It's all fun and games!
It's hard to know which is the more broken around here - our outdated computer equipment or our staff, writes our News Blogger Dave Burrows.

It's hard to know which is the more broken around here - our outdated computer equipment or our staff.
My regular reader will have noticed an absence of blog recently, mainly because the site I use to post it directly onto the internet has been "improved" and is now no longer compatible with my computer!
This should come as no surprise as we have not been able to see our own website since it was relaunched (something to do with the programmes we use to get a paper out meaning we can't have the latest web browers or something - to be honest it got explained to me and all I heard was: "Blah blah waffle technobabble it doesn't work.")
Apparently we are getting a new computer system in the near future - the British Museum having asked for this one back. And we in editorial have even been asked what we would like to see on it. For some reason my requests for it to be PlayStation compatible and have a hi res DVD player on it never got written down.
I'm also slightly concerned that outside our computer department there are a load of boxes with ZX81 written on them. Anyway, it's not like we have the staff to operate the computers. Cos we broke them, too.
The problem is the Star is full of people who want to be sporty but really should know better. We have cyclists, runners, netball players...we even have a triathlete. We also have a lot of people who think they can play football.
As I've mentioned before we used to play 5-a-side regularly, but that has fallen by the wayside somewhat of late. Which meant accepting the offer of an 11-a-side game against the Shrewsbury Town supporters was probably as wise as someone wanting everything they touch to turn to gold.
The Star's team was unbeaten in two games, the Shrewsbury Town boys had apparently not won for two, so there was only one way this was going to go.
Yep, we lost. 2-1. But I like to think we gave as good as we got.
Except one of our subs (not subs as in "off the bench" subs as in sub editors). Young Colin Illingworth (well, young to me anyway) went down hard under a heavy challenge from...well, no-one. Showing true Scots grit he hobbled away and at the end of the game had to be carried back to the changing rooms.
Our resident health and safety man probably regrets playing now, as obviously we all decided that was his department and left him to it. We haven't seen Colin since.
My fellow news editor Jon Ball has also turned up to work with his leg heavily strapped. His plan to play three games in three days vanishing after just one.
Now in the lead up to the London Olympics you will hear a lot about how good sport is for you. This, clearly, is not true. Take it from me, watching sport is quite enough to get your heart pumping. Don't risk hurting yourself by playing it.
However, if anyone wants to take us on at football, get in touch. You could email us. I can't promise we'd ever be able to read it, though....
By Dave Burrows