I'm Football Obsessed

Oh dear. With all the growing World Cup fervor I've been bitten by the footballing bug. Every second of my conscious life I spend replaying brilliant goals in my head and thinking of nothing but beautiful football. It's like a cruel addiction; I'm desperate for my next fix almost constantly. For me playing football is like taking a deep breath after a swim. It's a sense of release. I love the feeling of the ball at my feet, the thought that with a string of touches I can achieve anything. It's the kind of fulfilment you can't gain with mental toil and exercise. Trust me: I'm the most academic person I know. I love watching football, especially World Cup games. After watching Ronaldhino dribble and score I can aspire to nothing but following in his footsteps. How can I describe the emotions that playing football evokes within me? It's like a sense of joy, achievement, satisfaction and elation pulled into one. But football is rarely fun on your own; I love nothing better than kicking a ball about with my friends; the friendly camaraderie, the jovial competition and fierce bonds of brotherhood. I may seem mad but those of you who share the passion will know the feeling. We are brothers you and I. The World Cup is the pinnacle; in times of turmoil the world is united by beautiful football.

Bluetooth car headsets cause more crashes than a normal phone

I recently went on a Road Safety Day designed to promote awareness of car crashes and speeding. One of the organisers presented us with an interesting fact. New research suggests that using a Bluetooth headset to make a phone call while driving is six times more likely to cause a crash than putting the phone to your ear. A likely reason is that people feel safe with a headset and therefore get really involved with the conversation until finally it gets to this: 'Gee Carol that's really great...oh, wait a sec that lorry just braked...oh Jesus Christ.' With a phone to your ear it's logical that the uneasiness causes you to put the phone down more quickly.

Best of the Net Part 2: The Essential Blogging Guide

Welcome to the slightly delayed Part 2 of the Best of the Net series. This post covers blogging and the best tools for the job. What's a Blog? A blog is a website that is tailored to work as an online diary. You write and post a new entry every day for everyone to read. Think of it as a public journal. Bloggers (those who write blogs) blog about anything and everything and many simply post pictures or audio clips. More info can be found at Blogger.com for the perpetually curious. Blogging terms and phrases

• Blog - online diary
• Blogger - a person who blogs in any form
• To blog - to write a blog
• Blogosphere - the online community of bloggers and blogs
• Photoblog - a blog that contains exclusively photos
• Moblog - a blog posted to by mobile phone
• Audioblog - a blog that features audio clips from the blogger
• Post - a written entry to the blog
• Comment - a comment feature allows other people to leave feedback on posts

Please email thedoodleblog[at]googlemail.com if you want any more tips or explanations.

Starting a blog

There are many blogging services online that offer their features but for ease of use you can get a FREE blog at blogger.com. This is where I blog from. You don't need your own web space or any thing; your blog is hosted automatically at a blogspot address. The service allows you to easily post with no hassle. If you want to, all you have to is write and entry and post it. You can add photos with ease.

For more savvy users a range of features are available. You can edit your template HTML freely and you can easily change templates. The best site for templates is http://blogger-templates.blogspot.com. Also you can host your blog on your own site. group blogs are easy to set up.

The best way to learn is to sign up at blogger.com and learn as you go. The blogger help site is chocked full of useful info and you can contact blogger directly. if you have further problems the Blogger Help Group is manned by volunteers who are happy to help.

For tips on writing head to How To Write A Better Weblog.

Inspiration and resources

You can write about anything and everything and you don't even have to write. But it's best to not give in to temptation. Posting links to cool sites is okay but not really original. Write a blog about something you love and write your own articles. Entries don't have to be long just interesting. A regular article is much more likely to pull visitors than a few wanton links.

All bloggers need inspiration. Below I've listed the sites I often visit for stories.

• digg.com - a first rate user controlled site. You can post your own links here but be warned; people might not necessarily like you or your blog posts.
• bbc.co.uk - a well-maintained news site that offers a wealth of stories on all subjects.

These two are only my favourite examples. There are many more news sites out there to be perused.

Blogging tools

If you get involved with the blogosphere there's a wealth of tools and resources to add flavour to your blog and blogging life. my favourites are below.

