Modders

Normally you would buy some new gadget to use it for its true purpose - phone, games console etc.  But there are some people who buy such gadgets to deliberately dismantle them to see how they work and try to apply that technology for a completely different use.  These people are called 'modders'.

When the Wii games system came out, there was a certain modder who modified it in such a way as to make it work, not with a control that you hold in your hand, but with a headset.  The next step was when Microsoft came up with the Kinect - a gadget that responds to your movements and doesn't need a controller like the Wii.

The Kinect that tracks and follow your every move and translates that onto the screen.

In November, when the Kinect first appeared, a Mobile Robotics Team who had worked together for 5 years bought a Kinect machine for the sole purpose of taking it apart.  At first Microsoft made a big fuss about this.  Understandably, such firms as Microsoft, Sony and others are concerned about copyright and people using their designs for counterfeit goods, so modders need to be careful that they don't infringe such regulations.  Now Microsoft is embracing the efforts of the Mobile Robotics Team as they are pushing the new gadget far beyond its intended capabilities.

When they dismantled it they discovered that it doesn't need a controller as the combination of cameras, infrared sensors and a microphone track and measure players movements in 3D space.  They are now developing the gadget as a rescue robot for use in disaster areas, locating injured humans in hazardous environments.  The Kinect is used for 3D mapping and perception and is used along with an inbuilt PC in the place of a XBox. 

This surely is what they call - thinking outside the box!  The whole of this news item can be seen on http://www.bbc.co.uk/  homepage, then in Search put 'Click' and click.  Scroll down to the entry Click:26/02/2011 where you can find out about modders adapting games equipment. 

Seeing the robot, it seems like something out of Star Wars.  I wonder what the next step will be - that the robot will talk to us like R2D2 or C3PO, maybe?  But I do hope that fear of misuse and copyright infringements won't stop the modders applying such technology for good and that the big companies won't put a stop to their research.  

A Good Day

Today started with a visit to me GP.  Just over 3 months ago he recommended that I start taking a tablet (one a day) to control my cholesterol level.  After 3 months I went back to the phlebotomist to have some more blood taken to check the levels again. (See Check ups posted on 8th Feb 2011)  For a number of years my cholesterol level has been between 5.6 and 6.4 so I was hoping for an improvement.  The thing is that the year previous to this I had been really strict on what I was eating in order to try to keep the level down and after a whole year it hadn't changed .  I was gutted to say the least.  So today was the day I had the appointment with the GP to see what the result was.  I was hoping but remembered that in the previous 3 months we had  Christmas (with all the chocolates and extras), New Year and then my 70th birthday celebrations.  Today I was told that in the past 3 months my cholesterol level had gone down to 4.2 .  Wow!  Was I pleased! - and that's without being so strict about my diet. 

What a difference a small tablet can make.

When I got back home, the load I had left in the washing machine was done and so I hung them outside.  We have had a lovely sunny day here today.  Another good job done.  I was on a roll so then I tackled a job that I had been putting off as I had never done anything like it before.  There were a few spaces between the bricks of the house that could do with a bit of repair to the pointing.  About a month ago I had bought a bag of mortar mix for just such a job but with all the wet weather I hadn't got round to doing it. At least that's my excuse. 



Found the trowel in the shed so had no excuse not to do the job.



 But it's amazing the difference a bit of sunshine makes.  So I set to and mixed the mortar and applied it to the wall.  Not a professional job by any means but not bad I thought for a novice.  You're never too old to learn.



Some of the repaired pointing.

All in all I've had a very productive day.  Hopefully this evening I'll settle down to watch TV - and no doubt quietly drift off into dreamland in my recliner.

 

What question?

Yesterday I had the opportunity to watch a programme called 'The Big Questions'  It's a programme I don't usually see for various reasons but yesterday I was intrigued by one of the questions put to the invited guests - 'If Jesus returned today, would He be a Roman Catholic?'  As you can imagine the Catholic priest and the nun said 'Of course' giving their reasons about Jesus building His church on Peter who was the first Pope (in their understanding and belief) So as the head of His church He would return to His church.  This was then quickly disputed by a man who was adamant that he was a humanist and that he felt that all organised religions 'have lost the plot!'  Others reminded everyone that Jesus spent a lot of time condemning and speaking against the religious people of his day who finally crucified him.  It was suggested that if he returned to (as they want to believe) the particular branch of the Christian church 'that He set up' then he might do the same again and they in return would possibly crucify him again.

