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(No I'm Jason Bourne!)

One of the re-occurring points in the Bourne trilogy is that of disguises[1].

He frequently evades people who are watching out for him by changing the number of people in his party, changing clothes, and gait, and vehicles.

Something mentioned early on is that he's not got a very distinctive face. He's not got any features that particularly jump out at you. Just by changing his appearance slightly, he can change the way that he would appear in people's memories (and thus photofits) quite a lot.

Someone made that comparison to me at the weekend. saying I had a fairly neutral face, which can be changed quite easily.

This isn't helped by the fact that I've never found my "look" as far as hair is concerned. I grew about a foot long pony tail, and then cut off 3 times in my university days.

In the last few months: my hair's gone from fairly short and spiky, to a couple of inches long and with a left hand parting. I've grown a pair of sideburns. The glasses that I only occasionally where have gone from rounded wire frames, to chunky rectangles.

See you around. But you may not see me.

[1] Disclaimer: I'm referring to the Novels. And I've only finished the first two. And a few years ago at that.

Current Mood: thoughtful

I'm fully aware of the fact that coherent reasonably well thought entries look better than yet another list of things I did't find time to write about in the last 2 weeks.

Been on an SF reading splurge.

Nation by Terry Pratchett
The Last Theorem by Arthur C. Clarke and Frederik Pohl
Teranesia by Greg Egan
The Atrocity Archives by Charlie Stross
Necessary Evil by Joshua Williamson (artist Marcus L Harris)

agaj-d reminded me of applying Bechdel's law to literature. These books all have strong female characters but, off the top of my head, I think only Nation passes. I'm not even completely sure about that.

Saw Marine Express by Osamu Tezuka. An odd mainstrean 80's kids anime film.

Occasional gorgeous things, like a fishing machine, that chews.
Weird sequences, like some viscous looking sharks that get out of breath, and collapse into cartoons.
And huge plot twists which just completely change the nature of the story.

Knitted a tiny hat. Don't click. I look daft.
Farah Mendlesohn talks at the BSFA. She's always worth listening to. Any panel I've ever seen her on has been a great one. All quotes are paraphrased.

"History as a mode of seeing the world"

or, history teaches you how tools on how to learn using what other people have written about.
There a post in there about why I took History GSCE rather than Geography

"People who write about how to get kids to read don't write about the pleasure of simply reading. The act of allowing text to flow past your eyes. Even reading something like the back of a tin of beans."

My default "if there's nothing else I read the the back of" is "a shampoo bottle."
iBon thought "cigarette packet"
Hmm, I should do a poll.

"People say kids hate being preached at. They're wrong. Teenagers hate being preached at. Kids love it."

This links to the second to last paragraph in Farah's fanish origin story.
It's the old thing of scientists being kids who never grew out of asking questions. I ought to get my thoughts together on this and try write something coherent.

Went to a lecture on the first treaty between Japan and Britain

It was given by a retired British ambassador to Japan, Sir Hugh Cortazzi
He started by saying he suggested opening the 150 year anniversary with a lecture on the original treaty. Somehow he'd wound up having to do it, despite his lack of powerpoint skills. And as a punishment for attending we'd all have to take a copy of the 90 page book he'd written on it, trying to put this speech togther

He was ace.

Given that we understood so little of their culture, and the whole negotiation was translated from English, to Dutch, to Japanese and back (as neither nation spoke each others language), and a there was opposition from factions in Japan, it was amazing it happened at all, let alone how quick it all happened.

( Links to a few strips that have tickled me recently )

Current Mood: amused

The Devil's Panties is the journal comic of serial convention goer. It looks like she's been hitting about 20 a year for the last few years. It has nothing to with Satanic underwear.

Fuzz has been trying to get me to read it for years, but pitched it as being written by a metal/rock chick, so it was near the bottom of my to be read bookmarks.

A couple have really made me laugh recently.

The three types of people you recognise at cons
The effects that different alcoholic drinks have.

...which I wrote about recently.

The other day the Google blog observed that "fewer teens are wearing watches now because they use their phones to tell time instead"

I'd been wondered about that myself a while ago. Fortunately I knew an author who was looking explain, the mythology of mobile phones and other modern fairy tales.

I don't normally read Fantasy, but I really enjoyed these. So I can only make obvious comparison to Gaiman's stuff where you're being shown the gritty stuff that lays just below and around our realities.

