Credit: suemoff/Flickr Sad news this week, when the world’s oldest panda died aged 34. Ming-Ming lived in Guangdong Province, and passed away from kidney failure. But, she had lived a long life - the average for a panda in captivity is just 22 years!

I blogged about the 30 Day Song Challenge, pondering whether I would be able to do it or not, and after giving it far too much thought, I’m going for it. One thing to note. I’m doing it backwards. I don’t like that it starts out with your favourite song. That should be the culmination of 30 days hard work. Thus, today, I begin with my favourite song from this time last year.

Last night, on something of a whim, I downloaded the Glee app for the iPad. Don’t stop reading yet! Regardless of what you think of Glee, it’s making some incredible changes in engaging people with music. The app itself is pretty clever, and a genius money-spinner at the same time. You pick a song (a couple are free but most cost about £1), it comes up with karaoke style lyrics, and you record yourself singing it.

Whilst on my recent alphabet travels, which I will begin blogging about soon, I found myself in the vicinity of Melton Mowbray. You may or may not have heard of the place, famous for it’s most excellent pork pie recipe. The Melton Mowbray pie actually has protected origin of status designation, essentially meaning that if a pie says Melton Mowbray on it, you know it’s the real deal. So, being in the area, I thought it would be rude not to visit and pick up some pies, particularly as Mr C has developed a bit of a taste for them at the moment. There’s only one place you really need to go and that is Dickinson & Morris - so original they even managed to get the URL porkpie.co.uk.

I don’t know enough about space, and wish I knew a lot more. What I do know is that when the shuttles are retired, we’re going to miss out on some fantastic sights.

A conversation on Sidepodcast briefly touched upon the subject of the best-selling business book Who Moved My Cheese? I remember reading it a while ago and being fascinated by the subject matter but having it suddenly brought to my attention, I thought reading it again would be a good idea. Luckily, Mr C owns a physical copy of this book, and you know why I say luckily? Because the thing is not available on the Kindle.

I’m sure you’ve seen it by now, but the best way to avoid a zombie attack has been doing the rounds on the internet for a while now. A concept house designed to withstand any form of attack but specifically the undead kind, this fortress looks incredible. I call it the Zombie House, but officially, the title is The Safe House, and you can see why. When opened up, it looks like any somewhat regular, if a little fancy, house you might see on Grand Designs. But it has the ability to fold in on itself and create a sealed concrete castle.

For me, it’s been a rocky start to the series so far. Nothing so bad I’d stop watching, but that unsettling feeling that this series is not quite what I signed up for. Thankfully, this episode puts us right back on track. I’m impressed, really, because the sneak peek at the end of the last one wasn’t that inspiring to me.

This episode was more like the Doctor Who that we know and love. Less of the endless questions, and more of a self-contained story. It wasn’t quite back on top form, but there was plenty to like about this pirate-themed episode. Lily Cole played a non-speaking ethereal type creature, who would capture anyone with a slight injury. Cue smart little anecdotes about her sending notes before she arrived, the human idea of a curse and “a green singing shark in an evening gown.”

You know, in the end I actually quite liked it. It wasn’t the best film I’ve ever seen but it had it’s moments. The relationship between the two was odd, but I wouldn’t say it was lacking chemistry. I’m frustrated at myself and the twist. I said it out loud. I wrote it down, and I still didn’t get it.

A great video of highlights from the race this weekend. Plenty of dramatic music, some Eau Rouge action, and even a Michelin Man or two. Fun Franck-spotting as well. I particularly like the helmet shot at the beginning of the race, and the champagne afterwards. I may have misjudged him, as it seems FKM was happier than I first thought. Yay!

After all that worry, Franck came second: Pos Class Drivers Team/Car Time 1 LMP1 Gene / Wurz / Davidson Peugeot 908 6:02:03.799 2 LMP1 Montagny / Sarrazin / Minassian Peugeot 908 + 42.965s 3 LMP1 Capello / Kristensen / McNish Audi R18 TDI + 1 lap I didn’t watch much, if any, of the race, but that seems rather incredible. From 50th to 2nd? Still, everyone said it was a long race, and I guess it must have been so.

Here it is, the final week! Drum roll please. Week 10, Day 1 Run 22 min/walk 1 min. Repeat x2. Two runs ago I would have given anything to get under 9:25, and today I was disappointed when I got to 9:04. How things change, and how quickly! Still, I had enough in the tank to speed up again towards the end. The distance isn’t so good, because the total running time was 44 minutes rather than 54. It’s going to escalate over the next couple of days though.

So, this happened: Ortelli/Makowiecki Krohn/Jonsson Montagny/Sarrazin/Minassian Belicchi/Boullion Peugeot were trying to be tactical, leaving it late before attempting a flying lap. And then there was an accident and red flags and Sarrazin didn’t set a time. Boo. Just boo. People say it’s a long race and Franck is starting and he’ll overtake half the field on the first lap anyway, but still, it’s not as good as starting in the top five, is it?

