Big Bang 2008

Got back yesterday at about 5pm from what was probably the best weekend we have spent at Santa Pod enjoying the "Big Bang 2008" (inc. Camper & Bus Show), if you haven't been before, it sort of feels like going to Bug Jam but minus the massive crowds (which is kind of a good thing as Bug Jam can be a bit intense at times, comparatively) and thankfully minus the mud this time...

Anyway, we set off quite late on Friday night (we both had to work, Flyingpops especially was a little later back than normal) so I busied myself packing the last few bits into Colin the Camper until she got back, got changed and then hopped into the driving seat...we pulled onto site and got all set up by about 11pm, went for a little walk around (only the significantly-smaller-than-Bug-Jam fun fare, dance tent, food stalls and bar were open), then came back and watched a movie on the Shinco, had a few drinks...woke up the next day (a little early as we hadn't put the window shields on quite correctly) to discover a glorious day -

- we made a spot of cooked breakfast (bacon and eggs for me scrambled eggs on toast for Flyingpops) -

- and then went for a little explore, noting that much of the camping was extremely spaced out (in stark contrast of Bug Jam also where every spare inch is crammed with campers/tents/sofas/rubbish/mud), had a poke around the autojumble -

- through the fun fair (which is on the camping side of the strip for this event) -

- and the catering area, now sporting a snazzy new gazebo style shelter attached to (and dwarfing) the bar -

- and then had a nice wander around the shops -










- checked out the lowering demonstration -


- and then noticed what looked like a couple of new attractions, the Racing Bug circuit (for the kids) -

- and the incredibly skilful (and scary) zero G bike team (who were bunny-hopping stupid distances and landing on broom-handle sized targets) -


- and then my knee started giving me some gyp, so we decided to rest it up by the strip for a while -




- for *once* a weekend of totally uninterrupted racing (cool), watched the Jet Beetle (that is now managing to run the strip without looking like it's going to either take-off or hit the wall) ;) -

- watched with building anticipation the new demo car -

- which unfortunately broke right before it's run, smiled at some (more) of the characters -


- and then we had an announcement that the governing body had issued a licence for the official qualifying to start that evening, so we watched more racing (teams gradually gaining in confidence and speed as they tried out their new tweaks and settings after the work over the winter months)-

- during this we popped down to the bar and had a beer and one of the excellent freshly made pizzas each and then that was pretty much the end of Saturday, back to Colin to curl up in the duvet and blankets snug as bugs in a rug (only stinging a little bit from sun burn)... ;)

More Later (still pics to go through), loads more are already on the Flickr Stream though (if you like this sort of thing)...

Update, pictures and write up of Sunday here...

The Big Bang

So, after starting to blog, I've suddenly realised that within a week, I simply don't have the time to keep it up! But then, this could have something to do with me getting organised for the weekend?

I've spent most of my nights after work, simply sitting in the camper, unpacking and then repacking boxes, hiding the glass bottles and then writing lists of last minute things we shouldn't forget... It's very much like being a child again and playing house, I love it!

After a slight issue with the leisure battery last night, Colin is now ready to go... the fridge is on with the beer chilling, bed is made ready for us to fall into and all that is left on the list is to finish work, give Colin a nice big drink of petrol and then take cruise along with motorway to Santa pod. (hopefully we'll avoid a lot of the rush hour traffic as we won't set off till 7.00!)

And to think, in two weeks time - Fink and I will be on an aeroplane right now, flying to Mexico... Bring it on!

Fink's Links #12

Time for another slice of hot, tasty internet pie, this week it's cherry flavoured... ;)

A picture (not quite worthy of Banksy, but a nice try) entitled "Up here, silly"...

The incredible news report (archive) of the "Last flight from Da Lang (1975)"...

The result of the (now completed) "Polish postcard prank" that was up for auction on ebay a while ago... ;)

Some rather quirky coat-hangers...

Scans of article entitled "Automatic Food Cooker Runs by Exhaust Heat of Car" from 1930...mmmm...that lead-loaded texture! ;)

Telegraph news story including the line "His brother, a chef, claimed a layer of tomatoes was not the appropriate way to finish off a shepherd’s pie, and responded by hitting him over the head with a shovel"...

