Ed Vogue's World

I like cereal. No that's not entirely true. I like cereals that have some kind if sweet coating or ingredient. When I was young I used to eat Cornflakes. Only the premium brand would do. However in those days my cornflakes were eaten with full fat milk and sprinkled in granulated sugar. I used to love the way the milk would become sweetened by the sugar and I would stuff down the bowl before the flakes would go soggy. I don't like soggy flakes. http://img1.findthebest.com/sites/default/files/623/media/images/Kelloggs_Crunchy_Nut_Golden_Honey_Nut_cereal.jpg When I was young I used to love holidays because holidays would often signify the purchase of the cereal variety pack. These packs contained Frosties and Coco Pops. Fantastic you seriously couldn't go wrong with these cereals. Just perfect. Nowadays full fat milk is a distant memory but my liking for cereal has remained. I go through fads of liking different types but a firm favourite of the years has to be C...

Infuriating apparently. Yes it is. Let me play out the scenario. You have searched the Internet for a product you want to purchase. After many comparisons you have decided not to buy the aforementioned item from the usual Internet store but instead from a new store that previously you have not used. You select the item (it's a bargain) and you enter all your details; name, address, email address (twice), delivery address and your payment details - you probably also have to enter the Visa protect password, don't get me started on that again - and then before you can buy you have to prove that you are a person and not some sophisticated computer trying to buy a load of items at a knock down price. http://allfacebook.com/files/2010/09/facebook_captcha.png So what is this proof that I am talking about? What could possibly decide if you are a robot or a human? I am of course talking about that box that pops up asking you to enter two words. These words are often diffi...

There has definitely been a change in weather of the last few days. The cold snowy weather has been replaced by the relatively barmy temperature of 14C this afternoon. Yesterday morning on a clear cloudless dawn the sky was light for the first time this year as I left for work. This evening as I left work there was still a little bit of light in the sky, the days are getting longer again. The plants across England are starting to respond to this shift by the weather gods. Catkins are beginning to appear and the early daffodils are starting to push up from the ground where the bulbs have been lying seemingly dormant until the frost and snow. Some buds are beginning to appear on the trees and the birds are becoming to get more vocal as they start seeking a mate to raise chicks with. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fM0sNadXf218MConor8AaNK1bCvAQIrQQ_pTAQKf5UZynSnBOu_q6OoIHk2i9LsKOD6NB9m4qubDmrxo5hLJSEjOt8q-hrVlOSBCUvRGE0bTXCmuaY8s2b67jWLYZw0y19PQFgl...

I remember as a University student one of my Biochemistry professors being disturbed that he talked to his computer. He was late in years and the desktop computer was quite a new invention. He had obviously had to get used to using this new technology and in many ways it flummoxed him. Flummoxed, what a great word, its not one that I use very often, perhaps I should make an effort to use it more often? I might make it the word of the week. Apparently its a fairly modern word probably of English origin dating from the mid Victorian era. Anyway I digress, back to the blog. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5BtGDM51D2kyK8ahDHHaSKctrs0tdRrHSTOXV1jvUnu2-VW-qDeIIYjqpVbR96nFz0az2G8Lz88Qsr-XsSnJv1OM-UMawqApb6_aZA9BtFv3buFnaV6Xi3VCBLHMbHCjo_E-v2eT9DBB/s1600/talking-to-yourself-115775.jpg As I indicated my professor was bewildered by the box that sat on his desk and he found himself talking to it, trying to coax it along. He was most aware of this as he u...

Across our nation in every town sometimes located on the high street but often tucked away down a little side street are those tea shops that are so typically British. There are fewer of them than there were as they are out competed by the multinational coffee houses. However look more closely and you can find them. http://downsphile.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/ye-olde-tea-shoppe.jpg The best place to find these tea shops is to visit a small touristy town. These towns are too small for the Starbucks and Costa companies so you can find quite a number of them. http://www.theoldgatehousetearoom.co.uk/images/set1/counter_top_cakes.jpg It is likely that they are run by a family and depending on the establishment the tea will either be served in mugs or in china cups. If mugs then it is likely that you can order an all day breakfast, if china cups then cream teas will be on the menu. What all of these places have in common is the range of cakes that they will have on offer,...

Have you ever stood and watched the local teenagers at the skate park? At first glance it appears that these concrete playgrounds are populated by youngsters just chatting to each other, either sitting on their bikes or casually moving their board backwards and forwards with their foot. They look bored and disinterested. However look more closely and you will see that this behaviour is far from the truth. Every so often one of the crowd breaks ranks and takes a spin on the half pipe showing their latest move. This move is always impressive as I, a middle aged bloke, can't even stand on a still skateboard without falling off. As the skater performs his move the rest of the group watch respectfully. Following the action the young person returns to his friends. Keep watching and then you will see another take a turn. This continues harmoniously, there is a certain etiquette demonstrated by all involved. I saw today a petition for a skateboard park to be built in a small town ...

