404 - Exploring the City of Cambridge by Narrowboat

We spend a lightening fast 48 hours on the moorings by Jesus Green in Cambridge
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► FAQ
Q• Why do you speed up some of the footage in your videos?
A• We don't, we film it as time-lapse footage. We do not have the battery capacity or data storage to film in real time as our cruises can last up to 7 or 8 hours. We use to the time-lapse footage to help tell the story of movement rather than showcase the scenery. We limit the amount of time-lapse shots we use in each vlog.
Q• Why are your video's so behind?
A• We would love to release all our video's in the same week that we film them but that isn't possible for us. Jo only really has the capacity to edit two video's per week and as we make a video for each cruise that we do and we some times cruise 3 or 4 or 5 times a week we inevitably get behind. We fit in the vlogs around our lives not the other way round.

[@travelledfar]

Episode 404 ... thought I would never find it 🥴🤣 (ok a poor Dad IT joke) .. Aside, good to see you in Camb.

[@MinimalList]

Heh! Dammit ... wish I'd realized that was the episode number this one would hit on ahead of time! M

[@fromthetaperoom6325]

You beat me to it! I was gonna say, "Vlog 404: Narrowboat not found" Except, just like a dial up connection, Im too slow. Kind of co-incidental Michael went to the computing museum me thinks!

[@nlzaaf]

It’s weird. I was allowed to see the previous episode. 🤓

[@johnallen148]

Hi Jo Michael,super blog yes jo it’s hard getting a word in when Michael is talking lol but everything Michael said was so interesting the museum was fantastic and the old computers was very interesting seam to forgotten about them lol some great scenery as well ,Cambridge is a beautiful city lots of architect everywhere you look well most wear you look ,thanks for the ride loved every moment of this blog thanks,till next time take care keep safe, John 🇬🇧🥂🥂🇬🇧👏👀🌹

[@MinimalList]

Glad you liked this one! M

[@marshallcasse2567]

Thanks for the shots inside the Fitzwiliam. So few museums allow photography inside. Love small museums like the Marmottan in Paris.

[@MinimalList]

Our pleasure, glad you enjoyed it.

[@TheLemonhawk]

I met Capt Grace Hopper (she was a Captain then) when she gave a talk at our facility. She had no "Nanoseconds" to hand out, but it was a talk I will always remember!

[@MinimalList]

Oh I am so jealous! She'd retired from the Navy long before I ever found out about her and sadly I know her entirely from old videos and written accounts, but I would have to love to have met her! M

[@TheLemonhawk]

@@MinimalList I was a very young Electrical Engineer, but fascinated by computers (probably late 60's) and had just written a symbolic assembler for this strange LC728 computer when we decided to actually write new software for its inertial system. (I wrote the symbolic assembler just because I though I could do it) This all led to actually programming the beast which had no operating system, all in assembly language using fractional arithmetic to align and navigate Navy aircraft. It was the start of a long career in inertial navigation. The meeting with Grace was a very memorable one about initially judging people. Here was this little old lady and she was going to talk about computers! Impossible! Oh how wrong I was!

[@MinimalList]

Yeah, if anyone ever put the “don’t judge a book by its cover” adage in high relief, it was Grace Hopper! M

[@Den-dp5zc]

Great to see my nearest city from the water. Glad you enjoyed your visit to Cambridge.

[@MinimalList]

We really did! M

[@brodie2711]

What a delightful city to visit, nerd central or what. Thanks for sharing your visit to the museums.

[@MinimalList]

Thanks for coming along and nerding out with me! M

[@borderreiver90]

An amazing city with all the colleges and rowing boats galore...must be fun if they are all out......

[@MinimalList]

I imagine it could be a bit trying in the busiest of rowing times, but we found it quite sedate and lovely! M

[@jolewis-brown3603]

Amazing to see Cambridge so quiet and minus the tourists.

[@MinimalList]

Yeah, I can only imagine how crowded it got on some of those weird little roads in pre-Covid times! M

[@kooral6959]

Hello. Welcome to Cambridge. I don’t normally comment but as you’re here I couldn’t resist.

[@MinimalList]

Thanks for that! Lovely town! M

[@ElevatedThreat]

I have to admit, until I started watching your videos, and seeing you maps, I never knew there were so many canals across England. Seeing the English countryside through your videos has been a great joy to me.

[@MinimalList]

Really glad to hear that! And yeah, the scale of the canal system is just amazing! M

[@lucillecash3046]

Sounds like you enjoyed the museum and the video games Michael. Pretty warm weather for you at the moment. We had 4 degrees C last night in wellington with snow on the Orongorongas and low down on the Kaikouras in the South. Sunshine today and back to 12.

[@MinimalList]

Unusually warm, for the UK… luckily not as bad as the heatwave hitting the rest of Europe… it’s beautiful down there when there’s snow on the mountains, so enjoy the sun! M

[@jillosler9353]

I lived in Cambridge for 20+ years - and was Events Manager at Acorn Computers! Glad you managed to see more than the Lido and Jesus Green.

