What are you thinking right now?

[Minty]

It's very much a case of "I know what I like when I see it". The Gallery of Modern Art up my area of the world had some wonderful piece of modern stuff that were quite clever, but also junk like the corner of a pavement stuck on a wall.

I used to have a serious map addiction when I was young, especially OS relief maps which showed all the contours & forests in areas so you could picture them.

Right now I've got some trouble getting my head around this business:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24889924

Hundreds attend war veteran's funeral after newspaper ad

Social media motivated hundreds to attend the funeral of a World War Two veteran they never knew.

Hundreds of people from across the UK have attended the funeral in Lancashire of a World War Two veteran they never knew.

Harold Jellicoe Percival, who was known as Coe, served as ground crew on the famous Dambusters raids carried out in May 1943 by 617 Squadron.

Mr Percival, who died last month aged 99, never married or had children.

The funeral home organising the service put an advert in a newspaper appealing for people to attend.

The Reverend Alan Clark, who conducted the service, said: "We marvel at the power of the printed word, whether on paper or screen."

Mr Percival's nephew, Andrew Colyer-Worrsall, said the attendance was "just remarkable".

Harold Jellicoe Percival Harold Percival died last month at the age of 99

"He was a quiet man, he was an ordinary man who did his duty and served in the war and to see so many people turn up, it's just overwhelming," he said.

Mr Percival's nephew, David Worsell, who could not attend the funeral, said: "He was a private man.

"He worked in Australia for a number of years as a decorator and would visit England for holidays.

"He travelled around England with only his backpack.

"He didn't have a postal address - he just used to get everything sent to my mother's address and would go through it when they met up."

Frank Richard Carew-Percival, who contacted the BBC from Australia, said he was Mr Percival's nephew and was disappointed that he wouldn't be able to attend the service.

Mr Percival's family told the BBC a nephew, great-nephew and great-niece would be at his funeral.

OK, so an old man who wished nothing more than a quiet private life largely on his own (not an uncommon occurence among those who served in WW2), & got exactly what he wanted, upon his death finds it being turned into a Twitter event without any prior wishes on his part.

Why? Because people felt sorry for him? Pity they didn't feel more sorry for him when he was alive & alone in a care home.

Or was this merely self-indulgence on the part of the participants from a society where mawkish displays of phony emotions are the norm, especially grief tourism?

He did everything to keep his life private, only upon death to be turned into a circus of self-congratulation bang on cue for the Armistice Day bugle. Is nothing sacred any more?