The creature lives!

My iPod mini sort of expired recently, with the battery down to less than an hour run time. Pheh. I was out at Future Shop trying to solve another problem yesterday (how to record two TV shows at once) when I spotted replacement batteries for the low, low price of $29.99. I left with a Rogers Cable PVR and a new battery. After following the instructions I found at ipodbattery.com my little friend is now powering back up with a new ticker. Hopefully I'll be back in the eight-hour range. I don't like instructions that tell you to stab your baby with a sharp screwdriver though!

I'm afraid it's time to talk about the bigger picture again... The Pakistan earthquake on Friday looks set to have killed over 30,000 people. Unquestionably a tragedy, but as any geologist will tell you earthquakes don't kill anyone. Collapsing buildings do though. The thing we need most is earthquake-proof designs for these countries. In Iran where two years ago the Bam earthquake killed a similar number of people most homes were mud brick with a roof that literally lay on top of the walls. When the homes shook their walls crumbled and the roofs flattened anyone beneath.

Go to the Red Cross to make a donation if you want to help.

Update: Another tape delay for Formula One, as a 1:30 AM start for the Japanese Grand Prix was just too brutal to face. I watched it this evening with Brian. What a sensational race! The starting grid was virtually in reverse order as rain during the second half of qualifying meant that all the faster cars had to qualify in torrential conditions. This meant that the first few laps saw tonnes of exciting passing moves. The only serious consequence was the Kimi Raikkonen's teammate Juan Pablo Montoya collided with Jacques Villeneuve and was knocked out of the race. Things settled down after that with the normal front-runners close to their usual positions. Fernando Alonso made some audacious passes in his Renault, but because of pit-stop timing ended up having to pass Michael Schumacher's Ferrari three times. He wound up third. Kimi raced strongly from the very back of the starting grid and found himself in second place to Giancarlo Fisichella's Renault with two laps to go. He clearly had more speed though and was able to pass easily on the last lap. Renault's two-three finish means that they have edged back into the constructor's championship lead by two points. It all comes down to China next weekend.

Addendum: Thanksgiving was with Sheryl and her family this year. Chris was with his mother, my sister was out of town and my own mother decided to visit her twin granddaughters in upstate New York. A tasty chicken served the five of us nicely.

Listening to: Here Comes The Rain Again by Eurythmics from Touch.