h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

hi rg

early visit to F15?thread="http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2000/02/stuff_eng_detail_j21.htm" >http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2000/02/stuff_eng_detail_j21.htm

Also two prop trainers, a North American Texan and curiously a Scottish Aviation Sk61A Bulldog as well as other odds and sods.

Gävle an attractive town at the mouth of a river:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Gavlean3.jpg/600px-Gavlean3.jpg

We are moored somewhat further downstream there is still a remnant wooden old but like many old Fennoscandian towns frequent burning down led to replacement by stone/brick buildings. Like Söderhamn, Gävle seems to have a plethora of good restaurants and we found one which did an excellent venison main course.

Wind: Still light ESE and looks set to stay this way. A bit of a change of plan as Uppsalan friends are traveling to Stockholm so we can meet both couples without need to visit Uppsala. Decided to go to Stockholm first with option of Åland Islands afterwards.

FX3/Tamron: FX3 came with a bog standard 50mm 'compromise' lens. Tamron had a much wider range of lenses than Yashica though of course completely useless with a DSLR.

Flashy: Suppose so but my first 120 film camera was a Yashica Mat 124 TLR:

http://mattsclassiccameras.com/images/yashicamat_124.jpg

Began my love affair with the 6x6 format.

'fancy 802.11u protocol': I'm not really sure: 802.11n was supposed to be backward compatible with a,b,g but when my ISP 'kindly' replaced by old cable modem (to which I had attached a g router) with a combined n router/modem all my g adapter cards ceased working and had to be replaced. Can't find much out about 802.11u it except that it is designed to be interoperable with external networks (whatever that means).

'ancient laptop': You won't get much argument from me though the iPad2 is a bit more convenient in some situations though not a fan of touch screens.

referendum: I think you are right but in the event of a 'No' in 2014 no will be rhetoric from the Unionists about the issue of Scottish independence having been decided for a generation. Perhaps so but a transition through devo-max and federalism seems a possible route to independence.

Extinction: I think humanity is so wrecking the biosphere that an anthropogenic extinction is not only possible but probable:

http://www.livescience.com/13038-humans-causing-sixth-mass-extinction.html


bs

Rats!
First paragraph again:

early visit to F15?thread="http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2000/02/stuff_eng_detail_j21.htm" >http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2000/02/stuff_eng_detail_j21.htm

Also two prop trainers, a North American Texan and curiously a Scottish Aviation Sk61A Bulldog as well as other odds and sods

double rats!

Hootoo not liking J21a-3 link :


early visit to F15?thread=double rats!

Hootoo not liking J21a-3 link :


early visit to
Hootoo not liking J21a-3 link :


early visit to F15?thread=double rats!

Hootoo not liking J21a-3 link :


early visit to F15?thread=double rats!

Hootoo not liking J21a-3 link :


early visit to F15?thread=double rats!

Hootoo not liking J21a-3 link :


early visit to F15 Flight Museum then a fairly short 6.5hr trip to Gävle Flight museum quite interesting. Mostly SAAB jet fighters, Tunnan, Lansens, Viggens and Safirs but also a de Havilland Vampire and, my favourite, the unconventional twin boom SAAB J21A-3 with pusher propeller. {link removed} Also two prop trainers, a North American Texan and curiously a Scottish Aviation Sk61A Bulldog as well as other odds and sods.

Hi Bx4

Hootoo links: I think the secret is to bracket them in inverted commas 'http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2000/02/stuff_eng_detail_j21.htm'; it is then a matter of cutting and pasting for the reader. This is more work than clicking on a link like in Mustardland however it is reliable. On the subject of links I noticed that the 'C3' in 'Mamiya C3' was read by hootoo as a link. This is reminiscent of what happened on the BBC boards.

Posting this as a stub to see what happens, more later...

bs

Hi Bx4

I liked the 'J21' link! It hadn't occurred to me that cooling was such an issue with aircraft engines. The boxer configuration with the head/exhaust pipe junction exposed to the maximum available airflow now makes even more sense. The Sk61A looks like a tidy trainer. I like piston engined aircraft like I prefer film over digital. So last century am I. Gävle looks attractive from your linked photograph with plenty of greenery. Luckily I'm back in 'diet' mode otherwise I'd be salivating right now at the thought of a venison lunch.

