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There's a meme going around where you state 7 facts about yourself that people are unlikely to know. Apparently, you are supposed to be tagged to do it (and tag 7 of your friends in turn), but no-one has yet tagged me and I'm not intending to tag anyone else; however, feel free to carry to meme on if it interests you. So, the facts:

1. I'm actually a published poet. A poem I wrote about a hamster was published in anthology when I was 10 years old, along with various other poems from my classmates at primary school. The anthology was called "Wah Hey! (North Yorkshire Edition)" - or something to that effect - and would have been published some time in 1993/4. My parents have a copy somewhere.
2. I'm a somewhat active Wikipedia contributor. I have around 100 pages on my watchlist (mostly to do with trains and railways, I'm afraid) and check it at least a couple of times per day for interesting additions and to remove vandalism.
3. As I've just admitted, I'm a bit of a train geek. This may have something to do with the fact that my father did (and still does, to some extent) work with the railways and thus resulted in a lot of train travel when I was younger. My interest in trains actually pre-dates my interest in computers, since I never really used a proper PC until 1995 (we had an Amstrad PCW before that). When I was around 11 or 12, the conductor on the train noticed I was reading a copy of Rail magazine and invited me into the cab of the train. So I got to sit next to the driver of a passenger train travelling at 120mph.
4. I have lived within Yorkshire all of my life so far. The first 18 years were spent in York, and from then on I've spent increasing amounts of time living in Bradford - first for studying and more recently for work. This may not continue, however, as I have a job interview on Thursday for a position up in Scotland - as it's a 4 hour journey from Bradford, and a 2 1/2 hour journey from York, it's likely that I will be relocating.
5. I've been in the audience for a couple of live TV programmes. The first was a segment of Time Team Live in 1999, when they were doing several digs in York and I was watching one of the digs. Though it was broadcast live as if they had just dug out an amazing artefact, actually, the whole scene had been rehearsed. So it was live, just a little faked. The second was in 2002 on a trip to Paris with college, where I was in the audience for Les Guignols de l'Info, which is a nightly 10 minute satirical show with puppets - very similar to Spitting Image for those who remember it. Obviously it was all in French so an understanding of the language and French current affairs was necessary, but we laughed enough for the TV network to not get too worried.
6. I used to be a member of Xteq Systems, and contributed to their program X-Setup - now a commercial product called X-Setup Pro. Though I no longer contribute, some of my code is still in the program today, although much of it has been rewritten. It was my first time using VBScript, however, it's been several years since I used it and so my skills are rather rusty.
7. I'm a qualified canoeist, and hold British Canoe Union One Star awards for kayaks and tandem canoes. I achieved these both while in Scouts. Unfortunately it's been at least 6 years since I was last in a canoe.

Here's a meme by the way of NRT, whereby you gleam a list of the top 10 most-played artists from iTunes (or similar), and then answer various questions about them.

Here's a meme of 40 assorted questions, found via Troy. They cover a few things that I probably haven't answered in previous memes so hopefully it'll prove interesting.

Here's a meme I stole from Dave, originating from Snackie's World about feeds and blogrolls:

• Do you read blogs using the list that is linked on your site or do you use a feed reader? Originally I used the list on my site (my blogroll), up until some time in 2004 when I switched to using Nick Bradbury's FeedDemon which was the first Windows feed reader that didn't suck or eat half of my memory.
• If so, what feed reader? Well, FeedDemon was good but I wanted something that wasn't tethered to one computer, so I eventually switched to Bloglines later that year (despite buying a license for FeedDemon). Then, last year, I tried Google Reader and became a convert, so that's what I use now instead.
• What about adding people to your feed reader? Fundamentally the reason why I add feeds to my feed reader is because I find the site interesting for some reason. My feeds are a mixture of blogs, news sites, comics and tracking sites, so it's not just blogs that end up on there. Many of them are people who comment here but there's some others that I subscribe to simply because I enjoy reading them, or find them useful. I tend to unsubscribe from feeds which become uninteresting.
• What is your policy on adding people to your blogroll? My blogroll mostly consists of blogs that I read and like. That's the basic requirement. If I link to an a-lister it's because I read their blog and like it, not because I want to seem cool or anything.
• What about deleting them from your blogroll? If I stopped reading the blog, or the blog got abandoned, then I'd probably get around to removing it at some point.
• Would you delete them from your reader and not your blogroll? Probably - like Dave from whom I stole this meme from, I only maintain my blogroll every few months so it's possible that there's maybe one or two blogs in there that I don't actually read anymore. They may or may not get pruned at some point in the future.

3 memes in 3 days? Oh well... this one's from Dave:

Open iTunes. Click the column header for "Play Count". What are the first five songs listed?

1. "I Predict A Riot" by Kaiser Chiefs
2. "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" by Green Day
3. "Make A Move (Wake Up)" by Lostprophets
4. "Where Have You Been?" by Reel Big Fish
5. "Gay Bar" by Electric Six

Click the column header for Last Played. What are the first 5 songs?

1. "Ocean Avenue" by Yellowcard
2. "To The Moon And Back" by Savage Garden
3. "Swing Swing" by The All-American Rejects
4. "Postcards From Hell" by Zebrahead
5. "The Kids Aren't Alright" by The Offspring

Click Party Shuffle. What are the first 5 songs?

1. "Freak Like Me" by Sugababes
2. "Everyday" by Agnelli & Nelson
3. "The Day It Rained Forever" by Aurora
4. "Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus
5. "After All" by Delerium

Click the column header Year. What are the first 5 albums from 1994?

1. "Park Life" by Blur
2. "Walthamstow" by East 17
3. "I Say, I Say, I Say" by Erasure
4. "Amplified Heart" by Everything But The Girl
5. "Dookie" by Green Day

Click the column header My Rating. What are the first 5 albums?

1. "Disconnection Notice" by Goldfinger
2. "American Idiot" by Green Day
3. "Collision Course" by Jay-Z/Linkin' Park
4. "Get Born" by Jet
5. "Hot Fuss" by The Killers

Finally, look at the bottom of your iTunes window. How many days of music do you have?

Only 1.4 days.

Yep, another meme, this time via Daisy. I know I've done a fair few memes lately but they're a great way of filling space when I have nothing better to say.

1. Elaborate on your default icon. If we're talking about the favicon, it's the 'n' from Neil's World. Couldn't think of anything better but I think it looks cool.
2. What’s your current relationship status? Been dating Hari for 1 year and (almost) 3 months. Don't ask about engagement as I have definitive answer.
3. Ever have a near-death experience? Nope.
4. Name an obvious quality you have. Friendliness.
5. What’s the name of the song that’s stuck in your head right now? Well, 'Forever' by N-Trance is what iTunes is playing for me at the moment.
6. Name a celebrity you would marry. While I think Kate Winslet, Sophia Myles, Nicole Kidman and Kirsten Dunst are all very pretty, I don't know if I'd want to marry them.
7. Who will cut and paste this first? Dave is usually pretty reliable in that department.
8. Has anyone ever said you look like a celebrity? Not that I can remember.
9. Do you wear a watch? What kind? I have a Timex watch with a velcro strap that I wear normally, and a big heavy Next watch that I wear when looking smart. It's heavy because it has two batteries.
10. Do you have anything pierced? No, nor do I intend to.
11. Do you have any tattoos? No. Might get one some day but I really don't know.
12. Do you like pain? No.
13. Do you like to shop? If I'm in the mood for it. Most of my shopping is online these days though.
14. What was the last thing you paid for with cash? A loaf of bread, Yeah, I know, really exciting.
15. What was the last thing you paid for with your credit card? Some hard drives and cables. I don't use my credit card very often. Last thing I bought on my debit card was World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Collectors Edition, which should be here very soon.
16. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? The university job shop. I need money.
17. What is on your desktop background? Still on with the default OS X one at the moment.
18. What is the background on your cell phone? My weemee. See right.
19. What was the last movie you watched? The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe on DVD. I'd seen it before but my parents hadn't. They seemed to enjoy it but preferred the BBC version from the 1980s.
20. What was the last book you read? Can't actually remember...

Found by way of Dave:

1. Did you not only sigh the biggest sigh of relief ever once you saw that Apple had introduced the iPhone, but you also thought it was totally the coolest phone ever? Oh yes. It's going to be a long time before we see one in the UK, and at this rate an even longer time before I can actually afford one, but I really do want one :) .
2. Do you ever miss a front page story on Digg.com? All the time. I don't read Digg.
3. When you get bored, do you browse the upcoming stories on Digg.com? Only when I'm seriously bored and there really isn't anything better to do.
4. When it comes to your personal web space...
• Do you have your own REAL website (not blogger/geocities/etc…)? You're reading it now.
• Do you actually know how to edit the code for it? Well, Movable Type powers most of it, but there's bits of PHP and Perl that I've added. The PHP-based tag search was written entirely by me, and it actually works too.
5. Have you ever installed a different OS on a portable/gaming device that it was not meant for? No. I'm not that geeky.
6. Do You have more than 1 monitor hooked up to your main computer? Used to have a second screen for my laptop, but now that screen is used for my Mac Mini.
7. Is the only time you use your printer to print out Google Maps? Not quite. It also gets used for train times and photos. Oh, and important stuff like University work, although my dissertation will get laser-printed.
8. If you dont already have a water cooled CPU, do you leave the side cover off to help keep the temps down? No. Getting the cover off a Mac Mini requires using a putty knife and I daren't take the cover off my MacBook.
9. Do you somewhat wish you were living in Taiwan just for the Technology (e.g. free wifi everywhere)? Not really; speaking Chinese isn't my forte. I'm happy here.
10. If you cant get rid of a virus or fix a serious problem after a few hours, do you just say f#@% it and format the HD? Only had to do that once recently when my parents' computer decided it wouldn't boot anymore; otherwise I tend to be able to fix it. Used to happen a lot before Windows 95, but then I wasn't that experienced with computers then.
11. Do you totally wish you could afford a really nice Mac? Oh hell yes. If I had the income to comfortably afford a Mac Pro I would so buy one.
12. Did you tell your Broadband ISP to take their Cable Modem and shove it and go buy your own (a real one!)? Kinda - I ticked the box saying I didn't want their bog standard USB modem and instead bought a Netgear DG834G.
13. Every now and then, do you attempt to hack your neighbours' wifi connection just for fun? Only ever done it once, and I blame Windows Vista for that. Our internet is from PlusNet who are very reliable - it's hardly ever down at all - so I've never really had the need. Wish the same could be said for NTL - usually it's off for at least part of the day every Sunday at my parents' house.
14. Do you keep spare hard drives around for testing out other OS’s or just for whatever? Nah, I have Parallels for that.
15. Can you install ATI Drivers into linux? Never tried. The only thing I have with an ATi card is my Mac Mini.
16. Do you sometimes wish you could just change the channel and start browsing the web on your TV, being able to view it at a decent resolution with good picture quality? (I ask this assuming some of you with laptops have hooked it to the TV and gawked at the horrible image). Erm, no, not really...

In what is now an annual event, it's about time I did the 'End Of Year Quiz'. Read my answers from 2005, 2004 and 2003, or read on for this year's answers.

I've stolen this one from Troy - enjoy:

• A is for Age: 22 years.
• B is for Beer of choice: I'm not a big beer drinker but Sol is okay. Prefer premium cider or a spirit and a mixer.
• C is for Career: I'm aiming for something in the IT industry, although at the moment most of my applications have been for local clerical jobs to get some money together.
• D is for favourite Drink: Coca-Cola, I'm afraid.
• E is for Essential item you use everyday: Computer, probably.
• F is for Favourite song at the moment: 'Ocean Avenue' by Yellowcard. Only recently discovered this band but I like their music.
• G is for favourite Game: World of Warcraft, even though I haven't been using it much of late.
• H is for Home town: Bradford, though I'm in York at the moment and that's where I'm originally from.
• I is for Instruments you play: None. Unless you count the triangle.
• J is for favourite Juice: Orange, or mixed tropical fruit.
• K is for Kids: Hopefully by the time I'm 30.
• L is for Last kiss: Was given a kiss by my auntie yesterday, but the last proper kiss would have been with Hari last week.
• M is for marriage: Sometime in the next few years, I imagine.
• N is for full Name: Neil Richard Turner. I suppose 'Richard' isn't a bad middle name but I never use it.
• O is for Overnight hospital stays: None, so far.
• P is for phobias: Don't really have any. Sometimes the sight of bloody wounds makes me squirm though.
• Q is for quote: We don't stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing. - George Bernard Shaw (allegedly)
• R is for biggest Regret: I used to regret doing some things but they no longer matter. Regrets just hold you back.
• S is for sports: Hiking. I'm not the athletic or competitive type.
• T is for Time you wake up: Normally 8am if I'm working, otherwise any time between 8am and 10am.
• U is for colour of underwear This season, I'll be mostly wearing blue.
• V is for Vegetable you love: Cucumber, if it counts (I think it's technically a fruit). Or lettuce.
• W is for Worst Habit: I pick my nose from time to time. No, I don't eat it.
• X is for X-rays you've had: I've had two of my jaw, before and after wearing fixed braces.
• Y is for Yummy food you make: Oven-baked salmon in tin foil, with lemon, pepper, herbs and olive oil.
• Z is for zodiac sign: Gemini

It's been a while since I did a meme, so here's one found by the way of Daisy. Enjoy...

Here's a meme, which, like many that I do here, was found by the way of Dave. It's not a particularly long meme but it took me a while to do, seeing as my fingernails are currently rather long and so I kept mishitting the keys while typing my answers. Read on...

Here's a meme I found on a friend's private LiveJournal entry (so I can't link it to you) - it'a a bit bizarre but it's mostly full of questions I've never answered before so hopefully it'll be interesting.

Dave2 did this meme a while back and as I don't have anything much better to do, other than play World of Warcraft, I thought I'd do it instead. It's a bit log so it's in the extended portion - you'll have to click through if you're using something like Bloglines or NetNewsWire.

Stolen from NRT. 50 questions of semi-randomness, which make most sense if you use MySpace, are American and drive.

You can't beat a good meme, and seeing as I haven't done one in a while I thought I'd do this one, found at Ministry of Information. It's in the extended bit since it's rather long.

There's a couple of musical memes going around, so here's the first one from Dave.

The rules: Pick a band, then answer the questions using titles of songs by that band. For this quiz, I've chosen Franz Ferdinand.

