Gwilo

So what's the first challenge?

Personally, I wouldn't shove anything other than Shure SE210's in my lugs. Pricey at £70-80, but really clear and deep bass. Also works rather well for sound isolation.

http://www.virgin.com/careers/ Check out the right hand box and read the job descriptions.

I like the idea of 3D TV, the need to wear glasses.........really puts me off. From a visual processing perspective, we're pretty simple and can easily be fooled into 'seeing' 3D from a 2D image, as demonstrated with these two eye-popping displays. NuFormer

I've been putting out seeds and nuts etc..........at which point all the damned birds cleared off and haven't been back for weeks now.

delivery mileage pre-reg 59 plate 520d SE in Black Pearlescent. No options, it's a stock car. I'll only be driving it once or twice a week - not my motor, you see.

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions. 520d SE Saloon 59 plate will be delivered Thursday.......

About 160 staff, (mix of academic, support etc) with four in the IT office - 1 web/online comms/marketing, 1 hard/software/network, 1 facilities/resources and me, who ends up straddling all three. Ooh err........

You're clearly not giving this enough thought.....

Last time i truly did nothing was early December on holiday on Angelsey. I'll be repeating the same feat of nothingness in March, so if anyone fancies trying to rouse me for a pint in the vicinity of Beamaris, March 10th for a week, feel free to try........

