Richly Deserved....

2010: Bring on the Smartphones

2009-12-15T03:12:00.000-08:00

2010 will be the year of the smartphone, as the biggest players in the mobile world get set to unleash their firestorm of new handsets.

Apple bagged 2009 without question, their Iphone 3GS took smartphoning to a new level. They gave us the innovative appstore with an app for just about anything and that trademark apple style that makes everything cool. Nokia is still the largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world and maintains dominant market share, but the gap is closing.

Phones themselves are becoming less about the calls you make, as more and more they are simply personal computers and planners with the ability to make a telelphone call. The network providers are rolling out a host of different packages this Christmas that make internet browsing affordable for all.

But the battle is set for 2010 with Google continuing to steamroll out it's Android operating system (Android 2.0 out next year), favoured by the good folks at HTC, who will be looking to build on their Hero and Tattoo handsets. More importantly, this weekend the first pictures emerged of the Nexus One, the handset developed and used by Google themselves.

The Palm Pre is creating a niche for itself with a simple user interface and ability to handle various applications at once. And we can't forget the hulking powerhouse dressed in an executive suit that is the BlackBerry range. Expect a new handset to be filling up the boardrooms and corridors of power in the new year. It was Blackberry that pioneered email on your mobile, a feature that has become so important that no smartphone would risk not incorporating it.

Nokia's Nseries will be updated as the N900 goes on sale in January. A powehouse of multimedia goodness including an ARM Cortex-A8 processor, up to 1GB of application memory, OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration, 32GB storage, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS and a 5-megapixel camera.

The processing power of these new models, combined with the availability of wi-fi and the development of applications for sites like Twitter, Facebook and Myspace probably means that after 2010, you'll never need to make another phone call again.

Gaming Greats

2009-12-15T03:10:00.000-08:00

With the festive season gathering speed and the latest computer games fighting for places at the top of our Christmas lists, why not spare a thought for the glories of gaming years gone by?

Retro games can be picked up at next-to-nothing if you know where to look and can be a perfect way to spend an afternoon without burning a hole in your wallet.
All you need is a couple of friends plus a good helping of mulled wine and pretty soon you'll have forgotton the shiny new graphics of the PS3 or the thrill of wielding a wiimote - and will instead be reconnecting with what gaming was all about in the first place.

Without further ado, here are some of the best retro games to revisit this holiday:

Goldeneye 64. (N64)
There really couldn't be any other could there? Get three mates together and relive the exploits of Britain's most famous spy in a four-player deathmatch that still lives up to expectations. Select the Golden Gun for a one-hit-kills match and settle once and for all who gets the last mince pie. Pick it up for a fiver from consolemad.co.uk

Tetris (Gameboy)
A couple of gameboys, a link cable and two copies of this addictive russian classic could make or break friendships this christmas. Launched with the original 'Boy in the early 90s this game is credited with defeating Sega's more powerful Game Gear console. This game is the very definition of the word classic, and you can almost certainly still remember the theme tune. This game goes for about £3 on ebay.co.uk

Duck Hunt (Master System)
The Master System was Segas entry into the console wars way back in the 80s and what an entry it was, now you could have Sonic the Hedgehog all to yourself! Even better, pick up a Light Phaser and use the console without a cartridge and you get this fab game that allows you to shoot at harmless animals from the comfort of your own living room. Pick it up at newandused.co.uk for £15, then give it to Granny and watch the carnage.

Colin McRae Rally (PlayStation)
Rallying is mans driving, no question about it. Nothing like hurtling down a backwater mud track with a codriving helpfully alerting you of the upcoming hairpin turn to make you feel more alpha. This game defined rallying and is a worthy entry on the list. Challenge your mate to beat your lap time then laugh as he spins his Subaru Impreza into a ditch. You can't beat it at £1.99 from hec-eshop.com.

Street Fighter 2 Turbo (Snes)
The pinnicle of 2D beat-em-ups, before Tekken, before Pokemon and (almost) before Mortal Kombat, this was the way to settle a dispute in a much less painful way than a real street fight. Is there any reason not to take Ken, Ryu & Co out for a rumble this Christmas? Find it at skyfishretro.co.uk for £8.45 and if that wasn't enough action then track down the movie starring the invincible Jean Claude Van-Damme as Col. Guile.

So there we go, the top choices for a gaming Christmas, whilst saving the pennies for the PS3 and Xbox sales in January.

Children's Author To Help Struggling Church

2009-12-11T16:02:00.000-08:00

A children’s author from Wheathampstead is set to help out her struggling local church by appearing at their annual Christmas fair.

Janet Duggan originally wrote The Christmas Story as Told by Assellus the Christmas Donkey for her son when he was a child. Twenty years later Janet, from Amwell Lane in Wheathampstead, has published her book for other children to enjoy. Now she will be helping St Helen’s Church in Wheathampstead by donating proceeds from sales at their Christmas fair to the church.

The book itself tells the traditional nativity story but from the point of view of Assellus, the donkey that carried Mary to Bethlehem.

“The nativity story is a lovely story but its getting a bit lost these days. Children love the story and children love animals. I thought it would be a good idea to put the two together. There are very very little changes to what I wrote over 20 years ago and we used fantastic illustrations by my friend Catherine Robertson,” said Janet

The money raised by the sales of the books will help the church, which has yet to find a rector to fill their vacancy, fund restoration and community projects.

Ruth Jeavons, a spokeswoman from the Friends of St Helen’s charity said: “We’ve had problems recently with being unable to find a rector so times have been tough.”

“The Christmas Fair is certainly a big thing for us, and it’s very kind of Janet to agree to come along. Times are tough, but we’re struggling on and this time of year is obviously very busy for us,” Ruth said.

Not only is the church suffering, but according to Janet, who taught English for 28 years at Challney High School for Girls in Luton, publishing is in danger as well. This Christmas has seen a marked drop in original festive books for children.

“There are fewer original children’s books being published this year because of publishers wanting to take fewer risks. It’s mostly reissues of old favourites like the snowman,” she said.

But this news isn’t stopping Janet or her family. Her son, for whom the story was originally written, is now 30 years old and serving in the Metropolitan Police.
“He’s very proud, he’s taken the book in and a lot of his colleagues have bought copies for their children,” Janet said.

Come along and see Janet and join in with the festivities at St Helen’s Church in Wheathampstead from 10am to 12.45pm on Saturday in the Memorial Hall.

Sixth Formers Question The Experts

2009-12-11T16:01:00.001-08:00

FIVE HUNDRED sixth formers were in attendance at St Albans’ Cathedral last month for the city’s own version of Question Time.

The annual Sixth Form Conference hosted by the St Albans Cathedral Education Centre attracted high-calibre panellists such as Dominic Grieve QC, the Shadow Secretary of state for Justice and Larry Elliott, the Economics Editor for the Guardian.

