The Waller Sundry Lists Blog

Coffee recipes

• Instant - What most people seem to have at home. Several different country sources and blends.
• Filter - Whole bean selections as fresh, hot coffee, low cost caffein boost. Also available as decaf.
• Espresso - Short, strong, sweet and black: just what you need to start the day and perfect after a meal.
• Americano - Espresso with hot water: a longer coffee with an espresso taste.
• Espresso Doppio - A double shot of espresso: twice the strength for an extra kick.
• Cappuccino - Espresso topped with steamed, frothed milk and a sprinkling of chocolate: breakfast coffee you can enjoy all day.
• Caffè Crema - Espresso rich and topped with a delicate velvety crema layer
• Ristretto - A very short espresso: The ultimate strength shot.
• Caffè Latte - Espresso with steamed milk: plenty of milk and lots of flavour.
• Skinny Latte - As Latte, but with skimmed milk.
• Decaffeinated - Espresso decaffeinated ground coffee
• Macchiato - Espresso with a dash of frothed milk: A smoother flavour with all the taste.
• Mocha - Espresso with chocolate, topped with steamed, frothed milk and a sprinkling of chocolate: spoil yourself with the ultimate coffee indulgence.

There is some concern highlighted by Which, that the most complicated coffee or mocha with whipped cream could total more than 600 calories.

Hot Coffee Recipes
More Hot Coffee Recipes

Roulette Odds

Straight: a single number 35:1
Row zero 00,0: 17:1
Street: Row 3,6,9 tec: 11:1
Corner of 4 numbers: 8:1
Two rows: 5:1
Column 1,2,3: 2:1
First, middle or last 12: 2:1
Red or Black: 1:1
First or last 18: 1:1
Odd or Even: 1:1

They tell me that you should use the classic croupier calls when playing at home:
Fait vous paris - make your bets
Rien do va plus - no more bets - - - contributions from French speakers would be welcome.

Poker Hands

1. Royal Flush
2. Straight Flush
3. Four of a kind
4. Full House
5. Flush
6. Straight
7. Three of a kind
8. Two Pair
9. Pair
10. High Card

There is a better list here

Drivers' "Ten Commandments"

In any case, with the request for motorists to exercise virtue, the Vatican has drawn up a special "decalogue" for them, in analogy with the Lord’s Ten Commandments. These are stated here below, as indications, considering that they may also be formulated differently.

1. You shall not kill.
2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
4. Be charitable and help your neighbour in need, especially victims of accidents.
5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
7. Support the families of accident victims.
8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
10. Feel responsible towards others.

Behaviour Training

When I was training manager at KPMG we dealt with facts and skills. Behaviour training is different and uses similar techniques for dolphins, dogs, children, husbands, wives. Three techniques are possible:

• Reinforcement - which can be positive or negative. A reward for good behaviour is best. An intermittent or partial schedule of reinforcement, with variable or random amounts of reinforcement given in a random way, produces the strongest results. Negative reinforcement is not a slap, but just removal of something unpleasant, perhaps changing a nappy.
• Successive Approximations, or incompatible behaviour - ignoring the bad behaviour but moving the behavior in a small direction towards the acceptable goal. Like house training a dog to visit the garden at appropriate times during the day (combined with praise) and eventually it does not mess in the house.
• Least Reinforcing Syndrome (LRS) - when a dolphin does something unacceptable, do not respond in any way. Stand still for a few beats, not looking at it, not saying anything, and then return to work. An example of this is ignoring attention seeking behaviour, which if ignored will stop.

Psycological patterns of behaviour

Results from the research showed that there are a finite number of behaviours or team roles which comprise certain patterns of behaviour which can be adopted naturally by the various personality types found among people at work. The accurate delineation of these team roles is critical in understanding the dynamics of any management or work team.

The above information is extracted from www.belbin.com, home to the team building work of Dr. Meredith Belbin.

• PLANT - Creative, imaginative, unorthodox. Solves difficult problems. Ignores incidentals. Too pre-occupied to communicate effectively.
• CO-ORDINATOR - Mature, confident, a good chairperson. Clarifies goals, promotes decision-making, delegates well. Can often be seen as manipulative. Off loads personal work.
• MONITOR EVALUATOR - Sober, strategic and discerning. Sees all options. Judges accurately. Lacks drive and ability to inspire others.
• IMPLEMENTER - Disciplined, reliable, conservative and efficient. Turns ideas into practical actions. Somewhat inflexible. Slow to respond to new possibilities.
• COMPLETER FINISHER - Painstaking, conscientious, anxious. Searches out errors and omissions. Delivers on time. Inclined to worry unduly. Reluctant to delegate.
• RESOURCE INVESTIGATOR - Extrovert, enthusiastic, communicative. Explores opportunities. Develops contacts. Over - optimistic. Loses interest once initial enthusiasm has passed.
• SHAPER - Challenging, dynamic, thrives on pressure. The drive and courage to overcome obstacles. Prone to provocation. Offends people's feelings.
• TEAMWORKER - Co-operative, mild, perceptive and diplomatic. Listens, builds, averts friction. Indecisive in crunch situations.
• SPECIALIST - Single-minded, self-starting, dedicated. Provides knowledge and skills in rare supply. Contributes only on a narrow front. Dwells on technicalities.

