Ian McNaught Davis & My Computing Evolution

Ian McNaught-Davis passed away last week aged 84. His name won't be familiar to most people but during the 1980's he was a familiar face on TV and more often than not he was promoting the early computers such as the BBC Micro, Acorn and Archimedes. Together with Chris Serle, another familiar face from 80's TV, he hosted in 1983 'Making the Most of the Micro' and earlier 'The Computer Programme'.

Both were attempts to sell the concept of computers playing an integral role in among the general public and industry. Little did they know back then just how much an impact the personal computer would have on the World and the development of the Internet which now joins these devices to a vast network of information and media. It's difficult to know how influential these programmes were given that computer ownership was extremely low. In the US, ownership was as low as 15% of the overall population. It would be another ten years before things really began to take off. Up to then there had been many attempts at developing a 'standard' home computer and I recall with fondness owning a few of them.

Nowadays we look back at these 'museum pieces' the same way we do a vintage car or wind-up gramophone. Their use was often limited to very basic games or simple word processing, but that was all we really needed at the time, and even this seemed amazing.

The dial-up modem made it possible for computers to connect to other computers and I recall using early Bulletin Board Services to access local information and news. Many of these were run from people's homes and the slow data rate and call costs made this a very expensive activity.

CompuServe was my first portal to the Internet in the early 90's. It wasn't 'true' Internet as we know it now - more a selection of sites made available via a portal. Even then there were just a few hundred sites available, each easily categorised according to content. I recall my excitement at having a whole electronic library of information at my fingertips and would regularly sit up half the night browsing these fledgling sites on my US Robotics 28 kbps modem.

Much of the time was spent patiently waiting for the pages to load, one line at a time, such were the limitations of modem technology back then. However, it worked and it was exciting - a taste of what was to come.
I don't remember when exactly ISDN became available domestically. It had been used by business for many years but for a time, BT marketed it to the general public as 'super-fast' access to the Information Superhighway. In reality, it was two phone lines joined together to give twice the maximum bandwidth. Even wit the two lines, the line speed was only about 256 mbps. By today's standards, this is very low but back in the mid to late 90's, this was high speed and with the limited complexity of sites, pages loaded quickly. This was a major step forward and opened the door to streaming audio and video - albeit at very low definition and bit rate. Most importantly, it worked and it worked well. ISDN wasn't around long enough to be established as a standard for domestic Internet access. It wasn't marketed, it was a lot of work to install, it wasn't user-friendly and it was expensive. The need to dial-up each time meant that forgetting to disconnect after use could mean staying connected for many hours, each minute of which was charged at a premium. I recall one month receiving a bill for £800 simply because I had forgotten to disconnect.
I was a latecomer to ADSL. I had moved from South London in 2001 and in South Lincolnshire, it took another couple of years before it reached me. I moved with my job, then in IT, so I was able to have ISDN re-installed in my new home, and installed again in my current home a few miles up the road. When it finally came, ADSL was a massive leap from ISDN. The biggest bonus for me was the ability to have several computers connected to the Internet simultaneously. Being permanently connected was a good feeling and it was great not having to worry about connecting and disconnecting. I could use my phone at the same time too - something I couldn't do with ISDN or dial-up.

Youngsters growing up with this technology know of nothing else. They are used to the Internet being there, being constantly connected from computer, tablet and mobile. My son will remember the Internet as it is now - fast, dependable and always there. What's next? Well super-fast fibre is the next step and swathes of the UK are being connected right now. As with ADSL, it will take some time before it reaches me. Roll-out is dependent on viability, cost-effectiveness and take-up. In a village of just a hundred or so homes, there won't be anywhere near the demand and for most people, ADSL provides adequate speed and bandwidth. However, even now there are signs that ADSL may be struggling to provide the bandwidth needed. I already see my 7 year old son placing huge demands on our connection to the Internet. He has discovered YouTube and streaming video services such as BBC iPlayer, and with much of it available in high definition, he often 'hogs the bandwidth' and makes it difficult for me to catch up on the latest news or check my bank account. Even now, the quantity and quality of information and media available to us is dictating the way we connect. As the Internet has grown, so too has our demand for what it can offer. The problem is that it grows faster than our ability to connect and feed from it. Perhaps fibre will eventually satisfy all our needs.
So I look back at where we have come from and how fast technology has developed since the first time I heard the high pitch squeal of my modem as it 'shook hands' with another modem in a far off location. We've come a long long way. I wonder what Ian McNaught Davis would be predicting now if those programmes were made again today? Rest in peace and thanks for helping us to understand now what we understood then.

