An article on the BBC Magazine caught my interest, as it talks to two former "Miss..." winners, ie. Miss Great Britain and Miss Universe. The questions put to them cover what they have been doing since their title expired - now that they are "Former Miss..." instead. Mostly, it seems that the beauty pageant concept is much bigger outside of the UK. In the US, it appears to open certain …

This week is a crafty edition of the Baby Panda Thursday, as I've noticed a lot of photos of people being quite clever and making panda related fun stuff. Firstly, a bizarre origami panda. There are a couple of other views to show you how weird but also cute the panda is. I had a quick search on Etsy for panda and there is a veritable feast of gifts and …

Ah, I do like Groundhogs. This makes me chuckle even though it is intensely annoying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOp3bZxCdKA When I get a groundhog, I'm calling it Alan.

It occurred to me recently that there are a few TV programmes I would like to go back and watch as if new. There are plenty of shows that I need to catch up on, but that's a different matter. These are episodes I have watched, but would do anything to wipe my mind clean so I can enjoy them all over again. Jonathan Creek. I had the biggest crush …

A while ago, I pointed out one of the few online flash games that grabbed my attention, which was no doubt due to it's bright colours and crazy ideas. I've found another one, and this redeems me as it is much more sensible: You have to control the flow of traffic. It sounds kinda dull, but it's really quite fun - the game is called I Love Traffic, after all. …

Following his appearance on TF1 for the Bahrain GP, Franck has been invited on the Eurosport channel to discuss all the action from Spain. A translate from his official site says: For this new issue, it will be with other guests on the Grand Prix of Spain, which will take place this weekend in Barcelona and signal the return of Formula 1 in Europe... Note in your diaries... Eurosport on …

Okay, now technically we're taking a break from the norm here and looking at regular size pandas as well, but they are still cute, I promise. There are quite a few webcams situated in zoos across the world, and that means you can often catch a glimpse of a panda or two. They tend not to do very much. I once watched a panda chewing on bamboo for ten minutes, …

But now I'm not quite sure. When lunchtime rolled around today, I couldn't decide whether to go out and get something to eat, or just stay in and hibernate in the office. It's always a tough decision, you know, but usually if I'm hungry enough, the answer is obvious. Today I just couldn't come to a conclusion, so I submitted my will to the interweb. I searched for a few, …

I am coming out the other side of a very brief cold, which I am grateful for because I know it could have been a lot worse. However, there are so many things that annoy me about having a cold, and these are things that a doctor wouldn't be able to help with. Sore nose. Forget the sniffing, coughing, and aching. The sore nose, developed from constant application of tissues, …

I came across a site recently that is perfect for planning meetups. Naturally, it's called meetup.com. It's basically another one of those sites that allows you to set up your own mini social network, and in this instance is the perfect place to plan each meeting of your online social circle. We recently planned a Sidepodcast meet and we managed perfectly well on the wiki, but it may be that …

I have just read up about Jason Calacanis's new podcast called "This Week in Startups" or perhaps TWiSt for short. From the original blog post about the new show, Jason says: I’ve spoken with my good friend Leo Laporte about using the name “This Week in Startups” (or “TWiSt” as he called it) and he was so magnaemous [sic] about: telling me he doesn’t own the “This Week…” brand and …

I was looking around for some cute panda gifts - cuddly toys and the like, and found a veritable treasure trove on Cuddly Kingdom. I am particularly interested in the magnets, and the keyring. Anyway, onto the good stuff. Pandas rolling in the snow Credit: chickostix89/Flickr Panda cub follows mother Credit: Alan/Flickr

First, I have to preface this entire blog post with the fact that writing for BellaOnline was an honour. I am grateful that they selected me to write for the site, and I learnt a lot from the experience. I was signed up at the very end of January 2007, and have written for them for just over two years. Just a few days ago, I resigned from my site, …

When we met up with some like-minded F1 fans at the Science Museum in London, the conversation spilled over into the pub and into the evening hours. One of the topics that really got me thinking was how we define sport. I don't remember how we got onto the subject, but I imagine it had something to do with our suggestion that if F1 goes down a particular route with …

Some days I wish I lived in France. It turns out that Montagny might have had a bit of a spot on French TV Channel TF1 during their Bahrain GP coverage. I only read about this afterwards, and there's not much I could have done about it anyway, but yay for Franck!

