Catch of the Day

A while back ROBOT mentioned catching snapper off the beach. Well this time the more adventurous approach of taking the chartered tinnie 10 kms out was used.  It wasn't this land lover retiree who took to the waves, although I did do some swimming with the dolphins and the seals recently.  Anyway with a few minutes to go No 1 son scored. A 2kg Snapper took the bait and that was dinner for four. Mind you because of a flat battery and an alarming increase in the wind strength the boat was a good two hours over due. Lakes Entrance is  a fishing town and they have the fish to prove it.

Tablet Tales

I have been playing around with an Android JellyBean Tablet. These marketing guys really need to have another think about some of this labelling.  This one is a cheapie from Bauhn but my main use was to display photos, slideshows and home videos.  There isn't much control over the slide show timing. The DayDream mode seems to work the best where a continuous display can be started while the unit is recharging. Even then a message pops up from time to time saying DayDream has stopped working. 

Working with Micro SD cards is also tricky. I have seen the miniaturisation of components over the years but these really are small. I bought two and as I was swapping one out of its slot I wasn't paying particular attention. This is the tip! Pay attention. I used a thumb nail to depress the card but turned the ejection into a slingshot mode without really watching. At first I wasn't sure if I had pushed the card deep into the unit. But two days later I found the card where it had been flung to.  Now how to store these wafer like media.

Easter Surfers

All the Pros are gathered at Bells Beach but I can tell you there are plenty of Wannabes at 13th beach.  Maybe while they are all waiting for the semi finals to start at Bells they have wandered down the coast to do a different wave. Trying to ride your bike through that gauntlet is tricky. As well as sand encroaching in places and constant two way traffic, bicycles rate low on the safety list, although some cars were hanging back for a better place to pass.  This is Cadel country but when the surf is up bikes come second. Maybe surfies talk to each other through the tube as well as ride through the tube. Somehow the word gets around and thousands of wetsuits are there.

Almost Passive Income

I used a laundrette in Geneva once. It may have been the only time I have used one. We had just finished a three day bike ride around Lake Geneva.  Those clothes needed a wash.  It wasn't that simple to use but one of the locals pointed at this button then that button and soon we were washing.  My brother in law has just opened the state of the art laundrette that is automated in everyway from controlling washers and dryers as well as doors and cameras, all from his mobile phone.  There is a certain amount of maintenance.
This approach is not the same as writing a book and then sitting back with your feet up watching the proceeds mount up.  This is an engineering marvel, importing machines, solar systems for water, security systems everywhere, electronic lighting and advertising, Wi-Fi for the customers.  A lot of investment and work beforehand.  Now if you put your feet up you can wash your socks at the same time.

Routers and ADSL

Spent two days in the office tracking down why there was no internet access. It stopped at 9:30 Saturday night.  Our Netgear router was about 5 years old.  Newer ones have more  LED indicators but looking at this older one it seemed OK.  Replacing components one at a time, I swapped out the phone cable then the ADSL splitter then tested the phone line by sending a fax.  So by the end of Sunday it was time to replace the router.  It was the middle of Monday by the time I sourced and bought a new one. 
We have generally used Netgear for our business. The DGN2200 had a rope style LED indicating activity back in the exchange as well as the internet activity LED.  So straight away I could see progress because the rope LED was lit but the internet was still off.  Router TIP take screen shots of all relevant configuration pages before your router dies.  By the time I got onto the service provider for the required username and password and all other required settings another day had passed.  At least the grey matter is still ticking over in retirement.

Does anything go slower than a wet week?

Only if its your first week in retirement. Mind you we needed the rain.  At least we have now run out of tests for finding feverous faults. Endoscopes have been inserted in various orify at both ends. You wouldn't want them meeting in the middle for some sort of focus group.  These things remind me of the war of the worlds, snaking around corners investigating as you go.  Hopefully the heat will go out of this problem.  What happened to the Doctors who went sideways with their camera? It rectum.

the Mobile

Years ago a mobile was something you hung over the baby's bed to keep her amused. Up until the retirement day last week, I never gave mobile phones a second thought.  I always carried it mid-week and put it away most weekends.  It's only been a week into it but already there is less distinction between weekday and weekend, they are all just days.  I am tempted at not having a mobile phone at all however have been reminded that there will be no hiding from the new boss.

