Once upon a time, before blogging was popular and Twitter even existed, I used to learn PHP. I had my books, I had my LAMP setup, and I had an expert at code sitting not too far away. There are various mentions of it on this site, until at one point, I gave it up in disgust. I had ambitions beyond my ability, and more importantly, beyond my patience. When …

I finished up my last Sherlock review with a note on the writers trying to force emotions on us, which I don't necessarily appreciate. However, I thought they handled the logistics of this final episode very well. We all knew what was supposed to happen, so starting the episode with a grieving Watson addressed that straight away. The story was not about the end result, it was about how we …

After last week's enforced break thanks to some poorly timed germs, it was hard going to get back into it this week, but I didn't do too badly. Went out on Monday and Tuesday - both of which felt like I had wooden legs and had forgotten how to use them. It was bitterly cold, and in places it was frosty, and as it is quite dark I was stepping …

Last weekend, I wrote up my reaction to the second episode of the latest series of Sherlock (got another post coming on the final episode just finding the time/gathering my thoughts), and prompted this reaction. Thank you for the wonderful SPOILER. GOOD JOB. Ever heard of a spoiler warning? Thankfully, I have a pretty prominent spoiler alert at the very top of the post, so I feel like I did …

I used to always tune out when I heard talk of Netflix. They are prominent sponsors of a lot of good podcasts I listen to, but the service was never available in the UK. It sounded like heaven - pay a reasonable monthly subscription and get access to anything you want to watch. Films and TV, you could watch the same thing over and over, or whizz through fifty different …

The first series of this adaptation of Sherlock featured something of a sandwich of episodes, where the first and last were epic, and the centre episode was a bit of a letdown. We're talking letdown in ridiculous terms, of course, where the worst Sherlock is still far better than the best of other TV, but when compared to itself, it was a bit of a dip. As it turns out, …

This week has been a complete bust. I came down with a sore throat that developed into a cold and kept me indoors all week. I was starting to feel better on Friday, and thought I might get out today, but I think it might be moving into my chest and I want to be a bit more precautionary than reactionary. I know January hates me, and I don't want …

We've had a look at Mr C's top five films of the 2011 year gone by, and now it's time to put those 12 months firmly to bed with his top five songs released in 2011. It was not such a great year for music in our household, with very little grabbing our attention. In fact, Mr C's shortlist was only seven in the first place. However, we've pulled out …

Following hot on the heels of the Friends edition, Celebrity Mastermind featured a set of questions on The Archers, courtesy of politician Jacqui Smith. She had chosen to answer questions on the long-running soap from the 1980s to today, and I did not do very well at all. I got 5 questions right, and whilst I knew a few more of the answers but couldn't think, I really wasn't particularly …

After running on New Year's Day, I started my new regime - which essentially was "running more." I wasn't sure exactly what the plan was, but I had found a suitable route for the less than daylight post-work hour. Having said that, it's amazing how quickly the daylight extends once the shortest day of the year is out the way. So, I ran on Bank Holiday Monday to try and …

The end of the year is always a bit review heavy, but you're bound to have room for just a couple more. It's time for Mr C's annual look at his favourite films and music of the year. You know what I think about all the films we watch because I blog them incessantly, but Mr C lives through most of them as well, so it's only fair that he …

I became aware of the latest series of Celebrity Mastermind because someone tweeted about a contestant this very evening choosing The Archers as their specialist subject. I had a quick peek at what the other celebrities have been choosing as their subjects and was super duper excited to see someone had picked Friends, the first two series. If there is something I know more about, I can't think of it! …

My Archers posts are always a few days late, which means in Ambridge, Will and Nic are already married. I, however, don't listen to the new month until I've published this (it's kind of an incentive) and thus I am left on the eve of the big day. We've heard far too much drunk rambling from Nic on her hen night, and we've heard Ian and Caroline take custody on …

A week or so ago, I posted a picture of my bulging to-do list with the promise that I would get lots of things done over the Christmas period and shrink it, substantially. That was the plan. Of course, I was unexpectedly working over Christmas, which didn't help matters, so it's no surprise to see that the list still looks rather large. However, I did manage to complete a lot …

I'm not the first to say it, but it bears repeating. It is not fair to every other TV show on earth that Sherlock is on this early in the year. What a standard to be setting. The series returns for a second run, and whilst I am still not 100% comfortable with the 3x90 minute schedule, it certainly allows for some of the best possible storytelling. We're thrown right …

I had intended to write a wrap up of the 2011 Strictly Come Dancing competition, but sort of didn't and then it was too late. However, by popular demand, and given that Strictly is in the news today, it seems worthwhile finishing up the batch of posts with a belated summary. In my half time report, I predicted the finalists as Chelsee, Jason and Alex. Two out of three isn't …

My Life List is now something like two years old, and rather than the whole New Year's Resolution thing, I like to have a quick look back at the things achieved this year, and then a quick look forward at what I hope the year ahead will bring. It's fair to say that this year has not been as full of Life List success as I would have hoped, mostly …

