computing: Charactersets, Storage and Endianness

I've been listern to an excellent Scott Hanselman podcast about Internationalisation, the focus of much of the podcast as about unicode charactersets and their storage formats.

Scott and Carl Franklin really got down into the detail and the subject of big vs little endianess came up. I guest the new Intel macs must be little endian, like PCs (the old PowerPC macs were big endian - which matched the http protocol - saving a bitwise switch / rotation of every word...)

Here is a little background of the key concepts

In computing, endianness is the ordering of individually addressable sub-units (words, bytes, or even bits) within a longer data word stored in external memory. The most typical cases are the ordering of bytes within a 16-, 32-, or 64-bit word, where endianess is often simply referred to as byte order. The usual contrast is between most versus least significant byte first, called big-endian and little-endian respectively.

Etymology

The term big-endian comes from Jonathan Swift's satirical novel Gulliver’s Travels, where tensions are described in Lilliput and Blefuscu: whereas royal edict in Lilliput requires cracking open one's soft-boiled egg at the small end, inhabitants of the rival kingdom of Blefuscu crack theirs at the big end (giving them the moniker Big-endians). The terms little-endian and endianness have a similar intent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endianness

endian |ˈendēən|

adjective Computing

denoting or relating to a system of ordering data in a computer's memory whereby the most significant ( big endian) or least significant ( little endian) byte is put first.

ORIGIN 1980s: a reference to Swift's Gulliver's Travels, in which the Lilliputians were divided into two camps, those who ate their eggs by opening the ‘big’ end and those who ate them by opening the ‘little’ end.

Jesus Camp - the dangers of religion and indoctrination

I've just watched Jesus Camp, a film/documentary about the upbringing of children by extreme christains in America, quite scary really: Harry Potter is the devil and must die... but George Bush is the best. They are very powerful and very scary. The trailer gives a feel for the film (although the film has a slower more measured paced)

Fischer is shown preaching a sermon where she mentions the Harry Potter character and claims that had he existed in biblical times, he "would have been put to death". Fischer admonishes the children—many whom are in tears—to "clean up your act" and not be hypocritical in their actions. As several tearful children gather around her, she pours water on their hands to be "washed in the water of [God's] word." ...

There is also a scene at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where Levi and his family go on vacation to hear its now-disgraced pastor, Ted Haggard. Levi highly admires Haggard, and is thrilled to meet him. He informs Haggard that he too wants to be a pastor and has already preached sermons. Afterward, Levi, Rachael, Tory, their families and several other children take part in a Justice House of Prayer rally held by Engle in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Additionally, there is a debate between Fischer and Mike Papantonio, an attorney and a radio talk-show host for Air America Radio's Ring of Fire. Papantonio questions Fischer's motives for focusing her ministry efforts on children. Fischer explains that she does not believe that people have the freedom to choose their belief system once they pass childhood, and that it is important that they be immersed in evangelical Christian values from a young age.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Camp

Here are a just few frightening quotes from the film:

Levi: At five I got saved...
Becky Fischer: Yeah?
Levi: ...because I just wanted more of life.

---

Rachel: [preaching to a group of guys sitting in a park] If you were to die right now in this moment, where do you think you'd go?
guy in the park: Heaven
Rachel: [subdued] Really?
guy in the park: Yeah. Sure.
Rachel: Oh... okay. Have a nice day!
[runs back to her friends]
Rachel: I think they were Muslims!

---

Home-schooled kids: I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag...

---

Levi's Mom: Did you get to the part yet where they say that science hasn't proven anything?

---

Becky Fischer: It's no wonder, with that kind of intense training and discipling, that those young people are ready to kill themselves for the cause of Islam. I wanna see young people who are as committed to the cause of Jesus Christ as the young people are to the cause of Islam. I wanna see them as radically laying down their lives for the Gospel as they are over in Pakistan and Israel and Palestine and all those different places, you know, because we have... excuse me, but we have the truth!

---

Becky Fischer: I can go into a playground of kids that don't know anything about Christianity, lead them to the Lord in a matter of, just no time at all, and just moments later they can be seeing visions and hearing the voice of God, because they're so open. They are so usable in Christianity.

---

Becky Fischer: [Referring to President George W. Bush] He has really brought some real credibility, um, to the Christian faith.

