Tim Ireland on tabloids, media, blogs and politics
Geekage
I’m building an igloo, me! (OK, so the kids are helping.)
6th Jan 2010
Inspired by this effort, I’ve started building an igloo in the backyard with the kids. What we’ve managed so far used only the snow in the yard, so with more heavy snow expected tonight, we should have our supply of brick-building material refreshed by morning. If not, we can raid a nearby property (with permission, of course):
As you can see, there is no doorway. Yet. We plan to cut that out later.
Also, once every circuit, I’ve gone along with a simple wood saw to ensure that the angle taking our walls inward is maintained.
We’re basically taking loose snow from the ground and packing it into a small plastic storage crate to make bricks that interlock quite nicely, thank you. We have this method perfected now; compressed at the bottom, tight in the middle, loose at the top. When you invert the tub and produce the brick, it comes with enough loose snow on what is now the bottom to act as mortar when you heft it into place.
We’re also wearing rubber gloves over our woolen gloves to keep our hands warm and dry. It’s not only practical, but the very latest in fashion; marigold is the new black, darling.
(IIRC, in Australia, “packing bricks” is slang for being very concerned about the outcome of something. It is not until any given event/panic itself that the person can be said to be “shitting bricks”. With ‘bricking it’ in mind, our thoughts go out to Gordon Brown at this difficult time, and if he needs a place to hide we should have the roof finished sometime tomorrow.)
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You know what I hate?
2nd Apr 2009
I hate it when publishers do something that’s obviously wrong/dishonest, and then refuse to publicly admit it and/or apologise for it in front of their readers.
I’m not talking about one person here; I’ve got at least two newspaper editors at it at the same time as this wank-stain (who, by the way, today knowingly published a false claim/implication that i was a liar and homosexual – and former lover of his, to boot – only deleted it after the second notification, and then refused to apologise or even admit that he was refusing me a right of reply on that or anything else).
And the issue here isn’t just what these people are doing to me (and others) right now, but what they are likely to do to me and others in the future if they are continually allowed to get away with it.
Anyway, let’s put all that aside for one moment to enjoy this little ray of starshine… for tomorrow, we go to war.
Star Wars / Dallas opening (via)
Meanwhile, in a blogosphere not so far away, items of equal if not greater importance can be found here, here, here, here and here.
It’s a conspiracy!
18th Mar 2009
I’m partial to a little adult swim and currently gearing up for possible legal battles by taking in some Harvey Birdman and a little old-school for afters. I saw this and thought of… someone.
(Any minute now, I’ll break out of Dr.Mentaur’s spell, just you watch. Then Glen and I will team up and fight evil.)
Eclectic link dump #25
9th Mar 2009
Mr Jenvey is busy elsewhere early today, but he has promised to share a statement with us later.
I’m happy waiting for that, but here are a few extras for those of you who have looked through the old magazines and fiddled with the empty play-table and are now getting fidgety:
Teh Man somehow saw to it that I missed this epic thread.
Save the ‘ I Love Horses’ website!
Julian Petley cups John Beyer’s logical fallacies. (link via another great weekend link-fest from Septisicle)
Ignore the link if you like, and just love the headline; Arrest in Mandelson custard probe
Telegraph – Binyam Mohamed torture claims: Calls for judicial inquiry
And finally, as if some strange hand of fate were at work, I arrived at (pfft!) the Jack Straw weblog this morning to discover that is was updated yesterday with the following message:
With regret blog comment moderation has been turned on. Political argument is welcome (see posts below), but name-calling and general abuse is not and won’t be published.
So good luck bringing up any of that torture nonsense there and seeing anything substantial published; even thinking for a moment that the sainted Jack Straw would allow torture on his watch constitutes ‘abuse’. How very dare you.
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UPDATE – You’re *still* bored? Tch. OK, I’ll have the nurse put some cartoons on:
Saturday Morning Watchmen (more) (via)
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UPDATE – Tut. Me and my memory. Sir Paul Judge would like a quiet word with you about the party system.
