Codex Digitum

WTF?

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:54:48 GMT

Seen on the RTE website about that Priest who was listed as a tax defaulter:

"Fr O'Donovan is said to have made the comments to the newspaper after yesterday's publication of his name on a list 76 tax defaulters.

It showed that he had made a settlement of €433,475 with the Revenue Commissioners.
In March 2008, Fr O'Donovan was fined €6,000 at Cork District Court on ten charges relating to his tax affairs - after agreeing a separate €213,000 settlement with the Revenue Commissioners."
Why is no-one asking how on earth can a priest can be able to pay nearly HALF A MILLION euros to the revenue commissioners?

If we assume a tax rate of, say, 35% then that abount is tax on earnings of €1,238,500

Thats in ADDITION to the quarter of a million he has already paid.

History ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:31:14 GMT

I came across this recently at the http://archive.computerhistory.org website

The first system I worked on was a variation of this PDP-11 it was a PDP-11/40
That screen is a VT52 and the teletype beside it is a LA34, and the line printer is a LP-11

The front panel if the PDP-11 had lights which reflected the binary code of the instructions being executed so if the lights were flashing, it was working (!)

I then went to work for a company who had a PDP-11/70, and we had those disk packs which were, I think, 176MB in size. And our system main memory was 512K.

And also from that site, here is a picture of the first ever video game - produced in 1962. "Spacewar". It ran on a PDP-1

New Scientist - coverage of Trains in the world - notice how India stands out in Asia

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:58:19 GMT

Gallery - Where's the remotest place on Earth? - Image 5 - New Scientist

Shared via AddThis

Art on chips ... and happy birthday.

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:24:32 GMT

Art on microchips!

http://blog.targethealth.com/?p=352

Oh - and VMS, The One True Operating System, and the OS that God uses to run his EarthSim, is 32 today!

As seen in Breaking News

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:42:17 GMT

"However, up to 25 Fianna Fáil backbenchers reportedly spoke out against the move at last night's meeting in Leinster House.

They claimed the reduction would have a devastating impact on rural pubs and communities.

Read more: http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/eymhkfaukfsn/rss2/#ixzz0Ua6AL3Pf"

Hmph. 25 TDs objecting to a move to reduce the blood alcohol level from 80 to 50mg and threatening to vote against the legislation

Right! Vote billions to our pals in the banks and builders? Sure! No Problem! In any case the bankers dont vote for me, but do support the party - so off ye go!

Vote to reduce the blood alcohol level to further reduce drink-driving? Aw no, see the lads want their pints and they might vote against me!

Yeah - I've discovered David McWilliams blog too ... http://www.davidmcwilliams.ie

D&D on Microsoft Surface

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:36:05 GMT

This I like!

D&D on Microsoft Surface. Only a demo, but we could be back to playing D&D on the coffee table!

http://vimeo.com/7132858

Things in Books

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:23:13 GMT

I think this website is quite interesting

Things in Books

and this entry in particular

Letter

Extraordinary lives

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:12:25 GMT

Some people lead extraordinary lives.

I hope to meet this man tomorrow morning ... among other things he led the last cavalry charge against the British Army.

Have a little read ...

Amedeo Guillet

edit -postponed!

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:51:51 GMT

I am REALLY procrastinating today.

Not helped by keeping up with the current blogspawn about the #Octofail saga starring
slovobooks and the OctoCabal!!!!

I know who I'm voting for!

(oops I just read that again - I mean blogspawn in a NICE way!!)

The real reason to use Twitter!!!!

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:16:17 GMT

Pilot saves a ton of fuel - literally!

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:43:12 GMT

I never even thought of this.

This pilot challenges his co-pilot to see how much fuel they can save flying transatlantic.

http://www.gadling.com/2009/06/06/cockpit-chronicles-a-gallon-saved/

Journalism and politics.

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:42:17 GMT

This is what annoys me these days ...
On the RTE site today at http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0929/eulisbon1.html

(Now my wordcrafting is at an all time low these days so this might be just a meandering rant ...)

"Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has said the claim made about the minimum wage by some Lisbon No campaigners is one of the biggest misrepresentations about the agreement.

Speaking earlier today, the Minister referred to a campaign poster which suggested the minimum wage would be reduced under the treaty.

Minister Martin said the Yes side is now answering lots of questions from voters about the issue.

He stressed that the Government with the Oireachtas determines the level of the minimum wage.

Mr Martin also invited those responsible for the poster to withdraw it.

Cóir said the comments revealed the minister's ''desperation and absolute inability to debate on the issue."

This is not particulary bad, but it works to exemplify the issue:

Question raised on the minimum wage
Martin says "Oireachtas determines the level of the minimum wage"
Coir says "desperation and absolute inability to debate on the issue."

I've seen this more and more - no debate; just say the opposite and KEEP saying it until people get fed up and move on./
And the journalists dont seem to ask questions any more - just simply report. So this report, to me, is more than useless!!

its also along the lines of
Govenment critic: "The government has failed because of x"
Government: "The government has succeeded because of y"
gnngngngng!

I want this for Christmas!!!!

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:35:16 GMT

For those of you who read userfriendly.org, apologies 'cos you may have seen this already.

But I think its so cool! A scale model of a SR-71 Blackbird with model jet engines!!!

I saw the real thing in the flesh at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson Arizona, but have never seen one fly.

See how much car design has come along?

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:55:02 GMT

Ouch! A 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air versus a 2009 Malibu at 40 miles per hour.

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/a-2009-chevy-malibu-destroys-a-1959-bel-air-literally/?partner=MOREOVERFEATURES&ei=5040

A pal sent me this - somewhat political, but we could be next ...

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:35:33 GMT

THIS IS THE UK LABOUR GOVERNMENT

REST OF THE WORLD VERSION:

The squirrel works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building and improving his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks he's a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the squirrel is warm and well fed.

The shivering grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

THE END

------------------------------------------------------------------------

LABOUR GOVERNMENT THE UK VERSION

The squirrel works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building and improving his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks he's a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the squirrel is warm and well fed.

A social worker finds the shivering grasshopper, calls a press conference and demands to know why the squirrel should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others less fortunate, like the grasshopper, are cold and starving.

The BBC shows up to provide live coverage of the shivering grasshopper; with cuts to a video of the squirrel in his comfortable warm home with a table laden with food.

The British press inform people that they should be ashamed that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so, while others have plenty.

The Labour Party, Greenpeace, Animal Rights and The Grasshopper Council of GB demonstrate in front of the squirrel's house. The BBC, interrupting a cultural festival special from Notting Hill with breaking news, broadcasts a multi-cultural choir singing 'We shall overcome'.

Ken Livingstone rants in an interview with Trevor McDonald that the squirrel got rich off the backs of grasshoppers, and calls for an immediate tax hike on the squirrel to make him pay his 'fair share' and increases the charge for squirrels to enter inner London .

In response to pressure from the media, the Government drafts the Economic Equity and Grasshopper anti Discrimination Act, retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The squirrel's taxes are reassessed. He is taken to court and fined for failing to hire grasshoppers as builders for the work he was doing on his home and an additional fine for contempt when he told the court the grasshopper did not want to work. The grasshopper is provided with a council house, financial aid to furnish it and an account with a local taxi firm to ensure he can be socially mobile. The squirrel's food is seized and re-distributed to the more needy members of society, in this case the grasshopper.

Without enough money to buy more food, to pay the fine and his newly imposed retroactive taxes, the squirrel has to downsize and start building a new home. The local authority takes over his old home and utilises it as a temporary home for asylum seeking cats who had hijacked a plane to get to Britain as they had to share their country of origin with mice. On arrival they tried to blow up the airport because of Britain 's apparent love of dogs.

The cats had been arrested for the international offence of hijacking and attempted bombing but were immediately released because the police fed them pilchards instead of salmon whilst in custody. Initial moves to return them to their own country were abandoned, because it was feared they would face death by the mice. The cats devise and start a scam to obtain money from people's credit cards.

