Office blog

[freedom]

Friday 21st November 2008 (early evening)

Shoes, both pairs, in a very sorry state, got into the office yesterday on my
inbetweening plimsoles, and out and around afterwards and this morning on
one boot from one pair and another from my second set.

Brought a new pair of boots at Stronghold quickly (�36.95), and added fresh
insoles & laces. Carried them home and polished them before they were worn.

The leather didn't take polish well, so I repeated the process thrice, and
that'll have to do as a start.

Did a test run (with some help from the Landlord) on the stilts 1730-1800,
everything went much better than expected. 'Expected to do a few push-ups,
but got straight up very quickly, back down, raised up from prone position (to halfway-up),
trod ground, walked around a bit by the office, then did a [truncated] lap of the
[railway] station car park.

This is very interesting, not least because I couldn't easily get up from prone
beforehand.

I'll put in some endurance training tomorrow.


Sunday 23rd November 2008 (afternoon)

Updated offline bits to put online:

• Freedom site News.
• Took several older projects offline:
  
  • /better/tidy (Current ongoing project bearing little recent fruit,
    but taking up much discspace)
  • /better/study (Old Reports)
  • Some private-exchange data
  • /arena (old Perl experiments)
• Updated the software download area.
• Updated the Trainwest [Firefox [news]] picker.

Much trudging through various aspects of overdue work 'n' planning.

I've been working through the night here, and although I intended (and still do
[intend to]) get the basic non-printed board overlays done, I ended up doing
my planning and plotting-out what exactly I need to do to get several short
projects done. All very useful, and I need to complete both the planning
and the overlay bits by Monday morning.

However, I'm starting to miss variety-type food, and maybe this is a subconscious
distraction, but an extended overnight day of kidney beans & tomatoes with toast & coffee
is beginning to need a break of some sort. I need a short break anyway, and a nap:
I'm starting to staring at the problem without getting anywhere a lot.
I have a sort of half-writer's-block, and, although I want to continue, I clearly
need a short break. So I will go home and try to remember what it [home] look's like.


Wednesday 26th November 2008 (late evening)

Finally got some sleep, last night & this morning.

Printing large "Grid Sheets"; 2D rulers to recalibrate the Templates with, directly from
the boards this time. Lots of large sheets of vinyl-backed paper left from last time,
also to do with various aspects of recalibration.

Planned to do some stiltwalking practice earlier on, but frustrated by unscheduled rain.


Thursday 27th November 2008 (Silly O'Clock)

Printing 'n' recalibration was going well, until noticed that the printer has suddenly
switched its default from 72DPI to 96DPI for no apparent reason. One sheet (fortunately
the big one) came out fine, one came out apparently fine, but with the calibration grid
two-thirds the size. Subsequent tests show all settings unaltered and all default settings
printing at 96DPI... So I'll just have to print all documents at 134% of size instead, to
compensate. (No, 133% doesn't work, so perhaps it's switched to 96.48DPI.) Mysterious.
Even though it continued to show from the last time I switched on, I'll try a complete
system reset anyway...

No effect. However, printing from PaintShop Pro seems less effected. PSP's native DPI
has altered slightly, but it is closer to the proper size than MsPaint. This could mean
I have flicked an obscure setting in MsPaint, or perhaps a DIP switch inside the printer
has bumped.

- * -

Now I've been working at night, and I've worked through the night (again), it doesn't
matter that I've run out of certain supplies, because it's morning now and the Stationers'
are open again. Unfortunately, I don't get paid for the printing and/or preparation side,
but it all work's out in the end (in theory, anyway).

Further minor distortion noticed in the grid sheets, but these ones don't matter, because
it's screen inches (pica), not printed inches, that I'm measuring. I also have to allow for
some distortion on the printouts that will be made from these calculations, although I didn't
expect these distortions to be greater than the "shift margin", which they are. The shift
margin, by the way, is the extra area of design bleed to allow for the covers being shifted
on the boards when they are mounted.

- * -

Mentioned that there was something about an attack in India in the late paper onboard the
train, whereupon The Others pointed out that I might have been living in a bubble for the
last 24 hours.

Got some probably-good-enough lacquer and some other components at Maplin in bath.

Lacquered the gradiated-cyan/white sheets overnight.


Friday 28th November 2008

Cropped the now-dry lacquered gradiated sheets with the guillotine, first water-proofing
them on the other side with transparent adhesive plastic.

Did the previsit to Calne Town Council, where I found out that they didn't know what
A1 paper size was and they had tried to print their posters at that size on their own
office printers, yesterday, before they discovered this. Consequently, they had a
selection of A3 and A4 printouts which they had laminated.

They, or rather I, ended-up positioning the various printouts on my blank board covers
with double-sided tape and Magic� "invisible" tape.

They had their own laminator, and colour laserprinter/copier, in the same room, which
was also being used as a route between their secure internal corridor and their front
office inquiry desk, so it was a bit of a squeeze, particulary if you're working with
A1-sized documents at that point.

Eventually I had the rear side arranged to their satisfaction, at which point I realised
I had put it on upside-down and had to do it all over again. I tried a quick cheap fix
of taking the board cover off and re-attaching that upside-down, but it wouldn't work.

Then the front board, and I back on the bus to the rail station. I left the boards and
boardcovers at the council offices for overnight storage.

Back at the office, swapped over carried items and dashed off for the train.

- * -

Visited the GCHQ Open Day in Swindon.
Partly because my Jobseeker's Agreement says I have to, partly out of curiosity.

"There seems to be a slight misunderstanding about what we do.
We're not the security services."
"Well, what exactly do you do?"
"Oh, we can't tell you that - it's Classified."

That confusion aside, I think they're the UK equivalent of the NSA.
'Still not sure, though.

There were five subgroups there, basically:

• CESG (Computing & Electronic Security Group, Ithink) - Spying on themselves.
• Network Defence - Spying on other people.
• Information Assurance - Double-checking things, and supposedly making sure laptops don't get left on buses.
• Cryptology - Code makers/breakers, for both information and systems that do the job.
• Microelectronics - checking clients' hardware work's.

Their visitor's sheet was on view, which revealed a grand total of four visitors that day,
including me.

- * -

Bumped into one of The Others at the rail terminal, and we discussed where we each
had been, ie what was I doing in Swindon? Was I following him? No, I've been to...
So nothing worthy of paranoia there, then. He is a conspiracy theorist (dunno
what of), and was much amused by my visit, and particularly of the "rather dubious"
free pen they gave me, which is infact not a gun.

Mysterious are the ways of the Railway Operating Companies, and in return for my
tale he used a loophole in the tannoy announcements, which got us seats in First Class.
This was all under the protection of Network Rail, whereforwhomat he works.


As we got to the office, we noticed someone had sprayed graffiti over the boiler-room
door. This would have had to have happened sometime in the last three hours, in a widely
viewed public area. Puzzling and annoying. Reported that, retrieved a bus timetable for
the one of The Others who by that time was in the Pub.

In the evening, stayed at the office for an hour or so, persistently persuading
the office PC to do some minor alterations to a rasterfile of the BMRG 2009 Wallplanner,
correcting to numbers of days per month.

Too tired to get the bath in working order and have a bath and wash my
hair. There just wasn't the time, anyway. Set two alarms, and slept.


Saturday 29th November 2008

Because the bath was out of order, and a really needed a bath, I tried an
full stripwash. Normally this is something I would do as a filler-wash, covering
only my trunk and arms, etc.

Much to my surprise, this turned out to be a good enough substitute for bathing
to apply antiperspirant afterwards, and it only took half the time of a proper bath.
It did require constant mopping-up of the floor, however.

Did the stiltwalking in Calne; five and a quarter hours within a six hour period,
and, fortunately, it didn't rain. This was lucky, because I didn't take a coat,
just a shirt and jumper (and trousers etc). Even though I was taking strenuous
exercise and carrying heavy weights, I managed to get a bit chilly towards the
end of the day. The boards have pads on, and they wrap around me, so it's a bit
coat-like.

I didn't pace myself at the start, and this I came to regret later on.
I started off striding up Lickhill Road via Cox Hill (a very steep route),
branching off into bits of housing estates and hanging around by shops.
There were a few people out and about, so I took the bypass at a brisk bouncing
walk of 6mph, and cut through the Porte Marsh industrial estate onto the
Oxford Road back into town. Strangely, the industrial estate was virtually
deserted, and that plan didn't work that well. On Oxford Road, I found a wall
high enough to sit on (aprx 5ft I think), and managed to do so, getting down
and up without the aid of a nearby post. The raised stump of a decorative
brick pillar was enough, if I locked my stilts against the base of the wall
and reached backwards to the top of the wall with the other hand.

My legs felt like jelly, and I rested for a ten minutes. I had gone past the
need-to-rest stage, pausing only by hanging onto lampposts (most signposts aren't
really high enough), but that is pausing standing-up, and not doesn't rest my legs
fully. Then I went through the exhaustion barrier, then the pain barrier. This
method of getting around is a bit like rock climbing: You can't stop and have a
lie down halfway up, or... splat.

Back in town, I checked how much time that had half-wasted: Only an hour. So that's
okay then. Seemed like two. Hmmmmmm. Concentrated for the rest of the day on roads
nearer the town centre, where everyone turned out to be.

Walked down Phelps Parade, the main pedestrain shop ministreet, to Sainsbury's, which
worked well. Went through the tunnel between Mill Street and Somerfield, which was high
enough to accommodate me. The echo in the tunnel of my hooves hitting the pavement made
very loud "Clunks", even though I was doing the equivalent of tip-toeing. I had a red
warning light on my set, largely because I couldn't wear a rear light. Partly as a
christmassy effect, partly because I was officially commissioned and the police were
less likely to stop me for non-road-legal lighting, I had set it to "cascade"; a flashing
effect that looked like orange warning beacons. The combined effect of these in the
darkened tunnel made me look that one of those walking JCB exoskeletons they use the
the first Alien film, and sound like one too. Hey-ho.

I was getting quite hungry towards the end of the day, and speculated on how I might
buy some snackfood. Only Somerfield's doors were big enough to accommodate my height,
but I wasn't too confident about getting through the narrow gap between the tills,
resting touches on the tops of shelving, reaching low shelves, handling money with
wristguards & gloves on, or not skidding on the polished floor. I ran through these
considerations again, and decided to give it a miss.

I checked the time again (public clocks). Two, then two-and-a-half hours gone: Halfway
through, and I'm ready to keel over. Fortunately, resting is also advertising, so it
doesn't count as a break. What does count as a break is kneeling down in a bus stop
or similar, which I did have to do after (Ithink) three-and-a-half hours, at which point
a council official asked me if any muscles were hurting, and I replied that all of
both legs were in pain, apart from the feet, and we agreed a break was in order.
This wasn't quite true: I had over-tightened my right main foot strap, and the "laces"
part of my right foot was a bit crunched too, but I can't grumble. Pain doesn't bother
me so much; I was concentrating on avoiding actual injury, which would hit my earnings
potential of course. While I was on my knees like this, passers-by knocked on the other
side of the glass as if I was a fish.

Surprisingly I found myself face-to-face with another stiltwalker, who had stopped to
say hi. He wasn't officially part of the celebrations, he was just there handing out
flyers. He was on plastering stilts, which were a bit higher than mine, without springs
and gadgets, and with bigger "feet", so he could stand still unaided. He himself was
a bit shorter than me, and overall with his taller stilts, he was still a bit shorter.
My rear boards towered above both of us, anyway.

Had a nice chat, voice starting to go along with everything else, and then the
officials of the council turned up and asked if I'd like to stop now, which I readily
agreed to. There were several hooters being set off, which turned out to be a couple
of kids with aerosol-style horns.

By this stage, I was only able to take small steps, my muscles were so sore.
I hobbled over to a bus-stop, surrounded by officials of the council in their florescent
jackets, more of whom had come out at night.

The buses wouldn't be diverted for another hour, so I was able to catch one back
to Chippenham within ten minutes' time.

By the time I got back to the office, the graffiti had been covered over with [BMRG]
advertising for the latest exhibition.


Sunday 30th November 2008

Although everything had not exactly gone stiff, I could not move without jabs
of pain today. It was strict bed rest time. I slept through most of the day, anyway.


Monday 1st December 2008

Slept the first half of the day, and was able to move around in the afternoon without
significant pain.

Went down the office and did a litterpick.

Fixed the BMRG 2009 Wallplanner (right number of days from earlier; correct columns
delineation and removal of accidental unwanted dithering in the title).

Further work halted as usual by the office clown, playing the radio very very loudly
to accompany his strenuous evening of leafing through the paper. He really has no
concept of work, in much the same manner that wildebeest have no concept of Iceland.

This is probably why he keep's getting fired from his jobs, but doesn't explain how
he manages to get them in the first place. -So there you have it: You don't have to be
mad to work there, but you do if you want to get the job in the first place. And if you
are [mad] and consequently you do get it [the job], you won't be able to hold it down
[because you're mad]. Meanwhile, I, whom am not mad, cannot get a job, but am perfectly
capable of holding onto one if I could get one in the first place, which I can't [apparently
because I'm not mad].


Tuesday 2nd December 2008

Hey! - Wasn't there supposed to have been an art festival at the end of last month?
I knew I was supposed to remind somebody about something like that... but I was busy.
I think everybody was perhaps believing someone else was organising it.

Did some stiltwalking practice, without the boards, with a coat on (over the back protector),
with a rear light (clipped to my bum bag).

3 miles plus, a few blocks near the office, and a run up the hill home, 'short rest and back
down to the office again.

These online updates were originally planned for Monday 24th November, and now here they are,
put forward again to Tuesday 2nd December; over a week's pause.

Fixed a minor error on the BMRG 2009 Wallplanner (green marker in a grid position not
corresponding to any actual day), and printed it sans margins, which actually made it fit 'n' fill
a full A3 sheet.


