One two, one two

Ok, let's see if the Blackberry is up to it.

So I've decided to start writing again. Got to find something to do during all these train delays

Grrr, trains. Don't get me started. How can a service that supposedly runs every 15 minutes possibly be 20 minutes late ?

Sony need to get their arse in gear

Sony's latest PS3 firmware upgrade (2.52) has resulted in a small but significant minority of machines (including mine) suddenly being unable to play discs. At all. That's right, no games, no DVDs, no Blu-Ray. Can still play anything on the hard drive, but that's a very small proportion of what we use it for.

Looking at the forums, Sony are being completely unsympathetic about it. I will be expecting a lot better when I call tomorrow.

Thankfully, my machine is still in warranty (just), but it does seem a bit much that if Sony break it after the warranty elapses, they are somehow not liable. And yet you can't choose not to upgrade (well you can, but then you can't do anything online).

Overrated

Foreplay is overrated, says the Daily Telegraph.

Foreplay ? Nah.

Coldplay however...

Random Musings

A setback for the Villa at Newcastle last night. Watched in the not-exactly-salubrious surroundings of the Nag's Head on Upper Street. Thought we dominated the game and should have been 2 or 3 to the good before they scored - once they got in front they grew in confidence and we could have lost by 3 or 4. Think some of the squad maybe had one eye on Thursday's UEFA cup game against Slavia in Prague. Ridiculous that for the second time this season we have to play Monday-Thursday-Sunday - you don't see the so called Big 4 having to do that.

Got home uneventfully, moderately the worse for wear, but acceptably so considering 6 hours in the pub. Watched the Colts v Patriots game I'd taped from the previous night. A not entirely unexpected close defeat, but Jabar Gaffney dropped an absolute stone blind TD in the 3rd quarter from Cassell's only decent throw of more than 10 yards all night. More frustration. Game against the Bills this weekend is now crucial - winners will be set fair for the division, losers struggling for a wild-card. Only consolation is that other than the Titans, everyone is beating everyone in the AFC this year, so 9-7 could conceivably get you into the play-offs.

Woke to an extremely sore throat, cough and temperature. Followed my own rules (must go to office after night in pub, even if genuinely sick), and it was miraculously gone after a shower. Very odd...

M25 utterly shagged this morning, with the usual effects on the local roads. Mrs I tried to give me a lift further down the line, but the road south was even worse and we had to turn back. Took 45 minutes to crawl the 2 miles to the local station, not the best way to start the day.

Off to Arsenal v Man U this weekend, courtesy of those terribly nice chaps at McGregor Boyall. Bacon sandwiches and beer from 10:45 in the hospitality area - shall be pleasantly sloshed by mid-afternoon. Would like to see England v Pacific Islands if possible, but will play it by ear.

Have turned into a Facebook whore - gone from 12 to 30 odd friends in the last week. Starting to see the attraction at long last - seems there's a critical mass at which point reward outstrips effort.

Hamilton.....WINS !

Well, that was triumph to disaster and back again in a matter of minutes, wasn't it ?

The new wooden floors meant that when I jumped up and punched the air in my socks, I nearly went flat on my arse. Got me to thinking - what other top sporting conclusions have had me pacing around this living room and punching the air, and where does this rank ?

5...Germany 1 England 5, 2001

Sven takes over with England struggling to qualify after Keegan's disastrous reign, and this is the penultimate scene in the play. Owen hat-trick supported by Gerrard and Heskey. We didn't even play that well, we just took every chance. Meh...who cares ? Dancing around the room with son number one (then aged two).

4...Rugby World Cup Final 2003 - England v Australia

Astonishing that this is fourth, but I suppose the long period of English dominance made this seem almost expected, and we'd already won the game twice and had it pulled away by the referee. And then Saint Johnny, on his wrong foot. Tears in eyes, lump in throat. Marvellous.

3...Superbowl XXXVI - New England Patriots v St Louis Rams, 2002

17 years of following the perennially awful Patriots finally paid off in this upset over the "Greatest Show on Turf", who has been champions two years earlier and were expected to win easily again. The Patriots got well ahead but were pegged back by the experienced Rams. A superbowl had never been won by a field goal as time ran out before - it has now ! It may have been 3am, but I still jumped up, punched the air, and smashed my hand on a light fitting.

2...Brazilian Grand Prix 2008

Cruising to the finish with 6 laps left and the heavens open. Hamilton finds himself in exactly the spot he needs after the pit-stops, but disaster strikes with two laps to go when Vettel (surely a world champion in waiting himself) overtakes and looks good to hold it to the finish. Massa crosses the line for the win, but with two corners to go, Hamilton overtakes a limping Glock, who'd not changed his dry tyres for a memorable finish. Felt genuinely sorry for the Ferrari team, who thought they'd won when Vettel crossed first.

1...2nd Ashes Test, Edgbaston, 2005

Big crowd in expectation of an England victory, with the Aussies still a hundred away with only two wickets remaining. The defecit is reduced and reduced and reduced, for the loss of just one. Big Harmy rouses himself for one last effort, and sends a bouncer down the leg side to Kasper. A slightly thicker glance and it's four and the Ashes virtually secured for Australia, but Geraint Jones clings on. Technically it's not out, as the batsmen's glove was not on the bat at point of contact, but nobody cares. I wore a groove in the carpet for this one, and its top of the list because it was slow agony for two hours, and despair flipped to ecstacy with one ball. Amazing.

Anyone else want to submit their top 5 armchair moments ?

I will follow this up with the top 5 "I was there" and top 5 "I was in a pub" shortly...

Unemployment

Technically, I'm unemployed at the moment. My contract with my previous employer finished last Friday, and my new one doesn't commence until 12th May. Things to do for the four weeks off in no particular order.

1..Don't die - minimal life insurance at present.

2..Nobody in family to get sick - no private health care.

3..Lots of lunches. Piano Lounge in Epping yesterday - lovely, if a little quiet.

4..Install new hard drive in son number one's PC. Impressive that it packed up only two weeks after I gave it to him. Naturally my new quad core monster ticks along nicely. Replacement drive arrived yesterday, now I just have to work out how to put the bugger in...

5..Fully utilise my leaving gifts. 6 bottles of fine wine and 3 computer games - they know me so well !

6..Generally arse about...stick to what you're good at I say.

7..Five days in Cyprus without the kids - thanks Mum !

A call to arms

In response to this eye-popping announcement about compulsory fingerprinting for all at UK airports, direct action is now required.

It's no use petitioning the Government, we know they're not listening - we have to hit private companies where it hurts and make them understand what their customers want - make them lobby for us for a change.

Therefore I have posted the following in the comments on the related Telegraph comment article.

Right, enough is enough.

There's only one way to stop this nonsense.

"I will not buy a ticket from British Airways as long as fingerprinting is required"

All those with me respond "Aye"

Let's see

a) If they publish it. EDIT : They have.

b) If anyone responds

Otherwise, that's it, I'm looking for a new country to live in.

Anyone else who feels strongly may leave a comment. But make sure you respond "AYE" at the Telegraph first...

Roman Holiday

Chelsea tycoon Roman Abramavich is set to star opposite Simon Pegg in the much-awaited sequel to the hit comedy 'Shaun of the Dead'.

In the new blockbuster, set for release in April, Shaun and his friends have to negotiate the streets of the City and Belgravia, dodging dazed and confused investment bankers and financiers.

The outbreak is due to a recessive undead gene, though to be triggered by a regressive unfair tax demand.

In the hilarious finale, filmed this week at London's City airport, Shaun struggles to re-open the beleagured terminal, thereby allowing the hapless victims to leave the country for good.

Pegg enthused about his latest project

"We hadn't planned to make a sequel, but the opportunity to make the world's first non-dom zom rom com was too good to miss."

Alistair Darling is 54.

Rowan Williams Must Be Sacked

Archbishop of Canterbury calls for Sharia law

No I am not making this up.

"An approach to law which simply said - there's one law for everybody - I think that's a bit of a danger"

I'm struggling to think of anything MORE dangerous than a code of laws which DOESN'T apply to everybody.

