Did I blink!!

MikeLeave a comment

What happened to 2020? Did I blink or did time speed up? I think it is true that time seems to speed up as you get older, but how come I have not posted since February last year!! That’s nearly twelve months ago, what have I done since then?

Clearly a lot has happened and I suppose the biggest event was and still is the COVID Pandemic, I just heard the news today that we have now passed the 80,000 COVID deaths total! The ‘confirmed’ cases now stand at over three million, just three weeks after they passed the two million mark! Clearly people are not paying attention to keeping themselves isolated!

Here’s an article from the Guardian with more details, it’s such a tragic situation that appears only to be getting worse. A distant light on the horizon must be the vaccines, let’s hope that they will end this, but I fear it will be a long time before it does.

So what did I do with the last eleven months? I suppose the three main things would have been… intermittently looking after the two grandchildren during 2020 whenever the pandemic measures allowed, though sadly we have now not seen them in person since our brief get together for the 2020 October Half-Term week at a great getaway in Dorset. We decided (although the changes with the Pandemic really decided for us), that after that break we should keep more isolated, though the online get togethers are good, they don’t replace actual physical being together. The other two main things were cycling and the Garden/Allotment.

Cycling – Despite the various pandemic related changes over the period, I have managed to keep cycling, the cycling club I belong to suspended group rides during the first lockdown and since then I’ve done all of my riding in 2020 by myself. I’ve still managed to cover a reasonable distance for the year, sadly though not as much as the previous year.

Allotment – I took on another plot in late 2019 and managed to get a good set of crops out of the front section of it during the 2020 growing season. However, the back section was really in a mess and the latter part of the 2020 was taken up with reorganising that area. Slow progress, but getting there and a good job to finish during early 2021.

Other things that kept me busy were…

  • Helping ‘remotely’ with peoples computers, now so much more important for staying in contact with their contacts via Zoom, Facetime, Google Meet and many other apps I’ve lost track of, also carried out a number of updates to Windows 10 remotely; very interesting!!
  • Keeping my daily newsletters up to date as much as possible
  • Working on the various Allotment committee items
    • Monthly Newsletters and Special Bulletins
    • Designing and launching a new Website, though I would not call myself a web designer!
  • Decorating during lockdown
  • Shopping for our family and a couple of neighbours.
  • Working through some excellent free online courses from FutureLearn
  • Sorting out my images and delving deeper into Lightroom and Photoshop
  • Buying and learning about the Raspberry Pi (via FutureLearn) and thinking back to the original BBC Micro – how technology has changed!
  • Binge watching various series, Star Trek: Picard, Treadstone, Mr Robot – Season 4, The Main in the High Castle – Season 4, Jack Ryan – Season 1, Bosch, from Season 1, NCIS, Season 14, WW II in Colour, Star Trek: Discovery, Season 3 and quite a few others.
  • Local Walking

So I do seem to have been busy, but 2020 still seems to have flown by and I still seem to have lots to do, scanning of old photos, Family Tree updates, printing out some of my images on a brand new A3 Printer, plus I hope putting more post into this space.

Brexit and Corona Virus

MikeLeave a comment

Where did February go? I wonder sometimes if time speeds up as you get older. Can’t believe that it has been a full month since I last posted here!

Seems a lot has happened, but I suppose the two main talking point are the spread of the Corona Virus and the UK governments attempts to blame the EU for our forthcoming final shamble that will be Brexit.

With the latest statement that the UK could walk away from the final Brexit transition talks in June, the government seems to be walking it self into a very tight corner before they have even stated. Seems a strange negotiation position to adopt, but not one I am surprised at.

Copyright – The Guardian

Corona Virus seems to be spreading it’s wings far and wide with a new case reported in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although there seems to be no shortage of attempts to contain this virus, I fear that it is going to get much worse before it peaks. I’m not sure that UK is as prepared for this outbreak as I hear in news reports.

I think I’ll stay indoors for the next few weeks!!!!

Copyright – CDC & WHO

Privacy, it is possible in today’s world?

MikeLeave a comment

With recent news that Clearview AI is being used by a number of USA Law Enforcement Agencies, one wonders when UK Police Forces might start deploying similar capabilities, although The Met seems to be ahead in this area already.

It clearly seems that Clearview AI is causing a big stir, here are just a few of the stories that I have come across in the last few days.

It’s going to be a bumpy ride for this company as many people will not want to see their ordinary everyday images used as a background for police or other random checks.

Copyright – Top VPN Canada

It’s all about the Pressure!

MikeLeave a comment

Something strange is happening with online weather forecasts; default pressure information is disappearing!

Yes the TV Broadcast weather programmes do refer to them, but what about the online weather maps?

As can be seen from the above three snaps of today’s weather, none of them (including the UK’s own Met. Office) contain any default information about weather pressure. You have to go and search/click on another link to get this information.

As it is one of the deciding factors in determining our weather, you would think this is something that should be included in the default page setup.

