Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14-10-2025 — World Standards Day

14th October, 2025: World Standards Day.

I think we can safely say I’m up early, again.

Yes: I’m going to be helping Mum take a few bits to the tip!

Here’s hoping we can get things done, quickly!

~≈🗑️≈~

Oh … I’ve got the Today programme on: and … ?

They’re planning to interview Tim Curry, as part of the fiftieth anniversary celebrations of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Picture Show.

Yes: that will be nice to hear.

But I’m wondering why it’s happening now.

The film was originally released in August of 1975: so the celebration’s a little late … !

~≈👨🏻‍🎤≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14th October 2024.

14th October, 2024.

You know, I don’t know if I approve.

I follow the news: like many of us do.

And?

I couldn’t help but notice that the US is sending troops to Israel: to help the latter use the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missile defence system.

Granted, it’s only about a hundred or so troops.

But … ?

I can’t help but think that’s what started US involvement in the Vietnam War: sending in troops as — ha! — military advisers to help train South Vietnamese troops.

I find it mildly worrying.

And also know it’s election year in the US: and wonder if President Biden is trying to get Kamala Harris a few extra votes.

~≈🗳️≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14th October 2023.

14th October, 2023.

These are strange days: whether I’m doing anything or not.

Possibly strange days.

OK: maybe not strange days.

Just slightly odd.

I’ve applied for Personal Independence Payment: an extra benefit.

And had both the initial application, and a Mandatory Reconsideration, turned down.

So I’ve started the process of appeal that decision.

Sent of the form, handed over paperwork I’ve felt relevant, received paperwork from the court, what have you.

And wasn’t expecting to hear anymore: until I got word of a tribunal date.

Yesterday afternoon, though … ?

I had a call from the DWP: wanting to know extra details of my claim, and where I disagreed with their reconsideration.

That … was unexpected: and caught me offguard.

And has me curious.

To the point of my asking the man who phoned — he told me he was the case officer for my appeal — why they were phoning.

Were they checking to see if I was committing fraud?

Was I faking my conditions?

Apparently not.

It was a routine double check.

Needless to say … I’m a little suspicious.

And wondering if this is a good thing, or a bad thing.

~≈Ü≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14th October, 2022.

14th October, 2022.

Yes: it’s finally Friday.

Which means … I have to pick up some medications: and put in for some more.

It’s a chore: but one with an (minor) upside.

I get to have a healthy walk.

~≈Í≈~

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it already: but I watch the news.

In amongst the looming financial crisis?

Was this piece: which tells us how a group of scientists have grown brain cells in a lab, taught them how to play Pong, and saw the cells improve at the game.

It’s interesting to read, I know that.

From what I could gather?

Many are saying this could lead to all sorts of discoveries into the science of the brain.

Which would be good: a successful treatment — if not a cure — for Alzheimer’s would be good.

It could also lead to a lot of help for other neurological conditions.

And … ?   Some of the people the BBC News Channel talked to felt it could be extremely helpful in computer science: revealing new ways to build processors.

Personally, though?

I immediately thought of William Gibson’s Sprawl trilogy.

The second novel, Count Zero, features a computer scientist who’s invented a new form of biological computer processors: built from human cancer cells.

Additionally?   A mental image kept cropping up.

Of zombies running around, and yelling ‘Braaaaaaains.’

It struck me lab-grown brain cells would be a humane way of feeding them.

Ummm … 

~≈Í≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14th October, 2021.

14th October, 2021.

Hmmm … 

You’ll remember that I’m job hunting, at the moment: and, like many of us … ?

Claiming Universal Credit: the main unemployment benefit for non-working people.

Like many of us … ?

I benefited from the Uplift to Universal Credit: an extra twenty pounds per week that was introduced during the pandemic.

That got withdrawn, on 6th October.

It hasn’t been reinstated: and frankly, I doubt it ever will be.

However?

The Universal Credit site — the site where I have to keep a job hunting journal, and message my case worker — has now introduced an Uplift Button.

OK, doesn’t do much more that whinge about it: and possibly get budget help.

But it’s something.

~≈Ÿ≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14-10-2020: Breaking the Barrier

14th October, 2020.

Right … it’s now officially Wednesday: which means I’ve got an appointment with my landlords, this afternoon.

Assuming I’ve got my dates right!

Basically, to see what sort of funding I can get hold of: to help find a job … 

If I get nothing, I’m no worse off then I am, now.

If I can get a laptop off it … ?

AND do that training course?

I’m possibly laughing.

~≈¥≈~

Did I mention I’ve been watching Watchmen, over the past few weeks?

I managed to catch episode four — If You don’t Like My Story, Write Your Own — last night.

It has to be said: Jeremy Irons, cloned servants,  a lot of corpses, and a catapult?