Thursday 4th December 2008

Discovered widely varying prices for A2 sheet lamination across town, brought a new wire stripper
for just over �3, and a fleeced coat with hood and overtrousers thrown in, for just �20!!
-That beat's (many) other suppliers' previous quotes of �200-�250, hands down!!

Tonight the office clown deliberately caused a serious situation from which one The Others was
very lucky indeed to escape from without nasty injury. They were soldering, and he crept up on
them and yanked their chair backwards. Needless to say, molten metal, the hot iron, and sharp/heavy
instruments went flying everywhere. The hottest temperature you can generate in the average
domestic oven is around 230�C. A soldering iron's working temperature is twice that, so it would
have plunged through flesh like a sharp knife if somebody landed on it, or vice versa.

If that happened in a normal office, he would have been out the door - no question.
This is not a normal office, and decisions like that can only be taken by committee. However, the
person he violently attacked is a committee member.

Maplin left a message that my missing components are in stock, so I'll pop down tomorrow, budget
withstanding.

Someone has ripped down the advertising covering the graffiti.


Friday 5th December 2008

Prompted down the "Job Centre" for details of the business they've heard I've started. No! Not again!
If I ever do start a business, nobody'll believe me, because I've spent the last two years denying
I'm running one [because I'm not].

The remaining posters covering the graffiti had gone, so I removed the remaining stray bits of paper
and staples.

Spent an hour or two polishing this blog and rewriting some emails, before hopping off down the
local intercafe' connection-point.

[freedom]

Saturday 6th December 2008

Went down to bath to pick up Maplin order.
Also got some more lacquer and extra-long cable ties (for future tyre socks).
No more fiddling around with two extra-short ties for each binding.

Binge-crossloaded internet stuff at friend's intercafe', and back to Chippers.


Sunday 7th December 2008

Notes about the article. Rewrote the introduction, and suddenly, it
self-defined it's own long-awaited document structure.


Monday 8th December 2008

Early afternoon at home, busy writing bits for later, mainly the article.

Cold enough upstairs in the office to see your breath infront of your face, early evening.


Tuesday 9th December 2008 (Just gone midnight)

Cold enough upstairs in the office to have to wear a jumper AND a fleeced jacket
just to boil water for coffee. No need for gloves as well yet, though.

Checked the freedom site offline archives: 19Mb used; max. 24Mb accounting cluster size.
Online, cPanel claim's it's 46Mb. Ha!

A lot of typing & cross-referencing, and now I have to go and get some sleep!
There's a private reference area I need to put up to save phone time later,
but... sleep!

[freedom]

Tuesday 9th December 2008 (early afternoon)

All this excessive borrowing that caused the mini-blip-recession of
the credit crunch if following the same classic pattern as counterfeiting:

First prices rise to compensate, then the payment is a surge in unemployment.

Then things settle back to normal.


I've just got back from the free intercafe', which is slightly roughened
by people screaming at people trying to study, or attacking them with
hammers, but that's Chippenham for you I suppose. I'm not grumbling about
the facilities per se; it'd just be nice if I could use them properly.

Went home, where relatives turned up the TV to maximum and the neighbour's
contractors started slicing up their building from the inside with
angle grinders. And people ask why I take ages to return their calls.

Got a reply from ARM within minutes of sending it. Very helpful: I am now
cleared to use their technical forum, and have also downloaded a question
I can help with myself. I put the organisation I am with as Wessex ARM User
Group. North Wilts Artspace is more accurate but rather less relevant.


I know I said I'd deliver leaflets in spare time slots in Calne starting
yesterday, but I've been rushed off my little furry feet and hadn't had
any time. Yet.


Wednesday 10th December 2008 (mid-morning)

A day or two ago Jack Straw proposed a Bill of Human Responsibilities
purportedly to mirror the Human Rights Act, but skewed to counteract people
using it against facist laws proposed by... Jack Straw.

I can't believe he's been made the Lord Chancellor. Now the pigs truely are
living in a House of Straw. Where are the wolves gathering?

His proposals cite side things as "obey the l[Str]aw" (could mean anything),
and "be loyal to the country" (already seriously abused). But what would a
sensible list of Responsibilties be? How would they stand up to people trying
to use them to defend or abet antisocial acts?

• Help other people
  "Hand over the money then."
  So, Help other people in a socially responsible manner.
  -Not concise enough.
  Look after each other
• Don't steal
  No negatives, no duplication of law?
  Do not take that which does not belong to you
  I'm sure I've heard that somewhere before.
  Could need tweaking for communal (ie traditional Christian) societies.
• Don't pass stupid laws
  Unfortunatly, could mean anything.
  Do not abuse your official or commercial position for personal gain
  Still need's tweaking to permit payment and profit & interest.
• Strive to achieve
  Be all you can be
• Always be prepared
  Plan and prepare ahead
• Learn from the past, and keep learning
• Eat well, and always wrap up warm
  Keep your work area clean & tidy
  Be safe
  Look after yourself unless to the detriment of others
• Do not use excessive force or violence against other people

So, that's gone through the Ten Commanments, psycho-social views of society,
the cub scout rules, and Kilroy-Silk without leaving much standing; anyone
have more suggestions?

Another way to get a list would be to go through the list of basic Human
Rights and produce Resposibilities to provide them:

• Freedom of expression
  Do not oppress or attack people nor criminalise them for going about their
  essential socialable everyday business
• Food & shelter
  Aim to provide and do not obstruct the provision and availability of
  food & shelter to others
  Already in contravention of, with the travelling community and extereme
  measures to bump up house prices and obstructive and interferring planning
  regulations. But, er, this is concentrating on indivual responsibilties, so
  not strictly relevant to this argument.

Well that's about it, really, isn't it?
The Rights to a family life, freedom from torture, and the Geneva Convention
are all contained and/or within implied by the above?

Never did I need Wikipedia more (I'm offline right now).


Wednesday 10th December 2008 (early afternoon)

'Explained to the Landlord why I'm not in Calne.

Cleaned and warmed up ancient PC mouse swiping the pointer vigerously across
the desk surface. Found even that didn't work on this, the coldest day of
December 2009 so far, and had to tape some paper to the desk for more grip.

Much designing of posters and conversion of text drafts of private-access
web pages into HTML. This will, in theory, shorten the phone calls I have
to make tomorrow.


Thursday 11th December 2008 (late morning)

Worked striaght through the night designing posters, then felt rather unwell.
Not tired (surprisingly), but like I had a minor cold. But I think it was just
the icy blast style of weather experienced in a building slightly less well
insulated than a tent. I had to put my coat and gloves on, curl up, AND turn the
heater in my space enclosed office space up to maximum. After about two hours
I was okay again. I've taken all the humidity out of the air in here now.

I had hoped to get everything uploaded for approval by this morning, but it's
clear it's gonna be another day of solid work before I get there.

I will be advertising lightening fast computers. Unfortunatly, I can't afford
one (yet), so I'm designing the advertising on a treacle-slow one. Hey-ho.
By 2009 I will have one much faster than a PC, even though it will not be from
the latest generation of machines, and that will be a great relief.

[freedom]

Monday 15th December 2008 (early morning)

Worked through the night from yesterevening, having recovered from my cold by
having to go home and just stop for two days. Most people say you get work through
a cold, but most people don't have to work in the freezing cold, particularly with
office work.

I fixed my PC mouse, by scratching out the paper dust from the rollers. the mouseball
was just sliding off them until I did that, so it seems.

Lots of other things happened; too many to note down now.

Several months ago, I proposed registering a company name to trade under for the
stiltwalking. Then the Landlord insisted on me using NWAS's name, which worked
quite well. He specified exactly how it was to appear on the website, business cards
and stationary, so I printed that lot out and put it online.

Last Thursday evening, he ask me, infront of his fellow Directors, without warning,
why I had been "passing myself off as NWAS on the website". Now, that's rich: The
website I put online for him, exactly to his specifications. Digiprint does a lot
of stuff for him, too. So I expect he'll be accusing them of passing themselves off
as BMRG, Trainwest, etc, next: The mere fact that he asked them to is as irrelevant
as with my case.

If this is some kind of practical joke, it's not funny.


Another day, another printer problem. This time it's the old reliable printer, the HP,
that's thrown a wobbly. It keep's prompting me to check the black cartridge, with which
there is nothing wrong. When I put in an exhausted cart, that's accepted fine though.
can't print with it, 'cause it's got no ink in that one, but it prefer's it nonetheless.
Clearly the low protection from the weather this building affords play's havoc not
only with my cold, but with delicate inkjet printers too. I'll retry that with the Brother.
This is why I have two printers.


Also last Thursday (Ithink), I found another part of XP I wasn't using that I could turn off:
System Restore. I have backups for that sort of thing. Disabling that saved nearly 3/4 of a Mb,
and speeded up the machine! Ta-daah!

On the way out, 'noticed that the office clown has apparently sprayed the outside of the building
with turquiose paint, after resting something on a bin bag next to the already-graffitied
door!

[freedom]

Monday 15th December 2008 (evening)

Having got the proposal posters online against all the odds earlier
this afternoon, and overcoming toothache started last night just as
I got over my cold (my abcess burst today), I am being driven slowly
nuts by the tube lamp in my office intermittantly taking a minute's break
every hour or so.

Busy making necessary alterations to the posters so I can swap in/out
logos as required, alter the surrounding design, and then "start over",
redoing the whole thing at A1 size (cue machine crash).

I still haven't been able to find any green tinsel in the centre of
Chippenham, nor any antlers anywhere (those can wait, mind (probably till
next Christmas, or at least the summer solstice)).


Wednesday 17th December 2008 (late afternoon)

Just finished the bath photoshoot, with one of The Others. Missed abiltity to grab
email from Adv6 last night, so stayed with fallback photo. same subject matter,
anyway. Managed seamless A1 finished from two A2 laminations. Gloss finish,
but this proved to be halfway to matt, rather than high gloss, so no
problems with on that front either.

Too tired to write Press releases &c today. Transferred photos from
camera at friend's intercafe, thence to memory stick.

[freedom]

Wednesday 17th December 2008 (early evening)

The Landlord has just given me a Christmas Card showing the helicopter
that crashed into my house. He says this is nothing personal; he has
500 of these cards, all with the same design, hanging around, so this
year everybody gets the same card.


Thursday 18th December 2008 (evening)

Printed hi-res photo overlays late last night; laminated them early this
afternoon, found one of them is mysteriously the wrong size only afterwards.

Refilled ink cartridges in the Brother, which I am now mainly relying upon.

Much other stuff; very tired when this originally wrote, very rushed now.


Sunday 21st December 2008 (early evening)

Quickly in the office to do various photoshoot-related postprocessing.
Some POV experiments. Made an amusing animation from some photos.
Can't put on here until Press Releases out & published, though.

Next to change tyre socks & adjust safety straps, but first home for
food. Found that the local intercafe will be open tomorrow, and
indeed the day afterwards.

The youngest one of The Others has admitted responsibility for the paint
spraying incident (the propped on a bin bag one, not the graffitied door
one). The office clown insists that it wasn't him, therefore it must have
been him after all, because he lies so consistently.


Monday 22nd December 2008 (late morning)

And so it's off out stiltwalking in bath again, once I get this Press Release
and these drafts and things sent.

As I left the office after my brief stop that-I-should_have-done-last-night
this morning, I noticed the graffiti has been painted over.

[freedom]

Tuesday 23rd December 2008 (Christmas Eve Eve, late evening)

Yesternight, replaced the batteries in my headlamp.
It certainly made a difference this evening down in bath.

Drobe put my story online in the wee small hours this morning.
Drobe's editor say to me once, of sources "you can't live with
them, and you can't live without them", and something about
being reluctant to trust new sources because he's been let down
so many times in the past. I'm sure I've heard that before
somewhere... Anyway, he said it's a cracking story. I bet he says
that to all the sources.

About 4 hours in bath, and rather damper than expected, but then
bath does have it's own weather.

Some criticism that the posters were hard to read in bad light.
Yeah, that's because those are designed to be read in bright shopping
light... but interesting point for future designs anyway.

Some small creatures of the cute female variety came up to me
and asked me to say "happy birthday, Natalie" into a video camera.

Some polished pacing stones were slippery, so ended up in the road
most of the time. Stopped by "High & Mighty" to rest. The door was scarcely 7',
and all the fitting staff were under 5 [foot].

Up Walcot to The Hat & Feather, but that had been homefronted and was
now some kind of grill/foodie place. Bad move. Back down past
The Bell, whom expressed interest in running some adverts!
Ta-da, a lead.

A kind passing female person picked up my rear light in the entrance to
the railway station, where I had managed to knock it off on my way in.
It was too low for me to reach.

I booked myself to do self-promotion in Bristol on Boxing Day, and I've
just noticed FGW have cancelled all the train for then.
I missed the 22nd, hit the 23rd, and there's no probs with tomorrow.
Dec 31 & 2 Jan held in reserve for overflows, so those'll have to be
second runs of bath & Bristol. Which way round on those, not sure yet.
Probably Bristol on New Year's.

I had put my light trolley and a blue bag in the office foyer, then had to dash down
to bath, remembering to collect it only at the end of the day. -By which
time someone had moved it. Whom, and to where? Nobody knows. -So they'll
be no continuing rubbish collection by me until this resolves, because that's
the equipment I use to shift it.

Did the mammoth pile of washing-up, and went home just after midnight.


Wednesday 24th December 2008 (Zeroth Day of Christmas, Christmas Eve, late evening)

Brought some breakfast-type food yesterday, but didn't get to eat it until
early afternoon today, somewhat defeating the point (of saving time).

Off down to Bristol, with the boards & stilts on & next to a handy
end-of-carriage table with lots of space around it, or at least it did have
lots of space around it, until I boarded.

