Random news article of the day: Skydiver plans Channel flight. Mr Baumgartner (from a family of tree researchers?) is obviously no stranger to odd feats or dangerous attempts. He is, after all, a BASE jumper. I once watched a programme about BASE jumpers on ITV, probably when it replaced Thunder in Paradise or World of Wonder (hosted by either Michael Dorn or some American Chinese Woman) as my stock Saturday afternoon childhood viewing. All I can remember is that they showed a man jumping from the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, which as the website helpfully points out, is the "world's highest suspension bridge." I had been there on holiday, and let me tell you, that is one high bridge. And that's all I've ever thought about when it comes to BASE jumping.

So he's definitely mad. He's also tempting fate. Calling his set of wings "Icarus Two" is, frankly, a foolish move. Not for the fact that it is hubris of the highest level, but purely because if he fails, I expect his grave to read "Icarus too."