Hitler's toys

Went to Science Museum today and drooled over aeroplanes and things. Do you know it took Frank Whittle FOUR years to persuade the british government to help him build a jet aircraft. DURING world war two. While ole Hitler was sponsoring anything you can think of, including a rocket-powered fighter that could climb to 6 miles up in 3 minutes. But the rocket, there's one in the museum, was too fast to shoot down the Flying Fortresses, flying at double their speed, 500 miles per hour, and it usually broke the pilot's back when it landed.

So ole Hitler used up all his favourite pilots, and had to invent a little jet fighter, I forget its name, that you could build from old packing cases in the school woodwork class and the kids could fly it without lessons. Off the rugby field I suppose. Or whatever they play in Deutschland uber alles.

Anyway did you know 2700 'flying bombs', the V1 with 850 kg high explosive, fell on London? The rest fell on the countryside, or were shot down.
That's why I have a new hobby. Looking for new buildings between old ones. Usually there's shrapnel marks on the building across the street if it's old, and when you look around, there's a new house between the row of old houses. A 'doodle-bug' could take out a whole house.
On the London site they have a pic of an old geezer who's sitting in the rubble of his house, he took the dog for a walk and when he came back his house was gone, with his wife in it.
It happened by day, you see, these things did not have to wait for night time to sneak in, they flew openly. And needed no pilots. There's one in the museum, of course.

Anyway here's my future all mapped out:

1. Get a nice job and work.
2. Buy a laptop and a backpack thingy for it.
3. Do interesting things and visit interesting places.
3. Write books about these things and places, and articles and web sity things.
4. Kick myself every day that I ever did anything else.

My promise to Claire. My ten fave rave movies. Not necessarily in any order.

1. 'The Gospel according to St Matthew', made by Pier Paolo Pasolini. He was an Italian gay atheist who was murdered later. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058715/
2. 'Oh Brother Where Art Thou', made by those wise jewboy geniuses the Coen Brothers. I love 'em. The CD won an Emmy without being hyped much. http://imdb.com/title/tt0190590/usercomments-787
3. 'Breaking the Waves', a very simple and ultra-moving love story. Lars von Trier. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115751/
4. 'Dancer in the Dark'. The incomparable Bjork in an industrial opera. Ahem, Lars von Trier. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168629/
5. 'Lawrence of Arabia', by David Lean with that lovely man, Peter O'Toole. A huge and perfect piece of art. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056172/
6. 'American Beauty'. Yes, a little piece of fun about turning 40-something. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169547/

7. 'The Little Dictator'. Where I learnt that it's good to make fun of badness. Charlie Chaplin. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032553/

9. 'Kill Bill'. Volume One, a perfectly choreographed Tarantino. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266697/

10. 'Shrek'. I have seen Shrek, perhaps sixteen times, and it is still perfect. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0126029/