My Journal Recent
Profile
Calendar
Friends
Memories

Roleplaying
LARPS
Traveller
Mage

Comics
Grimjack

SF&Fantasy
My Work
Lord of the Rings
Reviews

Site Info
The Owner
Links

Munden's Bar->My Journal

My Journal

older entries

Neil pointed to Ella Edmondsen's My Space account saying "She's going to be a star". I enjoyed it. She has Imogen Heap and The Mighty Boosh on her top friends page, so she's got some taste :)

Watched this TED lecture today by Theo Jansen. He's not much of a speaker, but he doesn't have to be, his art speaks for itself. More pictures and discussion at WebUrbanist, which was where I found it in the first place.

The walking mechanism alone is impressive, especially as it works in the heavy lift version, I was imagining a Battle-Mech as I watched that version move. But when you combine it with the "brain" built out of bits of plastic tubing and bottles.... well, I suppose you also need to know about the research showing that mechanical logic components are a faster and more efficient than electronic at nano-scales, but still..

Meanwhile some guy thinks we've reached an evolutionary plateau. He's probably right, but I think most people reading that might miss the point, that evolution has stopped in developed countries, so the humans of the future will most likely look like people who are not in developed countries now.

And deep in the bowels of an African gold mine, they find the "loneliest bug on earth". What they mean by that is that it exists in an ecosystem of just one species, itself, living with no light, relying on water, hydrogen and sulphate for its energy.

I'm still useless, but less drugs today makes me hope it's improving.

I ain't happy, I'm feeling glad
I got sunshine, in a bag
I'm useless, but not for long
The future is coming on

I woke up with a bad headache this morning, and have been popping aspirin all day to try and keep going, but it's getting worse now. I'm getting that feeling behind the eyes that's sort of like tear gas and decompression at altitude. Don't feel like I can do do much except sit in front of a screen and veg. Maybe I can list some more items on Trade Me.

I seriously doubt that I'll get to either wyldcard's flat-warming or house_monkey's bash, as i'm feeling more like curling up in bed. Still, at least I think I've seen part of wyldcard's apartment in his, er, I mean, The Embezzler's Evil League of Evil application.

Another for the zombiologists : in a comment to my previous post elfs brought to my attention the possibly NSFW My Zombie Pinup ("Where beauty eats brains!").

With China having hacked the World Bank (hat-tip, meesto) , and Bush ordering troops recently returned from Iraq onto US streets for "crowd control" in direct violation of US law, it all just makes me feel more and more like curling up in my hillside tree-surrounded lair and hibernating until it's all blown over. Or maybe that's the cold. At the least the recent poll showing that more of us New Zealanders are supporting the current government now makes me feel a bit better about my fellow citizens. Labour may not be what we want, but they're better than letting National get in. As Lazarus Long said

If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There may be no candidates and no measures you want to vote for...but there are certain to be ones you want to vote against.

Instead maybe I'll take solace in astrology(yes, Heinlien fans, the juxtaposition is intentional). My horoscope says :

The bad news is that you are, metaphorically speaking, in jail. The good news is that a recent visitor sneaked you the key to the locked door of your cell. The weird news: You have not yet realized that you have the means to escape, since your visitor did not actually tell you that the key is hidden inside a certain thing he or she left behind. The great news is that I'm here to inform you about the situation. Once you locate the key, Scorpio, slip your hand between the iron bars so you can fit the key into the keyhole from the front. It won't work from behind.

Hmm... OK, which of you is it? Who's been hiding keys in my house? And where did you put them? I don't want to pour out my cereal in the morning and lose my remaining teeth chomping down on a big metal key! If you hid it one of the things wasup_bro threw out after the ant invasion, well, it's gone now!

