A Few Quick Points

I have been monumentally disappointed by everything I have ever bought from Maplin Electronics. And yet I still visit.

There is an intermittent loud buzzing which could be either a big, angry wasp, a hornet (eek!) or a small motorcycle trapped behind the drawers. Either way, it's freaking me out.

Some proles living nearby are having a laughably small rave. I can only just hear the music, but every ten seconds or so I hear a "Whoop!! Whoop!!". It's like it never went out of fashion. Or possibly they are trapped in a horrendous 1995 time-warp.

Tiny book review: Richard Hammond can write about his recovery in a grown up and illuminating way. Mindy Hammond's version of events seems to involve a lot of crying and being brave. I don't doubt that this didn't happen, in an immensely traumatic time. It seemed to me like I re-read the same page twenty times. Sorry. Still an NTP recommended book.

Tidy Up

Hello,

In line with the current downsizing and clutter removal I am doing, please note that some well loved features of this page have been removed;

• The "Weekly List"
• The Daft Passport Picture
• Quite a few books off the "currently reading" list

Added however are:

• Subscribe to this blog with RSS or other newsreading software!
• Books scheduled to read as soon as I have finished the "Currently Reading" section!
• Updated and relevant links! (Includes links for Birmingham's immediate and longer term weather, the Baltimore Orioles site and Magazine Monitor amongst others)

Hopefully this will give you a more harmonious and possibly useful reading experience as you pass through this site.

Do come back soon.

Here are some words I invented...

Yep, just came across some words that I claimed to have invented in 1998:

• Glurty
• Sleb
• Gimm
• Perbulo
• Teg
• Flubble
• Gnaah
• Joom
• Furt
• Nenvex
• Goom

Ooh!

Introducing you to my current desktop at work, stretched full (if you want the full vision). Best viewed in 4:3 square-o-vision, then you get the magnificence of the spherical cloud. Originally only meant to be up for one day, this replaced the vandalised "Windows NT" with NT crossed out and XP written over the top after 11 months.

Of course, this was to commemorate the Trinity test of July 16, 1945; the moment science theoretically could have destroyed the world. The results were less devastating than that, but still deadly enough for its cousins to virtually end World War Two.

From scientists theoretically having the power to destroy the world, the governments of the world now have enough to destroy the world five times over.

Enough doom though - what an astonishing image. Captured (according to the always correct Wikipedia) 0.016 seconds after detonation. Props to the legendary Berlyn Brixner who took the photograph. He's still very much alive, and he's the only 97 year old I want to meet. He is famously also the inventor of the Ultra High Speed shutter.

Something Light, Please

Hello

It has been a week since the last time I was able to check the internet, as my lovely T-Mobile web system has decided to go kamikaze. I think that 'the big computer' has been infested with some nasty sodding virus, which is causing a denial of service attack every few minutes. Cock.

So I have relocated to the surprisingly pleasant early evening sunshine in the conservatory with the laptop. (Fully updated with a leading brand of anti-virus software.) In the distance I can hear children playing with a hose, a helicopter, and smell freshly cut grass. Re-reading that sentence, it seems that the children are playing with a helicopter and some grass. This is wrong, but I can't be bothered to retype it.

I have also spent humungous amounts of time reading Derren Brown's book, Tricks of the Mind. If you click on the title, you can go to Amazon and get a copy, should you wish. It has filled me with confidence and boosted my brain, as well as handily slapping psychics and alternative medicine. I also now how to 'do hypnosis' and some rudimentary card tricks. Well worth a read.

On the subject of books, there are quite a few I need to finish. I am desperate to finish Richard Hammond's story of his life threatening crash in 2006 - will he survive? I won't know until I finish the book. Nice read, however it seems to be written for children, by both of the Hammonds. Full review if needed on completion.

Nothing much has happened with the Radio stuff yet, but I have built some fake newspapers in the classic style, for work. And mentioning work, I applied for a new job today. Lets see what happens.

The sun has moved lower in the sky, and the children's yelps have been replaced with the relaxing sound of police cars and wheelspins.

Mentioning police cars, the first edition of this series of Top Gear was on NTP TV last night. My technique of minute detail watching spotted that not only did JC have "In prison, no-one can hear you scream", but the unremarked "It's the filth" in capital reverse letters on his bonnet. Class.

Right, think i might get some coffee. Back later.