OneGuyFromBarlick

When i got a 'bit' many years ago it was a plus mark, and as far as i can remember i only 'snaffled' bits after i was married

Not a program but technology. My Freesat box has on demand services, so along with BBC IPlayer, the ITV catchup thingy and 4 and More4 it has a YouTube interface. I have just found the paring services hidden in the YouTube search. As my box is is plugged into my router for the other on demand services you can enter a paring code that the Freesat box generates. This then allows you to choose any YouTube video on your computer or any other device connected to your WiFi and play it directly on the TV. Ideal for some of the longer video's and films. I found a belting one that I have bookmarked on the history and roots of Doo Wop groups, about an hour and a half of harmony heaven.

My old Freesat box is definitely dated and I'm considering changing to the latest model.
Last night I watched the programme on Sherpas on BBC4, fascinating watch. I loved the kids walking 2 hours to school and 2 1/2 hours back because of the climb. Makes the 'school run' in the 4x4 look stupid doesn't it! I'll bet those kids are far fitter. We forget how mollycoddled we are.....

Enjoyed Brian Cox on time travel last night. Clear and interesting explanations of very complicated matters.

A brilliant programme, thoroughly enjoyed it, especially with the extra bits where he met Dr Who! A pity they had to give over the audience in the Royal Institution to celebrities, they should have let the kids in instead. I happen to be reading a book published by the Royal Institution (RI) in the 1970s on Sir Humphry Davy so it was good to hear Brian Cox talking about him and his assistant. Michael Faraday. The RI was established by Count Rumford in 1799 and the initial objective was to provide expositions of science and technical subjects for ordinary folk who could come in off the street. It started very well but quickly began to run out of funds and was saved by the arrival of Davy a couple of years after the start whose lectures combined exciting experiments with a gift for explaining phenomena. It saved the RI but unfortunately Davy became a celebrity and then the aristocracy and other celebs began to take all the seats - no more room for the man (or especially woman) off the street. Still, it continued to serve a useful role and in recent decades has held its regular children's lectures,

Now here's a bit of interesting information found while reading about Humphry Davy. We've mentioned several times on OG about how warring nations in the past often managed to carry on trading while their military were fighting each other...Krupps selling shells, German aircraft powered by Rolls Royce engines and so on. Here's an earlier example of unexpected communication in time of war. During the Napoleonic Wars the French Emperor set up an annual award for the best research into galvanism (electricity) with a view to encouraging his scientists to invent things that could help the French economy and war effort. In 1806 Davy published brilliant new work on galvanism...and Napoleon gave him the award for that year! Then in 1813 Davy's latest big discovery led to him being invited to tour Europe and give lectures - even though European countries were in the middle of war with armies pushing back and forth. The British government granted Davy a passport to travel in Europe and he went to several countries...including France.

While in Paris, one of the famous French scientists of the time, Ampere, told Davy about a new substance that he was trying to isolate from seaweed. Davy immediately went to a laboratory and within two days had isolated the substance and named it iodine. Not surprisingly, the French scientists were a bit put out by this! As soon as Davy got back to Britain he was told about a mining disaster at Gateshead where 92 men and boys were killed by explosion of firedamp (methane gas) ignited by the candles used to light the mines. He tackled the job straight away and within two weeks had invented the miner's safety lamp for which he's best know. He refused to take out a patent on the invention saying he preferred it to be freely available worldwide.

And unfortunately George Stephenson made the invention of the safety lamp at the same time. (LINK) but Davey got in first and since then it has been the Davey Safety Lamp. Smiles covers the controversy in 'Lives of the Engineers'.

George didn't stand much chance when the Royal Society stepped in and declared that Davy had done the work that proved the invention was viable as well as actually making the lamp. But then Davy was their poster boy by that stage and became President of the Society (after Joseph Banks who had a good run of 40 years).

