Gone Away
Dispatches from a life in America
270 posts
Sir Gawain and the Dragon 4
(to read the first episode, click here ) Once at the firewall, Sir Gawain explained its functions and methods while Mordred continued to absorb information. It was simple enough, easy for the giant to store, and he…
Sir Gawain and the Dragon 3
(to read the first episode, click here ) Sir Gawain was slightly taken aback at the new defender's politeness. He stretched out to take the huge hand that was offered and his hand disappeared inside that massive mailed…
Sir Gawain and the Dragon 2
(to read the first episode, click here ) Sir Gawain wandered through the tunnels of the intranet, carrying out the usual household chores of his realm, checking the checksums, reading the read-outs, numbering the…
Sir Gawain and the Dragon 1
(this is the second of Sir Gawain's adventures. To read the first adventure, click here ) The Geek looked up as he finished reading Sir Gawain's report from the previous day. "Things have been quiet of late, haven't…
A Confluence of Rivers
(This article forms part of the Journal that I am writing to describe my impressions of America since arrival in September, 2004. To begin reading this Journal from the beginning, click here .) I think it is important…
The Great March Slump
March was a terrible blogging month for me. The stats took a nosedive and hit their lowest point for over two months (for a previous discussion of blog traffic, see "Traffic Statistics" ). It looked as though everything…
Raining Cats and Dogs
"Well, time to go check the lines." Brutus rose to his feet and waited for a response from his second in command. There was a pause before White Fang replied in a husky voice, as though befuddled with sleep. "But sir,…
Yakkety-yak
Language is a funny thing. There are those who seem to have an affinity for it, learning new languages with apparently effortless speed, while others struggle to depart any distance at all from the comfortable shores of…
Name That Country!
Mad and I were going through yesterday's stats for the site when we were both surprised and pleased to see that we had a visitor from Lesotho. Naturally, the award for "Most Obscure Hit of the Day" was immediately…
A Musical Musing
I have to be careful about doing musical blogs because there are so many musicians watching me (see "A Musical Sandwich" ). And I say about music what a lot of people say about art: I don't know anything about it but I…
The Incredible Disappearing Restaurant
(This article forms part of the Journal that I am writing to describe my impressions of America since arrival in September, 2004. To begin reading this Journal from the beginning, click here .) One of the virtues of…
A Painting Blog
When I returned from my short vacation, I did my usual rounds of the blogosphere, trying to catch up on a week's work in a couple of days. I came eventually to the Rag & Bone Shop and saw that good Wayne has not added…
Hitman's Sunday
He found the perfect vantage point in the bushes at the top of the bluff. Pushing himself carefully and noiselessly into the foliage he checked to see that he had a clear view of the house below. It was laid out like an…
Oklahoma Spring
Yes, I decided to tempt fate and declare that spring has arrived in Lawton, Oklahoma. The temperature hovers just below 80º and the sun beats down relentlessly. It has been like that for a week now and my gray, dank,…
Shameless Self Promotion
Yffi finished reading the scroll and placed it carefully upon the shelf in its appointed place. It was the last document from his original collection, the scouring of 353AT. Six years it had taken him; six years of…
The Cat of a Thousand Names
Fritz came to us from some old Zimbabwe friends, Patrick and Eleanor (not their real names - let's have some privacy, okay?). They lived in Milton Keynes at the time and so were the reason I came to know that fair city.…
Command Post Capture
(This is one of a series of articles I wrote dealing with memories of an African childhood. To read the first of these, click here ) The others started up the hill in small groups. He waited until they had all left and…
Some Software Sentiments
They say there's no such thing as a free lunch. But they're wrong; when I first went online, I discovered that the internet was littered with free lunches. It may well be the last place on earth where the free lunch…
That Kid With Red Hair
For many years before I left England and came to the States, I worked with 14 to 16 year olds who had been excluded from school. Yes, that's a nice way of saying they had been expelled. But the truth was that most of…
Snowflakes
Two snowflakes were talking one day. Well. They weren't actually snowflakes. But they thought they were and they looked like snowflakes. To be quite honest, I don't really know what they were but, for the purposes of…