The fact that your imaginary friend can pick and choose your laws you are subject to is a bit frightening. What's next - the Jedi code ?

And this man is supposed to be head of the Church of England. He is a woolly-headed idiot and a disgrace to his position.

Back for Bad

That's right - I've given up on everything to such an extent that I now have enough time to do whatever I want. Including this self-indulgent stream of bollocks.

Missed me ?

BarCodes

Sacking Allardyce after this short period, when they're safely mid-table and still in the cup. What a bunch of fucking morons. No wonder you've won fuck all in my considerable lifetime. Just 'cos you almost won something ten years ago (but finally bottled it completely) does not mean you have a divine right to European football. Knobheads.

My mood at the moment

Would everybody - and I really do mean everybody - please just fuck off and leave me alone. You're all talking shit.

What Tarot card are you ?

You are The Sun

Happiness, Content, Joy.

The meanings for the Sun are fairly simple and consistent.

Young, healthy, new, fresh. The brain is working, things that were muddled come clear, everything falls into place, and everything seems to go your way.

The Sun is ruled by the Sun, of course. This is the light that comes after the long dark night, Apollo to the Moon's Diana. A positive card, it promises you your day in the sun. Glory, gain, triumph, pleasure, truth, success. As the moon symbolized inspiration from the unconscious, from dreams, this card symbolizes discoveries made fully consciousness and wide awake. You have an understanding and enjoyment of science and math, beautifully constructed music, carefully reasoned philosophy. It is a card of intellect, clarity of mind, and feelings of youthful energy.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Petition

Via Tim.

I don't normally bother with e-petitions. Total waste of time - the Government's not going to listen.

This one however, is important. An unelected bureaucracy is making a takeover bid for Europe, despite two sovereign nations voting it down, and our Government is complicit in nodding it through - even though it was a manifesto commitment at the last election that they would hold a referendum on the issue.

Once again, I have no hope that the Government will listen, even if they entire electorate were to sign it. However, it may at least succeed in publicising the issue, and embarrassing the equally spineless Tory party into opposing it, and maybe, just maybe, enough Labour MPs will discover a scrap of integrity and defect to scupper the passage of the bill.

Sign it today.

Yet another one

Your Personality is Somewhat Rare (ESFP)

Your personality type is playful, charming, open minded, and energetic. Only about 7% of all people have your personality, including 9% of all women and 5% of all men You are Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Who am I to argue with the Captain of the Enterprise ?

An impassioned commander with more respect for individuals than for authority, you have a no-holds-barred approach to life and its obstacles.

I don't believe in the no-win scenario.

Bob Woolmer

So police finally confirm what I had suspected and feared from the very first, that Bob Woolmer was murdered.

I'm the biggest cricket fan going, but I'm utterly sickened by this and I think the tournament should be cancelled. The ICC needs to send a signal that we would rather shut down the game than have this sort of thing go on. However, money calls the shots, the ICC are probably the weakest governing body in sport today, and so the tournament will continue. "It's what Bob would have wanted" they will say. Bollocks.

The rabid fans from the sub-continent who were chanting "Death to Woolmer" need to look at themselves and re-evaluate their priorities in life and behaviour. But they won't. Animals.

Swinging the lead

Andrew O'Hagan complains today that the furore over the Fredalo incident is due more to England and Freddie's poor form than morality.

Well, duh !

We all have our ways of misbehaving / skiving / acting unprofessionally. In my own organisation, there are one or two lunchtime drinkers, people spend varying amounts of work time on the internet, many disappear to the gym, there's blogging of course - you get my drift. The point is, there are three tacit rules that must be observed.

1..You have to be good at your job. So long as you are achieving, a blind eye will continue to be turned, provided the behaviour is not too unreasonable. After all, everyone here works long hours - you can't be 100% all the time.

2..When the pressure comes on and there are key deadlines/targets to hit, you pack it in and knuckle down.

3..Be discreet. If the customers get wind of it, management can't protect you.

Sadly, by getting caught boozing by the public/media, during a World Cup, while out of form, Flintoff has broken all three aspects of the omerta. The England management team had no choice, but to take action.

Hopefully, this will be the wake-up call he needs to regain his focus and form.

Note to Self

Watch The Great Global Warming Swindle on 4od when you get back from this weekend's stag do in Reykjavik.

Okay, so it confirms my existing prejudices, but what the hell...

The Law of Unintended Consequences

An NHS Blog Doctor article reminded me of this recent discussion point.

It's always unpleasant leaving a pub and discovering that your clothes smell of cigarettes.

However, if the two pubs in Canary Wharf that have become early adopters of the non-smoking ban are any guide, clothes will henceforth stink of stale beer and farts. A colleague of mine likens the smell to that of a rabbit hutch...

Also, all the smokers from the above two places seem to now congregate in my formerly favourite pub, instantly making it completely uninhabitable for non-smokers such as me. I'd imagine their staff are going to kick up a fuss at the fog any day now, and then that one will convert and so on. Until then, it's off the rotation.

Envy Backlash

More on the Envy debate in the Telegraph today, from Jeff Randall and Simon Heffer.

While Heffer's constant picking at Cameron is getting a bit boring, he does have a point when he says that the Tories have been conspicuously quiet on this subject. However, I'd be interested to know who exactly these 'undeserving rich' he refers to are...

Cause and Effect

Via Tim Worstall, the first signs that the wealth generators are preparing to scarper.

Would the last one out etc etc...

More Politics of Envy

This time its the Liberal Democrats who are the fruitcakes.

1% a year on a million quid house ? Ten grand a year ? Is he serious ? Now my house isn't worth anything like that much (or even half), but some of my colleagues who've been living in Central London for many years are getting close. These are not remarkable houses mind, they're just ordinary 4 bedroom houses in nice areas. There's no way they could afford £10k pa on top of the mortgage.

And bear in mind that stamp duty for a £1m house is £40k.

State sponsored robbery, pure and simple.

And as the rest of the drivel in his speech, well, words fail me. Except for two. Economic illiterate.

Cry God for England, Harry and St George

It's not a particularly funny cover of Private Eye this week, but it does remove all doubt about who Prince Harry's father is.

Couldn't Resist

Apologies, but I saw this headline and I just had to...

1.7 million to have dementia by 2051

Damn straight - and I'm planning to be completely plastered by half past nine.

Bonus Time

I understand the furore over the City bonuses is all about the politics of envy, but this quote made me mad.

Another Left-wing Labour MP, Alan Simpson, backed the survey's findings but said that Mr Brown was just as responsible as Mr Blair when it came to promoting divisive policies.

He said: "There is no difference between No 10 and No 11. Downing Street has pursued policies which have courted City financiers at the expense of everyone else. Financial services and the money markets are engaged in a greed-fest - and Treasury rules are actually making this possible. Many of these huge bonuses are actually rewards for failure."

Is he serious ? Does he actually think the banks are in the habit of giving out large quantities of cash to non-performers ? I guarantee you every single one of those 4,200 people receiving over £1 million made at least ten times that for their organisation. You pay the going rate or they leave and take the business with them - end of story. Non-performers make money or are fired.

Yes, I do work for an investment bank and yes, I did get a nice bonus this month. Not a seven-figure one obviously, but then I'm not a revenue generator. However, I did feel it was payback for the many months of late nights and weekends I slogged through last year. And do I begrudge the guys on the trading floor their wedge ? Not bloody likely, those guys work as hard as we do, and they make the money for our bonus pot. And the 73% of the population who think bonuses are 'excessive' should remember that the profits those people make mostly go to the shareholders, and that the banks are 90% owned by the pension companies, and the pension companies' returns go to....who exactly ?

So go on, allow Gordon to windfall tax the bonuses away and send the business to Frankfurt - you'll be slitting your own throats you idiots...but then that's how socialism works isn't it.

Vocabulary

Your Vocabulary Score: A+

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary! You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

NATO Generals

Good News : NATO general says we need one more year to defeat the Taliban.

Bad News : It's 2014.

Asia Calling

This blog post comes to you from sunny Singapore. Yes, after only nine years working for one of the largest investment banks in the world, I finally get a business trip out of London.

We are staying in the quite astoundingly opulent Fullerton hotel, which just happens to overlook the main tourist hotspot of Boat Quay (below) - naturally we had to check it out on arrival yesterday evening. Allowing myself and my long-time partner-in-crime (and new boss) to stay quite so close to so many bars and restaurants may be good news for the turnover of said establishments, but probably not so much for our productivity for the trip. Ah well, I've earned this jolly about a hundred times over, so I'm not about to start feeling guilty now.



It's a fairly unstructured trip, I'm pricipally here to meet my new team of developers and try and figure out how we're going to work this year. I was loosely involved with this team last year, and there were a lot of frustrations both here and in London, so we definitely to do some serious work on the operating model.

Anyway, I can definitely recommend the January weather here, and so far everybody has been overwhelmingly welcoming - both old friends who now live here and new colleagues seem very pleased to see me.

Felt okay this morning - woke at a decent time to watch the Patriots race into a first-half lead in the AFC Championship game, only to find out later that we'd lost. Damn shame - was looking forward to another Superbowl - I've applied for tickets to the big Superbash in Batterea, if my name comes up in the ballot, it would have been doubly wonderful to be there as a Pats fan. I'm struggling a bit now, just as London is getting into the office - Jon has been feeling poorly most of the day and has already headed back to the hotel. See if I feel like going out later - may be just a quick couple in town with the two youngsters who've just moved over, and then back for a good sleep.

Big Brother Racism Row - Reducto

Woman made famous for being thick and ignorant on Big Brother appears on Big Brother - displays thick and ignorant behaviour.

Well, I've got the shoulders for it...

Your results:
You are Will Riker

At times you are self-centered
but you have many friends.
You love many women, but the right
woman could get you to settle down.

Will Riker		90%
James T. Kirk (Captain)		70%
Deanna Troi		70%
Leonard McCoy (Bones)		60%
Mr. Scott		55%
Chekov		55%
Uhura		55%
Data		52%
Jean-Luc Picard		50%
Spock		49%
Beverly Crusher		45%
Geordi LaForge		40%
Worf		35%
An Expendable Character (Redshirt)		25%
Mr. Sulu		15%

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Quiz

What's Next ?

I'm feeling a bit fragile this evening, as I'm struggling to come to terms with a great loss. After seven years of unbridled joy, one of the great lights of my life is no more.

I'm talking of course about "The West Wing" - IMHO, THE finest television drama series in history, bar none. Since first catching this show way back in its infancy in the latter months of the last century, it is the one serial for which I could not possibly contemplate missing even a single episode.

The last two episodes were shown last night - a little anti-climactic to be sure, but this was not unexpected given the plotline - and this has been followed up today by an afternoon of highlights from down the years, in which I have self-indulgently wallowed to the exclusion of all else - including the cricket - with many a tearful eye.

Goodbye West Wing, and thank you...

Bloglines

How on earth did I go so long without discovering this ?

It's an online RSS reader, with the added bonus of (among other things) being able to subscribe to email newsletters and having a fairly cool Notifier app that sits on your desktop.

If you haven't tried it, give it a whirl - it's cool.

Inadvertant Humour

Son Number One is on a school trip to the London Aquarium today. When I asked Mrs Infoholic if he was looking forward to it, she replied.

"Oh yeah, he'll have a whale of a time"

Cue a fit of helpless giggles from me.

What the hell has happened to justice ?

Dead girl's family attacks driver's 'laughable' sentence after crash

Okay, so I know the family and went to the funeral, therefore I'm not objective, but could somebody please explain to me how drunk you have to be to hit two girls and drive off without noticing ? The guy didn't just hit Natalie, he drove right over her for f***'s sake (according to the medical reports).

Note to boy racers : If you hit someone while high, drive off and hide your car. If you can stay undiscovered for 24 hours, you can't be charged with driving under the influence, no matter how many people saw you getting pissed and driving like a nutter.

Essex police said it had conducted a thorough investigation. "With all the evidence and statements we collated there was no proof that the manner of his driving prior to the crash was dangerous."

Again, under what circumstances can you wipe out two girls without noticing and NOT be driving dangerously ?

Even if you take the driver's story at face value, what the hell happened to people having to take responsibility for their actions ? A seventeen year old girl died, and another lost her best friend and has had to cope with terrible injuries and mental trauma. You shouldn't just be allowed to collect up some litter and walk away from that...

Message for Sven

Take your money and **** off you ****ing useless ****.

Quick Note

No posts. Work mad. Maybe next week. Bye.

Bloody Typical

Clarke wants tougher convict law

Doesn't that just sum up this useless excuse for a Government. Rather than admit they're either incapable or unwilling to enforce our existing laws, simply pass some more draconian legislation to pretend you're doing something about the problem.

And in any case, the problem wasn't that they were asking 'can we deport this person' and getting the wrong answer, the problem was that they weren't asking the question. Passing this law would therefore achieve precisely nothing.

More Cricket

Another Saturday, another game. Home to Potter Street, who are a good three divisions below us (the league starts next week), and in the end it showed. After a fast start, we collapsed somewhat at the end and were disappointed to finish with only 212. I'd scored five when their medium-pacer sent down a juicy long-hop - I rocked back to pull it, but the ball hardly got off the floor and I ended up stretching and gently looping it to extra-cover. Annoying - I always seem to get to balls that keep low, particularly when playing at home. We were playing league rules i.e. 45 overs a side, but they took an absolute age to get through theirs - by the time we had tea and went out to field, it was already well past 5:30. Good job we bowled them out for under a hundred, or we'd have been playing in the dark.

Three things I observed about the different standards of the sides. Most glaring and yet least decisive was the fast bowlers - we've got two genuine quickies, they only really had one seamer who got anything above gentle medium. The nature of the pitch meant that this gave them an advantage if anything - their openers used the pace to score well. The second difference was the depth of batting - we bat all the way down to about nine, they were into the youngsters and shufflers at six. The key difference was the fielding - now we're a very old side (at 35, I was the third youngest yesterday), but we're all competent fielders and we don't generally spill catches, and the only one we grassed yesterday was a sharp caught-and-bowled chance - in contrast, they put down several fairly regulation catches. Took one myself at deep mid-on.

Didn't bowl today, but after last week, I don't really care. For the first time in a long time, I'm actually enjoying the fielding now.

Resurrecting the Daleks

Watched last Saturday's Doctor Who episode with the kids on Wednesday - tried a little experiment afterwards. I put on the 1983 episode Resurrection of the Daleks from the Peter Davison era. Son number two lost interest and fell asleep, but the older lad was hooked. Strangely, he refers to the Ecclestone/Tennant era Daleks and TARDIS as 'old' and the archive stuff I'm showing to him as 'new' - which I suppose to him it is.

He got very agitated when the Doctor went back to the TARDIS halfway through episode two - "it can't be the end now, Turlough's on the ship". Think he's picked up on a pattern in the current series - the TARDIS generally only features at the start and end of each story. He got quite upset when I turned it off and sent him to bed before the end - but it's a four parter and three hours of Doctor Who is too much even for me these days.

Apart from this story, the only other episode I've got is Tom Baker's penultimate story, The Keeper of Traken. My brother has all the old videos - think I may have to borrow some.

Down and Up

Another disappointing defeat for the Villa last night, at home to a team who had lost their last six. A heavy defeat at Anfield on Saturday and we could still be heading into the final day with a real chance of relegation.

Despite my admiration for Arsene Wenger, it was the return of boring, boring Arsenal last night, as the Gooners ground out a 0-0 draw to see them through to their first Champions League final. Amazing to think that this is the first time a club from the biggest city on the continent has got to the final.

Splendid lunchtime drink with Mr IcedInk - see BlogRoll. First time I've met up with an e-aquaintance - felt a bit like meeting a mate you haven't seen for months.

End of an Era

Grandstand finish as BBC blows the whistle

Sad, but to be brutally honest, I'm amazed it's taken this long. They've been scraping the bottom of the barrell for at least five years - apart from the Six Nations, the Beeb no longer have any competitions of note, apart from the odd FA Cup game, which they can't show during that slot anyway.

