@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 Thursday. I've had a great start to the day. Wide awake at 3AM then Wesley threw up on the bed at 5:30. Sigh. Here's hoping your day is off to a better start than mine.

Today's random photo is from a few days ago and shows yet more bracket fungus. This one was taken on the nature reserve in Otley near Leeds. While I was taking the photo, two small weasels ran along the path and passed right by me.

Annalee, to random
@Annalee@wandering.shop avatar

I'm ALMOST tempted to submit an application to Canonical just to provide an object lesson in how useless it is to judge an adult based on how they did in high school, but I could instead spend that time playing video games and come out ahead in entertainment value

https://blat.at/@m/110969219065761067

NormanDunbar,
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@kittylyst @cstross @Annalee I took the exams for a computer job. I was the top scorer of all applicants.

Come the following interview "What's your degree in?"

"I don't have a degree"

"Ah. Sorry, you don't qualify then."

The two successful candidates had degrees in History and French. I lasted longer on my college placement at the company than they did, and I was better at COBOL too!

NormanDunbar, to random
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Good morning fellow Mastos and hello to bank holiday Monday. At least for us Brits not living in Scotland that is. I wonder why the banks need so many holidays? No matter, have fun today because tomorrow is back to work Tuesday. Have a great day everyone.

Today's random photo was taken in November 2019 near Pately Bridge in Yorkshire. It's nothing spectacular, just in interesting scene I was walking past.

NormanDunbar, to random
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Good morning fellow Mastos and hello Friday. Weatherwise, today is a scattering of showers. But no worries, just get out (or stay in) and enjoy whatever today throws your way. That's my plan anyway.

I took today's random photo, yesterday, in Otley near Leeds. A group of three bracket fungus hanging out on a limb. Warning: there are stealth nettles hiding here!

NormanDunbar, to random
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Tonight MrsD and I are going for a C.S. Lewis meal. It's like an Indian, only naanier. 😁

countcol, to random

I've always believed that if you can't laugh at yourself, you have no right to make fun of other people.

NormanDunbar,
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@MaJ1 @countcol I laugh at myself all the time. I use all the typical Scottish stereotypes, dour, mean, ginger, pale skinned, too. I've even been known to say "hoots Mon" and "och aye". I draw the line at "see you Jimmy" though. 😁

NormanDunbar, to random
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Good morning fellow Mastos and hello Thursday. Have a great day. I'm cleaning the pond filters today. Fun. (For certain values of "fun"!)

Today's random photo is from March 2014 and shows MrsD getting ready to take to the skies in a gyrocopter near York. It was a Christmas present that she fancied. However, she was frozen when she got back and not happy about that!

NormanDunbar, to random
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My secret claim to "fame"? I once nearly killed Peter Purves, yes that Peter Purves on the shores of Loch Ness!
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Purves)

NormanDunbar, to random
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Good morning fellow Mastos and hello to a wet and miserable Saturday. Must be summer! Have a great day everyone, stay dry -- unless you go swimming -- and remember to have fun and laughs today. And maybe a beer or a gin too, it's the weekend after all.

Today's random photo is from yesterday and shows a Grey Dagger moth sitting on my garage wall. I'm not a lepidopterist, I had Google Lens look it up for me!

NormanDunbar, to random
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Good morning fellow Mastos and hello Friday. Funny how quickly Fridays seem to come around, I must be (getting) old! Have a great day and have lots of fun, whatever you do today.

Today's random photo is of a black Heelan Coo calf, shot back in July in the grounds of Inverary Castle.

NormanDunbar, to random
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I asked an elderly gentleman why he was using two very large chips as walking sticks. He said "They're McCaines".

For my US followers, chips are the correct name for what you call fries. 😉

dancinyogi, to random
@dancinyogi@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

Just popped up on my YouTube TL.
Do you like pina coladas?🍹

RUPERT HOLMES - Escape (The Pina Colada Song) (1980)

https://youtu.be/YGAeI5KODLA

NormanDunbar,
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@dancinyogi I like getting caught in the rain. And I'm definitely not into health food. 🙂

NormanDunbar, (edited ) to random
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Good morning fellow Mastos and hello Thursday. Another fine, but cloudy day in store for us. We have a prospective buyer's house survey being done this morning so let's hope that goes well. Have a good day everyone and don't forget to have fun too.

The random photo this morning is from a few weeks ago when we had a fox take a nap at the bottom of the garden. We often come home to find sleeping foxes, lying around the place. But we never feed them, or disturb them, just pick up the poo!

mia, to random
@mia@void.rehab avatar

hi, i love you!

NormanDunbar,
@NormanDunbar@mastodon.scot avatar

@mia I'm sorry. I opened it although I'm not gay. I am a nosey b'stard though! 😉

NormanDunbar, to random
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Why did the brachiosaurus 🦕 cross the road? Because the chicken 🐔 hadn't evolved yet.

NormanDunbar, to random
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This is your aperiodic reminder that no matter who you are, you are unique. Just like everyone else!

NormanDunbar, to random
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What do you get if a cockerel stares at a pile of lettuce? A chicken sees a salad. 😁

NormanDunbar,
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@steveleighton My work here is done! 😁

NormanDunbar, to random
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There are, if you recall, 10 kinds of people. Those who understand binary, and those who don't. 😁

Programmers get confused by Christmas and Halloween because 25 Dec equals 31 Oct. 😁

NormanDunbar,
@NormanDunbar@mastodon.scot avatar

@Steampunk_Prof But of course! I don't tell jokes for laughs you know, only for groans! It's more fun that way! 😁

jackofalltrades, to Collapse
@jackofalltrades@mas.to avatar

"""
The conspiracy theories are getting even crazier. Now people don't believe in viruses at all. They don't believe in polio. They don't believe in the flu. They don't even believe droughts are real anymore. They believe the government is hiding endless supplies of clean water deep underground. They believe the government is starting fires with space lasers.
"""

https://www.okdoomer.io/watching-the-world-burn-on-our-phones/

NormanDunbar,
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@jackofalltrades Don't forget the Flat Earthers and the "Birds don't exist" crew as well!

NormanDunbar,
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@zeroforks @jackofalltrades We get hovering birds all the time. They are Kestrels, small raptors who fly forward at the same speed as any wind and thus hover. Nothing dramatic at all. 🙂

I've also seen bigger raptors hover when the wind was strong enough. And if you head over to Bempton Cliffs, on the Yorkshire coast, you'll see big Gannets and the odd Albatross hovering in the strong winds.

No drones required. 🙂

NormanDunbar,
@NormanDunbar@mastodon.scot avatar

@zeroforks @jackofalltrades Interesting. I once got off a flight at Schiphol, Amsterdam. While in the taxi heading out of the airport, we stopped to watch a "hovering" 747 from the side, not the front.

That was pretty weird as it wasn't making any progress across the ground, but 747s can't hover as they have the hovering capabilities of a brick.

Like you, none of us - hopefully the taxi driver too - were on drugs or alcohol. (On our way to work.) All of a sudden, it started moving and landed.

georgetakei, to random

It's time to shine a light on the disturbing reality of Operation Lone Star, a contentious move by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. We unpack the shocking details and the effect on asylum seekers at the Rio Grande. If you care about human rights and immigration, this is a must-read. https://thinkbigpicture.substack.com/p/greg-abbott-lone-star-buoys

NormanDunbar,
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@D_E_Rasmussen @georgetakei

Pro birth. After that, you can f*ck right off!

NormanDunbar,
@NormanDunbar@mastodon.scot avatar

@D_E_Rasmussen @georgetakei Maybe I could have phrased it better! 😉

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