This week's award for Re-Inventing The Wheel And Putting An Eye-Boggling Price Tag On It In The Name Of Saving The Planet goes to: the Eco Kettle (as advertised in The Guardian, whose 'reader offers' just get more and more pointless). This is a kettle which, apparently, saves you from boiling more water than you need by means of a dual-chamber and plunger system. You fill the top chamber, then plunge to release only the amount you want (e.g. one cup) into the lower boiling chamber, keeping the rest in reserve for future cups. This can be yours for a mere £69.95 (not including replacement filters at £14.95).

Oh, where to start? I don't know when it became impossible to boil a single cup's worth of water (or two, or whatever) in a normal kettle, for one thing. I mean, they are charging *£70* for this contraption! (£75 if you want it in silver!) Can people not work out that it's a giant con? For another thing, tea afficianados will tell you that you should only make tea using *freshly drawn water* ie not water that's been sloshing around the kettle (even in a special chamber) for days. And finally, it has a built in water filter - lovely I'm sure but buying replacement filters costs money and creates waste.

I just despair.

Tags: environment stupidity tea

13:03

. . .

How great is Married to the Sea? Really great, that's how great!

Tags: comics libraries

09:30

. . .

Happy National Library Workers Day! If you're in the USA that is. I haven't been able to find any details about a UK equivalent of this laudable event (though in any case I don't suppose it has Americans dancing in the streets or getting time off work or anything.) So, why not take the situation into your own hands and big up your favourite British information worker on your blog, or send them a thank you ecard or something (and I'm not fishing, honest!). It could start a trend...

Tags: National Library Workers Day

09:39

. . .

Words written: 17,124
Days left until hand-in: 53
Grey hairs: 4

Tags: dissertation

10:33

. . .