Soggy Snickers

Grey day at the Marathon yesterday - it's not quite the same when it rains, and that's twice in three years. Very disappointing. Only upside was we did actually manage to get served in the City Pride for a change.

Still aching today. Right shoulder is naturally most sore, but why are my stomach muscles complaining ?

I understand next weekend's Doctor Who sees the return of Sarah-Jane Smith and K9. Takes me back to when I was my sons' age - my earliest memories of the show are Liz Sladen partnering Jon Pertwee's doctor.

The England manager saga rolls on - thankfully Marlon Harewood hammered a sizeable nail into McClaren's chances yesterday. If they appoint any British candidate other than Martin O'Neill, I'll be very disappointed. Sadly, the fact that David Dein is on the selection panel probably rules out my preferred choice - they won't even be allowed to discuss Arsene Wenger, still less approach him.

The Trials of Age

Oh my God, I ache this morning. Ten years ago, first cricket match of the season just meant a sore shoulder on Monday - by 10pm last night I could barely move or keep my eyes open. In the cold light of day - sore calves, hamstrings, sides, back, shoulders and even stomach muscles. Good job the Marathon means I get some early 'anaesthetic' this morning. Weather's disappointing, from a spectator's point of view at least - it's probably perfect for the runners.

Good game yesterday, the opposition declared on 188 and we squeezed home with one ball and three wickets to spare. I was 12 not out at the end, having gone out at number seven with 40 needed from 10, and I did a fair job during the run chase - I kept my end up while the guy who was set scored runs, and when he got out I took on the senior partner duties when the new batsman was struggling to lay bat on ball. Runs were not easy to come by - the pitch was slow and the bowling fairly tight - so I pushed the field back with a couple of controlled lofts over the top and then ran quick singles to the withdrawn men. Having said that, I reckon I was extremely lucky to survive an LBW shout to my first ball - hit me on the foot and it seemed a fairly straight ball to me. Still, he was the oppo's umpire, so no foul play - I do take a one leg guard, and I didn't really move my feet, so perhaps it was just missing leg stump.

My fielding was good, made a couple of really good stops - no catches came my way. Bowling was weird - I came on first change and the first two overs were good, getting heavy in-swing, albeit straight from the hand rather than the more dangerous late movement. But then a really weird thing happened - I loosened up, and my shoulder was fine - no pain or resistance - in a way it hasn't been in the five years I've been playing here. As a result, I completely lost my timing - I was releasing the ball either too early or too late, which meant either rank full tosses or pitching the ball near my toes. Embarrassingly, I got their opener out when he top edged a ball that bounced twice straight to mid-on. Not my finest ever wicket, but I'm off the mark for the season. I need to get in the gym and tighten up my now overly loose shoulder muscles, and somehow I have to get some bowling practice - re-model my action AGAIN for the new state of my shoulder, or at least get the timing right. Unfortunately, after next weekend I then can't play in May - on successive weekends I have a stag do in Madrid, a day at the Test Match, a wedding, and a business trip to Singapore. Not going to do my rhythm any good at all...

Something for the Weekend

We're nearing the end of April, and in the Infoholic household, that always means two things.

First cricket match of the season on Saturday - Mrs Infoholic is not overly impressed at taking first turn to do the teas. Reckon I'll give it a couple of games, but if my bowling shoulder goes again (which brought last season to a premature end in July), I may just have to give it up for good and take up golf or something. My batting's improved out of all recognition in the five years I've been playing at my present club, but bowling's the thing that gets me going, and if I can't do that to the standard I want, I'm better off just packing it in altogether. On balance, I suspect the three serious shoulder injuries in 1996, 1999 and 2005 have finished my seam bowling days for good, but I'm willing to give it one last try.

London Marathon on Sunday, and I shall once again be bringing son number one to Docklands to literally watch the world go by. The fact that the pubs open at 9am has no bearing on this whatsoever. Would like to bring son number two as well, as I think he's now old enough to enjoy it, but two small boys + large crowds + alcohol = disaster.

Negative Campaigning

I see Labour have taken off the gloves and given David Cameron the full cartoon treatment.

Surely the response is obvious - fight fire with satire. Lots of soundbites of 'Honest Tone', followed by the footage / newspaper headlines when he gets caught with his pants down - let's face it, from WMD to loans for peerages, there are plenty of examples. All set to Charles and Eddie's "Would I lie to you"...

Tony Blair and his awful cronies have brought me very close to the brink of the unthinkable. After a long period of reflection, I have come to realise that I have no alternative. I may, and I will stress 'may' here, have to consider doing that which I always vowed I would never do. Hateful though it may seem, and much as it pains me to say it...I'm thinking about voting Conservative.

Oh the shame...

Rock This Joint

Lovely comment from Simon Briggs in an article about the England captain in the Telegraph today.

Vaughan's right knee is fast becoming the most talked-about joint since the one Bill Clinton didn't inhale.

24 hours from Topsoil

Gene Pitney found dead in hotel

Oblivion

If I've been a bit quiet in the last few days, and continue to be so for the coming weeks, then apologies, but I've been playing Oblivion.

I'm not a heavy gamer these days, but I've played most of the best over the years, however this is just another level entirely. The graphics are nothing short of breathtaking, the gameplay is near flawless, and the storyline well thought out (if understandably a little derivative).

Son number two nearly met with a sticky end on Sunday, when he decided to nick off with my manual (which was open next to my keyboard) and give it a good soak in the bath. Mrs Infoholic rescued the day by pulling out the staples and hanging the pages one by one on the clothes horse, but it's now about two inches thick where it was half a centimetre ! Looks a lot more 'authentic' now though :-)

Panic on the streets of Birmingham

The next two Sunday lunchtimes are make-or-break for the Villa, as neighbours West Brom and Birmingham take turns to visit Villa Park.

Two wins and Villa are safe as houses, the fans will go home happy, and O'Leary survives to fight another day, and may even be in place come August.

Two draws will probably be enough to guarantee Premiership football for another year. There will be murmurings against the manager from the terraces, but no outright rebellion. O'Leary will almost certainly be dismissed at the end of the season.

Two defeats and not only are we in the shit, but we'll have re-energised our rivals' hopes, and there will probably be defeaning calls for the head of both manager and chairman, not to mention pitched battles on the streets of Aston and Witton - midday kick-off notwithstanding. Doug will panic and sack O'Leary to divert attention away from himself and the chaos.

I hate to disappoint any Portsmouth-supporting readers, but having seen how badly we are playing at the moment, I suspect a draw with the Baggies will be followed by defeat at the hand of the Blues.

Right of Reply

David O'Leary recently called the long-suffering Villa fans 'fickle' for booing him.

Oh dear...

Armchair Masochist

What with three televised Villa away defeats and another pair for the England rugby team, it's been a tough eight days for this armchair supporter. Saved myself a little punishment by not paying for the game at Everton yesterday, as I took one look at the teamsheet and knew what was coming. Thought I'd covered myself by being one only two people to back Ireland in the score prediction contest, so the only way I could lose-lose yesterday was if Ireland won by five points or less. Which naturally they did.

Very depressing. The awful form and run-in for Villa's Birmingham neighbours means we *should* avoid relegation this year, but Villa are unmistakably a side in rapid decline, and I am now certain we will go down next season unless there is root-and-branch change in both boadroom and backroom.

Motoring Along

Took two and a half hours to drive home last night, due to an accident on the A13. Took another hour and a half to get in this morning, for no apparent reason that I could ascertain, other than weight of traffic. Meanwhile, serenely passed a mobile camera unit at 50mph on a deserted dual carriageway on Saturday morning, only to discover to my horror that the limit is inexplicably 40mph on that stretch of the North Circular (which I rarely use). Not a residential area, so I'm baffled as to why.

If I get fined for that, I'm leaving the country.

White Dorks on Mogadon

I think that was the worst performance I've seen by an England rugby team since the eighties.

Brian Moore called them inept, Jerry Guscott said they were terrible, Andy Robinson admitted they were awful. Eddie Butler said that France crushed them, but in truth, the French didn't even get out of second gear themselves - they had no need.

At the start of the competition, I thought we were starting to make progress, but in truth, we've gotten worse with every game.

