Month: May 2025
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Fellow Abnibbers and I, who see each other extraordinary infrequently in our diaspora, have a tradition of sharing a group selfie when we happen to coincide. I forgot to take one when @garethbowker@infosec.exchange and I met today, and by way of penance I tried to draw what I should have done.
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Badly drawn pen sketch of Dan, a man with a goatee, taking a selfie of himself and a round-cheeked man with a dog, while the pair drink hot drinks.
Unfortunately I can't draw. He looks much less like a potato in real life! Think I got his dog right, though.
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Found GC1QR0V Church Micro 605 Almondsbury
Stopped at the pub nearby for an incredibly late lunch and to recharge the electric car on my journey from Pembrokeshire to Oxfordshire, because I'd much rather get off the motorway and find somewhere nice to sit while the electrons do their thing. Spotted this nearby cache in the yard of this beautiful church, which made for a lovely walk as the well-tended flowerbeds were wonderfully fragrant. Followed a geotrail to find the cache. Amazing, loved finding this so much. SL, TNLN, TFTC, FP awarded.
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Out for a dog walk this morning along the Nevern Estuary, I spotted this brave fellow rowing his way (at least) half naked across the bay, on a route that pitted him against the wind, rain, and tide!
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A shirtless white bald man rows a small white boat past bouys in a choppy estuary.
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Found GC9FHDP Kiln-ing me softly
This checkin to GC9FHDP Kiln-ing me softly reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs. The geopup and I took a walk from the Parrog to Newport Sands and back, this morning, and I'm glad we opted to find geocaches on the way back, rather than the way out, because it made …
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Found GC5JRP3 T'drath #3
This checkin to GC5JRP3 T'drath #3 reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs. I tried to find this cache back in 2016 without success. I'm confident I'd have looked in the place it's now hidden - which was today basically the first place I looked! - so maybe fast previous visit …
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I'd like to nominate DB13W3 for Most Cursed Connector. I mean, just look at that thing!
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Cable with 'male' DB13W3 connector, featuring a D-sub body containing three analogue RGB connectors but with a gap between the second and third into which 10 regular D-sub style pins have been sandwiched in two rows of five).
Bonus: there were at least two different, incompatible, pinout "standards" for this thing, so there was no guarantee that a random monitor with this cable would connect to your workstation, even if it had the right port.
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The Difference Between Downloading and Streaming
Mostly to make use of an animation I made for a different blog post that hasn't materialised, let me take a moment to explain to you the fundamental technical difference between 'streaming' and 'downloading'. Which won't take long... because there isn't one!
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Today's Hide And Seek With The Kids is brought to you by the Bishop's Palace, St. David's, Wales.
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Dan crouches on a stone spiral staircase.
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Cwm-yr-Eglwys, on the West coast of Wales. Time for a (bracing) swim!
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Sandy beach in front of a narrow bay, flanked by cliffs, under turbulent skies.
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I was happy to get out of the traffic jam and get some fresh air, but the dog is REALLY happy! Running, rolling, sniffing, jumping... so excited to be able to move around!
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A French Bulldog happily rolls around on her back in lush green grass.
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Off to Pembrokeshire on holiday I've had to stop near Cardiff to put some more charge into the car... which provides the perfect opportunity for the doggo and I to explore a nearby sports field and take in All. The. Smells. 🐶
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Standing in a green park space, Dan gestures to his dog, a Frenchie, who's sniffing a nearby tree.
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Google Shared My Phone Number!
When people started calling my personal mobile number with questions about a voluntary organisation I'm involved with, I was confused: we weren't sharing that number. It turns out that Google had decided to take the number I used to verify my identity for Google Business some years prior and start putting it in Google Search results. WTF, Google?
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Found GCB4434 A Road Anarchy - A40 TB Hotel
This checkin to GCB4434 A Road Anarchy - A40 TB Hotel reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs. On a diversion from my cycle from Witney to Eynsham I came along the A40 cyclepath to find this cache. And what a cache! An excellent container perfectly suited to it's hiding place. …
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Found GCAARWW Green All Around
This checkin to GCAARWW Green All Around reflects a geocaching.com log entry. See more of Dan's cache logs. After cycling into Witney on an errand, put a slight diversion in my return route to find this cache. Didn't see anything at the coordinates so hit the hint, and there's been enough fresh green growth here …
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Shower thought for the morning was: why is cream cheese spread 'Philadelphia' called that? Is it from Philadelphia? (My box isn't, of course: it came from Ireland.)
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Dan, a white man with blue hair and a goatee, wearing a purple t-shirt, stands in a spacious residential kitchen holding a 'Family Pack'-sized tub of 'Original Philadelphia'.
Nope, it turns out that it was originally invented in New York in the 19th century and named for Philadelphia because Philadelphia, PA was at that point famous for its dairy industry. Just another bit of parasitic branding leveraging a borrowed association, like the Quaker Oats guy or the Rolls Razor. Now I'm wondering how many other examples I can find!