At the moment I have Bush’s ‘The Chemicals Between Us’ blasting out in an effort to raise myself from the fug. One minute I was wide awake and cuddling my daughter as the breakfast news played. The next I’m suddenly aware that I have a space where my daughter used to be, a cold cup of coffee in front of me and someone has moved the clocks forward four hours.

In this week of all weeks the tune seems rather apt as 53 highly respected scientists call for the World Health Organisation (and their paid lackey, Stanton Glantz) to start respecting good science and to tell the truth about the chemicals in electronic cigarettes…as much as I hate that term. I vape, I use mods and attys, I don’t use an electronic cigarette.

If you live in a stress-free, news-free bubble you will have missed the huge waves created by Clives Bates and 53 scientists this week.

Constructing an open letter to the Director General of the World Health Organisation, they called for a shift from a no vaping/nicotine stance to one of harm reduction. The letter recounts how the majority of the predicted billion deaths can be circumvented by encouraging the adoption of the safer forms of nicotine use rather than (effectively) banning it.

When trying new wire or different coiling diameters by changing wicks it can be a hit or miss affair trying to work out how many wraps will provide the desired resistance, especially if you are new to coiling.

We would like to present a calculator for your use that takes all of the hardwork/guesswork out of the process.

Simply enter in you wire and wick details then the resistance you’d like to achieve and the calculator will do the rest – telling you how many wraps to make.

Clearly this will depend on how tightly you wrap your coils but it beats sticking a wet finger in the air. The calculator works for different sizes, types and even mixed wires.

There was one point, during the fag-end of the 80s, when Yuppie business talk fused into day-to-day conversations. You couldn’t discuss football, DIY or washing up liquid adverts without someone wanting you to ‘seize the day’. Not that I held any strong opinions about DIY. Worse, if you had a job working for an international chemical company and were greeted each morning with the Managing Director shouting:

“Carpe diem, Dave! Carpe diem!”

When the going gets tough the smart find somewhere else to be or a good excuse. This isn’t a famous quotation by anyone important, it’s just been the story of my life. I’m brilliant at quitting, you name it and I’ve quit it. Well, almost all of it.

My Curriculum Vitae was inspired by a lecturer I had who took a break from the topic in hand to explain to us that the only thing important was getting a job. I asked her whether it was best to tell the truth or lie (having had over seventeen different jobs prior to doing the course at 22). She said that if I told the truth I’d never get the job and that if I lied I might get a job but then be sacked if found out. Lying won the day then.

Everybody’s favourite/least favourite reviewer has a catchphrase, it’s the one thing that actually differentiates them and sets the scene. Well, that and an ability to actually engage the viewer and carry out something approaching interesting. From “My name’s Scott” to “Hi guys, Todd here!”