Yvan

https://toot.ale.gd/@yvan

Allotmenter, cooker, fermenter, tinkerer, hacker of things and code. Toots will ebb and flow between these, as my short attention span flipflops between hyperfocuses.

Ex- Unix/Linux sys/net/infosec software-dev/eng who went mad and decided to sell beer to pubs instead. Also rennovated and opened a pub in Cambridge (UK).

From South West West Australia, living in England's Fenlands for some reason. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Geolocation: The Fens, England, Hardiness Zone 8b
Disposition: Socialist
Status: Confused, Broken, Exhausted
Pronouns: he/him

Public Key

npub13t8xasqr2n9ke0py3dj6gcxxmt9gcd0p85392z38lhahgd2nh5kqw72ksn

NIP-05 Address

yvan_at_toot.ale.gd@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsg4nnwcqp4fjmvhsjgkedyvrrd4j5vxhsn6gj4pgnlm7m5x4fm6tqkjnmpu

Author Public Key

npub13t8xasqr2n9ke0py3dj6gcxxmt9gcd0p85392z38lhahgd2nh5kqw72ksn

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Last Notes

2024-08-15 19:03:39

Might have to break out untappd for the first time in several years. 🤣
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/967/581/115/256/873/original/3945782ccc7af26b.jpg

2024-07-28 23:46:21

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oh, I like the idea of the raspberry and thyme seasoning, perhaps a bit like sumac? Will have to dust off the dehydrator and put a tray or two in from our next picking. There will be more.

2024-07-28 19:24:38

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Now... what to do with 1.5kg of raspberries.
As a household we don't really "do" jam. I mainly prefer my toast savoury. (Fun fact: over a decade ago I made some nice Seville orange marmalade... we still have some jars of it.)

2024-07-28 19:01:04

Spent most of my day in the pub ... but not in the fun way... rather: cleaning lines, organising beers, etc.
Managed to nip into the #allotment to join Kat tho, who got some more good clearance work in on the new plot.
The inherited berries are ripening fast now.
This isn't near all we could have picked, we just picked until this tub was full. Mostly raspberries, some blackberries, red gooseberries, and scant handful of strawberries.
Just under 2kg worth.
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/865/619/177/887/491/original/56357797cb70f00d.jpg

2024-07-04 19:14:19

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how about an elected upper house, can we? 😂
I'm pretty much resigned to the fact it's just always going to suck. Been through the Brexit referendum, the AV referendum, Australia's republic referendum, watched the Aus Voice To Parliament referendum from afar... the FUD will always win.

2024-07-04 19:07:05

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I also think that the combination of AV (preference voting as we called it back home) and compulsory voting means that Australians are more engaged in their version of democracy... (I grew up there, voted there, etc - moved here at 26, 18 years ago, so have some experience with both political/voting cultures.)
Sure, it definitely still doesn't yield the results I'd rather see. But ... that's democracy I guess. 🤷🏻‍♂️

2024-07-04 18:59:55

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marginally better is better than marginally worse though? And it could have opened the door to further progress. (Australia uses the system that was proposed and I like it, it's certainly not perfect, but it's not the total joke that FPTP is.)
But in the end, as per Brexit, the lies won.
Though I agree about "the public" - I'd like to think that education is a solution to that, but realistically I doubt there's a solution. Humanity be broken.

2024-06-30 20:00:25

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Managed to downsample the video to under 40MB, not exactly high fidelity, but it gives the right idea.
Taking this on means we'll give up the other second plot we have (2 is plenty!) and leave that in a good state for someone to take on. It needs a lot of clearing work, but time is hopefully more available now. 🤞
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/707/337/198/717/474/original/276b62e768346530.mp4

2024-06-30 19:43:18

Well, we have agreement in principle to take on the #allotment plot adjoining ours. It's in quite a state. I've done a walkthrough video I'll try and down sample to make fit on mastodon.
The site manager basically called a freeforall on ransacking the plots for gear and some folks had clearly already been in. We did reserve a few items of use including some seed trays, a potting tray, and a nice sized table and a couple of chairs. (Leaving 4 other chairs and a larger table for someone else.)
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/707/264/720/018/537/original/8ef6bae734a7e881.jpg
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/707/273/295/012/792/original/f4acc7a4772ed571.jpg