Robinson needs to change the players - Cohen, Tindall, Noon and Grewcock are all living on borrowed time. And Lewis Moody may have a great work rate and do many good things, but he's worth six to nine points a game to the opposition in penalties and he shows no sign of learning. If Robinson won't change the players when they're clearly not up to it, he has to go himself.

Cracking Cretaceous

Took the boys to the Natural History Museum yesterday - the younger lad is potty about dinosaurs, and is just about old enough to walk around all day without need for a pushchair, so this seemed like the ideal test outing.

On arriving at South Ken, shortly after it opened, huge crowds at the front entrance, so we walked around to the side - completely deserted, we just walked straight in ! Moseyed around the Earth stuff for a little while until the boys got too restless, then made our way through to the Life section, and of course the good ole' dinosaurs.

The animatronic T-Rex was quite impressive - as expected, son number one wasn't at all keen to get close, but suprisingly, fearless destructo-boy was also a little nervy, until he noticed the T-Rex's feet weren't moving and decided it wasn't real, and therefore couldn't eat him. Impressive logical deduction for a three year old I thought. Nonetheless, even he didn't want to linger when we got around to the front and the dinosaur was roaring straight at him.

Back to CW for lunch at Chilis - didn't know they had a child's menu, was quite impressed. All in all, the boys were relatively well-behaved - they both had their moments, but generally it was a success. Our oldest pronounced it 'A grand day out'. About as ringing an endorsement as you're going to get from a six year old I guess...

Hiatus Over

Have been quiet on the blogging front lately, mainly due to starting my new job. Still sitting in the same seat, but working with the team behind me rather than in front, so that's a bit weird.

Have to say I'm really enjoying it - it makes so much difference having a manager who trusts and empowers you. There's a lot of hard work ahead, but I like to think I'm making a small difference already - team morale seems to be on the rise.

Taking this job is a bit of a gamble, as it's got an immovable external deadline, which essentially makes it a binary career opportunity - we either deliver on time and get muchos kudos (and hopefully cash too), or we don't and we get sacked.

And now for something completely different

In the cold light of day, I decided to remove a particularly expletive-filled Cabernet Sauvignon-fuelled rant about ID cards, or to be more accurate, the craven idiots who allowed this law to be passed. Let me just say this - putting aside all my idealogical and practical objections to this awful idea, as an IT professional I don't believe the Government has the expertise or management capability to make a project of such unprecedented scale work, and that administering it without significant errors - human, machine or malicious - will be next to impossible. Make no mistake - this is going to cost a fortune and it will NOT deliver any benefit whatsoever.

Consistently inconsistent

Following last week's great away result, you just knew another shocking home defeat was coming for Villa.

From the sounds of it, our makeshift midfield did as well as could be expected under the circumstances and we could and should have taken something from the game, but for me it just sums up the season. We'll get the odd result when we need one to keep us just clear of the drop zone, but the whole club is just marking time from top to bottom. If a takeover doesn't materialise soon, I really fear for our short-term future.

Sniffles

I've been laid up in bed (well, on the sofa) with a nasty cold for the last couple of days. Having played havoc with both my work and social diary, the only upside was that I had the perfect excuse to watch the entirety of both Six Nations games back-to-back yesterday.

The game in Paris was one of the most bizarre I've ever seen. The Irish were playing quite well, but for some inexplicable reason, kept gifting the French easy tries. Of the six tries Les Bleus scored, only one did not involve an obvious Irish blunder.

Having got themselves 40 points to the good after 50 minutes, without actually having any posession or field position to speak of, the French then completely switched off, and the Irish promptly ran in four tries of their own, to make the scoreboard look respectable. Ten tries may be a great advert for the game of rugby, but to my mind it showed up the glaring deficiencies in both teams. Makes you wonder if the French are going to stutter all through this tournament, and only fully switch on mentally when England are in town.

Down in Rome, the Italians turned in one of their best ever performances to make England work hard for their win. While I never felt worried about the result, even when Italy led by a point early in the second half, it was good to see one of the 'lesser' nations take the mighty English pack on with some degree of success.

Interesting also, despite the hype over the one-dimensional English approach, all four England tries came from the backs. Worsley and Moody really went to town in the second half, and the resulting quick ball allowed Charlie Hodgson to show why I think he's currently second only to Dan Carter in the world's premier outside-half stakes.

I think if Italy will work Scotland and Wales really hard - the Welsh in particular will have to raise their intensity from last week if they're to compete.

Relief

As I've hinted in recent days, today was do or die for my career within my current company, and given how things have gone in the last 18 months, I was decidedly pessimistic about how things would go.

However, I'm shocked and delighted to say that everything I wanted has come to pass. I can now throw myself into my new assignment with renewed vigour, confident that my contribution is actually being appreciated.

I'm in a totally confused state now - I'd hyped myself up into throwing my toys out of the pram, and in actual fact it was all completely unnecessary.

I'll try and post something more coherent when I sort my life out...I apologise if this post appears self-indulgent, but I'm completely stunned about the day's events.

Dizzy, my head is spinning...

Western Imperialism

If this is the effect that the West has on Chinese Students, then perhaps oppression and censorship aren't so bad after all...

After my cryptic words yesterday, I have been given a hot tip that D-day is tomorrow. Will try and blog before I go down the pub and get plastered (either way), but I wouldn't hold your breath.

Home Life

Day off today - takes spending a 'normal' day at home to realise exactly how many hours I spend at work. After the kids got home from school/nursery, have had time to watch a new film with them (Jurassic Park III, which the 3 year old LOVED, he's mad about dinosaurs), give them a bath and put the dinner (roast lamb) on - all before 7pm, which is normally the earliest I get home.

Makes you wonder if the stress and long hours is worth the money...would I be happier earning less and having more relaxation time ? Decision day is rapidly approaching - watch this space !

Steelers Steal

So Pittsburgh win Superbowl XL, but I'd imagine there will be a very sour taste in the mouth of all Seattle Seahawks fans after that. Three very marginal and absolutely crucial calls by the officials all went Pittsburgh's way - a Seahawks touchdown ruled out early on for the slightest of push-offs, Roethlisberger awarded a touchdown when the ball appeared not to cross the goal-line, and most crucial of all, a completed pass to the one yard line - which would have given Seattle 1st and Goal to take the lead - was called back for a holding call that only the official appeared to see.

Having said that, Seattle didn't help themselves with some chaotic hurry-up offense at the end of each half, and Matt Hasselbeck losing his head and throwing a needless interception shortly after the holding call. Pittsburgh's game clinching touchdown was an outrageous trick play, which the reserve safety completely bought - we'll never know if their injured starter would have read it, but it was admittedly a great throw by wide receiver Randel El. On the whole, Pittsburgh played quite well, including Willie Parker running in the longest running touchdown in Superbowl history (75 yards) but if you ask me, the best team lost.

For my part, I was joined for the second half by son number two, who only fell asleep after the two minute warning when the game was over - I shall be having stern words with Mrs Infoholic tomorrow. I was logged onto a Yahoo chat forum for about an hour too, until my laptop did it's overheat-and-die trick again - sadly the natives all appeared to either be 12/13, or acting like it, or trying to attract kids of that age - the only sensible conversation I could get was from a fellow Brit.

All in all, not quite the great game I hoped for - scrappy, and punctuated by unjust calls. Bit disappointing really...

Call myself a geek...

Okay, so I wrote my first computer game when I was twelve (trust me - young for someone of my age), I have a degree in Computer Science, and I've worked in the IT industry for the last thirteen years. I'm well known as a quiz expert, I read Fantasy/Sci-Fi almost to the exclusion of all else, and I even went to a Star Trek premiere at Leicester Square once (no, I didn't dress up, although plenty did). All of which makes having to ask the following techie questions to the world at large rather embarrassing.

What's a good entry-level digital camera ? I'm not one for taking a lot of photos, but if I go away for the weekend, or do something with the kids, I'll want to take a few snaps along the way and shove them onto my PC. I'm currently looking at the Olympus FE-110 - 5 MegaPixels, 2.8 zoom and a 3.8cm screen seems good value for £100 to me - anyone know different or have an alternative ?

