2016 — 13 January: Wednesday
I'm well aware that bacteria1 can exchange useful tips about antibiotic resistance without having to go through all that tedious business of physical contact. I had no idea that software also knew that trick. Until yesterday evening the only program that occasionally tried to wake up beyond my ken on the Kuro plasma screen at the other end of the living room even when there's no direct connection to it and, as a further line of defence, it is switched off was my Firefox web browser.
It seemed I could add my Thunderbird email client to the list. But I may just need to break my habit of "parking" the mouse pointer out of sight past the right hand edge of my Dell (still Kuro2 territory even when the giant is slumbering peacefully).
The Linux Mint 17.3 Release Notes mention improved behaviour:
Many multi-monitor related issues were also fixed, in particular to make sure applications and windows were launched on the active monitor (i.e. where you [sic] mouse pointer is located).
Still, when BlackBeast lurched back to life this morning it recognised the full resolution of the Dell by the time it wanted my password. Until now, it used the lower resolution of the Kuro until it got its act together. I know the feeling.
My last two crockpots...
... featured an unimpressive purple-skinned brand of spud. While picking up more fresh root veg, I saw the suggestion that common-or-garden "spuds" actually don't count towards my "5 a day" whereas posh, upmarket "sweet" spuds do. Since I always believe everything a marketeer says, I'm treating myself to a pack of organic ones from HRH himself. I recall finding them tricky to scrape last time I tried some.
It's only 5C out there, but the barometer has shot back up towards "Schön".
My search...
... for new hi-tech toys has been turned through 180 degrees after reading the interesting article here. Though it would probably be easier to fit a fancy 78" UHD 4K screen than, say, one of these delightful gadgets:
I've been banging my head...
... against the brick wall that is Kodi as I work systematically through my little video library, cleaning up all the dropped, missing, or mis-identified, bits and pieces. The marvellous music of "Late Junction" has been keeping me sane.
And browsing one...
... of the user manuals for a typical Samsung UHD Nano crystal TV. If you stick with it as far as page 176 (of 194) you finally uncover a bit of fairly crucial data:
Blimey! It's pouring with rain out there. So much for "Schön"!
To retain my...
... credentials as an engineer, I've been conducting a long-running (approx. eight years, so far) practical domestic experiment into just how infrequently I can get away with using my mains-operated Dyson (versus the cute little sucker, that is). It's had one of its rare outings this evening. The level of dust hereabouts — and thereabouts, too, if I'm honest — was getting beyond a joke.
I wonder if...
... Mrs Davies is proud of her son, the Tory MP?
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Grauniad they mis-identify as "1981" a Ron Cobb cartoon from "1968". Tut, tut. (I am somewhat of a Ron Cobb scholar.)