Top 10 cities in which NOT to speed

I guess I live in the wrong place - right in the middle of cities number 2 and number 9. I guess I'm going to have to work out the pros and cons of importing the slightly illegal laser blockers....

Top 10 cities in which NOT to speed - Autoblog

Puppy Purse Pet Carrier

This is so shocking that I can't even post a picture of it. But needless to say, it was sent to me by the wife. Luckily, she also sent a laugh sign next to it, which I hope means there isn't one on the way to our house as we speak...

Faux Mink Pink flexible Puppy Purse Pet Carrier

Urrgghhh - Saturday Night was as big as expected

The big joint backelor party on Saturday (see 2 posts below) was as big as expected, but after making it back out last night (for a little while anyway) to Tonks post party party, it was confirmed that everyone survived.

The golf "race" was a two horse race after the first two pubs - Lance and Jason deciding that they'd get a running start by hitting the car bombs en mass (I think they did around 4 or 5 in the first 45 minutes I was there). The route got changed half way through as 975 Broadway (I think that's what it was called) had some huge couches that were too comfy to get out of. We did make it to Funky Buddha at the end (well, most of us - Neil "disappeared" at some point, to spend the rest of the night on his living room floor) - a mass panic when I realized I had ran out of tabs was averted by talking to as many strangers as I could and "borrowing" the occasional one.

No photos yet - the bicycle riding attending known as Mr Penn was the only one with a camera, and as his site is never actually up, it may be a while before we get to see them. That may not neccessarily be a bad thing though - I mean, how many pics of drunken guys does anyone need to see?

Lancia Delta S4 Goes Karting

The Lancia Delta S4 is probably one of my favorite cars of all time. The flared wheel arches, the ridiculous power of the soon to be scrapped Group B rally class, and normally at the hands of some of the top rally drivers in the world.

So, what would happen if you decided to combine this with my favorite past-time (and something I really should get back in to over here) - Go-Karting. Probably the best demonstration of how precise the handling on these things were.....

iPhone Date - June 11th

OK - confession time - I was the person mentioned in the article below, after emailing back and forwards with Noah and Brian as we tried to get confirmation from the Cingular rep on the release date and whether or not you could pre-order (near the bottom if you can't be bothered to read the whole thing).

So, that's the date our company was "officially" told by our Cingular rep - I have the email, Brian called and confirmed once I forwarded him the email. However, I guess I shouldn't hold too much hope given the not so stellar reputation the Cingular reps in general we've dealt with over the last 2 or 3 years. Guess we're just going to have to sit back and wait for the official announcement, and run down to camp outside either the Apple of AT&T shop (or hope the boss is in town, as it looks like he's getting on no matter what).

Video: CNBC Says iPhone on June 20th (Plus Other Guesses with Unreliable Sources) - Gizmodo

Aarons Saturday Night Plans

It's not going to be pretty - the last time I played golf was for Ash's stag do - I have vague memories of hiding in an alleyway at 9pm, throwing my guts up, and that was back in the days when I could still actually drink (I think the 3 under par at the par 3 Fado's at 4 in the afternoon was the cause - that and of course the obligatory dodgy pint I must have had). Happy Times.......

Neil/Lance/Tonks Chunderfest 2007

Buy In: Mandatory $5 buy-in, winner takes all.

Scoring: Upon arrival you’ll be assigned the person for whom you keep score, you won’t score yourself because most of you are cheating fookers.

Location: Golden Triangle

6pm Cap City (optional for eats)

7pm Cap City (kick-off)

o ‘Mandatory Par 3’ hole: No one leaves until everyone’s had 3

o 7:40 Boat Race: Optional necking contest. All players get a stroke for their drink (standard pints only) just for playing. Winner gets triple strokes. (Beer = 3 strokes, Car bomb = 9 stokes)

8pm Bannock Street Garage

o Par 2

o ‘No One Drinks’ hole: No one can drink until Neil/Lance/Tonks have finished their first.

o Rule: Finish every sentence with “and neil/lance/tonks is a twat” (or similar), no points for the current drink if rule broken.