[@MinimalList]

Acorn in its heyday must have been quite the place to work! M

[@gonzo_the_great1675]

If you are ever in that area, I strongly recommend The National Museum Of Computing, in Bletchley, next to the Bletchley Park code breaking establishment. It's a real nerd out place. Lots of excellent preserved and rebuilt computers. And the collosus rebuild. Between that an the code breaking museum, budget two days.

[@MinimalList]

Yep! I actually got to visit both a couple of years before Jo and I began the vlog; seeing the Colossus in operation was amazing! M

[@maobfh]

Excepting the fact that husband interrupted my viewing pleasure of this video, it was quite enjoyable. I would enjoy mooring there for awhile, also. Even soggy, I would enjoy some good Indian food! I get a week off each 18 months and in a few weeks I fly to Boston then on to meet a friend who has found a good Dal food truck. Looking forward to something with flavor. Great hair, Michael!! I have been enamoured with Jo's curls lately and today you BOTH looked great! I can imagine that the rowers can be a tad pushy on the canal but never forget that THEY know that you stand on a heavy steel hull and any attempts they make to force you aground will fail if you don't blink. If they DO have nerves of steel equal the the hull of Perseverance, they are doomed to come in last in a narrowboat vs. fiberglass or wood rowing vessel. What would the impact speed be? 20? Yeah, they would splinter and you MIGHT feel a little bump but would more likely hear the screams and cursing from the collision. Let 'em try!!

[@MinimalList]

Oh, they're free to try ... I just don't think they'll win! M

[@maobfh]

@@MinimalList Exactly! And Jo HAS nerves of steel, which I have enjoyed watching her flex of late. They don't have a chance.

[@BarneyLeith]

I lived in Cambridge (on Chesterton Road) for the best part of a year in 1965-66. So glad you enjoyed the city, although I could see that Jo was no impressed by Michael's nerdy description of the computer museum - which I would love to visit. My wife trained as a programmer in the 1960s/early 70s (IBM's PL1) and retrained herself in BASIC when we lived in the islands in the early 1980s. We accumulated various computers over the years, so should have started our own museum! Anyway, thanks for this vid!

[@MinimalList]

It’s absolutely worth the visit, though if you’re coming for a visit try to hit the National Museum of Computing (right beside Bletchley Park) as well! M

[@nbluckyduck]

Our old mooring at 12.22! Also that crack at the waterpoint has got a lot worse!

[@MinimalList]

It seemed to me that crack was widening as I stood on it ... it felt like that time I stood on astride the San Andreas, thinking wouldn't it just be my luck for the damned thing to go now? M

[@ianofsjkartwork]

Another interesting and well explained and put together vlog.......stay safe........thanks for sharing

[@MinimalList]

Thanks for watching! M

[@johncallaghan8854]

Not so many rowers in the summer, students have returned home, and the ones that are out, are typically early morning or evenings. You picked a great time to be there! I'm looking forward to getting my Nerd on at the Computer Museum. Another great Vlog ❤️

[@MinimalList]

Definitely worth a visit for the nerd! M

[@johncallaghan8854]

@@MinimalList I've been meaning to go, the last couple of trips home, seeing the BBC micros brought back memories of school computer studies and programming in BASIC, I doubt I can remember any of it now. I once wrote a program to calculate Mass, Volume and Density, I was only 11 years old but it felt like such a great achievement. Did you get try Fitzbillie's Chelsea buns yet?

[@MinimalList]

Not yet, my next visit is on the 12th and I plan to walk past Fitzbillies on the way to my meeting! M

[@johncallaghan8854]

@@MinimalList Excellent let me know what you think!

[@davidapp3730]

Interesting views of Cambridge and the Graduates. As you were filming the intro at the water point it looks like someone is messing with the water point.

[@RetroRegan]

Very odd behaviour. Looked like he was filling a bottle. Whatever he was doing it was out of order.

[@MinimalList]

He was just filling his water bottle ... there's only rarely a boat on there, so it seems to have become the water refill location of choice for local runners and walkers! M

[@MinimalList]

He wasn't messing with it, just filling up his water bottle! M

[@josephkerley363]

That was a delightful and scenic run!

[@MinimalList]

Glad you liked it! M

[@ericgoodall7089]

I noticed early on the big fella was non-stop and thought you must have fed him to much chocolate. lol

[@MinimalList]

Afraid he’s non-stop with or without chocolate. M

[@ericgoodall7089]

@@MinimalList lol

[@susanmarker2164]

Thank you so much ..😊

[@MinimalList]

Thanks for watching! M

[@billabongoneill]

I started my first job in 1970 as a trainee computer operator working on a second generation mainframe (a Burroughs B300) and worked for a further 25 years with mainframe computers the first discs were made from brass and rotated vertically probably 2 feet in diameter,the later multi layered magnetic discs were brown just like magnetic 9 track tape and where horizontal and stored in a round plastic container about 18 inches across 200 mb each,the mainframe at that point was dual ICL 2966’s ..thanks for the trip down memory lane I also had a narrowboat tug for several years.really appreciate your vlogs.

