October 2007 Archives

The Daily Mash is:

a satirical news website which exposes the absurdities of modern life to rigorous scrutiny with "hilarious results".

The Daily Mash satirises the worlds of politics, media, culture, and sport with spoof news stories, commentary and opinion (this means that it's all made-up and is not intended in any way whatsoever to be taken as factual - hello lawyers!).

Basically, it's very funny.

Some recent highlights, in my view, are (all links open in a new window):

• British Squirrels 'Fattest In Europe'


• Mona Lisa Was ‘Eating A Sausage’


• Britain Hit By Obscenity Epidemic


• Most BBC News Now About The BBC


• Alonso May Be Forced To Earn £20 Million Somewhere Else


• All ITV Shows To Be Based On Google Search Terms

Ah feel the hilarity.

It was a well known fact, commonly stated in recent weeks due to the death of its creator Ronnie Hazlehurst, that the theme tune to Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (which is horrible to type due to the apostrophes) incorporates the show's title in morse code in its opening bars. The BBC has published this image proving it:

It's not the only show that does this of course. Another famous one is the tune for Inspector Morse - however, Barrington Pheloung included names that either revealed the killer or threw people off the scent apparently.

[via BBC News]

This has got to be the most productive I've ever been, 11 - now 12 - updates in eight days.

I know it won't last, so make the best of it. I'll get distracted by work again and things will tail off.

I have actually enjoyed doing all of this writing, it's been a rare treat. I will do my very best to write regularly so it'll be worth people toddling by... and I do hope that people stumble across this place and get drawn in by the ramblings of someone who is, quite obviously, an idiot.

To begin with, an explanation. A tag is something used by a site to describe entries, posts, photographs, content... anything. They help search engines like Google or Yahoo. They help actual real life people when they search. On the whole, they're pretty handy things to have and use.

So, therefore, a tag cloud, like the one on the main page of this blog, is a group of tags bunched together. The good thing about this is that the more frequently used tags are shown larger than the other which helps people find out what the site is about in a quick and easy way. Something that's not that easy with this particular place of random thoughts...

On the right hand side of the main page, you can see my tag cloud which shows the 20 most used tags on this site.

For the past two days no less, I have been going through each of the 180 posts previous to this and giving them tags based on what they're about - I've also given every entry a tag for the year and month in which they were written as well as any other times that are mentioned or linked to in any way... this has lead to the interesting years of 1062 (the post with a game to play) and 1686 (Daniel Fahrenheit) to be included. Actually, "Daniel Fahrenheit" is one of my personal favourite pieces of writing...

Currently there are 487 different tags for this site (which may be added to with this very post) and the 20 most popular are:

1. 2005 (75) - clearly a productive year. I must've had nothing to do!


2. linkage (66) - this is any post that has a link to another site somewhere in it or, occasionally, just references another site.


3. August (44) - another prolific time. I rarely go on holiday, but have time off work... the joys of teaching!


4. 2007 (43) - surprisingly, given that I've worked full time for the majority of this year, 2007 is the second most post-filled year!


5. 2004 (39) - don't remember much about 2004. This site was relaunched then, on 29th February (I'm fast approaching my 4th birthday)


6. 2006 (35) - quite amazing how the years vary with the number of posts... this is the year with the least.


7. October (27) - gone up by one with this post, but I wonder why the onset of autumn makes me write more?


8. merged blogs (26) - posts which were once part of other places, such as my short lived Formula One blog, or the OK Go thing, have this tag to collect them together. This certainly won't get any larger. My lesson has been learned.


9. photos (23) - any post with a photo, or a reference to a photo. Fairly straight forward!


10. April (19) - another post filled month. Easter?!


11. February (18) - can't explain this at all...


12. music (17) - I'm quite shocked this is this low. After all music is one of the most important things in my life (hence the music player on each page...)


13. March (16) - again, no idea why I write a lot in March.


14. videos (15) - any post with a video in it, or a link to a video on sites like YouTube.


15. download (14) - any post with a download on it. Mainly these are videos, but it does include the five OK Go podcasts.


