So other recent news was about media studies being taught at primary school level. Seems like a good idea to me, assuming that it’ll teach kids to be media-savvy. There are so many news stories that push a sensationalist angle while less exciting but worthy stories go unreported that the world view from the media is, in my opinion, very different from reality. From the media it’d be easy for a kid to assume that everybody in every profession is corrupt in some way - the only innocent party being Joe Public ‘man on the street’, who doesn’t really exist. That’s got to be quite depressing for some kids, so any teaching that the media isn’t a true picture of reality should be a good thing.

I suppose the alternative view would be that in teaching kids to be cynical they will be less inclined to believe anything anyone says. This would, indeed, suck. How do you govern people who are taught to distrust? However if you teach them this in conjunction with a desire to insist on evidence then we’d really be getting somewhere. 49% of people saying “the Hutton Report is a whitewash” when they know absoloutely nothing about it and are basing this on ‘politicians are always corrupt’ is just dumb, but 49% of people saying “it’s a whitewash and we can prove it” would be a force to be reckoned with.

Citizenship has been a part of the secondary school syllabus for a while now, which also sounds like an excellent idea. How many people do you know who know next to nothing about democracy? Voter apathy has to be sorted in some way or we’ll all go to hell in a handbasket, so teaching people from an early age why democracy is important looks to me like a great step forward.

I’m growing to dislike this phrase in the media, as reasoned arguments are invariably ignored in favour of soundbites, but given that I know you’re all intelligent enough to be able to back up what you say and are willing to listen to opposing views, here it is:

What do you think?

Imagine you’re happily walking down a Taiwanese street. You look to your right and see a sperm whale being transported on the back of a large lorry. Then: KABOOM! If only Douglas Adams were still alive.

Second on my list of things to do once I’m in power (after banning Johnny Vegas) is to pass this into law.

There seem to have been a rush of heroic animal stories recently. Like these. We’re gonna need smaller capes.

Hands up who remembers me raving about a little single by the unknown Katie Melua a few months back? Nobody? Didn’t think so. Check out the top item on this list, then feel free to email me money, adoring sonnets, underwear etc. Seriously, I received this album for Christmas and I’ve had to work hard not to listen to it too much. You know that feeling when you know the songs so well they don’t seem so special any more? I hate that. She’s got a stunning voice - hopefully she’ll take off in a Norah Jones like manner.

Apparently 49% of people think the Hutton Report was a ‘whitewash’. In similar news, the Chinese Emperor’s nose is reported to be 2.6cm long.

And I’m exhausted, so today’s post will consist of light music.

La de dee, dee daa la, rum pum pum, arooga moo, cataRONKYwaaaaaaAAA…choo…deee….doooooo.

Ba ba.

I’ve always had an interest in the BBC, both as an idea and an institution, and today must be one of the darkest days in its history. The resignation of the two most senior men due to the Hutton Report’s stinging attack must be a body blow. How often do you see staff members spontaneously protesting at the resignation of their boss? I can’t see Andrew Gilligan lasting the week, I’m not sure anybody could stay in a job where a mistake you made brought down two of the most important people in the media. In fact, given the magnitude of the error, I’m not sure you should. But what do I know.

I’m sure this is already being used by those who dislike the BBC to further promote their agendas. Many people seem to have nothing better to do than whinge about license fees, so I’m sure we’ll hear a fair few soundbites/bytes in the coming days. To these people I say this: shut up. While I’m not denying a huge mistake was made, I believe the BBC to be an incredibly important institution. Just comparing the quality and range of output shows that public-funded broadcasting has huge advantages over advertising-based channels. What other channel would have the guts to broadcast a critique of themselves? What other channel produces such a wide range of programming, or devotes entire evenings to charitable broadcasts for free, or runs one of the largest websites in Europe, or leads the way with interactive digital services (even if Telewest don’t carry it all), or helps schoolchildren with their revision, or provides free internet help courses as part of a massive online learning program including help for budding writers like me, or rescues popular programs from cancellation, even if they’re not British (Due South being just one - can’t find a link atm), or invests in films, or runs two whole tv channels purely for children? And there’s so much more.