A Panorama special shows the grasshopper finishing the last of the squirrel's food, though spring is still months away, while the council house he is in, crumbles around him because he hasn't bothered to maintain the house. He is shown to be taking drugs. Inadequate government funding is blamed for the grasshoppers' drug 'illness'.

The cats seek recompense in the British courts for their treatment since arrival in UK .

The grasshopper gets arrested for stabbing an old dog during a burglary to get money for his drugs habit. He is imprisoned but released immediately because he has been in custody for a few weeks. He is placed in the care of the probation service to monitor and supervise him.. Within a few weeks he has killed a guinea pig in a botched robbery.

A commission of enquiry, that will eventually cost £10,000,000 and state the obvious, is set up. Additional money is put into funding a drug rehabilitation scheme for
grasshoppers and legal aid for lawyers representing asylum seekers is increased. The government praises the asylum-seeking cats for enriching Britain 's multicultural diversity, and dogs are criticised by the government for failing to befriend the cats.

The grasshopper dies of a drug overdose. The usual sections of the press blame it on the obvious failure of government to address the root causes of despair arising from social inequity and his traumatic experience of prison. They call for the resignation of a government minister.

The cats are paid a million pounds each because their rights were infringed when the government failed to inform them there were mice in the United Kingdom .

The squirrel, the dogs and the victims of the hijacking, the bombing, the burglaries and robberies have to pay an additional percentage on their credit cards to cover losses. Their taxes are increased to pay for law and order, and they are told that they will have to work beyond 65 because of a shortfall in government funds.

THE END

Understanding engineers ...

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:32:33 GMT

Understanding Engineers - One

Two engineering students were walking across a university campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?"
The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday,minding my own business, when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike, threw it to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want."

The first engineer nodded approvingly and said, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fitted you anyway."

Understanding Engineers - Two

To the optimist, the glass is half full.
To the pessimist, the glass is half empty.
To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Understanding Engineers - Three

A priest, a doctor, and an engineer were waiting one morning for a particularly slow group of golfers. The engineer fumed, "What's with those guys? We must have been waiting for fifteen minutes!"

The doctor chimed in, "I don't know, but I've never seen such inept golf!" The priest said, "Here comes the green-keeper. Let's have a word with him."

He said, "Hello George, what's wrong with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't they?"

The green-keeper replied, "Oh, yes. That's a group of blind firemen. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime."

The group fell silent for a moment. The priest said, "That's so sad. I think I will say a special prayer for them tonight."

The doctor said, "Good idea. I'm going to contact my ophthalmologist colleague and see if there's anything he can do for them."

The engineer said, "Why can't they play at night?"

Understanding Engineers - Four

What is the difference between mechanical engineers and civil engineers?
Mechanical engineers build weapons and civil engineers build targets.

Understanding Engineers - Five

The graduate with a science degree asks," Why does it work?"
The graduate with an engineering degree asks, "How does it work?"
The graduate with an accounting degree asks, "How much will it cost?"
The graduate with an arts degree asks, "Do you want fries with that?"

Understanding Engineers - Six

Three engineering students were gathered together discussing who must have designed the human body. One said, "It was a mechanical engineer. Just look at all the joints." Another said, "No, it was an electrical engineer. The nervous system has many thousands of electrical connections."

The last one said, "No, actually it had to have been a civil engineer. Who else would run a toxic waste pipeline through a recreational area?"

Understanding Engineers - Seven

Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet.

Understanding Engineers - Eight

An engineer was crossing a road one day, when a frog called out to him and said, "If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess."

He bent over, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket. The frog spoke up again and said, "If you kiss me I'll turn back into a beautiful princess and stay with you for one week."

The engineer took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and returned it to the pocket.

The frog then cried out, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll stay with you for one week and do ANYTHING you want."

Again, the engineer took the frog out, smiled at it and put it back into his pocket.

Finally, the frog asked, "What is the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess and that I'll stay with you for one week and do
anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?"

