Saturday, July 15, 2006

Rage


"Rage is the only quality which has kept me, or anybody I have ever studied, writing columns for newspapers."
-- Jimmy Breslin

I have found in my blog that it is easy to make a post when I am pissed off about something.
But then I usually delete the post again within hours.

I believe anger and conflict are meaningless and counterproductive. Sure, they do tend to *capture* attention, both for the originator and the audience. But that does not mean they are important or really interesting.

Positive things and creation are important and productive.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

More Peanuts


Linus: "I'll be a doctor when I grow up."
Lucy: "You can't be a doctor. To be a doctor you have to love humanity."
Linus: "I do love humanity! It's people I can't stand."

(Linus is my fave.)

Chorley photos


These are all from this afternoon, sixteen photos.
I have done nothing to them (except scale down for web), no cropping or contrast or color adjustment, no editing or retouching.
I am very pleased with this set. It can be hard to predict if any good pictures come from a shoot, but I had not expected so many usable ones from one walk.
Get the full gallery here.

More about Gilmore Girls


Continuing my review of the the TV show Gilmore Girls, I've just finished the fifth season (over a hundred episodes, astounding), and I have decided it is now my favorite show ever.
One particular aspect that makes it singular, even compared to other amazing shows like Friends or The Sopranos, is that I want to know the characters. In other shows, even when they have a lot of love, they always seem like their own world and their existing friends are quite enough, thank you very much. But with Lorelei, Rory, Luke, Kirk, I feel like I could walk into town and we could all have a great time, I would get most of their pop culture references, and they'd like me.
Again, warmly recommended.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

All's Well

All is well
in the cities of Hell
the barking of birds has gone
One kingdom has gone
a curtain has fallen
the theatre entrance is open
"Never never sing never cry"
whispers a sad old frog this morning
looks at you through foggy spectacles
and smiles a sudden smile
There will be no more dyings
no more lyings without shame
The trusty old girl (who said "Jump and fly")
is now ahead on the road
We'll see her again
stay calm, drink your milk
hold forth your hand and bite your tongue
swallow the rightful reaction of fear
that is painfully near when your
face goes numb from the
cold wind of freedom
Jump and fly
---
stobblehouse

RailingAndStones


I am not entirely sure why the british always put railing outside walls (the walls certainly look solid enough to keep people out without it), but it does make the buildings a tad more picturesque.
Update: thanks to Steve:
"In your blog you asked why British buildings have railings in front of them. The reason is very simple, it marks the legal boundary of the land the building is standing on."

Monday, July 10, 2006

"N"

Playground

The local playground. I wonder why it is always empty...
(In case my satire is too subtle, I mean it looks so depressing it is no wonder.)

AOL loves you

New AOL phone menu, written by my friend Wonko

---
Thank you for calling AOL. Please listen to the following options carefully before selecting the appropriate option; selecting the correct option for your query will help us to process your query in the most efficient manner.

If you have just bought your first computer from PC World, don't know what wires plug into what sockets, think a monitor was someone who gave out the free school milk and RAM is a male goat, or are currently sitting in the dark and would like to listen to calm, friendly and reassuringly voiced help desk team member reading a script; please press 1.

If you have been using a computer for less than a year, during which time you have sent and received twenty or fewer e-mails (mainly to your own work e-mail address) and looked at the BBC website every now and again, but was paying attention when the sales staff told you the specifications of your system and have kept all of the paperwork, and would like to hear a straight-talking, no-nonsense help desk team member reading from a script ; please press 2.

If you have owned a computer for more than a year, use the Internet and e-mail regularly, are often called upon to help less technically minded co-workers with MS Office applications, have more intelligence than wet sand, but have only taken the cover off the tower unit once to fit more RAM (and felt very brave and grown-up doing so), and would like to speak to a human being who actually knows a bit about computers; please press 3.

If you have bits of consumer electronics spread liberally across your office, can wire a three-pin plug blindfolded, can speak in binary, fondly remember programming in BBC BASIC, do actually know what you are talking about, and would like to mind-meld with an engineer of a similar level of geekiness; please press 4.

Sunday, July 09, 2006