So, who is number one?

A couple of months ago, I wrote about the campaign to get The Who a number one single. Well, this week is buying week and, as I write, you have about 33 hours left in which to buy a download of "Baba O'Riley", and so help the cause.

Sadly, the eXecrable Factor finalists are releasing their group single this week... which is a Michael Jackson cover... and a charity record... so the chances of actually getting The Who to number one are as good as nil. I mean, they were pretty slim anyway, but now...

Oh well. Baba O'Riley is a great record and you really ought to have it in your MP3 collection. Go and buy it. Quickly!

What do you call a man with three wooden heads?

Edward Woodward, obviously. Woodward died yesterday, at the age of 79. For many people, he will be famous for the inestimable Wicker Man (a genuinely unsettling film, in the unlikely event that you haven't seen it), whilst for others he will always be The Equalizer. These were both great roles, supremely executed by this fine actor. For me though, the high point of Woodward's resumé will always be Callan, even though I am too young to remember much about the original TV series. I base this preference purely on Edward's performance in the 1974 film, which is ace from start to finish.

I scoured YouTube this morning, because I really wanted to show you the sequence in which he uses a Range Rover to prevent his quarry leaving their house but guess what? Not for the first time, YouTube let me down. Yes, I know there are plenty of grainy clips from the old TV series, but the only clip I could find from the film is this. Enjoy, and RIP, Ewar Woowar.

Random trivia: Woodward was married to Michele Dotrice, of Some Mothers Do 'Ave Em renown, whilst the theme music for The Equalizer was written and performed by none other than Stewart Copeland, drummer with The Police.

Stung!

Hooray for Sting!

I loved The Police, and he's churned out some great solo work too (especially this), and let's not forget he was the Ace Face in Quadrophenia. And now, bless him, he's let rip on the X Factor (that's X for execrable, obviously). It won't make a blind bit of difference to the success of this appalling show, but Sting says everything I want to say on the subject, and more, and he says it here. Go read, and inwardly cheer.

Remember, remember...

YouTube is awash with old public information films, and of course all the fireworks ones are very popular right now, what with it being Guy Fawkes' Night tonight. This is the one that I remember from my childhood.

And remember kids, doing this is neither big nor clever...

RSI

When I first had a Palm Pilot (this one), back in 1999 or thereabouts, I got quite hooked on Sokoban. I spent hours dragging the stylus across my Palm's greyscale screen - countless boring meetings were spent that way. The great thing about Sokoban is that it proves the old adage that a game can be as simple as anything, yet still be compelling.

Now I've discovered Obechi... I've only played it three times, yet already don't want to stop. It is a sure-fire way to get RSI though...