( More on Banter-Latte )

Current Mood: amused

Do you see what I see in this photo?

( cut for puerile political satire )

Current Mood: amused

It wasn't that I was particularly unfit when I was younger. If anything it was the opposite.

You'd hardly have called me a sporting superstar at school. Lanky sums it up quite well. I wasn't thin because I played a lot of sport (and I certainly wasn't thin because of my diet). I was just blessed with a fast metabolism, a propensity to fidget, and a low tolerance for boredom. If I was walking to school, and didn't have anything better to do I'd often just sprint there. Not to that I was keen to get to class, or was cutting things fine again. Just to save the tedium of the walk.

Now when I'd run as a child, I'd practically float. I'd kick off from a standing start with a little jump forward. Then as each foot came down, I touch the floor with my big toe, start flexing my legs, and be on the upwards bounce by the time the balls of my feet made contact. My heels would never touch the floor. It felt almost as though I was gliding across the ground, and just brushing my feet across it occasionally to remind my hips how high they were supposed to be.

The problem with this sort of impromptu running is that I'd obviously never do stretches afterwards. The reason it felt so easy is that it's not exactly using the muscles fully. It's just pulling out the hamstring like an elastic band, and snapping it back. By the time I left Uni my tendons were so tight, the closest I could get to touching my toes was at least a hand span off the floor. And I have big hands.

A couple of years ago I joined a gym. Primarily to increase my stamina and flexibility, but I wouldn't have said no to losing some weight too. Running on a machine, especially for longish periods of time, is a very diffenrent matter to impromptu sprints. For a one thing treadmills are not long enough for to reach my full leg span. So I learned to jog landing on the balls of my feet. Or even on the heel, and to rotate my foot to take off from the ball. On top of that I was given a set of stretches to specifically loosen the hamstring.

I can once again touch my toes, and anytime I do anything like play squash, or go on my cross trainer, I make sure I sneak in least a quick stretch.

--
Tonight on the way home from the tube, I spotted a bus I could catch to save me walking three stops. I'd not long passed the previous stop and probably didn't stand a chance, but I decided to run for it anyway. And I slipped into the old sprint. And it felt like floating. It was marvelous. The bus was getting away, but I didn't care.

Then a guy at the bus stop stood up and flagged the bus down. As I got there he just smiled, nodded and sat down. It wasn't his bus, but he'd seen that the driver wasn't going to stop, so he'd stopped it for me. I love litte RAoKs like that. They really make my day.

Current Mood: bouncy

Speaking of razor blades, I need more shaving gel. So I'm off to Boots in Lower Marsh Street in a mo'.

I'll probably head down via Leake Street and see what's changed there. In the last couple of weeks a few cars have a appeared, and got slowly more colourful (with paint), and better ventilated (by smashed windows)
I'll probably stick my head in iKnit, I think I need to start on a new project, as my enthusiasm for finishing the fiddly bit of my hat waned, but simpler knitting is fun and relaxing. Maybe I'll make a little octopus or something weird and fun.

Finaly I think I'll go for a coffee, having run across this glowing review of Scooterworks and read the latest Plokta, which I managed to grab at the weekend.

{edit}
Looks like it was a busy weekend. Most of Leake Street is completely different. There was a couple of men with brooms clearing up what looked like the remnants of a bonfire party. There's a lot less stencil art, and lot more of the "classic" tags (huge multicouloured ones, but they're already starting to be covered with the crap sharpie ones). Most of the cars have gone. There was only one bumper left.

Current Mood: happy

That Gillette advert that's on at the moment really winds me up.

A bunch of sporting stars go around beating men up, telling them need to stop using razors they're perfectly happy with, and should buy these more expensive ones.

The big selling point?
The blades are closer together.
Meaning that it's just about damn impossible to clean shaving gunk out from between the blades.

Bah, there's a reason men have stuck with the Mach3 Gillete, it's cheaper, easier to use, and feels just the same, and no amount of celebs flinging their balls at me will change my mind.

Current Mood: annoyed

<stream o'consciousness>
Bah, I'm so not going to have time to write up a ZombieCon report this week.

Hmm, maybe I should take time next week and do a proper one and offer it to some fanzines. Or finish up my write up of True Names and G.E.B., and the Cthulhu hat knitting pattern (including lessons learned, rather than the actual one), and the Fan Art for

purplecthulhu's story, and print my own' zine. Hmm. Probably wouldn't happen.

