Because this site is overrun with teenagers I've always assumed it would be impossible to wreck; piss off one lot and a year later the next class would "discover" the site. Yes, there is (well was) a skeleton of young-at-heart-but-more-mature-in-body users who did a lot of the tidying up and adding historic material. But the database, the high-quality domain name, and the willingness of each generation to succumb to the same mistakes as the last, seemed to underwrite TV.com's prospects in perpetuity. Well I think we're about to find out if I'm right. I know things are always slack in August-that's the perennial whine of the summer blog-but after last September's redesign and June's great blog cull it seems like this place has become an abode for tumbleweed and nowt else. I did a recce mid-week and struggled to find a blog with even a dozen comments; no sign of the heady days when they could wrack up 100+. (Or is it just me? And if so can someone point me at the some life.) But I don't think the site's done for yet. So I've got my fingers crossed that the new season will bring green shoots from TV.com's dead wood. (Rather like abdullah's return.) Otherwise I might have to sign up for facebook. :shock: And trust me: the world is not ready for that. :lol:

England 2 - Australia 1 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D That's all I'm saying - except nobody celebraties like Freddie.

Normal blog-service may now resume. But those who understand what I'm talking about feel free to celebrate in the comments.

I don't often get a chance to blog about news stories. But Obama's plans for healthcare reform have made headlines on both sides of the Atlantic, thanks to Republicans (and a few of our own right-wingers) attacking the British healthcare system. And the fascinating thing about the debate, aside from apparent willingness of Americans to spend tens of thousands of dollars on drugs whose efficacy barely exceeds a sugar pill, is that U.S. dramas often feature characters committing criminals acts in order to fund life-saving medical treatment needed by a loved one, but which the perpetrator cannot afford - either because they've lost their job or because the insurer refuses to fund the treatment. It's makes good drama - introducing moral ambiguity into a plot and allowing scriptwriters to point a finger at the system. And while I don't imagine it happens that often in reality, it's the kind of plot that doesn't happen in British drama. Never. Ever. No amount of dramatic licence would allow it, because a character has only to present themselves to a doctor to receive treatment. Kinda puts things in pespective, doesn't it?

Yes, the Perseid meteors are back on show. They should peak "Tuesday Night" (11th-12th), with midnight probably the best time to observe them. Look to left of the "W" of Cassiopeia, and try and keep the moon behind a wall or a hedge. The fast little ones won't be visible above moonshine. But I saw one slow, white one burning its way into Cassiopeia. And if it's a clear night Tuesday, I'm hoping to see some of spectacular ones that that streak across the half sky leaving a coloured trail behind them.

I spent all Tuesday afternoon without electricity (1.45pm-6.15pm) and today, Saturday, the water has gone. Throw in a civil war and it'll be like a holiday in Iraq. UPDATE (Sunday): The water is back. I'll try and throw together a longer blog, but I have piles of washing up. :(

Thumb back through my blog postings and you'll find an occasional but recurring series of pastorals and bucolics. Partly that's because I like fawning to the idyls of great classical poets, but mainly it's because the countryside is always there and so easy to write about. Ten days ago, intending to extend this series, I set about drafting remarks on the rainy summer, only to succumb to some pox-awful virus which I'm hoping was Swine-flu, given there are cases at a local school, but which, knowing my luck, was just whatever Voidy had. (That'll teach me for not running Anti-virus.) And now I'm recovered and caught up with my work, the ubiquitous grey skies have melted and a heatwave is forecast. (How could the English summer resist sticking two fingers up at the Lawn Tennis Association for building a roof on Wimbledon? "Go Tim! Go!"). With this upturn in the weather it seems inopportune to reprise a paean to the grass's succulent green seas (its wilting already) and skies that are a rainbow of colours – all grey. Still I got one thing correct: come the end of this week you'll be gagging for those rainy grey days, with or without authentic bucolic flu. :P

I don't care where a supermarket places their stock, as long as they put a big sign over it so I can find it. If a store wants to put beer beside the nappies - fine; it won't increase their sales (they don't stock nappies in my size) but as long as I can find the beer I won't grumble. I say this because on Friday I spent fifteen minutes trying to find the canned pineapple to go in my sweet-and-sour pork. Was it with the canned "vegetables" – you know the tomatoes and the sweetcorn and the peas? No. Was it with the canned fish? No. The deserts, the fruit juices, or the fresh fruit? No. Nada. Rien. Back and forth I wandered, checking and rechecking the shelves; if Tesco stocked Holy Grails by the dozen, then Arthurian quests wouldn't have been any less challenging. And the longer I searched the more panicked I became. Finally, in desperation, I wandered the frozen food aisle. And there, on a "mezzanine" micro-shelf above the freezer chests, was the canned fruit: the Pineapple above the frozen ovenchips. Fantastic Tesco. Abso-bloody-lutely fantastic. Try investing in some signage please.

