Stuff Michael Meeks is doing
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This is my (in)activity log. You might like to visit my employer
Novell which is an amazing company, and also
Dell who in days of yore provided me with a
free laptop for Gnome development / conferences.
Also if you have the time to read this sort of stuff you could enlighten
yourself by going to Unraveling Wittgenstein's net or if
you are feeling objectionable perhaps here.
Older items:
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2008: (
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2007: (
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2006,
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legacy html
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Up early, set off for The Holy Island of Lindesfarne in good time
to get across the causeway that floods at high tide. Parked, admired the
multitude of clear signs with pictures of sinking cars, and the tide tables
at many prominent points.
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Wandered the town, admired some new timber framed buildings built on
piles (to avoid destroying the archaeology beneath by digging foundations), with
some massive ply beams to hold them up. On to the post office, and church; into
the ruins of the abbey.
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Had fun admiring, and clambering over the architecture of the
ruined monastry and playing with babes of all sizes - E. finally starting
to stand alone for long periods apparently without much noticing she is
doing it. Place scattered with interesting fiducials - presumably to calculate
geometry / movement of the stones from photographs. Some incredible wind /
weather erosion - some stones seem disproportionatly affected.
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Breakfast lunch at the cafe; and back to the car to collect bits we
had left. Marvelled at the Sea-King helicopter hovering over the causeway
rescuing the latest hapless, clueless non-believer; hard to see, but apparently
deposited in the car-park at some considerable expense - minus car (passed
in a somewhat wet condition on the way back).
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Payed a fortune for a somewhat under-matured maize-maze - which was
nonetheless fun enough, while E. and M. slept in the car with the grandparents.
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On to the museum; pleasant, clean display, friendly staff - and a
total aspiritualised tragedy of a display. English Heritage - appear
to rejoice in dates, geography, orthography, illumination - but totally at
a loss to provide a view of the spiritual depth of the amazing men who
followed their God to a land of pagans, and converted them en-masse - what
did they believe ? what did the people believe beforhand ? what was their
social impact ? why did they do it ? what was their theology ? no information.
Saint Cuthbert would presumably vomit on the threshold to discover the
display was more interested in the exact route & chronology of movements
of his coffin - rather than the crucified carpenter, risen and victorious
in whose name darkness and superstition were pushed back. Very occasional
glimpses of their theology show through - that they deliberately walked
through the area rather than riding, to be on the level of people; and that
the regional King, having been converted gave his entire silver service to
the poor - but far, far too little; depressing.
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Out for a drink with J. in the evening, at the hotel across the
road - discovered that our cottage is let to us by a chap with a fairground
attraction. Sounds like an ideal synergy - in winter, when no-one wants
to be there - a nice house to live in, and in summer being on the road
anyway can earn from it.
In case it's not painfully obvious: the reflections reflected here are my
own; mine, all mine ! and don't reflect the views of Novell, The
Lithuanian Gov't or Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's also important to
realise that I'm not in on the Swedish Conspiracy.
Occasionally people ask for formal photos for conferences,
bio.
or fun.
Michael Meeks (michael.meeks@novell.com)