16. July (14) - summer? These trends are odd to me...


17. Formula One (13) - I have gone a little overboard on this lately... but there are some sprinkled around the past as well!


18. May (13) - the month Aryton Senna died, so that accounts for one. The other 12, I have no idea about.


19. OK Go (13) - mainly from the OK Go blog. But also contains links to the majority of their videos...


20. September (12) - back to school. So posts taper off. Still in the top 20 tags though.

Not hugely interesting reading, I agree. But I hope that by clicking some of those links above (which all open in a new window by the way) you will find something that interests you.

Happy exploring!

[Note: the Tag Cloud is currently not working and so has been removed from the site for now. - HSX, February 2008]

Apparently, everybody knows a bloke called Dave, so UKTVG2 thought it perfectly suited the blokiness of the channel. They replaced a six syllable channel name with a one syllable one. But it's stupid.

It also leads to some interesting statements like:

• "I've been watching Oz and James on Dave" - which sounds like you've been buying special gentlemen's photography.
• "Dave was showing some Top Gear last night" - which just sounds dodgy.

Clearly what we need is a way to italicise things while we speak...

Now, I always knew that YMCA, the song by the costume loving Village People not the actual organisation, was bad dire shockingly awful ear bleedingly bad words cannot express its awfulness... however, I never thought of it as blasphemous. Until I was sent this photo.

Come to think of it, Jesus does look pretty camp here... Maybe that should be the new Village People line-up: Policeman, Indian chief, construction worker, messiah.

[via email from Lisa, via Ian. If that makes sense...]

Just when you thought it was over, it looks like there's another twist in the 2007 season.

It may come to nothing, it may change the title holder - but it certainly is confusing to the casual viewer who doesn't follow the sport all the time and may have just watched one race this year, yesterday's Brazilian Grand Prix, conveniently shown at prime time in Europe (for many years Japan, and before that Australia, hosted the final race of the year so that any titles to be decided were shown at daft o'clock in the morning and only people like me watched them live)

Anyway, just when you thought Kimi Raikkonen had definitely won the title because Lewis Hamilton had finished 7th and therefore had one point less, there came the news that the fuel in the cars of Williams's Nico Rosberg and BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld were below the temperature they should have been.

The regulations state that, "No fuel on board the car may be more than ten degrees centigrade below ambient temperature." (Article 6.5.4 of the Formula One technical regulations - source: Formula1.com)

FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer said all fuel samples from the four cars showed temperature of 12 to 14 degrees centigrade lower than the ambient temperature at the time. The race stewards have apparently decided not to impose a punishment for the discrepancy because they could not say for certain that the fuel in the cars was below the maximum limit.

The issue is that Formula One Management (FOM) stated the temperature being 37 degrees but FIA and team-contracted meteorologists Meteo France's temperature was a few degrees cooler.

Now, nowhere in the regulations - at least in the versions published on the link above - does it state the next part of the steward's argument: "a regulation stating in clear terms that for the purposes of Article [6.5.5] the definitive ambient temperature shall be indicated on the FOM timing monitors alone."

Two things here, Article 6.5.5 is about using devices to cool fuel, and if the accepted temperature is the one on FOMs monitor (37 degrees) then where's the issue? The fuel is illegal, the teams should be punished.

To me, not punishing them sets a dangerous precedent - one in which it is acceptable to do whatever you like in the final race of the season because changing the result would affect the winner of the championship.

But... McLaren are kicking up a fuss about this. And rightly so, for they were beaten in the race by seemingly illegal cars.

McLaren, not without controversy themselves after being kicked out of the Constructor's Championship for spying on Ferrari (something I haven't written about, but didn't feel the need. See here for details.) and causing the sport to be in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, are considering appealing the steward's decision to leave BMW Sauber and Williams unpunished.

Now, don't get me wrong, I do believe that if you do something wrong you should pay a penalty. But if these drivers are disqualified and removed from the results, the title will be Hamilton's by default. After a season mired by controversy and legal wranglings creating titles that are fairly tainted anyway, this is the last thing the sport needs.