The discussion continued for some time amongst people of various denominations until a muslim (one of the invited guests)  who accepts Jesus as a great prophet, said that he felt that Jesus wouldn't even understand the question.  He felt that he wouldn't go to any building or join any particular group but instead would go to the estates and see if he could help anyone.  Hmm.  I think that he who declared himself not to be a christian was nearer to the truth.

I have also been reading a few blogs lately where people are questioning what it means to be a christian.  There are many millions of people throughout the world who have now opted out of structured forms of doing church but still feel very much followers of Jesus and live their lives accordingly.  The following is an excerpt from one of these blogs.

The question of disclosing my faith has been a problematic one for me, not through any shame about my beliefs, more through issues about the culture that has grown up around it, and the way that it is popularly perceived. To declare myself ‘Christian’ is to enter an ecosystem of misunderstanding and judgements about what I believe. It is, too often, to be labelled homophobic, unscientific, intellectually closed.

Ironically, rather than answer the question, or offer to denominate ourselves, we should do as Jesus did and turn the question round. Who do you say that I am? was Jesus’ piercing question to Peter, and perhaps this offers something important. Jesus did not self-identify, and may be we should follow this lead.

Perhaps Christians should be non-self-identifying. If you want to call me ‘Christian’ then go ahead. But perhaps it’s best if I don’t identify myself as that. Aim to be known for my actions, not hiding behind my labels. What I think this does is turn the tables on our ethics. Our actions are not based on ‘I call myself a Christian, so I should do x,’ but more on ‘she does x, that’s a Christ-like thing to do.’

Lots of food for thought here.  I think sometimes that we get so caught up in the structure  of how we worship and our own denomination's slant on particular verses of Scripture (and of course, our way is the right way and everyone else is a bit misguided) that we forget just what the gospel is really all about.  Is it important where we choose to congregate or even if we choose to congregate?  Too often we pre-judge people on which denomination they belong to instead of the lives they live.  Remember the bracelets we used to wear - What Would Jesus Do?  Surely to be followers of Jesus we should do what He would do and go where he would go.

WWJD



Whatever!

What a lovely day we had yesterday here in the southwest of England.  I actually hung out a load of washing and got them dried in the sun.  I also noticed my first crocuses in flower.  I had earlier been to do some supermarket shopping and on my way saw along the side of one of the main roads on the outskirts of town that all the daffodils were out in full bloom (Western Relief Road/Lysander Road for those who know the area).  It reminded me of Wordsworth's poem - 'Ten thousand saw I at a glance ... ... a host of lovely daffodils.'  In my garden, however, they are still in bud but showing good signs that soon I will have daffodils in flower as well.

The first crocus of 2011

coming soon

Today I washed some bedding but didn't put it outside to dry as it was a bit too dull and it wouldn't have dried.  I listened to the weather forecast and they say that by tomorrow some parts of the UK will have more snow - again.  What a difference a day makes!

Life is like that - one day things seem to go according to plan and the next nothing seems to go right.  It's like two steps forward and one step back.  I guess the secret is to enjoy the moment, the now.  Someone said that the past is gone and you can't do anything about it, the future you don't know what will come so enjoy the present, it's all you've got.  Another saying I remember is 'don't make today the yesterday you will regret tomorrow.'  Wise words indeed.  But it is sometimes difficult to find something to enjoy in every present moment.  I think Paul found the answer when he said, 'I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.' (Phil 4:11-13 NIV)

The little things

A Facebook friend this morning wrote that what she had done was only a little thing but it had made a difference in the bigger picture.  That set me thinking about the little things and how important they are.  I thought particularly of the dot or full stop.  Of all the punctuation marks, the full stop is the smallest but has a very important role.  It means the end of a sentence - completion.  It is the first punctuation mark a child is taught.

But then the dot has other important functions.  Try to get a website or send an email when you've missed out a dot or put it in the wrong place!   Without the dot, it doesn't work or you get a site you don't want.  The Morse Code is made up of dots and dashes and again, a dot missed out or in the wrong place can mean a completely different letter.  Even the spaces between letters and words are measured in dots.  If the dot was missed out the 'i' would be an 'e', making 'sit' 'set'.  I'm sure many others examples could be found.


