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Thursday, 13 March 2003 . That's the 'new' computer sorted. You can see the update here.
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Friday, 14 March 2003. Found an interesting web site here - www.ChloeAylward.com
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Tuesday, 25 March 2003. Just to let you know that I am still alive! Things have been very quiet and peaceful, and that is nice. Been having a go at converting my accounts progs to XP, and giving them to the world. Main prob is in getting the DOS BASIC statement - 'LPRINT' to work. In WIN98 it printed to a dot matrix printer, but can't get it to do even that in XP. Looked on the web, but nothing there that works. I'll have a go at finding a way to use DOS as an alternative OS. If all fails, I'll put the progs and source code on the site and let people sort it out. Should make a good challenge for them!
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Thursday, 27 March 2003. Eureka! I have found it! (As the penguin said as he had a pee in the snow!)
Got the 'LPRINT' statement to work. By trial and error found that the IBM ProPrinter driver suited my Canon PW-1080A dot matrix printer.
Found a prob in the random access file code, as XP has a different file system - but, I even cracked that.
I am going to keep a log on the progress of converting my accounting progs for XP.
I have also decided to 'give' them to the world FOC. Be interesting to see who makes the first million out of them!
As I convert the progs, I am surprising myself of the excellence of them - OOHH -- I am a clever man!
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Friday, 28 March 2003. The log for the conversion of my accounts progs is here. Nearly done, bar the bloody manual!
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Sunday, 30 March 2003. Updated the log.
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Tuesday, 01 April 2003. I have started to u/l the accounts info. You can keep up with progress here. The progs are finished, but I am having second thoughts about putting the full progs on here. They are valuable. I expect that I will make a cut down version that only takes one 'client'. Also, to change the progs to suit the current IR Schedule.D return. I am very pleased with my progress!
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Thursday, 03 April 2003. Not been too good - (kidney?) - probs. Anyway, here I start an accounts training exercise.
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Friday, 04 April 2003. Feeling better! Done a practical training example. Follow the link from the menu to ensure that you have got all the background.
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Saturday, 05 April 2003. Now done the Final Accounts module.
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Thursday, 10 April 2003. Today I celebrate the fourth anniversary of my site.
Been working hard on the conversion of my CIA progs for XP. See here.
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Saturday, 12 April 2003. The final run through of the accounts system is OK. Snag is that I have had to change some of the folder references, and this makes the old alpha versions (V.8) not compatible. There will be instructions for the changes. The beta version (V9) should be OK by Wednesday. All is looking good.

Carl asked me to do a picture of me hitting Chloe's picture with a shoe, (a la the news from Iraq). But, I thought that I had a better idea! See here.
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Monday, 14 April 2003. The accounts programs are now complete. Start here to download the system. Please read the other items on the menu to get a feel of the system.
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Tuesday, 15 April 2003. How's this for an attempt at selling my CIA agency? See here.
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Thursday, 17 April 2003. I have now purchased www.CIAccounts.com and Mark, my grand (very grand!) nephew has done a cracking job of designing the web site.
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Saturday, 19 April 2003. Been making the 'training' exercise for the accounts system easier to follow. It is now as a down-loadable file 'demonstration.txt'. You will find it on the CIA site www.CIAccounts.com.
Going through the system, it makes me realise how effective it is.
Mark mentioned that it might be better with a GUI. But, using the programs, proves that the DOS 'one key hit' menus are ergonomically better than the mouse/keyboard menus.
What is lacking in PowerBasic is the ability to output to a Windows printer. Nevertheless, there are ASCII printers available, and putting the printout to file, and then printing, is no big deal. It's a golden opportunity for exploitation - (£M2 profit in two years, plus £6000/month!) Would do it myself if my 'get up and go' had not 'got up and went'!
One problem is that I am in the 'riches trap'. I get £2,000/year benefits. IF! I live for another five years, that is £10,000. So, I've got to make a good sum to make up for losing that.
Got rid of the lower back pain, but it still aches and is very stiff. Reckon that I now have it for life!
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Tuesday, 22 April 2003. Now updated the 'demonstration' text file on the accounts site to include the instructions for setting up new clients. These are also in the zip file, but this makes the instructions in the 'demonstration' file complete. All on www.CIAccounts.com.
Mark found a site with a prog that allows DOS progs to print to a Windows printer - costs £65. I may have a look at the trial version. As I get used to the system using of a tmp folder to hold the print files, it seems as good as, if not better than, the direct print, as you are able to format the files more flexibly, and view them on screen. Also, you can move the files to the clients 'doc' folder, for future use.
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Friday, 25 April 2003. By popular request?! I have now opened the programs so that they are not 'time locked'. They can be used for two accounts. Also, I have started a 'proper' manual. The updated version of the progs is 9.01. See the updated instructions, and manual, on the 'Set-up System' page on http://www.ciaccounts.com/
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Thursday, 01 May 2003. Been a few things happening. I have started learning Visual Basic. Very difficult without a manual. Be bloody impossible with a manual! I'm hoping to write a routine that prints the output from my accounts progs. Nearly there, but can't get the input from the file to load properly - it leaves out some spaces. I'll start up a section setting put how I am learning and giving examples.
Started a course on digital photography at the local community school. Learnt quite a lot on the first session. Also buying Paint Shop Pro 7, as that is the prog used on the course. The lecturer has a site at http://www.mikeshinners.supanet.com/ I'll see if it is suitable to put my course work on the galleries section.
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Saturday, 03 May 2003. On the advice of Mark, the site has now been set up for 1024 X 768 viewing. The text will be smaller, but I hope it is OK. From the menu bar, you can use the VIEW>TEXT SIZE>LARGER setting to view bigger text. As there are 348 web pages, I expect that I will have missed some! Let me know if you find any.

