| Explorers, Librarians and Wandering Teachers |
[07 Jul 2008|08:23am] |
I'd like to extend a warm welcome to all members of the Guild of Explorers, Librarians and Wandering Teachers.
The Guild are looking at many ways in which their members can have a good time, help provide a good time for other convention members and generally enhance things being cool.
We're hoping that members who arrive early at the convention (or who know the local area) will be able to act as native guides and help newcomers explore the deep recesses of the hotel and discover where everything is. Do we have members who can find places to eat and share that knowledge with others?
We want one (or more) of our librarians to arrange a book crossing
contact me if you'd like to do this (or just go ahead and do it anyway - initiative is valuable). Can you help raise money for the organutan foundation? Do you have books needing a new home? Bring them along and we will find people to adopt them and love them as they deserve.
We want our wandering teachers to share their knowledge and skills with both guild members and the convention at large. (you'll notice there are occasional gaps in the programme, but there are also opportunities on a smaller scale, or chances to help with existing programme items) Those who have skills to share with children are especially appreciated. Can you tell a story that will enthral the listeners? Can you tell the history of things that happened long ago on the Disc? Do you have a skill you can teach? (I will probably be presenting a workshop on the art of Poi from the Land of Fog)
Do you have wonderful ideas of your own?
Don't wait for the first guild meeting - don your pith helmet or mortar board and spread knowledge!
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| Otters |
[07 Jul 2008|08:03am] |
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I will no doubt post up a loong account of this weekend's New Forest adventures, but in the mean time, I give you the Asian Short Clawed Otter. They are utterly adorable.
Sleepy Otter
I has a stone!
Listen to the noise these things make:
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| Light sleep and dreams |
[07 Jul 2008|07:45am] |
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I dreamed I was working at a coffee shop slash art gallery slash theater that I'd taken over so that it wouldn't close. That menat that I got to make all of the customers' orders, bus tables, and wash dishes while other people were performing on stage. I also got to spend my paycheck from my real job buying supplies as there wasn't actually enough money coming in to, oh, buy coffee and dish soap.
I also dreamed I saw someone on the streets outside the coffee shop skateboarding on the walls - dressed like Guy Fawkes - having a shootout with some invisible people driving a van.
When I woke up, I noticed that I was on the edge of the bed, ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) shadowdaddy was in the middle and had both pulled the blankets off (making me cold) and colonized fully half of the bed, and the cat had taken over an entire half of the bed to herself - roughly three times the space I was occupying. No wonder I wasn't sleeping well - and let's not get into the dream about the time travelling ninjas.
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| Hello again |
[07 Jul 2008|02:40am] |
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It's been about year since I have posted so I am due for my yearly post though a tiny bit blurry...
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| Re: Bloodrayne: The Movie |
[06 Jul 2008|10:03pm] |
No one look too surprised by this, but Bloodrayne the movie?
Oh. My. Gods. Bad.
Something more meaningful after dinner...;)
-R
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| Governance |
[07 Jul 2008|12:36pm] |
Do democracies work?
It depends.
Democracies reflect the people.
If the people are educated, the government will be wise.
If the people are uneducated, they will vote themselves bread and circuses. By default, the uneducated mind is preprogrammed by evolution to assume a 30-year lifespan. It acts accordingly: just look at the number of people whose answer to world problems is "I hope to be dead by the time that happens."
Education is the choice of the upper classes, and of the upper cultures.
The upper cultures are Western Europe, Canada, and Japan. They tend to correlate, albeit imperfectly, with low birth rates. In the Singapore newspapers, citizens complain about the pressures of living in a high-density society: and without prompting they call for more regulation, more policing of antisocial behaviour.
The upper classes can be found in every society. Those who clawed their way to the top intuitively understand regression to the mean -- they know how much of their success was due to dumb luck, and they send their kids to school. That way their kids will at least have a shot at smart luck. Amusingly, almost everybody I went to high school with is either a doctor, a lawyer specializing in corporate work, or "in finance", as they say.
America has been running at redline so long, and its children have been raised without guidance for so long, that the entire society is now paying the price. Many of the young people I know in the U.S. are in trouble. And those are people who have a college degree. The ones who don't must be living lives straight out of the third world...
The U.S. has been borrowing against the future for a long time. Guess what? The future just got here.
Much of this was predicted quite a long time ago. It was a fascinating experience for me, during 2005 and 2006, to discuss the Hubbert peak and the coming oil shocks with people. Many people dismissed the possibility that oil would ever go above $2 a gallon: why? Because, in their short lifetimes, it never had. The sun rose yesterday: the sun will rise tomorrow. Gas was $1.50 yesterday: gas will be $1.50 tomorrow. Others, with more education and more imagination, who understand that the microeconomics of supply and demand work differently for limited resources, are quietly watching their investments double and triple.