Load up the lunch box with a tasty The Bible Bar (which I imagine helps you work, rest and pray)... ;)

Guy builds a wooden rollercoaster in his back garden (with bonus video goodness)!

Very brave photographer take a snap (with huge zoom lens) of the long walk ahead of a Bomb disposal technician in Northern Ireland (during the troubles)...

Snoop with a blogger who somehow got hold of a backup of the network share used during the development of the unreleased sequel to infocoms hugely successful Hitchhikers Guide text adventure...lots of email snippets and even executable game code to play with, amazing stuff!

And finally, the sad attitude of the French when it comes to preserving some of their unique history (and I quote) "The RATP are not poets. They are a public transport company and committed to their renovation programme"...

Anyway, we'll leave the French to get on with it, previous links are here, more from the internets bulging pipes next week... ;)

Man with Open Arms, Canary Wharf

I love this sculpture, it sums up so much about how I felt when I first came to work here (and indeed how I feel now), I think the original artist (Giles Penny) intended it to appear to be a direct appeal to heaven, but to me it just shouts out feelings of optimism, gratitude, excitement and limitless possibility...a fantastic piece of work in a fantastic location...

I'll take a shot that does it some justice when the weather is better...(sky is far too white today)... ;)

I might just go round and try and find some other sculptures around the place, I have seen about 15 or so just meandering, but I know for a fact that there are more, 40 in fact, just on my little "Canary Wharf" map - a good little project for those sunny summer lunchtimes to come perhaps...? ;)

Money in Mexico

Been doing a bit of research into currency in the land of the "Full Tamale" in advance of our epic trek in about 2 weeks time (we fly out on the 9th of May)...and quite the most important thing that has stood out thus far is the *extremely* common saying "No Hay Cambio" (or "There is no change" for the non-fluent Spanish speakers among us), apparently, even though the Bank of Mexico currently has 360 billion pesos in coins and notes in circulation, the visitor will soon get used to hearing this apology, whether it’s trying to use 50 pesos to pay for a 30-peso taxi journey, or 100 pesos note for a 20-peso bottle of water, and it's not only in this (almost understandable type of situation), it's even common at local shops, restaurants, and even at supermarket checkouts. Even if you *do* get change, from the sounds of things it's not uncommon for people *with* notes to hand you all your change in coins if you have a larger note to use and a small amount in your basket.

So, major tip number 1 - take plenty of small notes, walking around with a 500 peso note can be almost the same as walking around with no money at all. If you do find yourself in that unhappy position it's only worth trying to spend it in the largest of shops, and then saving all the change for other situations/tipping chamber maids etc.

The next thing I noticed is that there doesn't appear to be a lot of point in buying US Dollars for exchange in Mexico if your home currency is the Canadian Dollar, Pound Sterling, or the Euro (unless you can change completely commission free), exchanging these currencies directly into Mexican Pesos is extremely straightforward, as is using bank cards to take out cash at ATMs and you will get a decent rate of exchange for them. The best value exchange rate is often to be found at airports in Mexico itself.

Major tip number 2, if possible, use the bureaux de change in Mexican airports, or use protected credit/debit cards to withdraw cash, exchange rates in resorts or in the big hotels tend to be much less competitive (as you would expect)...

Next up, tip 3 - Take only as much money out with you as you think you'll need for the the day. If you happen to see something tempting to buy and don't have quite enough money, a small deposit will always secure it. You can return later on or ask for the item to be delivered to your hotel, this is commonly done.

So, forewarned is forearmed (urk...shouldn't have mentioned arms...still hurting from the jabs)...bleugh... ;)

If anyone else has been to Mexico and has any other good tips, please post a comment! We already know to take plenty of immodium/antacid and to get a good (and strong) deet spray, oh and to book our seats at chosen restaurants on the first day of the visit (to avoid disappointment)...anything else we should know?

Mexico Vaccinations...OUCH...

...so after having to cancel my jabs last week thanks to my work "brother in arms" being off sick mit die grippe, this afternoon was the revised occasion for me to enjoy deactivated Hep A and Typhoid cells being stabbed into my arms (in solution) for the good of the trip to El Mehico...

