tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86487281370580054562024-03-13T18:30:55.622+00:00¿Como se dice.. waterbed?Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.comBlogger319125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-6769773138712594152008-10-25T08:49:00.000+01:002008-10-25T08:52:24.979+01:00Admirable persistence in the face of adversity<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XnHIeXQCfog&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XnHIeXQCfog&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-34982921224313353212008-09-06T15:22:00.000+01:002008-09-06T15:23:35.043+01:00Help a bald brother out<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gnZft1YTcA0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gnZft1YTcA0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-31683064468088321532008-09-03T17:33:00.003+01:002008-09-03T17:37:48.378+01:00Hybrid carsIf you are feeling the pinch, I suggest saving petrol by taking advantage of hamster power. <br /><br />Harness the natural zest, enthusiasm and love of life of hamsters by placing them inside your car tyres. This will take advantage of the 'hamster wheel effect' and add a natural, renewable source of power to your car.<br /><br />Note that food for the hamsters would need to be fed through the air valve.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiM7f4Fk4rV7o9w_eBq6WHWPM1Ys8b690_O5vMOGQU6sHfP_41v4pRNex_aFwAGzkvMgNEqEu2XUpwqUQp_LxIRg96nbsHrWvOouMkbjmhylFIgynJMAEJb1X3XPtxTPZyK02frBvshgg/s1600-h/hamster.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiM7f4Fk4rV7o9w_eBq6WHWPM1Ys8b690_O5vMOGQU6sHfP_41v4pRNex_aFwAGzkvMgNEqEu2XUpwqUQp_LxIRg96nbsHrWvOouMkbjmhylFIgynJMAEJb1X3XPtxTPZyK02frBvshgg/s400/hamster.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241835030658402018" /></a>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-49576715949813467332008-08-10T22:52:00.000+01:002008-08-10T22:53:23.202+01:00Quote of the day"There is no such thing as fun for the whole family"<br /><br />Jerry SeinfeldRobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-75584666458007458892008-08-08T09:00:00.006+01:002008-08-09T16:54:12.540+01:00The Olympics: why I am uneasyAnd yet, and yet. I don't know how to respond to the fact that this Olympics is being held in China.<br /><br />Amnesty International's monitoring involves four main areas: <a href="http://www.thechinadebate.org/en/?page_id=4">repression of activists</a>, <a href="http://www.thechinadebate.org/en/?page_id=5">detention without trial</a>, <a href="http://www.thechinadebate.org/en/?page_id=5">censorship </a>and the <a href="http://www.thechinadebate.org/en/?page_id=7">death penalty</a>. <br />Each of these areas give cause for concern.<br /> <br />This of course is without mentioning China's actions in Tibet. AI's last report says <em>"The recent protests in Tibet and Tibetan-populated areas of surrounding provinces and the subsequent crackdown and media silence imposed by authorities highlighted not only longstanding and unresolved violations of fundamental human rights but also on-going censorship of the media."</em><br /><br />Today, as the ceremony proceeds, there are people being tortured by the state because of what they believe or say. At least one person will be executed for one of 68 crimes punishable by death.<br /><br />I am not sure how to react, but I do think there is something in the 'shining a light on the issue' viewpoint. The more we open a society to outside influence, the more we understand and the closer we come to change. It's understanding that brings change.<br /><br />But this doesn't leave me feeling anything other than uneasy. <br /><br />One Olympics, one world, one party state.