Oh what a beautiful morning oh what a glorious day…And Google Spellcheck

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Guthlac

With apologise to Rogers and Hammerstein it is a lovely morning.  I have finally shaken my bug off and feel in full fettle and raring to go – but go where?   well I was going to visit the Simon Roberts exhibition at Bradford with my friend David, but he seems to have been struck down with the same bug that I have been suffering with over the past week.   So I am going out to do some scouting, the session I had to put off last week.

One final thing.  I was listening to the ever informative Economist podcast the other day – this was about the problems with data overload – and the correspondent put the view forward that Google now has the best spell-check  in the world.  Now I use the afore mentioned service, I use Google chrome, and I have to say it is not very good.   I find myself referring back to my trusty old Word spell check because Google doesn’t recognise or produce any suggestions.  An example of this is that the Google  spell check doesn’t recognise the word Google instead it offers the words goggle and googly.  Still some work to be done then wouldn’t you say?
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

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Benylin has just become my guilty little treat – well whilst my throat is so inflamed.

Posted on March 14, 2010 by Guthlac

Day 6 of the stomach bug/virus/generally yuck feeling.   I have now got a sore throat and so have resorted to taking Benylin cough medicine.   I have to say I really didn’t realise that these things were so appealing.   In truth I feel fine in myself but this throat is really annoying but it won’t last and at least I can get on with other work whilst my body does battle with whatever it is.  At least it is an excuse to take some more Benylin – but I won’t be sad to see the back of the medicine – spring is here and I have lots of things I want to get on with.

I have just wiki’d couch medicine and it would seem that there are serious doubts as to whether they have any really medicinal effects other than comforting the sufferer – well I don’t mind that – it does help with the annoyance of a sore throat.
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

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Stock Doves – some of the prettiest birds in the garden at the moment

Posted on March 13, 2010 by Guthlac

So all yesterday wasn’t spent watching zombie movies – no I actually managed to do a little photography.  I caught these two stock doves in the garden.   Of the Columbidae that visit our garden these are the prettiest.  Now I now this is a hopeless anthropomorphic comment but they are.  One final thing – they are not known for visiting gardens but are becoming a regular in ours – which is a bonus.
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

Stock_dove_-_enderbyStock_dove_-_enderby-2

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Does it get any better Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead – the way to recover

Posted on March 12, 2010 by Guthlac

Well I am going to patent this as the therapy that works.   The way to get over a stomach bug Watch Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead.  Simply the best.

It doesn’t matter that in virtually every point that matters they are the same movie – they are just brilliantly entertaining – although I suspect they appeal to men more than women.  Just outstanding – what a way to spend an afternoon.  The only worrying thing about the whole thing is what exactly does that say about me?  I suspect those who know can answer that for themselves.

Simon Marchini LRPS

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A day for printing and scouting locations

Posted on March 12, 2010 by Guthlac

A damp a drizzly day outside so what to do with myself?   Well catch up on work that I have put on the back burner for the past few days since my virus/stomach/cold episode. 

So I have started to print out this years submission for the RPS International Print Exhibition – especially as I have sorted out the colour monitor issues.   I printed off one print and it seemed a lot better – however you need to give them 24 hours to really dry so I will not do any more today and review where I am tomorrow.

So I’m off out scouting the rest of the day.  I am looking for sites for a photo shoot around the theme of landscape gardens etc.  I have a few ideas but we’ll see what I come up with.  At least the ran has stopped for now at least!!
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

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Root Canal work is a real pain – especially with a stomach bug

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Guthlac

Well I had root canal work done yesterday on a touch and it appears to have gone very well.  The only problem was that I was still suffering from my stomach upset which has made me feel quite weak.  However, I seem to be on the mend from both.
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

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Drivers the babel fish of computing and why windows vista needs watching

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Guthlac

To people of a certain age the babel fish is one of the many wonderful inventions of Douglas Adams to a younger generation it probably is the service that you use to translate different languages.  In computing the device driver is a the babel fish that allows all manner of hardware to work with one another.  It translates the signals coming from the device into a language that the computer understands and vice versa.   They usually work fine and you think nothing of them.  When they don’t they become the bane of your life.

Most modern operating systems automatically search out the latest version of the driver on your system and install without you doing a thing.  Then you have Microsoft Vista which says one thing and does another.   The case in point was the eye one colour monitor that I use to calibrate my monitor.  This would not work with my 64 bit operating system.  I would install it, vista would say that the driver was installed then I would find it wouldn’t work.   I was seriously thinking about buying a different colour calibration monitor, I even had to listen to the patronising sales man at Focus on Imaging telling me that, well, if I was such an idiot not to use Apple then what should I expect.  He didn’t use those exact words but that was the general feeling I got.   He might be right but my computer is part of a wider system which would not easily transfer to an Apple environment.  

So I was stuck with a piece of equipment that wouldn’t work.  There wasn’t anything else to do but get my hands dirty but start to ferret around under the bonnet of Windows.  And guess what I found.  Whilst Vista was telling me that the driver had installed it actually hadn’t.  I quickly sorted this problem out and the colour calibrator works.

And the morale of this story?   Well there isn’t one other than the usual one of smug satisfaction of the Apple fan boys who told you so. At one level they are right of course but at another there is so many things wrong with Apple and its approach. 
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

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Struck down with a tummy bug

Posted on March 10, 2010 by Guthlac

Yesterday was a wash out.   I picked up some sort of bug and spent most of the day feel pretty sorry for myself.  Fortunately I have the best nursing staff on hand to bring me back to full health.  I feel a bit better today – however have got an appointment with dentist this morning for root canal surgery – it never rains until it pours. 
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

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Feet starting to hurt!!!

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Guthlac

Well we have just about finished at this years Focus on Imaging – and my feet hurt. What have I learnt? The truth is that it is too early to draw any firm conclusions other than this year is going to be all about printing. This means paper, calibration and monitors.

I have got some great ideas and now I have to do the homework for the solution that is best for me. I’m on line at:

www.flickr.com/photos/guthlac
http://simonmarchini.blogspot.com
www.simonmarchini.co.uk

I hope you enjoy

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Taking an early lunch at Focus

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Guthlac

So what have I learnt? Well, monitors are lovely and each manufacturer is the best. They would say that wouldn’t they. If I were to splash the cash on a new monitor I will need to do a lot more research.

On a more immeadiate point I have got a sampler pack for Hahnmuehle. I need to do some printing so now is the to try the paper out.

After lunch more stands and bull from sales men, they always are men the women are just eye candy.

Still its been a useful show so far.

I’m on line at:

www.flickr.com/photos/guthlac
http://simonmarchini.blogspot.com
www.simonmarchini.co.uk

I hope you enjoy

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