but she's a girl...

Fanny

2009-06-29T18:34:35Z

A few weeks ago, I caught the very end of a re-run of The Old Grey Whistle Test, and a brilliant band from the 1970s. They were an all-female band and had a terrific style, with vocals slightly reminiscent of Janis Joplin. I couldn't believe that I'd never heard of them before because they were so good. I waited for the credits at the end of the programme and found out that the band was called Fanny. I know — it's an unfortunate name, but don't let that put you off. I've done a bit more research on them and — to my delight — found that a retrospective collection of four of their albums (with lots of extra material) is available on Spotify in the form of First Time in a Long Time: The Reprise Recordings.

If you like rock bands, you should definitely go and listen, but here's what I like about them. First (and most importantly), they are great musicians. There is some wonderful guitar work (both lead and bass), brilliantly funky keyboards, and some incredibly crisp drumming. I don't even usually notice percussion to any great extent, but I found myself listening to how sharp and precise the drumming was, and yet it still felt lively and organic. Second, the band members also seem to share the song-writing credits and they all (at one point or another) take lead vocals, which makes for some quite diverse tracks. Some of their songs are quiet and folk-influenced, some are hard, driving rock, and some really funky. They also do some really good covers, including a wonderful cover of Cream's 'Badge'. It takes a lot of confidence and skill to take on a classic from such respected musicians, but they pull it off with considerable aplomb, and bring a new feeling to it. Judging from their performance on The Old Grey Whistle Test, they were also electric live, and didn't exploit their unusual status as an all-female band at all, but just relied on being great musicians, regardless of gender.

I also love 'I Just Realised', 'It Takes a Lot of Good Lovin'' and 'Seven Roads', but there's a lot to choose from. You can buy the collection on iTunes, but the next time I go to our local vinyl shop, I'll be rummaging through the 'F' section seeing if I can find any of their albums on vinyl, because that would be a real treat.

Claiming territory

2009-06-22T19:27:24Z

We've started to allow the cats to roam the house freely at night. Cleo actually preferred to be shut into the kitchen, dining room and living room at night (she'd pester us to tuck her in bed if we let her roam free), but Bella and Bianca seemed to want a bit more freedom. Inevitably, what happens is that they sleep on our bed: not always both at the same time, but at one point or another there will be somewhere between zero and two cats plus two humans on or in our bed.

This is fine by me. I like having them on the bed at night, as there's nothing more restful than a purring, sleepy cat. The only problem is that they are experts in claiming bed-surface real estate. In fact, they have the kind of devious, strategic skill which would make them champion players of the Chinese game, Go, assuming that they could be bothered to play a game for abstract rewards, rather than something actually useful like duvet space. It starts off equitably enough, with Mr. Bsag and I each occupying half of the bed, and the cats slotted into the remaining spaces. At some point in the night, we will wake to find that Mr. Bsag and I are unaccountably teetering on the outer 10cm of our respective sides of the bed, with the cats stretched luxuriously across most of the remaining space. They are fairly placid about being lifted and moved to another area of the bed, but only — I suspect — because they just re-formulate their invasion plans (complete with large maps and little model cats and humans pushed around with long rakes) as soon as we've gone back to sleep.

Fever

2009-06-21T16:01:49Z

I've used RSS feeds to keep up with the blogs and other websites I wanted to read for a long time. I used to use NetNewsWire, which was (and still is) a great bit of software, but when Google Reader came out, I switched to that. I liked the quick keyboard shortcuts to navigate around, and the fact that using an online reader meant that I could read feeds on any browser and not have to deal with items that I'd already read elsewhere.

However, recently I've been finding that I'm overwhelmed with information, particularly if I've been too busy to check Google Reader for a few days. I subscribe to a few high volume feeds for the occasional useful item that they throw up, but that means an awful lot of stuff I'm not interested in to wade through. That's why I was intrigued by Fever, a new feed reader by Shaun Inman, who also designed the lovely web site analytics program, Mint.