Morse Code

Putting a decimal point in the wrong place can make a big difference.  The problems of division and multiplication involving decimal points and where to put it in the answer!  And what would dice or dominoes be like without the dots?   Braille is also based on the dot system and makes a huge difference to the quality of life of someone with limited or no vision.   

Apart from the dot there are other small things that make a difference.  Miss out the pinch of salt or a spoonful of sugar and the taste of food is quite different.  Remember the old saying 'Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves'.  Or, as in the case of my online friend, a spoken word at the right time and circumstance can make a difference to others.  

As someone who is vertically challenged, I am encouraged to think that small is important and can make a difference.

The Mystery Is Solved

Since moving into this house 21 months ago, I have been aware that we have a regular nocturnal visitor.  Down the side the house is open access so getting into the garden is easy but what puzzled me was the appearance of holes in the ground to get access past the rear fence to the adjacent garden of the next street.



back to back

                           

I had considered mischevious children but surely not most nights throughout the year whatever the weather!  Then I thought it must be the neighbourhood feline population.  I tried blocking up the gaps, nailing extra wood to the fence and blocking with large stones, only to find the next morning that my hard efforts had been dismantled.  I realised that this was not the work of a household pet.  So I ruled out the cats.

My next suspect was an urban fox.  Again, I kept blocking up the gaps and the same thing happened.  It seemed that nothing worked.  I few days ago, I tried again, sure that this time nothing could shift my efforts.  BUT ... you guessed it - another gap was apparent and this time the fence was so bent it almost broke.  What could have such strength?  Whatever it was, it wouldn't be deterred, so I gave in and left a big gap accepting that it was better than having to mend the fence all the time.



What strength to remove part of the fence!


Over the past few days, I have noticed holes dug in other parts of the garden.  The mystery deepened.  What is going on?  I looked through a book we have about animals and looked in the section of wild animals that have recently become urbanised.  I read it, looking for clues.

Last night I awoke, looked at the clock and it said 3:01.  I then saw the rear security light go on - my bedroom window faces out onto the back garden.  I went to the window and there it was.  With my own eyes I saw the culprit.  It was a 2'-3' long badger just going round the shed to the edge near the fence that was hidden from my view.  This morning when I went to have a look, this is what I saw.  Gotcha!  Mystery solved.

The Badger Effect 1



The Badger Effect 2


I know we share the planet with a variety of creatures.  We share our garden with a number of birds (and yes, the blackcap now visits every day - see The Unexpected posted Feb 1st 2011) and the neighbourhood cats but I must admit I didn't expect to have to share it with a badger!

Check ups

This morning my sister drove me over 20 miles to a neighbouring town's hospital.  I had been referred from our local hospital's eye clinic.  This all started a few years ago through a regular eye test.  It was considered that the pressure behind the eyes was a bit high and so I'd better see a specialist.  They have been monitoring the situation now for a few years and in December decided that they wanted to have a closer look behind the eye but our hospital wasn't able to take the necessary pictures - hence my visit to the neighbouring town.

The above is a copy of the pictures of what is behind my eyes.  Hmmm.  Not that I'm any the wiser!  But I'm sure it will make more sense to the specialist.

After some lunch I phoned my local GP's surgery to make an appointment to see the phlebotomist next week to have some blood taken for a check on my cholesterol level.  Sounds like I'm falling apart, doesn't it. 

But the point is that all these hiccups of increasing years were really not noticeable - by me at any rate.   I feel fine.  But the deeper scans and tests say otherwise and so remedies need to be found.  I thank God that there are those who feel that their purpose in life is to medically help to deal with health problems so that I can go on having a relatively healthy and good lifestyle.  

God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.  I'm an open book to you; even from a distance you know what I am thinking. ... ... Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I am about; see for yourself whether I've done anything wrong - then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Psalm 139:1,23&24 The Message

I might think I'm fine but am I as happy for God to scrutinise and investigate me to see if I need help in order to be able to have true life in Him?  Like life, there are ups and downs but He is always ready to check me over and put things right - the GP - Great Physician. 

It's a jungle out there.

I have just been watching another episode of Human Planet.  This time it was about people who live in the jungles of the world.