• bloglines.com - maybe you want to keep track of the latest news or keep tabs on your favourite sites or RSS or atom feeds. if so then Bloglines will transform your blogging life. It allows you to easily categorisea and manage all your feeds.
• Google notebook - a beta new technology from Google. It allows you to put all your pictures and information on a research topic into 'notebooks'. very handy for researching all your posts!
• Blogger templates - this previously mentioned site provides a range of gorgeous templates for free use. Much better than the default blogger options.
• Google homepage - for all those blogging fans who like all their info and news in one place. The Personalised Google Homepage allows you to get the content you want all in one place.
• Performancing for Firefox - a useful extension for Firefox that allows you to use a built in blog editor to post to your blog without visiting Blogger.com.

(NB-I may remember or encounter some other tools. If so I will add them to the list.)

Well that's that

I hoped you enjoyed reading this post. Remember for advice you can always email me at thedoodleblog[at]googlemail.com. I'll be happy to help. Happy blogging!

Best of the Net Part 1: Firefox Extensions

Firefox is now well advanced into it's hopefully long-life and a large community has followed it all the way with unwaving dedication. Thanks to Firefox's Open Source status a large string of fully-supported extensions have been created by third parties. This is great news for the average user who can now benefit from a huge number of enhancements and added features, as well as fully supported extensions from big names such as Google. However it can be difficult to find the best available or find the time to delve into the vast bank of extensions. To give first time users a hand and to dispense a few tips to all users I have compiled a list of the most worthwhile and effective extensions. This list bears fruit from a vast amount of experimentation. Basic System Improvements All users should make use of these extensions first as they are vital to the everyday running of Firefox. Crash Recovery- Firefox is not immune to the occasional crash and if you're working on an important subject then you'll weep if the browser goes down. To prevent this install Crash Recovery. It restores all windows and progress after a crash. Trust me if there's one extension you can't live without it's this one. SessionSaver- Firefox doesn't come with the intuitive 'save session' feature that Opera possesses so it's up to the third parties to bridge the gap. This neat extension saves your open tabs so next time you boot up Firefox all your previous progress is still displayed. Very useful. Adblock- A fully configurable pop-up blocker that has a range of options to utilise. Very handy. Feature Enhancers Certain features on Firefox aren't as well constructed as they should be. With these extensions you can reap vast benefits. Scrapbook- Firefox's bookmark is to say the least a little crap. Scapbook works in a similar way but with better organisation features and easier management. It allows you to bookmark pages and store notes and information in a simple-to-use sidebar. A great replacement for the tricky bookmark's system. Web Search Pro- The in-built search box is a major selling point for Firefox but it has a few bugs. While it allows you to add searches you can't delete any. Web Search Pro allows eay management and simple adding and deleting of searches. You can even put the searches you want in order! A simple options menu with a search feature allows you to locate the searches you desire most. WSP hides the standard search box. Useful Commodities Their are many extensions designed to enhance your enjoyment of the net. Here's the best of the bunch. IE tab- Web designers will love this extension. It displays a web page using the Internet Explorer engine for easy previews. Essential for web design and useful if a page isn't looking its best in Firefox. Forecastfox- This powerful tool displays your local weather forecasts along the bottom toolbar. Comprehensive and useful. Joga.com Companion- Love football, love Joga. A fully supported extension that allows you to view up-to-the-minute scores in a neat sidebar as well as videos. If you join the Joga.com community you can get even more features. All that's required is a Googlemail login. Copy as HTML link- Not essential but certainly useful. It allows you to copy text off a page complete with a link to the page itself. Kinda useful for blogging. Colorful Tabs- This extensions makes sure that every tab is a different colour. Must less strain on the eyes and easier to discern between tabs. Pleasing to the eye too. (NB - Visit Flying Iguanas tomorrow for Part 2 of Best of the Net: Blogging Tools)

