Derren Brown's Lottery

I enjoyed Derren Brown's explanation on how the lottery was "predicted" last night. The wisdom of groups thing and especially the automatic writing thing are pure bunkum.

For the group of 24 predicters - did none of them question why at the main draw, and for the first time, it was Derren who did the maths and not someone from their group? So yes - I beleive the group of predictors were lied to.

This is my take:

• We know Derren spoke to Camelot for their agreement to do the stunt - I reckon they agreed to collude with him.
• I don't think there is anything which says the draw has to come from the machine shown live. In fact - when the programme over-runs or is short some draws are made in advance and simply put up on the screen.
• So the draw is run in advance of the TV show following the legal requirements and with the observers. This draw result is passed to Derren after he can buy a ticket, but before the live show.
• The weighted balls are put into the machine and the machine is used simply to publish the draw result of earlier.
• BBC has a legal right to publish the lotery results first. So Derren has to stay quiet (as he said he did). I never bought that a prediction cannot be published in advance, but if Derren knows the draw result he cannot legally publish it himself ahead of the BBC show.

So the clues are all there. The lottery draw isn't rigged, but the live machine is. All stays within the law and Derren does say how it was done in the Friday show.

So what's in it for Camelot? A lot of advertising. I'm willing to bet that lottery sales are up this week and they certainly advertised heavily during Derren's explanation show last night.

Lego Domination

One day robots will take over the world.
It begins here with Lego:

Non-Materialist Neuroscience

Spotted this on the New Scientist website earlier today. It seems the creationists have now declared war on common sense again with another set on non-sequitur arguments.

At least, as is pointed out in the article, this shouldn't have quite the same polluting impact as Intelligent Design. Especially in schools as neuroscience doesn't tend to be on the curriculum.

Scientists are perfectly willing to modify or even throw-away theories if they can be disproved or are superseded. In fact this is the very essence of the scientific method. But please, people, be rigorous in your proof and don't just try and squeeze the facts into your dogma-shaped hole.

Wives and Monarchs

The final version of Wednesday's Evening Standard had the front page headline "Queen in WAG Photos Storm". Apparently there is a huge row about the deal made by The Queen's grandson and his new wife with Hello magazine over photographs of their wedding. They are saying that it cheapens the monarchy to have HMQ displayed in pictures sold in such a commercial manner.

I say apparently, as I've not seen this "row" anywhere else. I can't help thinking that the Standard and the rest of the famously sleb-dependant Associated Newspapers group are more than a little bitter that they were not invited to the party.

The News is Dead, Long Live the News

BBC News have decided to update their branding again (see previous post too). While I can see there is a degree of continuity of design in the titles, I think this version looks a bit too busy and confused. I prefered the previous one.
On a more positive note, and long overdue is the rename of "BBC News 24" to just "BBC News" or, if you insist, the "BBC News Channel". It was always an unwealdy name and struck me as trying a bit too hard to ram its rolling-ness down your throat.
What's nice for branding titles geeks like me is they have posted a veritable wealth of variations:
Here, here, here, here, here and here.

Changing Change

When the competition was first announced for redesigning our coins I fully expected to hate the result. The brief was to come up with something which better reflected a "modern Britain" so I was anticipating something trite and trying far too hard.

I have to say that I like them. The split design is innovative without trying too hard and means we can retain a degree of consistent heritage with the heraldic imagery we've had on our coins for the last ever.

It's also kind of fun that the press and others are already having fun with the images whether that's referring to the new Pound Coin design as the "Jigsaw Box" or nicknaming a Twenty Pence piece as a "Lion's Arse". The nicknames are something which has been lacking since decimalisation in 1971 so I hope that some stick, however crass.

As ever change is not without some controversy. It's a shame that there's no specific design for Wales as while we lose the old Two Pence Prince of Wales feathers. Britannia's loss is something else which some papers have been wailing about. However - the existing coins are not being withdrawn. They can last for decades so Britannia Fifty-pences will be around for a long while yet. I'd also be surprised if we don't end up with Britannia appearing again. Perhaps on a redesigned Two Pound coin using the brilliant new Britannia design currently appearing on the Mint's collector's coin for an ounce of silver. One thing which does puzzle (rather than bother) me is the fact that words have been chosen for the value in each case rather than figures. It will rely on everyone using them knowing English, at least for those few words.

Faith and Truth I Will Bear Unto You

Following Lord Goldsmith's report on British Citizenship there has been a lot of coverage in the press asking if, as suggested, school-leavers should swear the oath of allegiance to The Queen. I for one don't think this would necessarily help. I don't have a problem with school-leavers having the opportunity to take the oath, but they should not be compelled to. That would not be very British at all.

