Uncategorized

Ok, if this works – I may be able to email from my thinkpad or Smartphone to my Blogger.com account, which will ftp my blog to my Plus.net web space, posting on DaveWilliams.co.uk, updating the Atom feed which should now also be syndicated to the FaceBook Notes application.

"Don't worry. As long as you hit that wire with the connecting hook at precisely 88mph the instant the lightning strikes the tower… everything will be fine." Dr. Emmett Brown.

There has got to be a more elegant way of bringing it all together.

Yahoo!’s Accessibility Improvement Petition

The heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding in Worcester over the weekend of 21 July has resulted in a temporary disruption to some services usually provided from Dolphin’s UK offices.

The extent of the flood damage is currently being assessed. Further information will be posted as it becomes available. All Dolphin staff are safe and Dolphin are working to restore normal service as rapidly as possible. during this period the www.yourdolphin.com web site and Dolphin’s Sales and Product Support telephone lines may experience limited availability.

We would be very greatful if people attempting to contact the company on Monday please bare with us while Dolphin work to bring services back online.

Many thanks for your patients in this matter.

Regards,
—
Dave Williams
Mobile Products Manager
Dolphin Computer Access Limited

Tel. +44 (0) 1905 754577
Fax. +44 (0) 1905 754559
http://www.yourdolphin.com

It’s all going on this week!

Spent twelve hours a the weekend getting the train to and from Ipswich to celebrate Martin’s girlfriend’s birthday. And subsequently cast as a pompous sod on the Roberts blog. Hey well I do live in the same city as the late Edward Elgar, composer of Pomp and Circumstance. Pomposity bring it on!

Blind bloggers all over the place are contemplating the news that at least two assistive technology companies in the blindness field appear to have been acquired by venture capitalists.

On Monday evening I was introduced to a Mexican restaurant in Worcester. Prob give it a 6 or 7 out of ten for a tasty Mexican Chile and Carrot Cake but let down slightly by pedestrian service and limited drinks selection.

My cousin gave birth to Freddy this afternoon, three days before moving house. Congratz to all concerned.

On Friday I am off to represent Dolphin at the Galloway Advice Day in Preston ahead of the Radio One Big Weekend! Unfortunately big Weekend tickets were thin on the ground but some of the unsigned bands playing the fringe sound like they will be interesting.

If I don’t stop blogging now something else is liable to happen this week and I’ll miss it.

See ya!

I have spent a peaceful Saturday being informed and entertained by catching up with my various RSS subscriptions through
Blog Lines. I’m signed up to around 70 feeds now and it can take a while to catch up if they are left for a few days.

I have been doing a bit of armchair tourism via my sister’s x-boss’s blog Alison’s travel blog and links to city audio guides.

Digital Spy are reporting that the BBC pulls out of ‘Neighbours’ negotiations? while a petition to keep neighbours on the BBC has attracted over 10,000 signatures.

Speaking of the BBC – > Scissor Sisters and Kaiser Chiefs headline Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2007 in Preston! While Weekend Spy has an interesting piece on BBC radio You’re listening to… the BBC.

This evening I visited the Little Sauce Factory in Worcester and was a tad disappointed at there very limited selection of beers. So I was thrilled to read Martin’s round up of mild beers in his Go mild in May post.

Four years ago this month, my good friend Robert young and I made good on a 5 year old promise to visit the Big Apple and have a bloody good time! While we were in New York we kept a sort of travel log which detailed our Manhattan adventures. We had ambitious plans for a web site with pictures and audio and all manner of things to inform and entertain anyone planning a similar trip. Anyway, we were far too busy to be mucking around with all of that. So we got as far as writing the text in Word and that is pretty much where it stopped. Eh hem, well I say we, the lion’s share of the actual pressing of keys on the computer part was down to Rob’s insane industriousness – writing somewhere in the region of 15,000 words in not much more than 24 hours! After reading Rob’s tome, yours truly proposed a catalogue of revisions to protect the innocent and enhance the readability of the story. Rather than preparing a 6-foot trench and a wooden box for me to lie in, Rob accepted and implemented most of my suggestions. Thank you.

Nearly two years later following a couple of aborted attempts I began blogging on a semi-regular basis. Well ok less than that, maybe a couple of posts a month if I feel like it. You get the picture. Anyway, being short on content and creativity I decided to post the New York story as it really was not seeing the light of day which had been our original intention. Ok I could not be doing with all the original razzmatazz but at leas the content would be online for search engines to spider and who knows it may turn out to be a source of amusement for some hapless netizen found wondering around in the less fashionable parts of cyberspace. The account of our trip to the US can still be found archived here as entries for May 2003.

Anyway, on to the point of this post. I am getting there. During our trip to New York Rob and I visited Carolyns, a well known Times Square comedy venue to see an American comedian, Darryl Highly. As part of our record of proceedings, the travel log had the following to say.

“Once inside we bought tickets and propped up the bar, meeting yet more friendly New Yorkers, one of whom had a picture of a dog on his jacket, and baseball cap with his name printed on it: Captain Scott Shields. He informed us that a comedian had ridiculed this picture until he pointed out that it had been a rescue dog and was now dead of cancer. He informed us he’d never seen the wind so completely taken out of a comedian’s sails.”

