For those who hate, loathe and detest Microsoft Word and dream of attaching a few tons of high-explosive to the person responsible's butt - stop wishing. He's decided to strap it on himself.
Charles Simonyi was head of Microsoft's application software group which developed the "Office" suite we have come to know and loathe. He has signed up for a bit of space tourism, departing in just a few minutes from Kazakhstan (no relation), heading in an upward direction at speed (assuming the mission computers are running a reliable operating system).
His hobbies include dating Martha Stewart, object-oriented programming, ham-radio, sailing big yachts, and being ballast and a waste of oxygen on a spaceship.
Actually I like the guy - he's become a billionaire while being an employee and he endowed the position of "Professor of the Public Understanding of Science" at Oxford University, a position currently filled by the great Richard Dawkins.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Hummer Bummer
Just 15 miles drive from my house lies the UK's only Hummer dealer. On that journey a Hummer H2 will likely use 2 gallons of fuel.
This is a semi-civilised version of the US army's Humvee, capable of driving over a 16-inch high wall, fording 20 inches of water, traversing a 40% side slope, ascending/descending a 60% grade, and towing 3 tons. Not typical conditions in the Manchester commuter-belt.
You just know the kind of people who are likely to buy these.
My question : is it acceptable to allow anyone with £50,000 or so to drive poluting, dangerous, road-surface damaging vehicles ?
My personal opinion : sure, but it'll cost you. I'd say 10x the standard road-tax and a special congestion-charge. Freedom has its costs.
Here are some people who would certainly agree : http://fuh2.com/
This is a semi-civilised version of the US army's Humvee, capable of driving over a 16-inch high wall, fording 20 inches of water, traversing a 40% side slope, ascending/descending a 60% grade, and towing 3 tons. Not typical conditions in the Manchester commuter-belt.
You just know the kind of people who are likely to buy these.
My question : is it acceptable to allow anyone with £50,000 or so to drive poluting, dangerous, road-surface damaging vehicles ?
My personal opinion : sure, but it'll cost you. I'd say 10x the standard road-tax and a special congestion-charge. Freedom has its costs.
Here are some people who would certainly agree : http://fuh2.com/
I'm trying to keep my promise
Over chez-moi, I have pledged to keep my media analysis down to a minimum. I've been obsessing about Bryony Gordon from The Telegraph, my new mate Tasha and Kate Silverton for ages. That doesn't mean I can't do it here.
Stan knows about my deep-seated love of Kate Silverton, or, as I like to call her, the third Mrs Y. I've been metaphorically vying for her affections with an ex-colleague (R) for quite a while now. I think R would need a better sense of humor and humility to start knockin da boots with Kate. I think I am in first place at the moment due to the fact I have actually had an email from her. She's about my age but infinitely fitter -- she did a bloody triathlon for God's sake. Stan maintains that she has static eyebrows. I have seen them move, once. Even when she's giggling her socks off, they never seem to move, so I guess Stan has a point. No matter, the third Mrs Y is garjus.
Uggg. This post was brought to you by the most virulent strain of flu I have ever been subject to.
Stan knows about my deep-seated love of Kate Silverton, or, as I like to call her, the third Mrs Y. I've been metaphorically vying for her affections with an ex-colleague (R) for quite a while now. I think R would need a better sense of humor and humility to start knockin da boots with Kate. I think I am in first place at the moment due to the fact I have actually had an email from her. She's about my age but infinitely fitter -- she did a bloody triathlon for God's sake. Stan maintains that she has static eyebrows. I have seen them move, once. Even when she's giggling her socks off, they never seem to move, so I guess Stan has a point. No matter, the third Mrs Y is garjus.
Uggg. This post was brought to you by the most virulent strain of flu I have ever been subject to.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Posting Number 100
How time flies - this is the 100th posting to this Blog.
One of the other blogs I spend time reading is Cruella's. She is unashamedly feminist, obviously smarter than I am and has a real gift for rhetoric.
She has just posted on Professional sports are a waste of money and resources.
I have been so bold as to disagree - should be an interesting discussion.
She definitely has a downer on the 2012 Olympics. My instinct is that hosting the Olympics is something all countries should aspire to, and I can't see it as a bad thing. It's going to cost like stink and heads will roll, but it's a noble project nonetheless. Far better use of our resources than Trident, and fewer people get excited about cost-overruns in that project.
One of the other blogs I spend time reading is Cruella's. She is unashamedly feminist, obviously smarter than I am and has a real gift for rhetoric.
She has just posted on Professional sports are a waste of money and resources.
I have been so bold as to disagree - should be an interesting discussion.
She definitely has a downer on the 2012 Olympics. My instinct is that hosting the Olympics is something all countries should aspire to, and I can't see it as a bad thing. It's going to cost like stink and heads will roll, but it's a noble project nonetheless. Far better use of our resources than Trident, and fewer people get excited about cost-overruns in that project.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Get Lost
Do not; I repeat, do, not; try to contact me when the new series of Doctor Who is on TV.
(1) The writers are on-fire. Not from the current series, but can anyone tell me if there has been a better piece of TV sci-fi than the episode : The Girl in the Fireplace written by the incredible Steven Moffat ("Coupling") ?
"Real" Sci-Fi fans who scoff should note that "The Girl in the Fireplace" was nominated for a Nebula award in 2006. In fact, one of his earlier scripts "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances" won the Hugo award in 2005. So yah-boo-sucks.
And he's written an episode for this series, "Blink", which will air on June 2nd. So doubly keep out of my face that night.
(2) But most of all, I get to watch it with Stanetta - high quality Daddy and Daughter time. Any opportunity for a 40 year-old bloke to bond with his 11 year-old daughter is priceless.
As to the Doctor's new assistant Matha Jones (Freema Agyeman), Mrs Stan approves of the fact that this one has a bottom.
The first episode was a little disappointing to tell the truth, and the makers of the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" really should sue over the plagarism of the Vogons. Surely there can be only one bureaucratic, ultra-violent, boar-like thick-skinned, rhyme-loving race in the Universe.
But I have hope that standards will improve, and anyway Stanetta loved it up in a childlike way that I can only envy.
(1) The writers are on-fire. Not from the current series, but can anyone tell me if there has been a better piece of TV sci-fi than the episode : The Girl in the Fireplace written by the incredible Steven Moffat ("Coupling") ?
"Real" Sci-Fi fans who scoff should note that "The Girl in the Fireplace" was nominated for a Nebula award in 2006. In fact, one of his earlier scripts "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances" won the Hugo award in 2005. So yah-boo-sucks.
And he's written an episode for this series, "Blink", which will air on June 2nd. So doubly keep out of my face that night.
(2) But most of all, I get to watch it with Stanetta - high quality Daddy and Daughter time. Any opportunity for a 40 year-old bloke to bond with his 11 year-old daughter is priceless.
As to the Doctor's new assistant Matha Jones (Freema Agyeman), Mrs Stan approves of the fact that this one has a bottom.
The first episode was a little disappointing to tell the truth, and the makers of the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" really should sue over the plagarism of the Vogons. Surely there can be only one bureaucratic, ultra-violent, boar-like thick-skinned, rhyme-loving race in the Universe.
But I have hope that standards will improve, and anyway Stanetta loved it up in a childlike way that I can only envy.
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