Headline on the sports section:

GOLDEN OLDIE
Clarke wins open at 42.....

Cheers guys
Mark Godden (age 54, still playing hockey regularly)

My GLW has recently had a Significant Birthday and we are spending next weekend in Edinburgh. Where should we go? What should we see? Where should we eat and drink?

She's not interested in record shops. We usually enjoy a mixture of scenery, parks, history, 'culture' and eating.

I would greatly value the Massive's advice.

Thanks

On iTunes now: '50s greatest rock n roll'; 121 tracks for £4.45

Did you? Is your data insured?
http://www.which.co.uk/news/2011/01/insurers-not-covering-downloads--242...

A Good Thing, probably. But did it really affect music sales as much as the music industry claims? I suspect the vast majority of the illegal downloads were in addition to normal purchases, not instead of. Any thoughts?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20020786-261.html

My GLW remembers the words to songs after just one or two hearings, even songs she doesn't really like. I, on the other hand, can't remember the words to songs I've been listening to for 35 years. Is she weird? Am I weird? Or are we both normal?

Anybody else watching 'New York Rock' on BBC4 at the mo? So far we've had New York Dolls (Jet Boys), Patty Smith (Horses, fantastic), Talking Head (psycho Killer), Television (Foxhole) Ramones and now Blondie (I'm always touched...). What more can one ask of a Friday night?

I feel I ought to fill a gap in my education, and want to try bluegrass. Where should I start?

Am I the only punter who gets irritated by encores? These days, every gig you go to comes to an artificial 'end' before the band has played one or two of their most popular songs, and then the audience is expected to whoop, whistle, cheer, clap and stamp their feet until they come back and finish the job. Everybody knows they are going to come back, so why bother?

Surely the point of an encore is for the audience to show their appreciation for something truly extraordinary - and then the band can come back and do something spontaneous - like play Johnny B Goode, or even repeat something they've already played.

Yours
Mr Grumpy

Yes, it's different. Jacko more wacko than usual