Recently in NothingInParticular Category

Much has been written on the darkside of the web for job applicants, how employers may find your Facebook profile and read of that drunken student exploit, or of political view they disagree with, or to cross-check your CV for those little *ahem* embellishments.

I recently went looking for some Coltrane music to add to my collection, I guess prompted by this review which highly recommended First Meditations. This was recorded by the classic "Love Supreme" quartet, before it broke up and the tracks were re-recorded with Pharoah Sanders' primeval additions. It was not authorised for release by John Coltrane himself but later released by his wife. Since Love Supreme is one of my all time favourites (and I don't normally do favourites) it had to be worth listening to another recording by this band at the peak of their creativity.

Tamzin got a new basket at the Cotswold Show

I must have had hundreds of in-ear headphones by now, you know, so-called "ear-buds". So what I'd like to know is ...

I've never been a great fan of being buried. I basically felt it was a bit of a waste of space. It takes up a rather large volume for rather a long time for no real benefit to anyone.

But in completely contradictory way, I do like gravestones. Even before I started researching my family history I always liked reading the memorial stones in graveyards.

Of course, you can have a memorial stone without being buried, by being cremated and interring your ashes. But cremation, whilst space efficient, doesn't seem very ecological, expecially in these times of concern about greenhouse gases. Releasing trapped heavy metals (from your fillings, for example) isn't brilliant either. And it does seem a bit of a waste of potential nutrient value in the body.

So I was fascinated to read about promession. Basically, they freeze dry your body and then dip it in liquid nitrogen. You are then so brittle that it is very easy to disassemble you into a fine powder, a bit like these shattered roses. As usual, chemical and biological processes work a lot quicker on finely divided materials, so all the messy business is done in 6-12 months. I'm a great fan of composting.

Just been up the farmshop. Got some of this:

The reason it's not a pristine bar is that it's delicious. But I think it would also be an effective method to tame chocolate over-consumption.

I have to be honest, I stole it from a radio program I happened to catch part way through on the way to work. I have no idea what it was called, but a screenwriter is protesting at having to re-edit a screenplay in Hollywood. His agent finally persuades him and he returns to the task with these words. It struck a chord on many levels and so I have borrowed. it. I like the ironic feel it has when applied to my home automation stuff.