Taped things to my belt & similar during the journey, to stop any falling
light repeats of yesterday. Simple enough with the sidelight, now I was able
to clip it to my belt because I was insulating myself with an under-vest instead of
a over-coat. Ditto with the compass. I also put a loop of tape between my watch strap
and one of the buckles of an elbow pad, which looked very good until I realised
I had put the watch on upside-down. 'Still easier to read than yesterday, nonetheless.

Walked from Temple Meads to a spur of Temple Street which I was confident backed onto
Victoria Street. This is a diagonal main road leading from the station to the main
shopping district and heart of the city without slogging along the inner ringroad system
or including any scary bridges. I mounted on some fairly shallow steps with a good
handrail system. I thought the steps were not too shallow to mount from, but I was wrong.
I floundered about for a bit trying and trying again, before wondering what I would have to
do to get out of this mess, and realising taking all the gear off and finding a better
place seemed the only option. Just as I was resigning myself to this fate, a helpful
female person came up and offered assistance. I explained my predicament, and after trying
& rejecting various positions quickly*, she braced herself and offered one arm in a sort
of loop-fashion, and I managed to get up without pulling her down, squashing her, or flinging
her over a wall. -So there's a first. These things are dangerous, y'know.

And then our brief encounter was over. She watched the odd sight of me walking around on
the stilts, and we went our separate ways.

Off I clunked up Victoria Street, using the road at first, slowing the traffic greatly.
What the traffic thought of this is unclear, but they were tolerant while they were surprised.
The pavement proved dry and good traction, so I switched to that, scaring the pedestrians
instead.

Curiously the paving with little balls on, used as slopes down to drop-kerbs by crossings
has less traction that the surrounding area. I'm sure this is not the intention, at least
it'd better not be. It doesn't seem to do prams any good, either. Perhaps it is a mistake
all round, and everybody put's up with it for the sake of whoever they think it is provided for.
I ought to check up on that.

Although there were extra-wide pavements over the bridge and extra railings between the traffic
lanes and the pavement lanes, it wasn't enough for someone of stilts, and I had to pretend to
be a car again to get over it safely. This gave me some difficulty with red lights at a crossing
the other end that I couldn't stop for. I managed to get onto the pavement-area instead, awkward
turn though it was.

And then it was over the crossing as a walker, and up a medium-steep High Street.
It was by this time around 1600, and already getting dark. The crowds were dense, but not as
dense as I expected for a provincial city.

Trying for an outdoor market area first, I didn't like the downhill look, went down a less-sloping,
better-paved Broad Street, which suddenly became infected with cobbles. I managed to avoid these through
a medieval tunnel, and for a time it was like being back in Calne again, only with a slope and
an arched ceiling. And murals on the walls.

Managed to turn round through several side streets, one-way ones as it turned out -going the wrong way;
what other way would it transpire? Up Corn street, attracting many positive comments, and into the
populous be-stalled area. Some time there, and then along Wine street, over the (fortunately very wide)
overpass (over Fairfax Street), in the road and dodging (and being dodged by) lots of little single-decker
buses. Buses do not seem little on the ground, and I end up looking down to the level of bus drivers,
including double-decker ones, which I'm sure is as strange for them as it is for me.

Right fork halfway along inside the pedestrianised Broadmead proper. Lots of interesting stone in the
pavement, and lots of very very bright uplighters next to sapling trees too flimsy to lean on.
helpfully, there are also black metal-and-glass enclosures like phone boxes but without the phone
-or the door-, and about two foot higher.

Talked to many passers-by, and decided to try my luck in The Arcade, a covered corridor with
prominent "No cycling" signs outside. Smooth floor, enough grip, but quite a steep slope up in.
Clunk along to the other end, but there's a slope down there, not enough people going through to
ask to rest on anyone's shoulder, and not confident enough to try my luck on the identical slope out
the other way. Trapped! Again. Argh. Fortunately, calling across to a female person working at the
cafe' (Starbucks) at the front end of The Arcade find's that she is willing to provide a chair,
and I am able to get onto the floor in a kneeling posture, and crawl down the slope outside.

There is a similar chair in a stack outside the cafe', and I am able to unstack one and remount
from it. Needless to say, this is a source of much amusement 'n' conversation from passer's-by.

I do not know why people so willingly comply with requests.
Could it most be?:

• It's a novelty situation and it attract's attention.
• People like helping other people, particularly when it's easy for them and sociable.
• Wearing all the safety gear look's and sounds intimidating (so I'm told).
• "Woman like a tall man" (this is the photographer's theory).
• The gear look's like a uniform (and there appears to be little I can do to stop this, although I constantly try), particularly the black helmet with all the lighting stuff on it.

Answers on a postcard to the usual address, please.

From then on it was a blur of similar-looking shopping streets. I accidentally walked into a semi-indoors area,
believing it to be a covered outdoor place until I found big holes in the floor in front of me (for escalators).
I turned around there. Before that time, I found a metal sculpture of a tree with little lights all over it.
It turned out to be study enough to hold onto, which turned out to attract security guys, whom turned out to be
more concerned for my safety than that of the sculpture.

At other times I hung onto locked glass doors, which were very good because the tall handles were ideal for me,
the glass and locks were study, and they were all by good flood-lighting, which lit up my boards nicely without
dazzling me or the shoppers.

Some time later, I came across a very large sculpture of a reindeer (with little lights all over it). I rested
by this for a while. Then past a Mac/Apple shop, and over past a sculpture of 8' baubles fixed in a pile, which
looked big even from my angle. There was a square here inhabited by bars that had yet to open, and cafe's that
were just closing. It was patrolled by friendly bouncers.

The crowds were thinning out now (a little past six), and I decided to try my luck around the trendy harbour area.
The compass I had attached to my belt helped a lot here, particulary because I couldn't reach my map.
A long clunkle (like a trundle, but clunking,) along Rupert Street into Anchor Road, by way of several crossings
and an unnecessary variance of paving surfaces.

The actual harbour area -and I'm by no means certain it was the main harbour area- looked too close to a direct
drop into the drink, and too steep and possibly-slippery of pavement. It also looked very small.
-So I switched to cutting through Queen Square instead. The square itself is cobbled around the perimeter,
but there are good-traction "bridges" over them. Unfortunately, these bridges are faced with the knobbly
paving so beloved of crossings, and I nearly slipped over on the outgoing one, greatly amusing the sort of
passer's-by who looked like they were going to pester me for backflips. They gave me "fifteen out of ten for effort".

I stopped by one of the city's minimaps that are hard to hold onto and have handy "you are here" indicators
at boot level. After some mixed peering and wobbling, I found that I could get back to the station via
either some roads that lead to the bridge I came in on/over, or an alternative bridge carrying Redcliffe Way.

I couldn't decide, and clumbered (clunked and lumbered) over to the vicinity of the bridge to make up my mind there.
The bridge was closer than I thought, and easy enough to get over, so I over I went. The bridge wobbled slightly
as I went over (many bridges & overpasses in Bristol are notorious for this), and it transpired to be a
moveable bridge. I staggered near the casino turning, and went back (the wrong way round the roundabout (but
sticking as close as I could to the pavement)) towards it because it inhabited a cut-through. I staggered badly
by the pedestrian crossing, trying to get to the right side of the road, and prompting much concern from
a passer-by. Finally I made it to the cut-through, only to find it was bloody cobbled. There was a pavement
alongside it, and this was good enough to get back to... just next to where I was before I veered off for this
shortcut.

I was staggering a lot by now, and starting to worry I was in more danger of ending up in traction than
finding it when I needed it. I spied a bus stop across the road, then a nearer one on this side, and dismounted
at it.

Consulting my map, I found that from my current position at that time on (the A4) Redcliffe Way near the roundabout
with Redcliffe Street, I was very close to the station indeed, and the alternative route via Victoria Street
from Queen Square would have been over twice as far.

I was twenty minutes early for the next train (or possibly the other way around), and it was sitting there
waiting early, too. I filled the shelves of the end-of-carriage luggage rack, made friends with a fellow passenger,
and popped next door to the buffet car, as it opened, to get a coffee & whisky. This is for medicinal purposes,
to stop my cough (and it worked).

The rest of the journey passed quickly, only interrupted by telling-off two people who tried to place heavy luggage
ontop of my sandwich boards in the luggage racks. "Sorry, I didn't realise somebody owned these." Huh?

Off at Chippers and straight into the office. A quick bite to eat, one of The Others came in briefly,
some offline work including writing this blog entry (thus burning half an hour or so and crossing midnight into
Christmas Day along the way), and then it'll be off home, doubtless being unable to move in the morning
for muscle stiffness.

______________
*It sound's saucy, but it just "wrote itself" that way. It wasn't entirely anti-saucy, but
speculation there is a matter probably best left offline.



Thursday 25th December 2008 (1st Day of Christmas, Christmas Day)

At home; bad cold.


Friday 26th December 2008 (2nd Day of Christmas, Boxing Day)

Badness of cold continues.


Saturday 27th December 2008 (3rd Day of Christmas)

The cold in my bedroom is too much for the cold in my system, so I sleep downstairs in the lounge,
next to the radiator. Against the radiator, infact; and it's still too cold.


Sunday 28th December 2008 (4th Day of Christmas, late evening)

Well enough to venture out, needing the exercise anyway. The air, or my nose -hard to tell which-
smelt of carbon/poisoning in the house, so I really needed fresh air.
Brought some fresh food, went down to the office, spent the night there, on the theory that it would
be warmer than my house, which turned out to be correct: I need to get another fan heater, for my house.
My cold is much better. I may even be well enough to wash my hair, even though I know this is illegal,
however I don't give a damn. Spending the night at the office is the illegal bit, not washing my hair.
I'm sure washing my hair will be illegal without a licence soon, though. I don't care about that either.
I had had three choices:

1. Overnight at home (probably illegal soon), and make my cold worse,
   and inhaling poisoned/unhealthy air.
2. Overnight in the streets (probably illegal), and make my cold much worse
3. Overnight down the office (Landlords says council says illegal, council says not illegal), and
   get better.

'Landlord reads this blog. I think we know who's living in the real world here.
I was thinking of listing all the things for which a licence is not required, to so celebrate them,
but then realised the council is looking for such lists in order to dream up new licences, so damn them.
Instead, here is a list of things which now require a licence, which didn't use to:

• Renting out your own property.
• Sleeping indoors.
• Sleeping outdoors, including rough sleeping, and probably camping.
• Walking down the street in Swindon and surrounding towns.

I'm pretty certain all of these are unenforceable nonsense, anyway. There's even a government agency
to make sure that people don't rent out their own property without permission from the state,
which used to put out patronising adverts intending to make them feel guilty if they did. They appear
to have given up on these now.

In the office, I tidied and reorganised the least-reached parts of my space, wherein inhabited-by
my box of oft-used cleaning supplies and a crate of tools, aerosols, and less-used supplies.

There is now enough room to manoeuvre, and a box of things that don't need to be there to go home.

I also hoovered, and changed the hoover bags. I vented the solvent-laden air from the upstairs office
and bagged the meths-soaked litter, from where some of The Others had been using solvents and explosives
in some kind of model-making construction. -That sound's worrying, doesn't it?! I think the materials
just happen to be explosive as a side-effect... further inquiries required...


Monday 29th December 2008 (5th Day of Christmas, New Year's Eve Eve Eve morning)

My offline copy of Wikipedia (no, not all of it(!)) says that the Twelve Days of Christmas were
formerly each marked with separate festivities, but stop's there and does not elaborate. I wonder
what these were. Someone must know. All we have left are:

• Christmas Eve: Hang up stockings, wait for/become santa, deliver Betterware stuff, etc
• Christmas Day: Watch the monarch's speech and other repeats on TV, open presents, re-pasts,
  wish you were with your relatives if you aren't, and wish you weren't if you are.
  Anybody outside the house you wish a Merry Christmas today will inform you "nah mate - christmas is over."
• Boxing Day: Rush off to the shops to change the presents you got for the ones you wanted.
• Twelfth Night: Take down decorations.
• Twelfth Day: Believe yourself that Christmas is over, even though technically it isn't.

The significance of Christmas for me is not religious; it's a time of year in these parts that the majority
celebrate. This means you cannot have this festival at other times (although Andy Park begs to differ),
because other people do not, and other people are festivals; in the same manner that you cannot have
a party on your own (although the drug barons beg to differ).

That said, we managed to have a Christmas celebration in the middle of one summer a few years ago, at
an impromptu leaving party for the manageress of Porter Blacks. Lots of people in the same state of mind,
a bar full of booze and Christmas songs on the jukebox. -And good weather, too. If anything, an improvement.

My nose has decongested, or rather, the closed side has opened and the other state swapped.
I think the week-long congestion is responsible for the carbon smell/taste, because I can smell it faintly
here now.

'Off down to Woolworths soon, while it's still there.


Tuesday 30th December 2008 (6th Day of Christmas, New Year's Eve Eve)

Tried to wash, but still too wobbly for strenuous exercise. Going out yesterday had been too soon, but
you never know until you try, and you just have to keep trying.


Wednesday 31st December 2008 (7th Day of Christmas, New Year's Eve)

A day of washing, mainly because only now was I feeling well enough to. Lots and lots of washing: Very clean
now, feeling much better.

Went round to Charlotte's, largely to be sociable. This turned out to result in more critical conversations
than I had expected. I also took the wine I brought for her months ago, and explored some more of the cat's
alternative personality (he has two, so it seems).

I mentioned that I was so ill on the 25th that I couldn't get out of bed. Charlotte claims that she's
never stayed in bed (at least for the last eleven years or so) through illness because she has particular
responsibilities. This is nonsense: It is clearly possible to be so ill (eg by being dead) for it to be
impossible to get up, motivation regardless. We've not communicating here: I can see this conversation repeating.
Now it may be that Charlotte has been incredibly lucky and not been this ill for 11 years, which is
great for her, but not everyone is so lucky. I can see this conversation repeating.

