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I received a very nice present in the form of a new compact digital camera for my recent big six-o birthday. I had been looking at a new camera for some time as I was getting a big fed up with the small view screen on my IXUS 400. Don’t get me wrong, the IXUS 400 has been a fantastic camera which I have have had fr0m the first year that Canon brought it out. This was my first digital camera, being bought as much for it’s style appeal as for its photographic ability.

Before that I had been a user of a Canon ELPH which used the Advanced Photo System (APS), or Advantix film format, which was then being promoted (from 1996) as the next film compact camera, with automatic film loading, 3 sizes of images and 40 shots available instead of the traditional 36 on standard 35mm film – more info here. I think it was a good move as again the camera (and its lens) along with having a great style, took some great photos and some fantastic panoramics!

Sad to say, but within 7 years, the writing was on the wall for this new innovation. A combination of not catching the attention of the professionals and with new digital compact cameras falling from the sky at prices that had never been seen before, it was the beginning of the end for the Advantix range of films and cameras. In fact today, it is now easier to get a  traditional 35mm film developed than an Advantix one!

My new camera? A Canon IXUS 870IS. What a brilliant camera and another classic in the long line of Canon cameras that I have owned over the years. I’m still working my way through all of the options that the camera has, in particular its digital macro ability. It is an excellent example of how Canon cameras, particularly compact cameras have developed over the years.

I’m looking forward to learning a lot more about this camera as I take  more  and more pictures.

Do I think I still need a digital SLR?

I’ll have think long and hard on the one.

Quite a bit has been written about the Conficker Virus infection. Here’s a test that Joe Stewart from SecureWorks has put together as an effective “eye chart” that sources its graphics from sites that Conficker would block.

If you can’t see one or more of the images, you’re either infected, or image loading in your browser has been disabled.

Check it out here as it will prove one way of the other if you have it on your own computer.

It’s not often that I write up technical info here, but I thought that this was a good one to share.

Got a little behind in posting these figures. All seems to be very steady with my connection.

I’m still using four broadband speed checking sites and taking an average to get my recorded speed indication, just to make sure that the individual sites I use don’t throw up any anomalies. I think I am getting reasonably good value from my BT Broadband Option 3 for what I actually pay for it.

The the sites I use for testing are:-

Namesco Broadband Max ADSL Broadband Bandwidth Speed Test

Here we go again, yet another government database project has hit problems.

Suffering a number of basic security flaws with database records being expose to the the ‘public’, Contact Point the UK governments £224m kids’ database is off-line and undergoing urgent repairs.

Full story here at Silicon.Com.

At last, MP Tony McNulty is to be investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards for his allowance claims of  some £60,000!

What grates my teeth about this whole affair is the seemingly indifference to public opinion that McNulty has shown about it. If I never hear the quote “I’ve not broken any rules” again it won’t be too soon!

He may well not have broken any rules as they stand today – changing the rules is another discussion – but is he taking the mickey? I think so and he damn well knows it very well.

Will he or any of the other MP’s (from all Party’s) that are also taking the mickey suffer any real sanctions? I doubt it! Westminster is a closed club with its own rules and many secret deals.

It’s a shame that the offenders don’t seem to understand the harm that they are doing to all MP’s and particularly to the standing of politicians in general as viewed in everyone’s minds eye!

It won’t be too long (if this is not already happening) before we look at them through the same glasses that we use to view bankers and their recent appalling antics.

What can we do? Any suggestions?

I learnt today that ‘Jenny’ of the Hong Kong Jenny Side-Party fame, passed away in February at the grand old age of 92!

For those of you with a Royal Naval connection, Jenny and her ‘troop’ were as much Hong Kong as was the Peak Tram and the New Territories.

The Telegraph has a very good obituary today about Jenny and her life with the Royal Navy in Hong Kong.

A fascinating individual, who I am sure had many a tale to tell.

It seems that the Government is intent on turning us all into spies with their recently announced ‘enhanced’ anti-terrorist campaign.

I was in the sleepy town of Ashbourne over the weekend and as I always do, tuned into the local radio station  to see what was  happening around and about.

Apart from the local shop adverts and reports on rural happenings, I was struck by the level of Anti-Terrorism announcements that were being made. “Did a new neighbour move in next door and if they’re acting suspiciously? Report them! Have you seen people taking photos of CCTV cameras? Report them!” were just two of the statements made; twice in one hour!

I also notice on Classic FM today, that they are running an advert  “that’s the sound of a bomb not going off at a dance party” because someone rang the anti-terror hotline!

I’m all for being vigilant; but am I going to suspect every backpack toting, multi-mobile phone user as a potential ‘bomber’. With the government reportedly looking to recruit some 60,000 people who will be tasked to ‘spy’ on us for the government, it won’t be long before they have an agent in every street reporting on every move that we make.

Another step towards Orwellian Britain.

Some interesting links.

• What the Met wants us to check for?

• BBC Coverage

• Reigate Gazette!

• Police are hounding Photographers?

• Direct Gov says!

Been away for a few days last week for the big 60 birthday!!

Spent some time in the northern area of the Peak District. What a wonderful part of Britain that area is, still very unspoiled and despite some fairly dull weather, we had a very nice time.

Not trying to be a travelogue post, but here’s are a few places we visited.

Castleton – A very nice Derbyshire village, very well looked after and on the day that we were visiting with very few people about and even more amazing, very few cars.

Found a fantastic second hand antique book shop – Hawkridge Books – on the high street. I could have spent all day inside!!

Eyam – I did no know that the Black Death plague of the 1600’s was also able to jump great distances to infect isolated places.  Eyam seems to have been particularly affected, but with some very good quarantining by local people it was well confined to this local area. Again a very quiet, but attractive Peak village.

Buxton – I visit this town many times with my Aunt and Uncle when I was a young child staying with them near Ashbourne many years ago. This was the first time I had been back for many years and was very disappointed to see that like may Spa towns it has suffered a serious decline over the years. It might have been the overcast weather and the grim look of the place, so I’ll reserve final judgment for another visit in the summer. I do hope that it perks up by then.

Enough of the this travel stuff, I have some work to do!!

An interesting list of people that TIME magazine say could be responsible for the current financial meltdown, only one UK person gets a mention, RBS chairman, Sir Fred Goodwin.

Top of the rankings on this list is one time SEC regulator chairman Phil Gramm!I wonder where our FSA chairman would be?

I wonder who we would put on a UK equivalent list? What do you think?

This subject has been in the news recently and a Nursing friend sent this to me via email and encouraged me to post it.

“During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall.  She assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics).  She said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Ingrid’s husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital.  At 6:00 PM Ingrid passed away. She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don’t die.  They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.”

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke…totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE:

Thank God for the sense to remember the ‘3’ steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.    Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE.
T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE, coherently.  (i.e. It is sunny out today.)
R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

NOTE: Another ‘sign’ of a stroke is this: Ask the person to ‘stick’ out his tongue… If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

If you see any of the above symptoms, call the Paramedics as soon as possible and tell then exactly what has happened.