“It was a great success; there were nearly 500 students from 20 to 22 schools in the area that came along. The students asked a huge range of questions including things like has history taught us that we can’t win the war in Afghanistan?” said Annette Cranston, from St Albans Cathedral Education Centre.

Other speakers on the platform included Jonathan Foyle, who has appeared on Channel 4’s Time Team, Adam Rutherford, editor of science journal Nature and Emily Thornberry, Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury. All sat bravely to face the best questions our students could throw at them.

“The panel were really good about not simply staying within their area of expertise and the debate was great for the students. There was a bit of argy bargy between Dominic Grieve and Adam Rutherford about the climate change debate,” she added.

The Sixth Form Conference has taken place each year since 2000, and is held in the Nave of St Albans Cathedral. What started off as a science-based discussion grew into a wider debate that took the Question Time format as its model.

Next year, the Sixth Form Conference will be celebrating its tenth anniversary and the only question that needs to be asked is who are they planning to get for their next panel?

Trouble At The Old Mill

2009-12-11T16:00:00.000-08:00

A MILL AND BAKERY in Redbourn could be forced to shell out £35,000 for new machinery to fit in with proposed government regulations

Redbournbury Lane Mill may have to purchase the new equipment to fortify the flour they produce with higher levels of folic acid.

According to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, the addition of folic acid to flour in the UK will help reduce levels of neural tube defects, such as Spina Bifida, occurring in pregnancies.

The proposal has drawn criticism from lobbyists. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) and The Traditional Cornmillers Guild (TCMG) argue that smaller mills and businesses cannot afford the massive costs of an upgrade.

“This is a question of basic economics. To add small quantities of folic acid to our flour consistently and correctly will actually cost each mill more than £35,000 and that’s a price we simply cannot afford to pay,” said Jonathan Cook, secretary of TCMG.

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and the Cornmillers Guild have said that smaller producers should be given the opportunity to opt out of the proposal, which has been adopted by the Food Standards Agency.

Simon Hudson, administrator of SPAB’s Mills Section said: “If adopted, these regulations will sound the death-knell for a practice that has been part of the country’s life since Roman times.”

If the proposal became law, Redbournbury Mill would be forced to install blending machinery and pneumatic conveyer systems to bring it in line.

“We firmly believe that an opt-out would not diminish the objectives of the proposed legislation in any way. Wind and water mills account for less than 0.0018% of the total flour milled in the UK,” said Mr Cook.

A petition is available online to stop the proposal becoming legislation at: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/folic-acid-mills/

Survey Results on Harpenden Farmers Market

2009-12-08T01:42:00.001-08:00

Harpenden Town Council have made available an online agenda giving the feedback from a series of surveys on Harpenden farmers market.

The agenda takes into account the views of: "660 members of the public, 32 businesses and 31 stall holders" and was listed for the purposes of the Environmental Committee meeting last Wednesday.

Here is a section of the report that deals with the results of the survey:

"All three survey groups thought it enhanced the town on a Sunday – 91% of the public, 84% of the businesses/retailers and 100% of the stall holders, who responded. Again all three survey groups thought it was in a good location, 84%, 75% and 100% respectively. 85% of the public thought the hours were appropriate, as did 84% of the businesses and 65% of the stall holders."

"80% of the public felt it was appropriate that the cost of the market (£6,160 per annum) was met by residents. 20% felt it should be met by the stall holders or be self financing."

The agenda ends with recommendations for the council that members will take into account the following:

i. Viability and future;
ii. Location and layout of the stalls;
iii. Size of the market;
iv. Timing on the day;
v. Name;
vi. Improvements or enhancements;
vii. Financial effect to the Council.

Harpenden Farmers Market takes place on the 4th Sunday of each month and has been running since 2005. Check out the full document here

Resident Loses Treasured Possession

2009-12-07T04:10:00.000-08:00

A TREASURED piece of jewellery has been lost in St Albans and the owner is desperate to see it again.

Simone Ryder, from Reed Close, London Colney, lost her diamante watch between the Waterend Barn and the Post Office in St Albans city centre on November 10 and is appealing for information about it.

She said: “I have had that watch for 20 years and it has huge sentimental value for me.”

“I went to put it on in my car because I was running late. I got out at the Waterend Barn and went to the post office. I wanted to check the time on my way back and when I pulled back my sleeve it was gone. At first I was sure it had fallen off in the car but it wasn’t there.”

So far Simone has heard nothing from the police or the post office and has retraced her steps several times with a friend to try and find the missing watch.

She describes it as being small with two round dials; a black inner dial with diamante written on it and an outer golden dial. The watch face has Roman numerals on it.

Simone added: “It would mean a lot to me to find it again, as it has never let me down. To get it back again would be the best Christmas present I could receive.”

Anyone who has found the watch or has information about it should contact St Albans Police on 01727 796 000

Service To Raise Funds For War Memorial

2009-12-03T03:17:00.001-08:00

The candlelit carol service has always been an important fixture in the St George’s School calendar, but this December the service takes on a special significance.

The school are hoping to raise £1,500 in funds through the service that will go towards paying for restoration of a series of wooden plaques that commemorate pupils that died in the Great War.

The traditional service sees the chapel lit entirely by candles and things get even more festive with free mince pies and mulled wine on offer afterwards.
Oliver Huckett, who attended St Georges in Harpenden, was only 18 when he was killed in France in April 1918.

He was sent to the front straight from basic training and died on the day his unit was pulled from the front line.

“Oliver Huckett was originally rejected for military service as medically unfit - but by 1918, manpower was so short that even those young men were conscripted and sent to the front,” said Patrick Storrie, Deputy Headmaster of St Georges and author of The War Dead of St Georges School 1914-1918.

Oliver’s brother Arnold was also killed during the war and the Huckett’s parents endowed £100 to the school, founding the Huckett award in memory of their children. The award is still given to one pupil each year that excel in academic work.

Other pupils that died in the war include Bertrum Monk and Lister Goddard, whose names are given to two of the school’s four houses.

Oliver Huckett’s plaque (pictured) stands with others at the entrance to the school’s chapel and will be fully restored with money raised from donations and a raffle following the candlelit service.

The carol service will take place at St George’s School Chapel on Saturday (December 12th) at 5pm.

To Give The Day Over To Idleness

2009-12-01T10:52:00.000-08:00

I had my day off today, I didn't have to pour pints or write stories. I should have been relaxing but I kept thinking that I should be doing something constructive.

This is quite a bad problem of mine, I don't seem to be able to switch off and just relax, I always feel I should be doing something. Because of this, nothing ever gets done anyway as I'm too busy prioritising what to do next.