It is a bewildering choice of plans, phones and platforms, the three P's.  I was just getting used to the Nokia Lumia 520 windows phone before I had to give it back.  Too bad about having to learn a new phone number.  The "a may sim" seems to be cheap enough.  $20 per mth shouldn't break the Trust.

Cunning Stent

Being able to spot a mild heart attack before you get the big one is a skill worth having.  Then once you have done your own diagnosis the doc agrees you did a good job because now you require three stents inserted into your coronaries.  This would have to be the ultimate glass half full scenario.  Call it Life Half Full.  The first half has been well spent and now there is a whole second half still to go.  Mind you those stents are probably the most expensive springs you would ever buy but it is worth it.  Nothing like getting a spring put back in your step.  That was brother number 2s story.
Meanwhile in another hospital brother number 1 is having muscle twitch irregular heartbeat issues. A quick zap of the heart muscle to give the ticker a reset and the beat is on.  I have heard of brother in arms but this is something else.

Game of Thrones v Game of Houses

George RR Martin spends a lot of time getting it right before keyboard goes to screen or should that be book goes to print.  In the meantime I have been wading through that other story, even bigger than Game of Thrones if that is possible. Wheel of Time is perhaps not more detailed but more wordy.  I am about 6000 pages in with approx 5000 to go. Daes Dae'mar seems to be the maneuvering element that is common to both stories. I used to know it as office politics or power broking.   

I noted the reference in Season 4 Episode 1 of GOT to Duncan the Tall. Joffrey in one of his rare lucid moments is reading the Book of Brothers and comes to the page describing Ser Dunk but is impressed by the need of four pages to cover his lifetime deeds. All in the room including Jaime Lannister acknowledge the mighty Dunk. 

Every successful TV show always has a follow up series 2. There is a penchant for going back and filling in the storyline explaining how we arrived at the current plot. It happened in Star Wars it happened in Star Trek.  I predict GOT Story 2 will be set 100 years or so earlier showing the Targaryen's at their height and Ser Dunk doing deeds.  The main issue could be George taking 100 years to write it.  I wouldn't be surprised if a lot more of that earlier history has been put to paper in order to write this epoch.

Tour of Flanders (Mayhem)

ROBOT has mentioned cobbles previously.  These are a silent killer.  We have friends of parks volunteer groups here who do a job maintaining parks for the love of it. I can understand how there are conservation groups in Belgium restoring and repairing sections of cobbled road. Why does it have to be in the countryside?  There are sections of former cobbles completely resealed in tarmac. At the same time there are narrow twisting shapeless sections that the Tour of Flanders requires 100's of riders to squeeze in four abreast. Certainly does make for some spectacular crashing but is it necessary?  You have to hand it to Cancellara he can ride a bike however I have never been too impressed with the arrogance, particularly since that day he was demanding Cadel Evans get back in the pack and not join the breakaway.

Dreadded FUO

The Fever of Unknown Origin has struck again. I am calling it UFO Unidentified Feverous Origin. We have got the infectious diseases doc on the job this time. Speaking of infection, back at the ranch I am dealing with a bout of Conjunctivitus. It first started with the throat three days ago and then the ears constantly ringing and sore and now the eyes are oozing sticky mucus. This stuff is highly contagious and I am meant to be washing my hands often.  And this is supposedly my first official day of retirement.  I haven't been sick for a long while to the point where I have forgotten what its like. I will be getting my flu shot just to make sure. This is no fun.

Game tradition

Spent the night around at Munster's for the time honoured round of 500.  This would be up there with sittings of the Knights Templar or ceremonies of the Freemasons.  All the trappings are there, black elixir, celebratory hand gestures, disguised names for all involved like Xsanguinator, yes you read correctly the taker of blood. There was also Hostyle, BigBird, Flying Dutchman and Hairy who flew in from Sing Sing.  These gatherings have been going on for a good 20 yar and may well continue for another 20 yar.     
            
                                  Everything goes with Zammie including nothing