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| Are You in a Band!? |
[06 Jul 2008|09:30pm] |
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NIN |
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I get asked this often, so I figured "why not!?". Why not do a few photos kinda like a rocksta...
The following photos are modeled and shot by myself.
...and here they are!
From my album; Are You in a Band?
More under the cut (lil' pic heavey);
( Are You in a Band? )
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| NEW, REPOST + WANTS |
[07 Jul 2008|01:55am] |
Prices are all in, for bigger items I may send 2nd class if it's more reasonable (ask if you need 1st class). I accept most payment methods. Trades are welcome, as are all questions.
( Please take it all away! )
( Wants )
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| Lip service-Criminal damage-Omen-Vans-Tripp-Phaze-Serious-Leopard-Camo-Synthetic hair etc |
[07 Jul 2008|12:01am] |
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VNV NATION |
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These items must go so prices dropped on the reposts-Have some new gear which i need to let go of,o point me keeping it because it looks pretty but dont fit.lol.
Offers welcome.
Paypal & postal orders accepted
Prices include postage within the uk-Overseas shipping also included
Any peeps waiting for items all will be sent out first thing in morning,please can you all let me know you get your items safe & well....
xxx
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| GUILD ALLOCATIONS REVEALED UNTO THE WORLD |
[07 Jul 2008|12:32am] |
The Monks of Cool are pleased to announce that after a long period of intense prayer, careful omen-watching, and rigorously applied mathematics the Cosmic All has seen fit to reveal unto them the exact Guild to which each attending member of the Discworld Convention spiritually and corporally belongs.
You can use the handy on-line form below to quickly look up an individual member's guild. The full list can be found at the Guilds at the Discworld Convention Google group:
http://groups.google.com/group/dwcon_org_guilds/web/guild-allocation-list
This Google group is also where the Guild Deputies, the Monks of Cool, and your fellow Guild Members will be hanging out, ready to answer your questions and to facilitate the planning of your activities.
Those of you who have not been to a Discworld Convention before and are perhaps not quite sure what being in a Guild actually means you can find a summary on the Group's Home Page and many more details in the email archives:
http://groups.google.com/group/dwcon_org_guilds
Finally, the Monks would like to address one issue that's sure to be raised: the Cosmic All has not tried to place children in the same guild as their parents, disabled members with their caregivers, etc. There will be an opportunity to sort out such issues at the Guild Fayre, on the first day of the Convention. Guild transfers are always possible, although we really oughtn't be too quick to dismiss the suggestions of the Cosmic All. That tends to be bad for one's karma.
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| Scanning bar codes (beep) |
[06 Jul 2008|11:53pm] |
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Today, I acquired a bar-code scanner, something I've been looking out for on FreeCycle for some time. It's a hand-held LED type, only about six years old, and has the keyboard wedge cable that connects between PC and keyboard (other cables make it into RS-232). I've downloaded the PDF manual, and it turns out that it's configured by (guess what) scanning bar codes. So, with a suitably disguised "factory reset" or "9600/8/n/1" bar-code, you could wreak havoc in your local supermarket! Oh, and I've got a copy of GNU Barcode, too, the open source program to generate bar codes and print them.
Been very tired for a couple of days, but recovering now. Made a chicken stir-fry yesterday and a curry today. Must get some Lime Pickle and Mango Chutney.
Now that most of the retrocomputers are back in storage, I've done a few odd repairs like fixing the power lead on one of the Spectrums. But I couldn't resist getting the boxed Dragon 32 down from the loft. It's got all the original packaging and the seal's never been broken on the case fixing screws. And last night, it worked. Today, it didn't. Bah! I shall have to break that seal after all. I have a plan to convert an old PC analog joystick into a Dragon version, so that I can play the joystick-driven games. I'll also make up proper composite video cables for all the machines that have video outputs.
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| Exterminieren! Exterminieren! |
[06 Jul 2008|11:28pm] |
That is going to be the only LJ post title for a long time, sorry...
I don't know why everybody is being so lukewarm about Doctor Donna, I thought she was great. That's the sort of physicist I wanted to be when I was 14. I have been googling for things like "Gallifrey" this evening, and I think I should catch up on some backstory. It's that whole lost better world thing, like with Lord of the Rings.
I am currently listening to BBC Asian Network's Punjabi show, because it's quite comforting to listen to people singing cheerfully about something but not being able to understand the words.
I was reading something interesting about Taoism the other day, and thought of a good idea. ( Windows and fires )
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[06 Jul 2008|11:32pm] |
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pwei - wise up sucker |
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I think that I am very lucky indeed to live in a world in which chocolate spread exists.
Felix is back from Nailsea and has apparently missed me lots and is now being very clingy and cuddly and sweet. He keeps kissing the bump and giving it cuddles!