Some other LJ posts on ZombieCon 1, 2, 3, and 4. Am I missing any?

I've got about 180 photos and 10 videos to sort through!

Still too busy to write detailed, what I've been up to things. ZombieCon last weekend. Last minute trip to south coast on Monday. A forgotten will-fix-PC-for-food / catch-up on Tuesday. Curry last night. Bosses birthday drinks tonight, probably followed by a trip to the Cock. A Pratchett signing on Saturday (I've given up on the idea of of going to Brighton). Games afternoon on Sunday.

( Detailed ZombieCon timeline )

{Edit}
And another report
{Edit 2}
Forgot to add that the fire alarm sounded once each day, driving all us zombies out into the daylight.
Friday = Smoke machine
Saturday = Very steamy shower
Sunday's cause, unknown.
{Edit 3}
Con report from an infrequent conventioneer.

Current Mood: busy

Terry Pratchett is doing signings of Nation at the UK's largest and smallest bookshops on Saturday. 9am on Hayling Island, 2pm in London.
I could make either, as I have to be down by Hayling at some point on Saturday anyway, however it's ticketed and sold out, so I may not be able to get one.

Any one out there going to either, and fancy some company in the queue?
--
On the same day I also one spare ticket to one of the funniest plays I've ever seen. Noises Off. It's a farce about putting on a farce, and has won all sorts of awards.

The show is on in Brighton at 7:30, the tickets are near Hayling, and I'm in London. So if anyone is near any of those, and fancies following me around the South Coast, give me a shout.
--
Finally, there's an absolute ton of events being organised to celebrate 150 years of friendship between Japan and the UK

In particular, I'm off to the Japanese Embassy on 25th September for a lecture on Britain and the 're-opening' of Japan, The Treaty of Yedo of 1858 and the Elgin Mission. Drop them a email using the address at the bottom of that page if you want to reserve a place.

Current Mood: busy

I couldn't sleep, so I've downloaded photoGIMP and uploaded 2 sketches I did on the boat last weekend.
( Sketchy )
I know it's actually called GIMPshop, but that wasn't what I thought it was called.

Current Mood: sleepy

I've never moved off of the basic LJ account, as I don't want to pay for one (I don't use this enough) and I'd feel hypercritical using the add supported version with an add blocker.

( Why I block adds, and am moving to a plus account )
So, woo, polls, and slightly more user-icons.

{edit}
Ah, it looks like they require Javascript to be enabled in order to serve me adverts. Given the number of people who've been posting spam on my facebook wall,having been caught by an XSS vulnerability, I'm not enabling it just for adverts.

Current Mood: cynical

Wow! Those rumours from 2004 have finally come true.

Google are making a browser.

And more than that, the new features, from the nifty to the techy, are described in a comic by Scott McCloud author of the comic book on the theory of comics!

seen at

blue_condition's

Current Mood: excited

Following a discussion with iBon, and

monkeyssk8's thread on Thatcher, I feel compelled to share this old childhood song:

Maggie Thatcher stick her in a bin.
Put the lid on, sellotape her.
If she gets out, hit her on the head.
Hip hooray, Maggie Thatcher's dead.

I thought I'd have a look for it online, and could only find it on page 15 of Gender and Ethnicity in Schools, along with several other playground rhymes.

I remember variations on all of those, except

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water,
I don't know what they did up there
But now they've got a daughter.

There's brilliant work been done on playground songs. I heard a radio 4 program on it once. They are almost exclusively sung by children with a 5 year age range. Yet somehow new ones, get passed around the world, and translated into every language within months, and yet others have survived unchanged for centuries.

Current Mood: thoughtful

Headline: Something appears to have gone wrong with my mobile, so I can't send or receive text messages, or receive phone calls. After trying everything they can think of (and spotting that my voicemail box had been de-activated) T-Mobile have decided to post me a knew SIM card. So I'll be without phone for a few days.

When I'm busy, I don't make time to blog about the things that interest me, as I'm too busy doing them! ~~When it's quiet there's nothing worth blogging~~ Actually, It's never quiet. Far too many interesting things to do, and people to see.

Things I've been up to in the last fortnight

Played 1000bwc

Failed to convince anyone to play Pokemon Monopoly
...which appears to be universally reviled on boardgamegeek. I think this enhances my geek credentials.

