Oolite Bulletins

Hello all,

haven't been around for quite some time. Real Life (meaning the job) brought me to western Uganda where Internet was not possible or really limited up until now and the time for Oolite rather restricted.

Well that has become better now - so I hope to be around more often now.

Actually I was just dropping in to wish you all a Happy New Year with lots of amazing Oolite stuff going on and the best wishes for every one of you.

Greetings from the bush,

Greyman

Greyman wrote:

Hello all,

haven't been around for quite some time. Real Life (meaning the job) brought me to western Uganda

Sweet! I guess that means perhaps somewhere around Mbarara. I used to live not too far south across the Tanzanian border for the last couple of years.

Greyman wrote:

... where Internet was not possible or really limited up until now and the time for Oolite rather restricted.

Well that has become better now - so I hope to be around more often now.

Got a satellite connection? Or is the high speed cable which was buried all over the Great Lake region in the last year or so now operable? That would be pretty good news.

And a happy new year to you as well!

Hi Greyman, glad to see you back again! Happy New Year to everyone on the boards. Here's to 2011: one year closer to us all getting Out There for real ...

Disembodied wrote:

one year closer to us all getting Out There for real ...

What? Out there?!? You mean into RealLife™? Instead of spending all our time in front of a computer monitor, in post-pubescent reminiscence of a game we once played?

Commander McLane wrote:

Instead of spending all our time in front of a computer monitor

Surely you mean a glassteel cockpit viewport/bridge screen display?

Welcome back, Greyman... and happy new year!

Yes just about two hours of driving to the north of Mbarara. The Satellite connection I'm using seems quite stable as long as the rain is not too heavy

I'm just glad the BB is back online again, since I really think this is about the only BB where you can meet nice and decent people.

Happy OOliting!

Greetings from the bush,

Greyman (who is wondering why is still quite pale even though he has been near the equator now for quite some time )

Greyman wrote:

Greyman (who is wondering why is still quite pale even though he has been near the equator now for quite some time )

I guess that's because you're avoiding direct sunlight (as every not-completely-mad white person would do).

I have been quite pale for six-and-a-half years living one degree south. I guess more pale than Europeans after their summer holidays. And that's simply because I've always made sure to be either inside (office, car, whatever), or somewhere in the shade, or wearing a hat. If I couldn't avoid being in the sun and wasn't prepared with sun blocker (like usually on funerals), my skin turned visibly red after as little as 20 or 30 minutes. If you're a sensible person, you simply don't take such a risk just for fun.

'But Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun'.

El Viejo wrote:

'But Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun'.

I was just thinking that. Mind you, I spent a lot of time in the sun in Swaziland before being bitten by a vampire computer, but as a child I probably qualified as an honorary mad dog.

I qualify on both counts… spent a lot of time in hot climates, and never wore a hat.

Yes, up until now I really try to avoid being too long in direct sunlight. But thankfully I'm not the kind of person (like e.g. an Englishman on summer holidays in southern Europe) that turns red as a lobster

El Viejo wrote:

I qualify on both counts… spent a lot of time in hot climates, and never wore a hat.

But look what its done to your complexion EV! (and it's too late to wear that hat of yours!)

Yeah… I never used sunscreen, either. I’m the type of Englishman who turns a nice brown in the sun (probably my Spanish blood), not pink like a lobstoid.

El Viejo wrote:

I qualify on both counts… spent a lot of time in hot climates, and never wore a hat.

Greyman wrote:

Yes, up until now I really try to avoid being too long in direct sunlight. But thankfully I'm not the kind of person (like e.g. an Englishman on summer holidays in southern Europe) that turns red as a lobster

I'm not that type of person as well. However, it's not simply about being in "hot climates". It's being in the equator sun at 1200 meters (4000 feet) above sea level (I was overlooking Lake Victoria) or higher (don't know how high up you are, Greyman) with (at midday) no cloud cover whatsoever. The bombardment with UV radiation is merciless, therefore caution is highly advised.

Altitude makes a big difference to the UV... I've spent some time at high altitude, but not on the equator, luckily.