Alan Johnston
@alanmacseain.bsky.social
Electronics Engineer. Tá beagán Gaeilge agam.
Ye might want to put on a coat and look at the sky.
January 19, 2026 at 9:49 PM
Ye might want to put on a coat and look at the sky.
Just about all of the decadence of Christmas has been consumed by now. But it's Friday and January is bleak so I was seeking some "nibbles".
My wife said "you know there's a box of crisps in the garage".
Saved!
My wife said "you know there's a box of crisps in the garage".
Saved!
January 16, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Just about all of the decadence of Christmas has been consumed by now. But it's Friday and January is bleak so I was seeking some "nibbles".
My wife said "you know there's a box of crisps in the garage".
Saved!
My wife said "you know there's a box of crisps in the garage".
Saved!
I went looking if it existed in Irish and found 'giúsach', pretty close. Our heritage website duchas.ie has a few entries, but just had to stop and admire this stunning handwriting!
January 16, 2026 at 9:19 PM
I went looking if it existed in Irish and found 'giúsach', pretty close. Our heritage website duchas.ie has a few entries, but just had to stop and admire this stunning handwriting!
Looks to me like the person on call to flick the circuit breaker in Sallins had a few and was told to sleep it off until 4:00 and try again. That's at least 4000 people without light or heat due to (A) a ridiculously over-burdened line and (B) taking the on-call payment without responsibility.
January 3, 2026 at 1:02 AM
Looks to me like the person on call to flick the circuit breaker in Sallins had a few and was told to sleep it off until 4:00 and try again. That's at least 4000 people without light or heat due to (A) a ridiculously over-burdened line and (B) taking the on-call payment without responsibility.
Uh-oh, this does not bode well. Electricity has gone with no sign of it coming back soon.
By way of compensation, my daughter is playing Clair de Lune on the piano by the light of the full moon.
By way of compensation, my daughter is playing Clair de Lune on the piano by the light of the full moon.
January 2, 2026 at 11:49 PM
Uh-oh, this does not bode well. Electricity has gone with no sign of it coming back soon.
By way of compensation, my daughter is playing Clair de Lune on the piano by the light of the full moon.
By way of compensation, my daughter is playing Clair de Lune on the piano by the light of the full moon.
Happy Solstice, people.
Maybe not today, but let's face it, Cos(2°) is 0.9994, which, for humans, is the same as Cos(0°). My Solstice marker is lit!
Maybe not today, but let's face it, Cos(2°) is 0.9994, which, for humans, is the same as Cos(0°). My Solstice marker is lit!
December 20, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Happy Solstice, people.
Maybe not today, but let's face it, Cos(2°) is 0.9994, which, for humans, is the same as Cos(0°). My Solstice marker is lit!
Maybe not today, but let's face it, Cos(2°) is 0.9994, which, for humans, is the same as Cos(0°). My Solstice marker is lit!
I remember the evening of Dec 19th 1975 in Dundalk. I was standing in my bedroom when the window flexed with the blast and I was 1.5km from the bomb.
Two men were killed and many injured in the explosion. It was 100m from where my dad worked. The "Troubles" suddenly came a lot closer to home.
Two men were killed and many injured in the explosion. It was 100m from where my dad worked. The "Troubles" suddenly came a lot closer to home.
December 19, 2025 at 10:00 PM
I remember the evening of Dec 19th 1975 in Dundalk. I was standing in my bedroom when the window flexed with the blast and I was 1.5km from the bomb.
Two men were killed and many injured in the explosion. It was 100m from where my dad worked. The "Troubles" suddenly came a lot closer to home.
Two men were killed and many injured in the explosion. It was 100m from where my dad worked. The "Troubles" suddenly came a lot closer to home.
My Winter Solstice marker doing its thing. The low sun shines through a high round window fully lighting up a bronze disc on the chimney breast. It's much nicer in real life, something about the sun's glow at this time of year.
December 16, 2025 at 11:11 PM
My Winter Solstice marker doing its thing. The low sun shines through a high round window fully lighting up a bronze disc on the chimney breast. It's much nicer in real life, something about the sun's glow at this time of year.
I have a hardcopy User Guide for Windows 2.0. I have no idea how I still have it 37 years later.
2.0 introduced overlapping windows and multitasking and came on 5.25" floppy disc, which you installed on to the MASSIVE 10Mb hard drive in your 8MHz 8086 computer.
2.0 introduced overlapping windows and multitasking and came on 5.25" floppy disc, which you installed on to the MASSIVE 10Mb hard drive in your 8MHz 8086 computer.
November 21, 2025 at 10:44 PM
I have a hardcopy User Guide for Windows 2.0. I have no idea how I still have it 37 years later.
2.0 introduced overlapping windows and multitasking and came on 5.25" floppy disc, which you installed on to the MASSIVE 10Mb hard drive in your 8MHz 8086 computer.
2.0 introduced overlapping windows and multitasking and came on 5.25" floppy disc, which you installed on to the MASSIVE 10Mb hard drive in your 8MHz 8086 computer.
Damn! Move off clouds.
There's colour in the clouds (that's a 5sec exposure - it's pitch black outside) so the aurora is probably doing its thing.
There's colour in the clouds (that's a 5sec exposure - it's pitch black outside) so the aurora is probably doing its thing.
November 12, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Damn! Move off clouds.
There's colour in the clouds (that's a 5sec exposure - it's pitch black outside) so the aurora is probably doing its thing.
There's colour in the clouds (that's a 5sec exposure - it's pitch black outside) so the aurora is probably doing its thing.