The Yashica Mat 124 TLR looks similar to the Mamiya (being a twin lens configuration). What I didn't understand from the linked image was where was the shutter? On the Mamiya this is just behind the lens and in front of bellows. Yet the Yashica has no obvious cocking lever? 'http://wycameras.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Mamiya-TLR-105mm-f3-2_2013-08-15.jpg' The 6x6 format can yield stunning results. It does require forethought and now I'm preaching to the choir.

I don't know about 802.11u though the Internet experience in general is anything but backwards compatible in my view. For example there was an excellent 'works for Mac' browser called Camino. Alas this is no longer being updated and it certainly doesn't support Flash. Be prepared to part with a thousand notes on today's most sought kit. Chuck it in the skip in but a few winters time. I think I could guess what 'interoperable' might mean in the context of 802.11u though I really don't know.

The 2014 referendum: I think the 'decided for a generation' argument would undoubtedly be made should the unionists win. And what happens when the SNP are returned to power with a mandate for a second referendum? You may remember that my problem with 'devo-max' and federalism is that these would imv depend on the accession of the whole of the UK whereas independence is something Scotland can win for herself. Then again lopsided devolution was foist on the UK with lopsided referendums so what do I know?

'Wrecking the biosphere': The cruel response is 'so what'? We'll take till there's nothing left to take - it's the human way. Of one thing I'm sure the answer isn't more humans.

bs

Hi rg

Arrived Stockholm yesterday. Bit of a social whirl but at least we don't have to do the 'sights'. Planning to chill out for a couple of days.

Hootoo links: The problem seems to be associated with a capitalised letter followed by one or more digits which sometimes shows up as coloured.

Venison lunch: In 'diet mode' don't see wild venison being to much of a problem -fairly lean compared with other meats.

Yashica Mat 124 Shutter: Just behind the taking lens:

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2430/3897068664_44b28d3725_o.jpg

'no obvious cocking lever': Not sure what you mean by this: If you go to page 5 of this manual:

http://www.cameramanuals.org/yashica_pdf/yashica_mat-124.pdf

All the external shutter controls are labelled. Here is a close-up of a Copal-SV shutter:

http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Copal-SV

albeit this one on the slightly later Yashica Mat 124G.

Preaching to the choir: A lot of my early photography was in B&W and I did my own DP. Interest waned somewhat when I moved to colour and slide format.

Backward compatibility: I agree. More a theory than an actuality.

Camino: Never come across it. my first Browser was the original Tim Berners-Lee WorldWideWeb:

http://www.w3.org/People/Berners-Lee/WorldWideWeb.html

Flash: There is no native support for this on the iPad 2 but there are a few browsers that support it.

Interoperability: I found this which (kind of) explains it:

http://www.networkworld.com/news/tech/2011/090711-80211u-hotspot-250556.html

'SNP returns to power': I'm not sure how likely this is. The AM voting system (based on the German system) was supposed to guarantee coalition governments. Clearly in 2011 it failed but this may have been a rare anomaly.

another referendum: As I understand it while only a minority of Scots seem willing to vote for independence a majority favour substantive devolution of currently 'reserved' powers. I suspect Salmond being quite a canny politician may opt for that route if there is another majority SNP government.

That being said all the Unionist parties are promising further (unspecified) devolution should the Scots vote 'No'.

devo-max:We have discussed this before. My view is that English dominated Unionist parties are unlikely to support the creation of a devolved English parliament, which Plaid Cymru and the SNP have both said they support, particularly since it seems to be a finge issue amongst the English electorate.


cruel response: I'm not sure it is. I think an anthropogenic sixth mass extinction would probably result in the disappearance of humans(cf.The Permian-Triassic extinction - The Great Dying). The evidence is that a new biosphere emerges after a mass extinction.

bs

Hi Bx4

Yashica manual: Thank you for posting this it is a fascinating document I feel I've mastered the camera without even so much as seen one. In seeking to answer your question '...'no obvious cocking lever': Not sure what you mean by this...'? a pointer lies on your pdf page 22 which makes it clear that the film crank handle also charges the mechanical shutter.

The Mamiya differs in that, most likely, because it uses interchangeable lenses, separated from the camera body with a set of bellows, it is fitted with a separate cocking lever much like on a flintlock. (Item 19 on pdf page 3 of the link below refers). On the Mamiya the twin lenses are mounted on an interchangeable assembly which features a complete shutter mechanism and all associated controls; there is a coupling to allow shutter release from the camera body however this can also be activated from a lever close to the lens. On a Mamiya the camera body is essentially dumb where the only control is for film advance.

http://www.cameramanuals.org/mamiya_pdf/mamiya_c3.pdf

Stockholm: I've not been there though am pleased that you intend to chill.