We had absolutely no clue as to the veracity or otherwise of the Scott Shields dog story and quite honestly at the time we did not really care. The anecdote was apparently notable enough for one or other of us to remember and write it down.

Anyway, all may not be as it seems with Captain Scott Shields and his deceased rescue dog. I had almost completely forgotten the encounter when earlier this evening I received the following email. In fact it was only by chance I spotted this in my Spam folder as the address the emailed used is not one I check very often. I have removed the senders name and email address in case he wishes to remain anonymous.

—start of message—
From:
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2007 9:27 PM
To: Dave Williams
Subject: old blog

http://www.davewilliams.co.uk/archive/2003_05_01_archive.htm

fyi

the guy really is a fraud

http://www.scottshieldsfraud.co.uk

http://landofpuregold.com/truthiness.htm
—end of message—

A couple of seconds Googling found:

http://www.bearsearchandrescue.org/

Are Captain Scott Shields and his deceased rescue dog patrons of the Official Bear Search and Rescue Foundation who are subject to spurious allegations regarding the authenticity of their story? Alternatively, is Captain Scott Shields “Trading in on tragedy for fame”, Succumbing to the Lure of Truthiness” to whom I am providing the Oxygen of publicity by blogging about this story? Less likely, am I the target of some elaborate hoax who’s purpose I can only guess at? Is the tangled web of conspiracy theorising reaching previously undetected levels and if I am not careful my curiosity is in danger of spiralling out of control into full blown paranoia?

You decide! As with the Channel 4 documentary Blind Young Things shown a couple of nights ago, I really have not arrived at any firm conclusions yet. As soon as I have an opinion about either, dear reader you will be the first to know.

Beer festival and house warming in the same weekend? surely not.

“A taste of Germany arrives at Pitchcroft

GERMAN beer will flow and Bavarian music will play when a new festival arrives in Worcester this weekend. Folks Fest – German Beer Festival and market, will be at Worcester Racecourse, Worcester from Friday (April 27) between 3pm and 8.30pm as well as Saturday and Sunday (April 28 and 29) from 11am to 8.30pm.

Folks Fest – a celebration of German lifestyle – takes place on Pitchcroft from Friday to Sunday. There will be array of market stalls, crafts, foods and music to entertain the crowds and bring a taste of German culture to the city.

“One thing that hasn’t materialised in the UK is a way to get the German festival experience,” said organiser Ingo Aicher.

“Over the water we’re lucky enough to have events like this regularly and they are a part of our popular culture.”

With a firm focus on having fun, enjoying local produce and being entertained, the festival is suitable for all ages.

A spokesman for Pitchcroft said they were delighted to have the beer festival at the race course.

The festival runs from 3pm to 8.30pm on Friday, and 11am to 8.30pm on Saturday and Sunday.”

Please support my friend and colleague Cate Knight as she races for life to support Cancer Research UK.

“Everyone has a story in their lives about someone who has been touched by cancer.
Mine is nothing different or anymore special but someone very important and vital
and lovely died from this horrible disease and she will be missed dreadfully.
This is a tribute and a positive way of fighting for her. Nathalie fought the hardest
battle of all and lost but her friends will continue to fight for her to ensure that
her life and death was not wasted.
Please sponser. Even if it is just a pound.
a pound is…… a fifth of a packet of fags
a pound is…… half a pint
a pound is…… less that two hours parking
a pound is…… three chocolate bars
a pound is…… money down the back of your sofa
a pound is…… worth more than you will ever know unless you give it generously
for a very real and worthy cause.”

Q. How many blind people does it take to change a light bulb?

A. Just one. Providing a sighted person mentions that the old bulb is no longer working!

One of the big misconceptions about blindness is that one hundred percent of people who one may think of as blind have absolutely no vision at all. This is categorically not the case. Although as I write this I can feel the campaign for real blindness awakening somewhere out on the internet!

The truth is that most jurisdictions consider you to be blind if you have less than 5 percent usable vision in the best eye with correction. So the vast majority of legally blind people have some form of light perception. In many cases card carrying, Braille reading, Cain or guide dog using blind people can tell if a bright light is shon into the eyes, Some can tell if it is daylight outside, and some of us can tell if the house lights are on or off. The other way blind people can tell if a light bulb has gone is that the bulb no longer burns your bloody hand off!

Maybe I need to get out more but I have always been interested by the light bulb replacement policy of my friends who are blind. Some do not give a monkeys and rarely turn on the lights unless bullied into doing so. I know one bloke who only had about two working bulbs in his entire flat. When asked why he did not have any working light bulbs? He mumbled something into his beer along the lines of light bulbs being a waist of time and money and if people really wanted them they could bring their own pissing light bulbs. I know other blind people who are paranoid about the cliché and security implications of sitting around in the dark. These people tend to take a very proactive stance when it comes to light bulb replacement.

