Tuesday, July 28, 2009

^

We've all seen this picture, but, if you click on it, it's really quite interesting. What I want to propose, (mainly for very slow typists like me), is a single symbol for "Click to enlarge".
How about the circonflex above the 6?

Sunday, July 26, 2009




What the heck is this image? I thought this was my लैपटॉप, बुत थे

and who or what enabled transliteration? I feel like Mr Jones in Dylan's song,

"Something is happening, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr Jones?"

My brothers gave me this beautiful machine for my sixtieth birthday with the specific proviso that only I should use it.

They knew that I had had to take the desktop to the computer nerd shop several times, because it had been overloaded with children's junk.

So this was to be for me and me only.

My wife wheedled my password out of me, set up her own and I don't know who wheedled hers out of her, but now all five of us use it. I think the cat and the dog have a go at it from time to time.

So anther long sticky weekend comes to an end. No end for the inactivity or poverty for me though.

Last night Cathy had a girl friend over and I got out of their way. Cathy gave me 40 dollars and Matthew drove me down to Dundas Square. I headed for the cinema there which has twenty five screens.

On her girl friend's recommendation, I saw "Her Sister's Keeper", I smiled a lot, (I always do when I am close to tears), and then shed quite a few. I loved every moment of it.

Transit home was really quite quick and I had my second favourite sear on the streetcar. The meal I had made for them had been a success. We talked with another girlfriend, who had joined them late, until after midnight. I slept really well until past ten.

We have had wonderful lightning storms all weekend. Does anyone else remember when cars were not necessarily leak proof in heavy rain? How far we have come! And my mother used to remember a time when automobiles were very expensive toys for the very rich.

The radio is playing a song from before my time, (Elmo's Tune(?)), but typical of the orchestral tunes I used to hear when I was a boy. I am thrilled with a recently bought present for my brother's 55th. Two discs from the late fifties of Ella, Louis and Oscar too. All for eleven dollars. I was just very lucky to find what I was willing to pay any price for for very little.

Saturday, July 25, 2009



"Grandiosity"

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

CONCERTO IN C MAJOR, RV399

Duration: 00:08:19

VIVALDI: CONCERTOS FOR CELLO/HARNOY, OFRA

ALBUM:

RCA 7774-2-RC

LABEL:

COMPOSER: ANTONIO VIVALDI
PRODUCER: JACOB HARNOY
CELLO: OFRA HARNOY
CONDUCTOR: PAUL ROBINSON
CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: TORONTO CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Oy. Google doesn't link our favorites and interests links anymore

Monday, July 20, 2009

Tom Waits - "All The World Is Green"

I fell into the ocean
When you became my wife
I risked it all against the sea
To have a better life
Marie you are the wild blue sky
And men do foolish things
You turn kings into beggars
And beggars into kings

Pretend that you owe me nothing
And all the world is green
We can bring back the old days again
And all the world is green

The face forgives the mirror
The worm forgives the plow
The questions begs the answer
Can you forgive me somehow?
Maybe when our story's over
We'll go where it's always spring
The band is playing our song again
And all the world is green

Pretend that you owe me nothing
And all the world is green
We can bring back the old days again
And all the world is green

The moon is yellow silver
Oh the things that summer brings
It's a love you'd kill for
And all the world is green

He is balancing a diamond
On a blade of grass
The dew will settle on our grave
When all the world is green




In "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly". I haven't seen a better film this year. For a long time I avoided it because I thought it would be boring. Not at all, although I was glad to watch it on DVD and take breaks to make tea or just think about a scene. I've had a long problem with Tom Waits. His tattoos and rough persona, hard drinking, smoking and so on put me off, but I keep hearing his songs in films and think , "who's that? He's great". Another time I tracked a movie song down to Damien Rice, bought two CDs and found that the song in the film is, by far, his best. I hope to be able to put it here, although I think I posted it already a long time ago.




If you made it to the end of the film, like me you might like the song better than the film. But actually, I did not notice it in that film, which I rather disliked. The song was also in a much more heart warming Italian film, I think the one about this guy roaming around Rome on his motor scooter. I just cannot think of how to track it down at this time. Maybe my friend, Anonymous, would know, (?).

Friday, July 17, 2009


I wrote this a few years ago, but found myself quoting myself to myself, as I listened to yet another, (probably false), prediction of imminent economic revival. Are we "hope mad hatters?", I wondered.


