Mat Bowles

What happens when you leave reactolite glasses behind a patterned curtain? Ozzy has a picture.

How cool is this vid?:

It's part of the campaign for a bid to hold the 72^nd World Science Fiction Convention in London in August 2014, which, y'know, would also be cool.

The Worldcon is the premier international science fiction event, and awards the prestigious Hugo Awards for achievement in the field of science fiction. 2014 will be the 75th anniversary of the first Worldcon, in New York in 1939, since when the event has been held every year apart from a break during the Second World War. It was last hosted by London in 1965, nearly fifty years ago.

Y'know the Hugo awards given out each year? To get a Hugo, you need to be shortlisted by attendees from the most recent and next WorldCon, then win the ballot of the attendees of just that WorldCon. So if you go to a WorldCon, you get to vote on who wins, etc.

Plus, also, a lot of major authors have a habit of turning up. Which is also nice. I'd love to go to a WorldCon (last UK one was before I'd heard of it), and this'd be great. They have an LJ Comm (londonin2014), a Twitter feed and a Facebook page, so you can go find more info &c. But, y'know, regardles, watch the vid, it's really well done, even if it is a bit over reliant on Doctor Who stuff.

On the subject of cool videos, and completely unrelated, have this pixel invasion added bonus:
( Cut to save your sanity and because of that silly double-embed bug they've not fixed yet )Both from andrewducker

Gah, sometimes you can try to be too clever. Bottom link is to Andrew's fix of the crossposter code, which theoretically auto-selects a userpic, gets the timestamp right and removes the auto formatting. Except that having done so, it's not posted at all today. So either del.icio.us is playing up or I've messed my code. Anyone want to lay odds? Apologies for the messy appearance, this is a copy/paste from my profile there. Still, it works.

1. Taxing times for Hungary's porn inspectors | The Register

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   A Hungarian porn producer has filed his tax forms, and claimed scene dressing props as legitimate business expenses. So the tax inspectors have to watch his films to confirm they're used. Apparently 'It's a hard job'

   to porn humour taxation ... saved by 2 other people ... 22 hours ago

2. Solar Cycle 24 Could Be 13 Years Long - Cooler Times Ahead? « Watts Up With That?

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   I'm not enough of a scientist to know if this holds water at all, written from a sceptic perspective I think, but I don't discount the anti-climate change position completely, doubt is good. Anyone able to expand, confirm or debunk?

   to science climate+change solar+cycle ... saved by 2 other people ... 23 hours ago

3. 'The Only Moral Abortion is My Abortion' - When the Anti-Choice Choose

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   I've read many of these quotes before, but it is a fairly good collection about how anti-abortion campaigners react if it's them that needs to make the choice.

   to abortion Freedom ... saved by 320 other people ... 23 hours ago

4. Hack Attack: Burn almost any video file to a playable DVD

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   Mostly for my reference as I've got some stuff I want to back up from my old PC and have never done it. Anyone got experience of using this or other software to burn AVIs and similar onto DVD?

   to tools video dvd ... saved by 2566 other people ... 1 day ago

5. Basic UK libel law for idiots by Adam Porter

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   Another guide to online libel, this time from Urban 75. Seems accurate, although I'm really not sure about the linking could be defamation thing. Mentions the Staggers/Scallywag case directly though.

   to internet journalism law libel writing ... saved by 9 other people ... 1 day ago

6. Charlie's Diary: Moderation Policy

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   Not a bad general guide about what is and isn't acceptable on someone else's blog, and most of it applies to me as well (although the bits about huge readership numbers and similar aren't, natch). Freedom of speech doesn't apply.

   to netiquette writing ... saved by 5 other people ... 1 day ago

7. Qinetiq ships first 'Transformer' war-droid | The Register

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   It doesn't actually change shape, but it's got a selection opf different weapon fits, and dude, it's a robot. Um, not 100% sure I approve, but still, it's cool

   to electronics weapons ... saved by 2 other people ... 1 day ago

8. The greatest defunct Web sites and dotcom disasters - Crave at CNET.co.uk

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   These are cool, a set of failed 'name' websites and why they failed. Some of the could work well now, others are just bad examples of stupid business plans.

   to internet funny ... saved by 40 other people ... 1 day ago

9. delicious -> livejournal reposter - May Contain Nuts

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   Andrew's redone some of the code for the cross poster I'm using, much better, solves the timestamp problem and a few other things. I really need to reinstall an FTP client and fix mine.

   to del.icio.us livejournal ... 1 day ago

What happens when a group of gamers who prefer European/German board games get told they have to play Advanced Squad Leader?