[@MinimalList]

You got to work with the fun stuff! I came on the scene for the last days of 8 inch floppies, but I’d see the big spinners sitting in back rooms, gathering dust! Always glad to bring back memories! M

[@blbeach]

i had PDP11-780s

[@roadie3124]

Hey! I worked for Burroughs from 1970 to 1975. Assembler, COBOL and ALGOL on most things: L/TC VRCs to B7700. We had some head-per-track disk drives with the huge non-removable platters. A 5MB drive with 5ms average access time cost around GBP30,000 and took around 2 to 3 hours to spin up.The heads 'flew' in the boundary layer of air spinning round with the disk. Very nerdy stuff.

[@MinimalList]

Two to three hours? Man, now that’s some lead time to first read! M

[@billabongoneill]

@@roadie3124 yes I remember having to check the analogue gauges on start up before flying the heads that was the age when computer ops really earned their money and had to almost be part of the machine,was well pleased to move onto the B2500/B3500,do you remember typing Y on the console to find out what was going on ?

[@BohemianBeatster]

Just a quick note. I love the crossbow in the musicum.

[@MinimalList]

Yeah, that was a pretty beautiful piece of murderous machinery! M

[@junco477]

J, you are sooooo patient, and feign interest in deep nerd-dom with great skill (at least for a fleeting moment). Love is in the air.

[@MinimalList]

She’s quite good at pretending she’s interested! M

[@Bender24k]

Oooooo computer museum. I know some of those old timers hee hee hee. Thanks for the wonderful video! EDIT: LOL at Jo nodding her head to the tech details. Good stuff!

[@MinimalList]

Definitely worth a visit, that museum! M

[@bjbrown]

Swans and their babies are growing. What a lovely boat day. Thank you for sharing with us.

[@MinimalList]

Thanks for coming along with us! M

[@prof1798]

The empty moorings in the small marina in front of the block of apartments are allocated to the apartments. Obviously, most of the residents are non-boaters. Great advert for visiting Cambridge and its real outdoor market.

[@MinimalList]

Ahh, didn't realize they were just for the apartments! M

[@ScholarGypsyOx]

This is an annoying feature of a number of housing developments that include moorings, only available to the residents.

[@btrowbridge8958]

You guys do such a great job showing the meat and potatoes of canal boat living. The way you show the culture and sites of interest of the places you visit adds the gravy and onions on top. Mike's making hungry though. Could you show pictures of the restaurants you visit and the food? Your vlog of boat life can be a part-time travel guide, too. LOL

[@MinimalList]

Hmm, I'll talk to Jo about showing the food ... in the case of this particular restaurant it was delicious, but not exactly what I'd call photogenic! M

[@ElevatedThreat]

Living the dream!! 🍹🍻

[@MinimalList]

Well a dream, certainly! M

[@Flatters46]

You'd be a lot closer to Newton's apple tree if you were on the Grantham canal and it's being restored, hopefully

[@MinimalList]

Do hope they get it restored ... though this grafted clone is close enough for now! M

[@jeffligon129]

Okay, Brandon was good, but this is better. First, while at Lakenheath I took University of Maryland classes that eventually completed my CS degree 20 something year as later. One of which was art history, we did our final at the Fitzwilliam. But before all of that I worked for my father fixing PC’s. Even fixed my Chief’s Commodore 64 at the base while I was stationed there. So I paused the video looking for the Degas I did my final on and then trying to identify the various PC’s I fixed in the 80’s. One of which was that Pet 2001 you played with. There was an elementary school in Pensacola that had 5 of those we maintained. So keep up the memory walk, we’re loving it so far.

[@MinimalList]

Really glad to bring back so many old memories! M

[@TheBoatingAdventure]

Hi guys Cambridge looks great, not been there for years. I remember having to go and fetch for the school that I was working at, it's first computer, I only had a mini at the time and I struggled to get it all in, the monitor was very heavy but had a tiny screen. Having set it up and loaded programs via a cassette player it did precious little that couldn't be done quicker with a pencil and paper we've come a long way. I've been out filming a lot in the last couple of months but now have Covid so having to isolate - chance to catch up on my favourite vlogs. Take care you three cheers Alan x

[@MinimalList]

Take care yourself and hope you recover quickly! M

[@TheBoatingAdventure]

@@MinimalList thank you.

[@christinegibbins6105]

No. 404 file not found. Thank you both love the area you showed us. Take care and happy cruising in the loades.

