Phil's observations on life: 007 Phone numbers stick in your mind


I know it sounds strange, but I remember the phone number of the Multi-Coloured Swapshop. It was 01 811 8055. I wonder if it's still a BBC number today?

(For those readers who grew up outside the UK, or who are too young to remember, Swapshop was a late 70s/early80s Saturday morning show for kids. You phoned up and offered to swap one bit of old tat for another, I think. A bit like ebay. Except without the money.)

Another number I remember very clearly is that of Interseal, who advertised double glazing extensively on LBC Radio at the same kind of time. They had a great commercial to the tune of George Formby's "When I'm cleaning windows" and it finished "all you have to do is dial 961 2000..."

www.philwoodford.com
12.16.05 @ 04:06 PM PDT [link]

Remember the ammo

Alles in ordnance: eating's a blast in this Swiss restaurant.

I took this shot in a Zurich eaterie. You can see the warning that accompanied the ammunition by scrolling down the page. It's surely too weird to be a wind-up? But after Space Cadets on Channel 4, I suppose anything's possible.
12.16.05 @ 03:57 PM PDT [link]

Phil's observations on life: 006 Doctors' surgeries
Call me a hypochondriac if you like, but I don't understand why they don't have separate surgeries for infectious people. You could have one room for broken arms, panic attacks and ingrowing toenails and a second room for coughs, sneezes, rabies and so on. Then the people in room one wouldn't catch anything from the people in room two.

OK, so I'm Howard Hughes without the money. But it's an idea.

My medical poetry online: http://versenurse.blogspot.com
12.16.05 @ 03:43 PM PDT [link]

Strange itunes stuff, rappers, Holland and related matters
You know the database that itunes uses to identify tracks when you're uploading from CD? Sometimes there's a bit of mischief-making from the people who do the data entry. Woody's Foot-tappers (much loved at the ad agency and covering everything from Abba to ZZ Top) includes the classic track "Holiday" from Dutch rapper MC Miker G and his companion, DJ Sven. The uploaded file name includes the following helpful note: "Dear Lord, is s**te". I don't want to get anyone into trouble or anything like that, but the music industry and Department of Culture in the Netherlands may take a dim view.

I went to a wedding in Holland once. Very smart. Everyone wore black tie at the reception. I don't recall MC Miker G being played.




12.16.05 @ 03:38 PM PDT [link]

Unusual spam
A friend at work received some spam today inviting him to book for dental treatment in Hungary. I'll post the text next week, as it takes some beating for sheer weirdness. I once received a succession of e-mails about anti-snoring products. Hey, Phil, honey. It's time to quit snoring!

How did they know?

My old and rather neglected blog on spam can be found at http://myspamfriends.blogspot.com What if the spammers were real people and doing ordinary jobs, just like you and me?
12.16.05 @ 03:29 PM PDT [link]

Phil's observations on life: 005 Don't mess with the Swiss

Put that cigarette out! Health and safety is given priority in a Swiss restaurant.
12.15.05 @ 03:37 PM PDT [link]

Phil's observations on life: 004 Switzerland is another world


Elementary my dear Phil: Sherlock Teddy introduces himself to me in Zurich, August 2005

Every bear that ever there was
Gathered in Zurich this summer because
They knew they'd be a part of a very major artfest

In London, they would probably have been used as urinals, but in Switzerland, people are a bit more respectful. There were about 600 of the furry blighters all over the city and some had even made their way to the airport.
12.15.05 @ 03:28 PM PDT [link]

Phil's observations on life: 003 People who throw rubbish out of train windows
I saw someone throw their rubbish out of a moving train the other day. I didn't pick a fight, but I thought it was pretty reprehensible. There are bins for that kind of thing. Now, where's my copy of the Daily Mail?
12.13.05 @ 03:50 PM PDT [link]

BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood sent me birthday wishes in 2003. She couldn't make my party, but had the courtesy to get in touch. More than can be said for certain other celebrities.
12.13.05 @ 03:36 PM PDT [link]

Phil's observations on life: 002 On the web, time stands still
As long as something's on the web, it's timeless. If you want proof, take a look at the birthday party I organised for myself in 2003 (www.35forphil.com) Although the event itself is well past its sell-by date, the idea still tickles people's fancy. I've had a couple of e-mails very recently - one from Louisville, Kentucky - asking me how it all went.

People can stumble across a web page at almost any time. And sometimes it's nice to pickle and preserve it for the future. 35forphil has been treated with cyber-formaldehyde. It's been cryogenicaly frozen. And it may well be discovered by a fun-loving surfer many centuries into the future.
12.13.05 @ 03:34 PM PDT [link]