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDo8KH8JOh-MsdRXoINoCI9sn4cBFnbkVPGimB9TJ237aSQflLNiap02KzWEXwbWD5xS2iMmh-8SV2irXaIuXCvSTENpEG4GlFSgy8QtsMkZZT1aG_AW53yq9RAKxgA4iGvUcT-p30cS0/s1600-h/amnestyinternational1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDo8KH8JOh-MsdRXoINoCI9sn4cBFnbkVPGimB9TJ237aSQflLNiap02KzWEXwbWD5xS2iMmh-8SV2irXaIuXCvSTENpEG4GlFSgy8QtsMkZZT1aG_AW53yq9RAKxgA4iGvUcT-p30cS0/s400/amnestyinternational1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232108590608647074" /></a>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-86258978274234604492008-08-08T08:41:00.007+01:002008-08-08T12:22:05.625+01:00The Olympics: why I careI have never really got into the Olympics before now. I am not sure why, because I love sport. It's possibly because I've never played any of the sports except hockey, and I suppose running. Though my running can hardly be described as <em>running</em> running.<br /><br />But now I've changed, and I'm excited about these Olympics. I think this is a natural result of several factors, not least that as you get older your circle of interest expands, from self, to community to world. Though there's also possibly a London effect happening - I can't wait for the world's attention to focus on London.<br /><br />I am also more of an observer of sport now, rather than a participant. I have finally realised that I am no longer going to be a world class sportsman, which is something that crept up on me only gradually. (<em>Is </em>it too late? Even for shooting?) So, I am free to enjoy sport for the story it tells about the world, rather than the story it tells about me.<br /><br />Next, I believe in the power of sport. It certainly saved and enhanced my life. I think it's essential for human development to experience sport, or at least exercise, and I see it as key to unlocking the broken lives of some of our young men, in particular.<br /><br />And I also believe in sport as a great unifier. I doubt there is anything that has done more to combat racism in the world than sport. Certainly, in Britain football's contribution to tackling racism can't be underestimated. We've come a long way since John Barnes was pelted with bananas. And it was Barnes' reaction to the pelting that started the journey. The experience of South Africa adds to the argument. And so, yes, I suppose I am arguing there is something about the Olympic spirit and that sport can be used to mend lives, societies and even international relations.<br /><br />But perhaps above all, the Olympics is interesting because of the stories that it produces. At the last Olympics, there was 0.545 seconds worth of difference between five Gold and Silver medals for Britain. Half a second between 5! That's a lifetime of effort and 4 years of dreaming, boiled down to about a tenth of a second each. Inevitably, this leads to astonishing stories and if anyone doubts the power of these stories they should read <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meaning-Sport-Simon-Barnes/dp/1904977456">The Meaning of Sport</a> by Simon Barnes, the greatest of all sporting storytellers, or follow his <a href="http://timesonline.typepad.com/olympics/">blog</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVOtpUP3hhta4CAdXPIX-T161Rv31uuPiMz4PPGJq0QE5KenHL1SxSmy9HhivdILW6wy5_6MbTvu_A1yPX7IHU65q6s_7-M-e59nz4Sehfv4QVGqaCJsU8w2Y1uYWltlgtV8UubItbvA/s1600-h/kelly+h.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVOtpUP3hhta4CAdXPIX-T161Rv31uuPiMz4PPGJq0QE5KenHL1SxSmy9HhivdILW6wy5_6MbTvu_A1yPX7IHU65q6s_7-M-e59nz4Sehfv4QVGqaCJsU8w2Y1uYWltlgtV8UubItbvA/s400/kelly+h.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232104624038146290" /></a>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-48143254797787151272008-08-01T20:00:00.004+01:002008-08-01T20:15:31.011+01:00Risk maagement and cricketCricket, like baseball, is a game of percentages, statistics and risk. Test match cricket is the ultimate sporting experiment. Is the effect when one side is batting and the other bowling reversed when the roles are reversed?<br /><br />Over two innings and five days, the best side usually wins. The reason why Test Match cricket is the greatest of all games is because of the character, skill and intelligence that it calls upon each of the players to display. <br /><br />Today was a great example. Kevin Pieterson, who is the most talented batsman in the world, was beginning to turn the match around for England, who've been in deep trouble for the whole game. Another hour or two from Pieterson and England would have been favourites to win. Pieterson went for glory - a 6 to bring up his hundred - and got out. Earlier, Ian Bell had given his wicket away to the first ball of a new spell by Makhaya Ntini.