Living and working on the web, with a British point of view.

It's all about sharing your content...

2008-08-22T04:33:00Z

With the rumor mill humming with "all-you-can-hear iTunes for $130" I think NPR's announcement slipped under my radar.

NPR has implemented an API which will give you access to audio, text and images from their archive, dating back to 1995. Now a fair bit is still off-limits (Fresh Air, Radio Labs) probably due to it being owned by sources other than NPR, this is still a great for the web-troika crowd, where aggregation is the big thing.

Companies could search and re-publish stories that mention them
Organizations and causes have access to a wealth of relevant content that can be served up through widgets
Individuals could create their own RSS feeds

They seem to have some documentation covering their own NPRML, but they can also return RSS, JSON, etc. I'm looking forward to some of this great content resurfacing in the most unlikely of places.

Technorati tags: api, npr, webtroika

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Ma.gnolia goes open source...

2008-08-22T18:09:00Z

Great news from Larry and the gang over at Ma.gnolia.

Today at Gnomedex they announced M2, a project to completely re-write ma.gnolia from the ground up and making it an open source project which means it "can be downloaded to remix and run as your own".

Ma.gnolia has been the keeper of my social bookmarks for sometime now, and I had the opportunity to meet Larry and Todd at SXSW last year.

I'm excited about this because they have always had an eye to what's happening on the web (OpenID etc.) and being one of the first responders.

I remember what the future was like...

2008-08-24T04:57:00Z

It was the 90's and I was just hearing about this whole Internet thingy. I worked on an industrial estate at the end of the Fenchurch Street (train) line in Essex. We still had a computer that took 5¼" floppy disks and the new Windows machine was solely for the Director.

My knowledge of "the net" came from William Gibson, .NET Magazine and a book called Virtual Reality by Howard Rheingold. Mr. Rheingold's book become something I read, and shared with friends. This was what was going to happen! It was filled with descriptions of old arcade games that emulated motorcycle rides through to teledildonics.

After getting a PC and connecting to "the net" (which really was more frustration than excitement at the start) things didn't quite pan out the way I foresaw them.

I looked for that book recently, just to re-visit some of the ideas, but found it was one I left behind when we moved to the US. But as chance would have it I ended up connecting with Mr. Rheingold (virtually) the very next day. As I fired up Miro, there he was A featured channel - vlogging about the social media classroom.

I recommend subscribing through Miro or the RSS feed to see why he's starting this classroom and the tools he's included in it.

Technorati tags: howard rheingold, social media, web2.0, vlog

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Was Google Chrome released a little too early?

2008-09-08T05:01:19Z

So this week saw Google release its own browser, Chrome. But did they rush it and is it worthing downloading?

Now Chrome is built upon Webkit and Firefox 3 as well as the new JavaScript V8 virtual machines from Denmark. The V8 enables each of its tabs to run independently, so if something causes a crash in one tab the whole browser will keep going. The Webkit/Firefox combo keeps the whole thing web standards friendly.

Tech aside, in my opinion I think it was a little rushed. As soon as the comic was made public extolling the virtues of Chrome, people were clamoring for it, which is great. But as soon as the downloads started so did the questions.

When will the Apple & Linux versions arrive?
What about the Webkit security risk?
Some missing CSS3 support
Does Google really own everyone I create in Chrome? (answered by Matt Cutts)
Where are the extensions?

As of Sept. 4^th Chrome had already taken 6% of the market.

So is this the IE killer we've been waiting for Well Paul Boag has a good post on that which I agree with a lot of. I personally don't think this version is, but a later version? Maybe.

The problem (as Paul points out) is a lot of people still think of the internet as that little "blue e" and would never think of using anything else - why should they? This is still the battle Firefox faces. The thing on Google's side is its apps (being touted on TV commercials for C2) which Chrome will probably join soon, and offering it on their own homepage.

So should you download it? Yes, I think so. Anything that can improve your web experience is a good thing and so far it's run pretty well on our old laptop and my shiny new one but it hasn't replaced Flock as my default.

Technorati tags: google, webkit, web standards, chrome, browser

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Cheap international mobile web access for all...

2008-09-13T06:23:01Z

So my Mum is on a visit from the UK at the moment and one thing she did was buy a new mobile phone for the trip.

She wanted to keep in contact with my sister back in the UK and with my Nan, but her old mobile phone would not work in the USA. So she went to her local Tesco's and purchased one for £20 and what a bargain it was!

Photo of my website on mobile phone

This Motorola W377 phone can browse the internet, send SMS, work overseas, pick up FM radio, take photos and a whole host of other features. All for less than $40. Now it is a pay-as-you-go phone through Virgin, so pulling my web site up & checking voice mail did deplete the funds a little, but still, to buy the same spec over here is around $80.

I think this shows the leaps & bounds the rest of the world has got over the USA on mobile acceptance. That I could go and get a fully-featured phone, that will do what I need, for little expense and I would have no qualms ditching it if I wanted too after a trip.

Also, by using CSS on my freelance web design site pulled it up fairly fast and was usable.

update: Apparently all the calls my Mum makes she will receive Tesco reward points (same as if she went shopping) which she can use towards gas etc. Great idea all round.

Technorati tags: mobile, cell, cheap, international

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TweetFeed in beta

2008-09-15T12:43:00Z

So there's a new little site called TweetFeed (beta) that's been pulling time away from my other online pursuits.

TweetFeed lets you build pages to display the latest Twitter activity around any topic or keyword. This means with a set of advanced search commands and a little tweaking to the HTML & CSS you can build pages like this one about power outages on September 14^th (we are experiencing the after-effects of Hurricane Ike).

TweetFeed gives you a real nice set of operators, though it does take a little finagling to get some of my pages to show results. I think a big part of this isn't TweetFeed but more how people construct their tweets.

This might be a good tool to see how and why people are talking about you or your product or an event (if Twitter sorts out their XMPP service).

Why not sign up and give it a go.

PS - This would've posted last night but guess what. Our power went out at 10.30pm.

Technorati tags: twitter, feeds, tweetfeed, power, outage, tracker, conversation

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Gary's 15 minutes of truth...

2008-09-26T03:58:00Z

Gary Vaynerchuk's keynote at Web 2.0 Expo is bang on. Very akin to Jason Fried's (who was also at the Expo) talk at SXSW this year.

Look and learn son, look and learn.

Technorati tags: keynote, gary, veynerchuk, talk, inspiring, web2.0expo

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Getting the mix just right...

2008-10-01T05:44:00Z

So it's been a tad quite here recently. One of the reasons was that my Mum was over from England for a visit—Her first in 4 years. She dutifully brought gifts for everyone, but the one thing I asked for her to bring was a Pork Pie. Odd request maybe, but it's been 6 years today since I lived in the UK and I could get them anytime.

Photo of Pork Pie packaging

You may also thinks its an odd thing to write about here. Well I suppose the Pork Pie (though excellent) isn't the thing I wanted to write about. It's how the manufacturer's talk to their customers.

Take the packing. Usually ignored as we've skimmed the "instructions" for eating & storage a thousand times, but with this brand you should pay a little attention. They obviously have a sense of humour with tid-bits such as:

Where to put this pie (apart from your stomach!) Fridge, good. Airing cupboard bad.

You can also contact their horrified customer service if your pie is in less than great shape.

The company that makes these particular pies are Pork Farms and you can see the humour continue as they took part in the 2007 UK Comedy Awards. They have TV ads that carry this through as well. I decided to be cheeky and email them, letting them know how much I missed their products and if there was anywhere in the USA I could get them.

I expected an automated response, but was surprised I got an email from a real person the next day, asking for my physical address.

A week later I signed for a registered letter from the UK. From Pork Farms. In it was a nice note explaining why they couldn't ship stuff to the USA but that were happy that I liked the product. Also money-off coupons I could use for my next trip over to the UK.

Gary Vaynerchuck is always saying that part of his success is answering every email. This communication and connection helps to build his brand. Pork Farms found their voice, through humour, which goes from packaging, advertising and the promotion of the company. They responded not only electronically but physically, sending something to me - someone who can't buy their products, is an ocean away, and is essentially a non-customer.

This is the kind of connection that most companies miss as they think an automated email is good enough. Next step for Pork Farms would be to start reaching out into the social web. And shipping to the USA of course.

Technorati tags: pork farms, brand, messaging, pies, customer service

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Is this the end of Twitter as we know it?

2008-10-05T06:55:00Z

As a reader of Simon Willison's blog, I came across this tool that he created with Natalie Downe - Tweetersation.

Now this tool lets you combine peoples conversations on Twitter in one time line. Pretty cool. So I can now just enter a few peoples names or id's and I can see the whole conversation I caught the tail end of.

How does this fit with the title? Well, more and more I'm seeing Twitter being absorbed into or used by other tools/applications. Most Web2.0 social sites let you post to or display from Twitter. Other people are building tools to show the mood, locale, to search and monitor, and general pull or push whatever they can through the API.

So is that what Titter should resolve itself to be - Just an API to hang communication on? Maybe that could be it's business model. How many people are actually logging in to the Twitter website as opposed to using it through something like HelloTxt or their phone, Snitter, Flock or Twhirl.

As netizens shift from shiny object to shiny object I believe Twitter will still be there. I just don't think we'll be as aware of it's presence as we are now. It'll just be that thing we use to communicate.

Technorati tags: twitter, api, future

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Geolocation creeps ever onwards

2008-10-09T13:29:00Z

Today marked Sprint’s WIMAX coverage of Baltimore. Though service has been reported as being a bit spotty (about 70%), when you are in a zone the results are fantastic!

Mario Armstrong on NPR reported using his laptop and running a TV show as well as NPR shows and some other apps without loss as he was driven around.

Add to this the news that Mozilla is looking to have geolocation in Firefox 3.1 and you have some new interest in the whole internet of things and ambient findability. You can try Geode from Mozilla Labs and start seeing what's around you.

Nice touches at Huffduffer...

2008-10-20T13:19:00Z

Catching up on my early morning tweets I saw one from Jeremy Keith about the launch of a new site, Huffduffer.

Its an interesting premise. Build your own RSS feed of sounds that you've find whilst traversing the Internet. You can then podcast your finds and subscribe to others.

Not so much as of a social network, more a network of social sounds. I could see @disquiet and @warrenellis making interesting use of this.

One nice touch of the design was the sign-up form.

Screenshot of Huffduffer's nice sign-up form

I like the way its laid out, working like I'm filling it in on paper rather than just a series of HTML form fields. The choice of fonts for the filled in information is nice too.

Screenshot of Hufferduffer showing all places I'm on the web

One other thing I noticed. From the minimal information I gave at sign-up, virtually all of my other Internet places showed up in my profile. There is at least one that is not mine, but someone I worked with who took over my work blog, which could explain it.

Jeremy has said that By its nature, this will never be a popular, mass-market site. But, as is the case with most things built to scratch a particular itch, which is sometimes the best thing.

For the coders out there it shows what you can do with some PHP, HTML5 and microformats.

The connectedness strikes again...

2008-10-23T05:22:00Z

So I'm catching up on my RSS feeds and I saw that Jon Hicks posted about one of my favorite bands, Stars of the Lid. They are releasing a film (not until 2010 mind you) of what looks like a series of live performances, similar to Sigur Ros's excellent Heima.

Stars of the Lid . teaser 1 from ZF-Films on Vimeo.

Now the people that made this also had some footage of dancers, shot on the amazing new red camera (which I just read about in Wired). When I took a look at that, I recognized the background as W6th in Cleveland, just outside my old employer, Optiem.

MorrisonDance pt.l from ZF-Films on Vimeo.

Never take for granted how people will find you on the internet. Now if you'll excuse me it's time to add some Dead Texan and SOTL to a favtape of mine.

LinkedIn applications are here

2008-10-29T11:55:00Z

A while ago a group of us were chatting about LinkedIn and how it still didn't offer a lot of the social network doo-dads that others sites, such as Facebook, does. Since then there has been a slow procession of functionality creeping into my Profile.

First there was Answers, which let you post, & reply to, questions from other users. Then, after a redesign, came Groups and the ability to update your status.

Now LinkedIn has introduced Applications. This lets you embed applications along the same lines as Facebook. They are business-oriented; SlideShare, Company Buzz, and Huddle to name a few.

I've added SlideShare but I'm getting a lot of server errors when viewing which I'm hoping is down to volume at the moment.

It'll be interesting how far they go along this route and truly become a "Facebook for business".

Technorati tags: linkedin, applications, facebook, slideshare

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The in-between is where it's at..

2008-11-03T17:32:00Z

NPR had an interesting piece about leftover TV spectrum this morning. With all broadcast TV going digital in the USA, by February 17th 2009, that leaves a big chunk of "whitespace" in the spectrum.

At least one company is pushing to offer WiFi access in this space which, as the NPR reports suggests, would be great for remote and isolated areas who still rely on dial-up. The White Spaces Coalition is pushing for this but there seems to be a lot of diverse opposition, including Dolly Parton.

My ideal set-up would be that the telco's just become gatekeepers. I pay you a flat fee and can browse, view, upload, download, or listen to whatever I want on the web, using whatever device I want. The constraint would be the hardware limitations of my device - not where/what I was browsing and how much bandwidth it used.

With this, WiMax, and a slew of other technologies, 2009 looks to be a very interesting year to be connected.

Google videochat denied...

2008-11-13T01:21:00Z

I was looking forward to trying the latest whizzbang from Google. Videochat. But after clicking on the "get started" button in both Flock and Chrome, all I got was this 404 error.

Screenshot of 404 error

Maybe it'll be up tomorrow. Another case of Google running before it can work?

Technorati tags: google, videochat, 404, fail

Goodbye Pownce

2008-12-02T05:30:00Z

The news came today that Pownce has been acquired by Six Apart, and will shut it's doors on December 15th 2008.

Screenshot of Pownce closure message

Coming on the day that the USA confirms its in a recession can't be great news, but I don't think this move is solely economy driven, though Six Apart recently laid off some folks.

Pownce came on the scene and offered more than Twitter, by letting its users share links, files, and calendar events. Though for me it never really had a sense of community that I could tap into, like Twitter. At least they are letting people know early and are offering a way to export your posts.

I'm glad to see some of the team go over to Six Apart and it reads as though they are taking the technology with them, but I wonder is this the next step for some of the other messaging services?

Twitter still has not defined a real way to make money (Pownce offered inline ads) and the name-of-the-game is increasingly aggregation for a way to navigate the current social web. Will Twitter buy, or be bought by, some blogging software or possibly one of the search engines?

As is so often the case I think the thing on most peoples lips is "pity. what's next?"

Technorati tags: pownce, six apart, closing, social, web

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Dangers for celebrities on Twitter

2008-12-16T06:29:00Z

As we've seen technology such as blogging, social networks, and micro-blogging become a real option for marketers to "spread the word", the celebrity has started appearing online.

This instantaneous delivery can work wonders to promote a product or person but more and more I'm starting to hear rumblings of discontent from the "early adopters". This doesn't seem to stem from the fact that advertising is creeping into Twitter streams (we all knew it was just a matter of time) as most people who've been online for some time can sniff out the fake blogs or hyped tweets.

What's happening is some of the real celebrities are writing and putting their own thoughts out into the electronic ether - and "fans" are finding them dull or overbearing.

One celeb on Twitter I follow is Stephen Fry. To me he get's it, sending photos from his iPhone and following everyone who follows him. He fits in.

But my wife has recently stopped following someone she really liked (acting wise) because they turned out to be very "full-of-themselves" online. I too tried to follow someone I liked on-screen but found it was just too much. They just weren't interesting at all.

Now I'm not saying that every celeb is dull as dishwater, far from it. Just that they (and their marketing folks) should think twice about stepping out from behind the curtain. Dropping followers, or worse being blocked, could go to losing points both online and in "the real world".

Technorati tags: celebrities, twitter, damage, marketing, social networks

Is it an Application or a Web Site?

2008-12-22T15:46:00Z

Have you ever asked a client that? Have they been able to answer to your satisfaction? I'm sure this question is being asked and if it's not, it should be, especially as we move more and more into the cloud we'll come across this.

Is there a difference?

Let's turn to our friend dictionary.com shall we?

They have web site defined as:

a connected group of pages on the World Wide Web regarded as a single entity, usually maintained by one person or organization and devoted to a single topic or several closely related topics.

— Dictionary.com

And an application (program) defined as:

a program used for a particular application

— Dictionary.com

So, when sketching out ideas, this difference should be forefront in your mind especially when it comes to wireframing out pages. If people arrive and are presented with a web site “design” (content, sections, and related topics), are they going to miss the fact you’ve actually built something to manage their finances?

But what if you have both, behind a login?

It is highly likely that you could have an application as part of web site, but they should be distinct. You should separate them with a different layout and design — reinforce the purpose and try not to make one fit the other for the sake of “keeping a certain look” or “limiting templates”.

Same users, different audience.

Ubiquitous 37Signals example

We all seen them mentioned a million times before but 37Signals do a great job of separating web sites from applications. I use Highrise to manage my contacts. It presents me with all the information in a way I recognize as an application. Everything from the layout to the design esthetic tells me I’m here to do a particular thing — Manage my contacts.

So next time you are presented with this, ask the question, then build accordingly. Your users will thank you for it.

Response time is a factor...

2008-12-30T18:04:00Z

Your ability to respond online is a vital factor today. Especially if your site and reputation could be at risk. Case in point Twitter and direct messages.

Twitter lets you send a private message directly to someone else that is following you by placing a "D" in front of their user ID.

D davidmead this is private, shh!

But quite a few people were under the assumption that if you placed "DM" in front it would work the same - not so.

Screenshot of DMFail

Someone found these not-so-private private messages floating around and created a site called DMfail which listed them for all to see. It was covered on TechCrunch and there were plenty of tweets about it.

Twitter was quick to implement a change and now if you did place a "DM" instead of a "D" your message was private once more, rendering DMfail without content. All this in a matter of hours.

It's great that they can be quick enough to remedy this as promptly as they did, but I still find it funny that Twitter has not implemented OAuth if their users security was utmost in their minds.

Whatever type of website you run you must have this thought in the back of your mind at all times - As soon as it's live, it's not mine anymore. Search engines, scrapers, and browsers all enable whomever to do virtually whatever they want with your content. You have to be listening and have the ability to respond at all times.

Goodbye 2008

2008-12-31T21:20:00Z

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, have a Happy New Year!

Moved to a new blog...

2009-01-10T04:25:00Z

I've now moved the DavidJohnMead.com domain over to a new Wordpress blog. This is the last post over here at Blogger.

Though I imported all these posts into the new blog, I plan on leaving them here too, just for reference

Please update you feed readers and bookmarks accordingly.

Be seeing you.

Distance

2011-01-20T05:00:01Z

2025-09-07 update: Re-posting as original blog, smittenbybritain.com, is no longer online.

When I think of America I’m always reminded of that bit from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy…

Space, is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space, listen…

— Douglas Adams, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

…and even after 8 years of living in the US I’m only just coming to terms with that.

Now don’t get me wrong. I was well aware of the actual size of America, and that it still has huge tracks of land where you could, well, disappear. The thing I didn’t get until coming over here was, how spread out everything is.

Let me give you an example.

Whilst still in Essex, I was used to walking most places - work, the pub, picking up Chinese or Indian food. And we would occasionally fall prey to that “it’s Sunday and we don’t have any milk” scenario. So, one Winter, whilst visiting the in-laws in Ohio before making the big move, I noticed we didn’t have any milk. I started to don my boots and heavy coat to make like Captain Oates. Ready to trudge out in the bitter night for tomorrows milk. It was only then that I was reminded that the shops would be open on Sunday, be fully stocked (they’re used to the odd bit of snow in Ohio) and besides, the nearest shop was well over a mile away.

Even after we moved here and I started working in downtown Cleveland, I found it hard to justify to myself, driving to a meet-up or going out for a drink where I would have to drive 10 or 20 minutes just to get there, let alone drive the additional 40 minutes back home. Its only now that I’m slowly getting used to driving three freeway exits for lunch, or three cities away to look at a furniture store. Part of this is acceptance of the car culture here.

Public transport, while adequate in some places, is completely non-existent in others. It can’t compare to what I used in the UK, but it doesn’t need to. In fact its more of a pain when you do take the bus over here.

Virtually every shop has free parking. Most are clustered around Freeway exits (which run like ‘B’ roads over here), and with the sometimes terrible Winter weather, roads are still kept drivable. Even at over $3.00 p/gallon, petrol is still pretty cheap (compared to the UK).

So maybe 2011 is the year I embrace a little more of my adopted country’s culture and don’t consider a trip to World Market, Trader Joes, and East Coast Custard all in one day something to fret over and plan like Shackleton going to the South Pole.

Backyard Mint and Dark Chocolate

2011-05-28T23:30:57Z

Backyard Mint and Dark Chocolate

Jeni's ice creams

Ate this from Jeni's ice creams on May 28, 2011, and noted Tastes were great, but the texture of the ice-cream was nothing to write home about.

Hummos Chicken Plate

2011-06-07T21:30:00Z

Hummos Chicken Plate

Aladdin's Eatery

Ate this at Aladdin's Eatery on June 7, 2011, and noted Awesome lunch - Hummos topped with Chicken Mishwi, diced tomato, and parsley. Pita on the side. Make sure to order the hot sauce too.

My Top Ten British Films

2013-03-22T05:00:01Z

2025-09-07 update: Re-posting as original blog, smittenbybritain.com, is no longer online. Linked film titles to Letterboxd entries.

I love movies. All sorts, from every continent. I remember spending every rainy Sunday afternoon, watching whatever classic was on BBC2.

Later in life I would hit the local Odeon, Classic, or ABC multiple times a weekend. Being only a stones-throw from London meant I could get to see a lot of foreign films that didn't make it out to Essex. But there's always something special about the "home-grown" ones. The British films.

There is always a little disagreement about what defines a truly "British" film, but I think these hit most of main criteria.

Not only are these my top ten British films, but some of my favourite movies of all time too.

So, in reverse order, here are my Top Ten British films:

Made In Britain (1982) - My number ten is the story of Trevor (Tim Roth), a 16 year old skinhead in 80's Britain, who's social worker is trying to help conform.
I stayed up late to watch this; It was all we could talk about in school the next day. I think this was the first time (then 13) I heard "the F-Word" on TV. Still not an easy film to watch, even now. Roth's performance is brilliant, and considering it was originally made for TV by Alan Clarke, the language and ideas are still hard-hitting and the ending has not softened at all.
Hidden City (1987) - Number nine has Charles Dance playing a professor who is persuaded by a young girl, to find snippets of film hidden at the end of old newsreels. The snippets allude to a kidnapping and its cover up, in the 50's. But as the pair look for the pieces, modern day shadowy forces start to make they're presence felt.
Looking back the story can get a little clunky, but there are some great cameos from Richard E. Grant and Bill Paterson. The real star is the City of London. They use a lot of locations that don't show up too often - Alleyways and courtyards that you may never know exist. I remember looking very differently at the buildings I walked past on the way home.
Shaun of the Dead (2004) is eighth - Shaun has a dead-end job, and his girlfriend just dumped him. The next day he, and his wastrel friend Ed, awake to a full-blown zombie outbreak in London. This is when Shaun decides to win his girlfriend back, find his Mum, and hole up in their local until it all blows over. Needless to say things don't go to plan.
I'm not a huge horror fan, but this slice of "fried comedy gold" has the laughs, scares, and gore. Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and director Edgar Wright all worked on the fantastic TV series Spaced, and a lot of that humour comes through, but there's also a lot of respect for the zombie genre too.
The Eagle Has Landed (1976) - Based on the Jack Higgins novel, my seventh film tells the story of a secret German mission to kidnap Churchill, from England, during WWII. With an all star cast including Michael Caine as the German Commander, Donald Sutherland, Jenny Agutter, Larry Hagman, and a whole slew of familiar faces this is a great action-adventure film.
The big set piece revolves around the German paratroopers "defending" the sleepy English village, against the nearby U.S. Forces, as they try to get to Churchill. Spies, a love story, Germans on English soil, and a couple of twists! Very similar to the earlier film Went the day well?, but a lot more action-packed.
Zulu (1964) - An adventure from Britain's past is my sixth. A small contingent of British soldiers & engineers, most of whom are in the infirmary, have to fend off the thousands of Zulu warriors that just decimated the British Army. Based on the true story of Rourke's Drift.
It has a great cast (Micheal Caine's first movie), looks fantastic, and is not as pro-Empire as you might initially believe. This was one of the first films I remember watching where not everyone makes it to the end.
A Month In The Country (1987) - The fifth entry is one of two love stories I have in this list. Colin Firth plays a soldier back from WWI who is set to restore a mural in a country church. Kenneth Branagh plays another veteran looking for the grave of an ancestor, Natasha Richardson plays the Rectors wife.
It is beautifully shot, Firth & Branagh are fantastic, and it takes it's time to tell it's bittersweet, sometimes painful, story.
A Draughtsman's Contract (1982) - My fourth is set in the 1600's following the fortune of a cocky Draughtsman employed by a landowner's wife to make drawings of his estate. But as he starts objects (clues?) appear in the garden and make their way into his drawings. Is the owner missing? Was he murdered? Who is the living statue?
I love this film. Channel 4 played it as part of it's launch, and I was hooked immediately. There's a lot going on and warrants multiple viewings to unravel. Director Peter Greenaway delivers a feast for the eyes, and Michael Nyman's score is fantastic. The performances are all good and the language is very period. The main location, Groombridge Place, is open to the public and well worth a visit.
The Man in the White Suit (1951) - A list of British films wouldn't be complete without an Ealing comedy. And my third film is my favourite of those. Alec Guinness plays a chemist who creates a fabric that never wears out or gets dirty.
The foxy Joan Greenwood is the love interest; Cecil Parker plays her father, and mill owner, who will be out of business if this invention goes public.

Funny, touching, and with a not-so-subtle message. Classic Ealing. Classic British.
Withnail & I (1987) - My number two pick is the story of two out-of-work actors in London at the tail end of the 60's, who go on holiday by mistake, to the Welsh countryside. Funny, touching, and very quotable.
I was one of only three people at the showing in Basildon when it was released, and loved it. Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann turn in great performances, as do the supporting cast. It found a cult following and became mainstream a decade after it's release. I wouldn't recommend following along with the accompanying drinking game though.
A Matter of Life & Death (1946) - In my number one spot David Niven plays a bomber pilot returning from a run in WWII. His crew is dead, the plane damaged, and he's lost in fog over the English Channel.
Talking to an American WAAF (Kim Hunter) over the radio, he makes his peace and bails out without a parachute. Niven cheats death and a Conductor (Marius Goring) is sent to guide him back to "Heaven" where his crew awaits, but he refuses to go as he's now in love.

From there we have one of Powell & Pressburger's greatest films. The performances are top-notch, it looks fantastic (flipping between B&W and Technicolor), and all the while the story plays with the idea this might be all in his head.

So there's my Top Ten British films. No "Carry On's", Bond, or Hammer films I know, but they all sit in the 11-20 range for me. A few of the films in my list have made it to U.S. television, most you can stream on Netflix or Amazon, or you can buy on DVD/Blu-ray.

Italian Sausage Sub

2015-08-28T21:41:23Z

Italian Sausage Sub

Gentiles Bakery & Deli, Parma

Ate this at Gentiles Bakery Deli on August 28, 2015

Turkey burger

2015-09-02T22:17:36Z

Turkey burger

The Oak Barrel, Valley View

Ate this at The Oak Barrel on September 2, 2015, and noted Well seasoned. Filling.

Drunken Chicken

2015-09-04T21:08:22Z

Drunken Chicken

J Gumbos, Independence

Ate this at J Gumbos on September 4, 2015

Corned Beef Sliders

2015-09-09T04:10:54Z

Corned Beef Sliders

Beals Pickles & Pints, Willoughby

Ate this at Beal's Pickles & Pints on September 9, 2015, and noted Had it with the tater tots. Nice size.

The Bazzard

2015-09-09T05:51:28Z

The Bazzard

Gentiles Bakery & Deli, Parma

Ate this at Gentiles Bakery & Deli on September 9, 2015, and noted Awesome sandwich, served hot.

Corned Beef Hash

2015-09-13T02:12:50Z

Corned Beef Hash

5th Avenue Deli, Cleveland

Ate this at 5th Avenue Deli on September 12, 2015, and noted Love this. Especially with poached eggs.

Chicken Tacos

2015-09-15T22:21:26Z

Chicken Tacos

Outback Steakhouse, Independence

Ate this at Outback Steakhouse on September 15, 2015, and noted Had it with the Aussie fries. This is the lunch portion.

Lunch Buffet

2015-09-17T21:44:23Z

Lunch Buffet

Kumo Japanese Seafood Buffet, Parma

Ate this at Kumo Japanese Seafood Buffet on September 17, 2015

Sashimi And More

2015-09-17T21:45:03Z

Sashimi And More

Kumo Japanese Seafood Buffet, Parma

Ate this at Kumo Japanese Seafood Buffet on September 17, 2015

All You Can Eat Sushi

2015-09-23T05:44:25Z

All You Can Eat Sushi

Sushi Sai, Chicago

Ate this at Sushi Sai on September 23, 2015, and noted Great value for $20. Freshly prepared, really tasty.

Bacon, Dates & Goat Cheese Empanada

2015-09-23T22:30:44Z

Bacon, Dates & Goat Cheese Empanada

Empanadas 5411, Chicago

Ate this at Empanadas 5411 on September 23, 2015, and noted Awesome!

Bibimbab

2015-09-24T22:51:43Z

Bibimbab

Lai Lai Express, Chicago

Ate this at Lai Lai Express on September 24, 2015, and noted Really tasty.

Beer Braised Brisket Sandwich

2015-10-16T23:16:03Z

Beer Braised Brisket Sandwich

Winking Lizard Tavern, Independence

Ate this at Winking Lizard Tavern on October 16, 2015, and noted Really tasty. Guinness sauce and Havarti cheese with mushrooms.

Dr Pepper Braised Pork Shank

2015-10-26T22:49:36Z

Dr Pepper Braised Pork Shank

The Oak Barrel, Valley View

Ate this at The Oak Barrel on October 26, 2015, and noted OMG! So tasty. Served with roasted garlic whipped potatoes and soy chile jam.

Bento

2015-12-10T09:00:22Z

Bento

Mizu Sushi

Ate this at Mizu Sushi on December 10, 2015, and noted Deep fried pork, dumplings, and sushi. Tasted really nice.

1/4 Chicken

2015-12-10T23:53:45Z

1/4 Chicken

Boston Market

Ate this at Boston Market on December 10, 2015, and noted Really tasty.

Beef Brisket

2015-12-18T08:36:10Z

Beef Brisket

Old Angle Tavern

Ate this at Old Angle Tavern on December 18, 2015, and noted This was delicious. Huge portions. Hush puppies too.

Chicken Vindaloo Curry

2015-12-31T07:29:07Z

Chicken Vindaloo Curry

Hot Or Mild

Ate this at Hot Or Mild on December 31, 2015, and noted Got it to go. Very tasty.

Cheese, Jalapeño, Potato Pierogi

2015-12-31T07:40:52Z

Cheese, Jalapeño, Potato Pierogi

The BottleHouse Brewing Company

Ate this at The BottleHouse Brewing Company on December 31, 2015, and noted Delicious.

Spicy Cheddar Smokies

2015-12-31T07:48:19Z

Spicy Cheddar Smokies

The BottleHouse Brewing Company

Ate this at The BottleHouse Brewing Company on December 31, 2015, and noted Really good. Made by Saucisson Cleveland.

Asiago Steak Sandwich

2015-12-31T22:40:26Z

Asiago Steak Sandwich

Panera Bread

Ate this at Panera Bread on December 31, 2015, and noted Pretty tasty.

Broccoli And Cheddar Soup

2015-12-31T22:46:55Z

Broccoli And Cheddar Soup

Panera Bread

Ate this at Panera Bread on December 31, 2015

Cherry Cake Donut

2016-01-02T22:03:34Z

Cherry Cake Donut

Biagio's Donut Shop & Pizzeria

Ate this at Biagio's Donut Shop & Pizzeria on January 2, 2016, and noted They make the best donuts. This is my favorite.

Yardbird Taco

2016-01-03T03:47:01Z

Yardbird Taco

Qdoba Mexican Grill

Ate this at Qdoba Mexican Grill on January 2, 2016, and noted Really tasty.

Two Timer Taco

2016-01-03T03:47:01Z

Two Timer Taco

Qdoba Mexican Grill

Ate this at Qdoba Mexican Grill on January 2, 2016, and noted Good, but a bit wet.

Is the OpenWeb/IndieWeb still for “anoraks”?

2016-01-24T05:00:01Z

Dave Winer posted an interesting piece not too long ago. About encouraging a friend to take their Facebook comment and repurpose it as a blog post. They ended up putting it on Medium, which was Dave feared would happen.

As Dave points out, Medium’s become the place to post think-pieces and hot-takes alike. But, it could all go away. Worse still, your posts could downplayed by them and not seen by as wide an audience.

Medium posted a, I think, well positioned reply. But the fact remains that the masses still see posting anything outside of a silo too “techie”. Twitter, Facebook, Medium, and many others rely on users content to make them money. I’m completely fine with that. What I’m not fine with is my content being completely lost if they closed.

It’s never been easier to get started posting your own content online:

Buy your own domain name (they are so cheap nowadays)
Use a free blogging tool like Wordpress or Known
Write
Syndicate (send it from there to other platforms)

The missing bullet point is the one that is the highest barrier for most people. Replying. Its the one that needs to find a solution before OpenWeb/IndieWeb gets mass appeal.

Silo’s have made it so easy to respond immediately. Within their own system speed is of essence. The thought of crafting a reply somewhere else seems slow and “anoraky”.

If we can find a way to get that working external platforms as easily as the Silo’s do, then we would see a true open and independent web everyone used.

Spotify is not for me

2016-02-15T05:00:01Z

I was interested to hear some music shared on Twitter, but the link was to Spotify. I don’t have an account, but the @Spotify username I wanted freed up. So I installed, tried, got instantly annoyed, then uninstalled.

Guess I’m just stuck in my way of listening, but having “similar” tracks inserted into album that I can only listen to on shuffle, is ridiculous. Also I only get to skip a few tracks then “discover” a premium feature to unlock is a ridiculous gamification ploy.

I know a whole of people like this way of consuming and discovering music, but it’s just not for me.

Same reasons why I don’t use the radio stations in Google Play.

Back to the blogs, podcasts, and personal recommendations for me.

My 4 essential UX project tools

2016-03-02T05:00:01Z

For me there are four essential things I need in my day-to-day tasks as a professional “UX-er”.

Notebook—These, of course, come in all shapes and sizes. My current large notebook of choice is The Confident from Baron Fig. It has a certain heft to it. Lays flat, comes in a dot grid, and the bleed from pens is acceptable.
I always carry at least one back up and that has been something from Muji for many years now. They are affordable, take ink well and survive being stuffed into bags or pockets. My currents are the Cahier and the Grid.

Taking my laptop to meetings (unless I’m presenting) is so distracting. There’s always another think vying for my attention on the screen. I always try and take only a notebook in with me.

Spreadsheet programs—Whether it’s Google Sheets, Excel, or Numbers I find myself spending a quarter of my time in one of these, regardless of the project.
Regardless of how much I’m told (or I think) a page/function is used I don’t know unless I have the raw data. You’re off to a good start thinking nothing is ever used unless a column of numbers sits in front of you. Decisions based on data can always stand up in a meeting.

Sketch—Since switching to a Mac I’ve fallen in love with Sketch. The spiritual successor to Fireworks which, for me, was the graphics program for the web.
Sketch is light, easy to pick up, and great for figuring out the modular, CSS driven, design that makes sense in today’s web. Pair it with InVision and I’m good to go, workflow wise.

Evernote—My “outboard brain”, for better or worse. Everything goes in there. Evernote. ‘Nuff said.

Honorable mention to Inkwell.io for the great sketching kit they put together. I don’t take it everywhere, but parts of it are always with me.

So there’s mine. What are yours?

Instagram’s timeline and iOS users…

2016-03-28T05:00:01Z

To show their displeasure at this, some people are posting images with arrows indicating where to change settings. This will #KeepInstagramChronological.

Here’s the problem. They all seem to be iOS users. How do I know? Because none of the ways I use Instagram have anything where the arrow is pointing.

Just another reminder that everyone’s experience is different.

Chicken Tacos

2016-08-19T23:01:07Z

Chicken Tacos

Barrio

Ate this at Barrio on August 19, 2016, and noted Love thier coleslaw. Great tasting ingredients all around. This was build your own for the Rustbelt Refresh conference.

Kimchee Dolsot Bibimbab

2016-09-08T01:05:22Z

Kimchee Dolsot Bibimbab

Korean House

Ate this at Korean House on September 7, 2016, and noted Great taste. Big portion.

BBQ Pork Rice Bowl

2016-09-09T21:18:21Z

BBQ Pork Rice Bowl

Koko Bakery

Ate this at Koko Bakery on September 9, 2016, and noted Great for lunch. About $6 and packed with steamed veg and rice.

Lemon Loaf

2016-09-15T01:24:17Z

Lemon Loaf

Starbucks

Ate this at Starbucks on September 14, 2016, and noted My favourite at any Starbucks.

Pad Thai Country Style

2016-09-16T22:18:49Z

Pad Thai Country Style

Map of Thailand

Ate this at Map of Thailand on September 16, 2016, and noted Delicious. Filling, but not that spicy to me.

Sausage & Egg Biscuit

2016-09-18T19:41:02Z

Sausage & Egg Biscuit

Burger King

Ate this at Burger King on September 18, 2016, and noted Meh

Bi Cuon (Shredded Pork Rolls)

2016-09-19T21:55:55Z

Bi Cuon (Shredded Pork Rolls)

Number One Pho

Ate this at Number One Pho on September 19, 2016, and noted Tasted good. Nice about of pork.

Beef Phở

2016-09-19T21:57:43Z

Beef Phở

Number One Pho

Ate this at Number One Pho on September 19, 2016, and noted This was the P2 (rare beef & brisket). Big portion and tasty. But broth is a little plain on its own.

Assorted Italian

2016-09-30T22:02:41Z

Assorted Italian

DiBella's Old Fashioned Submarines

Ate this at DiBella's Old Fashioned Submarines on September 30, 2016, and noted Really tasty.

Wasabi Turkey Club Sandwich

2016-10-03T21:06:49Z

Wasabi Turkey Club Sandwich

Koko Bakery

Ate this at Koko Bakery on October 3, 2016, and noted Sweet taste roll (honey?) with turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, mayonnaise, and a thin spread of wasabi. Very tasty, and you get two in a serving.

Egg custard

2016-10-03T21:06:49Z

Egg custard

Koko Bakery

Ate this at Koko Bakery on October 3, 2016, and noted Wonderful. Only place I've found that makes these.

Infused Cucumber Lime Water

2016-10-04T21:37:59Z

Infused Cucumber Lime Water

Cafe 55

Ate this at Cafe 55 on October 4, 2016, and noted Refreshing.

Coastline, With Chicken And Brown Rice

2016-10-04T21:37:59Z

Coastline, With Chicken And Brown Rice

Cafe 55

Ate this at Cafe 55 on October 4, 2016, and noted Extremely tasty. Great ingredients.

Everything Bagel With Black Pepper & Horseradish Schmear

2016-10-05T16:59:21Z

Everything Bagel With Black Pepper & Horseradish Schmear

Six Shooter Coffee

Ate this at Six Shooter Coffee on October 5, 2016, and noted Great. CLE Bagel Co are the best.

Sausage Burrito

2016-10-06T17:35:29Z

Sausage Burrito

McDonald's

Ate this at McDonald's on October 6, 2016, and noted Ugh. Why do I do this? Stodgy tortilla with goopy cheese egg mix. Barely any sausage.

Saigon Bowl

2016-10-07T21:03:11Z

Saigon Bowl

Cafe 55

Ate this at Cafe 55 on October 7, 2016, and noted Saigon Bacon, spicy slaw, toasted coriander, cilantro. Added brown rice and tofu. The slaw is excellent, but tofu and rice tasted a little underwhelming.

Pork Teriyaki Rice Bowl

2016-10-07T21:07:15Z

Pork Teriyaki Rice Bowl

Koko Bakery

Ate this at Koko Bakery on October 7, 2016, and noted Very tasty.

Going into @twitter post-only mode for a while.

2016-10-08T05:00:01Z

Maybe it's the election, growing social tension, or just the echo chamber it's become but I need to take a breather. Unlike Facebook, I'm not closing down my account, just going into 'post-only' mode. Thanks to the Indieweb I can syndicate content from here to Twitter, have any replies fed back into my blog and reply accordingly.

Part of my dissatisfaction comes from the lack of user progress I've seen too.

Features

Since Twitter capped it's API, killing 3rd-party app growth, the innovation slowed to a snails pace. It seems, from my POV, that features and tools were to be ways to service their business model - Shame they've never really had one. In the near decade I've been using Twitter I still cannot filter out posts including a word or phrase in the official Android app. Something 3rd-party apps had been doing for ages. Nor can I choose not to see re-tweets.

Show me less

Every time I dismiss the "While you were away" thing Twitter puts up, I get the "Show me less like this" message. Every time I click it. Every time I still see it. This would be better as a feature I could turn on/off in settings.

I get it. You need money, so you're selling ads. But what's with the inconsistency? Some weeks I'll see barely any. Other weeks it's every fourth post. Now I mark every one as 'offensive' because I'm such a "rebel".

Going forward

I started this post on September 25th, procrastinating for a couple of weeks, but this mornings dip into my stream put the nail in the coffin. I've removed the app from my tablet and phone. I'll give it a month or so, then I'll try going back in.

Macchiato

2016-10-12T17:12:12Z

Macchiato

Six Shooter Coffee

Drank this at Six Shooter Coffee on October 12, 2016, and noted Delicious.

Curry Chicken Rice Bowl

2016-10-14T21:12:52Z

Curry Chicken Rice Bowl

Heinen's

Ate this at Heinen's on October 14, 2016, and noted Really good, big portion for the price.

Future living

2016-10-16T05:00:01Z

The digital circle on my wall tells me it's 75℉ outside. It's half way through October.

I don't need that to tell me though, as I look through the open windows I can see the trees are still green. Barely any Autumnal changes yet. I mowed the grass yesterday in shorts.

I have to go and buy a new microwave as this morning it shut itself off and flashed the code H98 to me. A quick search on my phone tells me that indicates a primary failure in the magnetron or inverter circuitry. Cheaper to buy a new one.

I live in a foreign country, working to make web-based tools better & easier for people to use. In the middle of a political landscape pulled from the pages of my favorite comic as a kid.

From 1970's Essex to 2010's Ohio.

The future isn't what it used to be Mr. Angel.

Curry Chicken Rice Bowl

2016-10-17T21:39:13Z

Curry Chicken Rice Bowl

Koko Bakery

Ate this at Koko Bakery on October 17, 2016, and noted Very tasty. These always fill me up.

Cherry Strudel

2016-10-21T17:08:44Z

Cherry Strudel

Lucy's Sweet Surrender

Ate this at Lucy's Sweet Surrender on October 21, 2016, and noted Very good.

Crab Rangoon

2016-10-23T05:05:46Z

Crab Rangoon

China Mountain II

Ate this from China Mountain II on October 23, 2016

General Tso's Chicken

2016-10-23T05:07:59Z

General Tso's Chicken

China Mountain II

Ate this from China Mountain II on October 23, 2016

Petie's Chopped Steak

2016-10-24T03:04:42Z

Petie's Chopped Steak

Petie's Family Restaurant

Ate this at Petie's Family Restaurant on October 23, 2016, and noted Topped with bacon, mushrooms, and cheese. Couldn't finish the whole thing. Tasty.

Mexico City Bowl

2016-10-26T04:58:40Z

Mexico City Bowl

Cafe 55

Ate this at Cafe 55 on October 26, 2016, and noted Very good. Chicken and brown rice, with avacado, cilantro adding a lot of taste.

No.8 Phở Tái Nạm Gầu

2016-10-27T21:51:50Z

No.8 Phở Tái Nạm Gầu

Superior Pho

Ate this at Superior Pho on October 27, 2016, and noted My new fave. Eye-round steak, fat brisket, and flank.

Mussells

2016-10-31T22:10:42Z

Mussells

South Side

Ate this at null on October 31, 2016, and noted With shrimp, in a Belgian Ale and curry sauce. Tasted great.

Chicken Paprikash

2016-11-01T22:03:22Z

Chicken Paprikash

Souper Market

Ate this from Souper Market on November 1, 2016, and noted Very tasty. Not too spicy. Nice big slice of bread.

Coconut And Cranberry Bun

2016-11-03T21:25:12Z

Coconut And Cranberry Bun

Koko Bakery

Ate this at Koko Bakery on November 3, 2016, and noted So delicious. One of my faves from here.

Lunch Buffett

2016-11-04T21:30:18Z

Lunch Buffett

Tadka Restaurant

Ate this at null on November 4, 2016, and noted Great choice of food. Really tasty.

Americas, With Chicken And Brown Rice

2016-11-09T01:28:03Z

Americas, With Chicken And Brown Rice

Cafe 55

Ate this at Cafe 55 on November 8, 2016, and noted The chimichurri and roast onions make this. Really good.

BLT

2016-11-16T02:42:57Z

BLT

Grand Lux Cafe, Chicago

Ate this at Grand Lux Cafe on November 15, 2016, and noted Lunch special with Moroccan Chicken soup.

Backyard BBQ Bowl

2016-11-16T06:35:00Z

Backyard BBQ Bowl

Protein Bar, Chicago

Ate this at Protein Bar on November 16, 2016, and noted Good, but a lot of quinoa.

Breakfast Buffet

2016-11-16T18:15:37Z

Breakfast Buffet

Warwick Allerton, Chicago

Ate this at Warwick Allerton on November 16, 2016, and noted Pretty decent. Bacon was good and the salsa had a nice kick.

Lunchtime Buffet

2016-11-17T23:29:12Z

Lunchtime Buffet

Bombay Chaat

Ate this at Bombay Chaat on November 17, 2016, and noted Great selection of dishes. Aloo dish was really tasty. Naan bread runs out quickly.

Chicken Dum Biryani

2016-11-25T22:18:47Z

Chicken Dum Biryani

Bombay Chaat

Ate this at Bombay Chaat on November 25, 2016, and noted Big portion, pretty spicy.

Boneless Chicken

2016-11-29T03:19:32Z

Boneless Chicken

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

Ate this from Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen on November 28, 2016, and noted For $5 it's not bad. Chicken was moist and tasty.

Spicy Grilled Cheese

2016-11-29T22:44:31Z

Spicy Grilled Cheese

La Bodega

Ate this at La Bodega on November 29, 2016, and noted Huge sandwich, great taste.

Bibimbab Galbi

2016-11-30T23:00:28Z

Bibimbab Galbi

Miega Korean Barbeque

Ate this at Miega Korean Barbeque on November 30, 2016, and noted Really good

Corned Beef Hash With Eggs And Grits

2016-12-02T22:18:44Z

Corned Beef Hash With Eggs And Grits

Fifth Wheel

Ate this at Fifth Wheel on December 2, 2016, and noted Big portion and great taste. All for under $7. Cash only.

Tom Yum Kung

2016-12-07T00:14:09Z

Tom Yum Kung

Map of Thailand

Ate this at Map of Thailand on December 6, 2016, and noted Very tasty. Two big plump shrimps sitting at the bottom.

Larb

2016-12-07T00:15:42Z

Larb

Map of Thailand

Ate this at Map of Thailand on December 6, 2016, and noted Sauteed ground chicken salad. Nice kick with the chilies & lime.

Chipotle Double Burger

2016-12-11T00:28:07Z

Chipotle Double Burger

Steak & Shake

Ate this at Steak & Shake on December 10, 2016, and noted Can't beat it for $4. Little kick, not that spicy.

Dirty Tots Pulled Pork

2016-12-13T07:41:58Z

Dirty Tots Pulled Pork

Moe's Grill & Bar, Dulles Airport

Ate this at Moe's Grill & Bar on December 13, 2016, and noted Potato, cheese sauce, and BBQ pork. Not bad for an airport.

Hotcakes, Bacon, Egg

2016-12-13T22:43:54Z

Hotcakes, Bacon, Egg

Fifth Wheel

Ate this at Fifth Wheel on December 13, 2016, and noted Tasty, and under $5.

Small Meatball Sub

2016-12-17T04:35:33Z

Small Meatball Sub

Cala's Pizzeria

Ate this from Cala's Pizzeria on December 16, 2016, and noted Very filling, for a small.

Sausage Pizza Slice

2016-12-21T22:32:18Z

Sausage Pizza Slice

Crust

Ate this at Crust on December 21, 2016, and noted Huge portion (iPhone for comparison). Really tasty.

Duck noodle soup

2016-12-23T22:59:57Z

Duck noodle soup

Map of Thailand

Ate this at Map of Thailand on December 23, 2016, and noted Very tasty.

Fried Chicken Sandwhich

2017-01-05T23:11:38Z

Fried Chicken Sandwhich

Market Garden Brewery

Ate this at Market Garden Brewery on January 5, 2017, and noted Really tasty. The slaw was nice.

Lunchtime Buffet

2017-01-13T22:35:00Z

Lunchtime Buffet

Bombay Chaat

Ate this at Bombay Chaat on January 13, 2017

Cheesesteak Sandwich

2017-01-18T22:50:13Z

Cheesesteak Sandwich

Subway

Ate this at Subway on January 18, 2017, and noted Pretty good for $6.

Lunchtime Buffet

2017-01-20T23:22:22Z

Lunchtime Buffet

Bombay Chaat

Ate this at Bombay Chaat on January 20, 2017

Cubano Sandwhich

2017-02-02T22:58:53Z

Cubano Sandwhich

Market Garden Brewery

Ate this at Market Garden Brewery on February 2, 2017, and noted Really tasty.

The Alaskan

2017-02-06T22:47:19Z

The Alaskan

Byte Cafe

Ate this at Byte Cafe on February 6, 2017, and noted Tasted great

Coastal Bowl

2017-02-08T23:23:45Z

Coastal Bowl

Cafe 55 Cleveland

Ate this at Cafe 55 Cleveland on February 8, 2017, and noted Delicious.

Chocolate Milkshake

2017-02-25T04:28:07Z

Chocolate Milkshake

Steak & Shake

Drank this at Steak & Shake on February 24, 2017

Frisco Melt

2017-02-25T04:29:21Z

Frisco Melt

Steak & Shake

Ate this at Steak & Shake on February 24, 2017

Happy 40th 2000AD

2017-02-26T05:00:01Z

Growing up in England during the 70's it always seemed there were a ton of comics to read. The homegrown Whizzer & Chips, Dandy, The Beano, etc. Also a slew of US ones from Marvel and DC. But in 1977, when I was 8, something new dropped into my local newsagents - 2000AD.

This had the feel of something different. The art was more "realistic". Stories weren't the usual fare, no super heroes for one. Looking back it seemed almost subversive. It was a comic, but reading it gave me the same feeling as staying up watching TV past the watershed.

I was always excited opening the pages to see what crazy new story was being introduced or which of my favorite artists were illustrating Dredd; Dillon(RIP), Smith, Bolland. It was them who kept me drawing (I even got one published).

One of my 2000AD drawings

Every Xmas brought the guaranteed gift of the 2000AD Annual - Hardback and chock full of thrills. Every February bought the re-upping of my subscription. I collected 2000AD for a long time, and getting to know the writers & artists made it easy to drop back into comics years later when they published things such as V for Vendetta and Preacher, amongst others.

Being exposed to it from the beginning has spoiled me in a way. When I realize how vast an influence it's had on the people, stories and media that's came after. I find myself thinking, "Wasn't that a Future-Shock?", or "Bet they read Dredd as a kid too". I'm looking forward to watching the documentary Future Shock! that came out last year.

It's great to see it still going, thriving, and reaching a new audience.

Here's to another 40 years.

Chicken Chili Verde

2017-02-28T22:22:35Z

Chicken Chili Verde

Souper Market

Ate this at Souper Market on February 28, 2017, and noted Nice spicy heat

Lamb Gyro

2017-03-02T23:24:49Z

Lamb Gyro

Rumi's Market

Ate this from Rumi's Market on March 2, 2017, and noted Delicious.

Lunchtime Buffet

2017-03-03T22:48:57Z

Lunchtime Buffet

Bombay Chaat

Ate this at Bombay Chaat on March 3, 2017

Miso Noodle Broth Bowl

2017-03-09T23:22:10Z

Miso Noodle Broth Bowl

Dig Inn, New York

Ate this at Dig Inn on March 9, 2017, and noted Really tasty. Yam noodles with winter veg. Added chicken.

Porter Beef Pie

2017-03-10T06:12:07Z

Porter Beef Pie

Fraunces Tavern, New York

Ate this at Fraunces Tavern on March 10, 2017, and noted Puff pastry, would've been better with a thicker crust

Breakfast Platter with Sausage

2017-03-10T17:34:06Z

Breakfast Platter with Sausage

Open Kitchen, New York

Ate this at Open Kitchen on March 10, 2017, and noted Lot for $5. Potatoes a little dry, but the peppers and onions make up for that.

