tog_in_sox

Hey b_s I'm for all road and pavement users to be held accountable for their actions and made to make amends for the consequences over time not just walk away with a fine. Enforcement is always problematic. You could waste millions on camera surveillance of all junctions with automated summonses issued to registered owners but that presumes that ownership details are up to date. Better would be strict on the spot enforcement but then you'd need crossing guards (another hate figure to go with parking wardens) so again unwieldy. I believe all motor vehicle users should have awareness and consideration drilled into them at learning and all licence holders should be required to renew their qualification every 5 years. Failing to show due care, attention and consideration to other road users would result in failure and requirement to attend a remedial programme where better skills could be learned AND they would have to spend time at physical rehab centres assisting RTA victims. Such time would be weekly (half day or 2 eves) plus at least 2 weekend days per month for at least 2 months. Foreign commercial/professional drivers would have to obtain certification before they could work as drivers or transit this country. Cycling proficiency and road awareness should be compulsory at school sometime between 7 and 11 resulting in a junior proficiency certificate after practical and knowledge testing. Kids would have a road proficiency programme sometime between 15 and 17 and would have to have passed in order to take their driving licence. Those causing accidents should likewise be required to attend the above remedial programme and also retake their proficiency/licence test.

re: wet boots. Be sure to look for accommodation/packages that offer boot drying. These might be a heated drying room in the accommodation or at the hire shop. Having to do this yourself is a pain as you may not have enough heated surfaces to place all your boots. Ideally you should remove the liner boot from the plastic shell and place over the heated surface but not in direct contact. Obviously be wise to the form of heating in use and avoid causing electrical fires by covering vents or elements too closely! re: Sun protection. Even when it's overcast you should use high factor creams as overall UV exposure at altitude is much higher than at sea level or here in London. Even the lower resorts will likely be above 1000m. As a rule of thumb I use at least double the SPF I would use for city/beach and make sure I cover the entire face, ears and neck. Use a water resistant formula and be sure to top up at lunchtime (before you decide to soak up the rays in a lounger on the sundeck!) If you're prone to sunburn then don't mess about, use a full sunblock, keep it topped up thoughtout the day and make sure your chapstick is equally protective. re: Eyewear. I'd advise getting ski-goggles and making sure they have genuine UVA/UVB protection. You'll need them at least if the weather turns for the worse and there's snow/rain in the air. If it'll be the only eyewear you use then choose a smoked brown or darker orange lens so you get glare protection as well as some contrast assistance when the light goes flat (overcast or foggy) so you can better see the terrain. If you've got good sports sunglasses (UVA/B protecting) that wrap around to cover your full vision area then get goggles with a clearer orange/persimmon/pink/yellow lens for max contrast help when the visibility goes. You have to be smart about eye-protection in snowscapes because reflected light comes at you from above, below and all around. Snow-blindedness is not fun. If your eyes start to hurt, tear up profusely and become photo-sensitive then you're probably not protecting them well enough and better eyewear is needed. I wear contact lenses so another reason to have all-round eyewear is so they don't get blown out as you're enjoying the rush of speeding down a slope. Be sure to keep hydrated throughout the day on the slopes (little and often rather than bingeing means less running for the trees to ease your bladder!). I use one of those drink bladders but a small plastic bottled water should be fine on the inside of a jacket (jacket's with pockets are your friend!). I usually add some sport drink mix or real fruit juice to help maintain energy (and electrolytes) so I can last the day out on the slopes. Nothing worse than finding the best piste or powder snow and not having the energy to ski it well :( Don't overdo the alcohol as the high altitude and dehydration of your exertions will likely enhance the onset and pain of hangover as well as the spped with which you get drunk! Save the boozing for apres ski. If you do get a headache up on the mountain then it's always better to descend, rest up and hydrate. It's unlikely to be altitude sickness but it you do get up past 2000m then it's possible. Trust me, it's not fun, so do the wise thing and descend. It doesn't mean you'll never get up that high again it just means not today. Obviously ice, trees, lamp posts, kerbs, frozen streams and steep falls are more hazardous when you're reeling home or japing about on tea trays, in bin liners or on tobogans. All the above caution is well worth the hassle because once you're up there taking it all in on a beautiful day "breath taking" will be the least of the superlatives that come to mind. Enjoy :))