---

Ted Haggard: If the Evangelicals vote, they determine the election.

---

Levi's Mom: We believe that there's two kinds of people in this world: people who love Jesus and people who don't.

---

Rachel: There are certain churches, they're called "dead churches," and the people there, they sit there, like this
[blank stare monotone]
Rachel: - "We worship you God, we worship you God."... The churches that God likes to go to, are churches where they're jumping up and down, shouting his name, and just praising him, they're not acting - they're not quiet
[pious frown monotone]
Rachel: "We worship you... ," they're
[exuberant jumping]
Rachel: "Hallelujah God!" And depending on how they invite him, he'll be there, or not.

---

Ted Haggard: We've decided the Bible is the word of God. We don't have to have a General Assembly about what we believe. It's written in the Bible. Alright, so we don't have to debate what we think about homosexual activity. It's written in the Bible.
[pointing and looking into the camera]
Ted Haggard: I think I know what you did last night.
[audience laughs]
Ted Haggard: If you send me a thousand dollars, I won't tell your wife.
[audience and Haggard laughs]
Ted Haggard: If you use any of this, I'll sue you.

---

Becky Fischer: And while I'm on the subject, let me say something about Harry Potter. Warlocks are the enemies of God! And I don't care what kind of hero they are, they're an enemy of God and had it been in the Old Testament, Harry Potter would have been put to death!
Crowd: Amen!
Becky Fischer: You don't make heroes out of warlocks!

---

Becky Fischer: It's almost like being on the cover of "Rolling Stones"!

---

Levi: I think Galileo made the right choice by giving up science for Christ.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486358/quotes

Actually the parts which probably shocked me the most were Becky Fischers clear contempt for democracy and that indocrination of children is good!!

It all made think of that great Al Gore quote:

Al Gore [quoting Mark Twain] "What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so."

I also liked this forum post from imdb:

Jesus Camp is serious business., 14 September 2006

Author: mmckelley from United States

This film intrigued me for several reasons: First it is filmed in my home state of Missouri, not the deep south as so many people think, in fact it is filmed near Kansas City.

The film is a well-presented view from the perspective of the ultra conservative, Evangelical movement. It is honest in its intent. Minister, Becky Fischer, is honest in her goals for the camp and its attendees.

I did find that the film seemed to play fast and loose with numbers. For example it is stated that 75% of all home schooled children are evangelical. I come from a liberal background and have many well-educated friends who home school and none of them are evangelical so I am skeptical about their claim.

As one might expect, statements are made such as "there is no such thing as global warming" and that "all homosexuals are going to hell." That doesn't surprise me. The fact that not one of the adults or children questions any of these statements or offers to provide proof or seek an alternative explanation is the elephant in the room.

However; the film is filled with passion and filmmakers present the information honestly. The sad issue is that the evangelical movement seems not to have learned anything from the War in Iraq. Our presence there will only result in civil war. This was predicted long before the war started, now, four years later, if the U.S. were to leave, full blown civil war would certainly result. Why, because the church and state in Iraq are inseparable.

I will eagerly await the sequel five years from now when the filmmakers return to Jesus Camp and reinterview these children. On second thought, perhaps they had ought to wait ten years.

I also feel sorry for more moderate christains:

"It shows the Midwest evangelicals are comparative to Muslim camps in the Middle East as if we're training up warriors to battle the world," said Andy Braner, director of the Christian camp Kanakuk Colorado. "It gives people a bad taste of what camps are all about."

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/novemberweb-only/146-12.0.html

But I also think Andy Braner is possibly missing the point about the dangerous cocktail of the church taking over the state (government/corporate&miltary power) in America?

I hope common sense and moderation wins-out in the worlds biggest super-power!

indoctrinate |inˈdäktrəˌnāt|

verb [ trans. ]

teach (a person or group) to accept a set of beliefs uncritically : broadcasting was a vehicle for indoctrinating the masses.

• archaic teach or instruct (someone) : he indoctrinated them in systematic theology.

ORIGIN early 17th cent.(formerly also as endoctrinate): from en- ¹ , in- ² [into] + doctrine + -ate ³ , or from obsolete indoctrine (verb), from French endoctriner, based on doctrine ‘doctrine.’