1. Are you male or female? "This Boy".
2. Describe yourself: "I'm Your Villian".
3. How do some people feel about you: "You're the reason I'm leaving"
4. How do you feel about yourself: "You Could Have It So Much Better"
5. Describe your ex boyfriend/girlfriend: "The Fallen".
6. Describe your current significant other: "Eleanor Put Your Boots On"
7. Describe where you want to be: "The Dark of The Matinee"
8. Describe how you live: "Come On Home"
9. Describe how you love: "Cheating on You"
10. What would you ask for if you had just one wish: "Take Me Out"
11. Share a few words of wisdom: "Well That Was Easy"
12. Now say goodbye: "Fade Together"

Well, that was interesting. Unfortunately Franz Ferdinand have only released two albums so I'm a little limited in my responses. Still, I could have used the Cheeky Girls.

Things have been quiet here of late because of the elections, which were yesterday. Though one of the candidates I was backing won (and by a landslide) the others unfortunately didn't. I guess honesty and fairness aren't the qualities you need to win an election any more.

Because I'm not best pleased with how things went yesterday and the tactics that people adopted I'm a bit raaaaa right now so I'll probably stay quiet for a bit to allow myself to calm down (and, more importantly, enjoy St Patricks Day today). In the meantime, here's a meme that I've pinched from Troy and Dave.

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was behind you?The TV.
2. How much cash did you spend yesterday? Around £10.
3. What's a word that rhymes with mist? Pissed.
4. Favorite planet, which you would live on, if you could? I'd have to say Earth as it's the planet I have experience of.
5. Who is the LAST person you kissed? Hari, this morning (still happily together, despite the stress of yesterday).
6. What is your favorite ring on your phone? The default Nokia theme. Okay so everyone has it but it shows you're not a Chav and at least I recognise it.
7. What is the last band shirt you wore? The Darkness, from their 2004 Winter arena tour.
8. What do you think of yourself? Eh, I'm okay. Pretty average.
9. Name the brand of your shoes you're currently wearing? Not wearing any right now, but I had some walking trainers from Marks and Spencer on earlier.
10. Night light or pitch black? Night Light.
11. What do you think about the (previous) person who took this? That'll be Dave, who just rocks. He's witty and interesting. Although his obsession with Liz Hurley can't be healthy.
12. What were you doing at midnight last night? Discussing politics.
13. What did your last text message say that you received? It was Hari asking me where to meet me.
14. Where is the nearest Valero? Somewhere in the US, from the looks of things.
15. What's something that you say a lot? Sorry.
16. Who told you they loved you last? Hari, this morning before she left for lectures.
17. Last furry thing you touched? My blanket.
18. How many drugs have you done in the past 3 days? None. Drugs are bad.
19. Favourite age you have been so far? Probably 21.
20. Your worst enemy? Hmmm, I have a few. Nick Griffin maybe?
21. What is your current desktop picture? I still have the default one on my Mac, and this is still my Windows desktop. I don't tend to change desktops frequently.
22. What was the last thing you said to someone? Thank you. (at the supermarket)
23. How do you like your eggs? Cooked in cakes.
24. Do you like someone? Define like. I like lots of people.
25. The last song you listened to? "Dream Universe" by DJ Garry is what is currently playing.

I realise that a couple of you have tagged me to do the 'Four Things' meme that everyone seems to be doing. I haven't done it yet and don't intend to, mainly because my answers are incredibly boring. My first 4 jobs haven't been particularly interesting, I don't tend to watch films much more than twice (and certainly couldn't name 4), I've only lived in 2 places, and the only websites I visit daily (or almost daily) are sites like Gmail, Bloglines, the University Intranet and University Blackboard system.

Sorry Greg and Joe, but I won't be taking up your tagging offer.

Here's an iTunes Meme, which I've lifted from Scam City. Read on...

In what is now an annual event, it's about time I did the 'End Of Year Quiz'. Read my answers from 2004 and 2003, or read on for this year's answers.

A meme borrowed from Dave, who borrowed it from Kachina, who borrowed it from someone else:

I've been tagged by Anthony to do this so here goes:

• Search your blog archive
• Find your 23rd post
• Find the fifth sentence - this is meant to say something about you
• Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions
• Tag five people to do the same

Well, okay - here's the fifth sentence of the 23rd post:

Handy eh?

Bit of an anti-climax, don't you think? That was written at the end of January 2002, when I was still in college and hadn't got my A-levels yet.

So, for the next 5 victims, I shall choose...

1. Kim
2. Kazza
3. Richard
4. Richy
5. Andy

I always thought that Sevens was a type of rugby, but apparently it's also a meme and Anthony has tagged me to do it...

Seven Things I Plan To Do Before I Die

In no particular order:

1. Visit Dublin, the US and Amsterdam - these have been on my to-do list for a long time, but I've either not had the time or had no-one to travel with me. I'll be getting closer with my visit to Cork in November though (been getting the good old E111 form sorted today).
2. Start a family. Though I have the trickiest part - finding a partner - still to do :(
3. Get a masters degree
4. Get a good job
5. Go bunjee jumping. Or something like that. Possibly for charity.
6. Learn to drive. Although I've been able to put it off for over 4 years now, it seems inevitable that I'll have to learn at some point.
7. Win the lottery. It has to happen to everyone eventually, doesn't it?

Seven things I can do

1. Blog. And keep up blogging for a long time too.
2. Design web sites
3. Fix computers. Well, sometimes.
4. Program, even if in some languages I can barely manage to do Hello World.
5. Take reasonably good photographs
6. Put my foot in my mouth. In the literal sense. I'd say it was my party trick but it tends to scare people so I tend not to bother.
7. Sing. But not very well. Or loudly.

Seven things I can not do

1. Touch my toes with my legs straight. This is despite the foot-eating thing.
2. Drive. See above.
3. Get pregnant. Though I would be worried if I could, to be fair.
4. Talk about shaving to another man. For some reason shaving is this great taboo amongst men. Never quite worked out why.
5. Travel through time. Though it's fair to say that most other people in the world can't either. Still, might be handy - I could put £1000 in a savings account then travel forwards in time, withdraw the money with the accumulated interest and spend it, for example.
6. Be in two places at once. Would make my life much easier at times. Though I don't think the world is quiet ready for two of me.
7. Eat tripe. This is more of a 'won't' than a 'can't' but even the idea disgusts me.

That was hard to come up with since there's very few things that I cannot do. Anything is possible :) .

Seven things that I find really attractive about the opposite sex

Putting the blatant homophobic nature of the question aside, I'm not entirely sure.

Seven things I say the most

1. "Riiiiiight...."
2. "Hellooo"
3. "Bollocks."
4. "Fine, thanks"
5. "On a white baguette"
6. "Niiiice!"
7. "Bring da da ding ding"

Okay, so I lied about the last one but I want to see how many people I annoy with it :) . But you could put together some interesting sentences with those.

Seven Books I love

Can't really answer this as I'm not a habit book reader - most of the books I read have stencilled animals on the front and feature at least one techno-buzzword in the title.

Seven people I would like to see take the quiz

1. Troy
2. Firda
3. Dave
4. Andy
5. Richard
6. Chris
7. Kim

In Windows XP, Windows lists your most frequently/recently used programs on the left-hand side (assuming you're using the new-style start menu). Ed Bott picked up the meme baton so I'm continuing it here:

• Solitaire. Obviously.
• Freecell. For a bit of variety.
• Flickr Uploadr. My favourite way of uploading photos to my favourite way of sharing photos.
• Irfanview. Phenominally useful little application.
• Picasa2. Great for touching up photos before uploading them.
• SpeedFan. My laptop's cooling system ain't what it used to be so this lets me monitor the processor temperature and cut back if necessary.
• Sam Spade. Useful for DNS lookups and the like.
• SpywareBlaster. I check for updates regularly.
• Synergy. This moved up the list quite quickly because I was having a few problems with it initially.
• VLC. My video player of choice.
• Programmers Notepad. Text editor with syntax highlighting. I use version 2, which is open source.
• Windows Media Player. There was a recent minor update that I downloaded.

Missing from that are Firefox and Thunderbird, since these are pinned to the top of my Start Menu, and Winamp, Trillian, Metapad, SmartFTP, Calculator, iTunes, Azureus and Shareaza which are on my Quick Launch bar and so are not counted.

Someone forwarded me this meme via email, so instead of mailing it back I'm posting it here.

This week it's all about Reality TV...

Your thoughts on TV reaity shows... love them or loathe them?

Can't say I'm a big fan - Big Brother is about the only one I've ever watched and even then I really haven't been following this series at all.

Your favorite TV reality show (or the one you are able to tolerate the most).

The aforementioned Big Brother.

Your least favorite TV reality show (or the one you find the stranegst/stupidest).

Difficult, but probably Celebrity Love Island. Having said that though I never watched any of it but the concept just sounds silly.

FQ TV: Invent your own TV reality show. Would you appear on it?

How about Celebrity Bush Poking, where we follow 12 celebrities attempting to poke George W. Bush? Of course, not being a celebrity would make me a little redundant in that sense though...

This week's FridayQ is about things you've never done:

FQ1: Somewhere you'll probably never go, but would like to.

Australia. It's a heck of a long way from here (the other side of the world, almost) but it sounds like a really interesting place.

FQ2: Something you'll probably never do, but would like to.

Bungee jumping. Sounds like a really cool thing but I don't know if I'll ever get the chance.

FQ3: Someone you'll probably never meet, but would like to.

George W Bush. So that I could poke him. Nothing to violent, just a quick poke.

FQ REALITY CHECK: What would have to happen in order for you to actually accomplish those three things?

The first would require a lot of money, some free time and someone to travel with. The second would require less free time, less money but would require me to find somewhere where bunjee jumping took place (could be combined with the first). And for the last one, I'd probably have to become some kind of goverment official.

This actually reminds me of a drinking game you may or may not be familiar with called "I have never". You need to have a group of people - 4 or more is best - and then each take it turns to say something that you have never done, such as "I have never been bungee jumping". The rules are:

• If someone else in the group has done it, he/she must drink some of their drink.
• If no-one else has done it, then you must drink some of your drink.
• And if you say you have never done something but someone else in the group can prove that you have (i.e. that you were lying), then you have to finish your drink, or buy the next round if you have almost finished.

It's best to play with people who have done lots of things as then it's more interesting.

Since Bloglines is currently down for maintenance, I'll do today's FridayQ a bit earlier than usual. I'm doing this about York, which is my home town, but could probably do Bradford as well at a later date if I have time.

FQ1: What is the "claim to fame" of your home town... what is it famous for?

York is old - very old. It was founded in AD 71 and is full of history. I could go into lots of detail but I only have a few minutes...

FQ2: Does your home town host any annual gatherings, festivals, or events?

Yep, lots. Some of the bigger ones are the York Festival of Food and Drink in the autumn, the St. Nicholas Fair in the run-up to Christmas, the Northern Motorcaravan show, again in the autumn and the Jorvik Viking Festival in the spring. But there's loads of other smaller festivals throughout the year.

FQ3: What's something about your home town that is NOT so great?

York is very expensive, which, when you're a student, isn't so great. Living in Bradford for 3 years gets you used to everything being cheap so it's sometimes a shock to go elsewhere and have to pay more for everything. Getting a house is especially pricy.

FQ ARCHITECT: Invent a new attraction to bring even more fame and fortune to your home town.

While it would probably send York very downmarket, we could have a Viking Themepark - Jorvikworld, or something. There could be a log flume in the style of a Viking longboat, and children could learn how to pillage and plunder, for example.

Ooh, Meredith tagged me in a meme. So here goes:

List five things you enjoy, even when no one around you wants to go out and play. What lowers your stress/blood pressure/anxiety level? Make a list, post it to your journal, and then tag five friends and ask them to post it to theirs:

1. Reading blogs
2. Doing the washing up (no, seriously)
3. Watching Family Guy
4. Reading random things on Wikipedia
5. Talking to my parents

Now, I tag Dave, Kim, Ben, Troy and Trovster to do the same.

I don't know whether this is anything to do with the Michael Jackson trial (bear with me here, for some reason I'm awake at 8:30am after a night out and slightly hungover) but today's FridayQ is about "bad" things.

FQ1: Something you like to do or say that's considered to be bad.

I do pick my nose from time to time. But I do wash my hands afterwards. And I don't eat it.

FQ2: Something you like to watch or listen to that's considered to be bad.

I'm sure Family Guy will be considered evil and corrupt by some people but I just think it's one of the best things on TV since, well, possibly ever. Sunday's episode was especially good.

FQ3: Something you like to eat or drink that's considered to be bad.

I'm trying to avoid it now but I used to drink between 1 and 2 pints of Coca-Cola every day. Coke is laden with sugar (around 9 teaspoons in every can or something silly like that) and that amount of sugar just can't be healthy for you. I'm now either drinking Diet Coke or something else entirely - thankfully Diet Coke with Lime exists, which is a real incentive to give up "fat" Coke.

FQ ASSOCIATION: Tell us something "bad" you associate with the following ten words:

Movie:

Gigli

Song:

"Do they know it's Christmas" by Band Aid 20

Television

Fox News

Place

Bracknell

Book

Anything by Jeffrey Archer

Taste

Absinthe. But then you don't drink it for the taste, I guess.

Smell

Discarded takeaway

Sound

The minibus that reverses up our street at 8am every morning (hence the whole being awake ridiculously early thing...)

Touch

The Bloodhound Gang

Sight

Barbara Cartland

The latest bandwagon to arrive in Memeland is posting a list of the top countries where visitors come from - Dave started it and Kazza continued the trend, so here's mine.

Never one to pass off a good meme, here's one from Blogography called 'Googlimage'. There are 10 questions, the answers to which you post with images from a Google Image Search for the answer. Here goes...

Today the FridayQ is all about news - interesting because my general state of busy-ness this week has meant that I'm well behind on my Bloglines feeds. Anyway, here goes...

A news story from your past that had a big influence on your life is...

It's a cliche, but I'd say September 11th. I tuned into BBC news 24 not long after the second plane hit. When the third plane hit the Pentagon I started to wonder if I was about to witness the beginning of another world war; thankfully that didn't materialise.

A news story that you wish would go away so you never have to hear about it again is...

9/11 again. It was a major news event in its time but you still hear references to it even now. Can't we just get over it?

A news story that you feel deserves much more attention than it has been getting lately is...

European software patents legislation. Most would regard it as a boring subject but it has the potential to affect anyone who owns a computer should it be made law and enforced. The Guardian had a bit about it in the Business section yesterday but it's largely been ignored by the media.

FQ REPORTER: Look into the future and create a headline for an interesting news story that hasn't happened yet...

"Ann Widdecombe in beauty makeover shocker!"

Anthony has 'tagged' me with this book meme, so here goes:

How Many Books Do You Own?

Quite a lot, actually - probably up to 50. Only about 10 are with me here in Bradford though and most are textbooks.

