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Guest Post: 7 Reasons Why Dogs Make Better Pets Than Most Other Things (Including Yetis)

Like me, you’ve probably spent a lot of time thinking, “My dog’s pretty cool, but how amazing would it be to have a pet that’s really unique, like a dragon or a yeti?” This is an entirely reasonable question, and one you should not be ashamed of. The world can only take so many Labradoodles and Puguauas, after all.

But apart from the inconvenient fact that most of these mythical creatures are difficult to source, let alone adequately care for, there are better reasons for re-discovering why canines are top dog when it comes to the pet question. Unless, that is, someone knows how I can get my hands on a griffin.

I’d like to report a missing dog.

1. Sasquatch. Call it what you will – Sasquatch, Yeti, Bigfoot – just don’t call it a good pet. Where to start? Well for one thing, can you imagine how much an overgrown ape-man would eat? You can reason with a dog. A dog will be happy with whatever you give it, and the more care you put into your best friend’s diet, the more he will love you. A Sasquatch? I’ve heard a lot of things about Sasqui, but gratitude and loyalty have never featured among them. And while we’re on the topic, Bigfoot’s a bit of a lazy name for a hairy, lumbering creature with a stout base, and anyway it’s not very nice. Even if they’re big, dumb, graceless oafs, Sasqui have feelings, too.

2. Ewoks. Do you know what Ewoks do when they’re not on camera? They greet everything – soft furnishings, cuddly toys, home appliances – with a fervour that’s indelicate and overly familiar. Ewoks aren’t discerning and they’re not discreet. If you thought your Schnauzer could be a little uncouth sometimes, believe me, you do not want to leave an Ewok alone with your Great Aunt Marge’s leg.

3. Nessie. Oh come on, no one really believes in the Loch Ness Monster.

4. Dragons. Dragons are notoriously high maintenance. Your dog is quite happy to make do with a small bed or an area on the carpet she can continually scratch in hopes of scrunching it into something bed-like. A dragon needs a whole cave and I don’t know about you, but affordable caverns are pretty hard to come by in my neck of the woods. A dog’s breath may make you gag, but it’s not going to singe your eyebrows (probably.) A dog won’t lay waste to everything in its path (probably.) A dog won’t demand its own iTunes account or want to watch every episode of Loose Women ever made or sit around flicking its tail insolently and leaving little bits of chainmail everywhere. You really want high maintenance? Get a cat.

5. Robots. Look, you can have a robot if you want to. Nobody’s stopping you. It’s just robots make stupid pets, even robots that look like dogs. Especially robots that look like dogs. They’re not exactly going to shower you with unconditional love and affection, are they? They’re just machines that do what you tell them to do. Until they develop independent thought and decision-making capabilities, turn on you, destroy your home, steal your identity and take your favourite Def Leppard t-shirt. Not so cool then, are they?

6. Griffins. I’ve got to be honest, I really can’t think of a good reason not to have a pet that’s part-lion, part-eagle and all bad-ass. If anyone’s got a griffin for sale, just name your price.

7. Unicorns. Unicorns cannot play fetch. This is a fact. Some believe it’s because their magical sparkly horn gets in the way and punctures anything thrown to them, but that’s not the real reason. The real reason is that unicorns are plonkers. They’re petulant and temperamental and usually huffy. They care too much about not messing up their rainbow flowing mane and not enough about retrieving. Unicorns are essentially self-absorbed muppets.

Wait! Muppets! Now that’s a pet I could go for.

October 5, 2013
Guest Post: 7 Reasons To Go Gluten Free

Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat. It’s what makes dough elastic, allowing pizza chefs to show off and throw their bases around like Frisbees and bakers to make shapes into bread rolls. There’s a current health trend to go “Gluten-Free” as having a gluten intolerance can actually be harmful. Here are seven tips that may help you decide whether you should toss gluten out of your diet.