Hootoo links: I continue to be nervous of these though you'll note I've dipped a toe in this post. The capitalised letter followed by a number causing a link to be created is a leftover from the old BBC boards way of doing things?

Browser: I never tried the Tim Berners-Lee original instead my first tries were with IE, Netscape and Safari. The now lost Camino was sold as a light weight alternative to Firefox after Apple abandoned its older computers by not making later versions of Safari backwards compatible.

Flash is a problem because so many web pages, e.g. BBC, rely on it. I'm lucky that it's built into Ubuntu and so gets updated without fuss.

Interoperability: I'm grateful for the link. I think this is the clearest explanation I've seen so far of the thinking behind 802.11u/Hotspot 2.0.

'SNP returns to power': Of course it remains to be seen yet I can't see why not? After all the main alternatives are Westminster parties. What's the point of voting for these when they are London based the relevant parliament is 400 miles away in Holyrood? It makes perfect sense to me to vote for and return the SNP and I'm not a Scot.

'...all the Unionist parties are promising further (unspecified) devolution should the Scots vote 'No'...': This baffles me. IMV There is something strange in Westminster parties wanting lopsided devolution let alone to extend it. To me a true unionist should work towards a universal system of government across the land. Referendums designed to implement constitutional change shouldn't imv be held in one part only. This is divisive by definition.

I can't get into the heads of the Westminster 'unionist' parties on the issue of devolution. That said I fully respect and encourage the expression by Scotland's electorate, by referendum, to choose...freedom. I would caution, having listened to a radio debate from Glasgow, I sense that there are different understandings of the Edinburgh agreement in Scotland and 'Lesser UK' (as referred to in the debate).

'...the disappearance of humans...' - I was 'listening' to Stephen Hawkin this morning. He said the human race was greedy and stupid. I can't argue with that!

bs

hi rg

Somewhat surprisingly my reply was blocked because it 'contained word that some might find offensive' Nothing obvious but perhaps 'c***ing lever'
bs

bugrit!!

Now getting 'Connection was reset message will post reply in bits

hi rg

c***ing lever: We were a bit at cross purposes. In summary, from your comments: on the C series the shutter is integral with an interchangeable lens whereas the Yashica Mat 124 sans lenses doesnt need one. The slightly later Yashica Mat 124g had 'auxiliary' lenses:

http://www.crocuta.com/yashica/auxlens.html

A bit odd.

Bellows: Found this:

'The C series (early ones badged "Mamiyaflex", later ones just "Mamiya") were a major departure in TLR development, using bellows for close focusing (dowwn to 7") and a wide range of interchangeable paired lenses.'

The Yashica Mat 124 (essentially a copy of the Rolleiflex 3.5) lacks such sophistications. The absence of a bellows would explain why it only focused down to, as far as I recall, around a metre.

Stockholm: Along with Amsterdam and Copenhagen one of my favourite cities. I prefer them best of all in the early spring or late autumn despite the sometimes adverse weather because of the absence of tourists.

Hootoo links: Certainly used to happen on the old BBC board and, as far as I know, the replacement still uses the same HTML pre-processor.

Browser: The Tim Berners-Lee browser was originally intended for use by university science departments to facilitate the exchange of data and papers which is where I first came across t'interweb thingy. Never much of a fan of IE so I tended to use Navigator and its successors leading to Firefox.

Safari: Never been much of a fan and only use it on the iPad 2. There is a version of Firefox for it but it is only available from the US Apple Store and I can only download 'Apps' from the UK store. Funnily enough, I haven't noticed the absence of Flash on Safari but I have taken to avoiding the BBC offerings.

'I can't see why not': As I said the AM system was designed to make coalitions the most likely outcomes tough it remains to be seen whether the 2011 result is an anomaly. The Tories of course are largely irrelevant and the LDs seem to be undergoing something of a decline. There is still a large tribal Labour vote in Scotland which still dominate in the Westminster elections.

'heads of Westminster 'unionist' parties on the issue of devolution.' I'm not sure the Tories ever supported devolution but I am a bit unclear as to why they are keen to retain Scotland in the UK as there is currently only one Tory MP in Scotland an Scotland has returned quite a few Labour MPS to Westminster. Labour I think introduced devolution at a time when the SNP were making significant inroads into the number of Labour MPs who were being elected to Westminster. In one sense this worked in that the number of SNP MPs at Westminster has declined but failed in the sense that they have lost control in Edinburgh. As for the LDs who knows.