[@MinimalList]

Thankfully this 404 file was found! M

[@morgidvmw0mdv]

My first computer was an Amstrad 6128, which I still have. I loved programming in Basic, I wrote a program (well several programs really) to store different information like our video collection, music collection etc. because of the lack of memory, I created a master program that would load the program I needed and once used would reload the master program. I wrote the individual programs first and then the master program, when I had finished writing the master program I gave it a test. Guess what happened next?????!!!!! The master program got replaced by the Lets call it the slave program and of course I HADN'T SAVED THE MASTER PROGRAMME!!! DORK!!! I had to rewrite the master program. We learn by our mistakes. All good stuff though.

[@MinimalList]

Hah ... ahh, the foibles of BASIC! Good times! M

[@janecrofts9281]

Very enjoyable, caught a glimpse of The Baron of Beef an old watering hole of mine ☺️

[@MinimalList]

Quite the name, that one! M

[@janecrofts9281]

@@MinimalList the landlord - Bob Wass - was quite legend.

[@johnbelcher7955]

Hiya Michael, I still have my Acorn Electron and Amiga 500 many hour of fun times writing bacic with my dad, copying programs from magazines. And today is the second time I have heard about Isaacs Newton thou that was in part his use of funny mushrooms but the Apple was included!

[@MinimalList]

Ahh, the good fun of copying code from magazines! My brother and I used to try and type out machine code, directly, from a British magazine that spread the program over multiple pages ... that was a lesson in frustration! M

[@shardlake]

Wonderful vlog, M was clearly loving Cambridge and was in full nerd overload :)

[@MinimalList]

Yep, I'd gone nerd supercritical long before I got to the museum! M

[@malcolmelliott1876]

That actual 400 year old apple tree is still at Isaac's birthplace of Woolsthorpe Manor near Grantham.. a town famous for Newton, who worked out why things fall down, and Margaret Thatcher, who managed to make everything go up (in price). I bought my first non ZX81/non BBC micro from a small company in Cambridge.. a Lynx 128... then the most RAM intense micro available... yes, a massive 128K of RAM... now I complain 32G is not enough....tempus fugit. Cambridge is worthy of a week of touristy things... you could always get the train back in from Ely.

[@MinimalList]

Time might be fleeting, but sufficient RAM is even more so! Will have to visit Grantham and see the one true tree! Will be training back into Cambridge later this week, but to spend the afternoon talking to a researcher there ... hopefully will get a bit more touristing in as well! M

[@thomasnoble1816]

I knew that I could rely on you! My first thought when saw that you were headed to Cambridge was "Please-please-please show Benson Court at Magdalene College- it's right by the river!" Sure enough, at around 3:44 you came through. It is the large brick building in the background of the shot. My excitement is architecture nerddom of an extreme type. The building was designed by one of the greatest English architects Edwin Lutyens in the early 1930s. to me it answers the question of how to design a very large building in a sensitive setting that does not call attention to itself. This last point is important because unlike the Fitzwilliam Museum it is not a cultural center- it just needs to house a lot of students.

[@MinimalList]

Ahh, glad we could show it to you! It definitely doesn't call attention to itself, but certainly forms a pleasant, if utilitarian, part of the environment. The fellow who did the Gherkin should take a bit more of a look at it! M

[@imranzazai7404]

Very beautiful.

[@MinimalList]

Thanks! M

[@terryjacksonberry4742]

I remember taking Basic and Fortran in college late 70s. Telling my age!

[@MinimalList]

Well the Fortran is still useful! M

[@terryjacksonberry4742]

@@MinimalList Not really, I'm retired. LOL I do think the Basic logic helped with Lotus (showing my age again) and I lost a lot of macro capability when my employer made us go to Excel.

[@DesdomonaChild]

Thanks for letting me join your trip through Cambridge. I always used to enjoy my day outs there. Stay well and I look forward to the next vlog xx

[@MinimalList]

Thanks for joining us! M

[@RenaissanceEarCandy]

I'm very lucky to live in this wonderful city. I've only just found this episode and it's a shame to have missed you by five months, would love to have had a pint with you. I love that episode '404' includes a computer museum!

[@markattardo]

:49 couldn't figure out what was going on where your water hose is hooked up then I saw his water bottle. Kinda made me go WTH? I started over and saw other people were using it before you hooked up.... Awesome museum! Easily the highlight of the video. Interesting vlog number coincidence too😂

[@MinimalList]

Yeah the water point seems to be quite popular with runners and walkers, especially on the hotter days! M

[@oceana9294]

Enjoyed the vlog, beautiful scenery, wonderful accompanying music too. Since this is probably as close as I'll get to Cambridge, i found all your comments very helpful and interesting. Thanks.

[@MinimalList]

Glad you liked it! M

[@katelights]

I think museums should have QR codes that take you to more info on the exhibits.

[@roadie3124]

Isaac Newton's rooms for his last years in Great Court, Trinity College were, it's believed, immediately behind where the apple tree is now. Much more important, at 03:16 two guys on bikes are riding past All Saints' Passage, where St Johns Street becomes Trinity Street. The first window down All Saints Passage was where I lived in my third year at Trinity. 😉

[@MinimalList]

Well that’s a heck of a storied place to go to Uni! M

[@roadie3124]

@@MinimalList It was beyond wonderful.

