Questions on my interests (again)

[matgb]

OK, more answers to the interests meme. two_brains asked me:

Old Harry's game
the checkbox tyranny resistance
thursday next

And then the_vin proposed:

Devon, Germany, Single transferable vote

So here we go:

Old Harry's Game

Anyone paying attention to my journal for more than a few weeks will have seen me mention this at least once. oldharrysgame is a radio4comedy written by Andy Hamilton, who also wrote Drop the Dead Donkey, Revolting PEople, Trevor's World of Sport and other things. He's also a regular on The News Quiz, QI and other panel game shows. ginasketch is a massive fan, and has almost completed an animated trailer for the show as part of her final year project for her animation degree, it was talking on various Radio 4 communities that we met (and her bringing snapesbabe to a News Quiz recording was how I met Jennie). So, yeah. Incredibly funny show in which the main character is Satan and he's got to deal with all the idiots that end up in hell. They've recently recorded a new series (and I managed to get to 4 of the 6 recordings) and there are regular repeats on Radio 4 and Radio 7. Listen to them. Be amused by them. Buy the audio recordings. Make Andy happy so we get more shows.

The checkbox tyranny resistance

Um, yeah. This is part of my "the owners of LJ suck" obsession, and it's a meme a bit like the 'falsify statistics' one. I wrote about it last year, but the short version is that in a misguided attempt to improve the 'edit interests' UI, they gave us some suggestions to add (now removed), in nice handy little checkboxes. These included many of the most popular interests, like reading, computers, etc, but also included 'emo' and a few other laughably stupid ones. So a meme was suggested in which we all remove the pointlessly popular ones and add in the checkbox tyranny resistance. The daftest thing about it was that the meme was started by brad, the founder of Livejournal...

Thursday Next

thursdaynext is the main character in Jasper Fforde's Bookworld series. Fforde attended a MicroCon in Exeter that I attended, and struck me as a decent bloke, plus a few people there were obviously fans. I picked up book #4 in a departure lounge (spot the common theme here?) and loved it. I've now bought all his books published thus far, and can strongly recommend all the Thursday books, especially if oyu're into books generally, as much of the humour requires a knowledge of literature, The Eyre Affair being based, partially, inside the manuscript for Jane Eyre. It was a Fforde book I bought myself for my birthday last year, and the next Thursday book is due out in July, so a reread of them may be in order soon. Incredibly funny author, very surreal, with a nice way of parodying human behaviour in an interesting manner. An author to ty if you've not read already, and if you don't believe me, ask pickwick, who named her LJ after Thursday's pet dodo...

Devon

What can I say? I was born there, my parents were born there, my grandparents were born there, I've spent most of my life there. I'm 32 years old. I live for 9 months in Manchester, 6 months in Salisbury, and now 3 months in London; the rest of my life has been in various parts of the place. It can be deathly dull, but it's home, and I'll be back at some point. Also, given that LJ only allows paid users to directory search, it's worth putting where you live in as interests if you want people to find you.

Germany

My first overseas holiday organised by myself, the reason I first applied for a full passport. Some of the best beer in the world, very friendly (and funny) people, some great events and a huge pile of history. I'm a history buff (I still think of becoming a history teacher on occasions), and one of my biggest areas of interest is the Thirty Years War. So my favourite place to go on holiday remains Muenster, not just because Arne lives there (it was a tournament he organised that prompted the first visit), but also because that's where they signed the peace treaty.  I've been to Berlin, Koeln, Frankfurt and a few other places, and I've always been impressed and enjoyed the stay.  I was also emplyed by a Muenchen based company for 5 years, and got on ery well with the staff.  At one point, I seriously considered emigrating, even bought some 'learn the language' tapes.  Never actually listened to them though...