There must be hundreds of feed readers out there, but Fever distinguishes itself in two ways. First it is a self-hosted service, meaning that you have to install it on a web host. This would be a problem for those without a web host, but it does mean that it is available on any computer you choose to access it from and also under your direct control, unlike Google Reader. Second, it offers a way to pick out interesting items from your feed, without overwhelming you with information. To do this, you assign your high volume, high noise feeds to a special 'Sparks' group. Any items that share links or topics in common with your other 'Kindling' feeds will promote those topics to the 'Hot' list. This shows you feeds grouped by topics, so you can skim them or read the individual feeds as you wish. It's a great way to keep up with the things everyone is talking about, without being submerged by your unread feeds count. Other people's Delicious feeds are perfect for Sparks, and you can add feeds to the group with impunity knowing that it's going to make your Hot list more interesting, rather than bogging you down.

It's always a bit of a gamble paying for something ($30 in this case) without being able to try it out, but the screencast was reassuring and showed most of the fetaures. It's really easy to install (unusual for a self-hosted service) and importing my feeds and groups from Google Reader was quick and accurate. The UI, as you can see in the screenshot above, is very clean and rather pretty. There are Google Reader-like keyboard shortcuts for most things, and it's easy to move around the feeds. There's also quite a lot of customisability at the level of groups or individual feeds, and by default, feeds with no unread items are hidden, making it easy to see what you've got. Shawn Blanc has some good tips for using Fever efficiently, and he's right that it works very nicely as a standalone Fluid app. But it's also good as a tab in Safari, particularly if you use this tip to make Safari open links with the target="_blank" attribute in a new tab, not a new window.

Fever also has a truly lovely iPhone interface — one of the best I've seen — for reading feeds on the iPhone. Of course, because it's getting data directly from your Fever installation on the server, there's no syncing issue, but that also means no offline reading, which iPhone apps like Byline offer, and which can be useful at times. If you have long articles to scroll through, the interface on the iPhone can be a little bit longwinded, so a few more navigational aids would be a benefit, I think, but other than that, it's really slick.

Fever is only at Version 1.0, but is already a very competent and useful web application, which distinguishes itself well from the competition. The only thing I really miss from Google Reader is some way to share articles I come across. It would be nice to have a command to post items to popular services like Delicious or Twitter, or to share items publicly. I'd also love a command to save an article to Instapaper, particularly on the iPhone, where you'd like to save long articles to read at your leisure. Alternatively, if there was an API available of some kind, people could find ways to pipe their saved articles to other services. I'm sure that these kinds of improvements will come with time. Shaun has done a great job, and it's obvious that he's thought quite deeply about what a good feed reader needs.

Taking note

2009-06-15T17:09:22Z

So, I have to edit this thing for work. It's not a huge edit, just a bit of information to add to a paragraph of a collaboratively written document. In a meeting last week about this document, I made some notes on the print-out of the document, so that — I thought at the time — I would remember what I had to do when I got around to the writing this week.

And can I now make any sense at all of my scribbled notes, arrows, underlining and other hieroglyphics? Reader, I cannot. As far as I can make out, the notes are instructions for building a space elevator, written with a Da Vinci-esque mirror script. In Klingon. It's funny that something that seemed so straightforward at the time can be so utterly impenetrable now. Or it would be funny, if I didn't have to mentally reconstruct the whole thing as a consequence.

1066

2009-06-10T18:24:02Z

We finally got around to watching the Channel 4 historical drama 1066 a few days ago. I was never very keen on History in school and these historical dramas can be truly dreadful, but we really enjoyed it. They made the sensible decision to tell the story of the Battle of Hastings (and the lead up to it) from the perspective of the ordinary people of the village of Crowhurst. So we followed the 'weaponmen' as they were effectively conscripted to go and support King Harold, and protect the coast against the expected Norman attack.

