Book read: Man's Search for Meaning Viktor E Frankl

This is a short 150 page book that describes concentration camp life and techniques the author had for survival. It's split into two books, the first part is about the camps which leaves the reader in no doubt about what the camps were like with many observations. It stops short of graphic individual recollections as the author felt this had been covered in many other works.

The second part of the book covers an anaysis technique called logotherapy - really the professional career of the author after the war. In this he tries to define man's search for meaning and applications to his patients (some people contemplating/attempting suicide, some unhappy with their lot and looking for some deeper meaning). If psychotherapy is lying on a couch while a professional tries to coax out your problems then logotherapy could be sitting up straight and maybe having to hear what you do not want to (a little flippant he admits but a good description).

Overall a good book, thought provoking and something to make us realise how reasonably lucky some of us are in today's world.

The final quote of the book is:

So, let us be alert - alert in a twofold state:

Since Auschwitz we know what man is capable of.

And since Hiroshima we know what is at stake.

Portsmouth FA cup winners 2008

A not bad game yesterday, more tense than action packed. Good to see two sides of support who don't do this sort of thing every year actually enjoying the moment.

Still Portsmouth won, lets hope the next war does not start soon.

Lame duck primeminister

Or so the recent headlines would have us believe. It isn't looking good though, you know politicians are in trouble when they say openly they are going to learn from mistakes and listen more. I don't think things ever got that bad for John Major!

I can't imagine there is a career respecting Labour front bencher who would like to take the reins from here. I also feel the votes have been against the party in power rather than for the opposition (it's easier when you don't have to see your policies through).

If Brown wants to survive, he has to simplify - taxes, tax credits, persuade the banks that less profit for a few years isn't such a bad thing. But I can't see this happening - is this the shortest lived PM in history?

Bailing out the banks

The Bank of England is allowing our banks to swap mortgage debt for goverment bonds (at least that's what I understand of it). It feels like a classic case of nationalise risk and privatise profit.

I wonder if this bailing out will have a later payback, during the good times the goverment was often talking of windfall taxes. I think that could be a reality now with this move.

Book read: Four Weeks in May

I've just finished reading Four Weeks in May - a captain's story of war at sea. It's about the role of HMS Coventry in the Falklands war. I read a couple of indifferent reviews about this book, but once I'd started reading it I couldn't stop, finishing it in little over a day.

The author (Coventry's captain at the time) does a good job of describing life at sea whilst at war up to the eventual sinking, and life after having lost the ship. It's a good balance of technical operations, the people involved, and describing the loss.

It still confirms the theory that it was all "a close run thing". Landing ground forces before having held the skies meant that the British sacrificed ships to perform the landing.

Freeview PVR

The TV market in the UK is split into satellite/cable (where all the content is) and terrestial digital (BBC, and some other channels - free apart from the licence fee).

I really struggled to find a decent freeview PVR, they were thin on the ground. But I did eventually find the Topfield 5800. Not sold by many retailers in the UK, but pretty solid and reliable. It is also now has a software update for series linking.

Portsmouth FA cup finalists

Portsmouth have made the FA cup final, despite some poor games - including the semi final, they often aren't great games though.

Last time this happened was 1939 - I hope that isn't an omen.