Republican Debates

Number 1 - I know I have mis-spelt foreign or rather I did after my wife pointed it out and I kinda liked leaving it in.

Number 2 - I have no particular prejudice against any of the Republican candiates whoever they are.  The fact there are now only four meant less drawing for me but on this side of the pond the coverage of the Republican primaries takes the form of whose made what gaffe today.  The most popular type of gaffe for us is when a presidential candidate doesn't know some geography like where Armenia is or the capital of Uruguay.  It doesn't matter that most people couldn't answer all the questions a potential president is asked it just makes us feel superior.

Number 3.  I don't know if I'd vote Republican or Democrat except I'd vote for Josiah Bartlett from the West Wing as long as Aaron Sorkin was still doing his speech writing.

Rabbie Burns To A (Computer) Mouse

With Burns night tomorrow I thought I'd turn my hand to some cyber-Burns poetry and bad puns whilst avoiding the old gag about hospitals and Burns units.

The use of (computer) mice is perhaps on the wane which lead to me to try a few more verses in honour of Scotland's national poet who was a farmer and not a PC support person

To a Mouse

Wee, sleekit, cordless, desktop beastie
O, what a peripheral on ma PC!
Thou need na type awa sae hasty
Wi baffling technobabble!
I wad ma laptop didnae replace thee
Wi’  multi-touch trackpad

I’m truly sorry Steve Job’s creation
Has broke your UI domination
An justifies touch operation
Which makes me stab
At it, my poor erroneous selection
On filthy  iPad

But Mousie, thou aren’t to blame
In proving software may be vain
The best-saved schems o’ mice an’ men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’a us nough but grief an’ pain
For several hours of work!

Blackbeard and the Baby Book

My Sherlock Ending Theory

After a cracking BBC second season of Sherlock that has ended minutes after it started the Internet is awash with theories about how Sherlock survived a 'fall' from the roof of the hospital in the final episode.

Wallace's Deferendum

I'm an Englishman with Scottish roots who grew up and lives in Scotland so you think I'd be interested in the devolution debate currently topping the UK headlines but I'm not.  You see it must be a slow news cycle that leads everyone to talk about something that might happen in 2 years time that may lead to a long and costly breakup of the United Kingdom.

The most annoying part is that the 'debate' it generates quickly becomes an ugly slagging match between Scots who want out and English who either want the Scots out or want to moan about how they subsidise Scotland.  These are not the thoughts of the main population of England and Scotland but rather the fringe elements who hover round the comment section of newspapers waiting for a chance to make their point.  What I want before any referendum is some facts about what it would mean to be in or out not endless Braveheart style speeches about Freedom.

If it is to be 2012 I'm not looking forward to two years of increasing bad feeling between England and Scotland before the real debate starts.

Wii Unfit accessory

We finally got our PS3 Move operational this Christmas.   Parents who have kids and Wii's will be glad to be back at work now so they don't have to play energetic games with their kids.  For those parents I introduce the RC copter - the Wii unfit accessory

The Sword In The Stone