A Universal Memory Format

I've just had a great idea (several in fact but I'm working out some of the fine points on the others). Wouldn't it be nice if the world's technology firms stopped their ridiculous little spats and worked together to create a single memory format for all electronic devices? Let me explain how this should work. Let's say you take some pictures on your overpriced Sony camera. You want to show your family the snaps on your Panasonic DVD player. No problemo boss. With the new Universal Memory Format card (UMF if you like those hip acronyms) you can transfer your snaps straight onto the DVD player by simply plugging your UMF card into the special UMF slot. Piece of cake. Happy families. Another example. Let's say you just downloaded some cool tunes off the internet (legal mp3s of course you people). Your mate phones and wants you to come round. Naturally you want to show him your new tunes. So you take your UMF card and plug it into the UMF card on your mate's PC (of course somebody like Apple'd spoil this with crappy copyright laws. So we won't tell them will we children?). Or you could take some snaps on your camera phone and transfer them straight onto your mate's computer, regardless of the make or of the phone or computer. I think this idea's got potential and I'd be delighted to know if anyone's already doing it. It might take some work to get the tech companies to collaborate. Jesus those guys are cut-throats...

New Keane Album is a Masterpiece

I've just got my greedy mitts on the new album Under The Iron Sea and I can honestly swear on the heart of God, the Bible and Martin Luther King that it is the best album I have heard in my lifetime.

We wrote Under The Iron Sea because we needed a record that was going to make us feel alive again. The very words of the young British band Keane. And to hear the record is to indeed come alive again. The album is tounchingly, sincerely human. Through the lyrics you can hear the torment of three young men at the injustices of life, love and suffering. The harsh reality of life glints from every pore. It is passionate, raw and utterly gripping. There are the highs of Is it Any Wonder and the desperation of Crystal Ball. Every track is a testament to the skill and talent of the band. Buy this album and dive under the ice of the Iron Sea. Visit Keanemusic.com

Lean mean green machine

First things first. This isn't some kind of hard sell for the environment. No siree. There's plenty of people at Greenpeace who are quite prepared to lie in front of bulldozers and that's their business. I won't spoil their fun. No rather I'm talking about my choice of clothing this morning. I realised later today that not only was I wearing green trousers and a green t-shirt (quite intentionally), I was also wearing green sandals (the previously mentioned Reefs. Wearing quite well in fact) and green ahem... undergarments. It was quite a scary coincidence to be hit with in my tired state but I rallied quite nicely. 'Oh,' I said, to the bafflement of several passers-by, 'I think I'd better get an early night.'

Chardonnay and curry!

First things first. I think I didn't spell the title right. Is it Chardonnay? Chardonny? Charmane? Ah, never mind no doubt some abusive person will tell me. Anyhoo, last night I had a really nice curry with spinach and stuff. I was fairly sure that red wine with curry was a sacred tradition but (according to a certain person I know) it is not. With my curry I was forced to endure a rather nice white wine. Correction, a rather strong white wine. But never mind it's all alcohol to me. If you drink enough you always get the same numb feeling and elevated joy levels. It tasted a bit weird at first but it was clear and refreshing and delightfully mind numbing. It didn't go with the curry but what the hell neither do people's bowels. It was nice just to taste a cold drink. I swear it was 100 degrees yesterday. I think I rambled a bit there but I blame the wine.

Summer Essentials

It's summer time, the sun is shining and I should probably be outside. But before I go let me give you a few tips to help you get the best out of the summer. Here's my list of essentials. Books

• To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee An enchanting novel that is still as relevant and moving today as ever
• The Grey Man - Andy McNab McNab provides brilliant action in this gritty short story about a man who decides to end his legacy of boredom with a daring bank robbery
• The Eye of the Tiger - Wilbur Smith Brilliant action adventure with twists and turns to leave the reader delighted
• Angels and Demons - Dan Brown Far superior to the lacklustre lies of the Da Vinci Code. A tense tale of intrigue that is the best of the Brown novels.

Music

• Under the Iron Sea - Keane Brit band Keane explore darker territory with this superb album spearheaded by the single Is It Any Wonder?
• Stadium Arcadium - Red Hot Chili Peppers The Chilis provide 23 new tracks in a fantastic new album
• On and On - Jack Johnson Warm, relaxing and soothing with powerful messages and beautiful lyrics

Sandals

• Reef Sandals Comfortable and practical shoes that feel like slippers after a few weeks

Now go out and enjoy yourselves while I slave over the keyboard (I've already been out today ok. Less of the lazy jokes.)

