Inspired by Nick, I’ve had a go at making a Doctor Who scratch video. The soundtrack is ABBA’s Happy New Year; most of the footage comes from the 1996 Paul McGann TV movie – now, gosh, ten years old. You can see it (on broadband only, I suspect) at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2lqivhz9gE.

And wasn’t The Impossible Planet great? I’m not blogging reviews of this series of Doctor Who, but I can’t not say how good it was. Properly suspenseful, well made, “base-under siege” adventure. Fingers crossed that the second part lives up to the first.

My home broadband is from a company called Madasafish. While that may not seem immediately promising, they’re as fast as BT – since they use the same exchanges – and cheaper. The normal price is £17.99 a month, but you get the first six months at £11.99 a month, so the first year (which is as much as you need to sign up for) average at £14.99. It’s not unlimited usage, but you get 5Gb inclusive each month, and it’s £2 for each additional gigabyte. I’ve found them very good value for money even though I sometimes go over the download threshold. There’s also a pricier account that comes with 20Gb. The couple of times I’ve used their customer support they’ve been very helpful and polite and sorted out any problems quickly.

Why I am writing this? Because if you sign up using this link (or an ad on this blog), they’ll credit your account with £10 and give me £20. So it’s in my interest to get you signed up 🙂

While I’m at it, here are a couple of genealogy recommendations which I don’t get paid for. Ancestry now have the 1841 census online, meaning that all seven England & Wales censuses from 1841 to 1901 are now available through their site. There is a subscription fee, but if you’re doing a lot of research it’s well worth it.

Another source for genealogical research is the Society of Genealogists. It’s not cheap to join, but members get a quarterly magazine, some free credits for Origins, and, most importantly, free access to the Society library in London, which is full of useful resources, especially parish registers.

My goodness, has it been over two months? You must be chomping at the bit for more Dewey Decimal updates. A bumper selection is only fair recompense. These numbers come from various sets of subject mappings.

• “Ample size” says the estate agent: Advertising–Dollhouses – 659.197455923
• For Peter Jackson: King Kong films – 791.4375
• For Dario Argento: Blood in motion pictures – 791.436561
• For Peter Jackson: Hobbits (Fictitious characters)/Baggins, Bilbo (Fictitious character) – 791.4375
• For sheer unrealism: Scientists in motion pictures – 791.4366
• For John Boorman: Banjo music (Bluegrass) – 787.881642
• For the sake of it: Accountants in motion pictures – 791.43656
• The Line of Beautyest number: Gay bathhouses – 306.77086642
• What you get reading this blog: Excited delirium syndrome – 616.8
• Making offensive crop circles: Agroterrorism – 363.3259632
• Good way to get singed: Fire twirling – 791.6
• They teach on the catwalk: Stochastic models – 003.76
• I think this is me: Generation Y – 305.2
• In the news: Roadside memorials – 363.125
• Most self-referential number: Dewey (Fictitious character: Disney) – 741.5973
• Most confused number: Internalized homophobia in lesbians – 306.7663
• Erm, sheds made of netting?: Net sheds – 639.2
• You should’ve seen the one that got away: Nymph fishing – 799.124
• Not Melvyn’s style but important physicsy stuff: Bragg gratings – 621.38275
• No, not the probe!: Human-alien encounters in literature – 808.8037
• For counting oysters: Oyster surveys – 333.9554111
• X-Men 3est number: Phoenix (Mythical bird) in art – 704.947
• Longish number: Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena, Calif.) – 796.33206879493
• Another longish number: Gay youths’ writings – 808.89928308664
• An even longer number: Liquid crystal display industry – 338.476213815422
• A very long number: London Terrorist Bombings, London,
  England, 2005 – 363.3259388409421209051
• A very, very long number: Fire Fighters’ Dispute, Great Britain, 2002-2004 – 331.89281363370941090511

Bromley LibDems have selected local councillor Ben Abbotts as their candidate for the pending Bromley & Chis by-election. I recall delivering leaflets with Ben in Orpington prior to the general election and he seemed a thoroughly nice chap – best of luck to him. He was our PPC in Sevenoaks at the last election and succeeded in overtaking Labour to move into second place in that seat.

The LibDem by-election HQ is now open on Bromley High Street.