Stuff I've read recently 6

It's not been too horrendously long since my last one of these I don't think and with Christmas and being far busier than I've ever been before I think I'm excused (though that excuse is already starting to sound tired.) Anyway here's a look at some of the literature that's stumbled across my way in recent weeks.

The Bible - God et al

Right well I've caught up with myself and am now in 1 Corinthians, having read the Gospels I missed and jumped over the ones I didn't...yeah. Anyway the combination of the story of Jesus along with Paul's God-inspired instruction has been very helpful reading. I should really think about how to do these things properly, but I think just letting you know what I've been up to will suffice for now.

Running the Race - R.C. Sproul

A nifty collection of pieces from Sproul's work aimed at graduates who are looking at what to do next with their lives, it felt appropriate to my situation and it was on my bookshelf so I decided it was worth reading. The book tends to aim at the non-Christian, which is probably it's remit so I can't criticise it on that, but I did find some of the subject matter, a lot of which deals with postmodernism and worldviews, a little heavy handed and the fact that it was drawn from a number of previously published books and articles meant it felt a little disjointed at times. But nonetheless it speaks truth and wisdom and is a valuable read especially for someone finishing University.

Marvel 1602 - Neil Gaiman

I'd been intrigued by this book and it's author for some time so I decided to pick it up. The book covers the stories of famous Marvel characters and looks at them as if they had been born and changed during the reign of Elizabeth the 1st. It weaves a fascinating tale, with the X-Men as feared "Witchbreed" hunted by the Spanish Inquisition and many other heroes struggling to find their way. For me it was a great way to become familiar with Marvel characters like Nick Fury and Dr Strange by putting them out of usual context, but it also spun a fascinating mystery that I eagerly turned the pages to unravel.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin (Abridged Audio) - Louis de Bernieres

Perhaps this would usually be by "main" as it is one of the great modern classics but as I picked it up as a free abridged audio in one of those newspaper giveaway thingies I'll put it amongst it's commoner friends or it's less well renowned friends I should perhaps say. The epic love story begins with a sleepy Greek island discussing the distant possibility of invasion by wartime forces. This invasion comes in the form of the Italian forces who occupy the towns and bring with them the kind and gentlemanly Captain Corelli, who falls in love with the girl in whose house he stays, and gradually she with him. But love is never simple and certainly not so in war and as the Axis loses and a group of rebels decide they should rule and as peace finally returns the story of two lovers takes it's time and brings more into their lives than they could imagine.

Star Wars Coruscant Nights: Jedi Twilight - Micheal Reaves

As always I'm a big Star Wars fan so reading this book was a foregone conclusion, but I got into this book a lot more than I expected to it and was pleasantly surprised as I read it, something I wouldn't expect when reading my favourite genre. The story covers the life of a fugitive Jedi living in the underlevels of Coruscant where the sun is blocked by the gleaming towers where the civilised folk live and the Empire rules. His life changes dramatically when Darth Vader comes looking for him and so do a bunch of others, some friends, some foes, some with no idea of what they truly desire. A great ensemble of new characters and a few well placed cameos make this a treat for SW fans and a gripping story in a fantastic setting makes it a worthy tale in it's own right.

Sandman Vol1: Preludes and Nocturns - Neil Gaiman

I got my hands on another piece of Gaiman's work, perhaps his most famous, well in the comic book world at least. The Sandman weaves an epic tale of what happens when the God of Dreams is captured by an occult group seeking to imprison Death itself. The consequences for the world are grave when dreams are denied them and for those who seek to take his power when he finally breaks free and exacts his revenge. Dream, or Morpheus, journeys across our world, and goes literally to hell and back to regain his power coming across villains who want to control his abilities and a few familiar DC characters also as his journey goes on. A fascinating and disturbing tale that stands out on the graphic novel bookshelf.

The Arrival - Shaun Tan

Incredible book introduced to me and devoured during an English lecture! A fantastic graphic work using only it's captivating illustrations to tell a believable tale of a displaced refugee in a fantastic world, yet with all the difficulties faced in the real world such as the need for food, and language and cultural barriers. Thoroughly captivating.

Batman: Year One - Frank Miller

A fascinating read as I begin to see more and more of Miller's influence on Christoper Nolan's new Dark Knight on screen. The book covers the return of playboy millionair Bruce Wayne to Gotham and how he takes his first tenuous steps as the caped crusader, tackling the gunmen, dealers and bent cops of the city. It also weaves a compelling tale of Lt Gordon's arrival in the city, how he too has to face up to corruption and makes his stand in the criminal city. I was surprised by it's brevity considering the power and punch of Dark Knight Returns, but it is still a great story of the caped crusader.

And now on to the 'main' course

Well it;s two books actually, one's SF t'other's not, neither fit into the usual 'classic' category reserved for the main as I decided to branch out a bit, but anyway these books are "what I was reading"

Neuromancer - William Gibson

A fantastic book, one of the seminal works of "cyberpunk" the subgenre of Sci-Fi that explores the gritty possibilities of cities under corporate control and man and machine so closely integrated into a network referred to as "The Matrix." The film you're obviously thinking of now draws a lot on this book, but took it to new hights. The Matrix in this book is more akin to the internet, with gleaming towers of corporate databases and walls of 'ice' that must be cut through to get to the precious data inside. Case, a hacker 'cowboy' who'se lost his ability to jack in is swept back up into the data thieving world he once thrived on, but soon finds himself a well placed pawn in a much bigger plan. Excellent mind bending read.

Man Bethau Hwylus - Wil Sam

Welsh literature has not been a familiar presence for me since I left high school so I decided to give this book, a gift to me on my birthday I think, a go. It took a while to get my brain used to what I was reading, but I found the book pleasant and amusing. The title loses something in the translation, but is there to present a series of short reccolections from the life of a prominent Welsh language author. The story is pleasant as it doesn't attempt to be biographical or to show hoe it shaped the author's life, it is simply a collection of tales about things and people that come to his mind when thinking of the area he grew up and lived in. While it gave my brain a good workout I'm glad of the exercize and of the chance to read some real and amusing stories in my own language

Well that's you lot, or my lot I guess I should say. Well I've only to decide what to read next now!

Word of the post: Bypass –verb (used with object)

5.	to avoid (an obstruction, city, etc.) by following a bypass.

6.	to cause (fluid or gas) to follow a secondary pipe or bypass.

7.	to neglect to consult or to ignore the opinion or decision of: He bypassed the foreman and took his grievance straight to the owner.

Weekly Quote W/E 27/12/08

With it being Christmas I think I'm excused a postless week!

"Garnet is usually the one who writes stuff. Her writing's neater than mine. So often I get her to do my schoolwork. She doesn't mind.

Yes I do." - Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson

Weekly Quote - Festive Edition

This is an adaptation of a kid's Christmas carol that myself and a few friends wrote at school - enjoy!

"Syrthio lawr y grisiau
Presantau yn y tan
Santa wedi marw
Nadolig wedi canslo."