8:45pm Left on Lincoln

o Par 2

o Bonus: Every drink over par is double the strokes.

o 9:15pm Boat Race for triple points.

9:30pm Nine 75

o Par 2

o ‘Known Wanker Bar’ rule: Upon finishing drink must say “and look at that wanker over there with that complete hosebeast pog”, or the drink is not counted to your total.

10:15pm Charlie Brown’s Bar and Grill

o Par 3

o Bonus: Already a par 3, every drink under par is triple the strokes.

o Bonus: Stand on a chair and attempt a joke. Best joke gets 4 points.

o Bonus: Stand on a chair and drop your trousers. + 1 points, once per player. And singing along with the music. + 2 points, once per player.

11pm Govnr’s Park

o Par 2

o ‘F***ing’ hole: Caught saying the word ‘f***’, finish current drink. Still counts to your total.

o ‘Pissheads’ rule: Subtract stroke for every piss.

11:45pm Funky Buddha

o No rules.

General

o 1 point for every time Neil/Lance/Tonks chunders, if they are drinking something you bought them.

o 1 point standard drink (including shots) = 1 stroke

o Combo drinks (car bomb) = 3 strokes

Random Quotes

So, I've been on a bit of a social networking blast lately (which I think of as some sort of weird experiment to see where most/any of my friends are, and I'll try and summarize at some point in the future). And I didn't actually Facebook anyone's "mom" by the way - it's just a pic.

So, today was Facebook day - absolutely shocking on the number of people I know on there (thanks Bex!), but given it started off doing schools and colleges in the USA, I'm at a slight disadvantage I think. Anyway, it did turn up a "Newcastle" network, with about 100 people from Shields, and way more from Whitley Bay (not sure how that works - if someone wants to explain it, feel free), and then looking at a couple of peoples profiles, I came across the following quotes, which I thought were worth a post (but I have had a couple of drinks, so apologies if you're bored with them).

"If alcohol kills millions of brain cells, then why does it never kill the ones that make me want to drink?"

"God kissed Britain on its coast and the result was Whitley Bay" (Even though I'm biased, I still don't quite agree completely with this.....)

"It's better to have syphilis than be a Leeds United fan..."

New 911 (997) GT2 Video

I've been holding out mentioning the latest (and possibly) best 911 until there was some pix to go along with the specs (2 wheel drive, 530bhp, 0-60 in the mid 3 second range). Well, now there's this vid courtesy of AutoExpress back home, shot during testing at the only place it seems testing is done these days. It's not cheap, and it's not for the inexperienced, so that rules out me as a buyer, but I can still dream.....

Wallstrip Video

So I finally got off my lazy backside and watched the Wallstrip take on the Wallstrip purchase - it was too funny not to post...

8 Reasons NOT to "pimp" your car.

Or not to let a freak be in control of the design I guess. I actually liked the last one - best use of an Escalade I've ever seen....



read more | digg story

Fynn the Footie Fanatic

So it looks like Fynn (and personally, I think it's directly related to her superior coloring)is a bit of footie player. Here's a brief shot of her taking on herself - young careers always start on the living room carpet. Before you know it, she'll be playing for the Rapids.

Newcastl United get Buyout Offer

Mike Ashely (girls name, but lots of money) has made an offer to buy out Newcastle United, paying 1 quid a share. Given the price only a few years ago was around 20 pence, thats a pretty good markup (stock closing before the announcement was at 84 pence).

He has already bought out Sir John Hall and his family (I really hope that means Douglas has gone the distance) - now he just needs to persuade Freddie it's time to sell (it is Freddie, in case you're looking here for some advice).

Anyway, I pray Mr Ashley (who just happens to have floated Sports Direct recently, earning himself a nice round 900 million quid) has honorable intentions, and wants to see Newcastle at the top of the league and winning trophies, something which hasn't happened since before I was born...

Google Trends: - The Hot 100

As part of Google's ever growing arsenal of random stuff, the latest seems to be trends, where you can get a top 100 list of popular searches (I think from the last 24 hours). I'm not sure this is 100% legit or not - if it is, America has some huge spelling issues going on.....

