Thick and Thin

Readers of Steven King novels will be familiar with the concept of thinness - places where the gaps in the dimensions between universes are thinner, at certain times of year, or at certain places, or when certain events happen, and at which people or "things" can poush through from one dimension to the other. Purely hyperthetically of course. And entirely science/horror fiction.

Although Terry Pratchett, another writer also uses the thinness concept, Havelock Vetinari, for one, and several of the Assasins Guikld being able to stand still and melt into the background becoming invisible, or as near as invisible as makes no odds. Witches are good at it, Granny Weatherwax being the best, and Mr Teatime is also able to creep up on people using his thinning techniques.

This becomes of interst because there are occasions when I, and my car, become unwilling participants in the art of thinning. You would think that a grey and blue FORD Courier van, driven with the headlamps on even in daylight, (an advanced drivers habit) would stand out somewhat. Running on Vegetable oil, most people claim they can SMELL me approaching long before they see me, but the headlamps should surely make me stand out? Not so, on some days, it seems. Within a 3/4 mile stretch in broad daylight the other day I had not one, not two, but three people pull out right in front of me. I can only assume that I was having an unknowing THIN day. Both me and my van had become almost transparent. This in itself was perhaos pure coincidence. Bu thten I had a THICK day. Thsi is not a comment on my mental capacity. No a THICK day ios the opposiute of a THIN day, when you exist, not just in this world, but in others as well, the resutl I think being that you are doubly solid, and more here than before, having much more density and substance than is strictly necessary.

On the same stretch of road where I had been THIN only 24 hours before I had a THICK drive to work. I realised this as the traffic ahead of me was particularly heavy, as was the traffic behind me. Cars were approaching in lane two as I drove atteh speed limit 40 mph in lane one. The really wierd thing was that the cars speeding along lane two slowed as they approached me and would not pass or even coem close - they held back by about 200 yards. The cars ahead remained abotu 200 yarsd ahead - if I sped up the distance remained constant, and if I slowed down so did they. The result was a sort of force bubble exclusion zone aorund me, as if my van repelled any other vehicle. I have never experienced this before. I had a 200 yard exclusion zone around myself. I resisted the urge to see if I could deliberately ram into anything, but, you know, I'm not sure I could have done. Strange physics were surely at work. Even as I approached roundabouts, they became mysteriously free of other traffic.

This phenomenom needs more research. I want it ever day.

Chinky nears completion.

Those following the FIAT Cinquecento electric conversion may be please to know the project is nearign completion - or at least roadworthiness - I have a feeling this will be a work in progress once it hits the road, one of those projects which will be continually tinklered with until it breaks.

I took the plunge today as I had to take Jenny's Honda for a new tyre, so while I was going I stripped off the two dodgy wheels off the CHINKY and got new boots for them too. The front nearside was worn out and had a puncture. The rear nearside was worn right down tot he steel wires! I hasten to point out that I never drove it like that - that's the way it came to me on a trailer. Any £70 changed hands at EasyFix Tyres and for the first time since she arrived Scintilla now sits straight and level. Moreover she looks beautiful again, as I have replaced the wheelarch liners and the front bumper. (Beauty is of course in the eye of the beerholder)

I had charged the batteries in anticpation of a bit of a test drive around the private driveway, but I think one of the battery cells has failed, resulting in somewhat sluggish power output. She was reluctant to move at all in reverse at first, and only pulled half heartedly forwards, so teh dodgy battery will be replaced before the road trials commence. I am awaiting a shunt to wire up the ammeter and voltmeter, and then theres just a problem with the horn, hazards and headlamps to sort out before she's ready for MOT. (The heater/demister can wait until next winter - for now there will be a big hole in the bulkhead where the heater used to sit, whcih will allow pleanty of ventilation into the cab)

Maybe tommorow I'll post some photographs.

Who is the chinese poster?

I've just noticed, since I posted the "Stiff chinky" article I keep getting posts with Chinese Hieroglyphics (Pictograms?) as comments to my entries. What is that all about?

Sumthink went BANG!

As i sit here behind what is by now several hundreds of pounds worth of computer, sound system, monitors, USB drives, HDD drives, a turntable, video suite, cameras and various modems, printers and scanners, quietly typing away at a word document - the most inoffensive and least power consuming activity one can conduct on a PC something went BANG! A crack like a fuse blowing or something suddenly shorting.
I have no idea what it was - everything seems to be still working as normal. Even my solar powered lighting system is functioning. The shredder still works and the radiator is not leaking. Nothing shows signs of burning or overheating. But just in case it all goes in in flames and kills me in the night I want it on record okay? I checked everything.