[@atoff]

Your Vlogs are like a breath of fresh air. Always looking forward to the next one. Thank you. xx

[@MinimalList]

Thank you, that's nice to hear! M

[@stevenmichaeli8472]

My favorite city in the whole world.

[@dorothydotson7154]

That footbridge is really gorgeous and the whole area is very beautiful. Enjoyed!

[@MinimalList]

Glad you liked it! M

[@malcolmelliott1876]

OK M, Now try and write some code with the very first BASIC I used.. only; if/then (no else), goto, & for/next ... nothing much else! ... all saved on a cassette recorder tape. Sadly I used to have the exact same clock radio, acoustic coupler, Epsom dot matrix printer, floppy storage box and slotted shelf brackets you showed in the museum.... thankfully not the carpet though.

[@MinimalList]

Give me GOTO and IF and I can do anything! Though I'll be the first to admit I don't WANT to do anything with GOTO! M

[@nazdagg2027]

9/12/21 you weren't on tonight so I watched this one again. good episode. lessons in nerdology.

[@MinimalList]

Glad you liked it! And yes, minor delay due to family commitment, but coming soon! M

[@markgruenberg6277]

Thanks for the look at the museums. Very interesting. Be well and stay safe.

[@MinimalList]

Glad you liked it! M

[@The101stEagle]

Cambridge was one area we missed when we were in the UK. Such a beautiful area. If I get the opportunity to visit again, I will definitely go.

[@MinimalList]

Hope you do visit again ... Cambridge itself and the Rivers Cam and Ouse have been a real delight! M

[@jimsoltner8978]

Cambridge was very interesting. The different boats were cool. That art museum was amazing. Howdy from South Jersey!

[@MinimalList]

Howdy back! M

[@DonP_is_lostagain]

Having been in IT for 34 years, I'd love to see that museum! I like Jo's new do too.

[@MinimalList]

It's a really fun visit for anyone into computers! M

[@MF-fg3cg]

That's all changed 15 years ago in May we went. There was no space, all moorings full with boats that clearly never moved from the boathouses all the way to jesus lock both sides. We had to stop against the lock wall just before the gate.

[@MinimalList]

Well very glad we got lucky on mooring space, though I do believe they've upped the fees and enforcement rather substantially in recent years, possibly to dissuade that much crowding. M

[@susanwarr2438]

Enjoyed your vlog ..never been to this area .the scenery was beautiful .the buildings where awesome ...thank you .

[@MinimalList]

There is some truly nice architecture around Cambridge ... absolutely worth just wandering around! M

[@cofinblood2000]

Have fun on the Lodes, very glad you liked Cambridge.

[@golfballjunke55]

Thanks for allowing us to share your cruise. awh Commadore

[@johncassels3475]

Welcome to Cambridge! Pleased you enjoyed it as it is indeed a special place. My dad was a fellow of Trinity College and habitually wore his black gown around town even after it was no longer mandatory to do so. In his case it covered up his otherwise disreputable worn out clothes. He was the classic absent minded Don whose head was so full of Mathematics (in his case) that the concerns of normal life were not well attended to. Thus the gown came in useful. Fascinating place to grow up in. Hope you have "lodes" of fun as you explore Fen drainage channels again! I always look forward to your updates - please keep them coming.

[@MinimalList]

Does seem like a fascinating place to grow up! And to walk around in a gown! M

[@qwertyTRiG]

What Sir Isaac Newton actually invented, of course, was the cat flap. A door within a door. Genius.

[@MinimalList]

Truly an invention that takes the invention of calculus! M

[@qwertyTRiG]

@@MinimalList Joke borrowed from Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, and it is true.

[@ashadegrey4701]

My home town,I miss it so much. Lived there 20 years and never saw everything.

[@MinimalList]

Quite an easy town to miss things in! M

[@fp30e]

Jo, Michael, Your are so nice. You both make me laugh for the right reasons, as when Jo implied "she can't get a word in edge ways". Lovely cruise. Glad you enjoyed the computer museum. There used to be a computer museum in Bletchley Park, plus other museums including a 35mm cinema which showed old films clips during the Park's opening hours. As always I loved the opening brief and the closing debrief. An excellent Vlog. Take Care.