The 25th January 2013 is Robert Burns' 254 birthday. Of course he isn't still alive, he died in 1796 but the Scots like to celebrate their favourite sons birthday each year with a good feast, singing and reciting of some of the poets best loved romantic works. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Robert_burns.jpg/220px-Robert_burns.jpg   In looking up information about Burns night I have found that there is a special supper that accompanies the night. It runs something like this; http://professorwhisky.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/haggis.jpg Welcome your guests by accompanying their entrance with some traditional bagpipe music Recite the Selkirk grace, which includes the line, "But we hae meat, and we can eat" Pipe in the haggis Recite Burns' Address to a Haggis, stab the haggis with a knife whilst apologising to it, finishing with the line, "Gie her a Haggis!" Toast the haggis Eat the haggis a...

Do any of you remember the days before recycling? Where all the rubbish whatever colour went into the same bin? Nowadays the packaging of all our items has to be cleaned, sorted and then disposed in the appropriate bin. In my area we have three bins which makes it pretty easy to dispose of things. http://facops.wsu.edu/Recycling/recycling.jpg The first is the black bin. It is for the general household waste, general stuff. The second is the brown bin. This bin will take organic kitchen waste including vegetables, peelings and plate scrapings. The brown bin also takes compostable garden waste and cardboard. Lastly the blue bin, this takes all forms of plastic, glass and metal; an insert in this bin also takes waste paper and junk mail. Not too difficult to be honest, the only problem is remembering which bin is to be collected which week. My problem with the recycling is how quickly it builds up. In my house the recycling is stored in the cupboard under the sink. I u...

I like a bit of sci-fi especially when time travel is involved. The possibilities that might present themselves if a time machine could actually be invented and used successfully would be endless and likely to have far reaching effects that we cannot even imagine. The thing is...if a time machine could be invented, that would suggest that it has been invented at some point in the future. Now following that logic if the time machine has been invented then the possibility of someone travelling back in time is also probable and therefore wouldn't we know about it? Perhaps people are travelling back in time preventing bad things from happening in the world, keeping the human race on track (just). Perhaps someone travelled back in time and did something that prevented the time machine ever being invented. Wait! If that was the case then they wouldn't have been able to travel back in time to prevent it being built because it hadn't been built - a time paradox. Love them. ...

Just recently I have been reliving many of Roald Dahl's classic children's stories. It reminded me of when I was young and made me really consider which of these stories is actually my favourite. It comes down to a choice of two I think. Firstly there is The Twits. I love the characters of Mr and Mrs Twit. I love that they liked to pay horrible tricks on each other. The glass eye at the bottom of the beer mug is just classic, but totally trumped by the worms in the spaghetti. I always wanted to know if it actually was possible to add tiny pieces of wood to a walking stick and make someone believe that they are shrinking!! I've read it many times and each time I think it's mischievous humour is truly captivating. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6R96NUD6pUgzBDQ_sIDccR6CzZmEmhNMjrYYb_yFzQRgSVROGNel0i72W-j1XNxoNg1qA_QI7AgxrqwpJAF_wBnt-5GGaVYLbIGsebKfRpK7mAOudnxsu3gR_q6FvztbIeFWKVUI-MA/s1600/the_twits_by_roald_dahl.jpg   However my...

Did you know that fresh snow is capable of reflecting 80% of UV light? Those of you that were lucky enough to have a snow day today may have found that the light outside had a particular brightness about it today. Even though in my neck of the woods it was overcast and the Sun stayed behind the clouds the light that did get through the clouds was reflected from the deep covering of water crystals lying in some places to a depth of nearly one foot. This reflected UV light can cause real problems for people who are out in it for long enough without adequate protection. The electromagnetic radiation can cause damage to cornea and the conjunctiva, parts of the front of the eye. Effectively these parts of the eye get sunburnt and like sunburn in other parts of the body it isn't noticed until after the damage has been done. This leads to snow blindness a form of photokeratitis. http://cf6.ahm.com.au/images/95/aug_snow.jpg The symptoms of snow blindness include watering eye...