I went last August, staying at the Hotel Cicerone. It's rated as 4*, but I think that might be pushing it a bit - there was a patch of threadbare carpet in the hallway on my floor and some variation in decor between rooms.........however, it's very central in the Prati district. It'sd clean, comfortable and the buffet breakfast (pastries, bread, sausage, bacon, cheese, cold meats, cereals, coffee style of your choice) suited me. Piazza di Spagna, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Vatican, Piazza di Popolo, Piazza Navona, Castel St.Angel.... - all just under 15 mins walk from the hotel My experiences/thoughts: 1. Colosseum - Yes, it's a 'must see'. I didn't join the enormous queue to go inside - a careful walk round the outside, and you can see through into it if you're really that bothered about the interior. Next to it is the Arch of Constantine, and just to the right of that, a minute or two further up, is the Arch of Titus, built (at least in part) from some of the ruins of ancient Jerusalem. 2. Behind the Arch of Titus is the Imperial Fora, what was the administrative centre of ancient Rome, and across the road, Trajan's Market. There's also a massive four panel stone frieze that Mussolini had made showing Italy's (then) current world influence and what it was going to be/had been. Historically illuminating, if nothing else. 3. The Wedding Cake. A massive edifice to King Vittorio Emmanuele II. Located just up from the Fora. It's huge and imposing. It's well worth walking up the steps, taking in the Memorial to the Unknown Soldier and reading the various information panels about the building and history. There is also an elevator to the rear of the building - it costs a bit to go up it, but from the top viewing deck, you can see all across Rome in every direction - The Olympic Stadium, The Colosseum & Fora, The Vatican & St Pauls, even an incredibly ornate Church beyond the Colosseum, the name of which escapes me. Mussolini's 'Palace' is also here, just across from the Vittoriano, but it's plain and non-descript - Italians are not exactly proud of him, for obvious reasons. 4. The Vatican (St Peter's Square and the Musuem) is a must-see. Best option is to go head for the Vatican Museums and aim to get there around 8-8:15. yes, you'll still have to queue, but the later it gets, the worse it gets. I'd also suggest if possible doing it on a Wednesday - there's a general audience thing in St Peter's square i'm told, which means crowds go there first, then the museum. The Museum itself is overloaded with artworks, painting and craftmenship that is simply mind-boggling. You really must take a fully charged camera with a blank memory card. 5. Sistine Chapel - I know daiking has mentioned the Sistine Chapel as being overhyped, but I suppose it depends on your background and take on this sort of thing. If you like art, it's sublime - the colour and detailing are eye-popping. If you're into history, the paintings offer a mix of theological history combined with political commentary. I won't say anything more than that or i might spoil it. 6. Trevi Fountain, Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps), Pantheon - all free, all well worth it. 7. Ice cream - you have to, being in Italy and all....San Crispino near the Trevi Fountain is talked about a lot, and for good reason. I ate a lot of gelato in a week in Rome, and I kept coming back to this one for the lemon ice cream, the honey ice cream and the pistachio...... 8. Water - you will need to keep hydrated, especially if you're walking around (and with the scale of Rome, you will be....) . If you buy a bottle of water on day one, you'll be okay. There are many, many little water fountains on the streets round about the central areas - the water is clean and cold for drinking. Apparently, even from the majority of tourist type fountains, the water is completely drinkable.....but I just stuck with the filling up from the little fire hydrant type street ones. 9. Pizza, Pasta, etc........a world apart from what we get served as 'italian' here. There's a place just across from the main entrance to the Vatican which serves an incredible Carbonara - just eggs, bacon and cheese, not a drop of cream in sight and it's fantastic. Evening time, if you want tradtional Roman food, Osteria dell'Angelo is good - It's fixed price, about 25 euro's, which comes with local red wine too, four courses, coffee and little aniseed biscuits after. Really tasty, very friendly family run business. You can just try turning up, as I did, but be prepared for a wait or to be turned away completely - it's small and popular. So try to make a reservation instead. If you want to be different, there's an Iranian restaurant, Taberna Persiana (Via Tacito, a street or two parallel to the Hotel Cicerone) which I loved. Beef or chicken stewed with tomatoes, cinnamon and black lemons. Not spicy, just really tasty food. The only person in the place that spoke any english was the Chef, who was summoned from the Kitchen to aid communication about the exact nature of what was being eaten - the parcels of lightly fried vine leaves, stuffed with a moist rice, bursting with citrus and exotic flavours where so well received, an extra plateful was given to me later on. I hate to bang on about the history element, but the tapestry wall hangings depict ancient Persian kings and you can have (just about, given the language barrier) a history lesson from the owner about the kings if you ask about them. 10 . Learn some Italian, at least enough to order food, ask for a table, introductions, ask how someone is, that sort of thing. You will find that the staff in restaurants are really friendly and far more chatty if you make the effort first. In one place, the waitress spent more time at our table chatting in her stilted english and our very poor italian than she did with all of the other diners put together. 11. Coffee - If you like coffee, you'll love Rome. 1 kilo of beans can be had for around £12, much cheaper than here. Think we can all guess what my suitcase was full off coming back.......place to get a fantastic cup...... San't Eustachio (Piazza Sant’Eustachio), . Wood roasted coffee......hmmm......There's also a coffee bar just tucked in a corner street at the Pantheon, Tazza d'Oro (Via degli Orfani), which does a milder roast and Jamaican Blue Mountain espresso too (although that's a bit more expensive than the standard beans, obviously). Espresso is cheap if you drink it at the coffee bar itself. Don't sit down - that doubles the price. Above all, enjoy yourself!

You're a bad, bad man....

Not fussed. I think saloon preferable, but ease of loading three guitars, amps or a couple of kiddy seats might mean Tourer.........good call........never considered one of those......*shuffles off to search the online stock lists*

Bit like being put in a coffin...very dark and very cramped. Not at all pleasant. The Audi is on the list, but seems to be a bit more variation in spec in the nearly new models....SE's with and without Bluetooth, which is one of my requirements.

Did some more digging and research (like speaking to people who have some of the cars discussed)......Alfa did not come out too brilliantly with quite a bit of time being spent garage bound. Given the fiasco with the outgoing vehicle, I'd rather avoid that. As I'd like to keep it fairly new (no older than 2 years/58 plate), 320d is looking increasingly likely. It does mean pushing the budget a bit, but there are delivery mileage versions of the SE Business Edition going for almost 5K off list..........v. tempting. Spent a half hour driving a mates Lexus.......it is good, but a tad dull. Comfortable......but dull. Quiet......but dull. Actually quite gutted about the Alfa........the heart says yes, but the head just can't deal with any more hassle. Booking test drives today of the BMW and the Mazda. I know, different sectors, but comparable pricing for the kit.

