Sh1t Happens: Osteomyelitis
Osteomyelitis:
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Osteomyelitis.htmI contracted Osteomyelitis (Infection of the bone) near the beginning of April 2012 during surgery to remove Titanium plates from my leg which were their to support my shattered Tibia following a motorcycle accident 30 months previously. A fortnight of hospital, three further operations and a great deal of pain and discomfort followed.
My recovery is going reasonably well at the moment, but the experience was not pleasant. I am still taking four lots of heavy duty antibiotics daily as well as injecting myself in the stomach with an 'anti blood clot' solution and visiting the doctors to have the wound checked and repacked every day.
I currently have a 40mm x 20mm x 20mm cavity in my leg that will hopefully get smaller daily as it heals. I'm not going to do much jogging for a while but tablet effects permitting I'm able to get on with my life and work to a large extent.
Thanks are due to my wife, for everything, my family and friends for visiting and support and the doctors and nurses at
Derby Royal Hospital who despite having to work with some of the most archaic procedures, rules and regulations, did a great job overall. The food was also surprisingly good, I recommend the Macaroni Cheese, and the quantities adequate (cheers Matt !). Special shout out to the lovely nurses on Ward 204.If squeamish - do not look at the pictures !
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Software Economics 1: Pricing
My earlier article on Software Economics is now available for download as a pdf. This document is Part 1: Pricing.
Download here:
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I'm Back !
Back from hospital, mostly fixed and ready for anything. Many thanks to all who sent good wishes and visited. Cheers - Steve 
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Over-prepared ?
Disclaimer: This is not my photo or my equipment !
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Be Prepared !
Disclaimer: This is not my photo or my equipment !
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Snow
Yesterday, first break of the year … 3 Days previously I was soaking up the rays ...
Living without a Female ...
Double Click for a Larger Image
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Volvo Estate AWD For Sale
SOLD !
VOLVO V70 AWD ESTATE 2.4
FOUR WHEEL DRIVE, AUTOMATIC
1998. Very Reliable, Runs Very Well Air Conditioning, Anti Theft System, Child Locks, Computer, Electric Mirrors, Head Restraints, Leather Seats, Metallic Red Garnet Paintwork, Power Assisted Steering, HPI CLEAR, ABS, Alloy Wheels, Front Armrest, Folding Rear Seats, Immobiliser, Radio/Tape/CD Multichanger, Side Airbags, Alarm, Drivers / Passenger Airbags, Front & Rear Electric Windows, Height adjustable Drivers Seat, Steering Wheel Rake Adjustment, Steering Wheel Reach Adjustment, 3x3 Point Rear Seat Belts, Remote Central Locking, Body Coloured Bumpers, Service History, 2 Keys, Heated Mirrors, Headlight Washers, Folding Rear Seats.
Good Condition
Extremely Comfortable, Full Leather Interior
CD Multi-Changer
Electric Memory Drivers Seat
Heated Front Seats
Air Conditioning
Full Double Socket Towing Equipment
Recent MOT
Alloy Wheels
Trip Computer
Fog Lights
Only 126000 Miles
Roof Bars
£1000. No Offers. Tel: 07412-540994
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Apple: Repairs and Upgrades
My MacBook Pro now features a Solid State Disk (no moving parts!) and the memory has doubled from 4Gb to 8Gb, all done really quickly, at a great price.
Any Apple related hardware issues, upgrades, repairs etc. Give Jon a call:
Schecter Devil Review
Looks
The Schecter Devil Custom is a Mahogany body with solid burl maple top, 24 fret fixed bridge guitar with a body shape similar to that of a Gibson SG and a unique 'Pincer or Claw' headstock. This guitar sports the EMG Active 81 / 85 pickup combination and a very dark red / black finish that is extremely effective. It got the thumbs up from both the wife and daughter. Not too shabby !
The look of this guitar is fabulous with a quilted look to the paintwork which is a deep gloss type finish, along with Black Chrome tuners and brightwork. If they could have put a metal tip on the 3 way switch that would have been the icing on the cake !
The Neck
Three piece mahogany, 24 jumbo frets, 25.5 inch scale, very comfortable, set neck with ultra access. At the 12th fret is a beautifully set 'Devils Eye' inlay, which looks stunning against the dark ebony fretboard. Both the neck and headstock feature multi-ply binding.
Playability
The weight of the guitar is, I would say somewhere between an SG and a Les Paul, nearer to an SG. Very comfortable to play for extended periods. The balance of the guitar is slightly neck heavy, but not enough to cause the headstock to head for the floor every time you let go of the neck. There is a contour on the back of the body that allows the guitar to be more comfortable for those of us with expanded waistlines... The controls and switch feel nicely weighted and have a quality feel to them. Overall the Devil feels great to play - it has that indefinable 'something' that makes an instrument feel special.
The Setup
The guitar arrived from the dealers, www.guitarguitar.co.uk, and it was setup nicely with what felt like new strings, with no fret buzz, although the strings were a little high for my tastes. After a couple of days I straightened the neck with the (supplied !) allen key and reset the action to my liking. The neck had a little too much relief for me and a couple of turns on the truss rod soon sorted it.
Big thumbs up to Schecter for supplying the allen key and also a cable, a nice touch at this price point.
Fit and Finish
Crafted in South Korea is proudly displayed on the back of the headstock, and yes, they should be proud. Anyone who doubts the ability of eastern companies to build quality products ought to check out where their iPods and iPads are made ... not so long ago I paid £600 for a Harley Davidson leather jacket that was made ... in China ! As is a lot of their stuff apparently. As they say in the States, 'go figure!'. I have to say the quality of that jacket was fantastic as is the quality of this guitar. If I am going to be hyper critical there are a couple of things that are not perfect:
1.The control knobs aren't on straight
2.Some signs of an 'orange peel' effect under the lacquer on part of the body, only in a certain light
That's it. I once had a guitar that cost four times what this one did and there was more to criticise. The eastern factories, those hired by western companies that care, can turn out goods of any quality, and they'll only get better.
Hardware
The tuners are by Grover, the bridge by Tonepros and the pickups by EMG. 'nuff said ?
Sound
Active EMG's always dictate the sound of a guitar to a large degree and that is also true here. I have noticed though that judicious use of the tone and volume controls help this guitar nail the blues / rock 'inbetween' sound very well. Of course Rock and Metal are catered for superbly and the cleans are also very good. No complaints at all with the sound.
Summary
It looks like no other guitar, plays like a dream and is very reasonably priced. Not just for Metal, this guitar is a superb instrument from a company that seems to be little known in the UK - and deserves to be much more widely known. In the meantime those in the know can enjoy great guitars at a great price - courtesy of Schecter Guitar Research.
