daveydave

So, I see Apple has folded and released a way to limit the volume of your iPod - other than the volume control. (Ref: BBC ) In my opinion, any gormless idiot who doesn't check volume levels before sticking headphone in his/her ears, or is incapable of figuring out that loud music direct to the ears probably doesn't do them any good, deserves to go deaf. From the BBC: "John Kiel Patterson, of Louisiana, is suing Apple in the US District Court in San Jose, California. He says his iPod is capable of generating more than 115 decibels, a dangerous noise level, and is not safe for prolonged use." Free advice: don't turn it up full blast you moron. I have a 100W guitar amp that is capable of far more that 115db, but I don't intend suing Laney if I turn it up too far and damage my hearing (or the brickwork of my house for that matter.) My car is capable of being driven into a wall at 80mph (just) - should I sue Suzuki if I get seriously injured doing it? Using my dril...

I read this article by Michael Johnson the other day: his thoughts on the Commonwealth Games that have just finished in Melbourne. MJ could only talk of substandard competitors and the requirement of if you're going to prove you're the best, you have to compete against the best. It's a pretty poor attitude: best or nothing. No mention of people turning up and giving their all. Those people who don't get the millions in sponsorship required to be full-time, professional sportsmen or women, but rather have to train after work or at weekends. Real dedication in my eyes. There's no mention of sportsmanship or the joy of taking part or of pulling on the colours of your country. So what if someone was a second off world-best pace? They trained to the best of their abilities, turned up in Melbourne and said "hey I'm here and this is what I can do." Good on them I say and long may the Commonweath Games continue. No, the Commonwealth Games are not the World Ch...

Here are 2 quotes for you: "The Prophet Muhammad has said several times that those who convert from Islam should be killed if they refuse to come back" "Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance, kindness and integrity." Opposite ends of the scale aren't they. Showing the moderates from the radicals? Sadly not, both quotes are from the same man from the same interview. Looks contradictory until you read the sentence which follows the kindness and integrity bit, "That is why we have told him if he regrets what he did, then we will forgive him" So, basically, it's do as we say or you're in for it. That doesn't quite balance with the tolerance motif. The man who said this stuff is one Ansarullah Mawlafizada, judge in charge of the trial against Abdul Rahman, who converted to Christianity 16 years ago. Unless he converts back to Islam, under the interpretation of Islamic Sharia law on which Afghanistan's constitution is based, he could be se...

eBay is a real godsend at times - it helps you get rid of stuff you don't want anymore without throwing it in the bin. It helps you find stuff you want to buy on the cheap. It also shows that some people just can't control themselves when they are losing an auction. The urge to win seems to completely block out common sense. I've just been watching an auction for an in-car sat nav system (Navman 320.) The buyer has said ok to paying a total of £185 for this particular one. Why's he done that then - you can pick up a brand new one for £150!

I thought I'd do a couple of posts on the state of car design these days. First up: Ford's extensive PAG portfolio. For those of you who don't know, Ford owns a fair number of car makes both stateside and in Europe. The PAG encompasses it's European possessions: Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo. To my mind PAG, on the whole, has proved fairly successful in recent years - Aston and Land Rover are now knee-deep in currency. The major exception is of course, Jaguar, which has not produced a decent design (apart from the old XK) for some time. I'll reserve judgment on the new XK until I've seen it in the flesh, but up to now I'm not hugely impressed with the exterior. Jaguars were clean, sweeping designs that made you yearn for one. The current crop are fussy and incoherent and in the case of the S-Type: fat-arsed. Aston Martin and Land Rover have been very successful financially, and aesthetically - but I begin to fear for the future. Aston appears to...

A depressing - though I suspect fairly accurate - portrayal of American government and corporate activities in the Middle-East. A slow-paced and very well produced tale of corporate greed, corruption and interference in the internal affairs of Arab nations revolving around the black stuff. An excellent film, but it does nothing for your sense of wellbeing as a westerner in the modern world. Given the current diplomatic situation with Iran, this film feels almost like a fly-on-the-wall documentary.

The Jimny is now almost 2 years old and the time has come to ship it off and get something different. The thing is, pinning down something I really fancy is proving remarkably tricky. I think I'm settled on an Alfa but good examples for sensible money are elusive. I haven't even brought myself to drive anything yet. I've looked at 3 156s this weekend and none of them impressed. One was close (Y reg 2.4JTD) but had nasty Kevved-up tinted windows. I would have been embarrassed to drive it - and that's coming from a guy with a Jimny! I saw a decent 166 2.5 V6 yesterday, perfect service history (important for Italians) but no leather. That may seem petty but I do have to think about selling it on. Plus, it wouldn't fit in the garage. Nice car though. I may have to take it for a spin round the block - just to see.

My recent trip to the US was the first time I had ever flown with British Airways further then Heathrow. I must be honest, I doubt I'll be doing it again by choice. They managed to lose my bags both ways and the trans-atlantic leg was uncomfortable for my 6'1" frame (although the food and in-flight entertainment were both good) Why did I have to fly via Heathrow just because I needed to go to the US? When is my local airport going to become a proper international! I've half a mind to do something about that myself but I don't have the £20 million required! And the runway isn't long enough...

Been a while hasn't it... Right then, I'm back in the UK again after 12 days in the US. 4 days in Long Beach, CA for work, 5 days in Omaha visiting my cousin, 1 day in LA because I missed my flight and 2 days travelling. Phew. So, I'll skip over the work bit and move swiftly on to Nebraska. My cousin has been living in the states for 10 years or so, I don't get to see him that often. At the start of February he moved lock, stock, wife and daughter from San Diego up to Omaha. It seemed sensible to pay a visit while I was stateside. I've never been to Nebraska before, so I was interested to see what this mid-western state was like. I must say, I came away with a really positive feeling about Omaha. The folks up there were real nice, there was none of that Californian pretension. Nice place, I'm looking forward to going back when it's warmer. Don't know if they had arranged it special, but it was cold up there. Watching the Weather Channel on cable gave for...