07 2003

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More content will be added to fill this space at some point in the future.

Welcome

Another redesign. This time with BlogPower™. Not sure what will happen about content. Probably will get content until I get bored, then wither.

It seems that I haven't been updating my website as often as I should. There's a lot of information that I want to share with people, but I haven't come up with a simple way of getting it all across.

In the mean time, there is a menu to the left there <--

The reason most people have web pages I do not know, however I do like to be able to find out about people by looking at their web pages. I am less interested to find out about their gerbil though. It is like Internet spying, but spying on what they want you to know. So that people can find a little about me I have written these pages.

My PGP/GPG key is available as this file

There is a more blog-style diary here

Recent Changes

Buses

The StageCoach U1 stops at the bottom of Raleigh park road.

The timetable is here

The OxfordBus 4A stops near the chippy.

The timetables for the 4A are here

Last updated: 16:34, 26 Jul 2003 Link..

OUSFG

These are those mad people who form the Oxford University Speculative Fiction Group. During my time at university they were a way to talk about something other than computers for a change (though sometimes dicussion did turn a little techy). Books are good things to have around you, though OUSFG is not entirely book-centric, we do weird stuff, and play obscure board and card games till all hours of the morning (And thankfully the all night games of Settlers of Catan didn't happen in my room too close to finals)

OUSFG is not really a writing group, even though there was an attempt to make it so a few years ago. That said we do still discuss story ideas, and publish a short story collection called Sfinx every so often. Sfinx has, in the past, included writings of people such as Dave Langford.

OUSFG is also not a Buffy fan soc, despite the evidence to the contrary. Maybe we could spin off a BuffySoc, but that would just go down the pan in the same way that BabSoc (Babylon 5 group) have after the series ended. That said, this could just be because BabSoc all have no life. But we don't want to end up like that by starting a Buffysoc.

The official OUSFG web pages are here

My discussion of the OUSFG library project is here. And a book review or two might turn up here.

Last updated: 13:24, 26 Jul 2003 Link..

Cat5e Faceplates

It appears that the cheapest place to find cat5e faceplates is Mills, and the double plate is available here

Last updated: 13:13, 26 Jul 2003 Link..

Wildwind

Early this summer I went on holiday to WildWind , in Greece. It was a great place for people wanting a sailing holiday. Despite the fact that they are not really set up for beginners, they were very good and I thoroughly enjoyed my fortnight, and managed to learn some sailing in the process.

One of my photos looks like this Overview photo

I decided that this was quite good, as it managed to include a selection of the activities available.

Some
catamarans
Some catamarans

There was a good selection of (Hobie) catamarans available, I think that this is the FX1, and a 16. Capsizing them is good fun, and the wind that got up in the afternoons meant that everyone got to capsize them.

A monohull
A monohull

There were also a couple of nice-looking mono-hulls. I am not convinced by them, mainly do to the lack of stability. However, they are maneuverable, and can be fun because of this. Sorry, I am just one who likes the idea of a floating sunlounger, rather than a bucking bronco for my sailing.

Windsurfing
Windsurfing

Next door, is a windsurfing school. One of the holiday options was to include the windsurfing, however it isn't for me. I think they are even less stable than the monohulls. I wouldn't have a chance. These trainee windsurfers filled the water in some conditions, making it difficult to drive round them, particularly the ones in the water, that (like a speed bump) would damage the bottom of your boat if it were to run over one. Also, when they were standing up, going at a decent speed, it wasn't obvious that they knew the right of way rules.

Sunbathers
Sunbathers

You don't have to spend all your time on the water. Some times you feel like you need a rest after a particularly hard run, or just want to wind down. There was nice weather, some shade with chairs where you could sit and read, watching the sailing, and there was a pool. For the more active, they had mountain bikes that you could borrow, and go up the local mountains.

Last updated: 08:49, 26 Jul 2003 Link..