Share your numbers

You know how sometimes you hear about a new gadget or piece of software, and you know it's going to gobble up hours of your life?

Google spreadsheets.

Youth norms and media catalysts

Young people in Scotland are picking up a cockney dialect from EastEnders. They don't know they're doing it, and they don't like the accent, but it's happening just the same, according to researchers at Glasgow University.

Close-up and landscape photoblog

Lost in pixels

He's back

If decorating your entire bedroom in the style of Mario is too much, the little fellow is back in new adventures for the Nintendo DS, out today.

Reach for the golden coins

Someone's decorated their bedroom to replicate Super Mario Land.

Egg hurlers

The first ever World Egg Throwing Championships were held in the Lincolnshire village of Swaton at the weekend. Congratulations to turkey farmers Andrew McKay and Nigel Tiffin from New Zealand, who threw a massive 72 metres. Still a way to go before they beat the world record of 99 metres, set in Texas in 1978.

Related sporting numbers:

72 metres = the height of the BBC overhead camera at Wimbledon

99 metres = the height of the wine-glass-shaped Western Docks Tower in Frankfurt, where France will play Brazil in the World Cup Quarter-Finals on July 1st. (The match is in Frankfurt. Not in the tower. That wouldn't work.)

Rubbish burglar

In Thailand, a burglar has been arrested after breaking into a shop to steal bear. He was interrupted by the owner, so he hid. And drank. And fell asleep. The noise of his snoring gave him away.

Laptops rule

Laptops outsold desktop PCs for the first time last year, according to PC World

Chaos

Favourite design for a mug.

And it's packaged up in a tin can.

They're a bit tricky to track down but you can enjoy a look at the range on the wholesaler's website here.

England's most successful manager

Although watching England in the World Cup isn't as fun as we were expecting (in fact, isn't fun at all), Sven is - by one yardstick at least - our most successful manager ever. He's won 61% of the 67 games we've played since he took over in 2001, which is one point more than Sir Alf.

The full table:

1 Sven Goran Eriksson (2001-06) Played 67 Won 41, 61.2%
2. Sir Alf Ramsey (1963-74) P113 W69, 61.1%
3. Glenn Hoddle (1996-99) P28 W17, 60.7%
4. Ron Greenwood (1977-82) P55 W33, 60%
5= Walter Winterbottom (1946-62) P139 W78, 56.1%
5= Sir Bobby Robson (1982-90) P95 W47, 49.5%
7 Don Revie (1974-77) P29 W14, 48.3%
8 Terry Venables (1995-96) P23 W11, 47.8%
9 Graham Taylor (1990-93) P38 W18, 47.3%
10 Kevin Keegan (1999-2000) P18 W7, 38.8%

Non-stick rollers rotate continuously

Hot dogs at home. It's the little canopy I love.

Scooby Doo's van comes to London

The British International Motor Show is back in London next month, and 250 famous cars will parade through London to mark the event. Austin Powers' mini, Scooby Doo's van and Lara Croft's Land Rover will all head through the capital, along with vintage cars from every decade in the last hundred years. Jodie Kidd will be fronting the event, with 100,000 people expected.

Happy New Nettle

England has a new plant. It's a nettle, and it was found next to a wall by the Lloyds Bank in Warwick. The "membranous nettle" hails from Mediterranean countries, and the seeds probably got here either on the wheels of a lorry from the continent, or in the bottom of a packing crate.

Number One Super Guy

80s clothing from Truffle Shuffle. (That's Hong Kong Phooey in the picture.)

American social trends

Americans have fewer friends than they had 20 years ago. The average American had three close friends in 1984. Now it's two. The test for a "friend" is someone you'd discuss important matters with. Family members are spending more time at work, and new technology is making people view their social networks differently. More from the authors of the study here.

Patterns, mazes and Freud

Plenty of fun and games (including a very smart Colour Picker which picks up photos from Flickr) from Krazy Dad

New bug

DAB radio The Bug is getting a titanium facelift.

Places and nature photo-blog

Sabinche

Pay by finger

A convenience story in Florida has introduced a biometric way to pay. When you get to the till, you just produce your finger, and one fingerprint later you're done. More here.

iToilet

It's an ipod dock with an integrated toilet roll holder.

I'm not convinced that it enhances the ipod's looks.