1. Our bodies were never designed to eat wheat  . Human beings don’t actually fully digest wheat, which begs the question, is wheat for us? What we don’t digest produces gas, which leads to bloated and embarrassing situations – that gas has got to go somewhere…

2. Wheat is an allergen.  What is worse than being allergic to your nan’s cat or dog? Being allergic to wheat. It is one of the top ten allergies when it comes to health and millions of people are allergic to it, and many of them don’t know it. Look out for the signs (or smells) floating around the office post lunch bloomer sandwich.

3. Wheat 1 Nutrition 0.   All the goodness of wheat is removed during the refining process. The nutritional value of processed wheat is virtually zero.

4. I’m allergic and I (don’t) know it  . Whilst only 1 in 100 people have celiac disease (a intestine disorder that is worsened if sufferers eat gluten) it’s estimated that between 50% and 70% of the world’s population may have a sensitivity to gluten. This includes beer drinkers and pastry lovers.

5. Inflammation information .  Wheat can cause cellular inflammation. It’s a pro-inflammatory agent that is converted to sugar, causing the body’s levels of insulin to rise. When insulin levels are high, the body will crave more of the same produce, like a mouse after cheese.

6. I’m leaking!   Leaky Gut Syndrome is a condition where toxins and other harmful substances leak from your gut into your bloodstream. Gluten is a typical cause of this unwanted condition.

7. Dem bones dem bones  . It’s been noticed that celiacs regularly suffer from bone and joint pain. In many cases a gluten-free diet helps alleviate pain from such issues.

If any of the above ring a bell with you, it might be worth you switching to a gluten-free diet. Eliminate the risk of that ‘strange noise’ coming from your gut, a sudden bolt to the loo during that important meeting or having to curl up on the sofa after a pizza (and that isn’t your hangover) by finding the best gluten free recipes online. In all cases, it’s probably best to gauge the opinion of your physician in the first instance.

August 16, 2013
Guest Post: 7 Reasons Why People Still Wear Watches When They Have A Phone

Billions of people around the world have a mobile phone or have access to a mobile phone and according to a report from the U.N. 6 of the world’s 7 billion people have access to a mobile phone while only 4.5 million people have access to a toilet. That says a lot about the society we live in.

1. Exercise. People these days are starting to go running more often and the amount of money that it costs these days to buy a phone that will keep a track of your route while you’re out on a run and your pace, it’s a lot of money to just drop it and break it.

That’s why running watches are so popular these days. They’re a fraction of the cost of a smart phone and they do everything that you need whilst out on a run and there’s no worries about dropping it and breaking it, it’s strapped to your watch so it’d have a job!

2. Fashion. These timekeeping devices are somewhat a staple in any fashionista’s ‘diet’ and they’re also an ideal way to sort of round-up and bring together an outfit by adding that finishing touch.

In terms of fashion with watches, it isn’t as much about the fact that you have the time on your wrist as it is that it’s about what the watch signifies.

3. Polite. As we explained in the opening paragraph, there are 6 billion people in the world who own a mobile phone yet, as common as it is to be seen on your phone these days there are still some people out there who are a tad more traditional and can be easily put off by the amount of time people spend on their phone.

You could be out for a nice dinner and chatting away nicely until someone just pulls out their phone and “checks the time” you can probably presume that they’re looking for a way out of the conversation.

For this reason, it’s better, and handier if you have a watch. So if you do just want to “check the time” you just need a flick of the wrist. However, if you do want to get out of the conversation then you always have the back up of your phone!

4. Conserve Battery Life. This has a double-barrelled meaning. Yeah, you’d be saving your phone’s battery life if you just left it in your pocket but you’d also be saving your own battery life.

The biggest thing though is that you’ll waste your phone’s battery life. Also, if you genuinely are just looking at the time on your phone then there’s a chance that someone has tweeted you, emailed you or even Facebook-ed you. Then, that leads to you spending more time on your phone and then wasting more of your battery life.
It’s just easier to have a watch on, like we said previously, it’s just a flick of the wrist if you’ve got a watch.

5. Your Job. There’s a number of different professions out there that probably wouldn’t be ideal for someone to be sat checking the time on their phone so, that’s why it’s great to have a watch. Could you imagine if you went to see a psychologist and they were sat there on their mobile phone.

