Update your underwear, not your Facebook status

Facebook users have bombarded the site with an update on their underwear’s colour status.

The latest viral stunt encourages users to reveal what colour bra they are wearing and is to raise awareness of breast cancer.

Although the creator is unknown, colourful announcements are set to continue over the weekend as the trend continues.

Naked X-Ray? No thanks

I’m happy to remove my shoes and walk three metres across an extremely grubby floor on tip-toes as they are x-rayed.

I’m happy to wave goodbye to my new (and expensive) handbag as an over-zealous security officer kneads my prized-possession as though it’s a loaf of Hovis brown in order to get it to fit in the tiny tray.

I’m even happy lose a full-sized bottle of perfume, two lip glosses and a hand cream if it means we can all travel safely.

A naked x-ray is another thing entirely.

Full body scanners that give a detailed enough image for those monitoring the screens to see if you’ve got artificial limbs, breast implants and body piercings, as well as gracing the monitor with an outline of you, will be introduced at Heathrow Airport.

They have been used in a trial at Manchester Airport where travellers could opt out and go for the more traditional ‘pat down’ instead but, if it’s a success, we may all have to face the unforgiving scan.

Now though, international travellers have to brave a naked X-ray. Scary.

Of course, this is intended to be the latest in a rather infinite line of security measures that are supposed to reassure us but, with the details it will expose (literally), is this one step too far?

The intrusive nature of the images is more than enough to cause seasoned naturists to blush and, more importantly, it’s just another bona fide method of inducing public fear.

Yes, I accept the argument that if you’ve got nothing to hide then this shouldn’t be a problem.

But it is.

I’ve got something to hide…myself.

January Sales: You tease

January sales, you do it to me every year.

You draw me into your shop like a magpie to a shiny, silver coin with fluorescent window stickers lulling me into a false sense of reality.

I take the bait.

Your warm and cosy home is welcoming; the music is soothing and I glide around effortlessly, spotting treasure with every glance.

One woman’s junk is another woman’s treasure and to me it’s all beautiful, intriguing and bespoke.

Of course, that is until you say ‘goodbye’ and I’m tossed onto the chewing-gum dotted cobbles, barged into by every woman, man and child and smell the Starbucks two doors down.

Winter’s fierce, icy breath circles me, takes me by both hands and forces images of my dwindling bank balance and over abundant wardrobe.

I take the bait.

Guilt, guilt and more guilt creep in as I think of my bags of junk and discarded gems already spewing out of my wardrobes (plural), under the bed and in storage boxes up in the attic.

‘I can’t take these back now. They are the biggest bargains. Ever.’ I tell myself and vow to sort out Narnia when I get in.

It. Will. Take. Forever.

Another day, another snowflake…or two

Minute bundles of icy crystals that glisten in the light and softly frost the ground have shrouded the whole country in pandemonium today.

Schools, shops and offices have closed their doors across the UK as un-gritted roads and heavy snowfall have come hand-in-hand with a nationwide snow day.

The BBC have even cancelled tonight’s showing of ‘Waterloo Road’ for ‘The Big Freeze: A BBC News Special.

Now I’m not saying we should all brave the roads if conditions are really treacherous, but does the whole country really have to grind to an icy halt every time we get a shower of glittery goodness?

Saying that, snow divides the nation in two.

Half the population turn into 5-year-olds and hurl themselves down the biggest hill with a thin plastic sled to help them glide along and the other group look themselves indoors after carefully meandering down to the local convenience store and buying enough bread and milk to feed the whole of Australia.

I have to hang my head in shame here as I am a proud member of the latter (I only take a 4-pinter of semi-skimmed and 1 loaf of Hovis Brown though, I swear).

It would be nice if we could attempt to get back to normality for tomorrow although, as I’m up early for work in the morning, maybe another snow day wouldn’t go amiss.

C’mon Snow Monster, show us what you got!

There’s a snap for that

Holiday snaps need never be boring with PhotoSketch, web-based software that turns a simple sketch into a fully-fledged photograph.

Tao Chen, Ming-Ming Cheng, Ping Tan, Ariel Shamir, and Shi-Min, the five Chinese students who created PhotoSketch, presented the internet software at Siggraph Asia 2009.

The video (above) shows how it works so you too can pretend you holidayed on a yacht in the south of France when really it was Butlins Minehead, got married in Cuba when really it was a registry office do in your town or even that you were exploring the Amazon when reality proves you were tucked up in bed.

Described by Mashable as the, “coolest programme”, this maybe Photoshop’s biggest and most inventive rival yet.

Happy snapping.

Rage sends Rolls Royce through a Tesco window

An angry motorist who drove his classic Rolls Royce into the window of  Tesco after a dispute over a mattress, has been jailed for 16 months.

Robert Caton, 50, ordered a bed from Tesco Direct, which was delivered with no mattress, leading him to complain to the manager of the supermarket giant’s Andover branch.

Unhappy with the suggestions, Mr Caton drove his Rolls Royce Silver Spirit into the store on May 20 this year, five minutes after he warned a security guard of his plan.

Six shoppers, including a pregnant woman needed hospital treatment following the incident and, as the Telegraph reports: “£60,000 worth of damage,” was caused.

Daylight Snobbery

Britain is fast becoming a nation famed for its snobbery with 1 in 4 people admitting they’ve bought expensive items for their homes just to impress visitors.

This phenomenon has been dubbed ‘daylight snobbery’- the term used to describe the practice of leaving luxury goods on display just so they can be seen and young people are the worst offenders, according to the study.

The top items to show off include: gadgets, expensive alcohol, photos of famous friends and bags from upmarket stores.

Commenting on this new craze, Paula Morris, marketing manager of Sigma 3, said: “It seems that as the credit crunch continues to bite we are more keen than ever before to show off our splash-out purchases and squeeze maximum image brownie points out of them.”

So, do you pop into your local John Lewis and think ‘Yes, I’ll have that! I have no use for it… but it’ll look good’? Do you nip into Dune and ask for the most expensive pair of shoes they have and then stock up on every colour? Or, do you crack open a bottle of vintage Cristal everytime you have company?

‘daylight snobbery’: are you guilty?