What is the Last Book You Bought?

The World's Worst... by Mark Frauenfelder. It's a bit of non-fiction about various nasty and dangerous things in the world. Quite interesting.

What is the Last Book You Read?

Word Spy by Paul McFedries. Again, non-fiction - has definitions for new words that have creaped into the language and the stories behind them.

Name five books that mean a lot to you.

Hmmm. That's a bit difficult considering I don't really read much...

1. Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett. The first Terry Pratchett book I read, and probably not the last.
2. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. One of my favourite books. It was also the book I read in front of the class at school as part of a English communications assignment, and I made a complete hash of the beginning.
3. CGI Programming with Perl by Scott Guelich, Shishir Gundavaram and Gunther Birznieks, for preventing my final year project from being a total catastrophe.
4. Hacking Movable Type by Jay Allen, Brad Choate, Matt Haughey, David Raynes and Ben Hammersley, the book I very nearly was a co-author of.
5. Blackadder - The Whole Damn Dynasty by Richard Curtis, Ben Elton and Rowan Atkinson, for being a good source of cunning quotes.

Now 'tag' five individuals to provide their own lists.

I don't think these people have done this yet:

• Ben's Blab
• Troy
• Mrs Troy ;)
• Daisy
• Andy

I still don't get this sudden craze with 'tagging people' with memes, though...

This week it's an artistic FridayQ:

FQ1: Who is your favorite artist? What is it about their work that you find so appealing?

David Hockney. I'm not entirely sure why I like him (I'm not really an art person) but I do find his work more vibrant, colourful and interesting than others. His photomontages are quite cool too.

FQ2: What is your favorite work of art? What makes you like it so much?

Erm, unsure. Probably something by Hockney. His paintings of his dogs are quite good.

FQ3: Where is your favorite place for art? What does this location have that makes it so great?

Again, not really sure. The Louvre in Paris is always worth a visit, but I do also like Salts Mill (Hockney, again...). They have a very nice restaurant too.

FQ ARTISTIC: Create a quick piece of art for us...

Well, you did say quick:

Blog Ideas is a cool site that gives you some subject headings to blog about if your creative juices have dried up. Since I can't think of anything particularly important to blog about right now - I was planning a post about the EU constitution and the vote in France but Richard pretty much echoed my thoughts exactly - here's five random subjects that Blog Ideas suggested.

With your license to kill; who would be first?

Robert Kilroy-Silk, I think. I hate this man with a passion. Although I don't think I'd really want to kill him, just pour some water over him in public or something.

No, wait, someone's already done that. Okay, I'd pour manure over him.

No, wait, someone's already done that as well. Hmmm. Might have to give this one more thought.

Have you ever seen a dead body?

Human, no. I do know people who have - one of my friends is studying medecine at university so she had the body of an old woman to work with for a while, for example. I've seen dead bodies of animals though, although I suppose most people have.

Grossest thing you have ever seen.

The partly-decomposed body of a red squirrel? It was a bit minging, lots of green stuff and maggots. Alas it was the only red squirrel I've seen in the wild.

TV shows you never miss.

Have I Got News For You is a must-watch when it's on. I try to keep up with the new episodes of Family Guy and Doctor Who.

How big is your bed? Big enough?

It's a normal-sized single bed - a double bed wouldn't fit in this room. Well, it might but there wouldn't be room for much else. I suppose it is big enough since there's usually only me in it, but I'll have a double bed when I move house in a few weeks time.

Which famous person do you think sold out the most to endorse a product? What's the product?

Carol Vorderman for that loan company (you see, I can't even remember the company). But there are many other examples - Linda Barker, Ben Miles and Michael Winner to name a few.

Which famous person do you think has the best celebrity endorsement for a product? What's the product?

That's kinda tricky as I'm not usually swayed by celebrity endorsements, or if I am I'm swayed the other way and probably less likely to buy the product. Maybe Melanie Sykes doing the Boddingtons adverts some years ago.

Which song do you think has best been used to endorse a product? What's the product?

I really liked "Jerk It Out" by The Caesars and so it was cool to have Apple feature it in their iPod Shuffle advert.

FQ SPOKESMAN: Pair a famous person with a product endorsement that you think would be the perfect match!

Wayne Rooney with Burberry. Oh sorry, did I say that out loud? I do apologise.

I totally forgot to do this yesterday...

What's your native language? Do you speak any foreign languages? If so, how did you come to learn them?

I natively speak British English, albiet with a slight northern accent and dialect. I also speak French almost fluently and know quite a lot of German, through having studied them at school and college. I also know odd words in Spanish, Italian and Romanian from visiting these countries, and occasional words in Arabic from having lived in Bradford for nearly 3 years.

What's your native country? Have you visited any foreign countries? If so, which ones?

I'm a native British citizen with English ancestory going back several generations. I've visited the following countries:

• Scotland
• Wales
• France
• Belgium
• Spain
• Italy
• Switzerland
• Romania
• Greece
• Barbados
• Monaco

With a bit of luck, Canada will be next on that list. Despite having studied German for 4 years, I haven't actually been to a German-speaking nation yet.

Are there any foreign foods, books, movies, or other items that you are particularly fond of? Name some of your favorites.

I like Italian, Indian, French and Spanish food. Not really a book person (although I've just bought 3 off Amazon, go figure), but I did enjoy watching City of God even if I did need the subtitles to be able to understand it. I've also seen La Haine, again with English subtitles but I could at least understand most of the French dialogue.

FQ NATIVE: If you had to trade your nationality for that of any foreign country, which would you choose and why?

Difficult, because on the whole I'm proud to be British, but I'd probably say Canada or the Netherlands. Canada because English is an official language and it sounds like a cool place, the Netherlands because of its liberal attitudes.

Here's a music meme that I found over at Hicksdesign:

Total volume of music files on my computer: 2.18GB in iTunes plus 921MB of unsorted music. So 3.1 GB in total.

The last CD I bought was: "Employment" by Kaiser Chiefs. It's quite good - a few tracks aren't great but some of them are real stormers.

Song playing right now: "Smile Like You Mean it" by The Killers. Not as good as "Somebody Told Me" and "Mr Brightside", the latter being one of my real favourite songs of the moment.

Five songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me: These are all songs that I've been listening to a lot lately - not necessarily my favourites.

1. "I Predict A Riot" by Kaiser Chiefs
2. "Renegade Cavalcade" by Ash
3. "Holiday" by Green Day
4. "Just The Way I'm Feeling" by Feeder
5. "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand

The British national obsession is this week's FridayQ:

FQ1: What's an ideal day for you when it's sunny and blue skies?

Ideally it'd be a weekend during the summer where I had nothing better to do than to sit outside and chill with friends while getting a nice sun tan.

FQ2: What's an ideal day for you when it's overcast and rainy?

Ideally I'd be inside, probably in the pub.

FQ3: What's an ideal day for you when it's cold and snowy?

Out making snowman and sledging :) .

FQ FORECAST: What's the weather forecast for your area this coming weekend? What will you be doing out there in it?

Saturday looks like rain but Sunday looks a bit better, however both days look to be quite cold which is a shame. In any case I'll be inside doing coursework.

It's actually Saturday now (even though the weblog says Friday as it's stuck on GMT) but here's this week's FridayQ:

Your favorite sweet food? When did you last have it?

Chocolate ice cream, a few weeks ago at home.

Your favorite salty food? When did you last have it?

Chips, a couple of days ago. I try not to have them too often though, for obvious reasons.

Your favorite sour food? When did you last have it?

Not really into sour food - I have a very sweet tooth.

FQ EDIBLE: What's the best thing you've ever tasted? The most horrible thing you've ever tasted?

I've tried a lot of nice things but chocolate orange ice cream is very, very nice. Most horrible may have been a pre-packed sandwich that I bought somewhat innocently and then nearly threw up after just the first bite. It was awful. Can't remember what filling it was though.

This week's FridayQ is all about pets.

FQ1: Any pets as a kid?

I had a succession of hamsters. The second one, soon after we bought it, went from being one big hamster to being one not quite so big hamster and five hamster pups.

FQ2: Any pets now?

Nope. Don't think I'd be allowed one in the house and even then I don't think I'd have the time to look after it properly. Would like to get one later in life though.

FQ3: Name your favorite famous pet from television or movies.

Brian from Family Guy. Arguably the coolest and most intelligent of the bunch.

FQ BEST FRIEND: If money and legality were not a barrier, what exotic animal would you like as a pet?

A small monkey. They're so cute and really intelligent - I could watch it for hours.

Broken things.

FQ1: What are some items of yours that are broken or needing repair right now?

At the moment:

• The lock on the bathroom door
• The TV aerial
• The kitchen door

And probably a few other things.

FQ2: When something breaks, do you tend to live with it broke, repair it yourself, have a professional fix it, or throw it out?

We're leaving the bathroom door broken for now, since it's probable that it'll only get broken again (if you knew my housemates that would probably make sense). The other two are the responsibility of the landlord and he's yet to do anything about them. So we've had no proper telly since December and no kitchen door in at least 6 months.

FQ3: Is there a childhood toy, family heirloom, or some other special item which was broken that you'd very much like to have un-broken?

I didn't so much as break my toys as lose them. I don't know if I'd want to un-lose them, since I don't think I'd have the time to play with a plastic truck anymore.

FQ DESTROYER: What is something you would like to break intentionally, assuming you could get away with it?

George W Bush's kneecaps ;) .

This week's FridayQ is all about beauty - hardly a subject that I'm an expert on, but whatever.

Well, happy april fools day everyone, even though it's now gone midday in most places. Sorry I didn't cook anything up here - I've been rather busy these past few days so I didn't have time to prepare anything. It's a pity because the idea I had was pretty cool and would have furthered my knowledge of PHP too. Ah well, there's always next year I suppose...

FQ1: Something foolish you've seen...

Google Gulp, this year's Google April Fool. It's pretty funny actually since it also takes a dig at the people who have criticised Google over Autolink and the seemingly-never-ending beta cycle of Gmail: You mean we should cripple a perfectly useful feature just because of a little bad PR?.

FQ2: Something foolish you've heard about...

At The Deep this morning, their first call of the day was by someone who had given their name as C. Lion.

FQ3: Something foolish you've done recently...

Aw, I'd never do anything foolish, I'm too careful and boring ;) . Okay, maybe cutting a yellow pages in half was a little foolish...

FQ FOOLERY: Tell us of a memorable moment where somebody fooled, punk'd, or pranked you!

For about two years, before I had access to the internet, some friends at school convinced me that Team 17 were working on Worms Football, a football (as in soccer) game with worms where you could also use weaponry against the opposition if need be. Would have been really cool had they actually made it...

Today's FridayQ is all about birthdays.

FQ1: When is your birthday?

May 25th, so exactly 2 months time. I'll be 21...

FQ2: Anything interesting happen on your birthday in history?

According to The History Channel, 25th May 1660 was the day of The English Restoration after Charles II assumed the throne as King of England, after 11 years of military rule following the English Civil War. And we've had a monarchy ever since.

And in 1979 it was also the date of the worst air crash in US history when 271 people were killed on a plane crashed shortly after takeoff. 2 people on the ground also died. I'm guessing 9/11 doesn't count as an 'air crash' then.

FQ3: Anybody famous share your birthday? Do you have anything in common with them?

I share my birthday with:

• Jonny Wilkinson, the English rugby player who won the Rugby World Cup for England in 2003 with a drop-goal at the end of extra time. Don't know what I have in common with him other than that he's English...
• Mike Myers, star of Austin Powers and Shrek, amongst others. I'm guessing we both have a sense of humour.
• Anthea Turner, former Blue Peter presenter and all-round celebrity. We have the same surname, and both like Cadbury's Snowflake, although she's more than twice my age.
• Paul Weller, musician. Not a lot in common, I'm not really into his music.
• Alistair Campbell, former Labour spin doctor. I'm guessing we both have a dislike of the Conservative Party.
• Eve Ensler, playwright and author of the Vagina Monologues. We both want an end to violence against women.
• Dave Lee Travis, legendary DJ. We both like music?
• Sir Ian McKellen, aka Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings films. We both believe in gay rights.
• Richard Dimbleby, news presenter (died in 1965). Most famous for a report on the Spaghetti Harvest on April 1st, 1957. Probably sense of humour again.
• Billy Murray, musician (died 1954).

I knew about sharing a birthday with Anthea Turner but I was surprised at some of the others.

FQ FUTURE: On your 100th birthday, what year will it be and what do you think you'll be wanting as a present then?

It'll be 2084, and I'll probably be wanting a hip replacement.

The IDMb meme is where you post a copy of the top 250 films on IMDb and then highlight the ones you have seen. It made the rounds some time ago but Richard has just done it again so I've followed suit. I've also italicised those films that I own on DVD or video.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something... err... green, this week. Maybe I should keep the green them up another couple of days then? :)

FQ1: Something green you like to eat...

Cucumber. I eat lots of the stuff. I also eat lots of lettuce too, which is usually green.

FQ2: Something green you like to wear...

Not really got many green clothes, bar a pair of green socks which I suppose I like to wear. Got plenty of red t-shirts now though.

FQ3: Something green you like to look at...

My green iPod Mini. Well, not sure if I specifically like looking at it but I do have to look at it from time to time to see what it's doing. It does look nice though.

FQ GALLERY: Post a photo you took (or an illustration you made) of something green...

Here's a photo of the ampitheatre at the university, taken in June 2003 on my old camera. It's pretty green.

Ed Bott has done the Music Shuffle Meme again, this time with 20 songs. Basically, you put your music player on 'random' or 'shuffle' mode and write down the first 20 songs that are played. You can skip if the same artist comes on twice but otherwise you have to spill the beans, no matter how embarassing. Here's mine:

1. Ultrabeat - Feelin' Fine
2. K. O. T. A. - Waiting
3. Electric Six - Gay Bar
4. Kontakt - Show Me A Sign
5. Blank and Jones - DJs, Fans and Freaks
6. Madonna - Frozen
7. DJ Lee's Apollo - Dance
8. The Ataris - The Boys of Summer
9. Madonna - Beautiful Stranger
10. Ian van Dahl - Castles in the Sky
11. Dario G - Dream to Me
12. Progress presents The Boy Wunda - Everybody
13. Sylver - Skin
14. Armin - Communication
15. Energy 52 - Cafe del Mar 2002
16. Milk Inc - Livin a Lie
17. Evanescence - Bring Me To Life
18. Less Than Jake - The Science of Selling Yourself Short
19. Chakra - Home
20. The Rasmus - In The Shadows

I had Madonna in there twice but in fact she came on three times - I don't have that much Madonna but I did like her Ray of Light album. The rest is just a mix of dance, rock and punk/ska. Compare this to last time.

