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Last updated: 05/07/02 | Total content of this site, 338 files, 32.6Mb (28/6/2) |
Jeremy's web site
5/7/2
Stop press!
Urgent press release!
Background to press release I.
Background to press release II.
Have, more or less, won employment case with NORCI. I agreed to settle before going to an Employment Tribunal. NORCI upped payment from £3,000 to £5,000, removed a clause requiring confidentiality, apologised, and guaranteed giving a reference to prospective employers. ACAS document recording settlement.
Recruitment fair in Forum, today. Had a long chat, yesterday, with a police officer. Asked about what it was like being one, what was stressful (and how many suffer from mental health problems), whether they actually used their own mobile phones on business, whether having a criminal record was a problem for employment, etc.
Today, am in Forum again. So, dressed appropriately, with FBI jacket, peaked cap squashed on head, backwards, shades, blue flashing light held on cap, waa-waa going, approached, nervously. Asked a different officer whether they had any work in intelligence. Told me no need to shout. Lowered voice a little and asked again. No. Damn!
None of the temp agencies had any, either, and neither did the RAF. Damn!
So, still no work in intelligence for JJ.
Got followed round by a couple of teenagers. Perhaps, if it hadn't been for them meddlin' kids...
Went to bank a couple of days ago, and told them about my new found wealth. Said I'd be buying a PC, and might think about setting up as a freelance journalist. So, went away with a 'starting your own business' pack. Will have to produce a business plan and a cashflow forecast. Did that when I was at Warwick, but that was about 14 years ago. And I don't recall getting a First for it, either! Once got a First for any essay about toilets in the Bolivian altiplano. But not for my business plan. Don't think we took the business plan too seriously, at the time!
Just saw some presenter from BBC TV in the Forum. Can't remember his name. Very dapper, though!
Apologised to one of the plain clothes staff on the police stand for being noisy earlier. He seemed happy to accept the apology. So, I guess it must have been very annoying for him.
29/6/2
Look! No banner ad! No pop-ups!
I say that... I think I may be suffering from pop-ups courtesy of Bravenet's interactive features. I may try to eliminate this effect. Depends on what I might have to lose. The visitor counter is quite good, and provides all sorts of interesting info on who's been, what they looked with, etc. Never get much response to minipolls.
Hosting Solutions has very kindly upgraded me before the money has arrived. Site will be downgraded again if the cheque don't arrive in the post, so will be a week before I dare to post any zips.
Potentially dangerous product from Argos!
Have just had a play with a 'Challenge' bench grinder I got in a sale at Argos. Very alarming! Went out and got a thick offcut of kitchen top wood to use as a base to mount it on for £3. Drilled, countersunk, and bolted the machine to it. Says to use for 10mins on, then 30mins rest. Lost track of time ever so slightly, and must have used it for about 15-20mins before, suddenly, halfway through sharpening a 5mm drill bit, it made an angry boiling noise. Thought, at first, that something had broken off and was rattling around in the guard. Assumed it was about to spit it out at me, and leapt back. Switched it off. It continued to gurgle as it ran down. Half hour later, it still made the same noise when switched on. So, will probably have to return it to Argos. Got a half-sharpened 5mm bit, now!
Click here for a pic of the wretched grinder! (77kb)
Will try switching on grinder again, when I get back to my flat, and if it still makes the gurgles, it's going back to Argos - my fingers are worth rather more to me than the price of a new 5mm drill, the £3 in wood, the £2 in bolts, and the £11.50 the grinder cost!
New digital camera on pic number 129, and still on first set of batteries, which is pretty good compared to the last one I used, which wouldn't even do 24-36 without you had to worry!
Have just seen precisely the kind of thing I was trying to make (the blue blinky) fixed into a cap in a novelty store in the mall, for £10. Damn! Mind you, mine flashes brighter and faster, will stick to my top box with velcro, too. On the down side, I didn't get a cap with mine, and I've been holding it on top of my head (which is why I dropped it!).
Been playing with the camera some more, too.
Some views inside Norwich library, where I put most of this together: Inside Norwich Library (126kb).
A few of the more notable tourist atractions of Norwich: Norwich Castle, City Hall, Royal Arcade shopping mall (142kb).
28/6/2
No more pop-up ads on this site! (And this index page is about to be archived, like the last one was).
Have sent off money to upgrade this site to 'Bronze' account. This will remove the irritating 'pop-up' and 'banner' ads, remove the daily download restriction (20Mb), increase the size of file I can upload to from 1Mb to 5Mb (not that I care for foisting files of such size on people), increase my storage allowance from 100Mb to 250Mb, remove usage restrictions (currently, no mass pic storage, etc), and mean that I can post other file formats, such as MP3, Zips, etc, which will mean that I can bundle files for common threads together, making it easier to 'find out all about' something without messing around with stop-go downloading, AND, BEST OF ALL, I THINK IT SHOULD MEAN THAT YOU CAN LINK BACK TO THE DOCUMENT YOU'RE AFTER DIRECTLY FROM THE SITE SEARCH ENGINE!. Letter plus money draft for 1yr's subs (£56.24, UK money, after bank charge). Certificate of posting.
Getting money to the States is a pain in the neck.
David Wright, Director of Social Services, says Soc Servs won't talk to me about data: Letter from David Wright.
For my part, I think, since it is now some nine months since my original request, and since that has not been fulfilled, yet, I ought to submit a fresh DPA request. I think the period elapsed since the last one is quite adequate to be considered reasonable. Who knows how many more emails discussing me are headed 'Re: That man again'.
Does anyone know an easy way to get a telephone when you haven't got one? Spent ages on the net yesterday trying to find prices. Eventually paid 80p for NTL prices (which didn't include listings of installation charges) and couldn't even begin to find a succinct document for BT - who even went so far as to prevent their messaging system from accepting messages without a valid phone number. So, gave them the number of a laundry in London. Some people really haven't the first idea of what people want from media!
I appear to have won a prize worth £250 or more on one of those scratch the silver plastic off cards. You never know, I might even have won up to £10,000! Am expecting £250 of Argos vouchers, though. Still, better than a kick up the rear!
Am thinking of doing photographic trawl round Norwich Castle museum - an essential guide, as it were. Might be able to get away with 255 pics on one card. Or, might even try to get battery for docking station and attempt download to disk without the aid of on-TV menus, and multiply number of pics. Likely to be quite a nightmare trying to crop, scale and convert, afterwards.
26/6/2
Have bought a digital camera for £100. Details of camera (83kb).
Some example pictures, taken today, in hot sunshine. Digital pics (452kb). It's only a 0.3Megapixel toy, really but has the advantage that it saves straight to a floppy in a docking station, and feeds stills to a TV. Special bargain, today, at Argos, £100 instead of £150! CMOS operation, so apparently not so battery-hungry, either. One Hell of a pain to pass pics to my site, in the library, as had to go via Publisher, crop pics fractionally (or stayed as JPEG, instead of converting to GIF in HTML), Publisher web document, back to Word. Pics here are 50% of size, in resaved GIF. Roll on the extinction of Microsoft!
Click here to see an original JPEG.
Click here to see another.
Have taken my bike out for a couple of runs. On one trip, was passed by about four police vehicles (or not, as the case may be).
20/6/2
Have finished decorating bike: Full pics of FBI multipurpose high velocity interceptor Nimbus 2002 (492kb).
Compare with: Norfolk Police motorcycles (159kb); More Norfolk Police vehicles (557kb). And check out the way vehicles masquerading as police vehicles are regarded by Norfolk Police (with letters from a genuine Inspector Pincher and a Sergeant Sweeney!): Oi! That's illegal! (53kb) (Sorry about file name with spaces in!) I appear to be well within the 10 working months I allowed myself to complete this task!
Was spotted applying sticky-backed plastic by some passing kids. One precocious little brat asked whether I really worked in New York. Said I did. Said I flew there. By bike. And introduced myself as 'Hagrid'. Kid muttered something to the effect that that was what she was thinking about.
Have redone taxi licence, as first one (not encapsulated) got damp in rain, and ink ran, obscuring number of passengers I am licensed to carry.
Pictures and some description of star globe and accompanying calculator during assembly: Starglobe during assembly (167kb).
Some demolition that caught my eye - huge crunching jaws! Like some kind of modern day dinosaur that eats concrete: Dino (71kb).
Science Museum has very kindly responded to my request for information about how to use an abacus! I was very pleasantly surprised to receive a letter, this morning, which, I think, should tell me. Wanted to know for some time, as once saw children taught to use it, who then visualised it in their minds, and thence managed complex mental arithmetic.
Haven't heard a dickie bird from Norfolk Social Services' lawyers. Will have to tickle them. Wretched Fabians!
15/6/2
Have discovered similar blooms to those found on tubs of cream in Boots inside my washing machine's cabinet, in a place where the sun don't shine, and the wind don't blow! Blooms (251kb).
I remain, therefore, unconvinced of Boots' explanations! Regret photo print quality poor, so cannot show 'dendritic' structure clearly.
What holds a top-heavy cactus up (or doesn't!): Inside a cactus (267kb).
Little Nellie, which paid a visit here, a short while ago: Little Nellie (245kb).
Starglobe as it neared completion: Starglobe.
Have now finished it!
Remains of a protest outside City Hall a while back: Guns.
Apologies for quality of pics. Boots cocked up the printing (with rather purply cast to some) and are now using digital printing, which is no good for high quality detail. Will be seeking old fashioned printer.
13/6/2
Have duly obtained waa waa and blue blinky: Waa waa.
Road testing seemed to go quite well, with blinky in shopping trolley and waa waa 'blaring', in standard FBI uniform, round Tesco.
Call me 'Judged Redd'.
Anyone know where to get good go-faster stripage and high vis sticky-backed plastic?
Police tell me where to go: Letter from police, re: screams. I had more or less concluded that they had decided in their favour anyway, so who cares - not my problem!
GMC: 'OK to personate doctors!'
It is quite alright to personate GPs, according to the General Medical Council: Letter from GMC.
I am, therefore, off to buy myself a new scalpel, stethoscope, pair of forceps, and will be contacting Fred down the road, in a darkened alley, for some speed, dope, and anything else I can get my hands on.
I think I shall set myself up in brain surgery. Hmm. May have to write to Dr David Blunkett LRCP, MRCS, MB, BS, DCH, and ask for the baseball bat back, for anaesthetic purposes. Hope the dog hasn't gnawed it too much - I'd hate to get splinters!
I shall, in addition, pay a visit to Maplin and buy myself a waa-waa and blue blinky.
More cheese!
You can call me Dr Chief Inspector Jones, MP, HRH, KBC, KPMG, BSc, MA (Oxon), CEng, etc, etc, etc.
I shall, when I have recovered from the shock of my recent, and, it has to be said, surprising, qualification, be contacting the GMC to find out what the Hell they are doing.
It's astonishing what one is!
8/6/2 (Latest minipoll)
Here is a little bad (quite possibly fatal), though definitely original, art: Stunned!
It may be useful when appreciating the unbelievable rottenness of the art to refer to the following historical map: Now and then.
Or, you could click on the following Multimap link for the same area (today): Where it's at.
You might wish to establish, for yourself, just how original my art is, by passing it through an originality checker, such as TurnItIn.com (sign up for a demo and get a few free goes - it really works, and really works quite well!).
For more 'crazy' art, try my brother's skiffle band, Railroad Bill.
Sensitive folks, are artists, not like those brash, boring and uncultured engineering types!
Police pick up the baton, re: personation. Or not. Possibly. It appears to have been allocated to the 'mollify the poor loony by making it look like we're doing something' department. Unless I've misread the tenor of the departmental names in the letter. Perhaps they aren't so worried by the idea of some complete nobody prescribing, who knows, heart stoppers, stimulants, or various other legalised poisons?: Letter from police.
7/6/2
I have been quite busy!
GMC has assigned an officer to the personation case: Letter from GMC.
Dr Hassan claims to have no data on me: Letter from Dr Hassan.
Information Commissioner promises to rap NMHC over knuckles: Letter from Information Commissioner.
Have not, for reasons I do not understand, been contacted, yet, by police, regarding personation case.
I have submitted a Data Protection Act request to Norfolk Constabulary, at Bethel Street Police Station, and paid the £10 required: Completed DPA request form. (ID details and past addresses withheld).
Norwich Police reports on extraordinary delays in getting to the bottom of screams: Letter from Norwich Police.
My reply to them: Letter to Norwich Police Stn.
City & County claims it has no data on me: Letter from City & County Estate Agents.
My reply, asking for clarificaton: Letter to City & County.
Norfolk County Council Social Services' #2 replies, re: threatening people with lawyers for no good reason (-we give it to another lawyer): Letter from Glen Garrod.
Boots gets back to me, again, regarding dirty tubs for aqueous cream, etc. They appear to be conveniently ignoring the main gist of my complaint. I shall have to get back to them, assuming the store manager doesn't do so, first! Letter from Boots.
The loaf that wouldn't die: the original baker of the wretched thing writes and does nothing to reassure me - worth another £10, though - bets on how much the pieces of wire and rock in the spinach will actually turn out to be worth - total so far, £40! Letter from Speedibake.
My reply to Speedibake: Letter to Speedibake.
I have not been neglecting Parliament: Recent communications to MPs. Check out special typewriter Braille!
Am more than a little worried that, at some stage, someone will call me mad, rather than do a psychiatrist or GP. Here is updated request list, in case of readmission to hospital. Just in case request list. Toothypeg health not quite what it was, and am now on aqueous cream only.
I am most of the way through building a 'star globe' to allow me to work out what I am likely to see, and where, in the sky (assuming not too many street lamps pointing upward, or tall buildings in the way) - even if I'm in the southern hemisphere!. It only cost £3.50. Have photocopied the images onto card, as the book is so beautiful.
Should look a bit like this:
It's part of the same series as the nocturnal (tells you the time by the stars) that I made: Nocturnal. How to use it: instructions for nocturnal. Apologies to people that have difficulties with long file names with spaces in them!
Here's the web site for the publisher of the books: Tarquin Publications, Stradbrooke, Diss, Norfolk, IP21 5JP, England. www.tarquin-books.demon.co.uk
It's also the source of one of the books I have played with on codes and ciphers, and how locks work - great fun!
Here's a pic of the sundials from the same series that I made - tell the time to about +/- 7min, when set properly!
Completed sundials.
I also have a working paper grandfather clock model, which I haven't got round to making, yet, but that seems to be published by a different company - rather complex, and needs a specific needle, or wire to use as a spindle.
30/5/2
Letter from a consultant psychiatrist, Dr Christopher Mayer, to my family's GP, Dr Andrew Hassan, that was included in Social Services' data. Letter from Mayer to Hassan.
How to get data from Norfolk Police: Norfolk Constabulary DPA access request form and guidance notes.
Some very belated news from the GMC - not sure why they even bothered, to be honest: Letter from GMC.
Have decided to contact GMC and police regarding personation of a doctor that I was the victim of, in 1998. Files supplied by Norfolk County Council Social Services included a letter from a consultant psychiatrist from Great Barton, Dr Christopher Mayer, to the family GP, Dr Andrew Hassan. It purported to describe a meeting between myself and the two doctors. However, Dr Hassan was not present: somebody was personating him! As you can imagine, being presented with a consultant psychiatrist with the ability to Section you to a psychiatric hospital presenting somebody as a colleague he must surely have seen many many times, after the pair were let in by your father, was exceedingly worrying! I am rather worried!
Letter to Norfolk Constabulary.
Letter to GMC.
Letter to Dr Andrew Hassan.
Letter to Nick Miller, of Social Services, regarding Data Protection Act, which mentions personation.
28/5/2
Why 'lock people up'?
Judge for yourself!
Have scanned a selection of medical notes etc from the time I was Sectioned to the psychiatric hospital. Sorry if some files larger than usual, but have scanned at 200dpi, as copies and doctors' handwriting poor.
Social
As far as I can tell, the psychiatric services operate as a detention facility for the local housing mafia. See this report by Kate Greenwood. See, especially, Section 11 'Circumstances leading to assessment', which concludes: 'Making unreasonable demands on housing'. Funnily enough, I was due to be evicted, at the time!
Kate Greenwood, Approved Social Worker's assessment report of 17/5/99 (97kb).
Just how urgent is an exploding cigar tin?
Letter from Met Police to ASW Kate Greenwood of 8/7/99 (44kb). Would you believe the police actually sent the letter to Social Services to give to me?
Medical
Let's start with the best example of an interview, by one Dr Few, who at least listened to me. He told me, afterwards, that he thought I might have 'mild delusions'. Check notes immediately after his! See, also, the notes in this file by Dr Diana Gross, and compare! A lot of the 'psychiatric problem' appears to be attributable to my asking questions. Most of which, in all probability, arose from their professional stupidity, and having been ignominiously dragged there in the first place.
First, and principal, interview after detention, by Dr Andrew Few (879kb). Interesting to see what constitutes the bulk of a psychiatric assessment!
