I’m not sure how well this image fits the theme of “The Face.” It’s certainly a face, but the face? Still, it’s one of my better early portraits that was not of my family.

He looked after a temple in Tibet. We were expected to tip him on the way out and I didn’t have any change so I ended up having to give a reasonably large denomination note. I decided to get value for money by taking a few pictures.

• China ‘Strikes Hard’ in Tibet – Not good.
• Creativity and stretching the sweatshirt – “For me, creativity is the stuff you do at the edges. But the edges are different for everyone, and the edges change over time.”
• Red Dwarf voyages back to Earth – I’ve been watching the reruns and, well, the episodes I’ve seen so far just haven’t been as good as I remembered them to be. I’ll probably still watch the new ones of course…
• Banks now refusing to lend pens – Only funny because it’s true. Ish.

A Tibetan monk spends a lot of his time meditating. Unfortunately I didn’t get a good picture of one so this weeks PhotoFriday, “Meditation,” is a picture of the many people who meditate, pray and prostrate outside the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “White.” I’m entry 266.

Religion seems to be woven into the daily life of Tibetans in a way that seems alien to most Westerners, which made it a mine of possibilities for this weeks PhotoFriday theme.

In the end I settled on this image from Tashilumpo Monastery, one of my favourites from that trip.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “The Great Outdoors.” I’m entry 160.

• The Cost of E-Voting – One of the many reasons that I am against e-voting machines: the cost. “The cost … increased 179 percent per voter on average.” All that money for a less reliable system. Bargain!
• Change we can believe in – I didn’t realise that we were in line for some new coins. They look surprisingly good, certainly much better than the new US notes. (Originally from daringfireball.net)
• Bali bombings: A sister’s search for justice – I’ve always said that it’s much easier to be against capital punishment when it’s just an abstract idea. Here the sister of one of the Bali bombing’s victims argues why she’s still against it.

• The Best of Technology Writing 2007 – I just finished reading this book myself yesterday. I was considering writing a review but Ars got there first and said it better than I would have done!
• Protests in Tibet erupt into violence – Violence is never a good thing, but the Olympics is undoubtedly a good time to try to raise the profile of the plight of the Tibetan people.
• Open Rights Group questions Phorm – Good to see TalkTalk, BT and Virgin Media’s abuse of their own customers getting more press.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Mountain.” Here is my entry.

This picture shows the Himalayas from the Nepalese side. It was taken on my brief stop in Kathmandu before heading into Tibet.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Passage of Time.” I’m entry 232.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Strength.” Here is my entry. A bunch of Tibetan prayer-wheels may seem like an odd choice, but they give the faithful strength in the face of adversity

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Silence.” I am entry number 300.

In a change to our advertised programme — mainly the Mare a Mare Nord — I decide to walk up to the Lac de Nino, as recommended by the lady running the hotel I’m staying in.

The walk starts in a pine forest a ten-minute taxi ride up hill. The path begins fairly gently but soon consists of large rocks. As I ascend the rocks get smaller and loser. Walking gives way to scrambling and a little climbing. I realise that I’m lucky to be heading upwards as the opposite direction looks to be almost impossible for people as dextrous as me.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Barren.” Here is my entry. This picture was taken on the Tibetan side of the Himalayas on the last day as we were about to head back into Nepal.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Busy.” I’m number 278 (“–> Stephen <–“).