Web Monitor
16:00 UK time, Monday, 14 December 2009
A celebration of the riches of the web.
Today in Web Monitor: from British to bitterish, endangered skills and annual Christmas Panic Day.
David Schneider writes his own version of the British Comedy Awards after the weekend's ceremony - or "Bitterish Comedy Awards" as he prefers to call them:
"There was the usual amount of quality bitterness. It can only be a matter of time before they feed some poor victim to the baying comic masses by including a Lifetime Lack of Achievement Award (hope I don't get a nom for that one)."
• Back in early 2008, a short list of skills which are no longer needed - from dialling a rotary phone to refilling a fountain pen. Almost two years later, the is in the hundreds. A particular favourite of Web Monitor is the lost skill of :
"If you're a huge nerd, you can play chess with your pen pal. Actually write out the individual moves in your letter and keep a chess board reflecting the current state of the game. You'll have at least a week (maybe a month or two if your pen pal is international) to ponder your next move. "
• In the today annual Christmas Panic Day - the day everything changes from merry Christmas cheer to dread that everything Christmassy may have run out. But for now, let's just reminisce about the last two weeks:
"The first half of December is when the Christmas season is at its most enjoyable. Different rules apply to other times of year. 'Five a Day', for example, refers to the secret guideline you've given yourself for minimum mince pie consumption. And wine that has been bolstered by the addition of cloves can't possibly be as strong as it tastes, so may be discounted from your recommended daily alcohol intake."
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