<br /><br />The reason this is significant is that both incidents will contribute to England losing the game - it was high stakes. And second, both could have been avoided by a calm assessment of what was worth a risk and what wasn't. This may sound obvious, but I would provide England with the following statistics:<br /><br />1. How many deliveries into a new spell does the risk of playing an attacking shot diminish? <br />2. Which shots carry the highest risk and against which bowlers?<br />3. How many deliveries after an interval does the risk of getting out diminish?<br />4. Who has the best strike rate (balls per wicket taken) and who has the lowest in the opposition bowling? The idea would be to attack those with the lowest and defend against those with the highest.<br />5. In-match updates of risk factors.<br />6. Risk analysis of near misses, especially to provide 5. <br />7. Regression analysis on the factors which go into scoring a century (i.e. caution after an interval, against a new ball bowler, against the best bowlers)<br />8. Average levels of (composite) risk taken per ball to score a century.<br /><br />I am convined that if a risk mindset could be established as part of a batsman's thinking, results would rapidly follow.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-59479942262302167442008-08-01T19:50:00.003+01:002008-08-01T20:00:40.914+01:00Jerry knowsJerry Seinfeld, <a href="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vgmK6AaEzkk">tells a story </a>to an aspiring comic, who clearly isn't getting it. But I get it. Do you?Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-1035331925962289122008-07-23T16:37:00.007+01:002008-12-11T00:21:37.149+00:00Bad waxworksI don't think I've ever seen anything quite as brilliant as these astonishingly lifelike waxworks. Is it even worthwhile asking who they are?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKPX1pKJbJwI0FyP-rb8IJt6bSkuptcuM9bfaE8HCBJCDpIH5gGvFJe317eA0yZ1t3YrCaZzK0ji9_8gFte4v5ihwEd-igggiC6f0R1a-RlqXOiA-SMJFL0BufPACO9qLaYb0kRWB4XU/s1600-h/bad+waxworks.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKPX1pKJbJwI0FyP-rb8IJt6bSkuptcuM9bfaE8HCBJCDpIH5gGvFJe317eA0yZ1t3YrCaZzK0ji9_8gFte4v5ihwEd-igggiC6f0R1a-RlqXOiA-SMJFL0BufPACO9qLaYb0kRWB4XU/s400/bad+waxworks.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226234254949465474" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyi-yrCFoYGQ7b3kYQfsJNWGnB0ko9bONiaAFIgshyphenhyphenYViqxuw0t63L_j0qla23Ofq5L1j3JGjw_DOPLjTLSat2fN4-j7GdJMBIDJnHWb0CdnvGGrwLlg9pbrHLI2zq1REaJSyPlXCT_Qw/s1600-h/tom+jones+and+shirley+bassey.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyi-yrCFoYGQ7b3kYQfsJNWGnB0ko9bONiaAFIgshyphenhyphenYViqxuw0t63L_j0qla23Ofq5L1j3JGjw_DOPLjTLSat2fN4-j7GdJMBIDJnHWb0CdnvGGrwLlg9pbrHLI2zq1REaJSyPlXCT_Qw/s400/tom+jones+and+shirley+bassey.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226234502902592130" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJ7jojrXafmtQ7VqrP6Xe0YTy7ozivRbwblxyeKA03qAeVLEMdVvM2buYg_pmntuCDC-32zqXw2wjcQeaLex-AypxxTv77sLGFi25uyx7mygNeZ79cAgq3_2QJVDy-YhpZz7yOAxrj0g/s1600-h/richard+burton+and+diana+dors.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJ7jojrXafmtQ7VqrP6Xe0YTy7ozivRbwblxyeKA03qAeVLEMdVvM2buYg_pmntuCDC-32zqXw2wjcQeaLex-AypxxTv77sLGFi25uyx7mygNeZ79cAgq3_2QJVDy-YhpZz7yOAxrj0g/s400/richard+burton+and+diana+dors.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226235362271667042" /></a><br /><br />Princess Diana, Prince Charles<br />Tom Jones and Shirely Bassey<br />Richard Burton and Diana Dors (obviously!)Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-10362454090996045122008-07-21T16:19:00.001+01:002008-07-23T16:24:06.543+01:00Crack new musicIn a year which I am sure is noticeably lacking in great new music, I have to concede that the current number 1, <em>Dance Wiv Me</em> by Bow's favourite son Dizzee Rascal, is surely the equivalent of musical crack. I've been singing it for two days solid. <br /><br />And I want to be your latex salesman.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-87153708180084250692008-07-12T22:04:00.003+01:002008-12-11T00:21:37.520+00:00I am who I amPeople talk a lot these days about keeping it real. Being true to yourself. People talk about wanting other people to like you for who you are. Women especially always say how they want a man to love the 'real' them.<br /><br />I've worked out I'm the opposite. <br /><br />I just want people to like me for who I pretend to be.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WuBD4SZCG3ZmeGvnFpoekdHUXW8_QazPAtIisIxhDkbLk-H9a4SlCKwxTMJsYHA1tjdGhRuUaEPVNhm9EoHV7PEzH4_dRjYIt4-yLdIbgitqOaPqhw5dryPyKEUiHV1yVEkcIvRHUWA/s1600-h/pretend.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WuBD4SZCG3ZmeGvnFpoekdHUXW8_QazPAtIisIxhDkbLk-H9a4SlCKwxTMJsYHA1tjdGhRuUaEPVNhm9EoHV7PEzH4_dRjYIt4-yLdIbgitqOaPqhw5dryPyKEUiHV1yVEkcIvRHUWA/s400/pretend.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222237649703626994" /></a>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-91871084334257418812008-07-05T13:49:00.002+01:002008-07-06T10:24:49.534+01:00Risk<em>To laugh is to risk appearing a fool.<br />To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.<br />To reach out for another is to risk involvement.<br />To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.<br />To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.<br /><br />To love is to risk not being loved in return.<br />To live is to risk dying.<br />To hope is to risk despair.<br />To try is to risk failure.<br /><br />But risks must be taken, <br />because the greatest danger in life <br />is to risk nothing.<br /><br />Those who risk nothing, do nothing,<br />achieve nothing, become nothing.<br />They may avoid suffering and sorrow,<br />but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.<br />Chained by their certitude they are a slave,<br />they have forfeited their freedom.<br />Only a person who risks all that he cannot keep, <br />to have whatever he cannot lose, is truly free.</em><br /><br />Adapted By Simon Reynolds, who went to work in the townships of South Africa, and died there aged 21.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-53075487226275532912008-06-29T18:38:00.003+01:002008-06-29T18:53:20.595+01:00Meaning at workA <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4231192.ece">fascinating article in today's Times</a> about a man who left a highly paid position at Microsoft to go and do something more meaningful. On the way he lost his girlfriend and all his savings. Ooh, a bit like me then!Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-15021506378702701892008-06-24T19:32:00.004+01:002008-12-11T00:21:37.779+00:00Radiohead in my local parkWent for a run this evening and who should be playing there but the world's greatest band, Radiohead.<br /><br />Confirms my suspicion that not only is London the bets place to live in the world but East London is clearly the coolest part of London. North London a close second, way ahead of posh and self satisfied West and South.<br /><br />Not that I'm going mind. I lost all my coolness circa 2003. And even then it wasn't much. I'm hoping I'm getting so uncool that soon I become cool. Like my Stepdad's bright orange trousers.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3q_8VycLdYCKrK22nStxKGAmn3tSFbhqGzlsFEywvpgosd7Ht-EeQ8oG6F8YCsV9yfIhIJ90zTz8zEl1rYWVAl9qeIt5SGc_wqQWOiA4VtjzV6LZcDmvwHur9378ovCTi5ArrOYNFFo/s1600-h/radiohead.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3q_8VycLdYCKrK22nStxKGAmn3tSFbhqGzlsFEywvpgosd7Ht-EeQ8oG6F8YCsV9yfIhIJ90zTz8zEl1rYWVAl9qeIt5SGc_wqQWOiA4VtjzV6LZcDmvwHur9378ovCTi5ArrOYNFFo/s400/radiohead.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215518661776004674" /></a>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-2726066000106118612008-06-13T22:05:00.003+01:002008-12-11T00:21:37.954+00:00The Irish keep gatecrashing<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLp1Gh6-5jUcdgYhkDZmF8SRDD4Ie0U20b5LnnxWkaKkAwnCPtKZmXHjFmhqWCOF471-ExfB8U-_tzeZN4yBOKQwacyqq8NsoTj3o2Q5aaa9LIgZJdnwrbKfRj_SznWOdswVqQd_zHq58/s1600-h/irish+no.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLp1Gh6-5jUcdgYhkDZmF8SRDD4Ie0U20b5LnnxWkaKkAwnCPtKZmXHjFmhqWCOF471-ExfB8U-_tzeZN4yBOKQwacyqq8NsoTj3o2Q5aaa9LIgZJdnwrbKfRj_SznWOdswVqQd_zHq58/s400/irish+no.