Thursday, August 14, 2008

Good day - Clanger with Buzzard - PC fixed

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The Panorama is of the Play Day organised for the village children, over on the football field. An excellent idea which seemed very popular. Lots for the kids to do, a climbing wall, a bouncy castle a cycle track with ramps to go up and over etc., etc., It must have taken much work - but people do things don't they ?

Good news first thing, my INR blood level has reduced to an acceptable 2.7 - still need to have another test next Monday but if it is stable then, I may go first to fortnightly and then a month. Fingers crossed.

Alex and Emma came while I was delivering Y to the tram and did 6 solid hours graft in the rear garden. Many trailer-loads to the 'tip', conifers and tall shrubs and trees cut back and shaped, weeds cleared etc., etc. I'm afraid our 'turn it into a Wildlife Reserve' idea will have to be shelved.

While they were beavering away I had a final despairing 'go' at my new PC and by dint of thinking the unthinkable I seem to have fixed it. I reduced the screen resolution and reduced the colours from 32bit to 16bit (I won't go on because I don't want to send the IT-phobes to sleep). The screen is now sharp, the colours are accurate, there is no glare, the icons look right etc.

Intuition would be that the higher those settings the better - but not so apparently.

Reg has said he will pop in, again, to fix photoshop. But now it is working fine on my laptop there is no uirgency.

When I arrived at Burton Joyce to collect Y, Miles, Lisa and Hannah, the bird-identification experts, left me in no doubt that my Buzzard (see blog Sunday 10th August) was a Sparrow Hawk. Miles actually produced documentary evidence (see Picture on right).

All a question of size apparently and down to the lack of the customary 50p piece. To me, the pictures of the birds looked remarkably similar.

Apparently, had it actually been a Buzzard, it would have been enormous compared to the Sparrow Hawk.

So, humble apologies all round folks. I suspect that had Roy been around he would have spotted my error straight away.

Also, while at BJ, Hannah (just 11) gave me a quick lesson in using bluetooth on my mobile phone. She can do it quickly and effortlessly but whether or not I shall remember what I have been taught is a moot point. However, she has kindly offered a further tutorial when we next meet. And I think she will be able to show us both how to straightforwardly send pictures from phone to phone.

Comments

Bungus ..... I've always trusted the AA as a serious organisation who can be relied upon in these matters. Nationally they are in a better position than most to make such an assesment. Incidentally, they said 'down 20%' before the School Holidays started.

Mostly I agree with your TV camera-crew criticisms - but I obviously have a lower threshold than you on the 'cringe-scale'.

Glad you enjoyed Reg's 'cataract' picture as much as I did. He is a very good photographer.

Don't know what went wrong with your 'prepare comment in Word' then 'copy/paste' system. Your comment was all over the place - quotes from the blog, repetition etc.,. However, benefit of the doubt, and we will assume a hardware/software glitch.

Whatever - we look forward to a suitable 'clip from your drip-trip without a slip'.

David ..... You make a good point about the similarities between the 10 commandments and Mao's instructions to his troops. You are also right about common-sense rules for a civilised society. But the USA is supposed to be a civilised society ! I rest my case !

AnonymousRob ......... You are quite right of course about Mao's points, and the timing thereof. They are nevertheless admirable orders and, as Bungus says, it's a pity other armies have not gone down that path.

I also agree that the Cultural Revolution was foul, and an awful period for the Chinese people to live through. Marxist-Leninists in the 1960s and early 70s were led into a cosy misunderstanding of the situation due to the pretty posters and literature which emanated from China. Obviously I don't support it at all.

My point really is that he started off with some brilliant ideas which sadly went badly wrong.

The occasional J. C. Balls lorry is always a joy - pity there aren't more of them.

The link yesterday to Francesco's Mediterranean Voyage is live (I just checked) so, if you wanted to watch the prog. it's there for you and clickable.

Interestingly I find that BBC iPlayer performs better in Internet Explorer than in Firefox. Dunno why !

The cake sounds great !

Quotation time ........ Just one more Mao - then I'll start on Vasari .....

"In waking a tiger, use a long stick"

Mao Tse Tung

.................................................

No reason not to finish with the view sitting on my bed around 8.35pm. For camera people, it hasn't been photoshopped - just under-exposed by 2.3 stops.

Sleep tight - Catch you tomorrow
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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Play Day certainly looks a good idea and they were obviously lucky with the weather ('Look North'’s weather man informed viewers the other day that August is, on average, the wettest month of the year)

Pleased your blood is steady; long may it so flow.
I had an uneventful drip-trip yesterday; there and back in 3½ hours inc a nice 70 minute sit down on a Parker Knoll recliner that gave me chance to do last Sunday’s X-Word.
My next visit has been delayed by a week to allow dental treatment. And only a couple to go after that.

Sorry to hear the ‘Wildlife Reserve' idea will have to be shelved. Can’t you find just a small corner?

Obviously you have been boggering about with your PC. I told you no good would come of it. But if aggravation brings satisfaction, who am I…?