Kiddies (<150cm) on small bikes (wheels less than 15") yes. Anything larger should either ride on the road or be wheeled on foot. Plain and simple AND RESPONSIBLE. Supervising adults/parents should be held fully accountable for the consequences as if they had themselves committed the offence. Unaccompanied kids guilty of serious harm or endangerment to themselves or others should have the bikes confiscated for a period of time and if over 7 be committed to assisting in safety briefings and at physical rehab centres or homes for the elderly (with their parents if under 12). Adults ride on the road or wheel your bike. Anyone adult cycling over 5mph on a populated footpath should be booked and fined (3 bookings and the bike is confiscated and sold for charity). Large slow-ridden bikes are unwieldy and still hazardous, especially on narrow or crowded footpaths. Only exception is if the road is dual carriageway. Adults DO NOT ride on the pavement to keep their kids company. All cyclists should dismount at crossings. Cyclist who ride through red lights or across pedestrian crossings should be forced to pay for any and all medical treatment and damages they incur or cause. This should be deducted at source after Tax and on a payment plan if necessary.

No chance of taking the kids' outside of half term hol ? Less crowds = better experience and the cost could be much easier on the wallet. Second either Austria or the lesser French resorts to try to avoid the crowds and hopefully better scenery. If you want to try the bigger places in France then Isola, Avoriaz, Les Arcs, Tignes are all good for beginners. I'd hesitate on Deux Alpes only because once you're off the nursery slopes you have to take cable/bubble up to the blues for your next progression and the only way down is either a long, crowded trek back to resort on a green access road that dumps you at the bottom of the resort (not great if you're staying some way up the main drag) or back in the cable/bubble. Personally I'm not one for resorts where you commute to the slopes, especially the nurseries, by cable car or bus as it's a whole bunch of schlepping with heavy gear either when it's icy in the morning or you're knackered after. If you've had a tough day learning or are finding things tricky then the extra hardship is best avoided. Try to find resorts with short (<100m) walks to slope. Also try Scandinavia or Italy (for the bonus of great food!). In all cases check on transfer times to/from resort from airport/railway so you know what you're facing. Second hitting TK Maxx for cheap ski gear although Decathlon will do too (or the sales if you have to spend silly money on designer gear to look the part). The best base layers are merino wool (natural) or something like Patagonia's Capilene range (man-made and silky!). I prefer close fitting to ensure maximum transport of sweat from your skin into your mid and outer layers. Whatever you choose avoid cotton as it soaks up sweat and retains it, the worst thing if you're caught out on the slopes when it's really cold. Mid layers I prefer heavier fleeces like Polartec 200. No harm in doubling up, especially if you only get a waterproof shell jacket rather than an insulated ski one. Both mids and outers should have armpit zips so you can dump heat if the weather is fine, saves opening up the front and catching a chill on your chest, also they can be kept open as you ski. If any of your family suffer the cold, especially hands and feet, then the chemical heat packs are worth getting. Some gloves have pockets over the back of the hand to hold one of these activated. Down mittens are the absolute best and I'd rather sacrifice digital dexterity for cosy hands. If on the other hand you're fairly fit then the key thing is ensuring good core insulation (body, head, upper arms and thighs). You can then get away with decent snow gloves (and perhaps liner gloves) and good technical socks. It's more important to allow good circulation to your extremities and keeping them warm with hot blood from the core. Particularly with feet, don't rely on thick socks because they invariably get soaked with water and sweat and can get very chilly when you're waiting or resting between exhertions. Any decent recreational ski boot should have sufficient insulation to keep you warm provided it's kept dry. Make sure that when you're fitted for boots that you take the socks you're going to wear and ensure the fit is snug (like a hand resting on your skin) not grasping. You may not want nightclubs and bars but you'll be wanting fun for the kids after 5pm so worth looking out for toboganning, ice skating, etc.

FYI HTC Desire was released at the beginning of the year and is soon up for upgrade. The HTC Desire HD was recently announced and is expected to arrive with operators imminently. The companion model HTC Desire Z with fold out full keyboard is also due about now. As much as I like the ethos of Android and despise the closed exploitation system of Apple a "Head of IT" can still be partisan and just hate Apple! Alas the exploitation approach isn't singular to Apple, all the phone makers are looking to fleece users with "high-end" phones althought perhaps not to the degree of Mr Jobs. That said it does look as though you'll get bigger bang (not necessarily better) for your buck by going Android. If you want iPhone 4 performance (at least on all but call quality) then you'll be looking for a phone with at least a 1 GHz processor preferably of less than 45nm stock and a half decent graphics core too. Think about what you want from the phone and how you'd like it to function, how convenient you want things to be, will you want to swap batteries to extend time away from plugs, do you want to swap memory cards without having to switch off, etc. Don't just buy into the headline statistics and features, scratch the surface of how each behaves so you know you'll be able to live with it after several months (days). Me? I would love a great media and internet phone but I want one with buttons so I can use gloves in the Winter and on the slopes. Happy hunting.

