Rivers and Brooks

While I am pleased with my new computer, it has caused me a couple of problems. Not least were details and data on about thirty projects that I was working on when I lost the old one. Also was the replacement cost. While I was already saving for other items, so had the money to replace my computer, I also had to pay for my glasses so it has all made finances tight. Therefore I have had to be very careful about what I could spend. Fortunately I got my calculations correct and just had the money to cover the bills.

Also I had a well stocked larder so I was able to reduce my food bills by relying on my existing stocks. I keep the cupboards well stocked as a buffer against bad weather preventing me from going shopping. Therefore, once I was sure that my rent was paid, I had some spare cash to go shopping today.

On the route to the supermarket there are some road works, repairs to a bridge that spans a brook that tumbles down the hillside. This means that there is a traffic control system in place. Anyway, on the way to the shop the bus was forced to halt at the temporary traffic lights. When the bus moved off it was moving much slower as we crossed this brook and I got the opportunity to see it properly. It is a place of beauty I will have to return to take a better look. Then on the way back I spotted two otters in the river as we crossed the bridge at Blackhall Mill. One had a trout in its paws and mouth, struggling with it swimming for the bank. The fish appeared to be nearly the same size as the Otters body. An all too brief sighting but delightful none the less.

While replacing the computer has created problems, it has also provided benefits. My old one was running XP, while the new one has Vista. While I am no fan of Microsoft, I think I actually like this operating system. It has one major disadvantage though as most of my software will not run on vista, most annoyingly my video editing software. I will have to wait to replace this as I cannot afford to replace this just yet.

Another programme that I was disappointed that will not work is my dictation software. But while I don’t use it all the time, it can be really useful as I am a search and pick typist. I can manage two hundred words per hour. However, I find that vista has this built in. While I am happy about that, I also dislike that, as yet again Microsoft are stamping on competition by including this.

With having to rework various projects, I have been reviewing some of my source material. This includes some of the podcasts that I listen to, and on one from a US radio show, there was an advert aimed at folks that have outstanding taxes. Where these taxes are called delinquent, over here in Britain delinquent is normally used to describe wayward children. I just had this vision of these taxes having to do punishments like community service or being sent to juvenile detention. Does that say something about the way Americans use English, or the way my mind works?

I am also playing catch up on the news. While I was fully aware of the headlines and the substantive detail of many of the main stories, I have often found that by looking and checking detail I can discover more than the headlines say and I can get beyond the bias and prejudice of the mainstream media. By doing this I can often find little gems that are hidden in the news. While the announcement that the third runway at Heathrow has been given approval by the government, was this detail. There were reports that protestors dressed in Edwardian costume to protest about the runway. Personally I don’t think it was a protest at all, it had just taken that long for British Airways to find their baggage. While the government has approved this third runway, I personally do not think it will actually happen. Partly that the decision is based upon old style economic thinking and is flawed as that old system is broken, but also before any construction work ever starts, we will see dramatic effects from our damaging of the climate. This will force changes to be made to the way we treat the environment. My personal expectation is that this will happen by 2012/13 and I still think that it will be the loss of sea Ice and a sudden increase in sea levels that will be central to this. Although, I was looking at data that suggested that it could be a heat wave in 2012 that would be the trigger. But I now lack the data to be sure.

While on serious topics I have been tempted to make some comment on Gaza, but I doubt that I would be saying anything new or insightful. So while the Mouse has not roared on this topic yet, just as I will stand up against all injustice, I will add my voice when I can say something meaningful.