"... Then I Shall Blog in the Shade".

First and foremost a big "welcome" to my new niece Chloe, and gigantic congratulations to her Mam and Dad, my brother Alan and his wife Lyndsey. I've always sort of thought that all babies look the same regardless of gender, but I'm taken aback by just how lovely she is- all perfect-looking and little and wrinkly and confused by everything.

Excellent work.

School continues to be constant and fulfilling, wedding plans are continuing apace and the only thing that's really worrying me at the mo is the ever-creeping-closer opening date of All 4 One. The local paper is plugging it (click) and tickets have started selling... but it feels like we're really badly behind schedule. There's nothing worse than an underprepared performance, it's like eating half-cooked food or reading an unfinished book, it just disappoints and makes everyone involved look like a dick. There is still a month and a half to go though, so I won't shit it just yet.

Let's see... was able to have a typically messed-up night with Rob J and Kara last weekend- Big thanks to the former for the Gwar souvenirs (sorry I missed it, dude) and to the both of them for the stunning drinking-game bruise.

That's it for now- very much looking forward to 300 and TMNT this week.

To finish off, let's have a SophieFact-

"During the last year Sophie’s been listening to lots of Goldfrapp, Turin Brakes, Streets, Human League, Prince, and Heart FM".

Ooh!

Before I go, regarding the Cash Money E-Mail Experiment- No responses yet, although I'm still plugging away. I've gotten through quite a bit of marked cash by now, but it's all been in my home town or thereabouts. I've got a plan in mind to widen the distribution area a little, more in the next update. My legal advisors (i.e Laura) are advising me against continuing, what with the technical illegality of marking banknotes, but I really can't see the web police or interpol launching a sting operation on me, particularly not with Pete Townshend still at large.

Mark.

All's Right With the Internet Once More...

... as Harri returns!

Ooh, I Know...

... let's have a picture of Sophie Ellis-Bextor:

There's lovely.

Right, big update over the weekend- loads has happened but I've got literally NO TIME RIGHT NOW.

The Cash Money E-Mail Experiment.

If you saw an e-mail address hand-written on a banknote in your possession, what would you do?

I know what I'd do. I'd mail the fucker. I think lots of other people would too, and with that in mind I'm scrawling my hotmail address on any banknotes that come my way...

...and crossing my fingers that I get something interesting. Any and all responses will be posted here, naturally.

As an interesting aside, when I tried to open the above image in my usual photo program I got this:

... which at first made me reach for my tinfoil hat, worried that tsar Blair was controlling my computer via radio-waves in my fillings. A quick Google, however, taught me about something called the EURion Constellation, a pattern of dots on every banknote that's recognised by commercial printers and scanners, which triggers their blocking mechanisms to prevent counterfeiting- here it is:

That pattern of dots is hidden on every banknote- on the £20 it's disguised as musical notes. If you are considering chancing your arm at counterfeiting though, don't worry too much- there are tutorials all over the place on how to crack the fucker.

I learned something today. I hope you did, too.