Kitchen Phase 3 : Selecting Appliances

The kitchen came with a free dishwasher, oven, extractor and hob. We upgraded the hob to a ceramic touch control, but the other items had no value if the salesperson deleted them. Hence we took them on the basis that they could be replaced later if we weren’t happy. I’m actually really glad that we did this as choosing white goods is actually quite a challenge – there is little information on the internet. I was quickly heading for paralysis by analysis!

When selecting the washing machine, we wanted a high end make and the quietest machine possible, since we have an open plan kitchen and lounge. The best washing machines are widely believed to be those by Miele. However their integrated machine costs over £1000, more than twice as much as other high end machines. We narrowed our search down to Liebherr and Miele, again the same company. However they didn’t make a machine in the height we wanted. The Bosch and Siemens offerings in stainless steel were not as attractive, so we went for a mid range Bosch with a silver finish door.

Kitchen Phase 2 : the Surveyor

Richard our detailed surveyor turned up a couple of days later. He re-measured the kitchen to ensure the plan would work. There were no problems at this stage, however I took some time to study the plan and suggested a few changes. These added additional storage where previously filler panels had been used to reduce cost. This is one to watch out for, the salesman is keen to sell so wants to get a low price for you. In the end the changes added a lot of space for a fairly small cost, a good result.

New Kitchen!

Since we moved into our riverside flat last year, we’ve been meaning to renovate. The 80s original décor if functional, but doesn’t really give that satisfaction vibe we all seek from our homes. Hence we decided some weeks ago to get a new kitchen. There were several phases to this gargantuan project.

Exactly as you might expect the first task is to look at several kitchen companies and get a feel for their products and prices. We looked at Kitchens Direct, Wickes, B&Q, Screwfix, MFI and several expensive showrooms (located just north of Oxford Street). We quickly came to the conclusion that there was little difference in all the kitchens as all featured MDF carcases and most had laminate doors. Similarly prices didn’t vary that significantly between quotes.

We decided on the Kitchens Direct offering. Ironically it was the first quote we received and by far the nicest kitchen, featuring real birch doors, coloured pear effect laminate carcases and soft close on all doors and drawers. We agreed a couple of things to reduce the cost. Firstly we would remove the existing wall tiles prior to fit and second we took the finance package. Finance gave us a 10% discount against the full price. Of course the interest rate is silly, but the redemption penalty for settling in full is 1.65%. Hence we received an 8.35% discount and some useful credit history.

It's worth noting that Kitehens Direct and Moben are owned by the same parent company. Only Moben has showrooms where you can view a completed install. As always, don't be fooled by the 'sale must end' hype. There was a gap of a couple of months between order and delivery and the price hardly changed!

Battlestar Galactica Series 3 Finale

Bournemouth Blast and Broken Betty

The last bank holiday we took a trip down to Bournemouth. The papers widely predicted chaos on the roads as people drove more miles over the weekend than before. A quick post on PistonHeads suggested an alternative route using A roads rather than motorways. It was a truly memorable drive. We set off late in the evening and the roads were quiet! The Porsche was in top form and we covered the ground with real pace, indeed the only car to overtake us, was another Porsche, who was venturing well into licence loosing speeds. It really is a brilliant car. SWMBO realised that we were travelling quickly but felt safe in the passenger seat. The suspension enables the car to grip like a limpet while the power is so smooth it feels effortless.

The Porsche Litronic headlights are amazing. These are high intensity discharge for dipped and conventional halogen for main beam. The dipped beam is very bright and clear, like no other car I’ve driven. It provides amazing confidence to see and press on. Then when you activate the main beam, the dipped level is raised to flood the road further. It is utterly brilliant.

The following day, we went for an excellent walk in the country. We passed Madonna’s country house, which is exquisite with acres of beautifully tended lawns, bordered by native flowers and trees. A few kilometres later, we met up with some paragliders and spent a pleasant hour sitting in the sun on the side of a hill.

It was a beautiful day and SWMBO fancied driving Betty. Top down, it was the perfect day for a drive in the country. The two girls set off in the Porsche with the boys following in the chase car. We met up again back in Bournemouth and I realised that the power steering wasn’t working!

SWMBO and I have this running joke that she breaks things. I’m not the only one to poke fun at her. Indeed, at an early age, her Nanna named her “Whelan the Wrecker” after the famous Australian demolition company! Of course the fault was not anything she did, but it was funny that it broke while she was driving!

