Monthly Archives: Jan 2006

Damn spam

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7°C,

Re:Hello– 76 spam posts today. I cope with them now by setting all my emails to go into the deleted items folder; unless the sender is on my list. This gets rid of most spam. However, recently a new rouse is to send a reply when the post is deleted. So as the deleted items folder is cleared, suddenly a group of posts appears in the outbox. Those posts that do that- always have Re:Hello in teh subject field.
Bad bad bad! That means the spammers get confirmation that the address is valid and then send even more irrelevant pap.
What a busy day I’ve had! Watched sunrise while walking the Ladies. I beat a car wheel back into shape so it can have the tyre put back on. Installed a new light at home; shopped at the italian market; painting (see above); washed the car; took car wheel to Kwikfit; read a bit of that Cosmology book; slept off lunch.
 
 

This page is unintentionally left blank

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11°C, dry
That Cosmology book was delivered today. It’s got 4 pairs of blank pages. No wonder they were selling it cheaply.
 I feel a negative comment coming on.
On a day where two +ve comments have appeared  to those!
thanks.
Turpentine: started two new ones! Underpainting is ready on the smaller one; the ground is ready for  the second. I have missed doing them over the last week.
Here is a doodle made in today’s training day.

 

neat! I just found out that you can link an image in the blog entry that’s saved in your photo album.

Dull & warm

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9½°C, like yesterday.
10°C today, it’s tooo warm! I have worn too much to cycle to work, am opening the windows in each room, and so on. I recall last autumn when temperatures droped down to 10 feeling quite cold. That must be acclimitisation.
 
I’m too tired ot write more. I’m to tired to write anything less dull too!

Cosmology

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8° getting cooler. Rain then clearer.

Got rained on going to work today. that’s ok, except when you pull your still-wet clothes on to ride back home. Got here quickly though because of a generous tail-wind.

Ordered some new books.
"Cosmology: The Science of the Universe"
Edward Harrison; Hardcover; £23.00

I used to have this on repeat loan from the local ibrary, that went on for months. At the time I didn’t have the £30 to buy my own copy, but now I do. I recall it having some pretty probing stuff, with thought provocing posers at the and of each chapter. This issue has been updated, and so I can’t wait to see it- it should arrive early since it’s actually second-hand. The last 2nd hand book I bought arrived after only 2 days.

 

  Had a great staff training session after work today. I had arrived feeling annoyed- another compulsory meeting, just when the Animation club usually runs. All I wanted was to meet the Ani’ group. Actually, felt cross.
  By the end thought, I was feeling almost high- it was very stimulating, despite quite an intellectual lecture style delivery. It was about the high ability pupils can be afraid of risk taking, and terrified of failure so that they never learn the use that failure can bring. They therefore don’t have that dogged determination to find alternative solutions, alternative to those that suited that is; they give up. they say things like " I can’t do …".
My explanation here sounds dull, but this guy hit the spot- inferring things we instinctively felt for a while.

My notepaper reveals quite a decent doodle, I did suggest I would scan it and upload it to my site. It definitely proves that my sketches are better in interesting meetings.

Far Cry

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5°C, from 7°, like yesterday.

Far Cry is a computer game- a First Person Shooter. I’ve always hated FPS games in the past- I consider flight sims "my thing". I like the feeling of engagement, reading up on its history, technology,  tactics; these things open up a new world. Before Il-2 Sturmovic I’d never heard of Smolensk, Viasma, Schisselburg, Novossorisk and hundreds of others. I have to admit that I practise* Pacific Fighters just so I don’t get rusty for Saturday’s online games which I often take part.
 