I was obviously not paying attention in my History lessons, because I hadn't realised that the arrival of the Normans was preceeded by an attack by the Vikings (or víkingr¹) in the north. So some of Harold's men had to run 200 miles in four days to try to prevent the Viking advances. That lead to huge losses on both sides, but the Anglo-Saxons sort of won (in the restricted sense of 'win' in which they had more men alive at the end), only to hear that the Normans had landed, and they had to run 200 miles back to the south coast.

The drama was authentically bloody and realistic, capturing the fear and chaos of battle. I also liked the way that they interspersed the narration (by the superb Ian Holm) with quotations from Norse sagas and contemporary reports and writing. It also made me realise just how much Tolkien shamelessly nicked from Anglo-Saxon and Norse writing and mythology. 'Middle Earth' comes straight from the Saxons, as does 'orc' which was adapted from the Anglo-Saxon 'orc-nea' meaning demon or monster -- or in this dramatisation -- monstrous Norman foreigner.

The timing of the broadcast was a bit unfortunate, because racist nationalists always seem keen to invoke Anglo-Saxons as the 'true English' and not, for example, Celts, Romans, Normans, Vikings, Africans or any of the many and varied people who have made England and Britain what it is today. 'We' are no more Anglo-Saxon than we are any other race in most parts of the country. But the film makers did at least try hard to show that there were (of course) good and bad people on both sides, even though our sympathies were with the Anglo-Saxons. For example, there was a rather noble Norman character (Baron de Coutances) from Brittany who was forced into fighting for William by the kidnapping of his family, and tried to stop the worst atrocities perpetrated by his side. One of the Viking attack party also ended up fighting on the side of the Anglo-Saxons.

Once again, I'm rather late in mentioning this since it was broadcast in May, but it is coming out on DVD soon, and I'd recommend it to anyone who snored their way through the Battle of Hastings at school.

¹ For some reason, I see that written in blue with the 'r' in pink. Can't think why... ↑

Hating fashion with a passion

2009-06-03T18:59:29Z

I've made no secret on this blog of the fact that I hate shopping for clothes. In all seriousness, given the choice I would rather visit the dentist than shop for clothes. Basic items like jeans, t-shirts and so on, I buy online, and use a small selection of suppliers, where I know what my size corresponds to in their sizing. I don't enjoy that much either, but a few clicks and it's all over until the clothes arrive and you have to try them on: relatively painless. But I've got a couple of events coming up where it is expected that I will dress up (i.e. wear a skirt or -- gasp! -- a dress). So that means that I have to go to actual clothes shops, find something I don't detest and try it on. And then repeat until I run screaming from the shop.

There are two problems, quite apart from my utter indifference about what I wear. The first is sizing. I am short, and I am curvy, and clothes manufacturers seem not to have encountered women of either shape before, still less both shapes in one woman. Modern clothes are seemingly not made for women with waists smaller than their hips. The second problem is fashion itself. Even if -- like me -- you have no desire at all to follow fashion, you are utterly stymied by it. Not all styles suit all shapes of people, and fashions mean that at any one time, only one or two styles will be in fashion. This wouldn't bother me at all but for the fact that it means you can't actually buy clothes in the shapes that suit you. Once every 10 years, you might get lucky when a style that suits you comes over the fashion horizon, but if you want to buy clothes in the intervening years, you are out of luck. Your only option is to haunt second-hand or vintage clothes outlets, in search of that empire line/flapper/50's tea dress shape.

I'm seriously starting to consider the possibility of learning how to make my own clothes. I could borrow or buy a sewing machine, find fabric I like, and actually make clothes that a) fit me, b) suit me and c) I like. The trouble is, I have no idea how to go about it. I'm a complete n00b when it comes to dressmaking. Does anyone know of good sources of basic patterns (particularly ones which can be easily modified), and easy guides for people who are liable to sew the wrong seams up?