I was wondering whether or not this is something to do with me, or whether it's a larger problem than that. Seems to me that life moves so fast that we're always expected to be doing something. So even when I get my day off, which technically I've earned by working the rest of the week, I still feel like I should be doing something productive.

I have no answers or solutions to this, but I would like to tell you about something interesting I heard this week. Something called a Buridan's Ass whereby you spend so much time deliberating between two choices that you never make either one. It seems an apt description of how I waste a lot of time each day.

Lastly, check out this blog post by Alan Mutter. I know it's all old news now, excuse the pun, but it's still worrying for someone with my chosen career prospects.

Keep you posted.

Now Hear This!

2009-11-23T08:15:00.001-08:00

The sweet sound of success is ringing for Robert Beiny; a Harpenden-based audiologist who has been voted European Audiologist of the Year 2009 by the European Union of Hearing Acousticians (EUHA) in Nuremburg, Germany.

Mr Beiny founded and currently runs the Hearing Healthcare Practice in Harpenden and has been practicing Audiology, the study of hearing loss and balance, for over 30 years. He stepped forward to represent the UK in finals in Germany this month, going up against other nominees from all across regional Europe.

“This is the biggest award an audiologist can win during their career and it’s particularly rewarding that it’s voted for by patients and recognised by my peers,” Mr Beiny said.

The awards are set up by battery manufacturer Rayovac and hearing magazine Audio Infos and employing a panel of expert judges to make decisions based on written submissions from patients.

One submission came from Hertfordshire resident Sue Reeves after Mr. Beiny helped her father Charles Peck after he suffered from a stroke. Mr. Beiny visited Mr Peck in hospital and, after fixing his original hearing aid, was able to recommend a better device as a replacement.

“Robert is an outstanding winner of the European Audiologist of the Year Award. He has been a prominent and respected figure in the healthcare industry for many years and a strong campaigner for people with hearing problems,” said Paula Brinson-Pyke, a spokeswoman for Rayovac.

“This is a tremendous honour both for me, and for the Hearing Healthcare Practice. We are a team, and the award is as much for my colleagues as it is for me,” Mr Beiny said.

The Hearing Healthcare Practice was formed in 1981 and is designated an audiological centre of excellence by the Association of Independent Hearing Healthcare Professionals. More information can be found at: http://www.hearinghealthcare.co.uk.

Herts 10k Challenge (old story I forgot about but recently found)

2009-11-23T07:49:00.001-08:00

THOUSANDS of runners helped raise much-needed funds for Grove House Hospice in the fourth Herts 10K Challenge.

Sunday’s cross-country event, which started off at Rothampsted Research in Harpenden, saw a record number of entrants with 2,256 runners taking part.

The race was officially started by ex-Saracens and England rugby World Cup winner Richard Hill, alongside Saracens coach Andy Farrell, following a warm-up by Nuffield Health St Albans.

First place in the men’s race went to Christopher Dettmar, winning for the second year in a row with a time of 33 minutes, 29 seconds. He was followed by Andrew Cracknell and Rob Palmer.

Coming in first for the women was Hannah Walker winning for the third time in a row at 35 minutes, 41 seconds - a full two minutes quicker than her time last year. In second and third places were Claire Miles and Marsaili Scott.

Grove House fundraising director Paul Parrish said: “This year’s Herts 10K Challenge was a proud moment for Grove House. To see so many local people turning out to support us shows the strength of feeling and belief that people have for their hospice.

“It was wonderful to see so many people wearing their Herts 10K T-shirts at the start line, all running together to create a fantastic community event. We are now waiting to see how much money will come in sponsorship to consolidate on this fantastic day.”

Matthew Moffat, who took part in the race, said: “The best race in Hertfordshire without a doubt.”

Fellow runner Amy Burgess said: “It’s my first 10k so it will stick with me forever. Great organisation, great people, great time. Highly recommended for next year.”

This year’s Challenge was sponsored by TUI & Thomson Holidays, M25Audi, Nuffield Health, Simmons Bakers, Aro Sports, Frameworks and media partners the Herts Advertiser and Hertfordshire Life.

St Albans Boutique Wins National Award

2009-11-23T04:00:00.000-08:00

Fashion boutique The Dressing Room got a taste of the red carpet last week as the store celebrated a win at the UK’s biggest fashion awards ceremony.

The Drapers Awards brought together more than 1,000 fashion industry leaders at Grosevenor House Hotel in London last week to celebrate the winners of 20 specialist categories. The Dressing Room in St Albans walked away with the prize for Womenswear Retailer of the Year 2009.

“It has always been our goal to be recognised as the best store in the country – and our hard work and determination has paid off,” said The Dressing Room’s owner Deryane Tadd.

The panel of judges commented: “Whether the customer is a yummy mummy or a career-driven London commuter, The Dressing Room has the trends and brands to suit a wealth of fashion-conscious 30-somethings.”

They also said they were blown away by the attention to detail, beautiful décor and excellent staff training programme provided by the boutique.

“It was amazing. It’s one of the biggest accolades of the fashion industry and we were just really pleased to be in the shortlist. We filled out the form and were selected along with 9 other finalists. The judges came round and wanted to know everything about the store. Then we went down to the ceremony and we won - we were just really surprised!” said Charlotte Wheeler, The Dressing Room’s store manager.

“It was really well organized. We went down and had a 3-course-meal and sat for the awards. When we won, we had to get up on the stage with the spotlight on us and all the cameras and accept it. It was really exciting; there must have been over 1,000 people there,” she said.

The Drapers awards are organised by the Drapers fashion business magazine and have more than 100 retailers and brands competing for prizes each year.

“It has been a challenging 12 months for the fashion industry, but there have been many outstanding achievements by the retailers and brands at the heart of this, our special sector this year,” said Jessica Brown, editor of Drapers magazine.

The Dressing Room is located on the high street and is open 7 days a week, Monday - Saturday 9.30-6pm. Sunday 11-5pm.

Hertfordshire Women's Group Gets Ready For Launch

2009-11-23T03:57:00.000-08:00

TWO childhood friends have joined together to form a social crafts group for the women of Hertfordshire.

The Sweet Herts Sisterhood is the brainchild of Louise Edwards and Fiona Corcoran who both went to school at Loreto College, St Albans. They will be celebrating their official launch at the Red Lion Pub in Hatfield on Thursday and are encouraging anyone to come along and try it out.

"It came about because my friends and I like to doing crafts and things, and after seeing in the paper that women in York set up a group, we thought we should do that for Hertfordshire," Louise Edwards told the Herts Advertiser.

The sisterhood is for women in their 20s and 30s to meet up once a month at various locations around Hertfordshire to try out crafts and activities as well as champion local issues and support women’s charities.

