Articles and Advice on Home Efficiency, Technology, Family History and more (2007)

Computing 29 Dec 2007

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/technology/7162935.stm
One of the designers of the classic BBC Micro computer is recognised in the ...

Automatic Text Field Spell Checker

Computer Programming 29 Dec 2007

http://www.ajaxonomy.com/2007/libraries/spellify-10-an-automatic-text-field-spell-checker
Spellify is a script.aculo.us/prototype based ...

Energy-saving Lightbulbs

House and Home 29 Dec 2007

Our house is smattered with halogen lights - Dichroic Lamps, and these are about as energy-inefficient as you can get. The good bit of news ...

Car Stereo

Family Car 25 Dec 2007

Our stereo has the interesting (but irritating) habit of randomly attempting to play a CD, even if there isn't a CD inside and without us even ...

Surge Protection

Computing 25 Dec 2007

One of our computers has been randomly freezing recently. It doesn't seem to be overheating, so I suspect that there may be noise on the mains ...

Banks 'prey on customers in debt'

Finance 15 Dec 2007

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7145579.stm
Banks are being accused of pressuring customers into taking out costly loans to try ...

Climate deal sealed by US U-turn

Climate Change 15 Dec 2007

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/sci/tech/7145608.stm
Delegates at the UN summit in Bali agree a deal on curbing climate change after ...

Time to Clear a Cheque

Finance 15 Dec 2007

With effect from 3rd December 2007, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) will introduce a new 'customer promise' that aims to clarify the banking ...

Ministers on Bikes: The Bali Challenge!

Climate Change 10 Dec 2007

Reuters reports on a cunning plan to help reduce CO2 emissions at the U.N. talks on climate change in Bali. Ministers will be 'asked' to leave ...

Wind 'could power all UK homes'

Wind Turbines 10 Dec 2007

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/7135930.stm
All UK homes could be powered by offshore wind farms by 2020, under plans ...

E-Petition: Subsidise the cost to purchase and/or maintenance a bicycle

Cycling 10 Dec 2007

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/bikesforbritain/
This petition is for the government to subsidise the cost of ownership of a push-bike.

Petition against all people who have signed the "scrap speed cameras" petition

Road Safety and Motoring 10 Dec 2007

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/BanSpeeders/
This petition is against the petition http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/scrapcam. Sounds good to me ...

Close-ups of the WS-1000

Wind Turbines 09 Dec 2007

Here are some pictures of the WS-1000 Wind Turbine, taken quite close up to show the anti-vibration mounts more clearly.

OpenSocial Still “Not Open for Business”

Computer Programming 08 Dec 2007

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/196295442/
It’s only been about a month since Google launched OpenSocial, its development ...

Store card shoppers 'pay more'

Finance 08 Dec 2007

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/business/7133979.stm
Store card shoppers pay an average of 62% more interest than those using credit ...

Google'??s New Chart API

Computer Programming 08 Dec 2007

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ProgrammableWeb/~3/196309693/
Google has released a charting service. All you have to do is supply an ...

700x26C tyres

Sports Gear: Under Test 05 Dec 2007

This size of tyre is not easy to find. Here are the ones I managed to locate: Panaracer Stradius Elite TG Tyre 06 £12.50 from JE James ...

Cannondale Crankset Problem

Sports Gear: Under Test 27 Nov 2007

As read in ElectronicsWeekly.com, some of Cannondale's road and mountain bikes have dodgy cranks which may fail prematurely and abruptly. ...

Prices heading steeply up

Heating Oil: A Buyer's Guide 26 Nov 2007

Domestic oil in the UK is now comfortably above the 40p/L mark, and current crude prices indicate that this is only going to get worse. This ...

Solid Wood Kitchen Worktops

House and Home 24 Nov 2007

We're considering whether to invest in solid wood worktops for our kitchen. We currently have a vast expanse of chipboard laminate which does ...

Aggressive driving

Road Safety and Motoring 23 Nov 2007

Drivers may not pay attention while driving, or may not realise that they are driving too fast, and this is bad enough. What makes drivers ...

Norwich Flyers on TV!

BMX 12 Nov 2007

Here's a piece of video showing the Norwich Flyers in action on the track:

Making a Small Claim

Finance 07 Nov 2007

Here are some snippets of information if you are owed a small amount of money, and initial efforts to be recompensed have proved a dead end. ...

The Google Carbon Footprint Project

Climate Change 01 Nov 2007

The UK Carbon Footprint Project is an initiative to help people reduce their carbon footprint (by reducing emissions of course). They have ...

Book Promotion

Book Publishing 20 Oct 2007

Once you have successfully constructed a sales platform for your book (by creating/utilising a good website and payment processing/delivery system ...

A Self Publisher

Book Publishing 17 Oct 2007

A good friend of mine, David Mason, has a strong portfolio of poetry, stories and music aimed at a younger audience. He has been struggling ...

The WS-1000 is Installed

Wind Turbines 15 Oct 2007

The Mark Group has finally installed our wind turbine. Two men (initially only one) used a cherry picker hoist to bolt a large metal frame to ...

General Oil Price Trends

Heating Oil: A Buyer's Guide 13 Oct 2007

The price of domestic heating oil in the UK has stuck at around 33 to 35p/L for several months now, and this looks set to continue. Here is ...

Mood of the Internet

Computing 13 Oct 2007

What mood is the Internet community in? Would you believe it, but some Dutch researchers claim to have successfully modelled the mood of the ...

Shockwave 10.2.0.023 Install Error

Windows Vista 09 Oct 2007

I've just been trying to upgrade Adobe Shockwave for my web browsers (IE7 and FireFox 2), and the installation for both fails with this cryptic ...

Fans Investing in Bands

Music 07 Oct 2007

There are a few new websites out there that allow fans to invest directly in bands that have yet to make it in the crowded music industry. The ...

Mouse Lemur

Animals 03 Oct 2007

This is the world's smallest primate, with one able to fit in the palm of your hand. They hibernate in trees during the dry season, and when ...

Solar Panels under $2/watt

Solar PV Electricity 26 Sep 2007

Okay, not just yet - but soon we may have much cheaper solar panels. This is down to research by the Colorado State University. The panels ...

Pedal Power: Innovate or Die!

Cycling 26 Sep 2007

Google and other partners have launched the Innovate or Die! Challenge. They want people to publish a YouTube Video to the special group, showing ...

Pretty Slug

Animals 22 Sep 2007

We don't usually photograph slugs, but this one was such a pretty specimen!

Our New Stove

Solid Fuel Stoves and Central Heating 22 Sep 2007

We now have a small stove in our front room. Originally there was a tiny open fireplace (with an opening barely more than 300mm across). Chopping ...

Warm Front Grants

House and Home 18 Sep 2007

From WarmFront.co.uk: The Warm Front Grant provides a package of insulation and heating improvements up to the value of £2,700 (or £4,000 ...

Bent Rear Mech

Cycling 17 Sep 2007

This is a bent rear mech. It is on an Isla Beinn (6-speed), and it is actually the 'sacrificial' alloy piece between the frame and derailleur ...

Cycle Bits Order From Chain Reaction

Cycling 17 Sep 2007

Cannondale Shoes MTB Carve 5FC01 42.5 Silver - Black, £40 Brooks Adrenaline High Visibility LED Lightbelt Each, £7 Oxford High ...

Prologue

TDF 2007 19 Jul 2007

Liquigas, Discovery and Credit Agricole riders here.

Prologue

TDF 2007 19 Jul 2007

Milram riders here.

Prologue

TDF 2007 19 Jul 2007

Euskaltel, AG2R, Barloworld and Gerolsteiner riders here.

The Tour Caravan

TDF 2007 19 Jul 2007

There are lots of amusing vehicles in the Tour Caravan. Also amusing was the fact that there were riders testing the course at the same time ...

Sightseeing: Buckingham Palace

TDF 2007 19 Jul 2007

Here we are outside Buckingham Palace, enjoying the friendly atmosphere and the sunshine.

SCF Econotherm Oil

Heating Oil: A Buyer's Guide 14 Jul 2007

A Customer Press Release from SCF: Attention Heating Oil User Southern Counties Fuels would like to give you the unique opportunity to ...

Top-selling BBC Titles

Films 19 Jun 2007

Here are the latest top 10 best sellers from BBC Shop: Radio 2 Janet & John Stories: Reloaded (Audiobookcd) In The Night Garden...Who's ...

Stream 1 Grants: Trying to Apply

Wind Turbines 29 May 2007

Our experience of trying to apply for the new round of Stream 1 grants has not been fruitful so far. In our application for a wind turbine, ...

Low Carbon Householder Grants Re-Launched!

Wind Turbines 29 May 2007

As heard on This week the government announced it will start paying grants again for home owners who want to fit them. The DTI Low Carbon Buildings ...

Ride to Work

Cycling 27 May 2007

The Government's ride-to-work scheme has been around for a few years, but until recently it has been too bureaucratic for most employers to consider ...

240W PV System

Solar PV Electricity 27 May 2007

Solar Panel 240W ET Solar Monocrystalline PV from envirergy - £700.
Water Immersion Heater 24 Volt 600W from The Windmill Shop ...

Milton Keynes BMX 2007

BMX 27 May 2007

Milton Keynes BMX 2007

BMX 27 May 2007

Act on CO2

Family Car 25 May 2007

The UK Government has launched a campaign to reduce car CO2 emissions by better driving and car care. Their page of Smarter Driving Tips and ...

Odds and Ends Required

Computing 12 May 2007

My shopping list for Maplin: 60mm High Performance PC Fan Case Fan T/mal 60mm ZT88V £7.99 Plug-In Mains Power & Energy Monitor Power ...

Green Lane, East of Norwich

Transport and Travel 11 May 2007

Green Lane North runs between the Broadland Business Park on the east side of Norwich, up to Thorpe End. As the business park has developed ...

More Cycling Stuff

Cycling 09 May 2007

My Shimano 105 STI levers have packed up - at least, the rear shifter refuses to hold gear when changing down. More stuff to order... STI ...

Processing International Payments

Finance 04 May 2007

This is an exerpt of a message I received from Smile, regarding international money transfers: As from the start of business Monday 14th May ...

Low Carbon Grants Suspended

Wind Turbines 23 Apr 2007

The Government has shown its 'support' for low carbon initiatives by suspending the grants system for it. Since an extra £6m was announced ...

DIY Solar Installation

Solar Water Heating 21 Apr 2007

Yes, you can even do a Solar Water Heater Installation yourself! Here are some other resources I found to get me going: Build Your Own Solar ...

Steinway Upright Grand Piano

House and Home 15 Apr 2007

These pictures are here for insurance purposes. Our piano is an 1878 Steinway piano, with restored walnut veneer. It has an eight-and-a-quarter ...

Insulating the Loft

House and Home 15 Apr 2007

We started off with 6 inches of rockwool in our loft, which by modern standards was insufficient. So we shifted all the wool from the centre ...

Long Bridge

Brio Trains 15 Apr 2007

This layout has a long bridge crossing a few sections of track, and there are no dead ends.

Blooming Clematis

Gardening 15 Apr 2007

Aren't these mauve Clematis lovely?

More Cycling Stuff from Wiggle

Cycling 12 Apr 2007

Our latest order: Product Qty ...

Carbon Reduction Meetings in North Walsham

Wind Turbines 12 Apr 2007

Called 'Power to the People', North Norfolk District Council's (NNDC) Carbon Reduction Group and the Energy Savings Trust (East Anglia) are ...

Stove Installation by Solid Fuel Heating Services (N. Walsham)

Solid Fuel Stoves and Central Heating 04 Apr 2007

A couple of models here: Fireview Slender 6kW 17" logs, £534, 505mm W x 605mm H x 302mm D, 5kW Vermont Aspen II £625, 375mm ...

Stove Installation by Norwich Fireplace Centre

Solid Fuel Stoves and Central Heating 04 Apr 2007

The Norwich Fireplace Centre features three models that would suit a small fireplace like ours: The Hawthorn from The Evergreen Collection ...

BBC Cycling Quiz

Road Safety and Motoring 26 Mar 2007

You think you know it all when it comes to cycling on Britain's roads? Well, try this BBC Cycling Quiz to really test your knowledge and ...

BMX Round 6: Ipswich

BMX 24 Mar 2007

Turbine Planning Permission: Information Required

Wind Turbines 20 Mar 2007

I asked our Council's planning officer for more information about our application, and whether it was overly detailed. Here is her response ...

Report a Pothole!

Cycling 16 Mar 2007

Did you encounter a pothole on your bike or car journey today? No? Lucky you! For the rest of us, the CTC have set up a special website, ...

