Following that meme a few weeks back to blog our desktops, I thought I'd do mine again today as it's went under a somewhat revolutionary change, I'm pleased as punch with it. It comes in the form of Mac OS X.

I've wanted a mac for a while but needed a PC for work, so now I have both worlds, by skinning windows to look and behave like OSX. After an hour or so doing it manually I found a website with an all in one installer that works a treat.  Geeky? Entirely, to the point that I was almost ashamed to blog this. Far nicer to use than standard XP? Absolutely!

My only concern is that if it starts to effect performance I may have to revert back, but at the moment all seems well. It changes every part, the start up screen is apple, there are no windows logos anywhere, the start bar is much more compact and top aligned and it has the wonderful OS X dock at the bottom for accessing programs. Everything from cursors to system noises are now fully mac'd...

...two very different men, two very different era's, one blog post! How is that for value?!  They really have little in common, however their names rhymed and as both are cool, both get to feature here, a huge privilege, I'm sure they'd agree.  Today, Kudos go too Quinn and Flynn..

Quinn was a wearside legend even before he took over as chairman last summer, ever since his playing career here ended with his testimonial (which benefited children's hospitals instead of himself) The very mention of his name around Sunderland fans provokes a chorus of Niall Quinn's Disco Pants, so needless to say when he walked into the lounge at Bristol Airport there was a chorus of approval, then the flight boarded only for some fans to find themselves ejected.  Easyjet say it was drunken behaviour but numerous witnesses, including Quinn and the Board who were flying with them, say that the airline over reacted.  Quinn being Quinn stood up for the fans and said the airline couldn't treat them like that, the airline grounded the flight so Quinn stepped up to the mark, paying for all of the fans to make the 300 mile trip in taxi's, and waiting himself until all fans and anyone else who was going to Newcastle/Sunderland had a spot before getting in the last taxi himself.  I'd like to see any other major football chairman be so grounded and at home with the fans....

...I believe it was Sir Percival Blakeney who once mused "Sink me, your tailors have betrayed you" and gave us the memorable insight on post revolution France "your tailors will rule the land, and no one will make the clothes. So much for French fashion, and French politics."  And I have to say, were Sir Percival alive today, or indeed, were he not a fictional character, he's have surely been full of similar such insights. 

I think the one overwhelming lesson that we can take from the hostage situation from the past two weeks is that Iranian tailors make a dashed poor suit.  In fact, they make a suit so bad, I am reliably informed that no fewer than nine of the hostages refused to be released unless they had uniforms again.  "Hanged if I'm going out in that old bean, my tailor would weep..." said one.  "What the deuce! My Pyjama's offer a more flattering fit" quipped another.  Suffice to say that the British being good sorts did fly out some fresh uniforms and the situation was resolved with out the sartorial indignity that the Iranians had endeavoured to inflict.

But remember, when in Rome, may count for Italy, but even if you find yourself in Tehran, don't ever trust an Iranian tailor.

Clicky, Clicky...

Ok, so I'm a day or two late on seeing thing, but I missed that episode of the show. Brilliant, best I've seen of it I think. I particularly like his explaining how people in the west spend ages trying to persuade Bush not to fight Iran, and then they go do that, and the Falklands and football riot references are amusing!

I don't know you hear nothing for me for three days over Easter and then just when you thought I was gone for good, I appear again! It's almost as if that's happened before on an altogether more memorable occasion.

Anyway, sorry for the lack of any kind of bloggage, but I have been busy so haven't had a chance, I've mainly been either out in the country side, playing sports or working on my new website, so, in shorts, this is my entry for today...

• I have done my first ever advert for myself, I'm not really sure about it, to be honest, I think I may have made one of those horrible gaffes where it seemed like a good idea in my head and then didn't quite work, but hopefully I am wrong and all will be ok.
  
  
• Sunderland are top of the league. I have to say, it's an amazing turn around when you think that we spent the first half dozen games getting beaten and languishing at the bottom of the table. Now we just need to hold our nerve for four games more (which will take our unbeaten run to 20!) And then see what Niall and Keano do over the summer, I honestly have a good feeling about going up this time, I think they might spend the cash they need to, and Keano knows everyone who is anyone so should have pulling power.
  
  
• Lucy the noodle played me a song on youTube yesterday, I think half expecting me to mock, however, I love it, arguably, I love it too much. I have heard covers of it before, but not the original, I think in its Gallic, cheesy way, it may be the best Eurovision song ever.
  
  

• I am mid-way through John Lewis Gaddis' new book "The Cold War" (kudos to Mr Gaddis for such original titling!) But I have far too much to say on it for a brief post like this and will inevitably blog a full review tomorrow or thursday.
  
  
• How close was the Cricket? It's so pathetic, the games are very close so if Joyce and Flintoff were performing, chances are we'd be winning. I sympathise that playing any sport you get rough patches, I couldn't have caught a cold last time I played baseball and got myself out second ball, but in fairness I'm playing for fun and they're payed a heck of a lot of money to do it, so people have a right to expect them to do it well.
  
  
• I think (hope!) my new redesign for my website will last a while, it's plainer than the other versions, and easier to maintain, but hopefully looks professional enough for me to leave it for a while and stop redesigning it due to crippling bouts of self-doubt.
  
  
• In other news, I ate lots of chocolate and shall allow you all to act surprised.
  

...do I love the website Miranda July made for her new book:

No One Belongs Here More Than You .

Fabulous.  I want to do something even half so creative as that!