Well isn’t that a Buzzard? No it isn’t.
A disappointment, as Sparrowhawks are not uncommon; we get a visit every so often, resulting in Collared Dove feathers all over the lawn and headless corpses (we have seen him dismembering victims on the fence leading to the upper terrace - posh talk). Could sometimes be a cat of course (is that trans-MOG-rification?).
I used the capitals in case you missed the point (it seems that you have been skipreading again and missed my obviously witty - all right, simplistic - alternative use of ‘AA’ - another serious organisation who can be relied upon but not in matters of driving).

Apologies for the repetitions (several had been corrected!) and quotes in yesterday’s comments.
I shall try to do better, otherwise it will be reflected in my exam results.
How come, if they are all so clever, they think Georgia is next door to Florida? Alex, due to visit Matt next week, was quite alarmed as he has promised to take her to Atlanta.

Rob is right of course; Mao didn’t get it right all the time (before anyone takes me up on it, that is an extreme example of litotes).
As for the USA; I'd say they're on shaky ground preaching Human Rights while supporting Guantanamo? And how are they going to get out of Georgia? By scaling down Iraq and Afghanistan and putting Iran on hold, I suppose.

”BBC iPlayer performs better in Internet Explorer than in Firefox. Dunno why !”
I hope you don’t expect ME to offer an explanation!
I downloaded a Land Registry document yesterday (of my neighbours’ property) and it appeared quite clearly. I saved it to 2 or 3 identical files but when reopened it appeared as gobbledygook. Help sought, but not forthcoming.
But when I went to Start/Documents this morning it was there clear as anything. So I printed a copy.

I’d say the Mao quote is essentially the same as using a long spoon to sup with the devil. But it’s hard to be original.

Anonymousrob:

I heard the other day that the opening ceremony of the Olympics was pre-recorded and digitally enhanced/created. Very wily.

The JC Balls (does that carry an anti-Christian message?) story reminds me of driving in West Yorkshire some 40 years ago.
Travelling behind a lorry I noticed that the towbar divided a word into two parts, making it read ‘penis - tone’.
I’m easily amused.

Anonymous said...

Bungus-- It must be an Architect thing. A fellow Nstional Serviceman, an Architect, always refered to his home town as that.
I wonder what happened to him? He was last seen being transported to Colchester for a 28 day holiday. He had a habit of returning from weekend leave (in his MGA), just before work, 08:00 hrs, on a Monday morning and was reqularly late. Our C.O. was getting a little feed up with Bill and his excuses. One morning he was late, with good reason, a tree had fallen and blocked the road.He had a note fron the local police to confirm this, but our C.O had had enough. Bill "refused to accept his punishment, and so on up through the chain of command up to the AOC who sent him for his 28 day holiday in Colchester.
Our C.O. was Fl.Lt. Wainwright D.F.C. A little quiet man who had dragged his crew out of a burning Lancaster on a Norwegian beach. A true hero who never boosted about his war time efforts. He was known as 'Florrie' by the why I'm sure I don't have to explain that one.

Anonymous said...

I liked the cataract picture - but why is it that colour? Something to do with sediment?

Buzzard/sparrowhawk, I was slightly suspicious of the yellow legs, but I don't see enough birds of prey to identify them with any accuracy. All we get here are kestrels, and I picked out red kites travelling up and down and in Cumbria. We saw peregrine falcone nesting on the tower at Chichester Cathedral some years ago - the RSPB had set up a web-cam and telescope, they have yellow legs too!

Bungus, pleased to hear your dental problems look like finally being sorted out. And that the last visit was uneventful. We tried out those recliners at the ship terminal at Southampton - you were invited to fill in a questionnaire about them, and go in a draw to win a pair of them.

I think the US can do less harm in Georgia than Iran, so if it keeps them occupied.....they remind me of toddlers, just crashing around regardless, every now and then you have to distract them.

Anonymous said...

All the waterfalls in Swaledale were that colour last week. Is it something to do with the peat on the moors catchment areas?

Anonymous said...

Reg:
Your NS colleague Bill must have been a brave and foolhardy man. Having served early morning tea in the guardhouse at No. 3 TRRE camp at Cove, I became determined never to enter there as an inmate, much less get sent to Colchester!

Jill:
I was told that the reason for the reddish brown water in Scotland was that the heavy rains had washed up the sandy riverbeds.

If I remember correctly, there was also a peregrine nesting on the façade of Derby Cathedral the same year. I believe RG and his merry band went to take photos.

I hope you win the Parker Knoll chairs. I am sure you will find them a delight to doze off in.

Yes, I suppose the Yanks are rather childlike. And, like my neighbour, they believe that whatever they think must be right. Given their limited knowledge of the rest of the world, it occurs to me that George W may not realise to which Georgia he has sent his troops.

Anonymous said...

Currently reading "Essential Buddhism" in which is described THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH;
Right understanding
Right thought
Right speech
Right action
Right livelihood
Right effort
Right mindfulness
Right meditation.
Seems to beat everyone else handsdown!!!!

Anonymous said...

simply stopping by to say hi