Back in August, I wrote about my new enthusiasm for being a football fan, after my first visit to a match earlier in the year. At the end of summer, I was all excited about following along at home - checking in with the app, catching up with Match of the Day, and trying to keep up with the scores. I figured now was as good a time as any …

After my successes in the last two weeks, I thought I'd treat myself with a visit to the countryside. Rather than pounding the pavements and wondering whether people are looking out their windows and laughing at me, I decided to head towards the trees. This meant getting in my car, and for a while I worried that having to drive to a destination would lessen my enthusiasm - there's something …

Over the past few years, I've had my own personal campaigns against some of the major national holiday celebrations. I've vented my distaste over Valentine's Day, birthdays, and of course, Christmas. Ultimately, my aim has always been to get people to accept the fact that I don't like these things even though they do. It's a personal choice, and they're free to get on with their celebrations, leaving me not …

The big news this month in Ambridge is that Clive Horrobin is back. He's getting much more attention in Ambridge Extra which returned in October (more on that later), but his appearance is reverberating around the whole village, in the main show as well. I am aware of Clive's work, but haven't actually heard him in the show before, and he seems like a nasty chap even when he's supposedly …

A while back, I discussed the new Sims Social game - a Facebook only game that was clearly developed to generate cash whilst fostering relationships at the same time. I wasn't sure about it at all back then, but was willing to give it a few more days. I have played it quite a lot since then, for a week or so I was checking in every day. It is …

Two weeks into my new and sparse running routine, and somehow I am managing to run better than ever. I cannot explain this. Last week, I was desperate to go out, I was feeling all cooped up and ready to run. I wasn't 100% sure how far I was going to go when I first headed out, because it was the first run I'd done for a while, but eventually …

In my school days, one of my very best friends introduced me to two important things. First, Doritos and dip. Mmm. That's a staple of our Film Watch evenings these days, so if it wasn't for that early introduction, I don't know what we'd be munching on. The second thing was Tomb Raider. We used to wrap blankets around us, sit on the living room floor, and pass a laptop …

When Amazon announced their new line of products - ereaders and tablets all - we decided it was about time we became a Kindle-owning household. I've never really been fussed about the Kindle really, settling for the gazillion apps I have spread around the office. There's never a time I'm very far from a book these days. Still, the new range of products made them more enticing, and as a …

I've been using the RunKeeper app for a while now, and aside from the odd GPS related issue (mostly to do with my phone), it's been a dream. Not content with providing me with statistics, maps, graphs and plenty of motivation, RunKeeper went one step further and gave me a platform to share my story. The RK blog features the inspirational tales from their so-called Fitness Freaks. There have been …

The conversation that kicked off after my post earlier today made me even more sure that I've not been trying hard enough with Android. I can't really stress how much I want to stay on the Android platform, but equally I know for a fact I'd get more use out of the iPhone. Either way, I'm not going to be splashing out on either for a month or two yet, …

For the last eighteen months, I've been using the HTC Desire as my mobile method of contacting the outside world, but my contract is due to expire soon and that leaves me with something of a dilemma. These mobile phone contracts are so long that choosing the next device is quite an important decision. At the moment, it leaves me scratching my head. Just a hunch The iPhone has never …

Mmm, I love sandwiches. They're one of my favourite foods, although it probably doesn't count as just one given the number of fillings you can have. That, in fact, is what this post is all about - my five favourite sandwich fillings at the moment. My tastes seem to change all the time at the moment. I used to love prawn sandwiches but have gone off them quite a lot …

With this episode, the Tenth Doctor gets his reign underway proper, after spending most of the last episode in his pyjamas. No more of that - he's got a suit, he's got a TARDIS, and he's got places to be. New New Earth for a New New Doctor. The first few scenes really cement the relationship between Rose and the Doctor. He's brand new, but she's willing to stick with …

This evening, I came home from work and went for a run. It was a bit chilly out there, and getting dark, and it's very clear that there won't be many running hours left after work for much longer. Even with the impending time change. Mmm, GMT. This was my first run for twelve days, which seems like forever. Did I say I wanted to run more times than ever …

Google have confirmed that they're axing a few more of their side projects, including the terrible Buzz and the less terrible Jaiku. I was a big fan of Jaiku in its days pre-Google, using it as an alternative to Twitter. As Mr C commandeered the @sidepodcast Twitter account, I was looking for another way to represent Sidepodcast in social networks. I headed straight towards Jaiku, and was impressed with what …

My first week at my new job has been and gone, and it was mostly alright. I mean there was this, of course: ...and that did go on for a couple of days, but I am not really complaining. It's all good. On my first day, I was pondering some of the things that could really make a difference to your experience at an (office) job, but things you don't …

Before Strictly Come Dancing began proper, I chose my picks for good times ahead. That was before we had seen anyone dance, of course, although I had been to the Beeb's website and seen some of their "web exclusive" training diaries. Well, we're two shows in now. We've seen the contestants dance not once, but twice, and we've finally voted someone off. It may just be me, but it seems …