Passat CC is an interesting call.......but the roofline presents an issue. @ Tom_vRS - nope, doesn't have to be brand new. If anything, given the hassle experienced with a factory-fresh car, nearly new is even more of an attractive proposition.

Short background: Bought a VW Tiguan 2.0 TDI Sport in Sept, delivered 18th November. Everytime the temperature has dropped below 0 deg C, the damned alarm goes off. Every three minutes, no matter what. Three callouts to VW assist, finally dumped the car at the dealers who have done naff all to the car since, though accepting there was a fault after much discussion. No sign of a resolution, so the car has been rejected and I now have about 20K to find another car. Shortlist so far: 1. Lexus IS 220d SE-I - interesting car, lots of kit. A little short on rear room, but as that would be occassional/smaller build adults, not a major issue. 2. VW Eos 2.0 TDO Sport - probably more of a mid-life crisis car tbh. 3. BMW 318d M Sport - got an older 320d in the household at the moment. Competent car. Same applies re: rear seating as the Lexus. But dash is a classier affair, imho. Would possibly entertain a 320d SE too for the same money - bare technical figures don't seem that much different. 4. Merc C220 CDI Sport - pushing the budget a bit over to get one of these really. Look nice, but no idea on anything else. 5. Alfa 159 1.9 JTD TI - just love the look of this car. Decent fuel economy too. Still (and maybe unnecessarily) worried about electrics and build? 6. Mazda 6 2.0D - bit unsure. Looks like it's trying to too hard and not quite making it. 7. Ford Mondeo - as above.... Really need help here. Give me your views and any experiences you have of any of the above. The clocks ticking on this purchase as public transport, taxi's and pushbike isn't going to cut it for long.

that the head of each team annoyed Spanky Mosley?

MODS - can someone merge the 'RIP keith floyd thread in to this one? Just keeps the place tidy Ta.

wow. and like, wow again. Potentially very bad for those employed by Renault F1 here in the UK. While i hate to be pedantic, 'race fixing' would imply the other teams also got involved - there were other teams out there and while they did have to stop, it wasn/t beyond them to have a fighting chance of getting the win. This seems more a case (albeit extreme) of 'unsporting conduct' and 'bringing F1 into disrepute' which is, iirc, what the FIA knobbled McLaren on the other year. Whichever way you slice it, the fact that Briatore and symonds have both 'ducked out the back' before the FIA meeting, does say it all.

To Keith Floyd, the original gastro-naut, who passed away earlier this morning. All the more poignant as there was a program about him last night on Channel 4. The old boy looked worn out, but still had that spark. I'll have a slurp later Keith. You will be missed.

Nice one! Onward and upward!

Another very satisfied Brentacre user here, and have been since the Octy. Very, very, almost painfully helpful with the mods on the Passat, and i'm still with them even though i'm back on pedestrian motoring, because everyone else loaded the premiums when i declared my accident. They didn't.

for me, 2009 is the year of reality. I'm not saying I've lived the high life, but I've not exactly been the most responsible chap with my finances. However, after my last big long haul trek, the reality is: in 18 months time, Job evaluation results kick in, which will result in a not-insubstantial downgrading of my salary. House purchasing/renting is 'optimistic' at best, given the costs. Job security is a myth, even in my sector, where it was at one time almost a certainty. So what am i doing about this? Out of the window goes buying lunch at work - taking my own saves me £20 a week If this weekends camping attempt goes well, i'll be doing it a lot more. Which, should save me a few hundred quid a year on UK breaks. Reduced 'entertainment' budget....you don't want to even know how much that's saving me!

I think i was quite considerate to provide so many opportunities for puns in my post...... besides, it happens to everyone at some point.