, a new story published by Image. No sauciness this week, it is the story of a woman headed towards a space station to find out how her sister died. 

It reminds me of the opening plot of Roche Limit, to be fair. But the artwork is great, the big scenes are suggestive, rather than detailed, and the living conditions on the spaceship are quite grim, not at all futuristic. In fact it is reminiscent of working one's passage in steerage, not that I've ever done that, but the heroine lives below decks and there is a scene where she goes to eat in the mess, and it is clear that the others there are workers on the ship. I'm looking forward to reading more...

Sunday 15-03-22 Coffee and Walnut Cake

So a couple of days ago I was round at a friend's house and she served up some coffee and walnut cake that her mum had made. It was delicious. I had enjoyed a slice of coffee cake a few days before that as well, I think it was probably last week, people at work made cakes for Comic Relief. Anyway, it got me to thinking, maybe I should have a go at making one.
So on Friday night, I mentioned to TW that I was considering making a cake, which took her by surprise, since most of the time I would be hard-pressed to tell you where the kitchen is, let alone use anything in it to make a cake. At least, that would be your impression if you listened to her...
She popped to Lidl yesterday and picked up some walnuts, and told me that this afternoon I would be making a coffee and walnut cake. I protested, advising that I hadn't told her when I was going to make it, and I hadn't even decided that I was going to make one at all, it was just an ambition.
But as it turned out, she headed into town with the Eldest, and the younger two were out playing, so I got the recipe from the BBC website and read it through. I got on with it, mixing and blending. The recipe said it would take about 30 mins of prep, and 30 mins to cook, and that's what it took me, so I must be getting better...! I did have to phone TW and ask about greasing and lining the cake tins, but apart from that it was quite straightforward. When making the buttercream, unfortunately it curdled, and TW helped me out with the blender. But apart from that, it was all my own work.
We tucked into it immediately after taking the pictures above, and it was delicious. I thought that maybe the crust was a bit hard, but the cake was lovely, light and moist. I'm quite pleased with my efforts, and maybe next time I'll have a go at something savoury - if I can find the kitchen, that is...

Sunday 15-03-22 Six Nations 2015 - The Final Round

And so it came down to the final set of games to decide the overall winner of the Six Nations 2015. England, Wales and Ireland had all lost only one game, and so they were the three teams in contention. Although, to be fair, Wales's points difference was atrocious, and they would have to put on at least 40 points against Italy to even draw level with England and Ireland.
I was looking forward to the afternoon, but I was dreading it as well; I've watched three rugby matches in a row before, and I got rugbied out - I was hoping that wasn't going to happen again. And I would have to pause the matches to take TW into town to watch Hairspray at the end of the first match...
So the Italian-Welsh game kicked off at 12:30 in Rome, and it seemed to be a bit of a slow burner. Italy took the lead with a penalty, and then kept inching slowly ahead of Wales until at half-time Wales were one point up, and the score was 13-14. In the second half, Wales came out and scored two quick tries, to start taking the game away from Italy. And then they increased the pace, in a truly dazzling display, to add 47 points in total in the second half. Italy scored a consolation try at the end to take their tally to 20, and the final score was 20-61. The Welsh gave it their all and confirmed their brilliance in execution, and Italy fell apart, it has to be said.
In scoring their 61 points, Wales had gone past both Ireland and England, so both teams had to perform in order to win on points difference. Ireland beat Scotland, which frankly wasn't a surprise, but Scotland played some good rugby. The final score was 10-40, and so that left England having to beat France by 26 points.
England played well, and scored early, but then gave away a few penalties and the initiative. France came back and took the lead, before England reasserted themselves. They came close, and there were a lot of points scored, but unfortunately England were a converted try short. They beat France by 20 points and the final score was 55-35. That meant that Ireland were crowned Six Nations winners. England left the field dejected, but I think that the Six Nations result obscured the fact that we beat France by 20 points, and properly dominated the game for the most part.
It was an exhilarating afternoon of rugby and an excellent advert for the game. I shouted myself hoarse during the England match, and drank a number of beers as well. My nerves were shredded, and we ended up going to bed early.
A great day.

Saturday 15-03-21 The Newsroom

So I have just finished watching The Newsroom, an absolutely brilliant TV series from the pen of Aaron Sorkin, who also wrote The West Wing. This third series took long enough coming, and it was only six episodes long, but it was perfectly crafted, and worth the wait.
Jeff Daniels (pictured above) was a strange choice for the main role, I thought initially, but he was fantastic in role, and all the players acquitted themselves well. Maybe it was the snappy dialogue, maybe it was the intricate plotting, maybe it was the Don Quixote references. The story was pretty similar to The West Wing, i.e., a bunch of liberal journos fighting against the injustices of the world, but it was done in an awe-inspiring, fast-moving, glitzy kind of way.
I've been watching Arrow recently, and I only bring Arrow in to contrast against the self-effacing nature of The Newsroom. Arrow is full of pomp and overblown histrionics; I was watching it recently and took myself out of the narrative, to look at it one step removed. The music was surging, the characters were reciting dialogue that no-one in the real world would ever say, and it kind of ruined it for me slightly. I enjoy it still, but I think The Newsroom is better written.
The Newsroom is different, in that the dialogue flows by so quickly that if you don't pay attention, you've missed a vital plot twist. The characters are all modest, and although of course it's unrealistic, it shows a world I'd quite like to live in, where everyone has a snappy comeback and is intent on making the world a better place.
The romance between Jim and Maggie was a main thread in the first series, and I'm glad that it was revisited in the third series. I have to say though that Olivia Munn pulled off an absolute stunner as Sloan Sabbith. All the characters were great; Sam Waterston as Charlie was a tour de force, and Jane Fonda as well put in a strong performance when she appeared.