[@MinimalList]

I was lucky enough to visit Bletchley a couple of years before we started the vlog ... while the grounds are now pretty much dedicated to the story of the code-breaking work around Enigma, there's still a computing museum, albeit outside the grounds ... The National Museum of Computing is just a very short walk away, and is absolutely worth a visit! M

[@voodoo2882]

8086....is where I started

[@MinimalList]

Ahh, the good old days, when 16 bits was more than enough! M

[@voodoo2882]

@@MinimalList I have been reading some comments.....and look at the nerds come out.......where would the world be with out them! with a 1957 dob I am a 'some what old nerdlike with no new tricks' this sent from cupertino CA , one mile[or so] from spaceship "Apple"

[@MinimalList]

I’m not sure where the world would be, but I’m quite certain the movies would have less lightsabers and capes! M

[@nbluckyduck]

You can stay longer than 48hrs for anyone reading this. 48rs at Jesus Green and another 48rs by the Fort St George

[@MinimalList]

Ahh, that's a good point ... should have thought of that! M

[@BillMSmith]

The Fitzwilliam looks awesome. I have a weakness for armor. When you said computer museum I thought you were going to my attic. But my attic has fewer functional games, so you made a better choice. The city looks great, love the architecture. I do love the walking around touristing videos.

[@MinimalList]

The Fitzwilliam really is one of the best small art museums I've ever come across ... some real gems in their collection! M

[@KatelynsAdventures707]

Great journey, the Uni architecture is just awesome. The Brits are so lucky to have it. I’d have enjoyed the computors room. Always wanted to be a signals op in the navy but they had no placements so ended up a writer. Jo I laughed at your expressions at the end. 😁 💜💜🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️

[@MinimalList]

There is some really lovely architecture in the older universities, that's for sure. The placement lottery is why I never signed up ... when the recruiters saw the muscle mass I had back when I was in the right age range it wasn't the brain-intensive roles they seemed keen on filling, even when they saw my aptitude scores! M

[@KatelynsAdventures707]

@@MinimalList it sucks when that happens M, can change your whole life path. I’ve never lost the urge for communications always a bit ahead of the game on computers. Self taught making vids at a ripe old age of 65 +++++ 😁

[@MinimalList]

Yeah, in the long run I’m glad it happened… I would have been there at the exact moment the people who never actually put themselves at risk decided to ignore the second most powerful lesson of the world’s military history: never, ever, under any circumstances, and no matter what the provocation, invade Afghanistan. Luckily I ended up having a pretty good career civilian side! M

[@pwatsonuk]

Great video, though you missed a chance with this one to base it round a fruitless hunt for a rare book in Cambridge - 404 - Page not found

[@Incognitus-Umbra]

came into the comments to see if i was the only one thinking with his geeky museum visit if he would work in a 404 joke

[@MinimalList]

At the time we recorded this I sadly had no idea it would be vlog #404, or I would have! M

[@MrOVERANOUT]

I actually won a cartoon caption competition to win a Tandy TRS80 colour computer with 16k memory and extended basic language. It was worth about £460 which in those days was a lot of money. I learned how to write basic commands and sent off programs to computer magazines with listing of computer games I had invented and written. They paid you £20 if it got published. I had 3 published. Hang man. A submarine torpedo game and a one armed bandit slot machine with rolling drums a pull down handle and cash dropping into the tray. Happy days.

[@MinimalList]

Nice, £520 in profit for a cartoon caption and three games! Those were the days! M

[@iandavenport8423]

You passed NB Bones on the right

[@jamesballard3605]

When you was watching all those graduates did you think at least one will say “to heck with it” and go be a narrow boater ?

[@MinimalList]

I have a feeling some of the liberal arts ones will, eventually! M

[@CharlesinGA]

Tom Scott has done several of his videos the past year or so from the Computing Museum........... If Tom Scott likes it, it MUST be good.

[@MinimalList]

To think I’ve set foot in the same space as Tom Scott!! M

[@Orxenhorf]

He just did a video on opening Tower Bridge to let a sail barge through. Pesky Dutch barges with their masts. ;-)

[@johncallaghan8854]

Ah Home! ❤️🙂

[@anfieldroadlayoutintheloft5204]

good vid on cut crank it stay safe lee

[@MinimalList]

Thanks! M

[@ronharrington228]

Coffee talk... does Michael drink coffee??? When I drink to much coffee, my wife says I talk to much...

[@MinimalList]

Haven’t had coffee since I was seven years old and tried a Saudi-style coffee in Jeddah… a little thimble-sized cup of what looked and moved like molasses. Haven’t stopped talking since! M

[@maggiekavanagh2801]

I have fond memories of my old commodore computer, and the hours spent on programming (all now completely forgotten). I don't mind a bit of nerd-dom and you were in fine nerd-dom form Michael! Any chance you could do your MA at Cambridge, and get one of those lovely moorings? This is what I love about your vlogs, they are packed with information you never knew you wanted to know. Take care you three.

[@MinimalList]

There’s a small chance of doing my program at Cambridge… their masters program is a bit odd, and really aimed at students graduating from their BSc program… but we’ll see! M

[@markbulla1851]

I just got it! River Cam, Cam bridge, Cambridge! Is the river name pronounced "Cam" with a short "a" sound, or "Came" with a long "a" sound? Thanks for another great vlog!

[@MinimalList]

Cam as in Jam or Ham ... don't try to get British pronunciations to follow logic! Down that way is madness! M

[@Orxenhorf]

See also: Liver Building in Liverpool.