I knew the routine from being a kid, keep the muscles relaxed so the needle goes in easily, and in fact, I didn't even feel them pierce the skin, walked out all proud of myself, and started the trek (down through the Royal Earlswood Estate, golf course and hospital) feeling quite content...then had a rather wobbly few minutes (only five or so) coping with some rather interestingly heightened visual and auditory signals (or perhaps my alert systems were malfunctioning), some of which may have been slightly hallucinatory (I was suddenly starkly aware of a huge number of small animals that may not have actually been present) - staggered back to base and then over the course of the next few hours (trying to sit on my backside as much as possible, lower lip quivering), my upper arms (the ever-so-kind nurse having delivered one dose to each side of my torso) started to both sting and flag, by 2100hrs I could barely lift my right arm above my head, despite it being the recipient of the smaller of the two injections, and by 2250hrs even that was out of the question...and now it has spread to my shoulders...

Sulk... :(

Big Bang - Santa Pod

Yes! Having missed the Volksworld show (thanks to a rather unavoidable appointment the day before), the VW season (this year, for us at least) starts here...! The Big Bang is this weekend, so we spent some of Saturday pulling the camper van to bits, sweeping out all the mud remaining from Bog(sic) Jam 21 last year, stacking it up with beans, soup and tea bags, charging the two batteries, checking the gas bottles, finding our Wellington boots, tarpaulins and Army surplus poncho, umbrellas and gloves. Checking the weather forecast, packing more blankets and checking the windscreen wipers are still operational...(actually the weather forecast doesn't look too bad, but it's better to be on the safe side... ;)

Anyway, this will be our first time to the Big Bang (even though they have been doing it without us for a number of years now), and the line-up seems really rather exciting - all the usual kind of stuff (of course) including VW only "Run What Ya Brung", this time (for the first time ever) it's going to be divided into classes (find the fastest Bug, Splittie, Bay, etc), a bit of pro-drag racing on the Sunday, normal show and shine, but also now "Show and Go" where you earn points both by looking amazing *and* for putting in the fastest time down the strip(!)...live music, fun fair, blah blah blah...

However, the stuff I'm really looking forward to are the events organised by the camper lot -

A special lowering display courtesy of Type Two Detectives (really looking forward to that)
A "Ready, Steady Cook" style competition where entrants will be presented with a bag of ingredients and told to whip up something tasty in the confines of their bus (genius!)
Awning Erection (has the capacity to be hilarious)
Driving Tests (intricate timed course)
Bus Pull (to find Big Bang's strongest person)
Smoothest Drive (with a bucket of water on roof)

- assuming it doesn't piss down with rain all weekend there's actually more to look forward to here than at Bug Jam, I recon! ;)

Just need to top up Colin's oil and buy the last few bits of grub (perishables), and cross our fingers that if we prepare for monsoon weather, it will prove us wrong by being gloriously sunny...*crosses everything else too*... ;)

Finks Links #11

Time for another weekly roundup of all that's amused me on the web, not a huge amount this week, but a couple of classics (making up for the lack of numbers)... ;)

A wonderful all analogue digital watch...only 177 being made though (until the Chinese buy one and reverse engineer, of course)...

Following the watch theme, a time-piece that winds itself up using the principles of fluid dynamics...looks pretty cool too!

A glorious collection of (some very intelligent/some extremely unintelligent) graffiti (written word rather than tagging) from around the globe...

30 years too late, a decent Millennium Falcon toy drops out of hyperspace...

The best mug shot...ever...

...hotly pursued by the top 10 t-shirts to get arrested in...*cringe*...(loads a bit slowly, be patient)...

Fancy a nice, relaxing constituational with one of the most ferocious carnivores on the planet?

Next, the incredible tale of the longest cigarette break in history (with bonus time-lapse video goodness)...

A simple to understand diagram spotted on the side of an American "dumpster" (glad they cleared that up for everyone)...

A step-by-step way to create your own sealed Biosphere, complete with life-forms (suitable for desktop or windowsill)...(bonus video goodness)

Cool Food hackers chefs make Bento Boxen inspired by album covers art...

