Staying Alive! 30 June 2009
Posted by Dr Moose in Life.add a comment
Yes. I am still alive! It’s just been too long a time. Resuming blogging silence.
BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Finn creates USB finger drive 17 March 2009
Posted by Dr Moose in Geekery, Humour, Recommendations.Tags: BBC, Technology, Web
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Taking “finger drive” to a new level…
A worrying comparison 14 March 2009
Posted by Dr Moose in Life, Ponderings.5 comments
A worrying comparison sprang to mind this morning between two national institutions. The point might have been made somewhere before – I find it hard to believe this is original. Nevertheless, they have a lot in common:
- both are beloved brands with little real identity – just “there”
- both are seen as reliable when all else fails – you will find what you want there
- both are found in many places, in some prime locations and in some of the most surprising
- both are often full of happy associations of childhood for those of a certain age – enough to want to go back… at some point.
Except that is one no longer there.
What are they?
Status and a Poem 28 February 2009
Posted by Dr Moose in Uncategorized.add a comment
I’m still alive, though over-tired as Lent bites. I can only give two reasons for a lack of recent posts: tiredness and the potential breaking of pastoral integrity (i.e. There are things I cannot say too close to home. I have other channels for them, one of which is simply the silence of the prayers of the heart).
Still, for those patient enough to notice, here’s a bonus. One of my friend David’s poems.
Bread from Heaven and Pennies Dropping
Deeply in his spirit, he sighed
and groaned. A sign-seeking generation
falling into the old temptation.
And he went across to the other side.And there, no bread there was to hand
save one little loaf. Their eyes and ears
saw his holy break-ins before
but still they did not understand.And on he went, and on the way
asked, Who do people say I am?
And what about you, what do you say?
And Peter blurted, You’re The Man.(C) David Grieve 2009
Christ or Crystals, and the like. 27 January 2009
Posted by Dr Moose in Church, Faith, Recommendations.1 comment so far
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7853494.stm
It’s not news to some of us “on the inside” but newsworthy enough to attract comment. (And to prove that I’m still alve).
BBC NEWS | Technology | Google search finds missing child 9 January 2009
Posted by Dr Moose in Life, Recommendations.2 comments
Comforting? Or slightly sinister? Two sides of the same coin, methinks!
Happy New Year 4 January 2009
Posted by Dr Moose in Geekery, Life.Tags: Eee, Linux, Network, Open Office
7 comments
OK, so it’s a few days late, but the intentions are good.
Sorry I’ve not posted yet this year but life has been rather busy – not work, but computer-related.
Non-geeks may wish to skip this bit, or just for a masochistic thrill read on and see how much you can(‘t) understand!
(Begin Geekery) Not only do I now have an Eee, but so does the GLW, and I’ve also managed to trash new(-ish) XP laptop with a less-than clear Ubuntu 5.1 installation attempt. Now I’m having to try to recover that machine, but it seems to have some identity issues. Add in that the network SCSI drive seems to not be linux compatible, and I don’t want to do anything too radical to the Eee (which I am using now and with which I am completely smitten). I’ve spent the evening proving that an old Win98 PC can connect to the wireless network using the spare PCMCIA card, and now need to install the SCSI drivers, if I can. (Still with me?) Except the laptop has all the grace and elegance of a 3-toed sloth and insuficient power to run OpenOffice 2.0. This means that even if can get it connect to the Network drive I won’t be able to do much with the files. Unless I can find a copy of OpenOffice 1.15 which would allow me to open, but not save .odt files, presuming that I can find an archived copy of OO1.15 somewhere on my system(s), since OOO don’t seem to provide legacy support. (Asleep yet?) Once I’ve got all that done (!) and can possibly access the network drive wirelessly, rather than only on the office machine, upon which it randomly invokes the Blue Screen of Death, or by LAN in the Guest Room, well then I might be ready to do the next bit. (By now you really must be glazing over!) About which I’m sure to tell you. (/Geekery)
I finally get to what I meant to write!
Watch this space for the Review of 2008 and the Intentions for 2009 (both currently in draft) and yes, thank you for the expressions of interest in gaming. I will be in touch – when I’m taking breaks in the middle of work, but more awake than I am now.
Still, school starts tomorrow, and with it, horrible, rushed and stressful mornings, which means it’s time to go. Really. Without another visit to Facebook. Honest. Well, maybe just a quick peek…
Zimbabwe – the view from the ground, “genocide in the making”? 15 December 2008
Posted by Dr Moose in Faith, Life.Tags: Eye-witness, Prayer, Zimbabwe
1 comment so far
I don’t usually do round robin emails, whether they be jokes or anything else for that matter. Nevertheless when this dropped into my email from a reputable (church) source I felt it highly appropriate to post it here.
The only editing I have done is removing the author’s name and ensuring a consistent format . He was obviously aware of the risk if giving it, and that is maybe an indication of the level of both desperation and faith. Nevertheless, I feel it right to remove it.
Terrible, terrible things are taking place in Zimbabwe by the communist thugs that rule the place. the internet is a powerful tool and the only way that this madman and his henchmen are going to be brought to justice is if the whole world gangs up up on them and topples their evil bastion once and for all.
Please forward this everyone you know so it gets around the world in a few days.Letter from Zimbabwe sent in by JW
I reckon that these are the last days of TKM and ZPF. The darkest hour is always before dawn.
We are all terrified at what they are going to destroy next……..I mean they are actually ploughing down brick and mortar houses and one family with twin boys of 10 had no chance of salvaging anything when 100 riot police came in with AK47’s and bulldozers and demolished their beautiful house – 5 bedrooms and pine ceilings – because it was ‘too close to the airport’, so we are feeling extremely insecure right now.
You know – I am aware that this does not help you sleep at night, but if you do not know – how can you help? Even if you put us in your own mental ring of light and send your guardian angels to be with us – that is a help -but I feel so cut off from you all knowing I cannot tell you what’s going on here simply because you will feel uncomfortable. There is no ways we can leave here so that is not an option.
I ask that you all pray for us in the way that you know how, and let me know that you are thinking of us and sending out positive vibes… that’s all. You can’t just be in denial and pretend/believe it’s not going on.
To be frank with you, it’s genocide in the making and if you do not believe me, read the Genocide Report by Amnesty International which says we are – IN level 7 – (level 8 is after it’s happened and everyone is in denial).
If you don’t want me to tell you these things-how bad it is-then it means you have not dealt with your own fear, but it does not help me to think you are turning your back on our situation. We need you, please, to get the news OUT that we are all in a fearfully dangerous situation here. Too many people turn their backs and say – oh well, that’s what happens in Africa
This Government has GONE MAD and you need to help us publicize our plight—or how can we be rescued? It’s a reality! The petrol queues are a reality, the pall of smoke all around our city is a reality, the thousands of homeless people sleeping outside in 0 Celsius with no food, water, shelter and bedding are a reality. Today a family approached me, brother of the gardener’s wife with two small children. Their home was trashed and they will have to sleep outside. We already support 8 adult people and a child on this property, and electricity is going up next month by 250% as is water.
How can I take on another family of 4 —–and yet how can I turn them away to sleep out in the open?
I am not asking you for money or a ticket out of here – I am asking you to FACE the fact that we are in deep and terrible danger and want you please to pass on our news and pictures. So PLEASE don’t just press the delete button! Help best in the way that you know how.
Do face the reality of what is going on here and help us SEND OUT THE WORD.. The more people who know about it, the more chance we have of the United Nations coming to our aid. Please don’t ignore or deny what’s happening.
Some would like to be protected from the truth BUT then, if we are eliminated, how would you feel? ‘If only we knew how bad it really was we could have helped in some way’.
[I know we chose to stay here and that some feel we deserve what's coming to us]
For now,— we ourselves have food, shelter, a little fuel and a bit of money for the next meal – but what is going to happen next? Will they start on our houses? All property is going to belong to the State now. I want to send out my Title Deeds to one of you because if they get a hold of those, I can’t fight for my rights.
Censorship!—-We no longer have SW radio [which told us everything that was happening] because the Government jammed it out of existence – we don’t have any reporters, and no one is allowed to photograph. If we had reporters here, they would have an absolute field day. Even the pro-Government Herald has written that people are shocked, stunned, bewildered and blown mindless by the wanton destruction of many folks homes, which are supposed to be ‘illegal’ but for which a huge percentage actually do have licenses.
Please! – do have some compassion and HELP by sending out the articles and personal reports so that something can/may be done.
‘I am one. I cannot do everything, —but I can do something.. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the grace of God, I will do.’
Edward Everett Hale
Please send this on to everyone in your address book. We send jokes out without blinking an eyelid. We don’t get told this on the news in South Africa , we only get told what they want us to hear. We all have a chance to do something, even though the something is by pressing forward to as many people as possible. Let’s stop talking and let’s start doing! There is power in prayer, there is also power in more people knowing about this than you in my address book. This is going to America , Dubai , Australia , France , South Africans all over South Africa , the UK . By forwarding this to all in my address book I have done something. The world needs to know what is going on.
BBC NEWS | Magazine | Could you pass the 11-plus? 14 December 2008
Posted by Dr Moose in Life, Prevarication, Recommendations.3 comments
BBC NEWS | Magazine | Could you pass the 11-plus?.
Avoiding selecting Christmas Carols for tonight’s Nine Lessons and Carols (at 6pm), this prevarication is anything but mindless.
I managed 13/15 with about 2m 45s of the 10m remaining.
How about you?