Plumbing Fixtures

Posted on February 14, 2008 by Paul — No Comments ↓

Top tip for plumbing: If you’re connecting two pieces of pipe together use push-in connectors (like this, for example). No soldering, you can take them apart when you make a mistake (not if), and they don’t leak.

By contrast if you need a mechanical piece, like a washing machine connector or valve, choose brass fittings (like this). Plastic is too fragile to keep working if you’re going to be fiddling with it, so the extra hassle of having to tighten up the connectors to the right level is worth it. And while you’re there pick up some extra olives to go inside the brass connector; you’ll thank me when you make a mistake (not if).

Tech Roundup

Posted on February 13, 2008 by Paul — No Comments ↓

I upgraded to 10.5.2 on my Mac yesterday, and found that screen sharing no longer worked when trying to control a 10.5.1 machine. So upgrade all your machines if you’re upgrading any, and as it’s almost a third of a gig in size it’s worth downloading the install if you have more than one machine.

Beta 3 of Firefox is out, and seems to be working well on my Mac at least, so worth considering.

I’ve used DropCopy in the past to move files between different machines, but iChat in Leopard (and maybe before, I don’t know) lets you move files between Bonjour users very easily. Start up iChat on both machines, open the Bonjour users list, and you can move files the same as in a normal chat session, but faster.

Finally it appears that WordPress automatically backs up posts as you’re typing, so that if, for example, you accidentally pressed backspace outside of a text box, thereby moving back a page, you wouldn’t lose everything. Hypothetically.

Plumbing

Posted on February 12, 2008 by Paul — 2 Comments ↓

I’m installing a kitchen, and have spent the last 4.5 days getting a single cupboard into (the wrong) position. No, it’s not (just) because I’m inept, it’s because the people who built this house had a joyful, carefree attitude to plumbing that I’m having to correct. And then re-correct when I find that the taps I bought are non-standard. And then correct again when a pipe turns out to be in exactly the wrong place for a cupboard. And then again when the dishwasher can’t move back far enough because of a central heating pipe.

Superdelegates

Posted on February 11, 2008 by Paul — No Comments ↓

Here’s a story that’s bubbling under at the moment. As I check this morning Obama has 986 delegates to Clinton’s 924. But Clinton leads, because she has more superdelegates than Obama. Superdelegates are a collection of prominent Democrats such as governors, members of Congress, and party leaders and former leaders. They have no accountability beyond the promises they make and get made in return.

That should already sound undemocratic, because it is. In the past that hasn’t really mattered, because one candidate is so far ahead that the superdelegates are just the icing on the cake. This year, however, both candidates are acceptable to the majority of Democrats, and so are splitting the vote. The majority of Democratic primaries split their delegates according to the relative result, rather than ‘winner takes all’, which means that this tie is likely to continue in the absence of some shock. That means that the superdelegates will actually choose the candidate. And right now it appears they know better than the electorate. Now that’s undemocratic.

Sharia

Posted on February 8, 2008 by Paul — 1 Comment ↓

The Archbishop of Canterbury has stirred up a hornet’s nest by suggesting that there is a place for Sharia law in the UK. I’ve been impressed by how roundly his views have been rejected; politicians, religious groups, and people in the street are united in opposition, which is a level of agreement we rarely reach as a nation.

A couple of interesting points have been made, and one missed. First, there already is a place for Sharia in British law. The equivalent of contract negotiations can be conducted under any set of ‘rules’ that the participants agree to, so a divorce settlement can be handled by Sharia law. Similarly any contract that only has standing under Sharia law (a Muslim marriage, distinct from the corresponding civil marriage) can be adjudicated under that law – that’s what currently happens under Jewish law, for example.

The other point made is that this is a Trojan horse from Williams; if there is a place for Sharia law then surely there must be room for Christian law outside the legal establishment. I’m less convinced by this idea; just stating what he wanted would spark far less resentment about the whole subject than using Islam as a gateway. Whatever his tactics are, I suspect they’re more subtle than this. At least I hope so, otherwise he’s not as smart as I’d given him credit for.

What has been missed in the discussion so far is the arbitrariness of recognition for religious views. Let’s concede for a moment that there should be accommodation for views such as Sharia. Why, then, shouldn’t there be similar concessions for the 390,000 people who listed themselves as Jedis on the latest census? And why not recognition for the views of the 70,000 members of the Cyclist’s Touring Club? The only plausible answer is that religions are different, which rests on one of two assumptions. One is that religious beliefs are more heartfelt than even the most passionate cyclist’s, for example. I’d question whether that’s true, but even if it were we don’t formulate laws based on passion.

The other, often unspoken, assumption is that religions deserve special consideration because they are in some way true. That’s the essence of what too many religious believers seek in government; a recognition that what they believe is more than just belief. The very best democracies shy away from this. That England has not is to its shame.