An online notebook
Dave 
Today we visited Lake Vyrnwy. Around the lake are a load of different trails to walk on, one of which leads to an area full of slightly mental wooden sculptures.See the flickr set for them in their proper sizes. Worth an extra mention is this one, of a tiny house on a pole. Don’t ask me…
My list is depressingly parochial, and short:
And in the rough order than I visited them. Hopefully, others on Palimpsest will have added their’s soon.
MJR thinks of an explanation for the proliferation of cup upsets over the last week:
England’s football fans had the pleasure of random football scores last weekend: the FA Cup. Why is there so much expectation of upsets? I think it’s partly because the match is at an ideal time to help level things out, especially if it’s at a non-league ground:
- League clubs
- usually full-time
- 4 or 5 games over the holidays
- mostly still negotiating new players
- some of their players seem to expect it to be easy
- usually play on expensive, well-kept pitches
- Non-league clubs
- often part-time
- 3 games over the holidays
- often introduce new players in the cup match
- many of their players relish playing a top club
- probably have a pitch more damaged by winter
And he is almost certainly right.
To add to it, though, I once read the autobiography of Frank Clark, an ex-Forest manager (and the last one who could genuinely be considered a success for any length of time) who now works in some capacity at the League Manager’s Association. He wrote extensively about cup upsets and how they come about, and one of the most convincing reasons he gave was simply that in terms of the standard squad player, there is little difference in ability between (say) a Conference side and a Premiership one, as long as everyone plays at the top of their game. The obvious star players, your Rooneys, Henrys and Alonsos, are clearly a cut above, but they can be taken out of the game with efficient marking.
The difference between players in the higher divisions and the lower is usually one of attitude and mental stamina – something that can be surmounted in a one-off game.
…right now. This is a seriously temporary list!
1. Gmail – never have I stuck with an email system or even address for so long. Quick, easy to use, almost perfect.
2. Newsgator – you could possibly substitute this with Bloglines, as I seem to switch between the two, but this is my current favourite, largely due to the clarity of the layout. Must have a look into the FeedDemon synching.
3. Writely – simply a brilliant idea, brilliantly executed.
4. ProtoPage – has fully taken over from the Google Portal for me. Am looking forward to any additions to the service next year – how about integrating with other services, like
5. HipCal – the online calendar that has actually got me using an online calendar – and that’s while it still only displays dates in US format!
6. WordPress – easily, to my mind, the best blogging platform there is. With version 2, it’s even more accessible.
7. Flickr – since upgrading to a Pro account I have started to realise the true benefits of this service. And all the talk about sharing is fine and dandy – but nobody gets more out of seeing their photos online than the photographers themselves. Makes me want to carry my camara around all the time.
8. phpBB – even though I have had to move Palimpsest onto VBulletin because of the workload, this remains the easiest to install, administer and use free internet forum. It’s amazing, really, that this doesn’t cost anything.
9.Wikipedia – lots of people sneer about it, but here’s my view: if you use Wikipedia as your only source for a piece of academic, or indeed any, work, you are a nitwit. I wouldn’t use Brittanica, say, as my only source for something, so why use something as obvious open to error as Wikipedia? But, as a quick guide to something, a way of genning up on something you knew little about, or as a way of whiling away a bored hour, there’s nothing better.
10. Palimpsest – well, I have to mention it. A haven from internet witlessness. Read this if you don’t believe me, if you have a spare couple of hours. Be there and be square.
Which I left in drafts until now…