There’s a number of different professions out there that actually make a massive use of watches, like the medical profession as it’s certainly frowned upon to be talking to your doctor or a nurse and they’re on twitter on their phone. It’s just rude. Sometimes, it’s a good job that watches are still in use.

6. Weatherproof. Depending on where you live will depend on the kind of watch you need. If you’re lucky and you live near a beach then you’re definitely going to be inclined to get a watch to wear. Let’s face it; there’s not many, if any, mobile phones these days which are too compatible with the elements that make up a beach.
The heat can also cause your phone to overheat and malfunction and with the price of smartphones these days, the last thing you want to happen is for your phone to break.

Of course, there’s sand too at the beach which everyone knows can get in all sorts of annoying places! Moving on from the beach, it rains everywhere in the world and if you’re caught out with your phone out, ‘just checking the time’ you could end up regretting not buying a watch!

7. Health Reasons. We all know how ‘Health & Safety’ mad the world has gone and there’s numerous studies out there to show how using your mobile phone for x-number of hours a day or days a week can cause x, y or z problems to you.

None of these things are ever spoken about when it comes to watches. You don’t hear about people getting brain tumours from using their watch too much, or wrist tumours from wearing it too much. So, if you do get a watch, just keep reminding yourself that you’re not doing any damage to yourself by using that instead of a brand new mobile phone.

This article has been provided by the Watch Supermarket team. If you want a brand new watch at a great price then why don’t you check out our range?

August 2, 2013
Guest Post: 7 Reasons To Take A Cruise To South America

Cruises aren’t just for oldies with a lust for tea-dancing. Oh no. They are – believe it or not – getting cooler. And part of it is about the destinations. You don’t have to go to Malta anymore to sit on a dinky balcony and turn your skin to leather. You don’t even have to don a sparkly kaftan or a pair of Speedos to wade the waters of the Caribbean while local kids try to flog you miniature bongo drums.

So without further ado, here are seven reasons why a cruise to achingly hip South America is the thing to do:

1. You’ll see lots of boobies. Wait, now don’t get too excited. I’m talking about blue-footed boobies – a type of bird with sky blue feet which lives all over the Galapagos Islands. Choose the right time of year to go and you’ll see them doing the dance moves of their courtship dance – quite an amusing spectacle.

2. Sweat it out in the Amazon. Take a river cruise down the planet’s biggest river and you’ll really learn what it means to sweat. Even if you’re a gym regular, or a Bikram yoga fan, you’ll reach new heights of perspiration in this equatorial region. When you’re not wiping your brow, you’ll see chattering monkeys and native villages, and maybe even fish for piranhas.

3. Get the Horn. Some itineraries sail all the way under Cape Horn – the furthest south point in Chile. Early round-the-world sailors had to take this route before the Panama Canal was built. It’s pretty spectacular: glaciers, fjords, whales, penguins and condors will guide your way. Just keep an eye out for icebergs, eh?

4. Get high. Bolivian drug dens aside, there is plenty of stuff to get you high – quite literally – in South America. Choose cultural cruise which drops you off on the Peruvian coastline for an inland trip to the Lost City of Machu Picchu. Here, nearly 2,500 metres above sea level, you’ll have shortness of breath from both the altitude and the view. Chill out back at the beach with a few Pisco Sours before moving on.

5. Spy on supermodels. Ah, Brazil. Forget about feeling insecure in your frumpy on-piece and do what every other tourist does: find a prime viewing spot on Copacabana and watch the local ladies and gents play a hot and sweaty game of beach volleyball. It’s a beautiful thing. The teeny bikinis, the even smaller trunks, the toned, tanned flesh… these people really know how to look gorgeous, and they are used to being stared at.

6. Tango in Buenos Aires. The capital of Argentina is a city that keeps on giving. The locals will teach you how to stay up all night and then go straight to work for the day, and they’ll laugh it off when you ask them why the country has the highest number of psychiatrists per capita. Let them teach you to tango and you’ll be made an absolute fool of – but that’s half the fun. Knock back the red wine and get on with it. If you can get into a tangle with a luscious local, all the better!

