Happy 50th, Lego

It's Lego's 50th birthday and here are some interesting facts about the little wonder brick:

• On January 28, 1958, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen submitted a patent for the interlocking and studded plastic brick
• The name Lego comes from the first two letters of the Danish words "Leg godt" or "play well" in English
• The company's iconic toy allows an infinite number of assembly combinations. With just two bricks there are 24 different combinations, and with six there are 915 million possibilities
• A half-century after its creation, more than 400 million children and adults play each year with the bricks, spending five billion hours a year putting them together and pulling them apart
• The bricks made today can still interlock with those made in the first batch in 1958
• South Korean adventurer Heo Young-Ho, who climbed Mount Everest in 1987, left a Lego toy behind in the snow after his ascent
• Lego was named "Toy of the Century" in 1999 by US business magazine Fortune
• Seven boxes of Lego are sold every second around the world
• 19 billion components are produced each year -- enough to wrap around the Earth's circumference five times

Lego was one of my favourite toys as a child, I used to spend hours and hours playing with it. I inherited a box of Lego bricks and over time I was bought some Lego of my own. Although I received other building blocks of various types, it was always Lego that did it for me. My kids play Lego too, although they have the Bionicle sets as well as the straightforward blocks. However, they probably play more with the simple blocks than the Bionicle sort.  [News source for the facts above]

One of those weeks

It's been a busy 7 days. I've a busy week next week too. Finding time for my leisure activity has been an issue lately. However, I'm here and I've had some wine and I'm ready. Ready for what? I ate some Oatibix today, a new(ish) breakfast cereal that comes in sachets you add milk to and microwave. I have to say that, although slightly sceptical at first, I actually enjoyed it and appreciated the warmth in my stomach and I also appreciated not feeling too hungry before having lunch. Isn't that just the worst part of being at work - when you get the mid-morning munchies so bad that you feel like you have to either eat or be sick. Life is so much better when you have the opportunity to snack mid morning. I've worked in some places with no canteen or snack shops that you can sneak off to, what dives! I did work somewhere once that had a Bun Wagon, a motorised cafe that opened for business anywhere and provided hot tea, cakes and even bacon sandwiches. The latest anti-obesity drive seems to have demonised bacon, which is a shame since it is probably my favourite meat. I also really like sausages, especially sausage rolls - another foodstuff that has been demonised. I did buy a sausage roll this week though. I'm so bad when I'm on the road! That's the trouble with combining diets with work - you have to have food to give you the fuel to carry on. What's the answer? Come on you new age chefs, tell us how we can eat healthy and have jobs where you travel so much!

Habits

It seems to me that habits have a way of slowly forming. Sometimes I don't even realise that something is a habit until I stop and think about it. Habits can occur when you are in a certain place or at a particular time of the day. Maybe a habit is related to mood or maybe even to circumstances outside of your control. Habits can include things like the food you buy and cook, where you put your keys when you get home, what type of subject matter you read, what you usually drink, where you put your shoes, the route you take to work and which hand you open a door with. If you subtracted from an average day the number of hours spent doing things habitually, roughly how much time would be left? Is that the time you actually get things done and make a difference with? That would be a good question for an employer to ask its employees.

We like habits in general, they are comfortable and familiar and we are usually in control of the situation. Stepping outside of that comfort zone takes courage and energy. It extends us in ways we don't perhaps understand at the time. Habits can be bad, there are obvious ones like smoking or drinking to excess and less obvious ones (to other people) that we are more inclined not to admit to, like buying shoes or clothes too often. Some habits are foisted upon us not through direct choice but by our own preference - like taking a route through a building to avoid a particular person.

Habits are interesting things aren't they? And I didn't have a clue what I would write about when I started this.

The Reading Box

Here's a fictional account of an idea I had this morning while slowly waking up and becoming aware of the morning. I love books, they surround me at home and I like dipping into my reading all the time. I wish I had the time to read more. There is something physical about turning the pages of a book and holding it while you read that I don't think will ever be captured by technology. I've used a few handheld electronic ebook readers and you just don't get the same feeling.