One tribe in Papua New Guinea make their houses in the trees high above the forest floor.  It was amazing to see how they carried everything up the trees and built their homes right near the top.  The cameraman made a very interesting comparison between how he used ropes and pulleys and a lot of safety gear to get him and his camera up to the house while they just seemed to be able to climb up without much difficulty.  They had learnt to be at home in and with the nature around them and have great respect for their surroundings.

In Asia men were using elephants in order to move great logs and so saving their habitat by not forging great roads into the forest and using big machinery and trucks to devastate the land.

A tribe in the Amazon jungle hunted monkeys as one of their food sources but then took any orphaned young of those they had killed and fed them, raised them and loved them as pets.  Their philosophy was that you take out of the jungle but you also have to put something back.  Others have gone into the Amazon and devastated it, chopping down great areas of forest in order to clear the land, destroying everything in their path.  The sad thing is that many believe they are bringing civilisation to the remote tribes.

I am not against modern living with all its technology (otherwise I wouldn't be writing a blog on the Internet!) but there is much to be said for putting something back when we have taken something.  It's a bit like a bank account - you can draw out when you want/need to but if you just keep taking and taking, there comes a time when there is nothing left to take.  And who are we to impose our way of living on other tribes who have lived happily for hundred of years without all that goes into making our modern lifestyle?  When you watch news bulletins you can't help but wonder just who are the more civilised?

It reminded me of a song that Queen used to sing:

        Just think of all those hungry mouths we have to feed
        Take a look at all the suffering we breed
        So many lonely faces scattered all around
        Searching for what they need.

        Is this the world we created?  What did we do it for?
        Is this the world we invaded against the law?
        So it seems in the end
        Is this what we're all living for today,
        The world that we created?

        You know that every day a helpless child is born
        Who needs some loving care inside a happy home
        Somewhere a wealthy man is sitting on his throne
        Waiting for life to go by.

        Is this the world we created?  We made it on our own.
        Is this the world we devastated right to the bone?
        If there's a God in the sky looking down,
        What can He think of what we've done
        To the world that He created?

Paradox

According to the dictionary, a paradox is 'a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement'.  Today I received an email with a number of paradoxes.  So I thought I would share some with you here on my blog.  They speak for themselves so all I'll say is read them, meditate on them and see where that takes you.

The heart has reasons that reason doesn't have.

The essential things in life are invisible to the eyes.  You can only see them with your heart.

There was a man who was so, so poor, the only thing he had was money.

Technology brings near those who are furthest away but

can distance us from those who are near.

While objectively we are better off than ever,

subjectively we find ourselves profoundly unsatisfied.

He who knows much, listens while he who knows little, talks. 

He who knows much, asks questions while he who knows little, makes sentences.

Man looks for answers and finds questions.

He is not the richest who has more but he who needs less.

The more love you give, the more love fills you.

We suffer too much for the little that we lack and celebrate little the much that we have. 

The unexpected

                                                      Happy

  Christmas      

No, I haven't gone mad!  Today, I received an email from a nephew in Argentina to say that he has just received a Christmas card from my eldest son, who sent it well before Christmas and with plenty of time to get there for the festive season.  I guess he was surprised to receive it now, almost 2 months after it was sent.  Maybe the postman swam there - even by boat it doesn't take that long!  Ah!. living with the unexpected!

I had another surprise at the weekend.  I was taking part in the RSPB's annual Big Garden Bird Watch.  This is something I am happy to be part of as it is necessary to have some idea of how the numbers may be changing and what effect the change of habitat and environment may have on our wildlife.  This is part of the garden space we have set out for feeding the birds.

During my watch on Sunday, I was counting the usual birds that come into our garden to feed when I noticed a bird I hadn't seen before.  I got the books out, looking for a picture of it and discovered that it was a Blackcap, rightly named for the black cap of feathers it has on  its head.  This is a bird that is usually a summer visitor to Britain but in recent years it has been noticed that a few stay in the southwest over the winter time - another indication of the changing climate tendencies.  So I was really happy that this infrequent visitor had decided to feed in our garden.  I have looked for him and seen him often since then so hopefully he will become a regular visitor here.  I wasn't able to get a live photo of it - it was too quick for me!   But I took this one from a book.

Life is full of surprises, some pleasant, some not so pleasant and some just bizarre.  In life I think the only thing we should expect is the unexpected.  At least that way we are not disappointed because our expectations haven't been realised.