Padding About In Bare Feet

 

I finally bought an iPad around about the 1st of June. My dear wife and I had agreed some time before that I could buy an iPad when I had lost 2 stone in weight. I'm not just a grumpy old devil, I'm a fat, grumpy old git. However, back to the narrative. Then Pat, who had been thinking about a birthday present for some time, decided that she wanted a new laptop, so we went to our favourite store. The very nice man at John Lewis' Emporium showed us several, and we settled on a nice Tosh that neatly balanced power, processor and gigabytes, though I suspect we bought it just as much because it was a nice colour. (Did I mention fat, grumpy, old, sexist git?). Then my beloved, love of my life, my perfect woman, said, "We'll, I suppose you'd better get that iPad you want, while we're here." Did I tell you how much I love my wife?

I fell in love with my iPad straight away. It's simply the easy way that it does anything you throw at it. The only problem that I have with it is that once outside the house it loses some of it's usefulness, because I chose to buy the WiFi model, but I don't regret the choice. After three months I have set it up with a series of apps that are happy to work offline, so I do all my synching at home, but use the iPad wherever I am. And the quality of the screen. Whatever you hear about the retina display, it's true. I'm sitting here, writing on the screen with one finger, with the iPad balanced on the chair arm, half watching the news and blogging.

I heard about the forthcoming upgrade to iOS 6 several weeks ago, then I heard the date September 19th, but I waited, not really knowing what to expect. I have never been an Apple user. I started with a ZX Spectrum, then I got a BBC B, then an Archimedes. That was probably the best, fastest, most powerful, easiest to use, computer that I have ever, or will ever own. Unfortunately it was not mainstream. The software was difficult to get and expensive, and Acorn just failed to survive, but what a pity. The Acorn Archimedes should have been the computer that dominated the world, not the ever crashing peecee. The last time Microsoft upgraded the OS on my Peecee it cost an arm and a leg to buy the upgrade, so I was astonished to find that the upgrade to iOS 6 was free and delivered wirelessly.

So I spent the day waiting for it to happen. In the end I remembered that Apple are based in California, and Wednesday 19th September would probably start later over there. And then it just happened. Just before tea time a neat little message said that there was an upgrade available, and would I like to install it. I said that would be a nice idea and it asked me, oh so politely, if would like to plug in the electrical power lead, "to save the battery." How very thoughtful! In the end I put it on the shelf by my router because it kept losing the wifi signal sitting in the lounge.

When I upgraded my Peecee from Vista to Windows 7 I ended up doing the upgrade 3 times because it kept losing important bits of code, and that was upgrading from a CD. The iOS 6 upgraded just seems to have worked. So far, I haven't really spotted the difference. I now have something called Siri which, so far, keeps telling me that it doesn't know what I'm asking for, but that's probably because it's struggling with a Northerner. I'll let you know how I get on with that. I also noticed that Apple are clearly breaking their links with Google. The Maps app used to be a version of Google maps, but now it is running a version of Tom Tom, oh well! I also noticed that Yahoo has got a toe in the door somewhere, but we'll see how that develops. And now there is a very pretty clock app.

But it hasn't really changed the way that I use this wonderful gadget! That will do for now. See you tomorrow.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Policing the people.

In a report on the BBC this evening, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police was reported to be an adherent of the belief that policing only really works because the police are ordinary people. We are the Police and the Police are us.

Hopefully we will never have an armed Police Force in Britain. The cost of that is that today two young, unarmed, women were brutally murdered by some thuggish animal who ought to be put down like a mad dog. I suppose that the wonder of it is that individuals are still willing to join the police force and work for the good of the community on that basis.

In 1829 Sir Robert Peel, the father of modern policing, said "The police seek and preserve public favor, not by catering to public opinion, but by constantly demonstrating absolutely impartial service to the law, in complete independence of policy, and without regard to the justice or injustice of the substance of individual laws; by ready offering of individual service and friendship to all members of society without regard to their race or social standing, by ready exercise of courtesy and friendly good humor; and by ready offering of individual sacrifice in protecting and preserving life." Nobody ever gets everything right, and the Police Service have got several of these points wrong over the years, but that last sentence strikes a cord tonight.

Fiona Bone & Nicola Hughes.


May you rest in peace and rise in glory.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Ebacc Gumm

I guess that today's news, especially for an ex teacher, like me, was the Education Secretary, Michael Gove, announcing that the GCSES was dead, but not yet buried. It will be replaced in 2015, by an exam to be called the English Baccalaureate. Interestingly, this English Baccalaureate will have pretty much nothing in common with anybody else's Baccalaureate.

At the moment they don't even know what they will call it. It might be the eBacc, or the EBacc, or even the EBC. On this point I found the following quite fun, so I have stolen it off the BBC News website. This is not plagiarism, because I'm not pretending that it's mine.

