This triggered some remote synapse about a biblical quote, and armed with GREP and a Project Gutenberg etext of the King James version I found this:
"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:"
A personalised message. B>)
My eye was then caught by a flurry of activity above the handbasin. A Daddy long legs spider had darted from behind the mirror and was rolling an unfortunate victim into a ball of silk and then sucking it. One ant amongst many. It is natures way and all that but all the same not much fun for the one that gets caught. No wonder my Daddy long legs are all so fat and healthy.
"The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces."
Not much of a kingdom, but the spiders are certainly in my throneroom.
The ant, for me, personifies ruthless, relentless and dogged industry. Nothing stops them. I try not to spray, but when I find them inside my loaf of bread I draw the line.
From a Y2k point of view, ruthless, relentless and dogged industry is what we need just now. I see some halfhearted activity, but not a lot.
The point of this little homily being of course that if the ants do not indulge in ruthless, relentless and dogged industry the spiders will starve to death. One would think the spiders would be better motivated to get those ol' ants just moving it along.
I ordered in some fish and chips from the delivery service last night, and was peeling off the crisp outer batter, worrying that the cat would not like it.
In a pretence to civilisation, I then went off to find a plate. When I got back I found Miss Chiff, four feet firmly in the cardboard box, munching the fish, batter, bones and all.
So much for worrying about the delicacy of the feline constitution and palate. I can now firmly say that I have established that this cat eats fish. Next time I shall order two pieces. At least the beast left me the chips.
That reminds me. I haven't had a good rant recently.
I was recently amused to see a local
campaign regarding devices in the home. This may have
resulted from Action 2000 in the UK who also had a Y2k
campaign on domestic appliances such as VCRs. It is
heartening to note that they have detected this
hitherto unsuspected and glaring gap in the broad
spectrum of Y2k activity.
The significance of a CNN broadcast several months ago,
where the negative effects of Y2k on chip friers at a
large Fried Chicken Emporium were discussed, now
acquires a much deeper and sinister meaning.
If the temperature controls on Chip Friers (and I
hypothesise that Fish Friers could also be at risk)
were to fail, the oil might actually become hot. The
devastating effect of crisp, greaseless chips on the
British or South African Constitution, genetically
conditioned to the soggy or limp variety, cannot be
underestimated.
One might as well eat vile "French Fries".
Deprived of normal levels of Grease Ingestion, deaths
from hypothermia in the colder months are
inevitable.
The barbarity of the imposition of foreign weights and
measures resulting from adoption of the Euro are a mere
nothing in contrast to the horror of this threat to
that bulwark of nutrition, Fish and Chips.
It is widely known that "A nation marches on its
stomach", so this is nothing short of an attack on the
grand traditions of Western Civilisation.
The consequent decline in standards and moral fibre
must be obvious to any thinking person. Empires have
been lost on lesser issues, such as race.
Another potential risk, that of chips spilling from the
newsprint container and being trampled into the carpet,
is also under investigation. This results in the
unedifying sight of dogs, cats and children licking the
floor, and the consequent health risks. This "Embedded
Chip" problem has assumed serious proportions and is
believed to occur in from 4% to 10% of average
homes.
How encouraging it is to know that Public Monies are
being put to such good use by these tireless and
energetic workers for the common good, these defenders
of Civilisation As We Know It.
My multifarious critcs will no do doubt be offended by
this critique. But I am less than impressed when I see
vast sums of boodle being expended on trivia.
I know exactly where this all started. Some woolly PR
type wanted to "make it all real for the general
public". The reality is that consumer goods are a tiny
and generally unimportant issue. We are straining at
gnats again. Maybe we should be looking at some real
issues. Such as SMEs, Training and Infrastructure.
The "Fish and Chips Rant"
I feel much better now. B>)
All this "consumerism" prompted me to write an essay on Comsumers and Y2k (Topic 021), which was met with bored indifference.
However, the good news is that Isobel Jones, our stalwart Consumer Watchdog has taken up the cudgels on behalf of Y2k. On one of her TV shows she went after the manufacturers of upmarket motor vehicles and extracted a pledge that all Audis and Volkswagens (sold through regular channels) are "Y2k compatible" - - whatever that means.
In a subsequent phonein show on Radio 702 she interviewed Libby Robb of The 2000 Forum, Richard Vernon of IBM and a cast of thousands.
And she got several of these folks to make absolute statements that they were Y2k compliant. Like Otis elevators. Like the local Burglar Alarm contol body. The Airports Company. Eskom. The Defence Force. The Oil companies. The Banks.
The benefit of all this is that Isobel Jones is forcing disclosure, because nobody messes wih Isobel.
And the further beauty is that if anybody tells fibs, she will remember, and if and when the wheels fall off she will remind them forcibly of what they have promised.
This is a positive approach to the "Consumer" problem. Review the risks, make an informed decision, and don't become hysterical. And if you think any of your devices have date dependencies then contact the supplier.
So the good news is that the few TV and Radio slots that we are getting have been reasonably balanced and sensible.
As Isobel says "Taking your money out of the bank is a really dopey idea".
Freek Robinson is planning a Y2k show on his news program. (April 7, SABC TV 2, 21:30).
The reason I know this is that The Cat and I were interviewed for it. These TV things take hours to make and you then end up with 15 seconds saying something totally inappropriate that you are sure you never said.
Miss Chiff was not fully convinced that she wanted to become a TV Star. As Mimi, the nice lady producer, struggled to hold the squirming feline and the cameraman struggled for focus, I could see "that" look on kitty's face. I fully expected to see a grey streak disappear into the shrubbery.
When released however, she walked stiff legged (the "I want to kill something" look) along the side of the pool towards me and then whisked around the corner of the house. This I am informed was a acceptable "Establishing shot". Well we shall see.
Tick, tick, tick goes the clock. Less than 195 working days to go.