Just briefly - gosh, isn't it hot? 29º in the shade, 34º in not quite full sun an hour ago, so that's just hot for England, it's barely a mild day for some of you, of course. I have to say, I love it. I'm far too hot, but what a pleasure. If you're struggling, please be patient. It won't last and we can all go back to complaining about rain in the summer again.
I've recently discovered that my transformation is complete - that is, to someone who thinks better at a computer than with a pen in hand. It's been the case when writing letters for some years - isn't it still a pleasure to receive a hand-written chatty letter in the post? But I find them hard to write now. Emailing is more natural to me. When writing a document that really matters, I still print it out for the final proof-read because errors that I overlooked on the screen jump out at me on paper, but I can't write it on paper any more.
Anyway, the completion - I sometimes, when I get around to it, do The Times crossword. I don't often finish it, sometimes I just get a couple of clues, sometimes most of the way. It's a red letter day when I fill in the final clue. But for the last couple of days I've been doing it on the iPad. And I've always needed to hold a pen and the newspaper to be able to think my way into a cryptic crossword. No more. I whizzed through three-quarters of yesterday's ... that's it, I couldn't finish it, I still haven't even though I wrote down the answers I'd got in the paper to see if that helped. But, although I did jot down letters to think my way through an anagram, I actually found it easier on the screen than I normally do in the paper.
I still prefer a real book to those I read in the Kindle app, but I have to admit that I've bought at least three times as many downloaded books this year as paper ones. And I like to hold a proper newspaper. Well, and read it. Not hold it with the furled umbrella and the bowler hat.
Oh, and I turned of WV again, because it's so damn annoying. I can't read it when I try to comment on blogs and have, in the past couple of days, had to have up to three goes before getting it right. But I've already had a couple of spam comments - which don't find their way into the comment column, they're filtered out. So why do the wretched spammers bother?
I've recently discovered that my transformation is complete - that is, to someone who thinks better at a computer than with a pen in hand. It's been the case when writing letters for some years - isn't it still a pleasure to receive a hand-written chatty letter in the post? But I find them hard to write now. Emailing is more natural to me. When writing a document that really matters, I still print it out for the final proof-read because errors that I overlooked on the screen jump out at me on paper, but I can't write it on paper any more.
Anyway, the completion - I sometimes, when I get around to it, do The Times crossword. I don't often finish it, sometimes I just get a couple of clues, sometimes most of the way. It's a red letter day when I fill in the final clue. But for the last couple of days I've been doing it on the iPad. And I've always needed to hold a pen and the newspaper to be able to think my way into a cryptic crossword. No more. I whizzed through three-quarters of yesterday's ... that's it, I couldn't finish it, I still haven't even though I wrote down the answers I'd got in the paper to see if that helped. But, although I did jot down letters to think my way through an anagram, I actually found it easier on the screen than I normally do in the paper.
I still prefer a real book to those I read in the Kindle app, but I have to admit that I've bought at least three times as many downloaded books this year as paper ones. And I like to hold a proper newspaper. Well, and read it. Not hold it with the furled umbrella and the bowler hat.
Oh, and I turned of WV again, because it's so damn annoying. I can't read it when I try to comment on blogs and have, in the past couple of days, had to have up to three goes before getting it right. But I've already had a couple of spam comments - which don't find their way into the comment column, they're filtered out. So why do the wretched spammers bother?
7 comments:
I'm a D.T, cossword fan. I also do the Daily Mail cryptic in the pub, but that's easy!
I'm just relieved to see that the Sage has been re-instated as such in your side bar.
Phew!
I like the DT too, John.
You've been worrying about that, Rog? You're lovely, you are. I've been referring to him as the Sage for some time, forgot I'd demoted him until today.
Quite agree John. I always try and do the Daily Telegraph Prize Crossword on Saturdays. Usually finish it. Today's seems to be a stinker, but I've made a start on it.
Two clues short of the Guardian Prize, yet again. (Humblebragging - it's an art form!)
You're the master of it, dear heart. My biggest fault, of course, is my overweening modesty, as well as being so much of a perfectionist that I'm quite stupidly unable to stop working and relax.
I always spot errors on a printed document that I had missed when it was on screen. I wonder why that is?
I'm pleased that you have got rid of WV, even if it is only for a while. Several blogs that I comment on still have it and it is so difficult to see sometimes. Is your blog searchable? I changed the settings on mine to remove it from search engines and over time the quantity of spam has dwindled.
I'm glad I was away from East Anglia at the weekend and missed the really excessive temperatures. In Worcestershire the midday temperature was a far more civilised 21 degrees. It is hovering around 25 in Ipswich today and that is quite warm enough for me.
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