Total of about 200 sheets (mostly double-sided) in NMHC data. Probably more worth scanning later.
Personally, I'd like to know how the psychiatric and social care staff of this world justify their salaries!
Other matters of today
NMHC's letter inviting me to pay for very late goods. Sorry I didn't post it earlier!
A little acknowledgement from my MP, Charles Clarke (Norwich, South) regarding a letter to him of 20/5/2.
Found my motorcycle had grown legs and moved of its own accord for a second time, today. Attributed, by caretaker, to being 'probably just the kids'. Think I'll design and build an alarm with a 50kW piezo buzzer for it.
Housing Association has put up rent and service charge. No idea how they have the gall to ask for a service charge at all! Most rent at my place paid by City Council! I guess that's just the local housing mafia for you!
Called the police the other night, because I could hear a woman screaming the other side of the Benefits Agency. When they arrived, they slewed their transit van across the entrance to St John Street (having overshot the area I described to the police on the phone by some 150-100yards and an entire government building) and sat and waited. Eventually, I rang 999 again to suggest that they do something. Then they got out of the van and had a look around the area I'd described! Letter from police following my complaint.
24/5/2
Have sent off Request For Assessment of NORCI, in regard to DPA.
Completed Request for Access form.
Letter enclosed with Request: Letter from NORCI.
Have also made a few couple of new requests for access to data:
Request for data from City & County Estate Agents.
RFA to C&C in Mac format.
Request for data from Norfolk Constabulary.
RFA to Norfolk Constabulary in Mac format.
Am hoping to have time to go to Courts to find out who to apply to for DPA access there, later today.
Have replied to the reply from Boots, regarding dirty 'blooms' on containers for creams and lotions:
Letter to Boots.
Letter to Boots, Mac format.
Hands are rather raw in parts, at present, and a bit on the microblistery side, and will probably become a little flaky, as I have been trying to go back to showering with more ordinary soaps. Not sure my skin's ready for it yet. Will go back to E45 oil in short baths and no soap, I think. Scan of left hand, today (741kb).
23/5/2
NMHC has finally parted with data. No waiver of fee, however (copy of letter, later). Rather entertainingly, their reply refers to a demand for money made in January. Despite the data not having been made available until now. So have paid £20. Some people have no sense of PR.
Some of the material is completely unbelievable. It appears to contain approximately one 'interview' that shows any sign of education, training or intelligence, let alone of the 'interviewer' having listened to me, and even that contains errors. Some of the remaining material has all the hallmarks of having been written by children aged about five. Scandalous. May post some of it here, later, so you can form your own judgements.
I am coming to the conclusion that my stay in hospital can, basically, be traced back to my having asked a plumber for proof of identity before allowing him into my house in Grove Road. I shall be asking the estate agent that was supposedly managing the property at the time for all data that it holds on me. Along with the City Council's Housing Department, and possibly a local housing association, it appears to have been the main contributor to evidence suggesting that I was 'mentally ill'. There are also submissions from Anglian Water, of whom I asked questions regarding water purity. There is no evidence of independent confirmation (by either hospital or social services staff) of the assertions of the estate agent.
There is only evidence of one measurement, of any kind, having been made during my time in hospital. There is one record of a blood test. The only parameter outside the limits listed (which I take to be representative of 'normality') is 'carbonate', which reads 31 units in a range from X-30MMOL/L (sorry I can't remember X, at the moment). Am not trained in medicine, but would be surprised if a slightly high reading of one component of a salt (sodium also quite high, in range) indicated serious mental health problems. The reading for 'lymphocytes' is right on the low border. Test was, supposedly, going to tell them if I had been fighting any bacteria (among other things). Not sure what low lymphocytes indicates. Certainly wasn't told at the time. I haven't read every page, yet, but have not come across any evidence of this single measurement having been used.
Think I'll also approach the Police for data, as they were frequent visitors to my house in 1999 - usually to deal with plumbers! Will be contacting Information Commissioner regarding remaining data not yet supplied by NORCI.
20/5/2
STOP PRESS!
Surprise letter from Charity Commission indicates that NORCI is planning to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting to 'rectify procedural lapses of the AGM'. Letter from Charity Commission.
My response: Letter to Charity Commission.
Data Protection Act
Norfolk County Council is playing for time, still: Letter from NCC lawyer.
My response: Letter to Information Commissioner.
My 2nd response: Letter to MP.
My 3rd response: Letter to David Wright, Director, NCC Social Services.
Another response, re: demons. Letter from former CCC. Have duly thanked the Revd. Father Mayoss.
And, have produced miniature Vigenere Slide (like a whirly code wheel, but without having to crane your neck etc) for encrypting using one time pads (shake dice with 6 x 6 square, A-Z and 1-0 for pads). Vigenere Slide.
18/5/2
There appears to be a comedian in QD, where I buy the ashtrays: Price tag. By the way, 30 of them gone, now! Still not a crime, though.
At last! The official position on demonic possession! Email from the General Synod office. Seems you have to pay to find out! And they don't seem to want to point me to something on a web site, either! Perhaps they're ashamed of this part of their credo? Not as up to date as the Catholics. Seems Catholic demons changed more recently than C of E ones! Pope issued edict in last decade (think it was '99). Unfortunately, story not immediately locatable on CNN web site!
Have got response from Boots the chemist. Am not in the least convinced by their response. Went and showed it to staff in the mall, and asked them what they thought. Not convinced by them, either. Though was impressed that they put up valiant defence - pity their management in Nottingham didn't have the guts to sort the problem out before it got there! Dust, apparently, unlike snow, falls in wonderful dendritic, almost crystalline, patterns. Maybe God puts it there like that? They duly produced a tub of aqueous cream, as an exmample, which had precisely the kind of pattern I was talking about on it, but only a very small, faint patch, as though previously dusted for the purpose. Later, I went to fetch an example bottle, with a more obviously dendritic pattern on it. Went to check Vaseline Intensive Care lotion with lipids. All clean. However, the bottles immediately adjacent on the shelf provided precisely what I was looking for. Had good, long enjoyable argument with a couple of junior counter staff. Decided, eventually, to break it off, rather than risk everyone's tempers flaring. Pity the manager didn't decide to intervene at any stage. Brave lot, the managers in Norwich! Letter from Boots.
Heard that Science Museum is putting on exhibition of 'grossology' on Have I Got News for You. Reckon they should put in an electronic nose, so that schoolchildren can fart at it and have it tell them what they had for supper last night and burp at it so that it can tell them about breakfast! Will contact Sci M and Neotronics, University of Warwick, etc. Check out one of the following: Google search for 'electronic nose'.
17/5/2
Have found AlQaid!!!!!! - (5kb image below)
Have got response from ASA, re: Doc food/'Sex' bars. Not their bag, therefore will try elsewhere, as suggested. Letter from ASA.
Anyone see the Tony Blair interviews? Remove that idiot at _once_! Hypothetically... No, sorry, no such thing as hypotheticals. Hypothetically... Shan't! - I don't remember voting for you!
Have been contributing ideas for activities etc to new series of Big Brother on Channel 4's discussion forum. Check out: www.channel4.com/forums/c4_forumframeset.cfm?forum=bigbrother
This site is, to the best of my knowledge, now listed on at least three search engines. Am expecting big things from here on in!!!!
Not _all_ search engine systems are so friendly, though! Mama don't allow no cigar smoking roun' here!. Which is a pity, because there are letters from the Bishop of Norwich (or his functionaries) on a quite central theme to Christianity. Almost unique, I should imagine! Check out the source: www.active-ss.com.
Ever wondered how many Joneses there are in the world?
Try looking for them on www.google.com, or www.yahoo.com. How many personal web sites attributable to Joneses can you find, there? Google claims to trawl about 2billion web pages. Yahoo claims that personal web sites make up the majority of its content.
13/5/2
Have written back to various parties, re: data. Letter to Information Commissioner. Letter to NMHC. Letter to Social Services' lawyer, who threatened me for no good reason.
Mac versions of a couple of Word docs, as converted on home 3.11 PC in case the table works any better. Letter to Charity Commission: CHARCMAC.MCW. How to analyse company reports: READMAC.MCW.
Have registered with Durham University old boys/girls' web site: www.dunelm.org.uk. I appear to have the distinction, according to their records, of having graduated in one third of the time taken by all of my contemporaries. Baffling.
11/5/2
Latest in technicoloured food vouchers has arrived from Iceland, after the melting plastic baguette incident. Not at all sure about the quality of their advice. Not too sure I like the condescension, either! However, I'm sure the £10 token will buy some very good tried and tested frozen pizza! How to cook garlic bread. You know, if I manage to find a defective product every week, I could keep myself in frozen food indefinitely!