2024-06-21 14:13:46

Turns out we have a local candidate I can vote for! 😂
If ever there was a "fuck this shit" vote this is it.
#UKPol
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/654/998/844/950/149/original/68640e52a936b79d.jpg
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/654/999/352/288/698/original/c6e58ea3cfaae708.jpg

2024-06-17 18:59:04

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yeah, I'd add olives sometimes too, but probably more often jalapeños. I just like that sweet pineapple / salty fish combo.

2024-06-17 18:56:41

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oh, yeah, we noticed this recently in Cambridge too - similarly we used PJ's because of the anchovy option (given Dominoes stopped doing them ages ago.) No more Hawaiian pizza with anchovies for me :(

2024-06-12 15:23:18

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yeah, I like our big tent - but wouldn't want to have to carry it very far. We have a nice old ultra-light tent that's about a kilo, but also tiny. Nothing in between.
One issue we have is we'd prefer something that's a double - which then just means it's even bigger and harder to carry around. The form-factor of the inflatable is good for both size and transport, just shite for comfort.

2024-06-12 15:07:35

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does the airbed go on the camping bed?
My small bit of research on better camping sleeping arrangements ran into an interesting land of fishing chair/bed things. I kinda want this just for the name... CARPZILLA! 🐟 🦖
https://www.diy.com/departments/carpzilla-portable-fishing-bed-chair-xl-camping-bed-with-tackle-storage/5055418313605_BQ.prd
Also it is a bed with pockets!

2024-06-12 10:46:44

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love how they gave 28.8k modems names like "Sportster" 😂
FEEL THE SPEED!
TBH I do remember the upgrade from 14.4 to 28.8 being palpable.

2024-06-07 12:50:52

A photo from #emfcamp I rather like... some of my favourites are a bit fuzzy and pixelated in low light, but really capture a scene for me - or capture the madness? Like this...
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/575/417/684/564/221/original/36bdde7fd0782ccd.jpg

2024-06-07 10:41:57

Hurrah! New screen arrived for Kat's #tildagon - plus a spare.
I used this listing to order: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CFXVD9HX
#emfcamp #emf24
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/574/906/576/504/829/original/d5f9e9b57a257e2a.jpg

2024-06-07 10:38:26

Many breakfasts regarded as wholesome are basically just a combination of carbohydrates and dairy.
So cheese on crackers counts as a wholesome breakfast... yes?

2024-06-04 16:48:05

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I'm bad at getting to sleep and also a light sleeper. The wikkid beatz from Null Sector are far too exciting to fall asleep to!
But, to be fair, I think the air mattress was a worse problem than Null Sector.
Also Kat and I are regularly up as late as 2AM anyway, just not used to being woken up by light and heat at 6AM after 2AM bedtime.

2024-06-04 12:04:45

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wow, that's some dedication to the memory!

2024-06-04 00:35:00

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Pretty much the only negatives were down to us being n00bs and it all being a very last minute arrangement. We can do better next time. :)
All in all #emfcamp was better than my highest expectations. A stunning achievement in organisation, logistics, and content that inspires people to get involved and contribute.
Not sure I want to take this off just yet.
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/555/529/442/068/194/original/7af2ec46099ef56a.jpg

2024-06-04 00:27:39

My only regrets from #emfcamp are:
1. Not realising that when people warned me Null Sector is "loud" that they meant FUCKING LOUD. Loud in a good way, unless you're attempting to sleep at 1AM … I thought our tent was far enough away… no… it was not. Also nobody warned me Stage B would also be... Rather Loud. 😂
So next time we shall know better, and set up camp… on the moon.
2. Not possessing a time machine so I can go do it all again a few times to catch all the things I missed and didn't do.

2024-06-01 09:39:45

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you, sir, are a genius - or at the very least someone who actually knows what they're doing.
I wasn't able to drag a fine enough blob of solder between the contacts but a fine strand of wire does nicely.
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/540/697/987/665/438/original/003c584239179131.jpg

2024-05-31 21:53:25

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This approach may be somewhat inadvisable in respect to stress it could place on the connectors. Need some very thin wire, foil, or maybe that paint/draw on conductor stuff.