A week with the cats

2009-05-31T18:11:18Z

For me, this week has mostly been about marking exams and getting to know the cats. I'm sure it will be pretty obvious to everyone which one was more entertaining. Don't worry, this blog won't turn into an 'All Cats All The Time' enterprise, but I wanted to write a bit more about Bella and Bianca, now that we've got to know them a bit better.

Bianca

Bianca has a rather lovely dual personality. Most of the time, she is ultra-laid back, a kind of feline version of the Cadbury's Caramel bunny. She sleeps or stretches languidly, looking at you with half-closed golden eyes and a 'hey, take it easy' expression. Her fur is even cream and caramel coloured. Then, at various intervals (not coincidentally, often around food time) she has her Crazy Time and roars around like a kitten, skidding on the laminate flooring as she races about, wide-eyed. In either mode, she's very cute and very good natured, taking opportunities to snuggle up on laps or in convenient gaps on the sofa between the human occupants. She's slightly subordinate to Bella (and a year younger), so while Bella grooms her forehead affectionately and licks the inside of her ears (she has very clean ears), she also gets put in her place by a gentle cuff with a paw from time to time.

Bella

Bella is the kind of 'wild type' colour for Somalis, which is called -- oddly enough -- Usual (Bianca is Sorrel Silver, and Cleo was Blue). Despite the fact that it's not UN-usual, I love the colour and think it's very striking. She has stunning, big green eyes rimmed with black and the longest whiskers I've ever seen on a domestic cat. I'm sceptical about the myth that cat's whiskers grow to the width of their body, but if that is true, Bella has the whiskers of a much larger cat. She does like her food a lot, so perhaps she's planning on becoming a larger cat, and has grown her whiskers in anticipation. Either way, head on she has the look of a high-wire walker holding a long balance pole. It's rather a daredevil look. Bella is always alert to sounds outside, and when we first had her, would dive under the sofa bed in the office whenever she got spooked by a loud car or a dog barking outside (her former home was in a very quiet cul-de-sac). She's got a bit more used to the noises now, and is much more confident.

In fact, the very first thing she did after we let both of them out of their carrying boxes in the kitchen was to squeeze through an impossibly small gap beside the fridge and crawl underneath the kitchen cupboards. We had to pull the fridge and the washing machine out so that we could lie on the floor in the dust and call to her while holding out some food. She stayed there for quite a while, purring loudly, which -- as the cupboards acted as a natural resonator -- filled the kitchen with sound. Eventually, she came out and we blocked the gap up to stop her disappearing under there again. As I said, she's got used to her new surroundings now, and seems very comfortable in her own alert way. Certainly, she also loves curling up in our laps whenever she gets the opportunity, and adores her chin being stroked.

I've never had two cats at the same time, and it's fascinating watching how they interact. They don't curl up together like some cats do, but they are very friendly with each other, and also play chasing games together with toy mice or balls. They have different pitched voices, so we can usually tell who is calling even when we can't see them. Cleo was a reluctant feeder, so it's quite a shock to have cats who are so keen on eating. Mealtimes are delightful chaos, with both of them trying to climb up our legs while their food is being shared out, then there's a furry scrum until they work out that -- just like the last time -- there are in fact two bowls, so they don't have to fight over one.

Somalis are a lovely breed, and definitely people cats. They don't demand human attention all the time like Siamese cats, but they will happily follow you around and settle down wherever you happen to be, watching what you are doing or just hanging out. When I was weeding in the garden yesterday, I had two cats supervising my work through the patio doors the whole time. They're great, and we love sharing our lives with them. I also can't stop taking pictures of them, so you can see another shot of Bella and Bianca on flickr.

Perfect afternoon

2009-05-25T16:27:30Z

Life seems to have been incredibly busy and tiring recently, but I've just had one of the most peaceful and relaxing afternoons I've experienced in a long time. Mr. Bsag and I sat reading on the sofa with the cats, listening to Aleyn by June Tabor. He read the paper with Bianca lounging gracefully on his lap, while I started my library copy of Kate Rew's Wild Swim. I dreamed about how nice it would be to swim off a Hebridean beach or a Cornish tidal pool, while Bella purred in between us, her head and forepaws tucked into the curve of my hip, long whiskers twitching slightly while she dreamed some feline dream.

New arrivals

2009-05-24T18:14:38Z

Regular readers will know that we recently lost our much-loved rescue cat, Cleo. We were really devastated by losing her, and felt completely bereft without her. While we'll never be able to replace her, and she'll always be very special to us, we really wanted to get another Somali, because we'd fallen in love with the personality of the breed. So we put our names down on the list for rescued/re-homed Somalis, expecting that it might take several months for a suitable cat (that is, a cat happy to be an indoor cat) to come up. Much to our surprise, we were told almost immediately that there were a couple of cats available for re-homing. We weren't expecting to get a cat so soon, and weren't expecting that we might be able to get two, but it was pretty obvious that we weren't going to be able to resist!

Unlike Cleo (who was a stray with a totally unknown and probably unhappy past), these two cats were being re-homed and were extremely well-loved and cared for since birth by a wonderful woman. They are lovely cats -- healthy and fit and very well behaved. Bella (top picture) looks a bit like a lynx, and has incredible large green eyes and is a really sweet-natured, gentle cat and an adventuress. Bianca (bottom picture) has a gorgeous coloured coat (called sorrel silver) which is a cinnamon-copper on top of white. She is very soppy, and loves being stroked and sitting on laps.

We only picked them up yesterday, so they are still exploring the house and getting used to their new surroundings, but I think they will settle in well. It's wonderful being around cats again, and we're really looking forward to getting to know two new cat personalities. We feel really privileged to be able to look after them. There are a couple more photos of both Bella and Bianca on Flickr, and I'm sure that there will be many more to come!

The Kate Bush Conjecture

2009-05-16T17:46:15Z

People may complain about the BBC (I certainly do from time to time), but one of the joys of a public service broadcaster is that they can produce shows which would never survive the hurly-burly, lowest-common-denominator world of commercial broadcasting. The Radio 4 programme More or Less is one such programme. It's about numbers, mathematics and statistics, and — while mathematics is certainly not my strong point, and I view statistics as a necessary professional evil — I love the show. It is gloriously, defiantly geeky and it covers some pretty interesting topics in an accurate but accessible way.

The latest episode featured a reprise of an earlier feature about the song Pi by Kate Bush. In it, Kate sings the digits of Pi, but gets some of the digits wrong. At the 51st point after the decimal point, she sings '58231' rather than the correct '58209'. I can't say that I had noticed. I would also not put it past Kate to have done it deliberately, and that it's some kind of elaborate, arcane hidden message.

Anyway, a listener (they have great listeners, about whom more later) suggested the 'Kate Bush Conjecture'¹: that while the series 58231 doesn't appear in the position at which she sang it, in a number which can be infinitely expanded, it should appear at some point. So they got a mathematician on, who said that it does indeed first appear at the 17,378th position after the decimal point. So, to adapt Eric Morecambe's statement to André Previn, she was singing all the right digits, but not necessarily in the right order.

Back to the More or Less listeners... The are wonderfully pedantic. There was the listener-suggested Kate Bush Conjecture, and another wrote in to take the presenter, Tim Harford, to task for his statement that the show has loyal listeners — how did he know his listeners were loyal? Did he have empirical data? It's like being in some kind of parallel universe where members of the public always question the accuracy and scientific support for everything they are told, and where there is no need for someone like Ben Goldacre to point such things out. Oh well, for half an hour a week, I can imagine such a Utopia.

¹ Which incidentally would make a great title for an episode of The Big Bang Theory ↑