After some more research on PistonHeads, the car is now with Camtune being repaired. It turns out that a low power steering fluid level caused the pump to overheat and melt the reservoir. They are a very refreshing garage to deal with. They don’t see Porsche owners as cash cows to be milked and take the time to explain the problem and resolution in detail. It might not be cheap, but you know where your money is being spent and that a good job is being undertaken. I can’t wait to get the car back next week.

Porsche Sports Exhaust

My Boxster came equipped with the factory Porsche Sports Exhaust (PSE). It’s a factory option that cost £912. Quite expensive, but for the money you’re getting an electronically controlled system that bypasses two of the three silencers under certain conditions. You can clearly see the bypass pipes to the left and right of the tip. Impressive on paper, but when I first got the car, with no reference point it didn’t seem particularly loud to me, although the note is beautiful. Having recently heard the standard exhaust, it’s not any louder, just more tuneful. Is it worth it though? Let me share two recent experiences.

Around the built up streets of Wapping, the wails and howls reverberate off the buildings. With the top down, it’s real spine tingling stuff. I recall at the weekend approaching a mini roundabout. I spotted two pedestrians standing just off the kerb. I was slightly perplexed as to why they weren’t crossing. I was only meandering at a couple of thousand rpm in first gear. Then I twigged, it was the noise! Based on the sound, they were expecting something to be racing down the narrow street! I stopped, smiles were exchanged and they crossed in peace.

The second experience was on Sunday. SWMBO and I had cabin fever and went out cruising round London. We had no idea that the Gumball 3000 was also setting off that day. We ended up crawling in traffic in one direction as the Gumballers passed travelling in the other. I was really surprised how many people turned out to see them off. I guess the dream of driving a fast car across Europe has more allure than I imagined! The streets were lined on one side and the central reservation with people keen to get a peak. The Ferraris and Porsches were revving hard, much to the delight of the spectators. I couldn’t resist it and gave my own flat six a good blip. The crowd looked round in surprise, they weren’t expecting the same flat six noise from behind them! As I sniggered and grinned to myself, I caught the eye of a couple. They were smiling and laughing too, they commented, “you should be on the other side!”. Priceless.

Long live the PSE. Hip, hip, HOORAY!

My Boxster S - a tantalising pic!

Purposeful.

Poised.

Performance.

A superlative road car.

(c:

PS3 Supercomputer

I wonder how long it will be before someone makes the first large PS3 cluster.

I was at a recent lecture by Dr Adam Vile, Head of Grid, HPC and Technical computing at Excelian LTD. He suggested that a cluster of 270 PS3s would be more powerful than world's #2 Blue Gene (approx 91k GFlops) Supercomputer.

If his performance predictions are correct, we can expect this sooner rather than later! I can't imagine business will do it until they have rack mounted machines. However expect the academics to pull it off in the very near future.

Another interesting estimate comes from the Folding at Home project which estimates that 20,000 PS3s would give 1 petaflop performance. Indeed with the recent addition of the PS3, Folding @ Home is now the most powerful distributed computing resource on the planet, and for the calculations they run (parallel independent molecular dynamics trajectories), the most powerful supercomputer of any type (distributed or otherwise).

Not bad for a humble games console.

Boxster Trip to Ace Cafe

Today I attended a PistonHeads Porsche meeting at the Ace Cafe in London.

The cafe itself is very interesting. It's themed on mods and rockers. Something I only vaguely remember from my childhood. Today the tyre marks on the road show that it's still a haunt of bike and car petrol heads with many regular meets there.

Breakfast was good, served as ever by our trusty eastern european migrant workforce. The conversation was also good and I gained a lot of useful info on where to go to have my car properly maintained.

The drive back was fantastic. Bright warm sunshine, top down, light traffic. Man and machine in perfect harmony. The corners flowed together, Same Man on Kiss 100 being punctuiated by the rasping howl of the sports exhaust. Beautiful!

Boxster S : First Impressions

My initial impressions on the Porsche are very good indeed. When I collected it, the car was clean, the tyre pressures correct and even the washer bottle was full! How refreshing to find an honest and reliable private seller.

Driving it back from Essex to London was a pleasure. The car is very responsive in any gear at any speed. The flat six configuration gives it a really smooth and free revving nature too. Sixth gear enables you to cruise along from 30mph – 160+mph and still effortlessly keep up with traffic. This makes progress really effortless. And if you do really want to overtake, just drop it a cog or two and squirt past in a very assured manner.

