Science Friction

Shark Tale

While visiting London I stayed with my brother and his family in Maidenhead. On Sunday, I took my six year old niece – who is also my Goddaughter - to see Shark Tale in the local UCI. About 40 minutes into the film my niece woke me up to say she wanted to go home. Personally, I think the jokes were a bit above her e.g. playing the Jaws theme. And I didn't find it funny.

P.S. Apparently she is telling everyone she wanted to go home because she thought I wasn't enjoying it.

Weekend in London

I spent the weekend in London on work-related activities. The Annual Mac Expo was taking place in the Business Design Centre in Islington and Apple was opening its new retail store in Regent Street.

The retail store is quite impressive. Members of the press were admitted on the Thursday - the official opening was Saturday - for a sneak peek. I was in conversation with a young lady from the Guardian who then quoted me in here article. I was back int he shop on Saturday ever so briefly. At 1pm there was still a considerable queue. I walked up to the front door intending to speak to someone coming out about their experiences when Pascale Cagni – Head man at Apple Europe – and brought me in. Apparently the queue stretched for half a mile to Berkeley Square at opening. That's 2000 people.

Mac Expo was also quite good. Numbers were up on the previous year which seems to point to a resurgence in the Mac. This seemed to be borne out by a conversation with Alex Summersby. Alex was once editor of MacFormat but left to pursue other projects. However, he is now back with Future Publishing working on a series of MacFormat 'bookazines' - special publications that focus on a particular aspect of the Mac. The fact that Future is doing this, he told me, is evidence that the company sees some sort of upswing in the market.

You can read a full report on Silicon Republic.

Luas moment

I was riding the Luas from Heuston to Connolly this afternoon. I happened to be standing to two older people who struck up a conversation comparing the new trams to the ones they remembered from their childhood.

Arafat alive

Now they're saying he's still alive.

Arafat dead

As I write this news is just breaking that Yassar Arafat is dead. For all his faults, the man was a unifying influence on the Palestinian people. Unless the power vacuum left by his death is filled quickly, the West Bank and Gaza are liable to disintegrate into open civil war. It seems the Palestinian leadership recognise this and have taken steps a few days ago to resolve the leadership issue. However, only time will tell if these arrangements hold.

Arafat's last days

Yassar Arafat has entered a 'reversible' coma but it is highly likely he will not wake up. Many people have expressed the opinion that they hope he dies sooner rather than later. All I can say to them is 'Be careful what you wish for. You might get it.'

130-year-old Chinese fire put out

Yes, you read that correctly. A fire was burning for 130 years. According to this story the fire had been burning in a coalfield in the Chinese province of Xinjiang since 1874. During that time it consumed 1.8m tons of coal per year and did immeasurable damage to the local environment.

(Via BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition.)

Many a true word spoken in jest.

Headline in today's Onion: "Candidates launch 2008 campaign" I'd laugh if it weren't true.