Sausage & Egg Sandwich

2017-03-12T00:46:41Z

Sausage & Egg Sandwich

Starbucks

Ate this from Starbucks on March 11, 2017

Chicken Paprikash

2017-03-15T22:42:01Z

Chicken Paprikash

Souper Market

Ate this fomr Souper Market on March 15, 2017, and noted Great for a cold day like today

Prime Rib sandwich

2017-03-20T20:45:23Z

Prime Rib sandwich

Murray Hill Market

Ate this at null on March 20, 2017, and noted Delicious

Double Teen Burger

2017-03-23T20:57:52Z

Double Teen Burger

A&W, Vancouver

Ate this at A&W on March 23, 2017, and noted Had fries & gravy, along with root beer. One of the only times a "fast food" burger looks like it's picture. Very tasty.

Breakfast Platter Meal

2017-03-24T20:01:59Z

Breakfast Platter Meal

Phat, Vancouver

Ate this at Phat on March 24, 2017, and noted Very nice. Smoked meat made a change from sausage/bacon.

Chicken Dhansak

2017-03-26T08:37:14Z

Chicken Dhansak

Salam Bombay, Vancouver

Ate this at Salam Bombay on March 26, 2017, and noted Delicious. Had it with basmati rice and a Paratha. Little pricey, but worth it.

Pork Sweet And Sour

2017-03-27T06:58:37Z

Pork Sweet And Sour

Rice Tales

Ate this at Rice Tales on March 27, 2017, and noted Not great. Barely any flavor. But airport food.

Patty Melt

2017-03-31T21:30:44Z

Patty Melt

Diner On 55th

Ate this at Diner On 55th on March 31, 2017, and noted Very tasty

Pancakes and bacon

2017-04-01T20:31:31Z

Pancakes and bacon

IHOP

Ate this at IHOP on April 1, 2017, and noted Good.

Small Meatball Sub

2017-04-08T02:53:25Z

Small Meatball Sub

Cala's Pizzeria

Ate this at Cala's Pizzeria on April 7, 2017

Corned Beef Hash

2017-04-08T18:32:12Z

Corned Beef Hash

Petie's Family Restaurant

Ate this at Petie's Family Restaurant on April 8, 2017, and noted Poached eggs and grits make this a great breakfast

Bangkok Bazaar

2017-04-10T23:28:27Z

Bangkok Bazaar

Townhall

Ate this at Townhall on April 10, 2017, and noted OMG this was tasty. Roasted chicken, rock shrimp, rice noodles, egg and Asian fish sauce. Spicy and full of flavor.

Ohio City Pasta Of The Day

2017-04-24T22:19:18Z

Ohio City Pasta Of The Day

Elements Bistro

Ate this at Elements Bistro on April 24, 2017, and noted Delicious. Mushrooms, chicken, and peppers in a masala sauce.

Lunchtime Buffet

2017-04-28T21:05:24Z

Lunchtime Buffet

Bombay Chaat

Ate this at Bombay Chaat on April 28, 2017, and noted Tasty as always.

Italian Trio Tasta And Corn Salad

2017-05-01T21:14:56Z

Italian Trio Tasta And Corn Salad

Piada Italian Street Food

Ate this at Piada Italian Street Food on May 1, 2017, and noted Very tasty

Western BBQ 'n' Bacon Steakburger and fries

2017-05-02T05:18:41Z

Western BBQ 'n' Bacon Steakburger and fries

Steak 'n Shake

Ate this at Steak 'n Shake on May 2, 2017

Mushroom & Spinach Scramble

2017-05-02T16:39:07Z

Mushroom & Spinach Scramble

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery

Ate this at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery on May 2, 2017, and noted Tasty with turkey sausage.

New York Hot Dog

2017-05-02T22:28:11Z

New York Hot Dog

Sonic Drive-In

Ate this at Sonic Drive-In on May 2, 2017, and noted S'okay.

Chorizo Seared Brussel Sprouts

2017-05-12T03:26:59Z

Chorizo Seared Brussel Sprouts

Townhall

Ate this at Townhall on May 11, 2017, and noted Really good. No grease from the chorizo, but plenty of flavour.

Thai Peanut Bowl

2017-05-12T03:29:23Z

Thai Peanut Bowl

Townhall

Ate this at Townhall on May 11, 2017, and noted Delicious! Not an overwhelming peanut taste, and great turmeric & ginger rice.

California Skillet

2017-05-20T17:32:32Z

California Skillet

Steak & Shake

Ate this at Steak & Shake on May 20, 2017, and noted Filling and tasty.

Grasshopper Concrete

2017-05-21T03:28:52Z

Grasshopper Concrete

East Coast Custard

Ate this at East Coast Custard on May 20, 2017, and noted Delicious

Toffee Apple Donut

2017-05-25T01:38:00Z

Toffee Apple Donut

Bloom Bakery

Ate this at Bloom Bakery on May 24, 2017, and noted Donut of the week. Toffee apple ganache donut. Made with fresh eggs and butter, matured for 2 days and gently fried. Delicious.

Sausage Calzone

2017-05-25T22:06:06Z

Sausage Calzone

Galucci's

Ate this at Galucci's on May 25, 2017, and noted Decent.

Pot Stickers

2017-05-28T03:03:44Z

Pot Stickers

China Mountain II

Ate this from China Mountain II on May 27, 2017

Sweet And Sour Chicken

2017-05-28T03:11:31Z

Sweet And Sour Chicken

China Mountain II

Ate this from China Mountain II on May 27, 2017, and noted Tasty. Always white meat with nice crisp batter.

General Tso's Chicken

2017-05-28T03:14:12Z

General Tso's Chicken

China Mountain II

Ate this from China Mountain II on May 27, 2017

Sangweech

2017-05-31T21:09:25Z

Sangweech

Galucci's

Ate this at Galucci's on May 31, 2017, and noted Delicious. Onion, marinara, thinly sliced steak, and cheese. Served warm.

Corned Beef Hash

2017-06-03T19:12:19Z

Corned Beef Hash

Petie's Family Restaurant

Ate this at Petie's Family Restaurant on June 3, 2017

Red Curry with Chicken

2017-06-07T22:57:52Z

Red Curry with Chicken

Map of Thailand

Ate this at Map of Thailand on June 7, 2017, and noted Very tasty, not too spicy.

Moroccan Chickpea Soup

2017-06-12T21:45:03Z

Moroccan Chickpea Soup

Souper Market

Ate this at Souper Market on June 12, 2017, and noted Nice touch of spice.

Turkey Panini

2017-06-15T20:53:31Z

Turkey Panini

Galucci's

Ate this at Galucci's on June 15, 2017

Coronation Chicken Sandwich

2017-06-16T21:36:45Z

Coronation Chicken Sandwich

Bloom Bakery

Ate this at Bloom Bakery on June 16, 2017, and noted Delicious on a soft panini.

Beet Salad

2017-06-16T21:39:19Z

Beet Salad

Bloom Bakery

Ate this at Bloom Bakery on June 16, 2017, and noted Surprisingly good. Beetroots, onions, and balsamic.

Little Italy Pizza

2017-06-21T02:53:50Z

Little Italy Pizza

Citizen Pie

Ate this at Citizen Pie on June 20, 2017, and noted Fantastic neopolitan pizza

The Black and Bleu Burger

2017-06-29T22:53:50Z

The Black and Bleu Burger

Urban Kitchen & Deli

Ate this at Urban Kitchen & Deli on June 29, 2017, and noted Big patty. Tasty. Fries are really good. We ordered an egg separate for a topper.

Lunchtime Indian Buffet

2017-07-13T22:15:33Z

Lunchtime Indian Buffet

Bombay Chaat

Ate this at Bombay Chaat on July 13, 2017

Spicy Chicken Primetime Nachos

2017-07-16T02:55:26Z

Spicy Chicken Primetime Nachos

Qdoba Mexican Grill

Ate this at Qdoba Mexican Grill on July 15, 2017

Bacon Wrapped Dates

2017-07-21T22:32:09Z

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Townhall

Ate this at Townhall on July 21, 2017, and noted Very good

Wild Tuna Poke

2017-07-21T22:38:31Z

Wild Tuna Poke

Townhall

Ate this at Townhall on July 21, 2017, and noted Delicious! Rice, Yum Yum Sauce, Wild Yellowfin Tuna, Wild Salmon, Seaweed Salad, Avocado, Kimchi, Sesame Seeds, Organic Beets, Pickled Ginger, Scallion

Chorizo, Corn, And Queso Empanadas

2017-07-26T17:02:46Z

Chorizo, Corn, And Queso Empanadas

Six Shooter Coffee

Ate this at Six Shooter Coffee on July 26, 2017, and noted Nice spicy kick. Like a small pastie

Corned Beef Hash

2017-07-30T19:49:04Z

Corned Beef Hash

Petie's Family Restaurant

Ate this at Petie's Family Restaurant on July 30, 2017, and noted Grits and poached eggs make this corned beef hash a killer breakfast.

Polish Girl Combo

2017-08-02T21:29:41Z

Polish Girl Combo

Hot Sauce Williams Barbecue

Ate this at Hot Sauce Williams Barbecue on August 2, 2017, and noted Hotdog with ribmeat, sauce, coleslaw, and fries. Delicious!

Pepporoni Pizza

2017-08-06T02:39:42Z

Pepporoni Pizza

Citizen Pie

Ate this at Citizen Pie on August 5, 2017

Bangkok Bazaar

2017-08-07T22:22:37Z

Bangkok Bazaar

Townhall

Ate this at Townhall on August 7, 2017

Summer Crab Roll

2017-08-14T21:48:56Z

Summer Crab Roll

Market Garden Brewery

Ate this at Market Garden Brewery on August 14, 2017, and noted Slightly spicy. Nice crunch with the radish and corn. Fries were good too.

Chicken Tenders

2017-08-16T21:53:23Z

Chicken Tenders

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

Ate this at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen on August 16, 2017, and noted With red beans & rice, and a biscuit. Not bad for $5.

Brisket Burger

2017-08-25T23:26:12Z

Brisket Burger

Market Garden Brewery

Ate this at Market Garden Brewery on August 25, 2017, and noted Delicious. Smoked Brisket, BBQ aioli, and fried pickles onions made it.

Lemon Black Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

2017-08-25T23:31:00Z

Lemon Black Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream

Ate this at Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream on August 25, 2017, and noted Refreshing

Black And Blue Dawg

2017-08-26T23:26:27Z

Black And Blue Dawg

Scooters Dawg House

Ate this at Scooters Dawg House on August 26, 2017, and noted Great. This was the "long". Blue cheese and Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce.

Lunchtime Indian Buffet

2017-09-22T21:29:13Z

Lunchtime Indian Buffet

Bombay Chaat

Ate this at Bombay Chaat on September 22, 2017

Duck noodle soup

2017-09-29T21:42:15Z

Duck noodle soup

Map of Thailand

Ate this at Map of Thailand on September 29, 2017

Pepporoni Pizza

2017-10-12T05:19:49Z

Pepporoni Pizza

Masthead Brewing Co.

Ate this at Masthead Brewing Co. on October 12, 2017, and noted Love the wood fired pizza

Pretzal

2017-10-12T05:21:56Z

Pretzal

Masthead Brewing Co.

Ate this at Masthead Brewing Co. on October 12, 2017, and noted Big enough to share between 4 of us. Ballpark mustard and a pimento cheese dip

Bacon, Blue Cheese, And Fennel Empanada

2017-10-12T17:34:14Z

Bacon, Blue Cheese, And Fennel Empanada

Six Shooter Coffee

Ate this at Six Shooter Coffee on October 12, 2017, and noted Delicious

Lunchtime Buffet

2017-10-13T21:29:36Z

Lunchtime Buffet

Bombay Chaat

Ate this at Bombay Chaat on October 13, 2017

Bi Bim Bap

2017-10-19T02:56:37Z

Bi Bim Bap

Miega Korean Barbeque

Ate this at Miega Korean Barbeque on October 18, 2017, and noted Big portion. Delicious.

Corned Beef Hash

2017-10-28T20:17:12Z

Corned Beef Hash

Petie's Family Restaurant

Ate this at Petie's Family Restaurant on October 28, 2017

Cheddar Beer Burger

2017-11-16T23:18:32Z

Cheddar Beer Burger

Goldhorn Brewery

Ate this at Goldhorn Brewery on November 16, 2017, and noted Tasty with the beer cheese.

Farmhouse Skillet

2017-12-02T20:22:27Z

Farmhouse Skillet

Steak & Shake

Ate this at Steak & Shake on December 2, 2017, and noted S'okay. Nothing special. If I get it again it'd be without cheese. They add so much.

Soup Dumplings

2018-01-19T22:54:26Z

Soup Dumplings

LJ Shanghai

Ate this at LJ Shanghai on January 19, 2018, and noted Great taste. 6 for $5!

Braised Duck

2018-01-19T22:55:23Z

Braised Duck

LJ Shanghai

Ate this at LJ Shanghai on January 19, 2018, and noted Nice taste. Minimal sauce.

Spicy Beef Noodle Soup

2018-01-19T23:11:04Z

Spicy Beef Noodle Soup

LJ Shanghai

Ate this at LJ Shanghai on January 19, 2018, and noted OMG! This was so good. Large pieces of beef, so tender.

Western Breakfast Bagel

2018-01-20T18:15:35Z

Western Breakfast Bagel

Bruegger's Bagels

Ate this at Bruegger's Bagels on January 20, 2018

Chicken Bowl

2018-01-22T22:41:08Z

Chicken Bowl

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Ate this at Chipotle Mexican Grill on January 22, 2018, and noted Tasty, but an extra $2 for guacamole is a bit much.

Tuna Melt

2018-01-28T00:21:56Z

Tuna Melt

Lakeshore Eatery

Ate this at Lakeshore Eatery on January 27, 2018, and noted Good

Shrimp Poboy

2018-02-01T22:54:41Z

Shrimp Poboy

Winking Lizard Tavern

Ate this at Winking Lizard Tavern on February 1, 2018, and noted Not bad. Coleslaw was tasty.

Sushi

2018-02-02T23:40:39Z

Sushi

Kumo Japanese Seafood Buffet

Ate this at Kumo Japanese Seafood Buffet on February 2, 2018

Lunchtime Buffet

2018-02-10T22:14:05Z

Lunchtime Buffet

Bombay Chaat

Ate this at Bombay Chaat on February 10, 2018

Frisco Melt And Fries

2018-02-10T22:33:00Z

Frisco Melt And Fries

Steak 'n Shake

Ate this at Steak 'n Shake on February 10, 2018

Patty Melt

2018-02-13T23:20:14Z

Patty Melt

Superior Restaurant

Ate this at Superior Restaurant on February 13, 2018, and noted Pretty good. Does not come with fries.

Onion Rings

2018-02-13T23:21:00Z

Onion Rings

Superior Restaurant

Ate this at Superior Restaurant on February 13, 2018, and noted Nice and crisp.

Spicy Grilled Cheese

2018-02-22T00:02:04Z

Spicy Grilled Cheese

La Bodega

Ate this at La Bodega on February 21, 2018

Egg And Bacon Breakfast Sandwich

2018-02-22T18:48:09Z

Egg And Bacon Breakfast Sandwich

Bigmouth Donut Company

Ate this at Bigmouth Donut Company on February 22, 2018, and noted This is delicious. Got it without cheese. All on an unglazed yeast donut.

Raspberry And Lemon Doughnut

2018-03-02T08:48:59Z

Raspberry And Lemon Doughnut

Bigmouth Donut Company

Ate this at Bigmouth Donut Company on March 2, 2018, and noted The most refreshing doughnut I've ever had.

Lunchtime Buffet

2018-03-02T08:49:51Z

Lunchtime Buffet

Bombay Chaat

Ate this at Bombay Chaat on March 2, 2018

Lemon Chicken

2018-03-03T05:52:04Z

Lemon Chicken

Li Wah

Ate this at Li Wah on March 3, 2018, and noted Tasty.

Shrimp Dumpling

2018-03-03T05:55:05Z

Shrimp Dumpling

Li Wah

Ate this at Li Wah on March 3, 2018

Smoky Mushroom Burger

2018-03-05T04:53:59Z

Smoky Mushroom Burger

Wendy's

Ate this at Wendy's on March 4, 2018, and noted Meh.

Jambalaya

2018-03-13T21:36:26Z

Jambalaya

Souper Market

Ate this at Souper Market on March 13, 2018, and noted Very tasty. Nice spicy heat with a good amount of sausage and shrimp.

Collinwood Pizza

2018-03-15T04:37:49Z

Collinwood Pizza

Citizen Pie

Ate this at Citizen Pie on March 15, 2018, and noted Delicious. Meaty and spicy.

Turnip Cake

2018-03-17T01:38:09Z

Turnip Cake

Emperor's Palace

Ate this at Emperor's Palace on March 16, 2018, and noted Delicious with some soy sauce and hot oil.

Shrimp Rice Crepes

2018-03-17T01:38:47Z

Shrimp Rice Crepes

Emperor's Palace

Ate this at Emperor's Palace on March 16, 2018, and noted Tasty.

The Malnati Chicago Classic

2018-03-24T09:42:29Z

The Malnati Chicago Classic

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria, Chicago

Ate this at Lou Malnati's Pizzeria on March 24, 2018, and noted Very tasty.

Chicago Dog

2018-03-25T05:29:45Z

Chicago Dog

Devil Dawgs, Chicago

Ate this at Devil Dawgs on March 25, 2018, and noted Had everything on it to make it authentic. Tasty.

Seoul Dog

2018-03-25T05:31:02Z

Seoul Dog

Devil Dawgs, Chicago

Ate this at Devil Dawgs on March 25, 2018, and noted Meh. Kimchi wasn't that great. Dog was good though.

Fries

2018-03-25T05:31:34Z

Fries

Devil Dawgs, Chicago

Ate this at Devil Dawgs on March 25, 2018, and noted Pretty good

Beef Curry Soup With Vermicelli Noodles

2018-03-28T05:06:47Z

Beef Curry Soup With Vermicelli Noodles

LJ Shanghai

Ate this at LJ Shanghai on March 28, 2018, and noted Delicious. Great for a cold wet day.

Hello World

2019-12-03T05:00:01Z

Call it a very hard reset, but I wanted to build something new. From the ground up.

All previous content has now been deleted from this server. I really don't know if I'll add it back.

What's under the hood?

I wanted to get out of my technology comfort zone. Use something I'm not familiar with. That's why I ended up using an SSG, or Static Site Generator in longhand. It builds everything locally, using Javascript (shudder), and you just FTP the flat files up to the server.

Sometimes, the old ways are the best.

— Moneypenny, Skyfall

Thanks to Chris for hearing me out when I wondered how hard is it really to build a CMS from scratch. And huge thanks to Bridget for guiding me through some potholes as she'd built her site using Eleventy too.

I'm sure there's a lot that may not work initially. I'm also sure there's a lot better ways of doing some of the workflow and code. But it's in a state where I feel "confident" putting it up. Let's see what breaks.

Social Media

12 years using Twitter, around 7 on Instagram, and I think I'm pretty much done with it at the moment. I haven't logged in or posted to either in 4 months, so I could leave them inactive, but closing them is starting to feel like the right thing to do.

I've already disconnected the apps & services to them. Also requested exports of my data.

I may just just use @davidmead and/or @davidjohnmead on Twitter as an alternative RSS feed - Just post links to the latest posts here.

Indieweb

I'm still a fan, and proponent, of the Indieweb. Just not sure how much of it I'll be adding/using here. See my previous statement about social media. I've added some of the basic microformats to my HTML templates, but that may be as far as it goes.

Going Forward

I'll do a write up of getting started with Eleventy soon. Maybe try for a post a day.

OK. I'm pushing this live. Hopefully the RSS feed is working.

Until next time.

Handling broken links

2019-12-04T05:00:01Z

Deleting all of my existing content, and there was a lot, means I've left a lot of broken links in my wake. With something like Wordpress or Known this is handled for you as a 404 error, the server error code for missing files, will bring up a pre-built 404 page. Not so when rolling your own.

I found an article with steps to create one on the Eleventy site. Not too hard to implement, just means a little editing of my .htaccess file, and creating a new page to upload.

This should now be working.

I included an explanation of why the content someone was looking for may not be there, along with a link to the Wayback Machine which has snapshots of billions of web pages.

On December 2nd 2019 I deleted all my content, and started fresh. If you're following a link from elsewhere you can try the Wayback Machine which may have a copy.

You can also visit the home page to read anything new I've posted.

Hopefully that should be helpful.

Green across the board

2019-12-05T05:00:01Z

This was one of the things I had my fingers crossed for when deciding to use a Static Site Generator for my site. As I'm writing my own HTML and CSS from scratch I try and weave in all the best practices I've learned over the years.

Navigating to the homepage in the Chrome browser (incognito mode to make sure no extensions are effecting the results) I opened the Developer tools and clicked audit.

Homepage returned the following results:

98% Performance
100% Accessibility
100% Best Practices
100% SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Not too shabby for a first run.

My 'post' pages faired pretty well too. Only difference was a 97% score for performance.

And yes, I know that you can get Lighthouse to give a 100% for accessibility on a completely inaccessible site, but 100% is a great starting point to make changes from.

The ding on performance, on both mobile and desktop tests, is from using Google Fonts. You'll get that regardless, and I personally think just using two is fairly restrained.

Just to be sure I had ran the templates through an HTML validator, and the only thing that it reported was rel="microsub" in the <head>. I'm sure as microsub is a W3C spec this will be corrected soon.

I will be keeping an eye on all of this, but not slavishly.

Ambient music from an American painter

2019-12-06T05:00:01Z

I can't remember when I first heard Tor Lundvall's work, but I've now got 3 of his albums I tend to play back-to-back. Out of the 3, Empty City is my favourite.

During the night trips, I'd stare out the window at abandoned factories, empty warehouses and other structures bathed in the dull orange or greenish glow of streetlights. I wanted to crawl into that hidden world.

— Tor Lundvall, Bandcamp

It's the kind of ambient music that mixes big spaces with intimate voices to create a definite mood. And it's equally great played in any season. It changes slightly if listening in Winter or Summer, but fits both.

Some of his later albums have a mix of instrumental and lyrical tracks.

Definitely worth checking out.

Tis The Season

2019-12-06T05:00:01Z

All trimmed up

2019-12-07T05:00:01Z

We get a live tree every year. Normally we all pick it out, but this year I dropped the ball. Ended going by myself.

Code cleanup and the emergency room

2019-12-08T05:00:01Z

I had an idea of the look and layout I wanted for this blog, but I didn't do a mock in Sketch or anything. I wanted to "find" it while I was marking up the templates. It came together pretty quick. I changed the fonts a couple of times but that was about it.

But after I launched it I saw there was quite a bit I could clean up. Yeah it validated and was semantic, but there was a few things I could do better with CSS Grid..

Looking back through my notes from Rachel Andrews's workshop at Rustbelt Refresh, as well as a couple of videos from Jen Simmons and Miriam Suzanne, I quickly dumped a lot of classes and employed grid in 3 of the Eleventy templates.

Base template

My main HTML template now uses grid for its structure. The <header>, <main>, and <footer> are set as rows. With the footer always being at the bottom of the page with just four lines of CSS.

display:grid;
grid-gap: 1em;
grid-template-rows: auto 1fr auto;
min-height: 100vh;

Content templates

I have a couple of different templates at the moment, for different types of content. One for mini album reviews, one for photos, etc.

With these few lines of CSS I can get 2 columns laid out for the 'listen' type, within the grid that wraps the whole page.

display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 240px 1fr;
grid-gap: 1.5em;
grid-auto-rows: minmax(auto, auto);

Emergency room

Halfway through writing this Josh came home with Julie. He had been complaining about a pain in his back in the morning. It hadn't got better with an Advil. Seeing as the local Urgent Care isn't open on Sunday, it was a trip to the ER as he was in pain walking around.

Pain pills, muscle relaxant injection, and an icy-hot patch later, he feels a little better and has a note to excuse hime from gym this week.

Hopefully that's all the excitement for the week out the way.

Art or Decoration?

2019-12-10T05:00:01Z

We have a 'Main Street' at my work. The centre place on our ground floor. This year it contains this great piece.

We have art all around the HQ (not surprising with one of our owners is Chairman of Cleveland Museum of Art) and having something like this beats the normal corporate Xmas trees you see at a lot of places.

Problem with Eleventy, RSS, and images

2019-12-11T05:00:01Z

I've noticed that in the RSS feed of this site, images within posts only show up some of the time.

Looking at the generated source code, they are all within the main block of the content being displayed in the item.

A quick duck-duck-go-ing and I came across a couple of general RSS issues along the same lines. Some was where the <img> was being ignored as it wasn't in a containing element. Easy fix I thought. I made sure all the images were in a <p>, as the ones showing up in the feed were part of the written post (in the middle of content) as opposed to a specific "photo post" which was just the <img> element on its own.

Didn't make any difference.

Here comes CDATA

Then I noticed a conversation on the indieweb chat about images and RSS. Wrapping things between <![CDATA[ and ]]> was a recommendation. I checked at Granary.io. After plugging a URL of one of my posts in that, the output did have those CDATA tags around it. So I added those into my feed.njk file. No luck. In fact it made the HTML be written out.

I then re-read through the Eleventy post about adding RSS a couple of times. Everything in my code matched, but something nagged at me about the htmlToAbsoluteUrls part. What if the URL for the image wasn't there when the page is being built?

Photo post template

I created a specific template for photo posts. I use this in the front matter...

layout: layouts/layout-photo
imgSRC: /img/
imgALT:

...to pull in the photo so I can style it. So if it's not in the actual content until the flat HTML is "built" the feed file won't pull it in.

I guess this is an issue with all static site generators.

NOM - Spicy Chao Shou

2019-12-11T05:00:01Z

Not only did I have the normal serving of soup dumplings, but today's sharp cold weather called for something a little hotter. Love those spicy chao shou from LJ Shanghai.

Hypertext in my Markdown

2019-12-12T05:00:01Z

In my previous post about this I thought I'd solved it, but no.

Well now I really think I have, but it meant a slight template change as well as adding some HTML into my Markdown files.

In my layout-photo.njk file I had the following block

<div class="e-content">
	<p><img class="u-photo img-polaroid" src="'{'{ imgSRC }'}'" alt="'{'{ imgALT }'}'" width="500" height="500"></p>
	'{'{ content | safe }'}'
</div>

This would then pull the imgSRC and imgALT that I had in the post.md frontmatter when built. I think this is what was causing the images not to show.

Commenting out the <img> element in the template and moving that into the post actually seemed to cause the images to show up in my feed.

I'm not sure if pasting the HTML wholesale into the Markdown file is "right", but it seems to work.

Crow Tree

2019-12-14T05:00:01Z

Lunch with Josh

2019-12-14T05:00:01Z

After getting Josh's haircut, a new style of his choosing, we headed to Sugar Bowl.

We both had a bowl Pho Tai. A big serving of Vietnamese noodle soup with rare steak topped with cilantro, scallion and onions. Delicious on a cold rainy day like today. Also shared an appetizer of 'Country Wings' (crispy fried with a sweet chili sauce to dip).

People are starting to want to own content again?

2019-12-14T05:00:01Z

There seems to be a fair amount of chatter recently about hosting your own content again. This is a good thing.

Nathan Curtis tweeted out about how Medium is now changing their policy, and how it effects him...

So, @medium has done it? Only one free article per user even for authors that don't want a paywall? Glad @eightshapes has setup and partially migrated to our .com too. I know what I'm getting done by 1/1/2020. 😠 Too sad.
— Nathan Curtis (@nathanacurtis) December 11, 2019

Laura Kalbag wrote It’s Time to Get Personal where she looks at the wasteland of personal websites, that could start to become a lush community garden of shared thoughts.

Essentially it means when we are not paying for mainstream tech with money, we are paying for it with our privacy.

— Laura Kalbag, It’s Time to Get Personal

Even Jack Dorsey tweeted out that they are funding a team to develop something "new"...

Twitter is funding a small independent team of up to five open source architects, engineers, and designers to develop an open and decentralized standard for social media. The goal is for Twitter to ultimately be a client of this standard. 🧵
— jack 🌍🌏🌎 (@jack) December 11, 2019

...which of course led to a load of replies pointing out the already abundant ideas already in place on the web including Indieweb, ActivityPub, etc. Naturally blockchain got thrown around a lot too.

A great read was Anil Dash's “Link In Bio” is a slow knife where he lays out how Instagram (and other silo's) keep people in the walled garden by limiting the access to external content.

Maybe 2020 will see the rise of something federated and syndicated, yet personal.

Declaring podcast bankruptcy

2019-12-16T05:00:01Z

As with e-mail I've hit the tipping point where I can't possible listen to all the podcasts I subscribe to.

I can only listen to "conversational" podcasts when I'm either driving or doing nothing. That doesn't amount to a lot of time.

Daily time

During the day I'm either in meetings, or trying to get back into that 'flow state'. Neither of which let me drop in-and-out of narrative or conversation audio.

I do have some music podcasts which I'll keep for that time. Monday Graveyard, Ultima Thule, The Black Dog, and Echoes are a few. These range from ambient to electronic dance with a little conversation between mixes.

Ones I'm having to let go are the long form conversations. Now that, I guess, podcasts are "a thing" the length and advertising have increased. They aren't bad, and I'll miss them, but that's the problem right now-I'm missing them.

An ungodly amount

I currently have 58 episodes sitting in my queue. Most around 40-60 minutes in length. John Gruber's 2hr 45m episode will go unheard.

And they keeping piling in. Some have even ended and I haven't got around to hearing them all. So I'm saying goodbye to:

The Talk Show With John Gruber
Off Camera with Sam Jones
Design Everywhere
Tanis (great, but I don't know when it'll be back)
The Last movie
Rabbits
The Movies That Made Me
Long Now: Seminars About Long-term Thinking
Eureka by Baron Fig
Invisibilia
Soundtracking with Edith Bowman
CTRL+Click Cast

I list them here in the hope I can pick them back up again. Who knows.

Now my list is down, and with the Xmas holidays coming up, I may actually catch up.

Departmental cooking

2019-12-19T05:00:01Z

As with most companies, I imagine, we'd went for our departmental Xmas lunch. But this was a bit different for me.

Out in Chesterland is the The Loretta Paganini School of Cooking. Today we were to cook a 3-course meal of Caprese Salad with Balsamic Drizzle, Homemade Pasta with vegetables topped with Chicken Scallopine in Lemon Caper Sauce, and ending with a Peach Cobbler & ice-cream.

After being introduced to our instructors we split into groups. Each handling a certain part of the meal. I was in 'Team Chicken'. 3 of us trimmed, cut, and smashed chicken into thin pieces. Then dredged them in seasoned flour.

The other 3 prepped vegetables and roasted them for our vegetarians. We all took turns cooking the chicken in oil & butter, making the lemon and caper sauce, and finally adding the chicken back in the sauce.

It's always interesting seeing what, and how, other people work. I picked up a few tips from our great instructors, as well as getting to have some fun with my co-workers and eat a very delicious meal.

WFH Breakfast

2019-12-19T05:00:01Z

On the odd occasion I do work from home, it's always a treat to cook breakfast. Bacon, egg, and a fried slice is my go-to.

Thank you breakfast

2019-12-20T05:00:01Z

As a thank you our bosses cooked us breakfast this morning. Various tamales from Texas including pork, beef, spinach, and black bean. Eggs, blueberry french toast, oats, and (of course) bacon.

BACON

2019-12-22T05:00:01Z

Not much beats bacon on a warm baguette for breakfast.

A warm Christmas

2019-12-23T05:00:01Z

Only two days from Xmas and it's an odd one. In the 50's and the days don't seem to be as short as they normally are.

Problems with Eleventy pagination

2019-12-25T05:00:01Z

Everytime I ran a build I started to notice extra folders being written in the _site folder. These were named 1, 2, 3, etc. Inside was a copy of the index.html file - Weird.

I am up to 6. I normally just delete them but they'd always came back. I did some searching of the usual places for answers but nothing turned up.

Logging back into Twitter I posted a cry for help and, lo & behold, an answer from "the creator" himself.

Sounds like a pagination template to me!

Pagination

A lot of me getting this Eleventy blog off the ground was cribbing from other peoples posts and tutorials. I wasn't aware of using any particular pagination templates for generating pages but I did have something in the frontmatter of the home page that showed the last 3 posts.

pagination:
  data: collections.post
  size: 3
  reverse: true
  alias: posts

Stopping the server, removing this, deleting the extra folders from _site, and restarting solved the problem. No more extra folders.

Also meant not showing the last three posts on the home page either.

I then tried using a different way to show these with this code.

<div class="wrapper-tiles">
{\%- for post in collections.post | reverse -%\}
  <div class="tile">
			<div class="tile-head txt-center">
			<time datetime="2026-03-09T01:01:00.414Z">March 8, 2026</time>
		</div>
		<div class="tile-body">
		<p><a href="." title=""></a></p>
		<p class="snippet hide-sml"></p>
		</div>
	</div>
{\%- endfor -%\}
</div>

But that lists every post, and I haven't figured out a way to limit it to only the last 3.

So, I've added back the pagination to the frontmatter and added this to my clean-up list for 2020.

Considered blogging

2019-12-26T05:00:01Z

Part of my decision to blow my previous blog/site away and start afresh was technology based. Wordpress was becoming too convoluted. Known (while a lot better) still has too much developer tinkering to get it where I wanted.

Enter Eleventy and the Static Site Generator choice. It still has its learning curve and frustrations, but they stay on my laptop. Everything I publish to the web is a flat HTML file, which is nice.

But what else?

The other part of my decision was borne from the current state of world online. The megalithic silos of Facebook, Twitter, and Google are the web for a large part of those online in The West. And you can see why people stay in those silos to get news and opinions.

Paywall reminders, newsletter subscription popups, embedded advertising, and (shudder) “content recommendation” advertising. This seems to be the make up of most sites outside the silos.

Both options are also riddled with tracking cookies. Harvesting interactions & attention to sell, or leak, to the highest bidder.

So was it a "tin foil hat" decision? No. I've made my peace with the trade-off of privacy and access long ago.

It's more about putting consideration over impulse.

Impulse

I'm sure there are studies on how the increase in information retrieval speed, has effected us.

A month long pilgrimage to the "local" monastery vs. millisecond glances at the always on pocket computer must have some impact.

Pair that with the ability for almost anyone to contribute and change that information, rather than the monks-Huge!

im·pulse /ˈimˌpəls/ a sudden strong and unreflective urge or desire to act.

But with that access and speed has come the proliferation of the "hot take", the "well actually", "virtue signalling", and the business models that feed off of (and in to) this. The dopamine + financial reward of "likes" for impulsiveness is rampant.

This is very recent, even in the silo's history. Early Twitter had stars that, for me at least, doubled as a way to bookmark shared links/tweets. That went out as the potential business models became clear.

Consideration

This year I logged out of Twitter and Instagram (deleting my Facebook account some time ago) and didn't miss them.

Unsubscribed from certain RSS feeds, YouTube channels, and podcasts. Reduced the amount of stuff I consume.

I also didn't post anything to my site. But I wanted to.

A few words kept floating around me; mindful, thoughtful, measured. But one stuck more than most.

Considered. I wanted consideration to play a part of what I put out.

con·sid·er·a·tion /kənˌsidərˈāSH(ə)n/ careful thought, typically over a period of time.

This is what made the choice of a static site generator the right one.

Removing the easy instant access to post anything forces me to consider what I'm putting out.

I still jot down notes, take photos, bookmark links. But the act of waiting until I get home to generate the file and FTP it to the web is...refreshing.

Don't get me wrong. This doesn't make what I post any better per se, but it does make me think more before I do.

Sharing

This site is for me. My, considered, thoughts. I put them on the web for any crawler, RSS reader, or browser to look at. For anyone to consume and share.

I'm currently not interested in who/what comes and looks, how many times it happens, or if it happens at all. I have implemented zero analytics on this site.

At this point-in-time I am also not concerned with sharing them into the silos. Or what others think of them.

Amy Hoy summed up how I feel...

i extremely do not care about who faved 2 of my tweets! that’s the equivalent of a notification popping up that “this random person in the convenience store glanced at your sneakers

— Amy Hoy, Twitter

Capturing something

2020-01-19T05:00:01Z

I've never been a diarist, but I keep coming back to the idea of capturing a feel of moment/day/week.

With that in mind I am going to try something. A 'retrospect' of sorts. Jot down observations at the end of the day, but not daily.

I hope this will help me get back in the habit of posting, without having drafts on specific things pile up. Which is what is happening now.

Fridge sandwich

2020-01-19T05:00:01Z

Fancied a simple lunch, with whatever we had in the fridge - Sliced turkey on sourdough bread, with fried egg.

2020-01-20 retro

2020-01-20T05:00:01Z

The unearthly reverberation of a snow plow working above you in a multi-story garage reminds me of going to music shops in the 80’s and playing with synths.

Being ruthless with unsubscribing and getting my Gmail Inbox under 2000

I’ve been using Evernote since the beta in 2008

More and more parts of Google Play Music don’t work/are available

You can donate used LEGO and they'll even pay for shipping. https://givebackbox.com/lego/

Rectify the fact I no longer owned any music by The Stranglers

2020-01-22 retro

2020-01-22T05:00:01Z

I'm always interested in what old art really looked like. So much of our view is informed by previous generations tinkering, not the original creators vision - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51205614

Terry Jones died today

This, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/18/technology/clearview-privacy-facial-recognition.html, is how we'll end up with the "scramble suits" from 'A Scanner Darkly'. Sometimes I hate how much Sci-Fi I read is now coming to fruition.

2020-01-26 retro

2020-01-26T05:00:01Z

Steamed Chinese pork bun and a strong cuppa for breakfast.

A day of catching up on old things.

After cleaning the house I decided to start clearing out my 'Watch later' on YouTube:

Listened & watched Sam Aaron live coding an ambient electro set w/ Sonic Pi followed by an hour of brian eno - thursday afternoon (14 video paintings 1981-1984).

Finished Normal: A Novel by Warren Ellis, and started A Burglar's Guide to the City by Geoff Manaugh.

Birthday Pie

2020-02-04T05:00:01Z

51 years old today.

Shared my, now traditional, Chinese dinner of potstickers, sweet & sour chicken, and Special Fried Rice with Josh. Rounded off the evening with a lovely slice of my favourite-Lemon Meringue Pie.

Big thanks to everyone who sent my brthday wishes.

A new Middle Ages?

2020-02-18T05:00:01Z

Walking the dog I had one of those trains of thought that builds on itself. When did hoods become a thing?

It used to be only something I saw in history books, mainly The Middle Ages. Then used in film/TV to indicate someone "out-of-time" or with something to hide. Maybe it's the Robin Hood connection, but now it seems to have been adopted as a indicator of groups of unrest and those who want to avoid indentification?

Then I started thinking about the rise of isolationsim. Nations starting to retreat inwards, distrusting "the other". How large swathes of populations now huddle around the digital fiefdoms of Facebook, Twitter, etc. Trusting "information" from only those sources, much like the Abbots and Barons of old.

Our media seems full of stories concerning survivalism, social breakdown, the "end times". It all smacks of that Medieval outlook we attribute to the Dark Ages.

Are we heading towards a 21st Century Middle Ages? Not one of us scrabbling in the mud, but adopting a closed mindset where science and learning are distrusted. Giving way to a more faith-based view, but not Christian or Muslim per se, that of "someone" is looking out for them.

Turns out there's quite a few papers and articles on this very thought:

Living in a Pandemic

2020-03-18T05:00:01Z

Since Coronavirus (COVID-19) was officially declared a pandemic by World Health Organization things have been getting serious, and weird, quick.

About a week ago our local Aldi had run out of white bread, bottled water, dried pasta, toilet paper, and chicken within 2 hours of them opening. Other large chain stores closed for restocking where they'd normally be open 24 hours.

Schools shut for Spring Break early, opting for a form of remote learning for the remainder. Work from home is being trialed, or mandated, for most office workers.

Only today:

The border between Canada and the U.S. is closed to non-essential travel
Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler agree to close all US plants due to coronavirus
Italy coronavirus deaths rise by record 475 in a day
So far 8,657 people have died worldwide from reported cases

The phrases 'social distancing' and 'self-isolation' are common place.

We've stocked up on some things. Limit our exposure to others. Follow the guidlines of handwashing, etc. Check in our our family and friends through phone & video chat.

Now we wait as cases appear close to us.

Work From Home

2020-03-22T05:00:01Z

With the Ohio Governor's order of "stay at home", I went Sunday and got my monitor, mouse, and keyboard from the office.

I had to re-attach the desktop to the legs as it shifted when I cleared it off. Now this is where I spend most of my work day.

NOM - Leftovers for breakfast

2020-03-23T05:00:01Z

As my commute is now walking downstairs to the basement I decided to cook breakfast, using the leftovers from last night. We had tostados, so the broken ones (held together by refried beans) made the base. Topped with an egg which I cooked along with the tomatoes & chili's. Delicious with a big mug of black coffee.

...everyone is in this thing together and this too shall pass

2020-03-26T05:00:01Z

As a lot of us are sitting around, self-isolating, Trent Reznor releases two new instrumental works in his 'Ghosts' series.

As the news seems to turn ever more grim by the hour, we’ve found ourselves vacillating wildly between feeling like there may be hope at times to utter despair – often changing minute to minute. Although each of us define ourselves as antisocial-types who prefer being on our own, this situation has really made us appreciate the power and need for CONNECTION.

— Trent Reznor, Album release notes

Both come with a colon title - Ghosts V:Together and Ghosts VI:Locusts...

Ghosts V: Together is for when things seem like it might all be okay, and Ghosts VI: Locusts… well, you’ll figure it out.

— Trent Reznor

I've now found the starter to my Pandemic iPod playlist. Both albums can be downloaded for free.

Laid-off today

2020-04-02T05:00:01Z

I was laid-off today. Looking for UX/UI opportunities. Reach out at LinkedIn if you're hiring.

Coffee prep

2020-04-15T05:00:01Z

Trying for a little "normal" whilst unemployed during a pandemic.

2020-04-16 retro

2020-04-16T05:00:01Z

A day without interviews.

Found out my last paycheck won't include the severance money. Instead will only be for 3 days worked and any accrued vacation days. Severance not coming until May 1st.

Having no health insurance kinda sucks

Paid $400+ for medicine to prevent blood clots
Paid $600+ as a COBRA payment to reinstate coverage for a month (next month it's $2000+) so we can claim some of that back.
When I get another job it'll be another 30 odd days before I'm covered by that company plan.

I miss the NHS.

With neither of us employed, and no unemployment payments being processed, I applied on Healthcare.gov to see if we can get coverage there.

Had to buy a new fridge/freezer as our decided to break down this week.

By the way. Did I mention there's a pandemic going on too?

Mood

2020-04-26T05:00:01Z

Mood

New beginnings

2020-04-29T05:00:01Z

I'm excited. Today I join the team at Vitamix as their Lead Designer UI/UX.

Looking forward to diving in, learning, and helping. I'll be working with a friend of mine again, as well a lot of new faces.

New tools

2020-04-29T05:00:01Z

Took delivery yesterday of some tools for my new job. All set up and ready to go today.

2020-05-09 retro

2020-05-09T05:00:01Z

Grief, time is dragging into itself.

This week our new fridge decided to stop working. Had to throw out 2 weeks worth of food. Managed to get through to Frigidaire, after calling multiple times, who sent out an engineer the next day. Found the connector to the compressor hadn't been pushed in all the way when it was built (I assume). Had been cutting in & out this whole time.

Still waiting for:

$600 from Cigna to come through as a refund for having to buy a prescription while waiting for COBRA to kick in
$50 food loss compensation card from Frigidaire
any money to be paid by ODJFS for being unemployed the previous 4 weeks

Mentally preparing for the "second wave" of this pandemic to hit, thanks to the selfish who insist on protesting en masse rather than follow guidelines. Because being asked to wear a mask and not gather in groups is (in their words) "tyrannical". People are the worst sometimes.

On the plus side, diving into the new job has been great. Meeting (virtually) a lot of the teams and getting to understand the company and goals.

Bandcamp waived its commission on all sales, so 100% went to the artist. I dipped in and grabbed a couple of items from my wishlist:

Adrift by loscil
Faults, Coasts, Lines by loscil
Abolition of The Royal Familia by The Orb
Stasis Sounds For Long-Distanceby 36 & zakè
Field Tangents by Off Land
Toll by Kemper Norton
Slow Walking by Moss Covered Technology

All of these have been added to my iPod.

Bring on the next week.

NOM - Left over hash

2020-05-12T05:00:01Z

Corned beef hash is my "go-to" when visiting a diner for breakfast. Growing up in 70's England I ate my fair share of the tinned variety.

So now I have a simple recipe to make my own with tinned corned beef (foodie snobs be damned).

Corned Beef Hash Recipe

Ingredients

What I generally use is:

medium size potatoes
half of a onion
can of corned beef
tablespoon butter
cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste

Takes 30 minutes, serves four people.

Directions

Here's I how make it (mostly)

Fill a medium saucepan with water, add salt
Peel and quarter the potatoes, then add to the saucepan
Simmer for about 15 minutes so they're just undercooked
Finely dice the onion
Cube the corned beef
While the potatoes are simmering, warm up cast iron skillet or pan over medium/low heat
Drain the potatoes and cube
Add potatoes and corned beef to the pan
Add a little oil and the butter to the skillet to melt
Add onions, potatoes, and corned beef
Pat down to an even layer and cook until crispy
Slowly flip and cook until the other side is crispy

Now you can just serve with some eggs, or on it's own. Keeps well in the fridge for the next day. Josh & I normally have it for dinner and there's enough for breakfast.

The new old me

2020-05-16T05:00:01Z

The new old me. In response to @pfresty 😁

I could hear her...

2020-05-25T05:00:01Z

I could hear the tell-tale thump of the tail, but couldn't see her anywhere. Then I looked up.

Goodbye Gaelic Imports

2020-05-25T05:00:01Z

Julie told me that Gaelic Imports has closed down.

We have weighed out all the options and there just isn’t a way that we can make it work. Along with recent events and a steady decline in business there was just no way for us to stay afloat and this decision was not made in haste.

This is sad. It is never good when small niche businesses go, but I do have selfish reasons too.

Even after passing on to new owners 4 years ago, they made some of the best sausage rolls and pies I've had. Here, or back in the UK. They were also about the only place to obtain certain imported goods from home.

UX failure during the COVID-19 pandemic

2020-05-25T05:00:01Z

Since my lay-off in April I experienced some companies UX completely fall apart. Or I now see how bad it was to start with.

These are my experiences. Yours may have been different.

ODJFS - Unemployment

With the surge of people losing their jobs, almost all at once, it is little wonder this service had problems.

The website is old to say the least. No responsive design. To read a notification you have to choose a radio button, click a button, and either it downloads a PDF or takes you to another page.

For the first couple of weeks this returned an error, and nothing more. Online chat disabled. Telephone numbers were either engaged or had a message to go online then hung up.

I got 3 weeks worth of unemployment money over a month after my initial claim.

CIGNA - Claiming prescription costs back

As I live and work in America my health insurance is tied to my employer. When my employment ended, so did my coverage. Meaning at midnight I now had to pay full price for medications, doctors visits, etc.

Exactly what you want during a pandemic, right?

There is a thing called COBRA. This lets you pay what your employer was paying to continue the same coverage. I did this and had to then claim back the extra we paid for a prescription, through my provider-CIGNA.

After logging in I couldn't find it on the website. Online chat disabled. After calling a couple of times I get through. I then have to convince the operator I can actually claim this and give him the details of the COBRA coverage. The PDF he directs me to download has instructions to fill in the form online, which has been removed.

Again, all the "time saving" online measures were either broken, disabled, or obfuscated. Ended up mailing scans of receipts in with a printed version of the PDF.

Frigidaire - Broken fridge

Ah yes. Our fridge/freezer broke after we both lost our jobs. It was over a decade old, so not great timing but it served us well. I bought same make/model, but new.

Not a week after delivery it stops working. Where do I head? The manufacture's website of course.

Online chat removed. Email form has no selection options for "I've lost 2 weeks of food because the new fridge died!".

Call the number and I get a message "due to overwhelming call volume go to the website" then hangs up.

I persist and finally get through to a human. A week later I get a reply to the email form.

But its unprecedented

The pandemic? Yes. The break down of the experience? No.

Companies tend to fall back on the same things:

Online chat, and now AI chatbots
Phone trees
Contact forms
Unsearchable PDFs

In every instance I tried the online approach first. Every instance it failed. And most people I speak to recently have the same shared experience.

Very few had a place to put messages about the problems they were facing. Or a way to change their content to reflect closures, adjusted hours, etc.

It still came down to trying to speak to someone.

Going forward

Eric Meyer & Sara Wachter-Boettcher wrote the excellent 'Design For Life' which talks about when online fails us in times of stress. It came out 4 years ago, and is not the only book to address this, but little of what they spoke about seems to have been adopted.

When we design from now on let's push for ways to respond quickly.

Notification and messaging systems should not be a 'fast follow'
Clarity of language is a must
Include user stories of people under stress
Don't rely on your Facebook/Twitter/Tik Tok marketing account to relay information

Learn from this. I know I have.

NOM - Eggplant Curry Rice

2020-06-23T05:00:01Z

I very rarely make anything from YouTube videos but this looked great, and I had most of the ingredients, so why not?

It was so good, both Josh and I had it two days in a row. You can watch (and follow) RunnyRunny999's video on YouTube.

As with most curry its flavour only improved overnight in the fridge.

Eggplant Curry Rice

Ingredients

350g eggplant (aubergine)
2tbs oil
350g, or 1 large, onion
120g ground beef
1 cup tomato juice
1 cup water
5g bullion stock cube
50g curry roux (3 blocks)

Takes 30 minutes, serves four people.

Directions

Cube eggplant and soak in water for 5 minutes to remove bitterness
Slice onion
Heat oil and add onion. Stir-fry until soft
Add beef and heat until almost cooked through
Add eggplant and fry for 3-4 minutes
Add tomato juice, water, and simmer for 10 minutes
Skim foam to remove bitterness while simmering
Add stock cube. Once dissolved, add curry roux
Wait 5 minutes, stir, then serve with rice

Google finally kills Play Music

2020-07-12T05:00:01Z

So I got the dreaded email. Google is officially shutting down Play Music.

Opening line is “Starting today, you can finally enjoy your music on YouTube Music”. Finally? I wasn’t aware that I, or anyone really, was waiting for this.

The death knell comes in the opening paragraph, where they talk about transferring your library.

YouTube Music will eventually replace Google Play Music later this year

So without much choice I started the process. And while they acknowledge it “looks a bit different’ we now know why Play Music hasn’t seen any updates or improvements.

YouTube Music “was built by the same team with the same passion

This seems a 100% algorithm-based streaming service. Something I am not remotely interested in.

Good job I dug out my iPod.

Off to recycling...

2020-07-23T05:00:01Z

2 desktop towers, 2 laptops, 1 mini-laptop, 1 Chromebook, 1 (beloved) Nexus 7 tablet. Not shown the box of cables, leads, and peripherals.

All off to Cleveland Computer Recycling. The traditional beige tower was the first we bought when moving over to the USA. That was in 2002!

Google is losing me, day by day

2020-08-05T05:00:01Z

I've been an ardent fan of Google products from the get-go. I've always preferred their mobile OS over Apples, owning both Nexus and Pixel phones throughout the years.

The Nexus 7 tablet was, hands-down, the device I enjoyed using most out of everything I've used.

Gmail and its suite of software just works. YouTube and Google Play Music were fun.

Launching games on Xbox, watching video (Chromecast), or playing my music library through the Google Home Mini, by talking - Fantastic!

I wanted a Google Home Max, and was getting very excited to see the new version launching soon, but no more.

Disappointments

When my Nexus 7 died, they was no new line to replace it. Google left the tablet market.

The Pixel 2 phone lost the wireless charging I loved in the Nexus line.

Task app doesn't do half of what most other apps (Wunderlist, Remember the milk) did, making it worthless.

Gmail hasn't seen any love in ages. YouTube is now an advertising platform, and Google Play Music had a stake driven through its heart in the form of YouTube Music.

With that, I recently transferred my music collection over to YTM only to find I can't play it through my Google Home Mini unless I buy a subscription!

What incentive do I have to purchase a $300+ max speaker from them now?

You're old and cheap

Won't argue there. Yes, I am older. Yes, I don't like paying for things I don't have to. But here's the thing - I happily pay for quite a lot of things that replace "FREE" services from Google, because they are better.

Hey is the new email service from Basecamp. I pay for it.

1password, Pocket Cast, Flickr, and Instapaper are services/apps bought rather than using the free alternative.

99% of my music is purchased either digitally, or ripped from CDs I bought ages ago. I don't use streaming services, so paying to bury my music collection in one with a load of ads doesn't make sense.

The thought of the verbal gymnastics I'd have to use to get anything played from 'my library' in YouTube Music is a non-starter.

Also paying an extra monthly fee for the ability to stream music I own, to a device I own, via a WiFi connection I own is ludicrous.

Autumn

2020-09-20T05:00:01Z

The get-back-under-covers-quick cold had seeped into the house last night. Prompting the inaugural smell of Summer dust burning off as I fumbled with the nest app.

Autumn is finally here, with all that entails.

Halloween decorations are out of the tote bin, joined by some new additions.

Political advertising here in the USA ramps up invasiveness and divisiveness.

Requests for "your Xmas list" have started. Partly due to COVID-19's impact on availability of both goods & funds.

I generally like this time of year. Reminds me of picking conkers on the way to school. Years later, dozing off in the yellow lit commuter trains. Looking forward to beer festivals with a wide array of Porters and Barleywines.

The countdown to 2021 continues.