This has been a very long week, and next week promises to be very hard too...

FQ1: Who is an actor or director you trust to always make a good film? What is it about their previous works that make you trust them?

I'm not really into films that much. I like the work of Mel Brooks (I recently bought Robin Hood - Men In Tights on DVD), along with the Pixar films. I like them because they're consistently good - Mel Brooks' films are hilarious, Pixar's have good storylines.

FQ2: Where is a place you trust to always make a good food? What is it about their previous culinary creations that make you trust them?

I don't have a huge amount of loyalty to any one food outlet - being a student I don't really have enough money to eat out regularly. That said, Bibi's in Leeds is well worth going to for very nice food.

FQ3: What's a company you trust to always make a good product? What is it about their previous stuff that make you trust them?

I have a feeling that Dave will give the same answer as me, but it probably would be Apple. Having actually owned a piece of Apple hardware I've become to respct their products more and am really keen to get my hands on Mac at some point in the near future (probably this summer).

FQ YOU: What is something you do so well that people can absolutely trust you with it? What's something that people should never trust you with?

I seem to be trusted with my photography quite a bit, which is good because I enjoy doing it. But you should never trust me with boring tasks that require lots of effort as I'll probably never get around to them...

This week's FridayQ is all about collecting things.

Are you a collector? If so, what are some of the things you collect?

I'm not really a collector, no, although I do have a nice collection of random crap on my desk right now. I used to collect stamps though.

If you could collect anything... no matter how rare or expensive, what would it be?

Money ;) . If not, probably something boring like DVDs.

Looking around you, what is some ordinary, everyday object you possess that would make an interesting collectable 100 years from now?

Probably my iPod Mini. Since the first generation models are now discontinued as of Wednesday they may well become collectors items, like the first generation iPods kind-of are now.

FQ RECOMMENDED: Are there any public collections you enjoy (museums, galleries, etc.) that we should know about?

I like the National Railway Museum in York with its impressive collection of trains. It's well worth a visit if you're in the city, and thanks to an extension to the footbridge in York station it's now easier to get to as well.

This week's FridayQ is all about distance and travelling. And, incidentally, this post is time-travelling as I wrote it last night, but used MT's 'post in the future' feature to have it posted today.

FQ1: What's the furthest North you've been on this world? What were you doing there?

That would be Leuchars, near St Andrews in Scotland. I was there for a wedding anniversary.

FQ2: What's the furthest South you've been on this world? What were you doing there?

Barbados, on holiday, back in 2000.

FQ3: Where were you born, and what's the furthest you've been from that spot?

I was born in York, England. Barbados was the furthest I've been from that spot - it's the other side of the Atlantic ocean and a 7 hour flight.

FQ AWAY: Name a blog you read that's the most distant from you... whether it be emotionally, culturally, religiously, or by physical location.

By physical location I'd say Ben's Blab, since Ben is in Australia which is as near as dammit to the other side of the world from England. Religiously I'm unsure, but it would be either Arvind or Anil since as far as I know they're the only bloggers I read that aren't Christian or secular. That, incidentally, is just a co-incidence, I don't choose what blogs to read on religious grounds :) .

Culturally I don't know, but possibly Arvind again :) - despite what some may say, the culture in Bradford is very different to that of the Middle East. And most of the blogs I read aren't particularly emotional (Dooce and Revolving Duck being perhaps the only exceptions) so I couldn't say.

The FridayQ has a sound theme this week.

What's a sound that makes you happy? Makes you sad?

Happy: A really good bit of music. Sad: crying.

What's a sound that makes you angry? Makes you calm?

Angry: Like Dave, the error sound in Windows XP. Usually because I want to do something and the computer won't let me, but also because it's such a sudden, harsh sound and sometime takes me by surprise. The default sign-in noise for MSN Messenger is a bit annoying too. Calm: Chicane's album "Behind the Sun".

What's a sound that makes you hungry? Makes you lose your appetite?

Hungry: The sound of an ice cream van, or bacon frying. Lose my appetite: The sound of someone being sick.

FQ AUDIBLE: What sounds are you hearing right now?

I'm listening to "Drinking in LA" by Bran Van 3000 on my headphones.

It's another meme, baby! This one found by way of Dave who got it from Chris.

Considering I'm somewhat sleep-deprived and hungover (going out the night before a 9:30am lecture is never a wise idea), this FridayQ is somewhat apt...

FQ1: On average, how many hours of sleep do you get each night? Do you think that's a good number?

This is very much an average figure but I'd say about 8 hours - sometimes it's as low as 5 like Tuesday night but can be as much as 11 when I get a lie-in. I could probably do with more, considering I have what I would call a comparitively low caffeine intake - I don't drink tea or coffee - but I get what I can. And I almost always wake up between 8 and 9 in the morning without fail, which is really annoying at weekends when I have the opportunity of a lie-in.

FQ2: Have you any sleep essentials? A nightlight or teddy bear perhaps? Must the door and closet be either closed or open?

Not really, but I do try to have the room as dark as possible. I also like quietness, or at least no annoying noises; sometimes I can sleep with background noise but sometimes things like a ticking clock can put me off. My teddies are all back at my parents house.

FQ3: What do you wear to bed? What color are your sheets? How many pillows under your head?

I have pyjama t-shirt and shorts, and sometimes wear thick socks if it's cold. My sheets are blue and I have a dark blue double duvet, even though I only have a single bed. I take 2 pillows, which have artificial filling because of my asthma.

FQ BIG SLEEP: Share some helpful advice you use when having trouble falling asleep.

Avoid caffeine and sugar before going to bed, and try having a clear head too - if there's a lot on your mind, try a bit of meditation. I had one night a couple of years ago where I'd had lots of sugarry alcopops beforehand and then couldn't sleep because I was on a sugar high, after which I started to move on to less suggary tipples.

Can you believe it's been over 6 months since the first FridayQ? And yet Dave still keeps coming up with original questions. Here's today's.

What's a new food or drink you've tried? How'd it go?

I've recently taken a liking to Cuervo Tequila mixed with Cola. You get some weird looks when ordering it at the bar - I think people assume that you've had a bad day and are out to get hammered - but actually it's quite nice.

Food-wise my cooking has been a little experimental of late, due to a rather interesting assortment of food in my cupboard (i.e. nothing that goes together with anything else), but I wouldn't say any of it was necessarily 'new'.

What's a new television show or movie you've seen or book you've read? How'd it go?

I've been watching 'According to Bex' on BBC1 lately, which I suppose isn't bad but not as funny as 'My Family' (by the same writers). Oh, and I watched 'Jerry Springer - The Opera' taped from a couple of weeks ago. It is well-worth watching - some parts are utterly hilarious, and if you have an open mind it's not that controversial.

What's a new place you've been to or web site you've visited? How'd it go?

New place? Not really been anywhere new lately, unless you count Bracknell in December in which case it was as bad as I was expecting (you might be able to twig that I really don't like Bracknell). As for new sites, again, nowhere interesting.

FQ NEW: Do the new! What's something new you've been wanting to try but haven't? What's stopping you?

I've been wanting to use Mac OS X, but I don't have a Mac. Yet.

Stolen from Daisy. Nothing like a meme to procrastinate with.

This week it's all about helping people.

What happened the last time you needed help?

I regualarly need help at work - as a temporary member of staff I don't have my own computer login or code for the photocopier, so every time I need to log on or do some photocopying I have to get someone to do it for me. It's a little annoying.

What happened the last time you helped somebody else?

A visiting friend lost her brand new iPod Mini (blue) in our house, so I helped turn the place upside down trying to find it. After at least 20 minutes of frantic searching (this was an iPod Mini, remember), one of my housemates remembered that he'd hidden it as a joke, but had forgotten this fact until then. In any case, it was on top of one of the curtain rails.

What happened the last time you helped yourself?

Last night I needed help with some PHP code, so I used the PHP Manual. I was learning about how to connect and communicate with a PostgreSQL database.

FQ ASSIST: Do something to help somebody today!

Got a few extra dollars? Donate it to the Tsunami Relief Efforts (like the Red Cross at Amazon) or some other worthy cause. Don't have a few dollars to spare? Take a minute and use a FREE "click-to-donate" site (like The Hunger Site) or other worthy activity. How did you help today?

I wanted to order some 'Make Poverty History' armbands today, actually, but Oxfam's online store wasn't liking my Switch card for some reason (strange because it worked at Tesco Jersey and the Lloyds TSB cash machine yesterday). It doesn't expire until the end of April. I might go to town later and get some from Oxfam there.

Here's a meme that I found via Meredith - you copy the first sentence from the first post you made in each month last year and paste it here, to get an overview of what you were talking about over the year. Here's mine:

January: There's a certain pleasure in knowing that you were one of the first people to find something that later becomes really popular.
February: Via Google Weblog comes some screenshots of Google's new look.
March: I've mentioned this now and again over the past few months but I'm now only checking my old myrealbox.com address roughly weekly, since barely anyone emails it now and it was getting spammed to hell.
April: According to Reuters (and many other sources), GMail really isn't an April Fools Joke.
May: April went far too quickly for my liking.
June: Let it be said now, I am really not enjoying revision.
July: CNet News.com has an interesting article about how Kazaa is losing users.
August: In the comments for a post about the new features of MT3.1 one of the comments that was made by Carthik Sharma is that MT doesn't have RSS feeds for comments.
September: One new feature of Mozilla 1.7.x which has saved me from going completely insane these past couple of days has been FTP Upload.
October: Having recently re-opened an old Scrapie mailbox (and receiving all the spam that comes with it), I found I was subscribed to a mailing list for CulturalCube.co.uk.
November: Tesco have recently redesigned their web site.
December: In case you can't see it in the photo, that's my alarm clock, set to go off at 5am tomorrow.

I don't know how much that tells you about this last year for me but it was interesting to do anyway. incidentally I posted on the first day of every month last year.

Here's a geeky meme that I've thought of. Below are a series of headers for different programs you use on your computer. For each one, say what program it is, whether it's open source or not, and what you like about it.

Been a while since I last did the FridayQ, so here goes:

What's something you often must do that's a complete waste of time?

I don't know. Usually if something is a complete waste of time I avoid it. That said, some of the coursework I've done for my degree could arguably be seen as a waste of time since I learnt nothing new when doing it.

Who's a public figure you wish would stop wasting everybody's time?

Dr Ian Paisley. If it weren't for him Northern Ireland would be a much better place. Instead every time a possible agreement is reached, he drags his feet and messes the whole process up.

What's something you'd like to do more of if you had extra free time?

More freelance web design work, and, to a certain degree, Movable Type consulting. Though I'll leave the latter up to David as he's much better at it and needs the money more than I do right now.

FQ CLOCK: What time is it where you're at right now, and what time zone are you in?

It's 12:37, and we're on GMT at the moment.

Here's a quiz I took this last year updated for 2004. Should be interesting when comparing answers. Read on...

Here's today's FridayQ, the aptly-named 'strange'...

What's the strangest thing you've ever eaten?

Off the top of my head, probably crocodile paté. It wasn't that special. I've also eaten ostrich meat before.

What's the strangest thing you've ever read?

Again, off the top of my head (I'm a little hungover and haven't got a huge amount of time this morning), this is the strangest thing I've read recently, probably down to the sheer randomness of it. I've no doubt there's stranger than that but I haven't got the mental capacity for deep thought right now.

What's the strangest thing you've ever seen?

That's a question I'd ideally like to leave until tomorrow. Tonight I'm going to the FND where there is a Blingin' Santa's Grotto Ghetto, with his Little Elve-ises. The person playing Santa is the union's bar manager and he's wearing sparkly gold wellies. This could be very, very random...

FQ YOU: What's the strangest thing you've ever done?

Well, on Tuesday, I helped a friend fill a platypus water bag (one of those that you put in a rucksack and then drink out of pipe while walking) with 3 1/2 pints of Worthingtons Bitter. I've also attached condoms (still in their wrappings) to pieces of ribbon with paperclips and then hung them around the student union bars, for World Aids Day last year.

To make this the third successive meme in 3 days, here's one from TimZilla. Firstly, the instructions:

1. Open up the music player on your computer.
2. Set it to play your entire music collection.
3. Hit the "shuffle" command.
4. Tell us the title of the next ten songs that show up (with their musicians), no matter how embarrassing. That's right, no skipping that Carpenters tune that will totally destroy your hip credibility. It's time for total musical honesty.
5. Write it up in your blog or journal and link back to at least a couple of the other sites where you saw this.
6. If you get the same artist twice, you may skip the second (or third, or etc.) occurances. You don't have to, but since randomness could mean you end up with a list of ten song with five artists, you can if you'd like.

And here's the 10 that iTunes gave to me:

1. ATB feat. The Wild Strawberries - Let U Go
2. PJ & Duncan AKA - U Krazy Katz (Clock Remix)
3. Kelly Llorenna - Tell It To My Heart
4. 4 Strings - Let It Rain
5. Alison Limerick - Where Love Lives (Northstarz Remix)
6. W.I.P. feat. Emmie - I Won't Let You Down (Angelic Remix)
7. Push - Strange World 2000
8. The Sunclub - Splash
9. Perpetuous Dreamer - The Sound Of Goodbye (Above & Beyond Remix)
10. Phatts & Small - Turn Around

It's not wholely indicative of my collection but I do have a lot of dance music. And before you grill me about #2, my defence is that it's a good rave tune.

Describe your morning routine on work/school days, from the time you wake up until you leave.

Usually I wake up at 8am, switch my laptop on, check my emails and read a few blogs for 20 minutes, then have a shower, get dressed and leave at around 10 to 9. Today is an exception though - I'm going in at 10 to 10.

Now describe your morning routine on NON-work/school days (weekends, holidays, etc.).

It varies, but usually I'll wake up at whatever time and then kill time on the internet until about half-elevenish when I'll have a shower and then get dressed. The time I wake up is usually dependent on what happened the previous night.

And finally, describe your night-time routine before you go to bed.

Have a quick wash and clean my teeth, lock the door to my room, do one last check of my email and then shut down my laptop, then change into my pyjamas and go to bed.

FQ FANTASY: You've won 100 million (US) dollars in the lottery! Re-write your morning routine one month from now!

Actually, it'd probably be the same. Knowing me I'd have invested most of it and then giving some to charity. That said, I might consider somewhere nicer and more expensive to live next year.

Here's an interesting meme, from Richard who got it from Dina who got it from Lost and Found Memes who got it from Shut Up Dude. You clear your address bar, type the letter 'a' and note down the first page that autocomplete suggests. Repeat this for the full alphabet and then share with the world the sites that turn up. Here's mine...

