Hobbies
At the next junction, turn left
It was whilst approaching a junction where the options are to turn left or go straight ahead – I was going straight ahead – that I had to move slightly to the right as there [more…]
Rat Catcher
Arts
The episode that broke the spell
I was a huge fan of New Tricks. For those that didn’t watch, it was a British police drama about a small unit of 3 detectives and a DS that ran the show. The USP [more…]
Business
I’m not paying that!
For at least 30 years, I’ve been a bit of a haggler. If I need something, I generally go to a shop – I prefer a small shop, ask the price and if it is [more…]
Animals
The Devil’s Bird
Some of you may have not read any comments by myself regarding swifts during the Summer months, usually noting their arrival, their numbers and when they leave. I’m not quite sure why but for me, [more…]
Engineering
Making A Ruby Laser – Part Five
Melting a hole through steel: The above image needs a little explanation! The Doc messed up his camera settings and under exposed the image. So I loaded it into Gimp and played with the curves [more…]
Engineering
Making A Ruby Laser – Part Three
More information on laser speckle can be found here: Speckle pattern A Mirror Alignment Tool The most important part of constructing a ruby laser (or any laser with external mirrors) are getting the mirrors alligned [more…]
Engineering
Making A Ruby Laser – Part Two
(a ruby rod lit by two bright blue LEDs. Due to the IR filter in my camera the pink colour is actually red. What you are seeing is the absorption of the blue light and the [more…]
Engineering
Making A Ruby Laser – Part One
Introduction For many years the Doc has had the desire to attempt the construction of a ruby laser. After six months of hard work, disappointment, late nights, lots of booze and a drained bank account [more…]
Authoritarianism
How I learned to despise the left and fear the bomb
It was during an English lesson during the late 1970s – English lessons were never about spelling, grammar, creative writing, etymology, poetry or literature, always, always politics – when a short term supply teacher told [more…]