@NormanDunbar@mastodon.scot
@NormanDunbar@mastodon.scot avatar

NormanDunbar

@NormanDunbar@mastodon.scot

He/Him. Retired Oracle DBA, Toad MVP, developer, husband, geek, not a dad, open source contributor. McLaren & Mercedes F1 fan.

I own a Huawei P20 phone with the Leica camera. I try to take at least 1 half decent photo every day if I can.

In 2020, Apress published my first book, 'Arduino Software Internals'. My second, 'Arduino Interrupts' was published in Dec 2023. I'm writing another as well as a 2nd edition of 'Internals' to document recent changes.

No longer on Twitter as https://mastodon.scot/@NormanDunbar.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

NormanDunbar, to random
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Good morning fellow Mastos and hello Wednesday. Believe it or not, it's not raining! Shock horror! Don't worry though, it will be later.

MrsD and Wesley went out for his pre-bedtime wander last night. They had literally just opened the door when they got home, and the heavens opened big time. A lucky escape.

Hopefully the weather won't spoil your day. Have a good one, have fun, stay safe.

Today's random photo is from January 2022 on the Leeds Liverpool Canal and shows an ice rainbow.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Gummi Worms are probably the best kind of worms I've eaten.

NormanDunbar,
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@Lana @RickiTarr I second this introduction!

NormanDunbar, (edited )
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@sillyCoelophysis @RickiTarr I have watched a (Canadian?) TV program, How It's Made, which showed exactly how hot dogs are made, and what from.

I didn't eat them before, but I certainly wouldn't eat them after that!

Found it on YouTube https://youtu.be/B0OGrZFzjgQ?si=szAxT2jG5Q97MT_y

Enjoy?

NormanDunbar,
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@avatastic @RickiTarr Too much crunchy shell compared to soft innards?

Disclaimer: That what my lizards thought anyway!

NormanDunbar,
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@sillyCoelophysis @RickiTarr You. Really. Don't. Want. To. Know! 🤢🤮

NormanDunbar,
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@sillyCoelophysis @RickiTarr I agree about the show. It's great. There's quite a lot of it on YT nowadays too.

Mikal, to random
@Mikal@sfba.social avatar

Remember when airline passengers talked with each other? I just had a lovely experience with a seat mate who asked me to listen to her read the eulogy she'd written for her grandfather, whose funeral she was flying to attend. She wanted a stranger's opinion. I'd seen her wiping tears beforehand.

The eulogy was a beautiful tribute to a man who had clearly been very special and important to her. I felt honored.

We then chatted about travels and hiking and her recent trip to Volcán de Fuego, a place high on my to-do list.

Before e-devices became so ubiquitous, people often read paper books, of course, but there was much more conversation between passengers. Even as a rather shy introvert around strangers, I miss this.

NormanDunbar, (edited )
@NormanDunbar@mastodon.scot avatar

@Mikal Not so much a conversation, but my wife had me hold the hand of a young girl, a total stranger, on a flight to South Africa, as we were in turbulence and she was very frightened.

She chatted with my wife for ages afterwards!

dgar, to random
@dgar@aus.social avatar

I read a book called swimming pool.

It gets quite deep at the end.

NormanDunbar,
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@partnumber2 @dgar I usually only read them once too!

NormanDunbar,
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@partnumber2 @dgar I didn't misunderstand. I was playing with your words in a feeble attempts at humour!

Sorry.

NormanDunbar,
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@partnumber2 @dgar Most kind, thanks.

NormanDunbar, to random
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Me: Alexa, Open the pod bay doors.
Alexa: I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that! I'm not HAL and we are not in space!

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

😁😁😁

dgar, to random
@dgar@aus.social avatar

FYI: "Toe the line"

The idiom is toe the line, not tow the line.

The phrase derives from track-and-field events in which athletes are required to place a foot on a starting line and wait for the signal to go. Race officials used to shout “Toe the line!” where now they shout “On your marks!”