Answers on a postcard. London W12 7RJ. Oops, force of habit.

I’m not saying that the BBC is a perfect institution, just that I think it does a tremendous amount of good for no other reason than that’s what it’s there to do, and all people seem to do is complain. It’s ironic that the best news coverage I can find is through the BBC itself. It sticks to the facts, avoids becoming opinionated and doesn’t patronise. That’s always been the reason most of my news links have been to the BBC site, and today is no different. Andrew Marr says that Lord Hutton found politicians to be much more trustworthy than journalists, whereas all public opinion polls say the reverse. He says that in the end, both parties should be worried about why they aren’t trusted. As ever, he has a point.

I just finished Valis - a Philip K. Dick novel genuinely unlike anything I’ve ever read. If you’ve never read PKD before, this certainly isn’t the novel to start with - I’d recommend Three Stigmata or a collection of short stories for that - but once you’re used to his fractured writing style and stunning ability to twist logic Valis is an excellent read. Kinda.

It began with a blinding light. A divine revelation from a mysterious intelligence that called itself VALIS (Vast Active Living Intelligence System). And with that, the fabric of reality was torn apart and laid bare so that anything seemed possible but nothing seemed quite right.

It was madness, pure and simple.
But what if it were true?

Having read that I’ll now tell you that it’s semi-autobiographical. That’s why it’s best to build up to

I just received another bill from O2…£275.05! Less my previous bill that’s still £173.99. Whoever has “my” phone is certainly getting their money’s worth. Mum suggested I look at “my” bill to see if there were any land line numbers, to see where in the country it’s being used. The only land line numbers were 0131, which is Edinburgh.

I signed up for the Open University Astronomy course a few days ago, and my kit arrived yesterday, complete with planisphere! This evening was clear, and from the back garden I managed to find a fair few constellations. I can now recognise Orion, Sirius and Ursa Major, amongst others. It’s great! I’ve been looking out of my bedroom window and am having trouble with a few star groups to the east, so I’m going to wait until later tonight when the Earth has turned so I can see them in un-tree-obstructed sky. This is so cool

I nipped out to a client’s house at about 8 this evening. It was only just around the corner but took a fair while as it wasn’t safe to go any faster than 15mph. On the way back I stopped on (the way up) the teeny little incline that is Manor Road to listen to a voicemail message, then couldn’t pull away! I moved about two metres before the wheels started to spin. Moving into second and even third gear didn’t help. Just to wind me up another car promptly appeared and overtook. Pah. Eventually I rolled backwards and angled myself into the centre of the road, where I hoped there would be more grip, and managed to pull away a bit further. I started spinning again within moments, though, and was just easing off with the intention of starting to roll backwards again when I hit the sweet spot and got moving. I’d thought of moving up a gear to slow the wheels down and get more grip, but not actually easing off the accelerator. So now I know that.

I had a great weekend! We saw The Last Samurai, which I enjoyed, and I made Kate watch The Emperor’s New Groove, which was still extremely funny. I also picked up Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project for the incredible sum of £1.99 in the HMV sale.

The Oscar Nominations were revealed today. LOTR: ROTK leads the pack with 11 nominations, with Master and Commander just behind with 10. Notable exceptions were Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Cold Mountain and either of the Matrix sequels, which I’d have expected to get nods for special effects at least. I always try to see the Best Picture nominees, and this year it means I’m going to have to see Mystic River, Lost in Translation and…Seabiscuit. Seabiscuit. Great. I’m sure it’ll be good really, it’s just that the trailer makes it look as entertaining as unix.

I’m trying to separate my posts into their respective topics, btw. Occasionally I’ve raised what I thought were a few interesting points and found that one takes over the comments, so we’ll see how it goes this way.

So the tuition fees vote was a bit close then! While I admit to being unsure as to the whole idea of students paying for university, nobody, like nobody, has come up with a reasonable alternative other general taxation. I don’t believe that’d work. People care way more about tax-rises than whether students, who whether deservedly or not have a reputation as spending three years drinking and partying while studying in their spare time, have to pay top-up fees. If the Tories promise significantly lower taxes they’re likely to get voted in, at which point they’d promptly introduce top-up fees.

