Specchums and the coronavirus.

[R-Tape]

Do you mean you're not using this???

[PROSM]

When I wish I was using these! Don't think they would be much good for MS Office 2019, and SQL Server Management Studio though.

SQL? Isn't this good enough?

[1024MAK]

Do you mean you're not using this???

What about this?

Mark

[MatGubbins]

SQL

sounds like the cut down / lite /coverdisc edition of
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=4793

[Morkin]

Two toasties?? They're probably worth about £2,500 in today's eBay market...

(that's about a quarter of the value of a Spectrum Next )

[Juan F. Ramirez]

... and that Google Home Mini combined with any of these Speccies would be a cool idea...
- 'ok, Google, load Stonkers'
- 'are you sure, Peter?'

[PeterJ]

... and that Google Home Mini combined with any of these Speccies would be a cool idea...
- 'ok, Google, load Stonkers'
- 'are you sure, Peter?'

That would be just amazing!

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Amazing what, playing Stonkers?

[1024MAK]

... and that Google Home Mini combined with any of these Speccies would be a cool idea...
- 'ok, Google, load Stonkers'
- 'are you sure, Peter?'

I’d prefer:
- 'okay, Google, access my job list and carry out all the listed work'
- 'Working...'


Mark

[Firefox]

My jumpstart gizmo worked a treat (after five minutes of figuring out how to pacify the freaked-out and very loud alarm/immobiliser). I zoomed up and down the dual carriageway a few times to recharge the battery a bit (it was down to 4.8V!) and, since I was there anyway, treated myself to a visit to the giant Sainsburys at the other end.

The behaviour of the pensioners in there worried me! Despite the pandemic they've still got to comprehensively feel up every one of the 30 identical packs of pate (or whatever), and press every one to their nose, just in case one seems to be 0.1g heavier or smell slightly fresher. They don't seem to understand or care about the two metres rule, either. *sigh*

[1024MAK]

4.8V is well below the recommended minimum voltage of a 12V lead acid battery (link to a discussion about this).

If you are to save your battery, it now needs a full recharge, that means until it’s terminal voltage is up to 13V measured 30 minutes after the last recharge (assuming there is no continuous load).

Mark

[Firefox]

I should've measured the voltage when I got back, I suppose... I was a bit dispirited and rather hungry after my visit to apocalyptic Sainsbury's, which I had to queue up ages for.

I've pretty much decided I'll go to that supermarket every food shop (every week or a bit longer) so the car gets a good recharge as well as me getting some nice stuff from the better world foods aisle to cheer me up.

I didn't plan to run the battery down! It's a thing that happened, and I've dealt with it as fast as possible given the circumstances. If the bloody thing dies it dies, and I'll just nip down the road on the (usually empty) bus and get a replacement.

[PeterJ]

Is anyone learning anything new during this period of lockdown? I'm having a go at C# after finding a four hour video on CodeAcademy. This is my very first attempt at classes:

Code: Select all

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

namespace SC
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            ZXGames game1 = new ZXGames("The Addams Family", "Ocean Software Ltd (UK)", "Arcade Game: Adventure", 1992);
            Console.WriteLine((game1.title) + " Was Published By " + (game1.publisher) + " in " + (game1.release_year) + ". The Genre of the game is " + (game1.genre));
            Console.WriteLine();
            ZXGames game2 = new ZXGames("Crystal Kingdom Dizzy", "Code Masters Ltd (UK)", "Arcade Game: Adventure", 1992);
            Console.WriteLine((game2.title) + " Was Published By " + (game2.publisher) + " in " + (game2.release_year) + ". The Genre of the game is " + (game2.genre));
            Console.WriteLine();
            ZXGames game3 = new ZXGames("Pentacorn Quest", "NightWolf", "Arcade Game: Platform", 2015);
            Console.WriteLine((game3.title) + " Was Published By " + (game3.publisher) + " in " + (game3.release_year) + ". The Genre of the game is " + (game3.genre));
            Console.WriteLine();
            Console.WriteLine("Is " + (game1.title) + " Modern? " + (game1.Modern()));
            Console.WriteLine("Is " + (game2.title) + " Modern? " + (game2.Modern()));
            Console.WriteLine("Is " + (game3.title) + " Modern? " + (game3.Modern()));
            Console.ReadKey();
        }
    }

        class ZXGames
        {
            public string title;
            public string publisher;
            public string genre;
            public int release_year;

            public ZXGames(string aTitle, string aPublisher, string aGenre, int aRelease_year)
            {
                this.title = aTitle;
                this.publisher = aPublisher;
                this.genre = aGenre;
                this.release_year = aRelease_year;
            }

            public bool Modern()
            {
                if (this.release_year >= 1994)
                {
                    return true;
                }
                return false;
            }
        }
}

[Firefox]

I had to learn C# for work several years ago, but found it to be actually rather nice. Visual Studio is obviously very well set up for developing C#, and Forms is actually a pretty good GUI toolkit too.


These past few months I've taught myself to drive KiCAD (popular open source PCB design suite), and send my first design off to the board house in Hong Kong just in time for them to be hobbled by the pandemic outbreak (it took a whole month, even with expensive "two-day" courier shipping). They're back up to full steam now, though, and even using economy postage my second set of boards only took two weeks to be made and shipped here.

It was a bit of a steep learning curve, but once you get in the swing of how KiCAD works it's actually pretty intuitive.

The board houses do a really nice job for amazingly low prices. My second design I got five boards for the grand total of £1.53! It's the shipping that costs most of the money. Be careful that the cost of the goods + shipping + insurance (if any) don't exceed £20, or HMRC will charge you VAT on the whole lot, and the courier company will slap their own fee on top for the privilege. I just barely dodged that trap on my first set of boards!