Jeremy Clarkson: "alpha male" or "alpha tw*t"

I don't like Jeremy Clarkson and every time I hear his "toxic views" forced upon me in the name of humour, I think he is a sad and selfish macho man. Here are a few of things I find so upsetting about Mr Clarkson...

Clarkson scaled Ben Tongue in Sutherland in a new Land Rover Discovery for the BBC2 show, reportedly churning up fragile peat bogs and heather as he went.

The damage done will be lasting, according to the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, which says the stunt was irresponsible and likely to encourage similar destructive behaviour on other private estates.

"The virgin land Clarkson has chewed up will now take hundreds of years to be regenerated," said the council's president, John Mackenzie, the Earl of Cromartie.

"There's no excuse for this, no matter how good the Land Rover might have been. This sets a precedent and it is going to encourage even less disciplined individuals to act irresponsibly."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2004/nov/16/environment.broadcasting

His response to this criticism was totally un-apologetic - no surprise.

I think he is very toxic:

• Clarkson has long been noted for his pro-smoking viewpoint, with him even publicly smoking as much as possible on National No Smoking Day.
• On the environment, Clarkson is not sympathetic to the green agenda. He once said: "I do have a disregard for the environment. I think the world can look after itself and we should enjoy it as best as we can".
• He has little respect for groups such as Greenpeace, and believes that the "eco-mentalists" are a by-product of the "old trade unionists and CND lesbians" that hadn't gone away but merely found a new cause.
• Clarkson is not however a climate change denier, commenting on the effects of global warming - "let's just stop and think for a moment what the consequences might be. Switzerland loses its skiing resorts? The beach in Miami is washed away? North Carolina gets knocked over by a hurricane? Anything bothering you yet?"

Unfortunately I also think he is very influencial:

• Clarkson has been described as a "skilful propagandist for the motoring lobby" by The Economist

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Clarkson

IQ and Politics: Childhood intelligence predicts voter turnout, voting preferences, and political involvement in adulthood: The 1970 British Cohort St

This fascinating story, obviously as an active member of the green party (who has previously voted lib dem) it is rather flattering.

Based on matching IQ data to voting patterns, at top at around 108 are the Greens and Lib Dems. Next at around 103/4 are the conservatives and labour and lastly at the both of the heap are UKIP and the BNP 98.

Monday 3 November 2008

Childhood intelligence is linked to voting preferences and political involvement in adulthood according to a recent study.

People with a higher intelligence in childhood were more likely to vote as adults, and were more likely to vote for the Green Party and Liberal Democrats in a general election, researchers have found.

The study, funded by the UK Medical Research Council, suggests that childhood general intelligence is associated with a person’s political allegiance as much as social class – which has been studied previously as a marker of British voting habits...

http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Newspublications/News/MRC005139

and from a The Guardian commentator:

If the results of general elections are anything to go by, voting Green or Liberal Democrat must be a thankless task. But now the supporters of these parties can console themselves with the knowledge that, although they may not elect a prime minister, there's a good chance that they are cleverer than the people who do.

Academic research published in the journal Intelligence compares the way people voted in the 2001 election with their IQ at the age of 10 (using data from the 1970 British cohort study). The results are fascinating.

On a party-by-party basis, the average (childhood) IQ scores for 2001 voters were:

Green - 108.3

Liberal Democrat - 108.2

Conservative - 103.7

Labour – 103

Plaid Cymru - 102.5

Scottish National - 102.2

UK Independence - 101.1

British National - 98.4

Did not vote/None of the above - 99.7

The research was based on a survey involving 6,000 people, so it's obviously pretty authoritative...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2008/nov/03/greenpolitics-liberaldemocrats

The scientist behind this study seem to come from very reputable institutions:

Childhood intelligence predicts voter turnout, voting preferences, and political involvement in adulthood: The 1970 British Cohort St

Ian J. Deary^a,, G. David Batty^{a, b} and Catharine R. Gale^c

^aMedical Research Council Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, 7 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK

^bMedical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, 4 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZ, UK

^cMedical Research Council Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK

Ian J. Deary BSc, MB, ChB, PhD (Edin), FRCPsych, FRCPE, FBA, FRSE, FMedSci Professor

G David Batty , lecturer in epidemiology. Epidemiology Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT

Dr Catherine Gale PhD

Principal Research Fellow

After studying Classics at the University of Cambridge, Catharine Gale worked in archaeological research. She then studied Population Sciences at the University of Southampton and joined the MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit in 1994. She obtained a PhD in 1998 for a thesis on the role of antioxidant vitamins in determining risk of cerebrovascular disease and cognitive decline in elderly people.