Amazon have launched a French Kindle store to go alongside their US, UK and German destinations. The new store allows Kindle users in France to purchase books from a dedicated .fr domain, rather than being redirected to their nearest store and purchasing in differing currencies. Along with the store, Amazon also launched a French-language Kindle, so that users can buy and read books in either language. You can find my …

I'm really loving some of the features Wordpress are bringing out. I can't remember if I already mentioned the Copy a Post feature before - but even if I have it bears repeating. I don't quite know how I ever managed to live without it. For anyone who is not in the know, you simply find a post you want to replicate, click a button, and it brings up that …

Way back in February, I left the comfort of a good job with a vague idea of changing careers. It felt like the right time to do it and I knew I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to leave one job with time to look for another one - the right one - to come along. I went for a couple of interviews here and there, but was …

Yesterday, we watched Finding Nemo, partly as a way to make Mr C feel a bit better after his short but nasty bug, and partly as it seemed fitting after the sad death of Steve Jobs this week. When the news broke that he'd passed away, I wasn't surprised to find my Twitter stream and RSS reader filled with posts about the man, but there were occasional crossover posts that …

With Leo being something of a podcasting hero of ours, we always like to see what's going on behind the scenes in TWiT land. Given how much of the day is spent live streaming, it's not hard to see behind each of the shows, but Leo and team have taken it one step further. On the Inside TWiT blog, they've posted an hour long chat with Leo and CEO Lisa …

Or, Why I Want My Leopard Back When Apple released the latest edition of their operating software, Mr C declared we needed a beta tester. Seeing as he was working on some quite finicky pieces of software, and I was more into browsers and word processors, the honour fell to me. I wrote a post about my initial thoughts moving from Snow Leopard to Lion, and now I'm updating that …

It's been a bit of a downer month in Ambridge really, starting with Phoebe finally making her way out of Borsetshire and heading towards her extended family in South Africa. I thought the departure was really well done. Lots of nitpicking over clothes and packing, trying to brave, and in the end, it was Roy who started with the tears first. Bless. After two kids fleeing the nest, Jennifer finds …

For those who prefer their eBooks on the iPod/iPhone/iPad, Formula Primo Confidential has now made its debut on the iBookstore. The first in the series, Between the Lines, is now available in six countries, with more than twenty coming shortly. The iBookstore version offers full colour graphics, table of contents, and advanced formatting. Visit Between the Lines on the iBookstore and get your free sample now!

"I hope you don't think I'm rude..." she said, pushing into the queue in front of me, "but I've got three kids in the car." I would have made a fuss - there is nothing like riling up some queue etiquette anger - but I was hot and tired, and I really wasn't in that much of a rush anyway. Even so, the brief sentence made me think a lot, …

As mentioned last week, I was somewhat worried about this series finale. The fifth series ended spectacularly, and I loved practically all of the final two episodes. I have faith in Steven Moffat but after seeing the start of this series, my belief system was shaken a little bit. It really shouldn't have been. The Doctor has been wending his way towards his death, and we were treated to him …

Why settle for a simple bunker underground when you can have an entire skyscraper delving into the depths of the earth? The BNKR Arquitectura company (great URL, by the way), have come up with a concept for an upside down pyramid for the middle of Mexico City. Starting with a wide opening at the top, the pyramid piles layer upon layer going down into a single point. There's a great …

I don't watch that much reality TV. At the moment, I'm favouring The Great British Bake-Off, which is hard to class as reality TV because everyone involved is so nice and friendly, and it's just like a giant tea party every week. Strictly Come Dancing returns tonight, and that is a show I do watch. I can't stand Tess or Bruce, I don't like the pointless results show, I think …

The BBC confirmed today that after this series, there will be no more episodes of Doctor Who Confidential filmed. The sister show has been sitting alongside the main BBC1 programme since it came back to our screens with Christopher Ecclestone, but is now on the way out. The Beeb say: The Confidential team captured the rebirth of the show back in 2005 and for over half a decade they have …

A long while ago, I discussed the concept of Endless Pools and how very much I wanted one. Actually, back then, I wanted to set up a business - rows and rows of Endless Pools to save people having to swim in a communal pool. Now I am over that nonsense, and would just adore to have a pool to myself. Recently, I've spotted a couple of adverts for Endless …

A while back, Mr C and I went on a sojourn to the south coast to take some pictures. Actually, we went there with the specific intention to take pictures and publish them live on the go, forming a workflow as we went. I wrote more about the process we decided upon over on Sidepodcast, but we've now hit upon a snag. Posterous have gone through something of a revamp, …

Closing Time presents the last opportunity for us to really enjoy ourselves before what is bound to be a depressing and likely confusing episode to close the series with next week. I am happy to be proved wrong and find that the series six finale is every bit as genius as the series five one was, but I will own up now and say I'm dreading it. That is next …

