Mat Bowles

OK then; I've got so behind posting stuff that hald the links I stored are done already. Meh, have some of the best/more recent while I keep sorting things out.

Softpedia reports that Windows Vista is essentially spyware and Microsoft will be able to track a big chunk of what you do; yes, they're unlikely to pick on individuals, but the EULA gives them carte blanche to give everything away.

Cthuugle--the H. P. Lovecraft search engine. Do Werewolves Roam The Woods Of England? Probably not, but some interesting stuff, even if the guy writing it is a bit, shall we say, touched? How about instead a bunch of 3-D Starmaps? So very very cool.

Reading this Register article on Conservapedia I discover the wonder that is RationalWiki, a slightly satirical riposte to the loons and their delusions. Conservapedia has managed to clean up all the blatant vandalism that it got hit with soon after it launched. Now the edits are much more subtle.

On the subject of wikis, anyone fancy a game of Wikington Crescent? Very very silly way to kill time, but you never know. sunflowerkits recently attended a Gothic Bellydance workshop and has videos of some of the teachers dancing; it is actually very impressive, and I'm not just saying that because they're also quite hot.

On to a bit of politics. My old friend paulatpingu compares Gordon Brown's position to that of Londo Mollari. Yes, that Londo Mollari, the one with the silly hair and the tentacle penis. Scarily, he's actually got a point, although as I commented there it's not going to happen any time soon.

Silliness. Turn the subjects from any feed (including your public LJ posts) and burn them into Lol!cats. Results can vary between the impressive, the funny and the downright stupid. And of course there's an online macro generator, which even works from LJ userpics. Yes, I've ued it, and it's actually not a bad overall tool for quick-and-dirty actual design work.

Lastly? How about a survivors guide to Doctor Who fandom? So very true, especially the Rose-fen; I only really started follwing the online fans since Torchwood started, and seriously, they scare me. Especially the Jack/anto shippers. SRSLY, they're warped. Not interested? Ok, how about an economic argument against the smoking ban combined with an assertion that passive smoking isn't actually dangerous. Ok, that last comes from the Torygraph, and is thus a little sus, but not hugely, the science he researches is real, and I remain of the opinion that car exhaust fumes do more damage than someone else's smoke ever will.

Not bad that, cleaned 16 links out of the folder. You really don't want to know how many there are in total. Trust me on this. Oh, look at that, I've managed to do that silly Doctor Who quote meme without even trying. Bargain.

For those not on altexe in Exeter...
:

( Exeter Rock/Goth night at the Hub, Saturday 16th December )

So, who's in, and who's able to give me somewhere to crash?

Also, the following weekend, 22nd/23rd? I get paid, and it's my last day of work in my current job. I fancy doing something, probably involving sitting in a pub with a lot of friends putting the world to rights. Anyone fancy a) joining me and b) nominating a good pub in Exeter to do so in?

NB: Good pub. This rules out anything in the J.D. Wetherspoons chain of theme bars.

OK, we've got BBC Radio One on in the office, and I haven't retuned it yet. A few minutes back, an intro to a song I never expected to hear on a mainstream radio show came on, very distinctive.

Sisters of Mercy's "Alice". There was than a male voiceover, and it became apparent it was a trailer. For the new Robin Hood series. Now, I knew of course it was coming up, but not this weekend. Now, can someone with a TV confirm if it looks good and worth watching, should I find somewhere with a TV to go watch it at?

Also, are the TV trailers also using an old goth anthem for trailing it? Regardless, why use an old Sisters song for a trail for a medieval myth?

It sounded like the remix from the Under the Gun single, not the original, but with office background couldn't quite tell...

Ages and ages ago, someone (I think it was shadow_exe) pointed me at a page hosted on gothic.net that amused us muchly. Then Gothic.net changed hands, got revamped, and, well, they deleted the fun stuff.

Randomly today, I decided to try out web.archive.org to see if I could find it. But did a quick Google while doing so. Turns out, the guy who did it (luvcraft) has set up his own domain and copied all the old stuff over.

I give you:

The Tamagothi

Using the scientific method known as "clicking all the links and choosing the one I like", it turns out I'm what's known as a Lazygothi. But that doesn't surprise anyone, right? There's a Punkemon homepage as well. Very (very) silly. Good to see it back though.

