Technology, Books and Other Neat Stuff

...where marypcb and I are lucky to be here.

Driving down the M4 to Reading in heavy traffic (and heavy rain) this morning my car was side-swiped by a Czech juggernaut that hadn't seen me. The first I knew that he'd decided to pull out was the grinding noise as his protruding hub-cap removed the paint off the side of my car. That was the point where he realised I was there too, so luckily he swerved back into the inner lane. I managed to keep the car under control (there's a lot of kinetic energy in a 42 tonne truck - even if it is a glancing blow), avoided being pushed into the outer lane, and slowly and carefully pulled into the hard shoulder.

Here's where things got a little better. The truck pulled over too, so I didn't have to worry about trying to track down the driver across the EU. The driver came over to me as I looked at the scrape down the side of my car, and in fractured English apologised and admitted he hadn't seen me.

Ha! The one bit of good news in the whole thing, an admission of liability. Thankfully I had my camera with me, so I have pictures of the damage to my car, the truck that caused it, the driver of the truck, and his green card. The last is the most important, as it means I can get the repairs done without having to pay the excess.



My sad little car...



...and the hulking great lorry that swiped it...

I seem to be getting a lot of spam wrapped up in text from various pieces of pirate fiction...

Like this piece here:

that's it! cried one of Levasseur's officers. And Cahusac added: Captain Blood, and I had hoped that we might be friends. But since Colonel Bishop set his foot upon the crossbar, and leaned over his will you came. I am not the man with whom a woman can play fast aside to give her passage. She took it, chin in the air, and eyes A note for you from the Deputy-Governor, said the master shortly, smoke his pipe and tend his geraniums on this evening of all motive Blood, himself, had refused to render any account of his that any course that were not in honour would be possible to me?the devil may you be? he asked. boucans or their logwood, or else sail out of the Caribbean Sea.dirty thief who has brought all this about. What could you have early resolved that the boy should follow his own honourable was past, you would not afterwards admit to him that he was so and waved a hand in implied resignation. The Deputy-Governor mind and plan coherently what was to be done. Also he must consult

What's more, they seem to be spam advertising pirated software...

(one for tamaranth to avoid!)