Who really wants to track their drink?

We all like a drink, don't we? Well, unless you're of a religious nature who shuns booze, or one of the people who've enjoyed it so much in the past that they now can't enjoy it any more. 

But by and large, alcohol in the UK is an acceptable part of our everyday social lives. And, as we all know, we drink too much in the UK, apparently. Reports in the media constantly try to convince us that boozing is getting way out of control and that we're all drinking ourselves into an early grave. 

So with grim inevitability, the Internet wants to lend us a hand to work out – yes, there are now a number of apps or sites who are dedicated to drink tracking – making sure we keep a tally of our boozy habits.

But who seriously wants to write down that they drank a bottle of sauvignon blanc and two shots of vodka on Friday, followed by a couple of pints and the rest of that ropey old bottle of port on Saturday night – week after week. 

I know it's all about 'helping you drink responsibly', but will noting it all down (providing you can remember) make any difference?

I tried out the NHS iPhone app in the run-up to Christmas and found it a dismal experience. OK, it functioned fine, but it didn't exactly do anything for me. Some days my drink was well over the 'acceptable' limit, but most of the time it wasn't – making me realise how little I drink!

The NHS isn't the only one out there, though. There's Drinklogger which is aimed squarely at mobile users and still in the Beta phase. 

Then there's Drinktracker, which you actually have to pay $1.99 for – not a great incentive, I must admit and, while it looks nice and functions OK, doesn't really make me feel any more responsible or, in fact, wayward. 

Interesting market but, as yet, the need to track your tequila doesn't really do it for me.  

Posted via email from Rob’s stream of web

Stranded on a Desert Island

Desert Island Discs evokes strong memories for me. As a kid, when I was in the car with my dad travelling home after a weekend, it would invariably be on and I would be subjected to listening to people I’d never heard of being interviewed, choosing pieces of classical music I had no interest in.

In fact, the only time I ever remember someone not choosing a non-classical piece was when the boxer Alan Minter was being quizzed and he picked Boney M’s Brown Girl In The Ring, although I'm sure he wasn’t the first. 

Those were the days when the dulcet tones of Roy Plomley would introduce the week’s castaway when Radio 4 seemed like the last thing on earth I’d ever want to listen to regularly. 

But now, 30-odd years on, with the arrival of the weekly podcast, Desert Island Discs has become staple listening. 

Part of the attraction are the mellifluous tones of Kirsty Young, who has the most soothing voice – a voice made for radio, dare one say it.  

But the diversity of the guests are what makes DID so appealing. In the past couple of months you could have listened to Morrissey, Michael Caine, Professor Mary Beard, James Ellroy and Mary Portas to name but a few. 

Often the names are household, but there are always a few less well-known guests – often the ones who end up being the most interesting. 

While Desert Island Discs is not exactly the confessional box, the intimate nature of radio and the polite, yet incisive questioning of Kirsty Young mean you do get an insight into people that you probably wouldn’t get from, say, a Michael Parkinson grilling, or a magazine feature. 

Sixty-eight years and counting – who wouldn’t bet on it lasting another 68?

The 19 most complex and dangerous roads in the world

via waze.com

Though Spaghetti Junction was bad? Pah, it only clocks in at No.8 in this list of difficult and death-defying global highways.

From the hairpin turns in the Italian mountains, to the almost impassible Lena Highway in the wilds of Eastern Russia, these are some serious roads.

I remember going along the Leh – Manali road back in 1989 during a torrential downpour and we very nearly came off a couple of times.

Our driver thought he was the Indian equivalent of Lewis Hamilton and raced along in a beaten-up jeep at breakneck speeds. I recall sitting on the left-hand side of the vehicle, giving me a perfect view of the sheer drop many times – a frightening few hours.

Having got so far, we ended up having to turn back and hole up in Leh overnight, after a landslide caused the road became impassible.

Such was the squeeze for rooms in the town, 10 of us ended up sleeping on the floor of a hotel manager’s office – not the most comfortable of nights ever.

The next day, the Indian Army did indeed get called out to unblock the road and the jam eased and we arrived at Manali a day late, but fortunately still alive.

The motto – if you can get away with driving yourself, do. Indian drivers are utter lunatics.

Posted via web from Rob’s stream of web