The best thing would be to put the lid on 2007 and concentrate on making 2008 the best it can be.

Now then, to most people, Kimi Raikkonen seems to be a surprise Formula One World Champion... and in a way he is. But, you can also argue that he is the most deserving of the three protagonists going into Brazil - Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and himself. Indeed, a couple of hours before the race I wrote an entry detailing each of their prospects and how likely they were to win. I didn't say, but I thought Hamilton would sneak it.

So, how did Raikkonen actually be in contention for the title in the first place, I don't hear you asking. I'll tell you anyway, race by race in some kind of thought out idea...

Round 1: Australia
Raikkonen dominates, winning from pole position on his debut for Ferrari, Alonso is second and Hamilton third on his race debut.
Raikkonen 10 points, Alonso 8, Hamilton 6

Round 2: Malaysia
Alonso wins, Hamilton secures the one-two and Raikkonen is third.
Alonso 18, Raikkonen 16, Hamilton 14

Round 3: Bahrain
Brazilian Felipe Massa wins, Hamilton is second and Raikkonen finishes off the podium in third. Alonso comes in fifth creating a three-way tie at the top.
Alonso 22, Raikkonen 22, Hamilton 22

Round 4: Spain
Massa wins again with Hamilton second, beating Alonso on home soil. Raikkonen does not finish.
Hamilton 30, Alonso 28, Raikkonen 22

Round 5: Monaco
Alonso wins in a controversial McLaren one-two, with Hamilton complaining that he wasn't allowed to race for victory. Raikkonen gets a point for eighth.
Alonso 38, Hamilton 38, Raikkonen 23

Round 6: Canada
Hamilton takes the first win of his short career. Alonso finishes seventh and Raikkonen fifth.
Hamilton 48, Alonso 40, Raikkonen 27

Round 7: United States
Hamilton wins again from pole position, Alonso is second and Raikkonen fourth.
Hamilton 58, Alonso 48, Raikkonen 32

Round 8: France
Raikkonen returns to winning form in a Ferrari one-two. Hamilton is third and Alonso seventh.
Hamilton 64, Alonso 50, Raikkonen 42

Round 9: Britain
Raikkonen makes it two in a row, Alonso beats Hamilton into second place.
Hamilton 70, Alonso 58, Raikkonen 52

Round 10: Germany
Alonso wins, Hamilton fails to score in ninth place, ending his run of nine races on the podium. Raikkonen fails to finish.
Hamilton 70, Alonso 68, Raikkonen 52

Round 11: Hungary
The big bust-up of the season and where the controversy really began. Alonso was demoted from pole to fifth after preventing Hamilton from being able to complete his final qualifying run. However, Hamilton wins, Raikkonen is second and Alonso fourth.
Hamilton 80, Alonso 73, Raikkonen 60

Round 12: Turkey
Massa wins, Raikkonen is second and Alonso third. Hamilton comes in fifth.
Hamilton 84, Alonso 79, Raikkonen 68

Round 13: Italy
Alonso wins, leading a McLaren one-two. Raikkonen is third.
Hamilton 92, Alonso 89, Raikkonen 74

Round 14: Belgium
Raikkonen wins, Alonso third, Hamilton fourth.
Hamilton 97, Alonso 95, Raikkonen 84

Round 15: Japan
Hamilton gets what will be his fourth and final win of the season, looking to have the title all but sewn up. Alonso crashes out. Raikkonen finishes third.
Hamilton 107, Alonso 95, Raikkonen 90

Round 16: China
Hamilton fails to finish on worn tyres as he pitted for the second time. Raikkonen chalked up Ferrari's 200th Grand Prix win. Alonso finished second.
Hamilton 107, Alonso 103, Raikkonen 100

Which brings us to...

Round 17: Brazil
As it turned out, Lewis seemed to make more mistakes today than at any other race so far - or at least suffer more misfortune than he's encountered before. He dropped from second on the grid to fourth by the first corner, then went off the round under braking further round the opening lap. On lap 9, he lost a huge chunk of time when he a gearbox problem putting him 18th before he could sort it out and remap the settings. He ended up 7th after putting in a superb drive with many outstanding passing manoeuvres.