Went for a post work wander around the V&A museum

...as I'd spotted it was open 'till 10, and dragged a few mates along to pretend to be cultured
Lots of shiny items

The pope had massive rings!
Tiny medeusa heads
Magic rings, all of which cure headaches, some do more
Several grails, none of which were suitable for a carpenter's son
It's surprising how late Britain got into sculpting

Bonus points for looking up a decent pub on beerintheevening beforehand, there's loads of pants ones round there

Surprise party for Mum

Climb a tree.

Joinee picnic

Climb a tree.

Force EvilJ to watch My Neighbour Totoro in Japaneese

Shout "Satsuki!" repeatedly.

Play in fountain by Southbank Centre

The balcony there is great if you pretend to be getting interval drinks. Not crowded and faces Somerset house.
Cue much reminiscing about trip to Somerset ... a decade ago. Wah!

Spend the bank holiday pootling about the Solent

Despite forecasts, no rain while under sail.
I still find it amazing that two boats can sail in exactly opposite directions, using the same wind, just by altering their rigging and rudder

Although the one sailing into the wind will lean over at silly angles.
... and adjusting the rudder, to stay at that angle, through gusty winds, gave my palm muscles a real work out

I didn't know I had palm muscles

Despite being on strike (and so not reading out the local shipping forcast) the coast guard still answered a French lady's request for a forecast, and signed off "Au revoir!"

Get lost on way too, and from IKEA

Eat meatballs, of course
Refuse to pay £36 for a pillow, even if it is shaped to fit my neck
Lug much flat pack about, and get to tills dead on 10pm closing time

Posts todo: several linkdump posts, and a review of "True Names".

Current Mood: busy

( 100 things every good omnivore should try: meme )

Just over half. Must do better.

Originally seen at

desperance's and

sbisson's then everywhere.

Things that deserve a longer post, so I may come back to:

Great British Beer Festival

Hilarious failure of cueing system
Fullers serving chilled HSB. Gits.
Yummy gluten free ale
Much pig fat (pork scratchings) and burny jerky (chilly biltong)
Stone jug bought as walked past the stage, where there was an auction on.
Infamously rude waiters at Won Kei, brilliantly living up to reputation

Flinging cups around
Brining us food we didn't order

Shunt

Fantastic club in the vaults under London Bridge
Part art gallery, part skate park, part disco, part live gig, part kids craft workshop
Seats galore, pool table and pinball machines, late licence
£10 entry, £3 cans of beer. Not bad.
Simply amazing. Must go again.

Fandom Origin Stories

I've found a few, and have them bookmarked to blog on when I get a second.
but much praise to the fishlifter who found a 7 year old fanzine in the archive with a multitude of them. I'm looking forward to reading it a lot.

As we tell others about us.

A book reviewed on Saturday's Loose Ends
Bob Fischer: Wiffle Lever To Full!
Tales from a few years in media fandom
Why is nobody on LJ talking about this?

I've also fallen behind a bit on my LJ reading. I'll catch up eventually.

Current Mood: busy

I very strongly recommend you ignore our SSID.

Went to see WALL·E last week. It's brilliant. The best thing I can say about is: that about 3 hours after seeing it, I suddenly remembered that it's supposed to be a kids film (I've been watching a lot of Ghost in the Shell recently, so animation does not equate with kids film in my head)

Went to a treetop adventure place over the weekend. Part of a chain called Go Ape. Seriously good fun. A couple of hours of Rope ladders, treetop bridges, zip lines, and Tarzan swings into cargo netting. It really deserves a better write up, but I don't have time right now.

Icon love! Seen here, based on these T-shirts.
I hate the cost of transatlantic shipping.

Science is like a good friend: sometimes it tells you things you don't want to hear.

From Charlie Brooker's TV rants seen at

andrewducker's

Current Mood: amused

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<insert crazy ramblings here>

<otiose>

Recent Entries

I am Jason Bourne

Current batch of unwritten posts

Webcomic Linkdump.

A pair of good evil pants.

Why have I not linked to banter-latte before?

Westminster bridge in light and shadow

There was a long time where I couldn't touch my toes

Lunch break plans.

Gillette. The rest a man can get.

ZombieCon timeline, and other waffle.

Anyone interested in Pratchett, Farces, or Japan?

Sketchin on a boat

Hello / Goodbye adverts

Google Crome Browser by Scott McCloud

With rhyme and ritalin

Catch up post

That 100 food things meme

Bit busy at the mo

We can haz no wirez!

Robot Brooker's treetop science.