B-List

First, some interesting examples of improvisation ...

1. "Doctor uses store drill for brain surgery"
   <http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200307/s900264.htm>
"Lacking the proper instruments, a Peruvian doctor at a state hospital in the
 Andean highlands has used a drill and pliers to perform brain surgery on a
 man injured in a fight"

2. "Doctor 'told to use spoon in op'"  [expired link]
   <http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6017863%5E13762,00.html>
"British hospital managers gave a surgeon a dessert spoon to use in a hip
 replacement operation, prompting him to spend £150 ($405) of his own money
 to buy the proper instrument"

3. "Woman uses gas to get rid of unwanted guests"
   <http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_960313.html>
"A woman who tried to get rid of unwanted guests by turning on gas, was taken
 to hospital after being overcome by fumes"

4. "Man peed way out of avalanche"
   <http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1261997.html>
"A Slovak man trapped in his car under an avalanche freed himself by drinking
 60 bottles of beer and urinating on the snow to melt it"

5. "Fireman use snowballs to quench flames"
   <http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1275583.html>
"Romanian firefighters managed to put out a fire in an apartment by throwing
 snowballs through the window"

6. "Dairy container slows traffic"
   <http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,145621,00.html>
"At pickup and drop-off times, he walks out by the road -- and points an
 empty plastic milk jug at cars going by. The drivers think he's a cop
 holding a radar gun, and they slow right down"


Two questions:
1. Does anyone have a recipe for a delicious carrot and walnut cake?
2. Has anyone got any suggestions regarding buying a Personal Video Recorder
   (PVR), i.e. a digital set-top box with hard disk?  I'm only interested in
   something very basic that does the job.