Month: April 2006

Hysterically Funny….

A while ago I got a second hard drive for my PC.

To fit it I needed a couple of pesky little brackets – could I find those brackets ? I could not ! Read about it here !

See this picture. It’s the inside of my PC case cover. See those things screwed to the inside…

Each time I’ve taken off the cover I’ve laid it aside. Never giving it a second look.

Today I popped into a little computer shop and, to my amazement, they had some brackets. They looked a bit different, but I thought they’d do.

I got back full of expectation. Took the cover off the PC and put it aside as usual.

As I sat on the floor examining the new brackets, I glanced across at the PC cover.

What did I see ?

Four shiny hard disk brackets were neatly screwed to the inside of the cover.

How dumb is that… I mean Jesus. Fuck !!!

Tiramisu

Try this. It’s soooo easy to make and totally gorgeous. It’s tiramisu. Had it for Easter lunch today, and it’s fab…

5 eggs, separated
3/4 cup (5oz/150g) superfine caster sugar
2 cups (1lb/500g) mascarpone cheese
dash of salt
about 30 ladyfingers (preferably savoiards)
1 cup (8fl oz/250ml) strong cool coffee
7 squares (7oz/200g) semi-sweet (dark) chocolate, grated
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa (cocoa powder)

Serves 6, prep. 20 mins. chill at least 3 hrs or make the day before.

Whisk the egg yolks and superfine sugar until pale and creamy. Carefully fold in the mascarpone. Beat the egg whites with the salt until very stiff and fold them into the mixture. Spread a thin layer over the bottom of a large oval serving dish.

Soak the ladyfingers briefly in the coffee and place a layer over the mixture on the bottom of the dish. Cover with another layer of the mixture and sprinkle with a little chocolate. Continue in this way until all the ingredients are in the dish. Finish with a layer of cream and chocolate, and sprinkle with unsweetened cocoa.

Serve and eat.

Otters and Owls

otter.jpgWent to the New Forest today. Great place. Ancient woodland, beautiful countryside and Britain’s newest national park. Wanted to get out of the city and thought the New Forest was worth a look.

Checked out the New Forest Otter, Owl and Wildlife Park to see…. you guessed it, otters, owls and wildlife !!!

The otters were wonderfully playful and energetic. Darting about their enclosures, play fighting, squeaking and generally scampering around.

The owls were magnificent. Wise looking birds peering down from their perches. They viewed us with near contempt as they turned their heads and blinked their large eyes. I loved the owls.

They also had deer, a lynx, wallabies, wild boar, black rats, badgers, hedgehogs, cheeky little ferrets, red foxes, a mad pine marten and minx (or is it minxes !).

One little deer was so tame is wandered among the visitors nibbling bags, push chairs and anything in reach. Funny.

A really cool place to spend a few hours marvelling at the beauty of nature and wildlife.

More photos here.

China

Goolge have just launched in China. Emerging markets, a billion new consumers, we have to be there. You know how it works.

However, China is a totalitarian, communist state. No freedom of speech, no democracy, no freedom of religion… no freedom. Question the state, and they’ll jail you, torture you… even kill you. The individual has few rights in China.

Check this out…

An image search on Google.com with the keyword Tiananmen Square
An image search on Google.ch (google china) with the keyword Tiananmen Square

Bit of a difference, huh ?!

The big corporations, including Google, see a vast new market in China. The place to be. The future of profit. But, what price freedom ? How much do you compromise when dealing with a totalitarian regime ?

Some argue that capitalism will foster democracy in China. A growing middle class will demand reform. Maybe.

Others claim democracy would not suit China. It’s too big. It’s always been ruled from the centre – be it an imperial court or the Communist Party. China’s a special case, they argue, where democracy may not be applicable.

Who knows. What we do know is China is on the rise. The big question is whether Chinese ascendancy will translate into expansionism. A glance at the history books (Germany or Japan, for example) suggests that rising powers soon get territorial ambitions which lead to conflict.

Communist China has already invaded and occupied one neighbour, Tibet, and threatens another, Taiwan. It’s no coincidence that China is spending hard on its military. Turning it’s economic strength into military power.

In the region, Japan are beefing up their armed forces and Taiwan are buying sophisticated weaponry. North Korea remains armed to the teeth and dangerously unstable.

love that…..

Things I love at the moment:

  • Monk-e-mail – let talking monkeys dictate your email… hilarious !
  • nigiri sushi with wasabi and pickled ginger – just can’t get enough of it
  • Time Magazine – I’m on a 6 month trial subscription and every week it’s been really good. I’ve read it on and off for 15 years or so and they’ve definitely cracked how to cover the topical issues in an intelligent and engaging way.
  • The Apprentice – so good, so watchable. Ruth to win.
  • uswitch – changed my broadband and electricity supplier recently – dead easy. Saved some dosh too.
  • apple juice – fresh, sweet and tasty
  • sunshine – we’ve had a cold, wet winter and at last we’re seeing some sun. More… more… more
  • Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy – repetitive, but addictive
  • goujons – those breaded chicken finger things… mmmmm