Since entering the language, the idiom has developed to mean do what is expected or act according to someone else’s rules or expectations.

NormanDunbar,
@NormanDunbar@mastodon.scot avatar

@dgar is completely the wrong hash tag, sorry. English is not my first language, I'm Scottish 😉, and I can manage. It's easy. Honestly. For example:

One house, two houses.
One mouse, two mice.
One grouse, two grouse.

What's difficult about that? 😁 Also:

Trough = troff.
Through = threw.
Enough = enuff.

See? It's so simple!

es

NormanDunbar,
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@dgar @riggbeck Posh people do actually say "ears" when they want to say "yes". You didn't mishear! 😉

NormanDunbar,
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@dalehandyman One tooth, two teeth.
One booth, two booths.

And while we are on the subject of "oo":

Blood is blud.
Flood is flud.
Floor is flore.
Door is dore.

And it always makes me laugh when the racists want to "keep the English pure". Give where the English come from, plus "pure" is actually the white dog poo you almost never see these days. Great for tanning leather! 😁

NormanDunbar,
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@capnthommo @dgar

Church is Church.
Chemist is kemist.

😳

NormanDunbar,
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@econads @dalehandyman True! I worked in München for a while at BMW Bank. My German speaking is, sadly, abysmal. Everyone spoke better English than I did and insisted on speaking it to me. Most polite.

I can, however, ask taxi drivers for a receipt! 😉

NormanDunbar, to random
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Alexa: what's Welsh for hundred?😳
😁😁😁

NormanDunbar,
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@Steampunk_Prof A boss from a past life, who was Welsh, taught me that one!

NormanDunbar,
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@Steampunk_Prof Nah. The Alexa answer is useful, an MP, not so much!

NormanDunbar, to random
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Good morning fellow Mastos and hello Tuesday which, due to the bank holiday, is currently acting as a Monday, being the first working day of the week. And it's still raining, even though the bank holiday is over.

Have a grand day regardless. Make sure you have fun and don't forget to laugh a lot. Take care.

Today's random photo is from 22nd February 2012. It's a female Common Frog heading through the garden to meet up with the boys in the pond. 😉

NormanDunbar,
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@Steampunk_Prof Today's tasks is housework! At least it's not sunny. That would be a waste. 😉

Melissabeartrix, to random
@Melissabeartrix@hugz.online avatar

Oat milk is gross

There I said it ... I will wait for the consequences

Hugz & xXx

NormanDunbar,
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@Melissabeartrix I don't disagree!

spytfyre, to instagramreality
@spytfyre@mastodon.scot avatar

From now until the , I'm playing the Benny Hill theme tune at full volume and adopting a Kenneth Williams "oooh matron" voice, because it's now the only way to keep a grip on

This video for the latest fishing hook () helps too

https://youtu.be/u7T-SHu5wi8?si=-bFVY-h1s3HlHbw1

NormanDunbar,
@NormanDunbar@mastodon.scot avatar

@Thebratdragon
I was in Dyce, near Aberdeen, on the North Sea rigs flightpath for the choppers. I woke one night with choppers everywhere. That was the night Piper Alpha went "phut" and I lost two friends. 😢

I also lost a college friend when the final Chinook went in, that was when they were banned for North Sea operation.

@PaulNickson @BashStKid @TCMuffin @spytfyre @Man

NormanDunbar,
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@isotope239
It sure is. And it's a rocky kind of beach too, which is far more interesting than sand!

@PaulNickson @TCMuffin @Thebratdragon @BashStKid @spytfyre @Man

NormanDunbar,
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@isotope239
Apparently, the lady who lives in the big black house between Buckpool and Portgordon, hates being home alone when it's stormy!

Also, the lady who lives in the long white house, closer to Buckpool, gives away rather nice, home grown rhubarb. We took a couple of sticks home to Leeds and it was excellent. MrsD even manged to find, and thank, the lady in question, on Facebook!

@PaulNickson @TCMuffin @Thebratdragon @BashStKid @spytfyre @Man

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