Hear, hear

2020-10-06T05:00:01Z

It has been hard not to think of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. It’s been hard not to think we’re at best in the chorus. That we are slogging through history as everyone has always slogged through history. Taking a long walk outside, while that’s still an option. Picking up a meal, while we can afford to. Talking to friends and family, while they’re still around. Somewhere the tragic protagonist is finally brought low. The audience roars. The curtain falls. In the background we labor on. Trying to make a life in the debris.

— Dorothy, Oh nothing much

Hear, hear.

YouTube errors

2020-10-23T05:00:01Z

It used to be just the odd clip from a news outlet I had unpause my adblocker to watch. Now virtually all of my subscriptions (even from the UK) are returning an error on YouTube when the adblocker is running.

I tried, for a week, YouTube unblocked and what a nightmare. And not because of the looming election (though Trumps ads were the only I got) but diets, metal roofs, food delivery and soaps. Anything longer than 5 minutes had ads inserted. Pre and post roll ads too. Not forgetting the overlaid banners.

Now I'm back using the blocker, and missing out on a lot of the content I've subscribed to.

Meet Milo

2020-10-31T05:00:01Z

Meet Milo. He's our new dog.

2020-11-25 retro

2020-11-25T05:00:01Z

Weather and mood getting grayer by the day as we head into the clutches of Winter.

This report of a mysterious metal monolith spotted by scientist in a helicopter, brightened my day. An art piece maybe? Practical joke or left-overs of a photo shoot?

The Braille Institute has released (for free) Atkinson Hyperlegible font aimed at "Improve legibility and readability for low vision readers". I may try it out on this blog for a while.

Chatting at work we lamented the rise of the overtly boxy design thats crept in as defacto for websites currently. I have fond memories of waiting for sites like The Urban Diary to slowly load via my modem. Never knowing what I'd find had a certain appeal.

Thoroughly enjoyed watching '23 Frames: A visual journey through the work of Edgar Wright' (via Vimeo) as part of the 2020 Belfast Film Festival. I could listen to these two talk about film for hours.

I was supposed to be playing Cyberpunk 2077, but it got delayed yet again.

Using iBroadcast for playing my music collection online

2020-11-28T05:00:01Z

Since Google Play Music shuttered I've been looking for an alternative to play my music collection online. Be it on the web or streaming to Chromecast.

I've decided to give iBroadcast a go. They don't offer any streaming so it's only your music. It's free, with a subscription model on the horizon, and they have apps for iOS and Android.

It took about 24 hours to get my entire library onto iBroadcast and so far it's been working pretty well.

Wiring up to Twitter

2020-11-28T05:00:01Z

Dusting off the IFTTT account to try and push this blogs RSS feed to Twitter. Let's see if it works.

Toasting the trimmed tree

2020-11-29T05:00:01Z

Egg nog after ornamenting the tree today.

Leaving Twitter and Instagram

2020-12-03T05:00:01Z

I've decided to delete my accounts on Twitter and Instagram.

These two services has become less important for me over the years. Features I don't find useful or engaging, increased advertising , willful avoidance on topics like bullying or hate-speech. These have all pushed me further away.

But why close them completely? Simple. I don't see what I liked ever coming back.

This a knock-on of being an "early adopter" I guess. Witnessing the changes of how you are no longer the target audience. Add to that the self-realization that it is okay to leave things behind.

It's finally here

2020-12-09T05:00:01Z

Today is December 9th. Tomorrow the new game by CD Project Red, Cyberpunk 2077, will be released.

I am super excited about this.

I used to run campaigns for the paper-and-pen RPG, Cyberpunk 2020, back in the 90's .

Remember when 2020 was the future? Like Bladerunner's title card setting it in 2019! Sheesh.

But back to the game. I devoured the lore around Night City. How it weaved elements from by Neal Stephenson and William Gibson's work, the aforementioned Bladerunner, Manga, as well as the "noir" settings from other films & literature.

I would use early DTP software to create a "newspaper". Hiding clues in there for the players to read whilst playing. All to the backdrop of music from NIN, Brian Eno, AKIRA and Ghost In The Shell soundtracks.

Fast forward about 30 years and I'll be diving back into Night City once again.

Though the ads make it look like a non-stop looter-shooter, the bulk of actual gameplay I've seen is very much in the decision tree dialogue camp. Being presented with multiple options every interaction, with combat playing a small part of that. I am completely onboard with this.

I did pre-order this on Amazon. Took advantage of a deal to get the case, stickers, map, and soundtrack. But because of the delays in it's release I wouldn't end up getting that until Xmas Day and I couldn't change it to a digital only code because of the bundle price. So I cancelled and went with the straight digital download from Xbox.

I took tomorrow and Friday off work. I may be gone for some time Chombatta.

First day playing Cyberpunk 2077

2020-12-11T05:00:01Z

After a full day of playing I can honestly say I'm really enjoying this game. There's a lot here, but it's not all good. There's a lot of bad too.

The good

The story has pulled me in. Reminding me a lot of the original role-plying game. There's a lot of name drops I remember from the lore books too. They have captured the look and feel wonderfully well. A mix of that synth-wave retro future of "jacking in to the net".

The world feels huge. Just looking around as an NPC drives you from a-to-b lets you drink it all in. The freedom of movement to go, and do, pretty much anything is fantastic.

Messages, phones calls, and emails continually come in regardless of what you're engaged in. The city feels populated and lived in.

Trying to hack an air conditioner, so you can disable cameras, in the middle of a firefight is nerve-wracking.

I collect everything but have yet to truly grasp what to hold onto, sell, or deconstruct.

The skill tree is massive and really brings back memories of second-guessing if your spending XP in the right place to improve your character.

The bad

The graphics! Oh my. They are not good.

This game has been in development for about 8 years. It was targeted at the current generation of consoles. It was announced at E3 2018 (primarily an Xbox event). And yet the graphics look blurry and "muddy". Textures fail to render. Details are completely lost when you walk up close to signs and interfaces.

Some of the visual settings you can turn off, like film grain, makes this a little better but not much.

Destiny 2 and The Division 2 have been out a couple of years now and have a lot better graphics than this. Cyberpunk looks like an upscaled port from an older system sometimes.

I have also experienced three full crashes taking me back to the Xbox dashboard. Thankfully the saves points have been where I didn't have to replay too much.

Objects seem to get left in your way. I couldn't exit a room to proceed because a suitcase we carried in, appeared in the middle of the door blocking me.

I really hope there are some upcoming patches that improve these issues.

Am I happy I bought it?

Yes. 100%.

Should you get it? Well, if you haven't already I would wait. Especially on a console.

NOM - I made sausage rolls!

2020-12-13T05:00:01Z

A staple British food, the sausage roll can be found almost everywhere. Bakers, supermarkets, petrol (gas) stations. Delicious hot or cold.

With everything going on this year I haven't had any. The nearest British specialty shop, Gaelic Imports, closed down so I decided to have a go myself.

A big hurdle is the sausage. British sausage isn't like the ones over here so I fabricated my own. Adding fresh sage and some cooked diced onions to the minced pork, along with a spoonful of breadcrumbs. Not brave enough to attempt the pastry I grabbed some Pepperidge Farms pre-made puff pastry.

Assembled and cooked at 400° for about 30 mins and they turned out awesome!

It made enough for two large ones and several small ones. Josh & I split the big ones for the last two nights dinner. I froze the smaller ones to have at Xmas.

I used a couple of videos as guides - Food Busker and River Cottage. The latter I'll use to try making my own pastry next time.

Where have all the websites gone?

2020-12-17T05:00:01Z

I'm going through the accounts I follow on Twitter and Instagram, looking for URLs.

There aren't many. Hardly any list a website in the bio, even companies. When there is one, it's very rarely a blog.

A trend (for companies) is to use other third-party sites, like Linktree. Nothing more than a page with links to your other social presences, sales, etc.

You could do this on your own site, but I guess $6 a month to funnel your traffic through someone else's product solves a problem for some people.

Companies aside, when there is a site in people's bio some don't have RSS feeds. Some are years out-of-date. Some domains have expired.

It's a shame that everything is poured into these silos. That there's still a perceived barrier of complexity to having your own site.

When exporting my data from Twitter they start with the line...

You can request a ZIP file with an archive of the data we think is most important to you.

(emphasis mine)

So I'm not going to get everything anymore. Another reason I'm searching for those links.

Pie & Mash

2020-12-19T05:00:01Z

Pie & Mash is a very British food. A very London thing.

It's been hardly changed since Victorian times. A meat pie, scoop of mashed potatoes, covered in a greenish gravy called "Liquor".

It is, in a word, delicious.

Now I've never lived in London, but I did work there as well as a regular visitor. It was only a 40 minute train ride away after all.

Where I did live (Southend-on-Sea) was at the end of two major train lines coming out of London. East Enders used to come down for weekends and the Pie & Mash shops came to cater for them.

Skip forward to the 70's-80's and most had disappeared along with the holiday makers, but a few remained. I have fond memories of sitting in those establishments. Steamed-up windows a barrier from the wet and cold outside, tucking into a hot meal amid the noise bouncing off the tiled walls.

Jake Green is a photographer who captured the history in his 'Pie & Mash London' project.

He created a short film, book, and held a live event on YouTube this past Sunday. The pictures in this post come from that event.

Guests included Matt Johnson (The The) and John Rogers (The Lost Byway). Talking about the memories, and love, of this food and the shops that served it.

It was great to sit and listen to a reading of 'For the love of Pie & Mash' by The Gentle Author. Watch the accompanying film to Jake's photos. Hear from the owners of shops still running. Live Q&A afterwards.

A very enjoyable event that made me nostalgic, and hungry.

Website updates

2020-12-19T05:00:01Z

Decided to do a little cleaning to this site.

Fonts

I kept Calistoga as the heading and "title" font. I still like the rounded and heavy-ish look of it. The body font is now Atkinson Hyperlegible Font. A new font that...

focuses on letterform distinction to increase character recognition, ultimately improving readability.

It has a clean look that I think pairs well with Calistoga. I host it on this site, so one less external call. And I think the '0' looks cool.

Colours

I tweaked the gray I was using for the headings. Now #5f525d is a little darker and meets WCAG 2 - Level AAA for contrast. Main font colour is #2e2e2e which also meets that level.

Added a white background to the blockquotes, along with a coloured left-border.

Added a yellow background to the strong element.

Layout

Not much here. Added more space between the meta section entries. This may change agains as I look at the vertical height used across the site.

Code

Reverted back to adding a date in the front matter of each file. While this means posted date being a day off, due to the UTC and Eleventy, I'd rather that than every post created date being changed to the same date.

Raymond Camden posted about this and more on his blog which touches on this and other issues.

NOM - Lil Smokies

2020-12-24T05:00:01Z

I love a bowl of these sticky, sweet, and slightly spicy sausages. Time to play Xbox while nibbling.

Lil' Smokies

Ingredients

(12 ounce) bottle chili sauce
1 cup grape jelly
1-3lb Little Smokies sausage (cocktail sausages)

Takes 30 minutes, serves four people.

Directions

Mix all ingredients
Cook in crockpot for one hour or on stove top for 30 minutes

I cook slowly for a longer time until sauce thickens and is clinging to the sausages.

Another Xmas done

2020-12-27T05:00:01Z

This year Christmas felt like an odd affair. The pandemic forcing decisions on gifts. Cash flow has been, unpredictable to say the least. I was laid off in April, with a new gig (luckily) the next month. Julie's job has come & gone multiple times as schools close in Ohio seemingly every other month. This also effected Josh's part-time job.

I lost count the times that things came in and out of stock on Amazon. Long delivery times as well as my reticence of actually going in shops didn't help.

Josh's big gift was a gaming desk from IKEA. What if there's something missing? How do we return if it doesn't work out? Can we get it delivered in time? We ended up getting and assembling in his room early. He's now 16, no longer chomping at the bit to open presents at 5am, so that suited him fine.

We Skyped my Mum and Sister in the UK, popping around Julie's parents to exchange gifts later. Drive through a blizzard, sit apart with masks on indoors, drive back again. It was great spending even a little time together, but still...odd.

The weather played a part in the oddness too. 50° one day, snow and 30° the next.

I've been working from home since March so there's no separation from the interior. Decorations went up, as did the tree, and it felt like they'd always been up.

Today they all came down. Packed away until 2021.

Here's hoping we can sit closer than 6 feet, not talk through cloth, and that everyone is still here and healthy.

Music finds of 2020

2020-12-31T05:00:01Z

This is not a top 10, list of faves, or anything like that. Just a list of the albums I've bought while getting through this year. Some of these came out decades ago. Some I'd owned on vinyl and never replaced when I moved to the States.

I may more on some of these, but for now (in no particular order) here goes:

Inner Song, by Kelly Lee Owens
Coronation Albums , by Georg Friedrich Händel
Blue Hills, by Jonnine
Sign, by Autechre
Cyberpunk 2077 OST, by Various Artists
Welkin Paths, by Off Land
A Clear Horizon, by Motionfield
Compendium, by In Gowan Ring
Nagual 5, by Various Artists
Essential Squeeze, by Squeeze
Miss Anthropocene, by Grimes
Sleep, by Max Richter
Queen II, by Queen
The Spiritual Kitchen of Pop, by 4T Thieves
Night Hawk, by Coleman Hawkins
At Ease With Coleman Hawkins, by Coleman Hawkins
Wa-Do-Dem, by Eek-A-Mouse
Lessening, by Ralph Kinsella
Runaljod - Yggdrasil, by Wardruna
Designer, by Aldous Harding
You Only Live Twice OST, by John Barry
Dead Magic, by Anna Von Hausswolff
New Trick (EP), by Skating Polly
The Make It All Show, by Skating Polly
Inland, by Tetsu Inoue
Slow and Low, by Tetsu Inoue
Repurpose, by Woob
Blue Sun Daydream, by Elijah Knutsen
A Secret Wish, by Propaganda
ilcsepop, by Saul Stokes
Bags & Trane, by Milt Jackson & John Coltrane
The Lark Ascending, by Vaughan Williams
Möbius Strip, by Ken Ishii
The Collection 1977-1982, by The Stranglers
Stator, by Biosphere
Bloodmoon Rising, by Steve Roach
Toll, by Kemper Norton
Slow Walking, by Moss Covered Technology
Stasis Sounds For Long-Distance Space Travel, by 36 & zakè
Abolition of The Royal Familia, by The orb
Ghosts V and VI, by Nine Inch Nails
Aporia, by Sufjan Stevens, Lowell Brams

Boy that's a lot. A surprise for me was how much was vocal. The past few years I've been more and more just instrumental albums, but this year some (literal) new voices have crept in.

New Years Day

2021-01-01T05:00:01Z

The ground was hard and covered with frost this morning. Virtually all the Xmas snow had dissapeared yesterday.

Then, around midday it started raining. And it kept raining. The dogs seemed in a perpetual state of damp. A small pond forming behind our garden. The bottom of the steps looking more like The Somme every passing hour.

One could see that as a world washing this last year off itself.

I went out to collect Chinese food for dinner. Josh & I had sweet & sour pork, as you're not supposed to eat chicken on the first day.

I played a little Destiny 2, read a little, closed down my Twitter and Instagram accounts, and listened to some of my recent music purchases. Did a little housekeeping in 1Password. Deleted vaults from previous companies I worked at. Removed sites that no longer exist, and cleaned up a few of those weak and repeated passwords.

A little laundry. A little tidying. A day of "pottering". A glimpse in the coming months activities maybe.

Lessons from a coal fire

2021-01-03T05:00:01Z

In the 90's I bought my first house. A 1900's terraced house with, as it's sole source of heat, one gas fire in the kitchen. During the Summer, not a problem. But as the colder weather set-in the single-pane windows frosted up, on the inside.

The other thing it had was an open fireplace in the Living Room. I decided to use it. Roaring "real" fires here I come.

Preparing the way

My Dad (a one-time British Gas fitter) checked to make sure that it didn't have the remains of gas fire conversion. With no old flue pipes or fittings hanging around I had to find someone to clean it.

Before the internet there was the Yellow Pages. A big book full of the phone numbers of local business. Dropped off to every house, wether you wanted it or not. So a couple of phone calls later a chimney sweep turned up. I had to schedule him between wedding appearances. Large cloths, rods & brushes, and an industrial vacuum cleaner made sure it was good to go. But I still needed hardware.

Bits & Bobs

You can't pile up combustable material and light it. Luckily my elderly next-door neighbor had seen the sweep, asked if I could make use of her old 'fret', guard, and tools. Snapping these up I asked if she knew where I could get "the thing the coals went on".

She pointed to the hardware shop at the top of the road. This was one of those old places you could find one of almost anything. New kettle lead, spare pulley parts for sash windows, etc. Also carried Stoolgrates (I learned the name later) to fit our fireplace.

Now I had assembled the hardware I needed coal. Back to the big book of numbers. There was a local coal merchant who had to talk me through how much coal I'd need. I found out coal is very dirty. They had to walk it through the house to the garden and dump it out.

Twice.

Next thing I needed was newspaper. Quite a bit of newspaper.

Learned knowledge

One of my Nan's showed me how to make these braided fire starters from newspaper. Like an origami stick, these would burn longer than using just crumpled up paper. Helping the to coal catch is a trick. I also need a large piece, preferably from a broad sheet, to cover the fireplace and help "the draw". Partially covering the opening of the fireplace causes the chimney to suck (draw) more air from the room through a smaller space at the bottom, under the coals. This makes it burn hotter and speeds up the coals ignition.

Practice makes...

I was ready.

I'd spent the previous night folding newspaper sticks. Brought in a bucket of coal from the garden, and made sure everything assembled.

Placing coals around the edges. Adding my paper in the middle, couple of coals on top of that and...remembered I didn't have any matches. Lighting a paper stick with the stove, I brought it in like the Olympic Torch and placed in on top.

I had FIRE! A small one , but fire even so. Kneeling, I placed the large sheet over the front. Holding it with a hand on each side I met with a load roaring sound. The paper wasn't tight enough. It moved into the flames, caught fire and went speeding up the chimney like an inverse comet. A blast of heat then made me sit back with a start.

Giving it another go I made the paper was as taught as I could make it and slid it from the top down. This worked a lot better. Soon the coals had a glow and flames of their own. The room got nice an toasty, so I turned on the TV and settled in. But it kept getting warmer. And warmer. Soon I was sitting in the hall, watching TV through the doorway.

Come 11pm and the fire had no intentions of dying out. I had started later than I should, with way too much coal. I removed everything that could combust away from the fireplace already, so decided to go to bed.

The bedroom was above. It was warm. I felt the boarded up fireplace there. It was warm. I could also feel the hot air rushing up the chimney. That felt the longest night ever.

Going forward

Checking in the morning nothing had burnt, but the coals were still warm. I did enjoy having the fire over the Winter. Sipping Port in front of it on those long darks was, comforting. I sold the house a little while later and have never had a coal fire since.

It'd be glib of me to cite this as "the one event" that lead to my career today. But looking back it made a mark. Researching, listening, and experimenting. All to experience something new.

Things I want from The Division 3

2021-01-05T05:00:01Z

It seems we may be entering the last throws of The Division 2. A franchise I've enjoyed playing for years now. Last year we saw fewer familiar faces on the 'Sate of the game' streams. Red Storm's Terry Spier tweeted he no longer worked on it, and we just got an Optimization Station - Something came into the first game at it's end.

Wether or not there's an actual Division 3, or they go the route Bungie took for Destiny 2, here's part 1 of things I'd like to see. These are all based on existing game items/mechanics/storylines.

Collectibles

Personally I love apparel, gear dyes, weapon skins, and vanity mods. Anything that makes the grind a little more fruitful.

After 2 years we still don't have vanity mods for the hive, pulse, or chem launcher. We only have one for each of the remaining original skills and...the ones we do have for the shield and drone are, shall we say, lacking.

Have some new ones available for a short-period in game (see Fetch Quests section) and then lock for purchase in the store. These can be tied to seasons, events, or factions.

I have over 400 apparel cache keys I can't do anything with. I keep getting them awarded to me in-game, but haven't had anything to use them on in over a year. Same with the 4 Legacy Apparel Cache keys sitting there doing nothing. How about letting me trade them (for an exchange rate) to weapon or event caches? Same goes for the 25k+ Textiles that I've accrued, but provided very little to buy with them.

Commendation badges could also be something expanded past what we have.

Health/Hazard Protection

Currently Health means very little in the game. There are gear sets and mods that give you extra health, but the only time that could possibly help is if the opposing player runs out of ammo and you can get behind cover while they swap weapons. This rarely happens.

I would like to see certain status effects (bleed, fire, shock) bypass armor and work solely against your health pool. Having 1M+ armor shouldn't stop me bleeding out. It would encourage the use of these gear sets & mods and make health something you need to worry about.

This would work the same against players and AI characters.

Fetch Quests

In the story we have to help 2 settlements get back up and running. After that they are nothing more than vendor stops every Tuesday.

I would love to see more weekly side missions to help gather resources. Find missing people. Have each settlement give you daily/weekly bounties. Lock named item caches, gear dyes, vanity mods behind them.

This could have been worse

2021-01-06T05:00:01Z

Today the US Congress met to confirm the next President, Joe Biden. We knew that some Republicans that hitched their wagon to Trump would object, causing multiple 2 hour debates. Prolonging, but not changing, the outcome.

President Trump called for a rally of his loyal supporters. Told them to use their strength and get to the hill. They did march and didn't stop. Forcing themselves into the Capitol while this meeting was going on.

Protesters in support of US President Donald Trump swarmed the Capitol building, forcing officials to order lawmakers to shelter in place and halting debate in both the House and Senate. Congress was meeting to confirm President-elect Joe Biden's electoral college victory.

— BBC World News

Shocking photos capture what we watched live happen.

What's normally a ceremonial pitstop most Americans never watch, became an international news story. A woman was shot and killed in this action.

Trump released a video (on Twitter) wrapping a weak request for his supporters to go home, with the continued lie that he won. Twitter has suspended his account for 12 hours.

Congress started proceedings after The National Guard and Federal police cleared the building and pronounce it safe.

It's now 10pm and they are still going.

2021-01-10 retro

2021-01-10T05:00:01Z

Conspiracy theorists' image of 5G Covid implant chip turns out to be guitar pedal schematic.

First day back at work and Slack falls over.

Is Japan building wooden satellites the pre-cursor of Alien 3's original wooden planet setting?

Brick collecting, of course.

Test your knowledge with this UX Quiz from The NNGroup.

Secret artists creating shops for mice across Europe.

A good piece by Kieran Healy around what happened at The Capitol on the 6th.

My bank is closing

2021-01-11T05:00:01Z

I remember attending the SXSWi 2011 panel Banks! Innovate or die and being impressed by the lively discussion. Especially Joshua Reich, the CEO of Simple at that point.

Simple had been going for a couple of years at that point, but seeing Joshua made me want to have them as my bank. Two things stand out from my notes on that panel.

Josh's Bankers are poor at dealing with people statement was, and is, so true
Like it or not, banks are now too big and can/will absorb these other types. Not to the say they can't learn something

Now, a decade later, Simple is closing. It was sold to BBVA USA, they in turn are being bought by PNC Bank. The Verge has a good round-up on the history and announcement.

My experience with Simple has been nothing but excellent. The rare times I had to call I always spoke to someone directly who helped. Never had to call multiple times. The website and app were great and have influenced a lot of the changes traditional banks have made with their offerings.

I will miss the clarity in their email, messaging, and UI. I'll miss seeing exactly what is 'Safe-to-Spend' and having 'Goals' to squirrel away small amounts to pay for a specific thing later on. In a tweet Joshua said

Our first mission statement was to help people worry less about money. It morphed to ‘help people feel confidence’. Either way, we wanted to help people.

— Joshua Reich

I feel they achieved this in my eyes.

Reddit users have now started a Google Sheet to compare features from Simple to other banks, helping people to choose an alternative. It's clear there are very few that can compare.

T-shirts

2021-01-14T05:00:01Z

I've been a fan of Dan Cederholm since the early 2000's. His blog was among those I visited everyday.

I have bought his books in the past, and now he's having a sale so I grabbed a couple of t-shirts he designed.

These are super comfy and I really love the designs.

I'm looking forward to seeing the new ones coming soon.

Things I want from The Division 3, part 2

2021-01-18T05:00:01Z

Here's the second part of my wishlist for The Division 2. You can read part 1 to see the other changes.

Dark Zone

I am not a big PvP fan but, I don't want the Dark Zones to be solely tailored to a PvE audience. One thing I really enjoyed about The Division 1 was entering the Dark Zone (solo or in a group) and having ways to hide, or avoid, Rogue Agents/Manhunts if I didn't want to PvP.

The cat and mouse aspect, part of the appeal and danger, has been completely stripped away. The three zones are smaller, only allowing for a reduced number of players in at a time. Think different

A contributing factor is the size of the three zones. But not in area. Volume is the key. There is no real verticality to either of these zones. No sewers, no rooftop access. It's very flat. And yes there's an underground train yard in one, an elevated freeway section in another. But those don't really have any choke points or multiple exits like the underground system in the first one.

Skills

I grow really tired of hearing about using skills is lazy or has "killed" PvP. Newsflash! Your shield is a skill. Deflector/Repair drones are a skill. Pretty much the whole tiring meta at the moment is face tanking opposite shield builds with 1.7M+ armor and max crit chance/crit damage.

In the story there are EMP pulses that disable skills. Make the Occupied Dark Zones 'no skill' with these. You want pure DPS matches? Fine. No shield, no healing, no seeker mines. Just you, armor, and weapons.

Perks

Another discarded part of the gameplay was the DZ Perks. After unlocking the 3 zones as part of the story we had access to a tree with different perks. These would help/hinder depending if you went "Rogue". This tree was meager to start with, but gutted when the DZ's were overhauled. As you can see there's very little options to choose from. Another mechanic I would like to see expanded and maybe have change depending on seasons, etc.

Specialization Weapons

Each specialization comes with its own weapon. You only get ammo for it by doing things specific for that specialization. Problem is the weapons aren't that special. For example, a .50 cal sniper rifle that ends up doing less damage than most handguns against enemies, especially 'named' bosses.

I would love to see these completely overpowered, but reduce the ammo you have. Make the post-collapse scarcity a thing. Hoard your ammo and save it for that one big encounter. Make it a something to grind for, only if, it can 1 or 2-shot a boss in solo play. Scaling with group play.

Outside the game

Loot, and its management has always been a sticking point for this franchise. I would really like to see an official app, and 3rd-party access for website to manage loot. Destiny and Call Of Duty have both had success with this.

Photo | Afterward | 001

2021-01-24T05:00:01Z

The last of the 'Easy Morning Pancake' mix from Fowler's Mill mixed with blueberries (coz I'm healthy now), and a tad of syrup.

No longer an orchestra

2021-01-31T05:00:01Z

I first encountered the sounds of Penguin Cafe Orchestra on The South Bank Show in 1987. It was a mix of "new age", classical, avant-garde, and just plain fun.

There are long tables and everyone sits together, and it’s very cheerfully chaotic. In the back there is always a band playing music that you are sure you’ve heard somewhere but you have no idea where – and that is the Penguin Cafe Orchestra – they play this music.

— Arthur Jeffes, Official website

I remember hunting down the 'Music from the Penguin Cafe' record and feeling equal parts joy & confusion as I listened. The same for the other albums I bought by them over the years.

Simon Jeffes, the founder, died in 1997 and the cafe lost its orchestra. But his son, Arthur, later took up the baton and puts out albums under The Penguin Cafe.

'Handfuls of Night' is the latest album, and first of the new ones I've bought. It's very atmospheric, based on Arthurs journey to the Antarctic. You get a sense of the openness and stark landscapes, mixed with the beauty of the place. The swirling winds, utter cold, and different animals which call this place home.

You can hear the connection to the previous orchestra. The strings and some arrangements have that familiar feel. Some little flourishes, like the dial tone on 'Pythagoras On The Line Again', harken back his fathers sound. But there is no confusion here. No real musical surprises, which left me feel wanting a little.

I enjoyed this to seek out the other albums, but it also made me appreciate what's special about those early Orchestra albums.

I found a kindred voice, too late

2021-01-31T05:00:01Z

Until the beginning of 2021 I had no recollection of knowing about Mark Fisher, or his writing. Being name-dropped in a few unrelated recent videos and podcasts, and having a connection to hauntology tickled something in my brain.

I watched his talk, The Slow Cancellation of the Future, and it struck such a nerve with me I grabbed his book 'Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures'.

not only has the future not arrived, it no longer seems possible.

— Mark Fisher, Ghosts of My Life

This is a collection of Mark's writing (articles, reviews, etc.) on his blog or other publications. Out-of-the-gate he starts with Sapphire and Steel episodes, mentioned in his talk. How this odd series (even back then) resonates even more the further we move away from it.

This is the first book I've read on the Kindle where I highlighted passages and made notes. So much in Mark's writing touched on ideas/feelings I had when consuming the same media.

Ever been in pub or bar (remember them?) and a friend-of-a-friend would sit at your table and you suddenly found a kindred spirit? They liked the same things you did, but had a slightly different take on them. Reading this book was like Mark had sat down at my table in the Cork & Cheese and Friday night just whizzed by.

those who can’t remember the past are condemned to have it resold to them forever.

— Mark Fisher, Ghosts of My Life

Though this book came out in 2014, and Mark died in 2017, I found myself comparing a lot of what he wrote to events from 2020. The pandemic, lockdowns, the virulent spread of disinformation via social media.

This quote nagged at me...

The postcolonial melancholic doesn’t (just) refuse to accept change; at some level, he refuses to accept that change has happened at all.

— Mark Fisher, Ghosts of My Life

...that maybe this is what Trump followers were feeling. MAGA cope of the big lie?

I hadn't seen or heard some of the things in the reviews but have jotted them down for later. I may go and revisit some of the albums from Burial, John Foxx, and Tricky that he writes about. See if I agree with his take on these. I don't know if I will, but that's ok.

The album is like the faded ten year-old tag of a kid whose Rave dreams have been crushed by a series of dead end jobs.

— Mark Fisher, Ghosts of My Life

I've a list of other books of his work waiting for me to consume this year, and thoughts of the futures now lost without his coverage.

fifty two

2021-02-04T05:00:01Z

52 times around the sun.

A quiet day, with wishes online and in person.

She's one year older

2021-02-26T05:00:01Z

For her 50^th Julie wanted a specific cake, so I obliged. Over an hour drive to get this luxurious red velvet cake from Kelsey Elizabeth. It was so heavy and decadent.

NOM - Jerk Chicken

2021-03-05T05:00:01Z

I decided to treat myself to something different for lunch. Jamaican food from Ela's Caribbean Grill. This was the Jerk Chicken with red beans & rice, and cabbage. It was the "mild" version, so it had a nice kick but not too spicy. Chased it with some strong Ginger beer.

The chicken was nice and succulent. Large amount of rice. All-in-all a great lunch. I'll certainly be back to try some of the other dishes.

TikTok

2021-03-05T05:00:01Z

I had an account for Musical.ly just to secure my "namespace". I think I used it once.

Fast Forward a few years and it becomes the behemoth that is TikTok. My profile didn't get moved over and I have no interest in social networks at the moment. But my wife and son use it.

I know this by the repetition of certain music clips I hear drifting around the house. They send me, via text, links to the latest "gotta see this".

But there's nothing new here for me.

It's candy-coloured UI smacks of a MySpace/Snapchat love-child. The content makes 12second.tv, and later Vine, seem luxuriously long.

Martin Belam seems to have nailed what TikTok is

Anyway while scrolling in horror through TikTok I suddenly had the blinding flash of recognition of what it would have been like for me in 1988. It would almost certainly have been full of slightly older cute goth girls in their best going out outfits doing make-up tutorials, interspersed with the odd spotty spike-haired dude showing you how to play the riff from a Joy Division song, and it would have been absolutely compelling. That’s what TikTok is, I reckon.

— Martin Belam, Blog post

But this is my sons 1988, not mine. I'll leave it to him.

1st Jab

2021-03-24T05:00:01Z

Got my first, of the two, Covid-19 vaccination jabs today. Feels a little sore, but no effects.

Doing my part to protect myself, and others.

Code updates

2021-03-28T05:00:01Z

Circumstances dictated I did some work on the infrastructure of this blog. So I spent most of today searching GitHub, Stack Overflow and the Eleventy website for answers.

Pagination problem fixed

I blogged about the issue I was having with showing the three most recents posts on the homepage. I finally figured out how to solve it.

I removed the pagination from the front matter completely, replacing it with a collection call in the page. I also added a Nunjucks "special variable" inside a loop (thanks to huphtur's comment on the "Limit the output of a Collection" issue on GitHub) to this.

<div class="wrapper-tiles">
    {\%- for post in collections.post | reverse -%\}
        {\%- if loop.index0 < 3 -%\}
        <div class="tile">
            <div class="tile-head txt-center">
                <time datetime="2026-03-09T01:01:00.417Z">March 8, 2026</time>
            </div>
            <div class="tile-body">
                <p><a href="." title=""></a></p>
            </div>
        <div>
        {\%- endif -%\}
    {\%- endfor-%\}
</div>

This now shows the last 'n' posts on the front page without creating lots of extra folders in the _site folder.

Building on this I also added a new section on the homepage where the latest two posts from some chosen tags are shown.

Styling

You may have noticed some fancy styling on the code block above. I added some cue's from Chris Coyier's post Styling Code In and Out of Blocks over at CSS Tricks.

I also added some CSS for the new topics section on the homepage.

.tile-head * {
    color: #ffffff !important;
    margin: 0.25em;
    padding: 0.25em;
    }

This makes sure whatever I put in to the head section of my tile is coloured white and has some spacing around it.

I also added a little something for the lists now in the body of the tiles.

.list-breathe {
    margin: 0;
    }
	
.list-breathe li {
    padding: 0.9167em 0;
    }

This gives me some spacing around each li without playing around with the line-height.

Eleventy updated

When Bridget fist helped me put this together Eleventy was on version 9. It's now on version 12 so I took the plunge and updated - But that's a whole blog post of its own.

Upgrade

2021-03-28T05:00:01Z

It was getting hot. The charge only lasted 40 minutes. And there was less and less that I could run on it. It was time to saw goodbye to me 2013 MacBook Pro. It had served me well.

Say hello to the new M1 MacBook Air. This thing is fast and quiet. Here's to getting nearly a decade out of this one.

Adam Curtis has a new film

2021-03-29T05:00:01Z

2025-01-02 update: Removed embedded video, taken down by BBC copyright claim on YouTube.

Adam Curtis has developed a very particular style for his films. Stock footage, bold sans-serif font overlays, and a certain cadence to his measured speech. It's easy to imitate and pastiche. Quite a few people I know don't like his films, but I find them interesting, engrossing.

Adam Curtis is QAnon for Guardian readers.

— Jeremy Keith, Blog post

His latest for the BBC, titled "Can't Get You Out Of My Head", is available on his YouTube channel as 6 (one hour) installments. Adam describes it as...

We are living through strange days. Across Britain, Europe and America societies have become split and polarised. There is anger at the inequality and the ever growing corruption - and a widespread distrust of the elites. Into this has come the pandemic that has brutally dramatised those divisions. But despite the chaos, there is a paralysis - a sense that no one knows how to escape from this.

— Adam Curtis

He's pulling seemingly separate historical strands together. Showing how the effects of action by disparate forces impact and shape others. Mao's wife. The British Empire creating Iran. The rise of suburbs in America, to name a few.

All this gives rise to conspiracy theories, amplified by the rise of the internet and (he posits) our inability to accept any other way.

His use of archive footage and music choices do not reflect the actual historic events. Rather they give a sense of mood and place. For me this aids his narrative. Underscoring the threads he presents.

I don't see his work as a traditional documentarian. I'm more inline with Stewart Lee who said

...it's a sort of bloke going look at this. What about this? Oh that's weird init. It's like a sort of ramble around someone's brain whose been stuck in a cellar with too much archive footage. It's not meant to be Panorama.

— Stewart Lee, Alexie Sayle's podcast

Again, I'm a fan. I don't agree with everything he puts forward, but find the topics appealing. Take a watch and see for yourself.

Diving into The Long Dark

2021-04-04T05:00:01Z

The Long Dark is a survival game set during Winter on Great Bear Island, somewhere in the Canadian wilderness.

Quite a few of my friends had already played this and, with it being on Xbox Game Pass, I thought I'd give it a go. I did not expect it to draw me in this much.

Look & feel

There is a sense of walking through a painting with this game. And it's not always the typical soft Kincaid-esque view of Winter.

Deep greys and blues abound. The subtle orange light from my meager fires, dispel the barest of shadows in dark buildings I seek shelter. Sometimes it's bright and I can see far away. But an instant whiteout can appear and I can't tell direction or see a foot in front of me.

The sound design is immersive. Tin roofs rattle in the wind, wood creaks, wolves howl and the slow trudge of your feet in the snow seems hypnotic. There's also a great score of plaintive piano and strings that ebb in and out.

Story mode

I decide to play through the story, rather than dive in with the survival mode straight off.

You play a charter plane pilot with one passenger. During a storm there are green lights in the sky and you lose all electrics. The plane goes down and you, not only have to survive, but reunite with your separated passenger.

They give you enough backstory to make you care about the characters, and a dash of mystery about what has happened to cause this "quiet apocalypse".

Everything hurts

Stand too close to a fire, I burn myself. Walk up/down a steep incline, sprain my ankle/wrist. Stay out too long, hypothermia. Eat something kinda dodgy, food poisoning.

Add in wolves, bears, thin ice, you get the picture. As there's no fast travel. You have to walk everywhere, so standing still to get your bearings, or carrying too much making you slower, can be a death sentence.

Even with all this, the foraging and keeping a cabin is therapeutic. Until the dread sets in when you run out of wood.

He's 17

2021-04-07T05:00:01Z

Our baby is now 17 years old. Where does the time go to?

Also, he had his first COVID-19 vaccination today. Happy Birthday!

Style updates

2021-04-10T05:00:01Z

So while waiting for the internet to come back on I decided to update the styling on this site. Playing around on localhost I updated as I went.

Colours

Though I only had a few colors on here I decided to knock it down even more, and move from HEX values to RGBA. This gave me the option of playing with the Alpha channel to make things lighter/darker.

At the top of my CSS file I dropped in my values.

/* =COLORS
    white = rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)
    drk blue = rgba(8, 47, 55, 1)
    drk grey = rgba(45, 45, 46, 1)
    med grey = rgba(95, 82, 93, 1)
    lt grey = rgba(252, 252, 250, 1)
    gold = rgba(253, 188, 46, 1)
    green = rgba(2, 249, 0, 1)
    polaroid = rgba(239, 239, 239, 1)
*/

Some of these are direct conversions from HEX. Others, like the dark blue and gold are new.

I use the excellent PIKA color picker. This gives the ability to grab colors and see how the contrast ratio complies to WCAG. It also let me choose HEX, RGB, etc when copy & pasting the values.

Dark blue is used for the main headings, the background for code blocks and blockquotes, and some borders. Gold is used for the text and left-border of blockquotes, as well as background of the <strong> element (but a different opacity). Green is used for the text in code blocks as well as the background of inline code (but a different opacity).

Attributes for Listen and Read posts

At the top of my posts relating to things I've read and listened to I had the attributes of the album or book. I wasn't happy with the way these bumped into the content using the grid, so I changed it.

I exposed the URLs so you you can see where you'll be going if clicking on the official website/buy link. I also added the title and ISBN for books. These are in the Eleventy front matter of each post and pulled through with a variable in the Eleventy layout file.

artistURL: http://k-punk.org
artistNAME: Mark Fisher
bookTITLE: Ghosts of My Life - Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures
bookISBN: 978-1-78279-624-4
purchaseURL: https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/zer0-books/our-books/ghosts-my-life

Now these have a double border (using the dark blue) to separate them from "my thoughts".

Small screen

I did a few tweaks to layout for small screens; increased some font sizes, stacked tiles on the homepage, and adjusted various margin and padding on some elements.

Convocations

2021-04-14T05:00:01Z

Sufjan Stevens has a new instrumental album releasing soon. Convocations is a massive 2½ hours, broken into 49 tracks spanning 5 distinct "sonic cycles".

Described as a requiem mass for our present times of difficulty, it rises and falls with vocals, electronic swells, and strings. From what I've heard none of it seems recycled from his other works, but definitely evokes previous albums such as Carrie & Lowell.

You can listen live, on his YouTube channel, to the different cycles on separate days. Each is accompanied by generative visuals. Today is "Meditations" (embedded below).

Like most of his work it has a highly personal reason for existing...

In fact, Stevens made Convocations in response to (and as an homage to) the life and death of his biological father, who died in September last year, two days following the release of The Ascension. It is, then, ultimately an album about loss, and an album that reflects a year in which we have all lost so much.

Grayson Haver Currin, Bandcamp liner notes

At $30 it's a big purchase, but I did just add it to my wishlist.

An Event Apart, Spring Summit - Day one

2021-04-19T05:00:01Z

After all these years I managed to finally attend An Event Apart.

The ongoing pandemic means it's virtual, so I'm still in my basement, but they've got a format that's working well — Watch the pre-recorded talk, followed by a live Q&A with the presenter.

This means I don't miss anything if I have to let the dogs out, make a cuppa, or answer a work SOS.

Today is day one, and it's been a barnstormer.

Presenters

Jeremy Keith opens by looking forward to what the web could be by considering it's history. The progress we've made thus far. How Flash and polyfills can be seen as R&D for the evolution of W3C standards.

If I have the choice of making something the user's problem, or making it my problem, I’ll make it my problem every time. That’s my job.

Jeremy Keith

I had to miss Scott Jehl's presentation, but I'm going to watch the recording soon.

Next was Rachel Andrews on "How to understand CSS". Filled with "live" code and clear examples of how CSS has evolved over the years and what its actually doing. Thinking about "aligning in the block and inline dimensions". Now I want to completely restructure this blogs pages.

Do not be afraid of the specifications! Interesting information lives there.

Rachel Andrews

Miriam Suzanne delivered a great look at variables in CSS. Again, like Rachels talk, there's so much to dive into here. From defining a name of a repeated color to creating and animating bar charts. Unlike Sass and the like these aren't static and complied. But dynamic and responsive.

Dave Ruperts presentation on Web Components was the other I missed and have to catch up on the recording.

Ending the day was Cyd Harrel's talk on "Getting Senior with UX". A great look at how being senior does not equal a management track. Some very interesting points about growing your "design eye", realizing your areas of strength, and bringing along others.

Tomorrow

With talk titles such as "Better User Experience is Better SEO", Inclusive Design Systems, and High-Impact User Research it seems a little less code-centric.

I cannot wait to experience the ideas from day two.

2nd Jab

2021-04-21T05:00:01Z

We got the second Moderna jab today. Same arm as the first.

Followed some received wisdom from previous second jabbers and drank Powerade before, took Tylenol after. Hopefully this will reduce the side-effects that seem to be running about 50/50 from people we've spoken to.

Onwards & upwards.

Roadtrip back to normal

2021-04-24T05:00:01Z

This morning I hopped in the car and drove, about 40 minutes, to Hudson. I had a gift certificate for The Learned Owl bookshop and decide to combine spending that with grabbing a coffee with an old friend.

For an over hour we sat in the Open Door Coffee Co.. Less than 6 feet apart, maskless and in opposite leather chairs, sipping coffee and talking. People came and went. The sun shone. And for a while it felt it could've been any Saturday in 2019.

Then it was time to re-enter 2021.

Masks on, we said our goodbyes and I went and picked up my book. Past the make-shift barriers that enclose virtually all cash registers, having to repeat the odd word every now and again.

We're slowly getting back.

Documenting food

2021-04-28T05:00:01Z

There used to be a few places where you could post photos, and rate, the food you ate. Evernote Food, Nosh.me, and Foodspotting were the one's I used.

None are around today.

I kinda miss them. In the 2010-2015 period we were spoiled for niches apps vying for users. In the end Pinterest, Yelp, and Instagram pretty much came out ahead for recipes, restaurants, and "food porn" respectively.

I, like most, used Instagram to catalog my gastronomic excursions later on. Most of these did get syndicated back to my old blog so at some point they'll end back here again.

Nosh.me never offered an export when it closed, and Evernote Food entries are now just stored as regular notes in my Evernote. But I did manage to get an export of my old Foodspotting posts. So I've decided to add them here, under the original post dates. Just 3 at the moment, but more to come.

Big changes at Basecamp

2021-05-01T05:00:01Z

This week has seen some big changes from Basecamp. The Verge has a good piece outlining what happened.

Stemming from (in part) an internal list of "funny" customer names, and the unwillingness to deal with it head-on, lead to the owners implementing some radical changes. One particular change seem to be the reason that reportedly a third of Basecamp's staff is leaving.

Therefore, we’re asking everyone, including Jason and me, to refrain from using our company Basecamp or HEY to discuss societal politics at work effective immediately.

— David Heinemeier Hansson

There's a lot of "pearl-clutching" going on around this, but I'll wager every call center throughout the world has it's own version of that list. I am not defending it, just recognizing that when humans get together, tribalism follows.

In larger, less public, companies, HR would add policies followed by a company-wide email. The offenders/complainers would be fired or leave due to a series of managerial micro-agressions. Everyone else would forget about it and keep on with their day, in part thanks to the vagueness of the email and policy wording.

With Basecamp we have the owners making decisions in public. Setting out their stall in plain English, and being very open if you don't like how they are handling it.

Who's responsible for these changes? David and I are. Who made the changes? David and I did. These are our calls, and the outcomes and impacts land at our doorstep.

— Jason Fried

We also have an employee's open letter, an announcement that the podcast is going dark by obviously shaken presenters (one of whom has now left), and a slew of tweets of people looking for new jobs.

Whether I will remain on medical leave after publishing this letter is entirely up to you: either up to your benevolence as the dictators of Basecamp, or to your strategic savvy.

— Jane Yang

Jason & David have always marched to their own drum. I don't agree with some of what they have done, but I can see the rationale behind other parts. Let's see if anyone follows this new beat.

Lamb Balti

2021-05-01T05:51:28Z

Lamb Balti

The Indian Kitchen

Ate this at The Indian Kitchen on May 1, 2021, and noted Delicious boneless marinated lamb in a thick spiced sauce. Really good.

Fried ramen bowl

2021-05-04T05:00:01Z

Fried ramen bowl

TikTok YouTube ramen hack

Ate this at Home on May 4, 2021, and noted Very tasty and pretty quick to assemble

I followed Beryl Shereshewsky's video for the "Everything but the bagel" ramen. She based it on the TikTok Ramen recipe from https://iamafoodblog.com/.

Easy and pretty quick lunch as I had everything in the cupboard.

"TikTok" Ramen

Ingredients

Butter
3 gloves garlic, minced/pressed
Brown sugar
Soy sauce
Pepper flakes
1 egg
Everything bagel seasoning

Takes 15 minutes, serves one/two people.

Directions

Boil water and cook noodles for about a minute less than packet instructions - Do not add the flavor packet
Melt butter on low heat
Add garlic and cook until soft
Add pepper flakes, soy sauce, and brown sugar
Drain noodles and toss in the sauce
Move noodles aside and scramble egg in the pan
Serve and top with the bagel seasoning

I added the broccoli when heating the noodles in the sauce.

Changing to

2021-05-08T05:00:01Z

One of the nice things I've settled into with Eleventy powering this blog is I can mix markdown with HTML in the same area when creating a post/page. I know that it'll all get processed and rendered as HTML in the browser.

Take blockquotes for instance. Markdown just requires I start the line with a > and when rendered it'll wrap that in the HTML <blockquote> element.


> This is a blockquote

<blockquote>This is a blockquote</blockquote>

This is nice and quick. But I like to include attribution to quotes I put in. Who said it, where it was said, and a link to it if it was online. There's no way to include that in Markdown.

It either becomes part of quote and I have to do some CSS hoop-jumping to get it out of the quotation marks, or it sits outside of the element and looks detached, leading to more CSS.

After much searching I liked the MDN example of wrapping it the <figure> element.

It passes the smell test for the intent of a figure (represents self-contained content, potentially with an optional caption) and gives me some legitimate hooks to use CSS without extra <div> and <span> elements.

I created the following clip in Coda so I can just drag-and-drop it in.


<figure class="blockquote">
    <blockquote cite=“link to original”>
        <p>Quoted text</p>
    </blockquote>
    <figcaption>— Person, <cite>Where it’s from</cite></figcaption>
</figure>

And here it is styled

This is nice and quick. But I like to include attribution to quotes I put in. Who said it, where it was said, and a link to it if it was online.

— David Mead, This blog

And yes, I know, I use a class name to describe the thing it is.

So now I'm off to go through and replace all my markdown blockquotes with this HTML version. Another downside of using Markdown is I can't find & replace. Search for > and see how many matches you get in your site.

BBVA mess up Simple transfer

2021-05-09T05:00:01Z

On January 11^th I posted about my bank closing. Well, May 8^th was the day the BBVA was to migrate all Simple Bank users over and have them create their new account logins. What a shitshow!

I'd been getting emails from Simple letting us know the day would be coming. That the day was May 8^th. What to do on that day, but don't do anything yet.

Saturday

So on the day I get a welcome email I decided to wait untli the afternoon to try. I have errands to run and thought any teething issues would be fixed by them. Click the link, follow the on-screen instructions and get...

An error. Verify your sign info and try again. Okay. I do, and get...

A different error. I click the big button labelled 'OK' and try resetting my password through the forgot flow, and get...

Another error. This time stating my account (which I am still not sure has actually been created) is not only locked now but previously been activated for another account you own. What? Well at least there's a number to call. I was on hold for 30 minutes until it disconnects.

Going back to the welcome email I call the number provided there. That routes through a message from Simple, states there's an error, connects to a BBVA message and I'm on hold again.

While waiting I thought I'd check the online help, which is a chatbot that is no help. I then check the BBVA account on Twitter and, oh boy, people are not happy.

2/3: Due to the high volume of customers attempting to enroll in mobile and online banking, BBVA USA is experiencing technical issues with enrollment in those services.
— BBVA in the USA (@BBVA_USA) May 8, 2021

After about another 40 minutes on hold I get to talk to someone. They walk me through some security questions and I can tell in her voice I am not the first today. After a password reset, adding some more security questions and hoop-jumping I can log in to the website and, yes, my money is there.

I thank her and she's off to the next in line. I still can't log into the app.

As I start clicking around the site feels clunky, dated. It's not responsive at all. When I click to view Bill Pay options I'm denied as Safari is blocking cookies. What!

Sunday

Even though I could now get into my account I wanted to see if BBVA had released a statement on social media, as I hadn't got an email about any of this.

1/4: To Simple customers converting to BBVA: This has not been a good conversion experience for many of you. We know this, and we sincerely apologize. BBVA teams are working around the clock to understand the situation and make it right.
— BBVA in the USA (@BBVA_USA) May 9, 2021

That tweet was posted at 2.44PM the next day, after the "Happy Mother's day" tweets had racked up angry Simple customer replies. The thread goes on to say that the call center went down later on. Once again The Verge wrapup has a good overview, including this from BBVA...

Due to the volume of customers attempting to enroll in mobile and online banking simultaneously, there were technical difficulties with the enrollment process, leading to high call volume in our call centers, which overwhelmed the system, and created longer than normal wait times,

— BBVA Spokesperson, Verge article

Moving forward

BBVA has owned Simple for years now, and they knew exactly how many people could hit the system that Saturday. This also doesn't bode well for the future as BBVA is being sold to PNC.

I will not be sticking around to find out how badly that goes.

On the bright side this was not my main bank account, unlike some who where part of this fiasco. You only get one chance to make a first impression, and BBVA certainly made a horrible one.

Lazy Sunday

2021-05-09T05:00:01Z

Post Pandemic Concerts?

2021-05-16T05:00:01Z

Now I'm fully vaccinated, along with (currently) over 40% of the adult USA population, it seemed like a good to spend money on going to see a couple of concerts.

Now I'm hedging my bets here.

We've had the CDC update it's mask guidance for the fully vaccinated to resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing..., and there's another 4 months until the first one, so we should be good.

Also, if the last year has beaten anything into us, time is short.

October

First concert is Dead Can Dance, in Akron. That's about an hour drive, so not that far.

I've been a fan since the 90's. I had a PenPal and we exchanged tapes of our favourite tracks. She'd included some DCD and I was hooked.

I missed out on seeing them in the UK over the years, so what better time than now.

November

The second concert is Genesis who will be playing Cleveland.

I last saw them live back in 1987, at Wembley Stadium, on the Invisible Touch tour. It was Summer, I was 18, and it was fantastic!

Now I'm taking my 17 year old son to clap, stomp, and sing-along.

Red Lentil Curry

2021-05-20T05:00:01Z

Red Lentil Curry

Easy and delicious vegan curry

Ate this at Home on May 20, 2021

I found this recipe a while ago, and it turned out great. I make a big batch, then freeze in single serving containers. I can drop a frozen puck in a saucepan and it's warmed through by the time the rice cooker clicks off. Great for lunch or dinner.

Red Lentil Curry

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic
1 chili pepper
2 inch piece ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chilli powder
1 cup red lentils
2 cups vegetable broth
14 oz crushed tomatoes
13 oz coconut milk
3 tbsp almond butter (or 1 tbsp of tahini)

Takes 45 minutes, serves four people.