Here are the same three online services Pressure Maps. However, to get them you have follow a link from one of the menus, sometimes filling in extra ‘tick’ boxes (as in the case of the BBC) to get the information you need. It seems strange when a simple adjustment to the web pages could at least show the relevant figure of pressure at any time. The BBC used to have this in the past.

I suppose it’s a bit like information about the Jet Stream; another big influencer of the UK’s weather. Mostly, it does not get mentioned except in fairly rare circumstances. Something else I think should be changed. Here’s today’s view of the Jet Stream. Not from the above services as I could find any info quickly about the Jet Stream on those sites. Google on the other hand…

I’ve always been interested in the Weather and will be installing a personal weather station sometime in 2020. However, here’s is a look at the pressure difference as I see it using my Grandfather’s Mercury based Barometer, which does seem to give fairly accurate readings.

Looking at this, you can see quite a difference between the pressure this week and last week’s due to the deluge of rain of rain we had.

Finding your way around space!

MikeLeave a comment

Came across this interesting article (Location services in Outer Space) yesterday about some of the ‘difficulties’ in navigating your way around Outer Space. When you think about it, on Earth we have now got so used to Google Maps (other mapping software apps are available), it seems to be second nature to use this and other options, like car Sat Nav’s, signposts and even paper maps!!

Copyright – Vecteezy

But what about space? Well it seems it’s not as straight forward as you would think. During a quick browse on the internet, there seems so much information about the subject, it’s filled up quite a few bookmarks to come back to for further reading.

Deep Space Navigation is an interesting read from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JBL) and has a lot of resources in addition to explanations.

Copyright – JPL

Another interesting read is going to be ‘How do space probes navigate large distances…’ this must be how the Voyager Missions were able to reach where they are now.

Copyright – JPL

Looks like I have a bit of reading to do!!

The National Archives

MikeLeave a comment

I’ve been doing some research recently for a pet subject of mine and made time to visit The (UK) National Archives online search pages. I did find what I wanted, plus much more.

It’s amazing when you’re engrossed in a particular subject just how much time you can use up. Still there is always another day.

Have a browse around, I’m sure there is something there for you.

It’s all about the recycling; isn’t it?

MikeLeave a comment

With Christmas very much (and some might say ‘thank goodness’) over, I am sure like my house, the main room was covered in wrapping paper and empty plastic boxes/containers on the day.

We will also all have spent quite a bit of time diligently sorting through the ‘mess’ to make sure that we put the right items into the right recycling boxes ready for the ‘rescheduled’ holidays collections – how many of us still got the dates wrong!

Copyright – Veolia

But hang on a minute! Yes we are all encouraged to recycle our waste so that it does not end up making a bigger problem, but what about all the items that came ‘in‘ that mountain of paper and plastic in the first place?

This interesting article from the Guardian ‘The solution to the plastic waste crisis? It isn’t recycling’ caught my eye today. I was amazed to read that the latest Disney sponsored Arendelle Castle Village from Lego contains some 521 bits of plastic!

With many of the plastic based toys that now abound for our younger generation, one wonders if we need to approach recycling in a different way by simply buying less plastic in the first place, especially if much of the plastic around us is still not fully recyclable. I should point out that from my current understanding many of the latest Lego products are fully recyclable.

However; as we look around us, much plastic is still not fully recyclable and there; is the crux of the problem! Just how do we solve this dilemma, plastic is cheap and everywhere, we have got to think about not producing as much and really ramp up the use of other more sustainable & recyclable products.

Global Recycling Day – 2020

Climate Change – It’s happening!

MikeLeave a comment

With the news that grasses has been found growing on the lower slopes of Mount Everest and with the Aussie bush fires about to enter a new cycle with the return of increasing temperatures and winds; it’s pretty obvious to anyone with an ounce of intelligence that something is happening to our climate and at an increasingly fast pace.

Copyrights – Karen Anderson/University of Exeter (Mount Everest); Copernicus Sentinel 2 (31Dec2019), Getty Images (Burnt Forest)

I wonder how long it will be before Governments really start to take serious actions now and not by looking to reduce carbon commissions variously in the next 10/20/30 years.

I think it is time for action now.

New Year; New Plot

MikeLeave a comment

Now that the incessant rain of the last few months seems to have abated a bit; it’s time get back to bringing a second allotment I have out of it period of non-use.

The first one will see its fifth rotation of crops this year and has done very well seeing that it had also been unused for over three years – I so like a challenge!

From a wilderness to a working plot

We get quite few very tasty Christmas Dinner treats this year despite the rain.

The second plot is proven a bit of an extra challenge due to the amount of rubbish that was left on the plot and the amount of nettles that I have discovered at the back of it. However; it has potential as it is a larger than my other plot and faces 180° opposite direction so should get a different amount of sun and with a Poly-tunnel should be good for raising early plants.

Second plot progressing.

Let’s see how we progress this year on both plots.