Orpheus in the Underworld

I love opera / classical singing but am a bit intimidated by the £70+ticket prices and the posh-atmosphere of the opera world.

The background to this operatta is quite interesting in itself

The work, first performed in 1858, is said to be the first classical full-length operetta.^[1][2] Offenbach's earlier operettas were small-scale one-act works, since the law in France did not allow certain genres of full-length works. Orpheus was not only longer, but more musically adventurous than Offenbach's earlier pieces ..

The operetta is an irreverent parody and scathing satire on Gluck and his Orfeo ed Euridice and culminated in the risqué galop infernal (often copied, widely used as the background music for the Can-can dance, and erroneously called "Can-can") that shocked some in the audience at the premiere. Other targets of satire, as would become typical in Offenbach's burlesques, are the stilted performances of classical drama at the Comédie Française and the scandals in society and politics of the Second French Empire ...

The piece was not immediately a hit, but critics' condemnation of the travesty, particularly that ofJules Janin, who called it a "profanation of holy and glorious antiquity," only provided vital publicity, serving to heighten the public's curiosity to see the piece

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orpheus_in_the_Underworld

Nadjib who knows greek mytholodgy very well, while really liking the character of "public opinion" did feel that something of the original love story of Orpheus was lost:

The Greeks of the Classical age venerated the legendary figure of Orpheus as chief among poets and musicians, and the perfector of the lyre invented by Hermes. Poets like Simonides of Ceos said that, with his music and singing, he could charm birds, fish and wild beasts, coax the trees and rocks into dance,^[4] and even divert the course of rivers. He was one of the handful of Greek heroes^[5] to visit the Underworld and return; even in Hades his song and lyre did not lose their power.

The most famous story in which Orpheus figures is that of his wife Eurydice (also known as Agriope). While fleeing fromAristaeus (son of Apollo), Eurydice ran into a nest of snakes which bit her fatally on her heel. Distraught, Orpheus played such sad songs and sang so mournfully that all the nymphs and gods wept. On their advice, Orpheus traveled to theunderworld and by his music softened the hearts of Hades and Persephone (he was the only person ever to do so), who agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to earth on one condition: he should walk in front of her and not look back until they both had reached the upper world. He set off with Eurydice following and in his anxiety as soon as he reached the upper world he turned to look at her, forgetting that both needed to be in the upper world, and she vanished for the second time, but now forever.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orpheus

I understand Nadjib's point, the following synopsis shows that this Wondering Ministrals production (while holding true to Offenbach's work) is quite distinct from the original Greek myth:

A slightly different version of this classic romp with the ancient gods..

Orpheus and Eurydice have been married for years-and they just can’t stand each other! They have both been “playing the field” and Eurydice is now having an affair with a shepherd. What she doesn’t know is that her shepherd is non other than that little devil Pluto, God of the Underworld, and does he have plans for her !

When Pluto abducts Eurydice and whisks her off to Hades, Orpheus is ecstatic - but he bows to pressure from Public Opinion to go and plead with Jupiter, Father of the Gods, for her release. Those naughty little Gods just can’t help interfering in the daily lives of us mere mortals.

Anyway all is not well up on Mount Olympus - the Gods are bored and fed up with a diet of nectar and ambrosia. When they get the opportunity to descend to Hell for the party of a lifetime they’re off like a shot.

The world-famous operetta was written in 1858 with music by Jacques Offenbach. Intended as a satire of the gods of Greek and Roman antiquity, it caused outrage when first presented as French audiences were shocked to see figures from Classical Antiquity lampooned this way! 2009 audiences, however, would be hard-pressed to be shocked about such a thing.

The WMs are delighted to present "Orpheus in the Underworld" and are sure that you will enjoy listening to Offenbach’s well known music performed by an enthusiastic and talented cast.

http://www.thewms.biz/

The Wondering Minstrals were amazing - a real Brighton/Sussex jewel!