How good are the current breed of printer/scanners ? I've got an ancient Black Widow flatbed scanner, but no drivers or SCSI port to plug it into on my new PC, and my Epson printer hasn't worked for years. I reckon it'll cost more for the new interface and repairs than to buy a new USB device - anyone got any recommendations ?

Wrong Again

Well bloody hell, the Scots beat the French. And what's more, they thoroughly deserved to.

So to summarise, the game I said would be competitive, was the only one that wasn't.

Good job I don't gamble, I'd be living out of a cardboard box by now...

Plagiarism

Another stolen image from H&V - had to be done.

Jingle Bells...

...oh what fun, it is to see, the Villa win away OH !

All right, so Middlesborough aren't playing very well at the moment, but that's still a good result in anybody's book. Haven't read the details or seen the highlights yet, but as Luke Moore scored a hat-trick and Kevin Phillips got the other, it sounds like O'Leary actually had the balls to drop his big signing (Baros), who has been awful in the last few games. I never thought he had it in him.

I've always thought Luke Moore had the ability, but until now he's always looked to lack confidence at the highest level. Having scored twice against Chelsea this season, and now bagged his first senior hat-trick, perhaps this will be the launching pad to greater things for young Luke. I sure hope so - nothing better than seeing local lads come through the ranks and go on to great things. Up and down week for the Moore family though, with big brother Stefan no longer wanted by QPR. I really thought he'd do well in the Championship - while he was never as talented as Luke, he's still quick and intelligent. Ian Holloway said similar things about HIS confidence - if he can work out the mental part of his game, he's still young enough to make a name for himself somewhere.

Return of the White Orcs on Steroids

So England exceeeded my expectations and totally destroyed the Welsh in the second half. For once, I totally agreed with Brian Moore's man-of-the-match choice on the BBC - Matt Stevens had an outstanding game in the loose today.

On this performance, England only need to find a creative alternative at inside-centre to have a very useful unit indeed. If everyone's fit, I'd also tinker a little by playing Voyce ahead of Cohen and Sanderson over Worsley (switching Moody to 6, as I said yesterday), but Andy Robinson's hardest call is going to be at Number 8 - Corry's a fine player and decent leader, but Dallaglio is still world-class and can make a difference. I thought the BBC got a bit ahead of themselves by talking about the Grand Slam - winning in Paris is no mean feat, and the French are further along the road to next Autumn than we are at the moment. I still expect us to come a close second this year.

And I apologise to the Italians - they were very unlucky to come away from Lansdowne Road with nothing, as I don't think the Irish grounded the ball properly for either of their two tries. Having said that, there were suspicions about a couple of England's scores, but at least that would hardly have made a difference.

Superbowl XL

Okay, the beers are in, Monday's day off has been booked - just need to purchase the popcorn.

Looking forward to this one - while obviously a bit of a comedown from recent years for us Patriots fans, I think this has the potential to be a classic. By replicating our 1985 run of three play-off wins on the road, taking some truly mighty scalps along the way, Pittsburgh will start marginal favourites at the bookies for this year's honours. Solid running game, increasingly impressive young quarterback, and a hard-hitting defence - no obvious weak points for the Steelers, and Jerome Bettis is clearly the romantic story for the weekend.

On the other hand, the NFC championship game was the first time I've seen the Seahawks this year, and I was mightily impressed. Outstanding running back, unflappable and wily quarterback, a clutch of top receivers and an offensive line to die for - while the defence is mobile and adaptable.

I'm going against my previous opinion that the AFC would win no matter what, and predict the Seahawks to come from behind to squeak a thriller late on.

Six Nations 2006 : Round 1

At the risk of mortally offending the Italians and the Scots, there's only one truly competitive match this weekend, and that's England against Wales at Twickenham.

Last season's champions are wracked by injuries, and with England showing some promising signs of semi-recovery during the Autumn, this should be a comfortable victory for the home team. However, I suspect that despite having about 70% of possession, England's backs will somehow conspire to make it look difficult.

Prediction : England by 9.

Key man : Lewis Moody, Has only played 40 minutes of rugby in the last two months, will be targeted by the Welsh, and I still think he's suspect as an international open-side - he's a natural number six for me. If he can keep the ball away from dangerous linkman Martyn Williams, it'll make England's job much easier. If he loses his discipline, Big Lol may make his comeback earlier than expected.

Played like...

Villa are looking for a new shirt sponsor, some wag on H&V suggested this...

Practical Jokes

Little gem hidden in this good interview in the Telegraph

"Cooley's decision to return home is, says Jones, a 'sickening blow', though one he fully understands. 'England are going to lose a very, very good bowling coach and I'm going to lose a very good friend.' Just that morning the two of them had played a practical joke on a classroom full of coaches. The set-up was that Jones would be helping Cooley with a seminar on 'How to handle an elite athlete', but instead he turned up late, launched a volley of invective and stormed out."

End of an Era

Just as I feared, Denver put an end to New England's dream of a third straight Superbowl win, the home team coming through 27-13

The game turned on a single play - with Denver leading 10-6, New England drove to within five yards, and Tom Brady was intercepted in the end zone, and the ball was returned the length of the field to NE's one yard line - one play later, instead of being behind, Denver had an eleven point cushion.

Call myself a big fan, but having been excited all week, I somehow inexplicably forgot to record the game, and inadvertantly caught sight of the result on the BBC website first thing this morning. An anticlimatic end in all respects - I did manage to catch the re-run this afternoon...

Ironically, I've today found the website of the UK Patriots - to think I've been celebrating in silence these past few years. At least I now have somewhere to drown my sorrows...

Winter in Foxboro

It's that time of the year again - the NFL play-offs have begun, and the New England Patriots are looking menacing.

For those of you unfamiliar with American Football, the Patriots have won 3 of the last 4 Superbowls, and are looking for a unprecendented third in a row. After an injury-devastated season, they limped into the play-offs with a 10-6 record by virtue of being the best team in a very poor division. However, most of their sick list victims are now back, and they clicked into gear with a 28-3 demolition of Jacksonville on Saturday night. New England now travel to Denver, courtesy of the Pittsburgh Steelers upsetting the Bengals in Cincinatti on Sunday evening, which means THEY travel to favourites Indianapolis rather than the Pats.

I started following the Patriots when I first watched the sport on Channel 4 in the mid-eighties. They got to the Superbowl that year (where they were thrashed by Chicago), and for most of the next fifteen years, they were the whipping boys of the NFL (a popular Gulf War I joke was why did Saddam bomb the Superbowl ? It was the only target guaranteed not to have Patriots). However, the arrival of coach Bill Belichick and his trademark aggressive and unpredictable defence, coupled with star quarterback Tom Brady, means the Pats have turned into arguably the best team of all-time. Their first Superbowl win, where they upset the highly-fancied St Louis Rams with the last kick of the game, was one of the most exciting sports events I've ever seen.

Denver's going to be a tough game on Saturday (1am Sunday here), and I wouldn't be surprised if the great run of 10 successive play-off victories came to an end at the hands of some hungrier Broncos. But until that day, nobody is going to want to play New England - they know how to win.

Headline of the Week

Spotted in The Sun today

'Glitter facing 10 girl charge'

England lose First Test

Well I may have gotten the result right, but the manner of it shocked me. Very few teams in history have surrendered a 144 first innings lead quite so tamely - and quite frankly, it should have been a much bigger lead than that. The lack of application by the England middle order was quite shocking today - all guns blazing may work well on the bouncier pitches of the west, but the sub-continent requires rather more application. England's 5,6,7 of 'bangers' looks far more vulnerable here against more modest bowlers than it did during the Ashes. Having said that, no blame to Geraint Jones today - he did as much as could be expected to him under difficult circumstances - it's KP and Freddie who deserve the Paddington hard stares for very poor shots. Yes, it's great when they come off, and I do accept that that is the way they play, but you have to play to the conditions and match situation, and with four wickets down today and only a hundred needed, the necessary approach was dig in and accumulate, not thrash your way out of it.