The Reading Box project began as a concept in 2008. The chain opened with one store inside the London North circular road on a trading estate. The large boxlike purple structure attracted attention through its use of bright neon lettering, strong vibrant colour scheme and homely interior spaces. Multi-functional, flexible spaces allowed for white-walled business use as meeting spaces during the day that were converted into softly lit colourful and homely interior spaces in the evenings. Poetry readings, book clubs for an assortment of tastes, fresh coffee on tap, easy internet access, alignment to its own social networking site brought adults together to physically meet in a safe environment. One of the secrets of its success was the alignment of social and commercial use. Reading groups used the bookshop, the staff were knowledgeable on books - being librarians or bookstore workers themselves. Some linked the growth of The Reading Box chain to the increase in printed book sales and in particular print on demand books. Other commentators cite the low entrance fees, library-like atmosphere and the generous "try before you buy" ethos. A person could use the website to discuss authors and arrange groups to meet face-to-face for ongoing discussion while reading the book at the same time. The introduction of author readings added to the appeal. Authors would hold cosy reading sessions for small groups of 15 people gathered around on sofas, beanbags and the floor. Authors preferred the reading sessions to cold, impersonal bookstore signings. Slogans like "The world will be a better place if we all just sit down and read together", "The Reading Box: the space to think", the self-mocking "The Reading Box: Join Us", "Think out of the Box", "The Reading Box: Books. People. Comfort" and designer T shirts created a mini craze for The Reading Box merchandise and some argue merchandise brought more revenue than the nominal entrance fees. Some commentators have criticised The Reading Box for its temple-like rule about leaving shoes in boxes by the door calling it "a soft play area for grown-ups". Others argue that leaving ones shoes by the door is disarming and makes for a friendlier atmosphere. The success of The Reading Box continues now into 2011 despite minor criticisms and the current trend away from doing everything online to a more hybrid approach fits well with the company ethos and the new counter culture where once it was cool to market yourself on the web now it seems cool not to have a web presence at all.

Do I want new glasses?

I got my hair cut in between Christmas and New Year. I forgot about it but several people commented on it today as soon as they saw me, saying it was nice and it sort of threw my concentration for a few seconds. I have lost a couple of stones in weight because of the diet and I feel good for it. I'd like to try getting some new glasses but I find the process of choosing them quite difficult, I don't know whether my prescription has changed - last two times I've had my eyes tested I've found that my short sightedness has actually improved so I've had to have less powerful prescriptions. I'm told that this happens getting older, which I'm less thrilled about. So if I did get new glasses I'm not really sure what sort to get, maybe I should create a "mood board" for the kind of image I want? A mood board apparently is a poster or board with photos cut from lifestyle magazines - usually used for representing what you like in terms of design, style and taste of anything from cars to household furnishings. I'm not sure what would be on my mood board for face furniture, though obviously I'd want to project an image like a studious Keanu Reeves!

Friday lunch

Just having my lunchbreak so I thought I'd blog at the same time.

I watched Sunshine last night, directed by Danny Boyle who directed Trainspotting and 28 Days Later. It was good, if you like suspense and sci-fi you'll probably like it. The DVD skipped a little at the climax, so I might have missed a few important seconds (rather annoyingly) but even so I enjoyed the experience of watching it.

Over the weekend I hope to play some videogames, I'm working my way slowly through the terrorists on Rainbow Six Las Vegas on Xbox360 and I'd like play some of the new Mario game on the Wii. I'll also probably watch a few Hammer films from the box set and Pirates and possibly Die Hard 4.0.

My guitar class starts again on Monday evening, I've moved into the Improvers class so that will be harder and I'll need to do some practicing for that.

I also started my novel this week and need to work on that too. So a full weekend in prospect! I hope you have a great weekend too!!

Movie Time

We have rented some titles to watch:

• 300
• Sunshine
• Hairspray
• Pirates of the Carribean At World's End
• Die Hard 4.0

I watched 300 last night, it was OK but not as good as I thought it would be. I didn't really know what to expect. I did enjoy it, don't get me wrong but I think it was pretty well hyped to be more than it actually was.