Over Easter, I took a well-deserved break and disappeared into the depths of the country for a narrowboating mini-break. My parents invited me to join them, as we journeyed a short distance along the Wey river, starting at Guildford. Now, my mother could tell you all kinds of fascinating facts about where we were, and what we saw, but I mostly basked in the serenity of no cars, very few …

I do not watch enough films. I used to watch loads of films, usually when they came out in the cinema. But that was when I lived with my friend who loved movies, when I had more free time, and I had enough money to spend on seeing the same thing many times over. I was put off going to the cinema because the nearest establishment to where I live …

It's that time again. A little cuteness to brighten up your Thursday. And don't forget if you like all kinds of animals, not just pandas, then there's info here about a site you should check out. Mmm, lunch. Credit: Kim's Pics :)/Flickr

Earlier this year, Buzz Out Loud co-host Molly Wood left the show as a permanent host in an attempt to balance her life a bit better. Natali Del Conte stepped in, and it was obvious this was going to get some people's backs up. I've been listening to the show for a long time, now, but I don't feel any sense of entitlement to it. BOL does have a very …

If you are anything like me, you are quite partial to a cute and furry baby animal. Come on, admit it, you've had a look at one of the Baby Panda Thursday posts and gone: "Aww." I know you have. Therefore, this may be a site of interest to you. It's called Zoo Borns, and it features cute pictures of ickle baby animals. Don't be put off by the fact …

Last week, the founders of Pirate Bay were found guilty of "assisting the distribution of illegal content online" in Sweden. The punishment is a year in prison and a fine of about £2.4 million. All the details are available to read in a fact-filled news item by the Guardian. I didn't follow the trial closely but some reports of what was happening filtered through to me. I am surprised the …

A couple of new updates on the official FKM site give us an insight into what the man himself has been up to off track. Whilst he's not actually racing at the 1,000K of Spa, Franck turned up to a photoshoot with Peugeot. The Google translate suggests: Well, it's true that taking poses in front of the lens is probably not his favorite exercise, but it could be harder and …

Just a couple of pics this week as it's somewhat hectic around here right now. Mother and Baby Credit: lji123505933/Flickr Snacking Panda Credit: Alan/Flickr

It is Easter this weekend, so no doubt there will be a lot of cuddly rabbits and baby chicks being the focus of attention. Let's not forget our baby pandas though. Baby Panda Bear Credit: Farrukh/Flickr Seriously Tiny Panda Credit: Vicki/Flickr

So, as it turns out, Peugeot have decided that the lovely Franck won't be racing at the 1,000 km of Spa. After such great fun at Sebring, I'm disappointed. Olivier Quesnel - Director of Peugeot Sport - says: This is not a delay in our preparation or our work, but an adjustment in our organization. The priority remains Le Mans and I do not want to wear the team preparing …

I just want to write a quick note about all this fuss over the Eastenders Danielle death thing. I read what happened before I saw it because I am always miles behind, but I am now caught up. In fact, I even watched the extra programme on BBC3 that was behind the scenes of the whole story. I am that sad. The problem seems to be that it's not fair …

I stumbled across a new web show/podcast from former CNET editor Rich DeMuro. I used to watch him on The Queue when I was first getting into CNET podcasts, so was disappointed that he left so soon after I tuned in. Now he is running his own video show called the Synched Up Show. He writes and produces it himself, which is an impressive feat, considering there were ten episodes …

Just popped over to the official FKM site and saw this post that is asking for helmet designs. Now that Franck is in the US, he fancies a change and wants some help redesigning his helmet, with the one stipulation that it has to reflect the colours already in place: The famous fuschia, white, gold, silver, black, playing on effects mat and shiny... Come on, now, it's pink, and we …

I have finally got around to making a word cloud for Smarter Than Your Average, using the great technology over at Wordle. All you have to do is enter the URL of your blog and it creates a cloud of the words on the homepage. I'm not particularly impressed that Whopper is in such large writing. Damn that April Fool story.

I think I might have found it! I've been going on and on about the need for a decent to-do list for a very long time. I've tried 37 Signals products, Remember the Milk, all that stuff. Nothing seemed to work. Now, I've found one, and it's called: Doris. Yea, I don't really get the name either, but it's pretty useful. You can group your list items into as many …

I have recently been enjoying catching up with a web series called Pink. The 'webisodes' are available on the site, on YouTube, or as a podcast. It's a clever show, told in flashbacks and flashforwards (a little more understandable than LOST though!). The story surrounds a contract killer who is allowed out of jail on an assignment, but who would rather be finding love and settling down. Through the flashbacks, …

You know those really annoying games where you have to look after a pet - kinda like a Tamagotchi but more demanding? Well, if you've got a Nintendo DS, there's a less annoying Baby Panda version! Now to our regularly scheduled programming: Credit: A Pandographer (Cassie)/Flickr And finally, cuteness:

I am not a fan of April Fool's day, particularly now that things on the internet are so hard to believe anyway. You have to take everything with a pinch of salt, and so these days the jokes are either really obvious, or so obscure that I don't get them anyway. I remember one joke from several years ago, a good one, in fact. The local newspaper issued a fake …

Franck's keeping positive: I am disappointed by the outcome but still satisfied because we have worked well. We came to learn a difficult circuit. 12 hours here is worth 24 hours in Le Mans! The new Audi was within reach on land which is not in favor of the 908, very responsive. The team worked hard all winter and that's what makes me optimistic for the future. He's got two …

