Looking from another perspective...

I can't read the text on this site when I'm looking at it from another computer - that of my grandfather. It looks AWFUL! Oh well, crap breeds crap eh. My grandmother was let out of hospital (sounds like a prison when one says it like that) on Friday and luckily I was here in time for that - all prepared. She looks battered and bruised, but the broken bones are healing and she's in good spirits. My grandfather is another matter - his cold appears to be troubling him more his wife's broken bones are hurting her. The bone rattling cough he mangages to erupt in is more unsettling than any amount of fiddling around with crutches. Also, his independce is something I would seriously question - could he cope on his own without getting sick again - how autonomous is he really? This is the scary thing - my grandmother, who's only just been taken off an emergency recovery ward, would be better able to take care of herself than he would - bumbling around in the middle of the night and making endless collections of useless items; iron filings.
Anyway through all the cooking I've been doing for them I've learnt the meaning of bland food - nothing too adventurous here. If that's what they want to eat, that's what I'll 'jolly well' cook them.

Off to bath tomorrow

To visit and take care of my Grandparents. More random news as and when... Good oh old chap. what what!

What a nightmare last night

I had a nightmare last night - which was odd because I don't normally even remember my dreams, let alone suffer from them. I think my brain is too preoccupied and busy to be bothered with dreams. When I'm exhausted I don't dream, it's only when I'm really well rested that I do - a rarity an any case. The other thing is that I didn't wake up from it, so just woke up in the morning with a really bad feeling, though I can't remember the last time I had a nightmare. It was about me setting up a system to blow up the world. Very odd. Anyway, I'm going to sleep on it.

I'm not an English teacher!

A friend of mine - who's big on Japanese despite being thrown off an Oxbridge Japanese Degree - pointed me to this site which sells t-shirts with phrases in Japanese printed on them like Americajin ja nai yo! (I'm not American!). $19.99 for one of 'em.

Funny - just noticed one of the phrases/words they offer is Wagamama, the name of one of my favorite eateries/restaurants. It's a chain of noodle bars with a few dotted around the UK, but I've only been to the London Soho establishment. They seat you on long benches whilst waiting for your food. Though the setup has a feeling of school-hall about it - rather municipal, it's very comfortable and the food is AMAZING. As you walk down to the dining floor you pass the chefs chopping endlessly away - lots of carrots and spring onions. Anyway, it actually means Selfish, so I think I there's something going on there - am I being called greedy, or is it just a funny name. Dunno.

link

And over the weekend I was rejected

By my own grandmother. On Friday when I talked to her on the phone she said that she looked 'too bad' for anyone to visit. She said it was all green and pus but that's not exactly a problem. Hello - Mr Million First Aid Qualifications. Gross problems are my speciality. Anyway, she insisted I didn't come down so I had a REALLY quiet weekend instead which was bliss. No hit on my body of drug (and cigarette) fumes from the clubs, no 5AM crashing, no alcoholic downing of drinks. All the same, my mother talked to my grandfather and though he put up a fuss he did really want me to come down - for company more than anything. I'm going down (leave at work permitting) on Thursday or Friday. Should be good. To be honest, he's the one that I'm most worried about - the person who's injured is taken care of by the professionals whilst the ‘support partner’ has to fend for themselves through the trauma of illness and the lack of companionship. He’s got a really bad cold now and I don’t know how he’s eating – he hardly ever cooks. Luckily I do, so presto – chef for the weekend!
My Grandma’s doing well, and is being considered for discharge from hospital soon after her reconstructive surgery on her nose. She’ll pull through I’m sure – a trouper. I hope he knows that though.

That little curve at your waist

All I'm saying is that the little curve that guys have just above their pelvis is a beautiful and moreover, HOT sight! You get it most pronounced when you're not carrying a lot of weight - it's just disgusting if it's accompanying a beer belly. If you're rather 'trim' -(what a proper English word)- and keep fit, you'll have it. After not having a great line there, I'm getting mine back at the moment. Speaking of which - I'm hungry; was at the gym for two hours today and yet don't feel like I've accomplished much - more of the same and I'm not exhausted. The not exhausted thing is rather nice: for a change my body has enough energy to last the night feeling comfortable rather than hungry. When you're doing as much exercise as I am (my job being like a constant workout) it's really hard to take in as many calories as you need. I ate two energy bars today equalling over 700 calories. It's not like I don't eat - I had enough for two people today, but if you're hungry you gotta eat - especially since I'm still losing weight - 70kgs and falling. Not good. Maybe protein shakes or something.

Analysis of trends in logo design...

Progressing from the swooshes of recent years, this page covers the recent movements in corporate logos:

slinky
This is an effect that is one generation past the swoop: Instead of just making the short stroke, these marks loop in orderly patterns often above the company name. The curvilinear form is very reminiscent of the fun of a Spirograph, and perhaps these accurate but flowing forms suggest the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction that two plastic gears, four pins and a ballpoint pen can provide: It's a simple victory.

Graphic Design USA

We've got a visitor from Germany

He's a great guy - very European, little goatee, expensive glasses, nice clothes. Also very German - he speaks German, and is wearing sandals with nice thick white socks. Classic. Of course the weather's fine here so what can one expect. By fine of I mean not snowing. By not snowing I mean it was bucketing down with rain. Still though, open strappy sandals and white socks. Loving the look.