Am about to try to produce logo on teeshirt. Think I'll do something like a picture of a mole with the words 'I'm the mole you've been looking for' on it. Or possibly do a UK version of the FBI jacket (in tee shirt form) with MI5 on it. Sadly, just missed an anti-war demo, this morning. Have been under the weather last two days.
Am about to contact ASA or similar about a range of fruit and seed products sold by Tesco. Something like 'Doctor's own' series, or something. One fruit and seed bar describes itself as a 'sex fruit and seed bar'. I'm pretty sure one isn't allowed to sell using sex. Tasted awful, too. Seems, increasingly, to be symptomatic of the times. Women becoming more and more like men's playthings, especially in adverts, to sell things. Makes you wonder what all the campaigning in the Eighties (and before) was for.
9/5/2
Seems someone's been pulling on the paddle for me! Got a letter from my MP, indicating he has had a word with the Information Commissioner for me. Not altogether sure they answered the questions I was worried about, but here it is, anyway: Letters from MP and The Information Commissioner herself, Elizabeth France. Perhaps Mr Clarke is also waiting for a response from Social Services, who were threatening me with a lawyer? See also letter to MP: Letter to MP of 20/4/2.
Info Commissioner also wrote to me regarding the money for data situation with Norfolk Mental Health Care NHS Trust. They seem to be suggesting that they believe it's a damnable liberty to ask after this time, but there's very little they can do about it. Will be writing to NMHC to see how they wish to be painted. Letter from Info Comm.
Both Norwich MPs on TV last Sunday - one on one channel, one on another. Regret to say neither delivering impressive performance! Gibson behaving like a silent gargoyle, there for looks, rather than being in control of the deal. Still, it was a sight better than the opening of his mouth at the last NORCI AGM, which, frankly, could only be met by total incredulity on the part of the assembled 46.3 persons plus dog in the audience. Clarke looking ever so slightly as if too easily rattled, and rather unstatesmanlike for his ambition. Possibly aftershock of elections, which saw Norwich Council ceded to Lib Dem control, out of Labour control, for first time in about 70 years (according to papers). Still, mustn't complain! It's not that many MPs that'd get you a letter from the top! Then again, you might hope that they'd keep their house a little tidier!
Tony Blair is a vampire. Gibson and Clarke are merely bats.
How the Romans won the East. History the Norwich way: an exhibit in Norwich Castle Museum after its £12m refit Disarming of a sword-wielding Iceni warrior. It's amazing how little weaponry yer average Roman cesterci bought!.
Hmm. Not sure why, but web site seems to be playing up. My screen shows above pic link in pink, ie: seen. However, it refuses to show it, claiming it's not there. It is! I've checked! Maybe something somewhere's just fussy about names?
Try this: Disarming of sword-wielding Iceni warrior. This one works!
Funny! It's working again, now! I'll leave both there just in case whatever something it is changes its mind again!
Here's a test Word for Mac 5.1 format copy of one of the docs on this web site, for my brother, who has a spanking new Mac that won't talk to old PCs: Letter to Charity Commission, re: NORCI (43kb). I have a feeling the table I've used to lay out the addresses might appear with a pretty line around it, but without a spanking new Mac myself, I can't say for sure! File was created on modern library machine. Not sure if same line will appear if I use my cranky old W3.11 PC, though!
3/5/2
How many people vote, and when? Here is tally count of voters at the Wensum Lodge polling station, 2/5/2, graphed in several ways (15min, 30min, 1hr, and moving averages): VOTING52.XLS (63kb). Apologies for any inadequacies of Microsoft, whose labels appear to be of fixed size, rather than fixed usefulness! Just added better trended version.
To be honest, the number of votes cast there seem to produce data looking little better than background noise, over quarter hour periods, although there are possible peaks in the morning and evening. Effect is more pronounced when viewed as hourly graph. - Damned lies!
Results for the ward:
Lib Dem: 1005
Labour: 948
Conserv: 298
Green: 159
'Electorate' of ward listed as 7142 on results sheet. Obviously more than one polling station! Polling clerks appear to be rather ignorant!
Turnout 2410 votes cast.
As percent of 7142: 33.74%
Percent of votes cast in Mancroft Ward that were cast at Wensum Lodge: 181/7142=7.5%
Lib Dem gain from Labour
Overall change:
Was:
Lab: 12; Lib Dem: 5.
Now:
Lab: 5; Lib Dem: 10; Green: 2.
Sway to Lib Dem from Labour, Greens enter.
Have totted up total votes in Norwich City Council, and produced charts of who got what for how much effort, as it were. Quite entertaining! Who got what and how (28kb).
Just bumped into a trendline feature in Excel 2000 on library PC, which produces much smoother and more believable averaging than my home brew moving average, and here it is: Voting pattern with trendlines (129kb). Unfortunately, the conversion process and addition of a mere three lines has turned a 63kb file into a 129kb file. That's Microsoft for you!
This gives much clearer indication of morning and evening peaks, peaking at about 8.45-9.00am and 7.15-7.45pm (depending on whether you look at quarter hourly results or hourly).
Dog tags clearly ain't what they used to be. Not sure I'd fancy my chances of being identified if I was left to rot after dying for my country with these on! How dog tags look after a month!.
1/5/2
I am hoping to perform a tally count of the number of voters voting each quarter hour at my polling station tomorrow. This is quite legal. I shall also be displaying a sign reading 'YOU ARE NOT OBLIGED BY LAW TO GIVE YOUR POLL CARD NUMBER TO THE TELLERS OUTSIDE, WHO ARE PARTY POLITICAL'. I have confirmed that this is legal with the Returning Officer for Norwich, John Turner. Results here, later! Rather cryptically, Mr Turner said that while what I was going to do was quite legal, or not illegal, he obviously couldn't say how the tellers would react, and wouldn't be drawn further on precisely what he meant by this.
Here is the survey form I shall be using quarter hourly vote casting. Gotta take a break to sign on, unfortunately.
And a letter I just handed to Mr Turner: Letter.
And here is the notice I have taped to the back of my clipboard: No obligation to reveal.
Mr Turner suggested that there is likely to be a change in the rules governing the right of patients detained against their will under the terms of the Mental Health Act in psychiatric hospitals to vote, because of the Human Rights Act. I suggested that, perhaps, this change ought to have taken place, already!
Here, as promised, within the ten working months, is the graph showing the temperature of the glass of the door of a washing machine on a boil wash: Graphs of glass door temperature during boil wash.
Picture of measurement in progress: Ouch!
Compare it with the temperature of the side wall of a plastic kettle as it boils the water inside (obviously, to 100 degrees centigrade, or whatever it happens to be, for tap water, these days!). Graphs of temperature of kettle's side wall.
29/4/2
Here's the letter from NMHC, together with a leaflet indicating very clearly what it thinks of petty-fogging little laws in this country (such as the Data Protection Act). Letter and DPA leaflet.
Have bought a 60W 'facial solarium' (sun lamp) to zap the dust mites that appear to be causing my skin so much problem. WARNING! These are exceedingly dangerous machines! I managed to turn myself orange after quite short sessions stood a couple of metres away. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES USE THEM AS DIRECTED IN THE MANUAL SUPPLIED! Why the makers of such items continue to issue instructions that can so obviously be damaging to the health of the users, is beyond me.
Have been zapping carpets, curtains (lucky I'm on 4th floor, so not too worried about eyes of passers-by (though have blacked out window), mattress, bed, duvet, pillow, etc for hours on end. Am sincerely hoping that this will restore items to condition near to that of when they were bought.
Have zapped myself for 2 x 5mins at 2.5metres (manual suggests 10cm for 10mins+!!!!!!!). Might see what colour my skin goes, but mainly bought the UV specifically because it was exceedingly dangerous to life and might, finally, bring the mites under control.
I wear the UV goggles supplied under my specs with clip-on polaroid lenses while checking operation. And, while zapping myself, cover the clipon lenses with tin foil for complete exclusion, shutting my eyes to keep out anything encroaching from the side.
Had a visit from an Environmental Health Officer, this morning, who said she wasn't the slightest bit worried by the total lack of clean-up of various forms of human waste in the building. Well. She would be. If it had been hanging around for more than two days. Or was. Still. Although the male waste had clearly been around for about 10 or so. But that this wasn't really much more than two. Really. So it didn't matter. But she'd write to Cotman anyway. You might be forgiven for wondering whether anybody really feels that they have to do their job round here, after a while. Or, even if they do, whether they can, reasonably, be expected to care.
