eddie-brown.net blog

I received a Reuben Stanley clock for Christmas. Would be great if these take off… mine happens to be signed by the designer on the reverse!

The writing on the gift tag hoped I would like it. I do. Only now we are having to work out which of the places we want to hang it it is actually going to hang in. I think the home office would look a good home for it, but Vicki seems to want it in the hall.

(hopefully this will help towards google finding Reuben Stanley too)

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I first came across John Snow (not to be confused with Jon Snow) in an article about “Disease Detectives” in National Geographic. And then in my GCSE History course as medicine between 1700 and 1850 or so was included, he came up again.

In case you have never hear of him, he is the chap who plotted every case of cholera on a map, and realised that they were all clustered around a pump on Broad Street. He removed the handle, and the outbreak dried up. The outlying cases could be traced to people who had also drunk from that pump.

There is even a society in his honour – The John Snow Society, and I have to admit that in a statistics and research type of way I do find it interesting.

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Apparently GHD Hair Straighteners are *the* thing for all girls with curly hair (I am not sure what the in-thing for all the straight haired girls to curl their hair is… but i digress…)

So it happens that I know a guy who is rather good with electronic hardware. The sort of chap who fixes his fridge and washing machine, builds his own bike lights, etc….

In May 2007, he posted about repairing GHD Straighteners, and one thing led to another, and now he has put all his knowledge on line. GHD-Repair.co.uk of course.

Vicki knows the above – and appears home oen evening with some GHD’s belonging to a friend. So browsing the website, no light, on a GHD3 indicates a dodgy connection to a heater element, ah, yes as it comes apart whilst trying to undo the terminals to check the resistance across the elements.

One new element later, and they work. All I need to do is get a new plug as there is no way I am letting someone use the flex in the state it is in at the plug strain relief currently….

And for those who are not so inclined to play with something that one is going to plug into the mains, there is a GHD repair service instead.

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I have just been looking at AndyA’s cycle map that he is always going on about (though I am about to say, i can see his point…)

and looking here just doesn’t look like i think it should.

I think I will fix it.

I *have* just been shopping at Amazon…

So here is the resolution, I will be taking my new toy out and a bout in the local area, on foot, and on bike, and put the data into the open street map project, and the open cycle map when its a cycle route…

That’s better than saying my new year’s resolution is to get fit.

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Via Devils Kitchen, I found The Typealyzer whihc then says I am (at least when writing my blog) a member of “ESTP – The Doers”

ESTP – The Doers
ESTP
The active and play-ful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.

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Some people on the web were surprised that amongst the many things a Police Force might carry out a risk assesment of, was that of a number of their employees winning the lottery.

I cannot see how people would be surprised about this. It is not unusual for groups of people who work together to have some kind of lottery syndicate, and it is not unheard of for these people to win the jackpot. This then is something that could possibly happen.

Compare this to all the other risks that may be considered, fire, flood, terrorists, outbreak of avian pandemic flue…. and it looks like (comparatively speaking) there is actually a high chance of the lottery win scenario occurring.

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So, the other day I was at a Water Treatment Works (a very short visit. induction, a cup of tea and that was it. Well, except for then going to the WTW we were meant to be working on, as opposed to the one with the site office….) and part of the induction mentioned how the company running the site works put notices on the wall in the canteen with updates on health and safety, e.g. from occurrences on other sites, other parts of the company, etc.

And as I was perusing them, waiting for my tea to cool, I noticed a sign which mentioned how some people seemed to like to break into such sites, look round, and put photos on the web.

For some reason, a certain someone muttering “MMMMMmmmmm – Plant Rooms” at college sprang into mind.

Remember, its not big. and its certainly not clever.

Of course I have a job that lead me round these places anyway. Which is cool. As is the amount of Hi-Vis yellow clothing in my boot at the moment. Thinking of boots tho, i must remember to get some new ones, a lace eye came off, which doesn’t help keep my foot in…. just as well i have spare shoes.

Failing that, why not just be a tourist? Or combine the industrial with lighting?

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Oh Dear. M1Live has gone. maybe it will come back. but for now it is gone. damn.

So I suppose I’ll just have to type in the names of bands that Gary talks about into last.fm when I need some music to work to when I am working at home then.

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I had a fridge. We had used it in our temporary home during our migration North. But since we purchased a fridge and a freezer over Christmas and they arrived, the old fridge has sat in the garage.

I was going to ebay the fridge. But frankly, I was not sure i could be bothered with it. After all, with work going the way it is, there is plenty of opportunity for me to change spare time into money, if that is my driver. and this does mean i know the monetary value of my time.

So I thought about other ways of disposing of the fridge. One method would just be to take it to the tip. Or on the other hand, I could just give it away, and FreeCycle it. Once i had joined the local (yahoo) group, sending an email resulted in responses from people who would like a new (to them) fridge. then just arrange for one of them to po round and pick it up…. and off it had gone.

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As Nia has helpfully pointed out, there are some fantastic dilemma’s whilst writing out Christmas cards. But one also needs to consider the address on the front of the envelope, a well as to whom, and from whom the card should be addressed.

So if you have moved home, then you won’t be getting a card from me, unless you tell me where you have gone to…

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