WELCOME TO THE-LAWRENCES

This web site is an eclectic collection of information, opinions, experiences, musings and even personal recommendations covering topics such as energy, industry, photography, computer programming, etc.

WHY THINGS ARE THE WAY THEY ARE

We like the quirky, the oddly peculiar, the unusual, the unexpected, the perverse, things that are asymmetric, unbalanced, offset, irregular, patternless. We like the unintuitive: why things are done in certain ways; why things are done at all and the hidden reasons behind the why.

We also like re-using, recycling (to a degree), redesigning, adapting, modifying, improving and enhancing. John Timpson's Adaptables, now sadly out of print, is a book of buildings that have been adapted to a different use from that for which they were designed.

Finally, we like the straightforward, the simple, Occam's Razor, neatness, conciseness, and Plain English. We like using single words that describe something precisely, rather than a phrase that is always longer and often doesn't sit well in a sentence. However, there's a balance to be struck between the elegant simplicity of using a single word and ensuring that the reader doesn't have to toddle off to look it up in a dictionary (unless they have a Kindle). Using a precise word that is unfamiliar with readers can cause frustration and annoyance and so, when appropriate, we must revert to what's more acceptable. Have a look at what's happening with examination papers.

ABOUT THE WEBSITE

This site is designed to work with the current generation of browsers. They are all supposed to conform to web standards and they do to a greater or lesser degree - the thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from! Some older browsers might not be able to display every aspect of the design as it is intended to look, nor some of the special characters.

ASTERISM

An asterism is a set of three stars in a trianguler shape. It is used rarely and near-obsolete but this site will resurrect it at the bottom of every page.

Some precise words

riparian zone but see also riparian
etiolate
evaginate
bifurcate
marcescent
aglet - the taped end of a shoe lace that prevents it fraying
petrichor - the smell of rain on dry earth
snib - the manual catch that locks, or holds unlocked, a Yale-type lock, Chubb detainer lock and similar

Silktide is a UK company that analyses and scores web sites. The score for this site is shown here. It includes as assessment of accessibility, user experience, marketing, technology, W3C compliance, printability, etc. We score low on marketing because the web site is new and few other web sites will have links to it. Click on the Nibbler image to see the full report.