khbrown

Turned the boiler on this morning to get the flat heated up. It turned on for 10 seconds, and then turned itself off again.

And then I repeated this 5 times.

Then I phoned my boiler insurance people, who asked if I wanted someone out in two days, or three. I managed to bargain them down to tomorrow.

Thankfully, Julie then gave it one more go, and it started working.

In April there's a Boiler Scrappage scheme starting that will make it much cheaper for me to replace this aging beast. I'm really, really hoping that it sees me through until then...

via grahamsleight

• Bushido Blade - a game that makes me miss the original Playstation.
  (tags: games playstation)
• Ginkgo doesn't work - yet another alternative medicine found to have no effect
  (tags: science medicine)
• It's hard to change a little. It's much easier to change a lot.
  (tags: advice)
• Diary of a High Functioning Law Professor with Schizophrenia
  (tags: schizophrenia interesting psychiatry psychology science)

From

We couldn't remember the name of the Chinese we'd ordered from and both liked, but we could remember which road it was on.

So I fired up Streetview and "took a walk" until I found it, and then read the sign to get the name of the place.

I did this last time as well, and I meant to post about it - but ljarchive is telling me I didn't. Sorry if this is a dupe.

Vote even if you don't know her! It can be more fun that way. Official due date is 19 January. Prize is permission to feel smug that you predicted things. (Well, the real prize is the baby, but most of you won't be allowed to keep it.)

Poll #1505187 hfnuala baby pool
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 18

When will the kid arrive? Date and exact time, please!

Debates about sex and gender are welcomed in the comments, but in the land of Pink And Blue, there can be only two choices, and you think the baby is a

And the birth weight? (Of the kid, not hfnuala.) Pounds/ounces preferred but if you think in kilos, go for it.

Anything else you'd like to say?

• She Plays For Gamerscore, Whether It's Fun Or Not
  (tags: xbox addiction gaming achievements)
• The decade the world tilted east - the Rise Of China
  (tags: china history globalism)
• Belle De Jour Is The New Pretty Woman - the best response I've seen.
  (tags: prostitution media uk)
• How The Internet Works - the 10 second version
  (tags: internet howto web browser visualisation)

A fully acoustic piano that can be easily retuned. Some fantastic Indian music played on it later on in the video.
Via nancylebov

Can't remember if I've posted this one before:

• The most powerful character. EVER.
  Now that's rule-destroying!
  (tags: dungeonsanddragons rules funny)
• The Amen break - a six second sample that spawned several musical subcultures
  (tags: music history sound drums)
• How to achieve your New Year's Resolutions
  People who kept their resolutions tended to have broken their goal into smaller steps and rewarded themselves when they achieved one of these. They also told their friends about their goals, focused on the benefits of success and kept a diary of their progress.
  (tags: resolutions psychology self-improvement)
• Blame Denmark, not China, for Copenhagen failure
  Secrecy within elitism within secrecy!
  (tags: climatechange globalwarming copenhagen)
• A comparison of Avatar with the original script.
  Which sounds altogether better.
  (tags: movies scifi cinema JamesCameron)
• AT&T Customer Service: "New York City Is Not Ready For The iPhone"
  (tags: iphone apple nyc mobile EpicFail)

It contains so many links to other pages that every time I visit I lose a couple of hours.

In this case I started at VillanSue and now have 17 more tabs open to read later...

In Europe they know how to have Christmassy fun...

(the fun starts around 45 seconds in)

If you're planning on flying to the USA, have heard rumours of strange "security" practices being put in place since the attempt a few days ago, and are wondering what the _actual_ rules are, then read this, which is the actual memo sent out by the TSA.

With Lucy Lawless, John Hannah, and a lot of nudity and violence. That's Rome for you...

Bed: 11:30
Wake up: 12:40

So that's 13 hours of sleep there.

I woke up with a terrible headache, that's now mostly faded, as I've slumped on the sofa and caught up with a bunch of internet. I'm starting to feel almost human.

And now I'm going to go buy some breakfast, and then start tidying the flat for Julie's return.

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