I forgot to charge them AGAIN

The last time I worked for this family I didn't charge them for my taxi, so tonight I told them I was going to add the amount onto the bill. This time time I add on the last evening's taxi but not one for tonight - so am still out of pocket. It's £7 so I'm not exactly starving through missing the money (!) but the principle is there - I'm annoyed that I've left that money when I could have it! If you see a note blowing about the street to you watch it wash down the storm drain or do you pick it up, dry it out, and spend it. Of course - that's MINE!

New stupid photo

Me, in a weird pose, looking for trouble with a camera. The blue is dumb too - just look at that edge. It needs softening. I hate photoshop.

Stalkers

Now I have two stalkers it seems. I've had one at the clubs for a while - a really hot guy who's always watching when I'm dancing with the rest of my friends, and now one at the gym who follows me around in a discreet sort of way - always doing machines just a few feet away from me. I love it. When I'm dancing it feels like a massive compliment because at first I was really self concious about how I danced - having only done ballet before. Now however, I'm fine with it, loving the attention - plus he's a great dancer too which is nice. The gym guy is a bit older but he's still hot, great body and seems to have lots of mates at the gym... I'd never really do anything with either of them - but it's fun, and funny.

Everyone should be watched if they like it.

You out on Thursday? - I haven't been out midweek for so long - can't WAIT!

Tweak tweak?

I don’t know what reminded me of this, but it was funny. I was leaning against the door in store's main office today, just about to go - when one of my bosses (also a big friend) walks up to me and – tweaks a nipple. Of course i'm wearing a relatively small (ie tight) t-shirt so they were prominent, and so also kind of ‘high profile’. I don’t have to think - i just reach out and tweak back! It was so instinctive, like saying hi.. She wasn’t offended – before anyone thinks that – we’re friends, and plus she’s about the most outspoken and loud person I know – if there’d been anything wrong with it, she would have said. Me, I didn’t mind, thanks for asking!
Anyway, that was a moment of my day. Don’t hate me for it.
btw the picture - it's not me.

Stupid thing I do with the radio

I love play around with the radio when I'm skipping around stations avoiding ads. It's one of my favorite ways of wasting time, and is mildly amusing at the same time. This doesn't really work if you've got a digital (ie click a button) radio rather than moving a dial to tune the frequency - the aesthetics just aren't the same. What you do is, when avoiding ads or looking half decent music - linger on each station long enough to hear a tiny snippet of what's going on, and then move on.
"...what's better than taking a bit of oil, mixed with half an Oxo chicken cube...
... and Melanie from Great Barr won our best ever competition to fly off to Barcelona this Friday...
... a door free when you buy a window from SafeWest UK Windows...
... You worked your way inside of me. It's amazing what a boy can do...
... Your love keeps on coming like a thunderbolt...
... and 50% off all toiletries this week only - hurry down!"

If you're bored and wasting time, that's a great way. Now you know.

Aerogel and the World's Lightest Solid

I'm sure this makes me unbelievably sad by just being interested but I think it's cool anyway. There's an amazing material that Nasa has developed with a one of Lyon's universities (and many other people I'm sure) which they are using as an insulator whilst collecting particles from the comet which they're trying to intercept at the moment. The 'aerogel' is a solid material which has amazing insulating properties because of its low density. It's made by making a solution of a silicate with methanol and then drying this under 'supercritical alcohol conditions'. Imagine using it to insulate a house.

Aerogel is pure silicon dioxide and sand, just as is glass, but aerogel is a thousand times less dense than glass because it is 99.8 percent air. It is prepared like gelatin by mixing a liquid silicon compound and a fast-evaporating liquid solvent, forming a gel that is then dried in an instrument similar to a pressure cooker. The mixture thickens, and then careful heating and depressurizing produce a glassy sponge of silicon.

What remains is sometimes called "solid smoke," for its cloudy translucent color and super-light weight. Surprisingly, this seemingly brittle substance is durable and easily survives launch and space environments.

Slashdot Conversation
Nasa's Image Gallery of Aerogel

From an analysis of superbowl ads:

Viagra- Pfizer will run a spot. No word on when or length.

link
dirty mind X slap X dirty mind.
I just thought that was funny.

If you were lying about your age in a club, what age would you be?

On Saturday we were drinking at the nightclub's bar at around 3:30 in the morning and I spotted a boy. He was sporting a little trilby and wearing the schoolboy-synonymous wallet chains connected to his jeans. What made me notice him more than anyone else was that he looked alert and bushy-tailed. At 3:30 in the morning, when I’m progressing towards exhausted, he was looking at people as though he’d just woken up and was really interested in what they were saying. I don’t know how he did it. Anyway, I was wondering about how old he must have been to one of my friends. Suffice to say, another friend over-heard and decided to ask him. He goes up to the kid and asks his age. “Nineteen” was the reply, to which I scoff. At this club you’re going to have to be eighteen to get in – it’s the drinking age, so nineteen is a nice bump up above that age to disperse any suspicion; however he just didn’t look nineteen. Too young, too fresh faced. Would you say the limit age of eighteen or go that one bit extra and say nineteen or twenty? Being eighteen myself I can’t really complain about his age if it is nineteen, but I think I would have said eighteen even if I was something like 16. Anyway, it was odd.

Image gallery of human destruction and industry

The photos here by the Ontario born artist Edward Burtynsky show at one moment the grime and pervasiveness of human industry whilst at another remind me of the beauty that can be found in the most abhorrent of things - like the iron-orange effluent from a mine damaging an ecosystem.
link (via JWZ's Livejournal)

The Detroit Project

" Welcome to "The Detroit Project," our grassroots campaign to prod Detroit automakers to build cars that will get Americans to work in the morning without sending us to war in the afternoon -- cars that will end our dependence on foreign oil."

The Dream commercial is voiced-over by David Duchovny who's supposedly a big fan. This is one of my favorite ads of last year and I just remembered it the other day when I overheard 'Once in our Lifetime' by the Talking Heads playing on the radio. Watch the ad, it's a cool one, and quick.

The Detroit Project
Dream Car Commercial

To make up for the depression,

I went out clubbing last night. Stayed there (out) until 4:30 and then zoned out. Whilst at a pub one of my new 'friends' (met that evening), saw a tv actor from a UK soap-opera-cum-ER-ripoff. I didn't know who he was. She was really excited. We left.

She fell on some uneven pavement

And then was left on a hospital trolley for six hours with her broken bones. Of course when I say 'she' I mean to say 'my 78 year old grandmother'. Following this little wait the hospital decided to put her onto an intensive care ward. She's got osteoporosis too - which doesn't help the bones to heal. My grandmother fell last night on some uneven sidewalk stones and was lucky enough that my grandfather was seconds away next to their car. They got to hospital. I want to visit, but she isn't allowed visitors right now. Well she's allowed but the many medical professionals within my family think it'd be best to wait until next weekend. Guess what I'm doing next weekend - worrying.
I hope she gets well soon. All those bones in red - those are the ones she broken when she fell.
Prayers from those who don't believe are all the more important because we pray using the belief of the person we want well. Her belief doesn't have to be negated through my lack of belief.

UPDATE: Sunday - It appears that she hasn't broken her pelvis, so put a big old cross through that image. All the rest of them are broken though. Some of the breaks have even been called (by my mother) 'good' breaks as they're compression breaks, complex fractures so that there's lots of bone material to knit back together. What would have been bad is if there'd been clean breaks on her arms - meaning that with her osteoporosis the body would have had little to join the pieces back together again. Oh, and also she's broken both the bones in her right arm, rather than just the Radius, the Ulna too. She's a trooper - if she survived working for Margaret Thatcher, she can survive this!

The weekend is here

No waking up at 6:20 tomorrow! Yippee! Alarm goes OFF, curtains get SHUT, all doors are SHUT and noise dampening is in place. Tomorrow I get to read my books and magazines all morning, eat lunch at noon and then go out dancing all night - a PERFECT weekend! I can't wait.

Gonna get some company.

I'm going to force some of my friends to accompany me on my travels to the gym next week. One or two of them have been moaning about their size, and I think it's about time they do something other than winge. I've got some free weeklong passes that I'm going to give them and then I'll drag them along to have a workout after work each day next week. At first they'll ache and moan and hurt but then it'll get better and they'll realise that you don't have to be in great shape to go to a gym - almost by definintion not, despite the common misconception!
I hope they don't hate me for it. Obviously they are the kind of people who'd be open to a bit of a push, I wouldn't do it if they'd really dislike going, but still, there's always the chance!

Got my phone back.

I'd left it in the gym on Friday. Well actually, I was expecting a call and so took my phone into the gym whilst doing some weights so that I could catch the call. I must have left it at a piece of equipment and not noticed for about two minutes because I didn't see it when I was done with my next move, so I'm presuming I'd left it for mere moments before it was picked up. I'd forgotten about it on the occasions since then that I'd visited the gym - too many other things on my mind, so it's been just sitting behind a desk. After describing the phone: Erricson, as old as they get, blue and on the Orange network, they go through their found items box. A whilst later they show me the phone after asking my number and trying to call it (battery's dead). To cut a long story short - it's not Erricson - it's a Siemens - I'm dumb, don't really care who made my phone - it WORKS and that's all that matters. I got about twenty messages on there when I get it back. Relief though that it's not completely lost - or stolen.... Imagine the bill I could have had. 200 minute call to Australia, 120 minutes to South Korea...... Phew.

wow

this was linked on boingboing again yesterday but it's just too great to pass up repeating.
The proprietor of the S-Train Canvass blog runs a Quizno's sub-shop, into which strolled one of his most persistent and obnoxious trolls, and he got to live out one of the blogger's dearest fantasies: confronting a troll face to face and watching him dissolve into a puddle of shame-faced cowardice:

I just smile and say, "Your lookin' at the S-Train" while showing him my right arm tattoo that has S-Train there. You should have seen his face! I mean this guy turns as white as snow and his eyes practically bulge out of their sockets. I just say that I loved the e-mails that you sent me also. And he is straight-up babbling. By this time, some of the other guys on his team see the state he was in and the carnivorous smile on my face. They turn around and asks what's going on. The HOGG Boss doesn't even see them. He is staring at me like I'm going to kill him. He is downright scared. Very scared. Ok, I know I was looking straight-thuggish to him but I was LMAO inside.

