30	Saturday December

A

nyone who's studied philosophy will probably be familiar with the 'Brain in a vat' debate.

In a nutshell, a disembodied brain is floating in a vat, inside a scientist's laboratory. The scientist has arranged that the brain will be stimulated with the same sort of inputs that a normal embodied brain receives. To do this, the brain is connected to a giant computer simulation of a world. The simulation determines which inputs the brain receives.

When the brain produces outputs, these are fed back into the simulation. The internal state of the brain is just like that of a normal brain, despite the fact that it lacks a body. From the brain's point of view, things seem very much as they seem to you and me. How could you know that you're a brain in a vat? How can you distinguish the illusion from what is real?

Well, what is more interesting than the nature of reality and how that relates to how we perceive it?

If you're not familiar, then have a read. Here's a good article comparing the BiV phenomena to the discovery that you've been trapped in an apparently false reality in 90s film the Matrix.

28	Thursday December

27	Wednesday December

Sorry Dad. I didn't realise Christmas decoration displays in the midlands were quite so competitive.

So, pictured below, my parent's gaff. And I have to admit, it's pure class.

22	Saturday December

I arrived back at my parents for the Christmas break to find the neighbour opposite had rigged up a festive light and music display.

Nice to see his years as a lighting and sound technician haven't gone to waste.

22	Friday December

"Janine di Giovanni remembers the friendships she made and the people she met - like Miss Sarajevo, the beautiful 17 year old who dyed her hair blonde with domestic bleach, like the 14 year old Eldin whose mother was killed by shrapnel in front of him, like the Sarajevo policewoman who fought on the front line in lipstick and high heels, like the dentist who operated by torchlight with only a pair of pliers."

Not a book for those who don't want to acknowledge the pure brutality of the conflict, and the ambivalence of a world that stood by and watched for so long.

18	Monday December

According to the people who know, dinky mobile phones are officially out, and chunky brick phones are about to make a storming comeback. Albeit within the sardonically minded post post-modern influencer / early adopter community. They're actually being marketed to people who want to be the 'shepherd' rather than the 'sheep'.

"Hello Margaret, dear. I'm really in the mood for 3D Monster Maze. Could you power up the ZX81, and I'll be home in an hour or so. Oh and Margaret, for God's sake don't forget to plug in the 16K RAM pack."

Having enjoyed fame in the 80s as the obligatory 'Loadsamoney' yuppie accessory, they then disappeared without trace. But the retro brick phone pictured above will again be available thanks to, amongst others, Hong Kong based company Micro-T.

I'm not surprised that a few companies have finally got round to reproducing brick phones, which although in demand, until now have only been useful as quirky paperweights owing to the fact that they don't work on digital networks.

This one does however. It also features a few upgrades such as an LCD display, polyphonic ringtones, video, games, text messaging and ....a SIM card.

Dig my yupscale wheelie bars dude

Advancements in technology over the 20 years since its first incarnation have reaped some advantages - the battery (which weighs around 2 kilos) is reputed to last for around three weeks, and, with an optional add-on, is capable of powering a small 9v camping kettle.

I've embraced the Zeitgeist and this is me pictured in rather inclement weather in my new handy 80s styley runabout on the way to pick up a BBC Model B (with fangled speech chip, naturally), having chucked out my cumbersome 'plain jane' Pentium 4.

Now where's that bloody flock gone...

17	Sunday December

Vauxhall Cross

Here's some information from the architects, Terry Farrell and Partners:

"The Vauxhall Cross building is a bespoke office headquarters building on the banks of the Thames upstream from the Houses of Parliament, and includes the construction of a new landscaped river wall and esplanade, with landscaped gardens.

"The building is a group of three longitudinal blocks stepping back from low rise at the river to medium rise at Albert Embankment. The blocks are linked together by glazed courtyards and atria. The building is set back from the river on an axis perpendicular to the river. The Albert Embankment elevation incorporates the main frontage and entrance to the building. This overall arrangement not only provides the most suitable massing and micro-climatic arrangement, but also enables views of the river to be obtained from within the site; from the riverside walkway; and from the land to the east of the site.

Hmmmm

"The public have access to the riverside along the newly formed riverside walkway from both Vauxhall Cross and from the Albert Embankment. The walkway, together with the external areas of the site facing Vauxhall Bridge and the Albert Embankment is extensively landscaped.

"The building itself rises to nine floors in a terraced arrangement stepping back from the river, with a total gross floor area of approximately 460,000 square feet. The lower floor plates include the ancillary uses of restaurant, auditorium, sports facilities, car park, computer suites, conference rooms and library.

"The floor plate configuration, structural grid and core arrangement were developed to suit the particular requirements of the end user, as were the space planning arrangements and individual office layouts. Six perimeter cores contain further plant rooms and services risers, means of escape staircases and toilet facilities. Five further internal cores contain passenger lifts serving all floors.

"The commission included the full fitting out requirements for a government department which were completed at the end of 1993. The fit out brief reflected the ever improving standards of modern office accommodation along with a broad range of specialist facilities. The design also included the specification and provision of complex and demanding technological services for IT, building management and security, and environmental control."

16	Saturday December

A very funny website with pictures of kids in sheer terror when they visit Santa.

15	Friday December

Alpaca Limahl

5	Tuesday December

Solly Ganor

Another is the most inspiring person I've ever encountered: Solly Ganor is author of Light One Candle - a book recounting his experiences of what befell him when the Nazis invaded Lithuania and war engulfed Europe. He describes in detail his years in the Kaunas ghetto and in Nazi death camps. The book also includes the remarkable story of the Japanese ambassador Sugihara, who, in defiance of his Foreign Ministry, began writing transit visas for thousands of Jews to flee Lithuania and the Nazis. Without doubt one of the most powerful books I've ever read, and I'm privileged to know him.

Click here to see a brief interview with Solly, and here for more details of his book.

1	Friday December

Little Miss Sunshine is one of the funniest films I've seen recently.

It follows Olive, a little girl who has a dream of winning the Little Miss Sunshine contest. Her family wants her dream to come true, but they are so burdened with their own quirks, neuroses, and problems that they can barely make it through a day without some disaster befalling them.

Adeptly drawn and superbly played characters.

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