Everything else with Charlotte & Co good, though; as always.
Other details too mutal-personal, so no more about that here.

Later on, well enough to try hawking mistletoe around the Pubs. 50p's good per sprig, I thought.
Tried, on earlier recommendation getting into the West End Club, which I thought was members-only,
but which turn's out to let you in if you pay a hefty (to me) �6 fee.

Off to a Pub which is not in the town centre proper, but not on the edge by any means. It's debatable what
it is, really - or where: You head out of the centre to get to it, but carry on and turn past it at
several points, and you're back in the centre again.

Anyway, went in there, got some alcohol, saw it was going to lockdown at 2300, so dashed off back
to the office to pick up some extra cash. I was going to do the socialible thing and get a little drunk
at the Pub. As I spent more time there, I found it was full of old friends I assumed had left the
area because I hadn't seen them around for a while. I sold two sprigs of mistletoe and ended-up giving
away a lot more. Lots of people brought me drinks and I alternated with pints if lemonade. Midnight
came and passed in a drunken blur with lots of kissing and so forth, and the lock-in continued.
At some point in the wee small hours, the following conversation took place:
Somebody: "I've had eight whiskies; how many have you had?"
Me: (Glances at wristtop...) "Seventeen."
Somebody: "And it hasn't really touched you, has it?"
Me: "Er, no. -That's Units, including Pints as well."
This is one of the reasons I hardly drink these days: being resistant to alcohol, and now even more so
than in the past (most people get less resistant as they get older), it generally takes more booze than
I can afford to have an effect, and drinking that much (or at all) really isn't healthy.
And still the lock-in continued. It included friends of the Pub (which I was included in as so many of
my friends were there that were friends of the Pub), groups of local customers, and a few random customers
that had got caught up in it, so it wasn't just the traditional lock-in where you have the manager, bar staff,
people who live in the Pub, and one or two mutal friends.

At 0425 in the morning, we got a free fry-up. The food was on a par with that which I had in the three-star
Webbington, last February, without the unnecessary amounts of cutlery and exotic fruits.

A little after this, we all departed, not so much being chucked out as being unable to keep our eyes open
any longer. The rest of the group I was with only had to walk one street before they were home; lucky.

All together, 17.36 Units, which means four Pints, four shots, and a large glass of wine.
That much is clear. Much else isn't.


Thursday 1st January 2009 (8th Day of Christmas, New Year's Day)

Slept virtually all day. Hardly any hangover (I know, disgusting, isn't it?) in the morning, a light
lunch, then temporal disorientation in the afternoon, in which I believed it to be night, slept through
that, woke up in the evening, which I thought I had just slept through, and got very confused; thought
I must still be asleep and dreaming; went to sleep in order to wake up, and so on.

Also surprised to find that the heating in my house was working properly, and that it was actually warm
in the area I usually sleep in.


Friday 2nd January 2009 (9th Day of Christmas)

On being asked by a relative why I had slept all the way through to evening today, woke up and found it
was early morning. 'Didn't understand that at all. wasn't properly awake, and slept through to mid
afternoon. All this extra sleeping is unusual and unhelpful.

Re-established contact with an old friend, but he doesn't remember the other friend I contacted him about.
This is an unexpected cold lead, so will have to go through all my leads again, and try to find new ones
amongst other mutal friends.

Second attempt at going down the office, all went reasonably well. 'Did the washing-up
and some hoovering, emptied bins, etc.

The light trolley and blue bag resurfaced at the end of the evening, as I checked the stables when
locking up: Things had been shifted around and they were dumped in there. Nobody has admitted responsibility
so far.


Saturday 3rd January 2009 (10th Day of Christmas)

Planned to go out sandwichboarding (on foot) in Swindon in the morning & early afternoon, then dash
back to the office and get out to 'Bassett to see a friend, but screwed up my scheduling a bit and
dropped the first bit so I could do the second properly. Instead of Swindon work, did some stocking
in Chippenham.

Restocked on cleaning essentials, and had to replace my two aging Parker Jotters. This came to nearly �20,
but it had to be done. I do a lot of writing, and for cost-effective reliability you can't really do better
than a pair of Jotters. DTBs (the Stationers) was very helpful on this, and opened & split fresh cases
for me (the type I use tend now to be sold with a retractable pencil thingy, which is no good to me).

It was very cold in 'Bassett; even the foam by the kerbs from where people had washed their cars earlier
had frozen. There was a lot of this; I'm not certain whether it's more a Saturday thing or more a 'Bassett
thing. Aside from spilled water, the pavements & roads were dry with good traction.

Found that my friend had not moved (she moves a lot) since last time, but that she was not in when I called,
so I'll have to retry another day. Preferably a warmer one.

Lots of leafleting volunteer work in Calne tomorrow, largely because all the other volunteers have called
in sick. It's something that has to be done. It'll be therapeutic, too.


Sunday 4th January 2009 (11th Day of Christmas)

Leafleting in Calne. Stomach upset this morning, but it didn't last, so I simply shifted my schedule
into late afternoon & evening, ignoring warnings about darkness and coldness. Calne has streetlights
and I have coats, so why grumble?

I went for 3� hours, exhausting the 300 leaflets I took with me in just over 3 hours.
I'll take 700 tomorrow, and start earlier.


Monday 5th January 2009 (Twelfth Night)

To day is the day I get inter net con nection a gain.
I had planned to update the /BIG site, but a bit chilly last night during my preparation time,
so it'll have a day or two.

[freedom]

Tuesday 6th January 2009 (Twelfth Day)

Leafletting in Calne; 200 leaflet & almost finished off area 11.
Fingers went numb towards the end due to the low temperatures.


Wednesday 7th January 2009

'Cut hair. Winter insulation is all very well, but it's getting silly now.

Sleeping pattern no good: Will give up sleeping for a while,
and set alarm much earlier. About to set out anyway,
so of course it started snowing. Disheartened, did computer
& office work; now too late to set out.

'Will buy a weekly Calne bulk bus ticket. This will cost �10 for 7 days,
saving over half against �2.90/day, AND I can use it more than once per day,
if necessary for hot meals or leaflet resupply etc.

[freedom]

Thursday 8th January 2009

Leafleting in Calne. Got an "Avon Valley Megarider" ticket, covering one week.


Friday 9th January 2009

Saw Doctor about the shivering that has been commented on by female
friends that I have not noticed myself (the shivering, not the friends).
Nothing serious, had blood test to rule out misc.


Tuesday 13th January 2009

Bruising on arm from blood test, which just keep's growing.

Gas service at home, by a rather lousy "engineer", whom refused to check the flue
or fault-trace reported problems. Long list of problems with this guy.

Calne leafleting.

The legal/tax/accountancy expert is back from the winter sickness
and the coldness of the office which had kept him away. He gave me
a lift home, during which we failed to discuss any legal/tax/accounting
issues. Instead, we talked about the video I had downloaded from
the YouTube infomercial that Apple had released.

This is for their new "MacBook Wheel", which on closer examination,
turns out to be a spoof. Most Americans don't know it's a spoof, and
are commenting avidly about it online.

The legal expert's friend remarked this reminded him of the rumour that
Apple were about to release an iPhone Mini. It turned out to be untrue,
but by this time, the counterfeiters had already got a model out.
It is not currently clear whether or not these are working models.

Now all Apple has to do is announce it's new perpetual motion device, and...

In fact, I've heard a rumour that Apple is about to produce
the iRobot, which apparently sound's like some kind of perpetual motion device...

Summary of the MacBook Wheel video:

A JOKE from the Onion. The Apple Wheel is not real.
ONN: Onion News Network

• ... web house explosion
• Study finds horseback riding just an expensive form of sitting down.
• For live weather coverage, stock quotes, and up to the minute headlines from around the World, log on to basically any news website.
• Happening now, Greensboro NC: Man hopes addition of 'LOL' will made [sinc] text message less creepy.
• Alex Hooreguez still awaiting appearance fee from dying child's family - see live coverage now on the Onion Sports Network.
• News from Beverly Hills CA: Forensic chef helps piece together their slain millionaire's last man.
• Congress approves intellectual stimulus package giving every American a graduate degree. Debate and analysis next in the know: 9-10 PM ET Wednesday.
• Surgeon General issues final warning on tanning beds: 'Seriously, this is the last time I'm telling you, they're dangerous.'
• New Edition of anatomy textbook revised to reflect author's latest sexual frustration.
• Happening now in Atlanta: Attractive couple probably on their way to have sex.
• Happening...
• Still ahead this hour: Mother at fault for stillborn baby, reports recurring nightmare.

Correspondents were:

• Andrea Bennett
• Jeff Tate
• Brian Gilman

(Not known if containing hidden jokes or not.)

"Scroll to the onscreen keyboard, select a letter, click to capitalise, and repeat this process for each new letter."

"You can also let the predictive sentence technology complete the sentence for you" Window opens, scrolling to show all possible sentences
from two words, in other words a rather long list about aardvarks.

Other features are:

• An easy finder, consisting of an alphabetical listing of every file on your harddrive
• "Everything is just a few hundred clicks away"
• To reduce energy use, screen goes' black after four seconds
• Alex Zalban took "just 45 minutes" to enter this email:
  

  To: robert.preacher@??makeemu??.com
  Subject: the New Macbook Wheel
  
  Dear Robber, You wont believe where I am# I)m at
  the Mac Expo �nd I am USING thep colic new
  Macwheel laptop. I'll BET YOU ARE JEAlouz

• Hummingbird Battery (can power your computer for almost 20 minutes without charge)
• 13.3 inch backlit LED screen
• 20Gb hard drive
• intuitive click wheel
• low end pricetag $2599, �9960
• "The computer is virtually unbreakable unless dropped or hit."

Next generation of Macbook Wheel will be four ounces lighter, due to it's lack of screen, harddrive, or wheel.

"It remains to be seen if the wheel will catch on in the business world,
where people use computers for actual work and not just ****ing around."

It's basically a touchpad accessing an onscreen keyboard in a deliberately inefficient manner.

- * -

Sorted out the cabling tangle at the back of the TV.
Untangled the cables, then plugged the TV and the DigiBroach
into a 2-way extension lead, then transferred the plug handle from the
TV plug to the extension lead's plug: Now my mother need only
unplug one plug, and the cables will/should remain tangle-free.

Here you see the money-saving advantage of having someone electrically-minded
in the house. I still charged at cost, naturally.

There's a rumour that Apple are bringing out a buttonless mouse.

[freedom]

Wednesday 14th January 2009

Leafleting in Calne again. Not as many nor as earlier-a start, as hoped for.
Broke at Somerfield for semi-junkfood Alpen snackbars.

Got some cheap "Diet Kick" energy drink at Tescos: Only 43p for a litre (later on, I was to
find it had no effect on me).

Blood test bruise, though large and colourful, started to fade now.
['Look's at arm.] Nope, it's growing again... I hope I don't need another blood test for this.


Thursday 15th January 2009

Worked through the night at the office -now it's "warm" enough-,
doing SpriteOp slicing code, and this blog.

Tried to continue awake from leafleting the rest of the day... and crashed out at home instead.


Friday 16th January 2009

Virtually a full day of leafleting; from 1100-2200, at least.
Walked so far the seams of my clothes cut into my legs. This extreme chaffing
bled quite a bit, but coated-over with dried blood enough to stop hurting after two days.
Managed to give myself backache for two days, also.

'Stopped at a Pub in Calne, and pre-rolled quite a lot of leaflets, which speeded-up
the leafleting process dramatically.


Saturday 17th January 2009 (my birthday)

Wanted to help with the setup of the CMRS Show, but too knackered.
Don't ask how old I am now: I've lost count.


Sunday 18th January 2009

Healed enough by mid afternoon to get a bus out to Calne and help with the packing-away
of the Show. Got lift back, helped unload the van at the office.

Stayed on at the office, to do some of my own work.

A little past midnight, was troubled by excruciating pain in one leg while trying
to escape from the office. A temporary crutch was found from an old flytipped umbrella
(which I had intended to take home to bin anyway). The pain vanished as quickly as it had appeared,
after a few dozen steps down the hill.


Monday 19th January 2009

Got lots(-ish) of fresh fruit at Sainsburys today:
A wide range at a larger supermarket, and a strong need
for fresh fibrous food, after my long stint of illnesses.

Got lots of strong Punch laces, too.


Thursday 22nd January 2009

Withdrew overdue cash from bank; there should have been two payments this month, but
I got an overdue double payment instead. I was starting to worry...

Picked up lots of document wallets and labels, to feed my filing system with.

One of The Others very kindly gave me a lift home again. It was raining, and I
was tired, and appreciative.


Sunday 25th January 2009 (Chinese New Year's Eve)

This is the last day of the year of the rat, which explains the sudden demographic shift in the Chinese restaurant
near the office this evening.


Monday 26th January 2009 (Chinese New Year)

This is the first day of the year of the Ox.

Some stiltwalking today; Monkton area, 2.25 miles. Up a very steep hill, and down it, too.

Cats returned, Nil; keys found, nil; people very startled, two & a crowd at the bus stop; traffic stopped, all;
dogs terrified, all.

I don't understand that trailer for BBC3's "Being Human". Animals behave like that every time I walk down the street,
on stilts or off. Some differences, though: Frightened dogs don't bark away, they run away, and pigeons don't
hide in bins, they feel safe on high narrow ledges, so they "hide" there. Just to annoy, it's set in an area
I'm familiar with (Bedminster, Bristol).

I used to be frightened of dogs, and now dogs are frightened of me.

Talking of dogs, the office clown still believes that he is Manchester airport and has moved to Manchester, and has a job there
(being an airport, presumably), but he see's no contradiction in hanging round an office just South of the M4 all day.

