Little People

The ever fascinating Andy brings news of a marvelous story about the Iraqi Dwarves Association in Kurdistan which has 3,800 members: The association helps us very much psychologically and socially. We visit and console one another. In 2000, the association played football against dwarfs from Erbil as a way of helping to relieve the tension between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the two main political parties in Kurdistan. »

Spin

Ross Anderson, Professor of Security Engineering and Cambridge University, once more tells it how it is with Chip and Spin a quite detailed look into why your new Chip and PIN cards are fairly useless, a topic all too close to my heart since my card got cloned the other day. And for something completely different, when I was quite small I had an obsessive attraction to combine harvesters, tractors and other such large machinery so you’ll be unsurprised to see my heart gladdened today by the Combine Harvester demolition derby. »

Linus and Cable

Further to previous dispatches on Linus’ feud with the Dyson vaccum cleaner he seems to have worked out a new strategy. Combine his current favourite game of ‘Attack The Electrical Wire’ with another attempt to cripple the aformentioned StartleNoiseMachineOfDeath and you have, ‘try to see what’s hidden behind the plug’. I think he is mightily enjoying the springtime, perkiness is ++; or he might just be reveling in my newly cleared desk, now leaving enough space for one cat to sprawl next to the keyboard, occasionally hitting escape with his chin. »

Electioneering

As you may have noted there’s going to be a general election here in the UK within the next few weeks. As such I’ve been having a think about who I should vote for. I live in South West Herts which looks to be intriguingly poised so it seems my vote is more likely to actually count this time. The long term MP (and fine individual for helping me out with my Geography coursework) Richard Page is retiring after some 20 years or so and as with the end of all long term MPs there’s now a bit of excitement as to whether the Tories might lose. »