vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
2025-06-17 06:30 pm

Today's arrivals while I slept

From our local bookshop, and a rare books seller in East Lothian.

I already have a fuller more original Scots play script for the 16th century play. But hoped that the slightly modernised/simplified version might be more suitable for my needs (including IF game design ...). Martin borrowed it for me from the uni library last week, and after a quick peek to be sure it was what I needed I could then confidently buy my own copy for longer-term use.

I love the Alice books. And collect playing cards. This is a new (last week) release of this deck. Plus a bonus fun book. We couldn't pick them up in person from the local bookshop on Friday - they needed to be ordered in. So I got them delivered, and they arrived in the post today.

vivdunstan: Photo by me of St Andrews Cathedral (st andrews)
2025-06-14 12:55 am

Dame Ursula

We’re very proud that Martin’s PhD supervisor, Ursula Martin, has been upgraded from a CBE to a DBE in the King’s Birthday Honours. Ursula was an excellent supervisor for Martin, patient and encouraging. She was also a huge help to me, both as an undergraduate computer science student at St Andrews - having a female CS Prof in the early 1990s was gobsmacking for me - but also after I had to drop out of my CS PhD, and more recently.

Thoroughly deserved, and especially good to see given that some of her achievements as a female groundbreaker in CS have at times been overlooked by male colleagues.
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
2025-06-13 06:20 pm

Eye test

We were in Broughty Ferry today. Aced my latest eye test. A little bit more short sighted, so going to get new glasses this time. But, best of all, still no glaucoma or cataracts, despite 28 years of permanent daily steroids. So very relieved. Called into the uni library to return a book and pick up another. Then home. We have fresh strawberries from Balhungie Berry Farm in Monifieth, spotted and nabbed from the Love Your Planet shop in Broughty Ferry. Where we also bought a bag of Sacred Grounds coffee beans, a new variety for me to try. Also sat outside a local cafe/deli, drinking chilled milkshakes. So good. But, yes, eyes good.
vivdunstan: (fourth doctor)
2025-06-12 09:28 pm

Current listening: Doctor Who - Gallery of Ghouls

Onto another Fourth Doctor audio. So much about this one gives me joy. And what a guest cast.

Expandspoilers re some dialogue )

We're going into Broughty Ferry for my eye test tomorrow, and will be taking tons of Big Finish audios to Oxfams. Which is why I've been trying to get through some more of my backlog this week.

The main image is an orange-tinged one, featuring Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor, Lalla Ward's Romana II, Celia Imrie's character, and a disturbing waxy figure at the bottom. All against a backdrop of cogs and wheels.
vivdunstan: Sidney Paget drawing of Holmes and Watson in a railway carriage (sherlock)
2025-06-12 12:02 pm

Sherlock Holmes reread: The Naval Treaty

Nearing the end of Memoirs and on to this tale of a stolen secret treaty ... Expandspoilers )
vivdunstan: (fourth doctor)
2025-06-11 09:11 pm

Current listening: Doctor Who - The Darkness of Glass

Another one featuring Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor and Louise Jameson's Leela. I laughed a lot at one early bit. Leela: "What is the name of this wet world Doctor?" The Doctor: "Well it's called Britain. Great Britain actually. But I think wet world is rather more apt."

The main image is a spooky grey-tinged one, featuring Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor, Louise Jameson's Leela, and spectral hands reaching out from a strange lantern-like object
vivdunstan: (fourth doctor)
2025-06-10 09:38 pm

Current listening: Doctor Who - The Cloisters of Terror

Continuing to catch up on my gargantuan Big Finish Doctor Who audio backlog.

This one is rather fun, and includes Liz Shaw's Mum as a quasi companion.

The main image is a spooky blue-tinged one, featuring Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor, Louise Jameson's Leela, and three spooky looking nuns
vivdunstan: Portion of a 1687 testament of ancestor James Greenfield in East Lothian (historical research)
2025-06-10 05:23 pm

Historical squiggles

Staring again briefly at the testament(*) of an ancestor who died in 1591. And very grateful for colour manipulation options to make it more readable. Two pics - part of the original, and part of the colour adjusted version. It's still lots of 16th century squiggles, but at least they are clearer 16th century squiggles!

* sort of equivalent to English probate records. It includes legal matters relating to the estate, and debts. And may include a will if there was one. Also occasionally a detailed inventory of personal possessions.



vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
2025-06-08 09:40 pm
Entry tags:

Onto the 1990s ...

Continuing typing up notes for my next blog post, about fave/rec books, one published for each year of my life. Have now typed up the 1990s book choice notes. Over halfway! Words added tonight include "stuffed tiger", Orcadian, "Potato" and Eurythmics. Semi cryptic clues, or maybe not very!

