The McKenzies' Blog…

I’m going to try and keep a log of my various walks and travels, as recorded by the GPS in my phone.

The Register has a story today about a Canadian bloke named Daniel Burd.  He’s discovered how to dissolve plastic bags in around 3 months.  Take his magic “goo”, a bucket and plastic carrier bags, mix and watch the microbes go to work and get rid of all those bags. 

Dissolving the plastic bag problem | The Register

The BBC is carrying a story about biologists calling for a ban on mass balloon releases.  I must say, after reading the article it makes perfect sense.  I’ve seen plenty of huge balloon releases and likely only pondered where all those balloons would end up, but never gave any thought about it beyond that.  It would make perfect sense they would end up some where on the ground, after all, they don’t float around forever.  They will climb until they pop then the rubbish will drift around before falling back to earth (isn’t Gravity wonderful).  Well, its never once occurred to me that these would land and endanger animals.  Perhaps, had at some point in my life I’d been walking along and had the remains of a balloon fall on or near me it might have come to mind that these could fall into wild animal habitats.  I suspect if people are honest with themselves they’ve never thought about this either. 

BBC NEWS | UK | Biologists call for balloon ban

As cool as big balloon releases look, I have to agree with these guys.  I think it’s a bad idea.  Not to mention the general environmental impact all this rubbish will have.  Which is something else I’ve started to become a lot more conscience about recently. 

The BBC is reporting a bizarre incident where an Antarctic Fur Seal spent 45 mins doing the rumpy pumpy with what can only be described as an unwilling King Penguin..

Why the seal attempted to have sex with the penguin is unclear. But the scientists who photographed the event speculate that it was the behaviour of a frustrated, sexually inexperienced young male seal.

Read the full story here..

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | ‘Sex pest’ seal attacks penguin

BBC NEWS | Technology | Europe clears mobiles on aircraft

Well, this both good news and bad news at the same time.  The good news is something that pretty much everyone has known for years, using a mobile phone on a plane won’t actually crash it!!  The bad news however is now you’ll have to put up with those ignorant self-absorbed and self-important so-and-so’s who just have to talk as loud as they can into their phones… As terrible was it was to travel on “the tube” in London for several years to and from work, the one thing that was nice was there were no phones ringing and people bleating away into them.

I can only assume that airplanes will have to follow what has been done on trains already, and that is to provide “quiet” zones where no phones or even loud music through headsets is permitted.

Given the technology that will be used is to have a micro-cell on the plane which talks to satellite then down to the ground, you know the cost will be excessive for casual chats.  Leading to suggest that most likely it will be those in Business/First Class most likely to use it.  That being the case I’m up for building a proper wall built between those classes and the masses so we don’t have hear them.

Also, as the article suggests it will also lead to data services coming as well (perhaps at more reasonable rates).