Animated avatar

USC Lab Creates 3-D Holographic Displays, Brings TIE Fighters to Life | Gadget Lab from Wired.com

This is phenomenally cool. Make sure you look at the youtube video at the end.

USC Lab Creates 3-D Holographic Displays, Brings TIE Fighters to Life | Gadget Lab from Wired.com

How to Waste Money

Don't you just love how expensive political correctness is?

£100,000 police hunt for 'terror' suit to fit over turban

A police project that involved spending £100,000 helping a Sikh officer find a chemical and biological attack suit to fit over his turban and beard has been described as "ridiculous". The junior officer, who has not been named, encountered problems trying to join West Midlands Police's counter-terrorist operation support unit because he could not fit protective gear over his religious headwear and beard. Police chiefs decided to let him spend 18 months trying to find new respirators and helmets suitable for Sikhs. But after failing to come up with an alternative he was restored to his regular role – only to go on long-term sick leave for stress. The cost of the 18-month project has been estimated at £100,000 and has been criticised for being a "ridiculous" waste of taxpayers' cash.

The Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/2136162/andpound100%2C000-police-hunt-for-%27terror%27-suit-to-fit-over-turban.html

Catching Up

So I'm in the new job, which is ticking over nicely and is about as much of a skive as I expectred it to be. The folk are pretty nice the customers are fine and the troubles from the neds arent' too terrible so far. That last includes being water-bombed towards the close of business the other day. Too stupid to realise that we were watching him & that he'd been logged into a PC immediately beforehand so bye-bye internet access. Chump!

I'm heartened to see how many people actually use the place, although a very high proportion are only there for internut access. Two stories, both sad in their own way.

One wee boy came in, sat quietly readin in the corner until closing and then asked us to keep the book behind the counter for him. "Why not take it home?" I asked. "Because my dad slags me off for being a geek if I take books home." says he.
Community police officers came in. Not to see us, so one of them could use the internet to book his holidays. Yep, whilst on duty. During the conversation at the counter about why he needed a membership to get on the computers he announces -proudly- that he "...tried to read a book once about fifteen years ago. Got about three words into it and that was enough." Makes you weep for the state of our polis, doesn't it?
Oh yeah! Before I forget. Typically, I've had more auditions & work since I semi-retired that I have in the past year.
Aeryn's doing really well. Had her first innoculations - a month late - and her six-week checkup - six weeks late. The joys of centralised organisation!
She's trying to sit up, is grasping & reaching for things and beginning to 'talk' and laugh. She has a smile that could melt the heart of a Thatcherite, too. Whatever the day's been like being greeted with the radiance of her biggest, cheesiest grins makes the world just disappear.

Finally!

I started at the library last week.

Only three months after being offered the post.

Yes, it is about as big a skive as I imagined it would be, and I've laready threatened a ned with being booted out.