I'm amused that more history books are creeping into my list now, though it's still a relatively small number. And also noting that I seem to have a decent number of Saltire Scottish Book of the Year winners on my list.
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
2025-06-08 01:47 am

Pocket 0

2.5 weeks ago I learned that Pocket was going to shut down imminently. I used it regularly, for many years, and still had 1461 unread saved articles waiting to be read. I’m pleased to say that I have now read them all - rather miraculous, given that I am asleep literally most of each 24 hours. I am now fully switched back to Instapaper, which I used long before. It also has the advantage of working better with my iPod touch - my main device when resting in bed for so much time - which can’t go newer than iOS 15.
vivdunstan: Photo from our wedding in Langholm (martin)
2025-06-06 08:56 pm

Old style coding

Martin just describing his daily programming practice on the computer for work. “I use vi. I don’t use a GUI.” Yup, that’s him 😜
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
2025-06-06 12:28 pm

Wordpress wrangling

Still working on my list of fave/rec books published one for each year of my life. Last night I managed to figure out how to persuade Wordpress to support expanding/collapsing details if you click on a title.** So then added expanding notes for the 1970s portion of the list. 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s to do another time!

** which more than anything else reminds me of Occam's folding editor I used to program in for a brief period as an undergraduate!

vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
2025-06-05 06:39 pm

The paper dance

Continuing revising (pre peer review) an academic journal paper. And today** has felt like 3 steps forward, 2 steps back, another step forward. So overall progress! Though much yet to do. But happy with progress. Even if it at times feels like an old style dance, with the forward/back moves!

** Well after 3pm when I'd finally woken up properly!
vivdunstan: (bernice summerfield)
2025-06-04 09:00 pm

Bernice Summerfield: Summer of Love

Generally Benny audios are fairly family friendly. But there are some where they're absolutely not suitable for younger listeners. Scenes of torture (portrayed through audio) sometimes happen. And then there's this one, where the population of the Braxiatel Collection are overcome by an orgy of lust. Which is handled on audio much as you might expect. Though that aspect could have been far worse! They're also pushing the comedy factor in this story, with the pair ups happening. I first heard this audio many years ago, but it works better slotted into the ongoing continuity of the series. And it's surprising how enjoyable I found this story to be, given the content. It does make me want to read more of the Benny books and short stories though. In particular the short story collection Something Changed could have been helpful here. I do have it in print, though have barely managed to read any print for prolonged periods for a couple of decades now ...

But yes, surprisingly enjoyable, pretty disposable, and absolutely not essential. But an original take on the premise. And I was amused.

vivdunstan: Muppet eating a computer (computers)
2025-06-01 08:15 pm

Still compiling - nearly finished! - my list of fave/rec books published per year of my life to 2024

Now up to 51/53 of the year entries chosen and filled. Was highly amused when I mentioned before dinner to Martin that I'd just added a "certain programming book". And he knew immediately which one it was. Kernighan & Ritchie's The C Programming Language. Which was a life saver in 1991/2 during a particularly problematic (lecturing wise) portion of my computer science undergraduate degree at St Andrews.
vivdunstan: The 15th Doc swirling round on the dance floor in his kilt (fifteenth doctor)
2025-05-31 10:14 pm

Doctor Who finale - spoilery thoughts

Going to put these in a firm spoiler cut. Only read these when/if you have seen the episode.

Expandspoilers )
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
2025-05-31 08:21 am
Entry tags:

Favourite books / rec books by year throughout my life (work in progress!)

Prompted by a YouTuber I watch I've started drawing up a list of book favourites and recommendations with one for each year of my life up to 2024. No repetition of authors. Not necessarily my all time favourites each year, but things that really spoke to me and I'm happy to recommend. Many not read in year of publication, especially when I was very small!

I will probably blog the results of this on my academic musings blog in due course. But will link to it from here too. It is going to take me a while to finish this list. 32/53 entries filled already though.

vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
2025-05-30 03:43 pm
Entry tags:

Art supplies

Got me some art supplies in (the pencil case is full of a good range of grades of graphite pencils etc.). I used to love drawing as a teenager. Especially in O'Grade Art and Design, when being sent out into Wilton Lodge Park on our own to draw the landscape and wildlife was just the best thing ever! I'd like to return to drawing, though I won't be able to get out much. Considered using my iPad, but for me, I think, analogue would be better. Wish me luck!

vivdunstan: Some of my Doctor Who etc books (drwho)
2025-05-29 11:25 pm

Current listening: Call Me Master “Inner Demons”

Finally getting to this. Sacha Dhawan’s Master from the Jodie Whittaker era of Doctor Who. The first boxset, with 3 full cast audio stories.