I've unexpectedly found myself with some free time (no dog to walk and no Primeval to watch) and—more importantly—some peace and quiet. So what do I contemplate doing with this rest of this inspiring evening under it pellucid sky - azure and unzitted by clouds? Maybe some drawing, given I've not done any in ages. Or perhaps writing, since I didn't have any spare time to compose prose this week? No, I think to myself, "I could do some more programming; move the project on; wouldn't that be fun." Duh! (We need a Duh smiley: one that has you punching yourself in the forehead until you pass out.) Oh, and if you thought computers gave you cryptic errors, try this for size:

GL/monthview.cpp: In constructor `Astro::GL::MonthViewRootNode::MonthViewRootNode()':
GL/monthview.cpp:173: error: no match for 'operator*' in '*((((((((Astro::GL::LabelIntegerIterator<int, Astro::GL::itoa_c>* const&)((Astro::GL::LabelIntegerIterator<int, Astro::GL::itoa_c>* const*)(&((((const int&)((const int*)(&1))), ((const int&)((const int*)(&std::numeric_limits<int>::max())))), (((Astro::GL::LabelIntegerIterator<int, Astro::GL::itoa_c>*)operator new(20u)), (<anonymous>->Astro::GL::LabelIntegerIterator<Type, converter>::LabelIntegerIterator [with Type = int, const char*(*converter)(int) = Astro::GL::itoa_c](<anonymous>, <anonymous>, 1), <anonymous>)))))), ((Astro::GL::MonthChartIterator* const&)((Astro::GL::MonthChartIterator* const*)(&(((Astro::GL::MonthChartIterator*)operator new(56u)), (<anonymous>->Astro::GL::MonthChartIterator::MonthChartIterator(((const Astro::GL::MonthViewRootNode&)((const Astro::GL::MonthViewRootNode*)this)), 3.5e+0, 3.5e+0), <anonymous>)))))), ((const Astro::GL::Labels::Mode&)((const Astro::GL::Labels::Mode*)(& LABEL_ALL_VERTICES_AS_EVEN)))), ((const Astro::GL::Height&)((const Astro::GL::Height*)(&Height(2.91666666666666685170383743752609007060527801514e-1))))), ((const Astro::GL::RGBA<GLfloat>&)(+Astro::GL::RGBA<Type>::grey_50 [with Type = GLfloat]()))), ((const Astro::GL::Even&)((const Astro::GL::Even*)(&Even(((const Astro::GL::Labels::Position&)((const Astro::GL::Labels::Position*)((Astro::GL::Labels::Position*)(&Constructed<Astro::GL::Labels::Position>(((const Astro::GL::TextAlign&)((const Astro::GL::TextAlign*)(&Astro::GL::operator|( LEFT_ALIGN, TOP_ALIGN)))), ((const Astro::GL::XOffset&)((const Astro::GL::XOffset*)(&XOffset((xspacing / -2.29999999999999982236431605997495353221893310547e+0))))), ((const Astro::GL::YOffset&)((const Astro::GL::YOffset*)(&YOffset(1.52173913043478270523678475001361221075057983398e+0)))))))))))))), (((Astro::GL::Constructed<Astro::GL::Labels>*)operator new(152u)), (<anonymous>->Astro::GL::Constructed<POD>::Constructed [with A = Astro::GL::LabelIntegerIterator<int, Astro::GL::itoa_c>*, B = Astro::GL::MonthChartIterator*, C = Astro::GL::Labels::Mode, D = Astro::GL::Height, E = Astro::GL::RGBA<GLfloat>, F = Astro::GL::Even, POD = Astro::GL::Labels](<anonymous>, <anonymous>, <anonymous>, <anonymous>, <anonymous>, <anonymous>), <anonymous>))) * ((((((((Astro::GL::LabelStdIterator<const char* const*>* const&)((Astro::GL::LabelStdIterator<const char* const*>* const*)(&((((const char* const* const&)((const char* const* const*)(&((const char* const*)(&Astro::GL::weekday_names))))), ((const char* const* const&)((const char* const* const*)(&(((const char* const*)(&Astro::GL::weekday_names)) + 28u))))), (((Astro::GL::LabelStdIterator<const char* const*>*)operator new(16u)), (<anonymous>->Astro::GL::LabelStdIterator<Type>::LabelStdIterator [with Type = const char* const*](<anonymous>, <anonymous>), <anonymous>)))))), ((Astro::GL::MonthChartIterator* const&)((Astro::GL::MonthChartIterator* const*)(&(((Astro::GL::MonthChartIterator*)operator new(56u)), (<anonymous>->Astro::GL::MonthChartIterator::MonthChartIterator(((const Astro::GL::MonthViewRootNode&)((const Astro::GL::MonthViewRootNode*)this)), 3.5e+0, 3.5e+0), <anonymous>)))))), ((const Astro::GL::Labels::Mode&)((const Astro::GL::Labels::Mode*)(& LABEL_ALL_VERTICES_AS_EVEN)))), ((const Astro::GL::Height&)((const Astro::GL::Height*)(&Height(2.91666666666666685170383743752609007060527801514e-1))))), ((const Astro::GL::RGBA<GLfloat>&)(+Astro::GL::RGBA<Type>::grey_50 [with Type = GLfloat]()))), ((const Astro::GL::Even&)((const Astro::GL::Even*)(&Even(((const Astro::GL::Labels::Position&)((const Astro::GL::Labels::Position*)((Astro::GL::Labels::Position*)(&Constructed<Astro::GL::Labels::Position>(((const Astro::GL::TextAlign&)((const Astro::GL::TextAlign*)(&Astro::GL::operator|( CENTRE_ALIGN, MIDDLE_ALIGN)))), ((const Astro::GL::YOffset&)((const Astro::GL::YOffset*)(&YOffset(2.1875e+0)))))))))))))), (((Astro::GL::Constructed<Astro::GL::Labels>*)operator new(152u)), (<anonymous>->Astro::GL::Constructed<POD>::Constructed [with A = Astro::GL::LabelStdIterator<const char* const*>*, B = Astro::GL::MonthChartIterator*, C = Astro::GL::Labels::Mode, D = Astro::GL::Height, E = Astro::GL::RGBA<GLfloat>, F = Astro::GL::Even, POD = Astro::GL::Labels](<anonymous>, <anonymous>, <anonymous>, <anonymous>, <anonymous>, <anonymous>), <anonymous>)))'
../Astro/angles.h:151: note: candidates are: Astro::Angle Astro::operator*(double, const Astro::Angle&)
../Astro/polynomials.h:36: note: double Astro::operator*(double, const Astro::Reciprocal&)
../Astro/GL/SceneObjects/Labels.h: In member function `const char* Astro::GL::LabelStdIterator<Type>::operator*() const [with Type = const char* const*]':
GL/monthview.cpp:256: instantiated from here
../Astro/GL/SceneObjects/Labels.h:102: error: cannot convert `const char* const' to `const char* const*' for argument `1' to `const char* Astro::GL::toString(const char* const*)'
f:mingwbinmake.exe[1]: *** [GL/monthview.o] Error 1
make: *** [Astro/astro.a] Error 2

