JERSEY CAMCORDER CLUB
VIDEO FILM-
Our President, Charlie Blampied, whose 80th birthday we celebrated a while ago, regularly contributes an article for each Newsletter, and although they are not always related to filming matters, he always manages to capture a slice of life as seen from his viewpoint. He has a loyal following, and so some of his articles are reproduced here.
A BIT OF CHIT CHAT -
It’s six months since my last ‘chat’ page and it only seems yesterday. I don’t know
what everything in the island is coming to, as things are changing so fast for people
like mewho believe they are past their sell-
Recently we had to change from analogue TV reception by installing either a dish or some box thing called Freeview (and it wasn’t free) connected to our roof aerial. I used the BBC help scheme and had a dish fitted with a box called FreeSat (it wasn’t free either). But it is very good. I still get the same programmes as before, plus a lot more that I don’t need as I’m not a big TV fan. Now I need a new VCR to be able to record one programme while watching another.
The next thing will be digital radio. But you don’t get nice music now, only loud noise and repeated lines of words, so I won’t bother with that.
And I’m still struggling with my computer. It’s OK when things go right, and I can send an email with a bit of luck. But my spelling is bad anyway, and finding the letters on the keyboard is a one finger exercise, so it is a slow job for me.
In fact everything is a slow job these days. It seems that I’ve only just finished breakfast and done a bit of shopping, than it’s time for lunch. Then I have to find time for forty winks with the TV!
But here’s a thought for the day—if you can’t do a good deed, at least don’t do a bad one.
IT’S CALLED PROGRESS -
September is the anniversary month of my retirement from the Jersey Electricity Company and I keep thinking how things have changed since my earlier working life. No longer do men cycle from job to job with bags of tools on their back, and the carriers on the back of the bikes loaded with materials – coils of wire tied to the handle bars, and perhaps a length of tubing tied to the cross bar. The working day was from 8 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. except for Saturdays, when it was 1 p.m. We didn’t know it then, but we were environmentally friendly in those days. But I think the word ‘environment’ hadn’t been invented then.
Today cars or vans are used for transport, and materials are much lighter, made of plastic which is more compact and neater in appearance. Many tools are powered by batteries which are quicker and lighter to handle – they need no extension lead or electrical supplies trailing round building sites, and they are less labour intensive.
I find it a job to cope with today’s way of living, and even to remember what I have done since last September. But I know I have helped club members with videoing some events, and I’m trying to get the hang of 16:9 films. And I’m using my new computer and have learnt some of the jargon, and even how to email, though that sometimes goes wrong. I’ve been putting my films on to DVDs but that still seems to be not quite right and no one can tell me why. I think I’m just past my sell by date.
Here’s a thought for the day-