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Video-recorder switches TV channel?

Have you ever experienced that annoying situation where, every time you press ‘play’ or ‘stop’ on your video player, it switches the television from the AV input to a TV channel? Sometimes it can be a real pain in the bum when, for example, you’re rewinding a tape and want to see the onscreen counter.

Data protection

Have you noticed how many companies are trying to get the most unnecessary personal data these days? My favourite a few months ago was when I called United Utilities and they told me they couldn’t discuss my water bill over the telephone unless I gave them my date of birth.

‘Planet’ steam locomotive (video)

On Sunday, after seeing the Chinese dragon, I went to The Museum of Science and Industry, where I shot this short video. On certain dates and holidays they have steam train rides.

Chinese New Year celebrations, Manchester (video)

Visit the page to view the Flash video or download: Quicktime (mov)

I bought a new digital camera on Friday (more about that coming soon) and I went out to test it on Sunday. The Chinese New Year parade was just beginning as I walked up Princess Street, so I shot this video.

Rushes: high winds in Manchester (video)

Download: MP4

Posts that begin with the word ‘rushes’ contain unedited footage, tests, bloopers and experiments. In this case the footage is pretty much unedited with some captions added. It runs for 9 mins, which may be too long unless you have a particular interest in this subject!

Britain was hit by high winds today and here in the north-west they reached 100 miles per hour. I’ve lived on the 8th floor for more than seven years and have never felt the building shake in the wind the way it did today.

Sadly we lost six more mature trees in the park close to where I live. Some of them forty years old. Four appeared to have gone down like dominos.

In the city centre various streets had been closed off due to falling debris.

When cows attack (video)

When cows attack

MP4 version here (iPod compatible). Click through to my site for Flash video.

I had an eventful five hour walk this afternoon. This is a short extract from a much longer video that I’ll be making about it. I’m laughing about this but, with a calf on the track ahead of me, I wasn’t sure whether angry mum and dad and all their friends might be able to get out the field if they reached the corner before me.

There have been a few cases of walkers being trampled to death by cattle. Especially when there are calves: BBC report.

(Peter says: ‘get back to the city centre!’)

A great spotted woodpecker outside my window (video)

Download the MP4 version here (or click through to the blog page for the Flash version).

Currently I’m in a little village near the England/Scotland border.

At 6am on Friday morning there seemed to be a lot of bird noise outside the window. I looked out and saw a crowd of sparrows and a male great spotted woodpecker (I know that because I looked it up on the RSPB website)

The first woodpecker I’ve seen in real-life. I was rather excited.

The window has that old-fashioned glass, which is why the video is a bit blurred.