Travels.

Considering my fear of flying, I was somewhat surprised to catch up with a good friend from ol' schooldays via Gaim who has been spending the last few months travelling the world.

He's got a fair few stories to tell, and some fantastic photos. Rather than attempt to do them justice, I recommend you go look. They are here and here. His name is Jon, by the way. If you bump into him, tell him I say hello.

Go, now.

Ahem.

Well, this made me chuckle.

Meeja.

This isn't really news, is it?

The proposals were recently found on the European Patent Office website.

No they weren't. Or rather they were, but only in asmuch as I found my way to work this morning. A few thousand other people will remember when this story appeared last time, if not the time before that, usually with gaps of about ten years in between. The story has even featured on the good old blogosphere.

There are times when the Meeja really does my head in, if not by creating national issues for the sake of headlines, then for creating international ones. As much as I do appreciate the BBC, I do hate their knack for flogging dead horses - but I fear I may be alone.

With regards to the recent Mohammad Cartoon story we had articles on the original events, then on it "intensifying," then on the Danes boosting Muslim ties, then about riots, more riots, and then.... surprisingly little about the peaceful protests that followed.

Maybe I'm mistaken, but isn't all of the above one story? Wasn't this, as with the British Rail UFO a creation of news so that they can seem up to the minute, and fresh?

Roadworks.

Dgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgggrggrggggg.

"Oh, no. Not again."

Dgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgggrggrggggg.

"I'll go out and have a word."

"No, don't worry. I'll go."

Dgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgggrggrggggg. Dgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgggrggrggggg. Dgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgggrggrgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg.

"Excuse me mate? How long is this going to go on for?"

"About an hour maybe."

"But it's 9'o'clock - some of us have to be up early tomorrow."

"Yeah. Sorry."

"You were here this morning too - why didn't you finish it then?"

"Dunno. Wasn't me."

"And a few weeks ago. That went on into the night too."

"Wasn't me."

"You'll be finished in the hour?"

"Yeah."

Dgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgggrggrggggg.

Dgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgggrggrgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg.

Roundup.

Apologies my last post was so brief. I was using one of those free terminals you often get at trade fairs, and the keys didn't work very well. Typing anything was quite laborious and I got quite fed up.

The free terminal did give rise to a little fun, however; the previous user had left themselves logged into MSN Messenger... though of course I would never succumb to such an opportunity. Ahem.

The Project is still going ahead. I feel I may well end up posting Chapter One here rather than the prologue. The way things are shaping up, I doubt the latter (former?) will be in a fit state for any sort of publication (even blogger) before the whole kit and kaboodle is done. I quite like where it's going, but it'll be a while yet - sorry. I'm a slow worker.

LBF

I write this from the London Book Fair. It's wombat and my feet ache.

Bye!