News
Posts on assorted life happenings and thoughts.
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Dippy the diplodocus is on display at the local Herbert art gallery and it seemed a shame not to go take a look at this popular exhibit.
Pint of Science is an annual world-wide festival where in a relaxed pub or cafe environment researchers present thier work to the general public. The 2023 round took place in...
I visited this museum in the grounds of Birmingham University at Edgbaston with a group from u3a. It’s easily reachable by train and a short walk and through its displays...
The back garden wall had been significantly leaning into my side for a long time, and figured if it’s been that way for decades it’s probably best left alone. I’m...
Spent the morning at the Coventry Arena watching the Judo as part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Star Trek Discovery was a delight, feeling like the adventurous optimistic overcoming our worst instincts feel of the originals. The new season 4 however is going out not on Netflix...
Coventry is the city of culture for 2021, and as can be seen that culture is “building site”. Swathes of the main precinct shopping area are being remodelled. And it’s...
The recent interactions with healthcare professionals has raised the inevitable questions on diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol. While I consider my diet fairly good, it’s easy to deceive yourself so I...
So after some major heart surgery with a real chance of dying (and not) the question is does it change anything? Part of me would love to report a desire...
There is no dignity in hospital. You become a piece of meat, rolled, wiped, needled and measured. More women have seen my junk in those few weeks than my entire...
Dreams and awareness while recovering from anaesthetic can be a bit strange. Or at least for me they were. I think some part of me understood the fact I had...
On the second of January 2021 I was admitted to hospital with what turned out to be heart failure. The wall between the lower chambers had a 2cm tear it....
Coventry annually hosts motofest filling the city centre with all things transport as befits a motor city. Even if your not a petrolhead its well worth a mooch around.
Time for a mobile phone upgrade. My trusty old HTC Pulse (purchased 2010?) was still working but had long since fallen behind on abilities and Android software. I’m not a...
Unbelievably, it’s been three years since I last added anything to this site. The last entry being Dark matter and the AstroTour back in April 2013. The Drupal system that...
“Dark matter” - it may sound like a good name for a band (along with “gamma-ray burst”) [1] but in fact they are some of the puzzles in astronomy that...
Stallman is in computing circles a near legendary figure, and certainly one of the more influential persons in recent computing history. So the chance to listen to him speak at...
As more details emerge of the fiasco over the recent awarding of a rail franchise, it’s very difficult not to roll your eyes at government incompetence. But beyond the arguments...
Doing the shopping at the local Asda and attempted to topup my mobile. Handed over my t-mobile card for them to swipe only for the till to crash. Stop completely,...
ah, university research departments … ever keen to build links to the outside world that doesn’t understand their research. However an open evening with the local (to Milton Keynes) British...
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To open a business account requires a valid passport and mine had expired. It’s renewal was one of those back of the mind things I didn’t get round to earlier....
Next step after the business start-up course is to offer a business plan and a chat with an advisor from Business Link at the local Chamber of Commerce. This service...
Our local PC World was never very great, a big shed of expensive technical stuff. But at least they had ‘stuff’ used by techies and were sometimes useful when you...
Spent a few days this week at the local chamber of commerce sponsored business start-up courses. The plans to sort out starting a ‘proper’ IT consultancy business seems to have...
Well the title says it all really. Cycling along when the back wheel locked revealing a broken back axle. Among the things to carry as a cyclist, electrical tape rates...
For some reason this past week the phone scammers of the world have targeted me. The first is a call to my mobile asking to accept a reverse charge call...
Recently Apple announced iCloud to predictable media interest.
Despite no full-time job I’m feeling really pressed for time. I hope that’s good, but it will be nice to get some things done and off the list. The bigger...
You know life is racing by when you’re invited to the wedding of the lad you used to babysit. Robert and Rosie’s wedding at St.Mary’s church Marylebone was a lovely...
I’m beginning to get suspicious that the building activity at the end of my garden isn’t going to plan. I had asked for a nice view, something like a beach...
Back when I were a lad playing D&D, vampires were smart, nasty and evil creatures of the night. You knew where you stood with them. Preferably in daylight with a...
With the recent UK election and the (quite right) fuss about some not being able to vote due to insufficient ballot papers or time, the cry goes up to move...
Lately there seems to have been quite a bit of ‘buzz’ around Googles policy over the rights to data. So we have newspapers getting upset that the likes of Google...
Well I’ve succumbed having been a mobile phone refusenik (aside from pointless mandatory works ones). Although I like technology I generally want stuff to be useful and mobiles aren’t really...
An exhibition of Vincent Van Gogh work is going on display in London and aside from thinking it would make a nice day trip, it got me thinking about the...
Aggh! Winter. There is lots to like about winter, but the short days and weak light isn’t one of them. Yes I know thats a Northern hemisphere viewpoint… but in...
Humans have a need to explain things. We like to know why and how and what. For instance, many ancient cultures wondered what lightning and is what is thunder? They...
Well it seems the developers have heard my cry for a better view from my back window. Seems they are trying to create a 1:10 scale model of the Great...
The view from the rear of my house has never been spectacular. In fact its a large factory wall, and a semi-deserted factory at that. There are some advantages such...
So now having passed the Linux Professional Institute level one exam in May 2005 I’m considered competent to really mess up a linux server. For the uninitiated Linux is an...
Deciding that unless I set a date the procrastination will continue, I booked the session for the Linux Professional Institute 102 exam rather tentatively for late May 2005. I’ve been...
Is hosting the Olympics worth it? How much will it cost? It’s the oldest trick in the book. Promise a project at a certain price, get it started and then...
I’ve always thought that the computing industry needs to be more professional, I mean you wouldn’t get someone without a lot of letters after thier name to build a bridge,...
You have the right to protest.. …but it wont make a bit of difference. In March 2003 I decided it wasn’t enough to just moan about the Iraq war, and...