OK, , and have both done this one, it’s not too bad, and it’s been ages since I did a silly meme questionnaire thing. Besides, if it’s good enough for ? Oh, wait, that normally means it’s crap, but here we go anyway…
I am not a goth. In the “Andrew Eldritch isn’t a goth” sense. OK, I’m also me.
I want to be more organised. Also, more money, and a decent place to live.
I wish that I could remember to pay bills on time.
I hate very little, actually. I’m a remarkably tolerent bloke when it comes down to it. I don’t even hate the Govt. I just feel let down.
I love chocolate. And coffee. But mostly chocolate.
I miss living in a city, having friends within walking distance, not having to worry about money.
I fear um, not much, really. ID cards and NIR forcing more fines on my because I forgot to do something, but that’s just a usual thing.
I hear the godawful music that downstairs is playing. She’s not as loud as she was, but still.
I wonder whether I’ll ever sort my life out.
I regret most of the ones that got away, including the ones that are likely to read this.
I am not reliable
I dance rarely these days. No clubs I like the look of locally, and can’t afford to travel to go out currently.
I sing nowhere near as often as I did at school. Not sure what I would even sound like these days.
I cry almost never. I don’t really do emotions, so it’s been ages.
I am not organised. I’m also definately not stupid.
I make with my hands very little. Except the noise of fingers hitting keyboards.
I write because it helps me think and clarify my beliefs. Also, because I’m an arrogant b’stard.
I confuse most people when I’m talking, I’m not a coherent speaker, hence the writing.
I should finish tidying the flat, get a part time income, sort my life out.
I start late. I’m not a morning person. At all. Burning the midnight oil I do. Mornings require multiple coffess before coherence is possible.
I finish virtually nothing. Many ongoing projects, never complete.
Also, via , Casablanca done in 30 minutes. By bunnies.
For those reading this from elsewhere without LJ accounts, many people have “reading” accounts that they use to syndicate LJs easily, advantage is you can be added to filters and read “friends only” posts. Click here to get one and have me notified…
Also, Radio 4, now. Marcus Brigstocke on politicians. Who he? You fail at life and comedy.
May 29th, 2006
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Via this in the Guardian:
The Snakes On A Plane phenomenon seems to have originated with an August 2005 post … by screenwriter Josh Friedman. Friedman, was approached to do some rewrite work on a new Samuel L Jackson vehicle burdened with the working title Snakes On A Plane … Friedman eventually turned down the gig when it emerged that the producers, feeling … that Snakes On A Plane was touch daft, were considering changing the title to the much more dignified, but much less amusing, Pacific Air Flight 121.
The title was apparently changed back at the insistence of the star. “I got on the set one day and heard they changed it,” Jackson told USA Today in April 2006, “and I said, ‘What are you doing here? It’s not Gone With The Wind. It’s not On The Waterfront. It’s Snakes On A Plane.” Jackson clearly has, along with a perhaps over-active sense of the absurd, a keen understanding of what his fans were expecting. By that stage, Snakes On A Plane had become one of those self-perpetuating internet phenomena - also known as memes - whereby the exponential communications possibilities of the web turn someone or something which would normally struggle for wider attention into a household name … [the studio] also did five days of additional shooting. This, so legend already has it, was not merely to amp up the film’s violence quotient to acquire an R rating, but to insert a line of Samuel L Jackson dialogue cribbed from a satirical online trailer created by a clearly underemployed fan: “I want these motherfucking snakes off this motherfucking plane!”
It’s going to be so bad it’s good? Or worse, just bad? Can Samuel L Jackson’s persona rescue the cheesiest idea for a movie ever? Meh, I probably won’t bother.
Told the boss I wanted to make this my last summer in my current job today. I’d be happy to stay with the company (if they pay me some more), but not in my current role; while I enjoy it, the exhaustion is getting to me and, if we include the time I did it as a summer job, this’ll be my 5th summer in the same department. Sure, I’m in charge now, and things seem to be going well, but it’s taken it out of me. So, effectively, I’ll definately be changing something in my life. Deputy is pregnant (that’s why she was off ill), and the new seasonal guy is good, and due to finish just before her maternity starts, with any luck we can keep him on, so a nice transition can happen.
