Just as with the top five songs of the year, Mr C also likes to pass judgement on the movies we have watched over the past twelve months as well. This is a slightly more tricky selection to explain, as we live constantly about four months behind cinema release dates due to the rental window. So, it's not quite "top five films released in 2013" and it's not really "top …

It's the last day of the year, and this is the time when people start making New Year's Resolutions. I don't tend to do that anymore, instead working from a broader Life List instead. When I set about thinking of this annual round-up, I felt a little disappointed about how much (or how little) I've achieved this year. Looking back can be useful though, as I hadn't quite realised I'd …

This is the time of year where I hand over the keys of my blog to Mr C, or at least give him a paragraph or two of space, to share the things he's been loving this year. There are two categories - films and music - and we'll be starting with the latter. Here's Mr C's top five songs from 2013, and I will tell you now, it's been …

This year, I was quite excited to see the Top of the Pops Christmas special, because it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't seen much, if any, of the TOTP brand through the year. I used to watch the 1970s editions that were showing on BBC Four but soon bored of that. I remember last year, there was a festive edition on both Christmas Day and New Year's, and …

I used to be a total Grinch about Christmas. The entire concept offended me and I wanted nothing to do with it. I'd link to the many posts I wrote about boycotting the festive season, but really, I'm over it. I've mellowed in my old age. In reality, I've realised that my issue with Christmas is the same as the issue I have with most things - the pressure from …

This Christmas special found itself with a really difficult task to accomplish. Following the almost-perfect anniversary special was always going to be difficult, but it also had to steer clear of the normal festive schmultz to head rapidly towards a regeneration. It was still a heartwarming piece in places, the children of the town called Christmas, the Doctor's dedication to staying in spite of himself, and Clara's constant despair at …

Every Formula One season tells a story. A continuing saga, a sporting soap opera, it dates back to the inauguration of the World Championship in 1950 and even before that. At the same time, each and every year, the slate is wiped clean and both drivers and teams are given the chance to impress all over again. This book will guide you through the 2013 season, visiting each event in …

The chaps in charge of Tomb Raider these days, Square Enix, have in their infinite wisdom released the first installment of the game for iOS devices for just 69p. I was always more of a fan of Tomb Raider 2, but getting access to any of the early games has been tricky of late. Now, the game that made Lara Croft famous has been released for next to nothing and …

This weekend, we had chance to test out the slow-motion feature on my new iPhone. It's something we've been excited about (as there aren't that many major feature upgrades on the phone), but we needed some time and something fast moving to video. Step up some trusty alcohol. I love it. Although, I've realised that many of the videos I take tend to be slower things that need speeding up, …

At some point this year, I became absolutely obsessed with Cabin Pressure. If you're not aware of it, Cabin Pressure is a Radio 4 sitcom, penned by John Finnemore and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephanie Cole and Finnemore himself. It follows the plight of a small charter airline (although you can't put just one plane in a line) and it is brilliant. I don't remember where I heard of it, but …

At the beginning of this year, I wrote about my ambitions to complete a puzzle book. Not a grand aim, I'll grant you, and not one I thought it would take me almost twelve months to get back to. I have, on occasion, sat down to write an update about my adventures through puzzle land, but as it turns out, writing about puzzles isn't as entertaining as I thought it …

When I first starting putting together my Life List, I pondered adding "See a Backstreet Boys concert" to it. I added it, then I took it off again, then added it, then removed it, and repeated the process a few more times. In the end, I left it off. I wasn't totally convinced I wanted to see the band with just four members anyway, and besides, going to gigs isn't …

I've been following the progress of Ghost, a new Kickstarter-funded blogging platform, for a while. It just recently went live for self-hosted blogs, which I briefly considered signing up to. I really want to try out and encourage new blogging formats, rather than the same-old, same-old, but having been through the pain of self-hosted, I decided I'd wait for the hosted solution instead. This week, the brilliant Ghost folks gave …