So I let him off the hook. I just say that I know you were just jokin' around in your own special way and it is all good. And I offer my hand to shake it. His teammates are positively confused. But the HOGG Boss comes through. He gets himself together and says, "No hard feelings?" I say not at all. He extends his hand and I give him the ol' S-Train thug grip and shake it. I told his teammates that we had a disagreement in a past meeting and we're cool now. The HOGG Boss echos the same thing and they leave.

link

Best pop act

From a fan page:

"If you haven't been living on Mars for the past year then you will know how this story begins! Popstars, the TV phenomenon. Thousands upon thousands of young hopefuls apply to become the lucky winners of a place in a pop band. Those thousands are pared down to a final talented 10.
Five were finally chosen and became celebrity popstars, lauded by the nation, and the other five? Well they disappear back into obscurity, right? WRONG!"

The five 'losers' were to become the leading group of the Popstars (like PopIdol, but for groups rather than individuals) show. Whilst the winning group from the series - Hearsay - went on to split after just months following massive overexposure and accompanying negative views from the public, Liberty X had to struggle for the attention they received and so became all the more interesting and talented for it. They've matured into one of the most appealing pop acts around at the moment through their drive and their ability to not believe that everything they touch is blessed - they show that they realise how normal they are and how lucky they are to be able to make the music they want to. And the music isn't revolutionary - it's fun, it's popular and it's engaging. It's streamaing on realplayer right now - have a look at their latest single 'Everybody Hurts' below or look for 'Jumpin' or 'Holding on for you' somewhere else.

REALPLAYER link

See it, seen it, will see it again.

Went to watch 'Lost in Translation' last night. What a rip-roaring ride or rollercoaster rowdiness it isn't. The movie glories in its slow and measured pace where the plot unfolds in the most grey and unimpressive lighting conditions. It appears that Director Sofia Coppola went to great lengths to make the movie appear everyday in its style so that the feeling of great friendship - where things could perhaps be more - is all the more believable and appreciable to the audience.

Scarlett Johansson rules - she's beautiful and ordinary at the same time, has the most extraordinary voice - husky and soft, and can act her socks off.
apple trailer

Valid Votes - who cares!

From Lockergnome's Technology News comes the news that one of the companies responsible for developing, operating and so also selling ($$) e-voting systems has been hacked or as they put it 'had its security breached'. VoteHere Inc.

From the corporate website: "VoteHere, Inc. is a global software company delivering advanced e-voting technology to election providers since 1996. Our technology ensures that every vote is counted as intended while ensuring voter privacy."

Their news page remains tight-lipped, not giving any details of the hack which reportedly occured in October '03 but the FBI and other agencies wanted them to remain silent.

The identity of the suspected hacker is known, according to a company spokesperson, but no arrests have been made.

And where's the company based - good old Bellevue, Washington - right around the corner from security obsessed neighbour, Microsoft.

link to news story

My sister made Focaccia, a bread which is easier to eat than it is to spell

I love focaccia, especially when made in SUCH a beutiful and warm and oily way. In this case I'll use the one word which under all other circumstances I hate: yummy.
Just look at those tomatoes and there's a load of rock salt sprinkled around it so that you crunch into a lump (granule?) every-so-often. Perfect. It had come out of the oven about thirty seconds before I took this photo. Toasty warm.

Crap.

" THE 2004 BUPA GREAT NORTH RUN IS NOW CLOSED. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ENTER VIA YOUR FAVOURITE CHARITY IN THE NEW YEAR - CHECK THE WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS "

I was waiting to enter at the same time as my parents to make sure that we were all either accepted or rejected together. I waited too long for them - now the event is full up and I'll have to raise money just to run! I really hate that, I'm going to have to do charity fund-raising for my running. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I hate asking people for sponsorship, especially when most of the people I know have very little money anyway. I feel like I'm pressuring people, and I feel really bad for that. If people want to give to charity they can do that on their own, I don't like the sports link. Perhaps if you weren't going to do the run unless you were going to raise money or if you were raising money for a particular person then it wouldn't be so bad, but I'm not doing any of these things and so I feel rather useless and corrupt asking.

Recently in London, some major monuments (including Buckingham palace link) have had seasonal or simply interesting images projected onto their facades.

"Projectors will "wrap" the Palace in a giant Union Jack and also in Christmas wrapping paper.

It is part of the "Brightening Up London" project, backed by celebrities including Bob Geldof.

[ and sponsored by the mobile phone company Orange ]

"The Queen was impressed by Bob Geldof's `Peace and Hope' message projected on to Wellington Arch and gave the go-ahead for the Palace to be lit up," a Palace spokeswoman said.

Nine of London's most famous buildings - including the National Gallery, Imperial War Museum, Tate Britain and the National Theatre - are being illuminated with seasonal images."