One strange aspect of the new technological age is the speed that messages can be broadcast to parents regarding the unexpected closure of a school. What happened before the Internet, Twitter and Facebook? http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/images/snowday.gif I remember on school trips the teachers used to organise a telephone tree. This would have all the numbers of the parents organised in a column. If a teacher wanted to send a message to all parents they rang the numbers at the top and bottom of the column. Then the parents rang the numbers above or below them. I guess it worked well enough. Now my children's school along with others has something called ParentMail. This allows a school to send a message via email and text so parents can instantly be alerted to a change in circumstances. Perfect. The email from my kiddywinks school didn't impress them much as it looks as though school is open for them, it's one of only a few that are. Good. Mor...

Just lately I have found myself watching game shows. I think I mentioned that last week. Tonight I ashamedly found myself watching Dale Winton and his national lottery show. Never have I seen a host of a quiz show wearing so much makeup, but I guess that is another story. Today I used the quiz show to play a long forgotten game. Guess the contestants occupation. The premise is simple. From just from the look of the person and the clothes they are wearing you have to guess their occupation before they are introduced. http://reluctanthousedad.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/dale-winton.jpg I used to be good at it but today I failed magnificently. The trainee music teacher I thought worked in John Lewis on a makeup counter. The builder was actually a design engineer. I nearly got one of the contestants correct though, the hairdresser was actually cabin crew... Oops I'm in danger of stereotyping so I'm going to shut up. Posted with Blogsy

St Moritz sometime in the 1870's perhaps was when the recreational pastime known as sledding was invented. Since then the snow has brought out children and their families into the cold white stuff to slide on a piece of plastic, a tin tray or a more fancy wooden sled with metal runners. Most people have some memories of flying down a hill on a sled. I have great memories of this when younger, zooming down a slope heading a breakneck speed for a lake at the bottom of the hill or the cattle trough, the only obstacle in the way. http://www.mrfs.net/trips/2002/Switzerland/Jungfrau/sledding.jpg The snow today gave me an opportunity to go out on the snow and to once again hurtle down a hill. The snow was a little fluffy for good sledding but after a few goes down the hill in the same place and the run quickly became compacted and became noticeably faster. I did go down on my stomach, that added to the excitement but I have yet to flop. Flopping involves jumping on the sled ...

According to dictionary.com essential can be defined as, 'absolutely necessary; indispensable: Discipline is essential in an army.' Tomorrow it appears that a great swathe of the UK is going to be hit by a band of snow that will sweep the country throughout the day. The Met Office has issued a red warning, their highest, for the South Wales area. One weather report suggested that the snow fall here could reach 30cm in depth. The red alert is rare, the last time this was issued was for rain in Devon during July last year. People in this area have been asked to prepare for a complete breakdown in the transport network and supermarkets in the area have run low on supplies of milk and bread as the local populations heed the warning. For large areas of the rest of the country an amber warning has been issued. This means be prepared for disruption as disruption is likely. The advice is given that people should only make essential journeys. http://www.freefoto.com/image...

It's tender, low in fat and high in protein. That is apparently the properties of horse meat considered a delicacy in many countries. I have never eaten horse meat knowingly, however it seems that those of us that are partial to the odd value supermarket burger may have indeed sampled this meat. http://horsebreedsinfo.com/images/brown_horse.jpg Eating horse in this country is nowadays considered taboo as like cats and dogs the horse is considered to be a domesticated animal, a pet if you like. It appears that in the early 1900's horse meat was actually quite popular especially in the shires of York. It is not illegal to sell horse meat products in this country. The offence that has caused such an uproar over the last two days is that the burgers containing the horse meat were not labelled as such. In Japan a pink meat served sliced with ginger and onions called sakura is in fact horse meat. In some areas of France notably in the south horse is eaten with specialist...

Tonight if the weather forecasters are correct, which as I wrote last night, they generally are the temperature is set to fall in my local area to -4 degrees Celsius. Only reaching a minimum temperature of -2 degrees Celsius last night this will prompt some people to say that it will be twice as cold tonight compared to last. This is of course rubbish. It is not twice as cold even though -4 is twice -2...but to understand why we might need to think about how temperature is measured. Daniel Fahrenheit described a temperature scale in 1756. His temperature scale was based on three different points. The first was body temperature, or blood temperature. On his scale this was given the number 96 degrees. The second was a mixture of ice and water in equal quantities. This was 32 degrees on his scale. Thirdly given a value of 0 degrees was a mixture of water, ice and the salt ammonium chloride (NH4Cl). The boiling point of water was observed to be 212 degrees exactly 180 degrees ...