Very disappointed. Glimmer of light is Vaughan may replace Collingwood on Sunday, Colly having made no impact whatsoever with either bat or ball, while Ian Bell worked hard to earn himself a reprieve. Udal and Giles took 2-100+ between them - wonder if Fletcher is contemplating a fourth seamer ? Step forward Liam Plunkett ?

Pakistan v England, First Test, Day One.

Fifteen minutes before tea at 161-1, this was shaping up to be Pakistan's day, but England showed their now customary resilience to bounce back and shade the honours, with Pakistan closing on 244-6 in good batting conditions. If England can remove skipper Inzy early tomorrow while the second new ball is still moving, they stand an excellent chance of bowling the hosts out well short of the par score of 450.

In unfavourable conditions, England's three man pace attack did very well to take five of the six wickets to fall, with Shaun Udal claiming the other on debut - keeper Jones taking a sharp reaction catch via captain Trescothick's head.

England 3 Argentina 2

Following on from that Man U v Chelsea game last weekend, tonight's tremendous match went some way towards restoring my faith in football - and I was thinking that even when we were a goal down with three minutes to play.

How refreshing was it to see two good teams, with nothing more to play for than national pride, try their hearts out to win the game by taking the game to the opposition. I've tried hard to recall a better friendly international game, but at the moment nothing springs to mind.

I thought that despite the result, on balance Argentina were marginally the better side, and that Riquelme and Rooney were head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch. Eriksson appears to have inherited Bobby Robson's trick of accidentally stumbling across his best formation, albeit six months before the finals as opposed to wor Bobby's two games in - see 1986 and 1990 for details.

I think these two sides are deservedly second and third favourites behind Brazil - Italy are short of creativity, France are not the force they were five years ago, and Spain and Holland often flatter to deceive at big tournaments. Cannot see a winner beyond those seven though - even though one writes off hosts Germany at one's peril...

England 26 Australia 16

Well my call about the England front five besting the Australians turned out to be an understatement, as Andrew Sheridan et al mashed the Aussies all the way to the embarrasment of uncontested scrums.

Sadly, the backs failed to capitalise on this tremendous platform, and it took a 75th minute try by the impressive Mark Cueto to seal a game that we should have killed off in the first half. We need more creativity in the backs - given Tindall at 12, I would be tempted to replace fellow banger Jamie Noon with the gliding Ollie Smith at 13. I hope Hodgson's injury is minor - he looked increasingly assured until he went off. Fantastic to see Big Ben Cohen back to form - that back three of Cueto, Cohen, Lewsey is as strong in defence as it is potent coming forwards.

All Blacks next week, and right now they're in a different league to everyone else. I haven't heard who the referee is - hoping for a Northern hemisphere ref who will allow us to push the Kiwis around at scrum time should we gain an advantage, but their pack is a totally different proposition to Australia. Chris Jack and Ali Williams are at least as good at set-piece as Borthwick and Grewcock, and considerably better in the loose, and Richie McCaw is a step up even from the ever impressive George Smith - not sure Sanderson/Moody will get close. I'll be looking for solid first phase on our own possession, and good defence, but generally I'll be happy if we can keep them under two tries per half.

Day and a half

Jayzuz, what a couple of days. Working from 9am until Midnight last night, a long trip home due to road closures and the biggest crash I've ever seen on the North Circular, meaning I didn't get to bed until around 2am. This was then followed up with son number two deciding to get up at 04:30. A further four hours or so in work today, and I'm throughly knackered, but haven't exactly endeared myself to Mrs Infoholic by arriving home just in time to watch the rugby, immediately followed by the football. Thought I'd recovered some Brownie points by agreeing to watch The Stepford Wifes (2004 remake), but having slumbered through that, I'm now fully awake watching the cricket highlights and tapping away, putting me right back in the dog house.

Huge work release early next month, what's known as a 'career limiting opportunity' - failure is not an option, hence the efforts now. The weekend after is Mum and Dad's birthday - as I'll be needing a holiday by then, looks like we'll be travelling to sunny Glos. Hopefully me and Mrs I will squeeze in a trip to see Harry Potter 4 while we're there...son number one apparently doesn't want to go.

England in Pakistan 6

England slumped to defeat against Pakistan A by six wickets - all three wickets to fall today taken by Freddie.

However, the real concern is the likely absence from Saturday's Test of Michael Vaughan - the prognosis does not sound encouraging. Vaughan's influence on the side is difficult to understate - his record bears favourable comparison with any England captain, and his innovative fielding positions and astute bowling changes are unlikely to be matched by the solid but uninspiring Marcus Trescothick. The middle order also looks far more prone to collapse without him - fortunate that we bat down to 9, 'cos we may need to.

England's lineup is therefore expected to be

Trecothick (c), Strauss, Bell, Pieterson, Collingwood, Flintoff, Jones, Giles, Udal, Hoggard, Harmison.

Still fancy our chances for the series, but given Vaughan's fitness and the lack of batting form displayed thus far, my prediction is now a come-from-behind 2-1 victory, rather than the 3-0 thumping I expected a fortnight ago.

England XV v Australia

Lewsey, Cueto, Noon, Tindall, Cohen, Hodgson, Dawson, Sheridan, Thompson, Vickery, Borthwick, Grewcock, Sanderson, Moody, Corry.

One or two surprises in there I think - Van Gisbergen only on the bench, Dawson chosen ahead of Ellis.

If Sheridan and Borthwick can translate their club form to the international arena, then provided Thompson doesn't have one of his cow's arse/banjo days, I think we've got the beating of the Aussies in the set-piece. Tindall's return should mean Giteau can't breeze through outside Hodgson as he did last year, and I always like to see Lewsey at full-back.

Cautiously optimistic, as Australia are also in transition right now - I fancy England to nick it by a single score. Next week is another story altogether...

England in Pakistan 5

England finally manage to post a total in excess of two hundred, thanks to half-centuries by Strauss and Collingwood (with Giles falling one short), but all eyes are on the captain, after he retired hurt with an injured knee, turning sharply for a second run.

Given that last time Vaughany missed a Test, Andrew Strauss stepped in and made hay (and has done ever since), Ian Bell must be rubbing his hands...

Two wickets for Grievous this morning, and one for Hoggy tonight, despite being battered all over the park in his two overs (1-22). At 31-1, Pakistan A are chasing 245 for victory.

Compare and Contrast

Well, I've seen two games of football in the last couple of days, but I might as well have been watching different sports - Chelsea and Manchester United are sooo far ahead of Villa and Liverpool it's untrue. United reverted to the 4-4-2 that's served them so well over the last umpteen years; for an hour their pace and passion more than matched the defending champions, and they were good value for their lead - a super header by Darren Fletcher, from the only decent cross that over-rated show pony Ronaldo put over all day.

For the last half an hour, Chelsea's superior technique and effective fitness took over, and they absolutely battered United, but couldn't quite get the goal. Rio Ferdinand proved that when he can be arsed, he really can be a great defender, and Wayne Rooney once again demonstrated that he is well on the way to becoming the best footballer on the planet, with an incredible display of controlled aggression, ball skills and awareness that matched anything I've ever seen from an English player - reminiscent of Paul Gascoigne in his pomp.

And finally, I learned today that qualification for the Villa mailing list's "Old Fart's Brigade" is now defined as having seen the European cup winning side in the flesh - as I went to Villa Park twice as a ten year old in the championship season of 1980-81, apparently this is proof positive that I'm both superannuated and smelly !!!

England in Pakistan 4

So England have decided to play their Test side in the final warm-up - Udal replacing Bell, with Pieterson and Collingwood moving up a place in the batting order.

If the conditions were expected to closely mirror those for the first Test, I'd understand this apporoach, but they weren't - and so it proved, with eighteen wickets falling on the first day. So while I think they've got the right team for the Test, I would have liked to have seen the 'possibles' get a last run, before their cricketing activities are curtailed by the Tests.

England batted first, and were reduced to 53-7, before Giles and Udal led the tail to a final total of 126. Hoggard ripped out the Pakistan top order, then there was a fifty plus partnership, before Giles nipped out three quick wickets at the end, leaving the hosts with a single run lead at stumps, with only two wickets remaining.

