February 4th, 2016

Remembrance of things past

February 4th, 2016

I was doing a mini clear-out, and decided it was time to say farewell to some old friends. Do you remember the days when some electronic devices didn’t look like slabs of black glass?

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For younger or less geeky readers, these are, from top-left, a Motorola RAZR (2004), a Nokia E61 (2005), a Blackberry 7100t (2004) and an Ericsson T39m (2001).

My iPhones have been the most useful devices I have ever owned (with the possible exception of my laptops), but each of the above was an iconic, reliable and, for the time, excellent gadget as well.

But, the world has changed.

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February 3rd, 2016

Quote of the day

February 3rd, 2016

Money doesn’t change you. It just reveals who you really are when you no longer have to be nice.

— Tim Ferris

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January 30th, 2016

To the Manor Born

January 30th, 2016

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We visited Wrest Park in Bedfordshire today. This, it seems to me, is the kind of portrait one might have had painted if one owned the place. The swans definitely thought they did.

The house had a rather hard life during and after the war, and almost none of its original furnishings remain, but it does have a few very fine rooms with some wonderful ceilings.

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Click for larger versions, to see the detail.

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January 25th, 2016

Standardising the whatchamacallit

January 25th, 2016

IMG_2542Here’s something that could do with a standards body. I don’t even know what these are called. Quick-release webbing buckle? Something like that.

But wouldn’t it be handy if you could clip any two (of approximately the same size) together? Buy extension straps and know that they’d work? Clip your camera case onto your rucksack and your dog lead onto your pushchair?

You know it makes sense. All you have to do is boycott manufacturers who aren’t paying members of QIQRWBSC (Quentin’s International Quick-Release Webbing Buckle Standards Committee).

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Politics corrupts, and Presidential politics corrupts absolutely

January 25th, 2016

This Guardian piece by Julia O’Malley gives a rather different viewpoint on Sarah Palin from the one we usually hear.

There was a time when Sarah Palin was normal by Alaska standards. Way back before the hoopla, and way before she endorsed Donald Trump, she made sense as a politician here. That’s not the case any more. I’m told she lives in Alaska most of the time, but she’s invisible in public life.

But back in the day, I liked her – and so did many in my community. I’m not conservative, but she grew on me when I worked as a reporter in Anchorage in the mid-2000s, and the reason had nothing to do with politics. She was a kind of regular person I recognized as of this place. Tough, funny, pragmatic. She loved Alaska like I did. If you didn’t know her then, it’s hard to explain or believe.

Worth a read. Especially for anyone thinking of going into politics…

Thanks to Hamid Farzaneh for the link.

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January 24th, 2016

The Slow Food Movement

January 24th, 2016

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At Linton Zoo, yesterday morning.

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January 23rd, 2016

Tugging at the heartstrings…

January 23rd, 2016

Rose keeps showing me YouTube videos from Vet Ranch. This is a Texas-based non-profit which gathers donations to provide veterinary treatment for animals who otherwise wouldn’t get it — typically to take them from rescue shelters and get them in a condition where they can be adopted.

The videos they post are generally wonderful before-and-after comparisons, and, I imagine, a very effective fund-raising tool! Nicely done.

MollyMoo is a cutie, for example:

And here’s another dramatic transformation in a small amount of time.

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Strike a pose, Sport

January 23rd, 2016

Before this morning, if you had shown me a picture of a kangaroo doing this, I’d have thought he was a stuffed one, probably taking part in an Australian beer commercial.

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But it turned out this was just part of his morning stretching routine.

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At Linton Zoo

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Actually, I’m quite fierce!

January 23rd, 2016

I know I look small, but just get rid of this fence and I’ll show you…

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At Linton Zoo this morning.

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January 16th, 2016

Making hay wains while the sun shines

January 16th, 2016

Amongst other places, Tilly and I visited Flatford Mill today. A pleasant spot.

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It’s famous for being the place where John Constable painted the Hay Wain:

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He did so, I expect, because he knew that I would one day take a photo in just that location:

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I thought about taking out my easel and oils, but decided his results might still have been better, because he would have had a couple of unfair advantages.

Firstly, he visited when the temperature was above freezing. Secondly, he did so during daylight hours. It’s an issue of exposure, you see — I had to use an 8-second one, and I also nearly died of it 🙂

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