Frank Thornton

It is so sad to hear that Frank Thornton has passed away. To anyone my son's age, his name will mean nothing though I suspect it's only a matter of time before he discovers my collection of 'Are You Being Served' recordings. Of course, he will be remembered by many for his role as Captain Peacock in the long running BBC comedy of the 70's and early 80's.

He was of course like many of his ilk, a highly accomplished actor who starred in many films including The Early Bird, Carry On Screaming, The Bed-Sitting Room and Gosford Park, to name just a few.
In 1997 he took the role of Herbert 'Truly' Truelove in Last of the Summer Wine, replacing Brian Wilde who had suggested him for the role.
He twice appeared as the character of Bert Dingle in the British soap opera Emmerdale, once in March 2000 and again in October 2002.
Following the death of Trevor Bannister on 14 April 2011, Thornton was one of the two last surviving members (the other being Nicholas Smith) of the original cast of Are You Being Served?.

A Stressful Day, A Wasted Trip & Andrew Lyons

A stressful day. I attended a rather subdued Group meeting this morning which was thankfully made more cheerful by the arrival of Harry and Harriet, our local Pets As Therapy dogs and their handlers. There were once again relatively few attendees and I'm inclined to blame the weather for their non-appearance.
The journey to Spalding this morning was again made in freezing conditions, this time compounded by thick fog and ice. It looks as if we are in for a prolonged period of freezing temperatures though the snow does seem to have abated.

Speaking on non-appearance, I yesterday afternoon attended what I believed to be a meeting held at Lincolnshire NHS offices at Bracebridge Heath. The meeting had been scheduled for 4pm and its purpose was to informally discuss how we all felt about the future of mental health support in the wake of Andrew Harrison's tragic death. How surprised was I then to find on arrival that I was the only one attending and that the meeting had evidently been cancelled. I have sent an email to the organiser but I have yet to receive a reply.

Today had been allocated by my wife for us to contact the council regarding our council tax payments and our electricity provider Eon regarding the ridiculous amount they are changing for our lighting and heating.
I had been dreading the prospect of having to speak with them but thankfully my wife had dealt with the council before I arrived home from Group. I find more and more that my anxiety kicks in and frankly makes me feel quite ill. I much prefer to type letters. It is one of the few things I am still able to do with any level of confidence.
I finally mustered the courage and explained our situation to the chap in their call centre. To his credit, he was actually quite helpful and having explained that there was no way we could afford to pay £360 per month, he set about changing our payment arrangement. This still leaves the £800 odd debt we've somehow managed to accrue since joining them last year. This still needs to be resolved and a complaint has been raised with a dedicated team who should be contacting us in a couple of days time. Of particular concern is how our monthly energy consumption could have leaped from £126 to £196 and why they emptied our bank account at the beginning of January to pay off some of what we owed - without consulting us beforehand. This may sound minor and trivial to many but when you have very little or no income, it's pretty major.

Suicide is in the news again. The BBC have an article on their news site which highlights the increase in the number of people taking their own lives. This is tragic and sad, but not unexpected. I've written at length about how stress, depression and their causes such as debt, redundancy and the squeeze on living standards caused by Government policy is making life unbearable for many. An increasing number are being pushed to the limit, and in some cases, beyond.
In my local newspaper, the Spalding Guardian, I see that there was another successful suicide attempt in Spalding. The body of Andrew Lyons, aged just 33 was discovered next to the railway line. What drove Andrew to this act is unknown but it is a sad fact that more and more people in their 30's are choosing the ultimate way out and freedom from the pain and misery of debt and redundancy. Why? is something many will be asking. Was help available to Andrew or had he sought help? IS there anything anyone could have done to make his situation easier or provide hope, enough for him to see that there is a reason for carrying on? Perhaps we'll never know, but Andrew is a reminder to us all of how suicide is difficult to predict and to prevent in someone determined enough.
I always feel anger when something like this happens. I feel angry that no one was able to help. I feel angry that Andrew felt so desperate and alone, that his problems couldn't be resolved or worked out. If help had been provided and there was hope, what would Andrew have become and achieved in his life? Whatever pushed Andrew to the limit and beyond could have been made easier with support and help from others, particularly those who have been where Andrew had been, people who understand how it is to feel there is no way out of a situation and to make the ultimate choice. People like this are in a unique position to empathise and provide the support needed to convince someone like Andrew that there is another way out. When someone is depressed and at their wits end, it is impossible to see, but it is there, of this I am convinced. If only...
My Moodscope score today is 47%

You're not all bad, BBC

I imagine to many it would seem pretty odd to be heaping praise on the BBC given the 'crisis' that has befallen it and its current standing in British society. I do though feel I should thank them for a excellent hour of broadcasting this morning between 9 and 10am on Radio 5. The programme was on the subject of Schizophrenia and did more for awareness of this condition than any campaign has managed to date. The calls from sufferers and the families of sufferers provided a personal lived perspective and did so much to dispel some of the myth, rumour and stigma associated with this most debilitating mental illness.
So well done BBC, you're not all bad and most appropriate that such a broadcast is made on what is today the 90th anniversary of the BBC's first radio transmission.

