Toyota Yaris - adjusting the clock...

It sounds a bit silly, but since the clocks went forward in the spring our Toyota Yaris has been showing the wrong time. We've tried all sorts of things, including reading the manual, but even following Toyota's instructions to the letter doesn't produce the right result. Now, however, after sitting in front of the damn clock with my iPad browsing for the solution, I've fixed it. Here's how:
1) Press the knob next to the clock till the display shows the temperature (this is the bit that was missing from the instruction manual)
2) Hold down the knob for five seconds
3) Release the knob and the hours will start flashing
4) Press the knob to advance the hours
5) Wait five seconds until the hours stop flashing and the minutes start flashing
6) Press the knob to advance the minutes
7) Stop when you reach the right time - flashing will stop after about five seconds.

Simple, when you know that you have to start on the temperature display.

Posted via email from James's posterous

Toy Story 3 in 3D

Not a bad film, but probably better for small people. It's been a while since I saw the first Toy Story but I seem to remember that, while it had an equally obvious appeal to children, it had more for adults. Maybe I am misremembering.

3D is quite impressive (this was my first 3D film) but the glasses are insanely uncomfortable; I don't really want to watch another film for which I have to wear those things, but it is only a matter of time, I fear.

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IF Mode Bicycle - Ultimate folding bike?

Whenever I have to buy something that costs more than a few quid (camera, phone, furniture etc.) I tend to want to think about it for quite a while. This can often mean a hunt that goes on for quite a while (I've been considering a new rucksack for about six months now and, despite looking at dozens, I still haven't chosen one) and that takes a great deal of effort. The result of these long investigations is that I tend to end up with exactly what I want but at the or price of driving the wife up the wall. 

Folding bikes do not really appeal; they look horrible, they have nasty small wheels and  they have are so many catches and clips that, sooner or later, one is going to be missed, causing an almighty accident. If I was in the market for a folding bike, however, the IF Mode Bicycle (http://www.uncrate.com/men/gear/transportation/if-mode-bicycle/) would definitely be a contender (although, given the price, I would need to think about it for a few months). Have a look.

Oh, and I stumbled across this link through Flipboard.

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I get strange comments on my blogs

Sometimes I get the weirdest comments on my blogs, normally from people advertising services I'm not interested in buying (there is a limit to the number of penis enlargement pills a man can consume in a day, after all). The following comment, delivered to me for moderation, caught my eye:

Subject: [Myryama] New comment on Religious Amputees?.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Religious Amputees?":

HELP! I’m currently being held prisoner by the Russian mafia xyzrxyz [url=deleted]penis enlargement[/url] xyzrxyz and being forced to post spam comments on blogs and forum! If you don’t approve this they will kill me. xyzrxyz [url=deleted]penis enlargement[/url] xyzrxyz They’re coming back now. xyzrxyz [url=deleted][/url]xyzrxyz Please send help! nitip [url=deleted[/url]

Posted by Anonymous to Myryama at 3:28 AM

I'm afraid I didn't pass this for posting and I felt momentarily guilty about condemning an innocent man to torture and death at the hands of the Russian Mafia. Then I remembered that death was probably too good for someone sending spam comments to the blogs of complete strangers and I had another Krispy Kreme. Must go now - my next shipment of Cialis and cheap watches is due to go out today and I need to get the boxes addressed.

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Misty summer morning, Hampshire

Taken from the train window.

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This evening's train is even more...

...overcrowded and uncomfortable than normal. A hot muggy day combined with a short train (five carriages instead of ten) and lots of passengers means that the air-conditioning is struggling and the atmosphere is approaching that of a hothouse. People are standing along most of the length of the carriage and still people are joining the train; grim.

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Quote of the Day

From one Gordon Brown, who, when asked if he had made any mistakes told the BBC's Zeinab Badawi:

"Well, I've always said, that if we had spotted the financial crisis earlier, it would have made a difference."

Thanks Gordon, but weren't you the one who presided over a decade of ever looser financial regulation? Maybe not.

Posted via email from James's posterous

Flipboard; the app the iPad was made for?