I am looking forward to their concerts next year :)

The cast were quite fantastic - here are a few of my highlights:

JUPITER, father of the gods (Mike Mackenzie) great acting and singing. He carried the father of mount Olympus role off really well and was like a modern politician when it came to covering up his own indiscretion.

JUNO, his wife (Karen Hollamby) – the long suffering wife of Jupiter and with that many children you understand why

DIANA, goddess of hunting (Sally Wilson) - fantastic voice and 60s mod-style outfit

MERCURY, messenger of the gods (Toby Willis) – great poise – his movement and costume were great – I kept think of the Correggio painting in the National Gallery (Venus with Mercury and Cupid - 'The School of Love') but that could have been the wings ;-)

VENUS, goddess of love (Vicky Rodgers) – I loved her Marilyn Monroe outfit – she really did look like the modern "goddess of love"

CUPID, Venus's son - Ciru James – a powerful voice with an impish gleam in the eye

ARISTEUS, a shepherd / PLUTO, ruler of the underworld - Jonathan Nulty - like Jupiter, this role required poise confidence and bravado + a damn fine singing voice

JOHN STYX, Pluto's factotum - Bob Hinton - not a very charismatic role to play but played well

ORPHEUS, a music teacher - Tony Adams - great voice, a good amount of style

EURYDICE, his wife - Sue Fleet - she sung quite beautifully and played her role superbly – possibly the star of the show

PUBLIC OPINION - Sam Brennan – a classic English matron role, crisp, precise and slightly strict – beautifully sung.

The Brighton Pavilion election: Green vs Tories

The Tory party, have chosen a candidate who will be well received in Brighton. Charlotte is an attractive and stylish business lady, specialising in therapy over the internet:

• Explain your business to my Mum.

"An anonymous place where you can express what's on your mind, gain support and talk to others, to make your life happier."

• How do you make money?

"Providing co-branded support networks to organisations that wish to offer safe, anonymous and 24/7 facilitated support to their customers or employees; targets include corporate social responsibility programmes of corporates, charities, professional organisations etc - any organisations that offers support."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2008/jul/30/elevatorpitchbigwhitewallgi

There is no question that Charlotte represents the "nice-face" of the modern conservative party.

However the reality is that if elect she will be marginalised / ignored / "whipped into line", by a not-so-nice Tory party leadership. Even in Brighton she struggled to get elected as candidate despite her obvious appeal to the local electorate.

The current Tory party is more typically represented by the elitism, secret clubs and the worse excesses of extreme privilege... I'm sure Boris Johnson, George Osbourne and David Cameron were all exceptionally able academically and did very well in the cosy world of top public schools (Eton, Marlborough, ..), then excelling at Oxford in a world of privilege they perceived as their hard earned right.

I went to Oxford (89-92) and was an exact contemporary of David Hannah, who was then president of the Oxford University Conservative Association. David Hannah is now an MEP and has appeared regularly on Fox news, attacking both Obama'a health care reforms and the NHS:

Conservative US Republicans opposed to the President's healthcare plans have used the NHS as an example of “socialised” medicine...

Mr Hannan is a popular figure among grassroots Tories because of his strong right-wing views. His Telegraph.co.uk blog and his public harangue of Gordon Brown in the European Parliament earlier this year also made him a political celebrity in the US.

However, his agenda is at odds with the modernising message of Mr Cameron, who has repeatedly promised that the NHS would be the top priority of a Conservative Government.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/david-cameron/6025818/David-Cameron-backs-NHS-amid-United-States-healthcare-row.html

There is a clear demand in the Tory party for more private health care. In my mind, this can only lead to great inequality and injustice as is so clearly seen in our education system which does almost as much to divide a nation as it does to educate it.

So the nation is about to elect a new Tory government, dominated by Oxford educated, public-school boys who have a narrow view of the world.

I do find it deeply troubling that so many senior Tories (e.g. Boris Johnson, David Cameron and George Osborne) were members of the Bullingdon club:

Prospective new members are proposed by a current member and then subjected to a club vote. This is all done in secret. You can be "put up" and blackballed and never be any the wiser. The first a new bug knows about it is when his rooms are invaded (ideally, via the window) and ceremonially trashed by way of initiation ("they overturned some of my flower pots," recalls my source). The financial costs run to the outfit, which at close to £2,000 is safely beyond most student overdrafts. There have been rumours of wealthier members paying an annual stipend of up to £10,000....

