Archive for Colin Walls
The Colin Walls Blog
Words on the move
I have written about my interest in language on a previous occasion and commented that I considered myself very lucky to have English as my first language. Although I do not really speak any other language enough to communicate usefully, I find the subject fascinating. Whenever I can, I try to learn 6 basic words [yes, no, hello, goodbye, please, thank you], along with a key phrase or two [like "May I have a beer please"] and the first few numbers. I can do that in a few languages, which is fun.
Lately I have become interested in the relationship between languages and how words move around … (more…)
Tags: off-topic
The AIRpod
I am always interested in new technology, but sometimes I hear about something which particularly catches my imagination and fires my enthusiasm. A recent example is Android, which I wrote about here and here. I have a feeling that the Apple iPad might be special too - watch this space in a few months. But there is a technology, that I find intriguing, which is not really anything to do with electronics, but all about cars and transportation. I am not a big fan of cars and, even though I liked the Morgan factory, just regard them as a way to get about. But, what about a car that runs on fresh air … (more…)
A taxi in Munich
I am very interested in business success stories. In particular, I am fascinated by the contributions that individuals make to the success of a large company. I wrote about that here, for example. I am also very interested in small - even one person - businesses and how they succeed. One of my favourites is a guy called Kurt, who is well known to many of my colleagues and operates a one-man taxi firm in Munich. Having used his services many times over the years, I have given a lot of thought to why I see him as so successful … (more…)
Tags: off-topic
The Names Game
How do you spend your free time in the evenings and at weekends? Obviously, I would expect as many different answers as there are readers of this blog. But one thing that many people do, at one time or another, is play games. This means different things to different people. For some, gaming is something they do on their computer - either pitting their wits or skills against the computer itself, or playing against other humans out in cyberspace.
For me, I prefer game playing to be a social activity - I like to play with real live human beings who are actually in the room with me. If there are just two of us, I do not mind Chess; Othello is another favorite. For a group of 2, 3 or 4, my firm favorite is Scrabble. We were recently introduced to The Settlers of Catan - a role-playing board game, which I felt was quite compelling. For a larger group - at a party say - games need to be adaptable to the number of people and accept a wide level of capability among players. They also need to be quick and easy to learn. With all that in mind, I would like to tell you about my favorite. I do not know if it has a real name, but I will call it The Name Game … (more…)
Tags: off-topic
Avatar
I am not a film buff. I go to see a movie a few times a year - there is no movie theater [cinema for us Brits] in the town where I live, but I plan to fix that [not planning to build one, just move house, but that's another story]. I have always enjoyed science fiction and the big screen experience often suits the genre. So, when I head about Avatar, I was immediately interested. When I heard it was 3D, I was intrigued, as I had never seen a 3D movie. I enjoyed the experience on two levels: first, the content - the concepts and the story; second the technology of the making of the movie … (more…)
What is my phone for?
I do not like talking on the telephone very much. To me, it feels like a very artificial, inefficient means of communication. Talking face to face is a much richer experience and any inefficiency is offset by the benefits of the non-verbal communication and its subtle nuances. Written communication can be much clearer [even though it often is not] and more efficient. Each of these media has its place and the phone comes in the middle as a compromise.
However, I am very happy to have a mobile phone and use it extensively, but very little of my use is talking, and I wonder how common my experience is nowadays. I have always been a somewhat early adopter of technology - I usually wait for version 1.1, but not hang on for 2.0. My phone usage can be understood by looking at my personal history … (more…)
Indefinite
I have a boundless interest in language and communication and have written on the topic before [here and here, for example]. I always feel lucky and privileged to have English as my native tongue, as the language has such enormous flexibility. Apart from having such wide usage, there are always lots of ways to say things and more vocabulary available than with any other language.
But there is one thing lacking - a facility which I feel we should nurture and revive: indefinite pronouns … (more…)
Tags: off-topic
Vacation for the PC repair man
I have used PCs for many years. The first one, way back in 1986 was a “genuine” IBM PC XT [10M hard drive and 640K memory - it did the job]. Since then, I have used and owned machines from a number of manufacturers, but there is one that has become my firm favorite. It is also the preferred supplier to Mentor Graphics. I am not going to name them here [they are rich enough to pay for their advertising] - all I will say is that they were the first large PC vendor who built their business on direct sales to end users.
I have written on previous occasions [here for example] about being impressed by exemplary customer service. A while ago I heard a story that gave me a clue as to why this PC vendor is so successful … (more…)
Tags: off-topic
Time’s arrow
I have always enjoyed science fiction on TV, movies and books. One facet of the genre that I find particularly intriguing is time travel. I am thinking of shows like Dr Who, Star Trek, Time Tunnel and Quantum Leap. I also recently read [and very much enjoyed] The Time Traveler’s Wife. In all these cases, we are asked to accept the possibility that travel, both forwards and backwards in time, is a possibility. Interestingly, in all these cases, time travel does seem a bit haphazard, with some challenges about hitting a specific date. But they all manage to make the journey.
For the most part, when reading any kind of fiction, I expect a lot from the author. I want to be entertained, but I also want to learn something. So, I anticipate a high level of integrity and knowledge to be displayed. If I find numerous technical flaws or “continuity” errors, I get frustrated [and do not get me started on "The Da Vinci Code"!]. With older science fiction, I have to suspend belief, as science may have overturned the knowledge and assumptions of the time; this is hard, but worth it for a good story. Somehow, I am always happy to accept the idea of time travel, even though it is counter-intuitive and at variance with a lot of scientific research … (more…)
Tags: off-topic
aMAZEd
In the UK, the Christmas and New Year holiday is quite a long stretch. We have 3 public holidays [4 in Scotland, I believe] - 25/26 Dec and 1 Jan. Many people take 3 days annual leave between to make a long break. This year, the calendar permitted the bridging of 2 weekends, so we could easily have a 10 day break.
Personally, I am not a big fan of Christmas, as it seems to have become a time of excess: too much food, too much drink and, for many, too much debt. However, I do rather like the concept of New Year being a new start - a clean sheet to write on and other such clichés. Once this is over, there is often a feeling of anticlimax, but I have the benefit that Libby, my Other Half, has her birthday on 2 Jan. This year we celebrated in an interesting way … (more…)
Tags: off-topic
About Colin Walls
I have over twenty-five years experience in the electronics industry, largely dedicated to embedded software. A frequent presenter at conferences and seminars and author of numerous technical articles and two books on embedded software, I am a member of the marketing team of the Mentor Graphics Embedded Systems Division, and am based in the UK. Away from work, I have a wide range of interests including photography and trying to point my two daughters in the right direction in life.