See a selection here

I know the even finished a while ago, but I think it was an interesting thing to have done, and something that most could have easily dismissed. I was only reminded of it when browsing this site: http://www.photographyblog.com/ which I somehow stumbled upon today. Much of it is devoted to obvious and uninteresting press releases, but the images shown in the competitions can, at times, be captivating.

Dick Cheney is a hypocrite

Vice President Dick Cheney, who argued during the 2000 presidential campaign that the issue of gay marriage is best left to the states, said Friday he would support a presidential push to ban same-sex marriage.

Cheney, whose gay daughter, Mary, is a close adviser, said recent action by courts in Massachusetts and other states that recognize gays' rights to the civil benefits of marriage has caused the administration to revisit the need for a constitutional amendment.

Colorado has become a focal point in the effort to ban gay marriage, with four members of its congressional delegation having drafted or supported legislation late last year restricting marriage to a "union between a man and a woman." During the interview, Cheney said he will support President Bush if the president pursues a ban on gay marriage.

"What I said in 2000 was that the question of whether or not some sort of status, legal status or sanction ought to be granted in the case of a relationship between two individuals of the same sex was historically a matter the states had decided and resolved, and that is the way I preferred it," Cheney said.

But "at this stage, obviously, the president is going to have to make a decision in terms of what administration policy is on this particular provision, and I will support whatever decision he makes."

I don't understand this - perhaps I'm missing the point. When it looked like there was no chance of gay marriage passing through into law, Cheney said that it wasn't really to do with him - that the states should be the one to legislate. Now, when there is a 'threat' that their most feared position will become reality (and so annoy millions of Republican voting Christians), the administration feels that it now can act, that something has changed.
Whilst over the weekend we've had Paul O'Neill calling Bush "a blind man in a roomful of deaf people" during cabinet meetings, the policy of the White House has shifted 180 degrees on Cheney's new remarks. Does the regime of Bush even know what they're saying to the public, do they know what they're doing? O'Neill said that when he had his first meeting with Bush, a one hour sit-down, the President didn't engage: " As I recall, it was mostly a monologue". The question of whether Bush knows what's going on, whether he understands, has been pushed out of the public eye because he has so many advisers who can be a mouthpiece for him and they're the people who actually understand what's going on. This is still worrying though - that the when the most powerful man in the world discusses the economy of his nation, he doesn't know what to say!


and that's not even mentioning this:

“From the very beginning, there was a conviction, that Saddam Hussein was a bad person and that he needed to go,” says O’Neill, who adds that going after Saddam was topic "A" 10 days after the inauguration - eight months before Sept. 11.

“From the very first instance, it was about Iraq. It was about what we can do to change this regime,” says Suskind. “Day one, these things were laid and sealed.”

link - Denver Post article

The decline of fashion photography

Karen Lehrman, the author of The Lipstick Proviso: Women, Sex, & Power in the Real World (read a review here) has documented the decline in quality and style of fashion photography for the ezine Slate. I seem to agree with almost every point she makes here, especially that which reveals/shows how the photographs in fashion mags currently often don't even show the clothes they're supposed to be showcasing. This is something that annoys me more than anything else in the style at the moment - you buy a magazine to see the clothes but the shots are so supposedly arty that you can't see the clothes. I bought Dazed and Confused, Wallpaper and i.D. recently when on a long train journey in hope of something interesting between them. By the end out the journey I was phased - there'd been little of interest and much to annoy - they seem to highlight only the 'cool' parts of what they're talking about rather than giving a full discussion. I'm not going to even bother to look more into some shoes that cost $200 if I can't see them properly in the first place - if the setting isn't right. Fashion and style magazines will always be in part to do with making an impression and trading on the magazine's particular look, but without proper content, there's no point and I'm not goign to buy it.
This collection of photos and comments alongside illustrates this point perfectly as well as others that Lehrman has come across in her experience. Quick to look at and engrossing even if you disagree.

The decline of fashion photography

I'm now on Friendster

Join me by putting my email into their searchbox:
p_toolanATDON'TSPAMhotmail.com

I've been hearing about Friendster for an absolute age, but largely ignored the buzz since none of my friends have really been interested or had any need of it - if we've needed to get in touch, we'd see each other the next day. Now however, with everyone spread around the country for their University courses, the need to keep linked up is stronger. Also, through this blog I've come into contact with some interesting people, whos friends it would also be interesting to know about! Anyway, have a look at friendster, and say hello.