Argentine Mastery

Argentina blew opponents Serbia-Montenegro away with a sparkling display of skill and flourish. The Argentines set Aufschalke Stadium alight with a scintillating display of world class football. Maxi, Cambiasso, Crespo, Tevez and Messi - the five Argentinians' names electrified the stadium. The crowd went wild as shot after shot curved, flew and catapulted past the Serbian keeper. The Serbian team were left pondering as the Argentine squad blazed trails through their opponents defense. The final result was clear: a 6-0 win for Argentina and a major headache for their World Cup rivals.

Love of a Country

A few days back I was rooting for the minnow in the World Cup arena: underdog Trinidad and Tobago. So I was sure that today my support would be divided between T and T and England. Not so. Within seconds I wanted T and T to go down. England my beloved had captured my heart. Funny thing patriotism...

Misguided Religion

I have a great respect for the moral principles and ethical guidance of most religions. We would all do well to aspire to the standards of say Christianity or Islam. Perhaps the world would be a better place if we all did. But unfortunately there are always members of a faith who taint the goodwill of their fellows. Take Islam, a religion I hold in high esteem. Most Muslims treat all peoples with respect and compassion; however a small minority don't. These disenters are often as disapproved of by other Muslims as they are by the general public. Those Muslims that harm others should be treated accordingly to the religion they 'supposedly' owe loyalty to. But we shouldn't be quick to condemn. Often these people are misguided or misinformed; twisted by others. We should extend the hand of compassion to these people, not the hand of contempt. Through compassion comes trust and only through trust can come understanding. Another example that often escapes attention is the condemnation that some Christians bestow upon the needy. Many a priest treats a sick man with off-handed arrogance. They inform the sufferer that they have sinned and are being punished accordingly. This viewpoint is naive and cruel. Would Jesus have shrugged off a blind man in accordance to his sins? NO! In fact his disciples once tried to judge a man who was indeed blind. They asked Jesus: 'who sinned, this man or his parents?' Jesus replied with horror 'Neither this man or his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.' Jesus healed the man. He helped him and didn't pass judgement. Many a pastor would do well to referrance this passage. People need help not judgement. Indeed many religious crimes are never commited with malice; often they are commited by a person with misguided goodwill. Everyone tries to good in his own small way. The pastor may not treat the person with disdain on purpose; he might even do it out of kindness. The only way the religions of this world can preach their message is if they try to understand not judge. In the end ask yourself two questions: 'If you were ill would you prefer a scathing criticism or a kind word?'. 'If you were a non-Muslim would you prefer to be attacked or talked to as an equal, with due respect?'

T and T: dynamite enthusiasm

Last night must surely go down in World Cup history; it was the day where the minnows held their own in the world arena. Trinidad and Tobago pulled off a spectacular achievement when they held favourites Sweden to a nil-nil draw. The tiny island of Trinidad and Tobago has less than one million inhabitants and, with qualification this year, they were the smallest country to ever enter the World Cup. Critics dismissed the tiny side prematurely for the small team of proud warriors were not to be beaten. Sweden entered the match as the obvious favourites, with experience and skill on their side. However they were upstaged by the sheer determination and fierce pride of the Caribbean amateurs. The unde young men threw body and soul into the contest, literally hurling themselves full force into the game. It was football the way it was meant to be played: for the love of a country and sheer passion for the beautiful game. The action was tense but the young side showed talent and passion to rival that of any established master team. They played skillfully and fiercely and their dedication was a joy to behold. At full time the favourites Sweden emerged without victory. Even in the last few minutes, as the Swedes threw everything into the confrontation, T and T held firm with great leaps of effort. The Carribean warriors held the pride and expectation of a nation on their shoulders and leapt with the burden. For once the critics were proved wrong by a dazzling display of raw emotion. As the whistle was blown the men of Trinidad and Tobago wept and rejoiced with pride and the world wept joyously with them. The Swedish crowd lay devastated by the loss. The match was a true testament to passionate football and the dreams of 11 young men.

