Whole new experience

A lady phoned me up last week to tell me that her son had given her "a little computer" and could I get her started with email and finding things on the Internet.

Well, that's what most people want to do, but I've learned to check a few things at these early stages of negotiations. So I questioned her gently on what sort of computer it was and whether she had an ISP etc. etc.

She said that she didn't yet have an Internet connection and the computer was an "EEPC"... at least, that's what it sounded like over the phone. So, as I often do, I volunteered to pay her a 'no obligation' visit so that I could talk to her in more detail about setting up a broadband provider and she could see if she liked me. Last Friday, I turned up at her house and met her "little computer".

It was little all right! Just about 9" overall width. And it's called an Eee PC.

We turned it on and I waited for the desktop to appear.......

I was so bemused - and she could see I was bemused - that she offered it to me for the weekend so that I could investigate it. She hadn't used it at all, so luckily she knew nothing about it! And over the weekend I realised that the 'desktop' was before my very eyes, only it was 'tabbed', like this:

If only I'd looked more carefully on the box I would have seen straightaway the word

Linux

Now I have seen the word before - and heard it - do you say 'linn-ux' or 'lyne-ux'? But I'd never met a computer using Linux before. I knew that web servers use/prefer Linux but I was quite happy to leave all that end of things to the geeks!

There is more to life than Microsoft!! I have had mild success with Macs - on both occasions! - and so could feel a little more confident in taking on a Mac client. Here I have a great opportunity to learn about Linux and the neat little Eee PC.

All I have to do is keep a page ahead of my new client!

Have any of you met this OS? Any opinions about it?

The July Charity

I rely on something presenting itself for my charity each month, and sure enough something turned up earlier this month. Terry appeared on the doorstep, clutching a sponsor form for his sky-dive. It's in aid of the Alzheimer's Society and I was impressed by Terry's determination. He's never jumped out of an aeroplane before and he's a few years older than me so he really should know better!

So I said that My Computer Tutor would sponsor his jump...and then just last week he knocked on the door again. He'd done it! He went up 12000 feet in a tiny aeroplane, strapped himself to his instructor Jez...and then Jez pushed him out!

Here's Terry in the plane, looking a little apprehensive, I think. The cool confident dude behind him is Jez.

Here are Terry and Jez in flight. Jez has done this countless times - Terry still looks apprehensive...Terryfied??? No, he's enjoying it!!!!

They fell for about 20 seconds, slowed up a little by a small parachute so that the cameraman could get these shots. Then Jez deployed the main 'shute - one of those steerable ones - and they landed safely on their feet. Terry came away with loads of photographs, a souvenir video of the event, and I hope lots of money for Alzheimer's Society.

On the occasions that I've thought about parachuting - and that's as near as I've come so far - I've thought it must be wonderful to hang there and have such a wonderful panoramic view. But then there's the all-important landing bit...so you probably spend all your time looking for the right field and don't have much opportunity for sight-seeing!

Well done, Terry!

Blog on!

It's been a long long time for various reasons, but I must admit that the main one has been inadequacy! When I first started blogging, a friend told me to break up my posts with some pictures - or at least a picture. So I tried to make sure that I included a relevant picture with each post. But then I just ran out of pictures to illustrate the points I was trying to make...or the stories I had to tell.



So now...I'm back and I intend to post a picture every time, whether it's relevant or not. You might have to think of them as The Interlude - get yourself an ice-cream or something.

This is where I went last weekend. It's a long story...
I was delivering my leaflets around a likely-looking village. Two blokes were loading stuff into a van in one driveway and I was just about to cough discreetly and say my usual "Just a leaflet...might be of interest..." when one of them said "HeLLO Colin!" And then the banter picked up - as though it was only yesterday instead of 8 years since I last saw John and his son Adam. "My word you do look grey...you got that tenner you owe me...etc. etc." John is a gunsmith and loves mucking about with blackpowder. A few years ago he hit on the idea of providing REAL cannon and mortars for the 1812 Overture and now he runs The Battle Proms, a full-blown open-air picnic/concert featuring Tchaikovsky's '1812' and Beethoven's 'Battle Symphony', which John and Adam and Co. take around the country all summer.

It's brilliant!
And loud!!
And such FUN!!!

Make sure you go if one's within 100 miles of you. My nearest was Blenheim Palace and that was 80 miles for me - but well worth it!

7,500 people can't be wrong.