Breakages, scraps and bust-ups seem to be a hazard of membership. Standard Bullingdon practice is for club members to pay off in cash any injured party (usually a bemused restaurateur with a private room full of broken china). It's this high-handed brand of yobbishness that has drawn most public opprobrium. It's not so much the damage that causes offence. It's the attitude, the innate sense that position and - more specifically - wealth will always be able to make good any inconvenience suffered by "civilians".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/may/09/oxbridgeandelitism.highereducation

By electing Caroline Lucas in Brighton we can have a local MP who will defend the rights of the poor, has campaigned for many years on the importance of the environment and sustainability. Caroline has many years experience of being an MEP and has used the European Parliament a forum to discuss important issues, win legal reforms and defend the rights of the poor.

The harsh reality is that the attractive face of Charlotte Verre doesn't reflect the true injustice, intolerance and arrogance of a Tory party, born out of the British empire and that still perceives Great Britain as a quasi-imperial power.

The greens will be fighting for a fairer world and some common sense, where we try and address our tough environmental and economic problems. We haven't forgotten the £1,500,000,000 the UK government has had to spend bailing out the banking sector, who within 12 months of holding us to ransom with threats of economic meltdown were paying themselves multi-million pound bonuses!! The new leaders of Tory party (Osborne and Cameron) instead of addressing the institutional problems in the city, are proposing a harsh new policies attacking the pay and pensions of low paid public sector workers. Apparently even senior Tories and FT editorials have said this is the wrong policy because of (a) the injustice and (b) it is unnecessary / unhelpful and could prolong the recession and lead to widespread strikes?

jQuery presentation and XMLHttpRequest.status problem

Last night I went to a VBUG event (at Anteo, Smithfield, London), it was really good presentation giving a whistle stop tour of jQuery.

You see the George Adamson's slide show at:

http://www.slideshare.net/george.adamson/get-going-with-jquery-by-george-adamson-at-ddd-south-west

I am big fan of jQuery, principally as it:

1) It simplifies working with JavaSript, DOM, CSS, HTML

2) Is completely cross-browser (I haven't seen or heard of many browser specific problems so far)

3) It has Microsoft endorsement. I suspect script.aculo.us is absolute fabulous product, but as I am not a front-end UI specialist, I just want to learn how to work with one good product and ideally the one which is going to be adopted as the industry standard.

4) As well as being powerful, it is also very elegant and beautiful - I love the clear succinct nature of ASP.NET MVC with jQuery, compare this to the monster ViewState of AJAX in ASP.NET 2.o WebForms.

It was a great presentation and afterwards Nadjib and myself have been working on a niggly jQuery problem: "uncaught exception ... NS_ERROR_NOT_AVAILABLE"

The problem we eventualyl tracks down to trying to read the XMLHttpRequest.status after a jQuery.Ajax().timeout had occurred.

Adjusting our error logging code, so logging of timeout events doesn't refer to the XMLHttpRequest.status has stopped this bug!

equality: Action Against Hate Crime, Trafalgar Square, London

At the event I meet up with two friends from choir Steve (with me in the photo) and Angela (who took the photo) at the event.

It was obviously a very sad occasion on one level, however the atmosphere was good (it always helps if the weather holds out) and I was impressed that with absolutely minimal joint rehersal, they managed to fits us into their four-part harmony version "Seasons of love" - mostly it was quite a simple arrangement except for a few twirly bits (I was singing tenor-2 with Steve).

The event itself was very well run, some good speakers and Sandig Toksvig was a class compere.

The testimony of the pastor from St Martin's in the Field (an out lesbian priest), was truely horrific - the 10th anniversary of the Admiral Duncal nail bombing attack.

There were quite a few politican (Steve knew a few of the greens personally) and also a stand-up comic (the event needed some light relief).

Finishing on You'll Never Walk Alone worked well (although Steve was disappointed that they dropped Hand in Hand).

Lastly the testimony from Ian's friends brought a tear to the eye - he sounded like a good regular guy (apparently his sister was on the stage too but understandable couldn't bring her speak).