He has a new money-making plan: Demand people pay him to go away, and annoy them if they don't (presumably by not going away).
This sound's about as sane as the time he stolen some lighting equipment and thought this meant I owed him
the amount it cost. Nonethenotwithstandingless, the Landlord has put me in charge of negotiating funds from
the rest of the office inhabitants to get rid of him. No good will come of this.

He also found time to threaten me with a hammer (clearly not remembering what happened to him last time he attacked me with a hammer),
after we (much to my surprise) agreed, in principle, to pay.

- * -

Much PC work later on today and through into Tuesday: Continuing from yesterday, listed all the
files over 5Mb (including uncompressed sizes in compressed files), and either compressed them further,
deleted duplicates, and/or moved them to a new "large files" directory, with aliases (shortcut files)
between the two areas.

This helped with the compression for the backup. I don't have the backup media with me right now, but
I did the compression ready for when I do. It will all fit on 3 x 1Gb memory sticks, so I should be able
the buy a new 4Gb stick from Wilkinsons economy range and I will have a proper double backup again.


Tuesday 27th January 2009 (very early morning)

Volume (C:) has 14% free space, but only 7% is available for use by Disk Defragmenter (due to reversed system
space). To run effectively, Disk Defragmenter requires at least 15% usable free space. There is not enough disk
space to properly complete the operation. Delete some unneeded files on your hard disk, and then try again.

Do you want to run Disk Defragmenter now anyway?

This blog is lagging behind a bit; I've lots of working out with bits of it to do.
The RISC PC is set to arrive within a week.

The office clown appears to have set fire to something inside the microwave, so now it smells of burning.


Wednesday 28th January 2009

Finished doing the backups, and tested how long it takes to decompress a half-gigabyte Zipfile.
7 Minutes on 7-Zip, incase you're wondering, and about four times longer with winzip.
This means two things: (1) Archiving these large files is practical, and (2) always use 7-Zip
in preference to winzip from now on, where possible.

Uncorked the drain outside the office today. Had to chuck a soured three pints or so of milk again,
so 'was greeted outside by a large pool of dilute smelly milk and a slow-moving crowd of curious commuters.
I stuck a screwdriver in the drain slot and wiggled it about. This drained the excess liquid, clearing
the way for scooping out the litter and sediment. Did that; rinsed it with a kettlefull of boiling water;
chucked bleach all over the area to kill lingering pong.

Switched off the microwave, so I can leave the door open without expiring the automatic light, burning smell
still there. Cleaning it quickly; burning smell still there.

The office clown complained the upstairs hoover isn't working, and think's the bag is full. I checked it,
and although the bag is not empty, suction is unimpaired. There is nothing wrong with the thing. What is
more likely, is that he doesn't know how to operate a hoover. Or any other tool.

I am busy designing publicity material for the Southwest Show 2009, later than ideal but moving fast.

For some reason my sparkly new printer grumbles that yellow and magenta have run out (they haven't),
and despite me setting it to ignore this, it refuses to print anything apart from self-generated testcards.


Thursday 29th January 2009 (very early morning)

Solved the printing problem: 'Was sending the files to the wrong printer! Duhhh.

I have a monochrome A5 leaflet, ready for proof-reading and other critiques, a "double" version for
printing two onto an A4 sheet with all the margins etc correctly preset, and a colour version
for putting up in Pubs etc. Since the colour print is a version of the leaflets, I will need a
new design for the stiltwalking Show posters, with less detailed text and "title-heavy" high contrast,
tacking into account drobe criticism.

[freedom]

Thursday 29th January 2009 (afternoon)

Brought some flapjacks from Tescos for refuelling purposes while leafleting.


Friday 30th January 2009

Rushed filing (well, sort of,) & tidying to find enough desk space for Graham's visit
tomorrow.


Saturday 31st January 2009

Graham (the Chair of our secret society that doesn't want to be secret) came round
bearing the much-awaited RPC, and some other goodies: The networking hub, and the KVM
(switches two monitors, keyboards and mice between one monitor). It's quite an
honour/surprise to have him here: I would have thought he'd be too busy; but that's
probably just another spurious assumption. He turned out to be more concerned with the
time it takes him to get here: The routes between Yeovil and Chippenham occupy zero
major rail, road, or canal links. A helicopter would work, but... hang on a minute, he
has access to aircraft, decommissioned ones, true, -dunno where this is going.

- * -

Worked through from yesternight, had a bit of a nap, then went home and very quickly
freshened and had some food. Back to the office, and waiting for Graham to arrive
with the RISC PC.

Some time passed, and I realised Graham would have difficulty finding the turning,
because everyone does, regardless of whether they have aerial photographs, or not.

So I stood outside near the turning, ready to direct. Then I found I couldn't see
through people's windscreens at that distance from the miniroundabouts, and fetched
the Landlord's binoculars (everyone borrows these) so I could be/see in two places
at once.

Some more time passed. I phoned Graham, just to make sure, and, from what he told
me about what he could see, it would appear he had already arrived, and was parked
out of my view, on the wrong side of the [Railway Station] tracks, in almost the
opposite direction to which I have been binocularing in.

So I dashed round, and, instead of checking directions from me and motoring around
while I dashed back over the bridge, he had the much-better idea of me getting a lift
with him and feeding me directions on the way. And so it was that he finally found the place,
still missing the final turning at the end, of course (because everyone does, forewarned or not).

- * -

First, with much guidance from Graham, I, or rather, we, plugged the spaghetti of cables
into the KVM (and no, I don't know what it stands for).

Then fired up both computers: They both worked.
Then plugged in the Hub, and although the hub itself worked, no talking went on.
Then Graham looked for the socket on the PC I had described, which he thought described
BaseT, only to find it was a similar socket for modems only. Ah.

Eventually, it was Ethernet into the RPC, and BaseT into a converter hastily purchased
from a nearby computer accessories retailer, to a USB connection into the PC.

Then to configure the RPC... fine, and the PC... less fine, and from then on the RPC
side tried various ways, which the PC side consistently refused to converse with.

Various things became apparent over the next four hours:

• The PC directories and all the files in them need to be set to Shared,
  via a series of irritating and well-concealed submenus.
• The PC users then need to be set to those as shared,
• then the PC usergroups.
• The connection protocol doesn't like spaces, so these had to be taken out of
  the usernames etc.
• The wrong protocol was selected at the RPC end, and corrected (to TCP/IP).
• Login names &c need to be a peculiar combination of username, a backslash, and
  some kind of alias.
• Aliases are different on the PC end to those on the RPC end.
• The are about seven login fields, and the aliases are split randomly between them.
• Windoze doesn't like any of this, even with the firewall off.
• There are lots of hidden settings on the PC side.
• It's getting dark early, isn't it?

Sunday 1st February 2009

Catching up on lost sleep. Unavoidable, really.


Monday 2nd February 2009

Skipped lunch today, with the intention of tearing down to the office, processing &
picking up upload data, zooming back up to the free intercafe, then finally getting some
food.

But it didn't quite work like that. Instead I spent all afternoon waiting for the PC to
do some very simple image manipulation (screenshots, cropping, greyscale
conversion), then an hour waiting for the library computer to upload (and fail) a small
ZIPfile. I tried through cPanel, doesn't work there; alternative upload account, doesn't
work there either; and eventually emailed it to myself. Good: Now off up to the faster
paid intercafe, which doesn't have disk drives, to get in through cPanel. But, by now,
that connection point is shut. So now there's no point in using the file I've emailed to
myself, and I'll just start over with the original ZIPfile on a memory stick at the free
intercafe. -Unless it's urgent enough to predo at the paid intercafe early in the
morning tomorrow, about three hours before the free connection-point opens.

This is the first blog entry I've typed on the RPC, and it's certainly very much faster
to do. I will modify a keyboard shortcut to enter the date strings I use [in this blog]...
... which turn's out to be %we %zdy%st %mo %ce%yr

I think the PC is running so slowly because Graham shared a very large directory that I
use all the time, and, as well as taking an age to individually alter the attributes of
every single file, the PC seems to be checking each file it accesses when it accesses
it, for sharing, rather than waiting for a sharing request. Even when I disabled
sharing. Grrrrr. I will unshare that area, first noting what share options were used,
and additionally-sharing a smaller area that I will create for the purpose. I'll
download a copy of AVG, just to make sure a virus didn't transfer from Graham's laptop,
during diagnostic tests.

'Turned off the file-caching for the shared files: That seem's to have knocked the
incessant harddisc activity on the head. I've found 125Mb of (presumably private that I
was assured didn't exist) data in the scrap directory. Removed that.

- * -

When I got into the office at first today, I found that the office clown has broken the
microwave, at just after 1800, according to the mound of evidence he left next to it and
in the kitchenarea bin. Checked the fuse, but that wasn't it.

I've just realised I haven't eaten properly today: 'Off home!!


Tuesday 3rd February 2009

The RPC takes 27 seconds to boot up from cold, and 21 for a full system restart.
There it a fairly long boot sequence included in that, because the record boot
time is supposed to be 3 seconds.
The PC takes 190 and 540 seconds, respectively. (Timings taken on Wednesday, after a
full system clean including virus scan, temporary files chuckage, and defrag.)

This mean's 704% faster for cold start, and 2,571% faster for restart.

PC Cold start break's down as: 71 to password-stage, 87 to ready, and
a further 32 to steady.

PC Restart is: 340 seconds to off, 67 to password-stage, 103 to ready, and
a further 30 to steady.

Additionally, the PC takes 343 seconds to shutdown, and the RPC shut's down virtually
instantaneously; let's call it 0.02s. This makes RPC shutdown 1,715,000% faster.


Got an email from Graham, who advised to check two more hidden PC networking settings,
and try changing them to those he specified. After locating them, I discovered they were
already set to these.


Started AVG full disc virus scan, in "fast" mode, on the PC.

Did some stuff on the RPC in the meantime, graphics overlay tests, rewrote a program to
convert S32 sprites into Targafiles, taking into account 4-byte x/y resolutions and
limited by disc space rather than RAM.

Finished other stuff just as The Others left, and did the[ir] mountain of washing-up.

Took the cover off of, and fault-traced the freshly-burnt-[out] microwave.
Lamp crispy-fried, but plug fuse okay. Main internal fuse blown.
Stuck note on, and noted details of components for when the shops open
tomorrow morning.

Left PC still running virus scan (6 hours so far).


Wednesday 4th February 2009

Collected stuff from free intercafe. Ticked off for overrunning 40-minute allotted time
by ten minutes, thus holding up teenagers who wanted to play games and arse about by
inconsiderately doing useful work.

Stuff downloaded was: Info from & email to Steve Furber's Wakefield visit, email check
for urgent stuff (not yet), and downloads of various RO graphics freeware.

Got into office, to find PC viral scan completed after just under 8 hours.
Several infrequently-accessed MsWord and Excel files reported as containing macros,
no other problems found. 'Pretty certain those files are the ones supposed to
contain macros; 'will attend to later. Scanned USB stick again, just to be tidy.

RPCs don't have virus scans as such, any checks are instantaneous; let's call it 0.02s,
which would make it 144,000,000% faster. That result doesn't have a proper meaning, though.
Searching through every file on the main drive is fairer: This take's 42 seconds, for
1.7Gb, in others words, 24.7s/Gb. The PC uses 9.74Gb, and it took 8 hours (28,800 seconds).
This give's it a speed of 2957s/Gb, making the RPC 12,000% faster there.

Average office work on the RPC to PC gives a ratio of 1 second to 5 hours (18,000 seconds),
which is 1,800,000% faster - a realistic guide. In advertising, I rounded this down to a
million percent, but then realised that in order to demonstrate this, a PC sitting by a RO
machine's side would take several days to catch up: Not good for as an "easily-provable
demonstration". This does not take into account the numerous crashes of the PC, the inability
to easily handle multiple documents, the much-lower productivity/intuitiveness, nor
the faster speed of current RO machines. A side-by-side test against a PC server is needed
here (which I don't have: They cost a bomb. (Doubtless a rhodium-plated nuclear bomb)).

Summary of how much faster:

• 704% Cold start
• 2,571% Restart
• 12,000% Main disc scan
• 1,715,000% Shut down
• 1,800,000% Intensive office work

Suggestions for other tests?: New bawls please!

-Then uninstalled AVG.
Now hunting for temporary files to chuck...
-And while that's chugging away, off to the lighting supplier's to pick up spares.
No temporary files to remove.
Moderate fragmentation, lots of little chunks.


The office clown came in as I was going out, moved the microwave (which the notice I put
on it last night told him not to), loudly instructed me not to touch it, and stated that
he had last used the appliance last night, therefore it must be me who broke it. Three
evenings ago, he last used it, I found it broken afterwards, and he dropped receipts by
it and in the bin by it, for food smeared over the inside and the ventilation slots: He
know's this, and he's deliberately lying in an attempt to lay the blame on others. He
really is despicable.

Anyway, it's fixed now. It was just the lamp and internal fuse.
I'll be sending him the �10 bill for parts & labour...

Played with earlier-found graphics freeware on the RPC: All the ZIPped downloads fitted
(fat?) onto a single floppy; good for transfer. DA's Picture is now freeware (!),
looking good: Now I just need to search for the documentation!

Missed call... damn. I tried to keep the phone on...
PC defragged and back up to speed, at least until I try again with the networking.
A quick bite and a full system reset (on the PC), and we'll see where we are...

All calmed down/ready... back to the phones now...
The missed call was infact from the bloody office clown on trivial matters. Back to
work... Called PM; 'bit rushed on his end now; to call back tomorrow.

Still playing telephone tennis with the big-cheese company. I expect there actually is a
firm called "The Big Cheese Company", and if not, there ought to be. Just to clarify, I
don't mean the latter.


