Media Diet Week 12

Press: Tuesday saw me not only battling a deadline, but also procrastinating like crazy (it's a freelance affliction, that). Which is no doubt why I spent almost all of Tuesday reading firstly the Macca/Mucca divorce judgment in full (because who can resist the lure of such a document once it's in the public domain?) and secondly, every single daily newspaper online, bar the Daily Star and the Morning Star, so I could savour every juicy morsel of the immediate reaction in the hackosphere. It's not often I trawl the Telegraph, Mirror, Mail and Express for any reason at all. But it served as a useful reminder as to why I don't normally bother with them. I was also quite tickled over the climbdown by the Express and its stablemates regarding their coverage of Madeleine McCann. As Roy Greenslade said, so eloquently, it was unprecedented. It still leaves a nasty taste in the mouth, though. Journalists have a piss-poor image among the public at the best of times. The Express débâcle will only serve to reinforce that view.

Blogs: I was entertained earlier in the week when stumbling across the Proof Prof. It's only 2 entries old, but serves to highlight all the reasons why it's a good idea to hire someone who is fully qualified and charges more. From the nonsensical hyphen in "non-sensical" to the absurd view that the "rule of thumb is a maximum two commas per sentence" (wherever did he get that from? It's not in any of the proofreader's standard reference works such as Hart's), why would anyone give work to someone who has yet to grasp basic punctuation and grammar ("These charges are apply until 30th September 2008", anyone)? Talking of the latter, £3 per 1,000 words is snatching the bread from the mouths of fully qualified and highly experienced proofreaders who actually know what they are doing. Copy-editors and proofreaders have seen far too much work vanish abroad to places such as India where it's done for less money and comes back in a state still unfit for publication. It's hard enough keeping rates at a sensible level that reflect the skill required - my colleagues can well do without trainees undercutting them. In a month where Archant can announce their proposal to dispense with sub-editors, it seems even more vital to maintain standards everywhere else. I sincerely hope Proof Prof is an early April Fool...

TV/radio: I hate it when the Beeb mucks around with the schedules. It was with something approaching close to panic that I discovered Torchwood appeared to have been axed for Wednesday next week and it was only by chance I learned that the episode had been shifted to Friday (and the subsequent one). As Friday was earmarked for a night out socialising in Manchester with other freelance hacks, once again, iPlayer proved its worth - I was able to watch Tanya bury Max alive in EastEnders at a convenient moment yesterday afternoon. And I saw the trailer for the new Doctor Who series, which arrives very soon. Hurrah! And Catherine Tate's in it. Not hurrah. Quite the opposite. She was bloody dreadful in the 2006 Xmas special. I suppose I should be grateful James Nesbitt has announced he's not interested in taking over from David Tennant.

Books: I'm close to finishing the quite dreadful and ridiculously slow Water Like a Stone. Thank gawd. And only because I spent several hours on trains in and out of Manchester on Friday, which requires a book in one's handbag. I've been reading crime novels since I was 7 years old and my mother gave me my first Agatha Christie. Water Like a Stone was one of the dullest I have ever opened. I have two more whodunnits awaiting my attention - I look forward to having my faith restored.

Apologies for the lateness of the media diet this week. Friday's boozing and my having to work almost all of yesterday (first at a press junket that was less interesting than expected, then blogging the evening away for a TV collective) meant it got pushed back. But I still love my new monitor. And who knows - I might find time to start Tabloid Tycoon proper this week, now that I've done the tutorial...

Media Diet week 11

Press: as I was travelling yesterday and unable to surf the news, I broke my regular habit and bought the Guardian and the Sun in hard copy to read on the train. I also bought a copy of Grazia for the first time in ages earlier in the week. At £1.90, it's too pricey to buy every week, but it's a nice occasional treat. As women's mags go, there's plenty to read and I like the fact that it has a strong current affairs focus, but I do get outraged at the price of the fashion it features - almost every garment has a designer label and a tag of £200-plus. Totally unrealistic for most women, for whom £200 might be a month or more's clothing budget.

Blogs: curses to the Girl With a One Track Mind. I love her blog, not just for the saucy bits but because she writes so lucidly on sex itself -the politics, the differences between men and women, the emotions. This week she posted a link to a Lego Indiana Jones game, which has single-handedly increased my level of procrastination as I try to outrun the boulder. Yes, that boulder. I also enjoyed Wordwise's post on writing emails. Some food for thought in there.

TV/radio: what a relief to see Torchwood (almost) returning to form on Wednesday. I've seen very little else, but have managed to keep up to speed with the Archers - I'm loving the new feud between Roy Tucker and his sister Brenda. Coupled with the ongoing feud over Brian's will, TA is pretty juicy right now.

Books: I'm still only a third of the way through last week's Water Like a Stone. It's far too slow for a murder thriller. The author seems hell bent on dragging out every chapter with minor characters and unnecessary background details. Just cut to the chase - I want bodies, dynamism and edge-of-the-seat, page-turning tension, all of which are lacking so far.

And - a one-off - an extra section this week.

Multimedia: this week I learned not only how to use my mobile phone to take photos, but also how to email the results to myself. After my monitor unexpectedly expired yesterday, I spent this morning researching replacements online on one of the other computers in Wordsmith Towers. I decided to go for a 22" widescreen TFT and, having selected the model I wanted, did a quick price comparison. PC World, which I loathe, had what I wanted at the best price so I headed off there to pick it up. Three hours and £150 quid later, I'm seriously considering returning it. Despite endless tinkering with the settings, I can't get the brightness at a low enough level to avoid being dazzled and the focus won't shift much either, which means everything looks slightly blurred. My eyes hurt, I have a splitting headache and I'm certain I'll find it impossible to work on this monitor. I think I'm going to need to spend more and choose a bigger brand - HP or Samsung perhaps. I'm loving the widescreen, though - everything looks better across the extra width and I get the benefit of longer system trays and toolbars, which means I can add more shortcuts.

I don't know what it is about PC World but I wish they'd get decent staff. We were bombarded by them when we were just browsing, but when we actually needed assistance there were none to be seen. Not even standing in the middle of the store and yelling "are there any staff still on duty or shall I spend lots of money elsewhere?" produced any. The 18-year-old that eventually served me was dimmer than the Black Hole of Calcutta and looked as if he'd spent an hour blowdrying his carefully styled barnet. Pity he couldn't devote the same level of attention to the customers that justify his wages. I rounded off my visit by blowing a tenner on Tabloid Tycoon - I may write for the press but I'll never be rich enough to own my own paper. Except I can now. Hee.