Bed Beckons

Just finished Fade the Blog which I didn't do this morning. Bed beckons, my eyes just want to shut. Should do some tidying, but I'll aim for an early start to the day and catch up that way.....

Probe into News from Nowhere

Well our trip to celebrate chinese new year was not without event. Cal got to go into his first non-prole record shack as I dragged him into Probe which I'd been in the other day minus cash and had spied 'Sins of the Fourfathers' by the Prime Movers (post-Prisoners, pre-Solarflares Graham Day, Allan Crockford, Wolf Howard and on anything they did after this album Fay Hallam(Day)). Picked it up and giving it a spin as I type. Rough, energetic, bit heavier than the Prisoners and apparently model for the Solarflares. Good stuff. What I hadn't realised was that Allan and Wolf got ejected from the JTQ (James Taylor Quartet, a band I should investigate but I'm kind of ignoring). Anyway well worth checking out. From here it was into his first radical bookshop with a trip into 'News from Nowhere'. We ended up not buying anything but I was severely tempted by a book on John Lilburne. We really went into find out what was happening 'bout the new year. Kicked off later than I expected at round 12 so we went for a milk in Cal's case and coffee in mine to waste some time, via Oxfam. Up in China town things were running late, so by the time we'd seen a little Tai Chi and a load of flag waving, Cal declared it was time to go home. Mind you Cal enjoyed the colour and the train journey. However highlight for him was the ride in the black cab that resulted from problems with signals at Hunts Cross. Taxi is one of his new words so to ride in one was quite cool as far as he was concerned.

Searches-a-go-go

Latest strange routes in, "chechen hip-hop" google.be 1 everton logo's synd-uk.looksmart.co.uk 27 laminate flooring critique google.ca 3 stop the war coalition Belfast google.co.uk 82 desktop wenger google.co.uk 5 This laminate flooring business is getting silly! Quick goalmouth celebration, Robert Pires - pure class. Arsenal 2 Fulham 1.

Happy New Year

As Cal and I plan on nipping ot town to celebrate chinese new year we kind of thought it might be useful to understand the significance of the Year of the Ram anyway apparently for me a Monkey it means: You may be particularly susceptible to illness this year so take extra care of your health. Remember that there are always opportunities for growth to be found even in bad times. For Monst a Ram it means: This will feel like a year of abundance for you and your natural generosity will come to the fore. Make sure you always weigh your words well however, as your exuberance could lead to misunderstandings. Finally Cal the Ox: Must exercise its powers of judgement well this year, as people may try to cheat or take advantage of you. Caution will bring rewards. So there we have it the year mapped out.

War by Timetable

'Blair pressed to back final deadline for war' great, the breakfast TV are advertising a 'Countdown to War' too, for crying out loud can't we learn that war is a pointless exercise that only cheers up arms manufacturers (and other elements of the military industrial complex) and the builders and civil engineers who have to sort out the damage that it causes at a later date. Even worse haven't people sussed that all the business about smart weapons doesn't mean they aren't used by stupid people and innocents get killed as a result. 'Military Intelligence' the world's biggest oxymoron. Got to applaud these guys 'Peace protesters board supply ship', well done Greenpeace.

Latest Wacky Ways of Getting Here

OK so the latest range of searches that have brought people here, Lemony Snickit Desktop Wenger louis phillipe furniture chemikal underground Durutti Column "ship and mitre" sublet uk investigations "lincolnshire beer" chinken mod link:http://www.isoxford.com (oh dear and I've slagged them!) ricin poison description rozzers history of slang beverley allit free housewife porn databases (er.... poor soul, I guess the naked librarians might have kept them happy) miners strike didcot desktop wenger blind Christopher Brookmyre angelique de robert wyatt bbc4 Sacred Art of Stealing by Christopher Brookmyre 'hippy librarian" rock star ate my hamster OK the web can be kind of odd!