Turns out the Council owns one pressure washer. Which accounts for the fact that none of the streets are kept clean of 'human slime' marks on walls, etc. And that the streets are filthy.
Not worried about the pigeons, either. Laws are, apparently, too complicated to make it possible to deal with health problems that might arise because of them. Illogical as this may sound. Although it doesn't. Because it couldn't be. But it is. So there.
One gets the feeling councillors feed their staff PR for stock regurgitation. Quite possibly at greater expense than dealing with the problem.
25/4/2
Have put together graph of encounters with people associated with NORCI. 19 different people over 52 days (plus some repeats). Average rate of encounter is 0.538 people per day from 4/3/2 to 25/4/2, or one every 1.857 days! Check out the details! Graph of encounters. (Data anonymised to protect the innocent!)
Will have demographic data later for statistical likelihood. Rough calcs indicate that seeing three in a day is roughly 17.75 times more unlikely than stats would suggest probable.
Pop. Nch: 120,000; Pop. Nfk: 770,000 (or thereabouts) which only makes the occurrences more unlikely - see www.norfolk.gov.uk/Demography/demographic_home.htm for full details. Curiously, significantly more women around here than men (not a huge percentage, but significant).
NORCI intends to contest employment case.
Norfolk Mental Health Care NHS Trust has, after pressure from Information Commissioner, conceded that it must provide the data it holds. However, it has had the cheek to ask for £20 before it parts with it. How it has the gall to do this, after delaying things for so long beats me. I am checking with Information Commissioner to see if they have the right to do this. Also, I have asked Social Services for a £20 grant to pay for this, should it transpire that I really do have to pay. Some people have no sense of PR.
Scan of letter from NMHC will follow, later.
22/4/2
Have just set search tool to respider my site - thought it was updating automatically, but hadn't redone since Jan! Hope it will be a lot more useful, now! (Expect ready by about 3pm, 22/4/2 or thereabouts).
'It was the Jeremy's Web Site wot won it!' Yup, Norfolk County Council is adding a search tool to its web site, following an heroic editorial in (well, email from) Jeremy's web site.
Despite big, bad, nasty lawyer telling me not to email council staff, council staff are still emailing me. Funny old world!
The Bish just went online: check out www.norwich.anglican.org. Have added Q about demons to discussion forum successfully - will there be a concise and complete reply?
20/4/2
Here is said threatening letter from Norfolk Social Services lawyer: Letter from lawyer.
The lawyer appears to be either ignorant the law, or chancing her arm, and has, additionally, broken more laws herself, by disclosing my personal sensitive data without asking for my permission.
Here is my reply to it: Letter to lawyer.
Letter from the Information Commissioner agreeing with my complaint, and promising to take NMHC NHS Trust to task: Letter from Info Comm.
Here is my reply to that, urging them, in addition, to sort out the Social Services mess: Letter to Info Comm.
Have bashed out a quick note to my MP, Charles Clarke (Labour, Norwich (South), reporting the failure of various statutory bodies in the area to comply with the law, and indicating just how suitable I believe Norwich's infrastructure to support a future Prime Minister: Letter to MP.
Evening News very kindly ran a story picturing the erroneous signwork at Hellesdon Hospital. Rather sad story about suicides there. Eve News story with pic of Hellesdon's outdated signage.
Compare the above with what's specified after an expensive redesign: www.doh.gov.uk/nhsidentity/signage.htm
19/4/2
Visit to Castle Museum to see female nudes and to snap hieroglyphs used up end of sponsored police bike film, so here are pics of sponsored and unsponsored bikes: Bikes (159kb)
Have not, as yet, read it in detail, but I appear to have a threatening letter from a Social Services lawyer. I suspect it comes as a result of trying to get Social Services to provide me with a copy of all data it holds on me - ie: grumbling when they 1) get it wrong; 2) provide unusable data; 3) get the corrections wrong. Why this should lead to such heavy-handed action beats me. If Social Services had got its data right in the first place, and complied with the Data Protection Act laws (ie: access) there would have been no need for me to send further communication to them at all. Watch this space for a copy of the letter.
Meanwhile, I also appear to have a letter from the Information Commissioner, which, again, without reading it in detail, appears to side with me, in respect of Norfolk Mental Health Care NHS Trust (ie: please to provide, as per UK and European law). Copy of letter will follow.
Norwich wishes to become the European City of Culture. It also calls itself 'A Fine City'. Here is the centre of Norwich';s pride and joy (the market, with its gaudily coloured canvases) in all its glory: Guano and garbage (847kb).
Are Christians in Norwich happily living with masonic iconography on their churches? St Peter Mancroft Church, Norwich.
Egyptology from Norwich Castle Museum: Judgement scene and an inscription in glyphs I used to make a postcard (730kb).
Some glyphs in Norwich Castle Museum: Glyphs on panels and palette (150kb).
Some glyphs on the front of Ankh Hor's mummy: Part of panel of glyphs.
18/4/2
Obviously an aberration. 'Nother one gone.
Sorry above pic is so huge - scanner software in library playing up again!
Latest official publication from the Association (or is it?): Latest newsletter.
13-week interview at Job Centre seemed to go OK, today.
Didn't have energy to drag my corpse out of bed at 4.30am again, today, so no car park data today. Will try to compare with Friday and Saturday and Sunday (energy permitting). Presumably, we are still in Easter Holiday period.
Forgot to mention that yesterday's survey made me notice the fact that one of the lanes of the car park is reversible - which, despite watching the thing now and then for some years I had not registered.
17/4/2
Can't think what can have happened, but there was still an ashtray outside this afternoon, at 1.25pm. And it had a butt in it!
What time should you try to get into a car park in Norwich?
Did an experimental car count this morning. All cars into the car park I can see from my flat (ie: right next door). Here is quarter hour breakdown of traffic. Had forgotten just how panicked the process of resetting a timer and a counter, and keeping an eye on the traffic, while writing down the last figure could be (once did all traffic down one lane onto roundabout and noted all exits - nightmare!).
Morning traffic into Rose Lane car park (21kb). This was produced on library machine, so is later Excel than usual (Excel 2000).
Interesting points include: late arrival of convertibles (taken as measure of rarity, and, in every convertible seen, wealth) and apparent lack of morning shoppers' peak (I had anticipated significant peak of those expecting to meet up for 11.00 odd coffee). Anticipating greater outflow, I didn't count it, but there was relatively little. The car park seems to have filled to near capacity by late morning. Peak rate I timed through the barriers was 17 cars in two minutes (ie: 8.5sec for a car to pass through).
By the way. Forgot to mention a beige Rolls Royce, with sunroof and golden 'Silver' Lady came down St John Street, yesterday. Thought it must surely have been lost, but didn't reappear to go, while I waited.
Count across town this afternoon, over 77min, of 1,722 people seen. Lower than before, over longer time, but less popular streets. Same sort of order of magnitude, though (ie: not one squillion, and not a mere ten).
16/4/2
Fourteen!
Have bought the counter, as promised. Have started counting the number of people I see on various journeys, etc. For the moment, in the absence of any standardised scientifically accepted means of counting 'passers-by' or 'people met', am counting every individual I see on my journey. Not, perhaps, a terribly good indicator of 'meetings' but, in all probability (ho ho!) 'generous' (the higher the percentage of the population I meet, the more likely it is I shall meet NORCI folks), when it comes to establishing whether meeting two or three former colleagues every other day or so is statistically normal.
1) Jarrold to QD to home. 26min, across town. 1236 people seen.
2) Home to usual place I look for a scanning PC in library. 13mins across town. 522 people seen.
3) In library, wandering around looking for/waiting for PC. 7min, 171 people (in all probability, many of whom I had already counted on the way in).
4) Using PC (at present) 15min, 53 people seen (again, including looking down from third floor onto expanse of second while waiting for link (glass walls, here) - again, many of whom I have probably already counted - possibly twice).
Norwich has a population of about 100,000. Can check with local stats office at County Hall.
Will try a walk down Mag Street tomorrow (where I am more likely to meet NORCI folks, as on way to Karten CTEC Centre in Mag Rd).
Might try count of cars into car park next to flats first thing (somewhat unlikely (5-6am, that is), as I appear to have a bit of a cold, at present).
15/4/2
Twelve!
Twelve ashtrays! Perhaps there was a coxed pair on the water, too? Or perhaps it's a football team or cricket team? Not altogether sure sport and cigarettes mix, these days (although Norwich City FC rollie tins are available).
Have had enjoyable visit from Moral Support Unit of local police. Officer duly attempted to provide moral support. Managed to come out with a stunning quote, along the lines of 'well I have no idea how we're going to find out where these went, unless we station somebody outside 24hrs a day to watch...'. Knocking on neighbours' doors (as promised by operator when police originally called) has obviously gone out of fashion.