A Fine Course & A Broken BBC

A bit to catch up on in this post. My last week has been pretty good. I attended a Mental Health First Aid training course in Louth Thursday and Friday along with one of my support group colleagues. It was my first time in Louth since accidentally visiting it a few years ago in a desperate search for petrol one night. We were staying in Mablethorpe at the time.
The course was excellent. It was delivered by two of the finest mental health experts I know - Linda O'Hara and Jean Westcott. It covered every aspect of mental health first aid - the differing types of illness, causes, symptoms and treatments. They did very well to cram everything into two days and I found the course to be the most informative I have attended to date.
The attendees were made up of professionals, sufferers and parents - a real mix. During the introductions, the group found out that I help run a support group and this attracted considerable interest. I was reminded once again of the shortage of support services throughout the county. As a result, I was approached by two of the attendees - the first were parents who's son suffers with mental health problems. He is keen to find a support group in the area. The other is a chap who has served in the RAF for more than thirty years. He suffers PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and severe mental health problems. He too is keen to attend a support group, and doesn't mind travelling. I'm sure he will fit in very well, and I am confident the group will be able to provide the support and comfort he seeks.
We learnt a great deal, including how the government spending cuts are impacting on mental health services. It was worrying to hear that the Crisis Response Teams are only able to attend situations between the hours of 9-5 Monday to Friday. Anyone having a crisis outside of these times will have to wait until the service is next available. How terrible... I can honestly see a situation soon where trained volunteers will be required to provide these much needed services, much in the same way that David Cameron wishes to have a million trained Dementia Volunteers in the next couple of years to spot the early signs of Dementia.
It is very sad that the real sufferers of the government's spending cuts are those who most need the services that are being restricted and at worst, withdrawn completely. The cumulative effect can only be to increase fear and suffering, increase the risk of self-harm amongst the vulnerable, and increase further the number of needless suicides attributed to government health and welfare policy.
I nearly forgot to mention that we also came away from the course with our very first group fundraiser. She is the mother of a son who suffers, and she told me that she had decided to redirect all her fund raising activities to supporting our group. How wonderful and how kind that someone I hadn't met before has chosen to do this.

On the subject of Blue Skies, we now have our draft constitution which I need to edit slightly. We need this in order to open a bank account next week so we can deposit our funds and provide an account for any funding bid monies to be paid into. I'm not sure yet as the the position I will occupy on the Committee. I believe we need at least five committee members and we are required to meet regularly, similar to the way in which companies and CIC's operate. I should be in a better position to know what my duties and responsibilities will be next week.
I came away from the MHFA course with a load of leaflets and booklets on a broad range of mental health subjects. The information in them is very good so I have decided to set up a small library of documents and booklets available to the group. For the time being, it will need to be a mobile library that can be carried to each session. This will compliment what I already have available on my site.

I have to mention the crisis affecting the BBC. I do so as I'm actually quite fond of it and value greatly the quality and range of programming it makes available.
What is very clear to me is that a systemic failure has led to serious errors being made. The resignation of George Entwistle has been unavoidable given the lack of basic management that led to a film being shown accusing a senior public figure of one of the worst possible crimes. This film was shortly after transmission found to be wholly inaccurate and it beggars belief that such a film could have been shown unchecked and without being passed by someone in a senior management position. If I had been DG, I would certainly have requested that anything as high profile be shown to me first together with the supporting evidence. This clearly did not happen and I suspect George Entwistle won't be the last to fore go his position.
It really is so sad to see such an esteemed organisation as the BBC left open to such criticism and distrust, especially when the mistakes appear to be so rudimentary and basic. The live radio grilling by John Humphreys played a huge part in the events that led to Entwistle's resignation last night. It made for painful listening and it was clear that the damage caused by the on air mauling had been pretty massive.
Someone needs to take a firm hold of the BBC rudder to restore public confidence and instill a renewed code of ethics and editorial control.