I'm writing all my blog entries on the RPC from now on: It's so much faster 'n' easier.
-And it doesn't go phoom every so often.

'Monitor is getting on a bit -- high-pitched noise coming from appears to have been block
by resting a shield (from another monitor) against the PC, on the RPC, at a jaunty
angle... taking it off... makes no difference; so off it goes.


Thursday 5th February 2009 (very early morning)

... and talking "several days" to complete test runs, it's back across midnight waiting
for the PC to complete it's timings.

'Off home now (after some food); knackered.
Posters &c later; 'need to get those approved & printed ASAP!!
(Leafleting maps virtually ready to print, as 'is.)

As I left the office anticipating a warmer day, an inch of snow outside resisted the opening
of the outer door. Perhaps it'll melt later.


Thursday 5th February 2009 (traditional morning)

There are now two inches of snow on the ground, obliterating my attempts to clear my home
driveway earlier this morning, and no matter anyway, for the milkman didn't venture out
last night. I passed a snowman on the short trip to the connection point, and a powerfall
of snow miniavalanced off a tall hedge round the corner. Apparently warm rain will wash
all this away tomorrow, with a good blast of sunshine on Saturday. We'll see.

[freedom]

Friday 6th February 2009 (early evening)

Contrary to earlier reports, it snowed again today. But it's too early to go out
stiltwalking yet anyway.

Yes siree, about the only thing that can stop me now is a sustained powercut, or my
office monitor blowing...
"Bang!"
Typical. Never mind, I have a spare one loafing around at home.


Friday 6th February 2009 (mid evening)

Got back to the office by taxi, and swapped the monitors over. This one handles even
less resolution that the last one, but of course the RPC adjust's itself automatically,
even through the KVM (very strange & impressive). The PC -naturally- does not do this,
and I have to fiddle about with ghosted images and sellotape on the screen marking where
the centre & edges of the display really are.

The BIOS warning page (nagging about improper shutdowns etc, yawn,) comes up okay, but
once windoze proper kicks in, the display goes' ghost. At least it doesn't go blank: I
have that to be grateful for. If that did happen, I would have to borrow
(somehow) another monitor in order to reset the monitor definition.

I located the start button, got into control panel, but then had several misses before I
located the display properties, er, control. Fortunately the dialogue box, although
tabbed, is quite high contrast, and I was able to knock it down a peg with reasonable
ease. Then it was time being grateful for regularly saving screenshots of where my
desktop icons were, and rearranging them back. -Or trying to: The new compact screen
size won't accommodate them all. So I shifted most of the older and less-frequently-used
ones into an itself-aliased-and-desktop'ed directory, and rearranged/saved what I had
left.

Now this monitor's picture is wobbling a bit. I will need to upgrade to another
secondhand monitor soon, now. This is only my stopgap and occasional home use one,
anyhow. I will get a slightly bigger monitor, with capability to support 1024x768, or
maybe 1280x1024, resolution. The RPC's palette utility showed me, when I looked up those
resolutions on it, that if I chose to use them without upgrading my VRAM/RAM to what I
originally wanted, it would reduce the colour depth to compromise. High option, 256
colours max; medium, 32 thousand (12bbp, a midway option that the PC doesn't have -
Ithink).

'Running chkdsk on the PC, just to be careful. It'll be a while...

Chkdsk has finished!


Saturday 7th February 2009 (Silly O'Clock)

Upon finding windows iced up as soon as I cleared them, wiped them down
with a strong salt solution, and left to dry: 'Seems to work so far...


Sunday 8th February 2009

Sleeep... Must sleep.

It was like this at Parcelforce, y'know: Work all through the week and sleep at the
weekends. I had to commute 18 miles�by bicycle, do a fulltime (albeit rather trivial) job,
cycle 18 miles back home, grab a bite to eat, then find I only had time for 3 hours
shuteye before I had to go back and do it all again.


Monday 9th February 2009

Found more ways of pestering the mover 'n' shaker in the big company I'm trying to
contact: It's not harassment, it's just trying to get his email/voicemail forwarders to
work when he's stuck behind a snowdrift somewhere and didn't switch them explicitly on.


Tuesday 10th February 2009 (early morning)

And so here it is... I have the latest incarnation of the targa slicer up and running,
just test runs for now. This is my fairly simple in principle, but enormously
labour-saving program for slicing up a very-large poster-sized image (in this case a
targa file because they're so easy to work with - just a rawfile with a short header)
into lots of printer-friendly single-sheet images, which will all overlap nicely after
they've been through the guillotine, ready to form nice A2 jigsaws for the laminator.

Next, it's "just" finalising and producing the big poster image for the slicer to work
with. It's a PSP (PaintShop Pro) file, saved as a PNG, converted to a TGA (Targafile)
for the slicer, which produces 9 smaller TGA, which PSP then batch-processes back into
PNGs. MsPaint is employed for the printing stage, and it seems to find PNG files the
most palettable (sinc).

6:32 To run under Red Squirrel on the PC, but then there's no messing around with
transfer disks when you network's down. Just as a test, the RPC take's 0:49, and just 18
seconds when using the RAMdisc.

It compresses' in about a minute to two files/disks to transfer; another minute. Plus
four minutes in total including the decompression the other end, and that'd still be two
minutes faster than on the emulator on PC alone.

Just for further tests, I tested how long it took to convert an A2 Targafile to a 24bpp
sprite (seconds), and to encode that to a PNG (hourglass there, looking like a five
minute job).

I'm sure it would go faster if I let it load into memory... but six minutes is good
enough in any case, verses about an hour doing it manually, and typically having to
start all over again thrice, because precision repetitive behaviour is something that
people are bad at and computers are (or should be) good with.

But hey - 18 seconds when I've got the network login sequence down pat.

Now, how does Paint handle a 6Mb (A2) sprite? ... Doesn't seem to be too much of a
problem - quite, er, spritely there. Let's increase the size the 12Mb (quick), and try
rotating it... memory grumble. Plenty of memory still, so I'll try the dynamic area
version of Paint. 'Intended for a later OS, true, but it still fire's up. Well, it
doesn't crash or anything (as if), but it won't help me, because it won't use dynamic
areas in RO3.7, whereas (presumably) it can in 4.20/4.02/whatever.

Photodesk has private virtual memory (in other words it hasn't; it just rents out to
disk like a database does); I wonder if that's still around?


Tuesday 10th February 2009 (later morning)

Drew some money out' the bank and brought a monstrously-expensive (but still
money-saving) season ticket. Off down Weston-super-Mare, investigated surroundings, got
bearings, put some posters out [inside] in prominent places: Everyone agreed, nomatter
how prestigious the building. Interesting.

Met a friend I didn't know had moved from Chippenham, at the FE College. 'Can't remember
her name, knew her in school, she can't remember my name, so we probably met mostly at
drunken parties. Maybe best not to try to remember, just in case.

More postering, then off on the bus to Cheddar, which is equidistant from the venue. 400
Leaflets out around there, then missed the bus back by somehow confusing the
times. Next bus wouldn't have left enough spare time for the last train, and I'm cheap
enough to freeze rather than to pay for a bed. Got a taxi back, leaving plenty of time
to make the rail connection, and a smaller-than-room-sized hole in my budget.

The train, of course, was late, and I passed the time in the station Pub, "Off The
Rails." Lively crowd, cheap whisky; what more could you want? :Them putting up a poster,
which they did, midway-through [accidentally] dropping a framed wooden something on my
head.

*Thud*
"Mind that frame!"
"Thanks."

It didn't hurt, and provided much amusement. A full-length intercity train arrived,
parked for a while, then an identical one replaced it. This was the direct service home,
although it parked-up in Bristol, thus taking longer than the multipart alternatives.

Went home, couldn't afford to sleep, had to sleep, slept anyway.


Wednesday 11th February 2009

Woke up fairly�early, washed hair, new insoles, polished shoes thoroughly, bathed feet
and out.

Checked email second thing this morning, and all the important contacts have resurfaced
and replied. Spent some time compiling and sending replies.

Contacted the Weston Mercury (local weekly). They thought the story was too
business-orientated to run as such (this is my fault for my lousy description), but they
agreed to put a mention in the community (rummage sales etc) section, and to reproduce
the new poster design in their "fine print" section, whatever that is.

I had to take care in the office not to unduly disturb the magazine shoot taking place
in the office next door. This is for Hornby magazine doing a feature on "Penrhos".

Second day in Weston. Too tired to stiltwalk, did leafleting and some posters instead.
Knightstone Island was nice: Four large communal postboxes; about 70 leaflets out in ten
minutes. If only all blocks followed suite.

Did the library "is this a promotional poster?" Are there non-promotional posters?
'Don't think so!

Stopped in bath to check email (rereplies?) Nothing there, checked some other routine
things; nothing there: Fine.

Got back to 'nam around 2300, a bit more tired; need to nip home for food and nap before
getting on with final poster design. Excuses, excuses.

'Nearly midnight; 'off home soon.


Thursday 12th February 2009

'Put off Mercury visit until tomorrow, to get new poster versions done & laminated.

Too tired last night to get up early morning; had to lie in, get a large hot meal,
then go back to bed for bit. At last, properly awake and in to the office it is...

Some progress in getting organised again and simplifying workspace, then lots of noise
hits, I assume it's the office clown and prepare to leave, but then I realise it's a
club night, and The Others are being particularly noisy en masse. Then I discover the
office clown is in and generating most of the noise himself. Then he prepares to leave.
Confused now; left anyway.


Friday 13th February 2009

In early morning, did a bit of basic work, but quickly came to realise that I am not
going to get the new stiltposter done today, and if I try, I certainly won't get
anything else done either.

Signed On, then token attempts to get posters up in 'nam, too little time for that,
though! Erroneously mentioned at the "Job Centre" that I was doing voluntary work,
resulting in a very long and unnecessary form for me to fill in. They gave me a job lead
(good), with the usual threat (bad) that I may lose my benefit if I don't apply for
it... Why do they think I asked for it in the first place? Some time after, I realised
they hadn't actually given me a copy of the details, and it was too late to go back.
I'll pester them about that Monday.

No time, no time... off back to the office to get stilts and out to Weston. Much
stiltwalking, Press interview first. Mercury says it will be at the top of their
"Signpost" feature, under Axbridge. Publication date Thursday 19th.

People very friendly in Weston, apart from the usual bag of mixed nuts.
-And Tesco, who didn't like me parking infront of their superstore.
Sainsburys in Calne quite liked this (although technically I had permission then),
seemingly because it attracted more people into their store. I don't think
Tesco have quite thought this through.

Some people were unusally informative:
"My brother broke his femur on one of those."
"Yeah, thanks for that."
"It's Friday the 13th today."
"Thank you."

Tramped around the flat bit (ie most of it), quite late on found a Pub with big enough
doors for me to enter. This was Elements Bar, near the seafront (not that you can go
that far from the sea/river in Weston proper). The barstools were way too low to perch
on, but good enough to reach down to for handholds. Because of this, they let me sit on
the bar. It was quite a high bar, but I still had to bend my legs a lot to stay there.
Rather nicely, the manager opened out the doors to double-open, so I could get out
without damaging the doorframe.

I went up some of the hilly bit, then down rather more carefully, as the only
easily-accessed downhill route started rather steep and had loose gravel (and thus easy
skidding).

Getting quite tired after four hours of this, and trundled into the rail terminal. Had
to cross a very busy road/bridge thingy just before this, and the very busy traffic all
stopped for me to cross. The last van I passed on the second carriageway was marked
"Weekend Crime Unit". What they're doing out on a friday is unclear. -And then into the
station Pub, "Off The Rails". Only �1 for a Roll in there; I rarely eat in Pubs, but I
made an exception here.

Despite leaving much warm clothing behind, was sweating like a sprinkler, and may have to
soak and redry some of my coat fleece when I get home.

Got back to the office early evening, via direct connection. Updated this blog, then
went home after briefly looking through the DrWimp library. Made an application !Fumble
with !Fabricate: Need more food etc before continuing with work. Need more poster
progress, and of course to make an early start leafleting/postering Saturday.

!Fumble doesn't do anything exciting, BTW, 'just an odd-looking icon, and iconbar menu
with Info (standard info box), Help (detects if browser seen or not and pop's up HTML or
text help as necessary), and Quit (guess).

Before the return service, there were station announcements to the effect that the line
between Swindon & Didcot would be closed on Sunday, meaning a shuttle service would
operate between Swindon & Bristol. I wonder/hope if this will stop at Chippenham. That
would help a lot, because usually no train does on a Sunday (word must have got round,
or something).


Saturday 14th February 2009

The Job Centre posted me the detail they forgot to give me yesterday, with an attached note
reading "here are the details you forgot".

Tried to save time on the journey down town and get a bus bulk ticket early by catching
a First bus, but a Faresaver one turned up instead.

Late for train (or possibly vice versa), so while waiting (possibly for the next one),
put two posters up in 'nam. Both in lieu of their managers' approval, so will have to
check if up in the station intercaf� and the Nova caf� I-forget-the-name-of-now.

Rather hungry in Bristol, and found my cheapest option was a rather expensive pasty from
Pumpkin; the cafes they have on platforms there. It was, however, a very generous
portion, served hot, and like a whole meal! Indoors, in the warm, too.

Leafleting in Axbridge, first getting a Pub and two Hotels to put up posters. Axbridge
is interesting: It look's small on the map, big in zooming through on the bus, and small
again when on foot. Strange but true, and with a strangely civilised centre, like an
island town centre in a village.

Walked to Cross on foot, continued leafleting there, then it got dark, and had to
catch the bus back to Weston, and home.


Sunday 15th February 2009

Off to Weston, first checking the last rail services thoroughly, both at Chippenham and
Weston, for various things. Services are only departing Chippenham on a Sunday today
because the line between Swindon and Didcot is undergoing maintenance, meaning a shuttle
service operates between Bristol and Swindon, and that service has elected to break with
tradition and stop in Chippenham too.