Google Trends: May 22, 2007

Lindsay News

So, a pretty big couple of days for Lindsay - 2 appearances on Sopranos (brief, but weird seeing someone you know on a TV program you like - and I must say much better than the dodgy pepper cracking incident of Michael in CSI, which I can't find the link to right now). Anyway, the other news is that Wallstrip got bought by CBS. It seems like a popular thing, as lots of people are writing about it (but I'm too lazy to find all the links, so you'll have to make do with this one).

Anyway, congrats!

Drink and Surf - Here's your Toy

Fridge too far from your computer? Or just too lazy to get up and grab a cold one? Well, it looks like this might be the perfect solution for you - the USB fridge.

Camcorder for Rainy Days

If you need a camcorder in the rain, or occasionally fall into a big puddle, or maybe want to take some dodgy pool shots in the holiday pool, this is the one for you. But don't get any deeper than 5 foot, otherwise it might explode (or something anyway).

Hot Kias to be called XR

This makes me unreasonably sad - just the concept of a "hot" Kia sent nervous shivers down my spine. I guess I'm scared in case it's actually any good. Luckily, that's pretty unlikely....

Autocar - Hot Kias to be called XR

Fiat 500 Abarth - Spy Shots

More small car news, with the spotting of the Fiat 500 Abarth - the sporting version of the cutest new car since too long to remember.

Not only was it spotted, but it was at the 'Ring - definite signs that they're doing plenty of testing to make sure it handles just like the go-kart it looks like.

Anyway, Car broke the news, and the rest of the photos and a few words are here - 150bhp in a go-kart is always fun by anyone's standards...

Frontier adds Costa Rica flights

I recently went through the heart wrenching decision to blow away the many years of loyalty I had with United, and turn to another airline for regular travel. So, being in Denver, the obvious choice was Frontier, although I realize I give up the option of free trips back home now (but we alsways fly direct on BA these days anyway). So, luckily for us, they've just announced a new destination - Costa Rica - looks like this might be a holiday destination for us in the next year or two...

Frontier adds Costa Rica flights - The Denver Business Journal:

Purple Hooters - Finally!!

So, since I got off the plane all those many years ago (almost 10 now - that must mean I'm getting old), we've been doing "Purple Hooters". Occasionally, we'd ask what was in them (surely it would be a great idea to have these in England when we went home), but of course, we'd be wasted when we asked, and had no memory (that we could remember anyway ;-) the next day. So, we had to make do with forcing all friends and family to give them a try when they came to this side of the pond.

So, they say vital information turns up in weird places, and while hunting for the correct links for my previous post (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it), I came across this article. Now, I'm not one for following Britney's every move, but given one of lifes little problems has been solved, I may just be a believer. If she stays off the wagon, I might even find out what is in Neil's Mother's favorite drink - the Jamaican Bicycle (or 10 speed if you use the official name).

Women of the World Unite - Jezebel Arrives

If A Socialites Life, WWTDD (and by the way, Fight Club is the reference, if you're struggling...) and Perez Hilton don't keep you as informed as you think you need to be, check out Jezebel. Actually it's not just Gossipy stuff the other ones concentrated on, so I went over to check it out, briefly scanned this post, and decided to move on and leave it to the women to find out themselves. I did get the title bit before I moved on, so apparently Celebrity, Sex, Fashion, Without Airbrushing is what it's all about.

Fynn, Meet the World

World, meet Fynn - our newest family member

Vegas Suites

Cnn has pulled together a list of what they consider the best suites in Vegas - Bellagio doesn't make it on the list if you can believe that, but the ones they do have are pretty cool. I just wonder who can afford the Playboy Suites at the Palms for $40k a night!!

Despite the numerous trips planned to Begas in the next couple of months (it's Bachelor Party season over here), it doesn't look like we'll make it into one of these. But, the beauty of Vegas is you never really know what could happen, or where you'll end up, so if it happens, I promise to take at least one pic ;-)

Topless Car Wash - The Aussie Way to Beat a Drought

So here's how Aussie business logic works - the country is running out of water, so the government bans washing your own car, so suddenly car washes get extra busy, so more car washes appear, and then you start losing trade coz there's plenty of competition. The answer - make your car wash topless, and offer lap dances while you wait.....

