2008 — 24 June: Tuesday
Tonight's placeholder picture of Christa shows her in the tiny kitchen of our rented flat in Old Windsor, shortly after we were married in September 1974. I wonder whatever happened to that tiny rolling pin? And that corduroy top, for that matter?
Christa in the rented flat's tiny kitchen, late 1974
Where does the time go? G'night, at 00:01.
Digital planet... dept.
I tune in, from time to time, to the BBC's World Service "digital planet" programme. They're discussing Firefox 3 right now (10:35). And the prospects for IE 8 being more standards compliant as a result of the competition. (Now there's a thought.) Plus a set of hackers is apparently building a health service IT records system (Open MRS) from the ground up in Africa. (Now there's another thought.)
A degree of pain... dept.
Educashun matters. But the comments attached to this news item appal me. Particularly this one:
I am a professor at a well-known strong UK university (the kind of place where you need at least three A's to get in). Our department is being pressurised from above to award more 1st and upper 2nd class degrees — we were told in no uncertain terms that if we were supposed to be a world-class university full of world-class lecturers then how come only (whatever it is) percent are being awarded "good" degrees — we were told that our funding risked being cut if we did not start giving out (what they wanted) percent of first and upper seconds! I remember the stunned silence when our head of department reported this development to us in a staff meeting.
Mercy me. I can remember arguments I had in IBM with senior managers (during Baldrige Quality Assessments) that went along amazingly similar lines. Sadly, following the money (the funding) usually shines more light on the truth than any other method.
Heavens! A new meaning for the acronym "BSE" in a ridiculous non-story in the Guardian about Valerie Singleton not being a lesbian. The silly season seems to be all year round these days. Though I smiled at this extract further down the same piece: "When droves of lesbians began, in sheep fashion, to fancy Sigourney Weaver1 after the release of Alien, I was confused. Wearing a vest that looked like it had once been white but had got caught up in the wash with a pair of workman's overalls, and not bothering to have a regular shampoo and set in between trying to save humanity, seemed to be the only lezzer indicators."
Here's a final interview with the late George Carlin. Amazing man. Up there with Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor. Right! It's 11:45 and time for my next tasks. Make that 12:26...
While the mundane inner man has just been pacified with simpler fare, the bit inside the skull is currently being musically pacified by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain:
Wonderful. "This is a song about plagiarism. It wasn't our own idea..." They started in 1985.
I should hate it to be thought...
... after yesterday's pylon, that I'm prejudiced against other large, metallic structures! I took this shot on Goonhilly Down during our delayed honeymoon in September 1975. But I only solarised it a couple of minutes ago:
Goonhilly Down, September 1975
Right; it's 17:30 and time for a tiny bite to tide me over until tonight's proper meal, hosted by "Uncle John" in Droxford at his White Horse Inn.