artiss.blog

Category: Life

Random thoughts on life

  • ITT Memories

    ITT Memories

    When I first got my Commodore 64 in the early 1980s, I was given a succession of cheap, second hand TVs to attach it to, before being bought a more reasonable sized Hitachi TV…

    One of the earlier ones that doesn’t leave my memory is the ITT, which is pictured at the top of this post. The one in the picture is the 26″ ITT TV CC782 – I’m not sure if this is the exact one that I had, but it looks to be.

    It sat on top of the dining room table, with my C64 perched directly in front. A lovely teak surround made it look much larger than it actually was.

    It had 2 distinct features, which is why, even today, I remember it.

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  • Center Parcs UK: Quick tips for first time visitors

    Center Parcs UK: Quick tips for first time visitors

    If you’re visiting Center Parcs in the UK anytime soon, here are a few quick tips that may help you out, based on my own experience. My last visit was 2026, so are relevant at that time.

    Since 2001, Center Parcs in the UK has been a separate company from the original Center Parcs business. Therefore, I’m not going to assume that anything in the UK model of their holiday village is representative of the wider European model.

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  • Boots, BST and the time of day

    Boots, BST and the time of day

    Whilst it’s been 9 years since I worked there, I’d bet good money that Boots The Chemist’s POS (Point of Sale) system hasn’t changed. In which case, every time it changes from GMT to BST or back again, all the staff have me to thank me for the fact they don’t have to manually change the time on their POS server. Or indeed, just have to correct it at any other time too.

    Let me explain.

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  • Zeller’s Formula

    Zeller’s Formula

    Have you ever come across Zeller’s formula (aka Zeller’s congruence)? If not directly, you will have indirectly.

    For every digital device you have that shows the day of the week, whether your phone or your computer, there’s a chance this is what powers it. Or a variation of it, at least. Created by Christian Zeller in the 19th century, it’s a set of formulas that let work out the day of the week, based on the provided date.

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  • Buying presents for anyone going through chemotherapy

    Buying presents for anyone going through chemotherapy

    My wife is going through chemotherapy right now and, when it became known, friends and family all bought her various gifts that they thought would help. In addition, I researched various forums and cancer sites for additional ideas too.

    This post details the items that have made a real difference, and that she would recommend to anyone thinking of buying for somebody going through the same thing.

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