Motorcycle exhibition in shopping mall, again, today, and police's sponsored motorbike (plus unsponsored bike) on display. Have duly snapped them. Expect pics on web site at some stage. (Have only just started rolls of film).
13/4/2
Eight!
Am beginning to suspect local boat club of purloining the things for prizes for next eights race. Have discovered QD sells glass ashtrays for 19p. Boy do I feel stupid! Poundland ashtrays nos. nine and ten bought and ready to place (gotta give one to the cox, too!). Dropped another postcard off with police.
Have discovered that Jarrold sells handheld mechanical counters for £15.91. Will probably buy one on Tuesday and begin statistical analysis of the relative number of passers-by that I should expect, versus witnessed that have affiliation with NORCI (simple count of total people I pass on a day out in Norwich). Might play with it, later, counting cars in/out of car parks (do we need more?). What percentage of cars are white? Black? Local cathedrals (could Blair justify funding Christian schools? - how many passers-by are likely to have claimed they have seen a demon (or evidence of one)?). Castle Museum. Railway stations, etc. Might even be some money in doing surveys like that. As I said, there was a chap counting cars in and out of Rose Lane car park the other day, just below my window.
There's an international master chess player (Andrew Martin) playing schoolboys in the Forum (and I think they are mostly boys). He's cheating, by looking at the boards!
Barometer appears to be evidencing movement. It seems to be reading slightly high, but not by more than about 1mbar, which compares very favourably with a lot of instruments as seen in shops (which I have seen anything up to 'changeable' when it's 'high' - 'scuse lack of numbers). However, it's such a pain in the butt to try to set an instrument whose needle only moves when you tap it, and then a variable amount, I'll just let it continue to read high for a while while I assimilate data to compare with Ceefax. Incidentally, am not altogether convinced Ceefax data is reliable. Barometer is showing quite a bit of movement, whereas Ceefax data seems more static.
12/4/2
SIX! Six ashtrays! They've now stolen SIX ashtrays from me!
Never mind. Got two more from Poundland, again, this morning. Dropped off a little postcard explaining latest tragic loss in police station, 'cos was getting bored having to explain the whole story to officers that weren't going to face me when they were talking to me.
A weeny something I should have done to go with the barometer stuff: What weather can I expect?
Finally despaired with the variety of tensile strengths advertised for poly rope, so went and bought a couple of metres of 4mm and a couple of metres of 6mm. Cadged three standard cable ties from Maplin and went home to try it out. Was very pleasantly surprised when a single cable tie pulled tightly round two strands of rope using pliers and a claw hammer actually supported my weight quite happily. No worries about using the simple 4mm rope, either, or the 50p screwlock carabiner. Mind you, when I bounced my weight, the cable tie sprang off. But, as a very quick and dirty, last ditch 'if-I-don't-get-out-of-here-I'm-going-to-be-frazzled' measure I'd be more than happy to give it a try! Wouldn't be planning on bungeeing under those circumstances!
Now I just need to find somewhere secure to put an eye rawl-bolt. Don't suppose anyone knows what weight you can pull on one with? Was thinking of direct line of force vertical hang, as most secure surface available appears to be drilling through concrete-on-steel-sheet lintel above my window. Was hoping an M6 (10mm rawl hole - standard domestic drill) would suffice - or possibly two with linkage. I weigh 73.4kg. Could also add similar to window in living room and use for security harness when washing windows (which is, frankly, a rather scary exercise - and, clearly, not included in the £30 a month we pay).
My parents appear to be living it up, sloshing wine with MEPs in Strasbourg at the moment. No idea how they got to be doing that.
Latest font I have acquired (£1 from Poundland). Stencil (34k).
11/4/2
Have worked up atmospheric pressure conversion tables for an imperial aneroid barometer, and have calibrated barometer. Conversion tables (133kb)
Five!
Five ashtrays! Someone must be keeping the whole of BAT afloat single-handed! Police beginning to treat the thing as a joke. Officer I spoke to this morning very kindly told me I was probably inciting people to smoke. I explained that it was me that put the 'No smoking' signs back up in the first place, and me that installed a fire alarm. The rest of the encounter was then truly bizarre, as the officer apparently addressed somebody standing some way behind him and to his right. Perhaps he was talking to camera, the way people from the BBC do? It was certainly rather odd to find oneself having to rely upon echoes from the wall. Not to worry, I believe I still have an adequate credit line for several hundred more ashtrays!
Saw two fire officers investigating a second-hand bookshop in town, yesterday. Said it was closed for fire safety reasons.
Have begun to investigate the cost of installing my own fire escape rope ladder. As it turns out, it might be a good deal cheaper than I had imagined! Pending a few calcs, it might be possible to use rope as cheap as 4mm polythene rope at 12p/metre (four floors up). I figure two runs, one looped back onto the other, like a series of step holes. So, perhaps 3x4x2 metres total, maximum, ie: about £2.88 worth of rope. Possibly one or two eyebolts at 65p each, and one or two screw-close 'carabiner' 'rings' at 38-43p each. Total, £5.04. 6mm poly rope is 19p/metre (£4.56 in rope - £6.72, total).
Iceland gets back to me in record time. 'Nother £10 token! Letter.
10/4/2
Thieves have now stolen no less than four ashtrays from the window ledge in the corridor outside my flat. Incredible, isn't it! A fifth ashtray is now in place, awaiting collection. Don't think I've had quite so much entertainment for £2 since buying the hygrometer for a pound! Or the police! Yesterday, while waiting in the police station, chatted to a couple who had found a stray that had narrowly missed being run down. While an officer was dealing with that dog, another couple came in with another one! Which made a total of three that day! Began to wonder whether the UEA had been animal-libbed. Will be interesting to see what hunts in Scotland do with their packs, soon!
The dog tags I so expensively engraved now appear to be complete fakes! Sacre Bleu! After wearing them for only a couple of weeks (if that) the chrome is coming off them to reveal pure copper underneath - possibly with a layer of brass, too. Very odd choice of material. A chat with one surplus store reveals that they are, indeed, merely fakes. Who'd have thought you could turn a profit by producing something of that nature, and out of such odd materials, too! Will rescan when copper becomes the overriding colour.
Am seriously beginning to wonder why I (well, the Council, now) pay(s) £30 a month to Cotman Housing. There are still disgusting traces remaining on one of the windows on the floor below me from the April Fools 'prank'. I would actually be able to get a young adult to do two hours cleaning a week for me, personally and not contravene the minimum wage. I can't remember the last time I saw a cleaner in the block. As it was, I cleaned my door, the lift, the door handles and one of the sets of double doors which I had noticed similar disgusting traces on! I intend to take this up with them tomorrow.
A spell on the net, here, in the library, yesterday, revealed that anarchy is virtually a banned subject on the net in the library, typically, banned for falling into the category of 'crime' (in the opinion of whoever it is that sets the database of the I-Gear system). Next, it'll be Green politics. Or perhaps Communism. Would somebody please remove the thin end of that wedge!
I continue to bump into a statistically outrageous number of folks from NORCI. Am seriously beginning to wonder how on Earth this can be. Two more this morning alone! (And one member of staff of Social Services yesterday, which, while it doesn't really count in the same game, is, vaguely, similar). Population of Norwich, circa 100,000. Staff of NORCI, circa 30, number of clients at NORCI, circa 2-300. Try the math! Suppose I might try counting the total number of people I pass, or see, while out on a shopping trip on any one day, but might need a counting machine. Guess that's the way of it - police station normally takes in one dog every week to three weeks, then one day, two turn up in half an hour (not entirely sure about equivalence of statistics, here, suspect rather higher chance of more dogs than of spotting the NORCI mob.
Have now been taking humidity readings for about a month. It appears to be a quite astonishingly mobile parameter, for the weather, compared to, say, the temperature or the pressure. Will have to try a couple of days of hourly recordings (or better) to demonstrate the effect (though not particularly keen on an all-nighter). Am not at all sure of a graph of, say, a reading taken every day, since, as the day warms, humidity decreases quite rapidly, unless rain comes (as far as I can tell, from my limited experience). Will be interesting to see whether anything can be deduced from considering humidity and temperature at the same time as pressure, when I finally get around to producing an inches to mbar conversion look-up table and calibrating my barometer.
Am doing the groundwork research for producing a simple custom motorcycle alarm, using a 555 or 7555 timer triggered by a vibration sensor. Curiously enough, the data sheet on the net on Maplin's site actually contains some fairly basic errors, such as a jump from 1 to 100 instead of 1 to 10 in a logarithmic scale - and the sheet has, presumably, been around for years! Alarm? Blip? Blip? Alarm?
