Yamyam

After being reading throu this page I think I better hide my stuff. Better safe than sorry ............

Dont want to be discovered ............... yet.

I can see what you mean, HHfanatic, but the worst part is wondering how other people will react. Something like 'the darkest moment is just before the dawn'. Perhaps being unexpectedly discovered is the best thing. You can always assume the moral high ground as you explain - like "Well, you shouldn't have been looking, but..."

Well, I often wear knee-high tights (nylons) as some of my boots feel better over those (and because I quite like the feeling). And I've been known to wear tights, but that's about it.

They are nice, and about my size, but I think I'd prefer a solid colour, not that two-tone effect. But I'm tempted

You're all correct there - wouldn't like to trash those shoes. I was being very careful standing in them, and I think I will save them for moments when I'm not going to be called on to stand up much! But it was fun taking the photos! I must do some more, next time I have an evening off

They felt like

divot

Well, my lab looks nothing like as professional as Lion's . But all my computers are in one room apart from the Alpha 2100, which is too big to go up the stairs! And the next room from my computer lab is my shoe room. Can't get much better than that!

yam yam

It was a joke!! I like heels. Especially on my boyfriend. I would be wearing some if I did not mess up my foot a month ago!

Well, that's all right then . Hope your foot gets better soon so you can get back on your heels.

blowfish

...you almost burn your dinner because you're on the Internet chatting about high heels, but save it because you can run down two flights of stairs in 3.5" wedges

So what if I did want to wear men's shoes. There are men that wear women's shoes......what about all these requests for equality that I hear?

It's not an equality thing, it's more of a shoe enthusiast thing. You can wear any women's shoes you want, so why on earth would you want to join us blokes in the dull crap that we are supposed to put up with?

supermodel

Thanks again, folks. Alex: the heels don't bend much, but the one does look a little odd in the first photo. That's probably because that was only about the second time I'd stood up in them. As for stable, I'll let you know if I ever learn to walk in them Oh, and PJ: (blush) Don't think I've ever been drooled over before

gnomon

Well, at least you're all making progess. Well done so far, and I look forward to your move to higher things!

Perhaps I'm just lucky, but I don't have a 'type of woman' as such. Perhaps it's come to me now I'm a little older, but for me the important thing is the relationship I would have with someone. I must admit, I quite like black hair and blue eyes on a woman, but that's less important to me than knowing that the person is someone I'd have a good relationship with. Not boasting, but I've gone out with several people who were quite attractive, including my ex-, a young lady who most people guessed was a model, and a few others. I doubt you'd be able to pick a 'type' out of them all. The only thing I'm picky about now is being with someone who makes me feel good, and who feels good about me.

[before we start - I'd just like to say that I have nothing against gay people, and indeed at least one of my oldest friends is gay!)

But why should we accept that there is a genetic component to homosexuality? As far as I know, many years of research looking for the 'gay gene' hasn't found one yet. And I'm even more skeptical that we'll find a 'high-heel' gene after that, any more than there's a 'red Lexus gene'.

Now that we have the human genome sequenced, we will find many fascinating things. But I'm still suspicious of the existence of a gay gene. After all, the genetic code is many millions of years older than Victorian morality. If, as you say, homosexuality makes you unable to reproduce, then the gay gene should have died out millions of years ago. This is true of any other mutation that means its carriers do not reproduce.

But, if there is a gay gene, and gay people are still around, then this logic must be flawed. That is, the gene, if there is one, hasn't died out, despite ensuring that its carriers do not reproduce. Therefore, it seems to me, at least, unlikely that there is a gay gene.

Animal and human development owes huge amounts to environment as well as genetics (the old 'nature vs. nurture' debate). And sometimes stuff just happens. One might as well return to the old Freudian-era argument that gay people are gay because their fathers were inadequate role models. Or because their parents committed a sin and their evil was visited upon their children. Or because they're possessed by demons.

Further, I also think that human sexuality is a sliding scale, from 100% heterosexual to 100% homosexual. Most people are somewhere in the middle, probably nearer to one end than the other. Some people are in the middle. This seems to me to be more complex than the existence of a single gene would imply.

Possession of some variant of the human genome means only one thing: you're human! Whatever the genetic code says, some people will drive red Lexuses, some people will love purple, and some people will want to wear high heels. Let us celebrate our differences, enrich ourselves with the new experiences that people can bring, and thank our favourite deities (where applicable) for humanity in all its breadth!

If the market is worth exploiting, they will exploit it. They are out to make money, not dictate who wears what shoes. By frequenting specialist websites Tony probably gets a false impression of the number of people who are interested in this market.

I disagree. My experience comes from publishing, not from shoes, but there are many markets that the established companies miss, simply due to their own conservatism. I know one small publishing business, told that there was "simply no market for that stuff" who have now sold almost three-quarters of a million books over the last fifteen years.

Not saying that shoes are like that, but I'm sure that there is a market out there. After all, from a UK perspective, Brantano, Evans, and a few other places sell heels in sizes up to about a UK11. OK, the variety drops off after about UK8 or 9 (lucky me, I fit in there as a US10M/UK8-9) but the fact remains that they are still using a lot of expensive shelf space for that market.

I'm also finding things changing in the high street. Barratts and some others now tag up shoes as '9+', and have specialist larger-size catalogues. Again, the range isn't there yet, but the effort is being made.

So, now that I've managed to contradict myself totally, what am I blithering on about? First, the fact that no-one's in a marketplace doesn't mean the marketplace doesn't exist. Second, the fact that smaller companies who don't have the same blinkered mindset are often the best people to move into new marketplaces. And third, the established companies are drifting into the market. OK, we're not yet at the point where one can buy anything in a UK12, but there's still choice out there, and I can't even buy everything I want in a UK8 (fortunately for my bank balance )

The situation is changing, but we could still do with giving the manufacturers a nudge in the right direction!

So far, my vote goes to Oxford! It's full of worn stone surfaces, cobbles, cycle prevention kerbs and much other stuff. But I made my way from the park 'n' ride to the centre of Oxford, to the registry office, and back again. The worst moment was nearly losing it on the stairs in Blackwells (the worlds finest bookshop) and clouting my head on the roof of a bus, due to being 3.5" taller than usual. I wore my forgiving London wedgies, as they have a soft rubber wedge heel, and are nice and comfy. (Oh, and the park 'n' ride, as well as being the only one I've ever seen where you pay to park and to ride, was locally known as the park 'n' gone due to the fact that the local car thieves used it as a shopping centre )

Oh right. I just assumed that this was UK news, and wouldn't reach an international audience. Well, that just goes to show what I know about news media.

boots

Running a 180 mhz compaq pentium pro machine as a server for my network to connect to the 1mbit broadband.

What are you running on that? I have a PII-some hundred as a firewall, running SmoothWall.

also their toes.

...when after taking photos of your latest shoes, you find yourself relaxing in 4" heels as you upload them. ...when you recognise the people you chat with most by their feet, not their faces!

ephemera (I'll come up with a word Highluc doesn't know if it kills me!)