Nero, Sounds like you will indeed love skiing/boarding. Height shouldn't be an issue, check out the size of some of the male downhillers (not the boarders and tricksters). As Loz says, ?750 will be tight for a trip including full kit hire and classes, especially 1-1s. You'll need to shop around and whilst the above mentions for Austria are no doubt worth considering do look to the smaller lesser known resorts too. If you're inclined you could even try Scandinavia. Given you're a complete beginner it's no point going somewhere with huge ski areas and interconnects. Just check the rating for beginners and to be honest you probably won't need more than a couple of nursery areas, a handful of Greens and upwards of as many Blues. That should also serve to keep the ski pass cost down. Any place with this sort of provision should be sufficient for your first week. Upside is that you should be able to choose somewhere wonderfully picturesque and hopefully less crowded (this is one of the true joys of being out in the mountains and you don't have to worry so much about the @$$holes speeding through recklessly). It'd be worth searching for an independent chalet operator (plenty of Brit ones and you can check ski club recommendations as well as the ski press) as many will probably have a deal going with an English speaking instructor and local ski hire. It's only worth hiring your gear from over here if you can do it for at least ?30 less than in resort as many carriers now charge for taking your gear (not so on the Eurostar, at least last year). There's also the hassle of lugging it there and back, the last thing you want to do is put your back out or twist an ankle on the way out trying to lug everything. Also check out the Ski Club and discount sites to see if you can get discounts for pre-booking your gear. It would be worth trying out both skis and board over here at a Snowdome if you've the budget to see which you might have a greater affinity for. Exercise wise definitely mix leg strengthening (upper leg incl adductors) with core work and also balance and lateral movement reps. Ski Club site and other Googleable sources aplenty. If you really want to be prepared then you should be working on these 6+ weeks before. I would also second the suggestion of trying to go with others as lessons are always more entertaining when there's someone else to share the laughs and inadequacies with. Unless of course you get the uber babe/hunk instructor you want all to yourself. My experience over 30 years is that the uber babes are usually teaching the kids :( I hope you have a great time and discover the bliss you've been missing all these years. I'm off to start looking for my next trip.

JamesG So far you've said "no close-ups and no wildlife" and ?600 is too much. To be able to recommend much else we still need to know what photo subjects you're interested in and your budget. If you like sport then you may well want a longer zoom option to reach the action from court/pitch side. You might also need a tele-extender. If you are just happy snapping social subjects then a short zoom or prime would be best If ?250 is still too much then you'll certainly be looking at second (or more) hand items and also consider looking at Sigma or Tamron to maximise value for some focal length choices. If you want to try things out then hiring a few lens options and talking to pros will help assuming you can't borrow much. Calumet are fine if a tad expensive at times. Somewhere more local to us is Fixation based in Vauxhall. www.fixationuk.com Tell us more and we might be able to be more help

Not sorry that I don't see the humour in this one. Has Waynetta taken up a new religion? Is this a sleeper cell communicating about another event? Perhaps GCHQ should pull this form the ether and send some boys knocking with their HKs and size 13s

?1000 - 1500 is a heck of a lot to have going spare for a home computer in these times. Horsepower-wise your requirements don't warrant much more than a mid-range beastie which you could then enhance with more working memory (RAM) to get the most from the processor it has, 4GB would be a good start. As you'll see from the Apple website you can happily spend all your budget for something of this order on their low-mid end offerings. I hadn't realised just how much their component hardware is the same as PCs. Ultimately if you content yourself that you can get along with the MAC software and interface you could lash out for the conventionally accepted stylishness of a MAC. IF you are on a budget and happy to have a computer that's different from all your media pals (style victims ;P) then as suggested above you could get something perfectly suitable for under ?800 including screen. Residual/resale value on a computer is largely irrelevant as most ordinary people will likely keep it until it dies. Personally if I were a non-techie I wouldn't buy a secondhand computer unless it was dirt cheap and I was desperate for one as you just don't know how badly it's been treated. I'd be looking to get something with a good warranty and after-sales service attached, which means that it'd likely have to be a better known brand bought with extended warranty as most others only give a year return-to-base. Are you editting your own image files for printing for your portfolio? If so then you'll be after a pro quality screen which could be substituted in for ?2-300 more. If not then you could stick with your old one or spend on a good quality new one that'd probably be brighter, more vivid and larger than your current one. It's probably time to have a conversation to answer a whole gammut of questions on preferences, requirements and possible developments to see how much you really need to spend. PM me if you fancy a chat. ;-)

