John Cooper Clarke recited punk poetry while The Buzzcocks performed some punk karaoke but the real stars of the show were, inevitably, The Fall. I just posted a brief review of the concert over on The Fall forum (blogging is so last year).

I probably shouldn’t ask this question and watch a ‘CSI New York’ box set to find the answer but still… Bodies are now being recovered from the fateful Air France flight 447 that crashed in the Atlantic ocean and the authorities are requesting DNA samples from relatives in order to identify the deceased. So, what exactly does 7 days in sea water do to the human body ?

Dear Bob Congratulations on disrupting the lives of millions of Londoners by calling a two day tube strike. Nice timing, by the way. An England international at Wembley and more importantly; The Fall, Buzzcocks and John Cooper Clarke live at Kentish Town. Just a couple of quick questions before I set off: I would also like a 5% pay rise which would come in most handy in these tense, difficult times. Also, the prospect of a guaranteed final pension and a job for life is also very appealing. I am certainly capable of reading a Red/Green/Amber signal, moving a lever from ‘Stop’ to ‘Go’ while reading a copy of ‘The Sun’. Please email me if any vacancies come up. Obviously, I would like to show my whole hearted support for the RMT cause by hooting my (imaginary) horn and making a small financial contribution to the fighting fund. I will be passing though most of the mainline stations on my extended journey tonight so maybe you could picket there where the London commuting public can see you instead of hiding in your office car park - you cowardly bastards. Your comrade, Norman.

My two favourite typos of all time, which are guaranteed to bring a smile to my face, are: ‘Stationary Cupboard’ ‘Principle Consultant’ Until yesterday when I received an invite to: Date: 8 June 2009 Time: 16:30-17:00 (BST) Location: G27 Subject: Warp up meeting I opened the meeting with a summary of the day’s progress and my findings: ‘I have completed my analysis of Siebel performance, the Oracle configuration, the I/O infrastructure, the hardware specifications, application usage and my conclusion is as follows:’ ...

This week I am attending an excellent training course on Linux System Administration at Oracle’s offices in Moorgate, near London. The course is given by Harald van Breederode, an excellent trainer who manages to combine deep technical, real-life expertise with a rare ability to explain complex things in simple terms with a sense of humour. As is traditional, each attendee was asked to give a precis of his/her job role, star sign, experience with Oracle, most embarrassing professional moment, any exposure to Unix (Linux), favourite band and expectations for the course. ...