Welcome
Welcome to the latest issue of shipping news, my occasional newsletter of things of interest. Typical headings include analog, apple, cool tools, film and TV, in the garden, history, localism, nature, pen and paper, reading and writing, software and technology. And the interplay between them all.
Thanks to everyone’s who been reading, liking and making comments and suggestions. I hope you enjoy something here.
cool tools: car detecting radar for cycling
Anyone who’s spent any time at all riding a bicycle on roads will have an opinion about cars. And car drivers. Being aware of your surroundings, the state of the road, the cars and traffic around you are important in trying to keep yourself safe.
So, a cool tool that was recommended recently by my friend David, might be a handy addition to the cycling safety toolkit. It’s the Megane L508 Radar Tail Light, a tail light that also gives the rider information about cars coming up from behind. It tells you how close the car is, and how fast it’s approaching. David, an experienced cyclist, told me it’s been really useful at times to have the extra bit of information this tool provides.
They say:
The Magene L508 radar tail light adopts millimeter-wave pulse signals and has 40°beam angle, able to detect rear vehicles within 140m even at bends. After the firmware update, L508 supports a total of 7 different light modes, which can meet the needs of riders in different scenarios.
There’s a detailed review of the Magene HERE It’s compatible with a range of cyclo-computers.
localism: living seasonally
Tomatoes are a great signifier. The anticipatory planting. The waiting for ripening. The bounty. The harvest. The remnants. The dried off bushes to be pulled and composted. It’s the seasons.
It’s one of the things I enjoy living 37°south, near Melbourne. Once you get beyond 25°north of south in latitude, seasons become clearly defined with colder winters and clearer shifts between them. We look forward to each one in turn, ready at the end of a long, humid summer this year, for the turn. The first real Autumnal cool change and the moment when you look at the Bay and think to yourself that maybe swimming has finished for another season.
Our tomatoes weren’t great this year, and they’ve just about given up the ghost. Barely enough green tomatoes coming through for my customary Green Tomato Pickles but, if you’re having more luck here’s a good recipe for a delicious use of green tomatoes.
music - Late Dylan Classics
With all the recent hype on the shape-shifting Bob Dylan of 1964/65 as featured in the mistakenly un-Academy awarded film A Complete Unknown, it’s sometimes tempting to think of the great man as an artist of the 1960s.
But, he’s still going strong. And, for something different, here’s a playlist of great Dylan songs released since 2000, that’s in the 21st Century! I call it Late Dylan Classics here on APPLE MUSIC or SPOTIFY for your listening pleasure.
And, oh yeah, Dylan is still touring! And has a website HERE
technology: MacFamilyTree
You know those pieces of software you’ve used for so long that you’ve forgotten when you started using them? They just are part of the way you work on the computer. MacFamilyTree is like that for me. It seems like it’s been around forever and I just keep updating it every couple of years
I’m the unofficial untrained, unordained genealogist of our family. With very little power comes great responsibility. For most of the time I’ve been researching and cataloging the family history, I’ve done it with this software.
MacFamilyTree says:
MacFamilyTree offers support and assistance across all aspects of genealogy – from research to data entry, evaluation, and visualization. Add media such as photos and videos, document places where significant events have occurred, and have fun with the way MacFamilyTree turns facts and figures into captivating history lessons. Browse through MacFamilyTree’s wide range of diagrams, view reports, or explore your family history on the Virtual Globe and you’ll find it easy to see why it’s the perfect tool for your genealogy needs.
You can import or export GEDCOM files, and there are stacks of reports and views which you can export as images or PDFs. There’s a new version out (11) and it’s currently available for half price on the Mac App Store for $35USD. There are also IOS versions available separately.
writing: ‘gone bush’ poetry collaboration
I was delighted to have a poem, Walking Beside the Franklin included in the latest poetry collaboration from Meuse Press, under the theme 'Gone Bush’. The poem came out of a trip to Tasmania nearly ten years ago. Sometimes things take time to fully emerge.
You can read my poem, and lots of others on the very inclusive theme, online HERE.