I'm certain his time to be champion will come.

Fernando Alonso finished the race third having few dramas. Never in the frame for victory, he was lapping around a second slower than the Ferraris, briefly falling as low as fourth when BMW's Robert Kubica passed him. He got his podium slot back when Robert pitted for the final of his three stops. Raikkonen's win was enough to overcome Alonso's three point advantage - third wouldn't be enough.

Final standings
Raikkonen 110, Hamilton 109, Alonso 109

Raikkonen, in my view, deserves to be champion. A McLaren winner would seem to be tainted given all the spying scandal stuff that's gone on over the summer.

Alonso has behaved like a spoilt child recently with his constant whining, even going as far as persuading the Spanish motor sport authority to convince the FIA that McLaren needed a fair-play steward over the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend - all basically to protect his ego and reassure himself he wasn't being screwed over.

Hamilton has a long future in Formula One, and yes, it would have been amazing for a rookie to win the championship, but the weight of expectation really did seem to be too much for him to take in the end. I'm sure he'll go into next year even stronger.

So, while I have my misgivings about the way Ferrari go about their racing and their conduct this year, I pass on my congratulations to them and to Raikkonen because at the end of it all, they've contributed to some wonderful racing.

As I type this, there is just over 1 hour left until the final Formula One race of the season at Interlagos, Brazil, gets underway.

For the first time since 1986, there's a three-way fight for the championship which will be decided today. Now, I find it quite hard to write about Formula One, because I know that some people really couldn't care less about it. I think, though, that everyone should have an urge to watch the race today, which could be the most eagerly awaited season finale for a good while - the last time a championship was decided at the last race was in 2003, also at Brazil where Michael Schumacher finished eighth to take the single point he needed.

Back in 1986 it came down to Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet. Mansell blew a tyre in the waning laps, and Prost took the title.

It could be just as exciting this year with Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and Kimi Raikkonen separated by just seven points - the Rookie, the Champion, and the Most Talented Driver On The Grid Never To Have Won The Championship (you come up with something better...).

Lewis Hamilton, 107 points:

Everyone knows his story by now. First black driver in Formula One. Rookie. Unbelievable talent and seemingly intelligent with it. We’ve waited the entire season for Hamilton to make those first year errors - but he just never made them. He was impetuous in Hungary and overambitious in China, but would you call those rookie mistakes? I don’t think so.

Back in 1998, Mika Hakkinen was four points up on Michael Schumacher going into the final race at Suzuka. Schumacher scored pole, topping Hakkinen by just one-tenth of a second, but stalled on the second restart, which pushed him to the back of the grid. The point is that no drivers make it through an entire season without a few cases of brain fade along the way. 

Fernando Alonso, 103 points:

With another title, Alonso will have won three in a row, something only Juan Manuel Fangio (1954-1957) and Michael Schumacher (2000-2004) have accomplished. Pretty amazing stuff.

Like Ayrton Senna, you know that he has a will to win at any cost - the one man demolition act he's performed at McLaren this year shows that he will do anything to destabilise those around him in order to win.

Which concerns me because if it comes down to a final lap all or nothing effort, I fear Alonso will take people off the track. The McLaren has shown itself to be a very strong, very reliable car this year and I think he will take advantage of that... time will tell. 

Kimi Raikkonen, 100 points:

Down seven points, Raikkonen really doesn’t have a shot, unless the two McLarens take each other out - something that isn't wholly unrealistic.

He is the only driver this year to win 5 races, and in the last seven races since the European Grand Prix in July, he has scored more points (48) than either Hamilton (37) or Alonso (35). 

For those trying to figure out the results combination for this weekend's finale, the BBC offers a summary:

Hamilton will be champion if:

• He wins or finishes second
• He finishes ahead of both his rivals
• He finishes no lower than second if Alonso wins
• He finishes no lower than fifth if Alonso is second
• He finishes no lower than fifth if Raikkonen wins
• He finishes no lower than seventh if Alonso is third and/or Raikkonen is second
• He finishes no lower than eighth if Alonso is fourth
• If Alonso if fifth or lower and Raikkonen finishes third or lower.