Still exhausted, still recovering from that bloody cold; lots of other people have had it, it’s taken them ages to shift it as well. Als, stupidly volunteered to help with the arrivals tomorrow. Stupid.
May 27th, 2006
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Gotta love those Canadians…
I’ll be putting the link onto the new site when it’s done, but in the meantime, it amused.
I’ve been playing with background stuff on Taktix, putting ads up (Google won’t allow me multiple adsense accounts, but it will let me track individual ad effectiveness, so I’ll be playing with that - I don’t, actually, care about the money, it’s user behaviour that interests me, I’m such a rational choice/webutility geek these days), etc.
Back at work tomorrow. Ah well, can’t have everything. Must take long (ish) weekends more often, and hopefully not be ill during them. Still, have rediscovered a love of eating satsumas (I’m not sure my sister believed me when I said she’d interrupted me eating one), and am realising that healthy eating is a damnsite cheapter than junkfood eating. I did, of course, know this, but knowing something and “getting” it are two different things.
Still, time to bed. To sleep, perchance to dream…
May 24th, 2006
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Meh, trawling around, I found a few Rum and Monkey tests on someone’s LJ; their userpic caught my attention. The results are, well, wrong. But weird, y’see the full results page for:
Which Evil Criminal are You?
A Rum and Monkey crime.
Talks about:
Which Annoying B-list Celebrity Are You?
Brought to you by Rum and Monkey.
And vice-versa. But, still, Thatcher as annoying B-lister. Pretty much sums her up.
How did I do two results and get evil nasty vicious right wing authoritarian and the guy that tried to butcher half of Chilé?
Eurovision you say? That would require a TV or not coughing my guts up most of the day and thus incline me to leave the flat. Not to worry, more than a few others have liveblogged it and/or reviewed it already, and Lordi won. That’s all that really matters, right?
May 21st, 2006
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Lee says he’s selling the place and has a buyer. Suspect it’s the guy I met, not sure, but no chance he’ll deal with her downstairs quickly, so I’ll keep track of the problems here. Private my-eyes-only for now.
Since she moved in, she’s been regularly loud and annoying. Discussions with her, and via Anne and Lee, have been fruitless. She seems to acknowledge the problem, then gets drunk, and is both incapable and frankly obnoxious when she’s not sober.
Regular late night music, mostly crappy chart/dance stuff. Plus, she shouts. Badly. A few weeks back, a neighbour from across the street came out and shouted at her, but it’s not getting very far.
It’s getting worse with the summer, she’s keeping her window open, sitting in it, music blaring and shouting to anyone that walks passed. I know I’m naturally a quiet person, but she’s excessively loud, even by my standards. Maybe the new landlord will be of use. I don’t hold my breath.
May 20th, 2006
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From this weeks PopBitch which just hit my inbox:
A South African gold miner lost his leg in an
accident. Choking back the tears later he cried,
“It’s over! who’s gonna want a one legged gold
digger?” Then his phone rang. “It’s Paul McCartney.”
I’m currently listening to “Daunt and Dervish: In Questionable Shape” and it’s a distinct reminder of why radio plays are frequently very very good. Amongst other things, all that matters is the voice of the actor and the script. Which means I can listen and revel in an amusing play, alongside the incredibly sexy voices of Frances Barber and Anna Massey. Both a little too old for my tastes, but they sound great (Massey’s autobiography is also Book of the Week).
TaKtiX continues to go incredibly well, later on today, I’ll put up an admin section that’ll contain a walk thru “how to set up your own column” based on an improvement of the MSN chatlog with from Wednesday. Rich Carter specifically asked if I could let him edit the Doomtown section, and I can put the FAQ and Rulings into a blog post and that’ll let me edit them really easily.
I’m off work until next Wednesday. The living room is tidy (ish), and I’ve hoovered. The kitchen isn’t filthy, the hall is reasonably tidy. The flat now looks like a bomb site, not a pigsty. The bedroom still has clothes everywhere and is in serious need of sorting, but overall, I won’t die of embarrasment if someone visits now. I’ll just merely apologise for the mess.
Today? I relax. My copy of Serenity arrived in the post (blame , he has a habit of linking to DVD online sales) — for 6 quid, not to be sniffed at. Of course, that was before I checked the bank balance and remembered the phone bill was due. Oops. Car is fully fueled, but I’ve not much cash, so cheap things to do for the next few days sought; probably come up to Exeter tomorrow.