Single Entry Points

Interesting rant at today's thing about the future role of Aditus which is just about to be revamped in a major way. Got to applaud the notion of it's content, communities of practice, bibliographic databases, communication tools, but why does the notion it is going to be the North West's single entry point into information persist. Had it explained to me that a critical mass of marketing would lead to this situation - right so those folk that market for a living can just jack because once they've marketed whatever product they are selling everyone will buy it. OK but this ignores the whole point of the web. I don't use just one site to point me in the right direction when I want information, I use several different routes to locate the information I want, and that can be on a single subject. Now I doubt I'm particularly unusual in working this way so surely it behoves the folks at HCLU they are not creating a single entry point to Health as a subject but are creating another choice, which I may or may not choose to take. The key thing is to get everyone to recognise the value of their service and get multiple entry points to point to it. Thing is, all of this comes back to Gramsci remember a hegemony can contain a variety of ideologies that compete for dominance. The web is a place that is full of the generation of counter ideologies, we all play a role in it, we can't avoid it. It strikes me that the whole ethos of Aditus should be to embrace this diversity and if in the North West region it is to acheive hegemonic dominance it will be through its recognition and embrace of local ideologies expressed by individual intranets, websites of the partner bodies who will feed people to Aditus. Each organisation will inevitably maintain it's website, intranet or extranet is the best starting point on the web. Embrace that and tell them they're right but that you can offer them a value added service if they use you. Diversity is a good thing, the friend of creativity and the enemy of stagnation. This was all precipitated by a conversation during today's workshop in which the centralisation of health library services was suggested by a Library Co-ordinator to ensure quality. She may have a serious point but all I'm hearing is someone justifying or seeking a to find themselves a role.

More Smash and Grab

Looks like I grabbed another K for my FADE plans from Salford. Really need to arrange for Liz to come over to chat it through fully. 'Primary Care Trusts: an introduction' went OK. Now for a rant: 'A virtual library is not a collection of links to other sites, a virtual library is links to electronic documents'. I'm getting mighty sick of hearing of virtual libraries that turn out to be a ramshakle (even if organised) bunch of links. Libraries do organise, signpost but ultimately the value lies in real content (I'm not enough of a cataloguer to maintain a document surrogate is as good as having the item in your hand).

Nearer, My God, to Thee

Been up in the loft tonight, never a good move as I've not floored the space up there and have to walk on the rafters. To be honest every trip up there is a bit of an adventure hence the title of this entry. Don't like the loft, but it does get me thinking to avoid worrying about putting my foot through a ceiling. In early this morning, quick smash and grab raid with Val in Chester. Managed to secure 30k of hypothetical funding and agreed that we'd work together with the next hypothetical 100k.... madness utter madness every end of financial year. Came straight home from Chester knackered, so now blogging and listening to the Liverpool-Arsenal game. Big day in the morning and snow is forecast.

Much Binding in the Marsh

Been sat here since 6, grooving to the Cure and binding stuff for tomorrows 'Primary Care Trusts: an introduction' meeting, at which we have a workshop that'll hopefully come out with some suggested models for delivering PCT library services. Feel knackered and I've yet to head to Chester for a 'Patch Co-ordinators' (Patch = a health district or in our case 2 and a half districts because North Mersey is the most artificial health community in the North West). I'm not certain how I blagged my way into this one as Val Clark is our co-ordinator but at least it means there'll be two of us shouting for the dosh!

Well Done Mafia

Went to see the mafia pick up their certificates (mafia=ISM Diploma and certificate students) at the LMI, it was really nice to see the end result of their studies. Dead chuffed for them, its was well cool, little embarrassed when they thanked the library via me. Think we deserved it and it was nice of them to do it, it just surprised me. Met Sue Jones from the NHSU, gave Adam a good write up, told her chocolate was the route to getting rid of her leaflets, she grabbed a plate of eclairs and what do you know, people took her leaflet. Got the message through that remote delivery and use of local resources is the way to go.... Chatted with Val Vernon and Joe McCardle... good audience for our good press. Slipped away about 8.30'ish, takeaway, quick chat with Monst and then she's gone to bed and I'm typing this. Meeting re:FADE on the web was a total success. Need to contact connect about managed servers, more importantly the Heritage server to get the others on NHSnet is OK with Big Brian from IT. It's all moving.....

The Tender Trap

So the library is rocking to the sound of the Tender Trap it's really helping me get through today's Fade the Blog, which is currently feeling like it's taking forever (I need a quick break from it which is why I'm typing this - I could go make a coffee but I can't be arsed). Anyway back to the Tender Trap, Amelia Fletcher is stunning as ever, if you never caught Tallulah Gosh, Heavenly or Marine Research, hang your heads in shame and go and educate your ears.