Two practice sessions complete, with the results looking a bit like this. Practice 1 Pos Class Drivers Team/Car Time 1 LMP1 Capello / Kristensen / McNish Audi R18 TDI 2:03.844 2 LMP1 Bernhard / Dumas / Rockenfeller Audi R18 TDI 2:04.054 3 LMP1 Lamy / Bourdais / Pagenaud Peugeot 908 2:04.217 4 LMP1 Fassler / Lotterer / Treluyer Audi R18 TDI 2:05.329 5 LMP1 Montagny / Sarrazin / Minassian Peugeot 908 2:05.392 Practice 2 Pos Class Drivers Team/Car Time 1 LMP1 Fassler / Treluyer / Lotterer Audi R18 TDI 2:03.124 2 LMP1 Capello / Kristensen / McNish Audi R18 TDI 2:04.361 3 LMP1 Bernhard / Dumas / Rockenfeller Audi R18 TDI 2:04.405 4 LMP1 Lamy / Bourdais / Pagenaud Peugeot 908 2:05.472 5 LMP1 Lapierre / Duval / Panis ORECA Peugeot 2:06.962 6 LMP1 Gene / Wurz / Davidson Peugeot 908 2:07.150 7 LMP1 Amaral / Pla Quifel-ASM Zytek 2:07.543 8 LMP1 Montagny / Sarrazin / Minassian Peugeot 908 2:08.547 The second practice session came to an end when Pedro Lamy smashed up the other Peugeot. Boy am I glad that he’s not sharing with Franck this weekend. Although they were faster than FKM’s car in both practices, which isn’t so great.

Well, my goodness, it’s time for more racing, is it? The 1,000km of Spa takes place this weekend, with two practice sessions today. There’s another practice on Friday, plus qualifying, and then the race itself gets underway on Saturday. Franck is in the number 8 once again, and teamed up with Stéphane Sarrazin and Nicolas Minassian (phew, Lamy is in the other car!). Good luck Mr Montagny.

A couple of weeks ago, Google featured pandas in their doodle for Earth Day. They were interactive and moved about a little when you hovered over them, but even stationery, they were still little cutsies. I do approve of the penguins, too, but this is not Baby Penguin Thursday.

As it turns out, R.D. Wingfield was never that keen on the TV adaptation of his character and I can see why. In the book, whilst still remaining lovably erratic, Detective Inspector Jack Frost is far more of a dirty old man. Troubled and troublesome, he’s teamed up with a young, ambitious chap and the mismatched pair find themselves thrown in at the deep end with a couple of inter-linked crimes to be solved. Although the format isn’t exactly unique, the writing is fabulous - indulgent and welcoming. Despite the frozen winter described within, it still felt warm and cosy to read, a piece from a simpler time. I’m definitely going to be reading the others in the series.

This month saw the debut of The Archers spin-off show Ambridge Extra, focusing on the lives of some of the younger and further afield inhabitants. I was excited about the show, then I was a bit put off when I saw some of the reviews who said it was like the Ambridge take on Skins. However, when I listened, of course, it’s The Archers, so it’s really not at all bad. It’s just like an extra couple of episodes a week, although with less concentration on sticking to the specific day of broadcast.

A lot of the blog memes and challenges pass me by, but occasionally there is one that catches my eye and the 30 Day Song Challenge is one of those. I’m not sure where it’s origins lie, but I have seen it posted by a few friends, on Facebook, on blogs. Most recently, Lukeh took up the challenge with the genius idea of using Posterous so as not to spam his main blog.

Once I got going, it was okay, but I must admit I never found the book riveting. Having read up a bit about it afterwards, I didn’t realise it was the forerunner to all the pirate stereotypes that we know and love today: treasure maps, x marks the spot, parrots, peg-legs, mutinies and being left ashore on an island.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve realised that running for a longer distance means starting to look after yourself as you go. I’ve found myself super thirsty towards the end of a run, and suffered a headache a couple of times. The obvious answer is to take on more fluids as I go, but that’s not something I find particularly easy. Keeping upright as I’m jogging along is hard enough, let alone managing a water bottle as well. Nevertheless, I invested in two different bottles to see if I could make it work.

A week that seemed it would never end. Full of ups and downs but ending on a high note. Just one week left after this, and clearly, the fact that I am nowhere near 10k shows just how slow I am. Will have to ponder what is next for me. Week 9, Day 1 Run 18 min/walk 1 min. Repeat x 3. I was really fighting the odds with this one. It was supremely hot, I had a new water bottle as a glorious distraction, and a niggle in my left ankle from the previous run (and/or the walk I went on after it). It wasn’t prohibitive, just annoying.