Speaking of FAT

I went to the gym today after not going for almost a week - I've been feeling crummy all week and going to sleep at around eight most nights - the gym goes out the window. The place was packed - it's embarrassing how many people go for the New Year's resolution of losing weight - is their willpower that low during the rest of the year? So my gym is an expensive place at the best of times - being right in the middle of the financial quarter of the city - and so I try to save money other ways; I take the bus. So from leaving the hot and exercise infused temple that is Livingwell, I walk out into the nail bitingly cold air that's blowing through the city at the moment. Once a bus eventually comes, I have to stand whilst the maniac driver hurtles down the streets. Out of the corner of my eye I spot a seat in the middle of the bus - one I hadn't noticed before. There's a reason for this. When I sit down, the first thing I notice is the smell. The rather large woman next to me shifts her weight and if feels like I'm being jabbed in the stomach. I don't know whether it's just that she's lost sensation in her limbs but that was one major poke. Whilst slowly suffocating from the odour I shift over so that I'm now occupying about one quarter of the seat, leaving a nice healthy two inch margin or error between myself and by seat's companion.
The next thing I know, she has to dig around in her bag and so moves YET AGAIN closer to me. Oh my god, it's torture. As I seriously contemplate getting up to simply stand next to the seat, I notice my stop coming up. Then she moves again, looking like she wants to get up. I turn to her and ask whether she needs to get out. Blank face, no response. I ask again "Are you getting off next, can I let you out?" I'm not a malicious person; I'm asking her in the most considerate way I can. Still no response; I leave. Torture is what it was. Thank god I could get out then, otherwise I think I may have either blown it or fainted.
Tip to all – have a shower, and LISTEN to everything around you. She wasn’t deaf, just rude. Think positive now!

Too fat for a whopper... Burger King tells customers

It wasn't official, but some 'kids' who've been hacking into the wireless speaker that transmits customer orders to tellers in the store based in Troy (!) Michigan. Police in the states say that they believe the pranksters are watching customers from nearby and using their link to speak to customers.
"Policeman Gerry Scherlink said the pranksters told one customer who had just placed an order: "You don't need a couple of Whoppers. You are too fat. Pull ahead."
link via the Drudgereport

Marc Jacobs went to his office party as a polar bear

"It was an art deco-themed party. A lot of people came as WC Fields and I came as a polar bear." The connection between the early 20th century and Arctic mammals is a little unclear but, adds the man frequently dubbed the King of New York Cool, ever so excitedly, a photo of him in bear costume was on the front page of the trade press, captured for proud posterity. Definitely not Donatella."
link

US environmental policy - more dangerous than terrorism

Tony Blair's chief scientist has launched a withering attack on President George Bush for failing to tackle climate change, which he says is more serious than terrorism.

Sir David King, the Government's chief scientific adviser, says in an article today in the journal Science that America, the world's greatest polluter, must take the threat of global warming more seriously.

"In my view, climate change is the most severe problem that we are facing today, more serious even than the threat of terrorism," Sir David says."

The Independent

Apple being sensible?

It's been 'revealed' that Apple are going manufacture a version of their new iPod that was announced yesterday, for HP. As the press release states:

"As part of the alliance, HP consumer PCs and notebooks will come preinstalled with Apple's iTunes jukebox software and an easy-reference desktop icon to point consumers directly to the iTunes Music Store, ensuring a simple, seamless music experience. This offering is yet another way that HP is helping consumers enjoy more from their personal digital entertainment content."

The thing is a bundle; Apple will make a signature blue iPod mini for HP which the blue-chip giant will then sell as part of its catalogue. The trade of cool rubbing onto HP gets Apple’s iTunes software preinstalled on HP PCs: Pavilion, Media Center and Compaq Presario desktop and notebook consumer PCs. That's just about all the consumer friendly computers that HP makes. Good move both ways - it gets more families and 'average' consumners out there aware of the iPod and the iTunes music store and perhaps leads them down the long path to becoming customers. But perhaps the continual negative publicity from the mainstream press about profits, revenues and market share were getting Apple annoyed. Hopefully as well they'll have noticed the progress that Microsoft has been making in convincing the major music distributors of the short term future to adopt the windows approved file formats instead of the Mac one. If the public can only find the music they want on a Microsoft system, they'll adopt that system over the Apple one, no matter how hip and cool the marketing to convince them otherwise is. But of course Apple has done good, for this, yeah!
I haven't used an apple for years but I intend to, once funds permit, purchase an apple notebook rather than a Windows one. The main reason behind this is, yes, their design flair, attention to detail, and beautiful construction. If you're going to be using a computer for hours every day, you'd want it to be something that'll work for you rather than against you. Apple works. as they say.

UPDATE: Carly Fiorina, CEO of HP, has attacked 'digital piracy' at the CES and said that she'd put the whole weight of the company against illegal file sharing online.

"Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Fiorina was joined on stage by Jim Iovine, the chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, and several entertainment industry stars including U2's guitarist The Edge, singer Sheryl Crow, hip hop producer Dr Dre and film star Ben Affleck, who all backed the company's drive.

Chart-topping soul singer Alicia Keys also performed during Fiorina's keynote and condoned music downloads by fans, but only if they then bought the music if they liked what they heard."

Someone lusting over their iPod?

I know some peope this would be perfect for! Gollum wants the ring no more, it's now the iPod obsession!
t-shirts for 20 dollars

Bush in 30 seconds

Watch ads 'commenting' on the realm of George W. Bush, America's blessed leader.

Here's a short list of the top 7 reasons we're running this ad campaign against President George W. Bush and his administration. We hope this informs your own commercials, and inspires you to look further into the policies of the Bush Administration and their effect on the American public.