Clausewitz's Principles of War
The principles of war are tenets used by military organizations to focus the thinking of leaders toward successful prosecution of battles and wars. They are generally attributed to Carl von Clausewitz and his book, On War. It is thought that these principles often apply to business.

The United States Armed Forces use the following nine principles of war in training their officers:

1. Objective Define a decisive and attainable objective for every military operation.
2. Offensive Seize, retain, and exploit the initiative.
3. Mass Apply sufficient force to achieve the objective.
4. Economy of Force Focus the right amount of force on the key objective, without wasting force on secondary objectives.
5. Maneuver Place the enemy in a position of disadvantage through the flexible application of combat power.
6. Unity of Command For every objective, there must be a unified effort and one person responsible for command decisions.
7. Security Never permit the enemy to acquire an unexpected advantage.
8. Surprise Strike the enemy at a time and/or place and in a manner for which he is unprepared.
9. Simplicity Prepare clear, uncomplicated plans and clear, concise orders.

While on the subject, General David Richards, Commander Allied Rapid Reaction Corps before leading the troops into Afghanistan ,had three 'mantras' :

• Relaxed not casual,
• Better an 80% solution now than a 100% one late,
• Work to 'intent'; telling people what is required but giving them freedom of action to achieve it.

Family Values
Having looked at the political values in Direct Democracy, I looked for family values in the several church sites. Nothing succinct, though a lot of discussion. Here is what the US Republican party says. Seems about right. I would like to see something on drink and drugs but you cannot have everything.

• Support for marriage and for children to be raised in family consisting of a man and a woman.
• Support for traditional education and parental involvement in that education.
• Support for policies that encourage "adoption over abortion".
• Support for behavior identified as traditional or moral such as respect, discipline, attentiveness, religious commitment.
• Support for healthy choices such as a nutritious diet, medical screenings, and physical activity.
• Support for health education, including abstinence, on the risks associated with early sexual activity such as teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
• Support for policies that protect children from obscenity and exploitation.

Direct Democracy
I find that I am in favour of direct democracy. Which means that I think that Brussels has too much influence. That the Americans are sometmes right. That Israel has a right to proportional response. And I do not like the way Prescott tries to run the country. The principles of DD are in www.direct-democracy.co.uk/

1. Decisions should be taken as closely as possible to the people they affect.
   
2. Decision-makers should be directly elected.
   
3. Citizens should be as free as possible from state coercion.
   
4. Local authorities should be self-financing.
   
5. Policing should be brought under local democratic control.
   
6. The state should fund, rather than administer, education.
   
7. The state should fund, rather than administer, healthcare.
   
8. Taxes should be simple, fair, transparent, efficient, competitive and low.
   
9. The supremacy of Parliament should be guaranteed over ministers, judges, officials and foreign treaty obligations.
   
10. Candidates for public office should be selected from the widest possible base.
    

Talk to the Hand
Lynne Truss wrote Eats Shoots and Leaves. Now she has written Talk to the Hand - The Utter Bloody Rudeness of Everyday Life. It probably will not be a a best seller, but besides sounding like a Grumpy Old Woman, for which she apologises, there are some good solid thoughts in there.

1. I really ought to say Please, Thank-You, and Sorry. And mean it.

2. Customer Service ought to mean, helping the customer, even if I am an idiot. Do-it-yourself ought not to be forced on me. For example, why do I have to plow through a dozen menu options when telephoning a company, and then be put on hold.

3. My personal space is important to me. I have a right to be left alone, and not get unsolicited phone calls in the evening or weekends. Or have to listen to other peoples' Ipods or mobile phone calls.

4. The universal Eff-Off reflex; which I guess refers back to Rule 1.

5. Respect is recommended by Tony Blair, but despite this we all ought to respect older people, professional people, peoples' property, police, referees, coaches, judges.

6. We ought to have regard for the community. And the community does not like litter, graffiti, loud music, peeing in public places.

See also Picking up litter Blog item

Ten Steps to Happiness

1. Plant something and nurture it - even if it's a window-box or pot plant. Keep it alive!
2. Count your blessings – at the end of each day reflect on at least five things you're grateful for
3. Take time to talk – have an hour-long uninterrupted conversation with a loved one each week
4. Phone a friend whom you have not spoken to for a while and arrange to meet up
5. Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it
6. Have a good laugh at least once a day
7. Get physical – take exercise for half an hour three times a week
8. Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day
9. Cut your TV viewing by half
10. Spread some kindness – do a good turn for someone every day

Sustainable buildings
My Client Glan Blake Thomas at
www.FlexibleSpace.com
has a Blog at
www.itstimeweallstartedtocare.blogspot.com/

The Challenge: To reduce construction cost and time - increasing certainty and value.
There are two threads in this challenge

• Reducing Cost, avoiding extended project time and delays. These directly affect profitability.
• Greater value - ensured by satisfying customer expectations. Ensuring we satisfy the customer today and into the future.

And by the same means this technique allows flexibility in the layout and use of the building into the future.

It all sounds cool. And in an air-conditioned environment, cool is a good term. And not only this, a reduction in energy in building and operation must contribute to the environment.

See also The Egan Initiative in this Blog.

Maslow hierarchy of needs
Prompted by the UK TV program New Tricks last evening I quote below the hierarchy of needs put out by Albert Maslow. Note that until the lower levels have been satisfied the higher ones do not get a look-in:

1. Physical needs - food, sleep, sex, avoid pain
2. Safety and security - safe circumstances, stability, protection, a need for structure, for order, some limits
3. Love and belonging - need for friends, a sweetheart, children, affectionate relationships, a sense of community
4. Self-esteem - the respect of others, the need for status, fame, glory, recognition, attention, reputation, appreciation, dignity
5. Self-actualization - to be all that you can be, the most complete, the fullest, you

What's in a Word
These are the online resources that I use when writing:

dictionary.reference.com
   My favourite: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Web
askoxford.com
   An excellent tool and a wealth of other word things.
oed.com
   A subscription service
Merriam-Webster Online Search
   with a lot of special sections
dictionary.langenberg.com
   a way into all the other dictionaries, and other things as well
en.wikipedia.org
   Contribute what you think is the meaning, and read theirs. urbandictionary.com
   Rude descriptions of words used on the street
wordweb.info
   install this and have it accessible from all your programs
quotationsbook.com
   Choose your subject, or your author, and read.
lssu.edu/banished
   yesterday's buzz-words that should now be pensioned off.
Gutenburg free books
   18,000 free online books in the Gutenberg Catalog.

The Egan Initative
A quote from one Freeman Dyson, British born, US physicist and author:
"A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works, with as few original ideas as possible. There are no prima-donnas in engineering."

Sir John Egan is President of the Confederation of British Industry. He was chairman of the Construction Task Force which produced The Egan Initative in 1998. This goes some way to getting engineers take a wider view. I have listed nine of his points:

• Interval Probability - how often is this risk likely to arise
• Probability Theory; precision and truth-likeness - the more precisely the risk is defined, the less likely it is to happen.
• Structural vulnerability - identify the weak links against the wide range of possible threats.
• Physical Process Modeling - simulation of all the things going on, to see what the worst case scenario would look like.
• Hazard and Risk Management - the set of preconditions for failure.
• Monitoring of Full Scale Structures - how to interpret a mass of conflicting signals from sensors and people.
• Ethics - avoid unwelcome and negative aspects of technology
• Observation Engineering - design under uncertainty means that you have to ask all the players for their views and experience.
• Reflective Practice - identify frequently occurring patterns in engineering failures

You can read a full report from Bristol University

I am not sure how relevant this is in building computer systems. It has often been said that when a system goes live, less than half of the bugs have been corrected. And certainly experience with government IT projects has shown that the design of huge systems is often not well done. Maybe some thoughts on the above lines would help at the design stage.  

Picking up litter
We get a lot of litter along the Greensward right along the front at Goring, particularly after drunken parties Friday and Saturday evenings. The council pick it up quite early the following morning, but there are always stray bits. Some kind souls pick it up. Others disapprove of them doing this.

This I find odd. Why should people disapprove?

Lynne Truss in "Speak to the Hand" says there are seven reasons:

1. It is not their responsibility, so why should they?
2. It is someone elses job, so why aren't THEY doing it?
3. It looks a bit obsessive/eccentric
4. They actually hate and resent doing this, so it makes them grumpy
5. It makes me feel guilty and worthless
6. As a general rule you should never volunteer for anything
7. Ugh! That's other peoples litter!

THEY should do something about it, I hear you say. But there is no THEY in this world, it's only YOU and ME.

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