Category: Vague – where should it go?

Where vague stuff is placed for filing

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Back To The Future

Every now and then you will see something on the internet which makes the rounds every year or so. This is just one example. Marty McFly is meant to visit us in the current (future) on a particular date. So far every one of these predictions has been wrong. The actual date is given below:

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Let’s save the date and make it more special than all those dates where people Photoshop the movie clip to make it now (or then).

If you ever suspect anything on the internet of not being what it says it is (and that’s pretty much everything) then you should look at Snopes. It’s a brilliant website that looks at the evidence for particular news/popular internet claims.

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Xmas Tree Boxes

A few years ago I bought a plastic reusable Christmas tree from Homebase. It came in a box. It was nicely packaged in the box.

This late December I found myself spending more time fixing the box than I did actually taking down the decorations and tree. By mass, my box is nearly more duct-tape than cardboard. It turns out that the boxes in which Christmas trees are sold aren’t very good for the storage of Christmas trees.

I paid money for the tree and also, I assume, for the box in which it came. I would have happily spent a little more if the box was advertised as being stronger than the others and lasting more than two years in the loft.

I understand that the box is the cheap part. I also understand that my loft is at times very cold, very hot and occasionally just a little bit damp. However, should there be a manufacturer who takes notice of this communication then I will happily buy their product.

Perhaps I should start a twitter campaign for decent accommodation for reusable Christmas trees. Look out for the hash-tag: #decentboxesforxmastrees

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I Don’t Get It

About five years ago there used to be three or four burnt out cars by the footpaths surrounding my village. The were rusty and were old, plants had grown in them and I couldn’t see a track or pathway to get them there. At some point there was a clean up and the footpaths and surrounds were back to a more natural look.

This morning on my run up the Downs and down them again I found a freshly burnt out car. It was still smoking. I don’t understand why someone would do this. I really don’t. It’s not that I care for cars, I just don’t get why you drive a car to a relatively quiet spot and set light to it. Seems pretty shit to me.

Here’s the route I ran:

 

Create Maps or search from 80 million at MapMyRun

 

Here’s the car I found along Common Road at the top of the Downs.

Burnt Out

Possibly a Vauxhall Corsa. I don’t really care.

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Lunch

Thanks to the 309 Twitter feed this is a picture of me from quite a while ago. I’m the twat in the hat.

cantilever

 

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Bridges, I See Three

There are three bridges here over the river Medway. See if you can spot them.
They are:

  • M2 Eastbound
  • M2 Westbound
  • Channel Tunnel Rail Link [CTRL]

    • 20140102-194135.jpg

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    Infrastructure – Home Network

    In 2001 I first got internet access and a home PC. I think it was 2001, it was either then or 2002! It was dial-up access with a bandwidth of around 56Kb/s I first got broadband and wireless in about 2004 or so. Since then I would agree with the “new” hierarchy of needs with Wi-Fi at the base. I feel definitely lost when I don’t have internet access, especially when my phone has no data signal too.

    This is a diagram of my home network. Just because I wanted to, you know? This is an hour of my life I won’t get back, but was worth it. Click for a PDF.

    Infrastructure

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    Made Me Laugh

    I was having a text conversation with my sister about my lack of mixer drinks for use with Jack Daniels. I tried to say that I’d go and buy some coke but I have fingers that are a bit bigger than my keyboard on the phone. Whoops!

    20140101-174546.jpg

    I seriously laughed out loud in my house while alone for a good five minutes. It’s still a giggle when I think about it.

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    Compromise

    Here’s the thing. Where I work has some rooms with lovely views. Here’s the view from my normal classroom:

    20131128-133628.jpg

    As you can see, the view from my classroom is dominated by mud. Mud and the sports hall. In terms of view, this room rather sucks. However, the selling points of the room are plentiful.

    • Cool in the summer
    • Cool in the winter
    • Nobody passes the room, there’s nowhere to go
    • Occasional wildlife, cats, squirrels, pigeons, dog
    • Quiet, there’s no where to go after my room and so I don’t get people walking by
    • Far away from anything else

    20131219-121817.jpg

    This room is in the same building and actually has a positive altitude in opposition to my room. The view over Maidstone is lovely and should be worth the effort of changing rooms. However, there are downsides to this room:

    • Hot in the summer (faces east)
    • Hot in the winter (faces east and at top of building)
    • Too bright
    • People can walk past the room to go to other rooms
    • Sometimes the view is just more interesting than the classroom.

    The compromise is that although I would love a good view from my work room I value the other good things about my room more.

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    Poppy Prize

    I’ve recently been reminded of an incident from about 23 years ago. I probably think of this every year around Remembrance Day because it makes me chuckle.

    As a teenager I was involved with the Air Cadets, or rather the Air Training Corps as we were then known. My loyalty lies with 309 (Sawbridgeworth) Sqn of the ATC as that is where I spent a lot of my time from age 12 1/2 (not officially) to around 30 [with a couple of breaks]. I attended the 25th anniversary meal of the Squadron being formed and next year I’ll be attending the 30th anniversary!

    During 1990 I did the usual house-to-house collection for my squadron around the town of Sawbridgeworth for the poppy appeal. We normally did this on parade nights the few weeks before November 11th. This particular year I also happened to be dating a member of 1096 (Bishop’s Stortford) Sqn and for a laugh I joined her squadron on their door-to-door collection as their parade night was different.

    So, it turns out that I won some sort of trophy at 1096 Sqn for collecting the most money for their squadron. Even now it makes me chuckle. I guess simple things please simple minds. I can’t remember if I ever got a trophy or prize but I definitely won their competition.

    Also, the estate where I was collecting was home to a Squadron Leader from the Wing Staff. I can’t remember his name (probably Ian, but that’s not a great deal of help), I’ll get in touch with some of my close friends, they’ll remember. Anyway, I was going through the process to get my Staff qualification and part of this required an interview. This Sqn Ldr was meant to interview me and so when I knocked on his door and he recognised me we held the interview there and then. I passed the examination.

    Perhaps there’ll be more dim and distant memories recorded here soon!

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    Views From My Run

     

    On my run this morning I took some photographs because this area of Kent is lovely. It was nice and sunny, although cold. I run in the North Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

    Here’s my route:

    Create Maps or search from 80 million at MapMyRun

    Here’re my photographs:

    Kit’s Coty House – note the moon hanging around!

    Kit's Coty House
    Kit’s Coty House on the way up Blue Bell Hill

    A road / footpath:

    A Road
    A Road

    The North Downs taken half way up / down from the footpath from Burham to the Robin Hood pub:

    Halfway Up
    Halfway Up

    A kind of triptych of the view just out of Burham on Church Street

    Looking west from Church Road
    Looking west from Church Road
    South West from Church Street
    West South West from Church Street
    West South West from Church Street
    South West from Church Street

     

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