think it was in May of this year (early or mid May) that we ‘branched out’ the fish tank to another one, a shells-dedicated tank. It has since then expanded to a much bigger tank, which I found discounted by about 96% (lower than RRP), it just needed a lot of cleaning and sanitising. Today, two weeks after we added some danios and testas, we can easily see they have grown and have become accustomed to their new environment. We initially had a couple of cardinals, but they could not survive the conditions, I’m not sure why (maybe pH level, but probably something else; size could be a factor, they are very fine). Unlike last year, no fish just mysteriously ‘vanished’.

At the moment I am chasing a heater, as noted some months ago, and look for something that costs a pound or a couple of pounds. I saw about 4 in-water heater this past Sunday (a vendor I know and knows me too), but those were too powerful and way too expensive. We still have some time to go before it gets too cold for tropical fish.

Maybe we can crowdfund this.

Looks like something big and important

t is very nice and sunny today (clear blue skies, unlike what the foolish forecasters said) and it seems like the official opening of the coffee shop at Mayfield is happening, so we went to feed the birds there and enjoyed the sun after a hazy start.

The work on the gardens seems finished now, so after the official openings (and subsequently removal of fences) we will sit there to relax.

There were large cameras and giant microphones there, along with large speakers, pavilion, and what seems like press people. Maybe the opening is broader than just the coffee shop’s. There was recently a Banksy exhibition there.

Photos from an hour ago in that area.

2026-09-22 at 6:01AM: Things Will Only Get Better (as We Go Backwards)

aving complained about the size or capacity of toothpaste tubes, and having recently (yesterday morning) watched a song from 1993, I decided to publish this post in Techrights.

An alternative way to write it was, focus on making it seem like each 5 years, going backwards, you “get” (back) an improvement.

Less for more

used to joke that sooner or later the 150ml tubes, which became 125ml tubes, will become 100ml as ‘standard’. In “COVID times” they shrank that to 75ml and finally, yesterday, I saw 50ml tubes. They make these seem bigger than they are.

So we all pay more for packaging materials, not products.

It’s not only Colgate; other companies do the same. It’s just that Colgate became “household name” (or brand).

In some markets they use sachets for toothpaste too.

Restaurant no more

oday we went to many places and ended by going to our much (or most) cherished restaurant, only to discover that it is no more. It did not exactly shock us, knowing the owner must be approaching 80 and is belatedly retired (by all odds). We used to meet her in town and in parties over the years. I went there on my 32^nd birthday with Rianne, who took the photo above.

This day out was for our anniversary. We’re now in our 15^th year.

On the way back home we had snacks instead (didn’t try another restaurant; many are expensive) and suddenly saw almost 500 birds near the road. So we disembarked and left for the roadside, where we fed as many of them as we could. There was even a swan there! Some elderly women nearby were watching. Now we’re back home and catching up with news.

think that based on my records, I started my Ph.D. on “Tuesday 23rd September, 2003″ or maybe that was just my first meeting (21st September was likely my first day). I wrote this report a week later. Prior to that I had met or “interviewed” – if that’s the right term – 3 people in that department regarding a project and/or supervisor (I think that was Jim, Sue, and Chris).

I’m glad, in hindsight, that I chose Chris. Despite him being a demanding perfectionist (months later a student of his, Gareth, committed suicide), he did inspire or encourage certain traits I still have. I remember a prior student, Kate, complaining about his attitude in a dinner, saying he’s “always right” (cynically, something to that effect), but his track record or credentials compensated for this attitude.

Having high expectations can be a burden on others.

23 years later Chris is still alive (in his 80s) and shows up in fairly new videos of the same university where he studied and worked for about 60 years. He’s still professionally active, at 80 or above. That part of him I really appreciate. I hope that I too can do the same things 40 years from now.

Chris was always a heavy drinker of coffee, who clearly didn’t get enough sleep. This seems not to have shortened his life. He did what he loved.

A growing pain

t’s Monday, which means more places are open. Our anniversary was Friday and we decided to go out and travel the following Monday, not the weekend. Trafford Centre isn’t too far away, there are nice places in the east too, and the weather today is fairly good.

Linux has a new RC and Linus (Torvalds) complains about the size, as usual, whilst also taking note of LLMs in the last paragraph. This is becoming a big problem and the press does not talk about it (or talks about this as a positive/benign thing).

I plan to dig deeper into this.

There are many “Big Issues” to cover. If the media turns a blind eye to them, then we can ‘plug the gap’.