I’ve developed a bit of a fascination with workout apps and digital videos, and it turns out iTunes is stocked full of both. I’ve tried a few here and there, but was most excited when it was announced that Miranda Hart, of Miranda fame, was going to release something. The premise behind her video is that you have to have fun while getting up and moving, otherwise it’s easier to …

Up until recently, Bose was just a name that I occasionally heard in reference to headphones. I didn’t realise it was a pretty big brand that have their own stores and everything, not until I was dragged into one. Mr C was investigating the options for their SoundTouch system, and wanted to get a closer look. The SoundTouch is a pretty clever piece of kit, similar to the Sonos system. …

I managed to miss a lot of the hype surrounding the 50th anniversary special of Doctor Who. Obviously in the run up to the episode airing, it was almost impossible to take an online step without finding something related to the sci-fi show, but before that, I’d side-stepped most of it. I knew of the Billie Piper/David Tennant return, and was obviously expecting an appearance from this new rogue Doctor …

The trailers Okay, so, we watched The Internship recently and it left a pretty awful taste in our mouths. I'm thinking that watching Vince Vaugn do something slightly less of a commercial might work, and thus the trailer for Delivery Man kinda works. It's a pretty far-fetched concept, and all seems a bit contrived, but hey, I didn't see any Google in the trailer, so I'm sold. Delivery Man I'm …

I've always managed to get a lot of use out of my iPad. There are two main dilemmas around Apple's tablet device (aside from price, etc) with one being "What would I use it for?" and the other being "It's only good for consuming, not creating." My iPad has always been kept busy, but I would admit that it's mostly for consumption. Watching TV, videos, listening to music, browsing the …

Sky have been expanding their Now TV offering with a fantastic Entertainment Pass. The Now TV app is on demand and live programming from Sky without having to sign up to a huge contract, or get dish-shaped things installed on the side of your house. They've got sports and movies, but it's the entertainment package that has really caught my eye. For £4.99 a month (introductory price, we'll have to …

When I took on some pretty serious studying, I knew I'd have to make some sacrifices and that the book learning, revision hours and exam week would need a lot of time, focus and brain power. I hadn't quite anticipated the degree with which diving into those books took over my life, but this week I finished up the first batch of exams, giving me a bit of breathing space …

I stayed with the Apple podcast app for much longer than I should have done. For a while, I couldn't really abandon it - having far too many podcasts to listen to, limited space available on the phone, and a need to manage which episodes synced to my device. But a while back, I got over my obsessive compulsion to listen to every single thing in the right order from …

I hadn't heard of Bastille before I saw them on the iTunes Festival this year, but I've grown to like quite a few of their songs, particularly the anthemic Pompeii. I loved this recent video on Vevo of the band rocking up to a park with the barest of instruments and putting on an impromptu performance. Well, impromptu enough that you have plugs for your keyboard, anyway. Things to love …

The Valley of the Rocks is in North Devon, accessible from the nearby village of Lynton. It’s steeped in history, all sorts of Ice Age glacier references and rocky bits and pieces. The Wikipedia entry has what is now my new favourite word – fossiliferous – included in the description. Apparently parts of the book Lorna Doone were set there, although I can’t really picture that in my head, despite …

It's been nearly two months since I posted one of these, and as you can imagine the trailers have amassed at quite a rate. I've a list of about a dozen films we've been intrigued by, but I'll just post two trailers here today. The trailers First up, the obvious. Captain America. We didn't think all that much of the first one, the second one looks an awful lot better. …

The National Trust look after heaps of properties - gardens, coastlines, historic buildings - and it is in their interest to get people up and off the sofa and visiting their patches of land. I do like their initiative for the kids, though, a Life List of sorts, except this one has a time limit. Fifty Things to Do before you are 11 and three quarters. These are things that …

