New font saves money

A new font, created by a Dutch company, claims to save 20% of ink used. A simple idea, it involves small dots in the characters that avoid the use of ink. One of those, "Why didn't I think of that?" ideas.

Of course, every time you advertise it on a web browser it wastes power because unlike not printing a white dot on a white page, printing a white dot on a computer monitor uses electricity whereas printing a black dot doesn't. Swings and roundabouts really.

For the ultra eco-conscious I recommend printing as little as you can but with eco-font when you do. As far as computer usage is concerned, use as much black in your operating system's desktop theme.

Happy solstice

Brother Sun is on its way back to the northern hemisphere.

I remember the solstice party we had every year in Ireland, walking into the throng and greeting everyone with, "Evening pagans!". Living in the countryside, I knew the return of the Sun meant I had to prepare for the coming growing season. Putting potatoes on the windowsill to chit afore planting. Ordering seed for the no-dig beds.

One way or another I shall be growing again, next year. I received a few packets of seed in the post last week. The usual staples; carrot, onion, shallot and five different varieties of lettuce, my vegetable staple. I will probably pop back to my parents house and plant the seed, no matter where in the world I find myself.

The old onion seeds (from an onion I left to go to seed over two years back in 2006) I threw into a tub full of earth, over a month ago, have started to sprout and push their way to the surface. Even after a few frosty nights they were hardy enough to germinate. I wonder how many will grow to maturity as I threw well over a hundred seed in there.

The peasants are revolting

I am glad to see cross-party support for a revolt against the government with regards to a third runway at Heathrow. Gordon wants to build his "big infrastructure project" to spend the UK out of recession. More like a big white elephant. Opponents to the construction of the runway hope to force a vote in parliament.

From now on, the air industry will be hit with expensive fuel if the economy (and with it, oil price) ever recovers or reduced passenger miles when we are in a depression. Either way, we don't need a third runway.

The desire to build his big infrastructure shows how serious Gordon is about reducing the UK's carbon emissions. Promising to reduce emissions by 80% before 2050 when he knows he will be long forgotten. Squeeze in a few runways and leave the emissions problem for a future government.

Guardian - Labour MPs plan Heathrow revolt

Guardian - Could climate goals survive Heathrow's third runway?

Just one last thing

Title of post in homage to Peter Falk, star of my favourite TV detective show, Columbo. I read that Peter has Altzheimers and no longer recognises those around him.

My weight fell below 12st (168lbs or 76.3Kg) for the first time in over 15 years. The change in quality of life is now quite marked. No problems with circulation or on bone joints. I get a good night's sleep instead of my air ways wrestling with a fat neck.

I don't snack any more, eat less, and spend a lot less on food. My monthly food bill used to be in the region £200 per month when I lived in London. In Ireland that fell to £75 a month from growing my own vegetables and bartering my IT skills for meat. Now I just spend £40 a month and less come next year.

Talking of next year, it increasingly looks like I will be spreading my time between Asturias, in Northern Spain, and my parents home, here in the UK. Previously, I had considered moving to Extremadura, in Central Spain, but have gone off the idea. Green is a very important colour to me and I get depressed when I can't see fields of green for as far as the eye can see.

Asturias is a green and more temperate part of Spain. It also has a Celtic history, which is good for my Irish roots. Though the ancient Celtic language of Asturias is long since extinct I can associate more with Celticos than the Ibericos in the rest of Spain.

Galicia is another part of Celtic Spain that I might explore. The Gaels of Ireland can trace their history back to seafarers who came from Galicia in currachs. I passed a Galician restaurant in Madrid with a currach (skin covered boat) over the doorway. The same as any currach you can see in the west of Ireland.

In other news... My laptop screen started emitting a burning smell and then all went black. As I will be needing some mobile computing I decided to invest in a web book and bought an HP 2133 Mini-Note with SUSE Linux operating system. Dabs had one on offer for £233, a good deal less (almost 50% off) than other vendors. I put that down to a new HP 1000 Mini-Note on the horizon. However, as the HP 1000 has a plastic rather than the aluminium cased HP 2133 I preferred the ruggedness of aluminium.

