GadgetVicar

Technofear

Changing webhosts is a frightening prospect, but I've managed to transfer my main domain in just over twelve hours, and everything seems fine. The customer service rep at my old host was Portugese, which made communication difficult (and no, my accent wasn't the problem).

There may have been a few emails bouncing back if anyone tried to email me in the middle of the night, and I 've only just picked up on a few comments this afternoon.

Tomorrow, we have a new Dell computer arriving to replace the self-built one which has died. Despite my best efforts, I've been unable to fix it. Long gone are the days when I built my own. The time, frustration and cost involved are no longer worth it. It might be if i was still an ardent gamer wanting to build a super-rig, but as my gaming time is now so limited, it seems unnecessary.

Having said that, the machine that we have coming from Dell Outlet, seems sweet, having a Core 2 Duo processor and an Nvidia 8800GTX, so I might be tempted to play a game now and again. Many apologies for just entering the world of mega-geekdom in this post.

Speaking of technofear, I caught some of the Live Earth gig at Wimbledon (sic - Spinal Tap). Madonna (on rhythm electric guitar for 'Ray of Light'!) and Kasabian were brilliant. The little ritual of putting out all the unnecessary lights just before Madge came on, seemed like tokenism, especially as the lighting then went mental for her set.

I wonder how many people today will be more determined to live differently, as a result of these gigs? We already recycle as much as we can in our home (Ms GV is somewhat tyrannical about this). We have energy efficient lightbulbs in every socket. However, we are not so good at turning off devices in standby or unplugging rechargers.

We will try to be better citizens of the world. Honest.

Lunar Eclipse

The heavens declare the glory of God;  the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

                                                                                                     Psalm 19:1

I watched the eclipse from our bedroom window. It was a stunning event. This picture really doesn't do it justice. I imagine that it's one of those events that for some ancients would have portended doom. I found it simply beautiful.

Carbon Footprint

I'm a bit worried about my carbon footprint (the effect of the carbon emissions that our house and travelling causes). In the next six weeks I have to take one domestic (Belfast) and two intercontinental flights. I'm also going to London, but this time by train.

This website (amongst others) calculates the carbon emissions made by our lifestyle, then helps offset these by helping you pay money into projects:

*       Renewable energy - replacing non-renewable fuel such as fossil fuels    
*       Energy efficiency - reducing the amount of fuel needed    
*       Forest restoration - absorbing carbon  as the trees grow

The emissions from homes, cars and flights can be calculated. It's frightening to see what we produce from our family. It's a great idea, but perhaps some of the tax we pay could be used in this way? Not enough people are going to make the effort to check this out until it is too late.