Tuesday, March 31, 2009
So, what sort of car do you drive?
Monday, March 30, 2009
A good use for suitcase cradles
After a hard day working at the customer's site, it's time for a long bath watching the DVD collection you bought with you and sipping cold beers. This is when you scour the hotel room for something that is just the right height to support the laptop for optimal viewing...
As I never travel with a rigid suitcase, these cradles just clutter up the room. It's nice to find out hat they do have an alternative use.
As I never travel with a rigid suitcase, these cradles just clutter up the room. It's nice to find out hat they do have an alternative use.
Labels: Italy
Definitely a bull...
Turin, or Torino in Italian, has a bull, or toro, as the city's coat of arms and my hotel had a statue of one in pride of place by the entrance.
As you can see, it really is a bull.
Even the city's coat of arms has coglioni on display.
As you can see, it really is a bull.
Even the city's coat of arms has coglioni on display.
Labels: Italy
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The need for clear documentation
I wasted a lot of time on the room safe before I managed to work out it was physically broken. This wasn't helped at all by the instructions. I have highlighted in red the most useful word - "button":
And which of the many available is the "button" to press, pray tell?
That's right, it's the one on the inside of the safe in the back of the door...
Having navigated the control panel and entered a new PIN, the mechanism just went whirr, whirr, clunk. My D&D group would find this intensely amusing in a vindictive sort of way.
And which of the many available is the "button" to press, pray tell?
That's right, it's the one on the inside of the safe in the back of the door...
Having navigated the control panel and entered a new PIN, the mechanism just went whirr, whirr, clunk. My D&D group would find this intensely amusing in a vindictive sort of way.
Labels: Italy
Gatwick Airport
It's been a little while since I've flown and you quickly forget that there is still tight security on people leaving the UK (although not necessarily coming in). So I had to wait for the sniffer machine to decide if the sample swab from my bag of electronic equipment would show anything. And once all clear, I found they had a separate scanner for shoes! What will they think of next?
Bit of a work-related hobby - spotting applications where developers are too stupid or laxy to trap exceptions.
I know I was off to Turin and not Rome but it's a fountain so I may as well chuck in some small denomination coin for luck (which is something you make, not wish for, anyway).
When I finally reached the gate, my boarding pass went "beep" when scanned which it doesn't normally do. I said "that sounds good" (meaning it didn't) and the lady on the desk said that it was indeed good although I was still non the wiser as she scribbled a new seat number over over the old one. It wasn't until I boarded the plane that I realised I had been bumped up to Business Class for some reason. I expect they had overbooked seats and I was the easiest person to upgrade. Marvellous - no cattle class for me!
What I find funny about business class is that they arm you with metal cutlery. Once terrorists realise they just need to spend a little bit more money to be issued with knives, we're all going to be in trouble.
Bit of a work-related hobby - spotting applications where developers are too stupid or laxy to trap exceptions.
I know I was off to Turin and not Rome but it's a fountain so I may as well chuck in some small denomination coin for luck (which is something you make, not wish for, anyway).
When I finally reached the gate, my boarding pass went "beep" when scanned which it doesn't normally do. I said "that sounds good" (meaning it didn't) and the lady on the desk said that it was indeed good although I was still non the wiser as she scribbled a new seat number over over the old one. It wasn't until I boarded the plane that I realised I had been bumped up to Business Class for some reason. I expect they had overbooked seats and I was the easiest person to upgrade. Marvellous - no cattle class for me!
What I find funny about business class is that they arm you with metal cutlery. Once terrorists realise they just need to spend a little bit more money to be issued with knives, we're all going to be in trouble.
Labels: Flying
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Planning for Turin - raincoats are now on the packing list
Marvellous...
| Sunday night weather | Monday day weather | Tuesday day weather |
 |  |  |
| Heavy Rain Shower Min: 7°C 45°F Sunset: 19:53 (CEST) | Light Rain Max: 10°C 50°F Sunrise: 07:12 (CEST) | Heavy Rain Shower Max: 11°C 52°F Sunrise: 07:10 (CEST) |
Labels: Italy
Saturday, March 14, 2009
There were these tree fellers...
Sadly the demi-tree outside our house has stopped being a carbon sink and now lies as logs in the back garden.
As you can see from the following pictures, the tree has slowly been moving towards the horizontal from the vertical for a while. The worry was that we would come home one day to find roots and earth where our front door used to be so the tree had to go.
The sharp-eyed may notice that the tree seems to have received some surgery in the past. Years ago when we moved in, there was a large branch with a lot of growth on it which blocked the view of the doorway from passers-by, as well as cutting out light. It was felt that a gloomy, concealed doorway was not ideal and the saw came out. The whole tree would have gone if I hadn't stepped in when it obvious only the big branch was causing the problem. So, if we had left the branch still attached, the much heavier tree would have moved sideways much earlier and be gone long before now.
As you can see from the following pictures, the tree has slowly been moving towards the horizontal from the vertical for a while. The worry was that we would come home one day to find roots and earth where our front door used to be so the tree had to go.
The sharp-eyed may notice that the tree seems to have received some surgery in the past. Years ago when we moved in, there was a large branch with a lot of growth on it which blocked the view of the doorway from passers-by, as well as cutting out light. It was felt that a gloomy, concealed doorway was not ideal and the saw came out. The whole tree would have gone if I hadn't stepped in when it obvious only the big branch was causing the problem. So, if we had left the branch still attached, the much heavier tree would have moved sideways much earlier and be gone long before now.
Labels: Nature
Monday, March 09, 2009
All Day Breakfast Pizza
| First buy some ready-made pizza bases. If you have the time and skill then, obviously, make your own instead.  | Next find a tube of Tomato paste ... |
... with some small sausages that you cooked the other day and left in the fridge  | Now keep looking for cheese ... |
... ham...  | ... HP Sauce... |
... and mushrooms.  | It is starting to take shape now |
Now grab a couple of eggs. | Make sure you create some dips in the cheese as otherwise the egg will pour down the sides, unless you have fresh eggs which are less runny and watery than ones you've had in the box for a while. |
And then chuck in the oven at some high temperature for a reasonable length of time  | |
Before you know it, your tea is ready.  | |
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