Bunch of nutters! Got to the top, can't find my n*ts now amd have this weird nauseous feeling rising from where they used to be :-$ Just told the missus she'll need to have a good ol' rummage if we're ever to see them again...

Hey DW, Further advice is all dependent on your budget. Are you able to buy brand new or considering 2nd hand? Building a new site won't be a problem on most average PCs, worst comes to worst you might add a little extra memory or upgrade the graphics card. What kind of content do you envisage for your site? Does your work require you to edit or produce colour critical imagery, whether photos or digital artwork? Are you just upgrading your PC processor unit or do you need to replace the screen too? Let us know more precisely what your circumstances are and we'll be able to give you more steer. Some of the PC bods here might even be able to build you something.

Actually it's more like: Anything from Vauxhall VRX - Jag vs Aston in most cases, although you can easily go up to the premier PC (sub)brands in which case it may well be Maserati vs Aston Heck if you choose right you might get Atom vs Aston. For the less petrol-headed: You can spend on looks for your PC too if you're monied up and likely make a MAC look like Breville toaster.

Hi DW. Main question is how much do you want to spend? As mentioned above software options may be pricey for the MAC. The hardware itself is also not cheap. It is considered sexy looking by many but then there are many new PCs starting to look just as good. The whole MAC OS vs Windows thing is getting real tired. "Ooh it's so much easier to use", "ooh it's so safe because you won't get viruses", "oooh it's so easy to maintain", "aaah it's so much quicker". Granted when compared to anything older than Windows Vista you could make a decent argument about speed or perhaps maintenance but with Windows 7 on the playing field there's not much in it now. Your decision will be down to how comfortable you feel with your existing computer skills in Windows vs taking some time to learn how to do it on a MAC. I have a PC with processor that's perhaps 4 years out of date but it takes under 30 seconds to start Windows 7 I've been using PCs for 20+ years and only ever had to deal a serious virus perhaps 3 or 4 times, provided you use a reputable Anti-virus package and you are sensible about your behaviour when wandering the Web you will probably never have to worry. Everyone who bitches about viruses and catches them regularly is like a drunk driver on a school run - a menace to everyone else particularly the naive. A friend of mine bought a MAC for his wife as she wasn't to keen on a PC. He got rid of it 6 months later because it wasn't as trouble free, intuitive, speedy or low maintenance as he'd been led to believe by all the fanboys/girls out there. (He builds PCs so not a novice). As mentioned above, do you have any specialist software requirements to do work or support an interest you have. You'll need to check that you can get a decent MAC equivalent at a good price. MACs are prestige items so if you have the money and you're into bling then by all means indulge. IF you need to get value for money then PC is still the way to go, whether Windows or Linux. Talk to the right people you could even get a MAC for it's looks and then put Windows on it or run a Windows emulator so you can continue to use your existing Windows applications (check compatibility). More than happy to talk more about this with you. Good luck with your purchase whichever way you decide.

Is this meant to be used in lecture theatres for taking notes? If it's meant to be used to compose all his course work whether in dorm, at the library, at friends' or at home then you'll want something with at least an 11" screen and most likely a resolution at or above 1280x768 so that he's not driven nuts constantly scrolling through documents or diagrams he's reading or writing. What subject will he be studying? If it's something that involves high computation like programming, scientific modelling, statistical analysis, graphical work then you'll be needing a decent fully-grown laptop. A netbook with Atom processor is going to be too sluggish. As already said get a laptop with at least a dual core celeron processor (or the current latest are i3, i5 and i7 quad cores). You'll be hoping this will last him a good 3 yrs so there's no point scrimping at the start. If it doesn't have to be ultra-portable then get something with a 15+" screen. You'll need to shop around based on the battery life you need for the usage profile he will have. I have an HP Pavilion dv3 with around 5hrs battery and bought for c?500 in sale. Happy to chat on phone or at a bar if you want more advice. Short of it is "if he's going to be doing more than distracting himself during lectures don't get a netbook"

Just back from gabbling on the phone and need to get to Sainsburys to get some eats in and things for an early start tomorrow. Sorry, won't be out tonight after all. Have a fun weekend, I'm fleeing the carnival atmosphere for the coast.

