Nick Jordan

I spent the weekend at my mother’s in Somerset, which was very enjoyable despite the cold. I managed to get her online, too, so I’ve been getting lots of emails from her. Which is nice. That’s all my immediate family online now, and a while back I thought that none of them would ever do it.

It’s very snowy here today so I did the sensible thing and left the bike at home. Travelling to work by public transport makes a pleasant change but it’s way more expensive than using the bike, even if you include things like servicing, oil and tyres. I hope the current cold spell doesn’t go on too long.

Do the people who process the images from the Hubble telescope turn them into art? They’re certainly very beautiful, and that’s party because of the aesthetic choices made by the people who take the rather unexciting monochrome images that Hubble produces and turn them into pictures that people like me want on their walls. As far as I’m concerned, that does indeed make them art.

I never thought I’d be saying this, but I agree with Boris Johnson. As far as I can judge, Ken Livingstone’s recent remarks to a journalist were in no way anti-Semitic but, rather, reflected Mr. Livingstone’s hatred and contempt for the people who perpetrated the horrors of the Holocaust. Besides, what’s the point of saying you’re sorry if you’re not. It would be hollow and meaningless to do so simply to appease the idiots who’ve so overreacted over all this.

I had some more comment spam yesterday, although nothing like the level that I used to get. As a result I’ve implemented a system which will, with just a little intervention from me now and again, keep the menace at bay. Essentially, a script runs every hour that checks the database for spam and deletes it. Simple and effective.

Yesterday was spent finishing my part in the film I was helping out with last weekend. So there I was, riding around slowly on the bike with a teddy bear tied to me so that it looked as if it was riding pillion. Bearing in mind the fact that the bear’s white and is dressed like a ballerina, you can understand that we attracted a certain amount of attention. If nothing else, we put a few smiles on a few faces, which is never a bad thing.

OK, folks, comments are back with us. I think I’ve done enough to stop the deluge of spam but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Remember, folks - pancakes can be dangerous. Let’s be careful out there.

I spent some time yesterday helping a friend to make a short film. I played the villain of the piece, which was great fun, although this did entail me standing outside the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden clutching a white teddy bear dressed as a ballerina (the bear, not me). We certainly managed to attract some attention, and it felt rather odd to have tourists taking photographs of us. We’re finishing the rest of my part next weekend, so I have that to look forward to.

I spent my evening in a pub last night having my beer and snacks paid for by Emap, discussing with three of their staff and a group of other riders how one of their magazines, Bike, could be improved and made more relevant. It was definitely worthwhile volunteering for, as I met some really nice people and had a splendid time.

The website looks like shit but the music is excellent over at The Acoustic Stage, an internet radio station devoted to English and Celtic folk music. I know that ‘folk’ is a dirty word these days, especially when applied to English traditional music, but that’s a real shame because there’s some superb music to be heard and all manner of artists are taking it in all manner of exciting directions. Check out Bellowhead, for example. Fine music by fine musicians.

I’ve switched off the comment facility on this site as I’m tired of deleting spam and I can’t find a tool for removing comment spam that I like. I may get around to writing one myself at some point but for the moment that’s how things must stand. If you have anything you want to say to me, feel free to use the contact form.