I've decided, after seeing it a second time, that I really like Le Pacte des loups (Brotherhood of the Wolf). It's up there with 13th Warrior in the "historical pseudo-supernatural but darkly gritty" stakes. It is a little long, somewhat brutal, is almost too many movies crushed into one, and if you don't know French you need to watch the subtitles. But even I with my limited high school French could tell that the subtitles were not saying exactly what the characters were saying, and that does not really detract from a movie that does so many of the tropes of modern action movies, but sets them in 14thC France. The villain is perfect. Over the top in such a way that if I described him bluntly here you might say he was tacky and unoriginal, a caricature, but as portrayed and revealed in the film, just lovely. Some events are predictable, almost clichéd, but are perfect in the context of the story. As a modern movie it needs serious editing, but as an experience to wallow in it;s just right. And the wolves... well, I can't say much without spoilers, but there is a lovely karmic balance between the titular Brotherhood being the villains, and real wolves.

Here's another Vampire Clan test. But I quite enjoyed this one :

( My result for Which Vampire the Masquerade Clan Are You? )

For the zombiologists on my flist, I thought I should point out that the comic strip, Better Zombies Thru Physics, is appearing on the web courtesy of Tor Books.

Oh, and happy birthday kittyfarmer, Your handle and the story have something in common!

Take On Me LIteral Video Version!

Last night the wind it winded and the rain it rainded. I suspect that might have something to do with my disturbed sleep, but maybe not everything. ( I dreamed... )

The storm is exhilarating. I love the wind blowing my hair around and rushing past my face. I go straight past the huddling crowd at the intersection trying to hide in the lee of the building and revel in the blast of rain and wind. Maybe it's the additional ozone, but it makes me feel alive. Certainly not a day for light, short, skirts though, unless perhaps the wearer also enjoys the rush of air around their thighs!

Orlanthi I shall be, and those without reference may wonder at the poesy! Or perhaps the Storm Bull? I smile at the thought and feel fey, like the bull before battle. I meet answering smiles from those who know the feeling. Today is a good day to live, and if one must die it might as well be on the wind. The building shakes to The Bull's roar, to Orlanth's song. Flight is surely possible on such days. I see the glass building ripple, as when Trinity swings from the helicopter. Anything is possible. Everything fluxes and flexes and flows. This, from a butterfly's wing?

Seems I haven't posted since last Sunday. I still read and comment, but there's no great desire to share words.

I have been keeping busy playing with a couple of web-site ideas, and at work being deep in the start-up of anew project where I have a lot of freedom to specify technology etc, so it's actually fun.

( Tech rant )

Actual things have been happening this week though. Monday evening and Tuesday morning I got two surprise pookah train trips, which was fun.

Wednesday I was invited to the launch of Friends of Tangaroa at The Beehive, New Zealand's centre of government. As I walked there in shirt sleeves, I was again struck by how much I prefer New Zealand over other countries. Sure there was evident security, but there were also people sitting on the steps of the parliament buildings eating their lunch, a small, perhaps lone, protest about something on one set of steps, children playing on the lawn, and everyone, including the security people, were friendly and many were smiling, probably because of the appearance of that huge shiny warm thing in the sky.

It felt like a normal public place. It was our seat of government, but people didn't feel the need to dress up to visit it, people were playing and eating in it's grounds. I had to contrast that with fortress-like appearance, general pompousness, and unfriendliness of other land's equivalent places.

I was there for the launch because I work with one of their other prime movers and she had asked me to set up their web site, and so in the lobby of our house of representatives, in front of a couple of Green members of parliament, a mayor, a Maori TV camera crew, and a whole bunch of kids, I was thanked by Don Richards, the prime motivator of the project, for putting it together for them. It was somewhat embarrassing, and I had to spend time afterwards explaining to people that they really should be thanking the developers of Drupal, as all I did was install and configure it.

That evening I discovered an ant invasion in out pantry and I had to commit genocide. I only finished clearing up from it this morning. The benefit of the process is that at least one shelf of the pantry is now much cleaner and tidier, and wasup_bro took it upon himself to throw out all the condiments and spreads that were way over their use-by periods, some had expired in 2001! There's probably a little more to go, there's a jar of raisins that I know hasn't been touched since before Ele left back in 2005, and which may be fermenting, and another jar of yellowish powder which wasup_bro thinks might be milk powder, which it might be safer to just chuck. Also, the unopened maple syrup belonging to panda_pitt that taraxgoat gave him for house-sitting when he came back from Canada back in, what, 2004? I don't know, can people tell me whether things like maple syrup or golden syrup go off ?

