Media Blackout

Could you survive 24 hours without access to ANY media; no phone, no internet, no television, no newspapers and no radio.

Students at Bournemouth University took part in a worldwide experiment, called 'Unplugged' to see the effect, and how difficult it is to live today, without the use of daily media.

Earlier this week, the BBCs technology reporter Rory Cellan-Jones caught up with three of the students to find out how they were getting on!



You can find out more about the project here.

AFC Bournemouth - Another Win

Those Cherries Boys are on a roll, with another win yesterday, against MK Dons.

Playing at home, the team are garnering further support, as their season continues in a very positive way.  Although they conceded a penalty, the final score was 3-2

This has moved them up one place, to 3rd in the league, only one point behind Peterborough, and a futher 3 points away from leaders Brighton.

Their next match is on Saturday, away to Sheffield Wednesday.

Keep up the good work guys.

Mitch Benn - Proud of the BBC

This is fabulous - tons of good reasons to pay the BBC licence fee



Personally, I think the Beeb should play this between programmes.  No, not EVERY programme, but makes a great trailer...

Book Review - The Snowman

First of all, let me start by saying; this isn't some re-write from Raymond Briggs about The Snowman.  Aled Jones is nowhere in sight.

You may have seen this on the shelves, you may have already read it; but if not, this is a gripping read.

Another series, set in the Scandinavian land of Norway; and hot on the heels of the Millenium Trilogy (which is possibly why it's been translanted), this is a police / murder / mystery / crime thriller, from the pen of Jo Nesbo.

The Snowman is actually the forth in the series.
The first one was "The Redbreast" (which I've also read), followed by "Nemesis", "The Devil's Star" and "Redeemer".

All these follow the story of Harry Hole, a detective working to solve the crimes on the streets of Oslo.  They're gritty dramas, which hold no punches.

The Snowman is about a serial killer; who kills when the first snow falls.  At the scene of a killing; he builds a snowman; sometimes a simple one, sometimes it contains the body-parts of the murdered.  It's a clever, twisted, plot that keeps you hooked to the end.
Since it's not the first of the Harry Hole novels, maybe it's not the best place to start, as the others build up the history and back-story for the characters.  However, that doesn't detract from the story, and it'll soon pull you in.

Since I've read "The Redbreast", some of it makes more sense, and I'm already looking forward to the next installment, "Nemesis"; which is primed and ready to go on my iPad. 

However, I am now in the midst of the latest Jack Reacher novel, from Lee Child.  It's called Worth Dying For; and as with all the others; it's pure fun.  I'm about half-way through, and so far it has lived up to the expectation set by all the others.

So; if you're looking for a good read; like thrillers or action/adventure, then look no further than Jo Nesbo or Lee Child.

Blog Action Day - Water

Today is Blog Action Day - a day when bloggers around the world to unite in support of one topic.

This year, the subject is all about water.

Now, you know I'm not hugely political, however, when there is a basic human right that isn't available to everyone, then this needs to be shouted about.

That vital resource that we all take for granted, and can't live, literally, without.


Blog Action Day 2010: Water from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

Here are some facts:

• African women walk over 40 billion hours each year carrying cisterns weighing up to 18 kilograms to gather water, which is usually still not safe to drink.
• Every week, nearly 38,000 children under the age of 5 die from unsafe drinking water and unhygienic living conditions.
• Many scholars attribute the conflict in Darfur at least in part to lack of access to water. A report commissioned by the UN found that in the 21st century, water scarcity will become one of the leading causes of conflict in Africa.
• In July, to address the water crisis, the United Nations declared access to clean water and sanitation a human right over. But we are far from implementing solutions to secure basic access to safe drinking water.
• The shiny new iPhone in your pocket requires half a liter of water to charge. That may not seem like much, but with over 80 million active iPhones in the world, that’s 40 million liters to charge those alone.
• That cotton t-shirt you’re wearing right now took 1,514 liters of water to produce, and your jeans required an extra 6,813 liters.
• The US, Mexico and China lead the world in bottled water consumption, with people in the US drinking an average of 200 bottles of water per person each year. Over 17 million barrels of oil are needed to manufacture those water bottles, 86 percent of which will never be recycled.

Please take action yourself and add your name to the petition; by using the box on the right, and help support the efforts of the UN to bring clean, safe water to millions.

You can find out more at http://blogactionday.change.org/