Anyway, Far Cry has surprised me by being good fun. It’s not tied to a single solution to problems like other FPSs I have come across. I hated Medal of Honor*, it attempts some historical accuracy but you can grab a health pack when you’ve been shot or blown up then get up and carry on running. I scrapped that one. I’m repelled by games with silly scary monsters, kid’s stuff. This does seem to strike a balance between reality and the genre of fps games. I am aware, however, that this game can be completed and be done with. That is- once the levels are finished, then you may as well un-install it. Except it comes with a built-in level editor and map builder. I doubt that really expands the game without a lot of time expended. Il-2 missions are quite easy to build; you only need to have a reference for historical facts to ensure believable missions. Most fps games are far too short. This promises a good 20 hours of gameplay- and that’s said by expereinced gamers. I am not one – but still, I can’t see this still running for years- like Il-2 still does.
The Meteor: I’m still reading up on this, other sites I have looked at suggest it has enough plus points to justify taking it to a specialist.
I have had some difficulty choosing the spelling for that, alt:"practice".

meteorite

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8°C, Sth wind,dry.
What boulder is about 5 times denser than a stone one. Has a dull shiney and very smooth surface. Could it be a meteor?
We would have found it at a beach in Wales, but that would have been a breach of local bylaws. So we didn’t. I’d like to investigate this a little more, I can show exactly where it wasn’t found on a map. I may take it to school – could it be an iron ore lump, or manganese or even nickel? I want to take a Giger* counter to it as well.
*Giger-Muler tube. It has a solid smooth surface, no visible imperfections and could conceivably have been melted at one time.
Having a quick look on the web- this page comes up first. Mine looks like Picture 3- the Haematite ore. Still, it’s quite impressive. I’ll try out their checklist.
OK there are no Regmaglyphs
Cycling: 56.7 miles, slow due to the wind.

Satur nerd day ( *a-hem*)

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9°C & dropping, sunny bits
Copyright: we hand over copyright to Microsoft when we write these space blogs. How does that actually work, and why? When we upload a picture, the file name changes, so the picture you download is different, I bet it changes in other ways too, size exif data and so on. The pictures I have loaded here are all mine. I can easily prove it because the origonals are hanging from nails on the walls of this room. Perhaps MS are trying to claim copyright on the digital images that are generated by uploading one of our own.
It serves to remind me that countries aren’t ruled by those we think. Ours are ruled by lawyers.
 
….I’m off to play a game now.

Kokoshka

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7.5°C, cloud, dry

Teaching: Days like this make the job worthwhile. I have a year 10 student who paints like Oscar Kokoshka. Unlike most of her peers, her painting is more capable than her drawing, but in both the’s a natural. I may break with habit on these pages and post a picture that’s not mine. It’s well worth seeing!
My turn to paint: preparing the ground for a new picture. The idea is a person floating at sea, I’d like the water to look deep. The canvas is ready with a coloured ground ( burnt sienna & pthalio blue). Also started an oil sketch to sort out the composition & some colours.
I need lots of think-time for this one, perhaps a think-tank full.

Mad in van

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5°C, still, frosty start.

Drivers of white vans lived down to their reputation today. At Muckley Corner roundabout, there was a white transit behind who was threatening to push me out into the ceasless traffic. I know th wait was long, the longest I can recall, but there were just no gaps in the traffic to allow us to cross. There are no traffic lights on that roundabout. He revved and lunged the van at me, then swore & gestitulated. I decided to play it safe and pulled aside & let the psycho pass. There is a lamp-post out there with his name on it.
 
The msn server problem seems to have cleared up. It runs at a reasonable speed.

Broken

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8°C,

Weather:
The gloom has cleared. What a relief, the ride to work was partly illuminated by some dawn twilight. that afternoon of grumpy bike fixing – dodgy chain links, brakes, lights and so on.
No painting posts for a few days now- I’ve not been all that well. Nothing serious, but it was tiring. Now is ok, brightness looks likely tomorrow.
 
Puzzling software: What are Macromedia Contribute and Flashpaper. I told the technician at work that we didn’t need them, but now, it looks like we do (at least the Flashpaper). We need pdf rendering software in school, not just for DiDA. This lone looks just as versatile as Adobe’s offering, but it’s included with a suite of software that we already have. No need for new licences.