The group is not-for-profit and any money raised will support future activities or charity fundraising. Louise and Fiona are eventually hoping that the sisterhood will be able to join the national Women’s Institute.

“We're really looking for as many people to come and get involved as possible. The Women's Institute can have a perception as being a bit of an older women's thing, so we'd like to get younger women interested as well. We don't want it to be too exclusive” said Louise.

The sisterhood is already planning a Christmas retro glamour make-up workshop and future events in 2010 that will include their own cocktail-making classes.

The launch event will take place at 7.30pm in the private function room at the Red Lion pub in Hatfield, tickets are £15 per person. For more information join the Sweet Herts Sisterhood group on Facebook or email them at: SweetHerts@hotmail.co.uk.

Local Wine Expert Publishes World First

2009-11-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

A St. Albans wine expert has taken it upon himself to write the world’s first book about South Africa's most famous wine.

Author Peter F May travelled extensively to South Africa since 1996 to gather research on Pinotage, the dark red wine that is the basis of his book. He is also the creator of a website dedicated to all aspects of the vintage.

"Pinotage is a wine of great importance in its homeland that is getting increasing international attention and yet there was little reliable information available," said Mr. May.

"Since no-one was doing so, I decided to write a book that would place the facts on record and nail the rumours. I ended with a book that was part mystery, part history, part travel book and yet all about wine," he said.

Mr. May explores the history of winemaking in South Africa as well as covering the life of Pinotage creator, Professor Abraham Perold. The final parts of the book cover the growing and selling process.

The book has already generated response in South Africa: "It never failed to astonish me that probably the most avid Pinotage fan has not only been running a Pinotage fan club from foreign shores, but now this man from St Albans has gone and published the very first book on the Cape's indigenous cultivar," said journalist Cassie du Plessis, writing in South Africa's wine industry magazine WineLand.

Mr. May’s previous book Marilyn Merlot and the Naked Grape took a sideways look at humorous wine labels from across the globe.

Pinotage: Behind the Legend of South Africa’s Own Wine, is available in Waterstones in St Albans and more information can be found at: www.pinotage.org.

Harpenden School Welcomes Royal Visitor

2009-11-02T07:17:00.001-08:00

STAFF and pupils at St George’s School, Harpenden found themselves the presence of royalty when HRH Princess Anne formally opened two new multi-million pound school buildings.

The Heather Jarvis Sports Centre, which includes a gym, sports hall and dance studios, and the Kevin Parsons Building which will become the school’s new centre for modern languages, cost the school a combined £7.84 million to develop.

The Princess Royal, who arrived on the Queen’s royal helicopter, was given a tour of the sports centre’s facilities by head master Norman Hoare and Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, the Countess of Verulam, during Thursday’s visit.

“Getting sports centres when you want them is not easy. You are all to be congratulated. Naming it the Heather Jarvis Centre shows the family connection that is so important here. I hope everyone will be very proud of it,” Her Royal Highness said.

The Princess Royal and Lady Verulam proceeded across the main playground lined with pupils and staff to be introduced to chairman of governors Kevin Parsons. Mr Parsons played a key role in negotiating funding from the Department for Children, School and Families and Hertfordshire County Council for the building carrying his name.

“The generational aspect is obviously very important to the school and the families that have been referred to today have done a fantastic job,” said Lady Verulam.
Her Royal Highness proceeded to the school’s chapel where she was presented with a cheque for £1,000 for the Save the Children Fund, the charity she has been president of since 1970.

“It’s rare, very rare to have a school which has been able to be so consistent in its fundraising activities,” she told the 350 pupils gathered in the audience.

“All donations are accepted no matter what they are. But our history has been much valued and has certainly endured. Whilst the Save the Children Fund appears in St George’s archives, St Georges also appears in our own archives, as the school that has given so consistently over the history of the fund,” the Princess said.

“I think it’s very impressive how the school has managed to raise so much money in such a difficult time,” said Lady Verulam.

Princess Anne stopped on her way back to the helicopter to speak to pupils along the corridor and asked about life at the school and the work they have produced.

“All our 1280 pupils and 150 staff saw HRH The Princess Royal as she toured the buildings for an hour and a quarter,” Mr Hoare said following the event.

“They will carry with them memories of the event which they will tell their own children just as those present at her first visit in 1987 remember the day with great pride. Her visit brought an exciting period of development to a formal conclusion,” he said.

“Her Royal Highness was quick to realise how much the strength of community at St. George’s contributes to its success. I am pleased that all the hard work that went into the arrangements produced such a successful visit,” Mr Parsons commented afterwards.

The two plaques commemorating the day have been hung outside the Heather Jarvis Sports Centre and the Kevin Parsons Building.

In Defence Of The Blockbuster

2009-07-11T14:26:00.000-07:00

Shunning the recession I went out to the cinema last week to watch Transformers 2. Long story short, it's amazing. Go watch it, you'll thank me.

Anyway, despite my constant praising, a lot of people don't seem to like massive over-budget, plotless, dumb, loud, action movies - and I just don't understand why not! As far as I'm concerned, if i'm going to spend £6 to see a movie, there had better be explosions, car chases, hot women and gunfights. Why bother going to a huge screen with gigantic surround sound just to see something thoughtful, realistic and emotional?

Surely the whole point of the cinema is to get away from reality? Are there any sights more sexy than two F16 jets scream off the edge of an aircraft carrier and bank across a 36 ft cinema screen? Or Megan Fox across a 36ft screen? No, there isn't.

I'd give anything I own to ride in an F16 or to ride Megan Fox for that matter, but I'm pretty sure that neither is going to happen to me in my lifetime, so the closest I'm gonna get is to head down to the multiplex to dream for a while...

If I want to watch a really great movie, with supurb dialogue, great acting and a good story, then i'll sit down on the sofa and watch something like Casablanca, Harvey, Some Like it Hot or To Kill a Mockingbird. All of which are wonderful films, and anyone who hasn't seen them doesn't know enough about movies to be critical. My point is, if I'm going to the cinema there had better damn well be an explosion or three in there.

Blockbusters do well because they use the medium. It's loud and it's visual - that's the point of the cinema. It doesn't have to be smart or clever to look pretty. People might say that they want variety when they go to the cinema, see an action movie one week and a sentimental comedy next time. That's fine, really it's your choice. But I only go to the cinema maybe once every three months or so. It's a treat for me and so I want to be entertained, and that involves bright flashes that leave spots on your eyelids, thumping sounds that you can feel through the floor, and Megan Fox.

So here's my list of the top 10 films I've seen at the cinema recently, and don't bother questioning them, because I won't listen.

1. Transformers 2
2. Mission Impossible 2 (not recent but a damn good movie anyway)
3. Transformers 1
4. Indiana Jones 4
5. Mission Impossible 3
6. Die Hard 4
7. Fast and the Furious 4
8. Quantum of Solace
9. Star Trek
10. Pirates of the Carribbean 3

keep you posted.

a short, philosophical post.

2009-06-17T10:34:00.000-07:00

Hi, just wanted to share this interesting little passage with you guys, I read it on the bus on the way home this afternoon:

"we yearn for tomorrow and the progress that it represents. But yesterday was once tomorrow, and where was the progress in it? Or we yearn for yesterday, for what was or what might have been. But as we are yearning, the present is becoming the past, so the past is nothing but our yearning for second chances."

This struck me as eerily accurate as I'm always trying to get things done and finished and no matter how hard I try, time always seems to slip past and progress seems very slow indeed sometimes. Interesting stuff innit? Any thoughts?

On another matter, I just want to wish a very happy birthday to my sister Sarah, who is 19 today. Happy birthday sis!

Keep you posted.

Shall I compare thee to a summers day? (that's Shakespeare, sonnet 18, in case you were wondering)

2009-06-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Oh dear, over a month and no posting. Well this is just a quick note to say that I'm still here and will (very) occasionally sit down after a day of writing and write some more.

Summers in the air now, you know how I know this? Because hayfever has stopped round for its annual visit. Yeah it's a pain and I've been living with it now for years and years but I still prefer summer to winter. It's just so damn nice to have a bit of sunshine I don't really care if I can't see it through my streaming eyes or smell it through my blocked nose. Summertime means barbeques and time in the park and ice cream. All good things worth suffering for.

I'm coming up to my last week or so in Sheffield, and with it the mad rush that I, rather naively, did not prepare for. So I am now desperate for some kind of an idea for a dissertation. The clock is ticking and I really can't think of anything good enough to write about. Maybe the ineffectiveness of hayfever medication? I still have yet to find something that works completely.

Of course the other part of coming to the end of term time is that financially, I am completely annihilated. I'm literally squeezing out the last available funds so I can buy some rice and a little sauce to go with the rabbit I scraped off the road this morning for dinner. How depressing that soon I'll be back at home with no job and no money. Pretty much the same situation I was in four years ago actually, only then I wasn't neck deep in debt. Ah well, no sense complaining. Besides, I've been doing a lot of that on this blog actually and I don't want to be just another complainer.

Life's pretty good when you look at it really, the sun is shining and there are some things you can do for free, jogging and wanking are two that spring to mind. It's always good to get a bit of exercise in after all. So yeah, as far as things go I guess I'm pretty lucky, time is on my side still and good things do happen. For example, I caught the end of a film last night called Two Weeks Notice, one of these rom-coms with hugh grant and sandra bullock, now it failed to deliver on the three things I expect from my movies: explosions, car chases and cheesy one-liners - but despite these ommisions, I actually quite enjoyed it, it was a sweet little movie and I recommend you check it out. But don't tell anyone I told you because I don't want it spread around that I watch that kind of film, you know how it is - masculine reputation and all that. In fact, just to balance it out - Total Recall was on last week. Pure quality.

Ok, but this is not a movie-related blog. It's a professional journalistic editorial tool. One that I use to scour the world of current affairs in an everlasting search for the truth. To that end, I did some work experience at the St Albans Review last week. It went pretty well, but don't bother reading it now because I'm not writing for it anymore. Although, if you want to send them an email suggesting they employ me - be my guest. After all, I could use the cash (see above) and maybe if they get enough emails, I'll get a callback. Come on guys, show some support.

Anyway, anything I need to cover before I sign off? I guess the Iranian elections are a pretty big deal at the moment, it'll be interesting to see what happens there. And we had someone die from swine flu as well as the Digital Britain interim report come out today. Important stuff and worth paying attention too, but at the same time, don't miss the summer sunshine while we have it. In fact, why are you still reading this? It's summer. Go out and have fun.

Keep you posted.

Shorthand

2009-05-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

Today has not been a fun day. I've wanted to have someone around to shout at, but everyone else is out, probably doing something interesting. Luckily I remembered that I had a blog which I could use to say whatever I wanted and to hell with the consequences.

The reason my day has been so un-fun is that I've been practising shorthand all day. Shorthand is a streamlined way of writing at speed and something that journalists apparently find indespensible. We have been told over and over and over again that to boost our chances of getting a job we need to achieve 100 words a minute. And so, from 9 o clock this morning i've been sitting in my room trying to get my speed up. Listening to pre-recorded garbage about people whining and complaining to local councils about litter or dogs, or hooded youths or bicycle thieves or window frames or noisy workmen. Since it's so damn important that we learn this, you'd think the nctj in all their infinite wisdom could think up things that are a little more interesting to dictate. By the way nctj, if you're stuck for material, give me a call and i'll point you in the right direction.

Ok, so on to the meat of the issue. What the hell is the point of learning this thing anyway?? It's such a massive staple of journalism, granted. But the truth is, it's out of date. Way way out of date. It's another relic in an industry that refuses to move on and into the future.

The common argument is that its easier than electronic recording. Bollocks. We're not in the 90's anymore, recording audio onto a cd or a casette with only a fast forward and rewind function. Modern technology is valued by its UI, and as such, recording audio in digital format is a piece of cake. Recording devices will subdivide audio into tracks and subfolders, you can paste it onto a laptop and organise it on any number of programs. Also, recorders are much smaller than a notebook and easier to take with you. You also don't have to worry about losing your pen or it running out of ink. For goodness sake, the technology is so prevalent that most mobile phones can record a decent-ish amount of audio themselves.

It is true that you can't take recorders into court, or that some interviewees are unnerved by them. Well my answer to that is tough shit, people need to learn that the world is going to change whether they like it or not. Courts, the same as newspapers and football authorities, need to lose this ridiculously british emphasis on tradition and actually catch up with the world. Why are we continuing to teach something that should be left alone to die out. Teeline was invented in 1970 - it's nearly 40 years old. Let it die with dignity. Doing it now is like going to a press conference and shouting out your questions in Latin. Then getting back to your newsroom and wondering why some of your stuff doesnt quite add up. Life doesnt go on around you at a nice comfortable 100wpm, it happens as it happens.

Yet editors and senior reporters continue to shout about it. Probably because they remember the pain of having to learn it themselves and want to inflict it on us. Why doesn't the industry grow up and realise that it would do better to teach students HTML, CSS and Javascript rather than Teeline.

Looking back, this is rather an angry post, but ive been going a little stir crazy today and needed to vent a bit. It frustrates me beyond belief that the business models for journalism are so stuck in the past. Editors think they're screwed now, wait till mobile browsing really takes off and kindles become affordable to everyone. Then lets see people justify cutting down 70,000 trees for a week's production of the New York Times.

