So Google's long-awaited Calendar finally debuted about two hours ago.

From what I can see so far, the initial user experience is exactly the same as the last few Google apps to launch. When I tried to sign in for the first time a few minutes ago, I got the customary Google "service is unavailable" screen. Excellent. Keeping a consistent UI across the entire suite of products is so important.

Screen shots on the sign-up page look nice though.

Chapter 16: What to look for in a wife/partner/lifemate.

So many ways to skin this cat; so many criteria to choose from. How can we distill it all down into the one essential quality to look for when deciding whether this one, this special she or he, is the sole true star by which you will chart the course of your successful, happy life?

A great sense of humour is pretty important, of course. A winning smile. Patience. Shared interests. Terrific sex. Intelligence, a Swiss army knife, and charm.

All high priority criteria on the PRD list, for sure - but are they the most essential facets?

If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, my advice to you is to find a partner who will willingly, patiently, and even gleefully indulge your every geek audiophile whim. Follow my lead in this, and I promise you won't regret it.

Case in point. Chief among my birthday gifts this morning:

Rich, pristine, alarmingly clear sound. Stunning, resonant bass; thrilling, clearly-separated treble; astonishing stereo definition from such a small box. And forget about "room-filling sound" - this puppy's house-filling.

Thank you, thank you Sausage. I love you.

Hippy pappy bthuthiday to me :-)

I'm ready for my epiphany now, thanks.

This is it, isn't it? This is the point at which I'm supposed to discover the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything - right?

Hmmm... 2 minutes after midnight. Nothing yet. Maybe I need to go to bed and I'll get my epiphany when I wake up...

I have an unappealing tendency to be a dreadful pedant. It's not a particularly attractive characteristic, I know - but I just can't help myself. If I wasn't so upset about their placement of apostrophes, I'd be a fully paid up member of the Nitpickers' League (or Nitpicker's, or Nitpickers). I worship daily at the Shrine of Truss.

One common colloquial catachresis that is pretty much guaranteed to set me off is the jarring "different... to" or (horror of horrors) "different... than" construction.

One thing can be "similar... to" or "other... than" something else, but must be "different... from" as any fule kno.

I hate myself whenever I do this, but I'll often sit in meetings or even in front of the TV and snap out a reflex "not than; from" when I hear the triggering solecism, knowing full well I sound like a cut rate Jean Bloody Brodie.

So then I'm in the shower this morning - Leona, Charlie and Lily off at Mass, Ruairi downstairs watching a bit of telly. (Yes - I'm just a bad parent. I dumped my three year-old in front of the TV so that I could get 15 minutes of showering peace).

Pitter, patter, pitter, patter... Ruairi scampers upstairs to tell me that Miffy is on again and he doesn't want to see Miffy - could I please change the channel.

I patiently explained that Daddy was in the shower and that just as soon as I was done I'd head downstairs to "change the channel for Miffy".

"Not for Miffy, Daddy," Ruairi pipes, "from Miffy," and then happily potters off.

OMG. I have created a monster.

[I'm sure some higher-ranking League-member will leap in to point out errors in this post in my own sentence construction or punctuation use. Such is the pedant's lot.]