2024-05-31 18:25:07

If you're lucky enough to find one of these "HAVE AN OFFICIAL BENDER HAT" #hexpansion boards for your @npub1yak…d8rp at @npub1fak…rg6c note you'll need to tie pin 6 on the back of the board to ground to enable power.
Try not to get too much solder flowed onto the connector as it'll make it hard to fit into the port!
Be careful, I accidentally delaminated the tracks on my first attempt!
Next job: find a tiny switch to fit, and maybe a resistor, a variable resistor would be good.
#emf24 #emf2024 #tildagon
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/537/078/323/744/460/original/24ff6783b55f1b7a.jpg
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/537/078/527/236/106/original/3e5f1761a28002ca.jpg

2024-05-30 15:22:07

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so, see you in the bar in a little while then? (From the customer side in our case, we did a 7AM kitchen shift today and that's quite enough volunteering for one day!)

2024-05-25 19:13:19

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and the fact it's not really had much beer contact time in the period helps too.
I known pubs that've had the same MDP python in use for over a decade ... and you can tell. At least if you get a Heinken install you get BrewMaster II line, and the fact you're serving sterile filtered beer devoid of flavour means you can get 10 years out of the python.
Even the Gen-X I use for installs starts to pick up flavour taint from "craft" unfiltered hop-mad beers in just 1 year.

2024-05-25 18:50:16

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Anything beyond that is just me being a picky difficult grumpy cunt about dispense (I've a reputation... lol)
Event deployments are a whole different beast again anyway.
Just so long as it isn't a bunch of crufty foamy old Lindrs, or some kit where the same crappy MDP python has been used for 10 years and not properly cleaned between events. Urgh... the things I have seen. (I always just used new pipe/python for every event back when I did that sort of setup.)

2024-05-25 18:46:53

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it's direct draw GTFO for me these days 😅 though I know it's not always logistically sensible. I mean even my "own" pub isn't DD, though it's as close to it as I could get. Frankly any system is great if:
1) the lines are clean & untainted
2) the beer is cold (cold everywhere ideally)

2024-05-25 18:38:43

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I'm 100% there just to pour some beers and not worry about anything else (I hope!).
I'm looking forward to seeing the setup though.

2024-05-25 18:19:54

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no overlaps, but you'll be relieving us from the main bar on Sunday 14:00 :)

2024-05-25 18:04:42

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info says all shifts get a meal, and kitchen shifts get a bonus meal :)
The kitchen shifts seem unpopular so we filled a couple of gaps there and a couple of empty early arvo bar slots.

2024-05-25 17:41:32

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good plan... we've just done ours, and sticking with what we know - bars and kitchens lol... I like that the kitchen shifts come with two meal vouchers, that's some food sorted!

2024-05-25 14:28:03

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the lock picking village is a highlight for me, I've always been interested but never really played beyond a few basic combo locks long ago.

2024-05-24 19:22:14

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YUMMY!

2024-05-23 22:35:18

No, people. Just ... no.
Nope.
Don't do this.
It's stupid and disgusting.
Just wash the bloody things properly then let them dry.
What's with this whole leaving them to fester in a disgusting glass of dirty water.
As a special bonus this lot had a bit of cling film over the top as if to protect them from the dirty air, and also some blobs of mold floating on the water surface.
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/492/780/186/356/257/original/7a05c2be0780f4dd.jpg

2024-05-19 10:21:25

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doing the same today, thankfully have Cambridge Beer Festival to set the tent up at and make sure it's all OK (from at which the fallback is simply "drive home instead" lol). Has been a while.