Theres no point relying on internet advertising anymore because its no longer an asset, its a commodity. Therefore you have to rely on subscriptions. The dilemma is this, it has to be a united move by the journalism industry to charge subscriptions for quality news websites. This'll never happen because the industry is too competitive, so you have the ultimate catch 22. Meaning that it takes some well-meaning individual to come along and invest in the paper so it doenst have to worry about turning a profit. And you know that profit and objectivity don't always see eye to eye...

The other problem is unfortunatly, that not very many people care about the real news. I mean, they care plenty about whose with who on Eastenders or that Katie and Peter split up, but for example, did anyone read that Ted Kennedy's seat in the US Senate is likely to be bitterly fought over between his wife and his nephew because, at 77, he might be on his way out soon? Probably not because it was in the world news section of a broadsheet newspaper. And frankly, people just ain't that interested...

I guess it's a shame really, I tend to buy a paper every day monday to friday, but I suppose I'm just in a minority. Who needs to anyway when its on the internet for free?

Keep you posted.

Nanotechnology

2009-03-31T08:01:00.000-07:00

Anyone who picked up the Guardian on Thursday might have read Tom Mackenzie's article on China's interest in the development of nanotechnology (read it here). I am very much in agreement with Mr. Mackenzie that as the world continues to develop technology at such a terrific pace, and with the emphasis always on small and compact systems, nanotechnology, or nanotech, seems like an industry just waiting to boom.

Nanotech is essentially the manipulation of matter on an atomic scale. That is to say, you can manipulate the atoms in a piece of matter, re-arrange them and use them to construct something else (i.e. re-arange the atoms in coal, you get diamond). The way this is done is through a process called mechanochemsitry, molecules are pulled around in a vacuum in order to stimulate certain chemical reactions. Similar to the way enzymes are broken down. The purpose is to build a system from the bottom up, and as the science has progressed the idea of nanotech has come to mean the development of functional systems of molecular size in a manufacturing sense. The Guardian article draws on this with an example of sound speakers shrunk to the size of a piece of plastic film, and also the technology found inside the touch screen used by Iphones and BlackBerrys.

No doubt that nanotech will come to be used in most corners of society, probably not for many years though, the R&D costs at present are far too high. It will almost certainly be most useful in the medical and military industries. Medicine-wise, scientists might develop nanosystems that will have multiple componants and can work alongside organic compounds found inside the body. It has been suggested that this could lead to a way to repair damaged cells in the body. The patient would drink fluid containing nanorobots that could target and destroy certain infected cells and viruses. Similarly, by working at nanoscale, surgeons would be able to operate at a much more precise level and would not leave the scars or marks that conventional surgery does. This however, is wildly optimistic and to the best of my knowledge, will not be happening for many many years. More likely, nanotechnology will be used in conjunction with MRI or ECG machines to simply highlight and diagnose with greater accuracy.

With regards to the military, nanotech might be used to produce stronger armour, both for the average soldier and aircraft. Again mentioned in the Guardian article, scientists could develop carbon nanotubes (a network of carbon atoms rolled up into a cylinder and compacted, thus made stronger. see here) to reinforce conventional armour.

My guess is that as with everything, nanotech will become increasingly important but will be controlled by cost. Make no mistake, it's expensive stuff, Mr. Mackenzie states in his story that CMP consultancy believes it might be over £2tn by 2012. Because of this, we might not see it rolled out the way sci-fi writers see it for a long time. It certainly is an interesting industry and it will be fascinating to see the way it does develop and which country develops it first.

keep you posted.

Elephant Polo!!!

2009-03-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

I wanted to write a post on my recent trip to London, but it's quite late at night now and when I do decide to post about London, it's gotta be the whole nine yards with a picture and web links and all that shadazzle. Long story short, I can't be bothered to write a long, intellectually stimulating post about journalism when I've been doing it all day anyway and now just want to chill.

Instead, I shall pick up todays Independent and choose a page at random, then i'll tell you what it is and proceed to give my opinions on said page.

....page 25 of today's Independent says that the Thailand All Stars played Chiang Saen today, during an exhibition match in the Kings Elephant Polo tournament in Chiang Rai, Thailand.
Ok, I don't really know much about elephant polo or thailand, however i imagine trying to play polo on an elephant would probably be pretty tough. I didn't really think this idea through very much as I actually don't have any opinion on Elephant polo, other than I'd give it a try if I ever got the opportunity.

Actually, scratch that last sentence, I DO have an opinion on Elephant Polo, and I shall tell you of this opinion henceforth:

I think more should be done to raise awareness about Elephant Polo. It really is the most noble of sports. Elephants are in a pretty dangerous position now anyway, what with people hunting them for ivory and suchlike. A sport like this could raise their profile considerably.

Also, a similar point - how many role models do elephants have?? none, apart from Dumbo I suppose, but that was years ago. Anyway, my point is that if Elephant polo were given it's proper place in the sporting world, we could be gifted with the Pacyderm equivalent of David Beckham! Little elephants in the zoo could have his poster up on the side of their enclosure and dream of one day playing alongside him! It could change the face of the global sporting world as we know it.

Maybe that is a little melodramatic in retrospect but come on... running around on elephants with sticks hitting a little ball into a goal, how cool does that sound?? - We could even get the Royals to give it a try!

Ok, this post hasn't been particularly interesting, but please believe that I set out with the best of intentions at the start and now i've decided that it's too much writing to just delete it. So I shall post it onto the great digital void of the world wide web and many years from now will look back and think of how artistic I was to post a steam of consciousness blog about Elephant polo.

keep you posted.

How to describe the banking crisis

2009-03-16T04:45:00.000-07:00

This isn't really a post, I'm just using the blog to forward on to you guys a rather neat little email I recieved explaining the banking crisis in laymans terms:

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Berlin. In order to increase sales, she decides to allow her loyal customers - most of whom are unemployed alcoholics - to drink now but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).

Word gets around and as a result increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar.

Taking advantage of her customers' freedom from immediate payment constraints, Heidi increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages. Her sales volume increases massively.

A young and dynamic customer service consultant at the local bank recognizes these customer debts as valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit...

He sees no reason for undue concern since he has the debts of the alcoholics as collateral.

At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert bankers transform these customer assets into DRINKBONDS, ALKBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then traded on markets worldwide. No one really understands what these abbreviations mean and how the securities are guaranteed. Nevertheless, as their prices continuously climb, the securities become top-selling items.

One day, although the prices are still climbing, a risk manager
(subsequently of course fired due his negativity) of the bank decides that slowly the time has come to demand payment of the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar.

However they cannot pay back the debts.

Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations and claims bankruptcy.

DRINKBOND and ALKBOND drop in price by 95 %. PUKEBOND performs better, stabilizing in price after dropping by 80 %.