Whoa there tiger. You really have to be impressed by the people at the Met Office. Over the last 24 hours they have seriously nailed the weather. They clearly said that there would be light snow affecting my region during the early hours of this morning. I awoke to a light covering of the white stuff on all surfaces. Then it was forecast to clear up with heavier snow returning at lunchtime and remaining through the early afternoon. Well, again, they were spot on. The snow came and went just as predicted. http://wx.msn.com/sym_6h_c-gb07___-en-20130114120000-137573.jpg It seems in the run up to this snow event today that when, where and the exact nature of the precipitation was a tough beast to forecast and opinions changed throughout the last three days. However the final forecast hit the nail on the head. It is testament to the clever scientists and analysts and all the monitoring tools and computer simulation software that on the most part the weather forecasts that ar...

Laptops, they are most useful things. They allow you to access Facebook, shop online, check the weather, find the best insurance quote and sort out your photos. You may even be reading Ed Vogue's musings on one right now. http://ak1.ostkcdn.com/images/products/7304835/P14776288.jpg Laptops are also the workhorses of the modern day office worker. It is from the laptop that important documents get written, spreadsheets completed and emails sent. The laptop allows work to continue on a train, on a plane and at home on a sofa late into the evening. In this way they could be considered an unhelpful hindrance to the modern workers work life balance. Whatever, the laptop is an essential piece of kit and protecting the mobile PC requires an up to date virus checker. For some reason there are individuals out there in to world that delight in causing the operating system to boot up incorrectly or important files (of no interest to the computer virus developer) to begin to delet...

In the UK it is possible for the general public to force an issue to be considered by the government. This can be achieved by creating an online petition on the governments website, www.number10.gov. All that is needed is a total of 100,000 signatories for the e-petition to be debated in the House of Commons. It is possible to have a look at some of the e-petitions that are currently active and helpfully the website points in the direction of currently "trending" examples. Also available is a list of the currently open e-petitions (6,273) in order of signatories. At the time of writing the most signed petition with 174,460 signatures was, 'Reconsider West Coast Mainline franchise decision'. In fact all of the top rated petitions seemed to have merit. At the other end of the spectrum was a petition encouraging, 'Nuclear Attack drills to be practised nationwide.' This had just one signatory - the author. You can also view rejected e-petitions, these in...

http://www.amantidirect.co.uk/WebRoot/BT2/Shops/Store2_002E_Shop1529/505B/2CF7/5D95/28C8/5C27/0A0C/05E8/E4BE/Classic_Phone_746_Green_Cream_3.jpg Do you remember when the phone rang a bell used to ring? If you do then you probably also remember that the phone had a curly wire connecting to a phone point, a handset that was connected to the phone base and a keypad that required you to physically turn it with your finger. Mobile phones come loaded with ringtones that can be chosen but these are still not enough for most users. Technology has moved on so much that any sound or piece of music can be used as a ringtone. This means that the ringtone can be totally unique. My ringtone is part of a recording that I made during a Dutch wedding 18 months ago. A traditional Dutch folk band was performing and I took the opportunity to record a snippet of their tunes and then converted this to my ringtone. I guess your ringtone might subconsciously reveal some interesting information ...

Stocks and shares, portfolio, options, capital gains tax, certificate, dividend...does anyone actually understand all of this stuff? Some people obviously do but I would liken wheeling and dealing on the stock exchange to the wheeling and dealing of the antiques trade. The key to making money is to know what can be bought cheap and is selling well, to hold on to your investment until the market is right and to ride your luck that favourable conditions are just around the corner. To the untrained eye I think that the antiques trade is much easier even if the experts on Bargain Hunt hardly ever make a profit. The stock exchange never really makes any sense to me. As I understand it the FTSE 100 is the total share price for the top 100 companies trading on LSE, London Stock Exchange. The share price of the FTSE 100 depends upon a wide variety of different variables including: company news; government policy; the European debt crisis; economic growth in China to name a few. The h...

My blog a few days ago about the Darts got me thinking about those classic game shows that everyone used to tune into when TV was much younger. Bullseye was one of these classics. This was shown on ITV on Sunday evenings. It involved amateur Darts players, in my humble opinion often very amateur, throwing arrows at various dart boards in an effort to win prizes. These prizes were usually items of household wares such as vacuum cleaners, heated trollies or dinner services. Then came the chance for the gamble, to reach a certain score (101 or more I think) with six darts, the non darts player to go first. If the score was reached then the jackpot prize was won, bizarrely a caravan or a speedboat, may be even a Rover car http://funtasticparties.co.uk/Images/catchphrase.jpg In this same era was Catchphrase where contestants were given a bizarrely ICT created animation and had to use it to identify a well known saying. 'Say what you see...' This was quite fun as it ...