Sheila must be ecstatic at this one - Bruce has the cleanest car in the world.

Oh how I miss home

Sometimes, and then I have a flashback.....

BBC NEWS | England | Tyne | Man arrested over street stabbing

Strangest Death Award goes too.....

This guy

Porsche Panamera in the Flesh

Looks like they were doing some cold weather testing in Sweden. I definitely hope this thing looks prettier when it finally gets an official release (although the way the Cayenne didn't means I'm not holding my breath).

New Favorite Chair

Called the Solar Chair, I think I like this a lot. No idea how comfortable it actually is, but it would go great in our office (or maybe even at work). Details here, but it looks like it's for sale back home, which doesn't really help me out much....

Audi Speedster Concept

For the last few years, I think Audi has been leading the way with it's designs (for a mainstream manufacturer anyway - the Alfa 8C is my current fave, and obviously most Ferraris are up there as well). So, there should be no suprise that the Speedster Concept (or the Clubsport Quattro I guess is the 'real' name) is gorgeous.

A few pics emerged earlier in the week, but today was the official Audi release, with lots of juicy details, and the always fun "we could possibly make this" comment thrown in for good measure. The usual quattro drivetrain, a pumped up 2.0 litre FSi engine from the S3, and ceramic brake options add a little substance to the beauty. Anyway, full details of the press release are here, courtesy of Jalopnik.

Oh yeah, and if you need more of an Audi fix, they just launched their new TV site for you to check out.

Google Experimental Search

Google's big Searchology meeting/conference/press release/whatever it was happened this afternoon, and it looks like there are a few cool things they are working or have released. One place you might want to start is there new Google Experimental page - here they post some new features that they want feedback on before they get released to the world - it's easy to add them into your basic (if there is such a thing) Google search - they get free testing, you get to try some cool stuff and help make it better before it hits the masses - how's that for a win win.

Google Experimental Search

Halo 3 launch date is announced

September 25th is the day - mark your calendars.

Now I just hope Forza Motorsport will keep me going thru the summer (and doesn't get delayed for the 14th time) - it should arrive in 2 weeks....

BBC NEWS | Technology | Halo 3 launch date is announced

Neil's Concert Photos - Keane

23
Originally uploaded by Neil Stone.

Once again, Mr Stone comes up trumps with the latest in his concert series - this time Keane playing the Ogden (one of the cool smaller concert venues here in Denver).

I'm still recovering from The Fratellis being cancelled (and my usual default of "I'll probably be out of town so no point in getting tickets), but that's all going to change in a few weeks, with both Joss Stone and The Police within a couple of weeks of each other (both incidently in venues I hate for concerts - The Fillmore and Pepsi Center). However, it looks like we're also going to be hitting Red Rocks later in the summer for an Oakenfold and Underworld double header (Mr Kirkwood, you should pop over for a night or two...). Should be great.

New Google Analytics Interface

So I know Pete was impressed with his maps in Stats Counter or whatever he uses, but Google just released a new version of their analytics tool, which is the one I ended up using after trying out a few in the middle of last year.

The new version has lots of nice web 2.0 type things going on, with pretty pictures, graphs and all that, but my favorite bit so far has been the new location interface - I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for something to track your web visitors.

Jonny Decker Has a MySpace Profile!

OK, unless you lived in Shields as a kid growing up (or I guess later on in your life), this post is completely meaningless, so just stop reading now.

Anyway, I screwed up my back again a couple of weeks ago, which meant I spent the immediate 3 days afterwards flat on my back on the couch or bed. This obviously is great for the first 10 minutes when you realize that's all you've wanted to do for the last few weeks of total hectic life, and then you get bored.

