Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 24th July 2018.

24th July, 2018.

Right … 

It’s officially official.

This is one of the hottest period’s the UK’s face for some time.

I keep hearing people mention 1976: the last time things got this serious.

Frankly?

I might well have been layering the irony, in the intro.

But I’m also aware that — whilst I was watching The Call of Cthulhu — the Met Office released an Amber Health warning.

Because of the heat.

I’m thinking I want to be careful.

How about you … ?

~≈§≈~

While I’ve got your attention?

A little while ago, the BBC bless, them, had various articles about about the National Health Service.

It was, after all, seventy years old.

A couple of articles covered the NHS use of technology: and were fascinating reads.

There’s a lot of good stuff being done.

I’ve always thought there’s something useful they could do: or, at least, look at.

You might not know it, but there’s a movement within IT to promote various shades of what’s called open source software.

Most software, you’re not allowed to examine the source code: the underlying text that our computers execute, when we use an app.

The manufacturers would rather we buy it from them, without poking around in its guts.

The open source movement?

Allows us to.

The thinking is — if I’ve got it right — is that we’ve bought or downloaded it.   Therefore it’s our right to study that code, and make any improvements to it we can.

We can even share those changes.    That’s usually fine with the original makers of a given app: so long as we tell people what we’ve changed, and where we got the original.

There’s a lot of open source software out there that’s ALSO free: at least for home users.

Famously?   Android is based on the open source GNU/Linux operating system.   There’s also things like the Firefox browser, the vlc media player.

And the competing OpenOffice and LibreOffice office suites.

From the little I’ve read, many local government bodies have switched to the two suites: finding the total cost of ownership a lot more attractive than buying Microsoft Office*.

I realise there’s technical challenges.   Ones I couldn’t necessarily follow if you explained them to me with a big fish, and a laser pointer.

But I know they’re there.

I’m also aware that the biggest part of the cost of a switch to one of the open source office suites, would be staff retraining.

But I can’t help but think that making the switch to an open source apps.

Could save the NHS significant amounts of taxpayers money.

~≈§≈~

Let’s move on, shall we?

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Olga† and Debbi‡ putting in their answers: with both scoring five out of five.

Let’s see how everyone does with today’s questions, shall we?

Here they are, along with the How To, License and video … 

Q1) 24th July is the feast day of Saint Christina Mirabilis.   She’s also know as Christina the what?

Q2) 24th July is Pioneer Day in one US state: marking the day when a group of Mormon pioneers reached the Salt Lake Valley.   Which US state are we talking about?

Q3) 24th July, 2016, saw the death of singer, Marni Nixon.   Whose character did she dub, in the film, West Side Story?

Q4) The US president was ordered to hand over recordings: on 24th July, 1974.   Which US president?

Q5) Hulda Crooks became the oldest person to climb Mount Fuji: on 24th July, 1987.   How old was she?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers … 

Q1) 23rd July, 1632, saw three hundred French colonist leave Dieppe: bound for New France.   New France were the French colonies, where: North America, South America or East Asia?

A1) North America.

Q2) A boundary treaty was signed: on 23rd July, 1881.   Between Chile and where?

A2) Argentina.

Q3) 23rd July, 1974, saw the collapse of a military government: where?

A3) Greece.

Q4) The Second Constitution was accepted: on 23rd July, 1908.   By which Empire?

A4) The Ottoman Empire.

Q5) Finally … NASA announced the discovery of the planet, Kepler 452b: on the 23rd July, 2015.   The planet, and the star it orbits, are in which constellation?

A5) Cygnus.

Here’s a thought …

“To be a poet is a condition rather than a profession.”

Robert Graves, 24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985.

And a song …

Today’s questions will be answered in tomorrow’s Teaser.

Have a good day.

*      I realise that Microsoft’s biggest money maker covers a lot of territory.   And that the big blue W logo that tells you a file is an MS Word documents is one of the most recognisable icons on a PC.   But feel that — for most of us — there’s cheaper options.   (It’s £79 a years for MS Office 365, the online offering: compared to the (free) Google Docs.   The Home Office edition of MS Office, 2016, the most recent version, is £119.   OpenOffice and LibreOffice are both free of charge.)

†        Shame about the FireStick, Olga: still … At ANY rate, if she has a tablet, and a smart TV/streaming box?   You should be able to stream stuff from the tablet, to a new TV.   And the impression I’ve picked up, over the years?   Is that the streaming isn’t necessarily the power hog —  it’s just the TV and router.   The electricity’s used up by the server farms where the media being broadcast from.   (The film I watched last night, is on my Mac: so, theoretically, didn’t use up power on an Apple server.)

‡        Oh, doesn’t it just, Debbi?   (I saw The Call of Cthulhu, last night.   Getting followed by a hideous tentacled thing from the depths of the Pacific, seems a lot easier.)