Isa Dick Hackett, I’m disappointed in you. This makes me want to buy the Nexus One that runs Android, even though I originally had no intention to do so.
Piercing glare warms the soul
How I know that Scottish media (at the very least) has its head so far up its own arse: why in Deity’s name are Christmas cards sent by politicians worthy of news headlines?
For that matter, why are politicians wasting taxpayer-funded time in worrying about the ‘message’ sent by their cards? Can’t they just go and buy cards from charity shops?
Which reminds me, Neil mentioned Band Aid’s Do They Know it’s Christmas, because Mount Kilimanjaro is located in Africa, and there’s snow on it. Plus, why would the starving Africans in the 80s have wanted snow in order to ‘know’ it’s Christmastime? They were suffering from famine — hypothermia would’ve just killed more of them!
Yup. Bah humbug.
You’re on my hit list
The Grauniad seems to want to skewer Flash Forward with bitchy analysis – why be so serious about entertainment? It’s a television series aimed at distracting us from our real lives, not a documentary or dramatisation of something that actually happened. I don’t care if there are plot holes and silly moments. In fact, these ‘moments’ prevent the series from being shite due to excessive gravitas.
It’s also science fiction (the sample chapters I’ve read actually seem quite good). If we aren’t suspending our disbelief and having expectations of it making a whole lot of sense, we’re being pretty damn stupid.
(Terry — gee, thanks pal, heh — mentioned in the comments in an earlier post about critical reviews of the programme that got me curious enough to look things up. I’m done looking up any episode blow-by-blows, it’s a waste of time.)
If it starts taking itself way too seriously I’ll stop watching it. In the meantime I’m being entertained. What more do I need?
Mesolithic hunter-gathering
Royal Mail employees — hastening their own redundancy.
Anyone living in the UK has been a victim of the crap service the Royal Mail has provided because of local strikes over the last few months (not to mention the other strikes last year). Books are heavy to post, and we’ve had loads go missing. I’d be surprised to discover any real support for postal workers outside their blood relations and hardcore unionists.
Here’s an opportunity for enterprising kids to make some money this Christmas. Do a deal with your busy and/or elderly neighbours – hand deliver all their local Christmas cards for the same price as the Royal Mail. Keep it local this year!
Star jumps will save the world
On Friday afternoon, I received an, er, interesting phone call.
Blatantly A Salesman: Hello, this is Everest*. We’re going to see some of your neighbours… [sales patter about double glazing]
Me: All our windows are double-glazed and they’re pretty new, thanks.
BAT: How about doors? We can drop by and show you our brochure. Can we come by for a chat tomorrow?
Me: No. We’re busy.
BAT: How about Sunday?
Me: No, we’re busy.
BAT: Well, we’ll just drop a brochure off on Monday afternoon, then. Can I take your name?
Me: Why?
BAT: It just says ‘The Householder’ here.
Me: I’d prefer not to give you my name.
BAT: We’ll end it here, then. *click*
I guess their windows are selling so well that they’ve taken to trying to sell mailing lists.
* Unless it’s someone trying to sully Everest’s name…?
Low cloud cover
The Parliament building was reportedly open today to the public at no charge. I happen to think this banner ad indicates that the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing.
But we did go for a walk outside the Parliament building, and there are loads of carved sayings by Scottish luminaries all over the exterior walls that run along the Canongate.
They misspelled Alasdair Gray’s name. I hope they’re embarrassed. What a disgrace.
Just ’cause you can doesn’t mean you should
Why would you mount an expensive mobile phone on your bike rather than keep it safely stored when you go cycling? I think the answer is that people who actually think it’s a good idea to show off they have an iPhone by using it as a brake light are idiots.