Archive for February, 2007

Not many people know that…

Tuesday, February 27th, 2007

In the spirit of Angry Facts, yet demonstrating the production values and attention to detail that LugRadio is known for, feast your minds on LugRadio Facts.

Everything you wanted to know about LugRadio but were afraid (or downright scared) to ask.

Update: They’ve made it look a bit prettier now.

Bushcraft Bookshelf

Monday, February 26th, 2007

Apart from the obvious exception most of my recent reading and book purchases have been – probably unsurprisingly – bushcraft related. The following are books I have recently bought or been given.

  • Essential Bushcraft – One of the quintessential bushcraft titles. Whilst I’m not in the “Ray = god” camp, I do like this book but it is not my favourite. My copy was signed by the man himself when I met him at a book signing. Although not a recent purchase, it has to be included in any bushcraft collection
  • Bushcraft aka Northern Bushcraft – another ‘bushcraft bible’ and my current favourite. More practical than Essential, and more selective. Mors eschews covering every possible aspect of the subjects covered in favour of more detail
  • Native British Trees – A lovely book that does exactly what it says. Small enough to fit in your pocket when out and about
  • A Tree In Your Pocket – Another pocket sized book. This one is more concerned with the folklore and mythology surrounding trees
  • Scouting For Boys – I don’t think this one needs any explanation, does it!
  • Woodcraft – Another classic. Some practical tips, but mainly just an interesting read
  • The Dangerous Book For Boys – Whilst not exactly bushcraft, a fun book nonetheless that dips its toes into numerous subjects. I’ve also used it to plan activities for my Scouts
  • Mountain & Leadership – An inspired gift from a from a friend who had no idea that achieving the MLA has been on my want-to-do list for quite some time. An excellent book that covers all aspects of being outdoors
  • The Axe Book – This comes with all Gränsfors Bruks axes, but they will also send it to you for free. Contains some useful tips.

Herd 4 is loose

Friday, February 16th, 2007

Feisty Herd 4 has hit the streets. Usual provisos apply to pre-release software, but if you have a spare box (or virtualisation software) it’s worth a look to see what is coming in the final release..

Keeping Quiet Reason #1

Friday, February 16th, 2007

In the past I’ve hinted at reasons why I’ve been so quiet on here (and why most of my recent content has been non-technical).

Well, the cat’s out of the bag on one the reasons now:

Thanks to Jono I am co-authoring the 2nd edition of The Official Ubuntu Book due out around the release of Feisty.

I’m even on Amazon!

Restarting an Ubuntu upgrade

Thursday, February 8th, 2007

I’m currently trying to upgrade a machine using an Ubuntu CD. This is normally pretty painless – stick the CD in, follow the prompts and away you go. Unfortunately I chose the wrong option and cancelled the upgrade, and couldn’t get it to restart again.

After a bit of head scratching I figured it out:


$ sudo sh /cdrom/cdromupgrade

You need to specify the full path, otherwise the process fails.

Tree Identification – Black Poplar

Tuesday, February 6th, 2007

I originally identified this tree as a Beech, but as soon as I identified a real Beech I realised my mistake. It’s taken me a while to correctly identify this one, and I hope I’ve got it right this time!

Move over Beech, it is time to meet the Black Poplar – (Populus nigra). I have a prime example of this in my garden, although it will have to be felled soon as it is slowly succumbing to high winds.

Black Poplar Tree

The Black Poplar is a deciduous tree, and another native of the British Isles. It can grow up to 30 metres tall and often leans, giving it a distinctive shape.

Like the Beech, its twigs have alternating buds althoough the buds are shorter and stubbier than the Beech, and they grow more in the direction of the twig rather than outwards. Towards Spring catkins will also be evident.

Black Poplar Twig and Buds

Its bark is a mixture of grey and brown, and is thick and furrowed.

Black Poplar Bark

Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
fills your eyes and makes you choke.

Whilst Poplar is a poor firewood, its timber is both light and tough and so used for a variety of purposes.

Idle hands

Tuesday, February 6th, 2007

I like learning and practising new knots – a few even end up being used in real life. A while ago I stumbled across a paracord bracelet someone had made. The idea intrigued me. Paracord is useful stuff, and I normally have some with or near me, so having a (highly unfashionable) bracelet made of the stuff seemed a nice idea. An idea that promptly sank to the back of my mind and was forgotten until today. I don’t know what prompted me, but I googled for instructions and came up with some, grabbed some paracord and gave it a try.

Paracord Bracelet

This is made up of approximately 3 metres of paracord.

Paracord Bracelet - Weave Detail

The knot used produces a nice weave, and isn’t too difficult to get to grips with. A very satisfying yet easy and quick little project.

I could link to the instructions, but I’m going to write up my own anyway.

Instructions can be found here.