4 weeks of no Zoe at work. I'm knackered. Decided to leave "early" today. If "early" is 6.45pm. She's back next week. There's a small chance I may be sociable after that point, for a little bit. Then hellsummer hits.

draxar? I have to think. Currently, I can barely type and am doing anything random to divert myself. I will think, and get back to you tomorrow.

Questionable Content:

Dora: I love a man who roots for the psycopath in the hockey mask.
Marten: How can you NOT root for him? He's doing evolution a favour by massacring these insipid coeds.
Dora: Such misanthropy! You SURE you don't have any goth in you?
Marten: I'd twist that into some kind of innuendo but I'm honestly not quite sure hwo it'd work.

Anyone else think Dora is completely wasted on him? (Yes, I'm aware she's just a webcomic character, but still...)

( Friday night, broken fridge )

( Brief Salute review )

Spent a small amount of money on some space ships for Full Thrust (from GZG, and draich_goch did some digging last night re colour schemes. The site he found inspired me to write up a little rant re industry backbiting for warhammer_tx_fd here. John Tuffley is a good games designer. Unfortunately, he's also a small minded insular fool with no understanding of economics. Ah well.

From a theweaselking entry here, click on a commenter who says she lives in York, where I've been, to find she used to be a WendyHouse regular; in one of her rare open posts, we have the amusing trainspotting reference poll, questions listed because, well, they amuse me. It's a little long though...

Choose...
Goth.
pretentiousness
clove cigarettes
antidepressants
( Read more... )

constantly bitching about Sisters of Mercy but still dancing to Temple of Love every time it comes on.
to take your glowsticks and shove them up your arse
( Read more... )

Quoting Withnail & I, at every possible opportuniy (You terrible cunt)
being Tech support for everyone you know
finding esoteric ways to ascertain the gender of the person you’ve been talking to for hours
( Read more... )

spending all your money on drugs, glowsticks and scraps of pvc then complaining you can't afford your rent.
( Read more... )

I promise to do a proper update soon. I think I've said that a few times recently and not done it, so, well, y'know, life's ok.

Well, we have a Vimes, a Death and a Nanny Ogg already. You all suck. Why?
( I'm the guy in charge... )
Not sure how I got so low on the Librarian score, maybe because I hate bananas?

Oh, I also know how to use the <lj-cut text="insert tile here">put meme results or long stuff here</lj-cut> function ;-)
( And I wasn't even trying to get this result )

Obligatory blog plug bit, Paul's just written a great piece on nation states.

[Edit: Trying to fix the damn display, the coding from quizfarm assumes a certain screen layout in a very stupid manner...]

Congratulations!!!! You are an Old school Goth and
we thank you for keeping it real!!!! Now go
enter 2004 and get your head out of your ass
and realize that there are good groups that are
new!!!!


What Gothic Subtype Are You? (with great pictures)
brought to you by Quizilla

Volts was very cool last night, really glad I went. Thx to Pink for talking me into going, Mark for being fun and everyone else for generally being around.

Now, explain this in the same article:
"Student journalism is often a heady mix of passion and ignorance. A criticism labelled at student ‘hacks’ is a failure to check and clarify a story"

As a follow on to this:
"Two years ago, Exeposé printed a mock interview that claimed that RocSoc members dressed in black because they were abused as children. Quite understandably, many people were very upset, which led to a stand-off in the M&D room during an editorial election. RocSoc hired a lawyer to proceed with a libel action,"

Hmm. You'd have thought that, given there are plenty of people still around on campus who do remember the full details, they could at least have, well, checked their own records?

RocSoc didn't hire a lawyer; as a Guild Constiuent Organisation, it would be unable to sue another part of the Guild anyway. Court case of Exeter guild of Students versus Exeter guild of students anyone?

I, as honorary President, "consulted legal advise". Well, that was what we said publicly. I bought a friend (a lawyer) a drink and asked his opinion. Fucking stupid student media types. We decided not to sue for libel because, despite it being justified, the petty vindictiveness of one idiotic editor and her stooge is not enough to damage an organisation we broadly supported.

Ah well. So, should we let the myth perpetuate, or point out the facts to the relevent editors and/or guild types?