'Bus out to Cross, then walked from there to Lower Ware, where I leafleted the entire
village, and put a poster up in the Lamb Inn, which is mentioned in the poster & leaflets.

Then walked up to Cross and continued leafleting there from yesterday.

One of the last houses I leafleted was called "Wavering Down". This was a pink house
with a large front garden that seemed to have hired a garden designer who had gone
slowly mad during the course of his contract. Clarity came when I noticed a plaque on
the wall: This was the home of Frankie Howard, of Carry On fame, which was now open
(but
not today apparently) as a tourist attraction. Now, while I knew this here house was
around somewhere around here, the signposts up last year gave the impression it was on a
track off the main road, so I did not at first suspect.

Broke at the White Hart, which was very friendly and helpful - and cheap - always good
in a Pub; a glass of orange juice came to 30p (!)

Later on, walked out to very-hilly Compton Bishop, and leafleted all of that. This took
some time, because it is a very spread-out, tucked-away, and hidden-up-steep-hillsides
sort of a place. Amazingly, there was quite a substantial church up one peak, which was
even more amazingly unlocked. I remarked upon both these points in the visitors' book,
then continued to the cul-de-sac hamlet of Rackley.

Got cross back in Cross, waiting for a bus which never arrived. This meant getting a
taxi back to Weston, tricky when you're in a village deprived of payphones, which
charged me Sunday rates. I forgot about that. The meter shows the maximum amount, rather
than a fixed charge, apparently. He let me off �5, bringing the price down to
�25.

Quick roll in the Pub with a station attached, and back to 'nam for the night.

[freedom]

Monday 16th February 2009

Quickly checked, replied and printed to/from my email this morning: This turned out to
be all WAUG listserv stuff about the Show.

At Weston, the bus was late, so waited in the Rail station for warmth.

Bus out to Winscombe; core leafleting. Several posters up.
A few places refused posters, generally on grounds of existing policy.

The Kebab Shop accepted a poster, and was having trouble getting their
internet connection going. They asked for help. I couldn't do much except
tell them to contact the place their brought their computer from, or/and
their ISP, which they were on the phone to at the time. I hung around
for a bit at their request anyway.

There is a Royal British Legion place I noticed from last year in Winscombe, and since I
am billing British computers, I thought they'd be worth a try; and they were: They
accepted a poster. I asked some people outside later about what the RBL was, and they
said it wasn't a RBL branch, it was the office of the national HQ, and the club was a
local social club, called the Winscombe Club. 'Odd place for a national HQ.

After that, bus out to Banwell, and much leafleting along the main thoroughfare.
I think there may be a hidden High Street which I may have missed there.
Got only one poster up, at the Bell Inn.
"You'll get very drunk if you stop at every Pub to ask."
Yes, very funny. Unfortunately, I don't get to stay long enough.

After some difficulty locating the bus stop on a dark street, 'find I am infact early
for the last bus back. Got back to Weston, leafleted the driver. Bus was actually early
for the rail connection, so leafleted in Weston for a while.

Changed at Bristol, as usual, where there was a platform change with a large number of
fellow passengers waiting. The platform change didn't give us much time to get to where
the train was waiting, so there was a bit of a rush/stampede. I can only run downstairs
at the same speed as anyone else in my armoured boots, but once in the underpass, I
resumed my normal pace. Unfortunately, this meant I quickly zoomed past everyone-else,
who looked like they thought they were already running. This caused a bit of a panic 'n'
scramble. And of course, once we all had got there, the train was nowhere to be seen.
Unusually, it soon appeared. -So that was all right then.

Got on, off in 'nam, home, etc.


Tuesday 17th February 2009

Finally, a "spare" day to finish the Show stiltposter.

Did the measurements and test-length/distance prints, and the calculations for the
overlays: Then did the Wakefield overlays themselves.

Off postering in 'nam, a small amount of stocking, and back to the office to refuel. At
some point during this, I found I had left my fixatives back on my desk, and after
collecting them, The Bear was willing to put a poster up quickly, but I had actually run
out of the posters I was carrying by then, so, back to the office...

Rested on one of the town bridge benches to eat a glucose bar, at which point I was
attacked by a nutter accusing me of "trying to steal his cat". He was walking a dog.
The dog had very much its own ideas about where it wanted to be, and here wasn't one of
them, making it pretty useless as an intimation accessory. 'Saw him off and continued.

A few more posters out, and since I'm running out of posters, some leaflets doing time
as small posters, and one small pile of leaflets (upon request).

Done a lot more than I expected I would on the fullsize stiltposter stakes, now off home
for some food and a total lack of sleep, before nipping-back and finishing-off. I haven't
eaten properly all day. A Pot Noodle, some microwaved noodles, a few slices of bread,
some glucose-heavy chocolate bars, lots of coffee, and that's about it.
Meanwhile, there is (or should be) a whole meal lurking in the oven at home, so I'm off!


Wednesday 18th February 2009

In earlyish to the office, having slept on the floor [at home] in an attempt not to go
to sleep, or if I did nod off (which I did), not to oversleep (which I didn't).

Half an hour to noon, and (finally) moving from draft to full version on the Show
stiltposter. Soon, I'll have to nip down the bank &c.

Almost there (late afternoon) with the big poster - just a few more logos to add...
Having to merge layers & advance versions quite frequently now, to keep processing time
sensible. Nonethelessnotwithstandinganyway, it may be early next morning before it's
ready for the laminator�s. Waterloo Services is virtually gone now - almost all their
stock, nearly all their processing equipment, and even the laminator I wanted to buy -!

Half-past five (in the afternoon), and I've just saved the final master PNG.
(Next to manually chop it up for the automatic chopper, then put lots of paper
in the printer and go for a lie down.)


Thursday 19th February 2009

Okay, so overslept: But woke up & out at 6am, so no problem.

Red Squirrel a bit slow processing, so compressed for transport to the RPC, which ran
fine. Then ZIPping back turned out to be better.

The printer switched back to 72dpi, then 96dpi, then went dependent on image size, in
other words, 96dpi for the images I need. (This doesn't matter: I'm usually using images
chopped to 72dpi size at 134% print for effective 96dpi size anyway, so I can switch
enlargement print settings if the printer decides to switch on me again.)

Quickly checked the thumbnails for blank images that should be there (and shouldn't
be printed!), and found the bloody files were corrupt.

Why? Compression problem? No the decompressed files on the other side were okay.
It turns out the slicer doesn't work for large images, despite extensive debugging.

So... quickly try to fix the slicer, and if that doesn't work, slice 'em manually.

Manual slicing, once I had pre-worked-out the order of operations, went quite smoothly,
in under half an hour. A typical slicing operation, is something like: Horizontal flip,
truncate x-length to 741, horizontal flip, truncate x-length to 468.

I'm gonna have to debug that slicer with large files for later - it worked perfectly
with small ones.

Printing merrily away now, taking a few minutes to load up the printer queue, and about
a minute per sheet. Time to nip off stocking, for eg spare ink, laminators' checks, &c.
'Fan heater on full blast, to improve the curing time.

A4 Stationers, my first stop now Waterloo have effectively gone down, assured me earlier
in the year, and earlier today that there will be no problem laminating A2 material.
When I got there, however, they were surprised that A2 was that big. This is not a good
sign for a stationers. After some trying, they found my A2 printouts would not fit in
their A2 pouches, refused to stay open late for me, and sold me the pouches on their
own, for me to slice a little bit off and then fit the prints in myself. I didn't think
I had the time, and checked with other printers in the area by phone. The
ferociously-expensive DigiPrint turned out to be now my only sensible option, and
despite a previous quote of �28 excl VAT, did the lot for just under �21, VAT-inclusive.
they stayed open specially for me, too, and we found that slicing bits of the prints
would have made them unusable anyway.

Quickly nipped down to bath to do some uploads for Paul M phone conversations.
After, while waiting for train, got in some leafleting in bath, and forgot
poster (again) at the (willing) Widcombe corner shop, so gave them a leaflet
to use as a poster instead.

On the railway platform, there was someone down on her hands and knees, taking the
contents out of her handbag, sorting through it, and putting it back. I noticed a quite
impressive pile of Valentines Cards.

Back to 'nam, and the one of The Others who had offered to give me a lift earlier, was
still there, as promised. So, got in the car with him, noticing the female person I had
passed earlier on the platform in bath wobble down the road in a drunken fashion. As we
pulled out, we noticed she had slumped again the outside of my office wall.

So I jumped out to check she was okay, and she insisted that I walk along with her, and
then insisted that I hold her hand. I had to grab her to prevent her falling over at
least once, I suggested she lean on me instead, but she was too drunk to understand me.
I suggested she go in a Pub we were passing on the grounds it was marginally safer than
the street she was in at the time, but she didn't understand that either.

So off down the street we went, with one of The Others kerb-crawling behind us.

As she reached the corner, she started insisting her boyfriend was coming to collect
her, in a kind of automatic defence reaction, clearly forgetting she had insisted on my
help, and thus confusing the both of us: Wobbly in mind as well as body.

Thinking that I had scared her sober, I checked she was okay, and jumped back in the
car. She wobbled off in the direction of a rather less safe Pub than the one I had
recommended. She'll be happy in there, anyway.

The one of The Others dropped me off near home, and that was that for the evening.

[freedom]

Friday 20th February 2009

Having slept on the floor at home, woke up around fiveish [am], and got misc....
done at the office, but actually finished only late morning, thus taking until
well after noon to arrive at Weston.

(More stuff to put in here, 'damned if I can remember what.)

"Lots" of food for today and tomorrow, both as breakfast and to carry, and also
prebrought rail tickets for today and tomorrow, as 'expected to be travelling early.

Stiltwalking in Winscombe (more damned forgotten stuff to put in here)
... and Weston. Concentrating on Weston High Street, and also popping in to
Star FM whilst on the stilts, and getting an Interview
on
stilts.

As far as I can tell, the presenter they got down was Darren Daley, but it could've been
another one. I was actually interviewed by a very friendly female person who does not
feature on their website.

They asked of my plans where to go next, and asked if stopping at Yatton on my way to
Bristol would be a busy place? They said no, it's just a little village, and that Worle
High Street would be much better. Stopped outside the First Travelshop (still on stilts)
and asked bus people on a cigarette break where to catch what number bus to Worle, which
turned out to be leaving every ten minutes, just around the corner. Dismounted near stop
V, for bus 7.

Not knowing where on the route Worle High Street is, not what is looks like, asked for
help from some of the other passengers. Near it, the bus passed a direction sign bearing
a miniroadmap of lines and arrows, and the single text label "Worle High Street".
Interesting.

Stiltwalked along the High Street, stopping at the odd Pub (and what decent Pub isn't
Odd?), to ask directions to Worle rail station. Darkness began to fall, and a fellow
traveller on his way to a rock concert, joined me, and helped me find the way to the
station.

Stopped in Bristol, and had to do some stiltwalking there, too.
Went from the bottom of Temple Meads (the top is cobbled & uneven) minihill, down
Victoria Street, and tried to loop back around to avoid the bridges. However, the
streets I needed to use have been demolished and closed off for the redevelopment work,
so I had to turn around and come back again, braving the danger of loose gravel along
the way (as if I had a choice).

Passed a cluster of big Pubs along the way.
"How much are you getting paid for that, mate?"
"Not enough."
-Which went down very well.

Finally enough, dismounted at my original mounting point near the station, and back to
Chippers.


Saturday 21st February 2009

Crashed out in the office for about two hours, half an hour before midnight:
I just needed to lie down for a moment,... and woke up two hours later.

Then I dashed home, prepared and had a bath, washed my hair, changed clothes,
swapped round supplies and was back down the office around sevenish.

The first train out was 0746, but I wasn't going to be ready for that, and
I could wait a while if I had to, so I put my head down and tried to sleep
(having first set the powerful klaxon alarm clock I brought with me from home),...
but couldn't. I rested like that for an intended 45 minutes, but gave up after
half an hour of not getting to sleep.

Went off down Weston with my lack of sleep and plenty of time to catch the train out...
if it was running to schedule, which of course it wasn't. They did infact hold the train
for me, for thirty seconds, and on the condition I used a very distant door to board.

Stiltwalked from Rail terminal to High Street for just under two hours. More
stiltstanding then stiltwalking. It was a sunny day, and if the High Street was packed
yesterday, it was crammed today: Here another advantage of putting the sandwich boards
on stilts became apparent: An ordinary sandwichboarder wouldn't be see through the crowd.
I
can be easily seen, and there were more people to entertain.

Dismounted back at the Rail busstop, skidding badly on a patch of oil dropped by a bus.
Started to do the splits whilst skidding along, then the oil burned off.

A Show visitor was waiting to be picked up, by, it turned out, Derek of WAUG. I had
other things to do, like dismounting and buying Papers, so I couldn't ask to tag along,
and I probably wouldn't have fitted anyway. The visitor recognised me from drobe,
chatted about ARMcode and error-checking & compression routines, and had a speech
impediment that made him very difficult to understand. When later on at the Show, I
asked him what was wrong with his speech, he thought I was referring to his accent, and
replied that he was from Dudley. Derek arrived in a cheery mood and small car, and
whisked him away.

Quickly refuelled at Off The Rails, there also picking up a copy of the local paper, and
a taxi up to the Webbington, Loxton/Bleadon way.

After some difficulty we found the service/exhibitors' entrance, and I put my equipment
down at the charity stand, because it's also the main WAUG meeting point.

'Met Moss, who looks after that area, and he asked if I'd heard the news: Apparently
Paul Vigay, a very prominent attendee of the Show and in the British Computing industry
generally, had died suddenly the previous morning.

