Rik Abel

...yadda yadda yadda oilrigs

Cory Doctorow rightly gets very mardy over at Boingboing at the ludicrous anti-piracy warnings shown before movies in the UK, after the 30 minutes of crushingly loud adverts. And then the "Thank You For Not Smoking And Talking" notice (I always add "...And Wanking" in my mind and crack up, but that's just me...)

He suggests we all take flash photos of the screen when this warning comes up, which is a great idea. It would be nice if we could also hoot with derision.

Apparently they have only just started showing ads before movies at theatres in Canada (what a lovely, civilized country...), but when we were last in Vancouver we had to endure the slightly squirm-inducing spectacle of an usher welcoming us all to the cinema and exhorting us to enjoy the film and so on. I could do without that, to be honest. I know you are only trying to be nice and customer-focused and show a human face and all, but it just freaks me out a bit.

Warm enough for ya?

So Britain is girding its loins and gearing up for the ‘hottest day ever’ tomorrow, where temperatures are expected to reach the high thirties. I full expect the entire country to grind to a standstill, in much the same way as it does when we have more than the lightest dusting of snow. The railway tracks will all melt into floppy noodles - we must use different steel than they do in India. Speaking of India, that is proper hot weather. I remember when I was in Benares and it was around 45C, I just about managed to turn the pages of the book I was reading – Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut – but even that level of activity was enough to make me sweat profusely. Silly country, India.