Thursday was a curry night with a surprise John at BBC. Did not feel like walking all the way up the road to the Southern Cross for Drinking Liberally, and in the end it was good I didn't. Last night I said farewell to a colleague, the second to leave for Australia from work in the one month. There's a lot of people going there it seems. We hang out on the balcony of the General Practioner and enjoyed the scenery.

They were still going when I left, but I'd said I'd catch up with sokky at the Hawthorn Lounge for cocktails, and I'm glad I did, It' a great little venue, in a stylish 1930's theme, and very civilised. I think rikan_feral would approve. I had to try the Hindenburg Highball. Though it took a bit to figure out how to use the taps in the bathroom. I got to catch up with panda_pitt as well.

Just finished doing the black washing containing some new socks, after earlier doing the white washing, with new underwear, all purchased due to the Farmers Card member's day. It's good to use credit to get 25% discounts and more, when you can pay it of before the interest is charged ! :)

Tonight there are jarratt_gray's cocktails.

Life would be grand were it not for the fact that seraphs_folly and I are still living in separate cities.

So was just watching Dr Who S4 The Stolen Earth on Prime, in which Rose Tyler turns up with a big gun, and it reminded me strongly of the Megatokyo posters & shirts. So I thought I'd share the idea :

( Rose & Piroko )

For LastFm user's only, I'm afraid, the musical Open Mind Index.

( More detail )

'course you have to be 1337 to be able to display the result like this on on your LJ *grin*

And he did it very well too.

( The "Classic Dame" what I is )
( The Classic Leading Man What I Is )

Thanks for all the kind comments on the kereru photos! I thought the first one was pretty good too, but don't think it was skill, I took several and one of them just happened to work! :)

BTW, I'm really quite enjoying A Thousand Apologies.

The pictures behind the cut were taken from my lounge window on Saturday

( Wood Pigeon )

For those who don't know New Zealand wood pigeons, yes, they are that big. I believe this is a young male. I think he was asking to be photographed as he flapped against the lounge window and then sat there and looked at me.

Yesterday I received a surprise package from cha0sslave, who has fled the country under an assumed name to seek fortune and fame in overseas wastelands. He kindly sent over some stuff he was no longer needing (primarily Games Workshop related items), and amongst this unexpected bounty there was a, or should I say, the, Dexy's Midnight Runners CD. It so happens I already have one of these, so I'm flicking it on to whomever wants it, though preference will be given to people who actually knew the lad!

While I'm giving stuff away, does anyone want a couple of shoe-boxes of 3.5" floppies?

Through the angel rain

A clean bedroom and lounge make one feel better. There is discontent stirring in me around the clutter of my life. There is a lot of stuff I need to dispose of. Philosophies that talk of how materiel things hold one back are correct. But I'm too much of a dragon to be able to give it all away. That means selling, which means work. I go through these phases once in a while, and then I find it's all too hard and give up again.

Then there are things to do to the house. I need a DVS type of system. Fujitsu is doing a six months no pay plus another 18 months interest free deal. I might go for it. I need to fix, or get fixed taps and showers. That kitchen needs work. I want to start painting my room, though strangely the bit I want to paint most is the skirting. I want to replace the old, worn, and cat-stained carpet throughout the upper storey with wood. I want to sand away the mould layers in the bathroom. I want to fix the bits of wall that are missing broken, or in bad repair. I want to remove garden rubbish from around the house.

It must be Spring.

I should plan and prepare, have a budget, have a project plan, do things in the logical order, but part of me just wants to get on with something, to "just do it" like the Nike slogan. Which reminds me, today I saw a Nike swoosh logo at the station with the word Nike above it, and an image came into my head, I shall have to try and capture it.

