There's worse than Vine...

Watched extras last night as it was on before Mitchell and Webb. Very funny but like the office I couldn't sit through a full episode because I was cringing too much. During the episode was a spoof sequence from "The Wright Stuff", where he gave an ignorant interpretation of some tabloid hacks hatchett job.

But today I have the misfortune of having to wait in for a technician to fix my washing machine (hence blogging during work hours). And Wright is as ignorant as his characature. He makes Jeremy Vine seem incisive.

Still I don't think Daniel Radcliffe is like that.

Oh he's done, surprise surprise the part isn't carried on the van.

The answers

All the answers are in on first lines quiz.

How to boil your blood.

Today I made the fatal mistake of going out in my car at lunchtime. Why? Well for the moment I have forgone the Today programme in favour of the Togmeister on Radio 2.

However at lunchtime its the Jeremy Vine show, or as some call it the Daily Mail of radio. (Not to be confused with Tonight with Trevor McDonald).

The item under discussion was the two judges who were embroiled in charges of employing an illegal immigrant. Now the term "illegal immigrant" is a red rag to certain sectors of society, meaning they lose all sense of, well sense.

OK so the Judges have done something embarrassing in their private life, that is more than a little ironic given their day jobs. But some of the responses were frankly silly. Lots of mentions were made of how the judges paid the woman's national insurance, but surely cleaners either work for agencies or are self employed. When my window cleaner comes round I don't pay him what I owe less tax and national insurance, and send the rest to the inland revenue. Similarly the electrician who will be round next week will be sending me an invoice for the whole job and he will fill in his own tax return. Why is a cleaner any different in people's minds? Of course the judges have been very silly and deserve the consequences, but if we can't even comprehend the simpler aspects of the story what validity do our views have?

"You don't need a degree in rocket science" said one caller before demonstrating his complete lack of understanding of the situation. Well if Jeremy Vine and his callers are any indication of the state of the UK, no wonder Beagle 2 failed.

Vine's style doesn't help. He has a very urgent style of a hard hitting reporter which cracks to pices with some of his questions which betray a poor understanding of the stiuation. Jimmy Young used to ask similar questions, only with his more gentle avuncular style he came across as someone who wanted to be enlightened, or indeed dispel misconceptions, rather than a dim person refusing to listen.

Meanwhile a friend of a friend who has been here since before I was born is being deported because it's no longer dangerous in her country of origin. A pillar of the community is being sent back so NAS can show the baying mob it's doing what they want. Sick.

Must get back to work.

And cue the dancing hippos.

Simon, an old aquaintance from when I lived within going out in the evening distance of London, has highlighted the new BBC1 identity. Out go the "Dancing" idents, which I thought were a little twee for their PC content. And in come a series of images based on the idea of a circle.

I just love the Hippos one.

Hippos

A fantastical exploration of what it would look like if adult hippos could swim. The action climaxes with synchronised swimming in a circle. The 3D hippos were created by Framestore CFC, the team behind the famous Walking With series led by Mike McGee.

So entertainingly barking!

Websites for organisations

An acquaintance did a round of various websites looking for information on meetings and conferences. I think Simon's original point was well made, and even though the article was deliberately provocative, there is too much shooting the messenger. People don't like to think of themselves as lacking in skills, and sometimes define common abilities as obscure, bullying and abusing those who assume a level of general knowledge.

The article raised some interesting points. I think non-it literate people tend
to normalise their relative lack of use of the web, to assume the large group who go to the web first for info are actually a small group of propeller heads. Officers of any organisation (be it political party, or scout district) are there to make sure stuff gets done, not necessarily to do it.

Many people who have the skills to support a website don't have the time to be the actual webmaster, or do the one man band IT role, many committees would hope for. There may be three people who could between them support a valuable web presence
There are people who are great graphic designers but poor coders, or great coders who couldn't knock up a website that was navigable by anyone who didn't already know what they were looking for. But but two or three of them together and you could get something special.