Translation? You'll have to ask...

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Fo 'Shizzle

In what seems like a never ending quest to humiliate myself (see number 23 from brighton post) I've decided to share another mostly thought based pastime of mine with the wider world (also known as Tim and Sam)

I'm quite a fan of using the 'izzle' suffix when thinking out things to say and then occasionally slipping it in to conversation. This doesn't stem from any real desire to be cool, but rather from the amusement of playing the kind of word game that I did as a kid, which is now culturally acceptable amongst the elitists of cool and 'ard who would never give the time of day to most of my other pastimes. The other thing I like about doing it is that I haven't got a clue what I'm doing.

A few of my favourite uses:

Chizzle my bizzle mizzle = Cheers, my best mate

Joe Bizzle in the Hizzle = Joe B in the House

I do like getting into more elongizzle and nonsencizzle sentizzles that confizzle most dizzles who hizzle them, which makes them more fizzle for mizzle ya dizzle? Here's some shizzle from Wikipizzle on the subjizzle...

"Izz" infix usage

Although there are no hard-and-fast rules governing its usage, in general, the izz infix technique is performed by inserting izz, usually after a word's last pre-vowel consonant in its final syllable without deleting any letters.

Examples: minute becomes minizzute, and Kazakhstan becomes Kazakhstizzan. One-syllable words generally translate better with this technique: cream becomes crizzeam, for example.

It can also be performed by inserting izz at the beginning of a lone vowel: A becomes Izza and O becomes Izzo. This specific technique is implemented in Jay-Z's song "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" found on his album The Blueprint.

It can also be added onto the end of words, as in the phrase Fo' shizzle meaning for sure and televizzle meaning television.

Origins

The origins of '-iz' spawn from the postwar harlem renaissance when little black girls used to stand on the street and jump rope, making up nursery rhymes on the fly. Sometimes the words wouldn't fit the measure and so they would use '-iz', or doubling letters or syllables in words to make it fit the measure.

While Snoop Dogg and Jay-Z are credited for popularizing these techniques in the early 2000s, previous artists used them or similar forms earlier.

Shizzle

Shizzle is a rap slang word for "sure", coined by E-40 and popularized by rap star Snoop Dogg. It has been adopted by several rappers and reggae deejays and is commonly used as: fo' shizzle as in, "for sure", often paired with "my nizzle" as in, "my nigga". This pairing became popular after Snoop Dogg used it in his song, "What's My Name (Part 2)" on his Album Tha Last Meal. At the beginning of the song, Snoop talks over the beat:

Izzle kizzle, fo' shizzle

My nizzle, what you sizzle?

Fo' shizzle bizzle, ha ha

(Lyrics)

Snoop Dogg himself probably did not expect the phrase "Fo' shizzle my nizzle" to gain such popularity.^{[citation needed]} First, the phrase is broken by a long pause on the track itself, suggesting that Snoop himself considered "Izzle kizzle, fo' shizzle" to be one phrase ("It's okay, for sure") and "My nizzle, what you sizzle?" to be another ("My nigga, what you say?"). Snoop's laughter at the end of the blurb further suggests that the whole intro was just meant to be a joke, albeit one that caught on quite broadly.

A simple example is translating the word "house", to become "hizzouse".

An example of a sentence using this technique of slang is:

• This new doggyfizzle televizzle gon' be off the hizzle, fo shizzle.

• Translation: This new Snoop Dogg television show is going to be off the hook (meaning great), for sure.

The song Double Dutch Bus, written by Frankie Smith originally spawned the use of 'izzle' as a suffix for words. While used in its purest form and true meaning as listed above, izzle as a suffix was rarely used, with exceptions occurring in a song now and then.^{[verification needed]} But as the pop and rap scene grew increasingly successful, the phrase became quite popular.^{[verification needed]} Those who heard the phrase, not understanding its meaning, often misinterpreted it, and further spread it without fully understanding it.^{[verification needed]}

This has led to the use of Shizzle to mean "s***", in its slang form meaning "cool", to replace any noun in popular speech, much like "shizznit", as in "my shizzle's hella fizzle, yo." Such terms can be used in slightly more polite company, or to get past censors on TV or radio.

"Shizzle my Nizzle" has also become a popular phrase to express surprise in New Zealand, popularised by Glen Browne who is also the author of the wildly popular Diggy Dr Brzay's word of the Dzay

I think also that on of my biggest influences in liking this is the classic Orange cinema add with Snoop Dog himself going up against the Orange crew.

"Let's roll y'all" - love it!

Word of the post:Redundant –adjective

1. characterized by verbosity or unnecessary repetition in expressing ideas; prolix: a redundant style.
2. being in excess; exceeding what is usual or natural: a redundant part.

A perfect plate

BL06 AWW

Driving yesterday I was behind a car with this numberplate or something to a similar effect and thought it accurately summed up the home for this text you are now reading. Props to Sam for spotting it!

Word of the post: Nefarious - adjective

extremely wicked or villainous; iniquitous

Weekly Quote W/E 13/12/08

"If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until it gets so ugly you can hardly bear to look at it." - The Twits, Roald Dahl

I tried it

Don't worry it all still seems to be working...well give it 24 hours eh?

Word of the post: Clemency –noun, plural -cies.

1.	the quality of being clement; disposition to show forbearance, compassion, or forgiveness in judging or punishing; leniency; mercy.

2.	an act or deed showing mercy or leniency.

3.	(of the weather) mildness or temperateness.

Weekly Quote W/E 06/12/08

" 'I'm not going to run away' Stanley said.
' Good thinking' said Mr Sir. ' Nobody runs away from here. We don't need a fence. Know why? Because we've got the only water for a hundred miles. You want to run away? You'll be buzzard food in three days.' "- Holes, Louis Sachar

Jus' writin'

I want to do my blog, but I'm not really with it in the ideas or alertness departments so I figure I'll just ramble on for a bit in the hope that my constant blargh (or stream of consciousness to literary types) will be amusing or readable- I daren't hope for both.

One thing I've spotted already which is tickling me is that the imported spellchecker for blogger flags up "blog" and "blogger" as spelling mistakes, you'd think they'd take the time to put in their own product names as correct spellings, but hey I guess they're busy or something.













I was introduced in a lecture to a fantastic book called The Arrival which has a fantastic setting but a very real sense of character and loss. The story is a tale of displacement, of a refugee fleeing and unknown danger to a foreign land where the food, language and customs are all alien and he struggles to find work, shelter and friendship. The genius of the book is that the story is told completely through illustrations which are breathtaking in detail and emotion. It takes a while to get into the story, but once you're in you are definitely hooked.

And on the same day it was kinda weird 'cause there was snow and stuff and on one side the sky was very much cloudy and grim, but on the other side it was solid blue, but not your typical sunny day blue sky, it was much darker, a shade I'd never seen before, much closer to purple than sky blue actually. I pointed it out, but people were a bit busy listening to the lecture so I didn't get much response, but I found it interesting anyway. The other kind of sky I notice is when it's snowing and the sky goes pure white and you have to concentrate to see the clouds.