Directions

finely dice up garlic, chili pepper and ginger (use 1 tbsp ground ginger)
put dry spices together
rinse red lentils until water runs clear
First, sauté the ginger, garlic, and chili peppers for 2 minutes
Add dry spices cook for 30-60 seconds
Deglaze with vegetable broth and add tomatoes and lentils
Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes until lentils are soft
stir, add coconut milk and almond butter cook uncovered 5-10 minutes

I always use the Tahini and it turns our great.

Walking dogs in the sun

2021-05-20T05:00:01Z

Pandemic Distribution

2021-05-21T05:00:01Z

Much like William Gibson's quote about the future, this COVID-19 Pandemic still feels unevenly distributed.

The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet.

— William Gibson

After a year or so of initial panic, wiping everything down, masks, self-isolation, lies & conspiracy theories, and finally vaccines it seems we could be past the worst of it.

Sitting in my garden, the sun feeling good on my arms, it doesn't feel like I'm in a pandemic. But I guess that's the difference between reality and the stories we tell.

Misconceptions

Pandemics, whether real (viral) or make-believe (zombie), are depicted pretty much in the same way for the last decade or so. Empty cities, burnt-out cars, abandoned medical equipment, and everything in muted colors.

And while the first months showed eerily similar scenes in hospitals across the world (freezer trucks as morgues) as medical staff battled against the unbelievable toll of COVID-19, a lot of things kept going as normal.

I think that's the thing that makes it more unsettling. We get lulled back in the sense of safety as life plods on. We're no longer looking at empty shelves in stores. Day's turn into weeks. Seasons move on regardless. That's the problem for some. If it doesn't match the expectations they can't (or won't) accept it's real.

World War memories

I remember hearing stories from my Grandparents about World War II. How it was incredibly hard being under the constant threat of bombing in London. Of not knowing what food (if any) rationing would give you next week.

But then they'd come out with memories of spending Summer days in the garden watching the trails of planes above like it was the most normal thing. Of how life, and the World, kept going regardless. I would see photos of people smiling and having fun, while knowing family & friends were fighting and dying less than 200 miles away.

Going Forward

I spent the bulk of the day sitting in a Panera Bread today, without a mask for the most part. Video chatted to people in South Africa and London. Slack'd and emailed on projects and deadlines. It all seems so very 'normal'.

But as we're pulling out, India seems to be sinking deeper back in. Members of our development teams have been off either with COVID, nursing family members, or both. One of the team died.

I worry that as countries pull further apart with handling this, the more we'll forget we were all in this together.

Shoyu Ramen

2021-05-22T05:00:01Z

Shoyu Ramen

Issho Ni Ramen

Ate this at Issho Ni Ramen on May 22, 2021, and noted Delicious bowl of ramen. Egg was creamy and the broth rich.

Organizational Dream

2021-05-29T05:00:01Z

Lately I've noticed I've been having the same thoughts as I drift off to sleep. It goes like this.

I'm sitting at a wooden table in a rudimentary stone cottage. Apart from the table, chair, a wood-burning stove, and a ladder leading to a sleeping loft it's empty.

I'm a participant in a study to spend a year alone here. Apart from food & firewood, I have one hour to list out everything I need.

So I start making a list.

I never get very far. I guess it's my variant of counting sheep.

Egg and avocado on English Muffin

2021-06-01T05:00:01Z

Egg and avocado on English Muffin

Throwing lunch together

Ate this at Home on June 1, 2021, and noted Quick lunch. Sprinkled everything bagel topping all over. Delicious.

On the reaction to casting Death

2021-06-05T05:00:01Z

In the 90's there were 3 big comic series I waited with baited breath on every issue; The Sandman, Hellblazer, and Cerebus.

I am a big fan of Neil Gaiman, and his work. So when Netflix announced its casting for the 'live action' version of The Sandman I was interested. And what a "dream" cast (pun intended) it is. But apparently not everyone thought so.

There's backlash about the announcement using gender pronouns under the actors names. But the bigger backlash seems to be about casting Kirby Howell-Baptiste as 'Death'.

I find this astounding to say the least. My first encounters with non-stereotyped POC, gay, or gender-fluid, characters in literature was in those Sandman comics.

He's had the opportunity to shape his stories for TV and audio - Changing them to suit the times and medium before. To have the creator now have a voice in shaping how his Sandman stories are told & performed, in a new medium, should be a cause for celebration.

Apparently not. So much so that Neil Gaiman felt he had to respond on Twitter.

I give all the fucks about the work. I spent 30 years successfully battling bad movies of Sandman.

I give zero fucks about people who don't understand/ haven't read Sandman whining about a non-binary Desire or that Death isn't white enough. Watch the show, make up your minds.

— Neil Gaiman, Twitter

And the verbal knots some tie themselves up in to prove this isn't being racist, is unbelievable.

I will probably not watch the Netflix show. For the same reason I didn't watch 'American Gods' or 'Good Omens'. I've already read & enjoyed those books, and I'm more interested in the new stories that Neil has to tell.

But I am excited for others to discover the world of The Sandman on Netflix, and maybe find their way to other stories from Neil.

Instant ramen with raw egg

2021-06-08T05:00:01Z

Instant ramen with raw egg

Trying new things

Ate this at Home on June 8, 2021

Taking the idea from a video (below) by Way of Ramen and mixed a raw egg into the miso paste before I poured the boiling water into the bowl. Turned out tasty and did have a different "mouth-feel" than usual.

I used to be a cinephile

2021-06-12T05:00:01Z

I loved watching movies. Any movie. Especially sitting in that darkened shared space taking it all in. But for the last decade that interest has wained. This year I want to re-kindle that love.

My earliest cinema visits

I have a vivid memory of my Mum taking me and a friend (Paul Tozer?) out of Primary School to go watch Disney's Robin Hood. We couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 at the time.

The second, again with my Mum, is watching The Gumball Rally. I'm not sure if this was a film she wanted to see, or something she thought I may like. I remember enjoying the car chases. Later viewings revealed it earned it's 'A' rating with certain typical 70's, "non-child friendly", scenes.

...and then there was Star Wars

It was pretty much in every newspaper and was the only thing we spoke about in the playground. The whole family went into the packed Odeon Southend to watch this phenomenon play out in front of us.

I was floored. I queued up, rain or shine, to see it 10 times in total that year.

I pasted movie ads from the local newspaper into a scrapbook. Most I didn't get to see in the cinema, but on rented video tapes. Reading magazines & books about film and the people who made them.

Sunday afternoons I got lost watching black & white films on BBC2. Ealing comedies and Hollywood classics.

My own money

Leaving school, straight into a job meant I had means to go to the cinema whenever I wanted. Weekends spent at the Odeon or ABC in Southend. The Classic in Westcliff. Also London was only a short train ride away, and that meant film festivals.

'Wings of Desire', 'Naked', 'Do The Right Thing', 'Breaking The Waves, and 'Trainspotting' were transformative on the big screen.

I started collecting VHS releases from Tartan Video, Criterion, etc.

On TV we had the curated seasons from Moviedrome (BBC2) and Film on Four & "Red Triangle" experiment (Channel 4). These introduced me to the work of Derek Jarman, Charles Laughton, and Peter Greenaway.

Age takes it's toll/Start fresh

In the last decade I've find myself less interested in what's been produced. I still go to the cinema, but less so. Infrequent late night Sunday showings. Yearly at the smaller art-house venues.

I've find myself out-of-step with current tastes. Zero interest in Harry Potter or The Hobbit. Even though I was/am a comics fan I could care less about CG slugfests of recent Marvel/DC films.

The last film I went to a cinema to see was 1917, and was blown away. Apart from re-watching some of my faves with Josh during the Pandemic that was it.

So it's time for a reset. I joined Letterboxd as a way to have a running watchlist. This way if I hear about something interesting I can add it and search it out, either in cinemas or online.

I miss cinema. Hopefully it'll have me back.

A public service announcement from EightShapes

2021-06-12T05:00:01Z

A public service announcement from EightShapes from Dan Brown on Vimeo.

Cauliflower Cheese

2021-06-16T05:00:01Z

Cauliflower Cheese

An old home favourite

Ate this at Home on June 16, 2021

Josh has a new camera

2021-06-16T05:00:01Z

He returned from dropping off clothes at the Goodwill with a "new" camera. A Polaroid 600 with one cartridge of film. Proclaiming the film (at $20) cost more than the camera, we went online to find a manual.

With just 8 shots in each cartridge he's now looking at subjects a little more carefully, but still having a lot of fun.

Celebrating 100 years

2021-06-17T05:00:01Z

This year Vitamix celebrates its centennial. 100 years is a long time to be in business, especially as a family-owned one.

Part of the celebration was a big "thank you" get together at one of the manufacturing facilities. We had the give-aways, speeches, and awards. But being around that many people was both exciting, and unnerving.

I'm sure that'll pass the more we slip back into our post-Pandemic ways.

Yakiniku Don

2021-06-19T05:00:01Z

Yakiniku Don

Kiko's Kitchen

Ate this at Kiko's Kitchen on June 19, 2021, and noted Really tasty. Sliced Ribeye & onions on a rice bowl.

The book, of the website, of the cabins

2021-06-26T05:00:01Z

Way back, pre Instagram, there was a Tumblr site that posted photos of cabins from around the World. That was Cabin Porn. Every so often a small dwelling would pop up in my RSS feed. Could be in a dark forest, or on a weather-blasted moor. They were always captivating to me.

When Zach Klein, who ran the site, announced he was going to gather the photos & stories into a book I added it to my Amazon list. And there it sat for 6 years.

I purchased it this year from Learned Owl and finished this week. It was delightful.

Not a manual

This is a "coffee-table" book. A collection of photos, on thick paper, with a heavy textured cover. Chapters collect a type of cabin; Treehouse, Modern, Salvaged, etc. Each one starts highlighting the story behind one example.

But there are no plans, instructions, or how-to's in this. Instead it gives a glimpse into the builder and their desire to build. Why they chose the plot, how long it took, as well as the highs & lows of building. All of these were long enough to be interesting and short enough to not feel laboured.

Very few of the photos focus on the interiors either. This is very much a surroundings book.

Coming back

I really enjoyed reading this. I can definitely see myself pulling it back off the shelf to spend time thumbing through it, whiskey in hand, when I want to imagine my own quiet place.

Last pizza

2021-07-02T05:00:01Z

When I first visited Ohio I really enjoyed the pizza from Primozz Pizza in Mentor. So much so that I wrote them a letter (this was late 90's, so no social media) when I got back to the UK.

They, surprisingly wrote back with a few FREE pizza coupons for my next visit.

After moving here I would order that over any other chain/local pizza. When they moved to a place with seating we enjoyed family dinners and birthdays there. Calzones, garlic bread, and their GG Ronis (a baked pasta dish with sausage in Vodka sauce), were delicious.

This week Julie noticed on Facebook that the owner was retiring after 30 years, and decided to close the business. So I drove to Mentor and picked up our last pizza, as well as some pepperoni & cheese rolls for the freezer. It was as good as I remember the first one being.

Here's to a happy retirement.

Intermittent frustration

2021-07-05T05:00:01Z

Since Google Music was killed about the only thing I use a voice command for (on my Google Home Mini) is playing SomaFM. But even that is now becoming a pain.

When I say...

Hey Google, play SomaFM Groove Salad is something I say quite often. Drone Zone or SF-1033 are two of the other main stations I listen to.

I know Google Assistant understands what I'm saying because it repeats it back to me. I can also see it in the Voice & Audio Activity page (see screenshot).

What I get is Sure, check out this SomaFM - groove salad station on YouTube Music. No. That's not what I want.

And this isn't every time. Just occasionally.

Back to button pushing

I've written before how Google is losing me and now, it seems, one of the last things is starting to fail.

I can't tell if this is a result of Google not working with TuneIn properly (it doesn't go straight to SomaFM for some reason) or a more a deliberate ploy to accept using YouTube music as a source. My old cynical brain goes with the latter.

I think it's time to break with voice commands and get an "old-fashioned" bluetooth speaker. Just browse to the website and cast the stream to it direct.

Game Night

2021-07-06T05:00:01Z

Tonight was the first Game Night for over a year. It was great to be able to catch-up with each other, share stories, and have fun playing Vampire: The Masquerade – Vendetta.

Caveman Wishes

2021-07-31T05:00:01Z

This vision of life before We Ruined Everything is an alluring fever dream. In a moment where we are tightly tangled in the wicked problems of climate change – a series of widespread human failures that will end in our ecosystem cooking, drowning, starving, and suffocating the most vulnerable of us – nothing sounds quite as appealing as rewinding the clock. Ctrl + Z please.

— Maggie Appleton, https://maggieappleton.com/paleolithic-nostalgia

Stumbled upon Paleolithic Nostalgia by Maggie Appleton, via Jeremy Keith. Great little insight into what we think those "better days" consisted off, but were really a time when the average life span was 22 and everyone was wracked by tuberculosis?

A separate Wales

2021-08-05T05:00:01Z

Andy Clarke had an interesting post on his blog about YesCymru's messaging.

Now. I am not Welsh, and haven't lived in the UK for over 20 years, so I have no dog in this race. But I'm positive becoming an independent country isn't a flip-of-the-switch thing.

Andy brings up some great points about "pushing the positives" and moving it more to having the "ability to grow".

...and no one in Wales has paid prescription charges on medicines since 2007. During the recent pandemic, Wales succeeded in having the lowest rates of COVID infections in the UK.

— Andy Clarke, Thoughts on YesCymru

I'm sure people involved will consider how breaking away from the NHS could have an impact on those stats.

Wales has seen it's share of ups-and-downs, and I think eyeing the future through the lens of growth is great. They could even re-join Europe!

Maybe it is time to break up the UK. See how Wales, Scotland, N.Ireland, and England fare.

Abandoning the IndieWeb

2021-08-12T05:00:01Z

While I still advocate for the principles behind the IndieWeb I feel more & more remote from most of the tools built out of it.

One of the last things I was using was Aperture (a microsub server) and Together (a microsub reader).

This has been working well as a feed reader, but it's had hiccups. Some sites RSS feeds don't work, but appear fine in other apps. Some feed's entries appear multiple times.

Then I tried to export all the feeds I have been adding. But I can't. Not from Together. Not from Aperture.

There's an export issue filed for Aperture where the solutions are either setting up a different Microsub client that has command line export, or write code on your own site to export the OPML there.

And that's the thing. For me, this feels like there's more barriers than before. I'm doing more work to get the basics done. So I'm throwing in the towel.

I've downloaded NetNewsWire and started manually adding each feed from Aperture.

Best of luck IndieWeb. Maybe I'll pop back in a few years.

NOM - Homemade guacamole

2021-09-04T05:00:01Z

NOM - Homemade guacamole

It looks messy, but tasted fantastic

Ate this at Home on September 4, 2021

I finally decided to have a go at making this, and it was a lot easier that I thought.

I followed Rick Bayliss's advice and waited 5 days for my store bought avocados to ripen. Then I spooned them out. Added chopped tomato, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno pepper. A dash of lime juice and a bit of salt, then mix.

Josh & I (mainly me) finished this off in one sitting.

NOM - Chilaquiles

2021-09-05T05:00:01Z

NOM - Chilaquiles

3rd favourite cooked breakfast

Ate this at Home on September 5, 2021

Cooked breakfasts are a treat for me. They've always been a weekend, or holiday/work trip, treat. Number One, and the king, is the Full English. Coming in second is my US go-to, Corned Beef with poached eggs. Chilaquiles is now my third favourite.

For the sauce I followed Ethan Chlebowski's recipe. It's easy to make and keeps well in the fridge. Perfect for the weekend, or a WFH morning if I don't oversleep.

Amazon removes public wishlists from public view

2021-09-06T05:00:01Z

I personally don't use Amazon that much. Julie has a Prime account, so if I want something I email a link to her and she orders it.

It has been handy buying presents for family back in the UK, so I do use the .co.uk site sometimes. For Mum's birthday my sister added some puzzles she wants to her public wishlist. Problem is, we couldn't find it. Several text threads later we figure out why.

Turns out Amazon made a change where public wishlists are no longer public. The old way of searching by email address has been replaced. You now have to request, by email, they share the public list with you.

I guess this changed a few years back, but if you don't use it regularly having it disappear is frustrating to say the least.

This too will disappear when I die

2021-09-11T05:00:01Z

We think it'll be a 'digital legacy' but that's just a warm fallacy that's staves off the fear of being forgotten.

Current setup

This current website uses Eleventy. That means markdown (text) files are turned into web pages and uploaded manually. When I die no one will open my laptop and write a markdown file, then FTP it to my server space. No new posts.

Web barriers

After 6 months, or less, the SSL Certificate will expire. That means most modern web browsers won't display the site, unless you intentionally click past the warning.

After 12 months, give or take, the domain name will expire. Unless you know the IP address (which even I don't) no one will be able to get to the files that make up this site.

Past that we get into speculation of how long my hosting provider will stick around etc., but you get the point.

So at best I can rely on about 3 months of this site being here after I pop my clogs.

R.I.P. Sir Clive Sinclair

2021-09-16T05:00:01Z

We had a 'computer lab' at my Secondary School, but the first computer we had at home was a ZX Spectrum.

I remember sitting with my Dad, re-typing programs on the rubber keys from newsprint magazines, and watching the fruits of our work on the TV.


10 PRINT "Hello World"
20 GOTO 10

By the end I had a huge library of games on cassette tape; The Hobbit, Manic Miner, anything from Ultimate.

The BBC has a nice 2013 video clip with Sir Clive where he states he doesn't use a computer as its too distracting.

Having this affordable computer changed my life. Thanks Sir Clive.

Cancelled concert

2021-09-22T05:00:01Z

Just got the email from Ticketmaster that November's concert by Dead Can Dance has been cancelled.

Having monitored the current COVID-19 situation carefully like everyone has, it has been decided that we cannot put the health and safety of the musicians, crew, promoters, venue staff, and most importantly the fans at potential risk by touring in October.

— Dead Can Dance, Statement on Facebook^*

I was so looking forward to this.

My hope is that December's Genesis concert will still be a go.

^*Wasn't on the offical website, but as an image posted to Facebook (Grrr)

Some lists

2021-10-02T05:00:01Z

Towns/Cities I've lived in, in order

Benfleet, Essex (UK)
Southchurch, Essex (UK)
Shoeburyness, Essex (UK)
Southend-on-Sea, Essex (UK)
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex (UK)
Mentor, Ohio (USA)
Willowick, Ohio (USA)

Countries I've visited

Either on vacation or for work.

England
Ireland
Wales
France
Belgium
Greece (Corfu)
Holland
The Czech Republic
United States of America
Canada
Iceland

Animals I've kept as a pet

Goldfish
Cat
Dog

Favourite dishes

A grab-bag of international and homemade cuisine.

Favourite Beers

In no particular order. Most of these probably don't get brewed anymore.

Greene King IPA
Burton Ale
Old Speckled Hen
Dog Bolter
Old Navigation
Guinness
Newcastle Brown Ale
Bishops Finger
London Pride
Taddy Porter
Bluebird Ale
Maiden Cleveland E.S.B

Supernatural slogfest

2021-10-03T05:00:01Z

Even though I had heard Arthur Machen's name quoted a lot, in connection to London and fiction, I'd never read any of his stories.

This was free on Kindle as it's gone into to the Public Domain, so why not.

'House of Souls' is a collection of 4 novellas: A Fragment of Life, The White People, The Great God Pan, and The Inmost Light. Pan was written in 1890's and the rest published in the 1920's, so the prose is a little flowery.

There's a lot of great ideas here, and he captures the feeling of a London before the suburbs exploded. You could easily find yourself walking in the hustle of a large metropolis then, all of a sudden, you're in misty fields. The creeping folk horror of the ancient countryside is always nestled amongst the modern lights of the city.

But here's thing...I found this was a real hard slog. Maybe it was the style of the day, but everytime the story started going somewhere it ended. Just straight, let's never talk about this again, type of thing. Paired with the writing style I found myself struggling to finish this.

It's undeniable that he influenced H.P.Lovecroft, and is well regarded (rightly so) amongst modern horror writers, but I think it'll be some time until I revisit his work.

If you like Poe, M.R.James, or Lovecroft I'd recommend giving this a read.

Rough

2021-10-05T05:00:01Z

Been feeling rough all last week. Stomach issues, bad sleep, anxious. Now I feel I'm coming down with Josh's cold.

Today was better. Not by much, but a little.

Unconscious IA

2021-10-07T05:00:01Z

I was in a meeting today, about keywords.

One attendee had an Excel sheet where they listed certain words, grouped under a headings. We all chimed in about where, and when, they could & should be used. What would need updating. What's missing. The potential impact these would have.

Maybe they didn't realize it, but we were talking about ontologies, taxonomies, and systems. This was "IA Thinking" bubbling up.

I'd seen one of the latest 'A Lens A Day' videos where Andrew Hinton summed up IA Thinking...

It's about what things are? How they relate to one another? And what kind of place you are making when you do that?

— Andrew Hinton, in discussion with Dan Brown.

...which was exactly what we were doing in that meeting.

SlideShare shenanigans

2021-10-10T05:00:01Z

Thanks to a post by Terence Eden I'm once again reminded that companies are taking advantage of our eagerness to share content, via the web, in the early 2000's.

SlideShare, where I have 6 old presentations apparently, has started to monetize when people download them. But we don't get a share of that obviously.

Followed Terence's lead and marked that 'users can download without a subscription'.

I also took the opportunity to update my password.

Freeways

2021-10-13T05:00:01Z

Josh is now looking at universities. This means doing visits, which once again brings home how big Ohio (let alone the USA) is.

Universities

Monday was Gannon University in Erie PA. This was a three-and-half hours roundtrip. Tuesday was Wright State University, near Dayton, a near 8 hour roundtrip.

Both of the tours were good. About 2 hours packed with information, a walking tour of the campus & housing, all with Covid precautions in place. Both seems very walkable and each had pros & cons.

I think Josh made a decision.

Podcasts

On the trips we listened to some podcasts. A couple we both like are Lore and Darknet Diaries. A little music from the Hypnagogue podcast and some film talk by Mark Kermode.

A new one I found was The Album Years. This is Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, No-man) and Tim Bowness (No-man) discussing favourite albums from a different year. I found this a real trip down memory lane, and some of the albums they discussed Josh has been discovering, on his own, through Spotify.

Driving

After a while, on these two endless stretches or tarmac & concrete, you realise that nothing looks different. The town names on the green signs change, but the array of petrol stations and fast food chains are all the same at each intersection. The sporadic new builds, that pop-up along the freeways, all seem to be the model house with the same neutral siding.

Occasionally we drop out of cruise control for the obligatory road works, and then it's right back to moving between the 18-wheelers.

I've never been a fan of driving. This just re-enforced it for me. I would rather sit in an airport, or take a train, than drive along these freeways to get somewhere. The places in-between are all the same.

Video games

2021-10-19T05:00:01Z

I've been diving into some different games recently. Splitting my time between some new titles, and old favourites.

Sable

I've been waiting on this for some time, and it doesn't disappoint. Sable lets you guide the titular character through a rites of passage that takes place in a world, very much like the drawings of Moebius.

So far it's a gentle ride. No combat, or death from falling. A lovely soundtrack, and immersive world that promotes exploration. I haven't finished it, just taking my time.

Destiny 2

We bought the original Destiny for the Xbox 360, but Destiny 2 didn't grab us. That being said, as the game has progressed I've been enjoying it more & more now it's on Game Pass. So much so that I bought the latest Season Pass and have been really enjoying it.

A ton of lore, multiple storylines, and an all round good "looter shooter". I think I'll be buying the Witch Queen expansion when it comes out next year.

The Division 2

Oh dear. We've had our issues haven't we.

After I posted what I wanted in Division 3 Ubisoft announced that the game was supposed to end with the current season (SPOILERS-No players guessed that at all), but there would be new content coming due to the continued community support (and being asked point blank during an earnings call).

Some of you had noticed that Title Update 12 was originally meant to be the last major Title Update for The Division 2...

— The Division 2 Development Team, Blog post

What's followed, since February, has been pretty much radio silence. They've re-run last years content. We had a whole series of bugs, our main characters disappear from the loading screen (see screenshot) after a patch, and virtually all the existing development team either leave or transfer to new projects.

Here's hoping they pull it together because I really enjoy this game, but it's getting harder to find a reason to play.

Spiritfarer

This got an update with a new character. Still delightful. Still hitting me in the feels.

The Long Dark

And Part 4 of the story mode, Fury, then Silence, has now been released. I've held ff from playing Part 3 until this was out. So now I have a big chunk of content to play through, which I'm looking forward to.

Winter is coming

2021-10-23T05:00:01Z

Today is the start of 'The Descending Frost' according to The Small Seasons Guide. And it feels like it.

霜降・Sōkō・Frost Descends
The first frosts. Rains disappear as the maple leaves and ivy turn yellow.

— smallseasons.guide

Though is wasn't particularly cold, it's been raining on and off all this week, more so today. The air has taken a dip and the sky is less bright.

Josh took off for a long hike. Julie worked. I did some errands, dog to the groomers etc., and started packing away my Summer clothes. This makes it sound like I have a large wardrobe, but I don't. More like putting away the 6 short-sleeved cotton shirts and bring out the plaid, thick, long-sleeved ones.

I plan on starting up the snow blower tomorrow, or at least trying. If we need it serviced I'd rather do that now.

The days are shorter and I'm getting that "hunkering down" feeling.

The heating just kicked in. Time to start reaching for the blankets.

Dune

2021-10-25T05:00:01Z

As the coming soon trailers ended, lights dimmed and the screen went black. Out of nowhere came a booming guttural voice with the subtitles "Dreams are messages from the deep" flashing at the bottom of the screen. Then came the studio titles, and we were off.

This new version of Dune takes its time, but certainly didn't feel long. In fact Josh & I were a little surprised when it ended.

It is a vast spectacle. Denis Villeneuve conveys the enormous scale of the ships, deserts, and cities wonderfully. The storytelling is less performative than the Lynch version. I found myself listening to the conversations, over watching them play out.

Hans Zimmer's score propelled the film along. And while it was definitely new territory for him, I personally didn't find it that "out there". Hints of Lustmord, God Speed You Black Emperor, Peter Gabriel, and even Brain Eno seemed apparent to me.

I really enjoyed it in the cinema, and glad to hear that he's been given the go-ahead for making part 2.

Bait and switch from Insight Editions

2021-10-25T05:00:01Z

With the release of the new film DUNE there was a lot of excitement about the films composer, Hans Zimmer, writing music to the accompanying book "The Art and Soul of DUNE". Insight Editions, the publisher, had a sign-up for a 'free download' of this.

The email was delivered with the subject line of "Download Hans Zimmer's exclusive soundtrack to THE ART AND SOUL OF DUNE now!" and a big button that reads 'Get my free download'

Click/touch that takes you to a page listing Amazon and iTunes as places you can download, but each of those want $10.49 to buy the soundtrack.

Clicking on Insight Editions social links in the email revealed others confused as to where the free download was.

Their reply, on Facebook, to people running into the same issue as me was...

We apologize for the confusion. It's free to stream the book soundtrack on YouTube. For a download, you'll need to be subscribed to one of the services offered on the landing page or purchase the soundtrack on iTunes or Amazon.

— Insight Editions, Facebook

To me this smells like a straight forward bait-and-switch. No where did it mention the download was free, only if you were subscribed to a streaming service (that carried the album) that allowed downloads.

Facebook/Meta announcement

2021-10-29T05:00:01Z

I watched some of the Facebook/Meta announcement and, it was pretty lackluster and disappointing.

As “an old” I remember better versions of what they think the "Metaverse" is from bad sci-fi in the 70's & 80's. The best Zuckerberg can offer is still poking at translucent panels hovering above a desk? Really?

The avatars look like ones Nintendo didn’t end up using on the Wii, but without legs.

Even the future vision stuff was lacking. Mainly aimed at business hybrid working solutions and selling access to services & art.

Back to the future

I remember visiting Olympia London in the 90's and trying a VR headset. I could walk around and battle a dragon. It was fantastic. Tomorrow's World covered it in 1990 and Howard Rheingold wrote a great book on the subject. That was 30 years ago and there's been no real advances apart better graphics and a smaller headset.

I don't see any of this coming to fruition in the next decade, at least.

Name change

The other thing in this announcement was Facebook (the company) re-branding to Meta.

I get the need to distance the company name from the platform (and all its current troubles), but I think this misses the mark. Zuckerberg is putting all of his eggs (and his Millions) into this basket, but this smells more of folly than a sure-thing.

A quiet Halloween

2021-10-31T05:00:01Z

Got dinner early, walked the dogs, set up the chairs, and waited.

Julie did the passing out, with me in reserve in case she needed a break. We had more people that last year (understandable), but still nothing like it used to be.

I think Julie was right. As the population ages, activity shifts. Around us all the people that would be trick-or-treating are now Josh's age (17) and older. Other parts of our town are having a load more costumed kids knocking on doors.

But the rain held off and it wasn't too cold. And we have a few leftovers in the bottom of the cauldron.

This week

2021-11-07T05:00:01Z

Apart from the normal slew of virtual meetings this week I have:

In-person meeting at the office
Dentist appointment
2.30am code deploy
Doctors appointment
Dog to the vets

Come this time next week I sense I'll need a rest ;-)

Thanksgiving 2021

2021-11-25T05:00:01Z

With on/off rain and a chill in the air, this year's Thanksgiving was a quiet affair.

Still aware of COVID-19, and relatives recovering from chemotherapy, means we are on our own today.

Had a lie in and played a little Destiny 2 in the morning, with an eye on the work Slack channel in case anything stopped working.

Eating

Coffee and a light Breakfast, skipped Lunch, and had a huge cooked Dinner:

Roast chicken breasts
Sweet potato casserole
Roast potatoes (came out great)
Roast carrots
Yorkshire puddings (not great, need more practice)
Stuffing
Gravy
Cranberry jelly
Crescent rolls

Overall I was very happy with how it turned out. And the three of us eating together.

Relaxing

Spent the early evening catching up on RSS feeds, listening to the Hypnogogue podcast, and eating some cheesecake.

I also spent a little time going through Evernote, looking for draft posts. Found quite a few. Going to try and finish a couple before the years out.

First real snowy day

2021-11-27T05:00:01Z

Just before Thanksgiving saw the start of Little Snow, according to The Small Seasons Guide.

小雪・Shōsetsu・Little Snow
Light snowfall appears. Northern winds have blown the last leaves from the trees.

— smallseasons.guide

Though a couple of days late, you can see that from the photo. Rosie & Milo sat watching the snow fall on the bare trees, from the warmth of the couch.

The pandemic is still here

At work there's talk of returning to the office, but not until January. Driving in the snow is something I'd like to avoid as much as possible. But even that timeline could be optimistic with the discovery of the Omicron varient of COVID-19 in the UK and the USA banning travel from certain countries.

I still carry a mask everywhere I go, and tend to throw it on more & more when I'm in stores.

Fading away

2021-11-28T05:00:01Z

You wouldn't think it, but this is a commemorative glass from a beer festival. It has had a black printed badge on the side. If you hold it in the light, you can make it out.

1971 to 1992

29 years ago I stood in the Freight House, sipping a pint of Old Navigation from it, with Tony & Karl. Milling around the cold converted railway building, in November. The event couldn't take money for the beer, so you'd buy tokens (and the glass) as a workaround.

We'd each take the days off to attend. I would eat a 'Full English' from the cafe (long gone now) in Victoria Circus, before catching the bus from Southend. From 11am till 2pm we'd reminisce about working together, try new beers, and get tipsy in the middle of the day.

One year the surrounding pubs held a "real pie festival" at the same time. This was the first time I tried rabbit.

It felt we did this forever. It was probably only 3 or 4 times.

Much like the badge, these memories fade. Writing it down is like carrying the glass to States with me. Something to jog those memories when the time arises.

Genesis Live

2021-12-01T05:00:01Z

Last night Josh & I experienced for the first, and last, time together Genesis play live.

The only other time seeing them play live was at Wembley Stadium in 1980's, which was fantastic. I was around the same age that Josh is now. Though, with an edge of melancholy, this show was as good as that experience.

Light & sound

Genesis always had great lighting, and this was no exception. Extending into the audience, making us in the nosebleeds feel part of it, the whole arena transformed. With 'Mama', Phil Collins face projected behind them in a sea of churning red, looking like a manic hobgoblin. 'House by the Sea' was all spooky, off-kilter, greens and yellows.

The sound was loud yet clear. Banks, Rutherford, and Stuermer were still playing at stadium levels. Showing off their chops with various solos through the set.

Nick Collins (Phil's son) was good, but I felt, a little plain. And I get he's between a rock and a hard place. Everyone wants Genesis to sound like his dad. This didn't give him much room to make it his own. I would've loved to see Chester Thompson return for a drum duet with him, but I guess he and Phil never reconciled.

The last tour

It was obvious this was the last time these guys would play live. Phil sat the whole set. And though his voice is still good, the backing singers were there to fill out the "larger" parts of songs he couldn't reach. Between songs he'd have the same cheeky banter, and the audience participation was fun.

Set list

A great mix of old faves, bangers, and more recent songs.

'Behind the lines', 'Turn it on', 'Mama', and 'Land of Confusion' kicked it off.

Songs like 'Fading Light' and 'After Glow' hit me hard, emotionally, in this setting. I wasn't alone it that.

Singing along to 'I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)', 'I Can't Dance, and 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway' with everyone was brilliant.

We both had an amazing time and I'm glad I got to share it with Josh.

NOM - Sausage Gravy

2021-12-01T05:00:01Z

NOM - Sausage Gravy

My go at a diner staple

Ate this at Home on December 1, 2021

This was the first time I've tried making sausage gravy, though I've eaten it many times in diners.

I followed the directions from Hillbilly Kitchen's video. Like most "simple" dishes you can ruin it pretty easy. - Too thin, burnt, no taste.

But this turned out pretty good. I had it with a fried slice and some of the sausage. Next time I'll cook up some American biscuits to have with it.

Sausage gravy

Ingredients

2 to 4 ounces of uncooked sausage
¼ Cup flour
2 Cup milk
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Smash/crumble sausage in skillet (preferably one you just cooked sausage or bacon in) and cook over a medium heat
When browned ~~sprinkle~~ sieve over flour and mix, adding salt & pepper to taste
Pour in all the milk and keep stirring until thickened

I forgot about Medium

2021-12-05T05:00:01Z

I had totally forgotten again, that I had syndicated blog posts to Medium. This was from my old Wordpress site.

I've already moved one of those posts back on to this site. I only have 8 posts there, so it makes sense I move the rest.

Medium claims I have 291 followers there. Haven't looked but almost all must be from when I linked it up with Twitter. Back when everyone jumped on the latest "bright & shiny".

Look for some new posts, dating back to 2015, to appear here shortly.

Website updates

2021-12-05T05:00:01Z

Today I spent some time doing a little tidying up and adding a few features I've been waiting on.

Home page

I re-wrote the heading. Got rid of my name and focused on what this site is. Removed the last two posts under each topic, just leaving the topics themselves. I think I'll add some had-drawn illustrations for each of those. I added something else too.

Styles

I updated the recipes to now included a background graphic, as well as adding a background color and drop shadow.

I also removed the kerning from the headings.

sitemap.xml

I used Mark Thomas Miller's post on adding an Eleventy sitemap as a guide. It was easy to follow and implement. Only took a few minutes to get it running and added to the Google Search Console.

Now I zero trackers & analytics on this site, but I do want to check on the health of it occasionally. This should help as the console now includes Core Web Vitals.

Double backslashes in URL

After playing around in the search console I noticed that my canonical URLs were showing to have double backslashes in them. Weird, right.

So, for this page, it would read <link rel="canonical" href="https://davidjohnmead.com//posts/2021-12-05-website-updates/">

Turns out I had the URL value in the metadata.json ending with a backslash. When I removed that it fixed all the canonical links. That's been in place since I built the site and I've never noticed it.

It will take some time to have that drop (if it was picked up) by the search engines, but I'm not that bothered.

Babies, wineries, and a power cut

2021-12-12T05:00:01Z

Babies

Josh arrived home from school with a "baby" this weekend. As part of his Child Development class he has to feed, burp, rock, change, and generally care for a doll that cries at pre-programmed times.

He couldn't fob it on us, or just leave it in his room, as it's linked to a wristband he wears for the weekend. And it's just not him that it wakes. One of dogs started barking when the infant cries started emanating from his room early in the morning.

He's done a really good job waking and caring for it. Fingers crossed for a good grade as this is one class I don't want him to re-take.

Wineries

I've never been to a winery before. But having the chance to hang out with some workmates from my first job over here (Optiem, now The Adcom Group), was a good excuse to try them out.

Braving the High Wind Warning, I drove the 40 minutes to Madison. Along Route 307 there's seems to be a winery every 100 yards or so. Small lodge-style buildings surrounded by rows & rows of cultivated vines.

I met up with Linda, Adam, and Tom at Cask 307. We enjoyed a bottle of Pinot Noir & a charcuterie board there, then moved on to Baci Winery (formerly St. Josephs) which is just down the road.

Another bottle of delicious Pinot, and an hour of memories later, it was time for me to head home. It was fantastic catching up with some the "the coolest co-workers" again.

I stopped in to The Indian Kitchen on the way. It was about 6pm by the time Josh & I enjoyed out Chicken Tikka Masala and Balti style Lamb. At 8pm the lights went out.

Power cut

Come 9pm it was getting quite cold in the house, even with all the candles we had lit. As with most of these types of power cuts, I could still see some lights on in the street behind us, but pretty much everyone else was dark.

With no update from the power company I turned my phone off, to conserve the battery, threw on some extra blankets and went to bed early.

Waking up multiple times—The crying baby, dogs scratching to go out, and the dropping temperature, made for a long night.

When I did turn on my phone as it was getting light outside. The power company still estimating 11pm Sunday when service would be resolved. I texted my Mum to say I wouldn't be Skyping her. We still had hot water which meant a nice shower to warm up with, and a fast dash to get dressed.

Julie drove to Starbucks and returned with coffee and a warm breakfast sandwich. She was still in the car, charging her phone and keeping warm, when everything sprang back-to-life around 11am.

We'd lost everything in the fridge, but the frozen food was still solid.

I did wonder if getting a gas oven would've helped. Turns out our technical and safety advances means they don't come with pilot lights anymore, but with a "glow plug" which needs a certain voltage running through before it will light the oven. We could still use the hobs though.

I also looked at gas heaters. Some of those need some kind of power to ignite. And even if they are labelled for "home" use, you still have to watch out as it means tent or covered porch.

Doesn't have to be money driven

2021-12-13T05:00:01Z

In his latest post Ben lays outs a couple of interesting alternative approaches to the 'metaverse', but his last paragraph brought it home.

The metaverse is a top-down, highly-financed commercial vision, which has partially gained popularity because its ill-defined nature allows everyone to pin their own imagination on it. We would all benefit from an alternative, bottom-up, collaborative vision that trades commerce for community.

— Ben Werdmüller, Alternatives to the metaverse

Validators, checkers, and a favicon

2021-12-19T05:00:01Z

I decided to run the my site through some the old tools I used way-back-when. It's easy to get blasé and miss the simplest of things. Also created, and added, a favicon for the site.

Validators

HTML, CSS, and RSS all have free validators you can access via the W3C website.

Running pages through these help catch those annoying little bugs and mistakes. With this site running on Eleventy meant I could make fixes in certain template files, update all the pages at once (which was nice).

The CSS validated, apart from 47 warnings which are due to the dynamic nature of CSS variables, according to the tool.

Fixed

Moved the XFN profile link out of the <head> to it's own <link rel="profile" href="http://gmpg.org/xfn/11">
Found I had pixels stated in some width & height attributes for images, and removed them

After fixing those I got a clean bill of markup.

To do

4 recommendations on the feed to look into

Checkers

I always try my best to conform to WCAG as much as I can. Using the really helpful Tota11y bookmarklet, recently updated by Bruce Lawson, let's me catch a few things I missed. It also helped me find an issue with my page templates too.

Fixed

Couple of pages had incorrectly nested headings
Alt attributes were missing on some images. This was due to my template variable being imgAlt in the front matter, and imgALT in the body
Couple of links still had "title attribute" as the title attribute

To do

Contrast issue with the post date on the homepage

Favicon

After seeing Andrey Sitnik's 'How to Favicon in 2021: Six files that fit most needs' post, I decided to add my own.

I created an SVG version of my profile photo, using Sketch, and followed his suggestion of using GIMP to export it as a .ico file. Then I added the following to the <head> of my base layout file.

<link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico" sizes="any"><!-- 32×32 -->
<link rel="icon" href="/icon.svg" type="image/svg+xml">

I didn't add the Apple touch icons, nor the web manifest. I really don't think anyone is dragging this to their device home screens.

Adding bookmarks

2021-12-20T05:00:01Z

Ever since I had access to the web I've been bookmarking pages I found interesting.

At first it was in a text file where I could copy & paste the URLs. Then I started using the built-in option my browser. When we started getting multiple browsers, using online "social" bookmarking services, like del.icio.us or Ma.gnolia, was essential.

Now both of those services are closed. I have the exported files from both, along with multiple saved copies of my browsers "favorites", sitting in Dropbox gathering "bitrot".

What now?

I've decided to start adding them here. I wanted them in a separate section to my posts, so I floundered around for an hour or so until I figured it out.

Created a bookmarks.njk file at the root of my Eleventy site. That created a bookmarks folder with a index.html file in it when built. I then created a bookmarks folder at the root, and added the individual bookmark0000.md files to that.

You can find them slowly amassing on my bookmarks page.

The markup of each uses the bookmark microformat, coz why not?

Hand-coded curation

As I'm a simple bear I'm hand-coding each one. So, yes it's going to take me a month-of-Sundays to get them all done. But this does afford me the chance of curating them.

Case in point.

One of my first Ma.gnolia entries is from 2006. It's a podcast of ambient music from Jim Butler. That URL is http://web.mac.com/jimbutlermusic/iWeb/Site/Podcast/Podcast.html and can no longer be found. But he's still making music, and putting out a podcast, at https://jimbutlermusic.com/.

Still to do

~~Add microformats to entries listed on my bookmarks page~~
Look at creating an RSS feed for the bookmarks
~~Add recent bookmarks on homepage~~

On drinking a cuppa

2021-12-24T05:00:01Z

Yes. I do drink tea.

My bag of choice is PG Tips, if I can get it. Splash of milk, tea bag, boiling (filtered) water, in that order. Let steep for about 4 mins or so, stir, and remove the bag.

Any cup will do, though my favourite is a large white cup. I've had it over 30 years now, bequeathed to me by an old co-worker. It used to have a blue & gold floral design on it—That has since been washed away.

No Xmas Tree this year

2021-12-24T05:00:01Z

The night of Christmas Eve. Sitting here with a bottle of Winter Welcome Ale, dog by my feet. Julie & Josh are out looking at the decorations—But it feels different from years past.

For one thing, it's 54℉. Not a speck of snow anywhere. I lost count who may/may not have the Omicron variant of COVID days ago. Us included. Though we are all fully vaccinated, Josh is suffering from some strain of cold virus. I also didn't buy a tree this year.

Time's flown by. Before I knew it we only had a few days left and it didn't seem that important. Don't get me wrong. We have some decorations out. I'll be cooking a Xmas dinner for us, and we'll be opening presents. But no tree.

Last year, amidst the Pandemic, the tree was up in November. Last year felt more, important, to do that.

Maybe 2022 will be different.

But hey, at least the wolves are back in Switzerland and there's now a TV you can taste. Merry Christmas.

webmention test

2021-12-24T05:00:01Z

Testing sending a webmention on Eleventy SSG site

Ramen, plus leftovers

2021-12-29T05:00:01Z

New phone

2021-12-30T05:00:01Z

Since "smart phones" came out I've been solely in Camp Android. But, as I wrote back in 2020, Google has been slowly losing me.

Google stopped sending software updates in October '20 to my aging Pixel 2. If it wasn't for it restarting randomly when I try to take a photo, listen to a podcast, or browse the web, I'd still be using it.

So I've opted to jump in and get an iPhone 13 mini.

So far it's been great. I've only added back the bare minimum of apps;

1 Password
Google Authenticator
Hey (email)
Pocket Casts (podcasts)
NewsNetWire (RSS feeds)
iBroadcast (music)
Evernote (notes)
Dropbox (files)
Slack (messaging)

Making use of the native Reminders, Calendar, Facetime, and Messages with my Macbook Air has been really nice.

Not having YouTube, and other Google apps, pre-installed helps be more distraction free and bombarded less with advertising.

Hopefully it lasts as long as my Pixel 2 did.

Ghost sign hunting

2021-12-31T05:00:01Z

What better day than than the last of the year, for Josh & I to drive around looking for "ghost signs". I'd already photographed over 40 since moving here, so I had a good idea where to start.

A ghost sign is an old hand-painted advertising sign that has been preserved on a building for an extended period of time. The sign may be kept for its nostalgic appeal, or simply indifference by the owner.

— Wikipedia

Hopping off the freeway at East 55th, I used that as our main path. We had the windows down, being about 50℉, keeping our eyes peeled as we criss-crossed the large empty streets; St, Clair, Superior, and Euclid.

Stopping at each one. Snapping pictures with our phones and my original Lomo LCA, discovering quite a few new ones, meandering through the side-streets.

Businesses and service long gone; Tuxedo rental, ink ribbon & carbon paper, furniture stores, and shipping firms to name but few.

All of these painted on the side of buildings, some partially obscured by new development, most in disrepair or condemned. It is sad to see these neighborhoods suffering as we pass through.

Following E55th all the way to Slavic Village, then along the banks of the Cuyahoga River to The Flats and Downtown.

In total I captured over 30. I like to add some filters to these. I've found black & white, with some sharpness added, brings out the sign from the brickwork. Slapping on a vignette and tilt-shift adds to that long-forgotten mood.

Car accident

2022-01-02T05:00:01Z

On Monday 27^th I get one of those calls a parent never wants. Josh's emotional voice telling me he'd been in an accident.

Driving in the dark his tires hit slush/ice and sent his car into a guard rail, then a ditch—Thankfully he was ok, albeit shaken up.

The car? Not so much.

I went to pick him up from a church parking lot, then returned with Julie to retrieve the car.

After filling it up with gas (a separate conversation we had with him) I drove it to the auto body shop.

We just heard from the insurance that it's being written off. So now we have to start looking for a "new" second-hand car.

My blog in 2008

2022-01-05T05:00:01Z

So far the earliest capture, I can find, of my blog in The Wayback Machine is from 2008.

It's a nice snapshot of what I used 14 years ago.

Though a lot of the sites/companies mentioned there are long gone; ClaimID, Technorati, Flock, Miro, etc. The general design-pattern of blog post, and its underlying "tech", is still in use today—RSS, microformats, tagging, Twitter.

The great thing about the Internet Archive capture is seeing the actual markup I used. That way, if I can't find the back-up, I can copy & paste it here (which I'll probably do).

Bye-bye wisdom tooth

2022-01-07T05:00:01Z

I've never been great with dentists (insert British teeth meme here). Add to that I seem to need much more anesthetic than most patients, my general low pain threshold, and a queasiness around the sight of blood—Tooth extraction fills me with dread.

This was the last of them to be extracted. Only now because it cracked and lost a bit. Luckily I wasn't in any pain over Xmas, while I waited for the appointment.

To add to the stress I drove through Lake Effect Snow in a rental car to get there.

I had checked-in online yesterday so I sat and waited. A quick round of x-rays and I was in the chair.

After at least 6 injections and two pauses it was out. I think even the oral surgeon was surprised I could still him poking around after the first 4 shots.

And no, I didn't want to see the tooth on the tray, thank you very much.

With a mouthful of blood & gauze I drove back. Picked up antibiotics, medicated mouthwash, and some very strong pain pills (just in case) in time to settle down for the weekend.

Reply—Email to RSS

2022-01-07T05:00:01Z

Feedly launched an Email newsletter to RSS feature in 2020, but it was only for the paid plan back then.

Curry past

2022-01-13T05:00:01Z

Indian restaurants were akin to my local pub for a while. A place frequented often enough that servers knew my name, or at least on nodding terms. That wasn't always the case.

Growing up in the 70's I was familiar with Chinese curry my dad got from the takeaway. But Indian was either a Vesta boil-in-the-bag meal, or some homemade variant with raisins & curry powder.

It wasn't until the next decade or so I ventured into my first Indian Restaurant.

The Polash

Invited for a "Friday Indian" by Rob & Tony, two of my co-workers, we went to The Polash. It's in Shoeburyness, off the Industrial Estate were we worked.

Surprised at so many different dishes on offer, I can't remember what main dish I ended up with. Small burners got placed on the table, then along came the array of metal bowls & platters—Completely unexpected.

Tasting Bhindi Bhaji (Okra) and Brinjal Bhaji (Aubergine) for the first time has stuck with me. Mango chutney, lime pickle, and poppadoms, become staples of my orders going forward.

This was a fantastic introduction that pretty much every later restaurant had to live up to.

After The Polish I wanted to try one closer to home.

The Surma Valley

While living in Benfleet this was my regular. Located along from the Wimpy, in a parade of shops on my way back from the train station (and pubs).

Here I found my staple starters - Prawn on Puree and Chicken Chaat. They had a delicious Chicken Tikka Massala, so creamy and rich. This was also where I had some of the best Stuffed Paratha and Keema Naan, ever.

I went there so often I would stop in to say hi and have a drink with the staff.

Sunu's Tandoori

When I moved to Southchurch, Sunu's was already established as having great food. At this point I was very familiar with the standard dishes, but they did offer some new ones—Methi Gosht was one of those and it's a go-to for me now. I also have a vivid memory of gulping at exactly how many chili's were on the Chicken Chili Massala.

Sunu's was the first unlimited Sunday Buffet I tried. We all ended up sleeping away the rest of the afternoon after a visit there.

A staple

By the time I lived in the center of Southend I was familiar with a lot of the Indian restaurants & take-aways in the area.

The location of the last pub usually determined where we'd eat that Friday or Saturday night.

Sessions in the Last Post usually meant Keralam or Amina. Sun Rooms or The Fish & Ferkin would see us in the one on York Road (Southend Tandoori, maybe?). An evening in role-playing usually meant delivery from Jonaki. Doing the pub quiz in The Half Crown, Benfleet, meant the Mumtaz Mahal or Benfleet Tandoori.

All different. All delicious.

Without those first three opening my tastebuds, I doubt I'd be willing to try the different cuisines I now enjoy. I do miss the abundance of Indian food back in the UK. Here (in Ohio) you have to search it out and it can be a little expensive. But still delicious.

Dogs in snow

2022-01-17T05:00:01Z

Last night the snow came. Boy did it come. About 20" of the white stuff got dumped on us. Dogs didn't know what to do when I let them out, so they just came straight back in.

These are the times I don't miss driving to an office.

Later in the day Josh, after clearing our drive (and a neighbours), walked our snowblower a block away to dig out an elderly couple. I did the same to for people we know across the main road.

I ache.

Writing this, drifting to some Laurie Anderson in my ears, getting the call—School is cancelled tomorrow.

More snow is expected.

Big Science by Laurie Anderson

53rd Birthday

2022-02-04T05:00:01Z

Had some nice birthday messages, including one from an old school pal I haven't heard from in years.

Started the day shoveling snow. Still working remotely, but had some internet connection issues. Helped Josh finish clearing an old couples driveway. Grabbed my, now traditional, Chinese takeout for dinner followed by a slice (or two) of Lemon Meringue pie.

Julie outdid herself with presents. Though I've been enjoying the X-Box Series X for a while now, she also got me a new pair of Astorflex leather sneakers and two t-shirts by Forty Five. All from one of my favourite online stores, Huckberry.

53 years alive. Not bad for a human.

Pastrami Reuben sandwich

2022-02-05T05:00:01Z

Pastrami Reuben sandwich

Manhattan Deli Bar & Grille

Ate this at Manhattan Deli Bar & Grille on February 5, 2022, and noted Ages since I had one of these. Delicious. Thousand Island dressing really makes it.

Slogging through PvP

2022-02-05T05:00:01Z

2025-01-02 update: Removed video player as apparently I deleted the recording from my hosting and local :-/

Before the Witch Queen expansion for Destiny 2 comes out, I'm trying to finish up some of the Seasonal Challenges.

One of these was 'Win 20 matches of Trails of Osiris'.

This game mode is billed as Player-versus-Player where two teams (3 players each) try to capture a Zone. Teammates have to revive you, instead of you getting back up yourself, if you're shot.

I've never played this PvP mode in Destiny before, but how long could that take?

Over an hour! That's how long.

I am not a big fan of PvP in any game, but this was grueling. I do not see how people enjoy this.

The Meta

Every video game has a 'meta'. A build that most players adopt. With this is was all Hand Cannons and Shotguns. It felt like half the time the game was over before the zone was available to be captured.

Twitch Stream

I decided to livestream this on my Twitch channel . ~~You share my pain by watching the video below.~~

It's safe to say I will not be playing this again, even if there's a badge/challenge. Completionism be damned.

Boosted

2022-02-07T05:00:01Z

Josh and I got our booster shots today.

That 3 jabs of Moderna for me, and 3 of the Pfizer for him.

Well that was a shit week

2022-02-12T05:00:01Z

Mum

By the end of the call with my sister, we were both sniffling back tears—Mum isn't doing well.

Though she's survived a heart attack, and lives with CREST Syndrome, we're finding out the pills that have been helping her liver condition are not doing the job any longer.

On our Skype calls she looks smaller. Older. It isn't news either of us wanted.

Josh & I are planning to fly to the UK very soon.

