Gareth's Blog
Scribbling about life, the universe and everything from school dinners to retro games to new technology I don't need but inevitably want. Expect some random rubbish.
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When I found out that I loved spring onions

When I was at school and university I studied geography, geology and environmental management which meant that I went on quite a few field trips. The work was often gruelling and tedious but I fondly remember the packed lunches I used to take with me. Hiking about in all weathers I would look forward to having a bite to eat and a rest - especially if it was on the top of a mountain with spectacular views. I don’t know about other people but when I know that I have a delicious lunch in my backpack it is hard not...
about 2 months ago

My overly complicated album rating system

This post is a bit nerdy for which I apologise! It all started one day when I realised that whilst it was relatively easy to rate an individual music track it was much more difficult to rate an album. Various ideas and thoughts ran through my mind: 1. How would I score an almost perfect album which had one track I hated? 2. Should I rate the album based on the number of tracks I like so if I liked 5 tracks on an album with 10 tracks then would I score the album 2.5 stars (50%)? 3. But then...
2 months ago

Something to do

The blogosphere tends to light up when there is some new system on the scene. This could be a new journaling app, method of taking notes, file management system, blogging platform or something else - basically new ways of doing things that promise some sort of improvement to productivity. I love this kind of stuff! I'll learn about it and see how I would set about implementing it which often sends me down a myriad of other rabbit holes. However, I think my excitement is not just about the promise of being more productive but also about the fact that...
2 months ago

Overhead projectors and other old school technology

Time for a bit of a random post because, well, why not?! I remember being at school and going on a trip to learn about how the Victorians used to live and what schools used to be like. Imagine the scene - a cold room filled with individual wooden desks, ink wells, an abacus (or abacuses or whatever the plural is!) and kids being caned by the headteacher - presumably naughty kids. It was so old fashioned and worlds away from what school was like for me but looking back now I wonder what the kids of today would think...
2 months ago

I miss being able to complete a video game in an afternoon

I was chatting with a friend recently about how we both miss the joy of being able to start and finish a video game in a single afternoon. There was just something quite satisfying about completing a game in one go in much the same way that it is better to watch a film in one go rather than watching 10 minutes a day. For me, SEGA Mega Drive games were the pinnacle for this. You'd stick in a cartridge, turn on the power, play for a few hours, and complete the game. I'm sure back in the day I...
2 months ago

And we're off

Huzza! I've finally started my blog! I had every expectation to launch on May 1st so I could join in with #WeblogPoMo2024 but alas I decided to spend the last two weeks faffing around trying out different blogging platforms, choosing colours, building themes and deciding on what to call it. As you can see, despite all the fantastic names I considered, I settled on the imaginatively titled "Gareth's Blog" which really is imaginative because my name is Bernard. Joking of course, it's actually Ian. I decided to start a blog because I find it fun. People say you should write...
2 months ago