How to be a Retronaut..........a visual time machine. Here is a link that might be useful: Retronaut

When all you HP fans come out of your trances/tears spare a thought for us soggy folk in southern and SW England. St Swithin has lived up to his reputation and the rain continues to fall every day ( 5 ins on Friday nearby) and much more is expected. The flooding may not be on the New Orleans scale, and no bodies have been left to float in filthy water but many folk have been driven out of their homes for the second time in three weeks as the rivers Thames, Avon and Severn are up to 15 feet above their usual heights. Our local Council proved true to form when I phoned them before this latest downpour and enquired about sandbags (surface water floods our cellar and comes in under the front door . . .and out the back). Me: Will you please provide us with some sandbags? C. man: We don't provide them. Me: Where did all the bags down the round come from then? CM: Oh yes. We have run out, phone the County Council, Highways dept. Me (to C C HD Man) Could you provide us with sandbags please. CCM (suspicious) Who told you to ring us? We don't do bags, Go to your nearest builders merchants and buy bags and sand. And we wonder why the Government and local Councils are being accused of incompetence (nothing new there) for nor putting flood prevention measures in place and allowing new homes to be built in flood-plains? Answers on a post card. I think I'll read Lonesome Dove to warm me up. Here is a link that might be useful: BBC News (photos on right)

Clever illustrations by artist Mike Boon. http://baboondesign.blogspot.ca/

MIT Technology Review http://www.technologyreview.com/