I don't like planning

I like Video Games

I wish I was Spiderman

Word of the post: Antioxidant –noun

1.	Chemistry. any substance that inhibits oxidation, as a substance that inhibits oxidative deterioration of gasoline, rubbers, plastics, soaps, etc.

2.	Biochemistry. an enzyme or other organic substance, as vitamin E or beta carotene, that is capable of counteracting the damaging effects of oxidation in animal tissues.

Round 2

After my embarrassing drubbing my Sam I'm a bit worried to post my results of the Wikipedia game, but since I did this round in two moves I think I'm fairly confident of what will most likely be a draw with my opponent Caleb (see sidebar).

If you are wondering what the game is read my post "You are challenged" before this one and see if you fancy a game.

OK, Caleb's word was sausage which means my links went...

Toast

Breakfast

Sausage

Resulting in a score of 2. If Caleb pulled it off in one move I'll be very impressed, but I'm doubting he did it in more than two either so well done and thanks for playing.

Weekly Quote 29/11/08

"...the roofscape was neither more nor less than a conglomeration of structures spreading to right and left and away from him. It was a mist of masonry. As he peered, taking each structure individually, he found that he was a spectator of a stationary gathering of stone personalities." - Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake.

Weekly Quote W/E 22/11/08

Well I've had one challenge already, and he won! Anyone else up for it?

"The days are long and humid. The river shrinks and black crows gorge on bright mangoes in still, dustgreen trees. Red bananas ripen. Jackfruits burst. Dissolute bluebottles hum vacuously in the fruity air." - The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy

You are challenged!!!

I can't remember if I've talked about this before but myself and my not to often blogging friend Dan have devised a game that can be played on Wikipedia. We've come up with several different variants and rules, but this is our latest version and it works quite well as it has a more competitive edge than previous variants.




Anyway, fancy a game?

Ok so first of all you think of a word, or more precisely a thing that can be looked up on Wikipedia and you check it's on there. If the thing you look up turns up a stub, that is an article with only a paragraph or two then you will need to make your choice more general as it makes the game too difficult or even impossible so we've found.











Then you find someone to play with - in your case reader that person will be me. You both reveal your word and then you each compete, trying to get from your word to your opponent's in the least amount of 'clicks' possible. The person with the least amount of links wins. You can play it under time, but it only works if your in the same room or are in close communication with your competitor. So in our game we will allow a day, not to think that it would take you that long, but of course with online communication it's not fair if someone misses out because they didn't see the e-mail or whatever.

So, if you fancy a game then post a comment saying you acknowledge the challenge. You will then have 24 hours to complete the challenge, post your results on your blog or other site, and let me know you're done. Once I read your initial acknowledgement I will let you know I'm playing and then I will also have 24 hours to complete the challenge. I think that might possibly be clear so let's lay down some ground rules.

1. You cannot leave the Wikipedia site for any part of your challenge, even external links in a Wiki page do not count.
2. You will need to post your 'path' from one link to the other when you've finished to prove your move is valid (hence rule 1)
3. The use of Ctrl+F or any other "find" function is prohibited, you find the links yourself!
4. You are allowed to backtrack, but each time you do it counts as a move

Well if I haven't put you off and you're still actually reading this then...game on!

Think of a word...

Check it on Wikipedia...

Scroll over to reveal my word which is..... TOAST

Then acknowledge the challenge and we're on!!

Hope you enjoy it, once you've battled me use your word and pass the challenge on to your friends, of course letting them know about the genius who started it all!!

And if you can come up with a better name than "The Wikipedia Game" or "Wikimania" then extra points for you!

The number 23 from Brighton

Well I thought I'd break the silence while I've time to confess to a slight obsession...nay interest...nay mild curiosity of mine. While I don't have the energy, time or enthusiasm to be an enthusiast on the level of the locomotive observers hinted at in my title and whose occupation is also the name of a famous film starring Ewan McGregor.

But nonetheless I do have a mild interest in the different types of packaging for DVDs and CDs. I don't mean the cheapo cases you buy to put the songs you illegally ripped off your mates in, I mean the cases that CDs come in on the shelves, maybe the CD analogy isn't that appropriate these days, and if you read my blog at all you may know it isn't too familiar an experience for myself either.

I am a fairly prolific buyer of DVDs and also Video Games, which come in the same type of cases. Time spent frantically trying to claw a disk out of a box, while struggling not to snap the thing in half, made me wonder about how manufacturers go about designing the containers to put entertainment products in and how boxes are chosen. I tried to find the name of the offending manufacturer, but they had wisely declined to put their name on their shody human-unfriendly box and so instead I will move on to some positive designs.

The 'classic' for me has to be the Amaray DVD Single. It is elegant in it's simplicity, and the performance of it's function is poetry in motion...well a limerick...at least a Haiku!! The central button or 'hub' as they call it is integral to most case designs and few have managed to top the system incorporated by the Amaray box. The hub consists of a split circle which, when pushed, actually lifts the disc out so you can easily remove it, then with a simple push down the disc is securely locked in again - beautiful!!

• Designed in close co-operation with the DVD industry and preferred in consumer trials
• Unique, patent, stress-free locking disc hub
• Proven economical inlay system
• Compatible with available automated packing machinery
• Find out more at the manufacturer website

The only box with a slight improvement of this is the DVD case for the series Firefly which has a mechanism with a slightly smoother running, adding an extra touch of elegance to the same principle, unfortunately I couldn't track down the manufacturer for this one either. I haven't seen many around, and the Amaray I think will always be top dog for some time.

My last one (was that a sigh I heard?) doesn't have a particularly elegant mechanism, but it has solved the problems of earlier holding mechanisms of it's type so the disk lifts easily from the holder, yet is still secure in place. It is not this that I call your attention to - it is that it looks pretty sweet! This product is the Super Jewel Box, which I first came across holding Ta-Dah by Scissor Sisters and then in DVD form with the Gorillaz live gig.

- New and improved look and feel for higher perceived value
- Same size as the old CD jewel case
- Flexibility of inserts, from a single sheet to a 50-page booklet
- Fits existing CD-based retail displays, security keepers and other packaging standards
- More details at the manufacturer's website




This box features rounded corners, giving it a touch of class over your johnny regular box. You can also see the transparent corners which stand intependent of the hinge, reducing the chance of damage to your CD's "lid", which happens frequently in standard jewel cases. The cases also feature a nifty "push" button to open, which is smooth and again reduces chance for damage - good stuff eh?

Two things for you to know

- I needed to kill time and I wanted to post stuff on my blog

- I looked up the names while I was writing and got images and details from Google

Word of the post: Supplement –noun

1.	something added to complete a thing, supply a deficiency, or reinforce or extend a whole.

Weekly Quote 15/11/08

" 'What do you think it's like for me?' says Vicky. 'It's bad enough when you see a ghost. It's much odder being one.' " - Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson

Weekly Quote W/E 08/11/08

Well I'm going to give you a double quote this week you lucky people, first a quote from a book as per usual and then a quote from the author to complement it.