So, I did the MySpace thing coz I hadn't ever created a profile, and despite the awful user interface, me being too old, and realizing that I couldn't write html to save my life, I've been checking it out every couple of days. I somehow ended up traversing a few people from Shields, ended up on the John Spence page, and from there, the classic Jonny Decker page. Like I said, if you didn't grow up in Shields, you should have stopped reading ages ago, but if you didn't, Jonny was local celebrity bloke who hung around bumming tabs off everyone. He had this weird ability to be pretty much everywhere you ever went, never seemed like he caused any bother (not much, anyway, at least by Shields standards - put him in Denver and it might be a bit different), and actually brought a big smile to my face when I realized he had a page. I'm not technically sure if he somehow found a computer, or if someone else has created it in his honour, but I'm glad it's there. Makes me a bit homesick in a way, but guess I'll have to wait until Christmas to get over that one.

Giz a tab man.......

I Hate Spencer

If you've ever watched "The Hills", I'm pretty certain you hate him too - I don't think I've ever felt this hostile to anyone on reality TV.

Anyway, despite the fact that it's unlikely he'll appear on the program again, after whisking Heidi off into the sunset to get her away from LC/Lauren, he's still trying to milk as much publicity as he can (even if it's just coz his woman got new boobies). I just hope he gets what he deserves out of life...

Spot the Difference

AOL's new home page, Yahoo's not so new home page ....

Kohler Rain Tiles Get Special Speaker

Purely interested in this coz I have a Kohler rain tile sitting in a half finished bathroom waiting to be installed (pics when I finally get it in there - I'm guessing/hoping 2 weeks from now).

Anyway, Polk have released shower tile like speakers that u can embed in thewall, just to improve your whole showering experience (or add to the local drought issues by getting caught up in a few good tunes and never coming out of there). Luckily, these came out after we tiled everywhere, so there's no chance of me sinking more money into more electronics for another room that I'll use for 5 minutes a day if that. They do look nice though 8-) More details from Gizmodo if you're interested.

Spectaculat Porsche Crash - Driver Walks Away!

Some tight bar-steward didn't make the video embedable, so you'll have to follow the link, but this crash is pretty amazing. And the fact he missed the spectators as well.

It sort of makes me wish for the old days when Sunday afternoons (and some Saturdays when Newcastle was playing away) were spent watching Grandstand on the BBC for the weekly installment of the Touring Car Championships - all those old Sierra Cosworth 500's flying around the track at ridiculous speeds, and not afraid to have the occasional nudge with their competitors (and there were right turns thrown in there as well, Nascar - it makes for much better racing, in case you were wondering.....).

New Supra on the Way?

Technically not really a Supra - it apparently has the very appealing name (not) of FT-HS - the marketing guys must have been paid extra for that one (or been out on the lash the night before...).

Anyway, speculation is 400bhp and "mid level" price range (whatever that is) - I'm still reeling from the sticker shot of the new M3 which was rumored to be well over $60k this time out (up from the bargain 40 something for the last one - or just over 50 if you got the necessary comp pack, or M3 CS to the UK crowd). Anyway, I digress - looks pretty good, nice wheels, hope it's fast and cheap(ish) when/if it comes out.

2008 Saab 9-3

Saab's hav a semi-weird status over here - I'm not sure if they're considered a luxury brand or not. I guess it's sort of like home - they're better than the local stuff, but not quite up there with a Merc or BM.

Anyway, it looks like they're releasing a new version of the 9-3 sometime soon. It actually looks pretty good from this rendering (don't think it's officialy yet, but there's more details here). I just wonder if you still have to put your keys in the ignition down next to the handbrake..

Video of the week

Or possibly the year.....

Thought Provoking

Great pictures, and kinda scary to think about (and if you're only clicking on one link from this blog, the one below should be it).

current work

New Scirocco in Motion

Techie T-Shirts

Probably the best set of (very) geeky t-shirts I've seen. If you don't work with computers, it's probably not worth the click - sorry.

79 Percent Of Americans Missing The Point Entirely

As usual, the Onion comes up trumps in supplying the laugh for today.

79 Percent Of Americans Missing The Point Entirely | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Ty Pennington Busted for DUI

So the man who's built a load of houses for deserving people had a little too much to drink (or possibly even drugs I guess), and decided to drive. Not a good idea, especially when you get caught.