Ride and handling is also excellent. You get all the feedback you need along with assured roadholding and massive grip. Driving over a coin, you could probably guess if it was heads or tails, yet the ride is surprisingly supple. Indeed, the stiff chassis means that cobbles are dealt with easily. There’s none of the dreaded scuttle shake here. It really is a very elegant and effective setup.

Although SWMBO only had a short trip round London, she is really impressed too. She was very impressed with the comfort of the optional sports seats.

I can’t wait to use the car more to get to know it’s limits and capabilities better. Roll on the weekends away and trips to Europe!

Independent Rates Wapping in Top Ten

The independent recently rated Wapping at number four of the top ten places to live in Britain. You can read the full article here.

In summary, it says:

4. Wapping £1.29m

Property: Three-bedroom luxury flat. Postcode: E1W is a desirable and vibrant young community. It is the only London postcode in the top 10. Amenities: Well located for the 2012 Olympics; walking distance of the City.

Free Choice - or is it?

Isn’t it interesting when we go to a restaurant and are buying a bottle of wine? Everyone imagines it’s a free choice, but actually it’s not!

Imagine there were just two bottles on the wine list. One at £6 and a second at £18.

Now imagine there is a third bottle on the list at £34 a bottle. Are you more likely to buy the £18 bottle now? Most people are.

Porsche have done the same too with their model range. They have three sports cars. The Boxster, a convertible sportscar, the Cayman – a tin top Boxster and the 911 – the fastest in the range.

Before the Cayman it was just Boxster and 911. You either bought the cheaper, but very capable car, or the ‘ultimate’.

Now the Cayman – it is priced above the Boxster, despite being cheaper to produce than a convertible. Having a top makes it stiffer and so it will be better handling. Not that 90% of the owners will ever be able to tell the difference.

The case in point is the 911 / 911 cabriolet. The 911 cabriolet is more expensive!

So it’s all in the marketing. Make the Cayman more expensive than a Boxster and appear closer to the purist ideal of the 911 and people will buy it!

It’s no wonder Porsche is the most profitable car manufacturer in the world, making something like £15,000 per car sold.

Forget location, location, location. It should be marketing, marketing, marketing.

A New Menace in Wapping

They seem to walk where you want to put the brush, you know? Brilliant!

Wapping Music Video

What a surprise it was to see the streets around my home of Wapping on a music channel today. Here's the full video for your viewing pleasure. All set within a few hundred metres of my riverside flat!

The Masochist

Boxster S!

I found a good one!

Much to my surprise, the first one I looked at had everything I wanted and at a price that both the seller and I were pleased with.

It has lots of nice options. 18" split rim alloys, litronic headlights, sports seats. Also has a full service history and is in top condition.

I can't wait to get my hands on it next week.

She's already been named Black Betty.

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.

De La Soul

I was most impressed with the De La Soul gig at the Jazz Cafe in Camden on Wednesday.

I had no idea what to expect since hip hop is really not my thing. Indeed, the term sounds like some sort of pogo stick accident, while the music, well, the less I say the better!

However, it was so much better live than I expected. It was more like stand up comedy than music. The venue was small and the crowd lively. I even came away singing along to some of their hits I didn't know I knew!

A most excellent night was had by all.

It's still on for a few more nights, you can find out more on the official ticket website.

BMW 730d

I had a bmw 730d out of the ccc today. What a machine!

The interior is much like mission control at NASA. Everything moves electrically and remembers it’s last setting. The iDrive provides a multitude of information, once you’ve mastered it.

But what is really striking is the performance. It goes, stops and handles like a car half it’s size. While it might not have the outright punch of the Supercharged Daimler V8 I also sampled recently, it’s such accessible performance, I doubt there would be much between then in the real world. The engine sounds more like a beefy straight 6 than any diseasal motor. There is absolutely no turbo lag and masses of shove at any rpm. Despite my spirited driving, it still gave 35mpg. What an engine.

The other thing that is quite amazing is the comfort. It is smooth and refined and as quiet at 80mph as it is at 30mph. You can waft along at indecent speeds and your passengers will never know.

At £50k new it’s not cheap. However three year old examples are changing hands for £20k and they’ll continue to depreciate rapidly. I could see myself buying one in a few years time.