SO, yet another warm-up match with no bearing on the Test - seems some nations are determined to wring every last drop out of home advantage.

England meanwhile, have hopefully learned that the new ball is everything - the bowlers have to take wickets with it, and the batsmen have to be watchful in seeing it off.

Pay Per View Masochism

Well, I never seem to learn, and despite vowing never to part with my cash ever again after the last debacle, I found myself shelling out another seven quid yesterday, to watch referee Steve Bennett deny Villa the draw they probably didn't quite deserve.

The most depressing thing is that this was probably as good as Villa have played in recent weeks, and we were still rubbish. The defence is a shambles, the midfield is lacking in both pace and flair, and the strikers are about six inches too short for the hoofed passes that are fired in their general direction from afar.

We MUST acquire a centre-half in the transfer window, or we're doomed. Even then, it's going to be a long hard season, and it certainly won't be pretty to watch.

Arsenal through, United out

Arsenal's lucky draw pays off, and they are through to the last 16 with two games to spare.

Manchester United however, are running third and have the group leaders (Villareal) at home and Benfica away. Horror of horrors, for the first time in ten years, they may not make it to the knock-out stages.

Having never been a hardcore ABU (Anyone But United, for the uninitiated), I think I can fairly say that this is the most negative United side I've seen in twenty years (since the Sexton era) - 4-5-1 does not reflect the approach I have begrudgingly appreciated for the last 12 years or so. Given the recent board upheaval, Ferguson cannot afford to lose the fans at this juncture, or he'll be out on his ear, but from what I hear, he's no longer as untouchable as he once was.

As a Villa supporter, I'd love that level of 'failure' in a manager...just goes to show how fickle football fans can be.

Battle of Britain ?

A second defeat in a week for Chelsea last night, and it throws up some interesting possibilities.

Assuming a win for Chelsea at whipping boys Anderlecht on 23rd November, a draw or better for Liverpool against Betis at Anfield will see both English teams through.

A home defeat for Liverpool on the other hand, will put the Spaniards in the box seats, with an English play-off at Stamford Bridge on 6th December - loser goes out. A draw would see Chelsea through at the expense of the holders.

Today's Shout...

...and it's many happy returns to Son Number Two, who's three today. Happy birthday, destructo-boy !

England in Pakistan 3

Despite the best efforts of our batsmen, Giles and Plunkett have bowled England to a 52 run victory - both took four wickets, with Udal chipping in with the last two.

Seven wickets is a good return for your first match in international colours - Plunkett moves alongside Anderson and Udal in the competition for the last bowler's spot. Loudon appears to be out of the race.

An important thirty-odd for Colly today. Unless Bell scores big in the last warm-up match, I think there's every chance he'll be left out. Presumably both will play in the third test, as it seems Strauss will be back in Blighty attending the birth of his first child.

Problem is with most batsmen struggling, Freddie and Harmo returning, and Hoggy out of the wickets, there's a shortage of slots for the last game (against Pakistan A, starting Sunday). I guess they'll have to leave out Banger and Gilo, who've proven their form, and one other from Hoggard and Collingwood (or fudge and play 12, but I think that's unlikely to be allowed). No place for Prior or Loudon, neither of whom can expect to play in the Tests, barring injury.

My guess, assuming only eleven, would be:

Strauss, Vaughan, Bell, Pieterson, Collingwood, Flintoff, Jones, Udal, Harmison, Plunkett, Anderson.

RFU says FU to clubs ?

Interesting litle rumour doing the rounds, that the England team walked out of training today because they heard the RFU were going to ask them to sign central contracts.

If (and it's a big if) this turns out to be true, then I think the RFU have just moved from brinkmanship to a lemming-like plummet...

England in Pakistan 2

Anderson, Plunkett and Udal all in the wickets - a happy selection problem awaits. Apparently Colly also bowled well, and seems to have added an extra yard of pace to his game. Now we just need the batsmen to find some form in the second innings - unfortunately Strauss and Vaughan both out cheaply again...

UPDATE : England a woeful 39-6 at the close, with KP and Jones also making low scores. Only thing that might save us is that we've messed with the batting order, Prior and Loudon failing to capitalise - Colly and Bell at the crease, Banger still to come...

I hate being right

Well, two-thirds right anyway - Darius only got a brace against us last night. I'm not sure we could have made the first one any easier for him, but he took the second one well. I always thought he was a good player poorly used, and he seems to be proving that at Citeh.

Villa have real problems - with Martin Laursen seemingly out for the season, we desperately need a centre-back to replace the ineffectual Ridgewell. In theory, any one of Hughes, Bouma or Delaney can fill in there, but the former two are injured and the latter is our only fit right-back, so we can't even do that. Even if Bouma was fit, he'd have to start at left-back - Samuel's been playing injured for so long he's lost all confidence. Until Baros is fit, the team is decidedly one-paced up front, and the lack of flair in midfield is frightening - get well soon Lee Hendrie, all is forgiven !

O'Leary has lost the support of the fans with the team putting in a series of inept and passionless performances, mitigated only by a derby win - he needs results soon or his days are numbered. Another home defeat (on live televison) to Liverpool on Saturday, and he may not survive to see the alleged takeover.

England in Pakistan 1

Good news - Trescothick scored a ton, the tail wagged, although Matt Prior batting at 10 is going to strengthen just about any lower order.

Bad news - the rest of the top order struggled.

Listening to Banger's interview, it seems the ball moved all over the place early doors and then the pitch went completely flat. Useful local knowledge gained on day one then.

To be honest, apart from getting used to conditions and finding form, England's batting in the warm-up games is a bit of a non-issue - the top seven is a given. The last bowling place on the other hand, is very interesting, with Udal, Loudon, Plunkett and Anderson all in with a shout - I suspect Colly's trundlers won't get a look-in this tour unless one of the batsmen is injured, or Bell's wretched run continues. I reckon it'll be Udal or Anderson, with the final decision coming down to the look of the test pitch, but a good performance by anybody tomorrow will give them a head start on the field.

Man City v Villa

Okay, a fiver says Vassell's going to score a hat-trick tonight - any takers ?

Ah, well that it explains it...

Tired now...

Prussian Blue

This article has to be the most bizarrre news story of the day - 13 year old twin girl popstars belting out white supremacy numbers ? There's just sooo many things wrong with this I don't know where to start....

Speeding Question

Mrs Infoholic has just got a ticket from a mobile speed camera unit. All of 150 yards from our house, the photo supposedly shows her doing 41 mph in a 30 zone...but also included in the picture, just 30 yards further up the road, is the sign declaring a 40 limit. Bastards. We drove down the same stretch of road yesterday, carefully observing the speed limit, and we had cars crawling all over the back of us. And now Mrs Infoholic is spending half her time looking down at the speedo, when she should be watching the road. Congratulations Mr Plod, you just made the roads more dangerous.

The reason I post this up is not a rant, but to ask advice in case anyone with experience reads this - the charge sheet thingy says she was travelling north. However, the photo clearly shows her travelling SOUTH. Can we get the charge thrown out for this, and if so, what is the best method of doing so ?

Pub Laws

Marvellous double standard on display in the Telegraph today, with them coming out against the proposed smoking ban.

I particularly liked this bit.

"Ministers, however, do not believe we can be trusted to decide these things for ourselves. As with pistol-shooting, smacking, hunting or eating beef on the bone, their first instinct is to proscribe what they do not like."

And how exactly does this statement reconcile with the Telegraph's ongoing campaign AGAINST the Government's plans for 24 hour opening ?

The people know best...err, except when we say they don't...

Bird flu

Busy at work at the moment, so I apologise to my reader for the lack of posts, but this Bird flu crap prompts me to write.

Scaremongertastic.

Now I'm no medical expert, but surely the lethality of this thing is down to the fact that nobody has any antibodies that recognise it and attack it.

In order for it to be transmitted from human to human, it has to swap genes with an existing strain.

Won't the swapped genes then be spotted by the antibodies ? Hence making it...errr...a lot less lethal ?

If not, then if it's killing all its hosts, won't it stop spreading awful quickly anyway ?

Either way, I don't see why this is any different to any other virus myself...