Look ahead

When you think about the future, do you imagine what you will be doing in one, two, five, ten years time?

And also, do you ever think back say five or ten years, and recalling where you were and what you were doing, do you remember thinking into the future? In other words, how close were the predictions for the future you made back then to the reality of today?

I ask because I've just come across a fantastic website called futureme.org, where you can write your future self an e-mail, which is kind of cool.

HD ready?

Look, if you've got a Blu-ray player or PS3, and an HD TV, and a decent sound system, then I can't recommend highly enough that you buy and watch this.

It is truly stunning to watch, Patrick Stewart's narration is perfectly judged, it's filmed by the BBC Natural History Unit (need I say more?) and the music is from the Berliner Phil. It's HD at its breathtaking best.

After a long absence...

As it's been months and months... here's a little catch up of where we are:

Steve's just back home from a few days convalesence in Salisbury;
I'm back from a week away in north Wales, Manchester and Scotland;
there's a Grand Prix tomorrow morning on't'telly;
I'm seriously contemplating the purchase of a MacBook (and an iPhone when my contract is up in June and the rumoured new handset is available);
we're looking forward to going on holiday in May to Mallorca;
we're looking forward to going to Larmer Tree in June (my first ever festival);
Steve's Dad has had cancer surgery, and (fingers crossed) is fine now;
my parents are coping with a few health problems as stoically as ever;
I recently bought my first edition of Q magazine and have thoroughly enjoyed it (I don't know why I never did before - it's the grown up, twenty-first century equivalent of Smash Hits);

That's it for the moment. As I always say after a long period of blogging abstinence, I will resolve to post updates more frequently. Maybe.

Top marks!

Wow, I got 7/7 in the BBC News Magazine weekly quiz - that's never happened before.

More on the 5th

Have you ever seen anything more miserably-written, more designed to dissuade people from attending, than this from Lewes District Council? Lewes Bonfire Nights are legendary, and rightly so as you will see if you read this or this.

Remember, remember the Fifth of November

Remember, remember the Fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot
I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes 'twas his intent
To blow up the King and the Parliament
Three score barrels of powder below
Poor old England to overthrow

By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match
Holler boys, holler boys, ring bells ring
Holler boys, holler boys, God Save the King!

A penny loaf to feed the Pope
A farthing o'cheese to choke him
A pint of beer to rinse it down
A faggot of sticks to burn him

Burn him in a tub of tar
Burn him like a blazing star
Burn his body from his head
Then we'll say old Pope is dead

Hip Hip Hoorah!
Hip Hip Hoorah!
Hip Hip Hoorah!

Traditional

Quietly seething

OK, we know that some Icelandic banks have gone into administration, and we've learned too that a number of local councils around the UK have money on deposit, which they, and we, are hoping will be protected.

But then we see this wonderfully self-satisfied yet pointless quote from The TaxPayers' Alliance (who they? Ed.), as reported by the BBC: "Every year we hear that councils don't have enough money and need to raise taxes but it seems they have had sufficient excess tax to salt tens of millions of pounds away.

"In short, they should not have stashed this money in the first place and they simply weren't equipped to try to be clever in the markets with it."

"It's an absolute disgrace. If the councils can't get their money back, the people who took these excesses should seriously consider their positions as councillors."

For heaven's sake, Mark Wallace, campaign director at The TaxPayers' Alliance, get a grip. Have you the faintest idea what you would do if you'd just collected tens of millions of pounds from Council Tax payers? Would you pop home with it in bulging brown envelopes and try and stuff it under your mattress, or would you seek professional guidance and try and find a safe, reputable bank in which to deposit the cash pending its use over the coming months on essential local services? With the wonderful benefit of hindsight you have, exactly which banks would you reccommend, and which would you avoid? Come on, you've got all the answers ... haven't you?

I had a lovely e-mail this morning, which I thought I'd share with you:

hey^) how are you?) do you have a girlfriend?)... i have not boyfriend(( I very want to meet real men...which will know woman's need ...like in a cinema ... you know)))) lets chat!) i am pretty girl)) I have a lot of time for meetings and if you have any ideas how to spend it with me... just email me back at [deleted e-mail address] and i will reply back with some nice ;) photos with me ...and maybe, you will want to write me again)))

No, love ... just ... no. The return address is in Singapore, so if anyone would like the contact details, just let me know.

SpamAssassin rated it 0.8 out of 4 which is disappointing, though I suppose I wouldn't have had the pleasure of reading it if it had been higher, maybe.

Not all doom and gloom

In what we might call "challenging" trading conditions at the moment, the company I work for has reported increased profits in the last twelve months despite slighty reduced like-for-like sales. It's interesting to note how different news organisations, such as Reuters and the BBC, report what's effectively the same news. The share price has shot up on the news anyway, so yay!

4x4s really are bad for your health

I offer, in evidence, the following photographs: