little bits of everything

DCP03498 Originally uploaded by paulmorriss .

Google Talk is now localised (not localized) for UK English. So instead of saying "Your Gmail contacts are pre-loaded into Google Talk so inviting or talking to your friends is just a click away" it says "Your Google Mail contacts are pre-loaded into Google Talk, thus inviting or talking to your friends is just a click away". They're having a laugh aren't they. We don't say "thus" in the UK, do we? tags: google google talk

"See what the world is searching for" says Google Trends . Red Sox, thanksgiving, super bowl, grits and hurricane Katrina are listed as example searches. So that would be what the US is searching for then. The results are interesting, it can tell what city you're in when you do a search. Here's a search for Google and evil . The graph shows no results before November 2004. So that's when they started being evil. Hmmm. tags: google

Plasma Originally uploaded by paulmorriss .

I saw a plotline from Star Trek in the latest episode of Doctor Who, School Reunion . The scenario in Star Trek is this: they land on a planet which is a paradise. The people on the planet try to get the crew to join them, as everything is perfect. The crew, usually Kirk, refuse, saying they don't want everything to be perfect, they like things how they are. A similar thing happened in Dr Who. Not that the bat-people looked like creatures from paradise, but when their leader offered the Doctor and his team/gang/entourage the chance to make the Universe a better place, Sarah Jane said that she liked it how it was. Why do we distrust those who offer a better place? tags: Doctor Who

DCP01405 crop Originally uploaded by paulmorriss .

I've just finished "Long Way Down" by Nick Hornby. It's a great book, about four people who meet at the top of a tower block on New Year's Eve as they are about to commit suicide. It steers clear of sentimentality and fake happy endings. All four tell their owns stories, so you have to admire the different styles he keeps switching between.