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Editors Corner

Aaron Timbrell's own bit of the magazine.

Ah, another year, another complete volume of RISC World. As before this edition includes all of the other issues from the year in one easy to store (or throw away -HJ) CD. As per usual I have taken the opportunity to fix a couple of "editorial contrivances" (mistakes) that were on previous issues. Actually while we are on the subject of the old single issue CDs why not pass a couple on to your friends to see if they like RISC World? After all you have all this volume's issues on this CD now, and do you really need two copies?

We are still looking for more authors to join RISC World in exchange for money. Unlike a number of other magazines we pay £50 for submissions. If you have anything you would like to write about then please do let us know. It doesn't have to be technical, it doesn't have to appeal to everyone but it will earn you money. You don't need the latest and greatest machine, all you do need is an interest in something, even if its synchronised under water stamp collecting people would like to know about it.

On another quick subject are you going to the Wakefield show this year? No? Oh dear. Well then you won't have the chance to win a fully specced Omega computer, or see all the latest software releases, play with the latest computers and see some surprises. If you don't go you are going to kick yourself, trust me.

Editor's Rant of the month

I was only going to have one rant this month, but instead I am going to have two. Firstly my chair. The desks in my office aren't at normal desk height, but are at drawing board height. The reason for this is that I am so used to sitting higher up after years of using drawing boards. Now this is fine, firstly you tend to adopt a better posture since you sit with your feet on the bottom rail of the draughtsmans chair and have your back straight. Secondly you have a choice when typing, you can sit in the chair, or you can stand up in front of the keyboard and can still type. However at the moment my choice is limited as my chair has just broken. It's 7:36 in the evening and there aren't any other chairs in the house that are the right height, so I am typing this standing up. I did try grabbing a dining room chair but I ended up looking like the small child on the front of a board game box from the 1970s. You know the ones where in order to get as big a photo of the game as possible all the kids are sitting round the table with only their shoulders and above showing. Have you ever tried typing like this? I have and you can't. To add insult to injury some complete lowlife with a digital camera has just sneaked round the corner of my office, laughed and snapped a picture, grrr.

Now I am going to have to go into the garage and fix my chair and perhaps the photographer. I can't understand why it's broken (the chair that is), I have only had it 15 years, and it was second hand and of course I only weigh a measly 8 stone.

Right. I am back now (only a few minutes later) with a bodged chair and so I can now write the rant I was going to write before the chair broke. My car has a broken windscreen. A stone hit it before Christmas causing a small crack. Over the last couple of months the crack has gradually increased in size until the windscreen finally decided that enough was enough and using the time honoured method of reproduction employed by single celled organisms throughout the ages has split into two. So I called my insurance company who "recommended" a company to fit a new screen. I made an appointment for Saturday morning and sure enough the van was outside the house before 10am. So far as good. Now things started to go wrong. Firstly the "craftsman" who was going to do the job started the traditional teeth sucking that heralds a problem.

"You ever 'ad this changed before?"
No I haven't and it looks like the original screen to me.
"Ah...well I haven't got the clips for one of these."
Sorry? You knew what the car was 4 days ago, why haven't you got the bits? Besides what exactly do you need apart from a windscreen?
"You see this bit 'ere, well you need these clips right, 'cos they break, and I aint got em."
Why not?
"Don't carry 'em. Tell you what though I can bodge it for you, but it won't look right."
I'm sorry? Lets talk to your office.

So he did, well I assume he did. Well actually I know he didn't. Instead he stood there talking into a mobile phone that was switched off. I know this now, but never mind. Anyway the conclusion was that it would be best to go and get the clips, then he would call me.

I expect you can guess the next bit - he didn't call. So my first job on Monday morning was to spread a bit of misery around. The result was that the windscreen fitter had vanished! So had the van he was using and the windscreen for my car, oh and of course the clips. I spoke to the branch manager.

"Sorry mate, dunno where he is, he ain't turned up."
Well when I am going to get my windscreen fixed?
"Well....dunno...all the other fitters are busy."
Well, you have dropped me in it, I need the car.
"Yeah, well, he's dropped us in it to."
So what, that is your problem, I can't use my car and that is also your problem
"Yeah well, not a lot I can do about it, look tell you what I will see what we are doing and ring you back"
He didn't.

I rung the head office and started a major whinge. The result was the call has been rebooked for Wednesday. Will the screen be fitted then? Who knows. In the meantime if you do need a windscreen fitted then I certainly couldn't recommend SilverShield windscreens, that is unless you don't have a windscreen, or a car.

Just a quick update - they couldn't fit the screen on the Wednesday as there was a light drizzle.

Printing RISC World

The new look of RISC World means that when you want to print an article on your printer it will have the light yellow background. However most web browsers allow you to turn off the background images when printing. The example below shows the print dialogue box from Fresco.

As you can see the option "No Background" is ticked. If you want to print out any of the RISC World pages then make sure you have clicked a similar option in your browser.

Aaron Timbrell