I received my Mini-Note knowing that others had problems with a Grub Error, with the installed SUSE Linux, that prevented their machines from booting up. My machine had the same problem. However, I prefer Ubuntu Linux to SUSE so I made an image of the Ubuntu installation disk for USB stick and made the USB port bootable. Half an hour later I had a working machine.

I have been using Linux, on and off, since the mid 90s. However, there was always something that brought me back to Windows. Now, with Linux stable and free and Microsoft bloated, unwieldy and a waste of money for someone so thrifty as me, I don't think I will be buying anything from Microsoft any more. The wireless modem is great and I downloaded Open Office, Firefox and Thunderbird so I have everything I could need. A nice freeware Sudoku application keeps me busy too.

Last year I bought an HP Slimline desktop with the proceeds of old stuff I sold in a car boot sale. The machine came with Windows Vista pre-installed. The operating system is fine but I think that is due more to the power of the machine and its dual core processor. I have a few applications that run on Windows but they could easily run through an emulator on Linux.

These days I am almost exclusively using this little laptop for day-to-day activities and only turn the desktop on for power applications. Once I have migrated everything off the old laptop (which I can still use with the VGA output) then the laptop will have the Ubuntu distribution put on it.

More news... I received all of next year's vegetable seeds. With me being in Spain and the UK next year I have to decide upon where to grow. Probably, I will continue to grow in the UK. I will most likely be renting or, if I can get it, a wwoofing opportunity with free rent and food for my work. Either way, I doubt that I will get a chance to grow anything in Spain in 2009. If I find a property worth buying then by the time I get the deeds the growing season will be almost over.

Sad news from Poznan

Governments met in Poznan, Poland, to discuss carbon emission cuts. Those of us who have followed these 'talks' for well over a decade, weren't holding our breath.

The talks failed. I never had much faith in the new US president. Just another suit who will put the US first. The coming US administration had a new trick up its sleeve. They called everyone's bluff. Instead of saying, "There's no proof that emissions cause global warming," they just said, "We'll cut emissions, if you do too."

European governments thought about cuts and realised they don't want to cut emissions because that will mean a cut in industry and transportation, the lifeblood of their beloved economic growth, especially during these times of recession. China and India, and their demanding populations, say, "The US has 5% of the world's population but produces 25% of the emissions. You first!"

The commitments to cut 20, 50, 80 or whatever percent were always pie in the sky. Now, even 1% is impossible. We'll just have to hope that climate change is just a figment of so many imaginations. It's Easter Island, all over again.

Three reasons to be cheerful about leaving the UK

1) The ruling Labour Party has little interest in the people it purports to represent and is only interested in being re-elected at any cost and forcing through minority interest/community destroying legislation.

Last week saw the police (who carry the symbol of her majesty) raiding (without a warrant) an office of the opposition Conservative Party (apparently without the knowledge of the Labour Party - yeah, right!) in the commons where the queen (and hence police) have no right to be.

BBC - MP raid police 'had no warrant'

2) The full force of the Labour/liberal media vilifying airport expansion protesters simply because they show up the hypocrisy of the Labour government. A government that talks about carbon emission cuts AND airport expansion in the same breath. Not once, since Labour came to power in 1997, have carbon emissions fallen.

Guardian - Climate activists held after Stansted runway protest

3) The Labour Party wants to introduce lessons at school to teach children how to be happy. Wouldn't it be better for the Labour Party to abolish itself? Then we can all have a jolly good party and find happiness once again. The previous 18 year Conservative government will be nothing in length compared to the next. Hoorah!

BBC - Pupils 'need happiness lessons'

It wasn't global warming after all

Now that I've lost so much weight I can actually feel the winter. For more years than I would care to remember I walked around in winter time with no more than a jumper on.

The only coat I own is an old leather jacket that is more for show or for carrying valuables in the inside pockets.

Last week, I walked to the doctor for a check-up with a jumper covered by the leather jacket zipped up to my neck and I was still shivering. I may be healthier without the spare tyre around my stomach but I will probably catch a cold or the flu, which I haven't had for over 15 years!

Well, it might be cold but I still haven't seen snow in these parts for a long time. This will turn out to be the coldest year since 2001 but it's only a blip. The economic downturn may cause a few more blips but it's no excuse for not trying to heal the planet.