a problem of their choosing

Giant spider brings Liverpool to standstill
La Machine is here and it's big. I wondered how they were going to demolish that building.

Wallace & Gromit model for Harvey Nics
How It Was Done
So much work for a single frame.

Scotland the Baffling
"I've come to love so many things about Scotland. The fish suppers, the mountains, the graffiti ... but I cannot get my head around THE TUB." It's called simply a bowl in these parts and I agree that on the face of it, this is a curious habit. But then you look at the sink itself and ugh!

I'm a rock chick, get me out of here!
Laura Barton tackles opera and has pretty much the same reaction I have. The comments from readers are as callous as you'd expect.

In Search of the Simple Sandwich
"For the last few years, I’ve noticed a creeping obsession among the sandwich-vendors of our nation’s capital and high street to add all sorts of random stuff to their lunchtime staples, turning what might otherwise be a simple, beautiful, tasty thing into something utterly fussy and overcomplicated."

Librarians find the weirdest things in returned books
"Pals keeps a collection of creative and unusual "bookmarks" on display behind her desk in case people want them back. Her wall is covered with greeting cards, personal letters, travel mementos, board game pieces, doilies, playing cards and one recent addition: a list of "karma violations." She also has found combs, deflated balloons and origami creations."

How pop music transfers should work
If Keisha were to leave and somehow convince Mutya and Siobhan to give it another go, who would be the Sugababes then? It'd be the Bucks Fizz band dispute all over again.

Sushi & business have more in common than you might think
I do love the design of Yo Sushi outlets. It's just a pity I'm not fond of the food.

Curtains Up On Sydney Theatre Company 2009
Cate Blanchett's new company has snagged Steven Soderbergh to direct a production, the content of which is still under wraps.

Pink Panther Ultimate Collection Prowls to Disc
Proper recreations of Eighties tea times are finally in our grasp. The Panther goes into the car and five minutes later the TARDIS is materialising at the side of the road. A different road, obviously.

The borrowers: 16-plus American adaptations of British television shows
A typically well researched piece from The AV Club. I hadn't seen any clips from the US version of Coupling before and I can immediately see why it flopped. Over here we seem more used to long involved scenes about situations with speeches and fewer punchlines, whereas the US sitcoms I've seen tend to have staccato editing and much higher gag rate.

The Palin Meltdown in Slo-Mo
Sarah Palin Soap Opera
I'm becoming slightly obsessed with the Sarah Palin story. Not her, you understand, but the fall out at the Republican Party's apparent inability to deal with a problem of their choosing, pulling out of interviews with networks when they have the audacity to criticise a candidate and the like. Unlike here, were not too long ago on BBC News, John Sopel referred to Palin as John Major's running mate during the news headlines. Now, as per The Daily Show, here's your moment of zen: