The idea of making or modifying postcards has always appealed to me. Now, as a result of Marja-Leena Rathe's blog, I have found a site for postcard-makers called Postal Poetry. I have immediately placed it under my links heading and have no hesitation in recommending it to those who don't already know it. Meanwhile, I have found this card, which I made a few years ago with the help of Paintshop, and which I still quite like.A piece of technology new to me comes to the house in the shape of a table lamp with a touch-sensitive switch. You turn the light on and off and choose between three different degrees of brightness, simply by touching the lamp. The light operates by means of a capacitance switch, which has no moving parts and none of the problems associated with them. What is a capacitance switch? It is based on two loops of wire close to one another, which become part of a circuit when linked, but instead of a mechanical linkage, there is a power linkage created when the circuit output is increased for a second. The power increase is affected by the intervention of human touch. And that succeeds because the electrons, which are present in the lamp, require only to be boosted by those in the human body to complete the circuit. It is simple and not expensive - a beautiful thing, and Barrett, it works well.
In the sun outside the Compasses, a leaf lands in my lap, almost in my beer. Other leaves fly merrily past.
6 comments:
I'm glad you've been inspired by my mention to show us your poetry postcard. You should have submitted it! Do another one for them?
That lamp sounds fabulous, I wonder if they are available here. Does it use one of the energy saving mini-flourescent bulbs? Our incandescent tri-lite bulbs don't stay tri for long, that is they don't work well.
Visitors using our second bedroom are equipped with reading lights that work like this. When you touch the lamp body there's a sensation in your finger-tip which can only be described as a frisson. Our first experience of such lights was in rural New Zealand, so I'm sure they're available in Canada M-L.
However, this is not the only technological advance that deserves celebration on Plutarch's blog. I see that the blog title is now integrated with a picture. Congratulations. The difficulty I found was finding a typeface and a colour that stood out against a background. Slightly more difficult in my case since the background consists of a montage of several pictures.
Yes, Plutarch, a wonderful image up top, looking like an ancient map that is rotting away, with some very serious looking ants about to march across! Somehow makes me think of your wonderful long poem Compasses.
I agree with Marja-Leena - there is definitely a "Compasses" feel about the new heading to your blog - I particularly like the sense of space and scale. Very effective as a photo and as a lead-in to Best of Now.
Oh this is such a treat! A new look, wonderful ant banner, a photo of you, an updated profile... all marvellous! are you sitting outside the Compasses in that photo?
Glad you discovered Postal Poetry, what about submitting something? It's an interesting challenge...
Thanks, everyone. So far so good with the lamp. The ancient map is the bark of a silver birch viewed vertically. The ants must have been looking for something at the top of the tree. I think there is some similarity with the Compasses venture in the concept. The photograph was not taken outside The Compasses (The pub not the poems), but I believe outside a restaurant in London
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