Is a little unnerving …

~≈¥≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14th October, 2019.

14th October, 2019.

Yep.

It’s day where I’ve just enough cash to do some light shopping.

To head to Brentwood High Street … up — ha — Warley Hill.

And, of course, what’s happening?

It’s raining.

After a week or so of nice-ish weather?

We have rain.

Yum … 

~≈∑≈~

Hmm … 

I have to say, I’m generally enjoying using macOS Catalina: the updated version of the Mac operating system that I recently installed.

It’s mostly smooth.

There’s a few 32-bit games I’ll miss in the transition to 64-bit only: but I can always boot up my ageing Mac Pro, and play them across a network if I need to.

There’s a glitch or two, though.

Minor, but there.

I used to be able to drag links from Safari’s URL bar straight over to the desktop: and then directly into the relevant part of an online web form.

Now?

All that happens, now, is that I drag over a user file: rather than a working link.

Not quite what I expected, or wanted.

On top of that?

Under Mohave and High Sierra version of the Split Screen, I could use Quicktime and Pages.

And, when saving a Quicktime movie, the amount of screen the movie used, wouldn’t change.

Now, under Catalina?

It does.

These are glitches: minor ones, I know.

And there’s way’s around the link one.

But they’re glitches I’d appreciate Apple fixing, at some point.

~≈∑≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14-10-2018: World Standards Day,

14th October, 2018.

Yes!   I’m up on time!

I can now officially, sing, dance and prance naked around my front room!

No, maybe not.

At least … not with the webcam on … !

~≈§≈~

At any rate … ?

I’m am still — slightly — saddened about the death of games designer, Greg Stafford.

While I never got to play, or referee, RuneQuest, I couldn’t help but notice the rules.

Which were, for the time, quite revolutionary.

Most role playing games used levels as a way of measuring experience: RuneQuest’s focussed on the improvements of individual skills.

Its predecessors treated magic, and spells, as bullets: used once, then not again, until re-learnt.

After RuneQuest?   After RuneQuest, which had two forms: at least one of which drained a character of strength, and meant they had to rest before casting, again.   Something later games started to emulate.

And combat … ?

Don’t get me started!

But that was just half of the game.

The other half, as I mentioned in yesterday’s Teaser?

Was Stafford’s.   Was the background world, Glorantha.

Where other games of the time — Dungeons and Dragons, and Tunnels and Trolls, most noticeably — had sketchy backgrounds descended from Middle Earth, RuneQuest’s built-in background was far more detailed.

And only grew … 

Having been built on work Stafford had been doing since his college days in the 1960s.

That background … ?   That background, rooted in Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and Stafford’s interest in Bronze Age Europe?

With its unique interpretation of the standard fantasy races, and its uniques ones, like the Dragonewts?

Was and is unique.

Giving that RuneQuest was being revived at the time of his death?

Greg Stafford will be much missed … 

~≈§≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14th October, 2017

I’m a contradiction, I think: even to myself.

I’ve actually managed to pick up a couple of extra hours, this morning: as one co-worker is off.

But … ?

My own personal internal monologue?

Is quietly reminding me to book some time off!

I think I’ll need it!

~≈Ê≈~

Nik Nak's Friday Question Set -- 14-10-2016

14th October, 

Can I make a confession, here?

I’m actually writing this post at my local library.

Mostly?

Well, mostly because I wanted to get out of the house.

You know, get some fresh air, possibly some exercise as well.

To get to Warley Hill, and to Brentwood High Street, where the library is, I have to go down Saint James Round: the small Street that connects mine road — Rollason Way — to Warley Hill.

Saint James Road is something of a battleground.

As I and others have long since campaigned against any extra building on the small patch of ground left.

On a personal level?

I believe such building work would seriously impede emergency vehicle access to my road.

I've gone past the area, today.

And there’s a digger clearing the ground in that patch.

I think, despite the protests of residents?

Brentwood Council’s approved plans for that last remaining green space.

And residents will be the worse for it.

~≈Â≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14-10-2016

Hmmm … 

Sorry … That’s just a thoughtful ‘Hmmm,’ acting as a kind of … well … um … 

Yeah … 

An opening note … !

After getting home at quite a late hour … !

It has to be said, that actually think rather good.

It’s not THAT often I’m out of an evening.

Simply walking from one place to another, in the dark?

Can be quite nice.

Vaguely romantic, even!

Either way, it’s quite a nice situation to be in.

~≈®≈~

As a different point … ?

I’m actually eyeballing things.

Looking at stuff, if you’ve not heard the term, before.

Right now?   Right now, I’m thinking I’ve a disposable income.

And, yes, I know Christmas is coming up.

But I’m ALSO thinking I’ve heard good things about American Horror Story and Stranger Things: it’d be nice to explore them.

~≈®≈~