The Baillie Bugle

Okay - it's been a week, that means that I have to post something today. Any more than a week and I start to look busy. No one ever seems to think 'Oh, Dave must just be really busy,' it's always assumed I'm lazy.

So, for the record - really, really busy!

Went to the launch party for Paul Gravett's new book last Saturday, which was fun. All the starving cartoonists got a free bottle of vodka to take away with them. Went to the pub with Dan Hartwell, Jenny Scott, Mr and Mrs Gary Northfield and a hairy Matt Abbis. Good laugh - and I think we're going to try and instigate some sort of regular 'going to the pub' type thing.

Remember I mentioned the bonobo apes a few weeks ago (scroll down and you'll see I speak the truth). Well here's an article about the lady who appeared with them in that episode of Horizon.

Bonobos, a species of ape from the Congo, are the most like humans, Savage-Rumbaugh said. They constantly vocalize "as though they are conversing'' and often walk upright.

"If you want to find a human-like creature that exists in a completely natural state ... that creature is the bonobo,'' said Savage-Rumbaugh, an experimental psychologist who is one of the world's leading ape-language researchers.

If the apes are able to learn language, music and art, once thought to be distinct to humans, then "it strongly suggests that those things are not innate in us,'' she said.

Went along to the local Electric Mouse comedy night on Monday, which was fun. One of the star turns was Gareth Berliner...

Laughter saved my life, Chrohn's victim Gareth Berliner tells Iain Aitch

There are not many who can claim that a chronic illness both saved their lives and set them on new career paths, but comedian Gareth Berliner can. Four years ago, he was feeling suicidal as a result of a seemingly never-ending round of operations and setbacks linked to the inflammatory bowel condition Chrohn's disease, but he has since turned his life around, and his experiences into a harrowing, yet hilarious, show.

Very short stories at Wired this week...
Among my favourites:

Epitaph: Foolish humans, never escaped Earth.
- Vernor Vinge

Starlet sex scandal. Giant squid involved.
- Margaret Atwood

Weeping, Bush misheard Cheney’s deathbed advice.
- Gregory Maguire

Dorothy: "Fuck it, I'll stay here."
- Steven Meretzky

Alan Moore's was good, too.

Firefox 2 was released this week, allowing me to spellcheck my bloggings within the browser. I can only pray that this will save us from the constant misspelling of 'definitely'.

I'll give you a clue - if you've put an 'a' anywhere in there you're wrong!

Some pictures just added to the gallery section on my website...

See... Told you I was busy!