Mike

No. I enjoy driving fast.

It's a stupid law so I have no qualms about breaking it.

Some speed cameras are good - ie in accident blackspots or outside schools, but on the whole, this is what I think should be done with them: http://www.speedcam.co.uk/gatso2.htm

I'd prefer to see it like Germany - no limits on most motorways apart from the places where necessary, and strict speed limits in towns. Whenever I've driven in Germany there is no problem with this setup - most people still drive about 90ish, and just get out of the way for faster cars, instead of the stupid macho attitude of many British drivers - ie "you're not passing ME!!" - once saw a Ferrari zapping down the on-ramp and the whole fast line for 1/2 mile ahed promptly moved over. I drive about 350 motorway miles p/week and most of the time will sit at between 90 and 95 indicated when possible - compared to the rest of the traffic, this seems a pretty normal speed. The biggest problems on the motorways is tailgating - I've seen crash after crash because people drive too close together.

That is just rubbish - even somebody who's untrained in knife use stands a very good chance of cutting or stabbing you. We learn some knife defences in Ju-Jitsu but the overwhelming advice from just about everyone is - when faced with a knife, RUN. Somebody who *is* trained in knife use is most likely going to have cut or stabbed you before you even realise that they're armed.

I always think this one is quite funny. I've heard this from people in the past - "oh, I'd rather be thrown clear of the accident...". Errrr...thrown clear onto what exactly? A nice fluffy mattress or something? Do people really think that hitting tarmac at 50mph is going to let them walk away, not to mention all the sharp bits of metal, etc that they are probably going to hit on the way? I remember crashing a motorbike wearing work clothes once - I was only going about 30mph but landed on my knee which instantly lost all it's flesh.

Yes, definitely. The two times I've been in serious crashes I was saved by my belt. In the worst one the driver died - reason? His seatbelt failed to lock properly, his head went out of the side window and hit the road as the car rolled.

What exactly is outdoor installation work? I'm looking to escape the mental hell that it IT and am looking for ideas.

http://coolhomepages.com/ is always worth a look too, despite the cheesy url....

It's easy to say that sat behind a keyboard but I suspect that in real life when faced with destroying a building full of real, live people....or after you've been shot down, captured and are about to be tortured to death, you may feel differently. It's just worth a lot of thought is all I'm trying to say I guess

People used to say similar things about 24hr supermarkets.

Without wanting to sound over-negative (I wanted to join the RAF when I was younger too), don't forget that apart from the flying bit, there's also the killing people bit too.

I'd recommend Nildram - I'm on their 1meg service and it's great, and their tech support is good too.

In deep snowy conditions, some people also advocate pulling the fuse out of your ABS system.

Bizarrely, my commute home from Nottingham was quicker and less crowded than usual, only the part coming into Sheffield past Jordanthorpe was snarled up. Just been out to the offy though, and Meadowhead was well icy, was slipping about even with 4wd.

Both countries are great - just got back from a week's snowboarding in France and had a great time. France is much maligned imho - many seem to think that the French are unfriendly English haters but wherever I've been the people have been really friendly, even in Paris in the hot sweaty summer. I think it helps if you at least try to speak a bit of French mind. Parts of the south of France is very beautiful - I remember climbing trips near Avignon in the most stunning surroundings. That said, although I've only been to Canada once, I was *very* impressed. I went to British Columbia and the scenery is stunning, and the people extrememly welcoming and friendly. Vancouver is a fantastic city and I would move there tomorrow if I could - in fact, one of my long term goals is to live out there. Awesome city and Whistler is only 2 hours drive for snowboarding, and Squamish less than that for climbing. Then there's the legendary North Shore mountain biking, etc, etc. Not many places where you can be in a city by the sea, have access to beautiful mountains and completely unspoilt backcountry within 1/2 hour drive. Also, good clubbing, great restaurants, etc, etc. Not sure about the east side of the country, but I've heard great things about places like Toronto. Not sure about the (rather extensive) rest of the country, but I reckon you'd find it hard to be dissapointed with the place.

I spent December in Thailand a few years ago with my girlfriend. Initially stayed in Bangkok with my brother, who was working out there. Great place, full of life, loads to see and do and contrary to what many people believe, very safe and friendly. In fact it felt safer to wander about at night than most British cities. Took an overnight bus and then ferry to the island of Ko Chang (near the Cambodian border) which is a stunning place. A rainforest island in a marine nature reserve. Popular with the Thais and not overrun with Brits. Only downside here was our cameras were stolen as we rather naively left them in our hut when we went for dinner. After an interesting pursuit in a jeep through the jungle with the owner of the huts we were staying in (he had his gun sitting in-between us ready for action which was a little disturbing) we caught up with the culprits but they had already stashed the cameras ) After a few more days in Bangkok we hired a car to drive about, went up north to see the temples of Sukhothai, then drove about 700 miles south to the beaches around Krabi. Some of them are a little crowded despite being only reachable by boat, but still extremely beautiful. Nice place, very chilled indeed - you could buy weed over the bar and there was a cool, multicultural crowd there. Then, drove back to Bangkok to spend Christmas day there, which was pretty low key as you'd expect in a predominantly non-Christian country. December is a good time of year to go as it's after the rainy season, and not too hot, though by our standards it was still really hot. Don't hire a car unless you're a very confident driver. The traffic in Bangkok is mental, and everywhere else you share the road with everything from donkeys to big trucks. The only rule of the road is really being give way to the bigger vehicle, which makes for some entertaining driving. All in all a fantastic experience in a refreshingly friendly country. Many of the locals went out of their way for us and were extremely helpful. I'd love to go back and spend more time there, this time perhaps going over to the less well known islands in the south, and up to the northern jungle areas and up into Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. The Lonely Planet guide is well worth buying.

I don't think the Gates had anything to do with it really. Microsoft were quite ambivalent about the internet for some time, but then went into double speed when they saw it's rate of uptake.

I second Belle's and Max's comments above. There are large numbers of Americans who hate their own government (let's face it, Dubya blagged his way into power for starters), so are unlikely to support their military tactics.

Defense against the Yanks? What, are we under attack or something?

eh? So if you're born here but your grandparents weren't you're a tourist? hmmmm....

Any of the aerobic machines will do. Personally I prefer the cross trainer coz there's no impact but they'll all burn calories if you work hard. If you burn more calories than you eat, then you lose weight. What I do is count calories for a couple of weeks to get a feel for how much I'm eating. It's boring but it's only for a couple of weeks. Then, just try to eat about 500 cals less per day which will equate to about a pound weight loss per week. To tone yer belly, do crunches / situps / burpees or anything that uses those muscles.

My ex-girlfriend and me once walked naked from Clubgarden Road to Cowlishaw Road (I was a lot younger then!). We weren't beaten, raped or otherwise hassled apart from good natured beeping of horns, etc. Says it all really. Try that in some places and you wouldn't get very far.

Check out: http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/brief.shtml

Winter Gardens again for me...