Beautiful Stranger

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There are encounters in our lives, that will stay with us, so it seems, forever.
By far the most impressionable of these for myself have been those in my ‘early’ years. Some, of course, would be best ‘forgotten’, but I realized some time ago, that they provided a timely and useful message. Others, at times proved both beautiful and fulfilling – up to a point – the point at which I wished they would continue, but didn’t. Such is life.

A habit of mine, for as long as I can remember, was to search for answers, an unending journey. When I couldn’t ferret out reasons why, I made up my own. I never was a diarist, but always have been a prolific ‘scribbler’, writing down what I thought had happened. Later, when I had felt traumatised, I wrote about it, then read, and re-read it, in effect ‘externalizing’ it.
Some events, it would seem, refuse to ‘lie down peacefully’, and return, sometimes to taunt, sometimes to haunt, in many cases relentlessly. The emotions are invoked again, whether they be regret, pain, or loss.

This account was first written in 2009. It reflects an incident many years before, She has never been forgotten, and nor has what I felt about her. Her plea has been answered.

Download or read in browser: BeautifulStranger

Gone, But Not Forgotten

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When I wrote the recent blog ‘Will no one rid me of this LibreOffice Writer ‘suggestion’ rubbish?’, a thought had floated through my mind that I had deliberately ‘abused’ Henry II’s (attributed) question once before. Knowing that this famous line has been deliberately misquoted already by many others, I dismissed the thought. However, tonight, whilst trolling through some ‘old’ stuff on my local copy of a one-time blog of mine ‘joebrown.org.uk’ I came across it:

Goodbye, Blue Sky Thinking – Hello, Cloud Computing?


Who will rid me of this turbulent technobabble?
With apologies to Henry II)

My observation went on to say: ‘I tease, of course. There are now so many levels of abstraction between the software developer and the actual hardware, that it makes sense for sales buffs and techno-ignorant managers to use terminology they feel comfortable with. However, I feel that in the case of ‘Cloud Computing’, the term only serves to obfuscate, rather than enlighten. Remember – issues get ‘clouded’, there are ‘clouds of anger’, etc., etc.

So the tools we will use will be located on a server on the Internet – there now, that wasn’t too hard was it? (Yeah – but it ain’t a sexy soundbite I hear you say.)‘

The article (published in 2010) went on to demonstrate an example thus: ‘mbed is down for scheduled maintenance’
Things didn’t get much better in the UK, but were worse, much worse on my move to Portugal in 2012. It is only NOW in 2024, that I have access to ‘fibre’ broadband, having put up with ADSL, satellite, et al – mostly useless for too damn long.
By the way, both connectable.org.uk and joebrown.org.uk are (mostly) on the ‘wayback‘ machine. I say ‘mostly’ because there are sections and pictures missing in several places – don’t blame wayback, blame one.com for the ‘cavalier’ attitude they had to folks data.

Should anyone want ‘clarity’ or info on articles, then contact me via a ‘comment’ form.
I have ‘local’ copies of both websites running on one of my own servers.
Please be aware that these comprise a huge amount of work, at the time both websites were very popular.

My little stick of Blackpool Rock

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Admission. It was after reading the ineffable rubbish regarding Fatima, that I was reminded of other samples of the boundless crap touted by so-called ‘charities’, particularly those of a religious bent. Some considerable time ago, I read of the Church of America ‘curing’ gay men of their ‘pernicious behaviour’ and apparently making them straight. I presented my problem by email, and was a little surprised at the very negative response, I can’t think why.
So from back in 2009, first published on ‘Serial Failures’ is my account:

I’ve just come back after a visit to Blackpool and my partner was very angry with me when I presented her with a stick of Whitley Bay Rock. Let me explain, I promised her I’d bring her back a stick of Blackpool Rock and I forgot. Rather than ‘fess up, I called in to ‘The Candyman’ sweet shop on the way home and bought a stick of local rock (which has ‘Whitley Bay’ written all the way through it) thinking she wouldn’t notice, but of course she did. She stormed off in one of her tempers and her last words were – ‘keep your promise, and get me a stick of Blackpool Rock, or I’ll never speak to you again!’