Hybrio: Better Batteries than NiMH?

Sports Gear: Under Test 11 Mar 2007

WatchBattery has started stocking the Hybrio battery: Rechargeable batteries are brilliant aren't they? With more than 20,000 tonnes of disposable ...

The Norfolk Picture Library

Norfolk 10 Mar 2007

While you're cycling about, keep an eye out for the fabulous scenes captured by the Nofolk Picture Library Photo Album. There are almost 200 ...

Our Carbon Emissions

Family Car 04 Mar 2007

Here are the CO2 emissions for our diesel Passat, based on the TargetNeutral Emissions Calculator: Your CO2 emissions ...

Planning Permission Granted!

Wind Turbines 04 Mar 2007

Ok, we now have planning permission for our Windsave turbine. It's temporary approval until 31 May 2008, because of the uncertainty over noise ...

Clean-Install Vista from at an Upgrade Price

Windows Vista 01 Mar 2007

The upgrade price of Microsoft Windows Vista is much lower than the full retail price. What if you could install Vista from the Upgrade version ...

Daylight Saving Changes

Computer Programming 01 Mar 2007

The United States Energy Policy Act of 2005 established new rules for Daylight Savings Time (DST) in the US. These new rules change the start ...

Tax Situation for E-Traders (UK)

Finance 28 Feb 2007

Here's an important message from Buy.at: At buy.at, we care about our affiliates and want to ensure that you are up-to-date with the latest ...

Drawing Routes on the Map

Google Maps API 26 Feb 2007

Simon Buckle has some Javascript code that allows you to place a series of waypoints on a Google Map, with lines appearing automatically between ...

Chimney Engineers

Solid Fuel Stoves and Central Heating 23 Feb 2007

According to the National Association of Chimney Engineers (NACE), there's only one chimney engineer in North Walsham: Eastern Flue Lining ...

Getting to the Tour

TDF 2007 23 Feb 2007

Here's a list of possibilities for getting to the prologue and/or stage 1: Sporting Tours £250: Train travel on Thursday and 2* accommodation ...

Stove Suppliers and their Stoves

Solid Fuel Stoves and Central Heating 22 Feb 2007

Aarrow Stoves - aarrowfires.com Bridport - 01308 427234 - info@arada.uk.com Aga-Rayburn - rayburn-web.co.uk and agaliving.com - 08457 125 ...

Digg It?

Computing 14 Feb 2007

Get linked in to the wonderful world of social networks. First find out what these social networks are - John Hughes at HostSearch gives a nice ...

Energy Crisis - A Holistic View

Sustainable Living 07 Feb 2007

On 12 March 2007, Dr Richard Aldridge shall be giving a talk to the IET (Anglian Coastal Network). It is at Pinebanks, Harvey Lane, Norwich ...

Trelock D-lock Lasted Well

Bike Locks 04 Feb 2007

I bought a Trelock D-lock in the mid-90's, and it has performed flawlessly for the last 12 years or so. Just recently the bike bracket failed ...

Historical Maps of Norfolk

North Walsham 02 Feb 2007

Norfolk County Council has published historical maps of Norfolk, available at http://www.historic-maps.norfolk.gov.uk/. These maps go back ...

Being Gentle with Monty

Rats 31 Jan 2007

Isabel is really gentle with the rats, and here she is carefully holding Monty. Monty does like to run away, so you need to hold her firmly ...

Changes to Speed Camera rules

Road Safety and Motoring 31 Jan 2007

Apparently the justification for installation of a speed camera will not have to be dependent on death/serious injury having taken place. Councils ...

Failed battery mount

Bike Lights 29 Jan 2007

After probably fewer than twenty journeys to and from work (totalling around thirty hours), the battery mount on the Topeak Moonshine Commuter ...

Google Sketchup

Computing 29 Jan 2007

This is a really good 3D drawing package, but the site doesn't make it easy to download the free version (as opposed to the trial Pro version ...

Say Hello!

Rats 16 Jan 2007

They're ever so inquisitive, but still very nervous, but we have absolutely no problem handling them. They are already quite at home running ...

Environmental Impact Assessment

Wind Turbines 16 Jan 2007

We had a call from Sally Harris, Environmental Health officer at the NNDC. She is concerned that since we're the first North Norfolk application ...

Articles and advice on cycling, technology, home efficiency and more - 2007

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