7. Gurn at giant tortoises. The Galapagos Islands, as we’ve already seen, have such amusing animals as the blue-footed booby. But the giant tortoises take the trophy for oddest animal. These wrinkled old things staggering about the Darwin Research Centre look a lot like a bunch of retirees on an outing. Expressive and painfully slow, copy their gurning for some holiday photos you will want to frame and hang in the living room.

Article courtesy of Exsus South America

July 27, 2013
Guest Post: 7 Reasons To Love The British Monarchy

As the catalyst for much social discussion, the subject of countless headlines and even the inspiration behind many protests, it’s difficult to argue that the Royal Family aren’t a conversation starter. Despite dividing the opinions of the public on occasion, there are seven very special reasons why you can’t help but love the British monarchy.

1. Without the Royals, there would be no Pippa. In April 2011, the world was caught up in a whirlwind of fairy tale romance, bunting and street parties – it was time for the much-anticipated Royal wedding. Whether you loved it or loathed it, the inescapable pomp presented something to the general public other than misty-eyed monarchs; Pippa Middleton’s posterior. The bridesmaid’s bottom quickly gathered a following of over 225,000 fan on Facebook, and suddenly gave the Great British public a renewed interest in the Royals.

2. Banking on a bank holiday. Each time that we are faced with an up and coming event involving the monarchy, almost all of us ask ourselves the same question; will we get an extra bank holiday out of this? Some of us may even and plan our much awaited long weekends around the schedules of the Royal Family. Whether it’s a jubilee or a wedding, you’re likely to find that every Brit can discard their stiff upper lip regarding the Royals in lieu of an extra day away from their desk.

3. Rock star royalty. You might not expect a member of the monarchy to be prancing around a Las Vegas pool table crudely cupping their privates in a farcical attempt at modesty, but luckily for us that’s when it’s Prince Harry’s time to shine. Providing a little comic relief to the stiff regiment that is the Royal Family, Harry’s antics have ranged from poorly advised and politically incorrect fancy dress costumes to reported recreational drug use. Living a lifestyle that even the most well-seasoned rock star would shy away from makes the Royals seem a little more human; after all, wouldn’t we all do the same if we were born into a world of fame and fortune?

4. Bringing Britain the bacon. It’s difficult to walk a few yards in London without being confronted with an array of keyrings, coffee mugs and keepsakes emblazed with the faces of the Royal family. The monarchy attracts attention from people all over the world which in turn increases the amount of revenue generated by tourism each year. The year ending March 2013 saw overseas tourists spend £19 billion in the UK, and the monarchy is a contributing factor to this staggering figure. As one of the few remaining countries to still uphold a monarchy, we have to be grateful. After all, hoards of cash-burning visitors wouldn’t stand in the howling wind and drizzle for just anybody!

5. Prince Phillips’s classic clangers. Long before Prince Harry, Prince Phillip was dropping countless clangers during his duties, some of which were so outrageous they verged on the unbelievable. For example, just earlier this year during a trip to Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, the Prince remarked to a Filipino nurse “the Philippines must be half empty – you’re all here running the NHS”. Other toe-curling off the cuff comments include telling a robed president of Nigeria “you look like you’re ready for bed”. Even at 91, Phillip’s wit shows no sign of waning, so there may still be more mortifying moments to come.

6. Make way for the Magna Carta. If you think that Prince Harry’s partying and collection of pretty young things was going mad with power, you haven’t seen anything yet. King Henry I implemented a levy known as “scutage” that was payable by knights who wished to exempt themselves from their fighting duties during his rule in 1100. However, the King soon saw the potential to make a pretty penny from this tax, and increased the fee by 300%. It is said that this outbreak of craziness later inspired the creation of the Magna Carta to carefully control the powers of the ruling monarch.

7. Britain comes together. We may not know the words to the national anthem or be able to name each and every member, but the Royal Family does bring a certain level of unity to the UK. For example, when it was announced that Kate Middleton had gone into labour to give birth to Prince George Alexander Louis, over 6 million comments mentioning the imminent arrival were posted on Twitter within a 48 hour period. Along with a cup of tea and a buttered crumpet, the monarchy represents something that is quintessentially British that we can all share, whether we’re waving flags or just wishing it would all quieten down.