Rally of the Midlands

Went to the Hinckley special stage of the Rally of the Midlands yesterday. After I'd finished my ice cream I managed to catch the last few minutes of action. It was quite an experience. Spectators were allowed within touching distance of the last performers; a collection of Subaru Imprezas, Kitcars and the like. The atmosphere was electric, with the throb and roar of the engines rending the air with fiery passion. Standing beside the cars you got a kind of strange throbbing feeling through your entire body. It was an awesome experience. The street course was tight and twisty, with a series of narrow bends and gut-wrenching hairpins. The crowd of spectators were gripped. There was a collective intake of breath as each vehicle skidded through like an over-sized go-kart. The course was a testament to the skill of the drivers; it took more than guts and a pinch of insanity to navigate such a stage (though madness is a useful commodity in this sport). I managed to nab a spot parallel to one of the tightest hairpin bends and gasped with disbelieve as John Marshall took the hairpin in one with a superb high-speed powerslide. Kudos to John; I've never seen a handbrake turn quite like it. The rally continues over Saturday and Sunday and more information can be found at the official ROTM site.

A parachute would have been nice

The lifejackets on commercial airlines have not saved a single life in the history of aviation. So why do we need them? After boarding a plane you are always subjected to a intense safety talk. The cabin crew often demonstrate how to use a lifejacket. But the jackets don't save lives. Wouldn't it be more cost-effective to spend the money on more legroom? From a practical and logical aspect the jackets are useless. The chances of a damaged or endangered plane ever executing a perfect landing on water are minimal. I can't imagine plunging towards the Atlantic Ocean from 30,000 feet plus and thinking: 'Well thank God I've got an inflatable lifejacket.' Even more puzzling is the inclusion of a whistle to attract attention. What's the point? Blowing on a whistle is only going to cause noise and distraction; not a useful thing when you're about to crash into a mountainside. Surely a more viable alternative would be the inclusion of a basic First Aid kit for each passenger. This would be practical for treating injuries on the off-chance that passengers might survive a crash. My only conclusion is that the lifejackets are there to reassure nervous passengers. Perhaps it's comforting to know that inflatable plastic is freely available.

Joke of the Day

Did you hear about the two TV aerials that got married? The wedding was awful but the reception was fantastic.

Shopping for Sandals

Having Size 11 feet (British size 11) conjures up a manly image in a you-know-what-they-say-about-big-feet kinda way. But it's a bit of a curse when it comes to shoe shopping. I'm convinced that all nice shoes are designed by evil pygmies seeking revenge on the human race. Shopping for footwear can leave me exasperated at the dismal display of shoes for larger buyers. Nevertheless I'm a prioritising sort of guy and I set off to T K Maxx yesterday to acquire a pair of sandals in preparation for the british summer (don't ask me why T K Maxx; it seemed like a good idea at the time, like most things). I had my natural forebodings which weren't helped by the strobe lighting and white walls of the store. On arrival I had what psychologists call an 'aha experience'. "Aha," I thought, "so this is what NHS architects design in their spare time." With heavy footsteps I spent an hour or so negotiating the cramped aisles and harassed-looking single mothers until I found the sandals section (it was by the bags: God only knows why). With a resigned look I began to scan the shoe sizes with little success. "Oh God," I screamed inwardly, "don't say I've got to buy the ones that resemble summat from an Ikea catalogue." At last I found a pair of size 11 Reef sandals buried somewhere I'd rather not disclose. i did a little dance that scared away a few children and tried them on. my feet didn't even fit under the strap (this my friends is the fundamental flaw with having wide feet). I whimpered and went back to scanning. After much squinting and ruffling I discovered a pair of size 13 Reef sanadls. With tension carved on my features I slipped them on. In a moment of Ring-into-Mount-Doom jubilation I realised they fitted perfectly. I emitted a few lines of a generic happy song and headed to the counter. I'm sure a shop assistant had already called security, and the cashier mimed through his routine as he closed his eyes and counted the seconds until men in black suits whisked the maniac away. I seized my sandals, failing to realise the hole burned through my wallet by the purchase, and thanked the cashier with wide-eyed gratitude and a banana split smile of joy. Then I skipped merrily out the store about three seconds before the elite Insanity Division of MI5 landed their helicopter. The shopping was worth it in the end but the experience was a bit laborious. Let that be the moral of the story: people with big feet should never shop at a store decorated by the NHS and stocked by shoes manufactured by the pygmie division of Ikea.