No politics in this post, just two simple inconsequential pleasures I've experienced recently. The first is my purchase, at long last, of a Le Creuset pot to cook in. If you haven't experienced their cookware then I suggest you buy one of their cast iron pots. They're expensive and you wouldn't want to drop it on your foot but they are, for all practical purposes, indestructible. You can justify the expense with the knowledge that this item will last you the rest of your life and will make the food you cook in it that bit more special. I use the pot on the hob to start cooking in and finish things off in the oven. Let things cook slowly and develop their flavour. Yum yum.

The other is watching TED talks on my PSP. I'm keeping a few handy for when I have twenty minutes here and there.

Update: I've had a problem with a couple of the talks I've downloaded. Some play fine, others aren't recognised. Does this have anything to do with what I've read about the PSP's playback requiring the header of the MP4 file to be in a particular format? When I get around to it I'm going to try converting the file with ffmpegx and will post how I get on.