Kind: Notes

I don't want to withdraw any of our children from sec [sic] education lessons.

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Part of an email, written in Comic Sans, reading: Ages 10 – 11 Puberty for boys and girls revisited. Understanding conception to the birth of a baby. Becoming a teenager. All lessons are taught using correct terminology, child-friendly language and diagrams. / Content on relationships is compulsory for all children as well as work on reproduction and body parts, which is also covered as part of science lessons. However, parents can decide to withdraw their child from sex education lessons. Class teachers can provide more information if you wish to discuss this with your child’s teacher. / If you would like to withdraw your child from sec education lessons, then please put this in writing by the end of this week 6th June.

However they're spelled, they're a great idea, and I'm grateful to live in a part of the world where their existence isn't the target of religious politics.

But if I can withdraw consent to receiving emails about sex education in Comic Sans then that'd be great, thanks. 😅

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Off to London. BRB!

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Dan, sitting on a bus.

Oxford Station. Catching a train to Manchester for a get-together in memory of the Nightline Association, which will sadly be closing this year (although individual Nightlines will doubtless soldier on just as they did before the Association).

Carrying a big ol' bag of Three Rings swag to give to basically anybody who expresses even the slightest interest. 😅

Three Rings has been supporting Nightlines since before the Nightline Association and nowadays underpins voluntary work by hundreds of other charities including helplines like Samaritans and Childline. Feeling sad that the Nightline Association is going away and looking for a new and rewarding way to volunteer? Come chat to me!

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Dan, with blue hair and wearing a black t-shirt, stands on a sunny train platform holding aloft a medium-sized tote bag.

What's that, girl? Two children are lost somewhere in this bookshop?

Yeah, I should probably find them and take them home for lunch.

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Dan, in a bookshop, holds a book called How To Speak Dog, alongside a French Bulldog.