http://www.therockalltimes.co.uk/2005/11/21/rotting-dog-blog.html

http://www.rnliseasafety.org.uk/

From the site: “We want to ensure that you get the maximum enjoyment possible from your chosen sport or activity. The RNLI Sea Safety department has been running for over 10 years now with your safety at the heart of all we do.

The sea can be a dangerous place but a few basic precautions could make all the difference, so have a good look through the rest of the site to see what we can do for you.

May we wish you many years of happy and safe sea going.”

http://www.charterboats-uk.co.uk/Z%20-%20Fish%20Identification.htm

A handy site for when you visit the fish counter at your local supermarket.

Tub Gurnard

The Lesser Spotted Dogfish

Conger Eel

If you want to know more go to: http://www.fishbase.org/search.php

http://www.todayinsci.com/cgi-bin/indexpage.pl?http://www.todayinsci.com/M/Montgolfier_Brothers/MontgolfierBrothersBalloonPrint.htm

222 years ago today man took to the skies for the first time…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgolfier_brothers

http://www.purchasing.com/article/CA6285763.html

If only I had bought shares in Antofagasta….

From the page: “The copper price has nearly tripled from the end of year 2001 but not because of historically low inventories and strong world demand as much as by The Case of the Missing Trader. In fact, speculation that China will refuse to deliver up to 200,000 metric tons of copper from its reserves to cover a massive gamble on futures contracts is driving prices to record highs.

As reported in the Financial Times of London, last week’s activities on the London Metal Exchange began with the kind of story that could have come out of a spy novel Chinese copper trader had reportedly gone missing after building a huge short position of the red metal. The story continued to dominate trading during the week, even if there was little clarity on its truth. It was enough to push three-month copper contracts to all-time highs. Three-month copper contracts in London on Friday broke through a psychologically important level of $4,200, touching $4,244.50 a metric ton ($1.925/lb) in afternoon trading after a week of strong speculative demand. Later in the day, it eased to $4,198/metric ton ($1.90/lb). The price rally was triggered by rumors around China’s State Reserve Bureau (SRB), a government body that manages China’s strategic commodity reserves. Liu Qibing, a futures trader based in Shanghai, who may or may not have ties to the State Reserve Bureau, is said to have built a short position of 100,000 to 200,000 metric tons of copper. He amassed these futures contracts on the LME, betting that prices would go down. Instead, prices have continued to climb sharply this year on strong demand from China’s booming economy and some unexpected supply shortfalls from major producers in Chile and the U.S. If prices remain at their current levels or continue to rise, Liu’s trades could lead to losses of $200 million or more, according to a report in the International Herald Tribune.”

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,11026,1643987,00.html

Former MI5 chief Stella Rimington

From the page: “Identity cards would not make Britain a safer place and nobody in the secret intelligence services supports their introduction, according to the former head of MI5.

Asked at a further education conference whether she thought ID cards would make the country safer, Dame Stella Rimington replied: “No is the very simple answer, although ID cards have possibly some purpose.

“But I don’t think anybody in the intelligence services – not in my former service – will be pressing for ID cards.””

http://www.ashersarlin.com/archives/2005/06/index.php

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1871741,00.html

From the page: “Britain’s 8,000 troops in Iraq could begin to withdraw next year, John Reid, the Defence Secretary, confirmed today.

Mr Reid was reacting to comments by Jalal Talabani, the President of Iraq, who said at the weekend that Iraqi troops would be able to take over security in southern Iraq, where the British are based, by the end of next year.”

http://www.drfeelgood.de/music/joe_strummer.htm

”Joe Strummer – and his partners Mick Jones and Paul Simonon – did more than entertain us. They changed lives. They certainly changed mine. Because they made me believe that, with passion and commitment and a bit of fire in your belly, you could be exactly the person you wanted to be.”

http://parody.organique.com/033.html

http://www.daveswarbirds.com/b-17/

An incredible aircraft that could take an amazing amount of damage and still fly. One of the many planes my Uncle Rodney piloted during WW2.

http://www.channel4.com/news/special-reports/special-reports-storypage.jsp?id=1056

Today’s word is…

“Schadenfreude”
which means….Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.

From the page: ”
The main points behind David Blunkett’s second resignation from Cabinet.

* What was David Blunkett’s job?