1. It appears that the Bush Administration has consistently misled the American public about Iraq

2. The Bush Administration's regressive environmental policies

3. Bush is underfunding education

4. The Bush Administration's Patriot Act threatens our constitutional rights and civil liberties.

5. Bush's Tax Cuts only benefit the rich

6. 3.3 million jobs (93,000 in August of 2003 alone) have been lost since Bush took office

7. Bush is underfunding homeland security
from allaboutbush

bushin30seconds

Bloomberg

I can't decide whether to love him or hate him. He's got so much power as the head of the largest business news organisation in the world AS WELL AS being mayor of New York City. It's like the Rupert Murdoch thing - admire their skill in getting so far, or scorn them for being so willing to champion their own cause. If you've got the influence, at least be FAIR in using it.
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Fun with mythology:

If you're interested in learning about mythology and culture, you'll have a lot of fun with Godchecker. It's very tongue-in-cheek but there's useful information here. Godchecker's at http://www.godchecker.com .

Godchecker starts out with a cartoony front page with lots of selections. Visit The Pantheons, which allow you to search by keyword for a god, browse for a particular kind of god (god of lettuce?) or browse through several cultures for a listing of their gods (there are nine cultures here, including Greek, Finnish, and Egyptian gods.)

from ResearchBuzz.com

McDonalds - helping YOU stay slim!

Today McDonalds started displaying posters and literature revealing the calorific load of their meals and how to alter these. If you're looking to have an Atkins friendly breakfast then you can find out how many calories are contained in a Big Mac (TM) - something McDonalds is clearly hoping the residents of the New York area will find reassuring - after all, they are the only ones this will impact. The company has no plans to roll out the information service to other customers.

The new Real Life Choices program was developed by nutritionist Pam Smith, author of "Eat Well, Live Well," in partnership with McDonald's franchisees. It was kicked off Monday at 650 McDonald's in New York City, on Long Island, in most of New Jersey and in Connecticut's Fairfield County.

Real Life Choice selections are created from existing menu items and carry the same price -- even if you tell McDonald's to hold the cheese. For example, a reduced-fat breakfast of less than 8 grams of fat might be an Egg McMuffin minus the cheese and butter.
"We are trying to educate our customers that the foods they love at McDonald's can fit into the diet they're on," said Cristina Vilella, marketing director for the fast food company's New York metro region office in Roseland, N.J. "If they're watching fat, carbs or counting calories, they can take the menu and fit it into the lifestyle that they're leading."

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MEMO: The world is unfairly weighted in your favour, shift the balance back to me

Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of Wired Magazine has published an open letter to whoever becomes the next head of the MPAA to be found on Wired's site for this month's issue.

To: The next head of the Motion Picture Association of America (to be opened upon arrival)

You're at risk of alienating your customers like the music industry did. The do-not-record "broadcast flag" that the TV industry just pushed through the FCC will introduce new restrictions on programming, none of which benefit consumers. Proposed legislation that throws anyone caught with a prerelease movie on their hard drive into prison for three years is the sort of disproportionate response that gives the RIAA a bad name. The notorious Digital Millennium Copyright Act is Hollywood's fault. And extending copyright protection year after year so that the film and television archives stay shut isn't just bad law, it's depriving Americans of their cultural history.

The letter carries on discussing the issues further and mentions Napster, iTunes and DVD along the way with some suggestions for how the situation could progress from today, but I think the most interesting section is that which I've quoted. I've read a lot about patents and copyright from various sources (including this superb article by James Gleick (yes, he of Faster: the Acceleration of just about everything and Chaos) which was originally on the New York Times website.) Despite this I've never really been hit by the iidea that patents are actually harming the cultural, ie artisitic, side of a country. The focus is so frequently on bemoaning the fact that technological progress is halted by 'selfish' people or companies who patent reams of technologies in the hope that one or two will come to some commercial use, that this side of the arguement is often neglected. As is so relevant in the Disney vs Slesinger lawsuit currently and perpetually hotting up over the rights and revenues from Winnie the Pooh merchandise, the control of properties so often thought of as collective is highly important. We could assume that songs as culturally important as Happy Birthday are public but it's widely known to be owned by someone though most don't know who that actually is. (Time Warner in case you were wondering: see here).

If we can't play the music we like widely, read the books we want to cheaply or see classic films regularly it's the public who are suffering. Companies often say that because we pay for copyrighted material they can employ people. This is a misleading, as they don't invest in the works any longer - there are no producers in Warner Brothers creating reworkings of Happy Birthday, it's simply a back catalog. Some companies reap huge rewards from such catalogs - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - MGM being a prime example. They run on their DVD, video and cable TV revenues, rather than living off current and up-coming creative projects. There's no real problem with that as such, but if you want to watch anything of Audrey Hepburn in 2030, you'd hope that it isn't still copyrighted, but open for collective use as and when...
People like the Electronic Frontier Foundation are fighting for rights of users such as those wrongly accused by the RIAA of filesharing, something few are standing up for. The EFF works through its members to mobilise politicians to change laws, creating a long term solution rather than a short term fix. They're an interesting group, support them with either your time through educating yourself, or your money through donations. For either, go to their site.

I didn't mean to mention the EFF or MGM or in fact James Gleick, but they're all a little bit relevant and all interesting aspects in what is becoming a fight between consumers and corporations, something the corporations appear to be winning. I think I've been reading too much George Monbiot to be fair to the corporations, but then again, they can defend themselves.