This morning I actually ( remember part of last night's dream )

While looking for overalls, found this "Exclusive & Besutiful Overall, made with cosy Baby Alpacapelt" which has "been carefully designed in every detail in a very unique and exclusive Style for very special ocassions". Yeah, right! We all know exactly what sort of occasion that thing is for! Won't somebody think of the baby alpacas?

I'm not quite sure how this Stuff article entitled "Aussie invader's phallic fascination" ended up on my search page either. But it wasn't what I expected from the title.

The only party that real New Zealanders should vote for in the coming election!

I think the straight-forward honesty of the Future New Zealand party should impress those jaded by US politics. As I know many people that, while having no real reason to vote for National, seem to think it's about time we gave someone else a go, I put forward this party for your consideration seeing as they're clearly so much better than National! Their leader is already winning as most preferred Prime Minister!

USGS has some effective before & after shots of the damage Hurricane Ike did to Bolivar Peninsula. They also show exactly why there was so much damage, the place is barely above sea-level.

( The closest I've seen to a real life daemonette of Slaanesh )

Rather than curling up in bed and reading, I found myself curled up in my LazyBoy, browsing the web. In doing so I found a number of things that I at least hadn't come across before.

• FetLife - A Facebook/MySpace-type site run by kinky people, for kinky people.
• Open Fidelity (pdf) That's a cut down version of a new book discussing the concept of Open Fidelity. I think it's a better term for how I'm currently trying to live my life than some of the other terminology out there. Even if you don't feel that way yourself, some of the discussion in the book applies to any type of relationship. Especially entry 'E'.
• Ned Rosen Erotica Some very tasteful and arty stuff.

Just got this link from a colleague and thought I'd pass it on for those who are worried about LHC and want to keep an eye on things themselves.

The Register reports that a study by the National Literacy Trust states :

By the age of 34, "68 per cent of men and 70 per cent of women with good literacy skills are co-habiting or married, compared to 52 per cent of men and 60 per cent of women who find it difficult".

And finally, a mere 50 per cent of the literacy-challenged say they're “satisfied with life”, compared with 78 per cent for the literate, while the latter also "tend to be better paid and smoke less".

I felt I should say something inappropriate like "that's because female Lit students are invariably hawt!", but then I decided against it. :)

I must concur, as my current general level of happiness and satisfaction came about largely due to my ability to string more than three words together at a time. How else can one easily flirt with several women at once except via lines of text like these?

Still feeling very seedy, age must be catching up with me. I think I shall skip Fidel's and go straight home and curl up in bed with some kiwi porn this evening, perhaps even leaving work a little early.

The porn is for research purposes, of course! I recently picked up several pieces of published erotica written by New Zealand authors largely to get a feel for the field. This has included Avocado and Astride by Christine Leov-Leland. I've read Avocado, I was impressed at how well the author captured New Zealand dialogue, and the feel of Kiwi baches, even if the characters themselves weren't exactly your normal Kiwis, and perhaps the addition of an Indian back-story to the male lead made it a touch more interesting to me, though I thought the Rastafarian part was a little over done.

I found it interesting to read about different characters than the sorts I normally associate with in fantasy and sci-fi, and also, I enjoyed experiencing more "deep IC" writing than I'm used to, it's so completely different than, say, the Mike Stackpole Battletech novel Natural Selection I read previously. I am wondering though, as this is erotica by women for women (the male lead is just so obviously a female fantasy), if this style of heavy internal character monologue is more common in modern chic lit as a whole? It's not in the more historical novels I've read, this is way beyond the Brontes for example.

Anyway, maybe tonight I shall be Astride.

Thinking of those in Texas , as danjite brought this to my attention.

..Persons not heading evacuation orders in single family one or two storey homes will face certain death... (!!!)
...Waters will exceed 9 feet for up to a mile inland...
...one quarter to one half of all small and medium sized trees will be uprooted or snapped.

Wow.

older entries