TV and film does very well on Twitter. Besides live tweeting essential events and posting instant reviews to films you've just seen, there are also the endless accounts packed with quotes (I follow some Friends and some Simpsons ones), and those that go a little beyond that. In the past, I've seen a few "recreation lists" whereby someone sets up a few accounts to do the back and forth that …

I had a few options for the letter U in my alphabet adventure, but I opted for the Uffington White Horse as it was something a little bit different. I’ve done castles, gardens, museums and attractions, but I had not, as yet, done a chalk drawing on the side of a hill. Naturally, October isn’t the ideal time to get out and about in the British Countryside, and it was …

Last year, the iTunes Festival was the awesome tail-end of what had been a fantastic year of sport and general greatness. Mr C watched every single available minute of it, and found a whole host of new acts to like. I even liked some of it, and wrote about my findings. This year, we were excited for the month of September music, although a little disappointed in the line-up when …

When the last series of the Great British Bake Off aired, I was inspired to start baking. I’ve made the occasional cake here and there, but I wouldn’t have called myself an enthusiast beforehand. However, with each episode of the series, I baked something out of my comfort zone to varying degrees of success. This year, I’m less inclined to get the oven on. Part of that is because I …

When I was a kid, I remember being driven across Salisbury Plain, and spotting a pristine but empty looking village tucked away in the fields. My parents told me this was an army village, not for living in, but for exercises and drills. My imagination was absolutely caught by this and whenever I travelled around, across or anywhere near Salisbury Plain, I would always be on the lookout for this …

As I'm sure you're aware, I'm always on the lookout for things of a subterranean nature, and Steven very kindly pointed out this Cold War mansion in Las Vegas, as featured on The Verge. 26 feet underneath Las Vegas, a worried individual built a bunker to resist any Cold War activities. What I love about this, and what I haven't seen in underground dwellings in the past, is the way …

The trailers I can't remember if I knew they were remaking Robocop, or if I've just forgotten but the trailer looks really good. I very much enjoyed the original one, except for the rather ridiculous blood-letting at the beginning. Most remakes are a letdown, and this will probably be the same, but it certainly looks okay from the short clips in the trailer. Film stuff Other bits and pieces about …

When I was younger, I moved from one school that hadn’t started teaching languages yet, to another that were already a year into their studies. I was an entire year behind in learning French, and I vividly remember spending a few weeks beforehand driving around with my mother, listening to some French tapes to try and catch up. In the end, I did a couple of years of French, but …

A marvellous video from the BBC has emerged, showing three trips from London to Brighton via train from three very different time periods. The journey was filmed in 1953, then thirty years on in 1983, and then this year, another thirty years on. The videos have been sped up and put side by side, and it makes for one of those viewings that I find oddly compelling. I thought more …

Another month has magically flown by both in reality, and in Ambridge. Rob and Tom had dinner, much to Pat’s disapproval. What would she think if she learned about Helen’s real relationship with Rob? Meanwhile, Tom got all over-eager, based on Rob’s advice and Kirsty’s Twitter campaign – she’s turning into the new Brenda, meals with Tom, marketing ideas, etc. But Bellingham’s don’t want to increase their order, and Tom …

I remember when I first saw podcasting guru Leo Laporte talk about the Withings scale, that tracked your weight and tweeted about it every day. I thought he was completely mental, sharing such personal information, although the effect of peer pressure when it comes to healthy intentions has been proven. What I didn’t think was crazy was the concept of improved smarter gadgets tracking what you do. The so-called “wearable …

During some recent summer community fun over on Sidepodcast, the challenge arose to bake something F1 related. Given the wealth of choice of recipes available to me, and a limited amount of time, I went for something I’ve already made in the hopes I could do it better. A long while back, I baked an F1Minute cake, to celebrate a podcasting anniversary. It went down very well, although it was …

The trailers I am so not sure where I stand on this trailer for Getaway - it looks good and intriguing but I just don't understand why someone would want someone to drive quite so much. Also, I'm not sure what kind of goody-two-shoes Disney persona Selena ever had, but she's shedding it quickly. In a completely different sort of film, the aforementioned Disney have one of those nature documentaries …