Previous collections can be found here, more next week!

Silly Search Terms #12

Well despite thinking (in my last post on this subject) that the search engines had mysteriously improved, only sending relevant queries to my posts, it rather looks like their trousers have fallen back around their respective ankles over the last month or so!

So, rather unexpectedly, another selection of referrals from Google/Yahoo (et al) that didn't quite end up with a happy result upon finding themselves on one post or another on my blog -

"how many homes in uk are number 13" - probably one in every road in the country (at a guess)?

"dogging goring by sea" - Sorry, no idea...

"if a human touches me they are killed instantly" - Wow, how did that query end up here?

"hugh whittingstall chicken run ridiculous wrong posh boy" - Haha...urm...no! ;)

"what is the proper way to walk with crutches. which foot goes first, good one or bad one?" - Urm, I think the idea of crutches is that the bad foot doesn't have to touch down at all, however, I sympathise, it sucks being on crutches...poor searcher (pout+comforting nuzzle)...

"muddy fat german nudists" - *shudder*

"anticdote to methamphetamine" - Sorry, I have absolutely no idea, however, this does mean I probably mis-spelt antidote somewhere on the blog...whoops!

"saxonville sausage case solution" Eh?

"i would like to be cooked" - Well, following the theme, perhaps try some German websites?

"answering objections of homosexuals" - Sorry, not taking responsibility for that task...

"How tos steal street signs" - Do you really need a procedure note?

"the best of torquay housewives" - What is it with Torquay???

"accidents on dartmoor shooting ranges" - I didn't do it! I wasn't even there!

"how to do surgery on Karl Puccino in Amateur Surgeon" - Please...go to the hospital!

"How to cool ur panting dog" - Urm, pour some water on it? Give it a drink? Take it out of the sun?

"cheeky cherry cheese anamations (short)" - Sorry, I'm all out of Cheeky Cherry Cheese...

Previous silly search terms can be found here...

Vaccinations for Mexico

Tonight I'm off to have the essential vaccinations for our honeymoon - (one of the down sides of going to such far away shores) ... and to make it worse, my loving 'husband' has to work late so has left me to go alone.

Think of me all at 5.00 tonight

:)

Hiding the Elephant, by Jim Steinmeyer - a review

So I have just literally this morning finished consuming the last few pages of the incredibly entertaining "Hiding the Elephant" by Jim Steinmeyer, he who designed David Copperfield's illusions and provided stage FX for several Broadway shows (including the staggeringly impressive transformation scene at the climax of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" that Flyingpops and I marvelled/scratched our heads at when in New York)...as such an accomplished creator of the seemingly impossible, Mr Steinmeyer is probably the most uniquely appropriate person to write a definitive history of the "Golden Age of Magic", and he definitely doesn't disappoint.

The story opens in gas-lit Victorian London to the terrified gasps from the audience as "Pepper's Ghost" takes it's first shimmering steps across the stage, through the birth of the Spiritualist movement (and the frauds that both perpetuated, and grew rich from it), onto the lavish productions of the Egyptian Theatre as magic shows came of age, then across the ocean to America, following the desperate attempts by competing shows to clone each others illusions, resorting (on occasion) to robbery, bribery, spying and even (staggeringly) blatantly walking on stage during a show! Watch, through all this as Houdini dreams and struggles for recognition in a field where he is destined to be forever mediocre at best, the crowd clamoring only for his escapes (much to his frustration) leading, eventually, to him lashing out at his idols and crushing competitors around him until his sad undoing by his own arrogance...

At each stage, the seven (yes, only seven) basic concepts behind the most famous illusions in history are clearly explained, with simple diagrams, and even snippets of the originators notes or memoirs to accompany them...where no clear idea remains how the tricks were accomplished (Houndini's vanishing Elephant at the Hippodrome, for example), a very good argument is made for a possible solution, and then, at the last, the author himself takes on the task of re-creating (using masterful detective work, his own considerable experience, and detailed historical research) the final remaining mystery from the time - that of the Vanishing Donkey - an illusion that was somehow never solved until we read of his attempt to perform it live before an audience of fellow magicians in the final chapter...

An unmissable book...