2024-05-16 21:34:59

Urgh, what a bastard day.
Left home 07:30 to do two vanloads of delivery runs - last drop at my own pub, done at 18:00 then had to do 2 hours work there sorting some stuff out, then drove home for a 21:30 ETA… 10 minutes from home, cruising along 16 Foot Bank at 50mph - BAM! Bloody deer straight out of high grass that's right up to the roadside, point blank, not even time to twitch the foot at the brake.
Half the hire van's bumper is torn off, sumpguard with it.
Home now. Wine in hand. Urgh.
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/452/879/308/909/491/original/dc9d5092ed5d33bc.jpg

2024-05-06 17:24:58

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quite some years.

2024-05-06 09:09:31

So... it looks like we're going to #emfcamp for the first time (after many years of wanting to) - thanks to some late access tickets and an event I normally support removing itself from my calendar (albeit it's kinda wedged tightly between two other major beer festivals!)
Now... can I find time to think up something (probably basic) to do with a #hexpansion - low hanging fruit options with the 3D printer perhaps, or also maybe I can finally take the CNC from its box and have a play on that.

2024-05-05 14:09:28

Hey there #compostodon — what is the best way to compost material like this. It's very juicy fresh spring growth but with tough twiggy old wood. I only have a basic mulcher that works on branches but clogs with short and leafy stuff. I don't have a lawnmower.
It seems to twiggy for my normal #allotment #compost.
If I was to invest in a tool to make material like this more compostable what would be best? Petrol mower? Some sort of garden mulcher different to the basic branch crusher one I have?
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/388/872/654/603/106/original/ded43c37ecb3c626.jpg

2024-04-25 11:13:06

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LOL... the funny thing about this is that whilst I have a quite limited and very rusty physics level understanding of antennas I do look at all those PCB based ones and think "nah, that's bullshit" ... (but no doubt they're well refined and thoroughly modelled pieces of work!)

2024-04-23 20:28:17

Krakus
PODWAWELSKA
EXTRA SAUSAGE
It's gumbo-night tonight.
These days a key "secret ingredient" we have for gumbo is Polish sausage - if you're lucky enough to live in an area with decent Polish population you can find sausage like this in Tesco even (this from Wisbech Tesco in fact.)
This is the closest we have found to andoullie sausage "off the shelf" in the UK, and it's a great alternative to the usual option of supermarket "chorizo".
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/322/409/124/172/564/original/4033934f3ac8c995.jpg

2024-04-10 15:55:20

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LIDAR? They have that cool LIDAR system they used in Time Team...
Overkill? Pffftt...
We used to have a vacuum-bot that made passable floorplans just by trundling around the place, obviously around furniture and such too.

2024-04-07 20:16:19

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Ah, which would be the red X for "Saint Patrick": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom
Maybe I should put up a flag pole and fly a (defunct) GB flag just to confuse people: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Great_Britain (hell, come Irish independence... perhaps I'll just be ahead of the curve lol.)
Suffice to say, I'm no expert on flags nor the convolutions of this schismatic nation.

2024-04-07 20:13:23

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I guess a "GB flag" would have to remove whichever cross it is that's Ireland...

2024-04-07 20:11:54

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I always get confused about the whole GB/UK thing. I'd probably fail a citizenship test if I wanted to do one 😂

2024-04-07 20:02:08

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I also see the guy two houses down has himeself a new flag. He flies that flag until it's fraying, then gets a new one every couple of years. (Better than many TBF!)
I'm mildly less dubious about GB flagshaggers than Ingerland flagshaggers - at least they recognise their whole nation rather than some glamorised gammon ghetto.
It always amuses me to see flagshagger flags flapping tattered messes. It's like they're into it in fits and spurts, but can't be arsed to actually respect it.

2024-04-07 19:34:04

Ah, the English and their love of fences. One of the many puzzles of this country.
One guy put this low fence in to replace a rotted out one, and then 6 months later the neighbour put in the high fence 20cm away from it. Such an oddity.
https://toot.ale.gd/system/media_attachments/files/112/231/512/374/042/003/original/fb42c3a567f92bbb.jpg

2024-04-05 14:48:04

Pondering getting back into beer homebrew... I had a brief stint at it over a decade ago, made a couple of nice beers, made a couple of less nice ones... no worse than "beer sample roulette" really. I still have most of the equipment, probably just need a new fermenter really. (Here's me looking at trying to cash time-cheques that'll bounce.)