Author: 6000

This was my first thought

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Images and videos of the protests last week in Cape Town were shared widely across social media, but if there was one image that was more widely shared than any other, it was probably this one:

And while most people’s thoughts on seeing it were about the power of the protest and the sheer numbers of people present, I was wondering how legal it was.

And it seems like it might not be very legal at all. (Apologies for the Business Insider link.)

They mention the fact that Parliament is a National Key Point (although the photo is not taken over Parliament). They mention the fact that the pilot is flying over a crowd (not good practice, because a kilo of drone falling from the sky is going to sting a bit, minimum). They also point out that there was a NOTAM (NOtice To AirMen) (did you just assume my gender?) (let’s not go there) in force because of the World Economic Forum meeting at the CTICC.

I hadn’t considered that one, but it’s probably the most serious of the alleged infringements.

The reason I didn’t really go much further with my thoughts about the photo was twofold: firstly, that (as with every other aspect of life here) no-one cares about the laws and they’re never enforced anyway, and secondly, that I genuinely thought it must have been taken by a professional operating from a helicopter, because (to my eye at least), it seems to have been taken from well above the 120m ceiling allowed for drones. And yes, I know that’s just another law to ignore, but if I was a news person (which was who I had assumed had taken it) and I wanted this shot, I’d have used a chopper, not a drone.

It’s more bad press for drones and it’s going to highlight the lack of sensible admin around flying them. We have yet another dysfunctional government body to blame for that one, together with a misleading media. For example, this line:

Drone pilots have long complained that the SACAA is not issuing pilot licences fast enough. With an application process that can take up to three years… only an estimated 1% of those who operate drones in South Africa are doing so legally.

…is confusing. You don’t need a licence to fly a drone if you are a hobbyist. Whatever the guy who took this photo is guilty of, it’s wrong to assume that he needed a licence to fly his drone (although a little common sense may have been beneficial).

Subtitles

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This crashed onto my computer screen this morning, and though I’ve seen it several (or more) times before and it’s very silly, it’s also very amusing, and so I’m happily sharing it on here.

And talking of fake news programmes – as in other programmes pretending to be news programmes, rather than news programmes playing hard and loose with the facts – I’ve also been enjoying some Jonathan Pie this weekend. His alter ego Tom Walker’s Youtube channel is well worth a browse if you like your comedy hard, fast, spikey and political.

Hot stuff

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WARNING: It gets fairly steamy below.

What with one thing and another, it came to pass that Mrs 6000 and I found ourselves alone in the house for a few hours today. Now, for many of you, that might be a regular occurrence, but for us, this sort of thing is virtually unheard of. The boy is at a Scouting event at Century City, the girl back from her glamping trip, but staying on a little longer at her friend’s house before heading home.

So, long story short, we did what any healthy, red-blooded married couple would do with such a perfect opportunity: she tidied a desk in the study, while I mended the broken bird table in the back garden.

Oh God, that was good.

The desk is now pristine and provides a suitable working environment, while our local robin chats will surely enjoy whatever morsels we share with them, on what is now a safe and secure surface out the back.

Never let it be said that middle-age alters your priorities and viewpoint on life. We still know how to live it up a little.

Glorious

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If yesterday was a bit warm a bit suddenly, weatherwise, today has been absolutely glorious from the get-go. Temperatures have even been excitedly prodding the 33°C mark this afternoon, so we decided to go to a lab and do lab work.

Yep. Needs must and the need today was for the boy to get some practical work done ahead of a couple of very busy weeks leading up to the Eskom Expo International Science Fair.

He has an entire project to do – to ISF standard – in two weeks. And that’s with other commitments including (but not limited to) er… school, Scouts, an orienteering competition, two Dodgeball Academy sessions, two Expo meetings, a rendezvous with an astronaut (yes, really) and a partridge in a pear tree.

Issa lot.

Of course, we’ll support and help where we can, but this is his baby and he needs to get it right through to adulthood in the next fortnight.

Right now, he’s just frantically changing nappies.

Death by run

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I was going to have a nice, gentle, controlled session at the gym this morning, but then I was asked to sort out an ailing cellphone and suddenly there wasn’t really time to get there before the parking (always an issue on Friday) would have been totally filled.

Still, lovely morning, so why not take advantage of the spring sunshine and go for a little 5km jog around the block(s)?

Well, having done a little 5km jog around the block(s), I now have a number of reasons. And the spring sunshine is one of them.

When I left home, it was 14°C. When I got back, it was 27°C.

I wasn’t gone that long. It just got very warm, very quickly.

I have no issue with running in the heat, as long as I know that I’m going to be running in the heat. (There are limits.)
I was not expecting this heat. This heat did not help.

Next up, football on Tuesday night. The most energetic game I have played in a long, long while. And while I had a lovely time, and we won a tight, frantic, occasionally bad-tempered game, sweet mother of beagles, I’ve been hurting since then. Upon awakening this morning, I thought I’d moved on and recovered, but within 500m of starting my run, it became clear that I was mistaken. Things were still quite broken. A sensible individual would have sensibly admitted defeat and returned home, sensibly.

I kept going.

And then there was Forest Drive, 650m of road during which you gain (or lose, I suppose, but not in this case) over 100m of altitude. A challenge on any day. It seemed longer, steeper, higher today. That’s probably because I donated blood on Wednesday morning. Usually, I’m back up to speed within 24 hours. That clearly hasn’t happened this time. There was a dramatic shortage of oxygen, not helped by the increasing heat (see above).

A sensible individual would have… ah, never mind.

I finished a hideous five point something with a 6:28 average. Dreadful, and I feel no better for it.

I will take these things into consideration next time, not least delaying repairing cellphones until after I have safely – and gently – gymed.

I’m physically damaged and I need to go to bed.