The man was born to do this. Three months off and on his first day back Schumacher betters everyone’s time — except for one of the BAR cars — still using last season’s Ferrari.

I hope this is a sign of significant improvement on the Bridgestone tyres. People have been preaching about tyres for the past few seasons, but I think their performance in 2004 will be the most crucial yet if the Scuderia are to clinch the championship titles again. This season will host the most equally bred cars that we’ve seen in years; Michael, Kimi, Ralph, and Juan Pablo’s driving skills are all very closely matched; a very strong pack (Button, Sato, Trulli, Alonso, Webber) nipping at the big boys’ heels.

• Apparently leeches and breast implants don’t mix.
• Anti-frostbite gloves use heatpipes to divert warmth from your forearms to your fingers.
• Don’t want to get spotted browsing the web when you shouldn’t be? Ghostzilla uses mouse movements to hide and unhide web pages inside application windows. Works fine so long as the IT department isn’t monitoring employee browsing habits.
• In Britain, speed cameras snapped a man doing 653km per hour in his Peugot 406! Obviously a glitch with the camera, but wouldn’t it be cool to have that speeding fine framed, hanging up in your office, and having your colleagues wondering just what the hell you get up to at the weekend?

Here are a few photo sites that I’ve come across in the past while, and have added to the links section.

Chris Laco shares a mathematical proof for success.

“So, one can then conclude with mathematical certainty that while Hard Work and knowledge will get you close, and, Attitude will get you there, Bullshit and Ass Kissing will put you over the top.”

You know what sucks? Leaked transmission fluid on a previously unspoilt garage floor. You know what really sucks? Taking your new car back to the dealership for repairs just 4 days after having driven it off the lot, especially when it’s your first car too.

Update: fortunately it was only a pair of loose clamps on the transmission cooler line, so I had my car back after 3 hours. Everything else has been just dandy.

I hope that everyone has enjoyed a pleasant start to 2004. As ever, I wish you all the success, good health, and good company you can handle ;)

Carly Fiorina will not have done HP-Compaq any favours this week with her somewhat unthinking statements 1, 2.

“There is no job that is America’s God-given right anymore”

There never was, but what was she thinking stating that publicly?! Oh, the unfeeling bitch part, that’ll earn you support with the people whose jobs you’re likely to outsource sometime soon, and anyone else for that matter.

“HP’s CEO Carly Fiorina filled her keynote speech at CES with media piracy rhetoric, saying that consumers are undermining the economy and the morals of this nation by exchanging music.”

Look lady, you may not have realized it, but those unscrupulous file-sharers are the people paying your salary, not the RIAA. Better not to talk about morals when you’re axing American jobs left and right. Dare I point out, by moving those of jobs abroad and prolonging the life of a corrupt, unchecked, unfeasible, and outmoded business, YOU are undermining the American economy by a factor far greater than said ‘evil-doers’.

My point being that as a CEO of a corporate juggernaut, you don’t go around alienating consumers and preaching about the human spirit, unless you assume the issue to be of fundamental concern to the continued existence of mankind and you absolutely believe in what you are saying — in which case Ms. Fiorina is an idiot.