Web Up CAIRS

Big event today, meeting to discuss putting FADE the database not the library onto the Internet. Big progress. So in the words of John Otway 'this is the big one proper'.

Wearing Tights in Coatbridge

OK another bizarre search, fling wearing tights in coatbridge into lycos.co.uk and you find this blog. Or at least someone did. Internet searching, the home of accurate search technology.....

I Hate Mondays

Cal needed dropping at school so late into work today. Day at work swallowed by an emergency patch meeting to decide how to spend the potential dosh from WDC for patch. Good meeting, small numbers. Just need to convince the other patches in Cheshire and Mersey to give us our due. That's Wednesday's job. Did more on the Trumpton scenarios. Need to sort out printing it tomorrow and getting them bound. Early evening call from Mic, some scum broke into his car. Hope they buy a wrap of extermely pure smack. He'll be in late tomorrow as a result and I need to take his teaching session with the OT's. This isn't a big problem but need to check with Clair who was to deliver the session with them, what they'd got planned. Desktop Wenger says Arsenal Ladies are into the quarter finals, beating Wolves 0-4. Good for them and after his marked absence for a day or so, good to see him back. No sign of his magic hat though. 5th round of the FA Cup and we've drawn Man Utd, had to play them sometime I guess. Could be a bit hairy. On the downside, if we lose, Justine from Merseycare will no doubt take the piss, but on the other hand if we win the situation'll be well reversed.

Evil Edna

So Evil Edna's is done on Fade the Blog. Bath time for Callum so if you hear the screams where you are, don't be too suprised....

Tourist Information

Had a request to put a link to Isle of Man Guide, already it's proved its worth with details of buses (believe me after I've flown to the places the buses will be a delightful mode of transport) and other general information about the Isle of Man. In full Chris Lynch bleach freak mode at the moment, bleach is in the bath and dinner is on the go. Think this time it really will be the last of the goose fat from christmas. Pity because it's been really good for roasting spuds in. A complete scrubber, that's me.... (OK if you know me don't laugh like that.....).

'I Left My Heart in Papworth General'

Just listening to HMHB and it's that long since I dug out the vinyl I'd forgotten a) what a racket they make and b) how funny they are when on song. So anyway I'm stuck back in my college years now, well in my head and a set of cans surround that bit of anatomy...., where else are you going to get the delights of 'Frank was going through a state of depression in his bedroom When he reached out for the jar He swallowed every last pill and lay back on his duvet A Haliborange overdose is perhaps not the right Way to kill yourself'

Hell in Gateacre

Sorted the HMHB at the prole shop at Speke, then took Cal to the play barn to run off some steam. Only problem was that I didn't have a book with me and hadn't got my shit together over buying a paper, so I suffered their copy of the Daily Mail. Sports pages are sports pages, but the rest, well put it this way Fred Bassett has a hell of a lot of work to do as a redeaming feature, and I like old Fred.... Afternoon of tidying beckons, a housewifes work is never done and all that rubbish.....

Toy Story and Fade the Blog

Just completed today's Fade the Blog while Cal watches Toy Story. 40 minutes, not too bad but then the Sunday Times is awkward bout free access. On the other hand I forgot BBC Health yesterday so had to catch up with that and yesterdays Independent 'cos their site was down. It's taken me years to get round to watching 'Toy Story' but I have to admit a sneaking enjoyment of the thing. Next stop play barn, papers, and a mission to get me some Half Man Half Biscuit for this Primary Care gig on the 30th. Plan to seranade them with the 'Trumpton Riots', which reminds me I need to get my shit together in terms of getting the workshop stuff together on Monday.

Reducing Risk in Cheshire and Mersey

Title is way more dramatic than the content, need to chat to Adam about getting ourselves recognised as the teaching PCT library pre-sending out SLA's to other PCTs. That gives us a justification for the money we already receive. We can sell ourselves as a a back up service to their local arrangements and it reduces the risk of any of them saying they want there money back. See told you it was boring, but that sort of thing appears in the hard copy 'Black Book of Doom' too as well as the sort of scurrilous notes that appear here....

Titles.....tic, toc, boom

Titles added, do they work? Well kinda but they needed a quick edit.