World Cup column of the week

Here

Light tonight

Yep, it's definitely the summer solstice

Stonehenge in numbers

Age of Stonehenge: 5,000
Number of people there first thing this morning: 17,000
Time they saw the sun rise: 4.58
Continuous number of minutes it rained on them: 60
Hours until Christmas at the time of writing: 4,293

Heroes

The Independent has produced a list of the best ever superheroes:

Flash Gordon
Daredevil
Blade
The Human Torch
Silver Surfer
Spiderman
Batman
Green Cross Code Man (my favourite)
Superman
The Thing
Captain Marvel
Captain America
Captain Canuck
Tank Girl
Hellboy
Professor X
The Hulk
Judge Dredd (my second favourite)
Wonder Woman
The Invisible Woman

Wake up you sleepy head

This is what Folgers Coffee can do for you. May it bring you joy.

I want one of those

Almost everything at www.iwantoneofthose.com is fantastic. I think I'll have the silent drum kit. Or maybe the tiny annoying one which isn't at all silent.

Changing times

See how four residents of Iowa have changed in the last twenty years, here

Better late than never

An 84 year old man in a nursing home in East Sussex was rummaging through the pockets of an old coat the other day, and came across a speeding ticket from 1952. He'd been travelling in Philadelphia, and got stopped doing 55 in a 35 limit. The fine was a fiver, and he's paid it, 54 years late. He says his conscience is now clear.

Relax

Just came across this website devoted to the 80s. It's contemporary rather than nostalgic, but the design is very, well, 80s.

Groucho

Favourite Groucho Marx quote:

Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... Well, I have others

More here

Photo-blog from the air

Aerial photography. (Check "Previous Posts" on the right of the blog when it opens.)

FDR

Alistair Cooke's account of how America responded to the death of Roosevelt in 1945, from a rediscovered manuscript published in Saturday's Guardian.

Father's Day

(From http://misscellania.com)

Top Ten Things You'll Never Hear A Dad Say

10. Well, how about that?... I'm lost! Looks like we'll have to stop and ask for directions.
9. You know, Pumpkin, now that you're thirteen, you'll be ready for unchaperoned car dates. Won't that be fun?
8. I noticed that all your friends have a certain "up yours" attitude ... I like that.
7. Here's a credit card and the keys to my new car -- GO CRAZY.
6. What do you mean you wanna play football? Figure skating not good enough for you, son?
5. Your mother and I are going away for the weekend ... you might want to consider throwing a party.
4. Well, I don't know what's wrong with your car. Probably one of those doo-hickey thingies -- you know -- that makes it run or something. Just have it towed to a mechanic and pay whatever he asks.
3. No son of mine is going to live under this roof without an earring -- now quit your belly-aching, and let's go to the mall.
2. Whaddya wanna go and get a job for? I make plenty of money for you to spend.
1. Father's Day? aahh -- don't worry about that -- it's no big deal.

Cuff-links

How to make cuff-links out of computer network cables

GSOH

Good headteachers tell funny jokes, say the children at a Northampton School in this Times Educational Supplement job ad. (They're right.)

Hi-tech Feng Shui

At first I thought this was a spoof, but maybe not. In an online column from the New Scientist, news that Motorola are developing a PDA which will help to Feng Shui your house. The article also includes the link to the actual patent which Motorola have taken out.

Sleep

Research says the ideal amount of sleep per night is eight hours and six minutes.

Motty

Favourite John Motson quotes:

"Nearly all the Brazilian supporters are wearing yellow
shirts - it's a fabulous kaleidoscope of colour. "

"The goals made such a difference to the way this game
went. "

"The World Cup is a truly international event. "

"And Seaman, just like a falling oak, manages to change
direction. "

Global market

Guess how many members eBay now has.

200 million.

How lawyers earn their money

A judge in Orlando is making two lawyers settle a dispute by playing a game of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors.'

The man from the American Rock Paper Scissors League hopes that they will show the game some respect.

I wish I was an astronaut with flowers in my hair

A friend recommends the National Space Centre in Leicester for a fun day out, even for very young children.

Stunning photoblog

Daily Dose Of Imagery

Posters

Latest random website discovery - www.allposters.com who say they're "The world's largest poster and print store". Sheer minutes of pleasure spent rummaging through their collection. Here's their Coffee Humour page.

Appleberry

Don't count on it, but a business analyst with a good track record reckons that Apple and Research In Motion - the people behind the Blackberry - could be getting together to make a combined tunes-and-email device.

The last train to Shoreditch

It's the first time since 1994 that a tube station has shut for good, and no-one told me. Shoreditch was ditched on Friday. So long and thanks for all the trains.