The engineer said, "Look, I'm an engineer. I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog, now that's cool."

Lost Symbol

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:10:54 GMT

Great! Now I dont have to read this tripe ... so far it looks like Brown has used the same template he used in Angels & Demons + Da Vinci Code + Digital Fortress

http://m.guardian.co.uk/?id=102202&story=http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/sep/15/lost-symbol-live-reading-dan-brown

Might have to read the actual book as I'm sure to get some Masonic questions!

Irish Goldwing Treffen in Gorey

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:57:44 GMT

We also went to the Irish Goldwing Treffen [1] in Gorey - heres pics from oneof the spins - I stitched 4 photos together for the top pic using AutoStitch

[1] Treffen - from the Dutch word for "meeting". The first club to hold a national meeting was the Dutch Goldwing Owners Club so the name has stuck throughout Europe

Pigeon faster than broadband

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:48:49 GMT

I love it!

Have a read

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8248056.stm

Wonder if its RFC 1149 compliant?

Rgds,
Eoin

Arctic Circle

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:04:36 GMT

Leaving for Ritsem tomorrow via Jokkmokk. Just realised that we are crossing the Arctic Circle! So that means photies then I think! There is a car park on the road we are taking, but we plan to drive in to Jokkmokk and then back out another road for 6 miles to the ArcticCircle Cafe where we can celebrate in style.

If you fancy trying to send email to somewhere where there is no Internet (!) my test ID is user014@village.n4c.eu. The email will be delivered to the N4C mail node in the UK, then to our relay node in TCD, then to a DTN daemon, then across a VPN to the DTN daemon on a relay node in Ritsem (which is connected to us via a 2G modem) then across an ad-hoc wifi net to the data mule on a helicopter when it lands, then the helicopter flies to Staloluokta where the mule will connect with our solar -powered wifi access point and then down to my eeePC.

Replies go in reverse.

I hope!

In Lulea ... (its in Sweden)

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:44:08 GMT

Finally got to Lulea (cant find the little "a" with the two dots over it)

Its 21 degrees!!! We're all in shorts ... spent the day at Lulea University (re)building our routers. Glad I got a car with aircon!

Now down to the local ethnic Swedish ale-house ... called ... The Bishops Arms!

Counting down ...

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:13:46 GMT

The kit shipped off to Lulea on Monday despite DHL throwing a wobbly that we had gel batteries in the shipment.

I've gotten my trekking gear (from Patagonia on Wicklow St which is an outlet store and MUCH cheaper than Great Outdoors) but I did get my mosquito nets from them. Mosquito nets!!! never thought I would hear myself say that!

And when I say "trekking" I really mean being helicoptered to one place and walking around a bit.

For those interested, we're trying to keep a blog here.

Moon landings

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:23:40 GMT

The site

http://wechoosethemoon.org/

is broadcasting the entire Apollo 11 mission audio in real time! Just listened to the landing and still get a shiver when I hear "Houston, Tranquility Base. The Eagle has landed"

Its still running so you can hear the "small step" speech too.

Getting ready for the roadtrip to Sweden

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:34:55 GMT

I'm desparately trying to finish my configuration bits of the solar-powered DTN-connected wifi server which we are brining to Sweden.

We have to fly to Lulea in Norther Sweden, hire a car, drive 7.5 hours to Ritsem, next day back to Saltoluokta, install one router, back to Ritsem, onto a helicopter (!) to Staloluokta. Then be there for the arrival of the ExtremeCom participants (www.extremecom.org) set up the 2nd router, do more tests, then helicopter back to Ritsem, back to Salto, then back to Lulea.

it doesnt help that two of the locations are only separated by a typo: Saltoluokta and Stalokuokta!!!!

NTL/UPC has series link at last!

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:25:01 GMT

NTL/UPC have finally delivered series link on their hard disk recorder. Its not as polished as Sky but for those of us who cannot get Sky its a welcome sight!!

eg being able to record all episodes of Torchwood this week! And Top Gear! And Big Bang Theory!