Oooh, a FridayQ on Blogging... Here goes:

Which entry in your blog is your favorite so far and why is that?

There's a few, but my most favourite would probably be my tour of the new features in Firefox 0.9 from back in June. It took a long time to put together (well over an hour), but seemed to be worth it as it got lots of exposure. The entry got trackbacked 26 times, before they got turned off after 2 months, which means it counts for nearly 5% of all the trackback pings I have received to date.

Which entry in your blog has gotten you the most attention and why do you think that is?

The Firefox entry was certainly one of them, along with my tour of the then newly-released Movable Type 3.0 Developer Edition. I'd like to think it's because no-one else had done anything like that and they were good - with this blog I try to achieve success by creating good, unique content and those would be two good examples. I just wish I still had the free time that those sorts of entries demand.

On my sideblog this entry also attracted lots of comments, mainly becuase it decended into a Republicans vs Democrats argument.

Which entry in your blog do you feel was overlooked and why should people have read it?

Some of my political entries about student funding seemed a bit overlooked, especially those from last year. It's a subject I'm quite passionate about, as you may have gathered.

FQ REVEAL: Which entry in your blog do you think is most indicative of who you are and what makes it so?

Pretty much anything in the Randomness category, really. It's full of random outbursts, brain barfs and things that don't really belong anywhere.

This was hard as I could have easily used Dave's answers here and they'd still be true for me. Including the spandex bit...

Name one thing you are thankful for that is kind of a silly thing to be thankful about.

My iPod Mini. Though I suppose I could thank myself for buying it...

Name two things other people seem to be thankful for which you are not.

British Immigration laws. University tuition fees.

Name three things that don't currently exist which you would be thankful for if they did.

An IT system for managing students that doesn't suck. A law against incitement of homophobic hatred. A way of delivering an electric shock to anyone who sends me spam email.

FQ THANKFUL: Forget about thanking others, what's something everybody else should be thankful to YOU for?

For being unable to say "no" when someone asks if I can fix their computer.

This meme is from Dave. I'm sure there will come a time when I've done so many memes there'll be nothing new to say in them, but oh well...

So, back to my usual meme-ness in the form of the FridayQ, which this week is all about reading. Not an activity I do much, but, let's go anyway...

Who is your one favorite author and why is their work so appealing to you?

Douglas Adams. I really like his slightly strange sense of humour and his work is thoroughly entertaining.

What are your two favorite literary subjects and why is reading about them interesting to you?

Usually anything funny, but specifically political or fantasy comedy. I like to be entertained.

What are your three favorite books and why are each of them special to you?

1. The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I have the first 5 books in an omnibus edition and like them all.
2. Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett. It's aimed somewhat more at young people but I still like it.
3. Indecent Exposure by Tom Sharpe. Just because it amuses me.

FQ AUTHOR: If you had to write a book, what genre of book would you pen (mystery, romance, science fiction, biography, etc.) and what would it be about?

If I was writing a book it'd probably be a reference book for something in the realm of computing, but if I had to write non-fiction it'd probably be some kind of comedy. Don't really know what about though.

This has been cruelly lifted from Richard, who got it from Dina. Basically it's a series of questions taken randomly from other memes to create a new meme.

1. What is your favourite colour?
   Purple. I don't know why, I guess I just like the name.
2. Tell me about a talent or skill you possess, which I've not yet witnessed or discovered.
   I'm actually quite good in a canoe.
3. What was your favourite subject in school?
   Science. We got to play with stuff and had a cool teacher.
4. What is one place to which you've never been, but you'd like to visit, someday? (Locally or abroad)
   • Locally: Bracknell. No, really. I want to see if it's as bad as everyone says it is
   • Abroad: Dublin. Sounds like a really lively place to visit.
5. Are you a morning person or a night person?
   Mornings? Bleh. Definitely a night person.
6. Are you left-handed or right-handed?
   Right-handed. Though there are left-handers in the family.
7. Did astronauts really land on the moon, or was it all a hoax?
   I'm pretty sure it was real.
8. What's in your pocket? (Or if there's nothing in your pocket at present, what sorts of things are most often in your pockets?)
   Mobile phone that badly needs charging, hankerchief.
9. In 10 years, you see yourself... (Finish that any way you desire.)
   Working for a technology company on a 2THz Pentium 9 with 40TB of hard disk.
10. There's a power outage, and you don't have a generator. This means no electronics--no computer, no telly, no videos, no stereo and no electric heat or electric kettle--what do you do to keep warm, content and entertained?
    I'd probably snuggle up in bed and go to sleep, or go to the pub.
11. What's one thing you cannot bring yourself to eat?
    Tripe. A vile creation if ever I saw one.

Been a while since I did the FridayQ but this one looks interesting.

Share an obscure movie or show and tell use why we should watch it.

Never really seen that many obscure films - I tend to only watch those that are commercially released. I think "La Haine" was the most 'obscure' film I've seen recently, which was good. It's in French so you have to put up with English subtitles but I enjoyed it, even if it can be a little violent at times.

Share an obscure band or musical talent and tell us why we should listen to it.

I did that yesterday. If you want to also get my current favourite song, which is less obscure but still somewhat less-than-trivial to get hold of, look for "Waiting" by K.O.T.A.

Share an obscure blog or web site and tell use why we should visit it.

There's quite a few good blogs which don't get much attention (but should do) but one of my perenial favourites is Kim's Revolving Duck. She's witty and makes even the most mundane aspects of her life interesting.

FQ 15 Minutes: There will one day be an event in your life so big that it will drag you out of obscurity and make your name known to the entire world. Speculate on what it will be that brings you your 15 minutes of fame!

Hmmmm. Possibly when I get to speak at some blogging convention.

Dave is currently cruising the seas and has very restricted net access, so there's no FridayQ yet. However, here is a quiz found by the way of Richard, to help to fill the void.

Here's an interesting meme courtesy of Richard, who got it from Dina:

1. Take five books off your bookshelf.
2. Book #1 -- first sentence
3. Book #2 -- last sentence on page fifty
4. Book #3 -- second sentence on page one hundred
5. Book #4 -- next to the last sentence on page one hundred fifty
6. Book #5 -- final sentence of the book
7. Make the five sentences into a paragraph.

...which produces this...

The history of these sceptred isles earlier than about 1880 BC is lost in the mists of time. This is what he heard... Cursing himself for the limited vocabulary provided by page 33 of the Piemburg Bulb Catalogue which he had chosen as the codebook for Saturday on account of its easy availability, Verkramp turned wearily to Friday's codebook and finally came up with the deciphered message that Agent 378550 had carried out instructions and was proceeding to new lodgings. In that case, we can override the method by defining a method in our class with the exact same method signature. Readers should be aware that the proposal for IPv6 is not yet a thoroughly-tested standard, and at least some details are likely to change.

The books used are, in order:

1. Blackadder - the whole damn dynasty
2. The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
3. Indecent Exposure by Tom Sharpe
4. Java, Java, Java - Object-orientated Problem Solving by Ralph Morelli
5. Internetworking with TCP/IP: Principles, Protocols and Architecture by Douglas E. Comer

It's a day late, but then I wasn't really at a computer much yesterday. Suffice to say, I have one hell of a hangover this morning and a wallet that is nearly £20 lighter. Anyway...

FQ1: What's the coldest you've ever been and where was that?

I was pretty chilly about two years ago in halls when the heating broke down in November. Bradford is cold in November, especially at night, and if it weren't for my thick duvet and fleece blanket I may well have frozen in bed at times.

FQ2: What's the warmest you've ever been and where was that?

Probably on holiday in France a few years ago - it was a very warm, sunny day and I nearly fainted with dehydration.

FQ3: If you had to choose, would you rather be too warm or too cold?

Don't know really. If it's too hot then it probably means it's summer and therefore nice weather, but if it's too cold, it's probably winter which could mean snow and therefore snowmen, snowballs, sledging and various other snow-related merriment.

FQ Ego: What's a moment you were at your coolest? Your hottest?

I'm not particularly cool or hot so I wouldn't go so far as to say there was a time when I was especially cool or hot.

This is one heck of a meme, commandeered from Daisy. The following are 200 statements, the ones that apply to me at the moment are in bold.

I'm not at work today so I was able to get up at a somewhat more leisurely time than usual. And I'm also able to take time out to do the FridayQ on time :) .

Today I'm going to Leeds for lunch with my father - he's taking early retirement soon and as a retirement present he's getting himself a new amplifier to replace his current one which is older than me. It still works but he'd like to be able to connect the audio output from the TV so that he can listen to the digital radio channels like BBC Radio 5 Live Extra and BBC7.

After that, it's the annual Ramair pubcrawl, which I've managed to avoid for my first two years at university but can't see it happening this year, and then the infamous FND.

I now finally have a landline phone in my room after I fixed the problem with the line that was stopping it from working - the phone socket upstairs wasn't wired up correctly so there was no electric current on the line. This was fine for the ADSL modem which draws its power from the server's USB port but not so good for the phone which relies on the power in the phone line.

But anyway, onto the FridayQ:

While my iPod finishes charging, here's today's FridayQ, on time for once! :)

FQ1: You've been given a million dollars to donate to a worthy charity! Which organization would benefit from your generosity and why are they deserving?

That would have to be International Service, because my mum is head of fundraising there :) . They do some good work in some of the poorest (Mali, Burkina Faso, Bolivia) and most dangerous (Palestine) countries in the world, providing long-term aid and development projects for the local people, such as funding schools or farming projects.

However, if I really did have $1million to give to charity, I would give it several as there are a number of charities that are all deserving of money - Cancer Research UK, Oxfam and the Electronic Frontier Foundation to name a few.

FQ2: You've testified against the mob and have to leave the country! Where do you go to start your new life, and what new career will you pursue?

Tricky. I'd consider Ireland or Canada since they're (primarily) English-speaking nations and not wildly different from the culture I'm used to here. They both come across as very welcoming nations too. I'd consider France too although I'd need to polish up my French a bit first - it hasn't been used much since I took my French A-level exam over 2 years ago.

FQ3: A movie studio has given you carte blanche to develop a sequel to a film of your choice! What's your sequel going to be about and who's starring in it?

I may regret saying this but I'd like to see some sequels to the forthcoming Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy film. The books have already been written for it, so it shouldn't be too difficult. Of course, if the first film isn't up to much then perhaps there shouldn't, but let's hope that's not the case.

FQ Re-Blog: A tragic computer malfunction has erased your current blog so you decide to start over again under a fictitious identity. Who would you become and what would you write about?

Heh, considering a tragic computer malfunction led to the erasure of my entire hard disk last week, I think I can handle this...

I was considering become a call girl in London who describes her relationships with her clients and friends on an anonymous basis, but that's already been done, so I'd probably pretend to be in the legal profession and blog about some of the dumbasses who end up in court.

I'm not very good at this - this is the second time I've been late for the FridayQ and it's now Sunday too. Hopefully I'll be able to actually do it on Friday next week. Anyway, this week's questions are all about amusement:

FQ1: What's something you find humorous, but probably shouldn't?

The underclass of British society - or "chav scum" to be less politically correct. I blame the hilarious ChavScum site for this. There's just something about those that spend all their money on designer shell suits, Burberry baseball caps, bling jewellery and souped up Vauxhall Novas and yet still live on a council estate that I find rather amusing. Even though I shouldn't.

FQ2: What's something that others find funny, but you don't?

The Office. Maybe I didn't watch it enough, or maybe I haven't spent long enough working in an office to understand some of the jokes. The inverse of this would be Peter Kay - while myself and others find it hilarious, some people don't get him at all. It's probably a Northern thing.

FQ3: What actor/comedian/personality always makes you laugh? What movie? What book?

Comedian

I've always liked Linda Smith who is a very funny woman, but there are so many good stand-up comedians to choose from I'd have difficulty choosing. Same with actors, I suppose.

Film

I finally saw Galaxy Quest this week and that was quite good. Spaceballs was very funny and I really liked the South Park film - it was much better than the TV series, in my opinion.

Book:

Just about anything by Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett.

FQ Stand-Up: Tell us a joke or funny story.

Here's a really bad one I heard on Friday:

Why do anteaters eat ants?
Beacuse of the Trade Descriptions Act.

Technically it's still Friday in some parts of the world (well, Hawaii) so I reckon I can get away with this being posted a bit late. As it was I was at work until 7pm yesterday and then we all want out for university-subsidised Omar's curry (which, despite there being 15-odd of us, the bill was only just into 3 figures). Anyway, without further ado:

FQ1: Which Olympic events are your most and least favorite?

I don't tend to watch the olympics much, but I do like the rowing, particularly the race when Matthew Pinsent et al won gold. That was an awesome race, and a credit to the Canadian team for not letting the Brits walk all over them and thus making it far better to watch.

FQ2: In what Olympic competition would you have the best shot at a gold medal?

Heh. Me and sport don't really go together. I'd have a go at long jump though - that was what I usually entered for at school sports day all those years ago.

FQ3: If you could add or invent a new Olympic sport, what would it be?

Office chair racing. This past couple of weeks I've had the joy of my own office chair on a newly-polished floor, and I'm sure this could be made into an olympic event. We Brits may even have a chance of winning it :) .

FQ PITCHMAN: Propose why your home town should host the next Olympic Games (your choice Summer or Winter).

I actually have a forwarded email I can include for this - view the extended entry to see it. It's a little politically incorrect though, and was written shortly after the Bradford Riots of 3 years ago (although it has made a timely reappearence in the inboxes of various Bradford students latelty). Typos and grammatical errors are not mine.

What is an activity that you can do better than anybody else you know?

This is a tricky one. Being at university, you're surrounded by highly talented people from all walks of life and sometimes it can be hard to stand out. I'm the sort of person who's a jack of all trades, but a master of none.

What is a subject where you are smarter than anybody else you know?

Knowledge of HTML syntax and Movable Type template tags :)

What is a trait you possess that makes you superior to lesser humans?

Knowledge of English grammar. I only did English to GCSE and even then only got a B grade, but I still despair sometimes when I see people - and worse, companies - who can't use even basic grammar properly. Shops with "1000's of CD's reduced" just make me want to cry.

FQ Fiction: Which of your many stellar accomplishments should be recorded in the history books? (Can't think of one? Make it up!).

If it weren't for me single-handidly defeating the music industry and setting its poor artists and consumers free, then the world would not be the place you see today. Oh, wait, was that a dream? Darn.

FQ1: Where did you live out your childhood years?

I lived in a suburb in the south-west corner of York for the first 18 years of my life, before fleeing the nest and settling in Bradford.

FQ2: As a child, what was your favorite toy, book, television show, and cartoon character?

