Rick's b.log - entry 2024/05/20

Tea v0.11

I feel that Tea is mostly feature complete. It does what it is supposed to and it seems to work reliably - I have it running pretty much all the time and use the scheduler as my memory is crap. This means that we're now into the phase of fixing quirks (rather than outright bugs) and adding little features to improve the user experience.

That's what has been done today, all around the scheduler.

The first enhancement, did I mention my memory is lousy?, is that if you add a programme to the schedule, all other similar programmes will be shown with a cyan background so they stand out (and you will think "Oh, there it is, I'll schedule that"). With literally (not figuratively but actually) hundreds of programmes in the grid, it's all too easy to miss something.
In this example, I added an episode of Airwolf to the schedule, and all of the others appear like this:

Here's a polite suggestion: Da-da-da-Da-da-da-Daaa...

The next, minor change, was to highlight scheduled programmes in the channel listing. Programmes that are in the schedule will be shown in blue. No, there is no colour change for clashing entries (as doing it like this makes it harder to see what it is clashing with, refer to the grid or schedule list for that).

A schedule in the list.

And, finally, following on from CBBC changing the length and start time of an episode of A Kind Of Spark, the re-added one clashed with the now-orphaned original. I'm not going to do anything about that sort of nonsense as changing the schedule like that is a bit of nonsense. However, as it turns out, it wasn't actually that hard to add a pop-up menu to the schedule list to allow you to selectively delete programmes. Indeed, this might be easier for getting rid of unwanted programmes than finding them in the grid...

Deleting a schedule from the schedule.

A few small tweaks here and there round out version 0.11 so, here you go...

Gardening

Potatoes.

I just hope these potatoes are reasonably large, as it's a pain in the arse feeling itty bitty ones. I swear one of these days I'll end up peeling one of my appendages...

In my small planters, I have four basil sprouts (left) and one melon (right). No cayenne, no chive. But it's early days and it's been chilly at night.

The small planters.

Joining them today are two larger planters. On the left, sweetcorn (for corn on the cob) and on the right some white beans (like last year).

The big planters.

Out in the field, the farmer recently (last week) sowed the maize (corn), and the sunflowers in my back field. Actually, his sowing the sunflowers was, uh, bizarre. He had a think belted to the back of a quadbike that sprayed the seeds out of a big plastic tub, and he just tore up and down the field chucking out the seeds. At one point he slammed on the brakes, got up, kicked the bucket, and then was off again.
My neighbour... is like that. ☺

Looking ahead

And right now? I'm going to fry two burger patties (Charolais, actual dead cow pieces), pop a slice of cheese on each, and then slip them between pieces of ketchuped toast. That'll be dinner sorted.

Your comments:

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David Pilling, 20th May 2024, 23:18

"Wednesday, at 5.20pm, my MOT" that's what they call the annual NHS health check for the over something or other.    One of those bulb cultivation things, how can you get one or two big potatoes rather than loads of little ones.

jgh, 21st May 2024, 23:55

DP: Groan! I turned 50 a few years ago and a few days later got a letter from the GP saying: now you're an old git, have these checks. (well, not quite)    I was supposed to have my annual blood pressure test a couple of weeks ago, but it was cancelled due to staff illness.

C Ferris, 22nd May 2024, 08:44

Ref the spuds - add manure water and sunshine :-))

C Ferris, 22nd May 2024, 08:46

Ref PO problems - believing computers can do no wrong :-(

A tree-dwelling mammal, 22nd May 2024, 15:32

Speaking of car woes, mine has to go in for a safety recall next week. Despite being 17 years old (57-plate), there's an 'issue' that has just come to light.    I had a rather worrying letter from Audi basicall saying that under 'certain conditions', if the passenger airbag is triggered, the gas canister can explode and send shrapnel into the passenger cabin.    Great. So I have an electrically triggered grenade up behind the dashboard on the passenger side. (I've turned off the passenger airbag for now - you can do that with a keyswitch in the glove compartment.)    Have to love the way that when the Germans get something wrong that needs a safety recall, it means something has a tendency to explode.

C Ferris, 22nd May 2024, 23:11

Gunpowder bag called a air bag :-/

A tree-dwelling mammal, 23rd May 2024, 11:41

Rick, sorry to spam your comments, but I found this out last week. Posted in the ROOL forum but not sure how many people have seen it:    https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2023/06/30/rip-brightons-beardmaster-david-dade/    (Can you make that into a link - thanks)    A sad loss.

David Pilling, 25th May 2024, 12:23

There's still a space in that link about David Dade (between - and 'beardmaster'). I'm sorry to hear the news, I didn't know. Many good things to say about David Dade, he designed my first proper website, for free, because the original I constructed was so bad. Before home user internet, Arcade BBS was the centre of the Acorn world online. I had heard from DD about the beard club, but did not realise it was his creation, or else I would have joined - sorry now. My memory is that he had a Viewdata terminal program published in Acorn User before the communications ROMs for the BBC were commonly available.

A tree-dwelling mammal, 26th May 2024, 12:05

Like I said, I only found out myself in the last few days. Met DD a few times, was a lovely chap. Sat over many a pint with him back in the 1990s. (Feeling old now!)

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