"In the four thousand rooms of the centre the four thousand electric clocks simultaneously struck four. Discarnate voices called from the trumpet mouths." - Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

"Technological progress has merely provided us with a more efficient means of going backwards." - Aldous Huxley

Well there you go - don't get used to it!!

The Ultimate Rehab Programme

This has been bouncing around the net for a while, but I've only recently watched it and I think it's brilliant, the Filipinos really know how to do prison!! I don't quite know what they wanted to achieve by getting 1500 prisoners to perform a classic dance routine (besides internet fame) but I bet it killed a few of those lonely hours. Note that the video uploaded is of a practice - I'd love to see what the finished version looks like.



Word of the post: Byzantine- adjective

5.	(sometimes lowercase) complex or intricate: a deal requiring Byzantine financing.

6.	(sometimes lowercase) characterized by elaborate scheming and intrigue, esp. for the gaining of political power or favor: Byzantine methods for holding on to his chairmanship.

Weekly Quote W/E 01/11/08

"When you were very small - so small that the lightest puff of breeze blew your little crinoline skirt over your head - you had seen something nasty in the woodshed." - Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

Frusciante's New Music Challenge (3 of 3)

Well there's some space to fill and I may's well get this last music post out of the way as it has been a while coming. I had to trawl for a bit to find this post and remind myself what I was doing and why I'd gone and spent money on CDs instead of listening to songs on YouTube. For those of you who've forgotten I have been buying albums based on criteria mentioned by John Frusciante as a way to widen your knowledge of this wonderful thing called music.

The last category mentioned is to buy an album because you like the cover and so I decided to give it a whirl. I struggled with this one as I generally like to know what I'm buying before spending money on it. There were a few albums that were a intriguing but none really cried out to me, not many albums seem to have that epic, stand out "Dark Side of the moon" cover. I was also trying to find albums that fitted into the 2 for £10 deal going, on, but eventually I found something that was part of the deal, something I'd heard of, though I didn't know the music and something that had a good cover, something a bit like this...













And again it was a very good album. There was more than a hint of REM in the first song, but that is no bad thing, and the band do quickly move into their own sound. I had no idea what would be coming out of my CD player, I'd heard Editors were good, but it was one of those names mentioned by cool people as one of those bands they think are cool, but don't want anyone else to know about because it would make them slightly less cool.

Despite this I found the band very accessible and some very distinctive songs on the album that I really enjoy listening to. "Blood" is a particular favourite of mine, with the chorus line "Blood runs through your veins, that's where our similarity ends" a particularly striking one. "Munich" and "Camera" are also good ones I think. They are much more downbeat than bands I would normally listen to and so I find I don't listen to them very often, but I do catch myself humming the chorus lines and there is a power to the vocals and music that makes me want to keep digging the album out.

Well to say more would be to pretend to know anything about music. I will briefly comment on the excersize and say that on the whole it has been positive, I had no idea what to expect when buying this album and would probably not even have thought about it other than for this challenge so I'm pleased with that. I have also felt freer to buy into music than I normally would feel, I got Pendulum's first album after being reintroduced to their hit "Slam" and I've thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the CD.

so yeah...s'been good.

Word of the post: Verbatim –adjective

2.	corresponding word for word to the original source or text

Weekly Quote W/E 25/10/08

"The magician was engulfed in an eerie light., pulsating with energy. /he stood at the centre of the storm. A terrible figure in the dark." - Magician, Raymond E. Feist

Stuff I've read recently 5

Wow! It's been a long time since I've done this, this is testament to my never failing laziness, my capacity for putting books in places I'll never pick them up from and being far busier than I ever have been before. I'm also really bad at reading my blog, so much so that I've missed comments that people have kindly put up on my blog, including one from the author of one of the books I talked about in my last post!!! I think it's partly the whole blogger self-esteem issue and I just assume that no one's commented at all. But enough self-deprecation, on with the post.

As per usual start with Christan stuff

The Bible - God et al

Right, it's going to be too much effort to actually recall what I've read, but basically I found my Bible, finished the book I was on (Acts or Romans) and then went back to wherever I was in the old testament and am now storming through Luke and nearly back to where I should be...yeah...that makes...moving on. Anyway it was all very good and helpful as the bible always is.

Ultimate Questions - John Blanchard

A nifty little booklet containing key questions people might ask or should ask about God and the Christian faith. Usually something you'd maybe give to a friend top help them understand, but I figured I should probably read the thing should it ever be something I'd need to do. And it was a pretty good and clear explanation of key information people might need to clear up, and going over the fundamentals of Christianity can never hurt!!

Moving on to "incidentals" books I've picked up along the way and aren't my "main" book, generally because they're easier to read!!

Star Wars Legacy of the Force: Invincible - Troy Denning

This book wrapped up the galactic civil war covered in the Legacy of the Force series of books, this book resolves the conflict across the stars, the reign of Sith Lord Jacen Solo and the tension between the Solo and Skywalker families because of the actions of their children. A fitting end to the series I thought, and I'm intrigued as to what they'll bring out next.

Dark Horse Heroes Omnibus vol 1 - Various

I bought this out of curiosity more than anything, but was pleasantly surprised at the story that unfolded in the book. The publishers started with a crossover title to introduce a load of new characters, some of which were popular enough to spawn their own series, such as X, Barb Wire and Ghost, who appears as only a minor character yet turned out to be the most longlived! The first part covers the experiment of an alien scientist and how it went wrong, creating superpowered humans all across the globe, we view the adventures of the more heroic of these individuals and the aliens who track them searching for the man who gave them their abilities. The next part covers one hero, Titan and how his powers coupled with his insecurities end up making him one of the most dangerous forces on Earth -a very good read.

Maus - Art Spiegelman

One of the most fantastic pieces of work done in the comic book format, if anyone says comic books are stupid or just for kids hand them a copy of this. This true account of holocaust survival is brilliantly illustrated with the characters drawn as animals based on race to emphasise the cruel racial distinctions made by the Nazi regime. The story is powerfully honest as it shows the survivor (also the author's father) as he was in present times, a cantankerous olf man that the author found frustrating to live with. A fantastic piece of art.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Frank Miller

Another one of these great works of comic book writing I'd heard about and it was on the cheap so I purchased it and was glad I did. The story revitalised batman which had become something of a joke with the camp costumes and the "Kapow" and all that and this story is credited with bringing it back to the dark brooding title it should be. The story takes place when Batman is an old man of about 60, and is retired from his life as the caped crusader, and yet he feels something calling to him, something from the darkness. He returns to his former identity but finds there are big consequences and big changes ahead for the Batman. I can see it's been a big influence on the recent Batman movies and it's a very good read.

And now my "main" book.

