The weekend is here and the rain has gone away. It's official. The weatherman ruefully told us to look forward to a good one and he was was correct. He so loves those amber triangles on the screen with "Weather Warning" emblazoned upon it. I think it really makes his day.

The Hybrid Is Here

Quite a few years ago, on another site, the discussion on the forums got around to the merits of the hybrid car and its ecological impact. At the time, I was wholly dismissive. This was of course the era of the Sinclair C5, electric travel for the masses, albeit it was only a open cockpit for one, powered by a motor from a washing machine. How I chortled...

Of course, one day someone in Swindon actually bought one. He used to drive to work in it and hold up rush hour traffic at 5-10 mph. How I snarled and hooted my horn....

These days we have the Gee-Wizz, a cartoon mockery of a car that has become the butt of considerable humour, and how I chortled...

Thing is though, with the advent of the Toyota Prius and everyone waffling on about it, I did say that I would sit up and take notice once Ferrari made a hybrid. That day is soon to dawn. Next year they plan to bring it out. Electric mode for safe, responsible day to day motoring, and an 'Insane Mode' for those moments when you want to forget about speed cameras on country roads. How about that? You'll be able to drive faster for less money than lesser mortals in their economical diesel hatchbacks. There is justice after all.

Parrots

Of course I could start quoting Monty Python sketches, the temptation is enormous, but I'll try not to. Parrots are after all, along with ravens, magpies, and crows, among the most intelligent of birds. We all know they can imitate human speech but studies have shown that the African Grey Parrot can form simple sentences of its own! This is to be expected. They've been around longer than us and originate from the Late Cretaceous period.

Probably why then that the five year old female parrot named "Strawberry" won a share dealing contest in South Korea then. It seems we human beings are only emulating the financial ability of our feathered friends. Must be why our ailing human bankers find wonderful plumage so important.

Doh!

Car the Week

Not only are Ferrari planning to build a hybrid ultracar for responsible speeding, but they also have a 4x4 on the drawing boards. How green is that? Wrong colour really, isn't it?