The argument which everybody seems afraid to use is that perhaps so many people shouldn’t be going to university. When I was at school it was always what would happen, there was little choice in the matter. It doesn’t suit everyone, though. Maybe we should be pushing apprenticeships and other qualifications more. On the other hand, most employers demand a degree, by all accounts, so perhaps changing the system would be a far larger task than it seems.

Of course, the bill has to get through the House of Lords yet, and who knows what’ll happen there…

I have returned! And guess what? I got an email from O2!

Dear Andrew,

Thank you for your enquiry.

I can confirm receipt of your postage certificate dated 5/12/03 [I had to fax this through twice, most recently on the 15th]

Unfortunately after checking the call data held on our records and of course your online bill I remain unable to offer any refund for either the handset or the invoice produced on the 28/12/03.

The call data shows various numbers that have been called repeatedly both before and after the 5/12/03.

This indicates that the numbers dialled are known to yourself and have actually been called since you state the item was returned.

Bearing this information in mind, a refund for the handset or online accounts will not be processed.

With respect to your question about mobile number cloning. I would like to confirm that 02s digital network conforms to the GSM standard of cellular communications. The standards are very secure using complex algorithms and various security codes. In addition to this, the SIM cards that hold these security codes are designed to be tamper proof and are unable to be altered in any way.

As a result of this very high security, there are no known cases of any number being cloned on any 02 GSM network world-wide.

02 have confirmed that these calls have been made from your SIM card and that you have been billed correctly.

For your information I have today placed restrictions on both the handset and SIM card, please reply if you require these to be removed. Line rental is due for the full term of your 12-month contract with O2 Online and usage to date can be viewed in the unbilled section of our website.

Were I feeling mean, I might point out the variable spelling of their two-letter company name, but I’m not. To be fair, this is at least presenting their side of the argument and displays a far greater understanding of the situation than any correspondence received thus far. The problem is that it’s wrong. The implication is obviously that I’m trying to rip them off by claiming to have sent the phone back when still using it. It’d be a bloody stupid way of scamming them, if you ask me, but then I imagine it’s been tried. I thought Ben might be amused by the never-been-cloned claim! I have replied with the following:

Hi,

If you can confirm receipt of postage, can you confirm whether you received anything from me? The phone has obviously been lost somewhere, and I can prove that something was posted. If, as you imply, I have not returned the phone, would it not be a terrible coincidence that whatever I posted got lost en route?

Why would I pretend to return a phone, then continue using it? Is it possible that, after a sim card had been assigned, the wrong sim card and phone were sent to me? Could they have got mixed up with someone else’s order? Now that you’ve put restrictions on the phone, it seems likely that somebody will phone up and complain (although if they’ve got a Nokia 6600 instead of the 7250 they ordered they may be reluctant to, I suppose).

I have deliberately not called the phone number assigned to me, as I want to avoid any communication with the “other party” who has been using the phone all this time. If you were to phone any of the numbers on the bill, or indeed the phone number itself, I promise you you’ll find that the number belongs to somebody else. This person, I would imagine, ordered a phone at a similar time to me.

Although I know this is unverifiable, I maintain that I did not even open the sim card packaging. I couldn’t have physically used the phone therefore any numbers appearing on the bill cannot have been dialled by me. I saw that it was the incorrect model and sent it back, exactly as per your instructions (certificate of postage etc.), having been unable to contact you via any method. What could/should I have done differently?

I’m not going to pay any line rental or call charges on this phone, as I never received it. I cancelled the direct debit earlier in the month and I’ve also contacted my credit card company to dispute the £199.99.

Sigh.

I’m off to see Kate this weekend, so there won’t be any updates for a few days. I generally buy a book from audible for the 2.5hr journey, but I’ve been getting a bit fed up with the audio quality recently, so have done something different. Given that the BBC have an online radio player where you can listen to various shows from the past week, I thought it might be fun to download a longish programme to listen to en route. I managed it, but it was nothing like as easy as I thought it would be.

