Technology quote of the day

This is, I believe, from Michael Hartung of IBM:

Hardware eventually fails. Software eventually works.

Sports hound

Had fun with some high-speed shots of Tilly chasing her ball on the college hockey pitch this morning.

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You can click here to see a few more.

Tilly still had energy left afterwards to do her meerkat impression, though…

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The Mill on the Cam

Hauxton Mill, just south of Cambridge, was the last commercially-operating water mill in the area. It ceased operation just over 40 years ago.

I walk past it regularly with my dog, and it’s always been a mysterious, intriguing, and very closed, building.

Hauxton Mill

Until today. As we approached, I noticed that the door stood ajar, and it turned out to be because a man was inside checking the electricity meter. (I was struck by the irony.) He was just about to leave, but kindly let me stick my head inside. It was one of those moments when I was very glad I happened to be carrying my camera, even though I only had time to fire off a couple of quick shots.

Hauxton Mill

If only, as they say, these walls could speak…

Mill trolley, Hauxton Mill

(Click for larger versions)

Update – I later tweaked one of the photos and posted an improved version here.

A passionate Patrick Stewart

This is all over the social networks this morning, and for good reason. Patrick Stewart is asked what he’s most proud of outside his acting career… Worth watching through to the end.

Link here if the embedded version doesn’t show for you!

Making moonlight

I discovered how to make moonlight. Well, sort of… Set your camera’s white balance to ‘tungsten’ and then use predominantly flash.

Self-esteem

Quote for the day:

You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.

— Eleanor Roosevelt

Great Gate

The Great Gate

The Great Gate, Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge.

You can probably just make out the helix on the floor which is part of a new memorial to Francis Crick.

Harmonious Control

Logitech Harmony oneHere’s a quick and simple recommendation. About three years ago I decided I needed a new all-in-one remote control, since my (splendid and extravagant) old Marantz RC2000 mk II was struggling to keep up with the latest innovations in infrared.

So, after some pondering, I looked at the Logitech Harmony series – which I’d first seen at a CES show long ago, before they were even part of Logitech. The basic idea is that you use a special website and utility to put in details of the hardware you’ve got – which models of TV, Amp, DVD, etc – and how they’re connected together. It asks questions like “When you want to turn up the volume on the TV, do you use the TV or the amplifier?” Then you plug your remote in to a USB port and it gets programmed with all the appropriate codes and configuration. I went for a middle-of-the-range one, the Harmony One, and started thinking of all the ways I’d be able to customise it to make it do what I wanted.

And… I didn’t need to. After I’d set it up with something pretty close to the default configuration, it just did what I wanted out of the box. And has done so ever since. I haven’t gone back and fiddled with it once, which, knowing my propensity for such activities, is quite a recommendation.

Enlightenment

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When you live here, it sometimes can be easy to forget how lucky you are.

Good work, nicely explained

My friend Rose Goslinga has been working to create affordable insurance for African farmers. This is not only exceedingly good and valuable work, but I’ve just discovered this Poptech talk she gave about it a couple of years ago.

I think it’s quite brilliant, because, while I haven’t heard her give a talk before, I remember Rose as a quiet, humble lass who I wouldn’t have considered a likely natural public speaker. But I can think of few if any talks I’ve ever seen which convey their message so simply and effectively in under five minutes. If you don’t watch it because you’re interested in how technology can help the poor, watch it as a lesson in public speaking done right.

More info about Kilimo Salama here.

© Copyright Quentin Stafford-Fraser