Argh, it was just so disappointing. I was looking forward to posting a picture of Franck on the podium but he looked so utterly miserable, I couldn't bear it. They got off to a really bad start, when the car had to begin the race from the pitlane after developing problems. Franck was the first behind the wheel and had soon made his way up to third. The number #7 …

The short answer: There were three Baby Panda Thursdays in a row on this blog. The long answer: I wrote The BBC Blog for a month and it was great fun. A lot of it was repeating press releases, and although it was good learning about things as I wrote them, and sourced pictures for them, there's no reason I can't just subscribe to the BBC Press Office feed and …

Finally the race arrives, and I don't know about you, but I'm ready to see Franck in action. The 12 Hours of Sebring kicks off today, and if you want to follow along, then I would highly recommend Sidepodcast.com (well, I would, wouldn't I?). A live thread will be available ahead of the race, and chances are there will be many more knowledgeable people than me. What else can I …

Way back when, Twitter was hugely unstable and we all defected to identi.ca. Now, Twitter has bolstered it's infrastructure, and even with the mass invasion it still seems to be holding up nicely. So, I started watching people on Twitter, then I set up my identica username on the site and shared the dents/tweets across both platforms. Now I'm starting to think that Twitter is the place to be, and …

The BBC Internet Blog featured a three-part post covering all the details of their moderation process regarding comments, emails, and forums. It's a fascinating look at why they have to do what they do, and the editorial decisions behind blocking some of the more questionable content. The first part takes a closer look at defamation of character and how the law dictates what can be published and what can't. In …

Qualifying was a surprise for all involved as Scott Dixon took pole position with de Ferran Motorsports' Acura. The petrol powered car dominated the works diesel of both Audi and Peugeot, although the split to second place Tom Kristensen was barely a tenth of a second. The entire top five was only split by 0.28, with Klien picking up third for Peugeot. Franck's car was fifth, although it was Bourdais …

The human resources at the BBC - called BBC People - have a new director. Lucy Adams will take up the post on 1st June replacing Stephen Kelly who has moved to another company. Adams comes to the BBC from Eversheds LLP, and has been Director of HR at a couple of companies previously. The Director role at the Beeb encompasses training, motivation, change management and recruitment, and Adams will …

Three Baby Panda Thursdays in a row! I really must blog more. To celebrate, though, here are two Baby Panda pictures. Credit: Tammy/Flickr Credit: Jesse Starr/Flickr

It turns out testing can be a topsy-turvy experience. On the second day, Peugeot jumped ahead, although it wasn't Franck's car topping the times. All times were at least a second slower than Monday, but Nicolas Minassian led the way just three tenths ahead of Allan McNish. Unfortunately, it Bourdais had an off and didn't manage to set a time. Uh oh. Le Seb didn't get very far at all, …

Franck has left a note on his official website, that shows his excitement over the upcoming race: Sebring is coming YYYEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH! He adds he was getting tired of the gym and wants to start racing again, and that he's "super ultra motivated" for the first race of the new year. In other, more disappointing news, Audi led the first official test day. Both Peugeot and Audi have completed private tests, …

Some of the new blogs that have been released recently (for instance, Jake Humphrey's new blog on the F1 section of the site) had a new look that didn't match the existing columns. Now it seems as though the other blogs will be moved over to the new design gradually, with the internet blog one of the first to move. The new look is much cleaner and matches the rest …

Radio 4 has announced they'll be bringing the weekly children's show Go4it to an end, with the intent of making the station more family-friendly in general. In order to keep up the children's broadcasting though, Radio 7 will change their schedule to include a breakfast show for kids, every day. The CBeebies show on Radio 7 will move to an early morning slot (5-8am) every single day, from April. One …

I have never watched a minute of this show, but it's certainly very popular, as it's been recommissioned for a fifth series. Waterloo Road covers stories in and around a school, including both the adults and the teens attending. For the new series, the school is being merged with another, which will no doubt create a raft of new story arcs and characters. Eva Pope returns, and although there are …

In slightly worrying news, Peugeot Sport have admitted that their participation in the Sebring 12 Hours is simply a test for Le Mans 24 Hours later in the year. It's not unusual for teams to use the race as a practice run for Le Mans, but to be so open about it isn't a good sign, really. It may be that they are simply playing down the prospect of a …

There have been a few tweaks on the site that are worth mentioning, the first is on the news homepage. The ticker at the top of the front page has changed slightly to display both latest news and breaking new. There is also more control over the ticker, with a pause button plus forward and back controls. The idea is that the more important breaking news stories will show with …

A new natural history programme for BBC One is going to take a look at the earth through the eyes of birds. Called Earth Flight, the series of five episodes will travel with various birds as they make their journeys across the earth. From the press release: Using cutting edge new filming techniques to show everything in exquisite detail, viewers have a uniquely privileged perspective flying 9,000 metres high over …