As longer-term readers of this blog may have gleaned, things have changed quite a lot since my last update.

An apparent shortage of Flutamide means that I have been switched to Finasteride in the interim which – apart from several more fights with pharmacists that refused to give me the drug despite the fact that I had a prescription, due to the idea that it was “just for men” – has seen a return of rapid hair loss and DHT production so strong that daily hair washes with specialist shampoos can’t ward it off.  There is now less than a handful of hair on the upper third of my scalp.  Last week I bought a wig to test how it would look/feel, and much to my relief, I and other people thought it was realistic.  It was strange to have the feeling of long, thick hair back again (something that I had naturally for the first 21 years of my life) and I actually look forward to the point where I can shave the remaining hair from my head and go out with a wig, a headscarf, or even bald, and not have to worry about covering anything up.

Sibutramine worked well at first – I’d go for ages without feeling hungry in the slightest.  But then it backfired, and I started feeling tired, highly-strung, and as if I was on drugs (Sibutramine is essentially speed).  About a month ago, my eating habits reversed, and I was exceeding my food target on a daily basis.  I’ve decided to stop taking it (for my mental as well as physical health) and take up Metformin again.  I have enough pills left over from earlier in the year to last me until my appointment next month.

Everything else has more or less stayed the same.  Still using Regaine, taking supplements, and taking Yasmin.  Winter makes it harder to exercise, but that’s something I’ll need to snap out of myself.  I bought my first bottle of Saw Palmetto last night, so we’ll see how that goes.

I wouldn’t usually blog about this sort of thing, but I came across a link to Swagbucks in my blog stats earlier today, and naturally clicked through to see what it was all about.  It’s a generic cashback site for the most part – where you earn points from internet searches and online purchases and exchange them for other goods/vouchers.  It’s mainly aimed at the US market, so not much use to me.

Something that did catch my eye was their “Trade-in” feature.  They will take your old mobile phones and video game consoles in exchange for Swagbucks, which can effectively buy new gadgets, bottles of wine, even airmiles.  This is a great incentive for those of us who might want to send our old junk to a new home, but might not be prepared to send things to Freecycle without reward.   Similar schemes are working well on this side of the pond (car scrappage, Sony’s TV exchange programme), so it’s a good sign that this may one day become something that’s universally applied.

You can sign up to Swagbucks here and read more about their trade-in scheme here.

• Prediabetes: the hidden health timebomb “Women who have polycystic ovarian syndrome and are overweight have a higher chance of developing prediabetes, as do those who have had gestational diabetes. Anyone with severe mental health problems also carries an elevated risk”
• Women born small for gestational age at risk of PCOS
• What laser hair removal and facials can’t fix

Rachel from Verity, and a reproductive endocrinologist from Imperial College were on BBC Radio Shropshire this morning talking about PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome.

Listen to it here.

As I’ve previously blogged, the Nine Inch Nails fanbase is a prime example of how creativity can breed more creativity.  Last week, a group of fans – several of whom had not been to the show in question – came together to create a high-quality, share-alike DVD of the band’s sequential performance of The Downward Spiral.

Producer and Editor Pier-Philippe de Chevigny-Blanc commented:

As soon as I heard about the TDS set the band performed at Webster Hall last August, I immediately jumped on my computer and started collecting footage (especially since the show hadn’t been filmed professionally).

With a little over 11 sources, this is likely to be the only DVD of that historic, first ever live performance of The Downward Spiral.

The community has already exploded with discussion (follow #tdslive and @thisoneisonus on twitter, and these threads on the forums), and has even caught the attention of the band in question:

The release is available via DVD torrent, iPod download, and streamable via Youtube.  More formats are to come.  Click here for credits and a Q&A.

I’ve been thinking about whether to write up something about Nick Griffin’s appearance on the BNP.  But every format I’ve tried seems either lazy or underresearched.  I’ve just come across Owinn’s post on the subject, which more or less covers my views, and is very much articulate and well thought-out.  Link below the excerpt.

People want jobs and as usual it’s the immigrant who they see as the wall between them and work but sometimes I wonder, do you really want a job? Or do you just want an excuse not to work? Do you have the expertise? Will you work for the same money that immigrants supposedly get because apparently immigrant brain surgeons take home minimum wage these days. Will you put in the time and effort to make a better life for yourself and stop making excuses? After the Question Time debate, on the This Week program Alan Davies gave a remarkably insightful take on the situation facing the UK and immgration, we see people with more than we have entering our country and these people may be more intelligent than you, more skilled than you but it tears you up inside as you see these outsiders get by seemingly without a care in the world. These people worked hard to get to where they are, you need to ask if you can say the same about yourself.

More here

There is further debate through BBC Question Time site, the #bbcqt hashtag on twitter, and probaly any site worth visiting today (that’s not to do with the new TOIOU release).

Last night Robbie Williams ended a 3 year absence from the stage with a show at London’s Roundhouse with a show to open the BBC Electric Proms.  The gig showcased songs from his new album alongside classics, and ended with a cover of Video Killed The Radio Star, where he was joined by Trevor Horn, who produced Robbie’s new record.

Setlist:

Video clips are now available to view on the BBC site.

MP3 link to the interview+performance from last night: http://www.sendspace.com/file/k60pc8

Interview only: http://www.sendspace.com/file/n0fv5i

Synth Britannia from BBC4 is a retrospective documentary about the experimental use of synth music in the post-punk era. View the trailer below.

• How to link to a Daily Mail interview without them getting any Pay Per Click revenue.
• Placebo release FREE tour bundle EP  for their upcoming EU tour.
• Sketchbook Magazine hits the shelves
• Stephen Gately’s last interview
• Queues gather for Robbie Williams’s comeback show at the opening of the BBC Electric Proms
• Think Before You Pink asks whether all Breast Cancer awareness products are sold in good will.
• French Vogue does Blackface - Deconstruction or Racism?

For the first time in history, The Guardian has been prevented from reporting on Parliament.

I don’t think I could explain it any better than Natalie has, so go and read her article here.