Author bio: Rosie Percy is a freelance writer who explores a diverse variety of lifestyle and human interest topics. She has previously written for the Guardian and a host of sites across the web, sharing her insights via blogs. Rosie currently lives in Brighton and spends her spare time seeing friends and strolling along the seafront.

July 26, 2013
Guest Post: 7 Reasons Why Men Are Scared Of Washing Machines

Historically much maligned for their domestic idleness, men have come a long way in recent years. Comfortable in the kitchen, happy to do the vacuuming and occasionally enthusiastic about childcare, the age of equality is very much here. Just don’t mention the laundry. It remains a baffling world where fancy, shiny, modern washing machines are viewed as Cyclopean nemeses, brooding away in the corner, ready to punish the simplest label-reading error or colour mix-up.

Here are seven very good reasons why doing the washing is anathema to the male of the species:

1. Men are confused that it has to happen at all, and with such astonishing regularity. Some would quite happily revert back to Victorian times when poor children were sewn into their clothes at the start of winter and then unstitched come the warmer months. Men will happily recycle a garment from the “floordrobe” – pick it up, dust it down, give it a cursory sniff and put it right back on. Who cares if it’s Thursday and they’ve been wearing it since Monday?

2. Powder, tablets, balls, gels – the list of things you can put in a washing machine has seemingly grown exponentially in recent years. It used to be simple – you put the powder in the drawer and that was it. Now some things go in the drawer, some go in the drum and some go in a bag in the drum – it’s become a very, very confusing world. Men would rather not risk putting the wrong thing in the wrong place.

3. Can he put his bath towel in with his pants? Can he wash that white merino wool sweater with his new red socks? Can he chuck his jeans in with his chinos? Constructing the ideal load is a minefield and best left to the experts. Especially after what happened to her favourite white top the last time he tried to be helpful. . .

4. Why are clothing labels full of symbols akin to those found on the walls of Egyptian tombs? A man shouldn’t need a copy of the Rosetta stone to decipher the care label on his favourite T-shirt. All those triangles, squares and circles resemble some kind of devilish cypher that war-time codebreakers would struggle to crack.

5. And if the clothes labels are bad, what about the dials on the machine? All those symbols, programmes AND temperatures – they are just a recipe for disaster. What’s wrong with a big button that just says “wash clothes”?

6. Men famously struggle with having a thorough look for something. A so-called “man look” involves confidently claiming to have looked everywhere for the house keys with no success.

Her: “Have you checked the top drawer in the hall?”
Him: “Yes, I had a look and they weren’t there.”
[Two minutes later]
Her: “Here they are.”
Him: “Where were they?”
Her: “In the top drawer in the hall. You must have had a man look.”

What does this have to do with washing? Well, there are all those pockets to go through and a man knows that he will inevitably fail to remove a golf ball that will proceed to rattle around the washing machine drum for half an hour or a tissue that will deconstruct itself all over a favourite jumper. Oh, and has anyone seen the cat?

7. Finally, doing the washing invariably leads to another baffling exercise: ironing. And that is not a path down which any man wishes to voluntarily tread . . .

July 25, 2013
Guest Post: 7 Reasons Why Social Media Is More Important Than Record Labels

1. Find Likeminded Fans. Record labels can only promote your music using a scattergun approach, advertising to everyone within a certain demographic. Using social media means that word will spread among friends who know each other’s taste and may well share it so when they find an artist they like.

2. Get People Talking. No matter how much money a record label throws at an artist, there’s no guarantee that anyone will be interested in buying their albums or seeing them play. A buzz on social media is much more likely to draw people’s attention as they will hear about it through their friends and social contacts. Viral marketing is a powerful tool when it comes to attracting attention to your music and many bands have built their careers on the basis of a grassroots movement among fans who have discovered their music online.

3. Share Your Music. A record label will be concerned with getting people to buy your music, but when you use social media you can share your music and let people listen to it without having to commit to making a purchase. This allows people to follow an artist’s progress and see how their sound grows as they mature. The outlay for the musician is also minimal as there is no need to pay to have CDs pressed or spend money on marketing. They can focus on just making music.