[@nobblynobody]

Michael, You should defo try and get to Bletchley Park Sometime (if you haven't already).

[@MinimalList]

Made it there in 2018, while we were heading south from Leicester to London! M

[@MinimalList]

We actually made it to Bletchley back in 2014, before we moved to New Zealand and well before moving back to the UK and onto the boat! Absolutely worth a visit! M

[@chrisd1xon]

I had a Vic 20 and 64. Showing my age.

[@MinimalList]

It's a good age! Some would say the best age! M

[@edmundsmith151]

I could see Jan was hanging on to every word in the last bit of your vlog Great expressions Jan See you two next vlog have fun watched you for a long time Ed 40 south of Vegas XX

[@MinimalList]

Thanks, though it's Jo, not Jan, I'm afraid. M

[@leohoward7282]

What's the guy doing in the background near the water point? During your intro.

[@IQ_155]

I was wondering that, too. Another commenter says he was filling up a water bottle.

[@leohoward7282]

@@IQ_155 ah I see it looked weird definitely

[@MinimalList]

He was filling up his water bottle ... there's relatively few boats down there so that water point seems to get most of its use filling up the bottles of runners, walkers, and cyclists! M

[@leohoward7282]

@@MinimalList ah I see now it makes sense thanks.

[@bryanabshier1525]

Lol, I thought he was taking photos or something.

[@ynys_mon6928]

I can’t remember whether you managed to visit Bletchley Park when you did the Grand Union through Milton Keynes. I obviously need to do some re-watching!

[@MinimalList]

Not on that trip, I'm afraid ... we'd actually visited Bletchley fairly recently, at that point, having gone in 2014, so didn't make the trip over when the boat was near. If we head back that way after we come off the Nene I might make the trip again, as I remember really enjoying it and would love to have it documented in the vlog. M

[@navigator902]

Ah , yes Cambridge town, I believe I will live on one of those permanent moorings and grace the academy with my professional Orations on my subjects, and teach with my tenure .....ride my bike to class, and go back in time.

[@MinimalList]

Sounds like a good tenure to take! M

[@VeganHiker]

I'm wondering if the app "Happy Cow" works in the UK for finding vegetarian/vegan friendly restaurants?

[@MinimalList]

Hah, never found that one! Yep, does seem to work for England ... at least for bigger cities! M

[@sheryld1957]

That was amazing getting to see the graduates out like that. Is that something they do in England a lot?

[@Leonard_Smith]

Once a year when the undergraduates graduate...

[@sheryld1957]

@@Leonard_Smith That is so great!

[@MinimalList]

It's certainly something they do in Oxford and Cambridge around graduation ... haven't come across it outside those two old university towns, but also haven't been in them at the right time! M

[@jimferry6539]

Hey guys narrowboat novice here, how does it work is that the same boat you guys were in when you was on the Rochdale canal?

[@MinimalList]

Our boat is the same boat, yes… we’ve moved it down from the Rochdale (by way of the Standedge Tunnel, Stone, Birmingham, Nottingham, Lincoln, Boston, and the Wash! M

[@jamesayers5182]

My nerdism is that I still have a 48k+ Spectrum and a mountain of games that I can't play because the speccy don't work any more, and I am too much of a hoarder to get rid of them.

[@MinimalList]

There are a lot of resources out there via the googles that will help you with refurbishing that Spectrum! M

[@MarkJT1000]

Ah yes. Commodore Basic and the 6502 processor. Is it me or does the picture at 6:58 look like one of those colour-blindness tests.

[@MinimalList]

Heh, pointillism often does ... that's an early partial study for what would become George Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" ... the final painting looks a lot less like an Ishihara test, but I'll admit that one messed with my color vision a bit! M

[@MarkJT1000]

@@MinimalList "pointillism". Well had to Google that, but now I've learnt something new. Every day's a school day.

[@MinimalList]

Heh, sorry… film school meant a lot of art history classes! M

[@SchererProductionServices]

When you went to the computer museum, I wondered if they'd have a TRS-80...which you showed (the model 1) during your outro. I LAUGHED my butt off!!! I used to work for The Shack and sold the Model 3, color computer and others.

[@MinimalList]

Back in the day I’d wander into Radio Shack and sit there playing games on the demonstration Tandy (which IIRC was the only name the TRS-80 Color was sold under in Canada)… was good fun! M

[@jamesc3610]

My 1st computer was a TRS80 Model 1 16k level II. My dad bought it for me when I was 16! £439 from The Tandy Computer centre in Seacoal Lane just down Ludgqte Hill from St Paul’s in London. 2 years later I was working there as a Computer Marketing Representative 😊 (salesperson). That was an education in itself! We sold Model 2s (with 8” floppy drives) and Model 3s (with 5 1/4” floppy drives) as well as the little Tandy Pocket Computer (PC-1). Worked in local stores for a while mostly to help out, and had younger teens coming in to play games! Happy Days! 40 years later, still in IT and still a nerd!

[@MinimalList]

I think once you’re bitten by the nerd bug, it’s never gonna go away! Luckily it can lead to some pretty rewarding places! M

[@navigator902]

My expertise will be nurdism, as ISM"S go.

[@MinimalList]

It's one of the most productive -isms! M

[@paulmessis1094]

Which is better guys. Oxford or Cambridge?

[@johncallaghan8854]

No contest Cambridge

[@MinimalList]

I can only speak to which one's better to visit by boat, and I'd give the nod there to Cambridge. Oxford's lovely, but the canal's just not as well positioned relative to either the university or the city proper. As cities go they're both lovely, much to see and enjoy! M

[@junco477]

M, I keep forgetting to ask -- from where did you get your oh so cool t-shirts, specifically the Muppet/Blues Bros, and the two Fuji/Big wave take-offs?

[@MinimalList]

All from Teepublic, though sadly the Reservoir Muppets are not currently available from there. Hopefully they return. M

[@elliottmitchell6214]

can i ask as constant cruisers what system do you have for going to see a doctor or arranging to collect medication should you need to. i ask because i plan to do the same thing as your selves but i come from the north but want to cruise around the south so going back up north to Manchester just to see a doctor would be very differcult.

[@MinimalList]

Right, so it’s all a bit complicated, but basically if you’re going to be in a place for < 15 days you can see a GP at any surgery on an emergency basis without registering with the GP… if you’re going to be there < 3 months you’ll need to register on a temporary basis (which means they need to be registering new patients) and see a local GP and they’ll try (with some success) to keep your regular GP up to date with test results, etc… when staying over 3 months you either need to re-register as temporary or register as a permanent resident. Some services you’ll still only be able to access back at your home GP (ie fertility treatments, chronic issues, referrals to specialty clinics), but it sort of works. Prescriptions can be delivered electronically, though some GP surgeries make that easier than others… ours is pretty good so we just make a request online and provide the address of the pharmacy we want to pick up at and it’s usually done within a couple working days. Hope that helps! M www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/nhs-services-and-treatments/how-can-i-see-a-gp-if-i-am-away-from-home/

[@elliottmitchell6214]

@@MinimalList thank you for taking the time to answer my question about Doctors while CC etc. it was quite informative and very helpful and i will certainly reference it while working out my suitability for going out on the cut. thank you very much.

[@MinimalList]

No problem at all! If you’ve got long term health issues that require ongoing and regular visits to your GP then it can definitely be a challenge to cruise far from home, but if they are well managed and you can get your GP to understand the issue and make prescriptions for larger supplies of medications, or arrangements for online prescription ordering, etc, it can work. Access to GPs is a workable problem, but you do have to factor in some extra expense and hassle, I’m afraid. Shouldn’t stop anyone from moving aboard, but might moderate the plans on how far you travel, for instance. Either way, glad to help inform the decisions! M

[@Dot7785]

glad to see sexy knees back

[@MinimalList]

Been a good long while since I considered my knees as sexy, but hey, to each their own. M

[@mrmarmellow555]

Did You SEE THE MOA?? @FITTZ'WILLAM

[@MinimalList]

There's a Moa at the Fitzwilliam? If so, no I'm afraid I missed the giant flightless bird. Luckily I have seen specimens elsewhere, including in New Zealand itself! M

[@RayVRoberts]

Sigh... Michael... you and I would have enjoyed hanging out together with the computers... (once wrote an entire business payroll system on a TI-84A with a whopping 256K)- started on IBM370s in late 70s with the USAF. (punch cards, data tape, disc drives the size of desks)

[@MinimalList]

Ahh, the good stuff! I would have enjoyed that indeed! M

[@billabongoneill]

Been there done that probably written in cobol do you remember pushing the chads back into the cards to make a correction rather than repunching them?

[@RayVRoberts]

@@billabongoneill Used big decks so always had key machines...

[@billabongoneill]

@@RayVRoberts ah yes if it was 2am we had to frig it with a hand punch lol.

[@mikeprice9948]

Loved your comments about the computer museum extermely interesting - if there a system running GCOS6 Mod400 or VAX VMS???? Wonder how much RSX11 I can remember?? And especially 'her' looks - amazing - EXACTLY what my wife would look like If you and I met up we could probably talk about stuff like that for hours Our wives could start a support group - is there a section of the WWW for people who have partners who roll their eyes at the mention of Basic line numbers and GOTO statements???

[@MinimalList]

I believe they have a DEC MicroVax II in their collection, so that takes care of the latter ... looking at their collection search they have some manuals for GCOS systems by Honeywell, but don't seem to have any of the hardware (www.computinghistory.org.uk/sec/193/Computers/) ... and I dunno if it ever migrated to the WWW, but I know for sure there was such a space on AOL back in the day! M

[@mrmarmellow555]

Nice 🍏🍏🍏👏👏👏🆕🎊🇬🇧YO.5 SUB!!