Brands Hatch Indy

Ah, what fun it was last earlier this month to get back on track at the excellent Brands Hatch Indy circuit. It has a rhythm all of it’s own. Once you find the groove, it’s quite a magical experience.

Paddock Hill Bend in particular is a real gem. Probably the best corner in British Motorsport. It has a fast (4th gear) and blind approach. As you turn in the road falls away sharply. Clip a late apex and prepare for the compression at the bottom as the track turns uphill. A real rollercoaster ride.

If anyone fancies a taster, Motorsport Vision do some excellent days there.

Ferrari 308

Last weekend I enjoyed a Ferrari 308 GTBi QV from the Classic Car Club.

I had forgotten how far cars had come in such a short space of time. Despite the fuel injection, starting and warming up is very much up to the skill of the driver. It’s quite possible to get a bang from unburnt fuel igniting in the exhaust as you start the car. I think at one point SWMBO thought I had blown up the engine!

And what an engine it is! 3.0 v8 with a full 7,700rpm on tap. It has that beautiful Ferrari v8 howl as the revs rise. It’s actually not massively quick by today’s standards, but the noise, ah, that noise!

Ford Mustang

I was fortunate enough to borrow the new Ford Mustang from the Classic Car Club a few days ago.

This is what Clarkson has to say in the Times Online.

What are my impressions? Great looks, but other than that, very very cheap!

The live rear axle meant that I had it sideways around once every 10-20 miles. The most interesting moment was in 3rd gear at 60mph on the motorway. I eased down the throttle and the rear stepped out. Fortunately not scary for me as I've had excellent training from 1st Lotus (highly recommended) Come on Ford! This car is based on the medium sized Jaguar S-Type. Give it the same suspension!

The engine sounds nice, but needs a louder exhaust! Come on CCC, please…

It’s an interesting car, but personally, I’d take a second hand TVR Chimera every time!

Cormorants

Every day I take the Thames Path to and from work through the heart of London. Each light morning I watch the cormorants drying their feathers and preening on the various posts in the thames. Yet every night on my way home they have vanished. Where do they sleep?

Q.E.D.

It's been an interesting morning. After several years of not using it, the useful acronym Q.E.D. popped into my head. It was a phrase that was better known in the UK when the BBC used it as the title for an award winning documentary programme. I wonder how widely understood it is today?

House Prices

The economist views are split on what house prices will do in the UK this year. Here is my opinion.

There are lots of different indicators that can hint at what house prices will do. The Bank of England base rate for example. It’s a fairly simple correlation. Rates up, results in more expensive mortgage payments and this tends to have a reducing effect on house prices (or more accurately a negative impact on the rate of increase).

I propose this actually means little. House prices are determined by the buyer. It’s consumer driven, pure and simple. I propose that it’s even more specialist than that. I believe it is driven by the first time buyer. He’s an interesting chap, driven by market forces and in a bit of a flap because he considers:
- the need to get on the ladder, owning property is still king in the UK
- the shortage of housing, people stay single longer, not enough new houses are being built
- interest rates are low and have been for some time (he probably doesn’t remember the high rates of the ‘80s)
- house prices are still going up, needs to buy now before he’s priced out
- lenders are offering even more, and he feels he can remortgage to get a better deal later

The real deciding factor these days is how much the bank will lend to him. People buy now, pay later (financially, emotionally and with their health). Increasingly people are also buying together or in new part ownership deals.

Hence I think we’ll continue to see another upward trend. My prediction – 20% increase by December 2007.

For anyone thinking of buying, check out the excellent resources at Fool.

The word "but"

I remember it was once described to me as "ignore everything I just said, I am about to tell you something completely different!"

A couple of examples (headlines from today's news articles):
Christmas sales up but tough year seen
ETA says it set Madrid bomb but truce stays

Dispatches : Fighting the Taliban

I don’t often rant, but one thing that I do dislike it when journalists blow trumpets to fanfare and portray things in a sensationalist light.

Take the Dispatches program last night for example. Portrayed by TV advertising as “the program the MOD didn’t want us to make” and supposedly portraying the difficulties and lack of supplies faced by British soldiers.