I don't have the glib veneer of confidence that many mistake for capability. But put in the right team and I could do wonders.

Still living

Life is going well and I have a great deal to be happy about.

I joined the local leisure centre yesterday which entitles me to use the facilities for one fixed monthly fee. I could have joined a gym for cheaper, however I enjoy swimming more than working out and the leisure centre covers both bases.

Slight problems on some fronts, and I have a lot to say about my philosophy on the issues raised, but I don't know how to do it without it looking like a veiled attack.

Perhaps it is Rocket Science...

Perhaps I was bullied too many times at School, and was but I tend to think intelligent people are intrinsically better than people who aren't. That people who are good at Maths English and Science are better than those who are simply confident and popular, and presentation is simply a non-skill.

I have a confession- I have a guilty pleasure. I frequent the eBay postage and packaging forum. Many people come in with sensible questions, and get sensible answers. Yet there are people who make silly errors, and come in ranting and raving about how bad it is that the system doesn't protect them from themselves. More often that not they are told what they need to know, however people don't like being told that their own misfortunes are their own silly fault, and they shoot the messenger. This is a bad move. There's a knowledgeable crowd there who don't suffer fools, as well they shouldn't. Once a person starts having a go at someone simply for explaining basic information about how the world works, the safety catches comes off on the sarcasm is turned on full blast.

I believe people should take responsibility for their actions, and carelessness is an action. People who don't, for example, read the postage rate before buying should accept the consequences as their due comeuppance.

However programmes like watchdog feature people who've been caught out by being incapable of understanding the very large print, so do I over estimate average human intelligence?

Googleism

Number 6: What Do You Want?
Number 2: Information
Number 6: You won't get it.
Number 2: By Hook or by crook, we will.

Latest search on this site was for "SAGGA Alcoholism". I may have been worried had it not come from google Taiwan.

Clues for quiz

2. A punk actress ponders Agatha Christie's works.

6. Chesey, jolly song by a manufactured band that was more of a franchise.

9. Most often heard when a ginger bloke walks off stage.

10. Never commercially released, but may be unfamiliar to Mr Singh Ghill's more dedicated deliverers.

14. From a fan of dodgy statistics

16. The only top ten hit featuring a member of my family.

25. The guess Eurojam Song is as much info as you need. The tile is only sung twice in the song and the band are what Scouts and Guides make.

Another Meme

My blog is worth $7,339.02.
How much is your blog worth?

Lib Dem Blog of the Year

I missed this last night for various reasons, not least of which was the fact I hadn't gone to Brighton for the conference. But on the today programme this morning I caught it, and an interview with Stephen Tall, the winner, and Iain Dale, an ex-bookseller from Norfolk who the BBC seem to think is something big in political blogging. Iain did make a good joke about Tom Watson though, so he can't be that bad.

Strangely enough he seems to think I'm something in Lib Dem blogging as he's ranked me 59th out of the top 100 Lib Dem bloggers, which given my recent lack of activity on the political front is both strange and flattering.

Yesterday I also missed the LDO AGM, which is a shame as I may have motivated me to stand for the exec, or at least speak at the meeting. However I probably would not have been able to do much to justify the position, given my commitments outside the party.

On a bandwagon

Been busy, too busy to blog, but here is a quiz for you. Name the songs from the first lines. No googling.

The original idea was to use I-tunes, put it on shuffle, and then take the first line of each of the first few songs (excluding those whose first line is the title) but I only realised that half way through. So, yes I cheated, but that doesn't mean you can!

As featured on many good weblogs. Including Will's.