I'm free tonight thanks to a cancelled meeting if you fancy a natter and a thirst quencher

Hey QoD, Hope some wiz can prove me wrong but I'm pretty sure that an 18 month old eee PC isn't going to be fit to run any other current Windows faster than it can XP. An expert may be able to tweak XP to run faster but you have to accept that the netbook was built to run best with Linux. There are a few computer specialists on the forum who have Linux expertise so they may be able to propose a way to get your mobile broadband running. Depending on the sophistication of the documents you're trying to create/use you may well be able to use Open Office in MS Office compatible mode instead of what I presume you're trying to use which is MS Office 2xxx. A new Windows netbook can probably be had for under a couple of hundred pounds. You may well be able to find them on offer "free" with phone contracts etc so if you can afford to it will likely be worth considering an upgrade. Just do some sleuthing around the Web for offers to make your pounds go furthest. Best of luck

Oh dear, did I really miss all the excellence in this movie? Yes it was technically well crafted, some performances, some dialogue, the signature action scene in dream 2 excellent but the premise(s) and much everything else I found lacking the same substance and rigour as the aforementioned good bits. The final dream was staged appallingly by comparison suddenly turning into a Bond movie with 2 Bonds running about. I'll have to watch the damn thing again to see if I like it better because I went in wanting to having enjoyed Nolan's previous work. Masterpiece? Don't think so. Better than Salt and Expendables? Yup Warning: Never climb a rock face like they did. Serious technical error. Using that much plastique to move an elevator? Credibility, cool, window, exeunt.

?45 for the year allows you as many 30 min trips per day, every day that you like, allowing for a 10 min cooling off between return of a bike and taking of another. The "members only" scheme this month is meant to enable TfL to better model the pattern of usage so that the redistribution cars can move the bikes appropriately. There will of course be 2 large user groups to satisfy; commuters at start and end of day; tourists/non-workers throughout the day. The point of the bikes is precisely for short trips. The escalating rates are specifically to deter people from retaining them for hours at a time. As is the absence of a lock to attach it to street furniture. If you are observing any piling up or dearth of bikes at particular places and times then let the Bike Scheme know. Many bikes in one area may not mean that they're not being used at all. The redistribution might actually be working. There are only 6000 cycles across 400 sites intended so shortages at travel hubs will be unavoidable. ADVICE re: registering for membership Only order one access key per application, especially if you only go for the day-by-day or weekly schemes. If you order more then anytime one of them is used it triggers the start of an access period for all the keys registered and so racks up the charge regardless of the key being used. A cock-up which will hopefully be fixed. Enjoy and ride safe.

Great idea and I'm sure the ride will be a great experience. Are you taking donations via the Web?

Thinking of heading to the pictures for either: Inception Toy Story 3 The Expendables or.... Anyone else interested? Either afternoon or evening shows or could be tempted into a midnight IMAX show.

Currently sitting in GBK scarfing a Mexican (not related to Columbian necktie) admiring two young lovelies as they try to wrap their chops around the silly big burgers here. (Yes there's something lewd in that statement but I can guarantee one of the old guard will be diving in the gutter before me so why bother.) If you turn out to be one of the 2 lovelies (brunette fetching dark teal blouse with a generous neckline, blonde in white cardi) I have been most impressed with your tidy munching abilities. Well done blondie on finishing first, that burger was almost as big as your head! Fancy a date? Was hoping to be doing a photo shoot tomorrow but models unavailable at last minute :( Tempted to hit the movie house for Inception or Toy Story 3. Sunday hopefully a lovely home made roast. All subject to change and better offers or an attack of conscience driving me to prepare for some blasted training course I'm on next week. 135 pages of learning and revision :((

I missed the giveaway? Heaven forbid I'll have to find it on the InterWeb to see... 1987 here I come, think I gonna cry...

Ok, so I was young and perhaps easily duped and impressionable but still recall enjoying a Kevin Costner movie... owww! stop throwing things! No Way Out And yes I also fancied Sean Young.

Finally back on topic.