spamnet

Caves in Nottingham

2012-09-13T10:07:00.001+00:00

http://bldgblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/caves-of-nottingham_11.html

Swimming manual pdf

2012-09-03T13:27:00.000+00:00

With aerobic fitness table on p195 - Whilst I might not wear lycra for cycling, swimming is an entirely different matter.

Breaking the sound barrier

2012-08-23T08:22:00.002+00:00

Win from Fail.org.

Using Dropbox to print using vbs script

2012-05-09T07:27:00.001+00:00

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-20023976-233/make-airprint-work-with-non-airprint-compatible-printers/

Hannah Sui-Lin Cory born 10th Feb 2012

2012-02-13T11:12:00.003+00:00

Seaside review - Botany Bay, Thanet, Kent - CT10 3LG

2011-09-04T10:43:00.003+00:00

When I was growing up my Dad used to drive us to Botany Bay in his white Renault 4. It wasn't the nearest sandy beach (that would be Broadstairs) but it was our preferred one. It also had the advantages of only one sea hut shop, relatively easy parking and a mixture of sand (coarse enough for sandcastles, nice under foot), rock pools (at low tide), cliffs (not threateningly high) and some adventures in neighboring bays (caves further round for adventurous teenagers).

We went again last year for the first time since I was 15 and had a lovely time, so much so it is on the list of beaches for warm days.

Getting there
Google Map

Parking
Botany Bay is in a residential area, a mix of 30's houses and more recent. Parking is down Botany Rd, Percy Ave and Kinsgate Ave, we normally go down Percy Ave, if there are no spaces just keep going, turn right at the end past the pub and come back up Kingsgate. Parking is free.

Access
There are two entrances, one is a set of quite steep steps down past the loos on the right side of the bay accessible from the end of Percy Ave, the second is a ramp that you get to from Botany Rd. Neither is easy with a buggy.

Shop?
The shop at the bottom of the stairs sells buckets, spades, nets, boogie boards, burgers, chips and lollies.

Safety & Water Cleanliness
There is a lifeguard in the Summer, but the gradient is quite gentle and kayaking looks good (waiting for Noah to grow a bit before we try that). The sand and water are clean, although there is a lot of seaweed when the tide goes up again and visibility isn't the best.

Is it Packed?
It's a local beach, so it gets busy after lunch, before that only those with the organisational skills to pack their own lunch and holiday makers seemed to be there. It does get busy on Bank holidays like all half-decent beaches in the UK.

It's worth checking the tides if you want to go and hunt for crabs and other things in the rock pools (the ones on the right have more things in them). When we went yesterday there was a chinese family harvesting the mussels and cockles from them in little plastic baskets.

If you have any other top tips about Botany Bay or suggestions as to why any of the neighbouring bays are even better please leave a comment.

UPDATE: 100912 - We went yesterday and the tide was very low for the entire time we were there (5 hours), which was great for rock pool adventures and walking around the cliffs to Joss Bay, but meant that swimming was very tricky as the rocks underfoot were very sharp - I was one of the many swimmers wincing and tripping my way into deeper water to swim. I would recommend wearing Crocs if the tide is low both for rock pools and swimming.

melting spoon

2011-03-08T13:25:00.001+00:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIbYiO5BRYk&feature=player_embedded

gallium spoon melting

good memory for faces?

2011-03-08T11:28:00.001+00:00

http://www.faceblind.org/facetests/index.php

stenography with truecrypt

2011-03-02T12:43:00.001+00:00

http://lifehacker.com/#!5771142/embed-a-truecrypt-volume-in-a-playable-video-file

expensive LEGO sugar skull results in interesting link

2011-02-20T22:27:00.000+00:00

http://www.blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-create-a-detailed-vector-sugar-skull-illustration

visualise your linked in network

2011-01-28T08:26:00.000+00:00

mine is a world of three halves.

