How To Fit A Toilet
I’m thinking about using a Geberit Monolith toilet in my house.
My builder and I liked the video about installation.
But you don’t buy a toilet because of the video! On the other hand, you might, if you were installing it yourself.
You’re Never Too Stupid To Do Science!
I like this story about Sir John Gurdon. Eton College told him he was too stupid to do science and now he goes and wins a Nobel Prize.
I could have titled this post, You’re Never Too Stupid To Do Anything!
In my case, an English teacher, told me I’d never pass my O Level in the subject. I just did, but now, I’ve self-published a couple of books, written stories and had letters in several publications.
It’s probably still not good, as people say I use too many commas and shrieks. Shriek is printer’s slang for exclamation mark. Or it was my father’s! Wikipedia says this.
The name given to “!” by programmers varies according to their background. In the UK the term pling was popular in the earlier days of computing, whilst in the USA the term shriek was used. It is claimed that these word usages were invented in the US and shriek is from Stanford or MIT; however, shriek for the ! sign is found in the Oxford English Dictionary dating from the 1860s.
My father had never been to the United States, so it must have come from his printing background somewhere. His father was also a printer.
We Mustn’t Forget Old Techniques
As someone, who grew up in a letterpress printing works in Wood Green, I welcome stories like this.
Abelardo Gonzalez has developed a font for those who suffer from dyslexia and it seems to work.
I don’t suffer from dyslexia, but I do have slightly sub-standard eyesight and know that reading some fonts is easier than others.
Transport for London would also agree, as years ago they developed a special clear typeface for travellers called New Johnston. It’s even on the destination boards of buses.
I also think that I do better in eye tests than I should, because of all that time I spent setting up type and especially the very small ones like 6 pt. I think sometimes my father gave me those pieces to do, as my eyes and dexterity as a child were very good.
The Big Difference Between Men And Women
I can always remember from my student days, that if you had a flat full of females, they often worked out to the nearest d., who paid what for things like food. Males usually didn’t bother with exact mathematics.
So fifty years later in a curry house tonight, I was surprised to see two about eighteen-year-old female students doing what C always remarked girls did.
I wonder why this difference exists! And hasn’t changed!
The Shard From Below
I don’t like it, but from below, it’s impressive.
I hope we don’t see too many more Shards.
A Golden Age Of Engineering?
Evan Davis asks this question in this piece on the BBC web site. It’s linked to a two part series starting on BBC2 tonight.
I think he could be right and have said so on this blog about tunnelling.
I shall be watching tonight.
Buying Single Pens That Work
I always seem to forget something when I go out. Normally it’s just a clean tissue, but a couple of times lately, I’ve forgotten to take a pen with me to do the Sudoku.
Surprisingly, the only place you seem to be able to get a simple Bic pen that works is in Rymans. Other shops want to sell you at least a dozen, or some elaborate pen at a couple of quid.
Bassets Hunting In Primrose Hill
I took this picture on Primrose Hill this morning, as three bassets met up to do what bassets do best – hunt.
Bassets Hunting In Primrose Hill
Obviously, there aren’t any hares on Primrose Hill in the middle of London, but a share of a substantial picnic would do just nicely.
Getting The Blues
The tiles in my house are pretty tired. Mainly due to ten years hard wear with innumerable tenants, but also I suspect because knowing Gerry, they weren’t the best tiles to start with.
Getting The Blues
So I’ve decided to get rid of the hideous tiled skirting board and replace it with an oak one and put down a proper carpet.
This afternoon, I went to John Lewis to see what they’d got. I chose a Brinton’s carpet in a shade called Coast. Mainly because the book had been left open at that shade.
It was only after I left the shop, I realised that it might have been the same carpet, we used to have around the Chinese carpet in our house at Debach, nearly forty years ago. In that case though, we bought the blue carpet first from a shop in Woodbridge and then bought the Chinese carpet in Hong Kong.
My only problem, is was it C or the Chinese, that made someone leave the carpet book open at the page? A Chinese friend at the time, said that the carpet was a lucky design.
They’ve Got Blue Honey In France
This sounds a rather weird story and it’s all here on the BBC web site.
Perhaps the French bees have got the blues over Francois Hollande!
The Anonymous Widower 