Certainly any ceremony of citizenship for foreign nationals or any voluntary citizenship ceremonies for British nationals (of any age) should contain the oath. The point here is that the monarch or The Crown is bigger as a concept than the person of one little old lady. Much has also be said in comparison with the US habit of swearing "allegiance to the flag of The United States of America and the republic for which it stands". In Britain, we don't have "the flag" as a symbol of the state in the same sense. In fact the flag is a relatively new addition to our symbol collection. Rather than investing this kind of symbolism in a piece of cloth, it is invested in the monarch.

I also think it is short-sighted to see the oath as a vindication of monarchy. Documents and all our coins may all say that The Queen is there "by the grace of God", but in truth she is there by the collective will of the people (through Parliament). Swearing an oath to The Queen's "heirs and successors according to law", does not preclude a successor outside of current convention if it is the will of Parliament to change the law accordingly. There is a tenet which has also appeared on coins in the past which says "The Love of the People is the Queen's Protection".

Rebranding

If I were charged with rebranding a TV channel and particularly with rebranding UKTV:G2 this isn't necessarily what I would have come up with!

Snow

I love snow. You can imagine, then, that I was pleased to discover a white world outside when I pulled my curtains this morning. That's even despite the fact that the centimetre or two of snow we had managed to double my commute to work by rail.

One thing that annoys me no-end when this kind of thing happens is people complaining that it's "typical" when there's disruption after snowfall like this. They point out that other more snow-bound countries manage to keep trains running on time through the snowiest of winters. There is a big difference. Snow will normally hit us in London for no more than a day or two in any winter. So while I'm sure there are many infrastructure and technological solutions to the problem - is it really worth the time, trouble and expense?

I think what annoys me most is that the people who complain when things do go wrong, like they did today, are probably the self-same people who would be up-in-arms if ticket prices increased or their taxes went towards implementing a solution which will only ever be used a few days a year.

Petitioning

A little while ago I "signed" an electronic petition to request British copyright law be altered to reflect "fair use" now we live with digital technology as a regular and every-day experience:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to create a new exception to copyright law that gives individuals the right to create a private copy of copyrighted materials for their own personal use, including back-ups, archiving and shifting format.

Today, unexpectedly, "we the undersigned" received a response:

As you may be aware, in December 2005 the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, announced that there would be a review of the intellectual property framework in the UK, led by Andrew Gowers.

The findings of this review have now been published and recommend the introduction of a private copying exception for the purposes of format shifting. This would allow individuals to copy music which they have legally bought on compact disc onto an MP3 player without infringing copyright.

The Government welcomes this recommendation and is currently considering how such an exception should be created in UK law.

The full report can be found here.

All good news as long as the recommendations are implemented and the recording industry lobby doesn't cause HM Government to wibble and dilute the response.

In the summaries I've read, I've not seen any explicit mentioning of DRM and its crippling of the ability to move legally bought digital possessions between various playing devices. The CD-player given above is all very well as an illustration, but the law if and when implemented should outlaw the restrictive practice of tying a player to a download-method. I want to be able to take my music collection with me if I change player brand, or if I decide to play it through my PC, laptop, mobile phone or anything in between and all at the same time.

Another welcome recommendation in the summary:

Recommending that the European Commission does not change the status quo and retains the 50 year term of copyright protection for sound recordings and related performers' rights.

There needs to be a sensible expiration limit and I can see no reason to extend the current one despite the whingeing of some aging rockers. I do think it should apply to other media, however.

This petition came at the same time as several others once this facility opened up on the Number 10 website. I'm hoping that others get a similarly considered response - especially the one asking Mr Blair to juggle with jelly.

Commuter Thought Number 234

Why is it that those individuals who are antisocial enough to play music loudly and without headphones on their mobile, while on the train, only ever seem to play aggressive shouty rap?
Is there a correlation here? You never get, for example, loud Des O'Connor or even loud rock.

When is best to apply

This happened to me this morning, once again and it's becoming a regular occurrence. I was sat next to a woman who decided to apply her make-up while on the train to work.

We're not talking a quick lippy-fix here either. This was the full-on foundation to mascara routine!

This has the potential to shower me and other passengers in various potions and powders depending on the smoothness (or lack) of the ride, but quite apart from that it's just plain gross. This is a personal grooming activity which should be restricted to the bathroom. I don't want to see strangers doing this any more than I want to see them stick a cotton bud in their ear or pick their nose.

I know that time can be short in the morning, but it's the equivalent of me shaving on the train. Just think about that, girls - if you start setting this kind of precedent you never know what you'll find on the seat next to you.

Appropriate Travel

The irony of the title and message of this press release from TfL amuses me greatly:

Avoid the Motor Show traffic - Take a train

I can't decide what I'd want more - the petrol heads taking the advice and being pleasantly surprised, or instinctively (the car is king, natch) ignoring it and collectively ruining the event for each other.

I suspect the latter.