Basically what I'm saying is that I recommend it. It's reminiscent of The West Wing, and full of snappy dialogue and a strong ensemble performance.

Friday 15-03-20 Tyrant

So this week I have mostly been watching Tyrant. It's a TV show about an American doctor whose family happens to be a bunch of Middle Eastern dictators. The American doctor heads back to his home country for his nephew's wedding, and then he gets caught up in the domestic politics of the country.
Apparently it's by the same team who did Homeland, which I still haven't seen, but it is becoming more interesting by the episode.
Tonight we had a guest and so I missed the double episode phenomenon that we've enjoyed over the last couple of nights, but I'm hoping we'll get back to normal tomorrow night. But having thought about it, tomorrow night will be after the conclusion of the Six Nations, I'm not sure I will be fit for much. We'll have to see how it goes.

Warning! Warning! Tunisian Attack!

So, regretfully, the Bardo Museum was attacked by those mindless Islamic fundamentalists:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/18/eight-people-killed-in-attack-on-tunisia-bardo-museum

It won't stop us going on holiday to Tunisia though, we're going on May 1st for a few days with the kids. Still looking forward to it.

15-03-08 Fiction Squad

I can't let today go by without mentioning Fiction Squad. Fiction Squad is a six-part series from BOOM Studios, and it was pretty good stuff.

The central conceit is that a down-at-heel P.I. (think someone from a Raymond Chandler novel) is investigating crimes in NurseryLand - but every rhyme is a crime scene. Humpty Dumpty gets knocked off a wall and the P.I. needs to solve the crime. The trouble is, his partner is Simple Simon, who lives up to his name. So he is pretty much on his own. There are some really nice bits of story, where particular nursery rhymes are referred to and invoked. 

The story was very clever, the artwork suits the Nursery Rhyme theme of the story, and we also see the down-at-heel P.I., so there are really good variances in light and shade throughout the story. 

Having said that, I'm unlikely to read the story again, so I've listed it on eBay. If anyone wants it, let me know. 

TTFN.

The Week Magazine

So yesterday, I bought a newspaper, and amongst all the junk adverts inside, advertising rubbish, was a small slip of paper advertising The Week. The offer was for one free issue, as well as a USB memory stick, and I think we all know my weakness for memory sticks. Anyway, it's been a while since I read The Week, so I thought I would give it a go. Their advertising schtick is that it only takes an hour to read their magazine cover to cover, and then you are caught up on the week's essential news.
So I gave the chap my details; name, address, email, etc. All well and good. Then he tried to sell me an extra five editions, for the princely sum of £1. I politely declined, and expected that to be the end of the matter. "Oh, come on, Rob, you can't buy anything for a pound these days. Isn't that very reasonable?" Well, thank you for your offer, but no thank you. "Just to let you know Rob, when we've carried out surveys from our previous promotions, the common complaint was that one issue wasn't enough of a taster for our readers. So that's why we're now offering this additional five copies for just £1. It's a bit of a no-brainer, really, Rob. Think about what you can normally buy for one pound, Rob, it seems very reasonable." Well, no. I wasn't interested, thank you. I rang up because there was an offer of a free copy of The Week, not a free copy of The Week and the Hard Sell. I was very close to letting the kind gentleman with the Hard Sell that he could take his free issue and shove it, that I wasn't interested. But finally he took the hint, that wasn't actually a hint at all, but rather a bald statement of fact: "I'm not interested in making any further commitment today. I'll read the FREE issue which you are going to send and see how I feel after that."
So I am now waiting for my free issue to arrive. Obviously the hope is that readers sign up to the "Five for £1" offer and forget to cancel. The issues normally cost £3.10, but the subscription on a quarterly basis is ~£27. There is quite a big jump between 20p an issue and £3.10 an issue.

The funny thing is, when I looked up their website for this blog entry, I noticed that they are offering SIX free issues. So I have signed up. I have handed over my bank details, and I will be careful to ensure that I cancel my subscription before it starts costing me any money. It turns out that the joke is on them; if they had been slightly more relaxed on the phone, they might have got an extra pound out of me. But as it is, I will get an extra five issues out of them for absolutely nothing.

Pussycats #0

This week I have mostly been reading Pussycats #0.

I didn't get the gist of the story, but I think the comic might be important as it's the first porn crossover comic I've seen. I've only been collecting comics for about six years, so I'm sure someone has tried this before; after all, there's nothing new under the sun, right? But this comic has some pretty big names backing it - Karen Summer, Priya Anjali Rai, and Tanya Tate to name but three. Those links are all NSFW (Not Safe For Work), by the way. 

The comic itself is a black-and-white line drawing affair, with a few panels depicting women in lingerie or actually having sex. I was a bit confused after reading it, as I wasn't sure who was who, but I'm hoping that might shake itself out in later issues; this is #0 of 4.

Other honourable mentions must go to Descender and Suiciders, both of which I'm looking forward to reading more of:

Suiciders looks like a good read, the artwork is good and the juxtaposition of the different narrative threads works well 

Descender is a different affair, set in a future where robots are classed as living, and humans have been (more or less) wiped out. 

Both titles have started strongly and I'm sure will reward further reading.