Simple idea for curing house-dust mite problem: buy a facial solarium (exceedingly dangerous things - grossly overpowered for the function described - never use them as instructed - stand six foot away from them, minimum, put them onto the minimum power setting, and use a much shorter time than described!) and shine it on the carpet, curtains, bedclothes, mattress etc. UV is supposed to kill the little blighters. Probably a lot less harmful than using pesticides (which probably merely add to the sensitisation of a person's lungs). Water companies use UV to sterilise water!
It occurred to me, the other day, that I might be able to convert the light-following bug into a solar tracking device (possibly even a 'sundial' that would work when the sky was completely obscured).
Quick weather question. Is it possible for human activity to influence local weather patterns? Could we, for example, make it rain, on demand, in London by getting more (or less) people than usual to hare round the South West section of the M25? Or create a bubble of rain that would glide majestically across the country by overusing electricity and cars in Bristol to generate excess heat and chemical smog? The presence of trees, for example, is supposed to increase the local likelihood of rain, by increasing the local humidity.
9/4/2
Am about to try to convert to using just aqueous cream for my poor eczematous hands (much cheaper). Here's my starting point. My left hand, today (706kb).
Another wee picture story I just cobbled together.
What is the common factor, here? (286kb)
How good is the batch tracking system used by Iceland? Answer: not very good. Not too hot on spotting pieces of rock in a plastic bag, either! Letter from Iceland. I shall be going back to them with this!
Would you believe someone has now stolen two 50p ashtrays I bought from Poundland from the corridor outside my flat? Must be collectors items, or something. Putting a new one out this afternoon. Perhaps there's a big blue and pink glass-eating monster stalking the corridors? Police, curiously, added the original theft to the crime number allocated to the criminal damage of April Fool's day (obscene graffiti), and have added second ashtray similarly.
Residents' Association meeting, last night, at which I had been told I was going to be asked about the newsletter. After one person began to act as Chair, another declared herself to be, and then a third said he was going to act as Chair (by authority of the Chair), a vote was taken on 'We don't need anybody telling us how to run this'. They decided that they didn't. Then there was a vote that Jeremy have nothing to do with the newsletter ever again - carried. Then there was a vote that Mr Jones be excluded from 'our' meetings, also carried.
Two people described me as an outsider. One said there were 'bad vibes' in the meeting. One told me 'get yourself sorted out'. One questioned whether I was 'alright'.
After they (the insiders) had decided whether they were actually going to vote on things, and had done so. I asked whether they would like me to leave the meeting right then. They said they did. So I did.
In all that time, the only suggestion of error in any of the material they had professed worries about was that the person acting as Chair, on authority of the Chair (which, apparently had been given by the Chair to the person acting as Chair at the previous meeting, in blatant contravention of the Rules (capital letter definitely needed!) of the Association - although this was not mentioned in the meeting, and was not, therefore, minuted) professed to be 'disgusted by the person that put the suggestion that the Union Flag be burned'. Which isn't, in fact, an error at all. Merely somebody not liking an obvious joke in some data which was, quite frankly, obviously there for test purposes. That's the trouble with Norwich people - no sense of humour (appart from obscene graffiti, of course). Apparently, they had 'all' met, immediately after distribution of the newsletter because of the errors. Nothing has been done, to date, to correct any errors. Not even this morning, after the meeting last night. Obviously heinous!
All sorts of talk about how 'we' had been running things 'quite happily', and 'without interference' for four whole years (almost enough to call it a tradition, really!), and how people like me (I have only lived there for two years - which only amounts to half of that long and enduring tradition) were disturbing a nice cosy little setup. Most odd. I have no idea what relationship 'they' (the insiders) believe that they have with the rest of the residents - none at all, presumably. There definitely seemed to be some fear of what was talked about finding its way out of the meeting. Which is odd, really, since it is supposed to be for the benefit of all residents. Hey ho!
Wonder who signs the cheques?
I expect to see the insiders bury themselves in subsequent postings (as Colleen more or less did with her first (unauthorised) mailing). I am happy to have lent them a shovel.
8/4/2
Finally dragged myself up off the canvas to pick up the eternal struggle for data again.
Letter to Information Commissioner
Letter to consultant psych./Chief Exec of NMHC NHS Trust
Letter to MP
6/4/2
Quick check reveals Flamel was indeed mentioned. Obviously poor memory on my part.
Here is a little high art: Piccy (396kb)
Here is a little fun art: Quark
Here is a little bad art: Owl
...and what
I have been drinking
exclamation point
:)
All insights into the example of high art welcome: email comments to me
Tony Blair is a vampire
5/4/2
A little Harry Potter trivia I dug up a while back, and meant to put onto my website some time ago, but, being a lazy git with no respect for deadlines, didn't. Possible source of another one of JK Rowling's characters - ain't she just the most creative writer in history? Funnily enough, I don't remember seeing this in her explication of where the names came from. I remember seeing Hedwig, coming from some old German saint. I wonder if Rowling had ever heard of Flamel before? Or perhaps I just missed it in her book of explications? Or perhaps she decided not to include it in her book of explications? I'm sure all will become clear eventually!
Still no sign of the police - presumably obscene graffiti and offensive domestic waste being strewn round a tower block is of no interest to them. Good job so many other important crimes (like catching the idiots responsible for (or complicit in) the World Trade Center disaster) are being solved so rapidly instead.
4/4/2
A little light poetry that tickled me, this morning.
London Airport
Last night in London Airport
I saw a wooden bin
labelled UNWANTED LITERATURE
IS TO BE PLACED HEREIN.
So I wrote a poem
and popped it in.
By Christopher Logue (b. 1926), from 'Poems on the Underground, Ninth Edition', edited by Gerard Benson, Judith Chernaik and Cicely Herbert.
How many elephants can you get on a motorcycle?
Click here for the answer!
3/4/2
How hot does the glass door of a washing machine get?
Here is a pic of mine at peak glass temperature on a boil wash with Type K thermocouple taped to door. (Actually went two degrees centigrade higher on another run). Ouch!
Spreadsheet and graphs with temperatures through full cycles later.
2/4/2
Have more or less finished picture story (missing one quite key element, but that will probably follow later). Spot the difference! (557kb)
Pics of barometer, as promised: Barometer
My limited garden: Cacti
Pic of electronic lightbug I made: Lightbug
A little engraving I did over the weekend! Dog tags (111kb)
My brass rings and bangle in detail: Brassware
Where I work on my web site! Norwich library (and St Peter Mancroft church)
Unacceptable advertising: Edinburgh Woollen Mill's recent campaign
Oh. And some 'pranksters' vandalised PG Ct for April 1, which meant I had to spend the best part of half a day cleaning (no cleaning staff - again!). Obscene illustration in marker pen on the door to my flat. Brasso to rescue. Unwanted garbage in corridors. Lift graffitied and, most bizarrely of all, shoe polish on door handles. Reported it to police, who have, to my knowledge, done nothing about it.
My card collection continues to burgeon, so am thinking of setting up discussion forum for other collectors of NORCI Collectors' Cards and Eye Spy NORCI leads. Anyone want anything magnetised?
23/3/2
Norfolk Mental Health Care NHS Trust is still using old pale green with heron motif signage! It should have changed to NHS blue standard a year or two ago!
Check out www.doh.gov.uk/nhsidentity/signage.htm
How they could possibly have overlooked this for so long beats me! Perhaps they are a little unclear as to who they work for? I know for a fact a huge sum of public money was spent rebadging. I'm sure it must have been done for some reason! I think a head or two should roll!
22/3/2
Cotman makes its position clear on keys: deny all. Pity it contradicts the letter from Julian Housing. Letter.
Am expecting lots of vouchers for free spinach from Iceland, after returning squirly wire and rock found in delicious lentil and spinach soup.
Oh. By the way. Sidecarectomy successful. Still seems to be a problem counting wheels down there, though. After replacing exhaust OK, had to get them to reset gear change lever to custom position I use. Took bike out only for front brake to seize, then seize horrendously, requiring loads of throttle to get myself to safe location to pull over, at which point terrible smell of hot brakes. Went back again. Moaned, then took front wheel off cleaned off brakes and returned it to me. Kind of expect them to check for snatchy brakes for a £140 service! Maybe they only serviced the back wheel and the wheel they ectomied? Still, snatchectomy successful, so far. MOT done for another year. At least the exhaust note is better, now.
