Angler's Quest Deluxe Fishing Simulator
Can there be any future for a civilization which allows anyone to design, manufacture and sell these.. and then allows other people to buy them ?

"Reel them in with this deluxe virtual reality fishing simulator.
The Angler's Quest Deluxe Virtual Fishing Simulator is the most luxurious way to go fishing without getting your feet wet. The cabinet is made from a beautiful hardwood finish which makes this game look right at home in your private entertainment room. The game includes all the features of the arcade version plus some high quality extras that make this game extra fun."

Rinus Michels RIP
The death of the Dutch "father of Total Football" has spawned some great comment on his life and achievments in football, and the revolution that was and is "total football".
These articles in the Guardian are all worth reading:

Fearless father of Total Football - Kevin McCarra
'The greatest coach I played for - everybody looked up to him' - Hans van Breukelen
Obituary by Brian Glanville - Rinus Michels Renowned Dutch soccer coach whose 'total football' concept took his team to victory

My dad took me to see England vs Holland in a 1975 friendly at Wembley. I was 10 at the time, and didn't really apreciate the fact that I was watching Cryuff, Neskens, Resenbrink, Krol, Rep etc. I'm not sure if Michels was the manager then... but it was still his team and and his style... Holland won 2-0 with goals from a guy called Jan Peters... who i think was not in the squad by the time of the 1978 World Cup.
I do remember I loved their Orange shirts !
I was also present for the Euro 96 (Alison bought the tickets) match at Wembley... when England out total-football'd the Dutch... marvellous !

Tony Visconti on the 30TH ANNIVERSARY Young Americans Release
bowie news
Visconti recently remixed for 5.1 the 2 70's live albums (Live & Stage) - as well as the more recent Bowie albums. This news article has some nice quotes from Visconti and an extract from a contemporary music press piece. Nice.

All the tracks have been mixed from the master tapes to 96khz high definition digital audio. That translates to 'freakin' scary' quality. Mr. Bowie is front and center, but the backing is now spread 360º with Mr. Vandross hovering over your left shoulder for most of the album. John Lennon's six string acoustic is almost entirely in the right rear speaker on "Across The Universe" and you just might hear a comment from him when the song is over. What really brought it home to me was how great David's vocals were, and a lot of them were live takes with him standing in the same room as the band at Sigma Studios in Philadelphia.

Now all i need to do is invest in some 5.1 suround sound gear... oh, and a bigger house with a suitably sized room !