Crime and Punishment - Fyodr Dostoyevsky

A really great book, and not hard to read at all so it's to my shame that I haven't finished it sooner. The story is of a student, who is compelled to murder and the consequences of his actions, but it's far more than just his journey to justice. The story explores his feelings as he deals with trying to have a normal life, the unexpected arrival of his family and his reactions to people who suddenly become part of his life. His sense of guilt and relief when he thinks judgement is passed is very tangible and real and the book is exciting and believable to read and I certainly enjoyed it and if you want to get into classic and/or Russian stuff this would be no bad start.

OK and that's (probably) it, I'll make no promises about when I do the next one of these!

Word of the post: Novel –adjective

of a new kind; different from anything seen or known before: a novel idea.

Weekly Quote W/E 18/10/08

"Whee. Sal, we gotta go and never stop going till we get there.

Where we going, man?

I don't know but we gotta go." - On the Road, Jack Kerouac

Charity Shopping

Well I nearly forgot like last year, but at the last minute I remembered it was the momentous Blogger Action day and time for me to pause from rambling about nothing in particular and instead to talk about something very particular - the issue of poverty. This is naturally a huge issue and I'm not going to pretend to have an easy answer to it, but I'm going to share one idea that I had on the issue and do no more than that - it is simply something I've thought about, not my absolute stance on the subject.

My idea would be something along the lines of this - that someone (initially I thought me, but I doubt I've got either the brains or the time) could set up a shop, probably online, where people could buy goods to help the poor and suffering, which would then get sent to the charities or organizations working with those who need it. It could be just like amazon or other online buying sites (or even become part of one who knows?) only instead of paying for stuff and having it sent to you you could buy say a hypodermic needle, parts for a well, leprosy vaccinations or materials to build a temporary shelter and then pay to have it flown to a third world country of your choice.

I guess this idea came out of a general desire to contribute to the poorest people in the world, but being in a very flexible financial situation (as well as being more than a little bit greedy and lazy I'm loathe to admit) I find this £2 a month business a bit hard to contemplate. While I definitely think we should give in this way and without charities doing the work my idea would be useless but I think this kind of idea could help someone who wants to give, but is not sure how or if they can afford to have money withdrawn from them constantly. Using this kind of system you could make a one off donation and know what the effect was. You could even make one off donations to charities through it, perhaps rectifying the people like me who would maybe use it to avoid regular giving.

Well that's my idea roughly - any takers?

OK, well I'm sure something similar is going on, and I doubt I'm the only one with that kind of idea and there are a few related sites that I will share with you now.

Kiva.org is the first I'll talk about and the one I'm most interested and since it's an official partner to Blog Action day it's not a bad start!! I've been really impressed by what I've seen on their website and it seems a really good way to give directly and make a direct impact on someone in poverty. Kiva is a micro-lending organisation, members of the public through them lend money (as little as $25) to an individual or a group in poverty to support their business or livelihood, people can contribute small amounts to a larger loan of around $1000 or more. What's interesting is it's done as a business so it is a loan, you will get repaid as the entrepenur's business grows and they get out of poverty - though this will naturally be a gradual process, and of course there's no such thing as interest in this arrangement. I think this idea is fantastic, you can contribute directly to people who are being held back by poverty, you know you are making a difference to an individual or a group and you even get your money back - I'm almost reaching for my wallet as we speak. If you haven't come across them before I strongly reccommend you take a look.

If you want to give to charity but aren't sure how then there's a way with agoodcause.com I'll admit to being a bit cuatious when it comes to these software download thingies, so I haven't signed up myself, though it seems like a good idea. Essentially through them every time you make a purchase on Amazon, Apple store or anywhere else then a donation will be made to charity - at no cost to you!!! I personally want to know a bit more before I sign up, and I'm slightly worried by the amount of dating companies that are signed up, but it's definitely worth a look at at least.

Right I think that's all I've got to say other than to encourage you, and more importantly me, to be active in giving to those who don't have what we have, whether it's through one of the sites above, or regular giving or even being involved. I've just demonstrated without much effort that there are ideas we can come up with and there are multiple ways to give so why not take action and give one a try? Have a look at the action day site for more ideas - I think I've got a link somewhere.



Word of the post: Malaise –noun

1.	a condition of general bodily weakness or discomfort, often marking the onset of a disease.

Weekly Quote - 11/10/08

"Who is to say we should obey the laws they make for their own interest and to our hurt? And who are they then to meddle when we look after our own affairs? We will manage our world for ourselves because it is our world, Cosa Nostra." - The Godfather, Mario Puzo.

It's back!!!

Oh yeah - Cherry Coke is making a comeback, and with it no doubt my disturbing fondness for blogging about Coca-Cola. Well I think I'll let the picture do the talking this time (it comes, incidentally) from a blogger who obviously has a similar enthusiasm for Coke.

I'd always been rather partial to Cherry Coke, but it stopped appearing so regularly on the shelves a while back, and I only occasionally got it from some suppliers such as a local chippie. While I do miss the arty scrawl of the original can design I'm just glad to see the classic flavour make a return - my heart yearns for it to be more than a limited fad, though my teeth are secretly hopeful!!

Word of the post: Underwhelming -

To fail to excite, stimulate, or impress

Blog Action Day 08 - October 15th

Greetings fellow Bloggers

I'm posting this as a heads up for those of you who may want to get involved and I would encourage you to think about it. You may not achieve much, but for one reason or another you have chosen to make your voice heard and perhaps it might be a good idea to use your voice as part of a bigger scheme looking at a global issue. I'm not going to be so pretentious as to say you can change the world, but it might be interesting, and it's not like it costs you anything.

Last years bloggers wrote about the envirovment in thousands of different ways, styles and approaches. The organisers don't want you to turn into a campaigner or to do in depth researched sob stories, they ask you to write as you normally would, only to use this day for writing about one issue - the issue of Poverty. Perhaps I'm not being as clear as I should be so I'll let you hear a message from the organizers themselves...


Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

So I'm not going to give you a campaign spiel, I'm just going to suggest that maybe it'd be something you'd like to get involved in. If you think it is, let me know and I'll be interested to see what you write.




Word of the post: Amalgamate –verb (used with object)

1. to mix or merge so as to make a combination

Post 150

Well I've hit another landmark on the way to...well what is the ultimate goal of this thing, anybody know?! I feel slightly abashed at reading Tim bemoaning the fact that he's slipped down to around 200 posts a year, but nonetheless I'm still proud of my dent into the bloggosphere, even if it's not the biggest or most entertaining.

I must however address that my posts have decreased of late, which is not brilliant as I hope to make many more entries on this space in times future. But there does seem to be a lot less coming up, and while weekly quotes are at least keeping content regularly updated they are appearing too often with little in between. This is I think for two reasons - firstly I've reached something of a plateau content wise. I initially produced a flurry of lengthy, clunky posts which eventually became unreadable and hard to follow, I've since learned to be punchier and more interesting and I did at one stage have quite a frequent presence on the blog. I think the problem is now that I've reached a standard where I no longer feel comfortable just posting anything, but want to at least make the effort to post something witty or thoughtful, even getting the grand delusion of calling my posts 'articles' and thinking that people might read them - though apparently some people do (see last post.) So I do perhaps need to reevaluate what I write as it may promote more content...and it's not like what I write's that clever anyway! It shows in that I write far more on Blogga the Hutt now, as I'm happy to write lengthy ari...posts on Sci-Fi stuff as it's something I'm knowledgeable on etc.

