On Bush becoming more unpopular:
* purchase Arsenal FC, sell it to Malcolm Glaser
* appoint Gary Bettman as Sports Guy Secretary
* outlaw bling bling on NBA benches
* record a Bill Shatner-esque album with Leonard Nimoy
* produce U.S. version of "Coronation Street"
* invade Hans Island

Cheese <b>is</b> compelling. Like Mount Everest <b>is</b>.
I predict cheese to be the next big thing.

I've long been a fan of Stinking Bishop. It apparently gets a mention in the Wallace & Grommit film. Because of the mention, the man that makes it can't keep up with demand, so there is a bit of a shortage. I hope it doesn't last too long. Apparently he's a small producer that doesn't want to grow because he's happy with his lot. What a nice way to be, and such wonderful cheese.

You put something in your mouth labelled as "Stinking Bishop"?

In 'A close Shave' Wallace mentions Wensleydale cheese at the end. I heard several years ago that the factory was about to close for lack of interest and sales, and the movie apparently saved the cheese! See link below

http://www.wensleydale.co.uk/

Wallace and Gromit are my heros....or maybe I mean Nick Park.

The next big thing I would like to see is advances in transportation. I think we've got the communications thing pretty much licked. And the Segway is only a marginal advancement on the Mo-ped. Now, what about a transporter beam like they have on Star Trek? Or a fax machine that delivers pizza?

I want a personal computer that prints out cash so you can engage in transactions without providing personal information along with the transaction.

I recently read physicist Brian Greene's "Fabric of the Cosmos" and he touched on teleportation slightly - aside from the massive amount of information that you'd need to transmit (the spin of every particle), he thinks its possible, in theory. In response to the question 'would the teleported person really be you or some doppleganger?' he responds that an electron spinning this way over here is exactly the same as another electron spinning the same way over there, so yes it would be you once they're all reassembled. So, aside from the vast data retrieval, storage and transmission problem, it is doable (you just need enormous frickin' pattern buffers!).

Saw a piece in the paper this morning about a pilot project (in Saskatoon or Winnipeg?) where parking meters were phone-only -- you park in the spot, there is a four-digit code on the meter, you call a number with your cell-phone (sorry, 'mobile') and enter the code, then you call and enter it again when you leave, and the company bills you through your phone company. I'm not calling this a big advance, just a something new (to me).

Speaking of cheese, I miss cheddar cheese. It's very hard to find good cheddar here in Hungary. And I miss fibre, which is also hard to find.

Obviously, President Bush's approval rating is the currently the lowest it has ever been. I recently saw a report, however, that suggests his rating is not as low as it <i>could</i> be.

According to the Common Dreams Newsletter, "<i>...even at his current low point, Bush outscores every other recent president's low point since John Kennedy, who bottomed out with a 56 percent approval rating. Richard Nixon holds the modern record for the lowest approval rating - 24 percent - during the Watergate scandal that forced his resignation.

"Bush's father, whose approval high was 89 percent after the Persian Gulf War, saw his rating plummet to 29 percent amid an economic downturn. Jimmy Carter sank to 28 percent at his low point.</i>"

Interestingly, when asked what issue they're most concerned about, most people polled pointed to petrol prices. (A bit of easy alliteration I couldn't resist - sorry!) So, what the boss could do to get rid of those last few positive points would be to find a way to further <i>increase</i> the price of gas.

Will Rove be indicted?

Quite right Brian. Our favorite son, former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, hit 12% somewhere around 1992.

I like the phone-in parking meter idea, but that's because I have a cell phone. What about people who don't? Does this mean they can't park?

Years ago - by which I mean years ago - there was a coke machine you phoned from your cell phone being tested.

Are we not all entitled to our entitlments? Thanks David Dingwal. Peace out.

That park-by-phone pilot is in Saskatoon. I doubt Winnipeg would've thought of that kind of idea.

Article from the National Post: http://tinyurl.com/9kbm3

Oh! And you can listen to an <i>All Things Considered</i> interview with the fellow who makes Stinking Bishop in Gloucestershire. I heard it on an NPR podcast; the guy didn't sound thrilled by the movie's effect on his business.

The pop machine was in Finland and it was early 2000.