I ran on Christmas Day, and now I have run on New Year's Day as well. I had plans to run in between but as ever, they didn't quite work out. Already, amazingly, the daylight is creeping in of an evening. As soon as we had the shortest day, it felt like the difference could be seen - but perhaps that is a psychological thing. I have found a route …

One of the intriguing things about the LibriVox project is that all the works are from the public domain and all the recordings are put straight back in there as well. Hundreds of recordings are completed and head straight into the public domain for anyone to do anything with. It's a decision that creates plenty of debate over in the forums, but is ultimately a good one. The works are …

I managed to finish watching the last five episodes of The Killing and have spent a little while pondering the entire prospect. Firstly, it wasn't until I had embarked on the second half of the series that I realised it was only ten episodes - half the length of the previous outing. That being the case, the end felt quite abrupt. I had been anticipating something a little more drawn …

This year's Christmas special was in a difficult position - it had to be light enough to be enjoyed at prime time on the main festive day, but equally it had to hold enough gravitas to follow a very heavy series. I think this one managed to do a really good job, and improved on the fairy tale style of last year's Christmas outing. My only real complaint throughout the …

Mmm, running on Christmas Day. There were just a few people out and about, mostly those walking their dogs. Gloriously quiet and only a little bit of drizzle. I hadn't actually intended to go out, but then I saw a couple of inspiration tweets from friends, including: If everyone's doing it, then I'm in! I went out very specifically with the desire not to go fast. I haven't run for …

A couple of days ago, I posted this story of a good deed to my Google+ account. You may have already read it, in which case you don't need to do so again - it's here word for word: Today I braved the crazy Christmas shoppers in the supermarket for my own regularly scheduled food purchases. I was not looking forward to it, I've seen a fight break out in …

Here is my to do list looking quite a state. I have made it mostly hard to read because there are some quite fun and fabulous and secret upcoming things on there. Christmas provides a few days off, and I intend to get this list down to a more manageable size. It used to hover around the three quarters of a page length, and that I could deal with. I'm …

I've had my iPhone for almost two weeks now, and I love it. All those hideous and disgusting phrases like "it just works" and "it makes me want to do more with it" are all true. I've got posts in the pipeline (by that I mean in my mind) regarding the highs and lows of life with Siri and what a revelation the camera is, but a quick summary is... …

When I wrote my Life List, one of the first items on there was to bake the perfect loaf of bread. Then I watched two series' of the Great British Bake Off and realised that I am never going to be a very good baker. So, instead of making the same loaf over and over again in search of perfection, I thought I'd change the task. Instead, I'd like to …

So, first up, the new Batman trailer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOOoe-cRTv0 The Dark Knight Rises I like the idea that this is a set of Batman stories - a trilogy of Batman, not trying to keep the brand alive forever, not trying to take it over and push it in a new direction forever, but just taking the characters and telling a story and then moving on. Of course, that is until a …

A week or two ago, I posted about my favourite Quality Street options when presented with a tin of the delicacies. I had a few messages suggesting that Quality Streets were an unknown, but Roses were more popular. For example, Amy said: I have no idea what Quality Street is but I know what Roses are and I know what Cadbury Favourites are so I’m assuming they’re along the same …

Finally, the second series of The Killing has begun airing on BBC4. I say finally, but as I watched the last series so recently, it doesn't seem all that long ago that I was cheering on Sarah Lund and friends to find the murderer. At the end of the first series, Lund walked out of the police station and into the sunshine - presumably to a happier and better life. …

When I visited Edinburgh for my Alphabet Adventure, I very much liked it. Which is lucky, because the zoo have recently taken ownership of two pandas - on loan from China. I remember the Park & Ride bus stopping at the zoo on the way back, and I considered getting off but it didn't look all that impressive from the outside. Now, it is one of my top destinations! I …

This week, I caught sight of a public spat between Paul Irish and Jeffrey Zeldman - two heavyweights in web standards evangelism. I know of them both from a vague distance and I follow some of their work but I can't pretend to know anything about web standards. I'm not even 100% sure what the argument is about and I certainly don't know what a blue beanie is. My opinion …

A few days ago, Amazon announced two brand new stores for Kindle, bringing the total up to six individual destinations now. The two new countries added are Italy and Spain, via Amazon.it and Amazon.es. All three of my books are currently available in both, with any searches bringing up the results with Euro currency. Christine Blachford on the Italian store Christine Blachford on the Spanish store The two news stores …

It seems to be a time for history to start catching up with the villagers in Ambridge this month, with all kinds of long-lost relatives being unearthed and rediscovered. First up in the main show, it's all about Pat, Tony, Helen, Tom and what could be their new grandson/nephew. After Kylie appeared at the funeral for Ivy, she started talking about a brother and Pat got very suspicious. I don't …

It's starting to get quite tricky, and motivation to go out is hard. I gave it some thought and decided that the couple of weeks when I first stopped running quite so regularly were good because my body was like: "Oh, cool, I'm nice and rested, I'll go faster." Then, give it a few more weeks, and my body is now: "Oh, wait, you want me to go out? But …

