Anti-spam
I’ve added a simple CAPTCHA element to the comment submission form. Hopefully, it will cut down on the number of spam comments I have to delete.
British surnames
I’ve moved the British Surnames website to a new domain: www.britishsurnames.co.uk (kind of obvious, really). It’s also had a bit of a redesign, and a few new and somewhat funky features added.
09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0
I’m just wondering if I’ll get a call from the lawyers because of this.
In case anyone isn’t aware of the significance of these numbers and letters, this is the infamous AACS key which sparked a huge storm at Digg.
Where were the cats this morning?
As I left for work, cats 1 and 2 were sprawled on the floor near the bathroom door,where the sun shines through the window. One of them woke up when I went to fetch the camera, but the other was still there and I got this snap of it.
Cat 3 was outside when I left the house, and jumped up onto the garden table in the hope of getting a fuss before I got into the car. I took a photo of that one as well.
I’m NOT A fashion victim
There’s been a lot of media coverage lately of Anya Hindmarch’s “I’m not a plastic bag” bag. It seems that some people will pay over £100 for one of these on eBay.
All this seems like another way of ripping off fashion victims - the type of people who will pay over the odds just for the right name on the label. So I’ve created a t-shirt design for anyone who feels that they want to proclaim the fact that a designer bag isn’t what turns them on. You can buy a copy through my Spreadshirt shop.
While this is obviously just my cynical attempt to cash in on the latest craze, it would be rather fun to see these out on the streets.
Sporting grounds quiz
This post contains images for a quiz at SABRE. If you’re not a member, then it’s probably rather meaningless to you. If you are a member, then please follow the instructions in the quiz for answering - don’t post answers here!
All thumbnails link to a larger version. The clues vary from simple to somewhat cryptic.
1 
This should be really easy!
2 
So should this.
3 
If you’ve got number 1 right, then you’re very close to this (not geographically).
4 
The image is the clue - there’s only one place with this layout.
5 
Students of the game are more likely to get this one.
6 
An unusual example of an English football club which doesn’t have a town or city name in the club name.
7 
Maybe this should be renamed “Congress House”?
8 
You haven’t worked out what this is yet? You cannot be serious!
9 
Shares its name with a football ground (that isn’t in the quiz)
10 
The white object at the top of the picture is round. This isn’t.
11 
One of two grounds with this name.
12 
Does this small club have a split personality?
13 
It would be a real drag to not spot this.
14 
Not going to the dogs, but close.
15 
They compete for gold, here.
16 
But this offers a grand day out!
17 
There’s a clue on the roof, although you might need to turn your monitor upside down to read it!
18 
It’s obviously a football ground, right? Well, er, no.
19 
The largest of its kind in the UK, designed to break records.
20 
There’s a link between the name of this stadium and the tenants of number 18.
Would you trust an advertiser who can’t spell?
Especially if it’s a major financial institution. This appeared in the Google ads on one of my sites this morning:
Repeat after me - “I before E except after C…”
The above is a screenshot (obviously). If you go to www.motorwayservices.info then the original might still be there.
I’m Gonna Be (500 Yards)
In honour of this year’s contribution to Comic Relief by Peter Kay, here’s yet another take on the well-known song….
When I wake up, yeah I know I’m gonna be
I’m gonna be the man who wakes up for a beer
When I go out, yeah I know I’m gonna be
I’m gonna be the man who goes out for a beerIf I get drunk, yeah I know it’s gonna be
It’s gonna be because I’m drinking too much beer
And if I haver, yeah I know I’m gonna be
I’m gonna be the man who’s havering after beerAnd I would walk 500 yards
And I would walk 500 more
‘Cos a thousand yards will take me all the way
To Bargain Booze’s doorWhen I’m working, yeah I know I’m gonna be
I’m gonna be the man who’s working to buy beer
And when the money comes in for the work done here
I’ll spend almost every penny of it on beerWhen I come home, yeah I know I’m gonna be
I’m gonna be the man who comes home to a beer
And if I grow old, yeah I know I’m gonna be
I’m gonna be the man who grows old drinking beerAnd I would walk 500 yards
And I would walk 500 more
‘Cos a thousand yards will take me all the way
To Bargain Booze’s doorWhen I’m lonely, yeah I know I’m gonna be
I’m gonna be the man who’s lonely with a beer
When I’m dreaming, yeah I know I’m gonna be
I’m gonna be the man who’s dreaming of more beerAnd I would stagger 500 yards
And I would stagger 500 more
‘Cos a thousand yards will take me all the way
To Bargain Booze’s doordiddle-a-da,
diddle-a-da,
diddle-a-diddle-a-diddle-um-diddle-um-da-datiddle-a-da,
tiddle-a-da,
tiddle-a-tiddle-a-tiddle-um-tiddle-um-da-daAnd I would crawl 500 yards
And I would crawl 500 more
‘Cos a thousand yards will take me all the way
To Bargain Booze’s doorpiddle-a-da,
piddle-a-da,
piddle-a-piddle-a-piddle-um-piddle-um-da-dawiddle-a-da,
widdle-a-da,
widdle-a-widdle-a-widdle-um-widdle-um-da-da
Dogs on a skateboard
Today’s website of the day is the utterly pointless and yet bizarrely charming Tyson the Skateboarding Bulldog. About which I will say nothing more - you just have to visit the site to get the full effect.
I’m sort of famous
I’ve got my name mentioned in the Backbytes section of Computing magazine. For some reason, I am disproportionately pleased about this.