Josh

While playing with his group of kids at work, he ran into wall during a Kickball game. An hour later I'm sitting in Urgent Care with him, looking at the X-ray of his broken big toe.

Add to this, his car 'check engine' light is on. We just had this "fixed" a couple of weeks ago.

Julie

I get a call. She slipped and fell coming out of work. Luckily it was onto snow/grass/mud and not the concrete.

Since breaking her ankle last year (ER, pins, quarantine, ramps, it's a whole other post) I've been worried this would happen. Her Multiple Sclerosis causes her foot to drag at the best of times. Luckily it was just some bruises and embarrassment.

Me

I got off light. Aches & chills the day after my booster jab, and a work project that sometimes feels it's more un-finshed the nearer to launch we get.

But as my Dad used to say...It's part of growing up, and being British.

I am an emotional wreck

2022-02-26T05:00:01Z

It sounds so dramatic when I write it down, but there it is. I'm preparing to visit my dying mother.

Looking back, her health has been in a slow decline for a while now. Our weekly Skype calls would see her becoming...smaller.

She's been living with my sister on-and-off during the pandemic. With her being at-risk it was just easier than everyone trying to navigate the sporadic isolation rules over in the UK. She's there full-time now.

My sister called on Friday. She sat with a Palliative Care Nurse and had to discuss a DNR notice for Mum. In case she comes down one morning and she's not responsive.

I vividly remember getting a call 20 years ago, on Boxing Day. My Dad was failing fast. We booked a flight and left that night. I got the second call while in the car picking us up at Gatwick. Too late. He'd died while we were flying.

Next week I board a plane, with Josh, to visit the UK.

That travel muscle memory

2022-02-27T05:00:01Z

We fly out Thursday. It's been years since I boarded a plane. Looking back it seemed I was doing it at least once a year.

Some old reflexive muscle memory has been kicking in this weekend:

Music downloaded to the phone
Podcasts downloaded to the phone too
Books downloaded to Kindle
Making sure I have at least 2 charging cords (new ones since swapping to an iPhone)
Slip-on shoes to wear at the airport, with boots packed in the checked luggage
Dopp kit re-supplied
Medication portioned out

But now with the pandemic we have to navigate new documentation, masks, and COVID-19 tests.

I am dreading this trip.

London Road

2022-03-05T05:00:01Z

I've traveled down London Road more times that I could remember. The main way to get from Benfleet to Southend.

Bus, taxi, car, even by foot.

In the back of my sister's car I look out at the passing buildings. Surprisingly some business are still here, in the same buildings as when I looked out of bus windows during my daily commute 30 years ago.

Other buildings are are completely new. 3-storey's of glass & metal sprout fully-formed. My memory fails me as to to what was there originally.

Some empty, hoping for another chance after the pandemic.

I'm gobsmacked how many cars are just inches away. Parked either side as we make our way. I've been conditioned to the wide US roads. Built to accommodate vehicles.

This tarmac ribbon keeps tugging at my memories.

And then we're off down a side road. Only a few minutes to my Mum and I'm wrenched back to the reason why I'm here.

Sitting

2022-03-06T05:00:01Z

I'm on the couch next to her. Holding hands.

We're sitting. Remembering. Crying.

She's stick thin. Clothes hanging. Eyes closed.

Sharon darts around, making Mum comfortable. She does an outstanding job. I don't know how to help.

We swap seats.

I sit in cars going back & forth to my Sisters house.

Have I told Mum that I'll miss her enough? That I love her enough? That she did a fantastic job as a Daughter, Wife, Mother, Grandmother enough?

I'm sitting here. Crying.

Homemade ramen

2022-03-08T05:00:01Z

My nephew, Sammy, made his homemade ramen for us tonight. It was great. He cooked the steak, added the broccoli and corn, as well as sprinkling over the sesame seeds.

It was delicious.

Timing Tests

2022-03-08T05:00:01Z

We have to have a specific Covid-19 test performed before Josh and I can return to the USA.

It can’t be performed more than a day before we travel. Nowhere can perform it near us, so we either spend a whole day traveling to get it done or get it delivered and do it with a Telehealth video call. But the delivery could be 48 hours. And we schedule the video call separately.

This feels completely performative.

We’re trying the delivery/Telehealth option. All fingers are crossed.

A doner to remember

2022-03-09T02:00:01Z

I'm sure this picture doesn't make it look that appealing to some, but to me this was delicious.

The taste hadn't changed—A sense memory fast-pass back to Southend in the 90's.

Lamb doner meat, salad (shredded cabbage, lettuce, onions), and chilli sauce. All wrapped in warm pita bread.

Though you can get a version of this in the US, called Gyros, they pale in comparison.

Grabbed it from Hot Hut in Benfleet.

Fish & Chips

2022-03-09T05:00:01Z

There's very few things that can beat a battered piece of cod accompanied with thick chips, soaked with malt vinegar & salt.

Especially eaten out of the paper they're wrapped in.

We sat in a circle with Mum, enjoying our feast in silence. Exchanging satisfied nods and smiles.

Trends

2022-03-10T05:00:01Z

As I’ve been away for a while I’m noticing a lot of changes that must’ve be trends.

A light naval grey seems to be the house color to have. Pair that with dark front doors with vertical steel poles for a handle. Solar panels dot the rooflines.

Barely a row of shops goes by without at least one Turkish Barber.

Chicken shops have sprung up, and the taste for PERi-PERi chicken (Nando's) seems rampant. We even got it as our outbound flight meal. The "traditional" British Indian Restaurant has also started carrying it, as well as new-to-me dishes like Naga Curry (hotter than a Vindaloo apparently)

I am 20 years behind on the latest slang. I feel as bemused as Josh when watching some TV shows. Ads for direct cremations and reminders to stop using online Bingo & gambling sites (by those very companies) abound.

I feel adrift. Peaking between the newness to find familiar waters again.

Show is on a break or finished

2022-03-12T05:00:01Z

'Show is on a break or finished' is a message I'm seeing more & more in my podcast player.

Long-standing favourites seem to disappear after moving to a silo. YouTube, Mixcloud, Spotify, etc.

I guess Dave Winer summed it up best...

If, at the end of your show you say "Available where you get podcasts," then my friend, you have a podcast. If you have to say "Only available on Spotify" (or some other exclusive service), good for you, but it's not a podcast.

— Dave Winer, Scripting.com

Here's some I miss.

The Monday Graveyard

A tweet from @mondaygraveyard stated the final episode is out now on Dec 2, 2021

I had to search for it as the website no longer loads, and Mark had moved his podcast to MixCloud in 2020. It's a shame, but understandable.

On the last episode he says he doesn't have copies of the old shows himself as his cloud storage was full. I have to assume as he didn't do sponsors the time & money to self-host was too much.

I couldn't run the last episode back to get his exact quote because scrubbing/replaying is reserved for 'Mixcloud Select' subscribers apparently.

You can listen to the last episode on Mixcloud.

Kahvi Collective Podcast

The net label Kahvi has been around for ages and release a ton of great material. They too have a Mixcloud account, but it's for listening to the releases. I haven't seen a podcast episode since May 2019.

Ultima Thule Ambient Music

These are recordings of the weekly radio program, another long-standing favorite. They too moved over to Mixcloud, but did retroactively update their podcast feed. The last one I saw in Pocket Casts was from July 2021. Same for Mixcloud.

I'm wondering if the radio program no longer airs.

Cracking spy thriller

2022-03-20T05:00:01Z

I first heard about this book in 2019, via Warren's blog , and added it to my overlooked Kindle list. It was only when I saw the trailer for the TV adaptation that I remembered and bought it.

I devoured it one day.

Herron has a straight-forward style and drops you in the action on the first page. I didn't find a slow part in the whole thing. It has some of the same feel as the Le Carre novels I'd read, but turned up to 11.

There are still people in rooms deciding the fates of others. Spies searching through rubbish, standing in the rain, but this has the added urgency of something horrible happening in "real time" via the web. The twists & turns slowly reveal themselves, as do allegiances and true motivations.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters (MI5 spies who've fucked up, but can't be fired) and settings (London's back streets, canals, and run-down offices).

Though I won't watch the show, I will certainly by buying the rest of the Slough House series.

Back in the USA

2022-03-20T05:00:01Z

It's been a week now since we got back from the UK.

Conversations with Mum over Skype have become, shorter. Both her and Sharon tested positive for COVID. They're recovering but Dominic now has it.

Seven people in a house will do that I guess.

I've fell right back into email, video meetings, and remembering to get outside to see the sky when I'm making a cuppa.

Reply—How can I improve the typography on my site?

2022-03-20T05:00:01Z

The basics

As a starting point I would check out the presentation Richard Rutter & Mark Bolton did at SXSW 2007, Web Typography Sucks. I was lucky enough to be in the, very packed, room when they gave the talk. The big idea I took from it was Vertical Rhythm.

Vertical Rhythm

A lot of articles were written about that. One I found useful was Baseline Rhythm Deciphered by Matthew Magain. A handy resource to help calculate Vertical Rhythm is https://vertical-rhythm.crasman.fi.

A newer take on this can be found at https://zellwk.com/blog/why-vertical-rhythms/ where Zell does a great job introducing the concept of varying repetitions so to group related content together.

Fonts

For my blog I like a distinction between heading and body fonts.

I chose Calistoga this for headings. Originally it was being called from Google Fonts. Now it's available to download from GitHub. Using a web font generator to turn the .TTF to a web font package and self host.

The body font is Atkinson Hyperlegible Font, a free download from Braille Institute. This too is self-hosted.

Both of these have a web-safe fallback in the CSS.

Color

I've made some color choices to things like code blocks, pull quotes, etc. All trying to adhere to WCAG contrast levels. That's another way to enhance the typography.

For your site

I don't think you'd have to change much on your site. Don't feel the need to get a custom font if the web-safe one you have works for you.

I would suggest looking at getting rid of the border that surrounds your main copy. I find it disconnects from the main title. Also use sub-headings to break up the content, where applicable.

Hope you find this of use.

Anniversaries

2022-03-27T05:00:01Z

Helvetica

Released 15 years ago. A film about the ubiquitous font Helvetica. Head to ohyouprettythings.com/helvetica where you can watch the documentary, for free, until March 30^th.

2000AD

An anthology British comic that started 45 years ago. A mainstay for me growing up. All this weekend they have been streaming 21 panels on YouTube. Great discussions from writers & artists, both old and new.

You can read more at 2000AD.com/45years.

Passport renewal

2022-03-28T05:00:01Z

One of the (many) reasons I made the trip back to the UK, when I did, was my passport was going to expire.

Today I headed over to https://www.gov.uk, searched for 'passport' and chose 'renew'.

I answered some simple questions, uploaded a photo Julie took of me with my iPhone, and paid the fee. Tomorrow I mail off my old passport. Within 11 weeks I should get a brand new one back.

This beats the experience a decade ago of getting multiple photos taken in the USA (to UK passport standards), having them signed (thanks Jeff), filling in forms and mailing the whole packet off with a cheque.

Another adult in the house

2022-04-07T05:00:01Z

Here it is. His eighteenth year. Hard to believe.

It really does feel like last week I was building LEGO with him on the floor of his room. Carrying him up the stairs, splashing around at Great Wolf Lodge, or taking him camping for the first time.

Now he's driving around, paying taxes, and looking to college.

We are both incredibly proud of the compassionate and smart human he's become.

Love you buddy.

Happy Birthday Josh.

My Mum died

2022-06-05T05:00:01Z

Back in March I wrote about traveling back to the UK as Mum was ill.

On May 11th Sharon called with the news she'd died. It was quiet, restful. She was at Sharon's house, surrounded by family.

Josh and I are getting ready to travel back the UK this week. Her ashes are to be interred with my Dad's at Southed Crematorium.

We're having a remembrance with a few of her closest friends.

I haven't felt like posting. I hadn't known what to post. It hit me hard, but I'm sure when I get to see my sister the floodgates will really open.

I miss her.

Returned

2022-06-25T05:00:01Z

It's Saturday and I'm back in my own living room.

I'm looking over photo's, notes, and drafts from the last two weeks. I'll get around to posting them at some point, but for now some highlights.

Old photo we found of Mum & Dad in their youth

Saying goodbye

We had a celebration of Mum at the bungalow on Saturday. Sharon had organized a wonderful spread from Peggy's Cafe. We had a lovely time reminiscing with some of Mum's closest friends and neighbours.

On Monday we attended the internment of Mum's ashes. We also had them inter her parents ashes at the same time. All are at the tree in Southend Crematorium with my Dad.

Cleaning

We then spent the next weeks cleaning out the bungalow. The greenhouse, Summer house, and tool shed took the first week. Multiple journeys to the tip, filling two skips (dumpsters), and having various "scrappers" stop by to pick over things.

The loft spaces never seemed to end. Cupboards, cabinets, and drawers stuffed with memories.

Just when we thought we were doing okay, a small object would surface that would set us off.

One of the skips (dumpster) we filled

Catching up

We had a wonderful night with Ian & Jo, and Martin over dinner. Caught up with Glyn (sadly his Sister had just died unexpectedly). And thanks to fat-fingering an imported contact in (recently installed) WhatsApp, re-connected with an old acquaintance.

Josh & I spent a lot of time with Sharon and her family, as well as each other. It was really nice.

Onwards

And now it's back to work. Back to living. But I can't help thinking about what one of Mum's friends said as she left. We'll always have the memories of Marion, and the times we spent together.

And isn’t that all we are in the end? Other peoples memories, just waiting to happen.

Dad's cassette tapes

2022-07-02T05:00:01Z

While going through multiple boxes in the loft I found a box of Dad's old cassette tapes. He used to decorate a lot of them with felt-tip. A big childhood memory for me.

Marc posted that his father had recently died. He's also been going through his late father's collection.

Funny how my parents (and both their parents) left behind 78's, 45's, vinyl albums, tapes, and CDs. None of which I had to play to invoke a memory.

All Josh will have is 10 CDs and some external drives full of MP3s. I doubt they will illicit the same in him.

Project finished

2022-07-02T05:00:01Z

This week marks the official end of a (huge) project at work.

We're out of hypercare. The service implementor has rolled off, and our (fantastic) Project Manager has retired.

It also marks 20 months of me doing very little of what I was hired to do.

During this project I've worn the hats of 'Interim Team Manager', 'QA Tester', and 'Front-end Developer' to name a few. I've tracked down & entered invoices, been on numerous 2AM deploys, lead meetings, and had to make lots of non-UX related decisions. All of this working remotely thanks to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

I am the only remaining member of the original team (Hi Chris , Shannon, and Brad 👋) who got the quotes at the start.

It's been stressful, frustrating, and disheartening at times. But, as "they" say, the only way out is through. We've had some laughs too, the new team rallying together under pressure.

But even though we have a litany of problems still to fix (and finding new ones daily), it does seem I can start getting back to the user experience and all that entails.

I used to be connected

2022-07-02T05:00:01Z

Nicole

I see Nicole about once every couple of months.

We met in 2013 at Blendconf (still one of the best conferences I've attended), followed each other on "the socials" and went our separate ways—We've never met in person since.

Over the years we had conversations, shared tips & tricks, and "liked" each others photos. All of this happened on social networks. Since I closed down my accounts that stopped.

Yet, I see Nicole about once every couple of months.

That photo of Nicole is taken from the WOC in Tech Chat photo shoot, which took place in 2015.

Inevitably a newsletter or presentation I get will use her photo from that free collection of stock photography.

She's currently on InVision's homepage too.

Lost

Each time I see that photo from 2015 I'm reminded of all the great and interesting voices I've lost contact with.

Very few post, or even maintain, their own sites now. The likelihood of my attending in-person conferences in the coming years is, slim. Local meet-ups are few & far between, and most Slack channels are quiet.

And this is solely on my shoulders. I'm terrible at keeping in-touch. I can get insular, focussed, and procrastinate.

Maybe the latter half of 2022 I can make an effort. Try to re-connect.

Reply-My Text Editors

2022-07-03T05:00:01Z

I used to enjoy Hemingway for drafting posts etc., but it's not been updated for years now and is flaky.

Nova is what I use for coding and posting to my site. Evernote is still my outboard brain for saving notes, some rough drafts.

Apple Notes (in concert with Reminders) is my go-to for quick notes for between devices.

Morning

2022-07-05T05:06:40Z

It's just after 6.30am. There's a storm rolling over us.

The sliding door is open and the sound of rain, thunder, and birds is mixing with SomaFM Drone Zone (playing Celestial by Starterra) perfectly. Like one of those relaxation mixes on YouTube.

Dogs are laying quietly. I'm sipping black coffee with honey.

What a lovely start to the day.

Ribs

2022-07-07T05:00:01Z

Not only did Michael cook the ribs. He also made the dry rub and sauce too.

Destiny 2 catch-up

2022-07-10T05:00:01Z

There's two main games I play on the Xbox. The Division 2, and Destiny 2. The Division 2 has been going through some issues recently and updates are coming, albeit slowly.

Destiny on the other hand is storming along. Season after season, with 2 more years of content already planned.

The current season's storyline has had some great writing. Maybe it hit me due to personal events, but handling grief, regret, and working through the baggage you carry around was very effective.

Solar 3.0

One of the biggest changes Destiny made was to overhaul how a lot of powers work. This season it was Solar's turn.

I put together a build that is a lot of fun to play. It's Warlock with Sunbracer gauntlets and the Sunshot exotic hand cannon.

Basically when you kill NPCs they blow, causing everything around them to blow up too. This drops "wells" which, when you pick them up, give you more weapon damage. And the cycle continues.

And this seasons armor and shaders were very cool. See this screenshot of my current Warlock.

Older secrets

And with this being a huge game there a lot of secret challenges you can do. I never seem to get around to all of these during a season, but thanks to YouTube I've managed to find the 9 dead exo's on Europa, the 9 hidden Penguin toys, as well as recovering the lost dead ghosts and all the hidden rabbits on the Moon.

Next Season

Season of the Haunted is ending soon. I'm looking forward to see where they take the storyline next. Also if we're getting an overhaul of the Arc power too.

The Comfort Lounge

2022-07-10T05:00:01Z

It was the kind of place where you might have sealed a business deal in a different decade, but now it was where you came when you had no more business to conduct.

— Unknown, The Comfort Lounge

I'm really enjoying this series of Interstate Scenes from James A. Reeves.

He describes them as A fictional collection of homeless paragraphs, remixed and upcycled bits from the past, and bloopers from the stories I’m writing.

His blog, Atlas Minor, is well worth a follow. More please.

2022-07-24 retro

2022-07-24T05:00:01Z

One of my favourite comic writers, Alan Grant, died.

Judging from this quote, another of my favourite comic writers is turning into Percy Thrower.

I needed the stakes to pin back some over-energetic bedding plants. Once the season is over, I can cut back the plants and remove the stakes, which I can then saw into smaller pieces for firewood.

— Warren Ellis, Orbital Operations newsletter

Catching up with, and enjoying, episodes of the Ultima Thule podcast.

Last week I could hardly walk on my right leg. The pain from driving made me feel sick. Resting, icing, and stretching is making feel better. But my ankle is still puffy. Thought it was Plantar fasciitis, but looks more like Achilles tendinitis.

I managed to finish the latest Destiny 2 triumph for Solstice and get the title.

Om Malik nails it, again

2022-07-31T05:00:01Z

Instagram’s transformation into QVC is now complete and absolute. Instagram is dead — or at least the Instagram I knew and loved is dead. It is no longer part of my photographic journey.

— Om Malik, Instagram is dead

Great post by Om about the shift Instagram took away from photography towards commerce.

Captures, in part, why I drifted far away from using it.

Sharing RSS feeds

2022-08-01T05:00:01Z

Blogs are great. And RSS feeds are how a lot of people consume those blogs.

It's how I find out about new blogs too. Someone posts a link to something they follow.

I recently added a 'blogroll' on my home page. And to that I've just added a link to all the feeds I'm following at the moment.

I use NetNewsWire as my feed reader. It's nice & simple. Works on Mac, and iOS. And it's free.

Doing a simple export from there gives me an OPML file. That's the file I've uploaded and linked to.

Feel free to import into your feed reader of choice.

You may find something interesting.

Reply-Short musings on taking an extended break from the computer

2022-08-02T05:00:01Z

Great to read this. I have definitely found I need to reclaim my handwriting, and sketching, abilities again.

2 years of solo remote work took me out of the slower flow I enjoyed with pen & and paper.

Also getting back to meeting with friends (face-to-face) instead of over video or Slack has put a little bounce in my step.

Reply-The Webmentioning

2022-08-03T05:00:01Z

This is great news. Now I just have to work out:

How to update my version of Eleventy
How to install the plugin

Reset the web, again

2022-08-03T05:00:01Z

Over lunch last week one topic Bridget, Chris, and I touched on was being lured down the complexity rabbit-hole of blogging tools and the huge array of options we can tweak.

And no, you can't decide on which SSG to use until you've run through all the font libraries Chris! Sheesh.

Chris also mentioned how he's trying Micro.blog, a very cool microblogging tool (I syndicate this blog there). One thing he liked is that he can write and post photo's from his phone to it.

None of the (intentional) palaver I go through posting here.

And then I saw this from Warren

It’s ridiculous how much harder it’s got to use the basic tools to speak in complete sentences digitally.

— Warren Ellis, Waiting for the easy work

Social media giants now overtly make it known that their users are revenue. Though most don't really seem to mind, there is still growing desire to publish & consume content from others on the web.

It all reminds me of going around co-workers houses in the 90's and showing how to use a browser to "see the rest of the web" outside AOL, CompuServe, etc.

I'm not the first to point out the comparisons between ~~Facebook~~ Meta and the CD-Rom distributing walled gardens of yore.

And just to be clear. Web3, NFT's, blockchain, and "Crypto" is not the big shift.

I'm talking about the new LiveJournals, person maintained directories, and other "retro" tech that is slowly creeping in around the edges.

A nice night out

2022-08-16T05:00:01Z

Tonight I enjoyed a night out with my co-workers. Guests of our new (again) technical partner, we dined at Johnny's Bar on Fulton Road.

It's been around since the 1920's. A real "old school" vibe. We sat on the patio courtyard, enjoyed some drinks, had some great food.

One 'old fashioned' lasted me the whole evening. Sautéed Stuffed Calamari, salad, followed by Filet of Beef au Poivre with Green Peppercorn, Sherry, Cognac & Demi Glacé filled me up—Delicious.

A nice moment to relax. A pause between the last 20 months of a stressful website re-platform, and the next 4 months headlong race to 2023.

Filet of Beef au Poivre with Green Peppercorn, Sherry, Cognac & Demi Glacé

2022-08-16T05:00:01Z

Filet of Beef au Poivre with Green Peppercorn, Sherry, Cognac & Demi Glacé

Johnnys Bar

Ate this at Johnny's Bar on August 16, 2022, and noted Dinner out with co-workers. Tasted delicious. Filet was melt-in-the-mouth.

You Gotta Hear This!

2022-08-21T05:00:01Z

This weekend I got the chance to catch up with episodes of You Gotta Hear This! A series of conversations between Austin Wintory (Composer) and Troy Baker (Actor).

Austin describes it as...

A new podcast series with Troy Baker called "You Gotta Hear this!" I have listened to thousands of works in my life that it seems criminal for not everyone to have heard, so I'm mending that one piece at a time and getting Troy's reaction. Tangents, as per norm, to be expected!

— Austin Wintory, Episode 1 summary

Now. I can't find this anywhere but on Austin's YouTube channel, so I wouldn't call it a podcast.

Austin is so enthusiastic about sharing the music & stories, and Troy is so eager to expand his knowledge in this area, it makes for a great time listening to them.

There are 16 videos, all around an hour or so long. Thoroughly recommend trying these if you have even a passing interest in music.

Reply-Treading Water

2022-08-27T05:00:01Z

Thanks for articulating this Gregor.

I'm not alone all the time with my wife, son, and two dogs in the house. But over the past 2 years, sitting at my desk in the basement, it can certainly feel like that.

My work requires two days in the office. The team I'm on is small—All vaccinated. For those days the building is pretty empty. But where I live in Ohio it has a yo-yoing COVID rate. I still wear a mask in large crowds, but like you I now tend to avoid them. I agree the response and guidance is lacking, as is the acceptance and understanding.

Cinema, meet-ups, happy-hours all gone by the wayside now.

I am lucky to have enjoy the occasional game night with friends (who share the same concerns) which refills that social battery for a while.

You're not alone. And it can, and will, get better.

Reply-Thanks David

2022-08-28T05:00:01Z

Yeah. I missed the reminder that my SSL expired yesterday. Should be all good now.

I also have to get Webmentions working on the site too ;-)

Goodbye UXPA Cleveland

2022-08-30T05:00:01Z

I have some great memories of attending, and volunteering at, the Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) over the years.

I attended a couple of NEOUPA (Northeast Ohio chapter of the International Usability Professionals' Association.) meetings before it became the UXPA.

Then, when I joined Progressive Insurance, I volunteered in setting up and running them as it was the de-facto venue for a number of years. Even after leaving Progressive I was an on/off paid member.

So I was saddened to see this statement about it closing.

It is with a heavy heart that we announce that after 19 years, UXPA Cleveland is shutting down. We've experienced a decline in membership numbers and engagement (predating COVID, but worsened by it); difficulty finding volunteers to serve on the board; and increasing competition from the many other online events that exist today.

— UXPA Cleveland

They have made all their presentations and recordings available at https://uxpacleveland.org/presentations.

I've made a lot of friends and connections over the years from UXPA meetings & events. It was also the reason I helmed IxDA Cleveland for a while.

It's a testament to all the committee members, speakers, and volunteers that gave us 19 years of community. I learnt so many things, and expanded my scope because of them.

Thanks to everyone involved over the years.

The Queen is dead

2022-09-10T05:00:01Z

On September 8^th Queen Elizabeth II died.

The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.

The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.

— Royal.uk

This hit me harder than I thought. Maybe because it's close to my own mums death this year. I dunno.

Elizabeth is the only Queen I knew. She was 96, ruled for over 70 years. When we cleared the house in the UK, we found commemorative books of the Coronation, Jubilee's, etc. And while I wouldn't consider myself the most ardent of royalists, I'm in no way an abolitionist.

Knowing The Queen was there always gave me a sense of calm, strength, and order. Governments came & went, but the hierarchy remained. Maybe that's akin to what religious people feel. That subconscious fall back of someone "at the wheel".

Today Prince Charles was proclaimed King Charles III.

Joy of RSS connections

2022-10-02T05:00:01Z

Doing my usual Sunday catch-up of RSS feeds.

I've read Om Malik for years, so when he referenced a Terence Eden post I had one of those "Oh, huh" moments.

You see I'd just read Terence's post and it resonated with me. It also seems to have done the same with Om (he also left a comment).

For some reason it took me by surprise that Om would read the same blogs I do. I can't say why, it just did.

I also love that, through blogs, there's still a sense of a wider connection and community.

The part that hit us both? Douglas Adams thought on technology...

Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
Anything that’s invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
Anything invented after you’re thirty-five is against the natural order of things.

I think I've reached the same inflection point. It's the hype surrounding the tech that kills a lot of it for me too.

Surrounded by Urban Homesteads

2022-10-08T05:00:01Z

It started with chickens across the street from us. Then a vegetable patch, what looks like a wood-burning stove in the garage, finally a large fence.

Behind us a wood & chicken-wire structure for vegetables appeared. One over from that, more chickens.

Urban Homesteading seems to be taking root in the outer suburbs of Cleveland.

It reminds me of the "self sufficient" trend of the 70's in th UK, epitomized by the sitcom "The Good Life"—I loved that as a kid.

With rising prices and a still shaky global supply chain, why not look back to what worked during a time when roaming blackouts and long lines at petrol pumps made the news.

Sunday brain dump

2022-10-16T05:00:01Z

Last but one load of laundry is spinning, rooms are dusted & vacuumed, and I'm catching up. Some articles mentioned in Warren's latest newsletter have been added to Instapaper, I'm on my second coffee, and the windows are letting in that crisp Autumnal air.

Sundays.

R.I.P. Robbie Coltrane

I know most people know him now from the Harry Potter films, but for me he was always the larger-than-life characters from 'The Comic Strip Presents', 'Blackadder', and especially 'Cracker'.

I ran into him once, literally. It was starting to rain and I was running from the Forbidden Planet comic shop back to Air Street in Soho. I slammed into someone, looked up, and there was Robbie Coltrane. "Watch where the fuck ya going" he growled.

Later found out the film units we'd seen packing up every morning, was shooting Mona Lisa.

BBC News on his death.

Destiny 2

This seasons storyline is nearly over. It's all about "space pirates" which has been fun, but now I have to grind through PvP activities if I want to complete the seasonal challenges. At least I don't have to do any Trials of Osiris.

The Division 2

Ooh, this has been rough. Though I have been enjoying the new content, there's been a whole lot of issues and bugs. Hopefully as the new (smaller) team finds its footing these will be ironed out. Fingers crossed for a new storyline next year.

The UK is in a mess

13 days after being announced as the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng has now exited after the disastrous "mini-budget" announcement. How Liz Truss is still Prime Minister is anyone's guess.

Doctors are taking a ballot to strike for the first time in about a century.

My sister is looking into installing a wood-burning stove as fuel prices continue to rise and the Pound plummets.

First snow

2022-11-12T05:00:01Z

Getting ready

After having multiple occasions of not having power and/or heat over the years, I decided to shell out for these:

And while I’m no hardy backwoods prepper, I can attest it’s just as cold at night on New Years Eve without a furnace in my suburban home, as in a log cabin.

Here's hoping I won't need them.

Meeting friends

With the first week of November being in the high 70's, I made the most of it and met up with some friends. Also a good excuse to try some new beers too.

Last week was with my gaming buddy Jim at Goldhorn Brewery, where I enjoyed a pint of Pole Licker. A nice crisp IPA. Not too hoppy, and went down well with the loaded fries & schloppy sauce.

Couple of days ago I finally got to sit down again with Ken & Bob. Two colleagues from my time at Progressive. Settling in at Boss Dog Brewing I had a couple pints of Uncle Knuckles Christmas Ale. A robust dark ale, great for catching up after 2 years.

Temperature drops

From rolled-up sleeves and widows open, to being in the 30's today and the first snow settling on car roofs.

I did pick-up a new snow shovel, as well as 3 bags of pet-friendly ice melt this week, so we won't be caught short if it starts to come down heavy.

Winter is here.

Experiments with Chili

2022-11-22T05:00:01Z

Over this Winter I've decided to play around and find "my" recipe for chili.

I've always liked Chili. With rice, on a jacket potato, or just on its own. So I am trying to hone my own recipe. Something easy to remember, and that I can cook what I have to hand.

Experiment 001 turned out a little too spicy.

The fire roasted tomatoes gave it a nice taste. I ended up taking out the chipotle peppers halfway through cooking. In the end it was good, but more chili pepper than chili.

This gave me 6 servings (3 lunches, 3 for the freezer) and a good base to start swapping out ingredients.

Chili Experiment 001

Ingredients

2 tbs oil
3 Jalapeño peppers
1 medium onion
2 tsp chopped garlic
A squeeze of tomato paste
28oz diced tomatoes
1 cup water
14oz black beans
14oz kidney beans
14oz great northern beans
7oz chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika

Takes 90 minutes, serves six people.

Directions

Finely chop onion
Remove seeds and veins from Jalapeños, then finely chop
Heat oil, then add onion, garlic, and Jalapeños. Stir-fry until soft
Add tomato paste, and stir for 5 minutes
Add tomatoes, water, beans, chipotle peppers, and spices
Stir
Bring to a boil, then simmer for about an hour

361 days to go

2023-01-04T05:00:01Z

Out went the tree, and down came the decorations, today. 2 days early I know, but local rubbish pick-up doesn't coincide with Twelvetide.

Though New Years Day is behind us, and Xmas is a wintery bomb cyclone memory, we'll be exchanging gifts this weekend due to Julie's Dad being in hospital—He's recovering.

No retrospective for last year (it was a mixed bag), and no resolutions for this year (don't believe in making them). Just aiming to read more, eat less, and keep my head above water.

4 down, 361 to go.

Unable to find a post about a CSS reset

2023-01-09T05:00:01Z

I have searched my browsers (both home & work) bookmarks and history—Nothing.

Evernote. My blog. My email. My code repo. Still nothing.

I read a post concerning a new CSS reset/baseline. I liked it's approach and cribbed some of it for this blog.

It contained adding the default system fonts to the body tag.


font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji;
/* Only supported on Chromium-based browsers and Safari */
font-family: system-ui;"

Also had adding word-wrap, etc., to the p element...

	
word-wrap: break-word;
overflow-wrap: break-word;
hyphens: auto;
max-width: 80ch;

...as well as adding color-scheme to the root

	
:root {
		color-scheme: light dark;
	}

By the end of Saturday I had so many tabs open, but none of them were it.

It is not Zell Liew's CSS reset, Andy Bell's modern CSS reset, or Josh Comeau's custom CSS reset.

Elly Loel's modern CSS reset came close, but no cigar.

All the above have elements of it, and due to the collaborative nature of the web, build on each other, so I don't know if I'm mis-remembering and making a composite in my brain or what.

I do know the post was about creating something "mobile-first", light, and user-centric.

Until I find it (if ever) these are all good resources that I have now bookmarked, and posted here.

I should do something

2023-01-22T05:00:01Z

I woke from a restless night. My left foot hurts. I can barely walk on.

It started snowing.

I hobble to-and-fro letting out the dogs, taking a shower, making breakfast.

It's been snowing pretty much all day.

I have half-written blog posts about Roon, gaming, and updating this blog. Two other projects; Collection of web development tenets, and my resume, need to be finished and uploaded.

Still snowing.

The three books I got for Xmas still sit, uncracked, on the shelf.

I post this. Is this something? Not really.

More experiments with Chili

2023-01-30T05:00:01Z

Second attempt to find "my" recipe for chili.

After the first attempt I did a quick search and found "The SHOCKING SECRET to great chili" by Adam Ragusea on YouTube. Very similar to what I'd done in Experiment 001, but with the addition of chocolate.

I also had some different peppers to play with.

Experiment 002 turned out very tasty. Not much heat due to the types of peppers I used.

I did add an extra dose of chili powder. The chocolate brought a smoothness and did seem to balance with the tomatoes—Thanks Adam. I feel this is getting close. Maybe one more try , but going back to the Jalapeños.

Again this gave me 6 servings (3 lunches, 3 for the freezer).

Chili Experiment 002

Ingredients

2 tbs oil
2 long green peppers
1 medium red onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
A squeeze of tomato paste
28oz diced tomatoes
1 cup water
14oz black beans
14oz kidney beans
14oz great northern beans
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 orange pepper
1 red pepper
handful of dark chocolate chips (62% Cacao)

Takes 90 minutes, serves six people.

Directions

Finely chop onion
Remove seeds and veins from long green, orange, and red peppers then finely chop
Heat oil, then add onion, garlic, and peppers. Stir-fry until soft
Add tomato paste, and stir for 5 minutes
Add tomatoes, water, beans, and spices
Stir
Add chocolate chips
Bring to a boil, then simmer for about an hour

GOUT

2023-02-03T05:00:01Z

2 weeks ago I had a pain in my left foot. It felt a little like Plantar fasciitis, which I've experienced before. So I started with some stretches and ice. See if I could get ahead of it.

The pain got worse. I noticed my foot was swollen when I removed my socks & shoes. It got so bad I could only wear Josh's old Crocks, and was hobbling around.

Then I started losing sleep. Blankets touching my foot was painful. Stretching or touching it was painful. I took Tylenol (no effect), then switched to Advil, which did make a difference.

Friends and family started suggesting it could be Gout. Ridiculous. That's for old Dickensian characters, swigging Port and eating Roast Beef all day.

Off to the doctors and, 3 attempts at drawing blood later (it never goes well), I picked up a a prescription for Indomethacin. This reduced the pain and the swelling. Labs came back and yes, Gout confirmed. So a different prescription, this time for Colchicine.

Stop one, start the other.

The pain is gone and I can start wearing shoes & socks again. But now another drug, Allopurinol. This is to help keep the levels of Uric Acid down which caused the Gout flare-up. But I shouldn't be taken with the Triamterene-Hydrochlorothiazid I use for my high blood pressure.

Ye Gods!

So I have to buy a blood pressure monitoring device so I can check at home.

Growing old sucks.

54th Birthday

2023-02-04T05:00:01Z

Yup. That's me. Another trip around the sun.

Once again Julie scored on the present front, with a whole box of goodies from Camerons British Foods.

Everything from Weetabix to Pork Pies. Even a loaf of bread for spreading Marmite or Bovrite on.

A Chinese take-away tonight, but no beer (see Gout).

Eating Ethiopian

2023-02-11T05:00:01Z

I saw that the owners were looking to sell Empress Tatyu and retire after 31 years in business.

I've only eaten Ethiopian cuisine twice. One of those times at Empress Tatyu. This is the latest of a spate of Cleveland institutions closing.

I mentioned it on Slack and Chris arranged a reservation.

Josh & I arrived at 6.30pm. Meeting Rachel, Laura & Kris, Chris & Cathrine, and Tina & Damon.

The place was packed, staff friendly, and the smells were great as you enter by the kitchen.

After some appetizers I ordered the Meat and Veggie Combo. This consisted of Dorowat (Chicken), Tikil Gomen (Vegetable Stew), Kik-alicha (Yellow Split Peas), and Misir (Red Lentils). All of this served of a bed of Injera (sour-fermented pancake).

It was delicious, and very filling. I also got to try some of the lamb the Cathrine ordered. Also delicious.

We ended the evening with the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony...

A traditional, leisurely ceremony starting with the roasting of green Ethiopian coffee beans in the kitchen. The smoking pan of aromatic beans brought to your table. The coffee is served from a jebena (clay pot), poured into traditional coffee cups, with incense burning on the side.

— Empress Tatyu menu

Though it took a while for our main courses to arrive, the time flew by as we had some great conversation and enjoyed spending time with friends. I'm also glad that Josh had the opportunity to try new tastes in this part of Cleveland history.

Friends, wine, and music

2023-02-18T05:00:01Z

It'd been over a year since we last met up at the wineries, so it was great seeing some of the old gang again. Pity Tom P. and Adam couldn't make it.

This time we tried some different places. Starting at Hundley Cellars I met up with Tom B., Linda, and her husband Chris. Surprisingly this was the first time I'd met him. Starting with a pleasant glass of Harvest Red we caught up, but had to sit pretty close to the live band. After a few songs, and a bowl of salt & vinegar almonds, we moved on.

Next stop was Debonne Vineyards. I opted for half a pint of the Red Ale by Double Wing Brewing. Once again there was live music, but this time nowhere to sit.

On to M Cellars where I had a really nice glass of 2021 Noiret. Music here was from a solo acoustic guitar. Laid back and very pleasant.

With the sun setting we made our last stop at Stonegait Winery. Just water for me here. Joined by Jess (Tom's wife, and another ex-Optiem/Adcom alum) and two of their boys, we enjoyed the left-over almonds Linda brought from Hundley, and Cheeseburger Pizza.

It was really good reminiscing, hearing new stories from Chris of cycling trips to Trappist Breweries in Belgium and teaching in Utah, as well as getting to meet Tom's family.

Fingers crossed this becomes a yearly tradition.

Moving hosts

2023-02-19T05:00:01Z

I've been with Media Temple for years. Various incarnations of this blog, clients from when I did freelance web design, sites for friends & family all hosted there.

But now that the acquisition by GoDaddy is complete I think it's time to move.

I know there's been big changes at GoDaddy, but that sour taste still lingers for me, and they still have some issues.

Also I only have this blog to manage now so I don't need a lot.

After a quick recommendation poll on Slack I am trying A2 Hosting.

So things may be a little rocky while I move everything around.

New music haul

2023-02-19T05:00:01Z

Went on a bit of a buying spree this week. Picked up some great stuff from Bandcamp, so in no particular order...

Ambient

Bordeaux—More slightly chilly, dreamy Russian atmospheres from Beautumn (Alexander Ananyev). This time mixed with distant vocal recordings that sound like found radio broadcasts. Released in 2016 its's been on my wishlist for some time. I think this was the last album he put out under the Beautumn moniker.

Next two by Robert Rich, one of my favourite musicians.

Offering to the Morning Fog—Released as a 'name your price' album this calm and relaxing, but has a lot of layers. In the same vein as his Somnium releases. Track 7 is a continuous mix of all 6 tracks, coming in just over an hour.

Neurogenesis—This is one of Robert Rich's more electronic albums. A mix of analog and digital sounds it dives into pulsing patterns like some of the track titles suggest; such as 'Dendritic' and 'Neurogenesis'.

Frozen Passages—Another one sitting in my wishlist for some time. This album is by poemme (Angela Klimek) who, with her husband Andrew, also runs Ambient Sleeping Pill internet radio here in Cleveland. This is another chilly atmospheres album, but not bleak. She describes it as...

Frozen Passages is an imagined journey into the far north of the continent, through boreal forest, across vast, barren landscape, through the iciest storm, and eventually finding warm refuge as the night brings a welcome calm to the tundra.

— poemme, Album page on Bandcamp

Electronic/Dance

Optical Delusion—The latest album by Orbital. 30 years and still going strong! This already has two of my favourite tracks this year; 'Ringa Ringa' with The Mediaeval Baebes, and 'Dirty Rat' with Sleaford Mods. I can see this moving up the list of my top Orbital albums.

Smiley—Another one by Orbital, this time a single from the '30 Something' album. Banger!

Ultra Truth—I can't say I'd heard of Daniel Avery before this album. I had seen John Darko mention it a couple of times, and it had appeared on several "top lists" from people I follow like Jon Hicks and Simon Collison. This is a huge album. Great swelling distortions then subtle pianos, the some D&B.

Wrapping up

I downloaded all of these as FLAC files, and made sure I paid a little over on the 'name your price' ones.

I still have 200 left on wishlist. How does it never get any smaller?

Gowalla is back

2023-03-10T05:00:01Z

Back when social networks were new, and sharing locations was coming to the fore, Gowalla was my preferred choice.

It felt more polished, more fun to use, and an all round better experience than Foursquare. I even managed to catch up with some of the team at SxSW one year, just before the Facebook acquisition and eventually shuttering.

Now, 12 years later, it launched anew at this years SxSW. And even though I've left using social media behind, I thought I'd give this a go.

The sense of play and discovery is still there. I really like the illustrations and refreshed sticker designs too.

Sign up was a little bumpy, but I put that down to an influx of new users. The interface for creating new places, and checking in, is easy to use. Only available on iOS at the moment.

I'm interested to see, not only where it'll go, but if/how I'll use it. The world is a very different place.

UK Pies and Fries

2023-03-11T05:00:01Z

My Sister-in-law sent me a video of a new place opening on the other side of Cleveland. Called UK Pies and Fries they serve "British style pies" along with chips (fries) and gravy.

Located round the corner from Gray House Pizza (same building, same owners), the small storefront has counter seating for 3.

Today they had Cheese & Potato, Mexican Chicken, and Steak & Ale on offer. I went for Steak & Ale with gravy on the chips.

Other customers were a woman from Sheffield whose been here for 17 years, and an American Grandmother who loves BritBox and wanted to try some UK grub. They both got the food to-go, where I sat at the counter to eat.

I made ample use of the HP Sauce and Malt Vinegar provided. The pie was delicious. A nice thick crust with a hearty filling of meat. Large portion of chips, which were good, and the gravy was ok. With a drink it only cost $13, which is a steal.

Chatting with one of the friendly staff, she told me they are hoping to expand the pie choices when the Head Baker (originally from Hull apparently) returns. I echoed the lady from Sheffield in suggesting Curry Sauce and Mushy Peas as additions; Both staples in Chip Shops back home.

I also got to sample a homemade Bakewell Tart which was very good.

This was some of the most authentic UK food I've had since moving to Cleveland. Definitely worth the drive, and I'm looking forward to another visit soon.

Moving Out

2023-03-22T05:00:01Z

Big day today. Huge, even.

I took the day off work and helped Josh move out.

The past week has been spent making sure he's packing all of his stuff into every available box, tote bin, and suitcase we have. Getting it moved downstairs to the garage. Staged for a quick loading today.

Last Sunday we took him him shopping to make sure he had the essentials. Salt, pepper, their requisite shakers, dried goods (rice, cereal, etc.), cleaning goods, a microwave. Toilet paper. Anything you "expect" to be there when you reach for it.

A 10:30am we picked up the U-Haul he booked and started packing, with the help of his friend Jack. Around midday the convey set off.

Jack's Dad driving the truck, followed by three cars full of clothes, food, and miscellaneous "stuff".

Two-and-half hours later we arrived and started lugging everything upstairs to the new apartment.

Jack and his Dad returned the empty U-Haul and started the trip back. I stayed, unpacking my car, while Josh picked up Kris.

After thanks and hugs I made the drive back (with the microwave, as it came with one), leaving them to get situated and deciding where everything should go.

It's been a long day and I ache all over.

Big day today.

Lay offs at work

2023-03-23T05:00:01Z

Being told that 11 people had been laid off today, five in our department. one of which we were in a meeting with not 30 minutes previous.

Reached out on LinkedIn where I was connected.

Potato & Vegetable Croquettes

2023-03-24T05:00:01Z

I was in Mentor on Friday and treated myself to lunch at Kiko's Kitchen. I went for a Chicken Katsu rice bowl, but they also had a special Potato & Vegetable Croquette served with Katsu sauce (photo).

There were delicious!

Game Gather

2023-03-25T05:00:01Z

Up and at 'em early today. Swing by Biagio's to grab coffee and a half dozen donuts. Then it's off to Medina. I'm attending Chris's second 'Game Gather' weekend.

Along with some of the usual faces from Game Night, I finally met David Moore face-to-face, which was nice as he'd travelled in from out-of-State.

After some catching up we started the day with a couple rounds of Get Lucky, the Kill Doctor Lucky Card Game. A fun deck-building game, which was pretty easy to pick up.

Rachel also brought quick game called Poison (I think?), where you had to wager against the other players in matching tokens with dice rolls. A quick coffee break and then it's on to the big games.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Vendetta

I've played this before and always enjoy it. Using the same archetypes from White Wolf's RPG (which I used to play & run back in the UK), you play as one of the many vampire clans in Chicago. Plotting, and battling to acquire control of the city.

Halfway through we broke for lunch.

Cthulhu: Death May Die

Next up was Cthulhu: Death May Die. I'd never played this before–It was a lot of fun. With the usual Lovecraftian stakes of death, madness, or both, this is a co-operative game where we make our way around the "board" trying to stay alive and destroy certain items before the "big bad" is summoned.

The Elder God was summoned and it was touch-and-go, but thanks to a self-sacrifice from David, we beat it!

Calling it

This week has felt particularly long, so when it got to 8pm I called it a night. Chris & Cat were great hosts. I had a lot of fun playing new games, catching up, and relaxing for a while. Here's to next years Game Gather.

Using Kimchi

2023-04-03T05:00:01Z

We were gifted a jar of homemade kimchi. This is delicious!

But now I'm the only one in the house who'll eat something like this, I wanted to try something new.

A quick search revealed a Korean stew named Budae Jjigae, or "Army Stew".

Now I didn't have everything in the house to follow the recipe exactly, but I did have Spam, Broth, Ramen, Kimchi, Onions, Scallions, and Garlic.

I fried the Spam first, then added the Kimchi. I poured in the broth, kimchi juice, onions, garlic, and a dash of sugar. Let the whole thing bubble away then added the ramen. That did soak up a lot of the broth, but it tasted great.

If we get any more of that Kimchi I will make it again.

The Coronation

2023-05-06T05:00:01Z

Today was The Coronation of King Charles III.

I didn't wake up early for it, though did lend my Union Jack to Rena who watched it live.

I caught up with the BBC's live stream on YouTube. It captured all the pomp and ceremony.

Certainly hit me in the "the feels" when Zadok the Priest (Handel's Coronation Anthem No. 1) started during the anointing. Was a favourite piece of music for my Dad.

This is the first coronation to happen in my lifetime. Though I have seen footage of Queen Elizabeth's, I didn't remember how much moving around there was. Lots of undressing, dressing, changing chairs. This "dance" choreographed over hundreds of years.

I spoke to my sister later in the day. She'd caught most of it on TV. Tomorrow there is a street party happening. Hopefully the rain will hold off for them. I wonder if there'll be Coronation Quiche"?

New soles

2023-05-07T05:00:01Z

In 2016 I dropped off some clothes at Goodwill. I was in the market for some replacement shoes so I thought I'd look here. Lo-and-behold I found a brown pair (that fit) for about $30.

Slightly worn and made by a brand I'd never heard of, Mephisto. After a quick clean they became my go-to pair.

Last year I noticed they had worn down considerably, so I looked to get a new pair. It was then that I discovered 1) Mephisto shoes are in the over $300 range and 2) they offered a refurbishment service for about $160.

After a slight delay, due to parts coming from France, I received my (virtually) new shoes complete with cedar blocks, new laces, and fully polished.

Here's to another 6 years of wear.

Wardrobe change

2023-05-07T05:00:01Z

This weekend saw the start of 立夏・Rikka, according to the Small Seasons Guide.

立夏・Rikka・Start of Summer

The songs of summer begin. Frogs start their singing, and birds chirp in the forests. Worms surface from underground, bamboo shoots begin to sprout.

— smallseasons.guide

So I figure this serves as good a reason as any to swap out to my Summer wardrobe.

To be clear I am in no way a "fashion horse" (cue Balenciaga vs. H&M meme). This is more swapping out my heavy socks and t-shirts with lighter weight ones. Away go the majority of long sleeved shirts, replaced with short sleeved.

A few items go in the donate pile thanks to my Winter-induced belly expansion. Hopefully this comes down a little so the same fate doesn't befall my favourite Summer shirts.

Over the years I've cultivated this habit, mainly due Ohio's swing between bitter Winters and searing Summers.

New power spoiled Destiny 2 storyline for me

2023-05-15T05:00:01Z

With less than a week left in the current season, I've finally came back to finish the storyline for Lightfall. The reason? It's the new power they introduced, Strand.

I found Strand annoying. So much so, that I abandoned the campaign storyline and have only played the seasonal content up to this weekend.

One of the trailer reveals is the introduction of being able to act like Spiderman—Swinging around this new neon city called Neomuna. Great!

Only not so much.

As part of each story mission you run across these "strand columns" which gives you the new power for a limited time. I get it from a story and ability introduction view, but the grapple ability is tied to your grenade slot. Meaning it has a limited amount and a cooldown. And I lose grenades as an "ad clear" option.

If I mis-timed the swing or release, and I used up the 2 swings I had, I died from falling. Meaning I go back to the last checkpoint and then have to wait for the grenade energy to build up again. I found this infuriating.

This weekend I sat down and forced myself to finish the story. I did not have much fun, which is a real shame as everything else (storyline, setting) was right in my wheelhouse.

Now it's completed, I unlocked Strand as a usable power and found out you don't even have to use the grapple. There are other actual grenades that I can equip in that slot. In the story mission you weren't given any other option.

This was such a wasted opportunity. It has soured me on using this power in the game.

Here's hoping that none of the upcoming story missions need the use of Strand's grapple.

My Father-in-law died

2023-05-22T05:00:01Z

We got the sad news last night.

After a long struggle with various health issues, compounded by cancer, Julie's dad died last night.

He served as a Marine in the Vietnam War. Worked as a telephone engineer for "Ma Bell", AT&T, and later as an independent contractor.

I always felt welcomed and supported by Jim. He helped with my visa, financially when we moved over by co-signing, led me through the radically different taxes system, helped with practical home repairs, and what little I know of US sports is pretty much thanks to him.

He was always curious. Asking questions about a multitude of topics. But we could also just sit and watch a crazy 80's action film.

He was a big part of my life. He was my second father. We will all miss him.

YouTube shame pop-up

2023-08-17T05:00:01Z

Today when I visited YouTube I faced an empty homepage, with a pop-up stating "Your watch history is off".

I wasn't the only one who noticed. But to what end? I guess in an attempt to shame me into turning it back on?

I turned off YouTube's watch history feature off some time ago. Since doing that the homepage has been a mixed bag of videos ranging from the same thing I just watched (but from different people) to just random stuff.

But that was fine. I normally go straight to my subscription page and watch from that. When I did end up on there it was usually via reflective click on the logo.

But why take this approach has me scratching my head.

The watch history feature is directly tied to feeding the algorithm and providing "relevant" video recommendations. I'm sure it also feeds into the profile they build up on you as a user. That's why I turned it off—And you have too dive in to turn it off. I doubt anyone has done this by accident.

So for users like me this is, dare I say, an improvement. Removed is the temptation of being drawn into mindlessly clicking through. Exactly what we wanted.

I wonder how soon the usual homepage will be restored? Is the next step to blank out my subscriptions?

Gamers on YouTube I enjoy

2023-08-19T05:00:01Z

There are a handful of video games I play extensively on the Xbox. Three I play the most are The Division 2, Destiny 2, and The Long Dark.

Each of those have been around for over 5 years; Building, changing, and expanding.

These are the YouTube accounts I follow to keep me in-the-loop. If you play, check them out.

The Division 2

NothingButSkillz I've watched since playing the original Division game. Gameplay and general news
DodRegenbue is fantastic for build-crafting. Going in-depth with stats & talent interactions
Hutchler is a new follow (via DodRegnbue). Speedrunner putting out some very interesting guides and history videos
LtBuzzLightbeer is another person from the original Division game. Less gameplay, more general video game news now
Ronin Kaze shares his builds and gameplay
NGN puts out great lore videos, and has even had his work used by Massive Studios, creators of the game

Honorable mentions to Lyrical Fighter and AArtjoMM. I'm no PvP'er but these two are good, and make me laugh.