I watched the Panorama programme about the death squads in Belfast during the troubles and my mind went back to the time when John Stalker was sent Ireland to investigate reports that there was a 'shoot to kill' policy in operation. His preliminary findings were that such a policy was indeed in operation. The reaction from the government was to stop the investigation, bring him back home and as we have learned since, by a series of dirty tricks implicated him in a totally spurious 'scandal' which resulted in him being dismissed from the police service and eventually writing another book, 'The Poisoned Tree' that laid out the whole sorry story. Incidentally a prominent business man who lived near Bury was bankrupted in the process and later got redress. This would appear to be another evidence of the fact that John Stalker got it right and we shouldn't forget what government was prepared to do to protect its version of the affair.
Incidentally, one of the army personnel interviewed was Tony le Tissier. Members with good memories might remember that after reading my account of guarding the prisoners at Spandau Gaol he contacted me because he had written a book about Spandau in later days. It was Tony that told me just who it was we were guarding in a private house in the diplomatic quarter of the British Zone in the bitter winter of 1955 (with no ammunition for our rifles!). It was Princess Margaret. (More name-dropping!)

Just watched" Lucan " on ITV. I like a good mystery. Well made I thought, and quite convincing - except that I once saw "Aspers" - John Aspinall, playing with his gorillas in the cage at Howletts Zoo Park, near Canterbury, and he didn't look a bit like the actor who played him. I'll be watching part two though.

I recorded it David. What I noticed as I switched channels to ITV was a snatch of the end of 'I'm a celebrity...' Why does anyone watch stuff like that?

I've just ordered the book - The Gamblers by John Pearson, on which the TV programme Lucan is based.

Second episode of Lucan tonight.... Recorded the last two parts of Tinker, Tailor on BBC 4 last night. A treat in store, Alec Guinness was superb in the role of Smiley.

Watched the recorded Tinker Tailor last night. Brilliant screenplay of a very complicated book. Alec Guinness was superb.

Watched the recorded second part of Lucan and then the Cop's Story on the great train robbery. Both good programmes and I enjoyed them. The bloke who played Superintendent Butler was wonderfully well cast. Definitely a 'lived in' face!

Following Harry Potter again. I see that ITV are screening both parts of HP and the Deathly Hallows at New Year. Good, I haven't seen that one.

Not TV but R4. If you want a real treat go to Listen Again and find 'What Big Teeth you have' It was on from 6 till 7 on Christmas Day and is the most wonderful programme about Grimm's Fairy Tales. Well worth listening to!

Looking forward to the network premier of Part 1 of Deathly Hallows this evening.

Enjoyed part one of DH last night. Looking forward to the second part at New Year.

Never watched HP but Daniel Radcliffe was on QI last night and he's a real smug little git who tried to pretend that the answers he was fed came from his own knowledge. Don't like him at all. Nolic

I looked at Mrs Brown's Boys last night. I read it was the second most watched programme over Christmas. I turned it off after about two minutes following repeated use of the f word. I was alone, so no family embarasment, but didn't feel comfortable with it. Am I out of touch? Is this normal speech now? Include me out.

No! I accidentally saw a few minutes of that programme while changing channels and I agree with you entirely. Not only the swearing but the crude 'humour'. I suppose it is Lowest Common Denominator TV and if so it's sad.

We're seeing the start of what will become a tidal wave of programmes on WW1. I have to say I have not been impressed by the way most are covering the conflict. Over dramatised like many 'historical' dramas we have seen of late. A notable exception is Jeremy Paxman's treatment, I watched the second programme last night. Historically correct, low key delivery and it's concentrating up to now on the facts and the social aspects.

Just read your post Tripps. I'm starting to think I may be a little unusual because I really don't like foul language in conversation or hearing it on the street etc., but Mrs Browns Boys really makes me laugh, Billy Connelly does too. It's not the words of course it's the comedy, but if someone was using those words on me I would feel a bit threatened I think. ??

Tripps wrote:I looked at Mrs Brown's Boys last night. I read it was the second most watched programme over Christmas. I turned it off after about two minutes following repeated use of the f word. I was alone, so no family embarasment, but didn't feel comfortable with it. Am I out of touch? Is this normal speech now? Include me out.

I'm with you all the way Tripps on this matter. The foul language isn't necessary and there's no need to offend people, even if we are in a minority now (and I'm not sure we are). There's always those who claim that it's needed for `reality' but I don't see how that works in a comedy.