My wife reports that John Travolta played a good part in Hairspray, I don't know as I didn't watch it. It didn't appeal to me but I might have enjoyed it had I been in the mood.

I'm looking forward to watching Sunshine this evening. I saw 28 Days Later and I think it's the same director, name escapes me for the moment.

Also, we got a bargain yesterday: 21 disk boxset of Hammer Horror films for 40 instead of 150 pounds. There were a few vampire films with Christopher Lee and a few Peter Cushing films too. I can't wait, I love those old horror films. I'd love to get the Amicus collection on DVD too. Haven't seen that cheap enough yet though.

I'm probably not going to enjoy the pirates film and I have my doubts about Die Hard 4.0. I liked the previous Die Hard films, I bought the boxset but I'm just not sure a fourth is necessary. Oh well, only one way to find out...

End thoughts

I would like to write something intelligent and insightful about the year but instead a myriad of trivial things come to mind more readily than anything else I could say. It's a shame. However, I am suffering from another cold and I'm tired today having spent much of last night awake coughing. Tomorrow is the final day of December in 2007 and a new year knocks on the door. I wonder what it will bring us? It would be nice to think that man will realise his limitations and wage peace instead of war. It would be nice if the sexes respected each other for what they both bring to the world. It would be nice if all ages respected the young for the future that they will become. An imminent new year always manages to fill me with hope, however desperate it may seem. I am hopeful for 2008. I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and lots of love!

Tech Gifts

Funny how times change, isn't it? The growth of the electronics industry has led to the the development of plenty related industries. Toy departments have been affected a lot by changes in the toy industry, not always for the best. I've seen quite a number of toy shops close locally. Those that continue less resemble a toy shop than an electronics store. It's a bit of a shame, I feel, when kids engage more with a screen than their imaginations. I had some electronic toys in my childhood but they were fairly naff and restricted by battery power and there was no world wide web to connect up to. I'm not a fuddy duddy, I love playing videogames and I love gadgets but I do wonder sometimes where it is all leading and whether it has got out of control for very young children. We've had to set our PC up for parental control recently because my kids are starting to use the computer now for school work and email. Knowing what's out if you look for it there makes me very wary.

I wonder how big the market for tech gifts is? My wife and I have spent a load of money this year on presents for each other. I think next year we should aim to be less tech-driven and give ourselves some good old fashioned stuff like clothes and books.

I saw a new shopping category in the catalogue this year: PINK GIFTS. Oh My God! Please shoot me if I ever buy anyone a pink gift: ARRGGGGHHH!! I ordered my wife something pink just the other day!!! (At least it wasn't from the pink gifts catalogue). BUT the pink gifts section must be a nightmare for catalogue publishers because there doesn't seem to be any connection between the stuff apart from the fact it is pink - so they have to duplicate the stuff again in their respective categories.

PS. We bought a really cheap keyboard some weeks back and the B key doesn't always work, so any typing usually involves proof reading to ensure I've not missed any Bs out - infuriating!!! OK, so I guess a new keyboard is some other new tech that we have to get. :-(

2007, you're nearly up

How was 2007 for you? I know it's not yet over but in general its been alright without being extreme in either good or bad terms. I feel somehow that I'm either entering a creative period or leaving one - I hope I'm entering one because I don't feel I've been particularly creative this year. I feel I've withdrawn into my shell over the last few months, certainly blogging wise I've found it difficult as I've had to be more focused at work, less relaxed and hence more organised. This affects what I do in my spare time, in order to balance things out I've become less organised in my social life - it's not been a conscious effort I have just been pondering things and came to that realisation about 5 minutes ago. So, in my head I've been thinking about next year. I am 40 in 2008, so I'd like to do something memorable. I've also been thinking about writing. Writing a novel is very demanding but I have been considering the challenge - without really considering what kind of novel I would write. I'll be thinking more about my achievements this year, I'm not sure whether I'll share them here or not yet. I started this blog in January 2005 and one of my considerations will be whether or not I want to continue it. There might be other vehicles for articulating my thoughts. I don't know. I'm rambling, so goodnight and I'm off to listen to some music....

