Mayor's Charity Swim, Worthing

And so to the Mayor's Charity Swim in Worthing.

This was held at Splashpoint, the new swimming pool in Worthing, and very nice it is too. The only possible criticism is that it is not big enough. (I reckon when the old Aquarena was still in action, a lot of people used to go to Burgess Hill, so maybe they underestimated its popularity on that basis?) Even though the leisure centre was closed to the casual swimmer, it was still packed. There was the choir from Thomas a'Becket First School, as well as their parents, and the swimmers and their parents/families.
The choir sang 'Learn to Swim' to open proceedings (Daughter #2 is in the choir, I have to declare an interest) and then it was to poolside to watch the swimmers.
There was a delay in starting, as it took time (as I understand) to arrange the swimmers into ability. And as a result, there wasn't a clear break between the first and second session; more swimmers just kept being herded into the pool.
There were a load of people raising money for the Mayor's charities, and I'm sure he was pleased with the turnout. All the swimmers got a certificate and some goodies, that certainly seemed well-organised.

All-in-all, it was a good afternoon, and a lot of people came together to do something good. Well done Worthing,

Jonathan Creek - A New Series

Well, I'm not a happy bunny.

Alan Davies is back, playing Jonathan Creek, and I have a lot of time for his downbeat, slightly other-worldly portrayal of Creek. He manages to get over the idea that Creek is always thinking about slight of hand and deception, to the detriment of observing what's going on here and now.
This is a run of three all-new episodes, but the twist is that the crime is shown before Creek arrives on the scene. Unfortunately this takes away the dramatic intrigue and the engagement of the viewer. All we're left with is Creek bumbling around in his usual way, humming and hawing, and 'Oh, I see'-ing until we know that he has caught up with us.
I watched two of the three last night (thanks iPlayer and Tivo!) and I will watch the third, but I'm not waiting with bated breath - which is a shame.

Chromecast for the UK

So, disappointed to realise that the Chromecast is not available in the UK today. I've been checking the Google Play Store, Currys, and teh interwebs in general, but no joy.
I don't know what I would do with it; I quite fancy signing up for Netflix, but I can access that through the PS3, so I don't need a Chromecast for that, The girls will probably end up using it for 'casting Youtube to the TV, and we can do without that.
I guess I just want to be at the forefront of technology; again, I think that tech will provide the answer, but really the Chromecast is a means to an end, and not an end in itself. Likewise my Chromebook, and my Nexus 7, and my HTC One X should all be means to an end and not an end in itself. But I believe the acquisition of new technology is driving us onwards, to consume more and more...
I've just replaced the battery in my One X for the princely sum of £45. I'm hoping that will enable me to put off replacing it for at least another six months. And then I am very interested in getting the Moto G as a replacement. £160 for a 16gb mid-range Android phone running the latest software with ease - nice.
My O2 contract is up for renewal on 5th April and I think I'm going to go SIM-only with Tesco. I believe they have a decent mix of minutes and data. I don't use many texts, so that's not important to me. With the combination of a Moto G and a SIM-only deal, I reckon I'll save a few pounds...