Would it be a really bad idea to use the name Gideon again? It is Felix's middle name and he isn't old enough to be asked if he minds sharing it. I think there wouldn't be a problem but the atheist thinks it is unfair to use his middle name for someone else. Pish! Names that are being currently considered - Oliver, Oscar (unlikely as everyone with a Felix has an Oscar as well by the sounds of things), Gabriel, Diggory and Rafferty. The atheist also likes the name Sebastian but all those years studying Art History kind of ruined it for me. I also quite like Rory, Giles and Rufus. Oh, I don't know. :(
Have just watched Midsomer Murders, which wasn't too bad although I spent a lot of it being transfixed by Cully's frighteningly hairy face and arms. It also had the actress who played Linda in Love In A Cold Climate playing Very Posh Beth.
Felix is spending a couple of hours at his school tomorrow morning, just to get a feel for things. Luckily he seems to be out of nappies now (during the day anyway) so we can hold our heads up high in front of all the teachers.
Managed to do some writing today. Feel distinctly uninspired though!
I keep having really frequent strong, painful Braxton Hicks contractions today. I keep thinking that I am about to go into labour actually as I just don't feel all that great. Hope that I am just worrying needlessly. :(
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| THIS WEDNESDAY: The Third Exhibition |
[06 Jul 2008|11:22pm] |
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dark trees beyond - a blaze colour |
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( BE )
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| Some new, some old from ages ago! |
[06 Jul 2008|10:57pm] |
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Open to offers and trades, don't be shy, I would rather sell for less then I'm looking for then to keep hold of stuf I don't wear anymore! I live in Leeds again now and am happy to do local pick up in town, I accept cash (ayor) postal orders and back transfers (but only if I know your user name!) Any questions, just ask!:D
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| Things I did tonight |
[06 Jul 2008|10:15pm] |
1. Made enchiladas. Yum!
2. Tried making sangria with white wine. Yum! (It doesn't really taste like sangria but whatever.)
3. Beat wechsler and shadowdaddy decisively at Through the Desert. (I was making it up, however. I will be beaten again the next time we play.)
4. Bought tickets for two more movies in the Guy Maddin series: Archangel (Friday 18 July 2008 at 18:30, seats F5 - F6), and Brand Upon the Brain! (Tuesday 15 July 2008 at 18:20, J4 - J5, and only 5 quid). If anyone else wants to come to these shows with us, please do!
5. Tried and failed to get tickets to see Faeries, which is well on its way to selling out. I am not happy about not being able to get tickets to this show on a schedule convenient to me because the show requires that adults bring a child. What's up, if I went to this show as an adult I must be a pedophile? Is this really legal? To me it's blatant discrimination against the childless and it pisses me off.
6. Bought a second copy of a Proust book, Following Proust: Norman Churches, Cathedrals, and Paris Paintings, that I'd ordered before as a present to me from my dad.
7. Tried to get a copy of Finding Time Again, as I'm getting darned near to the end of my current book and it's become very interesting.
8. Put in some laundry, including all of the clothes the rain soaked through while in York.
Oh, also I found the program from Friday night's Emma Kirkby show, and I'm going to reprint a poem from it (though what I should be doing is writing it up for my other blog). I found it, on Independence Day, a sort of 9/11 reflection on a fallen America, but I'm now much better able to understand what they mean, in a pre-Christian era tribal society, when they are talking about someone being a widow and what that has to say about what would happen to their status in society. It was sung in German and I found it very moving. Anyway, Lamentations 1: 1, (2,) 8, (9,) 12, (20, and 21) for the original.
How desolate lies the city/ Wie liegt die Stadt so wuste
that was so full of people/ die voll Volkes war.
She is like a widow/ Sie ist wie eine Witwe.
She who was a princess among the heathen/ Die eine Furstin unter den Heiden
and a queen in the provinces / und eine Konigen in den Landern war
must now serve/ muss nun dienen.
She weeps in the night so that (Look and see!) / Sie weinet des Nachts (Schauet doch und sehet!)
tears run down her cheeks / dass ihr die Tranen uber die Wangen fliessen,
and no one among all of her lovers / und ist niemand unter allen ihren Freunden
will comfort her/ der sie troste.
All those who were close to her despise her/ Alle ihre Nachsten verachten sie
and have become her enemies / und sind ihre Feinde worden.
Anyway, from this poem to the Trojan Woman to today, the tale of being left desolate by war and death and crying to yourself hopelessly really hit me. It was really lovely listening to the three gambas and two violins of the London Baroque accompanying Emma Kirkby and baritone Peter Harvey (the "beholds" above) as they sang this song, the "Klaglied" by Buxtehude and written upon the death of his father. Sadness, it is truly something that transcends all history. Is joy not the greater surprise?
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tired