Category: learning curve

F@c€b00k removed my post

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This post.

Yes, I know that it was a machine not a person.
And yes, I get the reasons behind this, given the subject of the post and the sort of people that are out there.

But when you look at their messages to me:

How my post is “misleading” is a bit beyond me. The posts on 6000 miles… publish directly to Facebook so that you can access from there, and the biggest fan of this whole operation is Facebook itself, which is constantly (and irritatingly) reminding me to post more on there.

But when I do…

I have broken none of those rules. Sure, you will end up on the blog when you click the links I share, but I’m not trying to hide it. If you choose to click, that’s your problem, not mine.

We all know what you are letting yourself in for.

The other thing here is that they’ve removed my post, even though I’ve published a blog post every day for almost 14 years, and for at least half of those to Facebook, but then you look at the hate speech, AI images, misinformation, spam, the myriad of scams and general crap that gets through, and you think: why me?

And if it looks like I’m somehow elevating myself above other people posting stuff to Facebook, well yes, I am. Certainly above all of that stuff, anyway.

Who knows if this post will be removed as well? I cunningly tried to disguise the name of the social media service in the title of this post so that Facebook won’t know that the post is about it.
I know: you didn’t even notice, right?

It’s also worth noting that Twitter had no issue with this morning’s post. But then their bar on content quality is so low that it’s a tripping hazard in Hell.

So that’s not that surprising.

Quota Walking Trail

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We’ve done the Nuwejaars Wetlands before, and it was very special. And whenever we drive out that way from Agulhas, it’s always like a mini-safari even along the public roads.

The great news is that this week, the NWSMA have opened a new walking trail through the area: The African Marsh Harrier Trail. There’s a lot to see…

… and it looks like a really good day out.

The creation of the trail was funded by WWF South Africa, with the support of the Overberg District Municipality. 
The relaxed and unchallenging trail is ideal for walkers of any fitness level, including children. It takes around two to three hours to complete. And it’s meant to be enjoyed slowly while taking in the incredible wildlife that lives in the wetlands, especially the bird life. 

As mentioned above, just getting there is often educational enough, so I’m looking forward to some decent fun with the long lens next time we are down there.

Murk

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When spring finally came, it came in HOT!

Temperatures have been into the 30s for most of the last week, and with the still, warm air over the city, the air quality has been noticeably decreasing. But what we’re seeing (or not seeing, because it’s so polluted) at the moment is only classed as “Moderate” on the AQI (Air Quality Index (low numbers are better numbers)) scale:

But look at that: today’s allegedly “Moderate” levels have nothing on tomorrow, where – in the early afternoon – we’re looking at “Very Unhealthy” air quality, before returning to something altogether (well, slightly) more satisfactory on Wednesday and Thursday.

Here’s the AQI scale for reference:

And you’ll note immediately that we run up 3 steps to the penultimate level of nastiness in the next 24 hours. That’s mainly due to high counts for PM2.5 and low level ozone:

PM2.5, (also written PM2.5) are tiny particles of dust or soot – especially prevalent in vehicle exhaust fumes – and which are contributing to the murky, hazy atmosphere over the city at the moment.

Then – and bear with me here – add in those high levels of low level ozone…

Yes, I know it’s a bit confusing: high levels of high level ozone are good – thanks for using your roll-on deodorant back in the 1980s and 90s – but we really only want the ozone about 20 or 25km up there, and not at ground level:

Ground-level ozone or the “bad” ozone that forms closer to the Earth in the air we breathe. This ozone is not usually emitted directly, but rather forms from chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in sunlight.

These pollutants can have acute effects on people who suffer with asthma or other respiratory diseases. Especially at these hugely elevated levels. It’s not called “Very Unhealthy” just for shits and giggles (neither of which are symptoms, by the way).
Longer term effects can include cardio-vascular problems and issues in pregnancy, but we’re fortunate in Cape Town that while quite ugly, these are fairly rare levels for this little corner of Africa.

A small cold front passing over or near to the Cape on Wednesday will see a lot of this nastiness blown out into the South Atlantic where it can dissipate and harm the wildlife instead of us important humans.

But in the meantime, if you are sensitive to pollution and/or you do suffer from asthma or a respiratory illness, you might want to take steps to protect yourself from what promises to be a rather unpleasant day tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Lots to think about

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We’re looking for a new pool cover for our pool. Mainly (exclusively, some might say) for heat retention and evaporation prevention. The two mainstays of pool cover benefits.

Having trawled several (or more) websites, I noted that there are plenty of different options out there.
I thought that would mean having a lot to think about, but then at the bottom of one of the sites, this:

The following information was actually very easy to consider: it took no time at all.
I hadn’t realised that this process was going to be so straightforward.

UPDATE:
Also, I’m pretty sure that (for a couple of reasons)…

… this isn’t how UV light works.

What’s for dinner tonight, Dad?

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Well, we’re fresh out of Plov (although it did last us for a couple of nights).

So, since we’re being all exotic and stuff* – how about some Mettigel?

Mettigel is a portmanteau of sorts: Mett – essentially meat, (but actually raw pork), and Igel – hedgehog. It’s from Germany, and is described thus:

Germany’s Hedgehog Sculpted From Meat

Wow. You had me at… er… “hedgehog”, maybe?

Maybe not.

Leonie Schreiber, a 33-year-old copywriter and designer from Cologne, takes about a pound of uncooked, lightly seasoned ground pork, forms the meat into an oblong shape and sticks it all over with onion slices until it’s covered in “spines.” A couple of olives, capers, or peppercorns for eyes and a nose, and the illusion is complete.

No. No. The illusion is that this is a hedgehog, or indeed that this is any sort of foodstuff that any reasonable person would eat, is far from complete.

Don’t believe me? OK. Judge for yourself.

The only thing I see there is a desperate longing for the sweet embrace of death in those eyes.

It’s actually pretty harrowing.

It should be pointed out that Leonie’s Instagram handle is Mettfluencer, and she has an incredible range of meat related merchandise on her feed, so it stands to reason that she is trying to push the Mettigel idea out into the world.

Ah Jesus.

According to a German culinary historian, the Mettigel became popular during the Wirdschaftswunder – the period of rapid economic growth in Germany after the Second World War.

Dinner gatherings were no longer formal sit-down affairs, but American-style “parties” with a buffet of cold dishes. As a party food, Mettigel checked all the boxes: “It’s fun, it goes great with beer, men like it because it has a lot of meat, and it’s easy to make. All you have to do is decide if you’re using onions or pretzel sticks for the spines.”

I think they might be using the wrong boxes.

But… it’s raw meat. Well, yes, but the argument is that because it’s raw meat, you source top quality pork, of whose provenance you are certain. But still:

Raw pork has been the culprit in numerous salmonella outbreaks. But it’s a risk party hosts are willing to take for a dish that “makes people happy,” as Schreiber says.

Yep. Priorities are important here. Can’t sell those “Mettwoch” socks if no-one is eating Mett, right?

* do we count Uzbekistan as “exotic”?