I have never understood why MySpace is so popular, it is so disorganized, hard to navigate and looks like a website from the early days of the internet, as a friend of mine says “It looks like someone has vomited onto the screen”. Yet somehow MySpace is the most popular community website today.

Maybe it is because I am getting old and do not understand the ‘youth these days’. One thing which is accredited to MySpaces popularity is that way in which its users can express themselves by modifying their homepage, changing colours, images and adding background music. I read that this ‘feature’, allowing users to change the look, was not really the intention of the MySpace creators but a mistake. The information which is entered into the profiles page of MySpace should originally have stripped out any HTML and CSS code but this was mistakenly not implemented. This therefore meant that users can inject HTML and CSS in their MySpace profile to change the look of their homepages. Since this ‘feature’ became popular the creators of MySpace left it in.

In my mind, although a few users have utilized this ‘feature’ to their advantage, the majority has used it to turn their MySpace homepage into an unreadable mess, but I should also accept that this is a form of expression and therefore should not be quashed.

So, I decided to sign up to MySpace to try and see if it was even possible to make a MySpace profile look good. I intend to look into using HTML and CSS code in profiles, best use of colours, better use of content, usability and the technical background behind MySpace.

My MySpace blog can be found here.
My own homepage, JLSNet, blog can be found here.

“None of the animals could form any idea as to what this meant, except old Benjamin, who nodded his muzzle with a knowing air, and seemed to understand, but would say nothing.” –Animal Farm, George Orwell, 1945

Why is it the inhabitants of good old Blighty can not survive without some kind of hype (read: crisis) going on? Do we all really want to know that we are in the midst of certain doom, or is it just the media who feel it is their duty to inform us that we all must stock pile our food and each build air raid shelters?

It seems that we have some kind of crisis every season (some new, some return annually), lets run through a few of them…

Summer 2000: Mad Cow Disease
Summer 2001: The housing market will crash!
Summer 2003: WMD!
Summer 2004: Petrol Shortage 1
Summer 2005: Carbon Footprint
Autumn 2005: MRSA Virus in Hospitals
Spring 2006: Bird Flu
Summer 2006: Drought Warnings
Autumn 2006: Cash for Honours
Autumn 2006: Racist Jade against Shilpa
Winter 2006: Flood Warnings
Spring 2007: Premium Rate Phone/Text Scandal

This list could go on and on. Of course I do recognise that some of these issues are very important, but what I really hate is the way we are all brainwashed by fear to the point of incapacity. Instead of just moaning we should act positively and not instantly point the finger at a scapegoat. One of my real bug bears at the moment is that as soon as a Minister, Royal or MP makes the slightest mistake, the media gang up on them with a ‘We run this country’ attitude, calling for them to resign or step down. We all make mistakes (even the media!) if every MP who has ever picked their nose was made to resign then we would not have anyone left to run this great country!

As you may have guessed I am not really a politics man, but I am a very loyal man, loyal to my employer, loyal to my wife, loyal to God and loyal to my country. We voted our government in, I therefore believe we should support them, not slate them, we will get the chance to vote them out in due time. For the time being we should help them, we must let them do their jobs, not bog them down instantly calling for them to resign, we can also help with a bit of constructive criticism.

So back to our certain doom… Did you know that eating food that has been wrapped in cling-film may lower your sperm count, cooking in Aluminium may lead to Alzheimer’s disease and scientists have discovered estrogen levels in our waters are increasing turning us all turn into ladies. Is it any wonder many of us are depressed and constantly looking over our shoulder?

So, for a bit of fun, what do you think the next big hype for Summer 2007 will be? The person who guesses correctly wins a grand prize!

“A good scare is worth more to a man than good advice.” –Edgar Watson Howe - Country Town Sayings (1911)

It frustrates me that every time Claire and I wonder down the yogurt isle in the supermarket, we can never find ‘normal’ full-fat yogurts! There are rows and rows of low-fat, pro-biotic, plastic, mini-pots but no real yogurts that are nice a creamy, why!?

On a similar same note… Another thing that slightly bemuses me is when these low-fat foods say things like ‘60% Less Fat’, but 60% less than what?

While I am at it… Slim Fast, I think they are absolutely stupid, ‘A milkshake for breakfast, a small snack at mid-day, and a milkshake in the evening’ of course you are going to loose weight! Why do many women fall for it and buy them?

Oh, and finally… Us blokes do not find stick thin, size zero, no lumps girls attractive! Why do all women constantly think that they need to loose weight, and not understand that men actually like some curves?

“Besides, if I were gonna kill you I wouldn’t do it with a balloon, it would take too long!” –Desparate Houswives, Series 2, Ep 8