The suppliers of Heidi's bar, having granted her generous payment due dates and having invested in the securities are faced with a new situation. Her wine supplier claims bankruptcy, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor.

The bar is saved by the Government following dramatic round-the-clock consultations by leaders from the governing political parties.

The funds required for this purpose are obtained by a tax levied on the non-drinkers.

Do you know the muffin man...?

2009-03-11T08:43:00.001-07:00

So, I went to court for the first time on Monday, i'd like to stress this was not because of any illegal activities. I was there as a bona fide representative of a news gathering organisation.

it was a pretty interesting experience really, we were gathered on the press bench at Rotherham magistrates and watched the whole process poised over our shorthand notes.

The court itself was smaller than i thought it would be, and all the lawyers and magistrates seemed to know each other fairly well, but the formalities were still in place. We were even dressed in suits.

The defendants were brought out in front of the magistrates, if the charges were violent then they'd be escorted out behind a glass wall in handcuffs with a guard. While you could see that some of these guys were bruisers, they just looked a little sad and pathetic standing under the electric lights. They were probably thinking how they'd ended up here, and i suppose i could get preachy and say they should think of the consequences of their actions, but its not my job to judge these guys, just report on them.

it is interesting how quickly you can become desensitized to it, after about the fith or sixth defendant, i was just waiting for the name/age/address, then what they did, how they plead, etc etc.

I was midway through shorthanding the CPS' case against one man, not particularly engaging with it (i was really hungry by this time) when i looked over and saw a member of his family in the public gallery. She was shaking. I guess while it's just another person to us, another crime statistic or backpage article, to the friends and family it's very very real. Admittedly, these people did some pretty stupid, and in some cases, mean things, but the point is that these decisions are going to seriously effect real people's lives. I guess that's why it's so important that we get it right. And that goes for both those who judge and those who report.

Quick legal note: it was interesting to actually see in practice, some of the stuff that I've been trying to cram into my head over the last few months. In one case, the magistrates actually passed a Section 39 restriction under the children and young persons act 1933. None of us requested a judicial review.

keep you posted.

News round up

2009-02-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

Much has been made of the Jade Goody topic in our lecture theaters at the moment, whether or not the newspapers should be covering what is happening to her, or whether she should be courting the papers as she is. She got married the other day and sold the rights to OK, or Hello, I can't remember which one and I don't really care because I won't buy it.

But apparently, the Jade Effect has resulted a 20% increase in smears being taken by women. That's a good reason and one why I think Jade is doing the right thing, the other is that she is doing it for her kids. I have never liked her myself, I think she is loud, obnoxious and stupid. But nobody deserves to go through what she is going through. So if she can make a bit of money for the kids she's going to leave behind then good for her. Well done Goody. It doesn't affect me personally because I can choose whether or not to buy those magazines or papers. That suits me fine, let Jade work the section of the population that want to watch a realty TV star die slowly, so that hopefully her kids will have their education completely paid for. If I was her I'd be doing the same thing.

It was a good turn out thise year at the Oscars for the British films. Well, for Slumdog Millionaire actually, which I haven't seen but I have heard is very very good. Danny Boyle struck me as a deserving winner, as did Kate Winslet. I will never go and see The Reader, not at the cinema anyway, it's not my type of film. But Winslet's talent and range is undeniable. She is a good British actress and I think it's great that after something like 5 nominations, she finally got a win. It was an interesting way of presenting the Oscars; by having the previous 5 winners in each category give out the awards. I didn't realise that some of the people up there had been previous winners. Michael Douglas, I'm talking about you.

While we're talking about winners, Corpus Christi college in Oxford won University challenge and following hot on the heels of this came the reports that Gail Trimble, Latin student and captain of the team, is the cleverest contestant ever and the brainiest girl in Britain. I even heard on the radio this morning that she got offered a photoshoot with Nuts. Interesting, she's probably not their typical centrefold.

"She is no stranger to success. Educated at Lady Eleanor Holles in Hampton, Middlesex, Trimble won a place at Oxford in 2000 after achieving 11 GCSEs and four A-levels in Latin, Greek, English Literature and Maths - all at grade A. She won a declamation prize at Oxford for Latin recital in 2001, gives recitals in her lunchtimes at college as a soprano singer, lectures on Ovid, Hellenistic poetry and, a favourite of hers, Catullus 64: Ariadne's Lament (a sophisticated miniature epic of Greco-Roman mythology written for a cultural elite in the first century BC)."

pretty cool huh? There's a girl who knows her stuff. Even the Sun stretched themselves to an article on her. Which is nice to see, because I would absoloutly love to know how many Sun readers watch University Challenge!

Jeez, this is a long post. It has been punctuated with dinner, and I would love to write some more, but I'm afraid today is pancake day and so far your Uncle Richie has not even had a snifter of a 'cake. One of my favourite flavourings is just to use orange squash concentrate with a bit of sugar. Delicious. In fact, I'll go give it a crack right now. We might end up with a few 'cakes on the ceiling after my attempted flippage! Hope everyone knows what their giving up for lent. Will let you know mine later.

Keep you posted.

A non-specific post written in 10 mins between classes. Enjoy.

2009-02-20T05:34:00.000-08:00

Alright guys, I was absoloutly determined not to leave it a whole other week before posting again. This time I truly do not have anything worthwile to say but I will continue on regardless.

As far as journalism goes I feel as if I am juggling several balls and just watching as the deadlines come creeeping up. There's the convergenge assessment, which will involve me talking to pubs and supermarkets and such like to find out if Sheffield's eating trends are healthy or not in our current recession hit society. Actually, I think a post on how the sub-prime bankers have pissed the world's finances up the wall could be a good post. I will deliberate and return henceforth. Still, there's opinions to be gathered and video and audio to record, and all of one day to do it in, because I'm stuck in the newsroom today and I will be in Warwick over the weekend to celebrate my dear younger brother turning 21. Did you realise how long/convoluted that previous sentence was? Couldn't do that in a newspaper. Long live the blog.

Anyway, I have also signed up to read the news live on the student radio every other week, which should be quite interesting. I'm hesitant about stepping into the world of the broadcaster but then I stop and just think, how hard can it be?

Lastly, there's the ongoing joy of day-to-day shorthand practice and workshops. So, as I said, lots to juggle, and I suppose you get what you pay for, and this course ain't cheap.

Ok, well I have to shift now to go and learn how to work the InDesign program. It's basically a way to organize the layout of a newspaper page, columns, pictures, captions and whatnot . I'll let you know how it turns out, unless of course I think of something more interesting to write about. Apologies that this has been a bit of a wishy-washy entry. Next one will be full of intellectual nutrition, giving you plenty of cerebral hoops to jump through as you process and formulate your own opinions based on the stimuli that I will so naturally provide.

Keep you posted.

Convergence week, one week on.

2009-02-15T07:18:00.000-08:00

Oh dear, it's been a whole week since my last post. Many apologies but time flies when you're converging your knowledge of the media industry to try and maximise your employment prospects!

Joking aside, I did find convergence week useful and, for the most part, very interesting. For those not in the know, it is a week set up by the Uni to teach multimedia aspects of journalism to the students. So for a print journo like myself, the lessons included video and audio recording/editing and writing content for a website. Lectures included one given by Ed Roussel, digital editor for the telegraph, who seemed to argue that journalism in the future will exist through a combination of a selection of "premium" writers and outsourced material.

These premium writers will be known for their particular take on current affairs and will draw in the target audience who enjoy their voice, while the outsourced material will be available from the news agencies such as PA and will take care of the news gathering. This streamlined approach is the commercial answer to newspaper decline and the global recession.

I don't know if Mr. Roussel thought through the implications for the collection of students gathered in front of him, but for the future of journalism, it's a pretty damning verdict. First, to become one of these premium writers is years away for us students gathered in the lecture theater. Secondly, the mechanics of removing something from the PA wire and cutting and pasting into a news article is, i'm guessing, not the reason most of us got into journalism in the first place.

Moreover, once a program is developed, and mark my words it will be, that automatically selects the relevent data from the wires, cuts it into the right length and adapts it to the house style automatically, the average non-premium journalist will become superflous. In fact, doesn't Google News operate almost without any human involvement? It seems to me yet another cutback in the strive for economical efficiency. Comments welcome. For another opinion on Ed Roussel's lecture, I highly recommend checking out Ben's blog, which employs the sort of analytical detail laced with eloquence that this site can only dream of.

I realise that I've been distracted from the original title of this post, and havn't said anything about the convergence of technology. Apologies for that but it's my blog and I make the rules here, so if I want to go off in another direction then that's just what I'll do. Tough titty.

For example, isn't it great when you suddenly come across a song that you haven't heard in literally years, and when you do hear it, it brings back memories of a childhood time when everything was just a hell of a lot simpler? I had that this week, the song was Witchita Lineman and it was wonderful.

Getting back on track, for my part, I am actually much in favour of technology in journalism and will discuss it at some later point. At present, I can only say that I and my fellow students are clinging to the idea that regardless of the medium, audiences will always want good, well-written content. And, as you can tell from this blog, good, well-written content, is something I can always provide.

Keep you posted.

2009-02-08T04:05:00.000-08:00

We're currently coming to the end of that grey area between when the exams and deadlines are over, to when the real work begins on Monday. We here at the journalism dept are starting what is known as a convergence week. A week-long project where the whole dept comes together to gather news and produce a website. Print journos like myself are expected to get up close and personal with tech equipment to shoot video, record audio and generally put together a website. I can't wait!

We've had a nice couple of days off, including a hell of a night last thursday which I won't go into, but now i'm actually kind of itching to get back into doing something. Lazing around is all well and good for a while, but i definatly need to have something filling my time.

Weather still terrible, cold and icy, and although im happy to be working again, the walk to uni at 8 monday morning across the frozen wasteland is something I could do without. Prehaps it would be worth looking at renting a couple of huskies and a sled? Although I'm not sure where you get those in Sheffield. Will investigate said huskies and get back to you.

Keep you posted.

Winter wonderland...kinda

2009-02-03T09:02:00.001-08:00

It's a couple of months late for Christmas, but it's really nice to see some good snow. And this stuff is the good stuff, just the right weight and crunch to make a seriously good snowball.

Despite the fact it makes getting around a pain, and it's freeeezing cold, I still think it makes the place look nice and it's good fun to hurl a snowball at a passing taxi. The news has been full of nasty tales about whose fault it is that the services were put out by the snow, and i'm thinking, come on guys. Let's just loosen up a little bit alright? when was the last time we had snow like this? exactly. So it's not that surprising when things dont go quite according to plan. The newscaster said we should be more like Ontario, and Chicago who can deal with this kind of weather. And that's only because they have it all the time!

Still, cast your eyes upwards and to the right and you'll see that I've included a photo of my street all blanketed in snowy goodness. If only things inside the house would go so well. Our shower bust this afternoon which means someone has to be in tomorrow for the repair dude to come and fix it. Although I was impressed that despite the weather, one fella did manage to come round quickly this afternoon to tell me that it was bust.

In other news, I'm unhappy that Federer lost, but happy that Liverpool won and unsurprised that Keane is going back to Spurs. Even the Super Bowl was moderatly entertaining!

Keep you posted.

Wishes for 2009

2009-02-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

Since this year seems to be all doom and gloom, what with the recession/unemployment/weather the way it is and everything, I reckon this would be a good place to lay out my hopes and wishes for 2009. Just a few positive things that I'd like to see happen this year:

1) I pass this bloody journalism course that I've sunk unbelievable amounts of money and time into so far! It is a fascinating and exciting course, but gawddamn, it's tricky. More on the course as the blog continues.

2) Obama makes it. I mean, c'mon he's taking on a pretty big challenge and you have to hand it to the guy. I think it's remarkable what he's done and I honestly wish him all the best. Also, read Dreams from my Father if you get the chance, or better yet, get the audiobook which Obama actually reads himself.

3) Liverpool win the Premiership. It's about time that we had a break from United and, to a lesser extent, Chelsea finishing at the top. I finally think they've got a decent chance of doing it and today's result can't hurt their chances! So far this season has been really exciting and I can't wait to see how it's going to end. On a lesser note, I really want Hull City to stay up, come on boys.

4) The new Crichton gets published and it's decent. I was gutted to hear of one of my favourite authors passing away last year, and I only hope that the new one is better than Next, which I have to admit, was crap. Word is, the new one is going back to the glory days of Jurassic Park. Can't wait!

5) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is as good as it looks. The last couple of times that Fincher and Pitt worked together we got Fight Club and Seven, two movies that are never far from my DVD player. And wouldn't it be cool if Heath Ledger wins the Oscar? Did you see The Dark Knight? The guy deserves it.

There's five points for the moment, there'll probably be more to come if anything springs to mind. With the national and global news predicting a tough year ahead for all of us, it's good to keep in mind that there are a few things to look forward to. Feel free to share your wishes for 2009 or, if you'd rather, any criticisms of mine!

Keep you posted.

The Definitive Introduction

2009-01-31T14:36:00.000-08:00

Welcome to what will possibly become the greatest opinion piece on the Web. Meticulously researched, expertly written with not a spelling error in sight and the kind of humour that you could, well, laugh at.
Thankyou for stopping by to listen to me wax lyrical on pretty much anything that catches my fancy. More posts to come, but it's late and the footballs on.

Keep you posted.