Chastised

We went to Mike‘s BBQ on Star Wars Bank Holiday Monday and had a very pleasant time. We particularly enjoyed watching all the other guests run around after their small-to-medium sized children, whilst we just reminisced about how that used to be for us.

I was chastised for not updating this blog, but that’s only by and compared to Mike – and he’s obsessive. Or rather, he used to be; it’s gone a bit quiet there lately what with the new job and all…
Afterwards we went into town to see “Låt den rätte komma in”, a Swedish coming-of-age vampire love story. See it now before the ‘merkins remake it. Which I will brand “fail” now.
Not fail according to early reviews, and a film I am very much looking forward to, is “Star Trek”. I’ve been a fan forever – the first two colour TV programmes I saw were episodes of Star Trek (now Star Trek: TOS): a small snatch on the bar telly at my Great Uncle Ron’s pub (before it opened) and a whole episode at my friend Andrew’s house when I was at Sunny Bank Primary School.

Slight Update

The observant may have noticed the new book widget – I was too lazy to update the hand-crafted Javascript version (and nobody used my Amazon Affiliates links to buy a single book), so I have out-sourced my book reading list maintenance to Good Reads.

Also, I did get a reply to my complaint at the BBC – but as it was privately sent to me I don’t feel I can publish it. It was very bland, and as Wossy is back on the TV tonight anyway, inevitably uncontroversial. I have been following Jonathon Ross’s Twitter updates to keep me amused during his enforced absence.

Complaint to the BBC

Finally found out how to complain to the BBC – there’s a section on their website.

I would like to complain about the cancellation of one of the few BBC programmes which I (used to) watch every week, particularly this episode which was to have featured The Killers. I don’t listen to Russell Brand’s Radio 2 show, and I don’t read the Mail on Sunday, so I am completely unconcerned about the manufactured outrage which has led to this curtailment of my enjoyment.

Have you cancelled Film 2008 as well?

Pope Reveals Prayer Experiment

This should prove interesting.

The Pope himself, when asked to put in a word with his boss for the failing Italian airline Alitalia, replied,

“I have been praying for you for some time.” [news]

Now, if god listens to anybody, surely his infallible representative on earth must have the best chance. So when Alitalia goes bust, as it inevitably will, there will be indisputable proof that prayer doesn’t work.

Job done. Next, black==white.

Tyranny & Messages

“Cannabis is a class B drug”.

The only message it gives me is that politicians are weak, the leaders are completely in hock to the tabloid press, and that the Labour party is getting close to being as bad as the Tories*. The very fact that stupid posh git Cameron agrees with it should be proof enough that it’s the wrong thing to do. Gordon Brown is ignoring the considered opinion of an independent commission (although he inexplicably waited for them to report before ingnoring them), and is doing what he thinks is good for us anyway. Tyrant isn’t a word to bandy around, but this blatant bollocks has got to stop.

*Just shows how long it is since we suffered under Maggie’s jackboot that I can even think that.

Isn’t Technology Brilliant?


In bed this morning I listened to last week’s Archers. Not particularly technological, until you consider how I got to hear it.

We couldn’t manage the omnibus last weekend (we had visitors), so I downloaded the podcasts via iTunes to the PC. The PC is running TVersity, which is a DLNA/uPNP Media Server. This means that clients on our home network can see music, photos and videos on the PC.

One such client is the Playstation 3 (PS3); sometime during the week I downloaded the Archers podcasts to the PS3 in anticipation of listening when the PC wasn’t turned on (although that is never whilst Donna is home). I also made a playlist to join all the episodes together and play them in order.

This morning I used the Playstation Portable (PSP) to connect via WiFi and the internet to the PS3 and run Remote Start, which effectively makes the PSP a small remote control for the PS3. From there, I played the Archers playlist into the bedroom stereo via the headphone socket into the AUX input.

And it all worked!

Religious Blacklist

Saturday morning: I was sat at home alone when I spotted the usual smartly dressed family groups wandering up and down the street carrying briefcases. Hooray! Religious nutters coming to call. I really enjoy talking to these poor people and trying to shine the light of reason into their deluded minds.

A young lad was standing by the door, waiting for his partner to arrive. I girded my loins whilst externally adopting a casual air of pretending not to have noticed. And then he was called away! I was left untouched by their attempts at conversion. I was really disappointed. Perhaps I managed to get the young girl who I chased after last time* to see sense and denounce creationism, and they fear for their membership. I wonder if I’m on a list? I’d like to think so.

*She said there was nothing I could say to change her mind about evolution, but I hadn’t been completely awake when the doorbell had rung. Only as I shut the door did MRSA occur to me as a nice example, so when they later walked back up the street I stepped out and carried on the conversation. They withdrew.