Non-event Monday

It's one of those Monday's when I just can't get motivated. I'm active - I've done the washing-up, cooked breakfast and vacuum cleaned all over. I feel as if I should be doing things and I'm sure there are things waiting to be done, but I just can't get started.
My wife is at home for another week recovering from what is probably a kidney infection. She's on a cocktail of pain killers which are making her very tired. It's a bot odd having her about at the moment, and I must remember not to burst into song, forgetting she is in the other room.
Weather is horrible. It is grey, misty and damp - typical 'leading up to Winter' weather.
I could be doing some work on our group funding bid. I have about a third of the application form to complete, but I really don't feel in the mood. I have to be in the right frame of mind to do things, as I've mentioned before.
I do need to reply to a Psychology student who wishes to gain some experience by joining our support group as a volunteer. I will ask her to come along Tuesday 30th. Perhaps she could do a little talk about her studies  and what has made her interested in mental health.
Yesterday wasn't too bad. If I go down, it's normally on a Sunday. I managed to busy myself fixing a friend's WIFI. She lives in Spalding so it wasn't too far to go. It didn't take me long to get things up and running for her and we sat and talked for a while, which was nice.
In the news, the Jimmy Savile 'scandal' seems to have felled its first TV executive. Peter Rippon has stepped aside whilst the BBC investigation continues. Peter is editor of Newsnight and was responsible for dropping the Jimmy Savile story when its own investigation revealed allegations into his conduct. I doubt very much if Peter will be the last and more revelations are expected following a special Panorama programme tonight on BBC1.
My Moodscope rating is 26% today, not bad at all and a true reflection I think.

A Few Words on Jimmy Saville

I, like so many, have been shocked and saddened to hear the mounting evidence against Jimmy Saville with regards to abuse allegations stretching back many years. For me, I am filled with a sense of utter shock, dismay and a level of regret - that I had for so long regarded him a part of my childhood in the form of his TV shows during the 70's and 80's.
It is clear that the investigations into his conduct are discovering that the 70's and 80's were a different age and that acts such as those that have been reported were perhaps more common and widespread than we had imagined. The culture was different to today and I fear that there will be those apart from Jimmy Saville who will be worried for the outcome of the inquiries now taking place by both the police and the BBC.
It is such a shame that someone who had done so much good and held in such high esteem is now derided and viewed with such revulsion and anger.
So many questions need to be asked. Among them are why didn't anyone come forward earlier and why didn't the people who claim they knew report their concerns at the time?
There are many who should feel responsible for not doing the right thing and for allowing his conduct to continue in the way that it did. Either people were truly blind to what was going on, or they simply chose not to do anything about it. My personal feeling is that many people did know what was going on and are as guilty in not doing anything to prevent it. I am sure there will be many now who feel profound guilt for what went on, and one can only hope that the investigation will out all those who conspired to let it happen.

Photo of the Day 17

This is a gift from my son for Christmas. It's a painting he created himself of Santa water-skiing. It's actually one of the most precious things I have and I will soon arrange for it to be framed properly and hung on the wall.

I'm still wrestling with the idea of contacting one of my past work colleagues and friends. I see they are now involved in running their own little business and if what I've read is to be believed, they are doing very well. I see that they run a blog and the fact that it's been updated recently tells me they are not affected by the economic downturn. Good for them! I always knew they'd end up doing well for themselves. But the dilemma is to whether or not I should make contact. Do they want to know about all my problems? Probably not. Perhaps I should just be content in the knowledge that no harm has come to them and that they're out there somewhere working hard and enjoying what they do.

I've booked myself an appointment for the 31st January for some CBT. I'm hoping it will help with my anxiety and worry issues. I'm pretty open minded to it all really and if it helps me to get where I want to be, then great. I copied this from Wikipedia to explain a little more about it;
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapeutic approach: a talking therapy. CBT aims to solve problems concerning dysfunctional emotions, behaviours and cognitions through a goal-oriented, systematic procedure in the present. The title is used in diverse ways to designate behaviour therapy, cognitive therapy, and to refer to therapy based upon a combination of basic behavioural and cognitive research.
It does go on to get rather more technical, but I won't do that here. It's all there on wonderful Wikipedia.

 

A delicious little news item today. Parents have reacted strongly to the use of a new narrator for the children's TV programme Waybuloo. Parents have flooded parenting websites and Twitter with comments criticising the move claiming their children have been left confused and bewildered.
Personally I'm convinced that anyone capable of creating such a show must be under the influence of something pretty strong. If you've ever attempted to watch it, you'll know exactly what I mean.

Cold weather is on its way again we're being told. Any excuse for a roaring log fire here!