Since my unexpected life-course change, and my decision to live in the UK once more, one of the things I've found most difficult to discover, is free wireless Internet access.

Oh sure, I have broadband at the apartment, and all the comforts of home therein, but sometimes you just want to get out and about, with one's fellow man, and surf on the hoof.

Despite the blanket rollout of broadband Internet in the UK, with speeds that leave US broadband standing in our dust (UK homes can now get upto 24Mbps vs the US 2Mbps) one area in which the Americans have us beat is the proliferation of coffee houses offering free WiFi. In the UK, you generally have to pay, and pay dearly. For the most part, it's £3/hour (about $5.17/hour), when you can find a cafe that actually has the service, and when said service is running.

I've found one place in central London - Suburb - which claims to offer it, however, the marketing geniuses there shut the service down on Saturdays because, and I quote, "It gets too busy". What, are the staff having to carry the data packets to each surfing patron on a tray? It's TCP/IP people! You switch your modem/router on, and sit back and watch as your coffee sales rocket. You don't even have to supply cabling for customers... it's wireless. There's nothing to do except laugh all the way to the highly caffeinated bank.

Ahem, sorry. Anyway, the helpful staff informed me of the next nearest WiFi hotspot, wherein I am now reporting, officially at a rate of £3/hour, or £1 for 20 minutes. The reality, however is that

a) the ditzy lass behind the counter didn't remember to charge me for my 'airtime' voucher

and

b) It would seem, that in exchange for giving these guys my email address (I have many for such potentially junk-mail inducing offers) I can surf for free. Interesting. See the Progreso website below for the location, all you UK war-drivers!

I'm in the open-air/in-mall cafe called Progreso (a name which will sound like a chunky soup to American readers). Here it is:

Click to enlarge

I did snap a pic of Suburb, but frankly, until they bother to fire up their free WiFi, I'm not posting it. I could write at length, but won't, about the general experience of trying to go anywhere in the Covent Garden area. Suffice it to say that I can't imagine any part of the US nor many of the UK, that would have an outdoor shopping area that crowded. The area is one with lots to see and do, and 1001 great coffee bars. I guess over time, I'll report on them all.

Let's hope I'm not paying £3/hour for the privilege - I make it about £2654.40 to do so.

Just to wish all DMfM readers, wherever they are in the world, a Happy Thanksgiving.

This is my first Thanksgiving - since I first celebrated it - that I'm not in the US. The whole thing has left me missing America more than I ever thought I would. It's been a tough day.

Thank you to those of you who've sent holiday best wishes. I hope you all had a good day.

Last Saturday I popped down to the Apple Store to attend a small seminar. As I leave the store, there's a crowd, gathered around a red London double-decker bus, which is stopped, in Regent St, across the end of a side-road.

What could cause such a crowd I wonder? Was it a day-release scheme for long-term inmates, non of whom have seen a bus for years? Had the ghost of Reg Varney appeared?

No it was the outcome of some twat with a Ferrari, doubtless showing off to his girlfriend, whist being so utterly shite at driving, that he failed to observe a sodding great big 20ft tall, bright red, slow-moving vehicle.

My trusty Nokia 6320i was at hand to capture the outcome, as were the cameraphones of about 100 other passers by. Excuse the grainy images - it was dark, I put the phone in night-mode, but without a flash, there's only so much you can do:

Click images to enlarge

You'd think for £180,000 ($320,000), your car would come off better than a mere bus. You'd be wrong.

Perhaps Ferrari should think about head-hunting some of the lads from London Transport? I just can't wait to see if Jeremy Clarkson and his cronies get The Stig to take that bus, and then the Ferrari around their test track. Looking at the pictures, I've a feeling the bus will win. It certainly did last Saturday.

OK, so after a brief, unwanted soujourn away from DMfM, caused by the death of my long-serving Apple iBook, we're back in business. Add to that the domain expiring whilst I didn't have a computer to discover that fact, and you'll see why it's been a bit quiet on the DMfM front.

A month without a computer is a long time. It's an even longer time if you're:

• Looking for another contract/job
• Living on the opposite side of the Atlantic from many friends and your loved one
• An Internet junkie

Anyway, thanks to "my people" finally sorting out my tax code, I got enough back to fund a much needed Powerbook purchase, and am finally enjoying the benefits of a machine actually powerful enough to do all the Flash animation, Photoshopping and Website development that I do.

Oh, and built-in bluetooth, means that I can quickly and easily get full-size pics of my 1.3mpxl camera-phone. The benefit of which for DMfM is that no matter where or when, DMfM can bring you photos, and video footage.

Meanwhile, a bit of a redesign is on the cards. Imelda and I have been out (in our respective cities, taking pics for the new DMfM masthead.

Stay tuned!

It's been a bad few weeks for DMfM.

I have all manner of stuff written, but due to a number of things happening, I can't post them.

First off, my trusty laptop of many years, pretty much died. It might be salvageable, IF I had my system disks in the UK (they're in the US), and another computer (my other ones are also in the US).

So despite it not being primo laptop-shopping time for me, I have to try and do just that, as soon as I get paid, and can talk the Finance Dept of Apple into ponying up the remaining dosh required for one of their fine Powerbooks.

As if this wasn't bad enough, DMfM was hit by technical issues itself. These have been temporarily righted, but I need to sort it out properly, again, once I get paid (when will that EVER be, one wonders...oh the joys of contracting).

Also, I've noticed that the old CSS keeps reasserting its self. I want to all the (minimal) trouble of changing the look of DMfM (via CSS) only to have it revert to the old stylesheet, twice now. Rest assured that as soon as I have a working computer, I will be doing a whole new design (yeah, I'm bursting with ideas).

I just hope I can salvage some or all of the stuff I've written on the old iBook.

More news as we get it.