Destiny 2

Time Sausage is a barmy Welshman putting out gameplay and really good walkthroughs
Aztecross is fun to watch and puts together some very good long-form pieces about the state of Destiny
My Name Is Byf puts together rich, in-depth, videos explaining the lore within the game. And theres a lot
Datto, was a go-to for his "vault cleaning" videos. And, like Aztecross, puts out some pieces about the direction of the game too
AbbyHour was the first person to explain DIM and loadout optimization in a way that made sense to me
Paul Tassi is a writer for Forbes who shares his personal views about Destiny (and other games)

The Long Dark

There is only one YouTube channel I watch for the The Long Dark and that's Zaknafein. Great videos showing walk-throughs, gameplay, and his take on the direction of the game.

Vegas Dust

2023-08-27T05:00:01Z

I've been reading James A. Reeves blog, Atlas Minor, for sometime now. He did a post a day in 2020, now collected as Notes from the end of a world which I enjoyed.

Moving from New York to Nevada was also captured on the blog, and now he's released this album. Maybe a companion piece to the journey?

From the liner notes

A few minutes after midnight in the Mojave desert, a preacher appears on a dead radio channel: “The devil’s job is to deceive you. The devil’s job is to make you think that God can’t do nothin’ for you, that God don’t care about you.”

— James A. Reeves, Album page on Bandcamp

There is a definite sense of driving at night. Shapes looming up, then receding, in your headlights. Standing under the bright fluorescence of a gas station, peering into the dark.

Snippets from AM radio shows weave in-and-out of the slowly evolving atmospheres. Everything covered in a grainy crackle.

I've had this on heavy rotation the past couple of days.

Would make a great companion to some Stars of the Lid.

Oh no

2023-08-29T05:00:01Z

It was only Sunday that I posted about a new ambient album where I said it'd make a nice companion to the music of The Stars of the Lid.

Then yesterday I saw Jon Hicks post about the sudden death of Brian McBride, one half of SOTL, that weekend.

Like Jon, I loved their music. Always held out hope that they'd make another album.

My favourite album is 'The Tired Sounds of'.

The Tired Sounds of by Stars of the Lid

I'm going to take Jon's advice and grab McBride's 'The Effective Disconnect' off my Bandcamp wishlist.

R.I.P.

Arbitrary photo challenge

2023-09-01T05:00:01Z

I am plagued with a literal pox. For the last (checks notes) 3 weeks, confined to the house due to being contagious. I still have 1 more week until I'm free—Fingers crossed.

So, to pull me out of the dumps, how about an arbitrary photo challenge for September?

Rules

1 photo a day
No repeats (avoid a selfie in the same chair 30 times)
Shot, in landscape, on my iPhone 13 mini
Apply the 'P6' filter using VSCOCAM app
Cropped to 16:9 ratio
Posted that day on my blog

Let's see what we end up.

Photo 01, September challenge

2023-09-02T03:14:01Z

Photo 02, September challenge

2023-09-03T03:14:01Z

Photo 03, September challenge

2023-09-04T03:14:01Z

Photo 04, September challenge

2023-09-04T03:14:01Z

1000 year long track as radio

2023-09-04T05:00:01Z

I've been using Roon to listen to all my music for sometime now.

Today I found I could set up the Longplayer live stream as a Roon Radio Station.

Open the app
Choose 'My Live Radio' from the menu
Click/Touch '+ Add Station'
Manually add station by pasting in the stream URL - http://icecast.spc.org:8000/longplayer
Complete the name, icon, and description (optional)

Now I can stream the "one thousand year long musical composition" while I drift off to sleep.

The Pox

2023-09-04T05:00:01Z

Julie got shingles at the end of July. Not great.

On August 4th I went and got jabbed with the first dose of the shingles vaccine.

On the weekend on the 12th Julie's shingles have pretty much gone, and I started itching.

Sitting with the Doctor on the 15th she tells me "well it's not shingles. Have you had chickenpox?" I tell her I grow up during the 70's in the UK—I've had everything.

The rash is on both sides (shingles presents only on one) and across my back. A working theory is a reaction to the vaccine.

As I was already exposed to the shingles from Julie, then injected with live chickenpox, it all hit the fan.

I'm on my way with a letter stating I'm contagious (work from home / not to mix in public). Pick up 2 sets of tablets, one nearly as big as my little finger!

At its height I felt covered in sunburnt poison ivy! Unable to get more than a couple of hours sleep at a time. Smell of Calamine lotion triggering childhood memories. Juggling that, work, and traveling between two (empty) houses for family, took its toll.

It's now September and after speaking to the Doctor's office I'm still WFH until the 11th. Apparently it takes as long as it takes because it's a virus. The pox does seems to be loosening its hold, down to that of a mildly itchy jumper.

Feeling I've been through the wringer I hope now it's not too long until I bounce back.

Photo 05, September challenge

2023-09-06T03:14:01Z

Photo 06, September challenge

2023-09-07T03:14:01Z

Molly Holzschlag died

2023-09-07T05:00:01Z

I heard Molly Holzschlag died yesterday. Quite a few of the "old guard"; Eric, Bruce, and Deborah, posted their memories and stories about her.

I was lucky to have met Molly a couple of times, the first at SxSW back in 2007. She was a friendly force of good for the web. I enjoyed her writing advocating for Web Standards, and admired her will in the face of great adversity in her later life.

My last memory of her is receiving an envelope of original Technorati stickers in the mail that she'd sent. That must've been about 5 years ago.

Thanks for all the hard work, and taking time to say hello. You'll be missed.

Photo 07, September challenge

2023-09-08T03:14:01Z

Photo 08, September challenge

2023-09-08T05:00:01Z

Photo 09, September challenge

2023-09-09T05:00:01Z

Sleeping, cleaning, laundry, and Starfield got in the way.

Photo 10, September challenge

2023-09-10T05:00:01Z

Photo 11, September challenge

2023-09-11T05:00:01Z

Reply-Who reads my blog?

2023-09-11T05:00:01Z

Hey Terence.

I read your blog via RSS. Even linked back to a couple of your posts too over the years.

I'm a Brit living in Ohio, USA. My site uses Eleventy. I too have zero analytics on my site, so my working assumption is I have a couple people who read because they know me :-) I don't have comments on, and have yet to show webmentions.

Been blogging since the mid-2000's I think, though most of that is now in a Wordpress export that was corrupted when moving hosts. Some day I'll get around to finding a way to reinstate those posts here.

Photo 12, September challenge

2023-09-12T05:00:01Z

Photo 13, September challenge

2023-09-13T05:00:01Z

Photo 14, September challenge

2023-09-14T05:00:01Z

Photo 15, September challenge

2023-09-15T05:00:01Z

Photo 16, September challenge

2023-09-16T05:00:01Z

NOM - Homemade biscuits & gravy

2023-09-16T05:00:01Z

NOM - Homemade biscuits & gravy

Trying to be better at cooking from scratch

Ate this at Home on September 16, 2023, and noted Turned out great. Froze some to give to Josh & Kris.

I've posted the sausage gravy recipe I follow here before. This was only the second time I've made the biscuits from scratch though. For something so "simple" it can still be quite stress inducing.

I followed the directions from Sugar Spun Run's video. Her instructions were clear and concise. Good tip was putting the butter in the freezer for 10-20 minutes, then grating it.

I don't bother with pressing out rounds. Just use a knife to divide the dough into 6 squares.

Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (very cold)
¾ cup of milk

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 425°F
Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl
Grate in cold butter, mix with a fork until it looks like a course crumble
Stir in milk, with spoon, until dough gets "shaggy"
Flour a surface (and your hands) and turn out the dough
Fold, turn 90°, fold again. Repeat this about 6 times using only your hands
Form into a rectangle (about 1" thick) and cut / press out biscuits
Cook for about 15 minutes

Reply-My kind of weather

2023-09-16T05:00:01Z

Growing up in Essex, along the Thames, my kind of weather is generally what we experience in Autumn, or Fall in the USA.

Winds pick up and the days can get a little more overcast. Rain is abundant, clearing out the dust of Summer.

There is still a warmth during the day, though morning & evenings carry a crispness in the air.

Not cold enough that I need layers of thick coats & jumpers. But standing near a fire, or sipping on a hot drink, lets you feel the warmth seep through your body.

Moving to Ohio has only solidified my love of this weather. Here follows the same patterns as the UK. But both Summer & Winter can be taken to extremes.

And September has started to bring my kind of weather in. You can feel the nip in the air when I let the dogs out in the morning. Windows stay open most of the day. Neither AC or heating interrupt the sounds from outside.

Fingers crossed it lasts well in the Winter.

Photo 17, September challenge

2023-09-17T05:00:01Z

Photo 18, September challenge

2023-09-18T05:00:01Z

Photo 19, September challenge

2023-09-19T05:00:01Z

Photo 20, September challenge

2023-09-20T05:00:01Z

Photo 22, September challenge

2023-09-22T05:00:01Z

Photo 23, September challenge

2023-09-23T05:00:01Z

Photo 24, September challenge

2023-09-24T05:00:01Z

Photo 26, September challenge

2023-09-26T05:00:01Z

Photo 28, September challenge

2023-09-28T05:00:01Z

Photo 30, September challenge

2023-09-30T05:00:01Z

More thoughts on a digital legacy

2023-09-30T05:00:01Z

Back in 2021 I jotted down my thoughts on what would happen to this site after I died.

Maudlin I know, but I'm over 50 so...

Wordpress recently announced its 100 Year Plan. For $38,000 you'll get:

Century-long domain registration
Backups and Internet Archive submittal
Enhanced ownership protocols
Hosting
Premier support

All-in-all a great deal, and things I mentioned would be this sites downfall.

The 100 Year Plan also got Chris Coyier thinking, and wrote about how long free hosting lasts. SPOILER! Not as long as you think.

This was one of the reasons I moved hosting. My "lifetime" free hosting ended with GoDaddy buying Media Temple.

Nothing is forever. Even Wordpress stops at a century.

New-ish music

2023-09-30T05:00:01Z

I've been saving up my pennies and grabbed some new (and old) albums from my wishlist.

Ambient

Free ambient electronic sampler 35—As the name suggests a free sampler from the excellent Spotted Peccary label, though I always pay something for these.

AI-35: Ghost Lights—New album from Rod Modell. This mixes subtle environmental recordings with huge soundscapes that you'd expect from Modell. A return to the territory of one my personal faves, The Autonomous Music Project maybe? I have to sit with it more to tell.

Tokyo EP—This is a pre-order of the final part of the Japan series from Simon Collison. Looking forward to hearing this soon.

Electronic / Dance

Murmurations—Released in 2018 from Simian Mobile Disco feels more like a Deep Throat Choir album, with SMD providing backup. Really enjoyable big vocal dance tracks in there.

From DEEWEE—Another great Soulwax album, this time from 2017. Recorded in one continuous live take. Full of stonking big tracks that demand to be played loud! Could probably fall under indie rock with the 3 live drummers, etc.

No Photos On The Dancefloor—Another album I found via John Darko. 20 tracks charting Berlin techno from 1992–2021.

Stained Glass—A 5 track deep techno offering from cv313, who are Steve Hitchell & Rod Modell (again). Found via the, now shelved, Dub Monitor channel.

Blocked by YouTube

2023-10-19T05:00:01Z

I wrote about how YouTube emptied my homepage because I have my watch history turned off. An option they offer.

Now I can no longer watch any videos on YouTube¹ because I run an Ad-Blocker in my browser.

For a while I got this pop-up, with a close button that only appeared after a timer had run.

Yesterday that was replaced by this pop-up. Giving me three strikes then I'm cut off.

Then after watching 3 videos, the final pop-up is this, which replaces the video completely.

Each time I'm given the opportunity to whitelist YouTube in the Ad Blocker, or pay for YouTube Premium. Neither of which I ~~will~~ want to do.

It seems YouTube has been this rolling this out globally. Alexander Hanff filed a formal complaint against #YouTube with the Irish Data Protection Commissioner for their illegal deployment of #adblock detection technologies. today, which he posted about on Mastadon (hattip Chris).

I think I'll take this as a sign to step away from the last "social media" site I use for a while. Maybe breaking the habit will be good for me.

Footnotes

This is while I'm logged in

Bandcamp in trouble?

2023-10-22T05:00:01Z

Bandcamp, for years now, has been my primary source for purchasing new music.

I love the wide choice of genres from both new & established artists. Those artists may email you direct, which is cool. And Bandcamp Friday¹ is a thing. Also they unionized.

But over the last week there's been troubling news around Bandcamp.

Bad news Bandcamp

Along with the recent layoffs, Epic sold off Bandcamp (I had forgotten they bought them) after only a year or so of ownership.

Acquired by Songtradr (whom I'd never heard off), a music licensing platform, who stated they will continue to operate Bandcamp as a marketplace and music community with an artist-first revenue share.

During the acquisition Bandcamp's union were in the midst of negotiations with Epic. There was a petition (which I signed) for Songtradr to meet with the union too.

Then on October 17th, Songtradr essentially laid off 50% of Bandcamp's staff, which included all the union’s eight-person bargaining team.

What next?

Im worried that Songtradr will shoe-horn Bandcamp into their licensing platform, making artists jump ship, and closing the shop.

Also, with 70% of the vinyl team gone, and the editorial cut by two-thirds, some of what Bandcamp so special has already left.

Fingers-crossed that those remaining can make it work, and Bandcamp Friday will continue.

Footnotes

Bandcamp waives their revenue share on all music sold

Real Tigers

2023-10-22T05:00:01Z

Just finished 'Real Tigers', the third in Mick Herron's Slough House series. Fantastic!

After reading the first two, I watched the Apple TV+ adaptations to remind myself of the world before diving into the next. Gary Oldman does a great job bringing Jackson Lamb to life, and the whole production doesn't stray too far from the original material.

But something was missing from Slow Horses (TV), and after finishing Real Tigers (book) I figured out what—Pacing.

The breaking up into parts, need for cliffhangers, and filling of 6 episodes all works against what I can't get enough off in the books.

Herron's pacing makes you feel like you're watching an intricate clockwork machine unspooling in front of you. Getting faster & faster and there's nothing you, or his characters, can do about it.

I'll be starting 'Spook Street' soon.

Foodspotting import complete

2023-10-26T05:00:01Z

Back in 2021 I posted about starting to add all my exported Foodspotting posts to this site. Today I finished.

All 178 posts, from 2011–2017. An on-and-off documenting of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

It was a fun having my memory jogged by seeing the restaurant names, or photo of a dish. Trips taken, happy hours with co-workers, day's out with the family.

Few things I noticed.

I had a lot of Lunch Buffets from Bombay Chaat.

A lot of places are now closed.

Some like Cafe 55 and Bigmouth Donuts occupied the same space, one after another.

2023-10-27 retro

2023-10-27T05:00:01Z

I just read that an ancient way to curse people, by sticking a horse head on a pole, is still going on in Iceland. It's called a níðstöng, or “nithing pole”.

This week saw the Start of the Descending Frost

霜降・Sōkō・Frost Descends. The first frosts. Rains disappear as the maple leaves and ivy turn yellow.

— smallseasons.guide

It got to be 78℉ in the house today. We had all the windows open. It's supposed to be Sōkō!

I'd been looking forward to a celebratory work deliverable. Proud of the work that'd been put in, by everyone involved. Turned (and continues to be) sour, contentious, and personally disheartening.

I have 3 weeks of unused vacation time—Maybe it's time for some distance.

Buddha Machine. Finally.

2023-11-01T05:00:01Z

If it wasn't for Mark buying one last week over at Disquiet.com I would've missed it, again!

I've been after one since reading about the original launch (probably via Marc) back in 2005. Over the years I've either not had the spare cash, or they've been out-of-stock.

The Buddha Machine was designed by Christiaan Virant and Zhang Jian (jointly as FM3) in Beijing, China.

Described as a strangely hypnotic journey of 9 generative looped tracks that are addictive to body and soul. All of this, simply seamlessly integrated into a box the size of a box of playing cards.

Grab the 2023 reissue from MeMeAntenna while stocks last, if you're interested.

App Defaults

2023-11-15T05:00:01Z

I saw Kerri Krueger, fLaMEd, and Wouter Groeneveld list their App Defaults and, as I've recently moved to a couple of new defaults myself, thought I'd put mine down too.

Mail Client: Hey
Mail Server: Hey
Notes: Notesnook
To-Do: Reminders.app
iPhone Photo Shooting: Camera.app
Photo Management: Photos.app
Photo Editor: Acorn
Calendar: Calendar.app
Cloud file storage: iCloud Drive / NAS
RSS: NetNewsWire
Contacts: Contacts.app
Browser: Safari
Code Editor: Nova
Chat: iMessage / Slack / WhatsApp
Bookmarks: Safari / davidjohnmead.com
Read It Later: Instapaper
Word Processing: Hemingway
Spreadsheets: Numbers
Presentations: Keynote
Shopping Lists: Reminders.app
Meal Planning: N/A
Budgeting & Personal Finance: Numbers
News: NetNewsWire / Legible News
Music: Roon & Roon Arc (self-hosted music files)
Podcasts: Pocketcasts
Password Management: 1Password

Sushi lunch

2023-11-17T05:00:01Z

Decided to have lunch at ISSHO NI RAMEN. Ordered the 3 roll lunch special; 'Rock N Roll', 'Spicy Tuna Roll', and the 'Negihama Roll' (not shown).

All were really good and it came with Miso Soup. I couldn't finish the Tempura Vegetable appetizer which I'd also ordered.

My Mother-in-law died

2023-12-07T05:00:01Z

Julie's mum died tonight. She got the call a few hours after leaving the hospital.

We'd all been sitting with Linda that day. Julie & Jamie having to talk about "making her comfortable" with the staff. It broke us all when Josh called to say his goodbyes. This was her second battle with cancer.

Linda was a wonderfully warm and caring person. Loved crafts, and was a great photographer.

Worked as an Executive Assistant for "Kaufmann's", May Company, and later Macy's. Always organized and a massive help to us. Even flew over to the UK with empty suitcases to help us move.

I always felt I could talk to her. She knew just the right present to give someone, and was a great support when she became a Grandmother.

She was a big part of my life. My second mother. We will all miss her deeply.

Ham and Eggs

2023-12-27T05:00:01Z

We now have 3 dogs

2023-12-27T05:00:01Z

We've adopted my Mother-in-law's dog, Max.

We were worried how he'd get along with other dogs. Being 14, an old man in dog years, he was set in his ways. Also losing some vision & hearing makes it difficult.

But with only one "accident" he settled in really quickly.

There's still the occasionally squabble, but all three now join in barking & howling at whatever is passing by our large Living Room window.

Taken with the WEST Camera app.

Gas leak!

2023-12-28T05:00:01Z

Around 6pm there was a bang on our front door. It was the postman. Yelling above the dogs going mental, he told me he could smell gas out front.

I went to check and yes, I could smell something.

I called the emergency number. Within 30 minutes someone from Dominion was here and confirmed there was a leak on the service line.

Around 8pm a truck turned up with digging equipment. Luckily they only had to replace the line near the meter. An hour-or-so later we're back up and running. Leak fixed and heating restored.

I hate to think what could've have happened.

Tomorrow I'm going to get the postman a little thank you :-)

First time Filipino lunch

2024-01-10T05:00:01Z

First time Filipino lunch

Parilya

Ate this at Parilya on January 10, 2024, and noted The Pork Sisig was huge, and really tasty. Chargrilled pork (including ear) with onions and peppers. Served over rice, topped with an egg. Will be coming back to try more.

I am a Grandad

2024-01-23T05:00:01Z

Today James Eduardo Mead came into the world.

Everyone's doing fine, and I'm looking forward to meeting him.

55th Birthday

2024-02-04T05:00:01Z

Still here. Collected a few more aches, pains, and wrinkles along the way.

Bacon sandwich for breakfast, while streaming a couple of hours of Destiny 2. Quite a few birthday texts, and well wishes.

Another great score on the presents front. Looking forward to diving into the Simon Stålenhag book, along with those Turkish Delights and an Old Speckled Hen tonight.

New to me is the 'Drinks & Sinkholes' book. Described as Warm beds, quaint mysteries, and the best rosemary bread this side of Pigsend Creek. Sounds just what I need.

TACOS

2024-02-08T05:00:01Z

TACOS

Taco Fiesta Hinojosa

Ate this at Taco Fiesta Hinojosa on February 8, 2024, and noted Had 2 Barbacoa and 1 Chicken Fajita, with a side of rice. Tasted fresh-Really delicious.

My music setup

2024-02-10T05:00:01Z

I've sat down a few times to capture this, to no avail. Sometimes long-winded, sometimes a bulleted list. But today's the day.

So here goes.

History

I had built up a large collection of music over the years. Vinyl, cassette, CD, and mini-disk. Even some early MP3's.

Only the MP3's, CD's, and mini-disks made the trans-Atlantic move at the turn of the Century.

With the arrival of the iPod & iTunes all those CD's got ripped. Being sold off over the coming years.

That digital library moved from iTunes to Google Play Music, then to iBroadcast.

It was during the Pandemic, being at home during lock-downs, made me miss the ability to listen to my music "out loud". It had been years since I owned a stereo system with speakers.

My main consumption was via headphones. Either through iPod, phone, or laptop. Only exception was whilst in the car.

Trying things

Apple Music/iTunes had changed, a lot, since I'd used them last. I found it complicated and confusing, So I bought Swinsain.

More reminiscent of the old old iTunes but with newer features. It was faster, had some great tools like a duplicate finder, and still synched with my old iPods.

I added some Apple HomePod mini's to the mix and this worked great for a while. I was still missing something though.

This was great when on my laptop or managing my library, but I wanted to listen when I was in the office or car.

I tried Plex but it didn't click with me. Then I heard about Roon, gave that a go, and got hooked. Roon gave me access to a whole world of extra information about what I was listening to.

As it pulls in album information from various sources, it'd surface connections between artists & albums. They also launched Roon ARC which streamed my files to my phone.

Roon showing my music library by album year

Present setup

So there it is. All my purchased music stored locally, available in Roon, streamed through HomePod minis.

The difference is amazing. Having the music fill a room makes all the difference. I find myself actually sitting and listening more. Discovering and enjoying old albums like hearing them for the first time.

Import flow

Buy & download (.FLAC if possible) from Bandcamp, Beatport, or the artists own site
I use Amvidia's Tag Editor for filling in blanks in the files meta data
Then add to Swinsain which organizes them on the NAS
Roon then watches the NAS folders and pulls them in

Future-Fi

John Darko coined the term, Future-Fi, and it fits how I found myself listening to music now. Hardware with built-in ability to stream music, either through a service or your own files.

On the wishlist is a pair of Kef LSX II speakers. An upgrade from the Apple HomePod minis that currently fill the living room.

Roon offers a free 30-day trail, if anyone wanted to give a go.

Honest Special Bhaji Pav

2024-02-14T05:00:01Z

Honest Special Bhaji Pav

Honest Restaurant Cleveland

Ate this at Honest Restaurant Cleveland on February 14, 2024, and noted Spiced vegetable and potato mash served with soft buttered bread and onions. Delicious street food from India.

Cuddles with my Grandson

2024-02-16T05:00:01Z

Last week I got to travel, spending a couple of days with Josh, Kris, and James.

A lot of time having cuddles, gurgling, and coochy-chooing back-and-forth with James.

He's "totes adorbs". Both parents are doing a great job.

Scotch eggs

2024-02-21T05:00:01Z

Scotch eggs

Reilly's Irish Bakery

Ate this at Reilly's Irish Bakery on February 21, 2024, and noted A really tasty scotch egg. Also had a Sausage roll which was ok (whole sausage, instead of just the meat). Great to have a taste of home every now and then. Might try the breakfast pies next time.

Brian Eno documentary incoming

2024-02-25T05:00:01Z

I'm a huge fan of Brian Eno. Gary Huwsit (Helvetica, Rams) has now made a documentary about him.

Huwsit has made his film 'generative', meaning (like some of Eno's music) you'll never see the same version twice.

I doubt I'll get to see one of those versions, but I'm looking forward to a non-generative version being streamed soon.

Indian for lunch, Vegetarian Thali

2024-03-13T05:00:01Z

Indian for lunch, Vegetarian Thali

Honest Restaurant

Ate this at Honest Restaurant Cleveland on March 13, 2024, and noted Great meal. Rice, curry, dhal, and a couple of Roti & Naan (not shown). Bonus Gulab Jamun for dessert.

Jerk Chicken and ground provision lunch

2024-03-20T05:00:01Z

Jerk Chicken and ground provision lunch

Gar & Mar Jamaican American Cuisine

Ate this at Gar & Mar Jamaican American Cuisine on March 20, 2024, and noted Really tasty, and a lot for the lunch price. Had the sauce on the side.

Falling behind

2024-03-28T05:00:01Z

I have drafts for at least 6 posts in various states of completion.

A multitude of bookmarks and starred posts in my RSS reader to share.

But I've been so tired. Like a deep weariness. I've little motivation at the end of the day.

Might be time to shake things up a little.

Soup Dumplings

2024-03-29T05:00:01Z

Soup Dumplings

LJ Shanghai

Ate this at LJ Shanghai on March 29, 2024, and noted Hadn't had these delicious steamed soup dumplings (XIAOLONGBAO) in while. I also had the Fried Rice Cakes.

I've been streaming on Twitch

2024-04-06T05:00:01Z

In the past I've played The Division & The Division 2 on stream. Even been part of an official Ubisoft stream, which was fun.

But this year I have been making an effort to be consistent.

If you visit my schedule on Twitch you'll see I stream on 3 different days.

Games

Wednesday night is The Long Dark. I'm pushing myself on the slightly harder level.

Saturday mornings are "cozy" games. More narrative focused. I played through Coffee Talk 2 and now I'm in Opus: Echo of Starsong - Full Bloom Edition.

Sunday morning is Destiny 2. Fast-paced space shooter.

Relaxing with friends

A few friends, in and out of work, have been streaming too. It's been nice just popping in-an-out of Chris's or Devon's streams. As well as seeing them in my chat.

It's all very low-stakes and chill, which is what I'm gravitating to these days.

A day of totality

2024-04-08T05:00:01Z

Today the moon passed between us and the sun, and we got to spectate in that most wonderful of natural phenomenons—A total eclipse.

Around 2.30pm people started gathering in their back gardens. Glasses on, we would look up and see the sun slowly being obscured.

Around 3.15pm EST the sky darkened, the temperature dropped, both street & solar lighting turned on, and a bright silver ring hung in the air where the sun had been.

It was amazing, weird, slightly unsettling, and exhilarating.

Cheers, fireworks, and Bonnie Tyler's "total eclipse of the heart" soon filled the quietness.

I snapped a couple of photo's on my iPhone, but not anything that conveyed what we saw with our eyes.

For a couple of seconds I turned East and everything was brightly illuminated, while behind me was still dark.

And then it was over.

Julie & I had see an eclipse in the UK before we moved to the USA, but Essex hadn't been in the path of totality.

This was special.

Tonkotsu Ramen lunch

2024-04-10T05:00:01Z

Tonkotsu Ramen lunch

Corner 11 Poke & Ramen

Ate this at Corner 11 Poke & Ramen on April 10, 2024, and noted Pretty good bowl of ramen. Creamy, with all the trimmings.

A movie double-bill

2024-05-06T05:00:01Z

On Sunday I really needed a break, so I decided to catch up on some movies. My local Regal is offering showings before noon for only $6. So I caught Civil War alone. Then Josh & I went in the afternoon to see Dune 2—We were the only ones in the 4pm showing.

Civil War

Alex Garland's Civil War is a very intense road trip. Following the journey of 4 war reporters, from NYC to Washington D.C., in their goal of interviewing The President.

On the way we get teases of how the USA got to this point, but no real explanations. Garland been knocked for the films apolitical stance, but I think it works well here. This alt-history pays more attention to the photo-journalists and their subjects, than the sides of the war itself.

Some of the vignettes are harrowing to say the least. With silence amping the tension and near perfect (though some may find odd) needle drops covering the aftermath.

Performances were great, and the finale really makes an impact. I really enjoyed this, and it may be one of my favourite of Garland's films.

Dune 2

As we saw Dune in the cinema, I wanted to do the same for the sequel. Dune 2 starts with Princess Irulan recounting a version of events from the first movie, before plunging into loud spectacle.

As with the first one, Denis Villeneuve and Hans Zimmer immerse us in the scale of the story. The cinematography and sound design was outstanding. It takes it time and introduces a new slate of characters, while still showing Paul's slip into bringing on a Holy War.

A worthy continuation to the first film, and I can't wait to see if they can pull off Dune Messiah.

Bathing in the Northern Lights

2024-05-13T05:00:01Z

After turning off the Xbox on Friday, Julie said we're supposed to be able see the Northern Lights tonight.

Heading outside I looked up. I could make out shifting patterns in the sky, almost like faint sunlight on a dark wall.

It was only when I pointing my iPhone's camera to it that I saw all the colours. Amazing!

A severe geomagnetic storm was covering our part of Earth , and we were reaping the benefits with this light show.

Neither of us had seen this before, so we stood on the patio. Necks bent upwards, looking through our phones at the bands of colour moving above us.

Saturday was supposed to be the height of the storm, but we were covered in cloud and rain.

So glad we caught it on Friday.

Audio upgrade

2024-05-18T05:00:01Z

After a few months of saving, and regular check-ins with John Darko videos, I pulled the plug on my wishlist on Crutchfield and upgraded my audio setup.

The difference is truly night & day.

The amp

As I'm short on power outlets, even with an extension cord, I wanted something that could power a set of passive speakers. That's why I went for the WiiM Amp.

Unboxing the WiiM amp

Looking at a few reviews this seemed to be at a reasonable price point and fit in nicely with my current music setup. It's Roon Ready so I know it'll stream from my Roon endpoint. Has a slew of connectivity built-in for streaming services, as well as AirPlay, Chromecast, WiFi, and Bluetooth.

It comes with a dedicated sub-woofer connection, if I want to expand to that later. As well as an ethernet port for connecting straight into the network and an optical port.

I've currently connected my TV via the optical port, but I'm looking forward to trying my MiniDisc player hooked up to that—Releasing some of those old tunes.

Setting it up was a breeze using their app. Powered on. Quick firmware update. And I was ready.

Speakers and stands

Though I had my eye on a pair of Kef LSX II speakers, they would need extra power sockets. So I went with a pair of passive Kef Q150 speakers.

Unboxing the Kef Q150 speakers

For the stands I chose the 24" Pangea Audio LS300 ones. They came with carpet spikes and could be filled with sand/shot for more weight if needed.

I know I've mentioned (and linked) to Crutchfield a lot. None of it's sponsored, but the customer service was really good. After adding everything, including cables, to the cart I could share it with a live agent and have a chat. This was so useful as they answered all the noob questions I had. Is the amp powerful enough to drive the speakers? Will the speakers fit on those stands?

Also everything arrived in a few days, with extra sturdy packaging.

But how good does it really sound?

Bloody awesome! That's how good.

While having the smaller Apple HomePod mini's let me listen "out loud" their range was...limited. Having this new setup feels like I've taken cotton wool out of my ears.

I went through some of my favourites; Talk Talk, Brian Eno, Underworld, Orbital, Courtney Pine, Bill Laswell. Everything from Jazz, Dub, through Dance, and Ambient.

All the audiophile tropes could be applied. Bass deeper, trebles brighter, vocals cleaner.

I'm really looking forward to digging back through my collection and "hearing" them again.

Sushi lunch

2024-05-22T05:00:01Z

Sushi lunch

Ohashi Sushi

Ate this at Ohashi Sushi on May 22, 2024, and noted Two great rolls (Green Dragon, Spicy Tuna) and a shared appetizer of Tempura vegetables.

Furiosa's origin story is a blast!

2024-05-26T05:00:01Z

Today I took Josh to see Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

Though not as full-on as Fury Road, this still had some really great action set-pieces. Where it shines is the world-building. Giving not only a backstory for Furiosa, but also the shaping of The Wastelands where both films take place.

Chris Hemsworth turns it up to 11 as Dementus—The main (but not only) villain of the film. And Anya Taylor-Joy conveys so much of her revenge-driven pursuit of him with barely any dialogue. It's all in the eyes.

It's great that George Miller is still writing & directing this set of stories. Fingers crossed for a third installment with Tom Hardy returning as Max.

Adding a 1st Gen Chromecast as a Roon display

2024-05-27T05:00:01Z

I'd seen a few posts about enabling displays in Roon. This would let you see the album artwork, track details, etc. show on a TV.

So I dug out my 1st generation Chromecast from the basement, plugged it in to the TV, and gave it a factory reset.

Nothing. The Google Home app did not seem to recognize it at all. Even after multiple attempts.

Luckily a quick search on Duck-Duck-Go surfaced a Reddit post.

In his steps he had to go into his iphone wifi settings and connect to the Chromecast's own self-created wifi network. I had a look on my phone and there it was, so I connected to that, shut down the Google Home app and reopened it, searched for devices again and hey presto, it picked up the chromecast. After, it then prompted me to select the actual network and I was all set up in the space of 5 minutes.

— cowegonnabechopps, Reddit r/Chromecast

Following this worked out great. In about 10 minutes I had the Chromecast on my network, in the Google Home app, and showing up as a selectable display in Roon.

Album artwork, photos, and details shown on TV

Bring on The Final Shape

2024-06-02T05:00:01Z

The Final Shape is the last chapter in Destiny's "Light & Darkness" saga. It's such a big expansion that the game will be offline for 25 hours.

That means I had to; craft everything I need, spend in-game currency (most of which is being deprecated), delete items to clear space in my vault, and run any last missions over the weekend to get those missing weapons.

I've made my peace with FOMO and switching it off.

Everything left in my characters inventory

It's scheduled to start at June 4, 1:00 p.m. EST. I'm sure they'll be a queue, possibly some general server glitches. There always is with something this big, but Bungie's track record has been pretty good in the past.

I am really looking forward to playing this. I've taken a couple of day's off to jump right in. Feel free to drop by my Twitch as I'll be streaming it.

Adding emoji to contact in iOS17+

2024-06-04T05:00:01Z

Since iOS updated I have a hard time remembering the (now) convoluted path to set an emoji on a contact.

Here's the only link I've found answering that.

First assign the poster - just choose monogram, then Done > Continue > Choose a different photo >Choose Emoji. You can now can choose an emoji for the contact photo :)

— WeddingWoman, Apple discussion forum

This was down in around the low 20's of search results. It used to be higher. I guess this the tip of the doward spiral of search results.

Paid up member of the STC

2024-06-07T05:00:01Z

Dan at SimpleBits put out some new fonts, so I thought grabbing some for a (potential) redesign of the blog would be good. As a bonus I got inducted into the Simple Type Club.

Today this bundle of goodies arrived.

The Watchers

2024-06-09T05:00:01Z

Today I went to see The Watchers.

Dakota Fanning plays a woman, seemingly adrift in Ireland. Tasked with driving a bird from the pet shop where she works, to a zoo, she soon finds herself lost in an ancient forest that appears on no maps.

Here she finds 'The Coup', a bunker with one-way mirror for a wall, populated with 3 strangers. At night something/someone comes to watch them.

Though not scary, it is suitably spooky and has great visuals and atmosphere. And when the reveals come, they work very well and don't seem forced.

I could've seen this adapted by The X-Files or Sapphire & Steel in decades past, but losing some things that the film manages to retain.

Overall I liked it, and a solid first feature from Ishana Shyamalan.

Apparently the book this is based on has a sequel. Interesting to see if this did well enough to get that adapted too.

Birria Taco lunch

2024-06-12T05:00:01Z

Birria Taco lunch

Tacos del Pueblo

Ate this at Tacos del Pueblo on June 12, 2024, and noted OMG. So rich and meaty! These tacos were stuffed. Delicious. And the consome had a big piece of beef in there too. Very rich.

A Korean lunch

2024-06-14T05:00:01Z

As an extension of our #wednesday-nom-club at work, a couple of us decided to branch out and go downtown for lunch on Friday. As it had been Brooke's birthday, and her favourite BTS member had just finished National Service, the choice was obviously—Korean.

Miega Korean Barbecue has great lunch options, so we all met there.

A massive spread for lunch

The lunch bento boxes are packed. I opted for the Bulgogi, which was delicious. We also got a vegetable Pa Jun (Korean style pancake with spring onions) and Dduck Bok Ee (Stir-fried rice cake with spicy pepper paste) to share.

Kristen & Devan

Brooke had brought a few flavours of Soju for us to try as well. Grape, and Mango, from Soon Hari as well as a bottle of Chum Churum Original (I think).

All very good, but a little dangerous for day-drinking.

Brooke

Needless to say we couldn't finish everything. I ended up taking home the remaining Pa Jun with my leftovers.

What a fun time. Hope we can all do it again soon.

Treasure

2024-06-16T05:00:01Z

I went alone to see Treasure today, knowing nothing about it.

A writer (Lena Dunham) takes her Father (Stephen Fry) on trip back to his home in Poland. A place he hasn't been to since surviving Holocaust. Though not a 'laugh-riot' there are some lighter moments to be had as Fry tries to navigate Dunham away from opening up old memories as they tour his homeland in the 90's.

As Dunham tries to get closer to her parents experiences during the war (in some slightly disturbing ways), she is also a fish-out-of-water navigating Poland post Glasnost. Fry seems to be sabotaging her efforts to connect, rather more interested in drinking and karaoke.

All comes to a head when a 'tour' of Auschwitz causes an outburst from Fry, having them return to the hotel.

A bittersweet film that doesn't really want to tackle heavy issues, but doesn't a good job hitting some of the emotional note (yes, I did cry).

Roasting time

2024-06-23T05:00:01Z

I travelled to deepest, darkest Medina today. Chris had offered to show me how he roasts coffee.

After some homemade Chicken Paprikash as a spot of lunch, Chris set to work. I had chipped in towards some green coffee beans from Sweet Marias. This batch was "Costa Rica Dry Process Santa Cruz".

Described on the bag as Fruits at the front of the cup, with a rustic bittersweetness base note. Blueberry, and red raspberry come through at City+, and flavors of fermented fruits bring an acetic aspect to the cup, like blackberry wine. City+ to Full City+.

Green coffee beans

Dark roast

He suggested we try 2 different approaches. First up a dark roast.

Measuring out about a half pound of beans, he placed them in the drum and set the roaster in motion.

Beans being roasted

After a while I got to experience "first crack". A slow popping as the beans started to split. Adjusting the timer we then sat and listened for "second crack". The was certainly different from the first–Faster and higher. When that started the roaster was set to cool down.

When the beans came out they were dark and had a slightly oily look to them. They smelt great! A lot of chaff was left behind.

Light roast

Next up was the lighter roast. Similar steps as the first but this time, shortly after "first crack" the roaster was set to cool down. No second crack for this batch.

They came out decidedly lighter, with less chaff being left behind. These too smelt great.

The lighter roast

After bagging up we enjoyed a cup of the light roast. It lived up to the notes with a fruity body.

A fun time of chatting, catching up, setting the world to rights, and (for me) learning about roasting coffee.

Thanks Chris.

A book about Ghost Signs

2024-06-30T05:00:01Z

As I've mentioned before, I love Ghost Signs.

I've been capturing them around the Cleveland area for a while now. Adding them to Flickr, which has quite a lot under the Ghost Sign tag (I really should add mine to this site). Reading through this brought back a lot of memories.

Though this documents them in London, a lot of the same were in-and-around where I lived in Southend.

The authors do a fantastic job researching the history behind these echoes of the past. Diving into not only the products, but the companies and sign-writers responsible.

I also learned the term "palimpsest", describing the overpainting of multiple signs in one spot. Something I've seen in my own photos.

With chapters such as 'Building the City', 'Furnishing the City', and 'Dressing the City' they reveal a picture of everyday life an expanding metropolis.

If you have even a passing interest in sign writing, architecture, or urban history I think you'd like this book.

I throughly enjoyed picking it up and thumbing through over the months since it arrived.

The accompanying website has an interactive map, news of tours, and much more.

Extraction

2024-07-01T05:00:01Z

Back in 2022 I had the last of my wisdom teeth taken out. It was...stressful to say the least, though no fault of the dentist.

This time it was my #18 tooth. It had a crown on it, but had cracked and was not repairable.

So back to Dr. Popper, but this time (thanks to his suggestion last visit) I was going under (sedation).

On Friday the crown suddenly popped off. Luckily my appointment was on Monday, and they had a cancellation, so I was the first to be seen.

I'm happy to report the rest was uneventful. As soon as I went out, I woke up and it was over.

Of course I was sore and taking antibiotics & Advil for the next week, but in the grand scheme of things—One The best dental experience I think I've ever had.

Path of (re)discovery

2024-07-03T05:00:01Z

With the new audio setup, I've been making time to deliberately sit and listen. Using Roon's “Radio” feature has been great for shuffling through my local library, surfacing tracks I'd completely forgotten about.

One such track was "Note of repose (sketch_13/06/25)" by Nobuto Suda. A shimmering ambient piece. It had a delightful illustration as its cover.

I had zero recollection of this track. Didn't recognize the artist name, cover, or music. I assumed it was from one of the many sample or collections I'd bought, but no. Looking in Roon it was from 'unknown album' and this was the only track by them.

Screenshot of Roon

Also, Roon had no further information about the track or the artist.

Doing a search for note of repose (sketch_13/06/25) nobuto suda brought me to a 2013 post by Marc Weidenbaum (naturally). He'd found it on Soundcloud and shared it.

From there I followed his link to Nobuto Suda's Bandcamp page, where I'm now looking at which album of his to buy first.

From Roon, to Disquiet, to Bandcamp.

Donating diapers

2024-07-05T05:00:01Z

With James growing so fast it was inevitable that there'd be diapers he never used.

A quick search and I left a message at the Diaper Bank of Greater Cleveland.

Today I headed down to the Cleveland Foodbank (where they share space) and dropped off about 14 packs of assorted sizes of diapers.

Euclid roll and Salmon Skin roll

2024-07-06T05:00:01Z

Euclid roll and Salmon Skin roll

Issho Ni Ramen

Picked this up from Issho Ni Ramen on July 6, 2024, and noted Delicious special rolls from our local sushi & ramen place. Just what the doctor ordered after mowing the lawn.

Complete Cerebus collection

2024-07-07T05:00:01Z

10 days left to snag this deal on Humble Bundle. Cerebus. Complete collection of Dave Sim books.

I used to own the large soft covers of these. From 'Cerebus' through to 'Guys'. Had to order them in special sometimes from the comic shop in Southend during the 90's.

No-brainer to grab this and finish off Dave Sim's massive, self-published, work.

Vivia. A turntable for Compact Discs

2024-07-07T05:00:01Z

A CD player that looks and works like a record player—Beautiful.

I love (and miss) this kind of design project.

Turntable for CDs

This is a proof-of-concept, that won a reddot Design Award, from Jaehyung Chu. You can read more on his Behance page for Vivia. A Turntable for Compact Discs.

Even though I own very few CDs now, I'd consider owning one of these if it ever came to fruition.

Mix Veg. Uttapam

2024-07-10T05:00:01Z

Mix Veg. Uttapam

Honest Restaurant Cleveland

Ate this at Honest Restaurant Cleveland on July 10, 2024, and noted Tried something new. Uttapam. A rice lentil pancake with onion, tomato, green peas, and spices. Served with a spicy Sambar (vegtable stew) and coconut and tomato chutney's. Really tasty and great size for lunch.

Open to work

2024-07-18T05:00:01Z

Vitamix laid off around 30–40 people today. I was one of them. So now I'm looking for new UX/UI opportunities.

Reach out at LinkedIn or check out my resume if you're hiring.

My last wednesday-nom-club

2024-07-24T18:00:01Z

My last wednesday-nom-club

Perk Cup Cafe & Grille

Ate this at Perk Cup Cafe & Grille on July 24, 2024, and noted After being laid off I went back to Perk for one last official wednesday-nom-club outing with the Vitamix team. Biscuits & gravy, naturally.

Drinks & stories

2024-07-24T22:00:01Z

Had a great night with Chris and Michael at Gunselmans, a great old neighborhood bar. Swapping stories, commiserating, and catching up.

Yes Brooke, we did all wear blue check

They pour a very good pint of Guinness, and the Patty Melt was delicious!

Looking forward to the next time we get together.

Patty Melt

2024-07-24T23:00:01Z

Patty Melt

Gunselmans

Ate this at Gunselmans on July 24, 2024, and noted Patty Melt at Gunselmans did not dissapoint. Grilled onions and Swiss on Rye bread. Crispy fries too.

Max was put to sleep

2024-07-26T05:00:01Z

We had to make the difficult decision to put Max to sleep this week.

We'd adopted him when Linda died. He was 15, half deaf & blind, and the vet's nickname for him was "grumpy old man".

Though he had his moments, I'll miss him laying against my beanbag while playing Xbox.

We'll miss you Max.

Treacle Walker

2024-07-27T05:00:01Z

This book is strange. From the setting, down to the language Garner uses when the characters talk. But there are parts, touchstones, that are like distant memories of mine.

It concerns a boy who, seemingly, lives alone in the countryside. Recovering from a "lazy eye" in his bedroom, he hears the call of a rag & bone man one day—Treacle Walker. And from there we're on a journey of deep folklore in rural England. Special stones, bog men, glimmer, and cuckoo's.

Treacle Walker took back the bone, put his mouth to the slit, his fingers on the holes, closed his eyes, and played. The chimney filled with tune. It was a tune with wings, trampling things, tightened strings, boggarts and bogles and brags on their feet; the man in the oak, sickness and fever, that set in long, lasting sleep the whole great world with the sweetness of sound the bone did play.

— Alan Garner, Treacle Walker (p. 16). Scribner. Kindle Edition

Being a 70's child my holidays were spent on family camping trips in the countryside. Wandering through the types of areas Garner describes. Spending time reading comics in relatives houses, with post war furniture and open fireplaces. Hearing rag & bone men call out every weekend.

Much like Neil Gaiman's 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane', these jogged my own memories, drawing me in further.

It's a quick read, and definitely one I'll return too, as I thoroughly enjoyed it. So much to get lost in.

And if you're like me, someone who enjoys music while they read, I had estrenyon by Kemper Norton and Reverse Tree by Eyvind Kang & Jessika Kenney in the playlist during this book.

estrenyon by Kemper Norton Reverse Tree by Eyvind Kang & Jessika Kenney

Deadpool & Wolverine

2024-08-03T05:00:01Z

Today Josh & I watched Deadpool & Wolverine.

There are a lot of good jokes and big action set pieces, as well as the 4th wall breaking you'd expect from the previous films. Some really good performances, especially Hugh Jackman.

Some big cameos that worked well, and I'm sure some I missed from the various Marvel incarnations. Also some nice touches recreating various comic covers and versions of Wolverine.

I really felt the 128 mins though. It seemed very baggy in places. I truly believe you could've got a better film by trimming 20 minutes out of this.

There was some very noticeable green screen with Matthew Macfadyen's character at the start of the film. Not sure if this was from re-shoots, changes to the script, or what but it was odd.

As I said there were some good action pieces, but there were also some duds. One felt like they only had a single camera for the day. Completely flat. They also went on for a little too long.

Quite a few loose threads and confusion with the plot. Like they forgot about things halfway through, then hand-wave them away at the end.

Though I laughed a fair bit, I came away feeling a little disappointed. As Chris put it It's more an event, than a movie I'd re-watch, which sums it pretty well for me.

Phở for lunch

2024-08-07T18:00:01Z

Phở for lunch

Sugar Bowl

Ate this at Sugar Bowl Willoughby on August 7, 2024, and noted A little treat today. No.2 Phở. Very nice.

A cozy fantasy novel

2024-08-10T05:00:01Z

This was one of the books I got this year for my birthday. Described as Warm beds, quaint mysteries, and the best rosemary bread this side of Pigsend Creek, it certainly lived up to the "cozy" label.

I found it an easy and enjoyable read, but slightly lacking for me. Not as whimsical as Pratchett's Discworld work, nor as detailed and dark as Tolkien.

I know this is a start of a series, and there are a few tantalizing mysteries still hanging out there at the end, but it wasn't enough for me to try the next book.

Strolling down Spook Street

2024-08-11T05:00:01Z

I've become a big fan of Mick Herron's Slough House series of novels. I got the fourth one as a present last Xmas.

Not having much to do today, decided to enjoy the outside and crack it open.

Taking only a short break to cook dinner, I finished it around 10pm. Another fantastic entry.

River Cartwright's Grandfather suffering from dementia, a suicide bomb attack in London, and the fallout from the events in Real Tigers barrels into a great story told at breakneck speed.

Once again the make up of the "slow horses" changes. No character (new or old) is safe. And once again, Jackson Lamb is as caustic & irreverent as ever.

Can't wait to start 'London Rules', the next in the series.

Upcoming music I'm looking forward to

2024-08-14T05:00:01Z

There's a few upcoming albums I'm really looking forward to getting.

Jon Hopkins

I've pre-ordered Jon Hopkin's new album 'Ritual' from Bandcamp. Big fan of all his work and this one sounds right up my alley.

a 41-minute electronic symphony built from cavernous subs, hypnotic drumming and transcendent melodic interplay.

— Bandcamp description

The The

Ever since watching the album-length video for Infected on Channel 4, back in the 80's, I was hooked on Matt Johnson's songwriting.

'Ensoulment' is (according to the site) the first The The album in 25 years, which is crazy!

The 12-track album is out in September, but doesn't list digital as one of the formats it will be available in. Also it's not listed on their Bandcamp page. Push-comes-to-shove I'll order the CD after release.

The first single, Cognitive Dissident, is out with a video on YouTube.

Seefeel

Electronic band Seefeel released some seminal music in the 90's—'Climactic Phase #3' or 'Plainsong' anyone?

After a series of reissues and an album in 2011, 'Everything Squared' is the newest album. Again, pre-ordered on Bandcamp. I'm excited to see what they come out with after so many years.

Doing a little döstädning

2024-08-15T05:00:01Z

The past few years have been tough. Filled with loss (my Mum, both of Julie's parents), joy (birth of our Grandson), and upheaval (Josh's family moving in, me getting laid off).

All these events have had me dealing with "stuff". Especially other peoples stuff. Packing, clearing, cleaning. Do we keep this? Should we keep that?

So in the gap between jobs I decided to do a little döstädning, or Swedish Death Cleaning.

Though I haven't read Margareta Magnusson's book, I've consumed enough content based off it to get the gist.

Take responsibility for your items and don’t leave them as a burden for family and friends.

— Margareta Magnusson, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter

This isn't a deep purge, throwing away every drawing, photo, and letter from my past. Nor is it as superficial as giving things a quick dust and re-packing them.

It's more being critical. Do I have a use for this? Will this be useful when I'm gone? If not remove it. That be throwing away, recycling, or donating.

Though I'd love to be a minimalist, my sentimental streak steers my more towards the hoarder. But going through it a couple of times now has sharpened this guilt of having someone else have to deal with my "stuff".

Combining this with the 'dated box' method, I picked up from Merlin Mann for some time ago, has been working well.

To clean out a junky drawer, remove the contents and put it in a box. Only when you've used one of the items in the box twice is it allowed to live in the drawer again. After a month, pitch or donate the remaining contents—or move the precious or useful stuff to deeper storage. But, yeah, you should probably just pitch it.

— Merlin Mann, Merlin's Wisdom Project

This week 3 large bin bags went out, as well as some appliances that we haven't used for ages, to the rubbish. I also have a collection of items to donate.

This is an ongoing practice. I feel better. Lighter. Even after this small amount.

More books & comics

2024-08-18T05:00:01Z

Logging some items that I've read, during my brief time unemployed, but didn't write about.

Carthago

This is a great series of comics. Carthago (Books 1-5) and Carthago Origins (Books 6-10) from Humanoids rips along at a great pace, mixing ecological concerns with prehistoric "monsters".

Picked up the digital copies through Humble Bundle.

Tales From The Loop

I've loved Simon Stålenhag's artwork for ages. Tales from The Loop combines his art with little vignettes written to them. Rusting hulks and fantastic machines in the Swedish suburbs & countryside.

A fairly quick read as this is a mix of coffee table art book and short sci-fi stories.

I also had Music for DOS playing when reading this. An album by Simon, created on an old Pentium computer. Seemed to fit nicely.

The Solar Grid

I've been waiting for Ganzeer to publish a few of the 'The Solar Grid' before I picked them up. Now with 8 of the 9 planned issues out I snapped them up. Read them in one sitting. A great sprawling tale of a future between Earth, The Moon, and Mars.

Definitely worth getting if you like your futures dystopian.

Nerd Do Well

This is Simon Pegg's autobiography covering growing up, school, and getting a foothold in writing & acting.

I had started Nerd Do Well a while ago, but put it down during my reading slump. It's enjoyable, and being roughly the same age, connecting with the same influences he was as we both grew up was fun.

It's not a "tell-all" and only touches the 'Spaced' and 'Shaun of the Dead' period briefly.

Back to work

2024-08-19T05:00:01Z

Today is my first day, at Staples, as a Senior UX Researcher Designer.

I'm looking forward to diving in. The team is enthusiastic, and has a track record of responding to their users needs.