20/09/2006: Updated to eliminate guessed answers

27/09/2006: Finally got round to adding all the answers

1. Well we got no choice All the girls and boysSchool's Out - Alice Cooper Identified by Dr Tom



2. Somewhere in the distance Hidden from view It's a mystery - Toyah identified by Andy K



3. Steve walks warily down the street With the brim pulled way down lowAnother One bites the dust -Queen itendified by Tom



4. I heard you on the wireless back in Fifty TwoVideo Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles identified by Will



5. Wow! Moving on the floor now babe, You're a bird of paradise Rio - Duran Duran, Identified by Tom, an Anonyomus commenter and Pete



6. When the world leaves you feeling blue Reach - S Club 7 identified by Mad



7. You're weird in tears too near and too far awayReady to Go - Republica Identified by Will



8. You get a shiver in the dark> Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits identified by Will



9. Seven years of waiting Seven years of holding on New Beginning - Stephen Gately



10. Mary this is yours - The Lemon Song



11. I don't want to go out. I want to stay in. Modern Love - David Bowie identified by Dr Tom



12. I sing myself to sleep Sit Down - James Identified by Mad



13. There was one in the gang who had Scalextric All I want for Christmas is a Dulklah Preague Away Kit - Half man Half Biscuit Identified by Pete Johns



14. If a black man is racist, is it okay? - Spiders Web - Katie Melua



15. I was born in a crossfire hurricane Jumpin Jack Flash - The Rolling Stones identified by David M



16. I'm only a poor little sparrow - The Sparrow - Abbey Hey Ramblers



17. Poor old Johnny Ray. Come on Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners identified by Pete Johns



18. Once there was a man who had a little too much time on his hands Return to Oz - Scissor Sisters, Identified by Pete Johns



19. Confidence is a preference for the habitual voyeur of what is known as Park Life - Blur (Featuring Phil Daniels) identified by Mad and Dr Tom



20. I cross the void beyond the mind (Will refused to admit he knew this, but he very well it's I am The Doctor by Jon Pertwee)



21. Riding on any wave there is the luck you crave Connection - Elastica identified by Will



22. Don't you think it's funny that nothings what it seems when you're not looking forward Size of a Cow - The Wonderstuff Identified by Mad



23. Hast du etwas Zeit fur mich Dann singe ich ein Lied fur dich 99 Luftblons - Nena identified by Pete Johns



24. I'm your only friend, I'm not your only friend Birdhouse in your soul - They might be giants identified by Dr Tom



25. Every little thing you do is harder than you dream Hope for you and me - The Promise - title identified by Andy K



26. Once I belived that when love came to me Getting better - Cass Elliott identified by Sarah

Answers to any of these in the comments box.

Arrrgghhh! Tradesmen!

Well I'm trying to get some electrical work done on my house. I want some sockets put in and the electrical work is just a tad more than I'm allowed to do under the Part P building regulations.

Actually to be honest I really don't want to be chipping away at my own plasterwork either.

So the Government have instituted this dandy new Trustmark scheme under which you can find trustworthy tradesmen. Said so on GMTV so it must be true.

Only you can't.

If you go to electricians, it just gives the numbers of the two tradesbodies. When I rang both neither had heard of Trustmark, and NICEIC flatly denied having anything to do with the scheme had to have a call from trustmark to remind them they administered the scheme.

Trying to find a plasterer through the scheme's main registrar, I drew a blank. A painter, someone as far away as Pudsey, and Cardiff! Glazers found me something equally far away.

And yet the scheme is being trumpeted to high heaven.

The government should have had the man from the Grolsh brewery on the publicity team. "Schtop! Don't publicise this accreditation scheme! It's not ready yet!"

Mutter it in a low growl...

Scout Leadership Training Module 14

How many times can you change your mind in 85 minutes?

Weird Weekend

Gilwell Reunion was a bit... meh. All the ingredients were there, stalls, ideas and friends, but it just didn't seem as good this year.

So that leaves Denmark, Portugal, Switzerland...

Here's where I've been in Europe.



create your personalized map of europe
or check out our Barcelona travel guide


I've also been to the USA, Thailand, Tunisia and the UAE.