Lazy summer afternoon
I know it’s technically not summer yet, but given that we’ve had like a bazillion days over 30 already it sure feels like summer. Days like this are just made for late afternoon barbeques.
While the snags were cooking I grabbed a half decent shot of Adelaide bathed in the dying glow of the sun.
New keyboard
I’ve gone through a lot of keyboards over the years. Most of those I’ve encountered have been cheap and flimsy pieces of junk. The OEM keyboards supplied by the likes of Dell and HP are nothing but rubbish unless you opt for the “Premium” keyboard, in which case they’re slightly less rubbishy, but still a joke.
My current go-to keyboard for serious work is a trusty IBM Model M keyboard made in 1994. It’s beautifully crafted: solid as a rock, proper mechanical key switches that feel good, and decent feedback.
Ever since I heard about Das Keyboard (maybe 9 months ago?) I’ve been interested in them. They have the same design philosophy as the model M: solid build, gold plated mechanical keys and beautifully finished. The dollar has been getting better and better, and I finally decided to get one.
They have two models: a professional and an ultimate. They’re the same price and have exactly the same features with one subtle difference. The Ultimate is blank.
Yes, completely blank. No labels. Nada.
I’ve spent 30 years touch typing so I never look at the keys. After using my new Ultimate all day I didn’t have a problem.
What I bought this keyboard for is the keystroke, however, and I have to say that the feel of this keyboard is heavenly. It is without doubt the nicest keyboard I have ever, ever used. The feedback and the feel of each keystroke is sublime. Beautifully weighted, each keystroke has the perfect amount of feedback and a well balanced ‘click’ as the keystroke registers.
This keyboard is that good that I’m actually looking forward to getting back to work on Monday so I can start typing again.
It’s a beautifully crafted piece of hardware that stands head and shoulders above the junk that people sell as keyboards these days. A truly great product. 10/10.
Calibration
I’ve got to get something sorted out with monitor calibration and/or a grey card for while balance calibration. That top picture of Adelaide has a distinct green cast to my eyes. Anyone else see that too?
School trip
Getting ready for today’s trip to the aquarium.
Little sister was there too, to see Adelaide off. I think she was a bit anxious; she didn’t really want her to go. And when it was time to get on the school bus, she had a tantrum because she wanted to get on the bus too.
The Sea
Adelaide’s grade 2 class are doing a topic on “The Sea” for the fourth term this year. Today they had a class trip to the Melbourne Aquarium.
She has really embraced this topic in a way we haven’t seen before. The diorama she made (which this picture does not do justice to) has been worked on for over a week. The Adelaide of old would tend to rush through something to get it done but she has taken a lot of time with this and worked very carefully to get exactly what she wanted.
It’s also worth noting that this isn’t something she had to do for school: it’s something she’s done in her spare time at home because she wanted to.
Norovirus
This sounds pretty familiar:
Symptoms of norovirus illness usually begin about 24 to 48 hours after ingestion of the virus, but they can appear as early as 12 hours after exposure.
The symptoms of norovirus illness usually include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and some stomach cramping. Sometimes people additionally have a low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a general sense of tiredness. The illness often begins suddenly, and the infected person may feel very sick. The illness is usually brief, with symptoms lasting only about 1 or 2 days, but can last longer. In general, children experience more vomiting than adults. Most people with norovirus illness have both of these symptoms.
Been there, done that.
This is just getting silly
I’ve been ill for 5 days now. I’ve had enough.
I got the swine flu vaccine last Monday and starting feeling pretty crappy on Wednesday; I was very lethargic Thursday and Friday while recovering. During that time, Lisa and the two kids both picked up a tummy bug and were quite ill for a day or so each.
Just as they are fully recovering and I’m overcoming the swine flu reaction I got the tummy bug as well. I felt fine last night and hoped to be getting back to work Monday with a bunch of energy.
Sadly, this morning I went downhill pretty quickly. I felt a little low on energy when I first got up and by midday I was lying in bed unable to really move much at all. I’ve spent the whole day resting as much as you can when your entire body aches, you’ve got a thumping headache that no tablet in the world can fix, and the stomach cramps are at the point of unbearable.
I’ve had a pretty bad fever all day too, but I think that’s finally broken (mind you, it’s now 3am). It’s been nearly 24 hours so hopefully I’ll actually be able to sleep soon and I’ll wake up feeling better. We’ll see.
Quick links
- The Last of the Bluefin Tuna?
- Friday Squid Blogging: Sperm Whale Eating Giant Squid
- 8-way video card
- Two More Gramophones for Ipods
- Graph compares rock music quality with US oil production 1949-2007
- lit flatiron
- Award-Winning Collection Showcases Shocking Pollution in China
- Inebriated woman falls in front of oncoming train
- Slow loris: possibly cutest animal ever
- MeFi: Lost in the desert for 2,500 years.
Who said what?