He was appointed the work and pensions secretary following the May 2005 general election. In December 2004 he had resigned as Home Secretary over claims he fast-tracked a visa application for his married lover’s former nanny.
Click!

* Why did he quit this time?

Mr Blunkett resigned after he described his position had become “untenable” after breaching the ministerial code of conduct over his business dealings.

* What did he do wrong?

Following his resignation as home secretary in December 2004, he had taken paid work without seeking advice from the Independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

* What’s wrong with that?

The ministerial code of conduct says that the committee should be consulted before ex-ministers take up any private sector role within two years of leaving office. ”

Methinks it serves him right for introducing ID cards 😉

http://usa.myswitzerland.com/en/swisscams/cam_detail.cfm?webcam_id=1010434399&rkey=723

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-10/12/content_484200.htm

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-10/13/content_484514.htm

From the page: ”
Zero-gravity life begins with mooncakes
(China Daily)
Updated: 2005-10-13 05:52

What the two Chinese astronauts eat and how they sleep during their 119-hour, zero-gravity space odyssey has aroused much attention.

Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, who undertook China’s second manned space mission yesterday morning, helped themselves to pineapple-filled mooncakes for breakfast, Reuters reported.”

Mooncakes symbolize the gathering of friends and family and are an indispensable part of the offerings made to the Earth God, Tu Ti Kung. According to popular belief, the custom of eating mooncakes began in the late Yuan dynasty. As the story goes, the Han people of that time resented the Mongol rule of the Yuan Dynasty and revolutionaries, led by Chu Yuan-chang, plotted to usurp the throne. Chu needed to find a way of uniting the people to revolt on the same day without letting the Mongol rulers learn of the plan. Chu’s close advisor, Liu Po-wen, finally came up with a brilliant idea. A rumor was spread that a plague was ravaging the land and that only by eating a special mooncake distributed by the revolutionaries could the disaster be prevented. The mooncakes were then distributed only to the Han people, who found, upon cutting the cakes open, the message “Revolt on the fifteenth of the eighth moon.” Thus informed, the people rose together on the designated day to overthrow the Yuan, and since that time mooncakes have become an integral part of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

There are four types of mooncakes : ping, su, kuang, and tai. Ping style mooncakes originated in Peking and resemble sesame cakes, with a crisp and savory outer crust. The su style of mooncakes are sweet with a thin, delicate layered crust which is judged according to its tenderness and whiteness. The kuang style are wrapped in a pastry-like crust and are famous for their meticulously prepared fillings. The tai style of mooncake is traditionally eaten in Taiwan and is also known as “Moonlight Cakes.” These cakes use sweet potatoes for filling and are sweet, tender, and tasty without being oily.

http://ediame.stumbleupon.com/

Awesome avatar.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2004580002-2005470129,00.html

http://www.otherthings.com/uw/caustic/

http://www.askbjoernhansen.com/archives/2005/01/

Click here:
http://i.askask.com/2005/01/1984macintro.mov

Warning entering ‘Reality Distortion Field’, a classic barnstorming performance by Steven Paul Jobs.

http://www.identity20.com/media/OSCON2005/

From the page:
“As the online world moves towards Web 2.0, the concept of digital identity is evolving, and existing identity systems are falling behind.

New systems are emerging that place identity in the hands of users instead of directories. Simple, secure and open, these systems will provide the scalable, user-centric mechanism for authenticating and managing real-world identities online, enabling truly distinct and portable Internet identities.”

The presentation is a tour de force in how to use powerpoint. Both the content and style are brilliant.

http://www.tanksforsale.co.uk/

Useful resource if you get into an argument with the neighbours.

http://xyzzyplus.stumbleupon.com/

I don’t really want to stop the show,
But I thought you might might to know,
That the singers gonna sing a song,
And he wants you all to sing along,
So may I introduce to you…

…the one and only xyzzyplugh

http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20050922.html

New URL
http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2005/pulpit_20050922_000867.html

From the page: “An AdWords Experiment Shows Why at Google, the House Always Wins”

Ever wondered how Google makes money through advertising?

In this article Robert X Cringely explains the Byzantine way Google uses it’s AdWords system and comes to the conclusion that Google is not as benign as it would have you believe.

http://twixel.stumbleupon.com/

A beautiful collection of images can be found here.