The shows are in realplayer streaming format, so can’t be downloaded via normal methods. It’s also not as simple as you might imagine to record the output from one’s sound card. So…I found a slighly dubious program called “Streambox VCR”, which, via magical means that I don’t quite understand, can save streaming files to the hard drive. Firstly it would only download the 106-byte .rpm file, the address of which I extracted from the HTML, but if you open said file in Notepad it gives you the address of the static file (only available via the RTSP protocol), which Streambox VCR can then download. Once this was done, I converted it to a wav (also using Streambox VCR). My next problem was how to split this 1.74gb wav into 80-minute chunks, a task I eventually accomplished using the freeware CD Wave (Nero’s audio editor isn’t the most user friendly of programs). I then tried to burn these to CD, but had forgotten about the compulsory 2-second pause before the first track. This promptly pushed me over 80 mins, so I had to re-split the original file ino 75min chunks. Then I thought that it’s no good having one long track on the cd, so split it up into 5-minute tracks. Thankfully Nero could do this part for me. The whole process took about two hours and to answer your next question I did indeed have little work to do today.

Have a fun weekend!

Amusing advert quote of the week: x shampoo makes your hair not once, but twice as shiny!

I’ve spent the last few days learning to type properly. My previous style was self-taught, fast and not very accurate, so I decided to learn a better technique. It’s probably a good idea RSI-wise, too; I got a wake-up call in this department when Ed started suffering, so I’m taking all his advice on the subject! I’m using Mavis Beacon, which seems ok but isn’t without its quirks (I’ll go into it next week). I’m currently at that annoying stage where I’m good enough that I should be using the proper method all the time, but am not very quick. You have no idea how long it’s taken me to write these posts.

Surely You’re Joking Mr Feynman is the “memoirs” of Richard Feynman: renowned physicist and Highly Interesting man. Ben lent me the book and having finished it last night I’m going to have to buy myself a copy - it simply has to be owned. It’s essentially a collection of tales from RF’s life taken from recorded discussions, and I found it to be a riveting read. How this man managed to fit quite so much into one lifetime I have no idea. From designing the atomic Bomb to playing the bongos as part of professional ballet performances (I kid you not) to winning the Nobel Prize to having his artwork exhibited in a one-man show to deciphering Mayan hieroglyphics, he can’t have sat still for a moment. The stories are simultaneously interesting, inspirational and laugh-out-loud funny. His attitude to science is refreshing and thought-provoking; I challenge you to come away not filled with a desire to learn more about the world. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in humanity, as people like Richard Feynman don’t come along very often.

As you may have gathered from the hastily typed post below, Spirit has gone quiet - kinda. NASA are describing it as a “serious anomaly”, which isn’t good. It is actually responding, however, it just isn’t broadcasting what it’s supposed to be broadcasting. According to one of the technicians such events aren’t unusual if you look at all space missions, so there’s certainly no need to write it off just yet. Opportunity, the second rover, should be landing in less than 48hrs and who knows, maybe Beagle 2 will call home after getting lonely.

That’s it for today, it’s way to hot in here for me to stay long!

Oh crap.

I’m currently deciding on my next Open University course, and spotted course SXR208. It looks cool. Starting in July you get some preliminary work, then in September you spend a week in Majorca at the “Observatori Astronòmic de Mallorca”:

“seven small domes with fully networked optical telescopes, a teaching laboratory, computers with data-analysis software, and a state-of-the-art planetarium. The main observatory building houses three larger telescopes used for research projects.”

It also says that a typical student day starts late afternoon and cotinues until the early hours of the morning. At some times of year you may not be back at the hotel until dawn.

Wow. I want to do that!

It’s £535 for only 15 OU points (out of 300/360 needed for a degree - a typical course is £235 for 30 points), so isn’t cheap. Also that doesn’t include flights, but does include all hotel costs. If anyone reading fancies doing this then please get in touch, I’m far more likely to go through with it if I could go with someone else! Yes, I’m a wuss Much more information is available on the course page.