Naming of the Districts of the London Olympic Site
After the Olympics in 2012, the Olympic Park will be split into five new districts of London.
There is a competition to name them.
I’ve just entered to name Area 5. I would like to call it Bazalgette City. And here’s why!
London has nothing named after the man, who probably did more to design and build the infrastructure of sewers, embankments and other public works that are still in use today. Without Bazalgette, London would have not become a modern city until much later. This area contains much of the immense Northern Outfall Sewer, which Bazalgette created that is now 150 years old and the area is also close to his Cathedral of Sewage at Abbey Mills. Hence if should be Bazalgette City and not Bazalgette Town, as every city needs a cathedral.
I’ll add other names I can think of later, but the competition closes on the 16th May.
Super Injunctions and Deep Searching Software
I have written software that in the past has been used to deep search the Internet. I did it when a company asked me if I could help trace anybody stealing their IPR. I didn’t find anything at all and in that case that was a good result, as it meant there had been no theft.
However software like that could be easily written to deep search the Internet for relationships that shouldn’t be happening. Let’s say two well-known Premiership managers decided to have a good lunch together after the season in a good restaurant. As well they might! Someone might see them and put the story in a blog or tweet and unless someone else was searching for it deliberately it wouldn’t be found. But the deep search software would find it, if it was properly set up, say with a database of the names of all Premiership managers and footballers.
So just as Google tracks the links with its search terms, other software can be written to find relationships.
So celebrities had better be even more careful.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Addresses Parliament
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani, has been speaking in the country’s parliament. It is reported here on the BBC. This is part of the report.
He has launched a defence of Pakistan’s record in fighting terrorism, highlighting the “price paid” in civilian and military losses.
And he strongly denied that there had been any collusion between Pakistan and al-Qaeda to shelter Bin Laden.
“Allegations of complicity and incompetence are absurd,” he told MPs.
The Pakistan people have indeed paid a heavy price, but they have probably suffered just as much because of their inept and corrupt government.
How To Protect Your Property
I received this in an e-mail.
Several lives ago, one bloke kept having his car broken into, when parked in the University car park. Solution: put a few nuclear tri-foils over it (our University had a nuclear school). End of problem. Can’t think why.
You can get stickers here.
Be Nice To Nanny and You’ll Get Your Warfarin!
As I’ve said before Warfarin testing in this country and I suspect most of the world is complicated and it may be prone to error. Two respected doctors have told me that.
Today, I took a prescription to Boots to get some more Warfarin tablets. They wanted to see my yellow book, which I hadn’t got with me. So I got the third degree! I wasn’t rude, but as a scientist who understands the way Warfarin works well, I resent being treated like an idiot. It’s not the pharmacist’s fault, but the person, who made up the new rules.
Now, my INR has been spot on for months and the dosage has only changed marginally since December last year. That change was when I changed surgeries and the new one now does the tests themselves on a small monitor, whereas the previous surgery did it by blood tests that were analysed by the hospital. The change is that previously, I was on 5 mg. a day and 4 mg. at weekends, and now it’s 5 mg. a day and 4 mg. on Saturdays and Mondays. Or as the computer printout says, one 3 mg. and one 1 mg. on Saturdays and Mondays. I don’t like the inference that I can’t work out how I can give myself a 4 mg. dose, with 3 mg. and 1 mg. tablets.
Thev pharmacist indicated that next time if I didn’t bring the book, I wouldn’t get the Warfarin.
I actually think the next time I go, I might not take it, as I prefer to keep it safe at home. After all suppose I dropped it, I would then have to go back to the doctor for another book. But I would take a photocopy of my last INR test result. To me that is much more important as it carries the date of my next test.
One thing that is worth noting is that testing method one using blood tests and analysis at the local hospital, said I should be on 4.8 mg. per day. On the other hand testing method two using an electronic monitor in the surgery, said the dose should 4.8 mg per day.
In other words, both methods carried out in a correct professional manner gave exactly the same result.
Roy Keane’s Worst Judgment
Tony Cascarino in The Times says this under the heading of Worst Judgment.
When he was Ipswich Town manager, Roy Keane sounded as if he could not wait to sell Jonathan Walters. The Stoke City striker scored against Arsenal yesterday and has developed into an excellent buy. He causes so many problems with his sheer desire to score.
I would agree. Good luck to Jonathan.
Rubbish Disposal a la Paddington Bear in Hackney
If I want to get rid of anything that might have a bit of value, I just put it outside my door beside the street, with a note saying something like “Please give this sofa a good home!”
It always disappears! Whoever takes it can take it to the dump, when they find out why I got rid of it.
New Scrabble Words
It has been announced that there are now a lot of new words allowed in Scrabble like innit and thang.
Well not in my house, as I play with a proper set that has wooden tiles.
Osama Bin Laden’s Wiring
I have just been looking at some of the eletrical wiring on the latest Osama Bin Laden’s video, where he is seen watching himself.
He certainly didn’t choose his electrician with care.
The Anonymous Widower 