Steve Coogan returns

Steve Coogan's new sitcom Saxondale starts its run later this month. It's set in Stevenage, which has got the good people of Hertfordshire looking on the bright side.

Novelty quantities

It takes over 39,000 gallons of water to make a new car. More novelty water quantities here.

Canadian nature photoblog

Eyes on my fingers

Scatter, it's Cliff

The Local Government Association is reported to be considering a new policy to disperse rowdy youths in public places. Play them Cliff Richard. It worked in Sidney with Barry Manilow.

(Meaning that they played Barry Manilow to the youths, not that Barry himself was being rowdy down under.)

Respect.

Alastair and Hazel

Alastair Campbell sparks debate with his World Cup blog, hosted on the Labour Party website. Here he is, speaking his mind about female columnists writing about football:

Within a matter of few days, we will have that four yearly rash of women newspaper columnists suddenly imagining that the world needs to know their views on Ronaldinho, or how confused they get that there is a Ronaldo playing for Brazil and another playing for Portugal, who have a Brazilian manager who almost came to England but it never happened because England have to have an English manager but isn't it very confusing because at the moment they have a Swede in charge with a glamorous girlfriend and what a coincidence that England will play Sweden in the opening stages. Blah, blah, blah. Memo to columnists who have never been to a football match - we don't care what you think. Take a holiday.

And within hours, in floods a response from Hazel Blears.

Great blog Alastair, but hang on a minute. Loads of women know a huge amount about football and thousands of them are out in Germany backing our team.
Come on England!
Hazel
x
Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP
Labour Member of Parliament for Salford & Labour Party Chair

England 1 - 0 Paraguay

We've beaten the team from the only country in the world whose flag is different on the front and back.

Three lions

Here we go then. The tournament's under way, England are on this afternoon, and before it's all over, 29 billion people around the world will have watched. The FIFA and FA sites are both smart, but if it's all beyond you, from CBS comes The Ignorant American's Guide To The World Cup.

Wrong answer. Guess again.

An Amsterdam driver told police that he was doing double the speed limit in a built-up zone because he had just washed his car and wanted to get it dry.

Science as art

The 2006 Art Of Science competition

The world's funniest joke

Apparently this research came out in 2002 but I must have missed it. At the end of a year- long project, scientists established that this joke, which has now been traced back to an original gag by Spike Milligan, is the funniest in the world:

Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps: 'My friend is dead! What can I do?'

The operator says: 'Calm down, I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead.'

There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says: 'OK, now what?'

Cliff swears

More from our source on the next Gordon Ramsay series. Sir Cliff Richard will use a jolly rude word on television, riled by the suggestion that he doesn't know his wine. I'll be shocked.

Italian photoblog

Solofoto

What not to crochet

Honestly. That's what this is.

Smile, you're in big trouble

Most people look pretty glum, when they're having their mug shot taken in custody. Not these people, who put on their best smiles for the camera.

Gordon and John

Radio 4's John Humphrys is a guest on the next Gordon Ramsay series. They'll be cooking curry together. It's already been filmed, and insiders say that the happy rapport between the two went downhill when Gordon asked John if he's ever seen Charlotte Green naked.

Liven up your white goods

You know how you've always wanted your dishwasher to have a picture of apples on the front? Well, now you can. Also available with strawberries, lemons, leaves and coffee beans.

Your genes are fired

The entrepreneurial spirit isn't just about your experiences and your upbringing. It's in your genes, according to new research.

Big questions in history

Another book I'm meaning to buy. Big Questions In History tackles issues which look almost too big to handle. So we can just relax and leave twenty of the best historians to do all the work for us.

By the end of the book, you'll how religious movements spread, why wars start, and what makes a good leader. All in 350 paperback pages.

Tart pincher

A headline from NBC - enticing and scrupulously legal. They've filed it under Food.

"Alleged Pop-Tart Thief Hit By Truck And Van During Getaway"

Crime never pays.

Online weather

The internet's full of weather sites but this one's quite distinctive. Amongst its selling points - forecasts that are fully written as well as shown graphically, and a detailed forecast by time of day for each of the next seven days. I haven't checked it for reliability (that would just be too dull), but they're also promising a new service starting soon, where you can text them for a forecast of what the weather's going to be like, exactly where you are, for the next fifteen minutes. Handy for knowing whether to take the washing in, presumably.

Smashing

1 in 10 people have broken something in their home while watching previous World Cups, say Tescos in a survey out today. Watch out for your crockery, don't spill beer on the DVD player, and don't kick over the TV in excitement. Here end the top tips.