The amount of light perception one has may dictate where on this scale one lies when it comes to keeping the home illuminated. I have some light perception and in spite of the cost and energy implications, I tend to be pro having the lights on. With this in mind I noticed that two of my lounge up-lighters had gone to light bulb heaven over the past couple of weeks. Other than the significant reduction in ambient light, the bulbs being cold to the touch, the other little telltale sign was the fuse for the whole ring tripping out each time a bulb went west. Very annoying with computers rebooting all over the place. I must buy me a UPS. Anyway, I digress.

I gave one of the dead bulbs to a friend who said he may be able to get me some replacements. This was taking a little longer than I anticipated and what with the housewarming party looming on Saturday I tried to purchase replacement light bulbs for the two which had mysteriously died. I took the other fatality into a well-known high street store, which learned from BBC Four first opened in the UK in 1909 up in Liverpool. I showed the bulb to the less than enthusiastic man behind the counter. What is the matter with these people, they are about to shine a bit of light into someone’s dark and miserable world. Instead this fella that demeanour of someone who had just been told he had incorrectly answered the £100 question on Who Wants to be a Millionaire and would be going home with nothing. Anyway, after a bit of hmm ing and ah ing trotted of to find some replacements. He returned triumphantly through my old bulb in the bin and presented me with some replacements.

When I got out into the street I had the nagging suspicion that all was not well in lightbulb land. Over lunch I fondled my new light bulbs with increasing disquiet and could not shake off the nagging feeling that perhaps I had been sold the wrong bulbs. Well the only way to find out would be to go home and try the buggers myself! And what would you know in the event my suspicions were not unfounded and it became clear that my cheery shop assistant did not know his light bulbs and these babies were far too small for my requirements and would have to be returned to the light bulb nursery until they were a little bigger. As I no longer had any of the dead bulbs left I took one of the working bulbs to show chuckles once again the actual thing that I wanted to buy. After a pointless five minutes of him telling me that he could not leave his counter under any circumstances to find the right light bulbs and could I jus tnot accept a refund? No I could not just accept a refund I had been mis-sold a product which I had purchased in good faith on the understanding that it was equivalent to the bulb I had shown him. Well he left his counter and found the right light bulbs. However, amongst the gormlessness of it all, he through away my working bulb which I had brought from home and then could not find it when I asked for it back.

Where do they find these people? I despair!

Anyway, for what it is worth I now have shiny new light bulbs for all the good it will do me.

Well it has taken long enough but I have finally received a letter from my solicitor indicating that this coming Friday, contracts will be exchange and the purchase of my little piece of Worcester will be complete! Yay!

what with the possibility of Chancel Check liability, the suspicion that I am situated within 250M of a flood plain, and the company acting on behalf of the lease holder taking ages to respond to my solicitor’s enquiries, everything has ended up taking much longer and costing much more than I anticipated. Maybe I should have just moved into another rented property after all. Would have been much simpler. Although people keep telling me that in five years I will be glad I did it! Mortgage repayments here I come!

Next weekend I will be doing the obligatory housewarming thing with a few friends. Historically my parties have had a tendency to get a little out of hand. But I am determined that the all new mortgage repaying responsible me will keep this one under control. He says keeping everything crossed. Anyway, if there is a demand I could be tempted to stream the ambiance of my housewarming online for your amusement and for those who cannot make it for whatever reason. Places at the virtual online house warming would be limited as I have no intention of buying in server space. So you’ll have to live with whatever my DSL will stand. Think I get something like 440Kbs upstream. So that’s about 8 concurrent listeners at a decent bit rate. But it is just a thought at this stage and I may not bother. Let me know if this is something which may appeal to you.

This weekend has been pretty sensible. Yesterday I had a meeting with my bank to find out why they pay more interest in my current account than on my savings account. The fact that I have not much in either has nothing to do with anything. Anyway after reading his site for two years, I finally decided to take Martin Louis Money Saving Expert advice an become a credit card tart and take out one of these 0 percent deals. It feels good to no that Egg will not be getting a further penny in interest and every penny I pay toward my credit card will actually be paying off the balance.

I had a homemade Berger in one of my favourite Worcester pubs, followed by an overdue haircut from a man who I am sure thought I was deaf and stupid as well as blind. Maybe he had a point? Do not answer that.

Anyway, I walked over to my sister’s place and we went for a walk on the racecourse and along the river. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the exercise did me good. I probably walked a total of 7 miles on Saturday which was a bit of a novelty considering I will usually do anything to avoid exercise.

This morning I watched the London Marathon which made me feel exhausted. And this afternoon is the usual Sunday catch up with the news, washing, grocery shopping online and contemplating the week ahead.

The following stories got my attention in the BBC Hereford and Worcester news. After walking along side the river and crossing the Canal every time I go into town I was pleased to read about the plans for £500,000 improvements for canal. With local elections coming up in a couple of weeks it seems like a good idea to keep An eye on the parties. Regular readers will know I have been following the story of Two cautioned over WiFi theft about which I was asked to comment on local radio. Finally, it comes to us all in the end, Obesity affects funeral services so maybe a little exercise is probably a good idea.