Sunday, April 27, 2008

Are Led Zeppelin Toast ?

Looking on Amazon.co.uk for a new toaster (ours has broken) my eye was drawn to the Russell Hobbs 10617 Glass Toaster





I was attracted to the listing not for its innovative and unusual design

But because there were 22 (twenty two) customer reviews of it.

Thats two whole football teams (as of 27/4/08) of people who have a strong enough opinion about a toaster to go online and share that opinion with the world.

Well, I do like a bit of toast myself, but I really can't see how a toaster creates that much strength of feeling. I mean, you put bread in it, it comes out browner and warmer than it went in, thats about it really.

But 22 people!!

This means that there are four more people in the world with opinions about this toaster than there are who currently have an opinion on the digitally remastered version of Led Zeppelins seminal live album "The Song Remains The Same".

Led Zeppelin's live re-union gig at the O2 arena was a world-wide instant sellout, with reports of tickets selling for hndreds of times face value.

A rumoured re-union tour might be the biggest grossing rock tour of 2009 should it take place.

Led Zep live appearances are exactly the sort of things that A LOT of people care A LOT about, big time.

But the Russell Hobbs 10617 Glass Toaster creates more buzz, in fact over 22% more buzz than Led Zeppelin's best ever live performance.

Imagine then what sort of response a series of live dates from a Russell Hobbs 10617 Glass Toaster might create.

"Tonight, please welcome to the stage here at Madison Square Garden - the Russell Hobbs 10617 Glass Toaster!"

"HELLO New York - We're gonna Toast Some BREAD TONIGHT"

Monday, April 21, 2008

Breakfast - why?

The British seem to the the only nation in Europe to favour the "full-English" style hot food fryup for breakfast.

The French occasionally heat up the odd croissant, but its hardly griddle-fresh bacon, sausage, eggs and a fried slice.

The Spanish may push the boat out with a touch of egg & potato based warm tortilla, but it's not "fried, scrambled, poached or boiled sir?" is it?

The Scandinavians basically have a platter of museli, and if they are feeling especially adventurous they spread it on some bread made from cardboard and museli.

But the most puzzling of all are the Germans. Becasue they are basically museli, with a bit of stale bread and - if you are lucky - a thin slice of processed ham and a marginally thicker slice of rubberized cheese.

For a nationality who's culinary approach to every other mean of the day seems to be "we'll have hot grilled, fried or boiled meat for starters, and mains, and desert, and we will have all three with a side order of hot boiled, griled or fried meat on the side please" how did they miss the possibility of a hot meat based breakfast?

Doh!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Air-conditioned bus shelters for Dubai

From Gulf News: Published: May 10, 2006, 00:00

Dubai: Air-conditioned bus shelters, the city's next landmark development, will be ready before next summer.

"Dubai will be the first city in the world to offer the luxury of air-conditioned bus shelters for passengers," said Mattar Al Tayer, Chief Executive of the city's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), at the launching ceremony of the prototype shelter.

"The aim is to lure people into using the city's public transport, and ease the pressure on its crowded roads," he said.

Well, I guess taking more cars off the roads will help the environment.........

Lets just hope that the energy saved is enough to aircondition 800 bus shelters...!.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Anti-Chinese Protests

Britain and France have both been swept by a wave of anti Chinese protests in recent days, linked to the arrival of the 2010 Olympic Flame.

Now, speaking personally I would probably - if pushed - express a slight preference for Curry or Pizza. And I am quite partial to a Thai every now and then.

But even so, actually taking to the streets and protesting against Chinese seems to me to mean that someone is taking it all a bit far.

And particularly for the French to do so is even more bizzarre.

Whilst your average Chinese in France is probably a touch bland, Curries in France are uniformly atrocious - the French should get their priorities right and protest against Indian food if anything.