Book Review - The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared

I've become a little bit of a Kindle fiend.... I love it.

I haven't always been keen - see my post from 2 years ago, where I deliberated the pros and cons of e-readers.  Of, course, things have changed quite considerably since then.

I love the small, compact size, and I love that I can have different books to suit different moods, all in one place.
I also love the fact that it's so easy (too easy?) to buy a book; or two.

No waiting for the postman; it's just a question of being connected.

There are also many treasures to be found, which, had I been to a bookshop may not have noticed - and the pricing of some of them is truly remarkable.

Towards the end of last year I read "The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared".

Written by Jonas Jonasson; this is another example of a Scandinavian author making it big in the wider world (Steig Larsson and Jo Nesbo are two others that spring to mind).

The story centres around Allan Karlsson, a young-at-heart centarian, who decided he doesn't want the fuss and bother of a birthday party, to celebrate his 100 years, so he quite literally jumps out of his bedroom window and wanders off.

Triggering a manhunt, what then follows are the many twists and turns of adventure; with much of the book focussing on his past; as well as the current situation.


It's a funny story; heart-warming, and poignant all at the same time.
The detail about his past includes meeting real head of state and personalities from history; and whilst they are real, the stories are undoubtably fiction (I hope!)

This is a man who has no fear, and just likes the simple things in life.  His attitude to living is simple - just get on with it...

At the time of writing, this book is just 20p on Amazon Kindle.... at 400 pages long, it's not a small book; but you won't want to put it down.

Having a clear out

I have been having a quite cathartic few days; I have been unsubscribing to a number of emails...

• Groupon
• Insurance companies
• Travel companies
• Job searches
• Entertainment (cinemas, theatres etc)

You name it; anything that has been sent to me automatically on a weekly / daily or even monthly basis, I have been removing.

Add that to the de-activation of my Facebook account, and I am going to start 2013 with a clean slate of crappy, waste of space email notifications.

If I want something, I'll search for it.

It's been quite a useful exercise; one I'm sure will take a while to complete, as emails continue to be received over the next month or two - but once done, wow! what a clear inbox I'll have.

Happy New Year (and empty Inbox)

SKYFALL Adele Music Promo

Just a week to go until what is being touted as 'the best Bond film ever ' and the theme is back to the tradition of big band... Can't wait to see this.....

Living In The Cloud - Update

*UPDATED*

When I wrote this, back in August, the BlackBerry PlayBook was getting tough reviews.  However, since the OS was updated to 2.0 at the end of February, I can honestly say those reviews are unfounded.

With native email, calendar and contacts now part and parcel of the device, it now really is possible to live in "The Cloud".

What's more, with the introduction of an Android player, the number of apps available has increased exponentially.  Personally, I'm not too bothered about apps.  I have what I need and don't have a desire to load my PlayBook with everything under the sun.

My device does exactly what I want it to do; and using my phone to connect to the internet, when not in a Wi-Fi area means I'm not restricted in any way.

So - if you haven't already; take a look at the latest version of the BlackBerry PlayBook; like others, you might be pleasantly surprised

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"The Cloud".  It's a phrase we hear about more and more, as our computing lives take place on line.

We are living in an ever connected world. We're sold broadband that is always on; we have a number of devices that are connected to the internet. The laptop, the smartphone, games consoles like the Ninetendo Wii, XBox, Playstation and many more.  Even the fridge!
Can it be possible to do without the full-scale laptop and/or PC, and live within the means of the handheld devices we carry around.
There have been quite a few experiments recently, where people have lived without the use of a normal PC or laptop, for one day; and I thought I'd join the fray!
To 'Live in the Cloud' you not only need the equipment to, but you also need the software. This is how I spent one day, using just my BlackBerry Torch and BlackBerry PlayBook

Browser - The whole reason for being in the Cloud.  The BlackBerry PlayBook offers a browser experience that is near the normal browser.


Bluebox - an app that connects to your Dropbox account. This is a great way to store and access documents, and once they've been edited they sync back and the new version is available anywhere. It's also easy to share documents too  When you sign up, you get 2Gb of storage, free.