My daughter's latest oil painting. "Tlachtga", druidess of The Hill of Ward. Prints available.
www.instagram.com/p/DQ7qWxWDLn2
#speirgorm
www.instagram.com/p/DQ7qWxWDLn2
#speirgorm
November 12, 2025 at 12:44 AM
My daughter's latest oil painting. "Tlachtga", druidess of The Hill of Ward. Prints available.
www.instagram.com/p/DQ7qWxWDLn2
#speirgorm
www.instagram.com/p/DQ7qWxWDLn2
#speirgorm
Tonight is "Oíche idir dhá Uachtarán", a rare event rumoured to occur every seven years*, where the former Taoisigh have free reign to haunt the halls of the Áras.
*or multiples of 7.
*or multiples of 7.
November 10, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Tonight is "Oíche idir dhá Uachtarán", a rare event rumoured to occur every seven years*, where the former Taoisigh have free reign to haunt the halls of the Áras.
*or multiples of 7.
*or multiples of 7.
You can stop looking at me, I'm NOT paying the cheese tax on Cashel Blue.
November 3, 2025 at 11:16 PM
You can stop looking at me, I'm NOT paying the cheese tax on Cashel Blue.
There are Hallowe'en feels to the Moon this evening.
October 26, 2025 at 6:18 PM
There are Hallowe'en feels to the Moon this evening.
Rx Tx wrong. Again!
October 12, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Rx Tx wrong. Again!
Rx Tx wrong. Again!
October 12, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Rx Tx wrong. Again!
The fitting room had three steps up to the door, so Mr Benn's adventures were, unfortunately, prematurely ended due to the Shopkeeper's failure to implement basic accessibility features.
October 1, 2025 at 10:08 PM
The fitting room had three steps up to the door, so Mr Benn's adventures were, unfortunately, prematurely ended due to the Shopkeeper's failure to implement basic accessibility features.
I remembered a song my mother used to sing when I was a tot, bouncing on her knee.
I Googled the lyrics and got this, but *I* didn't misremember the words. I noticed the song is from 1907 and realised that that was WAY before her time, so her mother must have sang it to her, bouncing on her knee.
I Googled the lyrics and got this, but *I* didn't misremember the words. I noticed the song is from 1907 and realised that that was WAY before her time, so her mother must have sang it to her, bouncing on her knee.
September 29, 2025 at 11:21 PM
I remembered a song my mother used to sing when I was a tot, bouncing on her knee.
I Googled the lyrics and got this, but *I* didn't misremember the words. I noticed the song is from 1907 and realised that that was WAY before her time, so her mother must have sang it to her, bouncing on her knee.
I Googled the lyrics and got this, but *I* didn't misremember the words. I noticed the song is from 1907 and realised that that was WAY before her time, so her mother must have sang it to her, bouncing on her knee.
Níl ní ar bith níos áille ná 'n ghealach os cionn 'n tsáile.
September 8, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Níl ní ar bith níos áille ná 'n ghealach os cionn 'n tsáile.
There's a glut of sloes here at the moment, so I tried my hand at Sloe and Apple Jelly.
100% recommend it. It has a unique taste and just a hint of tannins like a nice red wine. Yum!
100% recommend it. It has a unique taste and just a hint of tannins like a nice red wine. Yum!
September 5, 2025 at 7:48 PM
There's a glut of sloes here at the moment, so I tried my hand at Sloe and Apple Jelly.
100% recommend it. It has a unique taste and just a hint of tannins like a nice red wine. Yum!
100% recommend it. It has a unique taste and just a hint of tannins like a nice red wine. Yum!
These guys are taste explosions! "Sunburst", ripe when orange. (Most are a bit larger than this wee guy.)
September 4, 2025 at 9:46 PM
These guys are taste explosions! "Sunburst", ripe when orange. (Most are a bit larger than this wee guy.)
Seo mo bhean chéile ar an lá céanna le do chuairt. Má éisteann tú go cúramach, screadann Lia Fáil nuair a nascann sí leis!
September 3, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Seo mo bhean chéile ar an lá céanna le do chuairt. Má éisteann tú go cúramach, screadann Lia Fáil nuair a nascann sí leis!
I love how the reedmace is called 'cuigeal nam ban-sìthe.' It has that name in Irish too.
August 26, 2025 at 9:35 AM
I love how the reedmace is called 'cuigeal nam ban-sìthe.' It has that name in Irish too.
Those directions only make sense when the land is viewed facing east.
August 24, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Those directions only make sense when the land is viewed facing east.
I found out tonight (thanks to Cedrusk on Instagram) that historically east was up on maps.
In Irish deas/right and deisceart are from the same root. Also, iarthar (west) derives from 'iar' 'thar' "behind beyond", and east (oirthear) from 'air' 'thar' "front beyond".
Ireland IS dog-shaped!
In Irish deas/right and deisceart are from the same root. Also, iarthar (west) derives from 'iar' 'thar' "behind beyond", and east (oirthear) from 'air' 'thar' "front beyond".
Ireland IS dog-shaped!
August 24, 2025 at 10:34 PM
I found out tonight (thanks to Cedrusk on Instagram) that historically east was up on maps.
In Irish deas/right and deisceart are from the same root. Also, iarthar (west) derives from 'iar' 'thar' "behind beyond", and east (oirthear) from 'air' 'thar' "front beyond".
Ireland IS dog-shaped!
In Irish deas/right and deisceart are from the same root. Also, iarthar (west) derives from 'iar' 'thar' "behind beyond", and east (oirthear) from 'air' 'thar' "front beyond".
Ireland IS dog-shaped!