Successfully assembled light-following microbug (Velleman kit from Maplin) last night. Finished at 2am. Worked first time (as though I'd expect anything else). Actually works really well. Best with 'car-breakdown emergency 6V jumbo' torch. Spins on a sixpence when you change direction. Quite nippy, too! Pic later.
Read War and Peace.
21/3/2
No 'tourrist' thinking of dive-bombing Norwich Station stands a chance!
Went to police, re: Julian Housing. Apparently it's quite alright for them to ask for the keys to the garden gate. Absolutely no problem there. No domestic security problem, at all. Hoo, no!
Julian Housing and keys
Julian Housing responds. It is just fine and dandy for them to have the front door keys, as they're only the front door keys, and not the flat door keys. So we've cleared that up! Or have we? We're not altogether sure. Are we? Ah well! Who cares? It's only someone else's front door! Funny that there's no indication of precisely why a charitable housing association would need any kind of access to a building other than that granted ordinarily by a person letting them in, as they would any other visitor. It is beyond me how some of these people ever become managers, or how their organisations continue to draw on government funds (I'm making an assumption, here about Julian's funding - never seen them out rattling the can!). Letter. This is clearly completely unacceptable. If I had insurance, I might have to ask the company how I stood! Perhaps I should ask the Police how I stand?
Am considering what to do with Social Services' data. There appears, for example, to be a suggestion that I 'continued' to send people exploding cigar tins, which is not true. Also, curiously, one SS operative suggests that the only likely reason for witholding any data would have been genuine concern that I might either suffer 'serious harm' or that someone else might be exposed to 'serious harm' by revealing the data. I say this is curious because I appear to have been provided with large amounts of data (three slimpick A4 folders!), some of which will have necessitated contacting third parties, but there are a couple of omissions noted. No reason is given, and no indication of who it is that has asked for it to be withheld, whom it concerns etc. I find it very hard to believe that they would consider there to be no risk of 'serious harm' to anyone in all but two cases. Why I, or anyone else, is likely to be harmed at all in those specific instances remains a mystery. Not that I mind people asking for data to be withheld. In some ways, I'd much rather everyone was happy - particularly if they have some kind of genuine concern (not that I can think of one). However, if someone's extending the rights of someone else at the cost of mine, a question or two will need answering. Also, Social Services appear to be unable to operate a photocopier properly. Bits missing at the bottom. Faded reproduction. Multiple duplicates (nine, in one case) of sheets. Leads me to ask whether they've even supplied everything they thought they were going to supply.
I also have a couple of letters from the Information Commissioner to persue. NMHC appears to have lied to them about receiving a postcard I sent, and the IC appears to have ignored a repeat of the direct request for the provision of hard copy I made in a follow-up letter.
Have repaired an aneroid barometer I picked up for four quid down town. Had the most microscopic chain I have ever seen that had become disconnected between a peg and a wheel. Had been dragged out. Individual links must have been about 0.25mm wide by about 1mm long or so. Toyed with the idea of trying to reconnect, but, since I couldn't even persuade a needle to pass into the gap between the top and bottom links, let alone manipulate the pin (which I could hardly even see or consider the idea of closing the thing again, I used a small blob of Araldite. Chain a little stiff, so may not prove to be that accurate. What we need is some changeable pressure conditions. Also glued glass front (in four pieces) together, and reset internal mountings.
Still no work in espionage at the Job Centre. Installed myself at optimum observation location with newspaper with pair of holes cut in. Took along my best toy, too! Parabolic listening device still not enough to persuade them! Finally, tried bribing my 'controller' with a one-time pad/random password/login generator (pair of dice with six by six grid of the alphabet and numbers 1-0). Damn, but it's hard getting into espionage!
15/3/2
Mind and keys. Social Services data.
You will NOT believe what I found in my postbox, this morning!
Letter
Not that I expect royalty to contribute to my web site.
:)
Social Services has parted with manual data. Covering letter. Haven't had a chance to look at it yet. Still waiting to see corrected electronic data.
14/3/2
Doesn't my dad take a good picture?
Globe Theatre, 2001 (796kb).
:)
Am picking up Social Services data tomorrow.
:)
Will be interesting to compare reports with the data from Norfolk Mental Health Care NHS Trust, when the Information Commissioner prises it from it.
13/3/2
Information Commissioner gets back to me about Social Services. Action soon. Letter.
Poor benighted moped fails MOT (early) sniff!. But, on the plus side, it now appears to have a sidecar. Gromiiiiiitt! Not to worry, doctors will treat it shortly: sidecarectomy plus new exhaust. - First time I ever had a bike with an exhaust at both ends!
12/3/2
Check out the newsletter (209kb) I put together for my Residents' Association - took me ages to do! I'm rather pleased with it! The rather comical attempt at a crest in the masthead is based upon the Parmenter specification.
11/3/2
Whoaa! What happened? - Well, I've finally archived off the old home page, in preparation for a new style home page (if I ever get the time) - expect things to be more organised (by subject, for example). So, I've bascially discarded most of the dross, and the home page will run pretty much like a diary page (as it has been, lately). To get to the old stuff, just click on the Archive page.
Bravenet services mostly restored - just discussion forum with problems
Islam and 'demons', TV's 'Strange', high res humidity data lookup table
Small Islamic market in the Forum on Saturday, so had a chat with them about demons. Was rather surprised to discover that Islam, too, admits them, although they may be slightly different from Christian demons. Hadn't heard the word 'Djinn' (hence anglicised word 'genie') since reading Arabian Nights, and was slightly surprised that they should be known as such. Told that they live among us, but that we can't see them. They can see us, though. Some are mischievous, but most (I think) are not. Djinn possession is possible. Chap I was speaking to immediately said a distinction was drawn between Djinn possession and mental illness. However, as the conversation progressed, I think the man became less and less clear on precisely how he saw things. Asked whether there was a formal Islamic position on it, but the question wasn't answered (at least, not by saying 'yes, you can read xyz book/decree on it) - not so much because of obfuscation or deliberate avoidance (as was definitely the case with the Christians I spoke to) but because the conversation was roving in quite an enjoyable manner.
Anyone see 'Strange' over the weekend? Can't say I've seen any charred corpses in or around St Peter Mancroft (or any local hospitals). Not at all sure what the source of the power via the electricity was supposed to be. And, rather curious about the Faraday cage idea, especially as the chap seemed to be getting his power via the mains, which clearly passed through the walls of the lift to the occupants, but there you go. I suppose it's fun to have a little science added to the mix.
This week is Science Week. Here is my contribution! Happened on another person selling hygrometers for £1 on Saturday, and figured, again, that it was probably more fun for £1 than I was likely to find elsewhere. So bought one. Hung it and then rapidly concluded I couldn't be doing with interpolation calculations every time I wanted to work things out to a higher resolution than on the standard graph (and you're welcome to argue the toss on reading to better than one division!). So, have produced interpolated chart for 0.25 degree resolution instead of 0.5/1 degree. Available as table only (0-50 degrees) (258KB), or with graphs (0-50, Winter, Summer) (331KB). Not sure whether they're available at this bargain price elsewhere, but will be happy to buy and forward orders for hygrometers (assuming I can still get them) - £1 + p&p.
Leave a message by clicking on the 'Post a message' box below where it says 'Please sign my guestbook!
Link to the search engine submission tool I used:
ineedhits.com
Counter commented out of this page - code still there. Use 'View | Source' in browser if you want to see it.
Click on counter to see stats graphs
Visit counter reset to Zero Catch data (529 unique visitors, 989 hits) after Bravenet problem, 11/3/2.
:)
Am picking up Social Services data tomorrow.
:)
Will be interesting to compare reports with the data from Norfolk Mental Health Care NHS Trust, when the Information Commissioner prises it from it.
13/3/2
Information Commissioner gets back to me about Social Services. Action soon. Letter.
Poor benighted moped fails MOT (early) sniff!. But, on the plus side, it now appears to have a sidecar. Gromiiiiiitt! Not to worry, doctors will treat it shortly: sidecarectomy plus new exhaust. - First time I ever had a bike with an exhaust at both ends!
12/3/2
Check out the newsletter (209kb) I put together for my Residents' Association - took me ages to do! I'm rather pleased with it! The rather comical attempt at a crest in the masthead is based upon the Parmenter specification.
11/3/2
Whoaa! What happened? - Well, I've finally archived off the old home page, in preparation for a new style home page (if I ever get the time) - expect things to be more organised (by subject, for example). So, I've bascially discarded most of the dross, and the home page will run pretty much like a diary page (as it has been, lately). To get to the old stuff, just click on the Archive page.
Bravenet services mostly restored - just discussion forum with problems