Flu Trends
12th Nov 2008
Via Gary Andrews:
RWW – Google Flu Trends: A Glimpse into the Future of Google Health: It stands to reason that people who are “starting to come down with something” often take the opportunity to search for information on what ails them, even before they discuss their symptoms with a healthcare professional. Who gets more of those searches than anyone? Google, of course. When Google started looking more closely at anonymous aggregate searches for “flu symptoms” and the like, they discovered that – after cross-referencing that data against information from the Center for Disease Control – they had the ability to predict flu outbreaks by monitoring search patterns. And now, they’ve published their findings as Google Flu Trends.
When will the UK version be ready?
How soon before we’re tracking specific outbreaks of STIs and the like?
(Seeing as you’re probably already giggling, I’ll ask you to imagine an STI report just after the weather; “… and visitors to Kent should be aware that there’s a higher-than-normal likelihood of herpes this afternoon, with chances of scattered syphilis.”)
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UPDATE – When will the UK version be ready? Tom has an update on that.
(I asked Tom about the flying cars thing while I was there, but he wasn’t having any of it. Still, we have this, which I’m dying to [pun] road test [/pun] myself.)
Dracula’s Lament (by Jason Segel) – lyrics and tabs
26th Sep 2008
This is my new favourite thing:
Dracula’s Lament (Jason Segel)
From the not-bad movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
The best cover I’ve heard so far is here.
It’s so sad and lovely, and I’d like to encourage further appearances of this song, so consider this a litle way-station for people who are taking a serious interest in it.
Here are the lyrics:
Jason Segel – Dracula’s Lament
It’s getting kind of hard to believe things are going to better.
I’ve been drowning too long to believe that the tide’s going to turn.
And I’ve been living too hard to believe things are going to get easier now.
I’m still trying to shake off the pain from the lessons I’ve learned.
And if I see Van Helsing I swear to the Lord I will slay him. AH-HAH-HAH-HAH!
He’d take it from me, but I swear I won’t let it be so. AH-HAH-HAH-HAH!
Blood will run down his face when he is decapitated. AH!
His head on my mantle is how I will let this one know: how much I love you.Die.
Die.
Die.
I can’t.
*sniff*
I just need a moment…
(grimaces)
(cracks)
(bawls)
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UPDATE – OK, some passable tabs can be found here (hidden under ‘more info’), complete with a handy video. Fine and selfless work from enigma515, who has also done this same job on Peter, You Suck).
Do shout out if you find a better/tidier version or if you think you can better/tidy any of this.
The return of Sgt Streetwise
24th Sep 2008
I have another thrill-a-minute excerpt from Sgt Streetwise for you. In this episode, Wise is a lush lush on the hush-hush. Tramps never go out of fashion!
(Psst! Did you know that Sgt Streetwise was written on a regular basis by Gerry Finley-Day, creator of Rogue Trooper? Well, you do know.)
Action, adventure and immaculate hair await you below the fold. Enjoy!
A quick collection of Lego-related links
8th Aug 2008
- This is very nice, but I got there first.
- Ah, that’s better. More history (and art) here.
- Speaking of stormtroopers…
- Speaking of the entire original Star Wars trilogy…
- Been to a boot sale lately? Have you noticed as I have the number of people shedding their CD collections as they ‘go digital’? Good albums are going dirt cheap, and there’s more CD racks than you can poke a stick at. Anyway, my point is that if you want to sell your CD collection, you’re not going to get much for it and you may as well give your CDs away to passers-by … at high velocity*, from the top of a tall building.
[*Legal gubbins: If any unbalanced individuals with abandonment and anger-management issues are reading this, please don't try this at home. Or at work.]
Sgt Streetwise
22nd Jul 2008
If you thought Life on Mars was awesome, prepare to be outcooled.
Unparalleled excitement and drama awaits you after the fold, with the (partial) adventures of Sgt Streetwise!
