The Power of the Internet

Firstly I'd like to say that whilst I have lots of logins to various parts of the online world I don't, knowingly, use any logins for business and pleasure. I have at least 4 Google logins - one for work, one for this blog, one for Youtube and one for home.

Imagine my surprise when viewing a Kakuro (like Sudoku) website at home the usual 'learn keystage 3 maths' advert has been replaced with an advert for www.oriental-crusher.com (note for parents: this isn't some weird porn, but an advert for a company in China making quarry plant)

Now it's true that I have been looking at websites at work for crushing plant, and oriental crusher do seem to sell them. But HOW DID GOOGLE TRACK ME DOWN? It's Scary, perhaps we should all be a bit more paranoid.

Radio Star Take 2

I've just returned from my second live interview on national Radio. A fair performance I think, but no doubt I made a boo-boo which someone will point out when I go into work tomorrow.

Half an hour of me talking almost non-stop, quite fast (except when I paused to allow the interviewer to ask another question) and I only covered a third of my notes. It almost feels like I know what I'm talking about! (I hope it sounds that way as well).

I have been meaning to post more often, but feeling a little too lazy. Sorry. But here's some more thoughts on my Job.

All throughout my career I've been looking for the next step on the ladder: Engineer, to Acting Senior Engineer, to Senior Engineer, to Principal Engineer, to Area Traffic Engineer, to Neighbourhood Team Leader, to Roads Manager. I've always opened Surveyor (magazine) at the back first (for the job adverts) and thought about the 'Highway Network Manager - Edinburgh c£80k pa' type role I may eventually get to. After the last RMS in June I received 3 Surveyors all together and looked through the various adverts in the back (including the one above) and thought, naah, don't want that.


Over the weekend I looked at a few websites to see what jobs were out there in the big wide world (well the UK) and only came across one that really sparked any interest: 'Infrastructure Engineer - Shetland  c£25k pa'. I actually really like my job. No, I REALLY like my job. It's jolly hard work, and it gets stressful, and I can see a whole host of problems ahead, but it is by far the best job I've ever had and I suspect the best job I ever will have.


I'm actually dreading the end of my contract when I'll have to get a 'proper' job again. Maybe I'll apply for an Operatives job in the Roads Section...

Another Dive

Another Dive today, Long Ledge again so a Dive I knew (see my previous post diving-and-dolphins). Used my new wetsuit and mask for the first time which was great J for the first time when I got out the water I wasn't cold, and it was warmer in the water too - amazing what a well fitting wetsuit will do.

Visibility wasn't too good today (well not as good as last time) but I was more confident and aware of where I was in the water and so I went into the little cave to see the HUGE lobsters!

On the way back we found some Dolphins, but they were keeping well out of camera shot so I only got photo's of empty sea L

Road Signs

First some History:

• Road Signs were invented a long time ago, I remember Dick Whittington looked at a Road Sign on the way to London, and he was walking because cars hadn't been invented. They're that old!
• In the 1960's the UK did some work and basically came up with a brilliant system that 99% of those of you reading should know quite well. This was introduced in 1965 and has been modified over time.
• In 1968 a lot of the world signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, they took 9 years to actually introduce it though.
• For some reason the Vienna Convention didn't follow the system that the UK had, I think they must have been jealous, therefore the UK didn't Sign.
• In 1995 St Helena produced their Road Traffic (Signs) Regulations, these were amended in 2002,  http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/data/files/resources/723/Road-Traffic-Ordinance.pdf, they sort of follow the UK sign designs, but don't really.

Back to the present day (Well last Wednesday)

The signs are a mess. Many signs in use aren't in the regulations. Parking signs are huge and take an hour to read, they're also illegal if they're landscape. Many signs in the regulations are used incorrectly (or the regulations are written incorrectly). The regulations say what you think they mean, but because of the way they're written they mean something completely different. As an example our equivalent of a double white line should mean no overtaking. What it can actually mean is that if you are overtaking as you pass the beginning of the line, you have to stay on the wrong side of the line until it finishes, you're not allowed to cross it in either direction, but you are allowed to be on the wrong side of it!

In the photo you can see our Traffic Lights. This is a photo of the first time Traffic lights have been in operation on St Helena, as far as anyone knows, ever.

They were bought a few years ago, but nobody knows if they were ever turned on. Recently we have been unable to make them work, until we had a phone call from the manufacturer offering to help us sort the problem (that's why I'm on the phone, typically they worked first time, without actually needing any help, which they hadn't any of the million times we'd tried previously).

So now we have traffic lights - but wait! there's no requirement in the law for people to Stop at Traffic Lights! We've never needed one before! 

A little over a week ago

I was in a Highway Authority meeting and we were talking about parking, we started talking about signs and the fact that our current signs were quite big, I mentioned that I thought we should be following UK standards a little closer, but that idea wasn't liked. Jamestown does not want to look like a suburb of London, and wants it's own identity, the current system of Road Signs is part of that identity, but needs updating to make it suitable (and more understandable for the international Tourists we hope to attract).

Fast Forward to Last Week and the coming Months

Someone has to design new signs which suit St Helena AND are fit for Purpose. How many people (currently alive) can say that they have designed (or even redesigned) a system of Road Signs for a Country (however small)? Not many, double figures probably. I hope to join that Club J

The amazing thing is the liberty that is given to the system designer. UK signs are defined by x-height and stroke-width. With borders and corner radius specified in detailed technical manuals. Specialist software has been developed to aid Engineers in producing sign designs which are correct to the regulations. Whilst wanting to have a professional set of road signs we can't be having special software just for St Helena.

I've been drawing Road Signs in Word for many years, they look about right for visual purposes, but wouldn't meet the legal requirements. I now plan to define the signing standards in terms of Font Height and border widths in Point Size. Colours could be to an RGB standard. Easy to draw on any computer package such as Word. What do you think?

p.s. In the photo I have a thick coat, it's cold - I haven't got fat!

Um, Random Stuff

As I haven't posted for a Fortnight I thought I ought to provide an update. Maybe this is how it's going to be now - lots of posts in the first 6 months, but slowing off as everything becomes 'normal'.

Highlights of the last 2 weeks:

• Scouts went to Ascension and came back, I didn't go with them so no exciting news.
• The RMS has now gone back to Cape Town for Dry Dock, we next see her in August (and haven't seen her arrive from Cape town since mid June)
• We have no onions, apparently this time of year they're all imported, and someone messed up the paperwork so they weren't allowed on the last RMS. I like Onion so not very happy as my stock has got quite low.
• I haven't been diving again, but have got a wetsuit etc. It's a bit short, but fits well otherwise, looking forward to seeing if it's warmer than the ones I've been borrowing.
• Lots has happened with work. Maybe I'll do a whole post about that separately, it is kind of Novel.