Mark Szeliga Szolkowski's Blog

PC World will soon no longer be selling floppy disks.

I'll be keeping all my old ones (which I haven't used for 15 years) a while longer, in anticipation of the day when they go for a small fortune on eBay...

I'm not usually one for posting warnings about potential scams but I had a close miss yesterday. I walked into B&Q and some old guy dressed in orange asked me if I wanted decking. Fortunately, I got the first punch in and that was the end of that. Those less suspecting might not be so lucky. Be careful out there...

(Thanks to Mr Southworth for that one)

This is what C5 Martin's looks like, and I can do without that!


Blimey - I didn't realise it was so long, but it's 51 weeks to the day since I last greased the gearbox on the C5!

That sounds terrible when you bear in mind that one of the posts on the Yahoo C5 list said that you should grease it every month as a matter of course, but my C5 sees very little use.

Anyway - I got around to it today and I must have put plenty in last year as it was still nice and greasy. Some had seeped out at the end closest to the motor body but not a great deal.

While I had the boot off, I also got around to tightening the rear brake cable - the handbrake should hold on hills again now!

I've only been getting two to three hours out of my Mini for a while. This hasn't been a particular problem seeing as I only ever listen to it for an hour or so, but I've been thinking about getting a replacement battery for a while.

I found a cheap 550mAh battery on eBay that arrived today, except it is better than expected at 650mAh. I know that there are bigger batteries out there, but I just don't need that sort of capacity. When I use it in the car it is powered, when it is in the dock it is powered, and it is pretty rare that I use it when running or walking to the shops!



Anyway, the instructions that arrived with it were useless. Not because it had a font that even I struggled with (bearing in mind I use emacs with a 7 or 8 point font), but because they were for an original iPod. Google came to the rescue when I found the CNet web site's detailed instructions.

The only thing I didn't like about the instructions is the way they tell you to jam a screwdriver inbetween the white plastic and the metal body which will damage it. I used a small pin and my fingernail to prise the top and bottom covers off. It wasn't perfect, but much preferable to the alternative.



My iPod has been on charge for an hour or so, so I'll leave it for at least another couple and check whether it is fully charged before I use it.

I took Lucy to the park this afternoon, and while there a dog ran out in front of me while I was in the C5.

I wish I hadn't bothered braking now, as the front brake cable snapped - the round end piece that holds the cable into the brake lever. Then again, maybe a blessing in disguise as I'd rather it had happened in a park than on a road.

Hmm, and better than when Ruth had her first ever go of the C5 yesterday when the six of us went out on bikes with me carrying spare coats/jumpers in the C5 boot! Ruth was worn out at the end of the eight mile ride, so once we got a quiet stretch of roads I convinced her to have a go. I think she loved it but shirked when I offered to try to get her one of her own...

Anyway, I'll be ordering a set of brake cables from C5 Alive shop - the back one is a bit loose too.