Luckily, there were no Mel Gibson scenes of outrage to go with the arrest, so there's at least a sliver of hope that he might hold on to his presenting gig with ABC. Then again, maybe not.

Messenger I'm Program

So Microsoft has a new way to give charity - by adding in a header in your display name (one of a number of special codes that correspond to different charities), they'll donate some money every time you chat on IM. I've no idea how, how much, or even if lots of individual messages all count as seperate donations, but I can't see any downsides to this at all, especially at the rate I IM people these days. Anyway, everyone should join, so the link is here.

Roeder Resigns (allegedly of course)

I must admit, I was a little surprised this morning when I found out Roeder had 'resigned'. I know the result (and from what I can gather, the performance as well) was terrible, and we're sitting at the low end of mid-table, but the fact that a manager is actually leaving at an ideal time is a little unusual for Newcastle. In the past few years, we've normally waited until the manager has spent all the funds for a year, gone through pre-season with everyone, and then had the usual bad start to the season before he goes. I guess this time, we're at least trying to get the order right.

Obviously, all the money is on Big Sam to come in and take over, although nothing has been confirmed yet - just seems a bit of a coincidence for Roeder to go one game after Mr Alladyce left his beloved Bolton. I have heard he's a pretty progressive manager, and very impressive to speak to, but to be honest, I just want someone who can come in and help the team win something. Of course, if it was that easy, we'd have done it before now....

Start, Crash, Stop - Gumball 2007 Cancelled

So, after a Techart 911 driven by Nick Morley crossed the centreline and hit an oncoming vehicle, killing both passengers, Gumball 2007 has been cancelled.

What made matters worse (if they can be worse with 2 people dying), was the subsequent attempted run by the driver, getting picked up by another Gumballer and making a run for the border. The police picked him up before he left the country, and he's now in jail for 30 days while they sort everything out. It also looked like Gumball was trying to avoid talking about the incident for over 24 hours after it happened, and then when it did, seemed like they were trying to passi it off as something not quite as serious as it was.

Anyway, bit of a shocker all round, and no idea what's going to happen now - I'm guessing no more Gumballs in Europe - maybe a South American version? But that would have a host of it's own special problems to deal with.

Leeds Go Bust

In one of the most dramatic falls from grace in recent years, Leeds United have gone into administration, subsequently been docked 10 points for this season (FA Rules) and will be relegated.

It looks like Ken Bates (formerly of Chelsea "fame") has set up a new company to buy what's left, and inject the club with the necessary cash to keep going. Leeds spent a ridiculous amount of money trying to compete with Man Utd et al, and it obviously was a huge gamble that didn't pay off.

BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Leeds United | Relegated Leeds in administration

Microsoft buying Yahoo?

That's the word on the street today, and has meant shares in Yahoo have gone up around 20% (making me a nice little additional 800 bucks in my retirement fund). I'm not sure if I think this is a good idea or not, but I'm kind of scared, as I've been gradually using more and more Yahoo stuff over the last couple of years (admitedly, more of the stuff they happened to buy, rather than the home grown variety). $50 billion is the rumoured price, meaning the stock still has another 10 or so percent nrothwards to move, if this does come off.

Oh yeah, and in related but much less exciting news, Yahoo finally seems to be willing to take action in getting rid of some of it's duplicate functionality, with Yahoo Photos disappearing in place of my fave photo site, Flickr.

Microsoft seen weighing Yahoo takeover -report - May. 4, 2007

2 Years of Nothing!

Me
Originally uploaded by Aaron in Denver.

It suddenly dawned on me that this little blog has been up and running for over 2 years. It's had a few changes since then - been green, had multi-coloured spots, covered plenty of drunken nights out and random stuff. And of course, plenty of cars and dodgy gadgets.

Anyway, thanks for reading - you're an exclusive group ;-)

Beckham Not Here Yet, Still Getting Way Too Much Publicity

I could claim that I moved over here 10 years ago to get away from all the Beckham frenzie in the UK, but I'd be lying - it was annoying (and got worse after I left from what I can tell), but not enough to emigrate.

Anyway, it looks like the media frenzy is here already, even though no-one watches footy. His pics appear almost daily on the gossip sites, including his latest haircuts. I can only imagine what's going to happen when he actually arrives in the country to live.