Jobu Burger

2024-08-23T00:00:01Z

Jobu Burger

Boss Dog Brewing

Ate this at Boss Dog Brewing on August 22, 2024, and noted Cheddar cheese, bacon, BBQ sauce, onion strings and cerrano peppers. Tasty burger, slightly spicy.

Getting the band back together (again)

2024-08-23T03:00:01Z

It's been a while. 2022 we worked out.

Bob, Ken, and myself all worked in UX at Progressive back in the day. Ken & I were laid off on the same day.

Ever since then we've kept in touch.

It was great spending time together again. Catching up, sharing stories of the ups & downs we've all had these past few years.

Enjoyed some nice beer & a bite to eat at Boss Dog Brewery. Decided to call it when the DNC watch party got a little raucous.

Next time won't be so long, but then we said that in 2022.

Breakfast Poutine

2024-08-25T14:30:01Z

Breakfast Poutine

The Rowley Inn

Ate this at The Rowley Inn on August 25, 2024, and noted Home fries topped with cheddar curds, bacon, sausage, 2 eggs and sausage gravy. Huge portion. Great taste, though a little too much cheese for me.

Brunch!

2024-08-25T18:00:01Z

A group brunch was floated a little while ago. Today's the day and I was looking forward to seeing everyone. Unfortunately Ruchi was suffering from a migraine and couldn't make it.

Six Shooter Coffee

First stop for me was Six Shooter Coffee in Waterloo. Just off the freeway, a great selection of coffee that opens early. A latte hit the spot. Off to Tremont.

Six Shooter, behind the big megaphone

Rowley Inn

Opposite the Christmas Story House is The Rowley Inn. Great choice from Brooke as they have vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. Street parking was tight and I ended up in the next street over. Good job I arrived early.

Michael & I waited at the bar for the others to arrive. The place was hopping, so it was good we had a reserved table. I'd already set my mind for the Breakfast Poutine, which did not disappoint.

In fact everyone's choice looked great. Catching up with everyone, seeing vacation photos, time flew and we needed to settle up and let the table get cleared for the next group.

Lincoln Park Pub

So the Lincoln Park Pub was our next destination.

Apart from a couple of (I assume) regulars we had the place to ourselves. Drinks ordered, we settled into a couple of games of pool. Michael & Kristen vs. Brooke & myself. Liz cheering us both on, it was a draw—1 game each.

Brooke "making way" for Kristen's shot

The music seemed to be curated by someone at the bar. A mix of Prince, Yeah Yeah Yeah's, and Thompson Twins. Reminded me of Sunday afternoons back at the Fish & Firkin (now The Alex) in Southend.

After a while it was time to go our separate ways. I'm looking forward to the next brunch (plans have been made).

King Rocker

2024-08-26T05:00:01Z

Finally got around to seeing King Rocker tonight. A really interesting documentary about a musician I had no memory of.

Billed as an "anti-rockumentary", Stewart Lee is our guide through the life of the singer/songwriter Robert Lloyd, and the history of Birmingham's giant statue of King Kong.

I have to admit if I had heard of him or The Nightingales, I've completely forgotten them. Which, after watching this, I find amazing. There were so many touch points where I would've come across them. And listening to the music it's certainly something that would have piqued my interest.

Lloyd is also something of a Northern Zelig, or Forest Gump, character. Popping up in photos with The Ramones, creating videos for St. Etienne, and running a record label are a few of the twists & turns of his life. But whether all of it is true or misremembered (not just by Lloyd) is returned to a couple of times with comic effect.

What I like about this as a documentary idea, it is already based on an unsure, false history.

— Stewart Lee, King Rocker

A really enjoyable film, and interesting look at someone who's never seemed to let the lack of fame stand in their way.

Available for rent on Vimeo.

Smoking time

2024-08-31T05:00:01Z

I'm lucky to have good friends with such diverse interests. Much like Chris showing me how to roast coffee, Michael offered to lift the veil on smoking meat.

An early start, grabbing breakfast for us both, I arrived around 8.30am. He'd prepped the meats with a variety of dry rubs and brines beforehand. Ready for the days smoking.

The setup

Blowtorch, temperature probes, spray bottles, an assortment of wood; Hickory, Cherry, Oak. Charcoal. It's all here. Even though is already hot outside, it's overcast with a threat of rain, so we rearrange. Swap the table with the smoker so it's undercover.

The Smoker

The smoker is a multi-part lozenge. At the bottom the heat source. A tray with charcoal, lit by blowtorch. Once thats going the wood gets added, and vents are adjusted.

Using a blow torch to ignite charcoal at the bottom of the smoker

The main body gets attached. It has the door to feed the fire, water pan (which was a surprise to me), and grills.

It seems moisture plays a great part in the process. Without it, the meat can dry out and become not-to-dissimilar to the charcoal that heats it.

Thats where the spray bottle comes in. Throughout the process the meat is liberally spayed with a mix of orange juice & water.

14lb pork butt, cut in two, covered in dry rub and sprayed

The Grill

Next we're over the grill. This has a smoker box attached to the side, so the meat is heated indirectly. Again a mix of charcoal and wood, then on goes the chicken wings.

Chicken wings being smoked

These are going to be our lunch.

The waiting

Smoking is a long process. A great time to catch up, enjoy an adult beverage, and set the world to rights. But this is not a 'set-and-forget' process. Continual checks, fuel top-ups, and micro-adjustments need to be made.

After a couple hours, the pork is changing color

After a while it was time to add temperature probes into the pork. It had already gone through a noticeable change in appearance.

After the chicken was cooked, the beef was added to the grill.

Corned beef brisket on the grill

And it was time to top up the wood in the smoker. There was a little "dirty smoke" incident that Michael handled, and we're back on track.

Adding wood to the smoker

Lunch was the smoked wings, which were great. Add to that a couple of slices of Gloria's delicious zucchini bread, a re-watching of 'The Shawshank Redemption' (repeating a lot of our fave lines), another adult beverage, and a good time was had by all.

Looks burnt, but that's the "bark" forming on the pork

Checking the probes the pork had been sitting at 160° for a little while. At this point we wrap the meat. Again, new to me. Michael explained this is to help with "The Stall", where the internal temperature plateaus.

Donning my black nitrile gloves, I lifted each cut onto a piece of butcher paper. Wrapped it and placed it back in the smoker, then sprayed some more.

Pork wrapped in butcher paper, sprayed, and back in smoker

Sitting outside, bathing in the smells of cherry and hickory smoke.

Into the evening

We let the smoker settle down and do it's thing. Up next was a re-watching of 'Jaws', again with us repeating the classic lines, and some homemade apple dumplings with ice-cream.

11pm and the pork hadn't finished yet, but it was time for me to call it a day and drive home. We did get a chance to try the beef, which was really tasty.

First slice of the beef

I woke the next morning to photos of the pork, finally done at 3am. Falling apart to the touch. Juicy, with a visible smoke ring under the bark.

Pork butt falling apart, showing the smoke ring, at 3am

As always I had a great time, learned a lot, and came away with a load of homemade goodies. A really fun way to spend a Saturday with a good friend.

Ritual, on hard rotation

2024-09-02T05:00:01Z

A couple of the albums I'd pre-ordered dropped and boy, Jon Hopkins 'Ritual' did not disappoint.

Crystalline calms, deep basses, and waves of beats wash over you. This has been on hard rotation since Friday, on the stereo (much to the chagrin of the family I'm sure), car, and headphones.

Resident Advisor's review echoes a lot of how I feel about it.

It's shaping up to be my favourite album from him.

RITUAL by Jon Hopkins

More things shutting down

2024-09-02T05:00:01Z

It's been a couple of years since the last An Event Apart happened in 2022.

With Slack's recent decision to delete everything older than a year, on their free plans, quite a few of the groups I belong to now have gone dark.

For example. The Slack that was for An Event Apart—Apartniks. 20+ channels from the conferences, gone.

On the off chance anyone is still subscribed to and monitoring this team, Slack’s announcement that they’ll be deleting any content older than a year means everything here is going to vanish, so I plan to just delete the team entirely. I’ll do that some time between now and the end of August, so if people want to post something ephemeral before then, go for it.

Thanks again to you, all of you, for supporting us over the years, and we hope we’ll see you out there on the tubes.

— Eric Meyer, #general channel in Apartniks Slack

Though it was very convenient, it's just another reminder to own your data and not to build your community on someone else's land.

Homemade pasta sauce

2024-09-05T05:00:01Z

With the generous amount of cherry tomatoes Gloria gave me I decided to have them with pasta. I remembered an easy recipe from J. Kenji López-Alt.

I didn't have basil—so skipped that part, but it was delicious none the less.

Very easy.

Cherry tomato sauce

Ingredients

4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Extra-virgin olive oil
1½ pounds cherry tomatoes (about 2 pints; 750g)
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions

Heat the garlic and olive oil in a pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until garlic is softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until tomatoes begin to burst. You can help them along by pressing on them with the back of a wooden spoon as they soften
Continue to cook until sauce is rich and creamy, about 5 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper

The Department of Midnight

2024-09-08T20:00:01Z

I've been throughly enjoying The Department of Midnight podcast.

Written by Warren Ellis, as a series of self-contained stories concerning Dr. John Carnack and his investigations as part of the Department of Experimental Oversight (Dept. of Midnight).

Describing it as a blending of science fiction, folklore, and horror, sums it up quite nicely. And at around 20 minutes each there's no dragging in the story.

Both the acting, and sound design, are equally top notch.

A change is as good as a rest

2024-09-08T21:00:01Z

I'm starting to think about "Zhuzhing" it up, design wise, here.

I bought some excellent fonts from Dan at SimpleBits, as well as a new hat.

I've also downloaded the OpenWeb icons from Matthias Pfefferle, and been bookmarking a few things for inspiration.

I may even finally update the version of Eleventy I run this site on.

No promises, but this feels like a start for something over the encroaching winter.

3 documentaries

2024-09-12T05:00:01Z

I took advantage of the free AppleTV+ I have at the moment to catch 3 documentaries-STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, and Beastie Boys Story.

All three very good, and fairly different approaches to telling their respective stories. The ups & downs, successes, and hardships each went through.

But I was surprised that in each was captured (what seemed) a very raw emotional moment.

Steve Martin getting visibly choked up about John Candy, while reminiscing about a cut scene in 'Planes, Trains, and Automobiles'.

Micheal J. Fox being caught off-guard, while narrating his own biography, about the death of his father.

Adam Horowitz unable to finish his lines when talking about their last show with Adam Yauch.

None of these, to me, seemed manufactured. Instead just people being blindsided by a thought/memory/feeling while doing something they've probably rehearsed or done multiple times already. Happens to us all.

Kiko's Kitchen Closed

2024-09-14T05:00:01Z

With bittersweet feeling, I want to share that we are not renewing our lease for our space this year. It’s a very difficult decision and although it has been amazing, the reality of a small business owner is that it can be stressful and time consuming. With a young family at home, I’m choosing to change my season of life to be able to have more time with them.

— Kiko's Kitchen, Instagram

I'm going to miss the Potato & Vegetable Croquettes, Yakiniku Don, and Teriyaki Burger. All great.

I wish them all the best.

post-The Final Shape blues

2024-09-15T05:00:01Z

I thoroughly enjoyed The Final Shape.

Exciting, emotional, and a true sense of a battle between good & evil.

A real satisfying culmination of the decade-long storyline for Destiny 2.

But...

It's been weeks since I actually played Destiny 2. Checking for new shaders, weapon skins, etc. from the vendors is the only thing I've done. Log in, log out.

But why? Well, a few things.

Prismatic

The new sub-class for your character sounded great–Use abilities from both the light and dark. Awesome. But as the game went on I found myself using it less & less. To the point where I didn't even create a specific build. I used one of my existing builds and swapped to Prismatic when the story/mission required I use it.

My existing builds were good enough-even if my skill wasn't-to clear any of the regular content. They were also a lot more fun to use.

Maybe if I had the Prismatic exotic item for my class...

Required team-ups

I'm a solo player. I do belong to a clan, and have jumped in with some of them to run certain seasonal content over the years, but 90% of the time I play alone.

I've never felt the need to LFG as Raids, Nightfalls, or Dungeons hold no appeal for me.

But to unlock the Prismatic exotic class item you have to play a mission that requires 2 players. And from what I've seen you need to be communicating all the time. Not for me.

I also got halfway through another exotic quest to find that I had to play 3 "Cooperative Focus mode" missions. Again, not for me. So that remains unfinished.

Episodes

Episodes are what have kinda replaced the campaign now. A story with 3 acts. The first one has held zero interest for me. I bounced right off the story.

I didn't connect with any of the missions and the loot was a tad underwhelming. That too remains unfinished.

What's next?

I hope the next Episode story connects more with me. I'll still pop in to clear some favourite patrol areas or missions, but it's time for a break.

I doubt I'll buy another pass.

The news out of of Bungie hasn't been great recently either. Layoffs, game cancellations, and general ickiness from some long-time names there.

I'm hopeful Bungie rights itself. And the next releases are good. And I can hop in with fresh eyes.

Gochujang Garlic Chicken Wings w/ Sesame Seeds

2024-09-15T18:00:01Z

Gochujang Garlic Chicken Wings w/ Sesame Seeds

Noble Beast Brewery

Ate this at Noble beast Brewery on September 15, 2024, and noted Really enjoyed these wings. great taste, with a kick of heat.

Cozy streaming on Twitch

2024-10-06T05:00:01Z

Every Saturday morning at 9:00 I fire up the Xbox, settle into the beanbag of accuracy, and stream a "cozy" game on Twitch.

For me "cozy" falls into that area of puzzle, or management, style games. Not too high stakes–Bonus if it has an interesting storyline.

So in no particular order, here's the most recent cozy games I've been playing this year.

A Little To The Left

Sorting paper and card into the right order

This game is the one I'm currently playing. A Little To The Left bills itself as a a cozy puzzle game that has you sort, stack, and organize household items into pleasing arrangements while you keep an eye out for a mischievous cat with an inclination for chaos.

Some puzzles have multiple solutions, which is fun. I get a fair bit of help from chat on some of those.

Unpacking

Placing items in this Kitchen a certain way, unlocked a cookie sticker.

This one was really good. What seems like a simple isometric pixel-art organizing game, Unpacking has a surprisingly affecting story, implied through where you are unpacking and what didn't make it from the previous round.

My Time At Portia

Seeing this on Game Pass I thought it would be a smaller game than it is. My Time At Portia is a huge RPG simulation. Yeah there's fetch-quests, but also a much larger storyline. Romancing, fighting, a skill tree, the whole shebang.

It was fun, but no enough to buy when it left Game Pass after a few play sessions.

A Short Hike

A very fun, and short game. I think I got through this in one 2 hour session. A Short Hike is billed as a little exploration game about hiking up a mountain.

It has a lovely art style and a surprising heartfelt story unfolds as you walk, climb, and eventually soar around the island. Solving puzzles, collecting items, and performing fetch-quests.

Flock

My colourful flock following me through a forest, as the sun sets.

An extremely delightful game of discovery. In Flock you play a flying shepherds, each tending to their own unique herd of adorable flying creatures.

Your character will avoid anything in your way, so you can focus & enjoy flying around discovering, identifying, and collect the various creatures. It has a certain British quirkiness I enjoyed too.

The Sims™ 4

I hadn't played a Sims game since the first one came out—I bounced off The Sims™ 4 hard. The UI and controls were incomprehensible and hard to use on the Xbox. Even with the coaching my friends, who do play (on PC), had to give me on stream didn't clarify half the things I had to do & monitor.

I tried it for 2 streams and bailed.

Rolling Hills: Making Sushi, Making Friends

Sushi-bot shopping in the market.

In Rolling Hills: Making Sushi, Making Friends you play Sushi Bot. Described as a life sim about running your own restaurant in a cozy village, it's part restaurant management, part fetch quest.

Good fun and just about the right amount of time. I didn't find getting bored waiting until the next story part opened.

Homemade Bangers & Mash

2024-10-18T05:00:01Z

Homemade Bangers & Mash

A taste of the UK

Ate this at Home on October 18, 2024, and noted Really tasty and easy to make

Kristen shared this America's Test Kitchen recipe for Bangers & Mash. The Guinness and onion gravy tops it off perfectly. As we can't get proper bangers in the USA, I went with bratwurst from Rudy's Butcher. Proved a good substitute.

First Halloween

2024-10-31T05:00:01Z

My first Compact Disc in ages

2024-11-01T05:00:01Z

I haven't bought a CD in ages. Or any physical media for that matter.

But when I got confirmation that 'Ensoulment' was not being released through Bandcamp, I decided to grab a physical copy from Record Den in Mentor.

The album is a fantastic return-to-form. Up there with 'Mind Bomb' and 'Infected'.

Stand out tracks are 'Down by the frozen river', 'I hope you remember', and 'Some days I drink my coffee by the grave of William Blake'.

Flipping through the booklet as the tracks played took me back. Taking in the artwork—reading along with the lyrics. Might start giving this physical media another shot.

Idli Sambar

2024-11-02T23:00:01Z

Idli Sambar

Honest

Ate this at Honest on November 2, 2024, and noted Had it for Brooke's leaving dinner. A special for Diwali. Really good.

Bon voyage Brooke

2024-11-03T01:00:01Z

Celebrating Brooke's new job, as well as moving to a different State, with a delicious Indian meal at Honest, followed by fancy cocktails & vinyl at Bad Medicine listening bar.

From L to R: Kristen, Liz, Jon, and Brooke.

Locked music

2024-11-09T05:00:01Z

Since getting the new music setup, I've been wanting to re-download hi-res versions of the old .MP3 files I have.

Bandcamp lets me grab .FLAC files for any album I've bought. Other services, not so much.

eMusic

I hadn't logged into eMusic for quite sometime. I'd been using it since 2016, found some great albums there, but when they pivoted to NFTs I stopped visiting.

My music library in eMusic

Logging in I found 15 albums. When I tried re-downloading them, most failed. The odd few that did work only offered a 44.1kHz MP3 file. Nothing higher than that. So I'm going to have to find them on other platforms to re-purchase at a higher resolution.

Amazon

I used to buy quite a bit of music digitally on Amazon in the 2010's. 50 albums all told. None of which I can now download.

Error downloading purchased albums from Amazon

I even reached out and actually spoke to an Amazon help desk-No help.

Every link to download a purchased album in my 'digital orders' failed. When I followed the link to Amazon Music, none of them were in my account!

That's 50 albums I purchased that I can no longer access. Thankfully all of them are in Roon, and backed up. But again if I want higher resolution files I will have to track them down and buy them again.

Google Play Music

Google shut down its Play Music service in 2020, migrating users to YouTube Music.

There's seems no way to download anything from my library in YouTube. So, if I missed downloading purchases when it shut down, I'll have to purchase it again.

Going forward

Thankfully Roon has now introduced Smart Playlists. This has let me tag these albums and create a list showing me 'albums tagged eMusic that are .MP3 files'. That way if ever purchase a higher resolution file it'll automatically drop that album from the list.

But for now it's Bandcamp and going back to buying CDs.

Start of Winter

2024-11-10T05:00:01Z

Biscuits & gravy, homefries, and poached eggs.

2024-11-16T05:00:01Z

Biscuits & gravy, homefries, and poached eggs.

Crazy Egg Cafe, Willoughby

Ate this at Crazy Egg Cafe on November 16, 2024, and noted Haven't eaten at Crazy Egg since they moved to Willoughby. Sat at the counter—Still very tasty food.

Lamb chops for dinner

2024-11-21T05:00:01Z

Josh was feeling adventurous and bought lamb chops from our local butcher.

Using a recipe from The Kitchn he cooked them in his cast iron skillet-They tasted delicious!

Second CD acquired

2024-11-23T05:00:01Z

Underworld's new album, Strawberry Hotel, is now the second CD I've bought recently. Again from local shop Record Den.

With 15 tracks coming in just over an hour, it's a barnstormer to start. It does lose a little steam as it comes to a close, but some of those later tracks are growing on me with more listens.

A Real Pain

2024-11-24T05:00:01Z

'A Real Pain' is written, directed, and stars Jessie Eisenberg, and co-starring Kieran Culkin. They play cousins who embark on a heritage tour of Poland. Paid for with a inheritance from their Grandmother, who grew up there.

Kulkin is a chaotic force of nature, the opposite to Eisenberg. Equal parts infuriating and enamoring to the tour group they join.

Treading similar ground as 'Treasure' this felt lighter, less earnest, and yet managed to deliver (perhaps) a bigger of an impact.

The title captures the theme well. Benji (Culkin) is a real pain to be around, but in turn he himself is struggling with real pain. Layer on that the pain from the Jewish history they learn about.

Well worth seeking out.

A taste of home

2024-11-25T05:00:01Z

Thanksgiving

2024-11-28T05:00:01Z

Beef stew and dumplings

2024-12-04T05:00:01Z

For sometime now I've been craving some classic beef stew, just like my Mum or Nan made.

After finding this recipe on BBC Food I set to work. Amazon sells the suet needed for the dumplings. A chat with our local butcher landed me some great beef. And thanks to Cat looking it up, turns out Swede is called Rutabaga over here.

The end result was delicious.

Will certainly be making this again.

Get Away

2024-12-08T05:00:01Z

Josh & I went to see 'Get Away', the new film written by & starring Nick Frost.

Frost plays Richard who has booked his family vacation at a BnB on a remote Swedish island. Arriving on the anniversary of a terrible historical event. Add to which a serial killer seems to be on the loose.

There's some great laugh-out-loud "Brits abroad" comedy. And the folk-horror setting nods to films such as 'The Wicker Man' & 'Midsommar'.

Then the third act turns everything up to eleven with the kills coming fast & furious.

Glad I got to see this in the cinema. We both enjoyed it and had a lot of fun.

Merry Christmas

2024-12-24T05:00:01Z

Blogger import complete

2024-12-29T05:00:01Z

Today has been melancholy for me. No particular reason, just was.

So I decided to take a break from the Xbox, YouTube, and RSS. Focusing on the blog instead.

I went through and pulled in all 21 posts from Blogger. This spans 2008-2009.

I did very little to them, tagging them all blogger, fixing a few markup issues, and adjusting image sizes from Flickr.

Doing this by hand (I'm not that technical) was...good. Relaxing, almost.

I even went through and added 301 redirects for the ones that did come over to a previous version, even though it seems Google has already scrubbed them from it's index.

Screenshot of Google SERP for an old URL

Even though this blog was a "fresh start" in 2019, I have slowly been adding posts from previous apps and services. I think 2025 may be when I try and add all the other posts from previous incarnations of this site.

On batch cooking

2024-12-30T05:00:01Z

Over the past couple of months I've gotten back into cooking larger meals. Saving portions for freezing, or eating the next day.

Part of this has been my recent craving for food like Beef Stew that my Nan used to make. The other part has been dipping into Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's book, 'Eat Better Forever'.

Now while this book is not revolutionary in it's advice, the recipes do harken back to my childhood. Both my Grandparents and Parents went through the imposed rationing of WWII. Myself growing up in 70's Britain, meant the lessons they learned then carried over.

Left over veg from the Sunday roast was Monday's Bubble & Squeak. Lasagna was many weekday dinners. Eating out was pretty much reserved for birthdays.

While getting that "taste of childhood", turns out I'm eating healthier (at least more veg) and saving money.

Roots, bangers, and beans

Here's an example. One recipe from the book that looked delicious was 'Roots, bangers, and beans'. A hearty soup/casserole, great for this time of year.

Now bangers (British slang for sausages) are hard to come by in the USA. The closest I've found are the bratwurst made by our local butcher-Which are great.

Buying those, and a collection of vegetables from our local Farmers Market came to under $20. This is roughly what a single fast-food lunch or dinner would run me.

Vegetable stock

First off, make the vegetable stock (recipe from the book).

Making vegetable stock

This makes more than enough for the soup, plus some left over to freeze or use for ramen.

Vegetable hash

Another idea from the book is to keep those veg from the stock. Fry them up with a little garlic and have them with eggs.

Fried eggs, vegetable hash, and chilli oil

I've had this for breakfast 3 days in a row. Topped with some chilli oil. Fantastic way to start the day.

Roots, bangers, and beans

Now onto the main recipe. The remaining vegetables get cooked with the cut-up brats and stock.

Roots, bangers, and beans

This makes enough for 6 large portions, with some leftover for Baby James, who lapped it up (sans bangers)

Meals for days

So for around $20 of fresh ingredients I have:

Dinner for 2 days (soup)
Breakfast for 3 days (veg hash)
Lunch for 1 day (ramen+stock)
and 4 frozen portions for future breakfast, lunch, or dinner

It isn't so much I had forgotten to cook like this, but more the perceived inconvenience of doing so.

With continuing tough times ahead for tech jobs, falling back on this type of whole cooking may get us through a little easier.

If all else fails, sometimes the old ways are the best.

I cleared the driveway 3 times today

2025-01-03T05:00:01Z

Fractals FTW

2025-01-04T05:00:01Z

I've always loved the mathematical beauty of fractals.

One of the first programs I installed on my original PC in the 90's was Fractint. I spent hours creating, colouring, and later animating fractals.

In the 2000's the Milkdrop visualizer for Winamp was my go to.

Electric Sheep's fractals on the TV

Recently I discovered Electric Sheep 4K available on the Apple TV. Though it cannot synch to music being played (like the old WinAmp) from Roon, it still is captivating when streaming music from the likes of Saul Stokes or Future Sound of London.

2025-01-04 retro

2025-01-04T05:00:01Z

Another new year, and another attempt to post regularly. So, back with the retros.

Both dogs got into some Danish Butter Cookies and managed to just eat the ones with raisins! So off to the emergency vet at 7pm on New Years Day. $2,000 later and I think we're in the clear.

Two attacks. Both perpetrators US Citizens, and military veterans. Only one being called terrorism.

I cleared the driveway of snow 3 times in a day. Crazy that only a few days before it was 62°F and we're wearing t-shirts!

Listening report 2024

2025-01-05T05:00:01Z

Last.FM has released their listening reports for 2024. Here's mine.

As I don't use any streaming services (Spotify, Apple, etc.) this is all music I own, played through Roon or Roon ARC.

This has a ton of great information about my listening. Apparently the first track I scrobbled (what Last.FM calls it when it captures a "listen") in 2024 was 'red-tail' by poemme.

Top artist was The Black Dog. No surprise there. I've been a fan for years, in 2024 I joined their Patreon, and they have been releasing a lot of new music.

Top album was 'Bothers & Sisters' by Steve Mason. A great album.

Top track was 'Somnium Part 1' by Robert Rich, but this is only because it's the first track in my "sleep" playlist. The second track was 'and the colour red' by Underworld. My real number one.

Top artist by country or top album by decade.

Even for the free account, Last.FM have done a great job breaking down the data into things you can dive deep into.

Top tags, and when I listened most

One thing I noticed was the amount of new artists I listened to was down from last year.

Nosferatu

2025-01-05T05:00:01Z

Today I watched 'Nosferatu'.

This is was so much fun. A couple of jump scares and just enough blood, with a whole heaping of building dread.

This is definitely Robert Eggars vision. Keeping some of the impressionistic flourishes from F.W.Murnau's original. Tipping it's cap to others, with some lighting choices resembling the tinted original. It looks, amazing.

Lily-Rose Depp puts in a very physical performance as Ellen Hutter, and Simon McBurney chews the scenery as Herr Knock.

Eggars regulars Ralph Ineson & Willem Dafoe are rather measured, representing both men of science and mysticism.

Thoroughly enjoyed this.

2025-01-11 retro

2025-01-11T05:00:01Z

Things are getting a little darker out there…

The uncensored library is a collection of writings that gives Reporters without Borders a way to circumvent the censorship and make information accessible by hosting them all in a Minecraft server.

Jason Kottke's Meta’s Free Speech Grift post talks about Meta's quick abandonment of fact-checkers. Highlighting how he (and most of us) underestimated how quickly the big media and social media companies were going to kowtow to the incoming president.

Due (in part) to the current fires around L.A., the Breathable air quality app has now been made available for free.

But it's not all doom & gloom. Manton released Micro.one. For just $1 a month you can post to your own blog and connect with Mastodon and the fediverse. I bought and set it up for Josh.

2025-01-18 retro

2025-01-18T05:00:01Z

Barmy and marvelous film director David Lynch died this week. Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Dune, The Elephant Man, and Twin Peaks were just some of my favourite works by him. I also remember 'The Worlds Angriest Dog'.

I learned two new words from Chris's post; "Weltschmerz", and "Anhedonia".

Brad Frost posted about the ux of login codes. Just before Xmas I had to design this very thing. Seems my take would fall under his "better" category. Phew!

Parky Burger and fries

2025-01-18T22:00:01Z

Parky Burger and fries

Mahall's

Ate this at Mahall's on January 18, 2025, and noted Happy hour before a gig. Delicious burger with Great Lakes American Cheese, Green Leaf Lettuce, Caramelized Onion, Vine Ripe Tomato, Dill Pickles, and Parky Sauce. Bargain for $11 with a side of fries.

Master Boot Record

2025-01-19T00:00:01Z

Thanks to Chris we attended my first gig/concert of 2025 tonight. I asked Josh and he said he'd be interested too, so I grabbed 2 tickets on the Dice app.

It was at Mahall's in Lakewood. First time I'd been there, it is a very cool place.

Meeting up with Chris, Mike and his daughter, as well as Dave early, we took advantage of the venues Happy Hour for a bite to eat.

Family Jules

The opener was Family Jules. A solo artist who plays metal guitar versions of video game themes. He started with some Final Fantasy and Zelda, then tried something new.

Family Jules

Calling for "the best Pokemon player", he accompanied their attempt to beat a level on Pokemon Red with live rendition of the in-game music. Though they didn't beat it in 15 minutes it was a lot of fun to watch.

Josh picked up his latest CD, The Greatest Video Game Music of All Time.

Master Boot Record

The main act was Master Boot Record. Italy-based electronic metal three-piece kicked it up a notch promoting their new album Hardwarez.

Master Boot Record

Accompanied by projections of gameplay, bios loaders, and cracking group splash screens, they blasted a pounding fusion of metal & chip tune instrumentals. Catchy titles like 'config.sys' and 'FTP' added to the computer/hacker theme.

It was nice meeting new people, and a fun way to spend a cold January night.

Loaded breakfast fries

2025-01-19T16:00:01Z

Loaded breakfast fries

Brewdog Cleveland

Ate this at Brewdog on January 19, 2025, and noted Really big portion. Lots of flavour. Scrambled egg, avocado creme, pico de gallo, cotija & crispy shallots

Brunch bunch

2025-01-19T18:00:01Z

Real Life and Postcard Use

2025-01-22T05:00:01Z

I've watched The Wonky Angle review music for years now. But I never realized he released his own electronic music under the name 256 Pi.

This is the first album of his I have, and it's really good.

There are some real stand out tracks for me. 'Foliage adieu (feat. Give Me Monaco)' reminds me of Bicep or Burial tracks. 'Hydrologic outlook' has echoes of 4T Thieves and Banco De Gaia. The bonus track 'Parallelogram Season' (not on the CD) is a sprawling 44 minute session which reminds me of Future Sound of London and The Orb in places.

But these are nods rather than copies or pastiches. I enjoyed this album very much and recommend it if you're a fan of electronic music.

Real Life and Postcard Use is available on Bandcamp.

24 hours of ENO

2025-01-24T05:00:01Z

Nearly a year ago I was excited to see the new generative Brian Eno documentary from Gary Hustwit.

Alas it didn't come anywhere near me.

Today was my lucky day. Anamorph put on a full 24 hours of ENO stream. Showing 4 versions of the documentary, conversations, concerts, and more.

...a continuous flow of art, music and video for 24 hours straight. We'll be showing six unique versions of Gary Hustwit’s acclaimed generative documentary ENO

— Anamorph

ENO

As the documentary isn't linear, but a generative work, it mixes archive footage and current interviews of Brian Eno shot by Hustwit. Skipping between timeframes it really showed how he changed views or approaches to creating.

Streaming documentary on the TV, via AirPlay

In the first showing (version 4.120) we see him be frustrated and angered by ads on YouTube when he's trying to show a video of Fela Kuti, jumping to how he worked and played games with David Bowie using Oblique Strategies.

None of that was in version 4.121 shown later in the day. Instead there was a whole section to do with how he came to score 'Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks' and create the Windows launch sound.

It was interesting to see how the context of pieces used in both versions, changed slightly by being bookended with different archival material, or shifted in the running time.

Hopefully I'll be able to catch version 4.125 tomorrow.

Conversations

There were several conversations streamed too.

Brian Eno and Gary Hustwit

These included Gary speaking to Eno. One with some of the film team, and one with Laraaji.

Offering great little tidbits into the creation of the documentary, and working with Eno.

Listening Sessions

I had never heard of Devon Turnbull before a month or so ago. Jana Dagdagan had filmed a conversation with him about his new speaker collaboration with Klipsch, shown on John Darko's channel.

Devon Turnball's listening room

Now here he was playing related tracks, from Gavin Bryars to Eno's own music, through those OJAS speakers.

Performances

I was also lucky to catch the filmed performances of 'It’s All Light: Laraaji at Nine Orchard' and 'Bloom: Living World by Brian Eno & Peter Chilvers'. These were great to have on in the background, visuals playing on the TV.

Generative art

In-between all of these were played 'Nothing Can Ever Be The Same'. This is the Venice Biennale generative art prequel piece which uses raw material from the film, but remixes it into an endless fever dream.

Screenshot from NCEBTS

Sometimes jarring, sometimes sublime. I was surprised to learn that Brendan Dawes was involved with this. I remember pouring over his web design and Flash books in the early 2000's.

An experience

This was really great. I thoroughly enjoyed everything put on here. Hopefully more of this type of online events will happen soon.

Coffee?

2025-01-25T05:00:01Z

2025-01-24 retro

2025-01-25T05:00:01Z

A week of deliveries.

After multiple misses I finally got myself a Long Dark mug. Get yours at the Hinterland shop.

My copy of Pace Layers arrived. The Long Now Foundation's annual print journal. Beautifully laid out and, so far, a very interesting read.

With the new President came a deluge of changes already. The expunging of DEI initiatives in Government and Costco's shareholders overwhelmingly reject anti-DEI proposal.

Dave Winer resurrected his online countdown if you want to know how much longer Trump will be President, then a Senator proposed changing the Constitution so Trump can have a third term.

Things are moving fast.

2025-02-01 retro

2025-02-01T05:00:01Z

WOW! What a fucking week.

Since Elon Musk Sieg Heil'd at Trump's inauguration things have ramped up to eleventy-stupid.

After a horrific air crash, Trump made a speech all about him, making unfounded claims that DEI was to blame.

A Federal email system, introduced by Trump's team, had an exploit and flooded inboxes with vulgar messages & spam.

While Facebook flagged Linux as a 'cybersecurity threat', China launched it's own AI, named Deepseek, causing Nvidia stock to drop and OpenAI to cry foul that it copied them (the gaul).

SMASH CAKE!

2025-02-02T05:00:01Z

Homemade sausage rolls

2025-02-04T18:00:01Z

Homemade sausage rolls

Apparently it's been years since I made these

Ate this at Home on February 4, 2025, and noted Very good. I should make them more often.

I last made these in 2020. Again, following the River Cottage recipe from Gill Meller. Turned out very good, though not as golden as lat time. Maybe weak eggs in the wash.

Sausage rolls

Ingredients

Filling

2lb sausage/ground pork
1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped sage leaves
100g fresh white breadcrumbs
Pinch of salt
Freshly ground pepper

Rough puff pastry

175g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
350g plain flour
About 3–4 tbsp iced water, to mix
Egg wash (beaten egg mixed with a splash of milk), to glaze

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 360°F
Mix flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with just enough water to bring together into a fairly firm dough
Well flour a surface then roll out the dough in one direction, away from you, to a rectangle. Fold the two short ends into the middle so they overlap. Give the pastry a quarter-turn. Repeat 5 times.
Wrap in clingfilm and store in fridge.
Mix the pork with the herbs, spices, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.
Store in fridge
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to an oblong, about 17" x 4" x ¼" thick. Lay the sausage meat along one long side of the pastry, about 1" in from the edge. Brush this pastry edge with a little egg wash and fold the other side of the pastry over the top of the filling to enclose it. Crimp the edges together well to seal. Coat with egg wash.
Store in the fridge for about 10 minutes, then cut into pieces with a breadknife and place on a parchment lined baking tray
Cook for about 30-45 minutes. Meat should be around 165°. Let cool for 5-10 minutes

56th Birthday

2025-02-05T00:00:01Z

Today I am officially closer to 60, than 50—And I feel it.

I have come down with whatever bug laid Julie out over the weekend; Chills, aches, coughing, lethargy.

Coffee from Noted. Bodywash from Juniper Ridge. Gift cards for Amazon and Bandcamp. All very nice gifts.

My traditional "Chinese food in boxes" for dinner eaten I sit, listening to 'The Dark Places of the Earth', struck by the fact I'm now only 2 years away from being older than my Dad when he died.

Time is a funny thing. Time is a very peculiar item. You see, when you're young - you're a kid - you got time. You got nothin' but time. Throw away a couple of years here, a couple of years there. It doesn't matter. You know. The older you get, you say, "Jesus, how much I got? I got 35 summers left." Think about it. Thirty-five summers.

— Benny, Rumblefish (Movie, 1983)

2025-02-09 retro

2025-02-09T05:00:01Z

What a complete wash.

Apart from my birthday I've spent the majority of the week shivering & aching under blankets as this cold/flu/virus runs it's course.

While Musk seemingly has his broccoli-haired Gen Z brownshirts...wilding through the server rooms at giant, critical government agencies, in seemingly illegal and un-constitutional ways, Doctorow links to Maureen Tkacik's great post 'The Private Equity Hatchet Man Leading the Lost Boys of DOGE'. She outlines how this is just an old playbook, but with much more dire consequences.

Now I'm heading back under the blankets, enjoying Chris's no talking, just vibes No Man's Sky play through.

Setting up CEC on Sceptre 4K TV

2025-02-18T05:00:01Z

For a few years I've had my eye on getting a "dumb" TV from Sceptre.

As I have both an Xbox and AppleTV, there's no need to have a television stuffed with streaming bloatware. Also manufacturers haven't been great dealing with privacy or snooping.

My old Sony Bravia TV was still going but lacked 4K, HDMI Arc and extra ports. So there was some faffing around when I wanted, for example, the Xbox to play through speakers attached to my WiiM Amp.

But even after connecting all the cables, and seeing pictures, no sound was coming out of the external speakers.

CEC not on by default

Thanks to an post from Nakamichi, you have to enable the Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) on a Sceptre TV. This will allow products connected via HDMI to essential talk to each other.

Not something mentioned in the setup guide or downloadable manual that I saw.

From the Nakamichi post you:

Press MENU button to open onscreen display menu
Press ◄ or ► button to select SETUP and press ENTER
Select CEC
Press ◄ or ► button to select SETUP and press ENTER
Select CEC
Set CEC CONTROL to ON
Set DEVICE AUTO POWER OFF to ON
Set TV AUTO POWER ON to ON
Set AUDIO RECEIVER to ON for enabling audio return channel function
Set DEVICE LISTS to Nakamichi
Select CONNECT and turn ON Nakamichi devices

This was a little out-of-date, but now I did see the Xbox and AppleTV connected, but not the WiiM Amp even though it was connected.

Searching the WiiM Amp forums I found a similar issue, with a key piece of information

I used the LG tv Arc port and see LPCM on the app but no sound at this point.

— Woody, Forum post

No I wasn't seeing LPCM in the WiiM app. Could it be the cable?

Old cable

Reaching into the box of cables I pulled out quite a few HDMI ones I'd acquired from over the years. Apparently the first one I found didn't work with HDMI Arc.

After swapping that out a few times I did now see LPCM in the app, and the WiiM Amp listed in the CEC menu.

Success!

Few other things

One downside, and why connecting to the WiiM Amp is important, the Sceptre TV speakers are terrible. You really need to use a soundbar or external speakers.

Picture great. Speakers bad.

One nice thing is renaming the ports to show what they are connected.

Digital drawer cleaning

2025-02-23T05:00:01Z

Every house has at least one drawer where everything gets stuffed: old keys, menus, half-working pens. You know the thing.

My digital equivalent was Evernote. And instead of cleaning it up when I stopped using Evernote, I just migrated it all to Notesnook.

Evernote

I had started using Evernote in 2008, when it was still in beta. It was my outboard brain, and worked great. Everything went in there and I could access it across Windows PCs, Android phones, and on the web.

The company leadership changed, products dropped, and pricing changed. So a couple of years ago I migrated all my Evernote content to Notesnook.

But before then I should have practiced some type of digital hygiene.

Moving to Apple

Over some years I had moved over completely to the Apple eco-system. MacBooks for work, then home. When Google stopped making the Nexus line, I went with iPhone. Then came iPad.

Apple's native 'Reminders' worked a lot better for me. So shopping lists, to-do's, etc went there instead of Evernote.

I travelled less and less for work, so no need for receipts or itineraries.

Notesnook

I still use Notesnook to save things from my RSS feeds, log recipes, or clip web pages for later use.

But now it's time to de-clutter and get rid of those shopping lists. Condense those folders and tags.

Bring a little order to that particular digital drawer.

More digital cleaning

2025-03-02T05:00:01Z

Thinking more about digital cleaning this week.

Instagram

I was surprised recently by a couple of emails from Instagram. I'd deleted my account some years ago, so what was this? Spam? Phishing?

Nope. It was legit. Apparently I had created a couple of accounts for projects that never happened. Emails were to Gmail alias's using the '+' method, so I hadn't thought about them when closing down my account.

Following a quick password recovery (not in 1Password for some reason), I had to dive into Meta's obscured account deletion process and close those accounts down.

Slack

This got me thinking, and I checked Slack. I'm in 20+ "Slack's" ranging from local groups, product help, industry related, and old conferences.

Time to leave a lot of these. Again these have moved with me, though most are dark these days or I no longer participate in.

Especially useless since Slack introduced not displaying any post over 90 days old on free plans.

I'm now down to 8.

Contacts

I did a quick pass on my contacts too. As these synch between phone, laptop, and iPad there's some old entries there.

Josh's school contacts. Old dentists, doctors, etc. Contacts from car buying, contractors. All things that can be cleaned out.

Small men on a large stage

2025-03-02T05:00:01Z

This week saw the leaders of France, Great Britain, and Ukraine visit The White House. All three were televised.

Though generally amiable, Emmanuel Macron had to correct Trump on a couple of occasions. It was obvious from seating arrangements, and Trump not welcoming at him at the entrance, that Macron's visit was setting the stage for what was to come.

Kier Starmer brought an invite from The King, which Trump seemed very surprised & pleased with. Starmer had to correct Vance, when he piped-up about the UK not having "free speech" (why is Vance at these meetings anyway?), but generally it was cordial.

Both visits saw Trump using these meetings, and the following press conferences, to control the room in order to push his own view and agenda. Macron & Starmer tried to re-iterate the importance of support for Ukraine.

The came Volodymyr Zelensky's visit. Which devolved in to a slanging match and saw Zelensky leaving early. Essentially being thrown out by Trump.

Some of this taking place in front of the Russian state media (TASS) who "snuck in" somehow. Reuters and the Associated Press were barred from attending.

Obvious from the start, Trump and Vance were not interested in what Zelensky had to say. Parroting the Kremlin talking points, referencing Zelensky appearing at a Biden campaign during the election, and basically admonishing him for not falling to his knees to thank Trump.

Trump & Vance are small men, playing "strong" to their home base. It's obvious neither have ideals past how much money can they make, and how important people think they are.

Embarrassing! Only the three visitors looked and acted like world leaders.

Fat Game Night

2025-03-04T05:00:01Z

Playing Horrified: World of Monsters, preceded by a bowl (or three) of superb homemade Jambalaya and Paczki's.

Thanks to the International House of Johnson for a enjoyable Fat Tuesday.

Childhood sandwich

2025-03-06T05:00:01Z

Adventures with Shokupan (食パン)

2025-04-06T05:00:01Z

Whilst doing the rounds in Cleveland I decided to stop into Koko Bakery and pick up some of their Japanese Milk Bread, or Shokupan (食パン).

I opted for the green onion variety. Boy, was it good. Here's some of ways I ate it.

Fried shokupan, topped with a fried egg.

Probably the best grilled cheese I've eaten

Toasted chicken "sando" w/Kewpie mayonnaise and Bachan BBQ sauce

Next time I'm there I'll be picking up a different variety to try.

Trying Tumblr (again)

2025-04-06T05:00:01Z

One thing I've missed is having a place to scroll through curated images. So I dusted off my Tumblr login and had a poke around.

I used Tumblr quite a bit, spinning up a new one for every trip or conference I attended, in the early 2010's.

Pretty much every account I used to follow was dormant, so off I went to find some new ones. Using the tags #architecture, #wilderness, and #mensfashion as starters I looked around.

Note: The #mensfashion tag contained a lot of, shall we say, 'adult' content for some reason.

I also tried the 'For You' feed-This was less than useful. After marking at least 3 pages of "bewbs" (both real & Ai generated) and ads as "not interested" I pretty much gave up. This was probably due to the algo kicking in from the content tagged in #mensfashion.

There's seems to be a lot of re-blogging of old accounts too. Clicking through and viewing the archives of each one helped. A nice feature showing when the account was last updated.

So after a while I had a nice clutch of photo-heavy feeds added to my RSS reader. Yup. Every Tumblr blog has an RSS feed, so I don't have to log in or see ads.

I may start to have a look at Pixelfed too, on a recommendation from Chris. But for now I'm off to look at some photo's.

He's 21

2025-04-08T05:00:01Z

Now he's "of age" we went to Tricky Tortoise Brewing Co. for their happy hour.

Hard to believe it's been 21 years.

Cheers Josh.

First wash

2025-04-27T05:00:01Z

It's time. My Iron Heart 14oz selvedge denim jeans were due for it's first wash. Since buying them from Self Edge in Portland a while ago I've worn them quite a bit.

Not as much fading as I expected.

Beef patty and rasta pasta

2025-05-01T05:00:01Z

Beef patty and rasta pasta

Ela's Caribbean Grill

Ate this at Ela's Caribbean Grill on May 1, 2025, and noted Really tasty Jamaican beef patty and that Rasta Pasta has a real kick to it.

Fluffy. Run ender.

2025-05-01T05:00:01Z

Well. That's it. "Fluffy" ended my 156 day Voyageur run, in The Long Dark.

Highlight on Twitch.

Screenshot of wolf attack in game

I decided not to use the new 'cheat death' option, and let "Astrid Bearbane Wolfslayer" (named by @wafflecrone) journey to Valhalla.

Started a new Pilgrim that stream as a palette cleanser.

Bandcamp Friday haul

2025-05-05T05:00:01Z

Last week was Bandcamp Friday, where the site waive our revenue share and pass the funds directly to artists & labels. An excellent time to make some purchases from my ever-growing wishlist.

Lake Fire

Lake Fire is the latest release by Loscil. In fact I had to wait until later in the day to purchase it as it was still marked 'pre-order'.

Apparently inspired by a roadtrip near the wildfires around the Vancouver mountains, this has a dark dreamy ambiance. Subtle beats mix with drones and washes, convey a real sense of brooding. Like the smoke traveling through the woods.

Lake Fire by loscil

Saor

I didn't know anything about Claire M Singer, apart from a track called 'Forrig' I'd found on YouTube. Saor is the album that track is from, and it's great.

Atmospheric instrumentals based around her Scottish landscapes. Pipe organ, strings, and electronics really captures the wild countryside. Definitely going to be getting more of her albums.

Saor by Claire M Singer

For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)

The latest album from Japanese Breakfast, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women). I really liked Jubilee and this builds on that with some really nice, but moodier songs.

I'm only a couple of plays in and feel I need to sit with it a few more times to get everything here, but I could listen to Michelle Zauner sing the phone book and still get "the feels".

For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) by Japanese Breakfast

Not Sirius

Children of the Bong's 'Sirius Sounds' is still one of my favourite albums. I remember blowing a set of speakers from the bass in that CD. Not Sirius is a collection of tracks recorded before & after that album, not released until 2023.

30 years later (that can't be right, can it?) the dub influenced mix of electronica & acid still sounds fresh and just right for Summer.

Not Sirius by Children of the Bong

Singles/EPs

To round out the newer albums I picked up a couple of singles/EPs that had been sitting around for a while.

Sean Lennon remixed Matt Berry's 'Summer Sun' which is fun.

Summer Sun (Sean Ono Lennon Remix) by Matt Berry

Conspiracy Pt.2 is an EP from Gesaffelstein. 3 heavy dance tracks, hearing 'Opr' used in the trailers for the Marvel film Thunderbolts* got me to finally pull the plug.

Conspiracy Pt.2 by Gesaffelstein

Jusant

2025-05-12T05:00:01Z

That latest game I've been streaming on Twitch was Jusant, finishing it on Sunday. I saw Devan play a little, and thought I'd give it a go.

Described as a action-puzzle climbing game and a meditative journey to the top of a tall tower it certainly lived up to that.

Looking down at dwellings carved into rock

At first the climb mechanic took a little getting used to, but the game does a nice job of prompting you. Even in the later, more difficult, levels.

The world-building was excellent. From the scenery, abandoned remnants that you are climbing through, to the various notes and audio memories you discover along the way.

The music also does a great job of immersing you into this world.

Standing on a sunny ledge

The only real con I had was sometimes the camera and climbing didn't mesh. I was looking at the handhold and saw the hand move to it, but it'd never complete the action. Happened a couple of times, but not that frustrating.

Overall this was a lot of fun to play and stream. Took me around 12 hours. Would recommend.

Cocktails

2025-05-17T02:00:01Z

Cocktails

Nine Bar

Drank this at Nine Bar on May 16, 2025, and noted I had the Neo Tokyo. A delicious mix of suntory toki, italicus, clementine, ginger, and lemongrasss.

BBQ Pork bun, egg custard

2025-05-17T13:00:01Z

BBQ Pork bun, egg custard

Chiu Quon bakery

Ate this at Chiu Quon bakery on May 17, 2025, and noted Hotel room breakfast of champions. Hot milk tea, bbq pork bun, and an egg custard tart.

Tonkotsu Ramen with Kamo and Kuro Buta

2025-05-17T18:00:01Z

Tonkotsu Ramen with Kamo and Kuro Buta

Strings

Ate this at Strings on May 17, 2025, and noted Very rich and flavourful ramen with lava egg, duck breast, and pork belly.

Sweet & Spicy Eggplant

2025-05-17T22:00:01Z

Sweet & Spicy Eggplant

Happy Rice

Ate this at Happy Rice on May 17, 2025, and noted Very tasty dinner of sweet & spicy eggplant, served with sticky rice. Great spot in Chicago's Chinatown

Trip to Chicago

2025-05-18T05:00:01Z

This weekend I travelled to Chicago to see Underworld play live.

I also got the chance to catch up with Brooke, who now lives there.

Willis Tower as seen from Chinatown

Travel

I am not a big fan of road trips, or driving in general. So the idea of 5 hours spent on freeways (and some travel miles) meant I flew. But boy has the allure been sucked out of the miracle of flight.

I expected the worst with RealID now being enforced this week, but it was relatively smooth going through security. Added bonus, a lot of the "security theatre" around baggage is finally being scaled back. Pretty much everything can stay in your bag.

The real trouble seems to be with the gates & planes.

When the flight arrived, boarding was delayed as maintenance had to be called to the plane. At O'Hare we had to sit on the tarmac for another 15 minutes as our gate wasn't open.

Though a newer plane it was probably the most uncomfortable seat I've had. A badly-shaped lump of solid plastic, covered by a millimeter of pleather. I've leant against more comfortable brick walls than this.

Flying back was even more of a hassle. Starting at furthest gate on Concourse B, it then moved to the furthest gate on Concourse C. Another 2 gate changes after that, then a delay in boarding.

Neither plane had enough overhead bins to accommodate people's carry-ons. And I don't blame the travelers. Being nickel-and-dimed at every step makes you stuff as much as you muster in those carry-ons.

And I know it's a "short flight" but now all that's offered is a small cup of water, poured from a 2 liter bottle. No snacks. No choice of hot or cold beverage. Nothing.

Next time I may suck it up and drive.

Food

On the plus side I decided to make the most of staying in Chicago's Chinatown, only eating at the local restaurants within walking distance from the hotel.

Friday's dinner was at Ahjoomah's Apron. Very friendly service and great Korean food. Starter was the Vegetarian dumplings. Main course was Bulgogi, rice, and all the usual sides (Kimchi, radish, tofu, etc.). Surprisingly I didn't snap a photo.

After was cocktails at Nine Bar—A very cool bar hidden in a Chinese takeout. Bladerunner references and great music. I had the Neo Tokyo. A delicious mix of suntory toki, italicus, clementine, ginger, and lemongrasss. Also very good was the Ebb & Flow.

Bladerunner quotes on the restroom mirror

Saturday's breakfast was a BBQ Pork bun, egg custard tart, and a hot milk tea from a Chinese bakery.

Lunch was a big bowl of rich Tonkotsu Ramen with Kamo and Kuro Buta.

Dinner was a plate of Sweet & Spicy Eggplant before the concert.

Must say, I didn't have one bad meal during my stay. Everything tasted fresh, with a wide of cuisines to choose from.

Underworld. Live.

2025-05-18T05:00:01Z

Underworld have been one of my favourite bands since hearing 'Second toughest in the infants' back in the 90's. But I've never been able to see them live, until now.

Playing for one night only in Chicago, I knew I had to go.

Venue

Just as you enter the main area of Radius, Chicago you get a sense of how big this repurposed steel factory is. And tonight it's sold out for Underworld.

From the back, looking toward the stage

Having a hotel 10 minutes walk away meant I got there early enough to be one of the first through the doors. After snapping a quick photo I made my way to the front.

Doors opened at 7pm. Remixes of their tracks played overhead, this was "Underworld open until close" after all, as the room filled. 8pm the smoke kicked in, images flashed, and a distinct beat filled the room.

As two figures walked on stage a smile crept across my face and didn't leave for 3 hours.

Set 1

The night kicked off with 'Gene Pool', from their latest album, flowing into 'Confusion the waitress' and the crowd went wild.

Karl and Rick

A storming mix of old and new tracks had all of us dancing in close quarters.

Gene Pool
Confusion the Waitress
Low Burn
Dirty Epic
Techno Shinkansen
Push Upstairs
Kittens
Juanita 2022
Pearl's Girl (Tin There)

By the time they launched into 'Juanita', Karl standing backlit on a platform above the stage, we were all singing along. Hands in the air, bouncing as one.

Your rails
Your thin
Your thin paper wings
Your thin paper wings
In the wind...dangling

— Karl Hyde, Richard David Smith, Darren Paul Emerson, Juanita

And with the opening of the Tin There remix of 'Pearl's Girl' (my all-time fave track) Karl & Rick exited stage left.

Looking behind me at the sea of people. A wild mix of all ages. Old and young. Solo's, couples, groups, parents with their teenagers. All here to dance.

Sold out audience during the intermission

Set 2

We didn't have to wait long. 30 minutes and the stage exploded with bright lights and the recognizable snares & synth beat of 'Jumbo' washed over us.

Karl now front and center, dancing his way across the stage.

Karl Hyde

Jumbo
denver luna
S.T.A.R.
Pearl's Girl
Dark & Long (Dark Train)
Two Months Off
Cowgirl
and the colour red
King of Snake
Border Country
Arpeggio12
Moaner
Born Slippy .NUXX

As the thumping chant of names of 'S.T.A.R.' stopped, 'Pearl's Girl' kicked in and I was right back in Southend during the 90's.

white room
sun room
shadow room
night transmitting cars
across the room
these things sent to dance
across the room
eye watching from your bed
returning to you

— Karl Hyde, Richard David Smith, Pearl's Girl

The ride kept accelerating with 'Cowgirl', 'and the colour red', and 'King of snake'.

With the house lights up, and a thank you from Karl, they launched into the close. 'Born Slippy' never sounded so loud, urgent, and passionate. Thousands of people in unison shouting lager, lager, lager back at the stage.

Ending the show with the Underworld logo

And then we were done. 3 hours, and 400% over my daily movement goal, later I was still buzzing on the walk back to the hotel.

This was a fantastic experience. Euphoric. Energizing.

Song order from SetList.FM

Collinwood Pizza

2025-05-18T19:00:01Z

Collinwood Pizza

Citizen Pie

Ate this at Citizen Pie on May 18, 2025, and noted My favourite pizza from here. Great mix of Fresh Mozzarella, Italian Sausage, Cali Olives, Jalapenos, and Red Onion

Caged James

2025-05-22T05:00:01Z

Smoked meats

2025-06-04T05:00:01Z

Smoked meats

Smokehouse 91

Bought this from Smokehouse 91 on June 4, 2025, and noted Delicious selection of meats. Sliced smoked turkey, Fatty brisket, and Poblano & Pepperjack sausage. ½lb of each. Came with bread, pickles, and slaw. Got 2 lunches and 2 dinners out of this.

The Division 2's Brooklyn DLC is a lot of fun

2025-06-08T05:00:01Z

I really enjoyed finishing the story and solving some of the puzzles in the new DLC, 'Battle for Brooklyn', for The Division 2.

My character during a mission from Brooklyn DLC

No spoilers

This DLC is based around the area of Brooklyn where you started in The Division (the first game in this franchise). Re-visiting those places brought back a lot of memories.

Though a stand-alone experience, set in the future of the games current timeline (Autumn) there are a lot of nods to the current story, the first game, and tying up loose ends to questions us long-time players had.

It is a smaller area, but has a lot of replay-ability. 4 smaller "world" missions, and 3 larger missions can all drop targeted loot after finishing the story. There were some nice surprises in those.

Also hidden around the DLC are clues & puzzles to gain Hunter masks.

I'm now working my way through the new commendations that were included.

Verdict

Very happy. Do I wish the are was bigger? Of course. But the devs delivered a great experience with lots of areas to explore and a good deal of verticality, which I feel the main map (Washington DC) was missing.

With the recent spike in interest & players this has brought in, I hope it lets the team continue to build on and expand the world while we wait for The Division 3.

Father's Day haul

2025-06-15T05:00:01Z

The Great When

2025-06-20T05:00:01Z

Moore weaves the story of hapless Dennis Knuckleyard, moving around the scarred post-war London streets trying to return a book that shouldn't exist. As always Moore seamlessly mixes the famous & infamous; Some literary, some all too real.

A really good mystery reveals itself, as does The Great When. A version of London that sits alongside our own-Magical, beautiful, yet fiercely dark.

Occultism and East-end gangsters all pursue Dennis as he tries to find love, cling on to his own life, and return something that he should never have been able to hold.

Very evocative and a great read.

Midday darkness

2025-06-29T05:00:01Z

Sun, coffee, book.

2025-06-29T05:00:01Z

Took some time to grab a coffee at The Human Bean and dive into my next book.

Enjoying a little of the heat death of the Universe

2025-06-29T20:00:01Z

Working fully remote means a lot of time spent in my basement, so I have been taking the opportunity to sit outside when I can.

As a pastey Brit I'm not a lover of the sun, learning my lesson as a teenager with a "boy's trip" to Corfu.

But sitting under the shade, enjoying the warmth with a cold glass of Vimto or Robinson's Orange, is something I'm leaning into. Eating lunch & dinner "alfresco" has it's appeals.

This has meant a foregoing some gaming, streaming, and blogging. But I think that may be a good thing.

Maybe it's the Vitamin D but I have been feeling a little...happier. Or maybe it's just sunstroke.

Independence brats

2025-07-12T05:00:01Z

On Independence Day only Josh & I were home, so I decided to grill some bratwurst.

Simmered in 3 cans of Polka City Pilsner, from Goldhorn Brewery, butter, and some sliced red onion.

Then onto the grill to get them nice and brown.

Turned out really good.

Smashburgers

2025-07-12T05:00:01Z

This was my first attempt at cooking "smashburgers", and they came out great!

Following the method from George Motz, I put the onions over the ball of beef, then smashed.

Topped with the bun, after the flip, they steamed in the combo of beef fat & onion juice.

A big hit all round.

Uninstalling Destiny 2

2025-07-16T05:00:01Z

I finished playing the introduction mission of Destiny 2's latest season, Edge of Fate, and decided to uninstall the game.

For the previous episodes, Revenant and Heresy, I only reached level 41 of 200 for the combined yearly rewards pass The story was not compelling enough to get me to log in and grind for gear, even though I paid for it.

With 1000+ hours played I have a good idea of which storylines grabbed me, and which didn't—This didn't.

And instead of Edge of Fate opening to new stories, it's more of the same. But you can turn into a ball to solve puzzles. I wish I was kidding.

After this, and whatever the Star Wars themed season called Renegades is, I hope Destiny will find it's footing and I can give it another shot.

Until them I'm freeing up space on my Xbox.

Brown Stew Chicken

2025-07-16T18:00:01Z

Brown Stew Chicken

Ela's Caribbean Grill

Ate this at Ela's Caribbean Grill on July 16, 2025, and noted Went for the (bone in) Brown Stew Chicken with extra sauce. Opted for red beans & rice, and steamed cabbage as sides. Delicious!

Outside

2025-07-21T05:00:01Z

While long-form Dark Ambient Noisecapes mixes itself with the A/C unit and general neighborhood sounds, I catch up on my RSS feeds.

Feels nice out here.

Popping back to Blighty

2025-08-07T05:00:01Z

Sausage roll

2025-08-07T18:00:01Z

Sausage roll

Gregg's

Bought this from Gregg's on August 7, 2025, and noted Had to be done. Only topped by those from Grout's

Westcliff ghost sign

2025-08-08T05:00:01Z

Cockles

2025-08-08T18:00:01Z

Cockles

Osborne's Cafe

Ate this at Osborne's Cafe on August 8, 2025, and noted Couldn't visit without having cockles in Old Leigh. Lashings of white pepper and their homemade vinegar.

Fish and chips with curry sauce

2025-08-08T23:00:01Z

Fish and chips with curry sauce

Seacrest Fish & Chips

Ate this at Seacrest Fish & Chips on August 8, 2025, and noted That cod was huge! Really good chips, and a nice curry sauce. Perfect dinner

Second ghost sign in Westcliff

2025-08-09T05:00:01Z

Truth in advertising

2025-08-09T05:00:01Z

Street art 001

2025-08-09T18:00:01Z

Artist Roo. Part of Southend City Jam.

Street art 002

2025-08-09T18:00:01Z

Artist Jay Kaes (left) and Ster (right). Part of Southend City Jam.

3 chicken wings

2025-08-09T19:00:01Z

3 chicken wings

Nando's

Ate this at Nando's on August 9, 2025, and noted This was my first Nando's experience, and it wasn't bad. Chicken was juicy and the sauces had some bite. Garlic bread was tasty too.

West Road Tap

2025-08-09T22:00:01Z

Lamb and potato in a coconut curry

2025-08-10T01:00:01Z

Lamb and potato in a coconut curry

Red Chilliezs

Ate this at Red Chilliezs on August 9, 2025, and noted A deliciously rich coconut curry with lamb and potato. Pilau rice and chappathi.

Geezers

2025-08-10T04:00:01Z

It was a fantastic, albeit brief, reunion with Ian & Martin. Curry consumed, alcohol imbibed, memories jogged, worlds set right, and plans made.

With about 40 years of friendship, here's to another decade at least.

Full English

2025-08-10T15:00:01Z

Full English

Sky Blues Cafe

Ate this at Sky Blues Cafe on August 10, 2025, and noted Classic. Delicious. 'nuff said.

Pie, mash, and liquor

2025-08-11T18:00:01Z

Pie, mash, and liquor

Robins pie & mash

Ate this at Robins pie & mash on August 11, 2025, and noted I was craving this, so Sharon & I stopped in and were not dissapointed. Chili vinegar made a great addition to the liquor.

Birthday bubble waffle

2025-08-12T20:00:01Z

For Sam's birthday we went to Chinatown in London. Had a really good hot pot lunch from Haidilao, followed by a stuffed bubble waffle for dessert.

Eccles Cake

2025-08-13T13:00:01Z

Eccles Cake

Grout's Bakers

Bought this from Grout's Bakers on August 13, 2025, and noted They were always sold out, but on the last day I got my Eccles cake from Grout's. One on my all-time favourites. List complete.

Back from the UK

2025-08-16T05:00:01Z

It's been three years since I was home, and I was feeling the pull.

Travel

With the flight booked I count down the days and before I know it I'm sitting at the gate in Chicago. Letting the mix of languages in conversation wash over me. It’s relaxing, comfortable.

We board just in time for a "technology issue" to effect not only us, but ground all United flights for 2 hours.

Landing at Heathrow I opt to take the train to Southend. I love trains. Traveling with everyone, getting there fast. Glimpses of change as I speed in, through, and out of London. Buildings give way to fields as I get deeper into Essex, then it's buildings again.

I spend a lot of my time here walking. 5 miles the first day. 7 miles the second. Walking, talking, looking.

Family

I think this is the longest continuous time I've spent with my sister since we were kids. It was nice. Special. A connection regained.

Sharon at her & Mary's allotment

Filling watering cans at the allotment, comparing our day-to-days while sipping beers. Hanging with Ally, sad Dominik isn't well. Getting to know Sam more, and chilling with Shawn when the family winds down at night.

There's no itinerary. No rush. It's comfortable. Relaxing.

Food

I assembled a list of food I wanted to have. Ignite that deep sense memory that doesn't come from home cooking or imports. Only three things remain unchecked. Maybe next time.

I was happy to hear the one of my favourite Indian take-aways was still going, Jonaki Tandoori. Over the week I got Chicken Dhansak, Meat Methi, Bombay potatoes, Onion Bhaji, and my essential Brinjal Bhaji. Still tasted great.

Sitting in Old Leigh, looking toward Two Tree Island

Made sure on our walk to Old Leigh I got cockles from Osborne's. nothing beats some locally caught shellfish, eaten outside along the Thames.

Local bakeries, Chippies, Cafes, and the last Pie & Mash shop all come through.

Drink

Also on my to-do list was sample some new British ales; Cask, keg, and draft.

A few swift halves were had at new places such as West Road Tap, Mile and a Third, and The Trading Rooms.

It was good to visit a couple of the old haunts too - Ye Olde Smack and The Last Post.

All beers I tried are logged in Untappd.

Ye Olde Smack in Old Leigh

On the non-alcoholic side I was disappointed not to find Dandelion & Burdock anywhere.

Though ample bottles of Lucozade, Irn-Bru, and Ginger Beer kept me refreshed.

Had a delicious flat white in Chalkwell Park, from North. Currently a pop-up hosted by Metal.

Reflection

And just like that a week has past and I'm back.

It was hard to remember what was here before. Even some landmarks have shifted, replaced with the new. But this trip was not about re-capturing a time & place that is long gone, but a chance to remember.

To experience the new, for better or worse. And to revel in the parts that remain.

He saw now that you can't go home again–not ever. There was no road back.

— Thomas Wolfe, You Can't Go Home Again

Bandcamp Friday, August edition

2025-08-18T05:00:01Z

August 1st was Bandcamp Friday, so I loaded up for the trip to the UK.

Apparently this month fans spent more than $3.5 million on Bandcamp. That money went directly to independent artists and labels. This is why I prefer using Bandcamp over other services.

Lost Tribe Sound

I've had tracks from the 2024 sampler (Well worth picking up. 104 tracks!), released by Lost Tribe Sound label, in pretty constant rotation. So I decided to splurge and buy 3 albums that my favourites came from.

Over a Long Time by Corrado Maria De Santis has you drift through dark washes of background ambience and drone. Found sounds and field recordings rise & fall with the instruments conveying, for me, an emotional journey of remembrance.

Over a Long Time by Corrado Maria De Santis

Mnemosyne by The Phonometrician is classical acoustic guitar over beds of glitchy ambience. Like half-remembered dreams. Delightful, but sometimes haunting.

Mnemosyne by The Phonometrician

The Sea Weaver by Wickerbird is an album I've been completely lost in. A guitar forward ambient-chamber-folk (if that's a thing) sound drifting out of the woods in Summer. Layers of drone and vocals, this has been on hard rotation for my trip home.

The Sea Weaver by Wickerbird

Music for Nitrous Oxide (30 Year Anniversary Remastered)

I started my appreciation of Stars of the Lid music with 'The Ballasted Orchestra' and completely missed their first album, Music for Nitrous Oxide.

To remedy that I grabbed this remaster, along with the Edits For Nitrous Oxide EP.

It's Stars of the Lid. 'nuff said.

Music for Nitrous Oxide (30 Year Anniversary Remastered) by Stars of the Lid

Hope

The latest album by Sync24, Hope, is a reaction to the recent tsunami of bad news and misinformation being pumped out by the internet.

Hope by Sync24

The Way of Time

Geir Jenssen (Biosphere) is back with vocal samples taken from a 50's radio play and those arctic synths, providing a mix of washes and driving beats in The Way of Time.

Another great entry in his catalog, in a similar vein to Patashnik.

The Way of Time by Biosphere

Trip Maps 3

A new compilation from The Future Sound of London, Trip Maps 3 brings together cuts from FSOL under all their other guises. A mix and mash-up of loads of styles from the 70's to the future.

TRIP MAPS 3 by THE FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON

Discographies

I can't remember who turned me onto Moss Covered Technology, but I'd been really enjoying two of Greig Baird's albums (Seafields, Slow walking) for a few years now.

With the opportunity to fill out his discography I jumped at the chance. 9 albums of experimental electronic ambience, created out of personal experiences such as moving, COVID lockdown, etc.

Singles/EPs

Play Me by Fcukers is a great single. Club music with dreamy vocals that remind me of Sneaker Pimps from the 90's.

Play Me by Fcukers

Truths, half truths & little white lies

2025-08-25T05:00:01Z

This is a, sometimes brutally, honest look back by Nick Frost on his childhood and early career.

Dealing with alcoholism in his family, the rollercoaster ride of growing up in the UK and time spent in a Kibbutz.

But there are quite a few laughs and lighter moments, even in adversity.

As with Simon Pegg's autobiography I came away with a odd sense of connection. Typical I've read biogs from people way older than I. But these were the same cultural touch points I experienced, which I found made both the pain & elation that more relatable.

Well worth a read.

Pace Layers

2025-08-25T05:00:01Z

'Pace layers' is an concept forwarded by Stewart Brand, and a core tenant of The Long Now Foundation. I was first introduced to it during a talk at an Information Architecture conference in the mid-2000's.

It illustrates how civilization’s layers — from the swiftly changing Fashion at the top to the enduring, stabilizing core of Nature at the bottom — work in concert to shape our world.

This is first journal from The Long Now Foundation, packed with articles, essays, talks, and ideas around subjects that this framework covers. How can we look & build for the future in front of us.

Each piece has a QR code where you can watch a recording, or read the full essay.

If we want to imagine the long-term future of humans on this planet, then we need to get away from the idea that the structures we have now are immutable constraints on those possibilities.

— Nils Gilman

It's a really interesting snapshot of the thinking and work that the organization has been involved with. Definately worth picking up if you can, or watching the talks on YouTube if this sort of thing interests you.

2025-09-01 retro

2025-09-01T05:00:01Z

David Sparks shipped The No List. An app to log all the things you said "no" to. A really interesting idea.

Diana wrote a good piece on Vibe coding Reddit in 7 days. What to plan for, and expect.

Another little piece of internet history disappears as Typepad shuts down.

Ethan Marcotte writes his thoughts about the "America by Design" initiative launched by Trump's government

Because, yes: this “America by Design” page is shoddily made, and poorly written. But the authoritarian impulse — to erase histories, to control a narrative, to single-mindedly focus on image and aesthetics — shapes not just the site’s text, but its design as well.

— Ethan Marcotte, A notional design studio.

Well worth your time to read.

Anthony Moser is an AI Hater. They have a point.

TIL there are shadow libraries" where scientists post pirated research. This is part of Le Monde's click to pirate series

A little curation

2025-09-02T05:00:01Z

As we've entered Shosho 処暑 (the time of Lessening heat) and the year starts to wind down, I thought it'd be good to do a little self-curation. Look at what I'm consuming, media wise, and where I'm putting my money for that.

Watch

Out is Apple TV+. I forgot to cancel the year's free trial. Apart from a few documentaries when I first got it, I never did end up watching anything.

Out is any YouTube channel where there's been no uploads for over 3 years. Anything related to games I no longer play—A lot of Destiny channels included there. Anything duplicated on services I pay for. This free's up a little space for some new voices to show up on my subscription page.

In recently are Jana loves HiFi and Login.JP.

In, still, are DropoutTV and Nebula. The only streaming services I use.

Listen

Out are a couple of Bandcamp subscriptions.

In, still, SomaFM and The Black Dog patreon. Also Kermode & Mayo's Take podcast.

Use

Out is SwipeWipe, a good app but something I didn't use that much.

In is Stretch 15 'coz I'm getting older and need my body to keep moving.

Read

I follow a lot of RSS feeds, but there are a few online resources I pay for.

Out is The Quietus which is great for music & culture.

In is Le Monde.

Now I only have a limited amount of funds to support these so I tend to move my patronage around after a year or so.

Bandcamp Friday, September edition

2025-09-06T05:00:01Z

Environments 3

One that's been sitting in my wishlist for some time now. Environments 3 by Future Sound of London originally came out in 2010 and was added to Bandcamp a couple of years ago. One more of the FSOL back catalog in my hands.

Environments 3 by The Future Sound Of London

Somnus

I heard the fifth track on the album via Soma.FM a little while ago and wanted to track this down. Somnus is an older album (2018) by Alpha Wave Movement, whom I already have a couple of really good albums from.

This is deep and lush ambient. Really good.

Somnus by Alpha Wave Movement

Comafields / Imaginary Festival

New music from Burial. No question I was going to pick this up.

Comafields / Imaginary Festival by Burial

Monochrome Tokyo Run

As a long standing fan of Woob I really like these reissues under 'woob mono'. Monochrome Tokyo Run is the latest with 24-Bit Masters and a whole slew of remixes and extra tracks.

Delving deeper into that dark cyberpunk world building.

Monochrome Tokyo Run by woob mono

Meet Sophie

2025-09-06T05:00:01Z

Yesterday we adopted Sophie.

Website tinkering

2025-09-07T05:00:01Z

Made a few small changes on the site. Should really do more, but this was it.

/now page

I finally got around to adding a /now page.

Been meaning to do this for a while. As Derek Sivers puts it on the nownownow.com about page Think of what you’d tell a friend you hadn’t seen in a year.

Styles

Removed the CSS styling for rel="external" links on the site. I was inconsistent in using it, and never really was that happy with it.

Layout

Play around with the bookmarks section on the home page. Decided against the overflow scrolling and just changed {% if loop.index0 < 3 %} to show five.

This is past me assuming future me will pick up adding more bookmarks here.

Also added urlGuest to my front matter, so URLs for anything I posted on other blogs can be added in the 'Meta' section of the footer. I've only done guest posts a couple of times, but those blogs are now gone, so I'm adding them here.

2025-09-07 retro

2025-09-08T00:00:01Z

Elle has a very cool homepage. Discovered via the Indieweb web ring.

Andy Clarke has designed some fantastic "FAR RIGHT. SO WRONG" t-shirts. Done in reaction to the UK's Reform Party, inspired by the Anti-Nazi League, I think they could be applicable over here too.

M.G. Siegler has a point in their article about Anthropic's book settlement.

By settling for $1.5B, is Anthropic sort of pulling up a drawbridge, making it so that other startups can't possibly come into their castle?

— M.G. Siegler, A Cynical Read on Anthropic's Book Settlement

In other news The Atlantic posits Florida Decided There Were Too Many Children. I know this is labelled as "humor" but with the real quote of who am I as a man standing here now, to tell you what you should put in your body? from the state’s surgeon general! You're the State. Fucking. Surgeon. General. FFS!

Unpaywalled link at https://archive.is/j2pZF.

Finally, I remember being bought multiple of all these Star Wars transfer sheets by Letracet as a kid.

So much fun. Via 70's Sci-Fi Art on Tumblr.

Katsudon with Rice

2025-09-12T05:00:01Z

Katsudon with Rice

Sugar Bowl

Ate this at Sugar Bowl on September 12, 2025, and noted Filling and tasty. Nice end-of-week lunch treat.

Clever girl

2025-09-14T05:00:01Z

Yesterday my Xbox time was interrupted by a knock on the front door. A neighbour was standing there saying our dogs were loose. Before I could say he must be mistaken, all three trotted behind him!

Thanking him I shepherded them in and closed the door.

Lo-and-behold the side gate was unlatched. With only me in the house this seemed very odd. I wondered if maybe a neighbour's kid had come to retrieve a ball and had didn't close it properly? But they always knock, and no-one had.

Fast forward a couple of hours and Julie came into the Living room—A different kindly sole informed her the dogs were loose...again!

After getting them back in we checked the outside cameras. Nothing. No one coming by the gate.

I used a couple of bungie cords to tie the gates shut, so if the latch did get opened the gates wouldn't.

Today I heard the familiar clink of the metal gate latch being opened & closed repeatedly.

There's our new dog, Sophie, flipping it up and down with her nose!

So begins the search for new latches for our two garden gates.

Your browser doesn't support HTML video. Here is a link to the video instead.

2025-09-14 retro

2025-09-14T05:00:01Z

I've felt "off" all week. Lack of sleep, headaches, focus drifting. Nothing feels great. Hope this passes soon.

John Rogers captures my memory of Soho to a tee.

…but the Soho I miss right now, where I’d like to be, is the Soho of slow Soho where you quietly dwell and watch the litter blow down the streets, that time between time.

— John Rogers, The Lost Byway

Great article about French & Jupps, the UK’s oldest existing producer of malted barley, from Pellicle. Apparently an industry secret for brewers the world over.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor pull music from a number of streaming services - The Quietus.

The Hermitary's post about Snufkin (a character from The Moomins) and the exhibition about him brought back lovely memories of these odd Finnish books.

There is a widely held theory that our British honey bee couldn’t exist without being domesticated by beekeepers. However, for bee conservationists like Matt Somerville, this theory is ludicrous.

The Hive Architect, found via Kottke.org

NOM - Spicy peanut garlic noodles

2025-09-15T05:00:01Z

I saw a recipe for Garlic Sesame Noodles which looked really tasty. But checking the cupboards I didn't have the noodles, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, sriracha, or the all important sesame paste (tahini).

So I decided to improvise and they came out really tasty. Not that visually appealing, but sticky, spicy, and pretty filling. Will be making again.

Spicy peanut noodles

Ingredients

1 pack instant ramen
¼ cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Maggi Hot & Sweet sauce
3 tablespoons noodle water

Directions

Boil water as per Ramen packet instructions. Do not add flavour packet
Mix peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger garlic paste, sesame oil, sugar, and the hot & sweet sauce in a bowl (preferably the one you'll be eating the noodles out of)
When the ramen has cooked, add 3 tbsp of the water into the sauce, then drain the rest
Mix the noodle water with the sauce then add the noodles and toss

Lustron house

2025-09-19T23:00:01Z

Our AirBnB while visiting Preble County. An original, 1950's prefabricated enameled steel, Lustron house. A very cool experience.

Pepperoni pizza

2025-09-20T02:00:01Z

Pepperoni pizza

Sarah's Pizza

Ate this from Sarah's Pizza on September 19, 2025, and noted A really tasty pepperoni pizza for dinner. Just the thing after a 4 hour drive. I guess all pizza around here is cut into small squares. "Dayton style"

Old fashioned donut

2025-09-20T05:00:01Z

Old fashioned donut

Daylight Donuts

Ate this from Daylight Donuts on September 20, 2025, and noted Really enjoyed the "old fashioned" sour cream donut. Great mid-morning with a strong black coffee

An all-you-eat breakfast

2025-09-20T12:00:01Z

An all-you-eat breakfast

Preble County Pork Festival

Ate this at Preble County Pork Festival on September 20, 2025, and noted OMG! this was delicious. Pancakes, smoked sausage (the highlight for me), and bacon. Set me up for the rest of the day.

Eaton Ghostsign

2025-09-21T05:00:01Z

Lemon bar doughnut

2025-09-21T05:00:01Z

Lemon bar doughnut

Parlor Doughnuts

Ate this from Parlor Doughnuts on September 21, 2025, and noted A real treat for breakfast. Very tasty and not too sweet.

A weekend with friends, and pork

2025-09-22T05:00:01Z

I haven't seen Chris face-to-face since the Master Boot Record gig back in January, I think. Cat probably longer.

So a bunch of us planned a trip down to the wilds of rural Ohio to visit.

Preble County

We planned the trip around the 54th annual Preble County Pork Festival. None of us had attended this before, and it sounded fun.

It's a four hour drive, so I caught up on some podcasts on trip there & back.

Past Columbus the urban sprawl gives way to corn. Lots and lots of corn.

Corn fields

AirBnB

Michael found an original Lustron house as an AirBnB in West Alexandria. Only a 10 minute drive from the county fairgrounds.

Filled with, what I think was, period appropriate decor, it was a real treat to stay there.

A 1950's living room

West Alex., like a lot of the smaller towns around, spreads out from a crossroads until fields take over.

Walking to pick up our pizza I was greeted by a lot of people sitting on their porches in the misty country dark.

Pork Festival

As it opened at 6.30am to serve breakfast, we stopped in. The fair grounds was already bustling.

Meeting up around Chris's we caught up with everyone over coffee and doughnuts.

We waited for the parade to pass and all headed to the grounds around 10.30. By then all the stalls were setup and we wandered through the crowds.

From L to R: Laura, Chris, Cat, Kris, and Michael

After lunch we checked out (and bought) the array of fresh pork—They were all out of smoked sausage.

Later that afternoon Michael got some very sad news and had to leave early.

In the evening Chris and Cat treated us to pizza from Cassano's. Very tasty. Cooked with salt mixed with the semolina flour that dusts the bottom of the crust. Again, 'Dayton style', with it's thin crust, cut into squares.

Kris & Laura then left as they could only stay the one night.

Homeward

Next morning Chris took me to one of his regular coffee spots, where I had a great cappuccino to go. On to pick up fancy donuts in Richmond.

All too quick, I was back on my way home.

It was so much fun spending quality time with everyone. Great weather and that real country air. Hoping it won't be that long until we get together again. Next time with some games.

Rosie and I

2025-09-23T05:00:01Z

Sausage gravy

2025-09-25T14:00:01Z

Sausage gravy

Honeyz Cafe

Ate this at Honeyz Cafe on September 25, 2025, and noted The biscuits finished on the griddle is a nice touch. Gravy was nice and thick.

First batch of bacon from the Preble Pork Festival

2025-09-25T18:00:01Z

Surgery

2025-09-25T22:00:01Z

Autumn haircut

2025-09-28T05:00:01Z

2025-09-28 retro

2025-09-28T05:00:01Z

Autumn is now upon us, so this Japanese short-film called 'Summer' is just the thing I needed to watch.

Really like the idea of Conventional Comments (via Chris). Think I'll start using these in Teams and JIRA comments. Reminds me of /slashtags when I used Twitter.

I love these ideas of continuing old communication methods in these digital days:

A private telephone network that functions like a landline. That's Telehamster.

A simple print-on-demand service called Newspaper Club. Found via a post on The Rot.

Chris Heilmann's post about it being Time to separate the art from the artist is well worth a read.

This week I found out about "workslop" from this article at The Register.

And then this quote from an article on AI Commission

The MIT report calls this the “GenAI Divide,” where many companies are pushing expensive AI tools on their workers (and even more workers are using AI without explicit permission), but that few are seeing any actual return from it

— Chris DeMunbrun, AI ‘Workslop’ Is Killing Productivity and Making Workers Miserable

Both articles referencing some of the same studies. Obviously there are uses for Ai, but it really does seem to be a race to the bottom for companies to make money before the bubble bursts and we're left picking up the pieces from all those empty promises.

Supporting Headphone Commute

2025-10-05T05:00:01Z

Over the years Headphone Commute has been one of my primary sources in finding new artists & music. From the reviews, mixes & podcast, to the heartfelt passion. All of which made their latest post land really heavy for me.

Does anyone read music reviews any longer? Does anyone care about human-curated recommendations? Or are we slipping into a sad state of being where models drive everything?

— Anonymous, Headphone Commute

I wanted to shout YES! at the screen. It is so important. Especially with the unchecked (but I'm sure known) introduction of AI-generated slop in a myriad different algorithms. Yes I'm looking at you Spotify, with your dead artists.

So I took the plunge and joined the Headphone Community on Patreon this weekend.

Every month is a featured artist. October's is 36 (pronounced "three six") which I'm looking forward to. I missed Loscil as last month's, but want to catch up with the interviews.

I'm hoping this support will help HC continue publishing honest, heartfelt reviews on the open web.

Downgrading my Xbox Game Pass

2025-10-05T19:00:01Z

Being profitable apparently isn't enough for Microsoft's Game Pass on Xbox. So they decided to raise the price for it.

And as Paul Tassi points out, it's a 50% price hike for the Ultimate level. I have this and even before the hike I was wondering if I even need it.

I don't play on a PC. I rarely play the day one releases, and most other Game Pass games are Indie ones that I end up buying.

So down to the $10 level I go.

The user response was so big it brought down the cancellation page for a lot of people.

2025-10-05 retro

2025-10-06T02:00:01Z

James sums up this week pretty well:

It’s the first of October but the weather is all wrong. Here in the Middle West, it’s been endless sunshine with temperatures twenty degrees above normal. Meanwhile, our government shut down last night because we’re ruled by bullies and cowards who’ve been brainwormed by the internet.

— James Reeves, Midnight Radio 31

His blog is a great read, and he posts monthly "midnight mix tapes" which are now available as a podcast.

Both Apple and Google have removed apps, on behest of the current government, that let the general public report on ICE Agents. John Gruber covers Apple removing ICEBlock and 404 Media cover the removal of Red Dot.

Same government that apparently just fired 15-20 FBI agents who knelt at a racial justice protest in 2020.

In "the future is already here" news, an automatic, private, open-source face redaction web app just launched. It's called DFACE.app, from Adam Harvey /via waxy.org.

And researchers have found adding mirrors to traffic cones confuse self-driving cars /via futurism.com.

Vimeo sold for $1.38B and goes the way of Evernote and WeTransfer. A real shame as I loved a lot of the content hosted there.

Friday evening...

2025-10-10T05:00:01Z

...is sitting in the early dark, letting dub techno wash over me, eyes closed.

Corned beef hash with eggs

2025-10-11T15:00:01Z

Corned beef hash with eggs

Market Street Family Restaurant

Ate this at Market Street Family Restaurant on October 11, 2025, and noted Really tasty hash, with 2 poached eggs and toast.

A day of doing

2025-10-11T21:00:01Z

A late start today. Laundry in, then breakfast in Mentor. Popped in to Meijer's and disaster! No plain chocolate digestives.

Couple of loaves from Great Harvest, then treats from Trader Joe's.

Took advantage of the nice weather and gave the back lawn one last mow. Finished up the laundry, enjoyed a late milky coffee while diving into an unexpected gift.

Cleared out some old food from the chest freezer and hung two sets of new curtains.

Now the laundry is put away it's time for a pint of Old Peculiar while I catch up on RSS feeds.

NOM - Chickpea stew

2025-10-12T20:00:01Z

I used Wil Yeung's video as a base for this.

It came out really tasty, and made a load. I had it for lunch, got 2 more portions in the fridge, and froze at least 5 more.

Chickpea stew

Ingredients

3 red onions
5 cloves garlic (I used 2 tsps garlic ginger paste)
3 medium potatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp chili powder
1 generous tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp cinnamon
few sprigs fresh thyme
2 cans 400ml chickpeas (drained)
1 800ml can San Marzano whole tomatoes
1.6L water (2 of the tomato cans)
2 tsp salt
1 bag spinach
¼ cup chopped pitted dates

Directions

Dice the onions, finely chop the garlic, and peel and cube the sweet potato
Heat up a stock pot on medium heat. Add the olive oil
Add in the onions and garlic. Then, add in the cumin seeds, chili powder, paprika, and cinnamon
Give the pot a good stir and add the thyme
Add in the potato and chickpeas. Stir well
Add in the tomatoes and crush to release it's juices
Pour in two tomato cans worth of water
Add the salt and stir well. Turn up the heat to bring to a boil, then simmer on medium for 15min
Wash spinach
Add the spinach into the stew along with the dates
Transfer 3 cups of stew into a blender and blend on medium high
Pour the blend back into the stew and give it a good stir

2025-10-12 retro

2025-10-13T02:00:01Z

Google is the wonder killer. Great video clip I found via Swiss Miss. Not a new take, but I couldn't agree more.

Once again Jeremy Keith published something I want to implement. A simple approach to handle images as a carousel on smaller screens.

Dominion, a supplier of voting machines, has been purchased by a former Republican director for the St. Louis City Board of Elections. This isn't a good look seeing as Dominion was at the center of a voting conspiracy in the 2020 election, and was completely debunked.

Microsoft is adding Copilot adoption benchmarks to Viva Insights. Ugh!

Bernie Sanders has an UBI variation. Companies paying a tax to workers being forced to use AI.

Gongen - A massive bell inside a Danish library rings to announce the birth of a baby in the city.

Check up

2025-10-15T05:00:01Z

Yearly check-in with the Doc.

Blood pressure is back down in the "normal range" for a gentleman of my years, which is good news.

Also took advantage of the Flu jab and Tetanus shot too while I was there.

Arc Raiders

2025-10-19T05:00:01Z

ARC Raiders character screen

This week was the ARC Raiders server slam. A chance to play the game for free.

Even though I'm not a fan of extraction shooters I thought I'd give it a go. Maybe my tastes have changed. Maybe they have a unique take on the genre, especially as this started life as a PvE looter shooter.

The opening, laying out the history of the world was interesting and I really liked the aesthetics. Making my way through the intro mission was good too. The controls were easy to pick up.

Seeing as everything is lost after this weekend (even if you ended up purchasing) I didn't spend a lot of time in the character customization or vendors. Pulling in my friend, we jumped into a session.

Playing the game

There was only one area available during the weekend, Dam Battlegrounds, which looked really good. The sound design and music added to us being on edge. Listening for ARC (the robot baddies) and other players while we looted. It also seemd really large, with a buildings and verticality. High towers and multi-level sunken basements.

We didn't run into any other players, though we could hear them, dispatched quite a few ARC enemies (facehuggers, argh!) and extracted with full backpacks. Nice.

Our second run didn't go so well. Again we were exploring and ran into another team, who beat us after a quick firefight.

And that's what confirmed that I still don't like extraction shooters. The feeling I got seeing my whole build, albeit basic free gear, was gone along with everything we scavenged, did not make me want to "get back out there"—The exact opposite.

We both quit and played something else.

I think Embark Studios has a really good game on their hands, and hope it does well with a lot of players. But I won't be one of them.

2025-10-19 retro

2025-10-19T05:00:01Z

This. This is great. Boards of Canada "Olson" on a 1959 PDP-1 Computer /via Brad Frost.

This weekend saw huge turnout for the No Kings protests across the USA. Cleveland's one happened downtown.

And with the current spate of ICE detaining over 170 US Citizens and the government shutdown hitting week three, it's no wonder.

This week I learned of the word "nemophilist". Definition is One who is fond of forest or forest scenery; a haunter of the woods.

Seems appropriate now Autumn (Fall) has finally come to Ohio.

Other executives recalled touring “dark factories” that don’t even need to keep the lights on, as most work is being done around the clock by robots.

— Unkown executive, Futurism article

From the article Western Executives Shaken After Visiting China.

Also at Futurism, Man Launches “World’s First Waymo DDoS” by Ordering 50 Robotaxis to Dead End Street.

Now we have space armor! Designed to protect astronauts & spacecraft from orbital debris.

Once again people just believing AI could've ended in tragedy after being cutoff by a high tide.

It doesn’t know the difference between travel advice, directions or recipes...It just knows words. So, it keeps spitting out words that make whatever it’s telling you sound realistic, and that’s where a lot of the underlying issues come from.

— Rayid Ghani (Carnegie Mellon University distinguished professor in machine learning), Wales Online article

Chill session

2025-10-25T22:00:01Z

Autumn arrived

2025-10-30T20:00:01Z

Hellblazer

2025-10-31T02:00:01Z

Some tunes for a certain bloke, at a certain time of year.

Listen to my Hellblazer mix:

Download audio

Spiderman!

2025-10-31T23:00:01Z

Halloween

2025-11-01T00:00:01Z

Shift into Winter

2025-11-02T05:00:01Z

Clocks changed.

It's that time to swap out the wardrobe. Away goes the short-sleeved and linen shirts. Out come the heavier weights. Summer jackets now stored, Winter coats take their place.

For the first time in years, new El-Pine wool socks from WigWam have arrived. My darning skills have not improved and it was time to let my old ones go.

As the rain stopped for the weekend I took the chance to start on the winterization.

Drained the hose before any water could freeze and split it
Hose, cushions, umbrella, all stowed away
Turned off the outside taps
Swapped out the lawnmower for the snowblower
Stocked up on snow melt
Replaced a broken snow shovel

Last winter wasn't that bad, so I have a feeling we're due for a doozy.

Next weekend is 立冬 Ritto.

立冬・Ritto・Start of Winter

When the winter season starts. Land begins to freeze, rivers and streams shortly to follow.

— smallseasons.guide

It seems to come around faster each time.

2025-11-02 retro

2025-11-02T05:00:01Z

Aldi UK teamed up with Agro Studio to create a Jacket Potato Jacket. C'mon!

Pete Brown has 2 short posts that capture my feelings better than I could write. First how companies will do anything to avoid treating employees as humans, and second why to just give the kids some candy.

John Gruber posted about the WSJ article, and video, covering the new 'humanoid' robot housekeeper from 1X.

The next few years isn't about owning a super useful robot, it's about raising one.

— Joanna Stern, Wall Street Journal article

Really enjoyed this article about Macintosh Ales from Pellicle (I support them via Patreon).

Think I'd be there every day if I could.

Seeing so many talented people struggle to find a job, because most companies still don’t get the value of design, UX, research (or honestly don’t care) makes me angry. And then, there’s the entire “let’s run design sprints with AI generated fake user research results”, pushed by UX consulting companies, which is just another level of “we don’t care about users we just want quick money, in and out”.

— Stephanie Walter, pixels-of-the-week-october-26-2025

Same Stephanie. Same.

Beatz

2025-11-08T02:00:01Z

...an A-1, tip top clubbing jam fair. It was a sandwich of fun on ecstasy bread, wrapped up in a big bag like disco fudge. It doesn't get much better than that...

Listen to my Beatz mix:

Download audio

System Hopping

2025-11-14T02:00:01Z

Music to jump, cruise, and drift the stars by.

Listen to my System Hopping mix:

Download audio

A really rough fortnight

2025-11-16T16:00:01Z

The last two weeks have been really rough.

The events, all consuming.

Mentally, physically, and emotionally. I am spent.

Things will never be the same after this fortnight. A point of inflection, if you will.

Maybe I will write more later. Maybe.

Vocal

2025-11-21T02:00:01Z

Voices. Lots of voices.

Listen to my Vocal mix:

Download audio

sick

2025-11-23T21:00:01Z

I had a fitful night last night. Between letting the dogs out and coughing fits, sleep was hard to find.

So today was spent doing nothing. Nothing apart from coughing, reading RSS feeds, sneezing, napping, sipping on warm Vimto, and listening to music.

I let Roon choose my Sunday soundtrack using it's Roon Radio feature.

As I don't use Tidal or Qobuz it just pulls from my library.

screenshot of the Roon Radio session

Starting it off with Fir Wave by Hannah Peel, Roon then served up tracks all day, from Eiko Ishibashi, Site Nonsite, Japanese Breakfast, Chet Faker, and Matt Berry to name a few. Apparently I also have a Miley Cyrus album in my collection—Who knew?

The only real thing I managed was cutting my hair & beard. Winter settling in has had me putting this off, but seeing Warren's the sea cries out for mystic revenge look in today's newsletter scared me that I was rapidly entering this territory.

Dancing on an overcast shoreline

2025-11-28T02:00:01Z

Walkman on, dancing along an empty beach.

Listen to my Overcast Shoreline mix:

Download audio

View from Tremont

2025-11-29T00:00:01Z

I Dream the Cosmos Atavistic

2025-12-02T05:00:01Z

Based on Warren's quick review I pulled the trigger on this. CD arrived pretty quickly, and it's very good.

Sharing digital mixtapes

2025-12-03T22:00:01Z

2025-12-07 update: As my Mixlr free trial ended, I started to stream on radio.l0wl1f3 as well. Those will be tagged accordingly.

As Chris mentioned I have been streaming music mixes over at Mixlr.

It's been a lot of fun, curating a playlist around a title or theme of my choosing. Then getting to listen to Coinops and others stream theirs throughout the week.

That thrill of discovery of new-to-me music, as well as chatting about a shared favourite, has been great.

I've decided to host the .MP3 recordings here on the site. I'll update this page with each one added going forward, or you can always use the 🏷️ mixlr or 🏷️ l0wl1f3 tag to find them.

Recordings

Neon Gutters

2025-12-05T02:00:01Z

Raining again. Grab some noodles, hit a brain dance, end on cracking some Corpo ice?

Due to a "technical issue" this stream was broken in two parts.

Listen to my Neon Gutters mix, part one:

Download audio

Listen to my Neon Gutters mix, part two:

Download audio

Bandcamp Friday. The last of 2025

2025-12-06T00:00:01Z

To be honest I've been pretty spoiled with new music thanks to supporting Headphone Commute and The Black Dog over at Patreon.

Stasis Sounds For Long-Distance Space Travel II

The second collaboration in this series (I already have the first) between 36 & zakè. Both of whom were the featured artists on Headphone Commute's Patreon.

Beautiful soundtrack for drifting among the stars while in hypersleep.

Stasis Sounds For Long-Distance Space Travel II by 36 & zakè

Stasis Sounds For Long-Distance Space Travel III

I couldn't not pick up the third in the series too, could I.

Stasis Sounds For Long-Distance Space Travel III by 36 & zakè

All Systems Are Lying

The new album from Soulwax. Only had one play through so far, but I enjoyed it a lot. More slanted to their rock over dance offerings.

All Systems Are Lying by Soulwax

38 - free ambient electronic sampler

Even though these are free, I always pay a few dollars for them. They have been a great source of finding new albums on this label to enjoy.

38 - free ambient electronic sampler by Spotted Peccary Artists

A great moonrise tonight

2025-12-06T01:00:01Z

Driving back from Sandusky tonight I witnessed a truly great moonrise.

Starting as a huge red ball slowly rising above the flat fields, it ended as a bright golden light shining over the Cleveland skyline.

The sky was clear enough that, at all stages, I could make out the distinct markings of seas & craters.

Every once and awhile the natural world just catches me by surprise, delivering something no VFX or AI can ever come close to.

No photo though. As I said, I was driving.

Light from a dying sun mix

2025-12-08T02:00:01Z

My first set on radio.l0wl1f3 is a mix of dark ambient, drone, etc. Hopefully an ongoing series I called "Light from a dying sun".

Listen to "Light from a dying sun S01E01":

Download audio

Dubz

2025-12-12T02:00:01Z

Thursday's set on radio.l0wl1f3 is a mix Dub and Dub Techno.

Listen to "Dubz":

Download audio

The Solar Grid now complete

2025-12-12T05:00:01Z

After 10 years Ganzeer has completed his work, The Solar Grid.

Back in Aug.'24 I wrote how I was waiting for the final part to drop. Now it has! And it's only here until January 1st, in digital form. Print versions will be available—See his latest newsletter for an explanation.

I really enjoyed issues 1-8 so, since it's been over a year since reading the previous issues, I think this weekend I'll read all 9 together.

Congrats to him for finishing this. Writing, drawing, and lettering this solo was a herculean task, not counting all the "life stuff" that must've happened in that decade.

Light from a dying sun S01E02

2025-12-15T02:00:01Z

Light from a dying sun on radio.l0wl1f3 is a mix of dark ambient, drone, etc.

Listen to "Light from a dying sun S01E02":

Download audio

Thursday mix

2025-12-19T02:00:01Z

Thursday's set on radio.l0wl1f3.

Listen to Thursday's mix:

Download audio

Christmas in hospital

2025-12-25T05:00:01Z

On December 22nd we rushed James to the local ER. He was diagnosed being in Diabetic ketoacidosis. Transferred to Rainbow Babies Hospital's Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at 2am, this is where I stayed until 1pm.

3 days later and he's doing a lot better.

Out of the PICU and on a regular ward. Gone are the IV lines and heart monitors. He's now eating solids, letting us know he's ready to leave.

Waiting for confirmation, but the diagnosis is Type 1 diabetes.

Jamie recovered

2025-12-26T05:00:01Z

Light from a dying sun S01E03

2025-12-29T02:00:01Z

Light from a dying sun on radio.l0wl1f3 is a mix of dark ambient, drone, etc.

Listen to "Light from a dying sun S01E03":

Download audio

Here comes another

2025-12-31T05:00:01Z

This is the last day of 2025.

For the most part it wasn't too bad, as years go. But it has to be said the last quarter has, in the words of the great prophet, been a bit crap really.

Having to navigate and deal with; break-ups, custody of a grandchild, an attempted suicide, multiple ER visits, police at the house, family estrangement, and a life-changing medical diagnosis.

One of those is a lot, but all in the span of a few months has taken a toll.

Not to mention there's the whole rise of the right, adoption of fascism, autocracy, and TechBros speedrunning a dystopian AI financial bubble.

But with the support & help from some really good friends, family, and some extracurricular activities (games, music, books) here I am.

As my Dad used to say...It's all part of growing up and being British.

Easing in

2026-01-01T13:00:01Z

Easing into 2026.

Fresh ground coffee, hot baked cinnamon rolls, and Peruvian Psychedelic Cumbia, Salsa, Boogaloo and beyond with Infopesa on the speakers (and TV).

When it finishes I'm off to clear the drive from all the overnight snow.

Watching YouTube has wrong language when using AirPlay

2026-01-02T05:00:01Z

So here's a thing that's been mildly irritating me the past few months.

The problem

If I'm watching a video on the YouTube website and send it, via AirPlay, to AppleTV from my laptop I get the wrong audio. I get the video just fine, but the audio is some random language.

Go back to watching it on my laptop, the original English audio returns.

At first comical, then annoying. I've tried looking for any setting on YouTube and my Apple products that could fix this, but nothing.

A quick search led me to this thread on the official Apple discussion board.

In it user BravoMike09 lays out the same problem, with the added nugget of using ad blocker extensions. I too use one of these in Safari.

The (current) solution

One user, by the name RRaptor posted a solution that works for me.

If you go into video quality setting and reduce the quality to 360p then it will be in the correct language.

— RRaptor, Apple Discussions

Not disabling my ad blocker, but changing the quality down to 360 restores the English audio. WTF?

I tried with multiple videos, from channels I follow and random ones I don't. Every time downgrading video quality returned the audio to it's original language.

The cause

The original poster and others posit that this is YouTube's doing. In an attempt to "punish" users for having ad blockers or VPNs on (most of which are now built into browsers) while watching content.

If true, fuck them. Seriously.

Light from a dying sun S01E04

2026-01-05T02:00:01Z

Light from a dying sun on radio.l0wl1f3 is a mix of dark ambient, drone, etc.

Listen to "Light from a dying sun S01E04":

Download audio

57th Birthday

2026-02-04T23:00:01Z

Still here. Taking it one-day-at-a-time as the shitshow that was 2025 seems to be still bleeding into 2026.

Onwards and upwards!

Light from a dying sun S01E05

2026-02-08T21:00:01Z

Light from a dying sun on radio.l0wl1f3 is a mix of dark ambient, drone, etc.

Listen to "Light from a dying sun S01E05":

Download audio

A shared secret

2026-02-16T05:00:01Z

I read and re-read a blog post today that made me pause & reflect, a few times actually.

First off it was only available through an RSS feed. Nothing posted publicly or permalinked on their website.

Secondly it concerned visiting a place I had no idea even existed.

Thirdly the experience came across as deeply personal, possibly transformative.

The post, the place, and the experience, all secret. Yet shared.

It made my day.

Thank you.

Light from a dying sun S01E06

2026-02-22T21:00:01Z

Light from a dying sun on radio.l0wl1f3 is a mix of dark ambient, drone, etc.

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Bungie's Marathon is okay, I guess

2026-02-27T05:00:01Z

Gameplay screenshot

This weekend is the "server slam" for Bungie's new game, Marathon. Meaning everyone gets to hop and play for free, while Bungie get's to stress test it's infrastructure.

I've been following Marathon's development for a while. Through the changes in leadership, plagiarism scandal, and less than stellar play tests.

After a couple of days playing it's kinda, meh. I'm not mad at it, or mad for it.

The TLDR is I won't be laying out the $40 for it, and I still don't like extraction shooters. See my Arc Raiders post.

If anyone reads this and wants to know why, here's my pro's & cons.

Pro's

The story & lore is very interesting. Based upon Bungie's (I think) first video game. A sci-fi story of colony ships, alien races, and a race of corporate dominance.

The environment looks really good. Shifting weather patters, and a design aesthetic they call "graphic realism". The buildings are weather-beaten yet glossy.

I love the music. It's really good and helps with the other-wordly atmosphere.

It feels very quick to get into another run, even if you lost all your gear in the last. If you do extract, the game will auto sell items you don't need and auto vault others you don't have to take with you.

Con's

The story & lore - Yes I had this as a pro, but the problem for me was there was no immediate hook. Why am I there? No clue. What's the history of these objects I'm collecting, or factions I'm taking contracts for? Read a wall of text. If you're lucky there's a v/o reading it for you.

Lore drop wall-of-text

Nothing. Absolutely nothing is pulling me along to want to find out more.

The UI and controls are not great. At least for me on a console. They scream "designed for a PC user with a ton of keyboard shortcuts"!

Loot. There's tons of it. I maxed out my vault in a few hours. I have zero idea what's good or not. This is even with me losing loadouts during runs.

Proxy chat. During development there was no proxy chat and Bungie kinda said they didn't want it. But the feedback was so strong for it during testing, it's in. I have no idea why. Only one run of the 20-30 I've done did I have team mates with mic's who used them. That was a fun run. Apart from that dead silence. And I never heard any chat from the other teams killing us.

Who is this for?

I think it was Paul Tassi who said something along the lines it's to hard for casuals, and not tough enough for the hardcore. And I tend to agree. Possibly there's a very interesting PvE game there, but who knows.

I wish it luck.

Light from a dying sun S01E07

2026-03-01T21:00:01Z

Light from a dying sun on radio.l0wl1f3 is a mix of dark ambient, drone, etc.

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Light from a dying sun S01E08

2026-03-08T21:00:01Z

Light from a dying sun on radio.l0wl1f3 is a mix of dark ambient, drone, etc.

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