May 19th, 2006
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It’s ’s fault. He asked me if I’d got anywhere with TaKtiX. I hadn’t, I’ve been meaning to figure out the coding issues for ages, but haven’t. Stuff the coding issues. It’s live.
It’s already got 6 new signed up columnists. ? Since my PC crash, I haven’t actually got a valid email address for you it seems, if you’ve told me recently, I’ve lost it or gmail has eaten it, can you mail me, I’ll send the invites. You might be interested to know, signed up are:
Chris Dyer, Laurence Sinclair, Jeremiah Uselton, me (naturally), Mike Leader and Todd Rowland. I’ve also added and Laurence to the Warhammer section (Tim? The “guy you don’t know” is , good friend of mine, lives in Kingsteinton, you’ll meet him at some point in Exeter).
Also due to be set up are Paul Dulany (Nihil) and (vtalon). That’s without putting any effort in. Also, more page views in 6 hours than I get in 2 days at the political blog. With almost no content. But everyone is very keen, and let’s face it, the interface is incredibly easy. The things I do when I’m ill.
I was supposed to be writing an article on the Human Rights Act. Or the Constitution. Or the Legislateive and Regulatory (abolish Parliament) bill.
? Would you be interested in writing a bit of Doomtown content?
May 17th, 2006
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Bibliophiles
writes book reviews, amongst other things. He’s also got a vote in the Hugo awards (Swainston for the Campbell Nick, you know it, the world knows it). I don’t recall now which one of us friended the other first, I’ve been aquiring ‘politics’ LJ a lot last few months. So. Why do we care?
This is an interesting (and negative) review of John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War which is nominated. I read it soon after it was posted. Thing is, Mr Scalzi is also . He wrote a rather long, and very civil, rebuttal on a number of points of the review in the comments, and also on his blog here. Based on Nick’s review, I’d have possibly actually picked the book up, because the premise intrigued me. Now I definately want to read it, because, well, that sort of debate between reviewer, author, publisher (see comments on Scalzi’s blog entry) and assorted fans is simply very very cool.
Constructive, involving, civil and useful. Nick’s written a follow up here. Spoiler warnings throughout, but spoilers never really bother me.
Now, if we can get politicians to properly engage in such a manner, then democracy still has hope. Yup, Mat the hopeless idealist strikes again. I love the Internet.
Addenda: ? Swainston is up for the John W. Campbell ‘best newcomer’ award. Just in case you didn’t know. Also, do you still have either/both of Year of our War/No Present like Time? Only my father managed to donate a pile of books to charity, including some of the ones I’d loaned him. Yup, that’s right, my father gave books away without first asking me if I wanted them. He didn’t realise he had any of my books. This included my copy of Jennifer Government and 2 (unknown) others. Not a happy boy when I found out.
May 17th, 2006
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OK, for those not aware, the BBC invited Guy Kearney to discuss the Apple court case. Instead however, the producer went to the wrong place, called his name out, and a certain Guy Goma got up. Times and Mail versions of story, and YouTube video.
At first, the story was it was the cabbie due to collect him. It now turns out Mr Goma is actually a “data cleansing expert” there for a job interview; he thought the recording studio was part of the interview process. It’s so funny, even William Gibson is posting to his blog about it. Best bit? The producer had previously looked at Guy Kearney’s website. Mr Kearney is, noticeably, white. Mr Goma is distinctly not. You really would have thought they’d have twigged a little earlier.
May 16th, 2006
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OK. Did anyone else know that has existed for over a month now, and he’s updating regularly?
Laurence! You’re supposed to click the “add friend” thing, go forth and comment, let people know you’re here, etc. In the meantime, everyone that knows him should go say hello. That’s at least 1/4 of my f-list by all accounts.
For the benefits of the loon; click on the person icon next to a username, it takes you to their profile page, at the top is 
, once you’ve done that enough, then your ‘friends‘ page becomes the most important bit. It also means you can read old protected entries on journals.
Still, that’s one more off that little list of people to force to sign up for this thing.
Yes, still off work. Didn’t sleep last night, finally dosed off at about 8am, to get a phonecall from work at 9.40am. Boss needed to know some answers. Next time I know I’m not going in in the early hours, I’ll ring leave a message on the answerphone.
May 16th, 2006
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