[Show Report withheld on grounds of taste - it mainly turned out as an obituary of
sorts, and there is an online rush of material about Paul Vigay. The taste grounds are
that it is an attempt at a standard cheery report, and I feel that needs to wait.
Meanwhile, [url=http://www.drobe.co.uk/article.php?id=2439]Martin Hansen has written
another show report[/url],
submitted a day before I was able to send mine in, and whose lecture I had rather rudely
to walk out of, due to the requirement to help to the packing-away. Alternative cheery
Show Reports in photographs are often published (or were), by... Paul Vigay. So no
cheery stuff for now.]

Got a lift back to Weston, in a small car packed with the remains of the charity stand
and all my equipment, with other members of WAUG.

It was quite a short wait (largely in Off The Rails) for the next train out.

On the train home, kept being woken up by my head nodding forwards, which presumably
meant my daydreams were turning into real dreams. The last time that happened, I was
very ill indeed after the hijacking, but this time, just two back-to-back days of hard
physical & mental work with no proper sleep.

(Sorry - I clearly had also lost the ability to count when I wrote that: It was
effectively three days without proper sleep, rest, or breaks in heavy physical
and mental exertion, which is probably why bits of my leg were trying to escape later
on.)


Monday 23rd February 2009

Having slept most of yesterday, awake enough to do a little work. Mainly packing away,
rearranging desk space, moving towards winding-up the vast & extensive Show preparation
machine and moving it towards something easily found for next year, both in paper and
data forms. Also to check some alternative venues early for next year; something I left
far too late last time!

Fed the swans a very-mouldy loaf the office clown left in the fridge for god know's how
long, and picked up some basic supplies with the help of a little trolley.

Picked some replacement lamps, but in my haste accidentally got ES (Edison Screw)
American fittings instead. They do still have plenty of bayonet ones left, though.

Went out again, picked up a replacement clamp for the one I broke earlier, and
some bayonet lamps... but somehow got screwfit ones instead again.


Tuesday 24th February 2009

Slight backache, coped with by moving lower back as little as possible, also had to
change dressing over worn-away patch of skin above left ankle, because it was itching
and the stay-wet dressing didn't seem to be helping.

Much writing of this blog, brought Screw/Bayonet adaptor in from home, thus able to
finally replace blown foyer light.

Had to change the stay-dry dressing again in the evening, and watched lumps of flesh
fall off my leg. Swabbed the area with vodka, and applied a clean dressing.


Wednesday 25th February 2009

Tired today, very tired. I expect this is all the healing my body is having to do. Much
blogging, and some filing. Extended my ToDo textfiles, which were such a help during the
SW Show '09 publicity project. Almost midnight, and time to go home. Time flown, today.


Friday 27th February 2009

I am coming down with some sort of very mild two-day type cold.

Fiddled around with my "old" [last year] program to display a logic circuit, ie it
let's you create/edit one, and shows the simulation, including switch & display states,
and gives you a pulsetrace at the bottom. The editing function isn't finished, but the
basic concept works as it is.

Needing to work with more complex circuits and not having a spare month to finish the
editor & write a component library, I just chucked the editor/mousing parts, extended
the screen usage over the old status & toolbox areas, and added skeleton procedures
where you draw in the circuit manually, define the positions of switches & displays, and
off you go. You can force some switches to be clocks, and control is by keypresses for
each switch. Switches are outlined in a highlight colour, and in scarcely in afternoon,
I had a small simulation running: Clock connected to display, and also as one input of
an AND gate. Other input is a switch, output to the other display. Oscilloscope show's
clock, switch, and gated output: Simples. *Squmeek*

Now to fiddle about with exotic-but-simple [Ithink] CPU/memory architectures and
monostables in multidebounce circuitry... It's all very well having complete-looking
block diagrams on paper, but how well do they work? Cheap VHDL for the masses.

Why don't I buy a VHDL (Virtual Hardware Description Language) suite? Firstly, I only
heard about them recently, and secondly,... have you seen the price of them
potatoes? And I thought [PCB] autorouting applications were pricey [and so they are].
Jeess.

There's a RO App which is limited in scope, but ultimately better -- I'll have to track
down the authors and beg them to write an extended version. Theirs is meant for kids;
but it's too good for [just] them!!

Maybe there's some PC software that does the job?
The opencores project must use something... I'll ask them.


Saturday 28th February 2009

Someone has sent my mother what appears to be a triffid. She has put it (in it's pot),
on the carpet, so it can have a run around at night. It's a three foot high thick stalk,
and a, well, triffid-shaped single flower at the top. The flower is white with high
contrast blood-red patterns on it, and it hasn't opened out fully yet, so I can't tell
if it has a "stinger", or anything like it.


Sunday 1st March 2009

Two new DrWimp programs: !Selecta (via !Fabricate), and !xy (from BuildSpr).
!Selecta is a new build, but doesn't actually do anything, apart from having a "New"
option nestling in the iconbar menu, intended to blank any existing data.
!xy is more advanced, having a main graphical area window and a position window.
Click anywhere in the main window, and two things happen:

1. The internal window position is shown in the position window (as x,y text coordinates)
   -and-
2. Crosshairs-with-a-circle are plotted at the mouse position in the graphics window.

Presto! The start of what !Selecta should be...
However, there are problems:

• Due to the plotting method used, even though the window will scroll correctly &
  scrolled positions synchronise correctly, edges of the plot image "splash" onto
  overlapping windows and/or the desktop background (instead of clipping to the window),
  and plotted images can be "wiped off" with other windows (instead of remaining
  underneath them): This just means I am using the wrong routines to plot the crosshair
  images.
• I haven't got as far as "selecting" anything, or building a list of plot positions
  to save/load/blank.
• I haven't copied across the help/new functionality from !Selecta.

So, I need to read the manual again...

Meanwhile, I'll get back to defining some multiple monostables in my earlier
singletasking logic program, keeping things very simple with no circuit drawings, only a
pulsetrace, and just non-scripted BASIC in the Recalc area.

My "cold" continues to fever away, no serious discomfort; symptomatic relief with
paracetamol and not-going-out-leafleting.

The ever-optimistic Landlord has just given me 4,000 leaflets to deliver, which I will
not be doing until I have a written contract and independent tax and legal advice. He
assures me this will not affect my benefit, but it all sound's rather dodgy.

No payment as such, travel expenses paid. No, now travel expenses NOT paid, which he
says is fairer because the amount he would not be paying commercial leafleteers would be
�40 less. This sound's like it means either they pay him �40 to deliver them, or, since
he would have had to give them �60, he will be paying me (if quantified in monetary-
-equivalent terms), �100. -Less �100 [his] expenses, I expect. The legal expert says
that the net �0 I would make from this may count as taxable income (tax from = zero), so
I should complete a P38 (causal labour tax declaration), which sound's like a
paperchase, and also makes this scheme sound dodgy again.

I'll go through this again when my fever clears.

It might be like in Calne, when I was promised �50 payment plus �5 travel expenses. the
travel expenses didn't clear, and the �50 was less his negotiation fees... of �50. Then
he refused to accept the �50, leaving me with �50 that isn't mine and that I can't spend
or pass on. I can't declare it, either, because it isn't mine. Eventually he accepted it
anyway, under a different section of his mysterious accounts.

Even if I got �100/month [net] out of a scheme like this in paper folding stuff, That's
equiv. to �25/week, which is a pittance, and not enough to get off benefit. Of this, I
would be allowed to keep �5 of it, if declared (for which it would have to be real).

Mysteriously, professional leafleteers get �15/week, of which they keep �15, because
they're not on benefit, although they probably are, because �15 isn't enough to live on.
In order to pass on enough for the National Minimum Wage to whoever they employ, they'd
have to deliver 15 leaflets simultaneously, and probably 20+ if they wanted to make a
profit as well.

Leaflets that come through my door never number more than bundles of a dozen, if that,
so something fishy is probably going on with the whole kaboodle of leafleting schemes.

Meanwhile, leaflets have to be delivered, and there's no serious money to pay anybody to
do it. Also meanwhile, I need lots of time to progress the projects I need to make money
-that's real money I can spend and things- and in order to get a job, preferably one
that pays me in real spendable money.

Gifts... I am allowed to accept gifts, and I am allowed to sell things for money, up to
-presumably- the �8000 Savings limit (and various midway levels), but I am not allowed
to accept not-for-profit income as an employment-type project over �5/week.

-So, am I allowed to do voluntary work for an employer, unpaid, then accept a "gift"
of �200/week, for just under 40 weeks, tax-free and non benefits-declarable? It seems
so. This definitely needs clarification.

So far, I've accepted gifts of totalling about �5, over the last four months or so, from
my parents. This consists of copper coins, for me to collect, count, and bank in �1
bags.

And there's my Christmas/birthday presents. Total value per year under �50, and I'm
definitely not declaring those, largely because they're mainly �20 of socks. (I
wear out socks quickly, because I'm so poor I have to run everywhere.) The rest is �30
of shopping vouchers, usually for shops I can't afford to travel to.

- * -

Back in the real world, of real worries and real progress, I think it would be easy to
add and automatic rats-nest circuit-like diagram from the raw logic data, and also a
combinational logic table in addition to the pulsetrace: Just a binary count through the
designated inputs (including clocks), showing the results from the designated displays.

It would also be reasonably easy to define macros from logic documents, making their
inputs from designated switches, and outputs from designated displays. (And presumably
documents from macros, for, eg, editing purposes.)

Hmmmm; 'blog up to date again. Good.


Monday 2nd March 2009 (just gone midnight)

Right then, my test application, !Selecta, is taking off: I have basic help
documentation, an iconbar menu, a main graphical window, a savebox, and some
interaction.

The eventual aim, so far as this subaim goes, is to have a window in which a list of
points may be created and selected. Thence to be moved or deleted. This to maintain a
list of coordinates in text form, for purposes of file saves/loads.

Iconbar menu as standard Info, Help, Quit options, and also New. New assumes data is
unsaved, and asks if you want to continue anyway (in which case the current document is
blanked), cancel (forget the blanking), or Save the current document, for which it pop's
up a Save box.

Dropping an existing textfile onto the main window give's a message about it's contents
(but doesn't load it yet). Files not of the textual persuasion are ignored.

Clicking on the icon itself open's the main graphics window. If you close the window,
it's contents are remembered.

Clicking in the window itself add's points under the Pointer, but these are not
remembered in any meaningful way yet. there is a small (single option) menu available
from the window, 'Save', which lead's to the Savebox again.

!Selecta is a basis for writing an application to editing logic diagrams... later.


This done using the DrWimp Library. I am also experimenting with the AppBasic IDE, which
produces much tighter code, but is harder to get into. I'll stick with DrWimp for the
time being.

'Gotta get back ta those monostables... but tired now. Off home to bed, perchance to
sleep.

- * -

Here are some things I forgot to mention when I was walking around oddly-named places
near Weston: In Lower Weare, a parish noticeboard proclaimed: "Local historian will be
giving a talk: Weare in the nineteenth century." -Yes, you probably are.

Star fm suggested I try Worle: I'll give it a worle, I thought.

(They're probably sick of stuff like that down there. (So I didn't ask.))

And why's it super? Why not Weston-on-Seven, or Bradford-super-Avon?
Or Chippenham-in-Sanity, for that matter? (Or Paris-en-Seine?)

[freedom]

Monday 2nd March 2009 (evening)

The office clown did some hoovering today. He didn't actually manage to clean
anything, but it's a start. A bit later on, he popped some of his
antipsychotic pills in front of me, and offered me some (which I declined).
"That'll keep me sane for a bit," he remarked. This isn't true: They are a
kind of chemical cosh, they calm him down, but they cannot install common
sense. Still, mustn't grumble.

Did an incremental backup this evening; just the important files changed
since last month, ie including all the new poster files particularly.


Tuesday 3rd March 2009 (evening)

Just completed the debug routines for DrWimp; readied the email
and sample files/applications, and a bonus bug report.

Watched the last episode of "being human" last night: I see the hidden code
has been honoured, that vampires refer to muggers, paedophiles, etc, and
werewolves refer to either mystics or "part time" avengers of these crimes.

The muggers think they're superior, but strangely never make it outside
the alleyways, and the avengers take them out when they cross them,
but otherwise actually have a life.

The only things wrong with BBC3's interpretation, is that the code would say
that werewolves are superior to vampires, and maybe "ordinary" people
(although technically speak they are "ordinary" people), and the
part-timing would be voluntary, not lunar, but that does seem to have been
fixed at the end.

Where does the code say vampires & werewolves come from? Well, they'd just
have been around as long as other people, or that they sometimes turn into
each other as people grow up. Maybe a dormant gene here or there influencing
probability.

I don't think the ghosting fits into this traditional (nineteenth century)
code view, but perhaps BBC3 have thought of this too, and are trying to add
something?

If you watch the behaviour of muggers and "have-a-go heros", you can see this
code in action all around you, usually at night and in a place off the beaten
track. (So that'll be 'nam again, then.)


Wednesday 4th March 2009

Inserted the Archive HTML version disc (Vol 18) in the RPC CD drive, and left
it there. Was able to delete most of the mirror off the PC shortly
afterwards, as it transpaired that searching on the RPC was considerably
faster.

Wrote a new application, !drop.

!drop waits for you to drag something to it's iconbar icon, then you can run
it by single-cliking on it. Hotkey function yet to be implemented. Works for
files, directories, and applications, even if dragged from the pinboard.

A bit like !TinyDirs, except with single-click and (later) hotkey
functionallity. Written so I can drop sound-samples into the conversation
easily. I used !PlaySound to intercept Armadeus files, which will also run
AIFF, WAV, AmigaIFF, and a string other formats.

Intended to be called !TinyAct (for tiny action), with !drop as just a test
program, but the name stuck. 'Need's an icon of it's own (currently has an
orange square).