Whales and other Monsters

The Times did run their Sony article. (I don't think it's quite forceful enough: the point is not that the software's slow, but that it doesn't work -- and Sony are more or less refusing to admit responsibility. Not that I care: mine's back with Amazon, and the replacement Zen Mini is on its way.)

I followed the Case of the London Whale closely. It's the kind of event that crops up in medieval yearbooks: I have a compendium of London history (possibly this one) in which whole decades pass, denoted only by 'whale seen in Thames'.

Good Guardian article here, noting that most previous Thames whale-sightings ended rather bloodily. I'm encouraged and touched by the effort that was made to save this particular specimen: by reading about the rescue workers who encouraged the onlookers to shout and stamp their feet to persuade the whale not to beach itself. It's one of the times when I've wished I was still in London, to go and watch, to witness.

I'm sure there are better uses of £100,000, the cost of the failed rescue: but when I read that part of the expense was due to parking fines, my woolly liberal do-good intentions inclined me to make a donation to British Divers Marine Life Rescue.

EDIT: I never realised the whale had a blog ....