Recorded for Training Purposes

Remember that BBC radio sketch writing competition from a couple of years ago? The one that all the comedy writers in the blogosphere entered? And none of us won? And all of us had a right old moan about it? Or at least I did and Phill Barron did as well?

Well, now we've got another chance. The prize in that competition was a chance to write for the Radio 4 show Recorded for Training Purposes. That show's third series is coming up and they're accepting open submissions. Read all about it here.

And if I don't get anything on, I promise not to moan this time. Probably.

The Laptop Lives! A Bit.

Turns out my laptop was only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead, you know. My fiance booted the machine from a Linux CD, and afterwards Vista agreed to start again. So the machine is working for the moment.

As I type, my fiance is backing up my data, wiping the hard drive, and installing Linux. Be gone, foul Vista, that my computer might limp along for a few more months until I've got enough money for a replacement.

My previous laptop died with a visible physical scratch down the centre of the hard disc surface, and was able to carry on after a fashion running Linux. So I'm hopeful.

The Laptop is Dead. Again.

As if I needed any more excuses not to write.

Last night my laptop went circuit-boards-up. It's been a cranky little you-know-what all its life with crankiness and disturbing behaviour on the rise for the past couple of months, and now it won't boot.

Damn it, it's only been a year and a bit since my last laptop death post.

My fiance is trying to resurrect the machine by wiping the hard drive and installing Linux, but I'm not holding out too much hope. He thinks he can at least get my data off the drive, which is some consolation. I've done about a quarter of a draft of my steampunk feature and a bit of work on my radio-play-turned-sitcom since my last backup, never mind the comedy sketches I've done for various outlets.

Now to see if there's money for a replacement. I'm looking at various Dells with Ubuntu. Damned if I'm going to buy another Vista machine after the hatefest that was my relationship with the dead laptop. If I were richer I'd be dancing on its display screen doing the Good Riddance Shuffle. But I'm not, so I'm grinding my teeth instead.