The Simpsons Anniversary

Today in 1989, the longest-running US sitcom and longest-running animated series began with a half hour Christmas edition.

My favourite episodes are probably the Halloween related ones but The Simpsons can still make me laugh, I felt I should post something since its been a while and The Simpsons deserves some kind of anniversary statement from me since I've enjoyed the show so much over the years.

Dedicated to the moms...

Motherhood condensed into less than three minutes, she's nailed it for me.

Secrets

Have you ever kept a secret? I'm sure at one point or another all of us have. When someone asks us to keep a secret it's a burden they put on us. It's certainly a relief when the secret is lifted and you can talk about it but it can be very hard on the people sharing the secret while its still a secret - especially if it's good news. The difficulty is that some people can keep secrets and some can't - the burden becomes too great that they have to share it. Sometimes people even tell others that they have a secret that they can't divulge - its just attention seeking and the worst kind because they know they'll be constantly asked to reveal the secret and enjoy the anguish on people asking. Secrets between friends can be used to hurt other friends by excluding them, another horrible use of secrets. I don't like secrets, I don't trust people who burden others with their secrets.

In Praise of...

There is so much to be thankful for in life. The gift of music is just one of them, it's an important one for me. Here's a lovely little video of a soprano from the UK singing in a show usually broadcast on a Sunday at tea time. The show is called Songs Of Praise and I don't usually watch it but I turned on the TV and this song just started and I was captivated for a few minutes. I knew Lesley Garrett's name and could probably have guessed who it was. I listen very often to Classic FM radio when I'm in the car these days and she has a show on that. I like her voice and she seems like a nice person when I've seen her on the Children In Need show, I know she has done a lot for charities. I'm always amazed at how operatic singers manage to breath and flow with the song. She does a great job here and looks amazing.

End of Summer

Our clocks go backwards an hour early tomorrow morning, signalling the true end of British Summer Time even though the weather hasn't been very summery this year. I like having the extra hour but Sundays typically go fast and I hate the feeling that work starts again the next day. At least there are a few holidays to look forward to over the next few weeks - Halloween and Bonfire Night at any rate. We don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I have trouble remembering when that is - is it early December? So after the first week of November, its the last slow crawl to Christmas. Not that it is so slow, December whizzes past usually. Plenty of good music to listen to in the evenings, videogames, TV and films to watch when its too dark or cold to venture outside. The shops open late for Christmas shopping - have you got all your presents yet? I even heard Christmas music in one shop last weekend. I have not yet been tempted to buy one remotely Christmassy thing yet, although I was eyeing the seasonal aisle of the supermarket - lots of lovely food that is very likely to add a nice layer of fat to my body - perhaps I won't be having the usual Christmas food this year!

Nights are drawing in

It's getting darker earlier and earlier in the afternoon. My neighbour commented to me yesterday evening that she likes the fact that it is dark when she gets home. I guess I can appreciate some of that - it certainly makes the house feel cozy. The heating is on, the lamp casts a nice warm It also makes me think of the holiday season approaching, the shops are starting to stock Christmas items in the run to the end of the year. I have a lot of deadlines to meet before the end of the year, so I'm just going to get my head down and work through it all. I'll be blogging when I can over the coming months.

If you've never seen the show The IT Crowd, I'd recommend it. I've seen two series on DVD and have enjoyed it, a good laugh.

Segmentation

Another week and only one post! What's happening is that my time is being eaten up with cooking, washing up, video gaming seeing the children off to bed, work and trying (and usually failing) to get enough sleep. I need more segmentation or separation between my interests and activities. I didn't get a chance to do much blogging this week and I didn't get a chance to do any prep for the next series of my podcast, which begins next week. I'm also up against things work-wise, so the next few days, weeks and months are going to to get busy: hence segmentation is essential. Everything has to have a fair time-slice. So goodness knows how I'm going to do that, with Halo 3 being released this week (I got my pre-order in on Saturday and I'm secretly getting excited).

