…Appearing on Big Brother?
Andy Warhol said that we’d all get our 15 minutes of fame, and with the Big Brother TV format, maybe we have. And it looks like Portakabin has too — it has just created a state-of-the-art interim production facility for TV production company Endemol’s Big Brother House at Elstree Studios. The “BB Village” comprises 38 buildings and totals over 1,000m2 of space for the show’s 200 staff, and includes the Reality Gallery — the structure that wraps around the house itself, holding all those cameras behind one-way mirrors, which the show’s desperate wannabes are encouraged to cavort in front of.
Unlike the BB housemates, Endemol line producer, the reflectively named Philippe Luzy, says that the buildings “have performed extremely well”.
The whole lot was thrown up by Portakabin in just four weeks, two months less than the three months
the toe curlingly bad show actually blights our screens for.
…Making your swimming pool more sustainable?
It’s a real drag, isn’t it? You love skinny-dipping with all your groovy friends at your spring break pool party, but now you’re being told it’s a sustainability issue? Well, according to Thermapool MD Nigel Rose, to meet our zero carbon commitments, we’re going to have to insulate our swimming pools.
Rose lobbied government to introduce Building Regulations applying to outdoor pool insulation from 2013, after his research showed that the majority of pool heat is not lost from its surface, but through its walls and floor. Which is handy for him, as he’s also developed his patented Thermapool insulation system, meaning you can now heat a pool with as little as 3kW.
So the next time you decide to don your budgie smugglers for a dip, bear in mind that with every pool in the UK uninsulated, you’re contributing to the destruction of a forest as big as London — that’s 43 million pairs of trunks!
…Being more aware of Breast cancer?
Power tool manufacturer Makita UK is and it’s adopted Breast Cancer Care as its Charity of the Year. To mark the tie up, it is launching a limited edition Makita Charity drill this month. It’s a Barbie pink version of its DF330D Li-ion, 10.8V drill driver. Retailing at £84.99, Makita will donate £5 to the charity for every one sold.
The initiative has the backing of former Ground Force presenter Tommy Walsh, who’s lending his time for free.
Meanwhile, Makita’s US arm has been busy on its website promoting the credentials of its two calendar girls: Harmony Moniz, aka Miss Makita 2011; and Señorita Makita Celeste Santana. Both feature in videos wearing tiny crop tops and getting to grips with the firm’s latest tools.
Perhaps it’s reassuring that in a world beset by political correctness, the firm is enthusiastically supporting breasts at both ends of the PC spectrum.
… Competing in the Skills Olympics?
Forget 2012, the 41st WorldSkills London 2011 is kicking off from 5-8 October. Running every two years since 1953, WorldSkills brings together 1,000 competitors from more than 50 countries to compete in 46 skills competitions across seven sectors.
The construction sector has 12 people in the running showing off their skills in, among other things, tiling bricklaying, welding and plumbing.
At the last competition in 2009 in Calgary, Canada, the UK came overall 6th in the world, but construction only managed to win a gold in painting and decorating.
Not quite a whitewash, then.