Three news stories have caught my attention over the last fortnight: The first was that of David Heiss. This German met Joanna Witton and her boyfriend Matthew Pyke on-line; he fell in "love" with Joanna, and as a result stalked her and eventually murdered Matthew. It was horrific slice of life that led Det Ch Insp Tony Heydon to caution people not to share too much information on line. The second was an attempt by British legislators to ensure children aren't purchasing beer and knives on-line: i.e. an attempt to impose a legal requirement that you reveal the personal details Tony Haydon was cautioning against revealing in the previous story. (And if you think retailers are inherently trustworthy: they're not. You're personal details, including your password, are probably available to anyone who works there, their binmen, and, if you're really unlucky, to anyone on the web who happens to point their browser in the wrong place.) The third story was in my local paper: under a banner headline about the dangers of chatrooms, it revealed how an anonymous "prankster" had set up a Facebook account in the name of a local headmaster. No harm had resulted, but again the warning was not to give out personal details to anybody online. And for me, it's this latter story that's the decider in the shall-we/shan't-we debate about telling the global village who we are: the danger came from students being deceived into believing the account was genuine; if the headmaster had been behind the profile then there'd of been no risk. And despite the asinine make-like-an-ostrich-and-don't-participate-online response, I think everybody reading this realises that that's not an option. The alternative, then, is too make it much harder to fake on-line identities. And eventually the people in power will get round to realising this. So either because of direct legislation or as result of pressure brought about by law suits, there will come a time when we have to prove exactly who we are when signing up for sites like this. Not that that necessarily means we have to give away all our personal details to complete strangers - but it probably will, given the inability of technologists to create a workable solution and the hamfisted way lawyers and politicians solve any problem. At minimum expect the kind of verification that Paypal employs on sites like this. So if you have any anonymity, enjoy it while you can. And be content that in the future, if anyone decides to murder you in you're sleep, we'll at least know who they were; although figuring our who leaked them your personal details might be slightly harder.

According to my sister, I can pee for longer than any person she knows. :shock:

It’s these little things that define us, so I’d thought I’d share. Hope I didn’t spoil your meal. :lol: