Is it normal to want to assign every object you own a serial number, then keep a database? (by alaric)

I've been doing some systems work in a rack recently that uses redundant systems. Two optical fibres come into to two switches which are connected to two routers and two load balances, and every server has two or more network interfaces (since there's internal and external VLANs).

So there's rather a lot of cables in there! Since the spare length is all neatly bound into a bundle, finding the other end of the cable you're looking at is a bit of a pain.

So I'd like to number each cable, label each end of the cable with its number, and add cable numbers ot the "what's in what port of which switch" spreadsheet.

Most cable marking systems, however, have to be applied before the plugs are attached to the cable - since they involve a sleeve that goes over the cable. This isn't good, since I want to label existing cables.

Hunting about online, I found these folks who do a nice line of markers - including the PC range of snap-on markers for existing cables. Lovely!

They've sent me a pack of samples, so I can experiment to see what fits best on my cables:

...and it looks like PC40 is the best size for CAT5 UTP.

Filters (by sarah)

Finially filters have been fitted on the Mills water supply which being fed from a spring through cracked pipes just happens to be full of stuff like e-coli. There is now a partical filter and a UV tube for killing off the bugs. The UV tube will have to be replaced about once a year I don't know how often the partical filter will need to be changed - but still this now means the waters safe to drink 🙂

This is a great relief when dealing with a two year old who loves water 🙂 They made sure especiallly that the bathrooms water supply was after the filter too.

Re the wriggly monsters I found in the cats water (you can read about that here it turns out Barbara gets the cats water from the water butt outside so no wonder it was full of mosquito lavea!

Stephen Hawking and Lucy Hawking (by sarah)

We really enjoyed this talk though in hind sight we wished we had perhapse taken the cubs and scouts as it was about the childrens book they've writen together - although it was for children even Alaric learnt something new (or rather understands something more now - namely how stuff Can escape blackwholes). Lucy is a very good and engaging talker too which was cool.

I have to say I didn't enjoy this as much as the Pratchett talk but I think this was due to two things - firstly the theatre was freezing and due to verious happenings I had upset my pelvis again so it was aching fourciously. I was actually shivering! Secondly when Stephen Hawking was talking I had a bit of a problem understanding - now I think most people would not have had this problem as it is due to the fact that as a small child around the point where you really start to get the hang of spoken language, I was almost completely deaf and had to have several operations to sort it out. (ok look it was server glue ear and I had several lots of gromets put in but I had other stuff done at the same time so was put under full anaesthetic). This means that I really struggly understanding people if I can't see their lips move, if I can't see that then all I get is a jumble of noise with just the odd word coming out distinctly.

Of course Stephen Hawking talks with a synthacizer so I had no lips to read (I used Als monical whilst Lucy was talking). Would would have been good for me would have been the transcript up on the great big display screen they had in there. I know that public talks can be hard to write down in a corherrent form normally but that restriction does not apply here. Obviously I do not expet things to be altered for just the small fraction of the population that has these kinds of problems but it did ruin the talk for me a bit.

Everything is normal (by alaric)

I'm back in Cranham after another week away. I came back late on Friday, and the first thing we did Saturday morning was go and pick the van up from Holbrook Garage, where it had been in for some minor repairs: the reversing lights had stopped working, the right headlight was being intermittent (sidelight and full beam mode worked OK, but when set to dip, it was merely sidelight-bright, but sometimes it worked OK), and the coolant temperature gauge only ever read above 'very cold' when we were sat in a creeping traffic jam in bright sunlight for a few hours.

All niggling little things that I had wanted fixed for a long time, and had had brief attempts to fix myself, but now we have some money coming in, fixing niggling little problems like that is on the cards once more (before they become expensive problems).

The van was ready and waiting for me, and the first thing we noticed as Sarah and I set off down the M5 for a day out was that the temperature gauge did indeed rise until it gratifyingly pointed to "Normal":

It's nice to know you're normal.

Anyway, we proceeded to visit Bristol for lunch and a walk about, then headed over to explore Weston Super Mare and see the seaside (even though it's not really the sea per se, it's the Severn Estuary), before making our way back home.

Then on Sunday we took Jean out. We tried to go to Bristol Zoo, but all the car parks were full, which lead us to suspect it would not be a pleasant time to visit, so instead we walked around Bristol again with her.

We came across a green square, where some air cadets where dismantling a glider and putting it in its trailer, while some army cadets were taking down a portable climbing wall. I presume there had been some kind of event on, which we had missed, but Jean was entranced by the glider. She demanded to go and see it, shouting "Plane! Plane!". Afterwards, we saw some people doing acrobatic leaps in the square, and Jean tried to copy them, which was rather cutely comical, too.

We had a relaxing weekend, since we'd both had a hard week beforehand (I worked all day and spent most of my evenings in a data centre fixing things!), and we have a hard week ahead of us.

Which I am now starting... with a bad cold. Sigh...

Jean’s Autum Joy (by sarah)

Jean loves autum as soon as the leaves started falling she was collecting them up carefully - one of each type and giving them to me to sto in the pushchairs basket! Then there was the fun of kicking the leaves, picking up handfuls of them and watching them twerl about in the wind and then to her emmense joy there were conkers!

'Corcon! Corcon!' she cries as she collects one for each person physically there with her. She loves putting them in pockets and gets destressed when she drops them into irretivablity!

She also likes kuggles! Which she calls for mostly when she wants to be carried somewhere. But the little outstretched arms and pleas of 'Cuggle! Mummy Cuggle!' are very endering - she will also kiss 'ouchies' on other people and stroke your arm in an endering manor (reguardless of how bruised the area of ouchy is!).

Other cute things that she's doing at the moment are singing along to the childrens rhymes and songs - so for The Wheels on the Bus we get disjointed doot doot for the horn beeping with the hand action of the whipers going followed by 'all day...' somehow she misses the long off the end!

Woaw woaw = row row your boat which she will play with 'My Bear' on her own 🙂

Rouw Rouw = Round and round the garden - this rhyme actully goes:

Round and Round the garden like a teddy bear (you run your index finger around the palm of her hand) One step, two step (your fingers walk up the arm) And tickly under there! (you tickle either under the arm or on the kneck)

Jean will do this rhyme to you though it goes (with actions bar the tickling which she doesnt yet get how to do - thank goodness!):

Rouw, rouw Bear Stair! giggle

This is really endering as is the fact she puts everything to bed carefully tucking in her beaker with an enverlope etc... 🙂