3 Mobile on MacBook

Boring and techie, but useful for people trying to use the same setup as I had…

I just switched to mobile broadband because it’s cheaper than having to pay line-rental and fixed-line broadband. You can get some really good deals out there as long as you don’t mind losing a little bit of speed. Unfortunately, . . . → Read More: 3 Mobile on MacBook

Swimming With Crazies

The May bank holiday means a lot of things to a lot of people. To mountain bikers this year, it meant the Dyfi Enduro and SSUK – I partook in the former. To Channel Swimmers, it meant the start of their training in Dover Harbour. For weeks and weeks until their crossing, they head out . . . → Read More: Swimming With Crazies

India – don’t try to make sense of it

The facts are these: I spent the 11th to 28 January backpacking around India from Bombay to Goa, Kerala, and then back up again. It was awesome.

The trip consisted of many tiny fragments and many special moments, all churning together to make a delightful state of chaos. Even if I wanted to, I don’t . . . → Read More: India – don’t try to make sense of it

Dystopian dream

My dreams have been taking a dystopian turn. This morning I was in some sort of (prison?) camp that contained a school-like building (all lino floors and heavily painted radiators) and a field area with a wire fence. I was being taken to see the unfortunate people and felt a mix of anticipation and unease. . . . → Read More: Dystopian dream

Nietzsche Would Have Ridden Singlespeed

Man is a bridge to the superman; man must overcome himself: all that jazz. Nietzsche would have ridden a singlespeed and ridden it up this hill. He’d have seen the point of struggling in a battle that you can never win. Toiling against a hill that’s not just long enough and steep enough but, in . . . → Read More: Nietzsche Would Have Ridden Singlespeed

Not yet a human fly

Well, I’ve had my first attempt at climbing… and it was really good fun.

Just like the first time I went mountain biking, there was an initial period where I had to make a step change in my perception of what is possible. Watching Phil or Nik flow up the wall and even across the . . . → Read More: Not yet a human fly

Swimtrek in Malta/Gozo

My first impressions of the water were the blue, the depth, and the grin so wide that it interrupted my breathing. We had jumped off the boat under sunlit cliffs and my trepidation had duly been slapped by the shock of the water. But as I started to swim, as I started to warm up, . . . → Read More: Swimtrek in Malta/Gozo

Cheddar Bikefest

It’s all Adam’s fault. In defiance of the knee problems, I’d started riding again and it had been fun. The pain wasn’t any worse, and I could get out on bikes again. And then he went and mentioned Cheddar Bikefest. An 8hr race with a dodgy knee? Tempting… very tempting.

Deciding about Cheddar was postponed, . . . → Read More: Cheddar Bikefest

It turns out that I kick ass

They finally got around to posting them and I finally got around to checking the results for the Dyfi Enduro: I was 2nd in the luddite (singlespeed) category and 29th overall.

Pretty satisfying especially considering my complete lack of riding from September until a few weeks before the event.

The truth about Lena

Everyone in image processing knows her face, but until today I could only speculate about what lay below the shoulder-line.

Lena is a standard test image used in image processing books, papers, and software tools. It’s good for its mix of highly detailed areas, smooth areas, and sharp edges. She’s also much more pleasant . . . → Read More: The truth about Lena