Be careful what you view on Facebook

I'm not one to complain about a free service like Facebook, especially when it works so well at keeping people in touch, but... I was very surprised to discover that links I view (but don't like) in

Kittens in pose mode

Here are a few pictures of the kittens relaxing and sitting to attention. Despite being very playful, they are capable of sitting around for hours doing nothing! Nero tends to prefer curling up in

Let the kittens play!

The kittens (Nero and Claudius) are very good at playing with each other, but that doesn't stop the kids trying to join in!

22 January 2012: Mistley Cross

Unseasonably warm weather again greeted us at Mistley, although this time the ground was much more moist and tree roots were exposed. A strong, blustery wind was blowing and caused problems with the

Bike Mileage Readings for John's Cyclocross Rides

Mavic Ksyrium SL Wheels

These are very nice wheels indeed. If you have a bit of cash to spare they might not initially catch the eye, as they aren't deep section and aren't carbon fibre. However, they have a superb reputation

Park Tool Mini Chain Tool

Codenamed CT-5, this chain tool is really quite small (weighing 77g) so shouldn't cause problems fitting it in any size of saddle bag. You can buy replacement pins (CTP) when the pin provided gets burred

VO2 max results for child athlete

(Daniel, age 12+2 months) and his dad John (age 37). On stationary exercise bikes, Tested by the Surrey Human Performance Institute in January 2012, London UK. DANIEL: 153.1 cm tall, start heart rate

First day in a new home

Here are a few pictures of Nero and Claudius as they check out their new home and figure out their new housemates!

Bike Mileage Readings for John's training rides

Your wireless router may be vulnerable!

Does your wireless router have PIN technology? This is where you can connect your computer to the router by pressing a button on the router, then entering the 8-digit PIN code that is (usually) printed

UK Government backtracking on FiT cuts?

Has the Government backed down on its feed-in tariff cut? On 29 December 2011 it published a report (for the benefit of the EU) entitled "First Progress Report on the Promotion and Use of Energy from

Panasonic DMC-FT2: shockproof, waterproof camera

This camera epitomises the "just work" requirement for digital cameras. It has quite a modest feature list - no wireless interface, no GPS, only 5x optical zoom, for example - but it makes up for these

Could oil be the magic ingredient for solar power?

In what seems to be an ironic twist of fate for that environment bad-boy, oil, the next big thing in solar cell production may depend on oil itself. Two US-based research teams - at Florida and at Texas

PC Upgrade on a budget

Our lounge PC - used as a media centre and for gaming - was due for an upgrade. It consisted of an AMD Althlon X64 system in an ancient mini tower case, and had a Windows experience score of 3.4.

Noisy combine harvester

This is a really noisy combine harvester, filmed for the benefit of Michael (aged 2 at the time):

18 December 2011: Broome Heath Scramble

Snow was settled on the ground for the Broome Heath Scramble at Ditchingham, although not as much as in last year's event. Spectators, marshals and competitors were out in force and doing lots of work

Cloudflare for Better Web Performance?

There is a company that offers a firewall service fir your web hosting, and it does this using the so-called 'cloud'. Furthermore, its starter package is free! The company is CloudFlare Inc. So, what

Waterproof clothing and Biological detergents

One of John's cycling jackets says "Do not wash in biological detergents." Why? The jacket is a soft polyester fleece that has been coated with a fluorcarbon chemical that gives it a durable water

Easy Access Childrens Accounts

NB: This is about bank accounts that children can use themselves, not long-termsaving vehicles for babies, etc. Let's look at our requirements for a kid's bank account. Most banks and building societies

Solar Readings for NR28 0JG

The State of UK Broadband

As part of the Digital Economy Act 2010, Ofcom has a duty to report on the state of the UK's telecoms infrastructure every three years. Consequently it has now published the UK Communications Infrastructure

Capturing selected text in Javascript

Here's how to immediately capture the text on your web page that a visitor has highlighted with their mouse. Select some text on this page, and it should appear in the text box below. Clicking on links

26 November 2011: Redgrave Cross

The cyclo-cross course at Redgrave (near Diss, Suffolk) was very flat and exposed, and a strong breeze made some sections quite a slog. The lack of hills was compensated for by a great many technical

A Foggy North Norfolk Afternoon

It was around 3PM when we captured this video on a drive across North Norfolk. The fog was exceptionally thick, and the picture here was taken on the A140 just north of Aylsham!

20 November 2011: Hempton Cross

This was Round 10 of the Eastern Cross League, in warm and sunny conditions with very little breeze. The ground was dry underfoot as well, so overall conditions were straightforward for the cyclocross

Our Windsave Wind Turbine is No More

After four years being mounted on the end of our house, the Windsave 1kW wind turbine has finally been taken down. It was dismantled by crew that installed our solar PV system, and we took that opportunity

British Road Fatalities Mapped Out

ITO World has compiled a zoomable, browsable map of fatalities and casualties on Britain's roads, during the first decade of the 21st century. If you drive or cycle to work, you can zoom in on your

Junior ISA: yet another Piggy Bank for the Little Darlings

Governments of recent years have fallen over themselves to "be seen" to encourage saving from a young age. Children's accounts have always paid interest without deducting tax, but in 2002 the Labour

A Stormy North Norfolk Sky

I captured this shot on the ride home from Norwich to North Walsham. It was an especially showery day, and the roads were variously flooded and bone dry. I was fortunate not to get caught in any rain