This header came about suddenly at the last minute, but was a culmination of a lot of experimentation during the month. Firstly, the typeface is the one I use for headers on the blog - Anivers. When I made the changes with Typekit, it suddenly made the existing header look a bit strange. I’ve already mentioned that I need to find a way to make text look more integrated with the pictures rather than stuck on at the last minute, but somehow the typeface tweaks made it seem even more obvious.

I don’t know why I couldn’t get into it, it’s not exactly hard to read. What I do know is that I don’t find Mole a particularly likeable character, so perhaps when I was a kid I didn’t have the patience to read about him too much. Everyone else is so nice to him for no apparent reason, and he’s always falling down and ruining things. It quite surprised me when he redeemed himself towards the end of the book.

Last week I had to watch the episode twice to figure out what was going on. I probably should do the same this week, but… I just don’t want to. From the start, it made no real sense. We were three months later, the officials were after them, the Doctor was all locked up as insane. Do we know why? Am I just being stupid? Just when I thought I was beginning to follow it, Amy and Canton went to the children’s home, and it all went confusing again.

This time last year, Google added new functionality to Maps on Android phones - Google Navigation. The new feature allowed you to search for directions as per usual, but then take it a step further and switch the results into turn by turn navigation. I’ve long resisted the SatNav world, although I have no real reason why. Perhaps I couldn’t justify the cost in my head, and didn’t particularly want another gadget, although I don’t recall putting even that much thought into it.

Last weekend, Mr C and I took a bit of a break and used the long weekend to visit the coast. It was beautifully sunny, hot and busy, but it was great fun. We used the time to work on a process for taking, editing and sharing photos on the move, which I’ve written more about over on Sidepodcast. Along with photos, I took some video which I’ve compiled together using iMovie.

If you’ve popped by this blog at any point over the past 24 hours or so, you may have noticed some wonky typeface situations. If you’ve been following the blog since the Squarespace incident, you’ll know that my only real gripe with Wordpress is that I couldn’t change the typeface from Georgia. I tried any number of solutions, including Typekit, the Wordpress CSS edit addon, and, of course, Squarespace. The less said about that the better.

Adobe are soon to be offering pay as you go models to rent their creative suite of software. Things like Photoshop, After Effects, InDesign and Illustrator are all costly pieces of kit but the new payment method could bring the point of entry down to new users. I decided to take ten minutes to chat to Mr C about how this might change some of the things we do on Sidepodcast, and the way software is consumed as a whole.

Last time I discussed the Back to the Future game, I was only mildly impressed and mostly happy that they hadn’t ruined everything. I wrote that first post after playing the game for about twenty minutes, and I may have judged it a bit harshly. After the post went up, I picked up the game again and played it right through to the end. I loved it! I couldn’t wait for the second episode to appear.

When the letter from the DVLA arrived, suggesting I needed to replace the photo on my driving licence, I instantly thought what a hassle that was going to be. They have those photo booths in a couple of shops locally, the supermarket and some in town, but I hate going in them. The voice booms out so that everyone around knows exactly what you’re doing - adjusting the seat, trying not to smile, waiting for the flashes - it’s distinctly unsettling.

It’s back! It’s back, it’s back, it’s back. And boy is it confusing. The first time I watched this, I missed at least 15 minutes off the start which didn’t exactly help matters. A second viewing was essential, even if I had already planned to do so to lend a hand with this blog. As with most science fiction series, those involved have spent the off-season suggesting that the new series will be much darker than the first. Boring. Everyone says that. I was far more interested in Steven Moffat’s teaser that this two-part opener was like having the big series finale at the start.

Getting back from a mini-break away, I was a bit antsy to go out, but not really motivated to do a proper run, considering I had to get some food and sort out all manner of post-holiday chores. Mr C suddenly suggested that I should just run to the shop, get food for today and run back again, with a big shop planned for later. I instantly discounted it. That’s not part of my training plans, I’d have to pause the run midway, it’s a different route, it’s not a good idea… but then I thought about it. No one is making the rules that I run by except me, and why shouldn’t I just go for a bit of a run, just because?

In my running update this week, I referenced the column of advice that was remixed into the most excellent Everybody’s Free (to Wear Sunscreen) by Baz Luhrman. Once it was in my head, I remembered what fabulous advice the song has, and I re-listened a couple of times. Here are the bits that I have taken to heart and try to live by: Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself. Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t. Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on. And as a bonus, I adore the line: “Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.” But I took advice on that elsewhere rather than the song, and gave up Cosmo a long while ago.

I felt like doing a bit of baking and found this recipe for a classic Victoria Sponge. I know I said I had sworn off the BBC’s GoodFood site, but there are such good finds on there, I can’t help myself. Anyway, the thing I particularly love about making a sponge is that you just throw all the ingredients in together and mix it up. Mix, mix, mix.