"These rules," he wailed, "all these rules! Look at them--rules for smoke screens, rules for vehicles, rules for tanks who don't have turrets... rules... too many rules. Too much conflict--I don't want to shoot anyone, I just want to move wooden cubes and trains across the board--where is the auction system? Why can't we bid on who gets shot?"

GeekList: Gaming in the Nine Circles of Hell... | BoardGameGeek

I know how they feel. I've met players of all the types listed, and more. I can see older versions of myself and friends in some of them. Via Mr Pink himself.

---

I is sat in bed watching Jennie's birthday present from pmoodie, having eaten a midnight snack of haloumi, oat bread and carrots. Life is goooood...

Via davidnm, The 40 most memorable aliens - Times Online. The ranking system is a little strange, and it should more properly be entitled 'extraterrestrial intelligences' rather than aliens. Number two is obvious, number one? Well, everything else on the list is fictional...

flemco linked to this high res SteamPunk genius yesterday, and tyrell has just reminded me by posting a YouTube link so I can't resist embedding it, but I really recommend the higher res version for added goodness.I was hooked by the time the argument started, so wonderfully stereotypical. Then they go to the dueling field. and bring on the warjacks. So very cool...

It's a frakkin mirror. Sorry. Don't blame me, blame Ozzy.

Seriously, I'm surprised this one hasn't[ETA: it did, oops] this made it into slapfights already. Anyway...

The Science Fiction Writers Association (of America) was, until recently, a mostly dead dog. Then scalzi decided to run as a write-in candidate for their presidency,a nd suddenly everyone is taking an interest again. One of the issues that has come up in the campaign is that of giving away free e-books web promotions and similar. Now, there's a lot of debate about this, and some of the negative points are strong, and valid. But some of them, well, they're really not.

One of the reasons why the SFWA was a moribund mess? The outgoing vice-president, Howard V. Hendrix, emailed a blogger asking him to publish his opinions on e-publishing. He thinks that, and this is for real, authors who e-publish their work, especially for free (shock horror) are webscabs and converting the noble calling of Writer into the life of Pixel-stained Technopeasant Wretch. Seriously. For real. First out of the gate that I've seen was the wonderfully ascerbic nihilistic_kid, who demolishes the argument wholesale. Then james_nicoll ponders if it would be possible to avoid a Pixel-stained Technopeasant Wretch lifestyle.

Initially, scalzi declines to comment but then declares
Yeah, I Couldn't Just Leave It Alone and writes an excellent rebuttal concentrating on Hendrix's belief that publishing is a zero-sum game and the way that an elected officer could call his constituents backstabbing scum (extra comments).

All of this prompts Nebula nominee Jo Walton to declare Monday 23rd April is International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day, and asks that as many people as possible, especially pro-writers, give away something online that they would normally charge for. Scalzi is in, James is promoting it and also has some food for thought about extinction events with some nice graphs about biodiversity as well.

So, next Monday, give away something for free online; post something on your journal, write a story, etc. I'm not an author, not a writer, but to keep in the spirit of the thing, would anyone want an SEO/site usability analysis from me, to be published openly here?

Oh, and try to come up with something for yourself as well, as the more the merrier I say, because being a pixel-stained technopeasant might be fun...

Norwegian nutter skis 300ft down Tube escalator | The Register

Should I post the video? Yes, I think I should. Lunacy.

Very impressive lunacy, but still, lunacy.

ETA: eldar walks that escalotor every day, and has more (I've only been there once IIRC).

I get an email.

Attention Citizen!

You have been snitched by a fellow Mega-Citizen. For details of your crime, go to: http://www.2000ad.org/judgepal/?Index=2560&Code=1172237577

Armed Judges are on their way to your location. Make no attempt to run - you have been warned!

The Justice Department is watching you!

Hmm, thinks I, it's been ages since 2000AD sent me anything.

The Mega-City Times:

Mega-City One -- The disgraced Judge Mat Bowles was today sentenced to 20 years on the penal colony of Titan after what arresting officer Judge Dredd described as "a career in corruption."

An experienced member of Justice Department, whose several textbooks on Applied Violence at the Academy of Law were considered required reading for cadets, it is thought Bowles has been taking bribes from the major crime syndicates for much of his fifteen-year career.

You can report fellow citizens yourself if'n you want. As for my snoop? I suspect the involvement of snapesbabe...