Idiots buy anything.

If you have paid money for a hand wash dispenser that has a sensor so you don't have to touch it, then you're an idiot. It isn't any more hygienic that a normal dispenser. Once you have touched the dispenser to get the hand wash then that is the last time you touch it. Then you wash your hands with the hand wash and carry on with life. There is no hygienic benefit in not touching the dispenser. Please don't pay extra money for this.

It isn't the only product that is phenomenally stupid, there are plenty more that are clearly aimed at people with more money than sense. So many cosmetic adverts use obviously made-up 'science' to justify claims that nobody on this planet can rightfully make. No product is anti-ageing unless it can stop time. Nothing can make your hair alive or stop it dying because hair is dead cells. Even yoghurt isn't just yoghurt any more. For some reason it can't just be advertised as a tasty and reasonably healthy snack, instead it has to have some sort of seemingly impossible power. They all seem to have some wonderful bacteria inside or no fat or can stop you feeling bloated. I remember one advert claiming that eating their yoghurt for two weeks will stop you feeling bloated. If anybody really believed that eating those for two weeks stops you feeling bloated then you are an official buffoon. The passage of 14 days is what stops you feeling bloated. I rarely feel anything 2 weeks solid.

In summary, a fool and his money are easily parted. Don't be a fool.

Books.

Sometimes you just want to escape for a while and forget about things, or you might just want to relax, or be entertained. Here are some books that I'd highly recommend.

Any of the Sherlock Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are brilliant. I would advise you to read them chronologically as it only serves to enhance the reading experience. Even if crime and mystery isn't your thing you can't fail to appreciate how clever these stories are.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is an excellent read. Not something you can read over and over, but most definitely worth reading.

The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, both by Alexandre Dumas. They are both fantastic stories, but neither of them are short books and I wouldn't describe them as easy reads. Well worth the effort though.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams is brilliant. Clever, funny, thought-provoking, imaginative and sometimes true, these books are certainly 'must reads'.

Enjoy!

Cuts cuts cuts.

I was going to try and write about the spending review and the cuts within it but I gave up. It is all way too complicated and boring and we'd be here all day. So instead I'll just say that overall it looks pretty bleak and the chancellor is essentially evil.

There's my summary, I'm now off to cry.

Wimbledon!

The tennis tournament kicked off this week and I have to say, I'm bored. I can't understand why a sport that isn't particularly entertaining or even that popular or talked about in most parts of the world suddenly receives so much coverage. I can understand that Wimbledon is important if you're a tennis fan, but why does it have to completely take over the BBC?

Luckily it is quite nice outside today so I think I'll go out. Goodbye.

BBC Sport.

The BBC news channel now features a dedicated sports centre. Unfortunately it is a massive waste of money. An entire studio devoted to a 5 minute (at most) sports bulletin is certainly unnecessary. The same level of information could be achieved by the usual newsreader continuing to read off the autocue.

Not only is all of this vastly over-the-top, it is also mostly useless. The majority of the time is devoted to football and even then it is usually just one or two stories from top flight football. Pretty useless if you support one of the many teams outside of the Premier League. Most of the other sports stories are generally more middle class sports, such as tennis or rugby union, or just simply one of the few sporting events that the BBC actually has the rights to any more. Cricket is only ever covered if there in an international match, despite excellent, competitive games going on between counties throughout the summer. Even when cricket is mentioned it is only fleetingly. Often the batting side's score is announce and how many wickets down they are (98 for 2, for example), but this isn't enough. In limited overs cricket you really need to know how many overs have been bowled. If a team is 98 for 2 after 19 overs of a Twenty20 match then that isn't a particularly good score, even if they have only lost two wickets. However if a team is 98 for 2 after 15 overs of a Twenty20 match then you'd expect them to get a good score.

Outside of the top level of the top sports there is barely anything reported, which really makes you wonder what all of these people at the BBC's sports centre are doing. Most of the presenters only know anything about one sport. Often names are pronounced incorrectly or they simply don't know what they are talking about.

I'm all for the BBC having a dedicated sports centre, but use it properly. A big studio for 5 minutes of football news just doesn't seem worth it to me.

Hay Fever.

Many people suffer from Hay Fever and it is very annoying, especially when the weather outside is lovely and sunny. As I'm short on time today, here are a few tips to help you cope.

Use prescription medicine, it is usually better than shop bought stuff.

Wear sunglasses.

Wash your hands and face regularly.

Eat some local honey.

Try not to think about it.

Summer is officially here!

As the Google Doodle accurately informs me, today is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Today is the official start of summer, although the weather outside may suggest otherwise. Regardless of the weather this time of year we should all be out doing thing, after all, there is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes. I could try and give you some fun outdoors things to do, but lets face it, there are far too many. Instead here are some good summer songs that can hopefully form your summer soundtrack this year.

Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles

Seems like a good song to start with. Hopefully we will actually see some sun here in the U.K this year.

In the Summertime - Mungo Jerry

An obvious choice but it is probably the classic summer song. Doesn't really matter where you are, as long as the sun is out this song sounds great. Shaggy also covered this song quite successfully.

All Summer Long - Kid Rock

Another obvious choice (it's got Summer in the title) but it is a good summer song. Most of the music is taken from Sweet Home Alabama, which is another good song and wouldn't be a bad choice for your summer soundtrack.

Summer Breeze - The Isley Brothers

This will be the last one with summer in the title I promise. Perfect song to listen to if you're sat outside in the sun, with a gentle summer breeze. Obviously.

Brimful of Asha - Cornershop

I've featured this song before but that is simply because it is so good. It sounds especially great in summer. Enjoy.

Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison

Last but not least, this really is a fantastic song. A good tapping beat and very good driving song on a hot summer's day.

Well there you go, just a few songs there. I could've included plenty of Beach Boys' songs as well as Love Generation by Bob Sinclair and some others, but the ones I've mentioned are probably my favourites. Have a good summer everyone.