After my posts just over a month ago, wherein I decided to give my Android phone one last chance to convince me to replace it with another similar model, I had some fantastic suggestions of apps to use. Dolphin Browser and Fast Reboot were a revelation to me, and made for some more interesting minutes spent browsing. However, the irritations are still there, and after six weeks, I finally made …

It is that time of year again, the one where the seasonal aisle in the supermarket becomes full to bursting with sweet treats - chocolate and Christmas puddings galore. In honour of the occasion, and because wherever I turn there appears to be a new tin of Quality Street, Roses or those Miniature Hero things, here are my favourite five Quality Street sweets. Fudge. Clearly, because it is just like …

After the body-swapping of the first DT episode proper, we know are faced with the Doctor swapping his accent - for Tennant's native Scotland. It filters in and out, is startlingly out of place to begin with but soon feels very natural so that I didn't notice he'd stopped, even though Queen Victoria did. It's always a risk for Doctor Who to take on historical figures, sometimes it works very …

To celebrate 1000 episodes of F1Minute, I baked a cake and iced it. It was my first attempt at icing, and the whole concept is quite new to me. I was inspired by a colleague at work who makes some pretty outstanding baked goods, and is the go-to person when it comes to celebration cakes. I think at the moment she has orders from at least three people for at …

The BBC have introduced a new trailer for their Christmas output - well, it's more like one of those feel-good ones that has no specific content and just a lot of famous faces beckoning you to stay with the Beeb over the festive season. Works for me! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loNQgax53Jk I can only say that seeing The Doctor playing Twister with a Cyberman may be the best three seconds of TV that …

As their Book of the Week recently, the iBookstore featured the new Michael Crichton novel called Micro. Except, it's not really a fully baked Crichton book. I'm a massive Michael fan, Timeline is one of my favourite books of all time. Some of his later works turned out to be a bit hard work, but Jurassic Park, Congo and Sphere are all great pieces. I was very sad when he …

This week, Jeffrey Tschiltsch posted a fabulous update on Google+ that pondered the concept of stories within racing games, particularly the new Formula 1 epic from Codemasters. Here's a sample of Jeffrey's thoughts: So after finishing +Christine Blachford's Between the Lines (Formula Primo Confidential) last night I suddenly realized what Codemasters' F1 2011 is missing in its career mode: a compelling story line. The generic emails, state-the-obvious "headlines" and contract …

I think the Beeb would say the halfway point was a week or so ago, but I'm working on the fact that 14 dancers started the competition and only seven remain. Several will make it into the final, but here's my thoughts on the dancing so far. Those that have been knocked out Edwina Currie I sort of missed her big outburst during the show itself, but wasn't particularly sad …

It's been a pretty tiring week and I wasn't really in the mood to go running today, but I pulled on my trainers anyway. Nice and foggy outside to really lift the spirits, but once I started it wasn't too bad. It's also been something of a frustrating week, so getting out there and clearing my head was kinda good. I wasn't particularly fast, but I also wasn't expecting my …

Today I was supposed to go to the next destination for my A-Z Alphabet Adventure. I have reached the letter O, and I had intended to visit Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. My adventures had come to something of a standstill until recently, as it's been a busy and thrifty latter half of the year. However, I was aware that Osborne House closed over winter, and that if …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdadZ_KrZVw In Time This concept seems very intriguing - not quite the time travel that I love so much, but using time as a unit of currency instead. I've never quite been convinced of Justin Timberlake in the lead role, but he was good in the Social Network, so I can't hold his Michael Jackson dance moves against him. The three women of different generations all looking the same freaks …

After last week's experiment/disaster, I was back on my home turf this weekend. I didn't manage to run at all during the week like I had hoped. It was a week full of sleepless nights and so early mornings were something of a no-no. I find myself sitting at work and dreaming of how good it will feel to have done a workout for the day. The reality is something …

The Red Arrows have had a terrible year. I had never heard of a Red Arrows pilot dying before, and now we have seen two fatalities in the space of four months. Although there may be slight consolation in the fact they "died doing what they loved", there's no escaping the fact that it's a tragedy. It's made worse by the fact that the Red Arrows is a display of …

I go through earphones at a rate of knots. Sometimes they lose the sound in one ear, occasionally I leave them places, often one end of the cable breaks and becomes unusable. Considering the amount I use them, I'm okay with that really. They have become more of a consumable than anything else. I've tried expensive ones, I've tried cheap ones, and in the end, I just go with whatever …

365 F1 Stories chronicles a tale from Formula One's vast history for every single day of the year, with a variety of different topics on offer. From driver birthdays, to important races, to those little moments you might have missed, there's plenty on offer in the books. If you're not completely convinced, or have bought the books but haven't read through them all, there's a quick way of getting a …

It's been a while since Baby Panda Thursday ceased to be updated on a regular basis, but that doesn't mean that I've stopped looking at all things cute and panda shaped. Lots of people tweet me panda related items and I love it! I also particularly love apps and games that involve pandas. If your app has a cute panda as the icon, then you're very likely to make a …