Author Archives: Quantum Tea
Words to a new software QA
We’re not after the developers. We’re after their code. It’s not personal. If they didn’t want us to find the bug, they shouldn’t have written it in the first place. QA starts with the requirements, if those are vague, the … Continue reading
Posted in Geek/Tech, Humour, Writing
2 Comments
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
I’m working my way through Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards, and one of the early exercises is to copy an upside-down line drawing. Right-side up, this is what I got: There’s a few lines … Continue reading
A Flock of Hats
I’m not sure what the correct collective noun is for hats, but I seem to knit them in batches. Three of these four were destashing hats, made from yarn that I had before the start of the year. Pattern: Seaworthy … Continue reading
Drawing class
I’ve been taking a weekly class at the St Louis Artist’s Guild (acronym SLAG, which makes me giggle) and the teacher, David Zamudio, has been gently working us towards drawing an actual human. Prior lessons focussed on spheres and cubes, … Continue reading
Posted in Craft, Personal
3 Comments
Accomplished
Four years, two months, and one day, that’s how long it took me to get my third degree brown belt in Chinese Kenpo from Tracy’s Karate. My first lesson was on Monday 17th November 2008, I got my brown belt … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
3 Comments
A parade of finished objects
It’s been a busy January so far. I’ve released a pattern for small drawstring bags, burned my hand with boiling water (making proper tea is a hazardous business) and I’m training for my third degree brown belt in Chinese Kenpo. … Continue reading
Posted in Knitting
2 Comments
New Year’s Resolution Reading Challenge
I don’t normally make extensive New Year’s resolutions, beyond my annual "I will not stab anyone in [insert year here]." I borrowed that one from Rachel Herron in 2010 and it is a worthy goal worth re-committing to each year … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Writing
2 Comments
Ink sampling
I’ve been sampling various combinations of ink and fountain pens. It’s a huge surpise how different pens with the same ink give wildly different results. Using my TWSBI 540 pen with Noodler’s Black Swan in Australian Roses ink gives a … Continue reading
Projects in progress and stalled
If ever there was a year where I don’t complete NaNoWriMo it’s this one. Too much going on to have brain real-estate tied up with a novel. I may stage a dramatic comeback mid-month but it’s not looking very likely … Continue reading
NaNoWriMo – T minus 10 days
Ten days. Keyboards on standby, tea ready to be brewed, notebooks filled with plot debris, friends and fiends recruited, donor halo firmly in place. We’re doing this. I have a stack of index cards in three different colours, with events … Continue reading