Cormorants : Mystery Solved!

Trees! They roost in trees! I wouldn't have imagined this of a bird with webbed feet that doesn't really like to fly. There you go!

Playstation3

I am very impressed with my new PS3.

I turned up for the midnight ‘party’ on launch to collect my shiny new toy. I was quite surprised how few people actually knew much about them. There didn’t seen to have been much information in the general press or even sent to those of us who’d put deposit’s down.

So what can this new machine do. Well, so far I’ve:
- connected it to my Wi-Fi network – really simple
- downloaded and updated the firmware – again really simple
- surfed the internet – it was simple
- downloaded free games and trailers – simple
- watched DVDs – the quality of the playback is much better than the PS2
- watched Blu Ray movies – wow, stunning, even on an SD TV
- played Motorstorm – great graphics, good soundtrack, great gameplay
- played Resistance : Fall of Man – again, wonderful
- performed some Folding at Home – an excellent distributed computing project

Still to come is installing Linux which will give full access to Firefox for browsing, Thunderbird for mail and a host of other excellent free applications.

It’s also the small things that make it so nice. The controllers and DVD remote use Bluetooth, so you don’t have to even point them at the console. Hide it in a cupboard if you like! It has a single large cooling fan, not perfectly quiet, but a very good effort. It can be turned off from the remote. It’s just very well thought out.

Well done Sony. What a machine. It will keep chavs and techies off the streets for years to come!

Boxster S

I think I may have made up my mind on a car – finally! I can imagine SWMBO’s relief. I think it has to be a Boxster S. It’s not cheap, but it is a wonderful car. The exhaust noise alone should be bottled and sold as an anti-depressant! I looked at all the costs (depreciation, servicing, tyres, fuel, insurance, tracker), and, for a second hand car, the cost of ownership is actually not too bad. I won’t be doing many track days in it, but the occasional jaunt across Europe will be most excellent!

A twisting road, no traffic, a centrally mounted tacho, 3.2 flat six singing as the wind whistles past your ears. Ahhhhhhh! . . . . . . . . SWBMO telling you to slow down.

Now to find a good one!

Mercedes E280 CDI

I was quite excited about the prospect of getting my hands on the new Merc E Class. Ignoring the taxi stereotype of a diseasal Merc, I imagined it would be another fine large executive motor, much like the BMW 730d.

In general as a drivers car, it’s a tad too soft and lazy to be really involving. The road seems somewhat distant, which helps keep the pace relatively sedate in the twisty bits. Everything in the car is a shade of silver. All the controls, switches, leather, even the wood is stained dark grey so as not to upset the balance. It sort of sums up the car, one for people who are going a bit grey!

The three really phenomenal things about this car are the suspension, parking sensors and the fuel economy.

The ride is very smooth and soaks up pretty much anything without alerting the passengers. This does tend to turn the driver into a passenger too of course, but you could never get fatigued from driving this car.

The parking sensors are a series of lights on the dash (for the front sensors) and on the interior roof (rear sensors). They progressively illuminate several amber and then two red at each side of the car. They are also well calibrated so that two red means a few inches from the object. No annoying beeps and you know which side the object is on. Simple but brilliant.

As for fuel consumption, this car would run off the fumes from an oily rag. Driving around London in a spirited fashion (where possible) give a very impressive 30mpg. Hammering along the motorway at a naughty but nice fast lane pace gave 40mpg! That’s nothing short of amazing for a bus sized car with a 2.8 V6 engine!

Dentists

I’ve always been a bit funny about dentists. I’ve always had the suspicion that they might just give me an extra filling so they can take the afternoon off to play golf at St Andrews. I used to fly from England to Northern Ireland to my last dentist. Unfortunately he retired (how inconsiderate!).

My current dentist stems from the time when I lived in a small country village in Essex. I had some sensitive teeth and was about due a check up, so I registered with the local dentist. When I walked in, my heart sank. The dentist had wiry hair and when he smiled he had gold edged teeth. Brave Sir Robin was ready to run away!

Actually he’s a sterling bloke. He had a good hunt around and then recommended sensodine toothpaste. Perfect! Hence I’ve been going to him ever since.

Paralysis by Analysis!

I’ve been thinking about getting a car for some weeks now. As I live in central London, it’s not a necessity, more of a convenience.

I have a number of criteria that I would like the car to meet:
(1) good level of performance
(2) inexpensive to own
(3) the ability to drive round a track a few times a year
(4) relaxed for a drive across the continent
(5) should be rear wheel drive
(6) something a bit different with feel good factor

Of course, no one car is ideal as each criteria met generally means another failed! So in my head, the reasoning will go something like this.

First car – BMW 330i. Quick and fun, yes I like it. However expensive and almost common. So I think Alpina, the more exclusive, faster version. That’s more expensive but looks very similar, not worth it. OK, Porsche Boxster then. Even more expensive and I don’t do a lot of miles, would it really be worth it? So I think Mitsubishi Evo VIII, much faster than the Boxster, but hideous running costs. Maybe an Elise then. Nice. But not quite quick enough for the money and the refinement is terrible. MR2 roadster then? Good, but limited practicality and I’ve had a two seater convertible before. Prelude 2.2? Cheap and quick, but it’s front wheel drive. Nissan 200SX? Pretty close, but doesn’t really make my heart flutter when I’m holding the keys thinking about it. BMW 330i? Aaaaaarrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhhh!

Good old wikipedia has a page on this problem!

Japan Trip

SWMBO and I have just returned from a very enjoyable trip to Japan. You can read all about it here.

It certainly is a very interesting place. There were a number of things that really surprised me:

• You don't really see people listening to music (currently all the rage in the UK).
• They don't really get being vegetarian, there is an excellent article on this here.
• It's not nearly as expensive as you'd imagine, indeed snacking and informal eating out is quite cheap compared to London!
• The language has no intonation that makes other South East Asian languages so difficult.
• The people appear to be both happy and friendly, even in central Tokyo.

All in all a wonderful trip and a destination I'd recommend for everyone to see at some point.