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211476003834156594" /></a><br />What a glorious victory for common sense from an unlikely quarter in unlikely circumstances (all the main parties were for the treaty). Of course, European bureaucrats are already thinking of ways to ignore the vote, just as they always do. Our own Foreign Minister says we must press on with ratification.<br /><br />But for now the people have spoken: we don't want a common Europe. Free trade yes, more politics and bureaucracy, a firm no.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-35041171288246032762008-06-13T01:06:00.002+01:002008-12-11T00:21:38.143+00:00Studying infinityI watched a programme about infinity the other night, as you do, called <em>Dangerous Knowledge</em>. Fascinating it was too.<br /><br />Apparently, infinity comes in different sizes. If you imagine a circle, it is possible to draw an infinite number of lines from the centre to its edge. However, if you then draw another, bigger circle round that circle and extend the lines then you will have gaps beteen the (extended) lines thereby proving that infinity depends on context.<br /><br />But even more interesting was listening to how great minds like Cantor, Turing and Godel found that there are limits to maths and science. That the ultimate conclusion of logic, was illogical. Turing died essentially trying to prove unprovability.<br /><br />This surely cuts to the heart of all academia, not least the realisation that even maths and science are forms of art. But second, it shows how all the academic disciplines from philosophy to maths are grounded in humanity. They are all flawed, all illogical. And our attempt to understand the world and impose order on it are all ultimately doomed. <br /><br />This gave me hope for psychology, as by studying the human directly in 'real life' circumstances, one imposes order through science and yet acknowledges the limits of doing this. This is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientist-Practitioner_Model_of_Clinical_Psychology">scientist practitioner approach</a>, which is at the heart of <a href="www.bloompsychology.com">Bloom Psychology</a>.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMxg7x6UgR8UtSNcOJufFxApCjwpJkPOMLzyh2MutetaacHMX6Xaf4YtzOIeGOm8fD3mW4EE3r4BR3W6n7zZqAyROKxvNMqLZmlifNXqD65hyphenhyphen11nZskBAvjJW91x_86k3x_zLpo5FKTt5/s1600-h/kurt_godel_lead.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMxg7x6UgR8UtSNcOJufFxApCjwpJkPOMLzyh2MutetaacHMX6Xaf4YtzOIeGOm8fD3mW4EE3r4BR3W6n7zZqAyROKxvNMqLZmlifNXqD65hyphenhyphen11nZskBAvjJW91x_86k3x_zLpo5FKTt5/s400/kurt_godel_lead.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211150316378985250" /></a>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-42559708777000888172008-06-12T23:40:00.001+01:002008-06-12T23:42:07.456+01:00Pilot testIf anyone feels like doing this then I'd be hugely grateful! It takes 5 minutes.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=DGquiKmQ07HjGloQXj_2bUgA_3d_3d">Click Here to take survey</a>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-62747732119101223322008-06-12T00:05:00.004+01:002008-12-11T00:21:38.356+00:00The winner is...So, 12 hugely entertaining if frustrating weeks (from the perspective of the brainless editing which treated the audience like retarded Albanian sprout pickers) and we finally have a winner.<br /><br />Some truly disgusting antics (Jenny), backstabbing (Alex), outright lying (Michael, pretty much everyone) and many hilarious moments and we learned who was to be Sirallan's apprentice. <br /><br />4 made it to the final, then 2, and I feared the moment that Claire would be handed the role for her so-called 'transformation'. But you'd need a very large transformation to come back from <a href="http://banbassbam.blogspot.com/2008/04/watched-apprentice-tonight-utterly.html">stabbing a good man in the back</a>.<br /><br />And after it all, when all the shenanigans are over...<br /><br />the best human being won.