Honeymoon preperation

Never one to be caught out with any last minute preparation, Fink and I went on a wee shopping trip on Sunday to start the honeymoon shopping - Shorts for Fink and two bikinis for me.. Now, to further add to our preparation we have just opened our tickets to Mexico

So I guess, this means we really 'are' going....

Now, we are both even more excited and are starting to plan our 14 days over there.... swimming with dolphins, exploring the ruins in Tulum and getting lots of rest and relaxation time... Oh and the current weather over there is 32 degrees

Bring it on!

T-Ray Cameras at Canary Wharf

Interesting...looks like terahertz range cameras are in use at Canary Wharf, normally used by astronomers to render stellar dust clouds invisible, they can be applied terrestrially to peer right through clothing, showing up concealed explosives, drugs and weapons (and the subject's naked outline)...all very "Total Recall"...actually today there were about 15 police officers at the foot of the escalator on the tube, apparently randomly stopping and interviewing people, but it's just possible that someone was using T-Ray vision to steer them towards those who looked like they had something to hide...?

Big Brother can see you in the nude...

Gypsy Graves, Epsom Downs

Fink's Links #10

So, almost getting back to normal, it's time for another weeks worth of everything that was good that appeared on the internets, starting with -

Oh noes! Tornadoes...!

Man declared brain dead says he feels "pretty good"...

On the 3rd of March, 2008 several hundred million Indians tune in to watch the countries most powerful tantrik (dark wizard) attempt to kill someone on live TV using his amazing powers (predictable, although still amusing, results)...

What life will be like in 2008 (written 40 years ago)...

Elfquest (the very enjoyable comic book series that started all the way back in 1978) is coming to the internets (in it's entirety) for free, it's being released gradually over the next year (all 6000+ pages of fun)...disclaimer - look away now if you don't like the idea of elves looking like well-muscled dwarves and riding wolves... ;)

Darvasa - the spectacular result of a rather impressive natural gas tapping FAIL (still burning today)...

When hypnotists attack...!

Thanks to PC World for sponsoring something actually useful - a great list of tools and services available via your pipe (for free)!

Put on your elbow and knee pads to watch Tony Hawk's 360 loop-the-loop challenge (video)...

A clever (and suprising) illustration of exactly the distance covered by Buzz and Neil when mankind first set pressurised boot on the moon...

Suspended animation a reality? Bonus points for room temperature..! That one-way trip to Mars seems a bit more appealing now... ;)

A nice roundup of the extremely charming and creative ways that the Japanese try and disguise barcodes on their packaging...

And finally, why not take a peep at some real US military patches we probably shouldn't be seeing...

Previous links here, more next week!

Mr and Mrs FinkAngel - Wedding pictures

Sorry, we *know* everyone is desperate to see the shots, but there are rather a lot to go through, so here are just two professional shots from the wedding day to tantalise you - lots more to follow -

Canary Wharf - Funny london underground announcement

So just as I'm getting off the tube at Canary Wharf this morning, a cheeky chappie with a strong East-end accent comes on the tannoy system and announces to all and sundry - "Please note that London Underground do not operate the same access policy as Tesco, you've all got to have a ticket" to much amusement from my fellow commuters, and I imagine to the immense embarrasement of a would-be fare dodger... ;)

Sally Lunn's Bath Buns

Lunchtime in Bath, only one place to go and eat (and thank goodness we were there firmly out of season as apparently the queues can stretch all the way along the road and round the corner!), we were lucky enough only to have a wait of about 3 minutes (behind one other couple) while they cleaned bun-crumbs off the recently vacated tables, and then we were left to examine the menu...they do all sorts of imaginative things with the simple bun, from standard cream teas, right through to hollowing them out, toasting them (to turn them into a mini-edible plate known historically as a "trencher") and filling them up with boeuf bourguignon -

- I went for the Welsh Rarebit (trencher-style) with a very spicy sweet chutney (which was fantastic), and after dabbing our mouth-corners with napkins, we went down to explore the "kitchen museum" (me only banging my head 3 times in the process) -



- which is quite interesting, but really just a vehicle to sell you more buns...but hey, that's fine as they are jolly nice (we came away with 4)... ;)