Favourite Toy

Would have to be Lego. I had a small Lego town that I had out all the time for a few years. It had a port, a railway line with a train that I put together myself, some houses and shops, a lake and a castle.

Favourite book

I was quite partial to the Thomas the Tank Engine books (so meeting the author of some of them was quite cool) and had most of them. I also used to like Ivor the Engine (detect a theme here?) - like Thomas but a bit more Welsh :)

Favourite TV show:

In the early years, the TV series of the above, but I also like Maid Marrion and Her Merry Men, a children's comedy series on BBC1. I think some of the episodes were recently shown on The CBBC Channel, which proves that digital TV isn't a waste of money afterall.

Favourite cartoon character

Oooh, tough one. Maybe Bugs Bunny. Or possibly George from Sharkey and George. Hmmmm...

FQ3: Charm us with a favorite childhood memory...

Eeek, I don't know. Probably hiding in the washing basket with a load of dirty clothes or something. While it wasn't that long ago, my memories are still somewhat shady.

FQ PHOTO-OP: Show us a photo of just how adorable you were as a child.

I'd love to, but they're all at my parents' house so that I don't lose them. I don't have any with me.

This posting is a community experiment started by Minding the Planet to see how a meme represented by a blog posting spreads across blogspace, physical space and time. It will help to show how ideas travel across blogs in space and time and how blogs are connected. It may also help to show which blogs are most influential in the propagation of memes. The original posting for this experiment is located at: Minding the Planet; results and commentary will appear there in the future.

Please join the test by adding your blog (see instructions, below) and inviting your friends to participate - the more the better. The data from this test will be public and open; others may use it to visualize and study the connectedness of blogspace and the propagation of memes across blogs.

FQ1: If you could steal something and be assured of getting away with it, what would you take?

Money, since you can buy anything with it.

FQ2: If you could vandalize something without fear of being caught, what object would you deface?

Oooh, tough one. Possibly the BNP headquarters, wherever they are. I'd probably deface it with some anti-fascist politcal posters that expose them for the thugs they really are.

FQ3: If you could trespass someplace where you were not allowed and nobody would find out, where would it be?

It would be nice to have a wander around GCHQ, just to see what it's like inside. No mal-intent though.

FQ REDEMPTION: Time to redeem yourself for the above stated criminal activities! If you were allowed to write a new law, what law would you create?

I'm not so sure about new laws but I wouldn't mind tweaking a few existing ones, such as the laws on cannabis - I'd personally have it put in the same bracket as tobacco is now. It would be legally available but there would be warning about the long term effects on the packaging. Similarly I'd ban cannabis advertising.

The other tweaks I'd make would be with loans and credit agencies - I'd set a maximum interest level and ban them from taking on customers who are highly likely to default, since then they would be less likely further damage their credit history. And tighter regulation of debt consolidation firms is probably necessary too.

And I'd also allow the courts to forcibly cancel people's Sky subscriptions if they don't pay fines. Being related to someone involved with the legal system, it's amazing how many people you hear of who claim they can't pay their fines but can still afford to surrender £10 a week to Sky.

FQ1: How have you decorated the walls of your living space (photos, posters, works of art, etc.)?

Since I have some delightful floral grey and pink wallpaper, I have tried to cover it with various posters, including posters of Scooby Doo, Arwen from Lord of the Rings, and a guide to being environmentally friendly which came with an issue of New Internationalist. There's also a lot of junk in the room which hides the wallpaper quite well.

FQ2: How have you decorated your body, both intentionally (piercings, tattoos, etc.) and unintentionally (wounds, scars, etc.)?

I actually don't have any tattoos or piercings, nor have I dyed my hair. I do have the odd scar, including a small one on my face from when I had chicken pox some 15-odd years ago.

FQ3: How have you decorated your computer's "desktop"? Post a snapshot if you want.

Here you go (click on it to view full size):

The image is from the rather quaint Cows of the Universe, found via Daisy. Normally I have fewer icons on my desktop but there's a few things that I need to refer to a lot at the moment.

FQ PROJECT: Decorate your blog today! Create some art with an online Etch-a-Sketch (like the one here) and post a snapshot of your efforts (or, if you're not an Etch-a-Sketch fan, draw us a picture using whatever you want).

How about this lovely picture I drew?

Long live MS Paint.

FQ1: Admit it, sometimes you are not the sharpest tool in the shed. What's something stupid you've done recently? (The FridayQ doesn't count!)

Failed my second year? I don't know, I think I've been quite sensible lately. Although if you count recently as being the past year then there's probably a few things, mostly alcohol-related.

FQ2: Children do idiotic things all the time because they just can't seem to help it. What's something stupid you did as a kid?

I used to try to eat my parents' doormat on regular occasions, as well as mud and grass from the garden. It was at that point that my mother decided there was no point sterilising everything.

FQ3: Sometimes, being a bit of an idiot is required (or fun!). What's something stupid you will be doing in the future?

I usually don't plan for stupidity, it just happens.

FQ OBSERVER: People are morons. Without naming names, what's something stupid you've seen somebody else do?

There were some people on the news recently who had sold their house to buy a huge Winnebago so that they could go travelling. Except the Winnebago was too wide to be legally allowed on British roads and as they'd sold their house they ended up having to live in it on a caravan site.

FQ1: Suggest something to read, something to watch...

To read: today's Guardian. I haven't had time to read it so let me know if it's any good.
To watch: The Death of Saturday Night TV on Channel 4, tomorrow night.

FQ2: Suggest someone to admire, someone to stare at...

To admire: Jane Tomlinson, a woman from Leeds who has terminal cancer but is determined to raise money for research into cancer in the hope that a cure can be found. She's run several marathons, cycled from Italy all the way back to Leeds in England, done a triathlon, and just about everything else. For someone who is seriously ill that is an immense acheivement, and no wonder that she's already raised a 6 figure sum for charity.
To stare at: Rachel Stevens.

FQ3: Suggest someplace to go, someplace to avoid...

To go: to bed. That's where I'm going soon, I'm absolutely knackered.
To avoid: York, this weekend. It's the races so the city will be full of people who've been drinking champagne all day and who believe that they can fly across the river.

FQ PROJECT: Suggest an itinerary for somebody visiting your city by listing the five must-see attractions of the area.

Although I'm in York right now, posting an itinerary would take me weeks since there's so much to see. So, I'll do Bradford, which is a little more of a challenge. The five must-see attractions are:

1. National Museum of Film, Photography and Television. Great museum and as it's a national collection, it's free. No excuse not to visit.
2. Salt's Mill in Saltaire. A bit of a way out but always a nice visit. Very nice restaurant there too. Saltaire itself is very nice.
3. Alhambra Theatre. Probably best when the Rocky Horror Show is playing.
4. Omar's Curry House, for the biggest naans in Yorkshire. And the baltis are very nice too.
5. Howarth. Again, it's a bit out of the way but you can arrive there by steam train and there's plenty of pubs to visit.

I've no doubt the likes of Richard, James and Andy will suggest other places.

FQ1: What's the one thing above all others that drives you insane... that one dreaded event that causes you to completely lose your composure and want to kick, scream, and beat something with a big stick?

People who make wide-ranging, misgided racist comments about certain ethnic groups. Several politicians who really should know better come to mind.

FQ2: Is that all? Surely there is something else that will cause you to freak out! Here's your chance to vent and list a few other things that make you go nuts...

The rants category on here should give you some ideas, but other things include music by 50 Cent, WWE wrestling, Eastenders and people who don't clean up their houses before they move out of them...

FQ3: When you've been driven crazy by something or someone... and are barely containing your frustration... is there anything you can do to calm down, dispell the rage, and be happy again?

The pub is a nice calming environment, but in the abscence of a suitable drinking hole listening to "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves somehow picks me up.

FQ DARE: Admit it, you're not perfect... what is something you do that drives other people crazy?

Dribble :) .

Via Photomatt is You might be a Wordpress Junkie, if.... While I'm a Movable Typist myself, I have had done more than a little playing with Wordpress recently (since I know a little PHP, I feel more confident going 'under the bonnet' with WP than MT) and a surprising number apply to me:

After the excitement of yesterday (more later... ), I completely missed this week's FridayQ, which is about lying...

FQ1: Lie about where you spent your last vacation.

My last vacation was with my 3 girlfriends in the highlands of Scotland in a small log cabin next to a reindeer sanctuary. I spent my time snowboarding and visiting various tourist destinations.

FQ2: Tell an untruth about your last romantic encounter.

That I had one.

FQ3: Fib about the last gift you received

My parents brought me a huge school bikeshed. It had racks for every possible type of bag, plus an extractor fan at the back for removing cigarette fumes.

FQ DARE: This time tell the truth on all the above!

1. Last vacation was last year in Cap d'Agde on the south coast of France with my parents. It was pretty cool, I'd love to go back there sometime.
2. What romantic encounter?
3. New digital camera for my birthday. Although like Richard I too just got a postcard from my parents, who incidentally are on the south coast of France right now.

Appropriated from Kim who theived it from Dave.

It's Friday, therefore it's time for the FridayQ. Gadgets is today's theme.

FQ1: What's your favorite electronic gadget that you own? Which gadget do you wish you owned but don't?

I don't have that many gadgets, so it'd be a tie between my Minolta Dimage E323 digital camera and my Unitec Duex MP-304 digital music player. The camera, while not being the best out there, takes good pictures and looks nice too, and the player is good because it's easy to use and is very small and light.

As for what gadget I'd like - possibly an iPod (although I'd prefer something that could work natively through Windows - I'd prefer not to have to start iTunes every time I want to add or delete a file) or maybe a smartphone like the Sony Ericsson P900.

FQ2: What gadget do you wish somebody would invent so you could have one? Which gadget do you wish had never been invented at all?

A Babel fish translator, like in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. You could stick it in your ear and it would translate any speech into your native language.

As for gadgets that had never been invented, I'm tempted to say the fax machine. Almost everyone I know who has one complains about them. Personally I just use email.

FQ3: Do you consider yourself an electronic gadget junkie? How many gadgets are around/on you right now?

Not really, I don't have the money to buy lots of gadgets, but I probably have more than most. Around me right now I have my laptop (duh...), my mobile phone and remote controls for the TV and digital set-top box.

FQ DARE: Reveal a trendy gadget you bought, but are now embarrassed to own/have owned.

Possibly my first mobile phone, an Alcatel One Touch 302. It was rather cheap and nasty, and I was glad to be able to replace it with a rather more useful Nokia 3410 that didn't seize up after 18 months.

The FridayQ has made it to the second week, and this time the topic is music. See also answers from Ryan and Dave.

FQ1: Do you play any musical instruments or have any musical talents? Whose musical talent would you most like to have?

I can play Chopsticks on the keyboard and that's about it, but I can sing reasonably well, though I've never had professional training for it. It'd be nice to be able to play the guitar or the piano too, but I don't really have the time or the patience to learn. I suppose I'd like to be able to sing properly, like Will Young or somebody.

FQ2: What was the last musical event you attended?

Well, I went out clubbing on Wednesday night, but I don't tend to do gigs. We had a few live bands playing in Bradford back in December if that counts.

FQ3: Give it up... to which musician would you most like to have an "all access pass" for the night?

Not really sure - I don't have an absolute favourite band right now. I suppose I'd like to meet the Red Hot Chilli Peppers though.

FQ DARE: Reveal a musical artist or group that you are embarrassed to like.

Okay, I used to be a big fan of Sash!. I even had my own unofficial web site for them for a couple of years, but it's now disappeared off the face of the internet. I still think they're okay but I'm not so much of a fan now.

FQ CHALLENGE: Mention the above artist or group in a comment on a non-FridayQ blog entry, then provide the permalink URL where we can find it! (No fair lying about how much you think they suck). Extra creativity points for somehow working them into a completely unrelated conversation.

I mentioned them exactly two years ago if that helps. Sascha, the front man, had his rabbit stolen and launched a small internet campaign for his return.

Stolen from Daisy who stole it from Mindy and Fluffy.

So here it is - The FridayQ, which I'll be aiming to take every Friday. Here's this week's questions:

FQ1: What is your favorite way to escape from everyday life?

Usually involves music and a copy of the Guardian. Or a pub and an alcoholic beverage.

FQ2: When was the last time you made an escape? Where did you go?

It's been a while, but I had a wonderful time in Clapham about 6 months ago. While I like living in cities it's good to get away from them sometimes and go somewhere where the pace of life isn't so frantic.

FQ3: If you could escape to anywhere on earth right now, where would that be?

Somewhere in the Carribean with some of my closest friends.

FQ DARE: Post your passport photo (or your driver's license photo if you don't have a passport).

I don't actually have my passport to hand (it's in a locked filing cabinet about 20 miles east of here) but I do have my Rail Staff Travel Identity Card which has the same ugly photo on it:

The photo is circa-1999 if it interests you.

You can also read what Gledster 2000 (another York blogger), Quanta and Dave (who created the meme, thanks Dave) said.

Richard has contributed a meme, so, naturally, I had to do it. Only just in time though, as it's 10 minutes to midnight. See also Daisy's answers

1. Where do you see yourself one year from now?

Panicking as I do my finals.

2. When you were a sweet little child, what did want to be when you grew up?

Either a civil engineer (after my Dad) or a policeman (no idea why). Work experience at an architect put me off the former and I lost interest in the latter once I hit the grand old age of 6.

3. Supposing the world were to be wiped out by an asteroid next Tuesday at around 10:28am GMT (no, I haven't heard anything, don't worry), how would you spend the forthcoming weekend?

Do the only one thing I can do - go to the pub. 10:28am would be very nice timing though as I have a coursework demonstration to do at 11am - the end of the world would be quite a good excuse not to turn up.

By the way, I have a new meme lined up for you guys tomorrow, so stay tuned...

Not to miss out on the latest meme, here's a post about how I'm using Movable Type on this site. It was started by this entry on Six Log. Hopefully it will let Six Apart get a better idea about how their products are being used.

A friend forwarded this to me in an email. Rather than clog up my friends' inboxes I'm posting my answers here. You've probably seen this or one of the many similar ones like it before, but what the heck :).

Once again, there's no Friday Five this week (should be back next week apparently), so this is a meme I found by way of Ryan. It's a little bit political so I've stuck it in an extended entry - feel free to skip over it if you don't want to read that kind of thing.

I've seen this on a few sites, most recently at Timzilla, so here we go.

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.

In many programming languages this would be considered to be a very advanced piece of work, but by using existing Delphi components and setting properties in the Object Inspector we can achieve this with just three lines of Object Pascal code.