"It could be the Ebacc for short, or even English Bac. One might try E Bac, or E-Bac if hyphenation is your thing. Those on Twitter have been exploring the possibilities since the Education Secretary Michael Gove announced the changes. The EBacc - "has a faint air of Yorkshire about it," says one Twitter user. Another of the Twitterati said it "Sounds like a hospital-acquired infection," while another asks: "How do you pronounce EBacc, is it like Ewok? If so I like them a bit more." In the same vein, one comment said "Glad I don't have to do this Ebacc thing, reminds me of chewbacca!"

This is me again, not the BBC, just so you know. I grew up with the GCE. Not long before I was at school they had something called the School Certificate. I don't know anything about it,so I will not explain what it was, because I don't know.

I liked the GCE when I was doing it. Mr Secretary Gove seems to think that the GCE was more rigorous and more honest than the GCSE, which just goes to show how little he knows about anything. Every year that I taught GCE History I could tell you what questions were coming up, and I was right at least 90% of the time. I could tell the girls whatnot revise, and they never needed to revise everything that we had done. That was never true with the GCSE where I was never able to predict what was coming up

Mind you, Mr Secretary Gove doesn't agree and he must know everything.

Where the GCE was bad was when it came to pupils who found it difficult to write descriptive, or discursive, essays. But that was only ever 60% of the students. Of course we had the CSE, but why should the kids be treated like second class students at the age of 14. No, the GCSE was a lot fairer for most pupils, and I think it was a fair exam. What was wrong was not the exam, it was the politicians mucking around with the grade boundaries. Sorry, politicians would never do that would they? Of course not, it was OFQUAL who fiddled the grade boundaries. But who told OFQUAL what to do.

Exactly!

The worst thing that happened to schools was that education became a political football. If only we could have kept it to ourselves and let the politicians screw up everything else. They're very good at that!

Posted with Blogsy

A Night on the Telly

Short post on here this evening, I've been astonishingly lazy today. Church this morning, back home for a late lunch, take Jasper for his ordinary walk, back home and spent the rest of the afternoon playing a silly game, "Bastion" on the pad sitting in the Conservatory and then an evening watching the telly.

I really enjoyed a programme called, "Fake or Fortune" which is fronted by a reporter / presenter called Fiona Bruce. It looks at pieces of art whose provenance is questionable. They then try to prove, using the latest forensic techniques, whether the painting in question is a real work of art, or a fake. Tonight, they were looking at a small painting called "The Blue Dancer" which, it was claimed, was by Edgar Degas.

A fascinating programme proved, step by step, that the painting was quite genuine. They followed the line of provenance, step by step, from Degas original sale, through to the German family that owned it until 1945 and finally on to the English family who own it today. The programme ended with the receipt of the letter from the French company who publish the definitive list of Degas' work. It was their acceptance that this was a legitimate Degas that made all the difference.

 

And then, at nine o'clock, the return off "Downton Abbey". Back for it's third series it has now entered the 1920's. This time we have the added bonus of Shirley MacLaine in the production. I have loved her ever since Sweet Charity.

Oh, I know it isn't high art, and the cognoscenti will turn up their noses and pop down to the Royal Opera House for a spot of "Don Juan" sung entirely in Spanish. But opera bores me to death. I find I'm just not interested in listening to it, not at all. But I do like a good costume drama, and like 9 million other Brits, I love Downton Abbey. I bet the Royal Opera House would say thank you very much for those numbers.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Whispers Underground

 

 

I bet you can't tell that I stole the book cover picture off the Amazon site, can you?

Thank to my wonderful Kindle I always have several books to read, these days, but that doesn't stop me looking around for something new to read. Not that long ago these urges would have forced me to go to Stockport where there used to be a Borders Bookstore. I truly loved that place, it was light and airy and you could browse your books over a cup of coffee. I was immensely sad when it closed, but I guess it was the growing strength of Amazon that killed it. These days I can sit in my favourite armchair, with my cup of tea to hand, and browse the utterly immense Amazon Bookstore on my iPad. Bliss.

Just before we travelled to Gagny towards the end of June I happened upon a book called "The Rivers of London" by Ben Aaronovitch. I have a feeling that this particular book is called "Midnight Riot" in the States, but never mind. I found myself captivated by a comment that I read that said something like, "Imagine what would happen if Harry Potter grew up and became a policeman." That was enough to get me to buy the book, but it is a hopelessly inaccurate description of what is a brilliant book.

I read that book in three days, which is unbelievable for me in these days, and especially when I was on holiday. I don't think I have read any of Ben Aaronovitch's stuff before, but he writes scripts for Doctor Who among other things. The book is about Peter Grant, a black police constable in London, who discovers that he has magical talents. However, don't expect wands and spells, as he is still learning and after three books, he still isn't that good, but he is getting better. In the first book we meet a very unusual murderer and the daughter's of the River Thames. But you need to read this book.

