Security Check, anyone?

I've returned from my self-awarded summer sabatical to find a letter from the police. Not as scary as it sounds: scarier - and in a different way. I'll explain ...

Some months ago - before I changed jobs - my employer arranged that we were all submitted for Police Security Check (SC) clearance. One specific county force had set themselves up as a central bureau for handling the checks. We filled our forms in and sent them off.

Shortly after I switched jobs. My previous employer said they'd see if they could stop the check for me, as they needn't pay for it. I thought that was the last I'd hear of it.

A couple of months a go I received a letter from the Police vetting unit requesting more information about an address I'd supplied. The letter was addressed to me, but began "Dear Mr Pearce". Odd. I phoned up and explained the situation; they said they'd stop the process. Again, I thought this was the last I'd hear about it.

A week before holiday, I received a Security Check certificate through the post: valid for 3 years.

The most recent letter is reminding me that they had asked for more data and not received it. Methinks they are in a bit of a muddle. I'm now more than a little concerned for the validity of the whole process. If I am given clearance, when I've specifically asked not to get clearance and without the appropriate documentation - what's it worth?

Answers on a postcard ...

Not a free country, any more

I realised yesterday what turns me off British politics. What I mean is I realised what really bugs me about those interested in British politics.

There's a class of people who are interested in, knowledgeable about and who have influence over British politics. They are always up to date with the latest initiatives, acts and gossip. They expand on every detail - extrapolating the effects of every twitch.

What they seem to miss, however, is the bigger picture. Our government seem dead set on doing away with our every civil liberty. They almost abolished parliament, for goodness' sake! We will soon be - of we are not already - living in a police state. I am saddened to say that I no longer believe we can honestly say that we live in a free country any more.

Meanwhile, the politicos concern themselves with who will be the next deputy Prime Minster - as if none of this mattered.

I despair.

Speechless ...

.. what he said.

Will this government ever check their facts before jumping in with both feet in their mouth?

[I do love a good mixed metaphor.]

Big Brother: reviving careers the easy way

I'm glad to say that I didn't get hooked on this latest season of Celebrity Big Brother. As Channel 4's director of television was reported as saying after the racism row "This was in danger of being the most boring BB that we'd had in many years, maybe ever". I'm greatly amused to discover, however, that the winner was not the big name she was presented as.

My conspiracy theory sensors are tingling again. What if the whole show was a vehicle for boosting flagging careers? Certainly, Channel 4 was accused of manipulating the racism issue to boost ratings. The way in which the show is edited makes it a doddle to swing the votes whichever way the director wishes. They even fiddled the final vote, for goodness' sake! The programme makers could have planned Shilpa Shetty's victory from the off - perhaps her agent bought it for her. Shilpa was introduced as a big Bollywood star; it now transpires she was a "B-grade" actress. Big Brother has now made her a pukka star .. in the UK, at least.

It's been said before: don't go on Big Brother unless you've nothing to lose. Perhaps that's true - unless you have pre-arranged the outcome ... fame and fortune, anyone?

A picture's worth .. oh, hang on

Scientists store whole image on a single photon. How does that work, then?

"An entire image's worth of data has been encoded into a single photon, without information being lost" says the article.

Now I'm obviously no expert - but that image looks a bit dodgy to me. If there's no loss of information, and it's equivalent to a 6 megapixel camera on a single photon, how come the image isn't a wee bit better?

Call me Old Mr Cynical.