colour deficiency

Just been researching the different types of colour-deficient vision... very complicated. It's something that web developers ought to pay attention to, but it tends to be a bit of an afterthought, until you realise that 8% of men have some form of colour deficit in their vision.

This site has the best explanation of the different types of colour deficiency (commonly but incorrectly known as colour-blindness): http://webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/2.html, and it has lots of interesting stuff about colour as well. There's a shorter explanation at www.vischeck.com/info/wade.php.

On this site you can check your images to see how they look to a person with colour deficient vision: www.vischeck.com. You can also "Daltonize" them (convert them to a colour-deficiency accessible version).

There are three different components to colour: Hue, Saturation, and Lightness. If you need to use colour to convey information, try not to use colours of the same saturation, and include other information like shape or hatching to distinguish between different objects. The BT website has colour charts showing the effects of the different types of colour-deficient vision.

Another option for web page designers is to offer different CSS stylesheets for different visual impairments. I have implemented this on my work homepage, and you can download all the necessary bits in the form of a ZIP file.

Oh, and I found a site in German: www.ichbinfarbenblind.de/
- I especially liked the "verbotene Fragen" section.

just been sent this

I've just been sent this via email, I think it sums it up really. Apparently "looking a bit foreign" is now a capital offence in this country.

It's a good thing I no longer have my old passport, as everyone said my identification photo made me look like Ulrike Meinhof. And I have another passport photo where I look a bit foreign...

questions

Did Jean Charles de Menezes look like a terrorist?
Why did the police not identify themselves as police?
Wouldn't you run away if you were being chased by people with guns?
Why wasn't the public informed about the shoot-to-kill policy?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Charles_de_Menezes
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4711619.stm

Blog entry by someone who met him

in the eye of the beholder

Just looks like a polished axe to me...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4713323.stm
'Ancient phallus unearthed in cave'

The scratch marks round the top could be anything, if you ask me.

1.1 km

Today I swam 22 lengths of the pool, that's 1.1 km. Hardly paused between lengths either!

Prague photos

Now viewable at my Bath website (now with thumbnails, courtesy of www.hitech-soft.com).

shipping forecast

Wonderful! You can now get that quintessentially English phenomenon, the shipping forecast, online at www.met-office.gov.uk/datafiles/offshore.html - just in case you didn't hear it on the radio.

You can also see a map of the areas and listen to the soothing sound of the announcer at www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast/shipping/ - marvellous.

frivolous

Apparently my power colour is gold, and I should learn Swedish. I was a charming Iranian philosopher in a past life (?!)

IQ test (which, incidentally was specific to American culture)

Logical Intelligence is Above Average
Verbal Intelligence is Genius
Mathematical Intelligence is Average
General Knowledge is Exceptional

My hidden talent is to persuade and influence others - well it's quite well hidden, I'd say!

According to the world's shortest personality test, I am dependable, popular, and observant; deep and thoughtful, prone to moodiness; in fact, my emotions tend to influence everything I do. I am unique, creative, and expressive. I don't mind waving my freak flag every once in a while. And luckily for me, most people find my weird ways charming! - yeah, that's pretty accurate.

I am 40% Weird: Normal enough to know that I'm weird...
But too damn weird to do anything about it!

My Myers-Briggs type is either ENTP or ENFP (but I usually come out as ENFP).

resist

If you cannot, for some reason, refuse to register for an ID card, you can now pledge to resist the introduction of ID cards instead: www.pledgebank.com/resist - "I will actively support those people who, on behalf of all of us, refuse to register for an ID card, and I pledge to pay at least £20 into a fighting fund for them but only if 50000 other people will too."

If you want to know why people are resisting ID cards, visit: www.no2id.net/IDSchemes/whyNot.php

space junk

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050724.html - luckily this meteorite fall occurred at midnight, otherwise it could have been fatal...

back from Prague

Prague was fabulous, I really enjoyed it. Lovely architecture, nice people, yummy food.

Oh, and I found out who the Přemyslid princes were, too - they were descended from Libuše and Přemysl. The dynasty originally had its castle at Vyšehrad but then they moved to the hill on which Prague Castle stands.

(Problems with Czech characters?)

last morning in Prague

Walked the same route that we walked on the first night, up Smetanovo nábřeží along the riverside to the Charles Bridge, then back through the Kampa. We could see all down the river to Vyšehrad and the twin spires of St Peter and Paul church. There was hardly anyone on the Charles Bridge, so we were able to linger and look at the view. Saw the shiny bits on the bas-relief at the foot of the Johannes Nepomuk statue, and someone rubbing it for luck. Looked up towards the castle and the Hanavský pavilon.

Sad to leave Prague, it is so beautiful, atmospheric, and full of historical, magical and spiritual significance. I will return someday.

Vyšehrad

It's a long walk to Vyšehrad, the site of the original foundation of Prague by Libuše and Přemysl. On the way we passed the dancing building (Tančící dům) and the Emauzy kláster, and called in at the Botanical Gardens, a peaceful oasis where we had our elevenses. We eventually got to Vyšehrad and entered via the Cihelná brána (brick gate), then had a picnic lunch on the ramparts.

Then we walked round to the Vyšehradský hřbitov - the cemetery where Alfons Mucha, Smetana, and Dvořak are buried). It was a fabulous cemetery, particularly the arcading around the edge with the painted ceilings and mosaic tombs. The we went into the church of St Peter and Paul - very beautiful, with lots of paintings by Czech Art Nouveau artists - it was like being inside a William Morris cushion with extra bits by Alfons Mucha. Wild, and completely fabulous.

Outside, we saw the statues of legendary Czechs: Libuše and Přemysl, founders of the Přemyslid dynasty and Prague; Lumír and Píseň (the singer and his muse, Song); Záboj anbd Slavoj (two mythical Czech warriors); and Ctirad and Šárka (the doomed lovers, apparently the subject of an opera by Janáček). Then we walked alomg to the Rotunda of St Martin, which dates from the 11th century. After this we walked back round the ramparts and down Vratislavova to the river, and then back to the hotel.

After a long rest we went back to the Old Town Square to watch the clock striking again. Managed to find the entrance to the church of Our Lady before Týn this time, and walked around the back streets where we found a mad Baroque church that looked as if it had been designed by Josh Kirby (sadly didn't have a camera with us). On the way back to the square we saw the Betlémská kaple - another place associated with the Hussites. Reformist Praguers won permission to hold services in Czech instead of Latin, and built this chapel, which could hold 3000 worshippers. Jan Hus preached there from 1402 to 1412. It was later destroyed in the Counter-Reformation and rebult in the 18th century to the original designs and with some of the original stones and materials. Had dinner in the Franz Kafka café - excellent again.