4. No Compromise. If you know how you want to sound and feel passionate about your music, then you don’t want to have to change it to suit a record label’s agenda. For many artists, keeping the music at the forefront is crucial.

5. The Importance of Live Music. With so many studio tricks possible, live music could be a dying art if it weren’t for social media. Listening to a band or artist performing their unedited tracks online could encourage people to go to a live show where they can get an idea of how their favourite artists really sound.

6. Find People Where They Are. Instead of hoping that fans come to you, using social media to promote your music means that you are taking your music to them. You don’t have to worry about whether you are reaching your target market because the word will spread among their peers and reach people who might otherwise not respond to record-company advertising.

7. Honest Feedback. A record label will tell you how you could be marketed and what your key demographic might be. They will be interested in maximising their investment. When you promote your music through social media, however, the people listening to it will give you honest and useful feedback to help you shape your sound.

Social Media & Web has become more important for young artists like Anassa Oneill who appreciates the value of giving her fans a taste of her music. As an independent artist, Anassa chooses to stay true to her roots and produce the music she loves in the way that she wants. She enjoys the freedom that comes with not having to conform.

July 19, 2013
Guest Post: 7 Reasons Why Lego Is Totally Awesome

What was your favourite toy growing up? More importantly, what is your favourite toy now? While most we grow out of most types of figures and games, there’s something about LEGO that rocks as much as an adult as it did when you were a kid. Here are seven reasons why LEGO is completely awesome.

1. The logo. The LEGO logo is awesome. It’s colourful. Bold. It promises fun straight away. It’s got that nostalgic brand appeal that seems to endure right into your adult years, like Heinz, Coca-Cola or McDonald’s. It promises simple fun with friends.

Even now, when I’m walking down a high street and see that red square with the bubble-style font it makes me smile, and brings out the kid in me. But as we’ll see, LEGO isn’t just for kids…

2. It’s for grown-up geeks as well as children. While the core audience for LEGO will always be kids, big kids love the toys just as much. While new-ish lines like Chima and Ninjago are more a children’s thing, surely the Star Wars, Super Heroes and Lord of the Rings lines have been brought in with one eye on the adult market? To see the adult fascination with LEGO, look no further than The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon showing his passion for building a LEGO Death Star.

LEGO represents the fundamentals of popular video games, too. Recently a lot of geeks have been playing Minecraft to get their sandbox world-building fix. And rightly so, because Minecraft is amazing. But LEGO has that simple pleasure of physically building things. It’s tangible. Sort of like a real-life Minecraft.

3. There’s a whole theme park dedicated to it. You know you’ve made it when you can build an entire theme park dedicated to the thing you do. LEGOLAND in Windsor is a kid’s toy Mecca; you can play with all manner of imaginative building block creations, and there are areas specifically based around Pirates, Vikings, Pharaohs and Knights. Although I’ve been to the LEGO flagship store in Copenhagen, I’ve never been to the theme Park. But I will. One day.

Of course there are lots of things you could do in the UK this summer, but a visit to the Windsor site must rank pretty high. Here’s how to check out trains to LEGOLAND in Windsor.

4. It’s really reactive to pop culture. The modern brilliance of the LEGO brand is that it’s so on top of pop culture. Whenever something relevant is happening – like the Olympics – LEGO is on-hand to recreate scenes using stop-motion. During the Games last year we had swimming races, gymnastics and Usain Bolt’s 100m win all ‘reenacted’ with the famous blocks.

Best of all, LEGO has started putting out mini-films and remakes of classic movies scenes – such as the one above of Casino Royale. I think the appeal of this is seeing ‘adult’ themes and drama acted out with children’s toys. Plus there’s the joy of seeing the simple special effects; the practical magic that makes feel like you could reach out and touch everything in the scene.

5. It’s educational. Think LEGO is all about fun? Guess again. All that time we were fiddling around with colourful bricks, we were actually learning. We were developing our creative talents and problem-solving skills. We were learning to work with others. LEGO is also great because in a world of multi-media distractions, it’s an activity that kids can use to train themselves into unitasking – learning to concentrate on one project, and focus.

