Aurlog

BBC Breakfast extra content on Freeview

If you are watching BBC Breakfast on Freeview, you can get access to more in-depth news coverage by pressing the following secret combination of buttons on the remote control:

Mute, 3, Text, OK

Follow the on-screen instructions. To be honest, you can probably just switch to channel 18 where the sight of Rihanna writhing around on a bed for Ne-Yo's benefit* will deliver a more perceptive insight into the day's current affairs than Bill Turnbull and friends fawning at each other.

*or not?!

KAL. FEB. MMVIII

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Strange news

One of the following current news stories is actually true:

Although I did get my information from the BBC, so you have to take it with a pinch of salt.

A.D. V KAL. IUL. MMVII

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New children's tv programmes

My son asked me a little while ago why the initial run of (the excellent) In the Night Garden had come to an end. I explained to him that they sometimes had to stop showing programmes so they could put new, different ones on. After all, if they didn't change things round now and again, we'd still be watching shit like Andy Pandy, the Flower Pot Men, or Muffin the Mule. We wouldn't want that to happen.

A.D. XII KAL. IUN. MMVII

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Realunching

I clicked on a link in the BBC website's gardening section and got the following 404 message:

The BBC gardening Techniques section has been realunched and some of the content may have moved or been removed. Use the links below to explore the new content. We apologise for any inconvenience.

I'm quote concerned as to what realunched might mean. I wish this kind of error were an isolated example at the BBC. More curious is the website of the International Paralympic Committee which you would have thought would have slightly more concern over accessibility but has a homepage with no title and which requires me to scroll horizontally to read all the text.

Anyway, I'm off to alunch. If I am peckish later in the afternoon, I may realunch. Although perhaps if I eat too much I might realunch over my desk, which I will have to clear up. Who knows?

A.D. XV KAL. MAI. MMVII

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Water and information shortage

There was a water cut in Sandy yesterday. I thought the shower had just conked out. We had some water in the tanks for the bath and so forth so I didn't think much of it and went to work. It was then interesting to see how far I could follow developments at work. I first found out about the cut, and could tell my wife about it, as the RSS feed I have set up for Biggleswade Today had the information in my feed reader when I came into work. Hurrah.

To follow developments, I looked up the Anglian Water site. A search for Sandy gave me an incident page which, although grammatically awful and low on detail, at least had the main points and was time-stamped. I had a meeting from about 2 till 4. When I got out, Biggleswade Today had triumphantly added another news item saying that the water came back at 3 (again, I could tell my wife at home and she could start actually using the water); the Anglian Water page just disappeared: there was nothing to say there ever was a problem and had that been my only source of information, I wouldn't have known what that meant. A bit rubbish. As for the BBC, they had eventually put an article via RSS saying that there was a water cut. It still says so now and they haven't issued any updates yet.

Conclusion: hurrah for Biggleswade Today; almost good but boo for Anglian Water; ho hum for the BBC.

A.D. III NON. APR. MMVII

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Cow Solitaire on the radio

Cow Solitaire has been mentioned on national radio! I think. In any case, it appears on the website for Miles Mendoza's Website of the Day, which is part of Steve Wright in the Afternoon's no doubt excellent show on BBC Radio 2. It was apparently mentioned on Friday A.D. XVII KAL. OCT. MMVI, quote:

Thanks to Emma Mason for her email challenging me to find "a good cattle or livestock-related game for the weekend". Cow Solitaire does what it says on the tin - It's Solitaire with cows instead of marbles. Milk the Cow challenges you to click on as many cows as possible in order to fill your virtual bucket with milk.

If anyone can confirm this 10 seconds of fame I would be most grateful.

I tried to comment on Mr Mendoza's site to suggest that Cowthello might have been a more satisfying and interactive example, although he is no doubt too busy searching the web for similar gems to have time to approve my comment. Moreover, a link to http://www.aurochs.org/cows/games/ would have provided Ms Mason with far more choice. Anyway, it explains why this weblog started getting quite a few referrals from the Cow Solitaire page.

The research for the this article also threw up a more disturbing development. The rather unobvious idea of a cow-themed solitaire has now surfaced in physical format with the Haba Cow Solitaire board game, retailing at $12.39. Don't pay that kind of money: play for free!

A.D. XIII KAL. OCT. MMVI

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Top of the Pops gone

Top of the Pops has now gone and thank goodness. At least now we will now not have to endure stories of its decline, relaunch, and relaunch. The last five years or so has been a bit like watching Tim Henman at Wimbledon: he's still number 1, they say, but still fails to produce the goods. I blame the miming. And the shit music. A more thoughtful, and probably accurate, analysis has been provided by yet another BBC navel-gazing article.

PRID. KAL. AUG. MMVI

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Tom