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiv08BXQYJ8zg9x_v8YG0mHXW7CYv3HlCiH0FQ82iFZvQJNKMRsmW2is2BS0YbXjKoZ7diJ5F4mYIhMxK4-l-1WpJtPYvMVIKM4XF2VQeKHMBW8jvIoG5Wp-Dk2pyyOXjrXAFTQAItuow/s1600-h/lee.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiv08BXQYJ8zg9x_v8YG0mHXW7CYv3HlCiH0FQ82iFZvQJNKMRsmW2is2BS0YbXjKoZ7diJ5F4mYIhMxK4-l-1WpJtPYvMVIKM4XF2VQeKHMBW8jvIoG5Wp-Dk2pyyOXjrXAFTQAItuow/s400/lee.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210766289905630706" /></a>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-71847277595199605892008-06-09T17:00:00.003+01:002008-12-11T00:21:47.085+00:00Ants...uselessDon't tell me that ants know what they're doing or how well they work together as a team. I watched some today and they are useless. Don't even bother is my advice.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8CuP_0OieFFvpPlclztZMRyq4PtGYlO0kO_uTd04kLS5FHrxQvNa5Uqmhe6NymQ1IAsP_tZ3E8hqLvQaxyx_KMLbwzoRS57MfoJzKErAOJPm-Bf_InmTvuygDOvpKbPiWdGOiik9lNE/s1600-h/ants.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8CuP_0OieFFvpPlclztZMRyq4PtGYlO0kO_uTd04kLS5FHrxQvNa5Uqmhe6NymQ1IAsP_tZ3E8hqLvQaxyx_KMLbwzoRS57MfoJzKErAOJPm-Bf_InmTvuygDOvpKbPiWdGOiik9lNE/s400/ants.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209912737337283570" /></a>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-11861388024662622912008-06-09T10:27:00.003+01:002008-06-09T10:31:58.961+01:00Challenges...Today I read about a <a href="http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/holiday_type/active/article4082219.ece">bike race across America which is completed in 1 WEEK</a>. It's called the Race Across America (RAAM).<br /><br />Every time I read about challenges like this, like the majority of people I suspect, I long to do it and never do. There is always an excuse: the Marathon des Sables is too expensive and the waiting list too long, the race through the Sahara is the prospect of death, the RAAM how do you cope and enjoy it without sleep?<br /><br />But let's stoke the fascination and continue to be excited because one day the excuses might stop. <br /><br />If you are fascinated too and want to know more - you can follow the team <a href="http://www.united8.org/">here</a>.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-76278513230393808522008-06-02T12:55:00.004+01:002008-12-11T00:21:47.381+00:00Macca vs LarryHad a near implosion of semi-orgasmic nirvana last night, when Paul McCartney played Anfield and finished in time to allow me to watch Larry David on Curb. It was like being caressed by angels then shagged by the devil. Marvellous.<br /><br />Macca is of course deeply embarrassing with his 'let me hear you say yeah-eh' and perky demeanour (even during <em>Yesterday</em>), but as I've said before I can forgive this man anything because of what he's done, and what he represents.<br /><br />I don't know why he holds this place in my life. It's perhaps that music is processed by the part of the brain which does not articulate, so that for some reason the music of the Beatles is likely to express some deeply felt emotion that typically I don't talk about. Or it could just be because that the Beatles are the greatest songwriters ever, by a country mile.<br /><br />So Macca is the sugary, eternally upbeat perky Dad-at-the-disco cringemaker, who can be forgiven anything because of his place in society and unparalleled songwriting genius. Meanwhile Larry David continues to represent the darker side, an almost equal genius, who says the unsayable and does the undoable and who is, as his advert says, all of us.<br /><br />There was a moment when I had to decide whether to turn off Macca early to watch Larry or tune over to establish the crucial early plot which you always need to do with Curb.<br /><br />Macca won. But someone will lend me the DVDs.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmw69yzD3gdY8uXynswZjCZROnYMp3Umsg4sRaD_-foVY6Hx7t2RimichL1ePdTxZAqbIfqgQfZM7XLIKbnW6tgFGAisVrI7OB5vER_c610mALN3Xt42R3oDQMnlUxktwgcZ0Q8ktWec/s1600-h/larry+fucking+david.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmw69yzD3gdY8uXynswZjCZROnYMp3Umsg4sRaD_-foVY6Hx7t2RimichL1ePdTxZAqbIfqgQfZM7XLIKbnW6tgFGAisVrI7OB5vER_c610mALN3Xt42R3oDQMnlUxktwgcZ0Q8ktWec/s400/larry+fucking+david.