How exciting, down again today.

Time for another archive picture – this is the Tyne Bridge on a misty morning. Newcastle is somewhere behind that. Probably. Unless it’s disappeared into the Twilight Zone, or something.

Has anyone seen Newcastle?

And finally, we have a date for the UK showing of the new series of Torchwood.

For those who haven’t been paying attention, this series is a co-production between the BBC and a US network, Starz. Russell T Davies is still running things, and the surviving cast from Children of Earth will be back, joined by some CIA types for added fun.

It will be starting on BBC 1 and BBC 1 HD at 9pm on Thursday 14 July. More details will no doubt appear later.

The Doctor Who News Page: Torchwood: UK premiere confirmed for 14th July.

BBC News reports that the organisers of some sports thing[1] happening in London[2] next year seem to have taken it into what I will loosely describe as their “minds” that they are not satisfied with merely having the generally accepted control over the Olympic logo, and having the right to stop people associating themselves with the event without paying arbitrary sums of money[3]. Oh no. It seems, if this report is to be believed, that they are also under the impression that they own the number 2012. The organisers of an art event that’s been planned for quite a long time, and which will be happening in 2012, want to call it The Great Exhibition 2012, which seems reasonable enough, assuming it’s quite a big show and it happens in 2012.

But something called Locog, which is apparently not an alien in a long-lost old Doctor Who episode, but the organisation responsible for organising the 2012 Olympics isn’t at all happy about it. They are, it’s reported, threatening legal action if the Exhibition doesn’t drop the “2012″ from its name.

They cite a bit of dodgy sounding legislation, which if it continues to be interpreted the way they’re suggesting, could lead to a lot of trouble for anyone selling calendars for next year. Or for books about the world allegedly ending. Or indeed anything else mentioning the year.

It’s traditional when confronted with this kind of thing to say “you couldn’t make it up”. Well, you could, but nobody would believe it. Details with quotes from both sides in the BBC report:

BBC News – Great Exhibition ‘faces London 2012 legal action’.

[1] I’m told it’s called “the Olympic games” and that people who like that kind of thing think it’s important
[2]With random bits also taking place in other parts of the country
[3] Official fizzy drink of the Olympics, official snack food of the Olympics, official you name it of the Olympics, etc, etc

I’ve referred to Douglas Hofstadter in passing once or twice, and while it’s now nearly thirty years since I first read it, err, wait. Hold on. Did I say Thirty Bloody Years? Err, yes. That is indeed when I first came across this wonderful book. So, getting back to where I was before I boggled about getting old, or whatever it is I’m getting…

I’ve referred to Douglas Hofstadter in passing once or twice, and while it’s now nearly thirty years since I first read it, Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid remains one of my favourite books, and now I’ve been reminded of it, I’m going to have to read it again soon. That reminder came courtesy of the ubiquitous and reliably geeky xkcd:

Click for more

Click the picture to see the whole thing in its natural environment. And if you have trouble getting it, click the forums link when you’re there, where all is explained. Sort of. I a manner of speaking.

Finally, I am reminded of a joke I picked up somewhere, somewhen:

Q: Why did Douglas Hofstadter cross the road?

A: To be in this joke