The second reason is that I'm starting a PGCE and free time is something of a rich commodity now. I'm having a good time doing it, but the workload means I don't always have the time or the energy to write on a blog, though I seem to fit in a few Xbox sessions no problem! But it does take some degree of thought to blog and so when my brain wants to give up it's easier to pick up a game pad than try to write. I will try to rectify this, but things are likely to get harder before they get easier so we'll have to see.

Well this is getting far too mopey for what is after all a celebratory post - I think I will celebrate by perhaps picking up on some landmark posts and sharing the memories with you dear reader.

My first post - my cautious, and very clumsy entry into blogging, note the blog had a different name and style back then

My first comment - Again early days, note that I originally copied posts from another source

My first (an possibly only) classic post - very proud of this one

First original post - yup, all blogger this one...'cept what I copied!

Post 50 - post 100 is another memorial thing so I'll leave it

First official word of the post - I'd done many, but this marke the official beginnig of a tradition I'm proud of

First weekly quote - Another tradition that helps blow the dust off this blog every week.

A rant...blogging essential! - this one's about tree rats

My Coke phase - don't think it's over!!

A look at the future - something I'd like to develop...possibly...maybe...if I've got time.

Wow - I managed to crank out 10 special post out of the - even I'm impressed!! Guess thereis some life in the old gal yet!Well I'm feeling a bit more buoyant about things now and I do have one or two ideas for posts to bring out soon - but for now I'll keep up some old traditions

Weekly Quote W/E 27/09/08

"At this angle the dragonfolk looked reasonably bearable, but the dragons themselves, hanging from their perches. loomed over the scene like immense gargoyles. Their eyes glowed with interest." - The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett

Word of the post: Vainglorious - adj.

Characterized by or exhibiting excessive vanity

Weekly Quote W/E 20/09/08

I've been busy, and I'm probably going to get busier

"To realise one's destiny is a person's only real obligation. All things are one. And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.". - The Alchemist, Paul Coelho

Weekly Quote W/E 13/09/08

Carrying on...

"...so when you go to bed at night Mr Kane, be sure to think about me. When you wake up in the morning, think about me again, because I'll never cease thinking about my plans for you." - Kane and Abel, Jeffrey Archer

Oh yeah - the date

I just added the Blogger Play widget thing (I'll get into why maybe later) which adds pictures as they are uploaded onto people's blogs and was surprised at the number of pictures of the Twin Tower terrorist attacks, until I noticed the date.

I can't believe it's been, how many years is it now? I was still in high school so quite a few now I guess, even enough for the date to slip my mind. I don't know what to say if anything so I'll leave you with a thousand words instead...

In Memoriam 911

The nature of blogging

All that thoughtfulness in that last post has provoked even more thought - I know, two days in a row, scary stuff huh?!

With writing about more serious stuff on the blog (can't say it's gonna be more than a one-off, but it was an interesting exercise nonetheless) I've had cause to think about how I blog and why I blog. I guess for me one of the fundamental practices is attention seeking, posting stuff on the internet in the vain hope that someone, anyone will take notice. This strikes a curious imbalance with a slight embarrassment at my opinions and keenness to maintain some layer of anonymity. So anyway I ten to just chuck stuff out there in the vain hope that someone may even like it and deign to comment on it.

I guess this is OK for my usual stuff, and maybe more of the content on Blogga. But for debating proper matters I guess just wanting people to read and admire isn't quite the right motivation. It also affects the writing, if I'm assuming people will admire my work I'll step up the eloquence of the speech a notch so that surely people will have to be impressed by the formality of my tone and assume that what I'm saying is good...right?

The other element of blogging is something of a cathartic nature, or that of a release. Blogging, for me, is worlds apart from fiction or essay writing. I find blogging a relaxing way of writing as I don't ten to plan or think through my posts much beyond the original idea. My fingers hit the keys and thoughts are electronically conveyed instantly. It means I can just write without the usual planning and thinking and editing involved - which I find quite liberating.

Again, I don't think this is wrong, but just tapping away when bringing up a serious issue is not necessarily the best way, though then again (thinking out loud) maybe it's not so bad. I suppose what I am always doing when blogging is thinking out loud, that is my blogging style. Sometimes I think long thoughts, sometimes only little snippets. Sometimes I plumb the depths, other times I laugh at squirrels, but I am always thinking and usually thinking 'live' as I write. So as a style it ain't bad and I suppose sticking to it means I'm not pretending to be beyond my capabilities, but nonetheless I need to take serious issues seriously and therin lies the struggle to find a balance between giving appropriate weight and writing pomp for pomp's sake.

I doubt very much whether I will ever get this balance right. It does have the downside of meaning that my posts never quite match up to the grand expectations I lay upon them (this very post is a good example), but nonetheless I will still enjoy the freedom to just write for most of my content, I just might have to practice putting a bit more thought into some of my content.

Well that was quite the excersise in rambling, but I wanted to think through the nature of blogging for myself and what better place for thinking out loud than a blog eh? I also want to make sure that there's more than just weekly quotes being posted up here to keep both myself and potential readers interested. But now I'll have to think of something else to write about - hmm, is there a new Coke out yet?

Word of the post: Coagulate - verb

1.	to change from a fluid into a thickened mass

Tim-inspired thinking post

I've been discussing with Tim over at his blog about posting up some
religious based stuff and whether it felt right to do so. We both
discussed that we sometimes feel unequal to the task and I'm still
cautious about it to be completely honest with you. I mean I'm no
theologian and I use this blog for posting up rubbish that pops into
my head, not like you know, serious things. I think there's also an
element of pride, as Tim mentioned, but also cowardice to use this
blog to talk about my God or Christianity which is stupid for two
reasons - firstly I should blog about what interests me, and second,
basically no one reads this thing and all those that do are Christians
anyway so what does it matter?

It is perhaps a little risky then that I start out with an exercise in
criticism, or at least what might appear to be so. I guess I should
firstly state that I am not critical of the song or it's writer. I
believe it is a good tool and has much instruction on living out the
Christian life, but I think it is one we don't necessarily think
through as we should. The tune is also an important element in
what I'm thinking about, so maybe if you haven't heard it you
should look it up on YouTube or something - or apparently
there's a GodTube now but I can't guarantee any content found
there! Anyhow, here's the latter half of the song, full lyrics aren't
hard to find if you want 'em. 


Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name


My reasons for bringing this up are because of a bible study done with
Ian Fry on the excellent Contagious youth week. In our group we
studied Job and had a look at his suffering under the excellent heading
 "how does God treat his friends?" which was very powerful and thought
provoking. One thing drawn up to the end was our perhaps unrealistic
attitude to suffering in Christian culture. I'm going to be very cautious
now as I don't have much experience in the area and I don't want to
inadvertently discredit either Ian or Matt Redman by what I'm writing
here and so I will stick to my usual 'something to think about' stance
rather than pretend to teach you something. 