I hunted around on the Internet and came across a Church in America that says that anything is possible if you try hard enough, so I emailed them regarding changing the lettering in the middle of my rock.

I was surprised and a little hurt when the Pastor replied to my email reprimanding me for my frivolous and disrespectful request.

Now I would have thought that if this Church can convert Gay men into Heterosexuals, it should be a cinch to sort out my Rock problem.

Whaddya Fink?

Fatima, Wherefore Art Thou?

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Fátima, porque estás?

Tradução para Português
Proudly announced on the website of ‘The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila’ on Nov. 10th 2024.

‘As the worldwide Catholic Church prepares for the 100th anniversary celebration of the apparition to Our Lady of Fatima to The Venerable Sr. Lucia dos Santos in Pontevedra, Spain next year, the World Apostolate of Fatima (WAF) Philippines invites the faithful to take part on the National Fatima Convention on the Centenary of the Five First Saturday Devotion of December 10th 2024.’

Hmmm! Now I always thought, and was taught, that ‘Our Lady of Fatima’ referred to the ‘manifestation’ of the Virgin Mary to three girls in Fatima, Portugal. There is not one mention of that in this article.
‘Smacks’ to me like another copycat ‘apparition’ used to boost tourist income.

Wickipaedia has this: ‘Fátima is a Portuguese city located in Serra de Aire , headquarters of the Parish of Fátima of the Municipality of Ourém , in the former province of Beira Litoral , and in the current region Oeste e Vale do Tejo and NUT3 of Médio Tejo , a parish with 71.29 km² of area [ 1 ] and 13,212 inhabitants ( 2021 census ) [ 2 ] , therefore having a population density of 185.3 inhab./km².

Its worldwide fame is due to the phenomenon of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary reported by three shepherd children from May 13 to October 13 , 1917.‘

I also have another issue with the article, I quote ‘worldwide Catholic Church prepares for the 100th anniversary celebration of the apparition to Our Lady of Fatima to The Venerable Sr. Lucia dos Santos in Pontevedra, Spain’

Who wrote this rubbish?

For more ‘icing on the cake’, and slapping it on thick, read this: Apparitions at Pontevedra

Português
Orgulhosamente anunciado no site da ‘Arquidiocese Católica Romana de Manila’ a 10 de novembro de 2024

‘Enquanto a Igreja Católica mundial se prepara para a celebração do 100º aniversário da aparição de Nossa Senhora de Fátima à Venerável Irmã Lúcia dos Santos em Pontevedra, Espanha, no próximo ano, o Apostolado Mundial de Fátima (WAF) Filipinas convida os fiéis a participar sobre a Convenção Nacional de Fátima no Centenário dos Cinco Primeiros Sábados Devocionais de 10 de Dezembro de 2024.’

Hmmm! Ora sempre pensei, e ensinaram-me, que “Nossa Senhora de Fátima” se referia à “manifestação” da Virgem Maria a três meninas em Fátima, Portugal. Não há uma menção a isso neste artigo.
‘Parece-me’ como outra ‘aparição’ imitadora usada para aumentar o rendimento turístico.

A Wickipedia tem isto: ‘Fátima é uma cidade portuguesa situada na Serra de Aire, sede da Freguesia de Fátima do Concelho de Ourém, na antiga província da Beira Litoral, e na actual região Oeste e Vale do Tejo e NUT3 do Médio Tejo, freguesia com 71,29 km² de área[1] e 13.212 habitantes (censos 2021)[2], tendo portanto uma densidade populacional de 185,3 hab./km².

A sua fama mundial deve-se ao fenómeno das aparições da Virgem Maria relatadas por três pastorinhos de 13 de Maio a 13 de Outubro de 1917. ‘

Tenho também outro problema com o artigo, cito ‘A Igreja Católica mundial prepara-se para a celebração do 100º aniversário da aparição de Nossa Senhora de Fátima à Venerável Irmã Lúcia dos Santos em Pontevedra, Espanha’

Quem escreveu este lixo?

Para mais ‘cereja no topo do bolo’, e para dar um tapa na espessura, leia isto:Aparições em Pontevedra

National Fatima Convention to be held in Quezon City

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Python: ‘Batteries included’ – but watch out for the ‘sell-by’ date.