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207399764000831250" /></a>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-26663200988710849392008-05-29T16:37:00.006+01:002008-12-11T00:21:47.712+00:00Cancelling SkyI like TV. I love live sport, I love Seinfeld, I love The Office, Peep Show, and crap like Californication. I love reality TV. I love the occasional documentary. I like watching Girls Aloud on MTV. There, I've said it.<br /><br />But TV is not compatible with my new life. I can't afford the time and, given I'm now pressing ahead with a new business, I can't afford the Sky subscription either. So for the first time in 18 years, I've cancelled it.<br /><br />Instead my new life involves more of these:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zypADyyZALrnTEDjDXgXYS3Rgc2KE9bSwwWIe38dMQHfROMxCkTfO0aChOuCGKfJkGsJSXdecpcbyNvcwFSaobNeb3U9JR00UEoU88yVCaaJeJEIBG7kqTRQETT90ihIDQH1SLBRmtA/s1600-h/books.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zypADyyZALrnTEDjDXgXYS3Rgc2KE9bSwwWIe38dMQHfROMxCkTfO0aChOuCGKfJkGsJSXdecpcbyNvcwFSaobNeb3U9JR00UEoU88yVCaaJeJEIBG7kqTRQETT90ihIDQH1SLBRmtA/s400/books.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205825409378744066" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I read 3 books over the bank holiday, <em>for pleasure</em>. Books are good aren't they?Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-65121038879274415972008-05-29T08:33:00.004+01:002008-05-29T08:46:27.848+01:00I'm a survivor...I'm not gon' stop, I'm gon' work harder.<br /><br />Well I'm not because firstly I'm going to have a ruddy good sit down. Phew. That was long, difficult and unpleasant, like a James Joyce novel. I had to lie on my sofa for 3 days afterwards - it's funny how tiredness builds and how much our bodies are under the control of our brains. Mine basically ordered me to rest.<br /><br />I'm not sure what I learned from the whole thing, but certainly now I'm thinking like a psychologist. I can't prove this of course, but the likelihood of my hypothesis occurring by chance is less than 5%.<br /><br />And now, a new plan.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-25613426630400358532008-05-16T16:00:00.003+01:002008-12-11T00:21:48.173+00:00Umm Bongo<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSMh13YbiKI6z2OwSLLJG9m4XCNW_KUWP7m2ZHRPXXKOD5hz_lqEr7HIEF1hDOjU_HmoVZ8pn-dEcTO_cguixDYEF_7njLgTVgelH4uZ378tPq0ER7IbKFwoijfts0sxLgEhakJWzmrU/s1600-h/um+bongo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSMh13YbiKI6z2OwSLLJG9m4XCNW_KUWP7m2ZHRPXXKOD5hz_lqEr7HIEF1hDOjU_HmoVZ8pn-dEcTO_cguixDYEF_7njLgTVgelH4uZ378tPq0ER7IbKFwoijfts0sxLgEhakJWzmrU/s400/um+bongo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200991194362431746" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Do they really drink it in the Congo?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBUCAcBWe5lBBD5G4S1nHBwA7VRBp1VD0tn-_lvosRdENNCMsjDzhkwYWi3VU1AelbcHlWung_UNhyphenhyphen9FkbFn4Ifnh-q5gyiM8Uu2PGDTaa_dMBjSyzW-EF6QwGrEaTCQTQ7-_0HwwUoE/s1600-h/congo.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBUCAcBWe5lBBD5G4S1nHBwA7VRBp1VD0tn-_lvosRdENNCMsjDzhkwYWi3VU1AelbcHlWung_UNhyphenhyphen9FkbFn4Ifnh-q5gyiM8Uu2PGDTaa_dMBjSyzW-EF6QwGrEaTCQTQ7-_0HwwUoE/s400/congo.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200990945254328562" /></a>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8648728137058005456.post-58322668914300248892008-05-14T07:25:00.001+01:002008-05-14T23:36:58.950+01:00So...In we go. My daring (well, it feels daring to me) 5 year career change plan effectively takes me up to the end of these exams, which finish next Tuesday. So I'll be needing a new one. This one has left me poorer, older, tireder, but wiser, happier and more hopeful. <br /><br />One last hideous leg to get through first. See you on the other side...and now one last reminder, the world's greatest ever advert, of what we should all be trying to do beause frankly VERY SOON WE'LL ALL BE DEAD:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fB_1gPRCLCo&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fB_1gPRCLCo&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08746998070234963803noreply@blogger.com2