I’ve just finished watching a programme about the Summerhill School in Suffolk. I don’t make a habit of watching kid’s TV… oh, who am I kidding… but either way, the subject matter fascinated me. Summerhill is a school that revolves around the concept of the school fitting the child, rather than forcing all children to comply to the same hideous timetable. Kids that go there don’t have to attend lessons, and when they do, they can pick and choose what they want to learn. Because if someone chooses to learn about something, you’ll usually find they learn quicker and better.

I ended the last week a little dispirited, although not put off altogether - it’d take quite a lot more to do that, I think. I took a couple of days to think about it (thanks for the nice comments, all) and geared up to start again. Rather than dive into the 17 minutes at a time, I figured I’d start with a shorter run to get back into it.

Ooh, I really enjoyed this one. It’s full of teenagers who really aren’t that annoying, except the ones that are meant to be. Emma Stone has a really engaging way about her, and can pull off even those webcam bits.

A couple of days ago, I wrote about the great bargains to be found on Zinio, if you took some time to browse. I also mentioned that it might not be a foolproof process to buy, as Mr C had been having troubles. He even commented on the post, suggesting that it was a pretty rubbish service but there is no real alternative so it has to be done. Or words to that effect.

I have mixed feelings about this film. The first scene was almost enough to put me off - just two people, talking really fast, hard to follow, is this what it would all be like? However, sticking with it really paid off because the story developed into a fascinating insight (taken with a pinch of literary salt, obviously) into the world of Facebook.

Just recently, F1 Racing magazine finally made the switch to offer up digital publication alongside the traditional paper editions. To investigate, it meant revisiting the Zinio store, something I hadn’t done for a long time. When I perused the Zinio magazine store for the first time, there was a specific UK section but very little in the way of digital content to offer up. This time, I was amazed at the number of magazines available, but after a quick browse, I wasn’t that inspired. Just as I was about to close the app, I spotted what appeared to be a bargain. A too-good-to-be-true bargain.

In 2004, I said: So, I’m watching the crazy people running the London Marathon, I do not understand how anyone can manage to run that far… I have trouble running to my car when it’s raining! I think it’s great though, all those people raising money for charities and coming together to do something worthy like that. I really just want to note this day down in history, because it could be the first day in my entire life that I don’t think the people running the London Marathon are completely mad.

My dearest, darling brother (ha!) emailed me this last week. It’s a poster for Panda liquorice (bleurgh), and the tagline reads: “If you love liquorice, all you see is panda.” I don’t like liquorice at all, so I would change it to: “If you like pandas, all you see is panda.” But I guess that’s not as catchy.

Ohh I loved this so much. What is great about it is that all the action happens, but in the end only one person is killed off, so it’s not massively blood-thirsty. The only two negatives are the fact that there is no way the media could get to the places so quickly and no way they could have so much information - however as noted above, I do like that it is used as a way of telling the story. I can imagine it would be quite dull just to watch people and trains and stuff. It spices things up a bit.

It was okay, I suppose. Not as funny as I was expecting, although there were a couple of bits I did like, such as the japamas bit. I really did find it hard to follow at times, they passed months here and there without the blink of an eye and we were left to catch up via newspaper headlines and speedy dialogue between characters.

All in all, the film was pretty dull. I did quite like the arty side to it, which is unusual, because I normally dismiss that after a few minutes. The story itself was weird, and the premise was supposed to be one of those where you make up your own mind - whether she’s crazy or haunted - but in the end, they spoil it with an unnecessary twist.

At last! The return of my alphabet adventures! I struggled with where to go for J, and then winter appeared, and then I quit my job and things got manic. However, it’s been a beautiful week and I’ve finally found some free time, so I decided to man up and go outside. The Judge’s Lodgings is a museum situated in a tiny village on the England/Wales border, and it would never have crossed my attention except for one tiny thing. The website is so encouraging and open, I thought I had to give it a look.

My old Mac had been on a slow decline for the past few months. It wasn’t exactly a stunner when I got my hands on it, and I used it an awful, awful lot. The poor thing had been overworked and wanting a break for a long time but I wasn’t about to let that happen. So, over the course of the Australian Grand Prix weekend this year, it sort of died. Thus, I have a “new-to-me” Mac on my hands. It’s taken a week or so to get everything up and running, but I’m not pretty much where I was before. One of the main changes, aside from the lack of hideous fan noises every time I opened any kind of video, is that I now have Snow Leopard.

Interestingly, the big “end of the world” reveal didn’t really happen until the start of this episode. In other two-part finales we’ve seen, everything would have been stacked against the main heroes all at once. Here, we had them in personal peril, which was solved by the Doctor just walking straight out to the Daleks and facing them down. Thank goodness for forcefields, that’s what I say.