Just two little snippets.

Tomorrow's World
Tech TV are now showing the BBC's long-running science and innovation program, Tomorrow's World.

Anyway, they were showing a piece on a new design of artificial heart. They were saying how these things used to have four valves, just like a human heart, and then they designed one with just one valve which worked just as effectively.

They've now come up with a new design doesn't use a valve at all. It just pushes the blood round the body. The thing that amused me, and the reason I'm telling you about this, is that whilst the blood gets pumped around the user's body, because there's no valve, the user has no pulse!

My thought was, what happens if the user gets knocked unconcious, and is attended by paramedics, what's going to happen? They're going to check for a pulse, not find one, and start CPR on the user - who's artificial heart is already working fine. Worse yet, what if they try the ol' medical jump-start cables? The user might have a medical bracelet or necklace, stating their medical condition, but would they notice it? I suppose they might be trained to look for such things.

Bob 'Patronising Loafer' Vila
Bob is usually the host of "Home Again With Bob Vila" - a DIY show, where he puts himself across as some sort of DIY and house-building expert. The fact is, week after week, he just stands there, giving a running commentary on what he thinks needs doing, whilst actual workers do the work. I've never actually seen him do anything. A typical interaction on the show goes something like this:

Bob: So, are we going to put in a double-strength, flanged roof joist here?
Worker: No Bob, we're putting up a shelf.

As if his know-all TV hosting wasn't enough, he also does an advert for one of the US's many debt consolidation service companies. He comes on, holding two bits of picture frame, pretending like he's actually doing some DIY himself, and says the following unbelieveably patronising words:

"How many credit cards do you have? One? Two? Three? And how much interest are you paying? 10%? 15%? Do you even know?"

I mean, why doesn't he just come out and say it, "I think you're all morons."

If he's so smart, then why does he later on say, "You could save upto 50% or more." ? If it's upto, then it can't also be more and vice-versa.

The only more patronising TV presenter has to be Martha Stewart. I'm told she's even shown her viewers how to iron a shirt, and how to make a bed. Like she ever has to do those things! She probably asked her maids for advice when writing those pieces.