The book is "Discover Delphi - Programming Principles Explained" by Shirley Williams and Sue Walmsley (ISBN 0201342863). I bought it with the intention of learning Delphi, however I've yet to actually make anything beyond a program that draws triangles.

Admittedly this is very similar to a question from '23 Questions' but at least I didn't get a blank page this time. I also admit that this is very early for a Sunday morning but I've not re-adjusted to SLT (student lie-in time) so I'm already awake.

So, here it is - the community meme :). I haven't included all of the questions since some of them were a bit long or obscure, and others have been edited slightly. Thanks to everyone who contributed - the first 15 are all from you guys. I've given my answers here too.

If you answer these questions on your own weblog/journal, please send a trackback ping to this post. If your blogging software won't let you send pings then you can use the 'Manual Trackback' function.

From Daisy comes 23 questions.

Update: Nothing but me, Blue Goo Ate My Mom, LordRich and Blogged also have answers to these questions - those are what I've dug up from my aggregator, I'm sure there's more.

More Update: There's always more: Lost Pilgrim and Revolving Duck being just two of them. Check the trackback pings for even more.

Today is the last day of term! :D So, I have four weeks of... coursework :( . Never mind. Anyway, today's Friday Five:

If you...

1. ...owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?

I once had this idea for a sandwich restaurant. It sold nothing but freshly made sandwhiches, but came with, I dunno, 60 varieties, including things like a chocolate sandwich for a desert. So that's probably what I'd serve. You can't beat a good sarnie.

2. ...owned a small store, what kind of merchandise would you sell?

Handpainted Cliff Richard Commerative Plates? ;) Errr... no. I suppose it would have to be a computer shop.

3. ...wrote a book, what genre would it be?

Comedy. I don't really like reading serious fiction.

4. ...ran a school, what would you teach?

The National Curriculum, duh :). If I had to teach a specific subject it'd be Computing - boring, but at least I know stuff about it. Unlike most of the COmputing teachers I've had...

5. ...recorded an album, what kind of music would be on it?

Another one of my 'when I grow up' dreams was about becoming a comercially successful dance music artist. It would probably be mostly trance but I'd try to be a little experimental too. Motivo did a good remix of "The Power" by Snap! last year, by making it a house/bhangra crossover, and that worked really well. So something different like that maybe.

It's nearly the end of a very hard week. Some good questions this time.

1. What was the last song you heard?

I think 50 Cent's "In Da Club" inadvertently infiltrated my dream. While hanging around for election results last night all 3 50 Cent singles got played over the radio, including "PIMP" twice. Which would be fine if rap music didn't annoy me so much.

2. What were the last two movies you saw?

Monsters Inc and City of God. I will also find time to watch Finding Nemo, which arrived on Wednesday, but at present, time is not something I have much of.

3. What were the last three things you purchased?

A bottle of Vimto, a packet of crisps and some Minty Munchies. Actually, I had a really odd day with regards to vending machines since both the ones I used gave me two items instead of one, yet only charged for one. So I ended up with two free chocolate bars, which you can't argue with really.

4. What four things do you need to do this weekend?

Not much, fortunately. Dust-down and finish some coursework, do my washing (was supposed to do it this morning but I really won't have time), go to a comedy night on Saturday and go to a quiz night on Sunday. The last things aren't things that I need to do but I deliberately planned very little this weekend as I'm expecting to be very, very tired come tomorrow.

5. Who are the last five people you talked to?

Probably the four guys who were going to stay up all night to finish the magazine (which, fingers crossed, will be in the process of being printed now) and one of my friends of my course. This was all after 1am this morning - I decided not to pull an all-nighter but I didn't hit the stack until 1:30am. Naturally I'll be out tonight but I'll almost certainly be on the Red Bull if I have any aims of making it through the night.

It's nearly the end of a somewhat hectic week, but the next two weeks promise to be even more hectic, what with coursework and all manner of union events. But, anyway, here's today's Friday Five:

What was...

1. ...your first grade teacher's name?

Mrs Johnson. She retired shortly afterwards.

2. ...your favorite Saturday morning cartoon?

Sharkey and George :). Of course, Saturday mornings barely exist nowadays.

3. ...the name of your very first best friend?

Tom. We're still really good mates even today.

4. ...your favorite breakfast cereal?

Honey Nut Loops. Now I'm happy with a bowl of Weetabix (or supermarket own brand equivalent).

5. ...your favorite thing to do after school

Usually just watch TV until my parents got home, when they'd nag me to do my homework.

A is for awake, which is a state I'm having trouble reaching.
B is for bottle openers. I have two spare ones for some reason.
C is for cable. I have far too much cable on my desk at the moment.
D is for David Dickinson, who is on a flyer that I have blutacked to the wall.
E is for electricity, which without it I would not be posting this.
F is for flat, which is what the battery in my phone was last night. It's been on charge overnight.
G is for garlic, of which there is a faint smell of in my room.
H is for holepunch, which is positioned upside down in a corner of my desk.
I is for ISAD, my first lecture this morning.
J is for Java code, which I have next to my desk to refer to from yesterday.
K is for Kenji, the name of the lecturer taking my first lecture.
L is for late, which is what I'll be if I carry on with this.
M is for Minutes of a meeting which are on my desk.
N is for Northern Heightz, whose single "Look at us" I have on my desk.
O is for Ordinary People, a band whose song is playing on my stereo at the moment.
P is for plugs. I have a lot of plugs and not so money plug sockets.
Q is for quite nappy, which is the weather outside.
R is for Ramair, which I'll be on tonight.
S is for shoes. I own 5 pairs - apparently that's quite a lot for a bloke.
T is for Thursday, which is today.
U is for unclean - I'm about to have a shower.
V is for Vaseline, which I've been using on my knuckles to stop them drying out.
W is for window, which is rather steamed up since it's so cold outside.
X is for Xtremely long day, which is what this probably will be.
Y is for yellow, the colour of my fleece jacket
Z is for ZZZZZ, which I didn't get enough of last night.

That required far more thought than I'd anticipated. Idea stolen from LordRich.

There was no Friday Five this week, so I'm following Richard's example and doing an alternative one. And yes, I know it's Saturday, but I think was already down the pub last night when Richard posted it so I didn't actually pick it up in my aggregator until this morning. Anyway...

1. How good is your penmanship?

Not too bad. If I try then my writing is usually very legible, though I do have problems with the letters s and z at times. If I'm writing quickly I end up producing some random scrawl that even I have trouble understanding. Personally, I prefer to type things out since I can type quicker than I can write.

2. Have you ever seen a dead body?

I seem to remember seeing the coffin of my late great uncle, whose body would have been in there at the time, but other than that, no, I haven't seen a dead body. Unless you count passed out students, though technically they're not dead, just intoxicated.

3. How do you feel about being naked?

Have you ever been to Bradford? Anyone who goes around naked here will die of pneumonia almost instantly. Besides, my generally hairy body is not a particularly attractive sight.

4. The perfect pizza?

While I like plain old margherita, I'm also a big fan of pepperoni and proscuito, the latter containing Parma ham which is divine.

5. Who would you want to be tied to for 24 hours?

Someone who was interesting to talk to.

It's been a while since I last took part in the Friday Five - lately there have either been no questions or I've not felt like answering them. But today's is alright, so...

When was the last time you...

1. ...went to the doctor?

I went to have an annual asthma checkup with a nurse back in December, but the last time I actually saw a doctor was quite some time ago.

2. ...went to the dentist?

September.

3. ...filled your gas petrol tank?

I don't drive. But I'm sure my parents fill up with petrol on a regular basis.

4. ...got enough sleep?

Sometime in 2002.

5. ...backed up your computer?

This one has never been backed up... the last one was backed up over Easter last year. Yes, I know...

Came across this meme at ZulyZu. Looks interesting, so here goes :).

From Dave's Rants comes this little meme where you select the countries of the world that you have been to and a map is generated with those countries highlighted.

create your own visited country map or write about it on the open travel guide

As you can see, I haven't really been outside Europe. I'm unsure why almost every little island is highlighted though - I have visited Barbados but the Falklands, Christmas Island or Tuvalu...

Next on my list are the Netherlands and Ireland. I was also thinking about the US but recent changes to the way foreign visitors are 'welcomed' has made me think again, and besides, European countries are cheaper.

I said earlier that I'd do another meme, which was to be top 250 movies. However, it looks like I've only seen about 20 (if that) of those films, so it's probably not all that interesting for you.

In other news, Scrapie has an Atom feed, with full content and summaries. It even validates. That said, I was somewhat miffed that PHP does not come with a function that automatically formats dates using ISO-8601. This means using code like echo date("Y-m-d\TH:i:s\Z", mktime($daterow->timestamp)); rather than echo date("r", mktime($daterow->timestamp)); , which looks much nicer.

The first of two memes today, this one being the usually Friday one.

At this moment, what is your favorite...

1. ...song?

The Svenson and Gielen Remix of "After All" by Delerium featuring Jäel from Lunik. Intelligent lyrics combined with some lovely vocals and awesome backing track.

2. ...food?

You can't beat a Subway sandwich.

3. ...tv show?

Not really been watching much TV lately, but Coupling is really good, especially the episode on Monday night ('The Melty Man Cometh'). Some of those episodes have me in stitches.

4. ...scent?

Hmmm... possibly petrol. Don't ask.

5. ...quote?

"S**t happens". Because it does.

Stolen from Richard (the Bradford one).

I'm posting this before I go an get fried in my SQL exam. Wish me luck.

1. What does it say in the signature line of your emails?

Depends. Usually just my name, but if it's related to the magazine, then it also has my position and contact details for the magazine.

2. Did you have a senior quote in your high school yearbook? What was it? If you haven't graduated yet, what would you like your quote to be?

My high school what?

3. If you had vanity plates on your car, what would they read? If you already have them, what do they say?

Vanity what?

4. Have you received any gifts with messages engraved upon them? What did the inscription say?

'Happy Easter!'

5. What would you like your epitaph to be?

I had to answer this question in a questionnaire. Except my brain is so full of select * from blarg where squee = 'foo' that I can't remember what I put.

Apparently the Friday Five was posted late yesterday, which was why I didn't have time. I ended up staying out until way beyond 2am last night and have spent the morning being somewhat hungover, watching the third series of Coupling (the UK series) on DVD, which I treated myself to on New Year's Eve.

What one thing are you most looking forward to . . .

1. ...today?

Watching the rest of Coupling, relaxing and getting a good night's sleep. And making my 1500th post to this blog - this is #1499.

2. ...over the next week?

Possibly going out again on Monday but I don't have any specific plans for this week.

3. ...this year?

Nothing in particular. Probably my birthday.

4. ...over the next five years?

Graduating, perhaps starting a family (although getting a girlfriend first would be a good move)

5. ...for the rest of your life?

Living my life before it ends, since it's a bit difficult to live a life that you don't have anymore.

Oh blarg, it's Friday isn't it? Oh well, this week's Friday Five will have to wait until tomorrow since I'm off out in five minutes.

No idea who started this meme, but Google shows quite a lot of results. In any case, I've nicked it from LordRich.com, although I managed to find question 29. 21 is still a mystery.

T'was the day after Christmas, and all through the blogosphere.... errr... you fill in the rest.

1. What was your biggest accomplishment this year?

Passing last semester and not failing any modules. Hopefully I'll be able to say the same at the end of this year.

2. What was your biggest disappointment?

Not being put with some of the friends I made last year in halls. I'm coping alright on my own but it'd have been nice to be together.

3. What do you hope the new year brings?

More snow!

4. Will you be making any New Year's resolutions? If yes, what will they be?

The usual: drink less alcohol, do more work, eat more healthily etc. It never lasts.

5. What are your plans for New Year's Eve?

Staying in with family and friends, probably. Unless I get organised, which is unlikely.

Five favourite things is the theme this week.

1. List your five favourite beverages.

Cola (any variety), Irn Bru, Dr Pepper, Vimto, Tango.

2. List your five favourite websites.

• Open Directory Project (because I edit there)
• Google (because it rocks)
• BlogDex (for meme ideas)
• BBC News Online (to find out what's happening)
• MozillaZine (to keep track of what's happening to Mozilla and its friends)

3. List your five favourite snack foods.

Tangy cheese Doritos (or equivalent), Kitkats, satsumas, Divine Chocolate bars and Seabrook crisps.

4. List your five favourite board and/or card games.

Monopoly, Cluedo, Newmarket, Trivial Pursuit and Cheat.

5. List your five favourite computer and/or game system games.

Worms Armageddon, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Grand Theft Auto, Wipeout 2097 and FIFA 2003. Probably.

This'll be the last time I do the Friday Five while at university this year. I'm going home tomorrow :).

1. Do you enjoy the cold weather and snow for the holidays?

I don't enjoy the cold weather so much, but I really hope we get some snow this year. Bradford was about the only place in the country last year that got no snow, which was a pity because I was looking forward to a bit of sledging :).

2. What is your ideal holiday celebration? How, where, with whom would you celebrate to make things perfect?

At home with my family. It's how we've always done it and it usually works out fine.

3. Do you do have any holiday traditions?

Not really, no.

4. Do you do anything to help the needy?

I usually buy charity christmas cards. Yes, I know, I should do more...

5. What one gift would you like for yourself?

I'm not getting much this year because my laptop needed replacing rather urgently, but I am getting a tripod to use with my cameras (and I know that because I helped to choose it). Anything else will be a surprise :).

Despite squeezing last week's Friday Five in just in time, it was decided that there'd be no Friday Five this week. Typical.

However, I'm only a day late for this week's Monday Mission, so I'll do that instead.

I didn't do last week's Friday Five because I barely had time to breathe on Friday, never mind sit behind a computer and actually think of some answers to the questions. Anyway, it'll be business as usual tomorrow hopefully, but in the meantime here's last week's:

1. Do you like to shop? Why or why not?

I don't mind it. Sometimes I enjoy a bit of retail therapy, particularly when music shopping, but at other times it can be a chore. I guess it depends on the shop - I enjoy shopping more in shops where I can actually find what I want.

2. What was the last thing you purchased?

This morning I bought a 500ml bottle of Lilt, a chicken and bacon sandwich and a copy of The Guardian. The first two have been consumed but the latter hasn't yet been read.

3. Do you prefer shopping online or at an actual store? Why?

Depends. Online shopping is good because you can have several stores open at once, and don't feel pushed into buying things. On the other hand, sometimes I like to browse around a shop to find things that are on special offer, for example. Generally I would only shop online if I wanted something specific. I have ordered groceries online before but I got free delivery in that case - I probably wouldn't do it again because I don't want to pay extra.

4. Did you get an allowance as a child? How much was it?

It started at 50p when I was... erm... some years old, and went up to £7 by the time I reached 18. Now I just get loans from the government.