Shuffling Along

Has it really been a week since I last posted something here? It doesn't feel that long! I wonder if keeping a notebook has had a replacement effect instead of a supporting role in my blogging? I mean, perhaps I get out of me what I need to in my notebook instead of in these posts.

On Monday evening I started a guitar class. It's ok so far, I found I couldn't strum a simple pattern very well but I could form chords OK, so I could use the tuition. We learned the key of D and the key of G. A member of the group turned up a little late, a lady. She tried to enter the class in an unobtrusive way but because her guitar was strapped on her back (with the neck sticking out), when she turned to close the door she hit a chair making a loud noise. The class is in an art room, so there are papier mache models hanging up etc., and she tried to slip quietly past the tutor but turned again and hit the models hanging up. I bet she felt a right wally, I know I would have, but to her credit she got on with it and didn't play bad either.

I've got my Xbox360 online now, so I've been doing a bit of gaming with some friends, not real friends - like the kind you know on a face to face level - but internet friends: the internet is a new social paradigm isn't it?

I'm listening to a lot of music lately, partly in preparation for a new season of FWPL starting in October but partly because I bought my wife a new Ipod and have taken over using her old Ipod Shuffle. I love iTunes and the Shuffle, you can get several albums worth (as much as you can listen to on one trip) and hear the tracks in endless new ways. I love the serendipity of tracks shuffling - it's what I do when I decide the play order for my podcast. It keeps things interesting having that juxtaposition of styles and genres.

Hope everyone has had a good week, here's to another this week...cheers!

Daydreaming

I wonder how many words are typed on the average computer keyboard? The letters were disappearing on our old keyboard we'd done so much typing on it, so as I was shopping in the supermarket yesterday I noticed them selling keyboards for 3 pounds in the bargains section. On impulse I bought one. It seems to be alright, despite being so cheap it does what I need it to. It's a wired one, I toyed with the idea of buying a wireless keyboard and mouse pack but they were about 5 times more expensive and the keyboard wire doesn't really ever get in the way, so I figured we didn't need wireless. Also, with our wireless internet and mobile phones etc. I'm not in any hurry to bring any more airwaves into the house - I know they say there's no evidence of any of that stuff doing harm but you just don't want to increase the risk, even slightly.

I woke yesterday having had a bad dream, not sure it was classified as a nightmare. I was with a colleague from work and sort of informally got this offer to be interviewed for a great job. I was kind of disorganised and it was very last minute but even so I screwed up. Instead of accepting a lift and being a little late, or even driving myself there, I decided to go by bus. The bus didn't even leave until way after the interview and the guy wasn't there any more, he'd left ages ago but my colleague who offered the lift was there to tell me how p***ed off he was. It was all so informal that I didn't even have the guy's name or number so I couldn't call to say I'd be late. I just felt so cut off and embarassed about making a bad impression on someone I'd never met. That was no way to wake up. I was in a bad mood for the rest of day.

I've started carrying a little notebook around with me wherever I go. I use it to jot down ideas for blog posts or just to capture some thought here or there. It's quite handy, don't know why I haven't done it before. One of the entries records my surprise at how long my wife and I have been doing the GI diet. We're still on it and my wife has almost lost two stones, she's looking really good and is buying clothes again. I think a lot of women feel bigger than they are, I guess that's to do with the media presenting an ideal body image that's far from the norm. It doesn't appear to strike men so hard that way.

Run for cover

Life is a big, scary thing. We make decisions based on what we know to be true at the time. But it can turn out that decisions you make, are made because you want to get out of no-mans land into a foxhole for cover. Sometimes you realise that you are stuck for years in a foxhole that you thought would provide temporary cover and you need to get out. Climbing out of the hole and running through fire to get the next foxhole can be paralysing but you do need to act. Moving from one foxhole to foxhole is no way to live. You need to get off the battleground.