Documents To Go - Included on BlackBerry (from OS5) it's allows you to edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents whilst out and about. It's also included on the PlayBook.  The one downside is the ability to fully edit spreadsheets, but otherwise, it's ideal for reviewing. *UPDATE - From OS2, it's now possible to edit spreadsheets...

BlackBerry Bridge - One of the negatives bandied about with regards to the PlayBook, is the lack of native applications, such as email.  However, BlackBerry created the Bridge, an app that allows you to access these on your mobile phone, including BlackBerry Messenger, contacts, calendar and documents.  Although not native, it could be argued that, since these are not available when the Bridge is disconnected, then security of the data remains intact.

Google Docs - An alternative to Docs To Go; but you need to be Online to use it.  Google Docs is a solid way to access and share documents, as well as GMail and Calendar.

GeeReader - Keep in touch with your RSS news feeds. It's a great, free app, for the PlayBook, that integrates well; and since the PlayBook can play video, you can also watch the news too.

Connectivity - Of course, living (and working) in the cloud means that you also need to be connected.  There are numerous ways - a wif-fi connection via a hotspot, a personal wi-fi hotspot, or even the use of the BlackBerry Torch as a modem.  If you have an unlimited data plan (or even  a high-use) then this is a great way to keep connected.

Nobody said it would be easy, and this is just a quick look at the possibilities, especially since everything I've mentioned here is free (apart from the network connectivity).

It goes to show what can be achieved whilst out and about.... Including this particular post!

Go Go Jo - Act Two

Following on from my previous post about Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, here is Act Two

The interval was fairly hectic.

Twenty minutes to change back into our "Brother" costumes; frantic re-application of copious amounts of microporous tape to stick the microphone to sweaty faces - that stuff is really not suitable for a show like this; on the second night, my microphone came away; and I could feel the wire flapping over my ear!  Very disconcerting; not knowing if it's going to completely come away!

In any case, we were soon rehydrated and ready to make our entrances for the second half.

Once again, the orchestra played through the intro, and we stood in the wings.

Act two contains more songs, and once Pharaoh had done his 'thang' and rock 'n' rolled down Egypt way, and the girls had wopbopshawadibopped and ooh-eee-ooh'd ; it was time for the Brothers to re-enter the fray; this time as 'sad Parisiens'.

Comedy Moment

Joseph is a show on many levels, the sad poignant moments, the raucous dance routines (see the Hoe-Down in One More Angel) and also some wonderful comedic moments.

'Canaan Days' is one of the funniest moments of the show; a bunch of men; all crying and bemoaning times passed; all done in a French accent.  As cast members we loved doing it.

On the first night, it went quite well; but we received one direction from Debbie; it needed to be hammed up even more.  All I can say is, by the final night, we had taken it to a whole new level; and the audience lapped it up.

The routines were all great; and I must admit that each night I was more confident about what I was doing in front of a paying crowd.

The Finale

So Jacob came to Egypt, and was re-united with Joseph.
Joseph donned his multi-coloured coat, and started to reprise the anthemic "Any Dream Will Do" - as a company we slotted into our rehearsed positions and sang our way to the end.

As Joseph finished his song; we pulled back to reveal the multi-coloured sections of THE coat.

Megamix - It's All Over Now

As in the touring production of the show, we also 'did' the Megamix - re-visiting songs from the show.

Treated as an encore; and a way for the cast to take their bows, from the first moment that it started, to the bows at the end; with the running, dancing, clapping and cheering; this 8 minute, non-stop routine was electric.

You could feel it amongst the cast; and when we were in the audience, clapping along, it was the first time we could see their faces up close, and they were loving it.

The opening night standing ovation was just amazing.  Each and every cast member was ecstatic about the reception we received; and we knew that we had to repeat that the very next night.

And we did.
Every night; pouring our hearts and souls into giving the best we could!
Four nights of standing ovations.

There are no words to describe the feeling; but I can understand why professionals love what they do.

It was an amazing experience; three months of rehearsals, all boiled down to 4 nights of pure magic.  Working (if you can call it work) with some very talented people; some who had done shows before, others who were as new to this as me, we all gelled as a company; and it was this 'teamwork' which produced the final show.

I had a fantastic time.  We all did.  We're still talking about it now.

Question is? What's next?