LEGO has taken this concept to the max, building its own school in Denmark. Although, sadly, it’s not made of LEGO. The International School of Billund will be based on developing children’s enquiring minds, and will basically be the most incredible experience ever. What’s next? LEGO University? Best. Uni. Ever.

6. There’s always something new coming out. Unlike some toy manufacturers, LEGO isn’t prepared to rest on its laurels and cruise along churning out the same stuff year after year. They’re constantly bringing out new figures, sets and product lines. This can occasionally backfire, though; a recent study suggested that LEGO faces have been getting progressively angrier over the last 20 years!

A good example of an ongoing LEGO line that you can dip in and out of is the Minifigures Collection. Each series has about 16 different figures, and they’re wildly different – you can end up with anything from a DJ, ice skater, futuristic spaceman or mythological warrior.

7. It’s just as good as when you were a kid. Perhaps the best thing about LEGO is that it’s still as good as when you were young. It’s more than just nostalgia. While the Heinz beans and Big Macs of today don’t match up to the memories of your youth, LEGO is just as brilliant as ever.

In fact, considering everything I’ve said, I guess I should be saying that LEGO’s better than ever! It’s great because it’s a different toy to different people. It’s literally what you make of it. And it’s a toy where the only the only limit – apart from bricks – is your imagination.

About the author: Andrew Tipp is a writer, blogger and editor. He works in digital publishing, and often writes about pop culture, web trends and cool technology. Andy has been a life-long LEGO fan, and is also interested in films, graphic novels, bacon, miso soup and zombies.

July 12, 2013
Guest Post: 7 Reasons Why The Brits Are Uptight About Sex

1. The Conservative Party. The Conservative party specialise in a particular duality; Tories like very much to keep things business and respectable at the front, but murky, duplicitous and even sinister at the back. When I say ‘back’, I mean of course that hidden away room in the tower out on the west wing of their country pile in the depths of Surrey where they keep the, er, apparatus. This dual existence means that, instead of embracing their sexual tastes as part of their identity as they should, they prefer to hide them away and keep them under lock and key and then present this as some sort of honest virtue. What a crock.

2. The Victorians. Perhaps the definitive age in British sexual mores, the Victorians have a lot to answer for. The Victorians had a tendency to tie up and repress the bosom of their emotions in a corset or a strait-jacket and take away its air, suffocating it, starving it. Their bedrooms cold and draughty, their beds stone slabs when compared to the kind of things on offer for bedrooms today.

Of course the figurehead for this smothering of desire was the Queen herself, all jutting chin and jowel and brimming with disdain for any show of open affection: a real ice Queen. Imagine her now, faced with the flesh-fest on Geordie Shore. She’d cancel Christmas and cut off supply routes to the north-east in an instant.

3. Female Suppression. For so long in Britain, the prevailing cultures – political, social and sexual – were patriarchal. You might well argue that this is still the case. The idea of discussing female sexual desires and needs was anathema; it was all one way stuff, if you excuse the image. That whole concept is based on male control and male control is predicated on holding stuff back in case things start slipping out of their hands. Again, you’ll have to excuse the image there. Sorry.

4. Stiff Upper Lip. Brits love to be seen as old warhorses; stoic in the face of unremitting adversity; taking every blow on the chin but never giving in, always soldiering on. The old stiff upper lip. If only they’d be a bit happier about keeping something else stiff? This piffley-idea of sanctified stoicism is laughable when you think of it. It’s like the Brits have seen Sisyphus and thought what a good idea his lot in life looked like.

5. The French. Brits are terrified of the French, how they smoulder, casually turn on and turn off their passion switches, how they can make even the most trivial of actions look effortlessly cool. More than anything else they are terrified of the French having sex. And being better at it than the Brits. The Brits think that if they pretend it (ie sex with the French) doesn’t exist, then the French cannot be better at it than us. It’s an ostrich shoving their head in the ground scenario. The French know their heads are better used elsewhere. Haw, hee, and indeed, haw.