Did you ever wonder whether using the lines from pop songs would help to find you a date? Well, whether you did or you didn’t, someone has put the theory to the test for you, and the video evidence makes for some amusing viewing. On the Vevo YouTube channel, there is a series of videos called Lyric Lines, in which Tommy Wooldridge takes specific lines from pop songs – one …

The trailers Seen three good trailers this week, the first of which is for The Monuments Men. This is George Clooney and Matt Damon sharing screen time again, which can only be a good thing. The film itself looks good, one of those that is entertaining if not perhaps completely historically accurate. Next up another trailer for the second Thor film. More of the same, it looks like. And finally …

This past weekend, I headed towards Marwell Zoo for something of a family meetup. It was a nice day, the rain held off with just a few spots threatening but then scampering away. I took a few photos but mostly wandered around chatting and wondering why the animals are always asleep when I go to see them. It was slightly disappointing to be at a zoo quite a few hundred …

Last weekend, the BBC confirmed just who would be playing the brand new Doctor, the twelfth incarnation. You’ve no doubt heard by now that it is Peter Capaldi who is going to be on the other end of Matt Smith’s regeneration, and the reaction I’ve seen so far has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s a stark contrast to when Smith was presented as the Eleventh Doctor. A startlingly young, unknown actor, …

Another post about how things are made, after the video about Steinway pianos, but this time we're in the world of automotives. The Tesla Model S is a somewhat revolutionary product, and we know the automotive industry is high-profile in robotics, but this video showed some of the amazing robots at work making the Tesla cars. The machines that move the cars along following magnetic paths are amazing. Plus, the …

As mentioned in my Snowdon post, I had four hours to while away before going up the mountain. Ordinarily, I think I would have gone on to another location, I had plenty of options of places to visit, but I was a bit worried about getting back in time. Somehow, I’d managed to time my mountain trip on the same day as the Snowdon International Race – a crazy event …

The trailers There seems to be a trend in Hollywood at the moment to delve behind the scenes and show exactly how other films are made. Along with Hitchcock, we now have a look at the magical world of Walt Disney, and an explanation of how Mary Poppins came to the screen. This trailer pretty much gives away the whole film but it looks really good. Apparently this is the …

I saw this video on Kottke recently, the making of a Steinway piano. I am obsessed with pianos, always upset when one gets smashed or beaten in a film. I play a bit, and dream of owning something slightly more impressive than the keyboard that is currently gathering dust. I'd never given much thought to how a piano is actually made, and this video is quite a revelation. I love …

Let’s start with the good news – Kenton and Jolene are getting married! Such a lovely couple, they are, and it was so much fun hearing David worrying that Kenton was getting itchy feet. It was the exact opposite, and over a packet of cheese and onion crisps, he asked that crucial question. Lovely stuff. Fallon was brilliantly supportive, and hopefully Meriel won’t be too bossy, although purple is a …

Just two simple trailers this week, and both of them with the lovely Sandra Bullock. The first is Gravity, with some clips released recently that have been doing the rounds. When I first saw them, I thought it was for that Defying Gravity film and couldn't remember Sandra being in that one. She's not. This looks amazing, terrifying and a bit over-the-top all in one go. The other Sandy movie …

There's a new Lego box about to be released, August 1st I think, and I suspect I might buy it. If I only managed to get my hands on the Flux Capacitor I would be happy, but oh how much fun to build a time machine. I really do think there should be more characters though. Biff, Lorraine, George and perhaps the dog, and we could do an actual re-enactment. …

There were a few options for the S of my Alphabet Adventure, but when I thought of Snowdon, there could be no other contender. The point of the adventure is to go to new places, visit different things and get a view of the country I haven’t had before. Going up a mountain fits into all those categories and then some. I opted for the Snowdon Mountain Railway, because I …