InMaps

Sometimes i want a US proxy

2011-01-24T11:35:00.002+00:00

Just to watch the daily show

MNEMONICS - INDEX/INTRODUCTION

2009-12-03T10:00:00.001+00:00

MNEMONICS

iPhone Apps For Guitar Players

2009-10-28T11:03:00.000+00:00

iPhone Apps For Guitar Players | Fretbase: Guitars, Tabs, Chords and More, sad I know

iPlayer downloads for the masses

2009-10-18T19:51:00.000+00:00

po-ru.com: iPlayer downloads for the masses

laptop hotspot

2009-10-16T14:05:00.000+00:00

hotspot

Map of the Day - National Geographic Magazine

2009-10-15T08:54:00.000+00:00

Map of the Day - National Geographic Magazine

noah as hobbs

2009-10-05T08:58:00.001+00:00

noah_hobbs
Originally uploaded by h_cos.

Some tigers aren't really very scary.

Bluestone holiday

2009-10-02T19:59:00.008+00:00

*****2011 UPDATE*****
There is now internet in the cabins - take your own ethernet cable to prevent having to buy one at the shop.

The badminton hall where we saw Barny last time is now a vast indoor adventure playground with soft play, wooden tunnels, bouncy castle and a aerial walkway for the older kids.

The slides at the swimming pool have a 1.1m height limit that is strictly adhered to when the pool is busy, get there early to avoid the walk of shame back down the steps with a small child.

The Pirate party was a lot of fun, you don't need to take your own fancy dress, but you can if you want.

Cheap fuel closest to the main road= Tesco at Carmarthen.

Bluestone, Pembrokeshire is, according to Tree, a bit like

Centre Parcs but with less trees and smaller. For me I went expecting it to be like a cross between the Prisoner and the Village(with its set up of nicely done out cottages and log cabins) but found it was actually really nice. So here are our top tips:
You park the car at the top and the gates go up at 15.30 for you to drive to your cabin/cottage and unload your gear.
As soon as you arrive, go to the sports centre and ask for your passes to the blue lagoon swimming pool, otherwise you are advised to wait until the next day.
The 4 slides require children to be 1.1m, they are very fast and two are pitch black, so not for the easily scared.
The pool is no good for swimming lengths, it's for playing in the waves (every 15 minutes) and splashing about in.
The lazy river is good for small kids with armbands.
The musical monkeys session was really aimed at age 2 and under, Noah wasn't impressed.
Barney the dinosaur was a bit loud, take ear plugs. Take them anyway, even if he isn't loud when you go.
The hills and lack of cars mean it was excellent for Noah's scooter.
The gym looked very plush, but we never got to try it out.
If you are going to the spa for a treatment, go early in your stay before child has got bored with exploring. Also if you get too stressed you can always squeeze another one in during your stay.
Go early to spa to allow for treatment, plus sauna plus food - they won't let you into the saunas or steam room whilst you're still wearing your treatment for obvious reasons!
The onsite restaurants are good (although the sports bar was pants), but I wish we'd ate in more, you can have too much of a good thing and I felt a bit Dalmeny'd out by the end of the stay.
On your last day the barriers go up early (maybe 8.30) for you to drive down and load up your car - checkout was by 10.

and not entirely unrelated: Tenby parking is free after Oct 1st until the start of the next season, good beach, good caves, we'll take the boat out next time.

A Stick Figure Guide to the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

2009-09-23T14:11:00.000+00:00

Moserware: A Stick Figure Guide to the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

Why Rechargeable Batteries Are Rarely Cost Effective

2009-09-22T07:47:00.000+00:00

Why Rechargeable Batteries Are Rarely Cost Effective

first full day at school

2009-09-18T09:16:00.001+00:00

first full day at school
Originally uploaded by h_cos.

What the Internet knows about you

2009-09-03T08:40:00.000+00:00

What the Internet knows about you by the magic of browser cookies

Huddersfield Leisure Center Swim

2009-08-26T20:13:00.000+00:00

Kirklees Active Leisure - Nice full size pool, changing rooms e/m locks (£1 deposit on the door, put the strap back the right way around in the machine for your £1 back!)
Changing rooms and pool marginally cleaner than Hayes, but only just. Pool warm enough.

Recycle now - Buy a bin

2009-08-19T08:11:00.000+00:00

Recycle now - Buy a bin, subsidized recycling