Single Transferable Vote

Ah yeah. I'm a politics geek and an electoral systems geek. I'm also a democrat, and believe in giving voters as many valid choices as possible. I've written about this extensively elsewhere, but in my opinion, the STV system as used in Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland, Australia and now Scottish local elections is the best and most democratic method for electing representatives - an opinion I share with, amongst others, the Electoral Reform Society and nhw who says:

this is the Best Electoral System in the World. Voters get to rank the candidates in order of increasing dislike, and then votes are transferred until the right number of candidates have been chosen

I have yet to see an argument against STV that I couldn't knock down or respond with a similar argument against all voting systems, and I remain committed to campaigning for its implementation for the House of Commons.

Well, Doctor Who is now at 70% complete on the download, in the meantime, anyone else want to ask me about my interests, or want me to ask about theirs?

Comments

[mapp.livejournal.com]

Hit me up!

[innerbrat]

Your icon is marvellous.

Do me, Mat. Do me.

[matgb]

Would love to, but wouldn't Bing object? Oh, wait, you meant the meme. Hang on, I've given you three already. That means I've got to think more this time...

dates with friends, renegade playboys and lycanthropy

And doing this meme makes the 'copy link text' plugin so very useful.

[matgb]

And also, you owe me three, as I commented on your last entry, and I read the instructions as 'any comments', not 'ask me in a comment', so I didn't bother to say.

I actually like doing this one, makes me think a bit more.

[innerbrat]

Well, fine.

Evolutionary theory, flimsy moral standards, jaded old goths.

I know most of those!

[matgb]

OK then:
agrarian reform, llamas of mass destruction, pickled body parts

Because I'm not touchy the level twenty bard thing with a bargepole.

[strangefrontier.livejournal.com]

Since we're rather new LJ friends, is there anything in my interests list you'd like me to waffle about?

[matgb]

OK then:
crowbarring aaron douglas into conversations, epigenetics, sherlock holmes

I would've asked about sapiosexuality, but I've seent hat explained somewhere recently I think.

[strangefrontier.livejournal.com]

Posted! The recent explanation of sapiosexuality was probably me when hullfire asked about it.

[strangefrontier.livejournal.com]

Whoops, must remember to include the actual link...

[silentgreeneyes.livejournal.com]

*raises hand* make me update by answering meme?

[matgb]

OK; avoiding the ones we share, bands and the freaky ones you share with mapp, I chose:
dangerous levels of sugar, ice cream toppings and demon hamsters.

[silentgreeneyes.livejournal.com]

*salutes, gets a'typing*

[eldar.livejournal.com]

Me meme me meme me?

[matgb]

OK then.

antidisestablishmentarianism, pinball wizard, indecent sandwiches

And I'll admit to choosing interests foor most people in this based around things I'd like the to write about rather than things I want to kow about. Although I do want to know what an indecent sandwich is.

[eldar.livejournal.com]

I'll answer tomorrow. Suffice it to say that 2 out of the 3 have entirely unconventional reasons.

[eldar.livejournal.com]

Or even right now, because it's only 1am, isn't it? here.

[faeriecween.livejournal.com]

I have nothing else to do til 2pm tomorrow so do me!

[matgb]

Gah! I wish unavailable cute girls would stop saying "do me" for this one, Jennie has put my mind so far into the gutter I'm forgetting what the stars are like. Anyway...

Ah, see, you've done this already, so I have to go see what you did. And picking interests that I'd both like to know about and that might make an interesting post is harder when you know most of them or have no interest (how many slash interests is that? SRSLY). mm:

the twelve dancing princesses, roald dahl and baking.

Also? Added bonus question that you may want to either ignore completely or make a separate post about, 'bisexual', because having reread Debi's post and linked around a bit, I'd be very interested in your perspective on it 18 months after we last talked about such things, and my head is still coming to terms with a few personal thoughts.

[faeriecween.livejournal.com]

I like slash. It makes me happy. Thoug I may remove some of the pairings as I've gone off them of late.

Tis now done though leaving the bonus question til after I get some sleep.