For Alonso to win, the Spaniard must:

• Win with Hamilton third or lower
• Finish second with Hamilton sixth or lower
• Finish third with Hamilton eighth or lower, and Raikkonen failing to win
• Finish fourth with Hamilton lower than eighth, and Raikkonen lower than second

For Raikkonen to be champion, the Finn must:

• Win with Hamilton sixth or lower and Alonso lower than second
• Finish second with Hamilton below seventh and Alonso lower than third

If Hamilton wins or comes second, the title is his, but after that there are a number of possible eventualities - and the fact that Alonso will be champion if the Spaniard wins and Hamilton is third or lower emphasizes how close it is. But if Alonso finishes outside the top four his hopes disappear, while Raikkonen has to come first or second to keep his slim chances alive.

I'm going for Hamilton, how about you?

Links and references (all open in a new window):

• Lewis Hamilton photo from F1 Chronicles.com
• Fernando Alonso photo from Fernando Alonso.com
• Kimi Raikkonen photo from ABC.net
• Some text and general idea from The New York Times Blog
• Title showdown summary from BBC.co.uk

Now then... last month I went to see a TV show being filmed at the mighty Leadmill in Sheffield. Said programme was Mobileact Unsigned, a hunt for the best unsigned band in the country. The episode was shown last Sunday on Channel 4 and I was thankfully unseen in the final edit. Yay!

I only knew about the thing because of the band, Envy & Other Sins, who I first saw way back in 2006 when they supported OK Go in Leeds. Anyway, I joined their email list from their website and they keep me in touch about all kinds of things, including this TV show.

Mobileact Unsigned is a bit like X Factor, but with credibility... there are three regular judges - Jo Wiley (Radio 1), Alex James (bassist in Blur) and record label executive Simon Gavin - and one guest judge - Calvin Harris (some dance music bloke).

The point is that each band plays one song and then gets judged on their performance and whether they go through to the next round or not. Three of the four judges needs to like them and the overall prize is a one album record deal. Bargain.

Anyway, Envy & Other Sins got voted through along with three other bands that day and, to be fair, thoroughly deserved to be as they were the best of the seven bands that I saw being filmed. There was a wide range of musical styles on show that day, from indie to screamo, from metal to folk-jazz pop stuff. Eclectic I think is the appropriate word!

Back to the point of this post, which was to bring you a video the band have made for the song they showcased on the programme, Highness. When you watch it, you'll see why I've rambled on about the X Factor and stuff...

"We made this video for Highness in July, we were saving it for a rainy day, and since the gargoyles were spewing this morning, today's that day..." - Envy & Other Sins, 17th October 2007.

It's brilliant!

Links (open in a new window):
The website of Envy & Other Sins
Highness video on YouTube

I'm ever so slowly getting there. Although I almost feel it's pointless as there's no outside link to this revamped place yet. Well, I say revamped... it's back online and very minimal at the moment.

But, the photo gallery is up now and working. I'm currently rebuilding things there by uploading all the photos I have copies of and adding some things from this summer.

Eventually the glue will harden and I'll feel happier putting a front page on the thing again rather than a holding area! But I feel that's the best thing until I'm closer to having it all as I like it again.

Keep on hanging on!

Weebl's Stuff is a place of many strange and wondrous things. Not least this (piccy clicky time) You need sound on, the music isn't great, but you'll love blimps after it!

Fun!

I want it to be my birthday NOW!

Clicky.

After losing most of my summer holidays and September for updating the site due to the database getting corrupted, and the stupid host I used to have not being around anymore to give me a backup, I'm here again.

Lots of things have happened. I've moved to another host, and then had to move again because the one I moved to was just as bad.

I've had to go through a legal process of reclaiming the ownership of this domain because the company I originally registered it with put it in theirs instead of mine...

I've done 7 solid weeks of teaching. I've had a visit from OfSTED.

Been hard.

But, onwards and upwards... let's see where life takes me.