Rock on

Could searching for a needle in a haystack have a rival for the popular definition of mind-numbing toil? The Open University and BBC2 want us to look for meteorites. Not the huge ones that destroy the earth in Hollywood films - they're pretty hard to miss. Rather, they want us to look for the 30 or so fist-sized space rocks thought to crash down in Britain each year. This might sound futile, but consider the fact that each meteor could be worth up to £500,000. That changes everything. It costs money to play the lottery, but all you need to look for a meteor is patience and a sturdy pair of walking shoes. Good luck, bargain hunters.