Two Dogs
I reorganised the living room and brought a small Indian rug in front of the television. It has been invaded.
The Staffy is my son’s. The basset despite being female or possibly because of it is in charge.
Note that the basset has one brown and one blue eye.
Henning Wehn
I usually listen to Fighting Talk on Saturday and today was no exception. It is hosted by one of the Colin Murray identical twins. There must be twins as they pop up everywhere.
One of the panelists is the German comedian Henning Wehn, who often plays to British stereotypes about his country. Today he came up with this joke.
Q. Why did my grandfather cross the road?
A. To invade France.
It’s funny! But I wonder what his fellow Germans would think.
How to do Service?
Some years ago, my late wife bought a large double bed from And So To Bed. Unfortunately, the decorators broke a support when they moved it recently.
So I phone the firm and asked if I could buy a new support. A pleasant guy found the order and said that the bed was now discontinued. But he would try to find one and get it sent to me.
I can’t ask for more. Especially as if necessary, I can make one of my own.
But at least I’m only small and I suspect that the bed won’t collapse with my sixty kilos in it!
Do Dogs Work on a 23 Hour Day?
My housekeeper feeds the dogs at about mid-day.
So if I go anywhere near the kitchen from about eleven in the morning at the weekend, they are there staring wistfully at me, as if they haven’t eaten for months.
Are Cars Greener than Buses?
This question is prompted by a post on the BBC Ethical Man’s blog, which asks that question.
The article should be read in full.
But the real problem is that we travel too much.
I’ve worked at home since 1972 and in that time I’ve created two major businesses and several worthwhile (well I think they are) software applications. It doesn’t seemed to have hampered me. So perhaps we need more incentives and technologies like fast broadband to make working at home easier. To get any decent broadband speed, I actually use two phone lines and a special balanced router. But I only get 2Mbs.
Useless!
So would it be better to spend the money on faster broadband for all, rather than transport infrastructure? If for no other reason, it would certainly be popular with a lot of people. I don’t think anybody would object and there would be no need for lengthy and costly public enquiries.
I also live on top of a hill and about three or four kilometres from the nearest pub, post office or shop. I don’t actually cycle to them much, but I should. But most of our large cities are flat and would be very suitable terrain for two wheels. We just need to make sure there are proper cycle paths and adequate places to lock a bicycle.
So perhaps under certain circumstances cars are greener than buses and trains, but in many cases there are better alternatives.
Old Mobile Phones Never Die
I use the legendary Nokia 6310i, which I got in early 2003. It has been all over the world with me and has been dropped so many times that it is probably the world’s most battered phone in daily use. It’s also still on the original battery and that lasts a whole week away.
I’ve got a new spare ready for when this one finally fades away.
Incidentally, I’m in the technology business having written software for 45 years, and feel that we spend too much time putting useless bells and whistles on to things that work well. It would be better to use all that effort to create new applications and systems.
This picture shows the phone in Naples.
A Battered Nokia 6310i in Naples
This was actually taken at the Meridian Line. Note the time on the phone and the spot of sunlight showing it is midday.
Refrigeration Technology
Dr. Booth taught me A-level physics in the mid-1960s and he instilled a love in the subject, that I still have. I even count Advanced Level Physics
One thing he said was that in a few years, we would be using the Peltier effect for heating and cooling. He was right about the technology, but it is only in the last few years that we have seen practical applications of the effect.
I have just purchased a Baumatic wine-cooler from Currys.
Baumatic Wine Cooler
The salesman said it was a normal fridge, working with coolant, pumps and fans. It isn’t, as it’s a Peltier effect fridge.
It will be interesting to see how it works.
One point to notice is that it is a lot cheaper than a comparable cooler working in the normal way. But does it use more or less electricity?
Stalin and Hitler
Gareth Jones was a journalist, who visited the Ukraine and Germany before the Second World War. What he reported was accurate, although it was rubbished by Stalin’s apologists. Read more about Gareth Jones in The Times.
There is an exhibition in the Wren Library at Cambridge University.
I shall be going.
What Happens to a Homebase Fuchsia
I took this picture in the rain this morning.
Homebase Hardy Fuchsia "Alice Hoffman"
Not bad for a cheap pot-plant!
I also took a photo of the plants climbing up the wall.
Pot Plants
These are the same plants shown in Indian Summer. My how they’ve grown in about seven weeks!
The Anonymous Widower 