Joe's Jottings

  • Old and Wise – Alan Parsons Project

    The Alan Parsons Project is one of those bands / musical collaborations / call it what you will that I keep promising to listen to and never get around to it.  Having just heard the song ‘Old and Wise’ on the radio, I really think I should get my bum in to gear.

    Here are the lyrics – wonderful…

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  • The Bus Book – w/c 11th February – Graham Greene Short Stories

    This week’s ‘bus book’ has been a collection of Graham Greene’s short stories.

    For anyone who’s not encountered the concept of a ‘Bus Book’ I refer you here…

    I like Graham Greene. I particularly like his short stories and his novel ‘The Human Factor’, which I’ve always regarded as one of the two or three best espionage novels of the 20th Century. I like him so much that one of my own short stories is called ‘The man who liked Greene’.

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  • What is a Bus Book?

    I use public transport a great deal, and some years ago I started carrying a book with me wherever I went when I could expect a delay or a longish trip.  This book became known around the house as my ‘bus book’.

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  • T-Mobile Web-n-Walk

    For the last couple of years I’ve used BT’s Openzone system to give me Internet connectivity when I’m away from home. This uses WiFi hotspots, but by one of those unfortunate twists of fate, most places I went had iffy WiFi hotspots, but excellent Mobile Phone coverage.

    So, I decided to use the Web and Walk system offered by T-Mobile. Part of the thinking here was to make it easier for me to demonstrate systems ‘in the field’ and also allow me to stay in touch with my projects more when I’m away from home.

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