[1024MAK]

Contrast and compare:

There are lots of people volunteering to go back to the NHS to help, or helping to distribute food, medicine or other supplies to people who are at high risk (shielding) or who are unable to shop for themselves. Some bus and coach company staff are helping by driving transport ambulances (not 999 ambulances) to move patients around.

You also have key workers, some of which are not exactly paid big money for the work that they do, that are keeping the country running, who are risking going to work, including but not limited to NHS staff including nurses, doctors, drivers, cleaners and porters, care home staff, plus bus drivers, railway staff, tube staff, truck drivers, distribution workers, postal workers, parcel and delivery company workers, grocery, supermarket and other shop workers, civil servants (handling benefit claims as well as running governments and councils), firefighters, and power station workers. [ I apologise in advance, because I am bound to have left out various other groups of essential or other key workers].

Also radio and TV staff, plus news reporters (and all associated behind the scenes staff) who are helping to keep us informed and entertained.

Now compare this to all the selfish idiots that despite extensive media coverage, panic buy and hoard food and supplies, who travel unnecessarily, who crowd together, who think that the restrictions don’t apply to them. Or who spread fake news, misleading information or dismiss this pandemic as being fiction, or who dismiss this COVID19 Corona virus as not being a serious medical problem.

I’m currently self isolating because it’s possible that a family member may have had COVID19 Corona virus (that was worrying enough). But the fourteen days is NOTHING compared to the TWELVE WEEKS that people who should shield themselves will have to endure (people with existing medical conditions, the old and frail). And when you have a family member that fits into one of these groups, that means you (including me) have to extra careful to not get infected yourself, or to bring the virus home with you and unintentionally infect said family member (which is exactly the situation I’m in).

It all really brings home what is important in life.

For those that don’t get it, people (including family and friends) are important, not greed, money and delusions of power.

If only these selfish people would actually THINK OF OTHERS before acting only in their own self interest.

Mark

[PeterJ]

Well said sir. All the best for your family.

[R-Tape]

Yep well said Mark.

Have people witnessed or experienced this selfish behaviour? People seem pretty good where I am (though it's possible I'm not seeing everything because I'm indoors most of the time!), even the rebarbative plankton* that usually treat the backstreet like a waste dump are behaving so far. There was one jogger though, I'd swear blind that he actually tried to get as close as possible when he passed me from both ways.

*© Ed Reardon

[PeterJ]

Yep well said Mark.

Have people witnessed or experienced this selfish behaviour? People seem pretty good where I am (though it's possible I'm not seeing everything because I'm indoors most of the time!), even the rebarbative plankton* that usually treat the backstreet like a waste dump are behaving so far. There was one jogger though, I'd swear blind that he actually tried to get as close as possible when he passed me from both ways.

*© Ed Reardon

I love a bit of Ed Reason [mention]R-Tape[/mention] .

The majority of joggers seem to think they own the pavement and don't even attempt to move. I think it's probably because they are concerned about adding milliseconds to their run time! We feel like we are playing Pacman!

How are you guys in the rest of the world doing? There is a lot of talk here about people wanting a relaxation on the lockdown and we have a very warm weekend planned.

The BBC said Gentlemen in their 50s seem to be one of the worst at surviving this so stay safe all.

[DouglasReynholm]

If nothing else good comes out of this, I've at least learned the word 'rebarbative'.

Mark puts it very well above, people are so entitled, and of course the rules don't apply to them. I have a neighbour whom I know is not a key worker, yet they seem to be carrying on as normal, and it's infuriating.

Also, the media.. I mean it's not great at the best of times, but I've had to stop watching the daily briefings as journalists just seem to keep asking the same questions hoping to get a scoop.. the lockdown isn't ending any time soon.

[Alessandro]

Typical spring weather here with sunny and warm days ahead. That makes staying home even more difficult, and this will rise the chance of people running around especially on Monday when it's customary here to have picnics in the woods and on the hills.

Nothwithstanding this, I baked a delicious pastiera yesterday night; it's a Neapolitan recipe but it is popular here too, and can be eaten on other holidays such as Christmas although it is a traditional Easter cake. It is made 3 days before Easter because it has to "rest" in order to become less friable and more compact.

[+3code]

How are you guys in the rest of the world doing? There is a lot of talk here about people wanting a relaxation on the lockdown and we have a very warm weekend planned.

Yes, here too, but I think it's an unreal fantasy. Some people think that when this happens we will go back to our old routines as if nothing had happened, but the world before the crisis no longer exists. Thousands of companies have closed, thousands of people have lost their jobs. Tomorrow will never be like yesterday again. Experts announce a likely second wave after summer. The world has gone to sh*t 8P

[Spud]

In a similar vein to Alessandro, I made the traditional cornflake cake egg nests this morning

[R-Tape]

Peterrrr! Your worst fears have been finally come to pass—someone has started a 'saucer' thread! (and even crazier, it was Alessandro )

These aren't very eastery, but they are seasonal. I've been gathering edible weeds during my government approved daily exercise:


Nettle soup.

Wild garlic pesto

And errr, used out of date flour and yeast to bake a brick...



Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

One thing I'm missing these days is typical desserts here in Andalusia (and I'm sure in other places) at easter: torrijas and arroz con leche (rice pudding)... *slurp*

[1024MAK]

Oh my! The forum has been infected by a WoSf virus



Here I am trying not to get fatter and you’re made me hungry...

Mark