Blair Chilcot Iraq

I heard some of the 6 hour long interview with Blair at the inquiry and whether you buy his analysis or question his decision making, he came across as a polished performer still - a real class act. He probably asked more questions than he answered, great use of deflection that. It also reminds us what a slick performer we lost when he stepped down, to be replaced by the hapless Brown.

I do feel for the people who turned up who has lost children in the conflict - they wanted much more context to their loss. Blair perhaps rightly put it across as a dispassionate decision - maybe as a Prime Minister should. But you can see the unfairness he walks away having staked nothing and benefited immensely where the soldier's families will always have lost someone.

Book read: Six Easy Pieces : The Fundamentals of Physics Explained by Richard P Feynman

A book I had previously read a few years ago but have taken the time to re-read. It is taken from Feynman's famous lecture series in the 1960s and seeks to distill the essence of physics in such a way to provide a starting point for a future generation if all current knowledge was lost.

It's an interesting read, the book is divided up as follows:

Atoms in Motion
Basic Physics
The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences
Conservation of Energy
The Theory of Gravitation
Quantum Behaviour

Each chapter can be read in isolation, the most thought provoking is the final one on quantum behaviour. This lays out the electron detector experiment by building up a series of thought experiments that give some insight into the wave/particle nature at the atomic level.

I was not a great physics student at college, I would like to think I could have been better if some of these ideas had be presented - maybe not as the core subject but as a summary of current thinking. The original reason for Feynman's lecture series was such a complaint about undergraduate physics stifling or hiding the true frontiers of the subject.

FA Cup draw 5th round

A great draw Southampton vs Portsmouth. They have played in recent years in the cup but to happen again so soon is interesting.

This really could be a fitting end for Portsmouth, the last game against their greatest rivals - before having to reform in the non league after bankruptcy.

BBC Freeview HDTV

There maybe a DRM component to the HD broadcasts the BBC puts on Freeview. The theory is that content providers will not be happy unless there is some protection of their content.

All this will probably imply decoder upgrades for the sector of the public that is happy with the Freeview service.

That's just not fair. I do not expect that the BBC will have premium HD content as in the latest films or dramas just as they do not now for SD content. If I wanted that I'd go elsewhere...

But I do want to be able to buy a TV or decoder and choose from a range of suppliers who have all been able to compete on open standards. As far as I am concerned that is what my license fee was for.

The same discussion was had over codecs for iPlayer - the BBC eventually got hounded into making sure that could be multi platform. The uproar here was more the "Windows only" of the initial trials but a similar principle applies here.

Blair Showtime

Tony Blair is to appear before the Chilcot Iraq inquiry this week. His other cabinet members have already appeared. A Jack Straw who had all his angles well covered, a Geoff Hoon who might as well not have been defence secretary given his complete lack of decision involvement. Gordon Brown yet to appear but will do before the election.

But now Blair, I hope he gets the grilling he needs to remind him what an unpopular choice he made and also shamed enough in the underhand way he convinced parliament to go to war.

I accept he was in a difficult position, but I think he lacked backbone and just went along with the US. A tough decision and we'll never know the state of Iraq had we let things be.

Portsmouth Collapse Close?

Well the debts are still unpaid, owing the taxman, other clubs on previous transfer fees and worst of all now Sol Campbell!

I cannot see how they are going to get out of this, it is just dragging on too long - if they had the money they would have paid up.

A sad end to a relatively succesful last 10 years.

Film: Der Untergang (Downfall) by Oliver Hirschbiegel

A really vivid and detailed film about the final days of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich, that is crumbling as the Russians close in on Berlin in 1945.

Told through the eyes of his young secretary Traudl Junge. Hitler is stoic, defeated, yet defiant with many rants and rages at the failure of his military machine to protect Berlin. Hitler sometimes sees a brighter future, talking of rebuilding the air force, or of some general mobilising his forces to save Berlin. Of course those around him and in the high command knew the game was up, but no one could quite come to tell Hitler this fact (he too must have known).

Determined to stay in Berlin, noble in itself - but cowardly hiding behind the German people insisting they should die too because they should have been stronger.

What I found difficult to reconcile was the unshakeable belief of the Germans in the leader or the absolute surprise after the war of some of the tyranny. It has to be that the crimes were known or suspected, but what can a single individual do in such a regime? The population by and large let it happen, and this allowed the regime to thrive.

Traudl Junge herself is interviewed at the end, and does say her youth was not an excuse, and she was not a willing Nazi.

A well shot film, leaves the thought in your mind of how you would react if your country became ruled by such a powerful and evil movement.

9/10