Careful of my pint

We were all out on New Year’s Eve in a bar, lounging around on the sofas in a back room. By this point I’d swapped vodka mixers for water, not liking getting drunk. The rest of my group are still drinking, whilst I represent the lightweights of the world. Their glasses are arranged all around the tables we’re colonising when a Central European looking man comes up to one of these coffee tables and sits down. He takes a drink from Steve’s pint, looks up and grins. Steve, stands up very quietly and walks away saying to us as he leaves, “I’m going to get security”. No one messes with his pint. This guy then proceeds to asks us if we’re attached, to which I naturally answer yes. I’m not going to get talking with some dope who’s clearly half drunk already and is about to get thrown out of a club. “We’re all together actually, it’s kind of like a group thing. I hope that’s not odd for you, some people find it odd. It just works”. Sometimes it seems mean just how straight-faced I can say these lies. It’s fun though. Moments later the bouncers close off the area. Bye-bye Mr!

New Nets stadium in NY by Gehry

"On December 10, at a carefully orchestrated event hosted by irrepressible Brooklyn Borough president Marty Markowitz, real estate developer Bruce Ratner unveiled his ambitious plan to buy the New Jersey Nets and move them to a Frank Gehry-designed arena near downtown Brooklyn. If Ratner succeeds in this endeavor, his biggest accomplishment won't be in buying the team, whose franchise will soon be available at auction, nor in securing the services of the world's most famous architect. Rather, his biggest achievement will be in completing this massive project over the widespread opposition of the surrounding communities."

It seems that all major sporting projects of the moment must contain far more than a mere venue; the obligatory hotels and office buildings, apartments and ‘retail space’. The new Wembley Stadium in London, designed by Norman Foster, is going to include vast swathes of space devoted to ancillary services, whilst the Stade de France in Paris (picture) made for the 1998 World Cup has the same old same old collection of stuff. Whislt some of this might be deemed necessary by the accountants, does anyone else really care? Is it really useful? Also, when is Gehry going to move on from the Titanium effect he's been using since, forever. Guggenheim Bilbao, Experience Music Project Seattle, LA Disney Concert Hall, now the Nets stadium! Move on Frank.

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Bready

On thursday night I was out at a dinner party. I came home with a beautiful loaf of freshly baked bread. How someone manages to host a dinner party with three courses as well as baking bread for guests, I don't know. It's great all the same. This all happened before I stubbed my toe a few minutes ago, a significant event in my life, on a table, originating from Indonesia, whilst moving copious amounts of washing from the room. This od sentance structure comes from the reading of 'You shall know our velocity', the first few sentances of which are printed on the cover. It's a very strange book. I've received it as a 'gift' from my store via the publishers. Mine is a proof copy, the like of which publishers put around bookstores from time to time in order to drum up interest with the public (and those in a position to influence buying decisions), before publication proper. It's a clever though jumpy book at the moment, something that I'm sure will evolve into a reasonable storyline eventually. Time said:

"Eggers' strengths as a writer are real: his funny, pitch-perfectdialogue; the way his prose delicately captures the bumblebee blundering of Will's thoughts"

Anyway, the bread's made from a mixture of german local mill produced flower and massive chain UK flower (probably made in Czechoslovakia or some such place). It's great, light yet crusty with a moistness to it that makes it much more palatable than most store-bought products. I advise getting people to make you bread before every dinner party you go to - it's the best kind of doggy bag!

The family returns

All glowing and bruised from their skiing adventures. It makes me sick. They take up too much space, are loud, and object to random Britney Spears tracks being blasted around the house. I don't even admire Britney, but her noise is easier to accept than most.

THREE - It's a magic number!

You've gotta have a look at the BBC's digital channel, branded 'Three' following on in the noble traditions started by 'One' and 'Two'. I've just been watching Body Hits, an amazing show that covers a lot of Pop Science - mostly Biology - with an quirky style - much of which is attributable to presenter Dr John Marsden.

"The new series of Body Hits - the show where psychology meets biology - gets to the bottom of these issues and more. In the first episode, we uncover the science behind falling in love. Why is it that we’re attracted to some people but not to others, and what are we really looking for in an ideal partner?"
I saw one episode then stuck around for another two in a row - stunning stuff. In the first one they dealt with senses to do this gathered together 'experts' in the different senses and tested their senses then looked at how they all fared when put into a sense deprivation tank.

"Dr John Marsden delves deeper to find out what our senses really do and how they work. Along the way he experiences the world’s most expensive taste, hears a sound that literally makes him feel sick and discovers what it’s like to be deprived of all of his senses completely. He also meets three extraordinarily ‘sensitive’ members of the public who are put through a series of carefully designed challenges which test the strength of their senses to the limit…"
BBC THREE Home

Nice to be home

It's the first night this week I'm home before ten. I love the feel of sitting down in your own house by a fire or making a meal in one's own kitchen. I've finished work for the week and decided to forego the gym experience for at least one day and simply slob out; tv on, meal in oven. One concession is that I've come home and immediately started doing the cleaning - sometimes vacuuming can be surprisingly thereputic, mainly when it doesn't need to be done but is more of a favour to oneself.