Is this Luke's new living room?
Here is Luke in Norwich, just a stone's throw from the city centre.. in a house that might be his (or his bank's anyway) very shortly....
It's a Victorian two up, one down affair, with a spiral staircase and enough yard to throw a small cat in - or at least store a bicycle anyway. But there is a park just behind the Catherine-Cookson-style cobbled alley to the rear. So at least the council will be mowing the lawn...
Well, yes he is, but more importantly, he's found one. Through years of research, out on the foreign fringes of physical fitness, Luke has been trying out things that most people can’t even spell, let alone understand - Ju-jitsu, Capoeira, Remoska*. He has finally found a sport that brings together all of his interests:
Yes, it's Lacrosse, and blokes do play it. Now gaining popularity in the UK, Lacrosse actually stems from an ancient American Indian war game, and not from Mallory Towers and jolly hockey sticks at all. And you have to wear all that stuff - body armour, gloves, and a particularly impressive helmet - because perfectly nice people try to hit you with sticks. Fortunately, the kit is all on loan from the club, paid for by the Lottery (so that's where your money's going!)
Based in Norwich, one of the newest teams in the Southern England Men’s league is East Coast (East Coast Baby to their friends). Having started the season as the newbies, at the bottom of the second league, they’ve battled up into the top three, having trounced HM Army at Sandhurst, beaten the favourites Hitchin by just one point, and drawn with the early league leaders, Northampton University. S&J are going to see the next game with Northampton in January...
The only downside (and this is the bloke-ish bit) is that they all have to have nicknames. Luke foolishly didn't have one handy, so was immediately christened ‘Shirley’, on the grounds that someone on the team has to have a girl’s name and Luke is the only one pretty enough to qualify. Unfortunately, this is incontestable: just look at the team photo!
*Correction: a Remoska is a Polish electric frying pan, that he cooks his dinner in….[Ed]
This time last year, George
was a shadowy figure lurking among the ‘Top Secret’ projects of
media company, Televirtual. In the Berry World, their chief credential is that they gave Luke his first job - and after a year, he is still there, as Lead Designer (well, there isn't another one). George is the brains
behind the brilliant UK Artificial Intelligence Rollo Carpenter (or is it the
other way round?), who in 2006 won the international Loebner Prize for the
second year running, as the most life-like computer programme.
This time last year, George was only a database - part of a huge speech-learning programme called Jabberwacky. Then along came Luke and he got a face and a body (no legs yet...)
Always at the forefront of breaking news, last year’s Christmas Issue of News of the Berry World released one of the first photos of George ever to appear in the British Press. At the end of a busy year, George, now a minor digital celebrity, has featured in the Sunday Times, Guardian, Independent, and appeared on BBC News, Channel 4 News and ABC News in America. George also appeared at the Norwich Festival of Science, and was interviewed on Radio 1 by Chris Moyles! Rumour has it that George is heading up Norfolk's Digital Challenge Bid. You read it here first!
George links
See George, and speak to him by typing at: person.jabberwacky.com/george and you can do the same with his twin brother Harry here
There is a press list of George's various appearances at: www.jabberwacky.com/j2presspr
Including, most recently:
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/6-12-3/48907.html
And he is representing Britain here!
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