Earlier
We'll try and put some info up about earlier
stuff as soon as we get around to it.
10.11.99
On the perils of computing systems.
Today I learnt a lot about how software and systems should not be built. Of
course, it didn't start off like this: in fact it started off as a simple
phone call to my bank back home to check my last set of wages had been paid
into my account.
Well, it turns out they hadn't. No problem I
thought, there's been a screw up at the temping agency which currently pays me
- I just have to talk to them and they will sort it out.
I called the temping agency.
"Hello Mr. Davies, we can't see what's
going wrong - we have your account number correct here, it's 123467895".
Aah I said, the 5 at the end is a check digit they use on switch cards, you
may not need that. Could you check with your payroll people if they have been
using the 5.
They phoned back.
"Yes Mr. Davies, the head office has a 5
at the end of your account number". Ok I thought, I'll check with the
bank and see of this is a problem. No problem said the bank - we can accept
payment with or without the 5 on the end. Fine thought I, I'll phone back the
temping agency and see what has happened. Much discussion, several calls to
the payroll office reveals the following masterpiece of system design:
The temping branch office where I registered
wasn't sure whether to use the 5 or not, so they included it anyway. The head
office software "knows" bank accounts only have 8 digits so silently
dropped one of the digits. The 5 ? Oh no, they dropped the first digit of the
account. So someone in Lancaster is currently better off then they thought
they were and I, well, I have a good anecdote in case I ever have to lecture
on data integrity checking. Bah humbug.
Nige
11.11.99
Though an Audi may be cheaper in Germany. It's still not cheap.
Jayne
12.11.99
So you want a PhD from Karlsruhe? In
Lancaster when you do your PhD viva you usually arrange to go down the pub for
a few beers afterwards. In Karlsruhe they take the celebration to a whole new
level. The last couple of days Stefan had his PhD promotion (roughly akin to a
viva from what I can tell). The celebrations went something like this.
Firstly, when Stefan emerged from his viva he was immediately handed a printed
sheet of paper with words to a song composed for him by the rest of the dept.
The Professors involved in the viva joined him and together with the rest of
the dept. they all sang the song to the backing of a laptop and an MP3 file. A
nominated person from the dept. then read Stefan a poem, also specially
written for the occasion. Stefan is then dressed in some weird clothes (see photo
page for details) and we all drink some Champaign. But it's not over yet.
Oh no. We all walk downstairs and Stefan is paraded through the streets in a
weird little cart pulled by the Professors involved in his viva. Once back in
the dept. it's over to Stefan who has to lay on a party with food and drink
for the whole dept (we aren't talking crisps and finger food here either).
Finally, at this party does Stefan get to relax. I think not. Instead he has
to undergo a series of "challenges" set for him by his colleagues. I
think maybe we should initiate a similar procedure at Lancaster :-)
Nige.
17.11.99
Snow After having told everyone how warm
and lovely Karlsruhe is we now need to put the record straight and say it's
not always warm. The last couple of days have turned icy cold and today we
woke up to snow. Just a dusting on the ground but more is forecast. People
have stopped playing in the park and we are both really glad for our fleeces !
We are planning to hire a car this weekend and go traveling so expect more
ramblings on this page soon.
Nige.
21.11.99
Lots More Snow So we hired the car - a
VW Passat from Avis which was incredibly cheap - and headed off to Interlaken.
This is one of our favorite places in Summer and we'd always wanted to see
how it looked in the Winter. We weren't expecting any snow in the town but
hoped to see some higher up in the mountains. We arrived in Interlaken on
Thursday afternoon at about 4pm and checked into our accommodation: a really
nice room at the top of an old Swiss chalet. We opened the windows onto our balcony,
gazed at the mountains and lo, it started snowing. The first snow fall of the
winter had started. We thought this was fantastic - maybe there would be
enough snow to cover the hills by morning. Little did we know.
We headed off to eat in a local restaurant and
had a nice meal, beer, coffee etc. We then left the restaurant and emerged
into a completely changed landscape. In the couple of hours it taken us to eat
it had snowed and snowed. Everything was covered: cars were sliding everywhere
and it was still falling. We played in the snow and then went to bed. During
the night even more fell and we woke to about 18 inches of fresh snow.
Fantastic. Not trusting ourselves to drive, we jumped on a train to
Grindelwald. This is a small ski resort about 10 miles from Interlaken and in
summer is always beautiful. In winter it was even more so. We walked and took
photos all through the village before heading back to the hotel. It didn't
stop snowing all day!
The following day we spent in Lauterbrunnen.
The roads had been cleared by this time and we were able to drive there. We
visited "our camp site" and took a cable car up from Stechelberg to
Murren. This is a small village nestled on the side of a mountain. The village
is closed to all cars and the only way to reach it is via the cable car. The
snow up here was perfect - just right for pushing Jayne into on a regular
basis :-). Exhausted by a days walking and the fantastic air we crashed out
for our final evening - enjoying a fine Indian meal in Interlaken.
Overall this was definitely a dream come true.
The views were fantastic, and to see the first snow fall and the accompanying
transformation of the valley was magical. I'll be back!
There are photos of this trip on the photo
page.
Nige.
23.11.99
The Last Supper It's time to leave
Karlsruhe. Jochen, Annette, Jayne and I headed out for dinner to a really nice
Greek restaurant. The food was excellent, the ouzo as strong as ever and the
service great. Afterwards we drove to some nearby villages and had dessert
(apple strudel of course) and beer in a bar. It was a really wonderful evening
- everything seemed perfect.
Writing the above text, almost two months after
we left Germany, I still find myself missing the hospitality, food and beer.
We both had a really brilliant time in Karlsruhe and for everyone who helped
make that possible we owe an enormous debt of gratitude. If any of you ever
want to call in that debt feel free :-) In the meantime, suffice to say that I
would recommend a stay in Karlsruhe to anyone looking for the good life !
Nige.