6. Class. As a nation, the Brits are utterly obsessed with class. It defines every social occasion, every coming together on public transport, every purchase they make, every personal affect. Sex of course should and does transcend any pseudo-idea of class but the Brits being the Brits think that certain sexual habits are only to be associated with the underclass whereas everyone uses a variety of vegetables as part of their sexual role-play games don’t they? Don’t they? No? Oh.

7. Eros: not just a waiter. The name ‘Eros’ to a Brit is more likely to be associated with the waiter who brought them cheap plonk in that holiday complex down on the Costa del Torquay, not the God of Love. Cupid rhymes with stupid as they see it – the Brits will always find a way to undercut, downplay and not face up to the force of true sexual emotion when they should just let everything go, open their arms wide and embrace Eros to their hearts. Even if he is a bewhiskered, doddery old fella with breath that smells of cigarettes and dried shrimp. Especially, then.

June 22, 2013
Guest Post: 7 Reasons Why Almost Everyone Should Keep Chickens

Dads are an interesting bunch. They’re either absent; or they’re present in body but absent in any meaningful way (such as when you want a lift to a dodgy club no parent worthy of the title would ever take their 17-year-old, much less drop off a block away so the teenager in question wouldn’t have to be seen with their totally embarrassing dad); or they care deeply about the fortunate position they’re in and want to bestow upon their children gems of wisdom. Gems like, “You could feed the world on chickens and zucchini. If everyone just kept chickens and grew zucchini, world hunger would cease.”

Like I said, interesting.

In honour of Father’s Day – and now that I am 36 years old and living 4,000 miles away from my bonkers old man – I can concede that fathers sometimes do know best. At least when it comes to solving life’s little problems, like world hunger. So as a tribute to my dad, here are 7 reasons why almost everyone should keep chickens.

1. Chickens + zucchini = starvation solved! In a nutshell, the theory is this: chickens are inexpensive, easy to keep and don’t take up much space. They produce eggs, which you can eat, and if you can tolerate a noisy cockerel, they’ll also keep producing chickens, which you also can eat. Zucchini, otherwise known as courgette, operates in much the same way. Cheap, self-sufficient, produces loads. Mind you, no one actually likes to eat zucchini, but shred it in with some eggs (and other stuff) and you can make the world’s greatest cake. Fact.

2. Got weeds? Hate cutting the grass? Get chickens and they’ll do all the work for you. What’s more, they’ll actually enjoy doing it for you. Let’s not kid ourselves that chickens are anything like pets, because they’re not. They’re skittish instead of cuddly, they sometimes get mites (which are gross) and they’re incredibly stupid. So stupid, in fact, that their world revolves around scratching up worms and picking at weeds. Chickens are like vacuum cleaners for the garden, except that they…

3. …poo everywhere. This is one aspect that chicken enthusiasts will always gloss over. Yes it’s lovely to see a smattering of colourful hens blissfully pecking about in your garden, but the price you pay is in poo. On the upside, the stinky stuff is so rich in nutrients that it will keep your zucchini plants growing fat and happy without any weird chemical frankenfertilisers.

4. I’ve yet to meet a kid who willingly eats the crusts of bread, but do you know who will? That’s right. As well as being squawking, pooing, mite-infested simpletons, chickens have another thing going for them: they will eat anything your kids won’t, including eggs and eggshells. But not actual chicken-meat byproducts, which would just be gross and cruel, even if they’d be too dumb to know the difference.

5. Also, kiddies love chickens. Collecting eggs is like finding a little present every day. Feeding chickens gives children a sense of responsibility and compassion, or at least it keeps them out of your hair for five minutes. Better yet, let your kids have some fluffy chicks. Just don’t tell them they’ll probably get eaten someday (the chickens, not the kids.)

6. Everybody loves eggs. Therefore your popularity will be guaranteed every time you nonchalantly offer a free half-dozen to your mates. No one has to know it’s because the thought of one more omelette is enough to send you rushing for the laxatives.

7. Chickens in knitwear. This phenomenon is beyond my powers of sarcasm, you just have to appreciate it for yourselves.

June 3, 2013