Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Tony, I owe you an apology. When I asked you if you remembered  seeing Dick Francis ride in the flesh I didnt realise he retired in the 50's. I thought he had gone on much longer than that, I wasn't taking the mickey either.

Lol, enough with the rubs, Phil.

No, I only saw him on Pathe Newsreel stuff. One of my early memories, the Devon Loch thing, it was a sensation at the time.

[bobby1]

Tony, I owe you an apology. When I asked you if you remembered  seeing Dick Francis ride in the flesh I didnt realise he retired in the 50's. I thought he had gone on much longer than that, I wasn't taking the mickey either.

Lol, enough with the rubs, Phil.

No, I only saw him on Pathe Newsreel stuff. One of my early memories, the Devon Loch thing, it was a sensation at the time.

I am just reading the Obit form yesterdays Guardian. In it they put forward the two most likely reasons for Devon Loch spreadeagling to the floor, the roar of the crowd and jumping the shadow of the water jump alongside the rail.They also put forward a theory by the trainers head lad of the day who claimed that he tightened the horses girth an extra notch before the race, unaware that the trainer had also done this, what then caused the horse to slip was it let out a great big fart.

Who would have thought that , the queen mothers horse beaten by a fart.

[RED-DOG]

Speaking of obits Tony, do you ever listen to "Last Words" on radio 4?

[tikay]

Speaking of obits Tony, do you ever listen to "Last Words" on radio 4?

No  Tom - I'm not familiar.

[RED-DOG]

Speaking of obits Tony, do you ever listen to "Last Words" on radio 4?

No  Tom - I'm not familiar.

You're missing a treat, (If it's not disrespectful to describe such things thusly)

This week it included, among others, Alexander McQueen, Charlie Wilson, Ian Carmichael, and Cleo lane, remembering her late husband Sir John Dankworth.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search/?q=last%20words

[AndrewT]

Here's some real train porn for you.

Google have got together with the Russian Railways and made this:

http://www.google.ru/intl/ru/landing/transsib/en.html

The put a cameras on a train travelling the Trans-Siberian Railway and recorded what they saw. Now you can watch the whole thing, from Moscow to Vladivostok, in real-time - all 150 hours.

[Rod Paradise]

Here's some real train porn for you.

Google have got together with the Russian Railways and made this:

http://www.google.ru/intl/ru/landing/transsib/en.html

The put a cameras on a train travelling the Trans-Siberian Railway and recorded what they saw. Now you can watch the whole thing, from Moscow to Vladivostok, in real-time - all 150 hours.

6 and a bit days later - TK - having lost his Sky job(s) for being AWOL, and screwed up the diet by eating rubbish and drinking Red Bull to stay awake, manages to type one sentence onto Blonde - "Thanks Andrew."

[titaniumbean]

Here's some real train porn for you.

Google have got together with the Russian Railways and made this:

http://www.google.ru/intl/ru/landing/transsib/en.html

The put a cameras on a train travelling the Trans-Siberian Railway and recorded what they saw. Now you can watch the whole thing, from Moscow to Vladivostok, in real-time - all 150 hours.

That's ruddy quality

[GreekStein]

Got home from work yesterday and my old man, who's pretty much a man of leisure these days had his usual daily game of poker with my uncles over lunch. (They absolutely love the game). So, after a raise and a call, the flop is dealt.

A....Q.....4 rainbow.

One of my uncles, trying to impress turned to everyone and said, 'Ha! Umbrella flop!'.

After Papa-Papertits stopped laughing he explained the Umbrella.

[tikay]

I was mourning the dearth of well-written Blogs the other day, penned by individuals who know how to structure a sentence, write in grown-up, are not afraid to poke fun at themselves, Blogs that reallly make you think, & I mentioned Paul Phillips "Extempore".

So I logged onto to Extempore yesterday, & Paul had Posted this.......

I'm hanging it up. This is the final blog entry. Put away the kleenex, you three. You knew it was coming. Tomorrow the future officially begins, for real this time, and blogging is going to be SO '0-X by about 10AM.

I may reopen somewhere, but if I do it'll only be about software, and niche software at that.

In case anyone wonders what happened to me the last couple years: I was reborn. It took half my (projected) life, but I unexpectedly discovered something I'd only caught in glimpses before: pure, limitless, intrinsic motivation. I am addicted to the multiplier effect which emerges as I spend more and more time on software. And most of all: "It's a great thing when you realize you still have the ability to surprise yourself."

Happy new year, and happy lives to everyone straggling across the finish line with me

Now THATS how to end a Blog.

He's one of those guys who, whatever he writes about - & I don't pretend to understand 20% of it, but it's fun trying to fathom it out - he is very readable, very challenging.

Anyone who knows their subjects well & articulates them beautifully is worth a read or a look.

I doubt if a more intellignt & gifted person has ever graced the poker tables as a Pro player.

 

[tikay]

In the same vein, I watched most of Patrick Moore's "The Sky at Night", simply because he was so enthusiastic, so knowledgeable, so intelligent. I don't have the faintest interest in Astronomy, but he made something I had no interest in truly fascinating.

Patrick has Presented "The Sky at Night" for 53 years - fifty-three years! - & only missed one Edition. Which was due to a goese egg. But that's another story.

He's 87 now, I think, & has never been afraid to poke fun at himself. Someone wrote earlier about poor Andrew Feldman's "awkward" social skills. Watch & learn, my friend.

[EvilPie]

In the same vein, I watched most of Patrick Moore's "The Sky at Night", simply because he was so enthusiastic, so knowledgeable, so intelligent. I don't have the faintest interest in Astronomy, but he made something I had no interest in truly fascinating.

This is very strange but I am exactly the same with this.

I really don't care about astronomy at all but if I know this program is on I will make an effort to see it.

[tikay]

bookiebasher alerted me today to the fact that "Readers Digest" has gone into administration. Ugh. Not quite true, but near enough.

"Readers Digest UK" - the UK based arm of the American company - has gone into Administration, as it has a Pension Fund defecit of £125 million I believe. The American Parent filed for Chapter 11 protection a year or so back.

Amazingly, & surprisingly, to this day, it remains the largest selling monthly magazine in the entire world, & "local" Editions are published in 30 or more countries.

So many memories. They made a hash of those dreadful Readers Digest Monthly Draws. "You , Anthony James Kendall, have been selected from your entire street, as the sole WINNER of our Prize Draw & you have won a prize which makes you eligible for a prize which might be sixty zillion pounds".

And I've rarely been in a Waiting Room which did not have copies of RD scattered about, & they were timeless, always readable. If for nothing else, then for those little one-line witticisms which were at the bottom of most pages.

I suppose it's a bit old hat in these times, when kids just want to be fed instant gratification pish like Lost, 24, & Call of Duty - & let's not forget Lady Ga-Ga. The times are a changing.

It was always a handy Christmas Present, too, a years subscription to RD never went amiss, for sheer value. I always used to give 1 year subs to either RD or National Geographic Magazine as Crimble Gifts. Mind you, I have no friends now.

[byronkincaid]

lost may well be pish but it is most certainly not instant gratification, the very opposite in fact. i'm not sure how you can have an opinion on it when you don't watch or read fiction, apart from dick francis of course i wonder if you would like the wire? one day you might be at a loose end and have the opportunity to watch a few episodes, you might find it well worth it.

[gatso]

lost may well be pish but it is most certainly not instant gratification

exactly what I was going to say (apart from the pish bit). nothing could be further from instant gratification

I thought reader's digest went outof business years ago, don't think I've ever seen a copy less than 7 or 8 years ole