Last week, I talked about recipes I am tempted to make, and today I've got more kitchen related stuff. I managed to have a quick browse through a Lakeland catalogue this week, and it was full of kitchen related gadgets. A few of them were pretty impressive, so I've picked five that I would buy if I was in the mood to sort my kitchen out. Lakeland Scrudle - £2.99 …

Credit: San Diego Shooter/Flickr Today is the 100th edition of Baby Panda Thursday, and, I'm afraid to say, the last. It's been an absolute pleasure to scour through photos of pandas every week (give or take) for the last two and a half years, but I'm determined that Thursdays will not be bad days anymore, and they will not need the cuteness to cheer me up. Don't think for a …

So, who has tried out The Sims Social? I'm just starting to use Facebook more as their battle with Google+ heats up, so that I can see who is winning and who is losing. Then they went and introduced my favourite ever game as a Facebook game. It's not really the same Sims at all, nothing like it, really, and it's very, very... social. That might sound crazy, given that …

It's taken me a little longer than I had hoped but finally, I have seen the last ten episodes of The Killing. I wrote some brief and quite vague notes about the first ten previously, but now I know how the story ends I can talk in more detail. There are spoilers ahead, so look away now if you have yet to enjoy the drama of The Killing. The mystery …

In the wee hours of the morning, I launched my latest book - Between the Lines. The book is the first in the new Formula Primo series - which you may know better as Life in the Fast Lane. It began as a simple ten part story, in which the readers could vote in which direction the next chapter would go. Now it has been expanded and improved to become …

Between the Lines is the first book in the Formula Primo Confidential series - a fictional motorsport category populated by intriguing and passionate drivers. Following the highs and lows of a rookie racer as he joins the series, this first book will transport you into a motorsport universe of exciting drama. If you ever followed my Life in the Fast Lane series, you will recognise the characters and the fundamental …

When I formed my Life List reading goal, I decided the best thing to do was pick a list of books that would introduce me to new titles and authors. There are lots of lists scattered around the internet, but I selected one and got on with it. I set up a dedicated page to house the list, and link to the reviews of the books I read as I …

Last time Toby Whithouse wrote an episode, it involved a strange vampire/fish hybrid that stalked the canals of Venice. This time out, he was seemingly charged with writing the end of Amy and Rory's adventures with the Doctor. Quite a bigger challenge, I'd say. As is often the case in some of the more recent episodes of Doctor Who, this was a standalone adventure that was really just the coat-hanger …

This doesn't really count as a week, it's just one run. The final one. The 5k. According to the class, this is the race that we have been training for. I didn't have a race, but I did 5k anyway. Walking intervals were not included, but the notes for this final run said we could do them anyway, if we wanted. I decided not to, and ran the whole way. …

Occasionally, my dad will send me a recipe that he has found and it's usually for something sweet and delicious. So far, I haven't made any of them because it's hard enough to avoid the sweet things that exist already in our house, without adding any more to the mix. Having said that, there is nothing like window shopping in the cake recipe section of websites, and here are five …

The BBC have a new series on at the moment called Nature's Miracle Babies, and the first episode featured lots of cute and cuddly baby pandas. I only half-watched it really, jealous of the man getting to play around with the balls of fluff, and also slightly concerned when they practically ripped his plastic apron from him as they played. I watched and blogged a BBC documentary on the almost …

A while ago, I set up my own About.me page. It's not the most exciting thing you are going to see today, but I quite like the simplicity of the concept. I think About.me are aiming to be the digital version of a business card - a place to send people to find a quick introduction and then all the other places you might be on the web. The nice …

Typical that we get to the final week and I am delayed by... everything. First I went to the Steam Fair and took a day or two to recover from all that walking and all that sun. Then I was prepared to go out, got up early and everything and it was bucketing it down. Didn't quite fancy it. Nevertheless, eventually, I managed to get Week 7, the final one, …

David Walliams completed an epic 140 mile swim in eight days, following the path of the River Thames to raise money for Sport Relief. He finished yesterday, and my guess is he's been sleeping ever since. Almost immediately that he climbed out of the Thames for the last time, he spoke to the BBC for a surprisingly eloquent, if exhausted, interview. I'm not normally one to take much notice of …

When Mr C and I started discussing book trailers, we did a bit of research and talked concepts and all that good stuff. I decided to make a storyboard of my thoughts on what our trailer should perhaps have in it. I am not good at art, though, as we have previously discovered. Instead, I turned to my trusty iPad, and what do you know, there were a couple of …

Since writing my two-part F1 book and releasing it on Amazon as a Kindle ebook, many people have noted with disappointment that they don’t own a Kindle device. Yet one of Amazon’s best kept secrets is the many, many Kindle apps they have created offering the ability to read their ebook content on a variety of different devices. Even if you don’t possess a Kindle, you should still be able …

The troublesome trio are off on another adventure. Presumably dissatisfied with the action they found back in "Eastendersland" last time, they are in search of a fun and exciting planet. Only trouble is, Amy has forgotten her phone. "I bring you to a paradise planet two billion light years away and you want to update TWITTER!" The Doctor has heard of Twitter! I digress. Amy forgets her phone, takes the …