The problem with the song is that the tune is quite upbeat, whereas the
words are actually quite somber. Not to say the tune is wrong, a durgey
 tune simply wouldn't work and there is a very real element of rejoicing
in suffering so I by no means think it's wrong, the problem is we as singers
forget the meaning of the words and get caught up in the moment and have
a risk of thinking it's easy for our hearts to choose to bless God, which from
my experience isn't true. Not when you compare it with the source for
the song and read the words of Job himself. 

"13 One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15
and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to
the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" 

16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"

20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said:
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart. ^[c]
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."

22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Job is not exactly joyful here, nor is he stoically saying "naked I came..."
look at the verses immediately prior, watch him rip his clothes, shave off
his hair and collapse to the ground. The words that follow are not easy
words, it is not easy for him to claim that the LORD has taken away, it
is not easy for him to praise God, and yet he does. I haven't the faintest
idea what suffering, real suffering feels like and so I cannot hope to
offer worthy advice to a reader who for all I know may be
experiencing real physical or emotional pain so I will address
myself from now on as I know this is something I need to hear,
from myself if no one else.

I thank God for revealing some of his plan in suffering through the
book of Job. I thank Him for Job's example, his faith but also his
real confusion and even anger about what was happening, yet not
turning from God. I thank Him also for the song above that puts
some of these thoughts an principles to music that can be
addressed to Him.  And I pray that I might be able to grasp these
properly so that when suffering does come, though the pain and
anguish are no more diminished, I would still hold firm to him who
knows me, saved me and can keep me through all trials.

Please feel free to comment and to criticize, it's the only way I'll learn.

Word of the post: Acquaintance –noun  

1.	a person known to one, but usually not a close friend.

Weekly Quote W/E 06/09/08

More stuff, least I posted something...today!

"The captain looked at Fermina Daza and saw on her eyelashes the first glimmer of wintry frost. Then he looked at Florentino Ariza, his invincible power, his intrepid love, and he was overwhelmed by the belated suspicion that it is life, more than death, that has no limits." - Love in the time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I just had to

Weekly Quote Triple - W/E 30/08/08

Ok so a bit of catching up to do here, I'll have to dig out some quotes now, lemme see, herm

Ooh, there's quotes from books in my Big Read compilation thing, that'll do. So going backwards from 100

100. "The nose assumed a patriarchal aspect. On my mother it looked noble and a little long-suffering; on my aunt Emerald, snobbish; on my aunt Alia, intellectual; on my uncle Hanif it was the organ of an unsuccessful genius..." - Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

99. "Geez! Whatever happened to nice Greandmothers, who bake brownies for you and tell you how precious you are? It's just my luck I get one who has tattooed eyeliner and tells me I look like a hooker." - The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot

98. "Dan isn't my boyfriend. OK OK, he's fun. And I have a good time with him. And I can say all sorts of stuff to him. And though he's a hopeless nerd he's also brave. And quick-witted. And imaginative. And it doesn't really matter one hundred percent if he looks stupid." - Girls in Love, Jaqueline Wilson.

Phew - those'll keep me busy for a while!

Frusciante's new music challenge (1 of 3)

So I took up the challenge and trawled HMV for albums that would fit the categories mentioned by legendary guitarist John Frusciante for exploring new music. The music I found wasn't entirely new to me, but most of the songs I haven't heard before and aren't necessarily something I'd buy normally so I think it fits the bill. There was also a "2 for £10" deal on so I restricted myself to that! But I also got the Run DMC greatest hits which was very cool!

So category one was to talk to people who I think are cool, well a significantr number of my close friends who I talk to a lot and who buy maybe a bit more music than I do all are fans of Radiohead. Yuo may be one of those folks who looks aghast and think "you're not?!!" - well then you'll probably get on well with my friends! I'd never had a problem with Radiohead and usually liked it when it was played, but never called myself a fan - and probably still wouldn't, though I am warming to them. However I was always quite critical of the semi-religious fervour attached to this band, but in the interest of challenge I went for it and got myself...














...and I have to say I've enjoyed my purchase. On initial listening I wasn't quite as excited as I'd anticipated being, but I think that was to be expected. The buildup was so great the album had little chance of impressing me on a weary first listening. But a great work holds out and comes through in the end. I'm reminded of when I watched Napoleon Dynamite after hearing people talk about it for months and months - and ending up being dragged through one of the slowest, dullest films I have ever seen as a consequence. Some time later I can see the merit of the film, and the comedy of the character, though I still wouldn't watch it again.

I wouldn't say the same of Radiohead and their album however, of which I have had several pleasant listenings post my first encounter. Familiar tracks like "Just" were enough of a draw for me to give it another a whirl and then I realised I also knew "High and Dry" and several of the guitar riffs were also familiar. I was able to move past preconception and begin to enjoy the music.

What I really love about The Bends is the sheer variety available within their distinct "sound" - while Radiohead are recognised for being abstract and there's plenty of abstract sounds on the album there are also more than enough catchy and enjoyable bits of music that mainstream ears can tune into easily, easing you into the world of the band.

Well my music ignorance is probably driving some Radiohead fan into a fit of rage as we speak so I'll stop there and just say that I bought Radiohead and liked it - that OK?

Word of the post: Discombobulate –verb (used with object)

to confuse or disconcert; upset; frustrate

Weekly Quote 09/08/08

I'm detecting a possibly flurry of Simpsons quotes...

"Who made you Judge Judy and executioner?" - Homer Simpson, The Simpsons

Corporate Rivalry

While it's on my mind I just thought I'd post up some thoughts on advertising in the present day. Ine recent weeks I've noticed that a lot of companies in their ads are making a lot of references to their competitors and how they are better than them.

ASDA are frequently doing this, showing how many 'cheaper' prices Tesco has and then demonstrating how they are cheaper on twice as many products or whatever. Another is Huggies natural fit nappies - which specifically compare themselves to Pampers active fit (possible name/company mix up here) and show how they are better. A recent example is of sports starts causing havoc as they urge men to replace their Mach 5 with a better Gilette Fusion (I've just thought that Mach 5 might be a Gillette product, but it's odd all the same) and so on and so forth.

I'd always thought it some kind of unwritten (or more likely an actual written) law that you could not directly slander or discredit or mention your competitor in advertising your own product and I don't seem to remember any adverts of the kind until recent times. So has there been a change in legislation, have companies just got bolder or has this always been going on under my nose? If you know do drop a comment - I might do some more digging when I've got the time, but while it's puzzling me I figured I'd post it up.

Word of the post: Qwerty –adjective

of or pertaining to a keyboard having the keys in traditional typewriter arrangement, with the letters q, w, e, r, t, and y being the first six of the top row of alphabetic characters, starting from the left side.