Not much success with writing a prog in VB that takes the output print file from the BASIC accounts prog and sends it to the Windows printer. The routine works OK in BASIC, but VB does not 'see' the file correctly. I may try the impossible, and start to convert the BASIC progs to VB.
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Friday, 09 May 2003. Taken the video diary off the home page. I originally put it on there to show how easy it was to do video clips. Now it is commonplace!
Continuing the course on digital photography. I will leave doing a write-up of it until the end of the course, and use my own material for demonstration.
Been very tired for the past week. Had a couple of rows with the neighbours (crap people!) about kids making a hell of a noise and a dog continually barking. Been here for over six years and never had a cross word - then two arguments in two days! Hey - ho!
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Tuesday, 20 May 2003. As you will see, nothing much has happened. Still very tired, and my arthritis is playing up again. My left arm, and neck, is most affected. Never mind!
As the digi-photo course is off for three weeks, I am going through the tutorial that came with the Paint Shop Pro 7 prog. It is very good. Prob is, I will be ahead of the tutor when we start. I'll see if it is worth going to the classes. I enjoy the company.
Had a mention on Ed Stewart's radio show on Sunday, in his "Where are they now?" slot. He gave me my posh name, Edward C Aylward, and said that my stage name was Sky Incha! I included that for the pronunciation of Ki Vinca. I missed taping it. The prog is supposed to be repeated on their web site www.bbc.co.uk/radio2 but it has not appeared yet. I want to tape the message and put it on the site.
The digital TV has got worse as the trees get their leaves on - it shields the signal, and is worse when it rains ...... hey ho!
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Wednesday, 21 May 2003. So sad ............. Chas my brother-in-law has died. He was in hospital for five weeks. He did a few DIY favours for me............. always helpful. I didn't see a lot of him - but I felt a strong attachment to him. He enjoyed singing, but had a stroke some years ago. Hear him here. ------ See him here. God bless you mate.
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Friday, 23 May 2003. And more sadness................. Carl phoned this afternoon to tell me that my sister, Dolly, died a week ago. He heard from Chloe.
I always had a special relationship with Dolly, as she was six years older than I was. At her age of twelve, I was only six, and she had to look after me. We called her Granny!
It was Dolly, who persuaded me to move back down to Essex when I was planning to move to Wick six years ago. Ain't life strange?
Dolly was 75. No-one expected her to be a long liver, as she smoked so much. Mum always said, "That Dolly will never make old bones." Dolly disproved them all! Though, she was a sickly child.
The family must have not wanted me to know that she had died. Not to tell a brother that his sister has died, irrespective of the past, is reprehensible. However, like me, they will have to answer to their God, or to their consciences.
Dolly had not spoken to me for about four years - I know not why. It's possible that she was upset that I had a go at my brother uterine those years ago.
I wrote to her in January, to ask if we could meet to discuss any problems, but I had no reply, so she went before we could make our peace.
It will be hard for Fred, her husband. He is in his eightieth year. Ivor always despised, and ridiculed both Dolly and Fred, and yet they respected him. I wonder .......... does she now know the truth?
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Sunday, 25 May 2003. I have spent some time thinking of how I can correct the wrongs that have been done regarding recent events. The Ted of old would have done something. Now, I am too tired, and I hope, philosophical. There is no way that I am going to be able to get my points across. So, I am going to do nothing.
The conversations at Dolly's funeral will, no doubt, be interesting, with the prevalent topic being me, and my conspicuous absence. Will the 'responsible' people say, "We didn't tell him that Dolly died!" What with Mischa, Chloe, Ivor, Joyce and Karen being there, the cross talk would have been, for me, (about me?), very amusing!
I am certain that Chloe and Mischa will wish to discuss my fictional story with Ivor, Joyce and Karen. (I wonder if her father will be there?)
I have content myself with writing my eulogy.
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Thursday, 29 May 2003. Not had any response to my appeal via Radio-2s "Where are they now?" slot. No one out there knows me?
I have a feeling that I have a prob with the photo printer. Prints not been as good as they should be. I'll have to do a systematic check to isolate the prob.
Got some glasses for the computer from Specsavers - good firm. I use some old ones at the moment. Only cost £2.30 (with some help from the NHS) - not bad. Had an interesting chat with the lady manager about customer relations. Took me back to when I was working. She said that she hailed from Persia. I hadn't heard that country name said since I had a friend from there at Leatherhead in 1964.
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Friday, 30 May 2003

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