Archive for the 'General' Category

Rip-Off Britain, Again

8/01/2008

A few years ago there was a big furore because they found that in the UK we were overpaying for cars. Not just imported cars, even those we produced. I remember they looked at an MG-F sports car, which you could buy new and import from Japan cheaper than you could going to [...]

Wii Shoulder

30/12/2007

I have invented a term which describes a condition affecting several members of my close family along the lines of tennis elbow, it is called Wii Shoulder. My little sister received a Wii as a Christmas present and now those of us who indulged in a little too much bowling, were too zealous at [...]

Pratchett at Waterloo

19/11/2007

Ironically, after writing a post about Terry Pratchett, I walked past someone who I believe was he today at Waterloo. I’m not positive, but he had the trademark hat and beard. I couldn’t stop and confirm (I had one minute to catch my train), besides, I don’t stop to pester celebrities, I’m British.

High-Altitude Cooking

2/11/2007

I was reading the recipe on the back of a packet of cake mix my mum bought the other day (I was calling out the ingredients she needed) and found that it had a separate set of instructions for people living over 3,500 feet above sea-level. I thought this was odd but when I [...]

Presumably

27/09/2007

I seem to be using the word presumably a lot lately, both in speech, but more so in written comments and emails. Presumably I picked it up somewhere (damn, there I go again), maybe it’s to avoid the ‘assume makes and ass of you and me’ joke. Weird how things like that happen [...]

Deathly Hallows Update

23/07/2007

So, I have finished Deathly Hallows, and it was good. Not perfect but good. Full review to follow, but I had to point this out:
One of the first to finish the book was British speed reader Anne Jones, who read all 199,900 words, on 607 pages, in 47 minutes and one second. It [...]

Prices May Go Up (and then Back Down)

11/07/2007

I caught something in an article on the best days to buy things linked from Lifehacker (which I’m loving more and more) I read a quick bit about buying gas (that’s petrol to us Brits):
Gas
When to Buy: Thursday, before 10 a.m.
Why: The price of oil isn’t the only factor influencing costs at your local pump. [...]

A Rubbish Idea

24/05/2007

I have to say I find it rather amusing that councils want to charge us by the bin to collect rubbish. I realise we should all recycle more and that charging us may make us do it (but, as stated in the article, probably won’t, and besides, it’s the people who can afford to [...]

Repetition Drives Home a Viewpoint

22/05/2007

The headline to the article says it all: People Often Think An Opinion Heard Repeatedly From The Same Person Is Actually A Popular Opinion (via Kottke).
…repeated exposure to one person’s viewpoint can have almost as much influence as exposure to shared opinions from multiple people. This finding shows that hearing an opinion multiple [...]

Eating Habits

12/05/2007

I was looking at a lump of blue cheese the other day and a thought occurred to me: who the hell decided to stick it in their gob?
Henri: Ah no, Gaston, take a look at this (he picks up a small lump of moldy, white goo from a shelf), all the cheese has gone moldy, [...]