Nick Jordan

It looks as though EMI have been sharing files via iTunes that they don’t own the digital rights to. I can only hope that they get a taste of their own medicine and get sued for millions. They deserve it.

I watched the final instalment of the BBC’s The Power of Nightmares documentary last night. As I’ve said before, I’m no expert on these matters but the main point of the programme, that there is no huge terrorist network with sleeper cells all over the world waiting to spring into action, does seem very plausible. I’m perfectly prepared to believe that politicians and the media have greatly exaggerated the threat from organised international terrorism, although I’m not stupid enough to believe that there are no terrorists at all - rather that they’re way less organised and well-funded than Blair and Bush would have us believe.

On a slightly cheerier note, I also watched John Lydon learning to dive in South Africa in order to do something he’d always wanted to do: swim with a Great White Shark. In one particularly memorable scene he met a young surfer who’d been unfortunate enough to have the lower part of his right leg bitten off by one of these creatures but, far from being bitter or angry, he was full of admiration for the sharks and was doing his best to help protect them. Hats off to him. All in all, far from being the fluff I rather expected, the programme turned out to be interesting and enjoyable, with Lydon’s usual clowning around utterly failing to mask his love and enthusiasm for Great Whites. I’m glad I saw it.

Undeterred by the more-or-less complete failure of Beagle 2, the same team has put forward a proposal for its successor. I really hope that they’re able to go ahead with the project and that it’s way more successful than the last attempt.

I had my second Open University Tutorial yesterday. The tutorial itself went very well, although the number of attendees was down on last time - just seven of us plus the tutor. The organisation of the college (which will remain nameless) where it was held, however, was awful. Most of us arrived in good time, only to find that our room was locked. By the time our tutor had arrived and gone in search of someone with the keys we were half an hour late starting, which meant, of course, that we were similarly late finishing and almost got locked in. At least the guys on the reception desk were expecting us, which was better than the first time around. I can only wonder what joys the next one will bring.