5. What was the last thing you regret purchasing?

I bought a 3CD Limited Edition CD set of the latest 'Euphoria' installment for £13, but I'm not that impressed with it. Hopefully I'll like it more once I've got into it but it seemed a little boring when I listened to it for the first time.

An interesting one this week - didn't require too much thought (particularly at this time of the morning) but wasn't too boring.

1. List five things you'd like to accomplish by the end of the year.

1. Finish my coursework
2. Finish Jakob Nielsen's book
3. Cancel my New Internationalist subscription (keep meaning to do it - it's not a bad magazine but I never get around to reading it)
4. Get an article in Scrapie
5. Get more sleep!

2. List five people you've lost contact with that you'd like to hear from again.

Like Ryan, I'd prefer not to name people.

3. List five things you'd like to learn how to do.

1. Learn to code PHP
2. Learn JDBC in Java
3. Learn a few more drinking games and how to do well at them
4. Learn more about MySQL
5. Learn how to be a good boyfriend

4. List five things you'd do if you won the lottery (no limit).

1. New computer (or several)
2. Get a car and learn to drive it
3. Donate a large lump to charity
4. Get a new mobile phone
5. Give some money to my family and friends

5. List five things you do that help you relax.

1. Blogging, surprisingly, is relaxing for me
2. Listening to music
3. Reading, particularly newspapers
4. Watching TV
5. Playing Worms (releases a lot of stress)

An interesting twist to this week's Friday Five. Certianly it actually required thought.

1. Using one adjective, describe your current living space.

Cosy.

2. Using two adjectives, describe your current employer.

Imagniary. Non-existant. (I'm a student)

3. Using three adjectives, describe your favorite hobby/pasttime.

Interesting, Eye-opening, educational.

4. Using four adjectives, describe your typical day.

Busy, enjoyable, fun, boring (it can be a bit of everything)

5. Using five adjectives, describe your ideal life.

Fun, friendly, happy, stress-free, bouncy.

Looks like I'm a bit late. Never mind.

1. What food do you like that most people hate?

I used to love peanut butter, which doesn't seem to have many fans in the UK. I'm not so fond of it now though.

2. What food do you hate that most people love?

Marmite. It's absolutely vile.

3. What famous person, whom many people may find attractive, is most unappealing to you?

Definitely Pamela Anderson. She's a ugly slut of the highest order, yet some men actually find her sexy. To me she has the sexual appeal of a paperclip.

4. What famous person, whom many people may find unappealing, do you find attractive?

I can think of a couple of people, but neither of them are famous.

5. What popular trend baffles you?

I will probably never understand what is good about Pokemon, or indeed Anime in general. It really does not appeal to me in the least.

Since it's Halloween today the Friday Five has a spooky feel to it:

1. What was your first Halloween costume?

Probably a ghost, since all you needed was a white sheet and a few slits so that you could see out of it.

2. What was your best costume and why?

The costume I'm wearing tonight :).

3. Did you ever play a trick on someone who didn't give you a treat?

Nope. The locals are all too generous :).

4. Do you have any Halloween traditions? (ie: Family pumpkin carving, special dinner before trick or treating, etc.)

Do halloween pub crawls count?

5. Share your favorite scary story...real or legend!

I know plenty, but my favourite is probably the ghost of the Roman Army that occasionally appears in the cellars of the Treasurer's House in York. Many moons ago I went on a ghost tour (since that place has a ghost in just about every room) and this was the one I was most interested in hearing about.

This was last week's Monday Mission, which in the end was published last Friday, so doing it the Wednesday afterwards is probably fitting. While I don't normally do the MM, I got pinged by PromoGuy earlier in the week so I'll do this in return. It's an interesting subject too.

It's all about five things you have lying around this week.

1. Name five things in your refrigerator.

Tins of tuna, tomato ketchup, jar of pasta sauce, jar of korma sauce, butter.

2. Name five things in your freezer.

Turkey breasts, oven chips, chicken kievs, chicken portions, minced beef.

3. Name five things under your kitchen sink.

Washing up liquid, pan scourers, cloths, brush, pans. (okay, they are actually around the sink, not under it)

4. Name five things around your computer.

Headphones, cables, CDs, razor, floppy disks.

5. Name five things in your medicine cabinet.

Glycerin (cough syrup), Paracetamol, Salbutamol, Becotide and Rhinocort. (again, no medecine cabinet but I do have those 5 medecines lying around)

Again not terribly great but I haven't got much to write about at present.

1. Do you watch sports? If so, which ones?

On the rare occasions that Football (that's soccer you to yanks) actually makes it on to terrestrial TV, I watch that, and if there's a big game on satellite I may get myself down the pub to watch it. Rugby and Formula 1 are occasionally interesting too - I may watch the odd game in the Rugby World Cup now that it has started although the games may be a bit early in the morning.

2. What/who are your favorite sports teams and/or favorite athletes?

I've supported Liverpool FC for 12 years, although I feel a little partial towards York City since they're my local team. Hopefully they'll get promoted from Division 3 this season. As an LFC supporter I obviously like Michael Owen, although I admire David Beckham - no matter what everyone says about him and his intelligence, he's one of the best homegrown footballers we've ever had.

I don't own any Liverpool merchandise though, nor any football merchandise, come to think of it.

3. Are there any sports you hate?

'Professional' wrestling, since it's hardly a sport. I found golf rather boring, as with just about any sports on the Eurosport channel.

4. Have you ever been to a sports event?

Unless you cound school sports days, no. I'm an armchair supporter.

5. Do/did you play any sports (in school or other)? How long did you play?

Without counting PE (which was compuslory), no, I never played in any teams. I was never any good at actually playing sport. Although I nearly joined the Archery team at Uni this year, if that counts.

Another somewhat sucky one that I've had to change slightly to fit my circumstances.

1. What vehicle do you your parents drive?

A metallic silver Ford Focus Zetec 1.6. The one shown in the image is almost like ours except we have 4 doors rather than 2.

2. How long have you your parents had it?

Since December 2002. It replaced a red Renault Megane Scenic RT 1.6 which we'd had for four years, however it basically died on us so we needed a new car :).

3. What is the coolest feature on your your parents' vehicle?

The engine. Being a Zetec it accelerates pretty quickly and can cruise well at 70mph. Fuel economy isn't bad either - it's not a particularly thirsty car.

4. What is the most annoying thing about your your parents' vehicle?

No sunroof.

5. If money were no object, what vehicle would you be driving right now?

Although I don't personally own a car, don't hold a license to drive one nor have ever attempted to learn, I really like the Smart car. Okay, so it's only a two-seater and isn't practical for long distance driving, but it's cheap to buy, cheap to run, easy to park and you get really nasty looks when you overtake BMWs on the M62 :-D.

As for my parents, my dad probably wouldn't mind a Jaguar or an Aston Martin. As far as I know my mum is fine with the Focus.

In the abscense of a Friday Five this week, I'm following Meredith's example and doing this week's Weekly Wrapup, which is about Internet Addiction.

1. Are you addicted to the Internet? Why or why not? If so, how?

I suppose I am kind-of addicted - one of the first things I do every morning is check my email and I spend several hours a day browsing my bookmarks. But I can go a few days without internet access and not suffer withdrawal.

2. What aspect of the Internet do you find most appealing? Why?

Reading blogs is one of my favourite passtimes, as is editing at the ODP. I think it's because I feel like I'm contributing something back to the internet at large, either in what I write on my blog or by helping to catalogue the millions of sites on the internet into useful categories.

3. What Internet features (i.e., sites, blogs, email, chat, etc.) do you participate in the most?

Probably blogs, and then email. I do get quite a bit of email (not including spam) every day, but I enjoy blogging and reading other people's blogs - I usually add at least one new blog every week to my blogroll. I also like chatting on the ODP's unofficial IRC channel since everyone there is as equally deranged as I am.

4. How did you get started online? At what point did you realize that you were hooked?

My parents got a new computer which had a built-in modem, and since ISPs were now offering pay-as-you-go internet (where you didn't have to pay a set fee every month) we decided to give it a try. I think I realised my addiction when the phone bills started to come through, although after we got broadband we now pay a relatively low flat fee (£18 per month) and no call charges so it's gone down since. I also pay a flat rate of £50 per year for dial-up internet in my room at university.

5. What is the longest amount of time you've gone without using the Internet?

2 and a half weeks, when I go on holiday. I set a personal challenge for myself to not use the internet while on holiday, and I've managed it 4 times so far for a minimum of two weeks. With all the spam, viruses and scams out there, sometimes it's nice to get away from the internet for a while.

1. Is the name you have now the same name that's on your birth certificate? If not, what's changed?

Yes, it is still the same.

2. If you could change your name (first, middle and/or last), what would it be?

I don't think I would change it. I'm used to being called 'Neil' (or 'Teil' by some of my closer friends) and if someone started calling me something else I'd have no idea who they'd be talking to :). Unlike Ryan, I do like my middle name, but again, if people called me Richard, or Rich or Richy then I'd wonder who they were talking to. Interestingly my parents both use their middle names as opposed to their first names.

3. Why were you named what you were? (Is there a story behind it? Who specifically was responsible for naming you?)

My first name was chosen because no-one else in the family is called 'Neil' and my middle name because my (deceased) grandfather on my mother's side was 'Richard'. Brits tend not to do the whole William Henry Gates III thing like some Americans seem to do, probably because people would thing you were trying to act like the Queen. And yes, that is Bill Gates' full name.

It was my parents who chose my name. They were also considering Eric and Thomas as my first name, apparently.

4. Are there any names you really hate or love? What are they and why?

Marianne and Marissa are both nice names, and the names of my parents' and my own computers respectively. Ironically since naming my parents' computer that I've met several really nice people with that name.

However, I don't like overly pretentious names, particularly double-barrelled ones. If and when I have children, I'd want to call them something a little less ordinary, but if it was a long name, something that could be satisfactarily abbreviated. Oh, and I'd never call my kids Frodo, Gandalf or Kylie.

5. Is the analysis of your name at kabalarians.com accurate? How or how isn't it?

I actually did this in October last year, and the analysis was quite accurate. With my cousin and his wife expecting a baby any day now (the due date is Monday), the inevitable conversations about the rest of the family lead me to discover that I was actually born on my due date, so the part about being "...a stickler for detail, and very fussy and particular" rang true from the very start.

(Excuse my German)

It's Friday again!

1. What housekeeping chore(s) do you hate doing the most?

Cleaning, particularly in the bathroom.

2. Are there any that you like or don't mind doing?

At times, ironing can be quite theraputic.

3. Do you have a routine throughout the week or just clean as it's needed?

When it's needed or about to smell or rot, or when I can't breathe for the dust.

4. Do you have any odd cleaning/housekeeping quirks or rules?

I like to keep my floor tidy, but my desk is usually a mess of cables, bottle tops, papers and CDs.

5. What was the last thing you cleaned?

Myself? Erm, other than that, probably my room at home.

My travels meant I missed this last week, but here's this week's selection:

1. Are you going to school this year?

Yes.

2. If yes, where are you going (high school, college, etc.)? If no, when did you graduate?

I'm going to start my second year at the wondiferous University of Bradford.

3. What are/were your favorite school subjects?

Computing :). But I enjoyed Geography and French.

4. What are/were your least favorite school subjects?

I used to like Maths but it all went pear-shaped at A-level. I'm also not very into history, although archaelogy is interesting.

5. Have you ever had a favorite teacher? Why was he/she a favorite?

I had a very good Maths teacher for the final year of my GCSEs - she was very nice and supportive, which was probably what made me like the subject and maybe explains why I got an A in it, for which I'm very proud of :).

Oh yeah, it's Friday again, isn't it?

1. How much time do you spend online each day?

Too long. Could be anything up to 8 hours if I have nothing to do that day. But on a more typical day, about 3.

2. What is your browser homepage set to?

The University of Bradford intranet home page. Call me sad but at least I know what's going on there.

3. Do you use any instant messaging programs? If so, which one(s)?

All of them, via Trillian. So yeah, I'm on AOL, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo, Jabber and IRC.

Where was your first webpage located?

TescoNet, back in 1999. In fact, it's still there, but it'll redirect you to a non-existant Freeserve address, so there's no point in giving you the full address.

5. How long have you had your current website?

Nearly a year now - neilturner.me.uk was registered on 20th Sept 2002. I'm hoping to keep it here for some time, too.

I will get a proper entry up here at somepoint but my brain is in hibernation at the moment so I can't think of anything to write. This will have to do.

1. What's the last place you traveled to, outside your own home state/country?

I went to France a few weeks ago. I managed to get half of my holiday report written up here but never got around to doing the rest of it - sorry about that :-o . I had a very good time though.

2. What's the most bizarre/unusual thing that's ever happened to you while traveling?

A couple of years ago I went to Romania on a field trip with college. The whole country is quite bizarre, in my opinion, but one of the most bizarre things was seeing gypsy families taking horses and carts onto the motorways. We were cruising at 100mph while they were doing about 5mph along the hard shoulder.

3. If you could take off to anywhere, money and time being no object, where would you go?

I really want to go to the US, just really to see what it's like over there, and possibly meet a few people that I've met on the 'net. I'd also like to go to Dublin and Amsterdam at some point - they're both supposed to be really nice places and I've never been before.

4. Do you prefer traveling by plane, train or car?

I think trains are best, particularly the fast ones in Europe where they can do not far off 200mph at full whack. I've travelled from the south of France to north of England by train(s) before and it was great. Flying is alright but it can be a bit boring because often all you see out of the windows is either clouds or water, and I'm not keen on long-haul flights because you often can't get up and walk around. And cars are alright but sometimes I get a bit travel sick, particularly if I'm in the back seat of a car with poor suspension on a naff road.

5. What's the next place on your list to visit?

Well, I'm going to Sheffield tomorrow with my parents and grandparents...

Yes, I'm aware it's Saturday, but it's good filler content. And Ryan and Kim have already done it. And I don't think Kim has had a trackback ping yet. And that was a lame excuse, but, heh. And I say 'and' too much. Anyway...

Normally I never do these things, but hey, what's wrong with a break in tradition once in a while, eh? And Meredith has already done it.

I don't often join in group blogging things, but this one seemed like a good one. Chris has done it already, along with several other popular techy bloggers.

The idea is from Adam Kalsey - it's a group thing via Trackback that encourages participants to write about the early computer experiences. So, here goes...

Every Saturday, The Guardian publishes a questionnaire with a particular celebrity, usually one who has something happening at the time (this week it was Lenny Henry - Red Nose Day is less than 2 weeks away now). And as an idea for an entry, I decided to answer the questions myself.