Pool Games

Summer is almost upon us (although if you ask me, as soon as we get our first 80 degree day, it's already here in my book), so now is the time to start planning your poolside entertainment.

This golf game is the current leader, although back in the old days, a decent book, or maybe my gameboy was enough to get me out long enough to turn lobster red.

Anyway, 50 bucks for hours of entertainment.

TVR Mouse

Before it's implosion due to the Russian invasion of Blackpool, TVR was one of my favorite car companies. They made outrageously fast cars with wild and wacky interiors, at prices that were low enough that when you were a kid, you thought if you saved up enough, you might just be able to get one.

These days, we're relying on some blokes in the US to get production back up and running, pass all the necessary regulations and then somehow get some sort of dealer network off the ground. So, don't hold your breath.

In the meantime, you can make do with this - a wireless mouse in the shape of the TVR Tuscan. If you squint your eyes enough, you can just make it out ;-)

The Shower Octopus

So, if any of you have a wife like mine, you have the problem that no matter how much shelf type space exists around the edge of the shower/bath, it's never quite enough to prevent the numerous types of shampoo/conditioner/random stuff that I don't know what it does, making a dive-bombing attempt to break your toes every time you make one wrong move in the shower (not that I'm complaining of course).

So, here's your answer - the Shower Octopus. It looks like it can hold 5 or so bottles, so we'd need 3 or 4 of them, and I'm not sure how stable the whole thing is, especially if you add a little soap into the mix. But, it could be worth a try - it costs 45 Canadian dollars, which is like 30 real pence or something, right?

Best Passport in the World

Normally, I would have said the British Passport was the best in the world, but maybe that's just coz it's the one I've got. Then, courtesy of Autoblog, I found out about this one....

It seems that there aren't too many of these up for grabs, but basically it gives you unrestricted access to the Ferrai factory, test track, and no questions asked access to any of the Ferrari fleet cars whenever you like. How's that for a deal? It looks like it may only be given to their more successful drivers on retirement (so I bet Schuey has one), so chances of me (or you for that matter) getting your hands on one of these is somewhat remote.

Digg Update

Such was the controvesy among the users, that people power did actually work, and Digg have gone back to not interfering with their site.

But now, after seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you’ve made it clear. You’d rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company. We hear you, and effective immediately we won’t delete stories or comments containing the code and will deal with whatever the consequences might be.

If we lose, then what the hell, at least we died trying.

Digg Controversy

So it looks like someone earlier today (or maybe it was last night) posted the "secret number" that is the key to unlocking HD DVD content. Digg then (allegedly) went and took down the post, and deleted the user, causing outrage among their user base. It's pretty hard to argue that a number is copyright protected, so not sure if they have some sort of legal reason, but obviously this sent the world (well, lots of geeks used to the freedom of speech type concepts) into a frenzy. At one point today, every single post on the front page held the number. I'm not sure if Digg has continued to delete the user accounts and posts of everyone (if they have, they're slowing down, as there's still plenty of posts on the front page now), but everyone's a little shook up.

How this all plays out in the next few days will be pretty interesting. I've always been under the impression that Digg content is driven by their users, with no interaction from the people running the site, and judging by the outrage, a lot of other people were under the same impression. We'll have to wait to see whether or not this has a negative (or positive with all the publicity) effect on the number of hits the site gets.

UPDATE - Digg has officially responded

Gumball is off again

It looks like the Gumball is off again this year - from what I can tell, it looks like the Germans weren't too happy about the path the trip was taking, and everyone was escorted to the airport for immediate expedition. Luckily there weren't any problems like this in the UK, so here's a quick vid of the start...

Beckham's new home

So after a couple of months of frantic searching, "The Beckhams" have found a house close enough to fall for the Scientology sales pitch by TomKat.

They paid $22 million for it, which sounds about right for an upscale LA house, but then in the commentary, it says it's only got a 3 car garage! How will they survive with a garage that small? I'm sure there must be a mistake in there.

Anyway, if you're nosey, there are more house pics here.