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Sunday, April 29, 2018

tardy

just a few weeks ago there was a review of a book that discussed the concept of time. essentially it was saying that time was a made up thing and that it is not the same in different parts of the world, galaxy, universe, cosmos whatever.
well at least that is what i thought the reviewer was saying was the author's  argument.

now i can't say anything about the mathematical and scientific proofs that may have been used by the author to prove this argument because i have enough trouble doing percentages and this sort of thing is several levels above percentages.
however i would argue that we all know that time is relative.

how can that be you cry. easy i say. we have all had those days at work where no matter how many times we look at the clock - it has barely moved since the last time we looked. yet when it comes to finishing that last job before you go home then the hands of the clock whizz at blinding speed and you quickly discover you are working unpaid overtime. a job that should have only taken five 'regular' minutes has become an accelerated hour or two.

why am i mentioning such big brain concepts? two reasons really. last time i looked at the clock i had plenty of time todo my stuff and get to where i am going in plenty of time. except when i look now i am later than late. where did the time go? who knows? (well i guess doctor who does know- but i am not invoking him/her - it is just a phrase).

secondly to those who know me and remark on my propensity to be late; i would just like to point out that you are operating on the wrong time. you are all working to greenwich mean time. really you should all be on  pmt, or as it is commonly known as pat mean time, this is a highly flexible and useful system.

so next time you think i am late, just remember with pmt i am on time; you are early.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

computers

you have to love computers. let's be honest we have no choice. if we didn't love (or at least think they were ok) we would go mad in the modern world, where little remains untouched by the silicon kiss of the computer. more and more we are ensnared by the internet of things.

right now i am having my own little love hate battle with technology. of course i am losing.

the last few years have seen me move to mobile computing as a necessity rather than a choice (and shamefully i have to admit that this is because of my own personal failings and not something i can blame on a central processing unit). of course with using laptops and tablets there are inherent problems - such loss, theft, breakage and system failure.

so the tablet i have been using as decided to die - and from what i can make out it is the little bit that connects the outside world of reality to the inside world of circuits. (oddly this is always the bit that goes on my external hard drives - yes those things you are supposed to be able to carry around with you break at that bit that connects them to stuff you can use).
with the decline of one bit of kit comes the arrival of a new bit of kit. joy.
then when the excitement dies down you remember you have to set up all the links you need to websites and such like.
it is then you remember just how stupid you have been in relying on the computer to do its job and have stored all the passwords in it and not committed them to a piece of paper...

after many hours of trawling through emails i have found some passwords. more to be rescued. none of this helped by having to use a sluggish-not-my-own-laptop that seems to sometimes work and sometimes not, or it could be the internet connection that is at fault. the problem being is you are never quite sure what is causing the problem because click as you might on the button nothing works is it the physical laptop is having a problem? is there a lag in the connection? is the website not working? something else? a combination? who knows? but it does cause you to spit feathers and cry in frustration.

maybe lesson learnt: write them down.
we'll see at the next system failure, because i know there will be one.