Radio debate from Glasgow: If it was broadcast by Pravda on the Clyde (BBC Scotland) I would not pay too much attention. There pro -Unionist bias is well documented: One example:

There is quite funny spoof of the BBC Scotland website:

Hawking: He is not wrong.

bs

Seems to be a problem with links again

http://www.bbc.scotlandshire.co.uk/

Doesn't like news_net Scotland (sans underbar)

Hi Bx4

I see you have been having a hootoomous amount of fun!

I'm flying out the door so will write more later. As you know I'm not a fan of opinion polls. That said I came home last night to catch the end of a Newsnight debate amongst self described undecided voters. At the end there was an open ballot; 31 cast for 'Yes' and 19 for 'No'.

Our sub discussion about the SNP winning power in 2015 could therefore be rendered irrelevant in 2014. It was, when all's said and done, an 'unscientific' opinion poll on Newsnight and a lot can change in a year. That said it was refreshing to see a group of Scots publicly stand up for their own country and reject unionism by a similar proportion as recorded in the UK electorate's rejection of the Alternative Vote.

bs

Hi Bx4

I've gathered together your various posts and will try and reply. Hootoo doesn't make this easy as for some reason it doesn't like 'hold and scroll' to select, copy and paste.

'Yashica Mat 124g had 'auxiliary' lenses': The Yashica solution appears to tack onto existing glass whereas Mamiya try to sell the punter a complete new twin lens/iris/shutter assembly for each new focal length.

'The absence of tourists': Amen to that!

Browsers: As it happens I tried Camino on an old Mac this afternoon and the results were, to say the least, odd. In a fit of 'let's make things work' I also got the internet to work on my £50 mobile. However beyond the BBC's mobile site it was hard work. I doubt if I'll bother in the future. Mobile internet seems designed these days for third generation iPads, iPhone 5s and the rest. The absence of 3G hereabouts didn't help.

The Tories on devolution: I thought one of Cameron's wheezes was to hint of further appeasement should Scotland vote 'No'? The way I see it the tide is with the 'Yes' camp. On studying your spoof site the thought occurred that the Tories and others may indeed be happy to see the back of Scotland (though won't openly admit it). I've seen it suggested on Peet's (tongue in cheek) that the way to guarantee a 'Yes' is to open up the referendum to the English electorate. 'As for the LDs who knows': From their conference "we are on the radical edge of politics". Mmm.

OK I think I've caught up? Enjoy Stockholm sans tourists.

bs

newsnet

hi rg

hootoo quirks: As you will see today does not appear to be fussed by the word 'newsnet'. I am loth to try it in combination with 'Scotland'

solution: No perhaps a solution as a bodge. Clearly the Mamiya C series was an improved design though apparently heavier than the Yashica. According to Wikipedia, 'Mamiya's C-Series, introduced in the 1960s, the C-3, C-2, C-33, C-22 and the Mamiya C330 and Mamiya C220 along with their predecessor the Mamiyaflex,[7] are the main conventional TLR cameras to feature truly interchangeable lenses.'

absence of tourists: Indeed.

Browsers: Apparently, Chrome sans Flash is available on the iPad 2.There are Flash enabled browsers for it but they ain't free. I did connect my Blackberry to my home w-ifi but never got as far as using it to access t' interweb thingy. I think the wee screens of the standard mobile contraindicate there use for internet access though the 'yoof' do not seem too bovvered.

'one of Cameron's wheezes': http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/feb/16/freedoms-scotland-no-independence-cameron

'tide': Perhaps but the 2014 date may limit the likelihood of a 'yes' vote though if 'Project Fear' continues it foot-in-mouth anti-independence narrative who knows.

English electorate: I'm not really clear whether a possible attachment to the Union would outweigh a desire to vote for Scottish secession. What is certain is that the English dominated pro-Union parties aren't going to take the risk.

Spoof site: The stated attachment of the Tories to preserving the Union is a bit odd given that realpolitik suggests it would be in their political to let Scotland secede.Of course for Labour with 41Sottish seats and for the Liberal Democrats with 12 the realpolitik is quite the opposite.

conference: I am somewhat out of touch with the political events in the UK. Last event reported here of note was Cameron's 'egg on face' fiasco re Syria. I take it the conference season is in full swing.

Stockholm: Mostly bit of gentle ambling interspersed by bars and cafes but when the SO went into shopping mode I took myself of to the Vasa Museum:

http://www.vasamuseet.se/en/

Tonight an interesting Abyssinian restaurant.
bs