My 4×2 has been in action again, trying to find the remainder of the mystery sometimes-4mm/sometimes-2.5mm/sometimes-1.5mm cable. It finally appeared in the tiniest gap possible between back wall and joist. As we had suspected by tracing everything else, the junction is an unfused union of all three cable types with a 230V 32A circuit breaker…
Category: Uncategorized
Mischief managed
I’m finally paying up a certain amount of household technical debt, including investigating some exciting mystery cabling and insulating the space it inhabits. This has meant pulling down large chunks of ceiling (eventually, most or all of it for the insulation) on a cable hunt. Turns out the best tool for this part of the…
Census stupidity, 2021 edition
Dear Office for National Statistics, Next time you sit down to design the UK census question flow, please ensure it does not go like this: 1. What is the date of birth for G [our young daughter]? Answer: late 2020 2. This date of birth makes G four months old. Is this correct? Answer: yes…
From building to demolishing
Building things is fun, but sometimes it’s nice to have a little light relief with a sledgehammer. Saturday was one of those occasions; there is was a ‘decorative’ wall in the corner of our lounge. It should have died about thirty years ago and I’ve hated it ever since we moved in a year ago. First…
A little civil disobedience
For many months I’ve wondered what would happen if one completed half a census return online and half on paper. Tonight, finally, I get to find out. (for international readers: it’s the night of the U.K. census, which with a little imagination has the potential for all sorts of fun.)
Beedle the Bard
Amazon are carrying a review of Rowling’s Tales of Beedle the Bard, hand-written and illustrated by her. There are seven copies in the world, and it’s absolutely beautiful.  It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted anything quite so badly, but £2m is one thing I don’t have. Sad.Tatsächlich kann ein Pokerspieler in Turnieren oft frühzeitig…
Normality
Normality is a perfection we strive to create based on events of the past which have no meaning in the future.