For some reason the power cycled in clarence dock a few minutes ago causing my computer to reboot. While this is annoying in the sense I had to re-login and start my applications again its ok because I didn’t lose anything (good old Linux). The problem is more that my supreme reign of uptime is over. I was sitting on 60 something days before this restart, which for a desktop machine at least, is remarkable. Ah well, heres to the next 60 odd days

In York yesterday I was exposed to the new ftr bus system brought in on the University route by First Group. I don’t normally like to rant about things because constructive comments are always better, but in this particular case there really is nothing positive to say.

They have brought in a bendy bus system that can seat no more passengers than a normal single decker bus, wasting a lot of money needlessly. In doing this they have also raised the price of a single fare from £1.30 to £1.50 which you have to pay using a machine on board which doesn’t take notes and doesn’t give change. This means that they have to bring in a bus conductor to deal with people who do not have the right money and to check day tickets bought using the machine because said tickets cannot be checked with the machine. Factoring all of this in means that journey times take twice as long as they used to, in fact, so much longer that it is now quicker to walk from the station to the uni than it is to get a bus.

The net result of all of this is that they have spent a lot of money to go into the “ftr” but have made it more inconvenient for passengers and gone back 10 or so years by bringing back the bus conductor. Some people really need their heads testing, especially as the buses are soon to arrive in Leeds. I told a couple of students here and it looks as though panic is soon to set in.

The long-standing boycott of the marking of student exams and assesment is now over, at least on a temporary basis while a recent pay deal is put forward to the members in the form of a ballot. This means that for the time being work is being marked and assement is moving forward for those students that need it the most such as those graduating this year. Its really good to see a final resolution to this and I hope that the ballot allows things to get on as normal.

It was good to get back to York even for a short time; while the course and uni generally is so much better in Leeds, I do miss a lot of the friends I made at York. I had a few drinks with Katy and also caught up with James Flinders which was good, I have also arranged to meet up with Alannah next week which should be great as I haven’t met up with her in ages. It’s all good in the vale of York. I also had a good radio show, and it was great to be back on the air. Got some good music played on the show and then afterwards finalised my accomodation for North Sea Jazz festival. Summer is coming together

I’m on the radio tonight at 8pm, University Radio York. You can tune in on AM in York or worldwide online - please feel free to join me as with other presenters I talk about some the amazing jazz and blues thats been playing in Leeds recently, not to mention my take on the line-up for the forthcoming North Sea Jazz festival. I’ve got some interesting selections lined up, including some superb piano jazz recommended to me by Matt along with some great blues from Robert Cray and Tracey Chapman. Miss it, miss out

My phpBB Bertie bear has finally arrived! It’s great to have something to show how far forward the development of the new forum system is coming along, and not only that, but Bertie makes a great buddy to have around when on late night coding sessions - he’s already found his fave spot, right next to my screen

I’m back from a great couple of days on board our boat. The weather was really hot and sunny and we had good winds to push us along at a very enjoyable pace causing spray to catch us unawares and hit some good speeds (for our boat at least). The only real negative result of this great trip was sunburn. I now look a tad red in quite a few places, namely my ams and back of my neck. If how I look now is what can happen with factor 40 suncream, I hate to think what would have happened with none at all. You can see the photos of the trip here

When I arrived home I crashed out for about 12 hours solid and then woke up in late morning to fix the family computer and have a BBQ lunch which is always nice. I hadn’t had a BBQ in ages, and the long sleep was also particularly welcome. While I don’t sleep badly in Leeds, far from it, the quantity of sleep has been lacking in recent weeks due to work. A couple of BBQ pictures are here

I checked the weather for the next week or so and it looks set to be good so hopefully I will be enjoying some lounging in the sun even if it is with books / laptop. Speaking of which, my C/C++ course starts later today so I’m looking forward to get back into the rhythm of code writing again. I’m a developer at heart and just can’t get enough of code. I even delved into a C++ book while moored up on the boat!

Im currently anchored for the night on board Burnaby. Just had some dinner and am now watching a beautiful sunset with a drink in hand. Its been a superb day with good winds & a really enjoyable sail. This is certainly one of the best ways to take a break.

I read in the paper yesterday that the government are seriously looking into the status of couples who have chosen not to get married from a legal standpoint. Essentially they are saying that unmarried couples need to have some of the rights bestowed upon them that married couples do, to try and protect them in the event of death of one partner or other issues which would make life financially difficult for either partner. This sounds quite fair, and many people will start supporting the concept based on this idea. There are however some flaws with the argument.

What about couples who are not married because they don’t want to be legally tied to each other, but are living together? Under the proposals, if a couple live together for more than two years and then decide to split, each party will be able to make claims against thier ex-partner for financial assistance and other such things simply on the basis of the fact they had a relationship and lived together. This is irrespective of the fact that there may have been no children involved in the relationship.

This presents a serious problem, its almost going as far as to say you cannot have anything verging on a serious relationship with someone without having legal obligations towards them. This is insane. Relationships before marriage should be a commitment of love and no more; a big reason for not getting married straight away is not being sure of if you want to make a commitment. Havinging made one legally just by living with them kind of ruins this idea. There is also no opt-out clause proposed for this; they even go as far as to suggest that couples sign a “cohabitation agreement” if they are concerned by legal ramifications of living together. What the f**k !!?? I’ve heard of such things before marriage, but before living in the same house? This is insanity beyond belief.

The government needs to take a chill pill and stop poking their noses into people private lives and making us all a slave to financially orientated legislation. If they really want to help unmarried couples in this way they should make the legislation opt-in only and allow couples who don’t want to commit in any way financially but to still live together to go on doing so. Student couples often cohabit for more than two years simply by the nature of the fact a degree lasts for 3 or more years, and I feel sure that there will be many student couples who have been made uneasy by this news. Feel free to post your comments on this news, especially if you are a student, a partner in a couple to which these new proposals would apply, or have in the past been in a relationship to which it would have applied.

Today the AUT rejected a pay deal of 13.1%, an increase on a previous offer turned down a week or so ago. While I do support the strike in the sense that lecturers do deserve more pay, I think at this stage the AUT are really pushing their luck. The universities are starting to offer figures which are borderline on what they can afford to, and the AUT are rejecting them without balloting their members on the subject.

I will continue to support my lecturers on the issue of low pay, however I feel that this has gone on for long enough for the time being, and that the 13.1% offer should have been accepted with a view to bringing up the issue again next year. Its a lot better than previous offers, a lot better than nothing, and while its not the end of the business, it would at least allow students who deserve it to graduate and those waiting for marks to recieve them. It will also bolster student support for when the issue needs to be brought up again in the future. I really want to support the campaign and I want my fellow students to do so also, but this really has gone on for long enough.