What does the program actually show?
- the MOD didn’t think it was safe for reporter Sean Langan to be in the area
- he bribes the local police to catch a lift with them
- the British forces give him a helmet and body armour
- he doesn’t do up his helmet straps properly – they are there for a reason, Sean
- he can’t distinguish between incoming or outgoing fire, nor between RPGs and rockets
- the British were short on resupply of ammo and rations, however this didn’t come across as a problem, only an inconvenience
- The British had close air support from A-10 Warthogs and Apache helicopters, probably the two most feared weapons if you happen to be enemy infantry!

Come on C4, come on Sean, make real documentaries, not sensationalist tripe that plays on the media hype already in place. Don’t go to war zones with an agenda and story already written. Here’s a new word for you – objective. ;)

Obesity

I can’t help but think that obesity is where the next really good business idea will come from.

We all know that being overweight is an increasing problem. Indeed, a recent survey also produced an interesting article. The Torygraph also reports that there are even diet pills for dogs!

So what will these businesses be? A revolutionary new diet pill? A new food with no calories. Probably not. Scientists have long realised the potential of such breakthroughs and have been active in their pursuit. No, I believe the next big thing will be a franchise restaurant. When we look at the franchises that do well – KFC, Pizza Hut, Nandos and the like, a lot of their appeal comes from the unique seasoning they use. How about the same, but with a health food restaurant? Blow away the old stigmas of healthy food being boring, by making it really tasty.

I think it’s a great idea. I’m sure 1000 other people have thought of it first, but you read it here. So, when you do it, my fees are a very reasonable 1% of turnover. ;)

Battlefield 2142

I think I'm finally over my addiction for EA Games' excellent Battlefield 2142. SWMBO will be pleased. The first ten hours are tricky as you're up against experienced players. From hours ten to eighty is where the real fun is. Very much about discovery and refinement of your technique. Up to around 100 hours now. Excellent entertainment for only £30.

It's created a bit of a stir with it's in game advertising. It's just few billboards in the game and they report which you look at and how long.I don't mind that. It keeps the online gaming experience free of subscription.

I'm sure there's a post in there somwhere about total immersion games and escapism, or perhaps the relaxation of a repetative task, or maybe online gaming in more detail. In the mean time, time to catch up on lifes chores (like doing my tax return to avoid the £100 fine at the end of January).

Darts

It's been a while since I've watched much darts. My my, what great entertainment. It's a shame that it has the ring of a sport that is dominated by beer and pubs. Many would say it's not a sport at all, however it's much like tennis in it's scoring, often leading to sudden death. I also believe it has more personalities and variety than a lot of other sports. Take these guys:
- Klassen - current champion, yet throws darts like he doesn't care and can't wait to get rid of them
- Stompe - just beaten Klassen (quite an upset!), must be in the running an OCD award. His throw is quite unique with a double feint.
- Adams vs O'Shea - another fine match, with the defending champion getting a good run for his money (despite what the 3-0 score would suggest). 140s and 100+ three dart out shots all the way. Very impressive!

The final will definately be one to watch on Sunday 14th January!

Carbonite

Carbonite is an excellent tool for backing up your PC. Does exactly what it says on the website. In a nutshell, it's unlimited online backup over the internet.

$5 a month to archive ALL your pictures, documents and other important things? Best of all, it's off site, so no worries about fire or theft. Perfect.

Blakes 7

We watched the first three episodes of the 1973 show Blakes 7 a couple of days ago.

I really enjoyed it because:
- it's pure classic sci fi from the same man who brought us Daleks
- the main characters sometimes die (and don't come back)
- the main characters have character, Avon would sell them all out for a petty reward
- the BBC Radiophonic Workshop sounds
- the guard on the prison ship offering concessions in exchange for certain 'favours' from a female prisoner - nicely dispels the myth that the world was a nicer place in decades past!
- the american guard on the prison ship (I didn't say Abu Ghraib!)
- even SWMBO enjoyed it!

Where do they find Orac (the terse, short tempered, sarcastic, mobile supercomputer)? Can't wait to find out.

Avenue Q

The first item in the adventure. Not that my adventure started today, just this blog of course.

I went to see Avenue Q last night. What can I say? It was great. The perfect entertainment to make even the most determined Dilbert smile and laugh.

I don't like musicals or the theatre. Yet I loved this. Good work SWMBO for a great Xmas gift.

I loved the musical classics of "The Internet is for Porn" and "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist". Bang up to date with the times and very funny doing it. Be sure to check out the audio and video clips on the website!