Sounds a bit strange when you read about it but it works beautifully and is remarkably easy to use. The presentation of articles is so good that it pretty much makes magazine apps redundant; all publishers need to do is provide a suitably rich feed of articles and Flipboard can re-build the magazine. That won't happen, of course, because there's only a very limited revenue stream for the publisher, but it's nice to dream.

So should you investigate further? Yes. Download it now, accept that some features aren't yet available and enjoy the rest while you wait for the initial surge to die down.
You may not have heard of (http://www.flipboard.com/) because it's rather new. So new, in fact, that they haven't yet activated all the features for all their users because they're struggling to cope with demand.

So what does Flipboard do that is so great? It pulls together your chosen feeds in to a new, but familiar, magazine format and you flip through the pages browsing the articles, newest first. You then open interesting articles by tapping the summary, from where you can head out to the source page.

The Full English - ingredients for a perfect breakfast

One of the questions that didn't trouble the philosophers of ancient Greece was "what constitutes the perfect Full English Breakfast?" but then those blokes skipped all the important gigs to focus on boring rubbish like logic, reason and the meaning of life, leaving the rest of us to work out the requirements for a decent breakfast unaided. And I'm pleased to announce that after much research I now have the full list. Here, for the first time ever (this may not be entirely true), is the definitive guide to the Full English Breakfast.

First, there are a few items that simply must be present:

1. Eggs - one or two, normally scrambled or fried (the advanced breakfaster may choose poached but this is not advisable for inexperienced diners) or, in extreme cases, boiled.
2. Bacon - streaky, smoked, crispy or lean, it doesn't really matter as long as there are one or two decent sized rashers.
3. Toast - thick sliced, of brown or white bread, toasted to crispness on both sides.
4. Mushrooms - some favour a single flat field mushroom, others a pile of button mushrooms, still others a selection of sliced white mushrooms lightly fried. 
5. Tomatoes - my preference is for either a large tomato, halved and grilled, or a pile of fried cherry tomatoes. Cooking times vary, but the skins should slide off easily under the influence of a skilled fork-wielder. 
6. Sausage - one or two, depending on size. Lincolnshire pork sausages are best, but Cumberland or even a speciality chippolata can also work. Sausages should be browned all over but not burned beyond recognition.
7. Black coffee - some people prefer tea (which is an acceptable alternative) but in my book you can't beat a really strong mug of coffee. For maximum authenticity (and taste) avoid sugar and cow-juice as these contaminants will only disguise the deeper flavours of the noble bean.  

Then there are some things that are optional, the inclusion of which can elevate a simple breakfast to the status of Meal Fit For a King:

1. Black pudding - details of the construction and precise contents of the Black Pudding are best left with the chef. Accept the pudding, revel in it's strong flavours, but don't ask for explanations.
2. Baked beans - normally served in tomato sauce, the humble baked bean is a staple of the British culinary arts. Often served on toast and topped with grated cheese (although, obviously, not at the breakfast table), baked beans add texture and depth to a breakfast.
3. Potatoes - in some places the "waffle" or "hash brown" is the preferred style of breakfast potato but for taste you can't better the golden brown fried potato, made by frying in butter a portion of mashed potato. The frying of chopped boiled potatoes can also produce a perfectly good fried potato, but mash is the connoisseur's choice.
4. Fried bread - sometimes acting as an alternative to toast, a couple of slices of pan- or deep-fried bread are often found in restaurants operating at the edges of society. Often discarded in preference for a "healthy" alternative, fried bread can be difficult to find.

There are also a host of foodstuffs that might be served with a breakfast and that put a spring in a chap's step when he spies them at the buffet table:

1. Orange juice - freshly squeezed and lightly chilled, OJ is almost compulsory.
2. Marmalade - strong, bitter and made from oranges (lime marmalade is the stuff of the devil), marmalade makes the perfect topping for leftover pieces of cold toast.

Finally, there are a number of foods that have no place on an English breakfast buffet. Serving these substances will immediately mark you as "someone to be watched":

1. Muesli - rabbit food for the rich and famous, this muck should be kept far from the table of any self-respecting breakfaster.
2. Yoghurt - often found in the company of muesli, this perverted cow-juice is best left in the refrigerator.
3. Broccoli - processed legumes and fried tubers might be appropriate for the breakfast table, but relatives of the noble cabbage, no matter how well prepared, are not welcome (except, possibly, as Bubble and Squeak). The rule of thumb is that green vegetables are eaten at luncheon or dinner, but not breakfast.
4. Fruit - popular on the continent, fruit should not appear in an English breakfast except as a heavily grilled tomato.
5. Porridge - whilst making a fine breakfast in it's own right, porridge should not really appear as part of the Full English.

And there it is. You now have the basic knowledge you need to prepare a Full English Breakfast. Good luck!        

Posted via email from James's posterous

Your iPhone 4 Bumper refund.

I bought one of Apple's Bumpers for my iPhone 4 a few weeks ago, and very pleased I was to have it. You may have heard about the antenna iPhone's problems and the subsequent case giveaway but I hadn't really expected a refund. I was therefore a little surprised to receive the following email: 

Begin forwarded message:

Dear iPhone 4 owner, Apple recently announced that iPhone 4 customers who purchased an iPhone 4 Bumper are eligible for a full refund. As of today, we have automatically processed your refund. If you would like to check the status of your refund, click here. Thank you for choosing Apple. Sincerely, Apple Retail Store Support

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I've just realised...

...that I'm sitting on the train reading emails, browsing blogs and catching up on my Twitterfeed on my iPhone while my iPad languishes in the bag at my feet. Sheer lunacy, so I've switched to the iPad and everything is looking good.

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The sun is out and everything is good in the world

Well, maybe not everything, but this morning the sky is blue, the sun is shining and even Woking looks almost habitable (this is an illusion brought on by the unexpectedly good weather - fear not, it will pass).

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Osama bin Laden spotted in Tallinn

I may have posted this before, but after the recent Pope Goblet incident it seemed to make sense to send this one in as well. Enjoy!

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Glen Rothay Hotel, Rydal, Cumbria

The wife and parents-in-law are talking a wet walk around Rydal water. It's raining, and I've never been a fan of walking, so I dodged the walk and am instead sitting in the Badger Bar of the Glen Rothay Hotel in Rydal. I've just had a pretty good steak and kidney pie for lunch and I'm now relaxing, waiting for the walkers to join me. All good so far.

Posted via email from James's posterous

A lake in the Lake District

We had a decent walk around the hill and this panorama was constructed from photos taken on the way down in the five minutes that the sun shone between showers.

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Posting grey photos - a theory

I think I've worked out what's causing some of my photos to show up online with large areas of grey where there should be image, and it's to do with the way I'm posting them.

Basically, I email photos to my Posterous account (http://posterous.com) from where they are forwarded to Facebook and various other places and the Grey Goo problem either affects every instance of an uploaded photo, or none. My theory is that when a photo is uploaded from an area with a weak phone signal the upload fails when the signal disappears but Posterous doesn't notice and, instead of rejecting the upload, completes the missing part of the image with Grey Goo. It might, therefor, be a Posterous bug.

Not sure what can be done about this, but maybe the people at Posterous will take a look?

Posted via email from James's posterous

Limited Edition Pope Goblet

How cool is this? We might have to pay a fortune to bring this bizarre man to our country but at least someone is making a few quid flogging these horrible commemorative mugs.

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Menu from The Cottage in the Wood, Braithwaite

Looks like a decent menu. Restaurant is in a nice spot near Whinlatter pass. Food update to follow.

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Kingham Plough, Kingham. Somewhere in Oxfordshire.

We spent the day with family and we are now overnighting in Kingham which, as I mentioned in the title, is probably in Oxfordshire. We're staying at the Kingham Plough (http://www.thekinghamplough.co.uk/) and it's very nice; good rooms, good beer (Hereford Pale Ale), good whisky and, hopefully, a good breakfast - more on that tomorrow.

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Chiswick House Gardens

The view of the lake from the bridge. Which is obvious, really.

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Uploading to Google Maps

Never been before, but today we had a really nice day out with chums at Chiswick House Park (http://www.chgt.org.uk/). Worth a look if you're after somewhere for a picnic or a walk in the park - recommended.

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Water CO2 calculator for UK homes

A website that helps people to work out how much CO2 is being emitted to heat water in their homes has gone online.

via news.bbc.co.uk

There's no CO2 in water, by definition. Unless it's soda water, but that doesn't really count. Anyway, if you want to know how much energy you use to heat water and air in your home, have a look at this report on the BBC and ponder this chart, which I thought was a little surprising. http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/48087000/gif/_48087763_co2_uk_homes_226...

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Church of England continues to discriminate against women

The law allowing women to be made bishops in the Church of England goes before the Church's General Synod on 9 July after a last-minute intervention by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.

via news.bbc.co.uk

If there's one issue I really don't care about, it's this one, but it's interesting to contrast the Church of England's behaviour with that of other large corporations. Could BT get away with sexual discrimination when making senior management appointments? What about Railtrack? Would we allow Next, or M&S, or HSBC or any other company to say "no, you can't do that job because you're a woman and thus unable to manage subordinate men"?

It's no secret that I don't particularly like the Church but it annoys me that they continually involve themselves in my affairs (by limiting Sunday trading, for example, or by voting on secular issues in the House of Lords) without having the common decency to observe the laws that bind the rest of society. Their ongoing battle to discriminate on the grounds of sex is distasteful, immoral, unnecessary and pointless and their discussions about female bishops are equally stupid; employment law should apply equally to secular or religious businesses and the appointment of women to any position in any church, temple, synagogue or shrine should just be something that we, as a civilised society, expect and which they, as lawful entities, deliver.

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If you're after a film to watch, I don't recommend Dungeons andDragons 2

It's excruciating. You'll have more fun chiselling off your patellas, but if you still want to know more check IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0406728/

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The Glass is Not Always Greener

Marks and Spencer have been pursuing a green strategy, Plan A, for a few years in an effort to reduce the environmental impact of their business and, presumably, make themselves more attractive to investors and shoppers. Every now and again they roll out a new initiative (FSC certified receipts, tackling deforestation, reducing carrier bag usage etc.) aimed at saving butterflies or keeping polar bears afloat and it's all really good stuff that other retailers would do well to copy (and some of them are: Tesco, Sainsbury's). 

As of early May, M&S have joined Waitrose and Sainsbury's in selling some of their wine in plastic rather than glass bottles which sounds like a pretty good idea (although, if you read the comments on the Guardian's report it's clear that some people are highly sceptical even though their doubts seem, to me, somewhat bizarre). M&S are switching only their 25cl bottles to plastic which, according the the Guardian, has the following benefits:

The new bottles are 88% lighter than glass bottles, less energy is required to manufacture a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle than a glass bottle and the lightweight bottle reduces distribution emissions. The company estimates that the switch will save it 525 tonnes of packaging a year.

The obvious next step is to switch their 75cl bottles from glass to plastic but I suspect that will be a more difficult change to sell to consumers. Would you buy wine in a plastic bottle, and if not, is it time to reconsider?

Posted via email from James's posterous

iPhone 4 Photo - Some sort of flowering shrub

Posted via email from James' Photos

Quote of the Day

"I got quite annoyed after the Haiti earthquake. A baby was taken from the wreckage and people said it was a miracle. It would have been a miracle had God stopped the earthquake. More wonderful was that a load of evolved monkeys got together to save the life of a child that wasn't theirs."
Terry Pratchett

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iPhone 4 signal fault leaves Apple 'stunned'

Apple says a fault on its new iPhone 4 is causing it to incorrectly display the phone's signal.

via news.bbc.co.uk

The statement goes on to say that they've been using the wrong formula to calculate the number of signal strength bars to display since the original iPhone. If true, this problem ought to be present in earlier models, as reported by a number of people.

On the other hand, if it's just a software problem, then it seems fairly minor and we can go back to enjoying what is, quite possibly, the ultimate piece of consumer electronics.

Posted via email from Myryama's Musings on Apple