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There are at least two types of ‘patzer’ in the ‘Software Development’ domain, these two have caused me more hassle and annoyance than any other part of the mangled shit we have to deal with frequently:-

  • The complete innocent who ‘contributes’ an article and/or code project, without specifying the version and/or revision of the software environment on which his/her project depends.
  • The developer/maintainer who deletes/alters previously published library code, with nary a thought for whatever has been written for the previous version.

By far, the worst offenders are ‘contributors’ in the Python Development Community. Yes, things have changed, certainly for me.If anyone used to develop software on Microsoft’s ‘environment’, they will remember, probably with horror, the ‘DLL Hell’ everyone had to experience.
‘Things’ should have changed, but they haven’t, well not much.

In the above, just a few simple rules are required. The ‘developer’ does NOT delete/alter previously released functions. These should be supported but marked as ‘deprecated’. All too often the developer is making use of an ‘exposed’ interface him/herself. This is simply sloppy and lazy.
The ‘contributor’ simply provides the version and revision of his Python interpreter, and similar for the libraries he is using.

As is usual when there is ‘misunderstanding’ between folks speaking different languages, we could blame the interpreter.
Mostly, this is the root cause of the problem, with Python, and similar interpreters.

Several times I see ‘solutions’ involving downloading and building libraries from scratch on my own machine. So apparently I have to ‘manufacture’ my ‘batteries’? On such occasions I’m tempted to comment by suggesting that the ‘contributor’ finds a quiet corner, and stands with his face in it,
Well, no I’m not tempted to say that, but something quite different, but have no wish to offend.

Looking For A Rainbow?

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Spotted this one a little North-West of Miranda-Do-Corvo, Central Portugal.
Always a great joy to behold, and a reminder of all the somewhat silly, but enchanting tales we both heard and read as children.
It is doubtful whether anyone ever found a ‘pot of gold’, or anything else after attempting to follow the ‘myths’, but that really doesn’t matter here, just the sheer majestic composition of white light being fully displayed.

Latterly the phrase ‘chasing a rainbow’ was exemplified in Chris Rea’s “Looking For A Rainbow’, a somewhat stark critique of the ‘Thatcher’ period of government in the UK. In my personal view, one that was absolutely apposite.

Well we come down to the valley.
Yea we’re looking for the honey.
I see a rainbow.
I say that’s the land of milk and honey.

Me and my cousin.
Me and my brother,
My little sister too.
Come looking for a rainbow.
Yea we’re looking for a rainbow.

Well we come down to the valley.
Got our babies in our arms.
Yea we’re Maggie’s little children,
And we’re looking for Maggie’s farm.

Me and my cousin.
Me and my brother.
My little sister too.
Come looking for a rainbow.
Yea we’re looking for a rainbow.

Well we come down to the valley.
We ain’t far away no more.
You can’t leave us dying this time,
’cause we’re all around your door.

Me and my cousin.
Me and my brother.
My little sister too,
Come looking for a rainbow.
Yea we’re looking for a rainbow.

(C) Christopher Anton Rea, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc

Will no one rid me of this LibreOffice Writer ‘suggestion’ rubbish?

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(With apologies to Henry II of England, RIP)

Yeah. Take a look at the above. It isn’t the 1st time I’ve seen this irritating bullshit decorating my LibreOffice Writer files.
What the flying f**k ‘themselves‘ obliterating part of penultimate paragraph, is about I have NO IDEA – and I’ll bet, neither have the authors of this bloat. I gave up using Microsoft Office for the same reason – style over substance.
Nothing I’ve looked at online describes this behaviour. As soon as the cursor is moved off the libreOffice application,the ‘suggestion’ evaporates.
I’m using the so-called ‘legacy’ 32-bit Raspberry pi OS on a pi400.
I’ve tried to ‘join’ the libreoffice forum, but gave up in disgust. I provided all the details asked for, got a confirmation email, asked to fill in another form which is irrelevant. Also, the usual BULLSHIT ASTERISKED password entries, with NO FACILITY to see what I’ve typed.
A complete waste of space.