Memo to self re flying

Remember to take a decongestant before checking in the bag with the packet of decongestants as hold luggage and passing through security.

Oooh - movement at last from Unison?

The previously appallingly biphobic Lesbian and Gay campaign of the Unison trade union is to debate becoming a LGBT campaign at its next conference, to be held in November.

I'm almost tempted to join...

The campaign does have some of the most rabid biphobes going: one lot reduced several women at an international conference to tears by demanding that a 'women only' session meant - despite what the actual organisers said - 'lesbian only'. But I can see it could be fun.

www.unison.org.uk/out

Unshared interests meme

There are only two - 1829 and Railway Rivals.

Both are railway games. The former started what's known as the 18xx series ('18xx' is a shared interest with two others). In these, you buy shares in one or more railways in a part of the world, the building of lines is highly constrained, running trains is abstracted, and manipulating the share market can be much more important than actually getting a decent railway network for your companies. Games take from about three to nine hours, depending on which one you play. You can make your own maps for new regions of the globe, and people have done so, but it's a lot of work.

Railway Rivals won the 'game of the year' award in Germany some years ago as Dampfross. Much simpler, you own all of one railway company and can build where you like, provided you're prepared to pay the costs, and you make your money racing trains from one town to another. Games take about 90-120 minutes and it's much easier to do your own maps.

Both are highly recommended.