This was going to be a pretty dry fluff piece about the gaming events going on in my home city, something I'd pop in to between renewing my travel pass and getting some new shoelaces.  Then something slightly surreal happened to me.
 
I've just spent around an hour in the company of one of the men partly responsible for getting me into computers in the first place.  And I didn't recognise him.
 

Reader Mike sent in these pictures of something he found while out walking his ferret. Yes, we have readers with ferrets. Although the concept of a reader with a ferret confuses us, luckily we don't have to use our brains for this update because Mike was kind enough to send in some words to accompany the pictures.
 
Standard disclaimer: As most of you have probably noticed, this was our April Fool's piece for this year. If you liked our UK:Resistance theme used for the fool then you'll be glad to hear it's been added to the theme selector available from your account control panel. Of course in the end the joke was on us, because UK:R changed their website design from traditional red and black to their new colourful layout a couple of months ago. Oh well!
 
Click the owly pic above to see the article in its intended guise.
 
 

Well it's that time of year again. It hardly seems like a full year since we last wished all our readers a very Merry Christmas. Yet again, most of you are probably too busy downing the bottle of whatever-it-is that you found in the back of the cupboard, and stuffing yourself with mince pies to notice this post, but I'm still going to say it anyway.
 
Merry Christmas to all our readers, and we hope you have a wonderful new year - whatever you're doing and however you're celebrating.
 
Links:
Christmas (Wikipedia)
 

Well, it's that time of year again. By the time many of you read this Christmas will probably have been and gone, and the other three of you will be too busy stuffing yourselves, possibly with mince pies and the contents of the random bottle of something you found in the back of the cupboard, to notice what this posting says.
 
Because here at The Icon Bar, we know you're all interested to know, I've recieved word that The Paul Vigay won't be leaving his computer alone on Christmas day, as he tells me he gets withdrawal symptoms if he does. And for all you Vigay-lovers out there, I've provided you with a quick link to The Vigay's Christmas Speech that he sent out the other day to his Orpheus customers. Enjoy!
 
Wherever you are and whatever you're doing, all of us here at The Icon Bar hope you have a magical Christmas and the most wonderful New Year.
 
Links:
- The Vigay's Christmas Speech
- RISC OS Quiz of the Year, 2006
- Christmas (Wikipedia)
 

I hope you've been paying attention, because it's time for our RISC OS quiz of the year.