Be Excellent To Each Other

Has anyone checked if there's a sneaky Barnard Castle exemption in the new regulations?

I've found the ideal theme song for HMG's response to the pandemic, Bill Nelson's Red Noise "Stop / Go / Stop" (available on Spotify). Very prophetic, considering it's from 1978.

To central information
(From intelligence patrol)
We all must follow orders
Obey remote control

There's something in my suitcase
There's something up my sleeve
Inserted while you're sleeping
It regulates your speed

On/Off/Stop/Go/Stop

Don't try to be a hero
No reason for a fight
Your full co-operation
Is what we need tonight

Conversion takes a moment
You'll hardly even bleed
Each painless installation
Is fully guaranteed

On/Off/Stop/Go/Stop

Shadows creep and walls have eyes
We can sanitize your mind in half the time it takes to sign your name

The mental health department
Will make you fit to serve
We'll sever your connections
And seal off every nerve

All hail the neuro-surgeons
Salute the central shaft
It just takes one incision
To clear the psychopath

On/Off/Stop/Go/Stop

Oh, fuck off

https://twitter.com/CarlSMcQueen/status ... 2967561216

NEW: The woman behind Clap for Our Carers, Annemarie Plas, has confirmed it will return from 8pm this Thursday. This time, widening its message to #clapforheroes to "acknowledge every hero who has played their part through the pandemic".

— Carl McQueen (@CarlSMcQueen) January 6, 2021

We're only in Lockdown 3.11 for Workgroups because people stopped clapping the first time.

Meanwhile, Lockdown NT is still quietly under development in the background, but will eventually be our saviour.

So, the kids aren't in school and their teacher is sending them invites via the schools Outlook to various online lessons... The only problem is, and it's quite a big problem, the times are clearly all wrong.

The last lesson occurred '4 hours ago (Thu 07/01/2021 00:00 - 00:30)'

That ain't right surely? I've looked through the settings and there's nothing I can do to change the time as they've got limited access on Outlook online. Very strange.

That's also tomorrow.

Sounds like someone, either you or them, has their time zone set incorrectly.

That's exactly what I thought and I'm pretty sure it's them. This is the youngsters school email account, my other daughters is fine.

Still.. The school want them to spend all day in front of a Teams 'lesson' which doesn't exactly seem ideal. The kids aren't exactly thrilled at the prospect as you can imagine.

Take your child to work day comes sooner every year.

How old are they, TV? D’s school have sent him worksheets for the week, which he completed in about 15 minutes (for the entire week), and the plan is to do the same ongoing. We’ve done those, of course, but we’ve decided to just do our own thing. An entire day’s zoom meeting seems draining for any age.

Can confirm.

They're 7 and 8 so years 2 and 4.

During the first lock down we were sent work sheets which we completed really easily so I think the school are trying something else. I'm not knocking the school as it's a less than ideal situation but logistically, it's a nightmare. I need my PC so that'll leave one on a laptop and one on my ipad.. All in different rooms.

Luckily Mrs Vision is a teacher so she'll be able to teach them while she's not working but yeah, I wouldn't like to be on Teams all day every day so I'm not going to force it.

Would another laptop help?

I'm not sure it would thanks. The school have sort of offered in a round about way but they're OK using the ipad. It looks like the work they'll be doing will be via a pen and paper rather than online so there's no typing involved.

The really issue here is that being taught via Teams/Zoom is rubbish for anyone, let alone two kids so young.

I wonder if they are trying to relieve some of the pressure on parents to work from home and homeschool by trying to engage via screen and therefore take some of the childcare duties on? It’s admirable, if so, but also very, very difficult. Maybe they’ll settle into a routine of sorts? If not the school will likely revise their ideas.

I’d like a few more tasks set by school, but Darwin is only in reception, and I don’t think they do much ‘work’ there as such.

(Edited for repetition)

Here’s one for you, TV, Darwin started his first spreadsheet: he’s compiling dinosaur statistics.

Probably said this before:

(one of) The shitty(-ier) things about WFH is as a day like today draws to a close, I can't turn to my colleague who sits next to me and say "Thursday Club" and then at five past five we're in Ma Boyles calling everyone wankers.

Never been in Ma Boyles. I aim to fix that error one day

In the summer you can go sit in the churchyard next to it with your pint. That's nice.

Don't forget, there's that new bar in the bottom of the Liver Building. Might be open now

Well, not now.

Had the vaccine this morning. Feeling fine and normal so far.

But while I'm here I would just like to take a moment to say how much I am enjoying using Microsoft Teams to stay connected and organized. And to accomplish more together across work, school, and life with Microsoft Teams.

Superb

whazzat dude doing with your head, DP?

Thanks for the update Bill.