Weekly Quote Double - W/E 02/08/08

Ok, been away and stuff - been exposed to a lot of comics so this one had to go in

"With great power comes great responsibility." - Ben Parker, Spiderman.

and another picked at random.

"Diligence is the mother of good luck" - 16th century proverb

Good stuff, more from me soon I hope

That was quick!!

I just noticed that Wimbledon has finished, and finished a fair while ago. I find this unusal as I mostly recall Wimbledon starting and several exhausting weeks later we are still only a few sets into the first match...or something like that. As much as I respect and enjoy the sport of tennis and admire the pros who can play with such incredible grace and power I often soon tire of this British institution and it's domination of the media and television in particular.

But this year, and the past year or two as well I think, I've barely noticed it. I've tuned into who'se on top and even watched the odd match (Williams v Williams was a good 'un) but rather than an annoying drag I've found it to be an interesting sporting event that I can tune into occasionally and enjoy. I attribute this to two key television based factors:

1. I don't watch kids TV any more.

Well not much anyway! As an avid viewer of many cartoons and other media "back in the day" it was of great annoyance to have to have a boring never ending sport meeting with endless delays and replacing the joyous animation I'd planned on watching. The fact that tennis matches can technically never end was the most annoying thing as the schedule was pushed back again and again and despaired at having to watch grown up stuff.

2. The Simpsons moved t0 C4.

Pretty much the same reasoning here, as I got somewhat older my main programme was the Simpsons and again to have something I looked forward to replaced because Henman couldn't just face defeat and had to hang on for more agonising sets was just infuriating.

Now, with my TV schedule mostly taking place in the early evening I find myself uninterrupted by tennis, and without it impeding my enjoyment I am able to more enjoy and appreciate genuine athleticism at it's best. So...um...yeah...go Murray!

Word of the post: Squiggle –noun

1.	a short, irregular curve or twist, as in writing or drawing.

Weekly Quote W/E 19/07/08

One of my favourite song lines of all time, the thirs line is in my opinion one of the best quotes in history, but I'll post up the whole chorus 'cause it too is awesome!

"Red alert! Red alert! It's a catastrophe!
But don't worry, don't panic!
Ain't nothing goin' on but history
But it's alright, don't panic!" - Red Alert, Basement Jaxx

Weekly Quote 12/07/08

Had this one bouncing around in my brain for a while, couldn't remember where it was from so I looked it up and whaddya know.

"All that is gold does not glitter; not all those who wander are lost." - The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien

Frusciante's new music challenge (2 of 3)

Well I'm starting to slowly get into finding and indeed parting with cash for music, having bought two albums in a month - quite a shocker for me. DVDs and especially TV series' are my current vice, but I don't have the same urge to risk a few pounds on a CD, especially one that I'm not entirely sure I'll like. But I'm getting a bit better, having bought Coldplay's new album and also the Ting Ting's debut withing a week or two of each other. Both involved some deliberation and pacing up and down the aisle but I got them both and have enjoyed them both.

But that's not quite why I'm posting - I'd hoped to justify one of these purchases by referring to John Frusciante's piece in the sleeve of Red Hot Chili Pepper's greatest hits. As well as reflecting on his time with the band he urges people to try new music, referring to three categories.

1. Asking questions to people you think are cool
2. Finding out who your favourite recording artist themselves like
3. Buying something because you like the cover

I think these are pretty interesting and worth trying. I'll have a go at finding albums which fit them, I'm especially intrigued by the third one and I'll have to have a go at perusing HMV to see if I can find a cool album cover (and one that's cheap!) and maybe a cool person while I'm at it. But for now I'll refer to an album I bought a while back, which just about squeezes into category 2.

Arcade Fire - Funeral











They are a popular band and quite succesful, but when I first encountered them I had no idea who they were. I had just caught the Red Hot Chili Peppers set at Reading festival and was about to switch over when I hear the announcer state that a band were coming on whom RHCP were big fans of, so I decided to stick around and listen, and I really enjoyed what I heard and a few weeks later got myself their first album Funeral and have really enjoyed it.

The album centres around their life in Canada and the difficulty of living in the snow and the cold. The title and the tracks are marked by the fact that many of the family members of the band died during writing and recording. The original material gives the lyrics a unique and meaningful edge and there's also good poetry in them too.

The band produce a powerful sound, augmented by the vocalist, who can producean incredible wailing/shouting sound which captures you rather than the just plain whining which defines so much of "new music" these days. OK, this "review" is already going down the pan, I've only just managed to avoid using "haunting vocals" which seems to come up every time I discuss music - I mean they are haunting but I don't need to say it right?!

My favourite tracks on the album are "Tunnels" and "Power Out" both because they are unashamedly specific as to details in the bandmembers lives, which I like - i've heard about love and stuff enough not to need to hear it again but "kids are swinging from the power lines, nobody's home so nobody minds" - that actually means something. Another favourite is the much quieter "Kettles" which is very poetic, using the old cliche of 'a watched pot never boils' to comment on life and growing older. Lastly "Rebellion" has a very catchy bassline and funky chorus.

I think I'm probably preaching to the converted in talking about this band as a lot of folks know more about them than I do, but nonetheless they are a band well worth checking out if you haven't done so already, though I've heard their second recording "Neon Bible2 isn't as good as the first.

Well I'll be chatting to my friends and perusing music shops for a while, let me know if you've come up with any good finds on the above principles.

Word of the post: Trepidation - noun

1.	tremulous fear, alarm, or agitation; perturbation.

Weekly Quote W/E 05/07/08

Sorry folks, been a bit slow the past few weeks - I had a post or two in mind so I'll do my best to bash them out next week, but for now I'll just post up what I think is one of the most memorable and striking quotes of modern times.

"Let's Roll." - Todd Beamer, aboard United Airlines Flight 93, 11 September 2001

Weekly Quote W/E 28/06/08

Last of the Watchmen ones

"Qui custodiet
ipsos custodes.
- Who watches the watchmen?

- Juvenal, Satires, VI, 347
Quoted as the epigraph of the Tower Commision Report, 1987

Weekly Quote W/E 21/06/08

It would be a stronger world, a stronger loving world, to die in." - John Cale

Top Ten and thoughts on Music

I've wanted to do this for a bit and as I've got a bit of dead space to fill in I thought I'd post up the present top ten just to see how out of touch I am with current music. While fairly connected to music I tend only to listen to music I've already got an interest in and don't pay much attention to current stuff. As I'm no longer in school or Uni I din't tend to discuss music much and therefore I'm often unaware of current hits. I only really listen to radio in the car, which isn't that often and I only occasionally catch the music channels. I'm also very miserly so I don't often splash out on music unless I feel it's worth getting or it's tried and tested - it was a stretch for me to buy the new Coldplay album today, and that's mainly 'cause I saw the live gig last night! Anyway enough of the bla bla and on to the chart - I'll try to embed videos. Note that I am no music expert and opinions are purely what pops into my head.

10. Heartbreaker - Will.I.Am ft Cheryl Cole