A Little Something For The Weekend

I've posted about a game called Blocks With Letters On in one of my previous link posts. A couple of weeks ago (yes, I've been busy) I found out, through the incomparable JayIsGames site, that they'd made a sequel cunningly titled More Blocks With Letters On. And, indeed, it is more of the same, only slightly different with a couple of extra goodies to make it just as compelling as the original. Just like the original the fun fizzles out on some of the longer, more involved puzzles (level 18 is particularly sadistic in this regard but it's quite the sensation when you beat it) but it's good brow furrowing stuff most of the time.

I also found on Jay's site a series of point-n'-click adventures with fantastic animation, corny (but good) humour, the occasionally fiendish puzzle and mulitple endings called the Several Journeys of Reemus. Great stuff, though it's probably best to start with the preview adventure The Visitor.

Gig Poster

This is the poster for the BluesBerries next gig. I'm fairly proud of this one. Though I may have ripped off this:

Though I like to think I've added something. Subliminal boobies.

Karaoke Rage

There's a whole other post (a series, probably) on how everything is a "rage" these days, but this article on Karaoke Rage in Slate tickled me. Not so much for the insight -- people can can precious about music and being a drunk exhibitionist doesn't help your impluse issues -- but for the examples. One in particular:

And in Asia, there's been a string of karaoke-bar stabbings and shootings, including a horrific incident in Bangkok in which eight amateur singers were murdered by their neighbor, reportedly due in part to his hatred of John Denver's "Country Roads."

Now, I've never murdered anyone over "Country Roads", but I live in Austria, so the chances for me to do it are quite high. In fact if I were to snap it would probably be that. Or "Summertime".

Microsoft Not Totally Evil?

I'm so behind on all things at the moment. Apparently Microsoft have released something called Songsmith (it generates musical accompaniment to match a singer’s voice, so the blurb says) and the fun thing to do is to take a vocal track from someone famous and have Songsmith destroy a cherished favourite. Obviously you then have to upload it somewhere to show just how bad MS and some old band singer are.

Except...

Well, except I really like this version of Wonderwall.

Literally

As if to prove not all football fans are illiterate, comes the story of hoax player Masal Bugduv and some sly Irish humour.

Freedom Of Speech Only For The Hardest

Over at the Guardian there's a discussion of how much abuse is too much for a footballer. The general rule seems to be if you're being racist or homophobic you've definitely gone too far (and if you're being both then you're probably a Spurs fan abusing Sol Campbell - and, yes, saying you'd like to see a black man hanging from a tree is racist).

Some ask if we should chant abuse at footballers at all. In a perfect society, probably not, but it doesn't help that you can imagine these vocally abused footballers crying themselves to sleep every night on a huge pile of money.

One commonplace is this sort of comment:

In my view the standard for any reasonable human being (OK that excludes quite a few fans I grant you) should be that anything you say whilst sitting/standing anonymously (cowardly even) amongst thousands of your ilk, you should also be prepared to say to the target of your views if you were face to face with him in the street whilst accompanied by your mother and your small child and what you say/do is not going to get you arrested.

Which, to me, suggests that if you are a sociopath or psychopath, or perhaps just hard and uncaring[1], then your range of free speech is much greater than the normal person. This doesn't seem right.

Personally, I don't care about bad language that much. It's an intensifier. Surely if you're calling some one "useless" or a "useless prick", say, it should be the "useless" part that hurts. If you are just shouting "prick" at a footballer, then perhaps it is time to reconsider (unless you're shouting it at the disappointing Harry Kewell, in which case go right ahead).

[1] Actually, it occurs to me that if I told some footballers what I thought of them to their face, my mother might join in.

Ooo, These Grapes Are Sour!

Dirk Benedict has much to say about the new BSG. A movie site, Big Hollywood, has given him a platform to say it.

You wish they hadn't.

One can quickly surmise what a problem the original Starbuck created for the re-imaginators. Starbuck was all charm and humor and flirting without an angry bone in his womanizing body. Yes, he was definitely “female driven,” but not in the politically correct ways of Re-imagined Television. What to do, wondered the Re-imaginators? Keep him as he was, with a twinkle in his eye, a stogie in his mouth and a girl in every galaxy? This could not be. He would stick out like, well, like a jock strap in a drawer of thongs. Starbuck refused to be re-imagined. It became the Great Dilemma. How to have your Starbuck and delete him too?

It's that whole bad tooth thing. You really want him to shut up and, well, you could just close the browser but just as you can't stop prodding at that tooth...

Changes

So, I've moved over to a new Blogger template, which sort of makes the page look just like any other blog, oh well...

I just wanted to add gadgets I guess and now I probably have less functionality than I did before.

I'll add all the old links back soon. Honest.

Flight Info

Over at Making Light Abi Sutherland posted a list of useful sites offering various information about flights and airports. I've just checked out Sky Scanner and I must say that I was very impressed with it. It's got a simple, easy to use, interface and the results seem to be very thorough (to get to Leeds Bradford from Linz, the flight goes to Dublin first, obvious, I suppose, but not something I'd thought of). I'll definitely give it a try next time I go back to England.

Posts Will Be Coming Soon

Two weeks off, even at Chrimble, sure does seem to build up a back-log. I haven't forgotten you, dear readers, I've just been busy catching up here at work before I can send out yet another filler Short Short item. I must try and do a couple of longer things in the next month or two.

So here's a couple of things any way:

• Flat Earth News. I'm probably way behind the times with this, but there's some good articles there about the news and the lies the media tell us.


• Little Master Cricket game. Fun, if a little frantic for cricket...


• Actors remember Harold Pinter. A kindly terror.


• World's Funniest Street Signs. I mention this only because I believe one could be from Conisbrough.