There is a certain pining
One might even call it “whining”
On the chronoclastic playing of the game
A time when glory ate us
Preceded this hiatus
The self inflicted fury and the shame

We held so high such hopes – of great endeavour
But now we sigh, “such dopes – we’re not so clever”

We really thought some daily pain
Might relieve the world of its deadly strain
And “harmony” was our refrain
Which chanted, would one day regain
“A world of peace” – we’d make it plain

But no! Our minds have turned to other matters
Those dreams were dreams of hope –mad hatters
And all our aspirations
Were merely sad gyrations
Das samadic venture Kapital

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

I get a newsletter about research at Oxford from Isis Innovation here

Solar energy

The Oxford Invention
Researchers in Oxford have developed a new 2nd generation thin film inorganic solar cell system that performs in the visible spectrum of light, and is not composed of finite rare earth materials, or as toxic components as the current inorganic systems.

The advantages of this system include:

Low cost per watt compared to existing solar energy technologies
Good photochemical stability relative to other low cost organic systems
Compatibility with existing industrial coating methods
Aesthetic advantages such as transparency and colouring
Patent Status
This work is the subject of patent application, and Isis would like to talk to companies interested in the commercial scale up and processing development of this technology.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Donald, who uses the avatar of Donald Duck here, has just inspired me to post a new enquiry. Post a comment here or a photo on your own blog.


What have you got that was sent you as a reward for sending money off to PBS?

I don't think I still have anything, but I'm trying, as I write, to remember what I got years ago, when "Goldie" would get me to renew my membership so many times.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Starbucks

Starbucks used to have an online suggestion box, but those sites no longer load. Perhaps they closed them down because they cost too much. So I will post my complaint here.

For the last two months or so, Starbucks have been giving out a new design of cup. I always get a Venti and the new softer rim is particularly annoying in this size. The plastic caps, (which have always been way superior to any other in Canada), don't fit properly and slip off too easily. They used to clip on conveniently. Now I have to force them on and they mush in the rim. They frequently come off, while I am drinking from the cup, or carrying it.

Is it the same in the United States?

Friday, July 10, 2009

When that fat old sun in the sky is falling,
Summer evening birds are calling.
Summer's thunder time of year,
The sound of music in my ears.
Distant bells,
New mown grass smells so sweet.
By the river holding hands,
Roll me up and lay me down.
And if you sit,
Don't make a sound.
Pick your feet up off the ground.
And if you hear as the warm night falls
The silver sound from a time so strange,
Sing to me, sing to me.
When that fat old sun in the sky is falling,
Summer evening birds are calling.
Children's laughter in my ears,
The last sunlight disappears.
And if you sit,
Don't make a sound.
Pick your feet up off the ground.
And if you hear as the warm night falls
The silver sound from a time so strange,
Sing to me, sing to me.
When that fat old sun in the sky is falling,
Summer evening birds are calling.
Children's laughter in my ears,
The last sunlight disappears.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Monday, July 6, 2009






Arabella-building in Munich
With the photographer's help, this is art. To me.

I drove up to Bolton to have my tooth extraction checked. On the right of the road there was a large dead tree. How unlucky the tree was, I thought, not to have been aware, as I am, that it would die. I've talked about this here before, but I don't think that I would enjoy all the moments of this wonderful life, even when I have a stomach ache, as much, if I did not remind myself as often as possible, that "tomorrow we may die".

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Our upstairsdesk top DEll has been acting up for some time.

From not waving but drowning:

For others who might have the same problem this is what I did.

Open "Tools".
Internet options
General
Delete temporary files

Or, from

I had a similar problem last week. I took the problem to the following site:
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?fid=34f439f2e031570000046cc2019f9a88&hl=en

Saturday, July 4, 2009


Quoting from wikipedia, "The last solar maximum was in 2001, and the next one has been predicted in 2010-2012. On March 10, 2006 NASA researchers announced that the next cycle would be the strongest since the historic maximum in 1958 in which the northern lights could be seen as far south as Rome, approximately 42° north of the equator".
I was watching a show about the 2001 one and they said that, since then, 2000 satellites had been launched. These things disable satellites, boost voltage dangerously and knock out radio communications. Yikes. But the show should be great, better than fireworks anyway.

Friday, July 3, 2009




Although this mountain is only about twenty thousand feet above sea level, Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador actually sticks out one and a half miles further into space than Mount Everest. The earth bulges out at the Equator, as I do. Happy 4th to all my American friends.