Whistler Here I am effectively in the Canadian hinterland and I can still find DSL access to the information interstate, yet some towns and villages spitting distance from London can’t get better than 56K dialup. Someone at BT should hold their heads in shame. Anyway after throwing myself down a hill for four days I thought I spend sometime in Blogland to let you know what a fantastic place Whistler is. Lots of snow…it started snowing last night and hasn’t stopped since, cheap prices, friendly locals and some of the best views in the world at the top of Whistler and it’s sister mountain Blackcomb, when it’s not snowing of course. My skiing is still as crap as I remember and on one occasion I fell and slid all the way to the bottom of the section of piste I was on, much to the hilarity of my fellow skiers. It didn’t help that I still believe that ski boots must contravene at least a dozen human rights conventions on torture or somesuch and the person who invents comfy boots will make a fortune…maybe I’ll give it a go. I still in half a mind to give it up and try snowboarding, at least the boots are kinder on your feet. There’s always ski-dooing (if that’s the way to spell it) which is great fun, especially when on a frozen lake and there’s no trees to crash in to. You do end up smelling a little of two stroke but what a small price to pay for such a great experience. After a week in Seattle and a week here I’m beginning to wonder what the appeal of England is especially in and around London. It’s got me thinking that’s for certain. Mars As a complete change of subject I’ve seen a few pieces on the proposal by the Bush administration to put a man on Mars. Whilst for some it’s nothing more than attempt by Bush Junior to catch a few column inches (it is an election year after all), it has set off a debate that will run for sometime or at least until a man leaves a footprint on the Martian surface. What ever the technological hills that need climbing it’s for nought compared to the financial one, which is currently estimated to be in the region of $600 billion. However anyone with even a fragile grasp on financial planning knows that this is a monstrous underestimate, the International Space Station has for instance soaked up about $100 billion on a initial predication of $8 billion with nothing to show for it. Using that method of booking keeping NASA’s Martian plans could run into the trillions of dollars which even for a president desperate to look good in the run up to the November bun fight would find hard to swallow, although as one commentator points outs any promises Bush makes now about Mars it won't be his administration that picks the bill.