Caboose

Found an interesting article about American interference in Chilean politics in the 60s and 70s: The Price of Power.

Found this interesting article about American interference in Chile’s politics in the 60’s and 70’s: The Atlantic | Dec 1982 | The Price of Power | Hersh.

Stumbled across PushBack today, it’s pretty similar to lots of American extreme-libertarian sites.

On the other hand it has this marvellous article. I like the contrast between estimated numbers of deaths due to lighter cars and the “no positive evidence” of lives saved by a reduction in emissions.

The twisting of this report from considering the effects of changes in relative weights between cars and light trucks (SUVs, etc.) to being an endorsement of big heavy cars is especially interesting.

If you actually read the reports they’re much less black and white than PushBack’s interpretation of them. The final report listed “The Deadly Effects of Fuel Economy Standards” is hardly a fair and balanced review of the subject, coming from the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

I got a very nice email today from Donn Patton, who describes himself as a home recording hobbyist. You can find some of his work at MP3.com.

He’s recorded a track called “Kerguelen Islands”, inspired by that tiny dot on the map and wanted to use one of my pictures, the email was asking for permission to use it.

This has prompted me to go to Creative Commons and use one of their licenses for everything on this site. I’m hoping it will make things clearer for people wanting to use anything.

It also reminded me about Satan’s Penguins, the other users of my pictures.

I had my second appointment at the fracture clinic today. This time I had to get some x-rays done so I was sent through to that department. About an hour and a half later I was called and a very helpful and friendly radiographer took the x-rays of my shoulder.

My main entertainment in the waiting area was listening to the groups of whinging old people. It was amazing how worked up some of them were getting about the wait, it’s not like they’ve got anything better to do.

One group started by discussing the inadequacies of the modern NHS and ended up with their views on how digusting it is to go to London and hear people speaking foreign languages. Their opinion seemed to be that all non-English people should immediately be deported. Don’t they know lots of people fought and died in the Second World War to defeat people like themselves?

Anyway, it looks like I’m out of action for at least another four weeks, the thought fills me with joy…

I’ve started using a couple of Brad Choate’s plugins for Movable Type, the system that maintains this bit of the site for me. I got the idea from dive into mark.

Now I can casually drop in TLAs such as XML, RSS or mention the BBC and the <acronym> tags are sorted out for me. All I have to do is maintain a list of abbreviations.

Noticed something for the first time while I was walking back from the station last night.

Just as I got to the summit of the cycle bridge I thought I’d been struck by a sudden dizzy spell, until the guy from work I was walking with commented on how the bridge was swaying.

It seems most noticeable at that point and only happens when lots of people are walking across at the same time.

A very weird feeling.

By the way, if you’re ever looking for pictures of places around Cambridge Cambridge 2000 is very useful.

Now that I have to go to work by train I’ve noticed something. There seem to be a lot of people in Cambridge who misunderstand the basic concept of the bicycle.

You see them walking along with the thing, apparently quite unaware that it’s not a dog, you don’t take it for walks.

There seem to be especially large numbers of these people on the Carter cycle bridge, taking up the entire pedestrian half of the bridge.

Did I mention that frustration with one-handedness has been making me feel angry a lot?

OK, I’m getting really fed up of doing things one-handed. Last time I broke anything I was two years old, now it’s a mjor irritation. The diet of ready-meals isn’t much fun either.

At work the past couple of days I’ve found myself getting quite irritable and frustrated. Writing laboriously with my right hand and producing a result that looks like the work of a four year old is really winding me up.

On the whole the pain isn’t a problem (although I’d certainly rather be without it), it’s the slowness, awkwardness and reduction of my independence I hate most.

Maybe I’m just having a bad day…