Sweet Nothings

I consider myself a rational person who denies the existence of any kind of God/higher power/Flying Spaghetti Monster etc who might be controlling my insignificant little life. However, every so often little things occur that feel like nothing so much as the universe having a right old chuckle at my expense. It's my own fault really. At the beginning of 2009, one of my resolutions was not to play Football Manager on my PC. If your reaction to this is a hearty scoff, all I can say is you've obviously never played the damn thing. As Danny Baker might put it (get well soon, Candyman) - I am an addict, FM is my crack and my lips are welded to the pipe. Despite this, I managed to make good on my promise right up till December 31st. Then that night, which I spent in my flat with nought but a bottle of wine, my 2009 iPod playlist and Jools Holland and his Hootenanny for company, I succumbed again, firing up the game and starting a new managerial career that lasted all the way until ...

This post is really just to rave about a couple of things. The first being new US sitcom Community, which for whatever reason is currently languishing way down in the Sky/Virgin EPG on the Viva channel. This means  many people won't have  seen it and I can therefore feel all smug and superior as I urge everyone to check out what for me is one of the funniest US sitcoms I've ever seen, certainly on the basis of the opening few episodes. The trailer, which tells you the basic setup, is below. What is doesn't show is how pacy and sharp the show is,  whilst still managing to develop the characters and their relationships wonderfully well. Give it a watch, would be my advice: #2: On a slightly more worrying note, I've somewhat fallen for Take That 's new song (OMG! screeeeeam!! etc). Theirs is one of the most remarkable artist's stories of recent times, the really remarkable thing being how a group who could only draw intense hatred from any males of my genera...

Three recent incidents which have made me realise how far behind the stereotypical modern, perma-connected young professional I am: 1. Reading  this   Douglas Coupland   article .  Most folk are networked to the gills already and will be even more so in the future. It scares me. 2. Listening to some walking companions on Saturday avidly discussing their iPhone addictions. Is it wrong not to want one? (By the way, how do you know if somebody owns an iPhone? Don’t worry, they’ll be sure to tell you. Repeatedly.) 3. Saw an advert for HTC on telly. Dawned on me I'd no idea who HTC were.  Wiki’d them – they do Google Android thingies. None the wiser. I don't see the need for constantly Facebooking/Twittering or Hotmail whilst on the move. What happened to enjoying the physical world? In truth I secretly think the world would be a better place sans mobile phones. Maybe I’m a dangerous heretic. Or maybe I need more friends. And don’t get me starte...