Earthling

Then go ahead, @ICTDirect_Dave, by all means, treat yourself.

Buy Satzuma USB Plasma Ball at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Gadgets and USB gadgets. I bought myself one of these for Christmas. Actually, 'Christmas' was an excuse. I bought it because I like them. Or there's the ever popular.... Large Newton's Cradle (Always looks good with an Afghan Coat and Platform Boots.) Or any one of these..... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dream-Cheeky-Missile-Launcher-Thunder/dp/B00501M2DW

Nee-naw nee-naw nee-naw nee-naw Good Luck.

Just removed all the old pc's from one room, ready to install new ones on Monday, cable-tieing, joining to domain etc, probably be all over by Tuesday afternoon, giving me the rest of the week to re-image the other room in this block. The other tech's got the week off on holiday, so I'll be able to crank up the music and crack on - looking forward to it. I've sent a whole staff e-mail out telling them that the rooms will be unavailable for revision classes and catch-up. I did that when I replaced a room full of pc's this time last year, but I still had a teacher come in and try to use the room. 'Can't we use the ones you haven't taken away yet?'

Am I the first to say 'I'll teach you how to get rich quick for $5/£3.22'?

I would think that if you could afford seven grand on a smartphone, you wouldn't worry about it being outmoded or superceded. You'd just buy a new one. I would anyway.

Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000BWA Computer Case - Newegg.com What I've got, getting a bit old now, but I like it still. Had three different generations of mobo in it.

You SHOULD OF limited your pedantry years ago, then you WOULD OF been free of it and COULD OF had a normal life.

FWIW Up until Virgin gave me my 'Super Hub', I'd always run Linksys routers, AP's and switches at home and recommended them to customers when I was working privately. Never any problems. They're still my preference.

Oh well.............at least you won't see the shovel coming upside the head when she finally thinks to herself, 'Enough with the questions, already'.

One of our receptionists had it done, and she has beautifully clear eyes. Not that I've looked that closely, you understand. She said the only thing she wasn't prepared for and didn't like was the smell of burning. Obviously, the word 'laser' didn't give her a clue. I've considered it many times, one day I'll get round to having a consultation.

Cool, thanks. I'm so disappointed, I had such a nice day planned.

Anyone got any idea if there'll be a podcast of Professor Cox's address/speech/talk? Surely someone must be bootlegging it?

I am really, really, really hacked off. I've just spent an hour and a half trying to get from here to the A1, to drive down to BETT ( no 'told you so's, please) all because someone couldn't manage to drive in a straight line without bumping into someone else. Every approach road to Hatfield and the A1 from here totally gridlocked, right up until I decide to give up and turn back, then as I pull into the school, the radio says that the Emergency Services have opened the A1 again. In an hour and a half, I travelled eight miles. So I won't be attending, I won't be listening to Brian Cox. I won't be meeting any other Edugeeks or putting names to faces. Why, why ,why, on the one day of the year that I decide to take a bit of down-time and attend a show did it have to happen. Really, truly hacked off, disappointed, annoyed, frustrated and angry with whoever it was caused the crash that closed the A1.

Possibly the main reason why I'm dragging myself down there. The other main reason is to say hello to Edugeeks, faces to names and stuff.

Actually...........everyone who owns their own home benefits from artifically high housing prices, not just the rich. Whether your house is in Harpenden and worth £450,000 or if it's in Hartlepool and worth £45,000, the housing shortage keeps that value artificially high. Obviously, no offence to those living in Hartlepool.

The money gained from sale of council stock was grabbed, don't know any other way of saying it, by central government and put into a huge 'contingency' fund. Don't know what 'contingency' they were thinking of but, if I remember rightly, it reached a high of £7 billion. Far from being made to build more, councils weren't allowed to build more, except under extenuating circumstances. I seem to recall the rise and rise of Housing Associations at the same time. You're right, the housing shortage in this country is deplorable, shocking and shameful. Especially as it's used primarily to keep house prices artificially at their current level. Now, back to the railways.

Restart BSF, but do it properly this time. Embark on a plan to build enough homes, council and private, to finally end the housing shortage altogether, for a while, at least. Even £30 billion on fusion reactor R&D would be better spent than on a new railway. In fact, that's where I'd put it........homes, schools and fusion reactor technology.

As someone who remembers the Thatcher era very well, I'm surprised anyone would want those days and/or policies back again. And, before anyone jumps to any conclusions, I did very well out of the Thatcher years, but I still think she was possibly THE most divisive, destructive PM we've ever had. Even her own party got rid of her in the end. Perhaps the main thing to remember about the Thatcher years was that she had oil revenue to play with, the like of which no other government in this country ever had before. That revenue could have made this a country fit and ready for the 21st Century. I remember our local MP (he was Headmaster at my old school, which is how come we were having the conversation, years after me leaving school) telling me that whoever was in power when the oil money came ashore had the chance to rebuild this country. It was wasted on tax cuts for the rich, councils housing homeless families in bed and breakfast hotels at anything up to £1000 per week because the government of the day wouldn't release funds to build more housing stock to replace that being sold off, a welfare system that paid billions in Incapacity Benefit to avoid an increase in jobless totals, millions wasted on the Poll Tax, with another £15billion blown on the ERM, although I think that was Major and Lawson by then. Anyone remember Harry Enfield's Bish Bosh LoadsaDosh? House prices inflating like never before and Estate Agents made a profession out of bending the truth and outright lying in some cases, while Cardboard City in Waterloo got bigger and bigger and bigger. Contract cleaning firms at Heathrow and Gatwick paying people £1 per hour for a 12 hour shift. How about Black Monday? Anyone remember that one? Dame Shirley Porter and the Westminster Council Housing scandal, there's a name to conjure with, as they say. I could probably go on all day about the Thatcher Years and, like I say, I did very well out of them. Yeah, let's have those days back again, shall we? Not. These are my opinions formulated over many years and especially during the Thatcher years, I don't want them decried by anyone who, after all, is only expressing their opinion and therefore holds no more currency or validity than mine. Oops, forgot to mention the music, which apart from Haircut 100 and a few other instantly forgotten names, was every bit as good as the 70's. In fact, truth be told, my 80's music folder is bigger than my 70's folder.

I was confused by the high-fiving his son when the new mobo booted first time. Why wouldn't it?

I'm going round the M25, down the M11, pick up the North Circular down to Barking, then down Newham Way................. Oh

One more time for the folks at the back. xkcd: Google+

Freebies?

Wind 'em up and watch 'em go.

FWIW.... I think it's one of the best I've seen for a long time. Watched it twice already. Every time I see the IMDB trailer, I feel like watching it again. Much better than Seal Team Six. Good to see Brits cast for their acting, not because they're Brits.