Loving Scott Newkirk's weekend getaway (via Station......

I decided to get Andy a digital SLR as a Christmas bonus last year. Looks like he's figured out how to use......

A nice video about Dave Wiens, the chap that beat Lance Armstrong in this year's Leadville 100 mountain bike......

Idea: a season ticket that can be used by any nominated person, but only one person per day. Perfect for: families returning to work after a baby, where parents share the stay-at-home duties and commute on alternate days, never using the ticket at the same...

The Antarctic Snow Cruiser.......

How to win a double-Ironman. A riveting (and informative, if you're daft enough to be considering a 21-hour triathlon yourself) blog post by the hard-as-nails Hywel......

“Frost in Arctic sleeping bags” - a 24-page PDF of a Canadian Military study into improving sleeping bag design for Arctic use. Admittedly this is probably of interest to less than one percent of my readership, but I still haven’t found (or quite figured out how to make) the perfect North Pole sleeping bag yet. See also ‘Improved Infantry Winter Shelter......

Milo Radcavic, the chap that nearly beat Michael Phelps in this morning’s 100-metre butterfly has already written a blog post about......

My colleague Barrett Abernethy has drunk from the WordPress fountain for the first time and found it to be good. He’s writing at bv2.co.uk on coding for GPUs, games consoles and (I predict) cycling....

“The map of Canada has changed… We’re looking at the possible demise of the Ward Hunt Ice...

An Antarctic iceberg three times the size of Greater London with a surface area of 1,985sq miles (5,141sq km) and previously referred to by a codename - C19A will henceforth be known as “Melting Bob” after being named by schoolboy Max Dolan, aged six. “The iceberg bobs in the water and is melting”, said...

I succumbed to peer pressure today and bought a Wii. It’s still in it’s box and it smells very new. The release of both Mariokart and Wii Fit was what tipped the scale. Wii numbers and mingling will no doubt follow....

If you’re would like an @boakes.com email address, leave a comment here. If there’s enough interest I’ll look into setting something up....

FOSSIL OF GIANT FROG FOUND IN MADAGASCAR A 70 million-year-old fossil of a giant frog which would have been the size of a “slightly squashed beach-ball” has been unearthed in Madagascar, scientists said today. The frog, dubbed Beelzebufo or the ’frog from hell’, resembles living horned toads – with a squat body, huge head and wide mouth – which were once believed to have been unique to South America. Related postsFebruary 18, 2008 -- The Splinter - a wooden carFebruary 18, 2008 -- Cardboard shedFebruary 18, 2008 -- DIY strain rocks families foundationsFebruary 15, 2008 -- Tea ban in schoolsFebruary 15, 2008 -- National Nest Box Week...

Joe Harmon is reported as building a wooden car, maybe he needs to build a wooden garage (ie shed) to put it in, from annanova, but may have missed it elsewhere. Related postsFebruary 18, 2008 -- Cardboard shedFebruary 18, 2008 -- DIY strain rocks families foundationsFebruary 15, 2008 -- Tea ban in schoolsFebruary 15, 2008 -- National Nest Box Week February 15, 2008 -- Another 65 beach huts to be built?...

Not sure how this would work in the Wales, as it’s raining a lot, but Alex gives us more info on this Sustainable Room. Related postsFebruary 18, 2008 -- DIY strain rocks families foundationsFebruary 15, 2008 -- Tea ban in schoolsFebruary 15, 2008 -- National Nest Box Week February 15, 2008 -- Another 65 beach huts to be built?February 15, 2008 -- Man, 56, fortunate to escape shed fire...

Three in five property owners looking to guard against a slump in prices with home improvements have lost their rag over DIY. Related postsFebruary 18, 2008 -- Cardboard shedFebruary 15, 2008 -- Tea ban in schoolsFebruary 15, 2008 -- National Nest Box Week February 15, 2008 -- Another 65 beach huts to be built?February 15, 2008 -- Man, 56, fortunate to escape shed fire...

Schools could be told to stop selling tea to pupils younger than 16 under options being considered by education chiefs. Hot coffee and tea have “minimal” nutritional benefits and pose potential health and safety risks for young children, the School Food Trust suggested. (more…) Related postsFebruary 18, 2008 -- Cardboard shedFebruary 18, 2008 -- DIY strain rocks families foundationsFebruary 15, 2008 -- National Nest Box Week February 15, 2008 -- Another 65 beach huts to be built?February 15, 2008 -- Man, 56, fortunate to escape shed fire...

Yet another National something week, but this time, shed for birds, so a good cause. find out more here. Related postsFebruary 18, 2008 -- Cardboard shedFebruary 18, 2008 -- DIY strain rocks families foundationsFebruary 15, 2008 -- Tea ban in schoolsFebruary 15, 2008 -- Another 65 beach huts to be built?February 15, 2008 -- Man, 56, fortunate to escape shed fire...

Proposals for the second phase of a beach huts scheme which could see a further 65 huts built were discussed on Monday by a Seaford councillors. The recommendation of the beach huts sub-committee, which was chaired by Cllr Paul Bower, is that the proposed 65 new beach huts should be built while the catering kiosk at West View should be replaced and the Martello toilets refurbished. From Eastbourne today Related postsFebruary 18, 2008 -- Cardboard shedFebruary 18, 2008 -- DIY strain rocks families foundationsFebruary 15, 2008 -- Tea ban in schoolsFebruary 15, 2008 -- National Nest Box Week February 15, 2008 -- Man, 56, fortunate to escape shed fire...

A MAN had a lucky escape after tackling a shed fire yesterday afternoon. The 56-year-old owner was overcome by fumes and was taken to hospital for treatment after the blaze broke out in Kenneth Avenue, Colwyn Bay. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service urged the public to remember their motto: “Get out, Stay out and call the Fire and Rescue Service.” from Daily post Related postsFebruary 18, 2008 -- Cardboard shedFebruary 18, 2008 -- DIY strain rocks families foundationsFebruary 15, 2008 -- Tea ban in schoolsFebruary 15, 2008 -- National Nest Box Week February 15, 2008 -- Another 65 beach huts to be built?...

A quick (but heartfelt) thank you to the chap in the London Phoenix shorts who helped me out and gave me his spare inner tube after my double puncture while training in Richmond Park this morning. We rode together long enough to talk about mountain bike racing, my brother’s transition from rowing to cycling and, er, carpentry, but I didn’t actually get your name. So thank you, and the next time you see me in the park, the coffee’s on me (and I’ll have two tubes with me this......

It’s not often I get jump-up-and-down excited about radio, but Radio 4’s Saturday Live this morning was astonishing (and you can listen to it again......

“Arctic summers ice-free ‘by 2013′” - Professor Wieslaw Maslowski presents one of the most dramatic forecasts yet for the disappearance of Arctic sea ice (BBC News)....

Greenland thaws; a stunning set of photographs from the New York Times (via......

Speaking of running marathons, Lance Armstrong ran 2:46 in New York yesterday.......

I was interviewed by Brit Hammer earlier this month, and I’ve been meaning to link to it for a while.......

Melting ice in Antarctica - “After analyzing 20 years of satellite data, scientists have concluded that persistent melting has been occurring increasingly farther inland and at higher altitudes over the past two decades.” (Thanks......

Incredible blue ice at Glacier Grey in the Torres del Paine National Park, Chile (spotted in the wonderful Tired of Tulips Flickr......

Russian submarines have touched down on the seabed, 4,200m (14,000ft) beneath the North Pole. The BBC have also published a good article on the background to the territorial claims currently being disputed in the high......