Year: 2009

the old familiar way

$ telnet cix.compulink.co.uk
Connected to cix.compulink.co.uk.
Escape character is '^]'.

CIX Conferencing System
login: ......
CIX Version 3.4.3 of Aug 12 2005 running on Fri Sep 18 14:24:48 2009
Copyright (c) CoSy Conferencing System, University of Guelph, 1984
Portions copyright (c) Compulink Information eXchange Ltd, 1985-1999
You are on line: 5
Nickname? (Enter 'new' for new user) scruss
Password:
Checking your conferences
You have 1 mail message(s) in your in-basket.
There are 1 unread mail message(s).
You are a member of 1 conference(s).

Main:mail
xdusraojwuvup   371170 . Thu Sep 17 23:42 2009. Just to be invited is a privi
Mail:send
To: scruss@.........
Enter subject: You've had this e-mail address for 20 years
Enter message. End with '.'
>How does it feel to be that old?
>
> Stewart
>.
send/action:
Sending..Memo 376095 sent
Mail:quit
Main:bye
There is unread Mail, do you really want to quit ? (y/n)? y
scruss, you have been online 2:12 on line 5
Goodbye from CIX     !!!HANGUP NOW!!!

Ink

Vinegar’s remarkable ability to clean up spilled ink from a plain wood table is matched only by Waterman Encre Havane’s near-praeternatural ability to get everywhere.

Light cyan and light magenta

To echo Thomas’s post about HP light ink usage, my C5150 definitely uses them:

HP C5150 Ink LevelsI think I’m on my second light cyan and magenta, while I’m on my fourth regular cyan and magenta cartridges.

The one thing I have learned not to do is buy the six cartridge photo pack. While it looks a bunch cheaper (typically, $45 for six cartridges + 150 sheets of photo paper), the bundled cartridges have a much lower capacity than the singles – maybe 1/3 less. So you don’t really save anything, create more waste, and end up with far more photo paper than you can use.

hartford, arr. coole

wish_we_had_our_ptarmiganI keep mishearing Chris Coole‘s version of John Hartford‘s Wish We Had Our Time Again as Wish We Had Our Ptarmigan …

Despite this mondegreen, Chris’s new solo album is a stormer. The title track Old Dog has already been covered by Bill Evans and Megan Lynch, but I think it’s the one that will get Chris the widespread recognition he deserves. The Bottle Got the Best of Me is a good old country drinkin’ and cryin’ duet that really should have had Porter and Dolly sing it. Six Days on the Road is the way the Dave Dudley truckin’ hit should have been – on fretless banjo.

(image File:Lagopus mutus.jpg by Wojsyl)

dulcimer reunion

Took my dulcimer back off consignment from Jeff Menzies, and you know what? I’m going to keep it. It’s really well made, and plays nicely. Why did I ever want to consign it in the first place?
(Gave me an excuse to drive up to Jeff’s place in Churchill, ON – which isn’t really near anywhere, but not that far away, either.)

slightly past the use-by date

Just changed the batteries in my Mini Maglite. Check the battery date:

duracell install by jan 99I bought the batteries (and the torch) in an outdoor store in Truro, Cornwall in July 1993. I needed it to stop and start wind turbines at Carland Cross at night. The batteries still worked, if a little weakly. There are people driving younger than these batteries.

One of the batteries was, like Mr Belpit’s legs, a bit swollen with age. After several fruitless attempts involving rare-earth magnets and superglue, I took off the lens, bulb (well, LEDs)  and tail cap, and smacked it sharply against the floor. I could then lever the battery out with a sweetcorn skewer.