I’d like to share something with you all.

When my mother died, 26 years ago, my grandfather - her father - was suffering from senile dementia and for nearly 100% of the time was on a different planet.

In the preparations for the funeral, he clearly knew little of what was happening. He kept on asking where we were going etc etc. In the hearse on the way to the funeral, I saw the mists clear from his eyes, and knew he understood. He turned to me and he said: “It’s never the right order” and then the mists closed back.

He was right.

Due to a combination of imminent holidays, bereavements of varying types and things too numerous to mention, this blog is now on holiday, returning on 15th August.

There is a danger, if insufficient sun cream is used, of ending up with roast bacon. Toodle pip!

To keep you amused on Friday afternoon, something to look at, something to help you make your own mistakes, and something to help you avoid mind control.

Have a good weekend.

Can’t really miss this production.

So please can someone explain to me how Bush manages to get away with the stem cell veto? I listened in amazement as I heard that - for his first ever veto he said

the research which uses frozen embryos is morally wrong.

As opposed to destroying the lives of thousands of innocent civilians half way round the world, which is clearly morally defensible.

Looking around for a US take on the whole “Snowflake” deal I came up with this blog. From what I can see this divergence of opinion highlights the rift that may end up splitting our world apart. I look at the origins of the first world war, where soldiers were sent like pigs to slaughter, and it seems clear now that it was an arms and influence race. The second war is even clearer, with a straight line from Versailles through the depression to the gas chambers. Are we now looking at the seeds of the third? I am sad to think we may be.

When we look back, what will we say they were? God. Arrogance. And oil.

I haven’t changed my mind about Big Brother, but I thought I’d share the moment this morning when I switched on a TV (for literally 2 minutes) and was treated to this conversation:

(please imagine the accents)
Housemate 1: Before wasting food we should consider those in other countries who don’t have food, even if it’s only half a melon
Housemate 2: Well, melons is diff’rent coz they got em in uvver countries, they grow em in uvver countries, dey got trees an all.

Dearie, dearie, me.

You are driving in a car at a constant speed. On your left side is a sheer drop and on your right is a fire engine travelling at the same speed as you. In front of you is a galloping pig which is the same size as your car and you cannot overtake it. Behind you is a helicopter flying at ground level. Both the giant pig and the helicopter are also travelling at the same speed as you.

What must you do to safely get out of this highly dangerous situation?
The answer is posted in comments.

It’s a funny old thing, privacy. Lots of people put a whole lot of effort into remaining private. Truth is that might make them feel good, but does it have any effect? Lets come back to that.

I’ve been reminded a couple of times lately (like here) that my attitude towards privacy is slightly different, perhaps more relaxed than some. Which is odd, because here I am: a pig masquerading as a human pretending to be a pig. Also, I know how it all works: I know about and can use anonymous remamailers, PGP, anonymous proxy - all the things you need to maintain a basic level of privacy. But do I bother? Nope, it’s all too much like hard work.

Over the years I have left droppings all over the Internet. Some of it I had to do, because I made my living off the Internet, some of it just happened, just because. Does it matter to me? Not really, not so I can tell. I haven’t left anything that would work for id3ntity theft, and I’m fairly calm about peole knowing stuff. Although I went searching back about 15 years last night and some of that I wouldn’t have publicised.

Really, for determined searcher, there is always a way, so why bother with the trivial stuff. If you are interested in the subject this link will repay any amount of study. Really. The guy behind the site is basicaly a demigod. Just bear in mind that you may have to work for some of the information that is there.

So a challenge, to anyone that would care to take it up. Not difficult. The oldest snippet of information or trail about me that can be found wins a postcard (can be sent post restante ). Anything particularly interesting, or that I didn’t know was out there gets a special award. Put stuff in the comment box or email to londondailyphoto at gmail.com.

I reserve the right to delete ANYTHING.

This entrepeneur’s site kept me amused for a while, and the free offers and chop gear road tests all seem original. All in all, a good website.

If you have this problem, it is worth downloading and installing the User Profile Hive Cleanup (snappy, huh?) service. This is the Microsoft link (which checks windows authenticity and here is a non-M$ site. May not help, but can’t hurt. Typically, you should see an improvement.

If you do that on your camera, all you need to do is download PC Inspector ffrom here, install and run. Dead easy and free!

I’d love to convince you that this was all my work, but I received it in a silicon.com newsletter. Over to them:

Women who want to be taken seriously in the world of IT have
several options.

One is to get their head down and fight on through the stigmas, stereotypes and sexism, and hope that endeavour can somehow break down the walls and bring the glass ceilings shattering down to earth, there to serve as a relic of the outdated and anachronistic attitudes that kept too many down for too long.

Or they can get their tits out.

The latter option has pretty much been the preferred avenue taken by a group of Australian female techies who have decided that a racy calendar is the way forward to promote themselves and to further the image of women working in technology.

‘The IT Screen Goddesses’ website claims”We are doing this to smash through the perception of the geeky technologist.”

The calendar features 16 tech ‘Sheilas’ in poses made famous in iconic stills or scenes from the silver screen - such as the famous image of Mena Suvari in American Beauty lying naked among rose petals or Ursula Andress emerging from the sea wearing the white bikini which for some defined the first Bond film, Dr No.

Promotional material for the calendar says it includes “beautiful photos of real women”. Not “real photos of beautiful women”, you’ll note, though the Round-Up was very impressed with Ursula Andress - or Sharon from Personal Broadband Australia, to use her full title.

Oh yes…. the link.

Knowing just how much some people like kittens, The Pig wishes to satisfy all visitors.

You must know the Darwin Awards, awarded to those members of the human race kind enough to remove their own stoopid gene from the pool. This incident occurred when a doctor decided to blow himself and his house up, rather than let his wife get it in a divorce. He turned on the gas, and then struck a match but survived the ensuing explosion.

A friend witnessed this from a school 40 yards away, so I’ll hand over:

This was part of an interview from an eyewitness who worked at my school.

Oh yeah, I’m fine- it was kind of loud, (what with the building exploding and collapsing two buildings down) kind of reverbating, (what with our building shaking and all) and kind of smelly. (what with gas, et al) Lots of people on the street were fairly injured, but all in all, it beat a boring morning at my desk.
It was nice to have the afternoon off.

And the bugger lived.

To prove that god loves irony, The guy was a jerk, always calling the school screaming at us that “your damned students are out sitting on my stoop- and eating LUNCH!”

Well– the whole damned building is in pieces, the street is destroyed, and people are seriously injured–

but the stoop still stands intact!

Little bit of nostalgia here, who remembers the days when there was loads of free stuff on the Internet because we were being bribed to visit companies’ sites? A quick google shows that “http://whatwouldyoudoforafreet.com” has gone to the great server in the sky. What is left is a clutch of half baked sites that expect you to give up your personal information, mosty in the folorn hope of winning a draw for one shirt. This site has some free stuff, but it doesn’t do much for me. Anyone got GOOD free sites? Do they exist?

What was Scaryduck doing at Hamton Court? (clickie for biggie)

Following a Daily Photo post on a euphorbia, I thought I’d post a picture of another, spotted at Wisley.

by Theo Wa1cott aged 17 and a little bit.

After all the sporting excitement this weekend, what better way to satrt the week than with Colemanballs?