links to a fascinating YouTube diary presented by a woman with autism. The behaviour patterns she shows to us are very familiar to me.

A Doctor Who fan-vid using “I’m Gonna Be” by The Proclaimers – hilarious and uplifting.

George R.R. Martin’s pizza crawl.

Brian Aldiss is on Desert Island Discs tomorrow.

From : Look at the last three people to post on your flist and think of something nice to say about them-anything you like!

• provided me with the warmest of welcomes to Irish (and general) sf fandom five years ago. He was also instrumental in inspiring me to sign up for livejournal, shortly after he did, so if you enjoy what you read here, he deserves your thanks.
• manages to both inject intellectual credibility into sf criticism (and I’m looking forward to reading her latest) and care for cats with deep compassion.
• Having been there and done that, I’ve watched ‘s engagement with the electoral process with fascination and sympathy. I wish her every success in next May’s elections.

From (and one other who posted it in a locked entry): List three things that you love about the area you live in. Do not contrast with the things you hate.

1) The woods. And indeed the natural surroundings in general. The village is a linear settlement along a ridge overlooking a small river to the west, with the ancient forest to the east. This is densely populated country but you don’t have to walk (or cycle) very far to feel that you’re getting away from it all. Of course, this is a very managed landscape – the river has been ponded and canalised, the forest is managed by the nearby city and is crisscrossed by a rectilinear grid of paths – but it is an ancient and deeply respected one as well – the local church’s tower is a thousand years old, and there are shrines among the trees which have been venerated for centuries.

2) The health system. A tedious rant from those of you who’ve heard it before, but I have never had to wait even 24 hours to see my GP, and never had to wait even a week to see a specialist; compared with having to argue, back in the UK, with the doctor’s receptionist about whether I was ill enough to deserve an appointment in ten days’ time.

3) The education system. For the very special needs of our children, I don’t think we could do better.

Egoboost: What kind of cook am I?

You Are an Excellent Cook

You’re a top cook, but you weren’t born that way. It’s taken a lot of practice, a lot of experimenting, and a lot of learning. It’s likely that you have what it takes to be a top chef, should you have the desire…

Spectral analysis – green and wavy but also looking at you:

Get your own spectral analysis from Area 23®