Today I finished the third book, "Whispers Underground" which has quite a lot to do with the Tube and the Sewers. No, I didn't lose interest, i've been reading other books as well. These books are, to my mind, exceedingly well written. They are easy to read, pull you along with the story and they are ever so witty. The one liners keep coming and leave you chuckling away as you read.

If this sounds as if you might like it, but you don't like the idea of Harry Potter for adults, don't worry. The stories are more about policing than magic, but the characters really are magic enough to keep you enthralled. If you don't find yourself, like me, desperate for the next visit to the "Folly" I will be very surprised.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge

I found this picture on Google Images and thought I'd use it because it shows Kate wearing a mac. Yes, it's really Saturday morning and I'm feeling inclined to be grumpy again. So let me start by putting my cards firmly on the table. I am utterly opposed to some grimy little filthy toe rag of a "photographer" making a hell of a lot of money by invading William & Kate's privacy in order to make a great deal of money by selling them to one of Berlusconi's rags. Yes, I am undoubtedly a monarchist. Even in the 21st century I think that it is an excellent system of government. And finally, no I am not a fan of the late, and to me unlamented, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Firstly, I believe that we are all entitled to privacy. If we want to frolic naked in our own home, or garden, behind our own walls, or in a place that we have gone on holiday, such as a hotel room, or a villa that belongs to a family member, or even one we have rented, then it is nobody else's business. It was a gross violation of that freedom of privacy for some little toe rag to take photographs of Prince Harry in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. It is also an invasion of the freedom of privacy for this current "paparazzi" to take photographs of Kate while staying at a private villa in Provence. So the editor of the "magazine" claims that she was in full view of a public road. Only if you consider that "full view" means climbing a tree and using a camera lens big enough to take close up photographs from more than a mile away. This is truly grotesque!

So is it right for someone to go around with their normal camera, taking photographs of any ordinary person over their garden fence, or even through their windows.

The editor of the French rag that published the pictures seemed to think it was perfectly okay. My personal feeling is that the editor of the rag should be held personally responsible, and personally liable. As to the photographer, I'd be tempted to string him up! But I would certainly strip him/her naked and publish pictures, and still take all of their ill gotten gains away.

As to that declaration that I'm a monarchist, well I have always seen the best justification for a constitutional monarchy in a very few words. I'd much rather see even Charles on the throne than have to live under a President Thatcher or President Blair. God preserve us from that.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Hospital

Today I had to go to hospital to have a chat with one of the Urology Consultants. I first had a PSA blood test done about seven years ago and was told, at the time, that the result of something like 10.5 was high. But at that time, trying to get to grips with what PSA test result numbers mean seems to be like knitting fog. I asked the consultant at the time what the 10.5 related to, what was the maximum and the minimum, but I was told that they really had no idea.

I've heard of cases where somebody with a PSA of 5 has had Prostate Cancer, and I know of somebody who had a PSA over 30 and didn't. But I guess I'm like most people, the very talk of Cancer scares me witless.

I had two TRUS biopsies seven years ago and was told then that I needed two because one biopsy was 98% accurate, but two were 99%. So I had two at the time, and both proved negative, which is good news. By the way, I'm not going to write about the biopsies, but they really are quite unpleasant.

Since then I've had PSA tests every six months and the results have continued to go up, little by little. There have been ups and downs, but on the whole more up than downs. Sprinkled in between have been a number of "digital" exams, and in this case digital has nothing to do with computers or sound recording. By last April the number had gone up to 13 and my Doctor decided it was time to see the specialists again. So I had yet another TRUS biopsy in May and another worrying wait for the results, which again turned out to be negative. But this time they didn't discharge me back to the Doctor. This time it was "Wait for four months and then come back for a chat." Today was the chat!

Now I've got to have an MRI scan at some point in the near future. I asked the Consultant why, and basically it is because they want to try to find out why my PSA results are still too high. Another PSA test last week came out at 12, which is down, but not far enough down. Then there was talk of a new procedure called a template biopsy, though I'm far from clear what that is, but anyway that would depend on the results of the MRI, so it may never happen. The thing is, I seems that I am too young at 61 to be left alone with mY PSA results, I guess it's nice to be too young again,at least for something.

I know, I know, it's better to know if there is something wrong, so it can be treated. And anyway, having a test done does not mean that the test will find anything. No test can find something if there is nothing to find. But I'm a man for heaven's sake, and I'd really rather not have to have the test done.

And there you are. I'm very sorry to have bored you with this, but I guess I needed to talk it through for myself, and since I'm convinced that nobody reads this blog, it's like talking to myself. I'll see you tomorrow, assuming that we are spared! God bless.

Posted with Blogsy