Promise the earth

Today is World Environment Day - but who cares most about the future of the planet? A new survey suggests it's actually people over the age of 65 who are doing the most to protect the UK environment. 92% of them recycle, and 79% choose energy-saving light bulbs. They're also better at conserving water. Younger people have good intentions, but don't actually do so much.

Shredding scissors

No need to mess around with those newfangled eletrical things. These scissors have five blades. You cut, you shred. As an expert in Japanese, I can tell you from reading this page, where the scissors can be bought, that they weigh 125g.

Words

Get a word a day from the Oxford English Dictionary. Here's an example, and you can sign up to have them delivered to your inbox every morning here.

Surge

It's a new toy from Guinness. Fill your glass with Guinness from a special Surger can, pop it onto your Surger device, press the button, and the creamy head will form whilst you watch.

You end up with a pint of Guinness as good as you'd get in a pub.

Monkey news

You may know "Monkey News" as a Karl Pilkington creation on the Ricky Gervais podcast. It's not the only one. From Washington's news station WTOP comes their own Monkey News.

It's got monkey links and everything.

Their explanation? "Back when our fearless News Director Mike McMearty was an editor and he thought the news in a particular hour was too depressing, he would do a search for the word 'monkey' to find a story to lighten things up."

Coffee coke

France has got it, America's got it, and we could be getting it soon. It's a blend of coke and coffee.

I'd love to tell you more, but I'd sound like a press release.

Oh, OK then. It's an invigorating blend of the effervescent taste sensation of Coca-Cola and real coffee. The light carbonated, mid-calorie beverage is designed to appeal to adult consumers. It's not just a flavour extension; it's a blend of unique Coke refreshment with the true essence of coffee, with a smooth texture and rich coffee-like froth when poured.

May on Motors

James May from Top Gear is doing publicity for his new book - I heard him on Oneword giving a self-deprecating, witty interview including a couple of extracts. It's a compilation of his newspaper columns, and it may be the longest thing we'll see him publish, as he says he finds the process of writing complete torture.

All of which led me for the first time to the Top Gear website - well worth a quick five minutes if you're a fan of the show.

Hook, Draco or the Big Bad Wolf

Vote for your favourite villain from children's books at www.bigbadread.co.uk.

If your biggest baddie isn't on their list, you can email it in to Bloomsbury, and there's also a selection of favourite villains chosen by children's authors.

Eat it

At the moment, there are no direct flights from Taiwan to China. They're banned. There's a bill going through the Taiwan parliament to get this changed, but it's controversial. So controversial, in fact, that Wang Shu-hui from the Democratic Progressive Party was determined to put a stop to it. When it was being debated on the floor of their legislative house, she ate the proposal.

Her opponents tried to get her to spit it out. It didn't go well.

There's a photo of her, with the proposal in her mouth, here.

Theo

Theo Walcott, interviewed in this morning's Guardian

Light

I'm a sucker for great reviews. The mood lamp is, they say, a thing of great joy. The website promises that it will "create an almost infinite palette of colours to satisfy your every mood". And apparently it does.

Photoblog

Through the lens

Mona Lisa speaks

Scientists have worked out just how Mona Lisa's voice must have sounded, based on the physical characteristics of her head. They reckon they've got it 90% right. Apparently, because she had quite a wide face and a pointed chin, she's more likely to have had a lower-pitched voice.

If you want to hear the results, click here. (Link opens in a new window.) Go for the "Play" button underneath the portrait, and sit through the Japanese Microsoft ad, then eventually you'll hear her. If you listen all the way through, Leonardo himself will speak to you, and then there's an interview with the scientist who's done the work. (In Japanese. No idea what he's saying, but he's wearing a white lab coat, which obviously helps to authenticate his work.)

Books I'm meaning to read

There's a long, long list of books I'll get round to buying and reading one day. This is one of them. Clouds, apparently, are great, and by the end of The Cloudspotter's Guide, you'll love them.

And if more proof is needed, look again at the cloud up on the right, next to my name. How could you not love it?

Desktop wallpaper

Happy new month. This month's Ordnance Survey desktop wallpaper calendar is a shot of the village of Castle Combe in Wiltshire.

Undeniably high inflation

A new note goes into circulation in Zimbabwe today. The 100,000 dollar note will buy you a loaf of bread. Inflation's running at 1043%.

The picture on the left is their 500 dollar note, which presumably doesn't get out much any more. Please don't try to print it out and spend it. That would be illegal. And only worth 0.3 pence.