Joss Whedon's Dollhouse has been killed, as Firefly was before it, by Fox's Friday Night Death Slot.
Every now and then my browser helpfully prepends a "www." to an LJ URL, which means I end up with a 404 page. I'm pretty sure these used to be quite normal and boring things, but I just got one with the following content:
*roffles*.
Page Not Found
Narrator: In A.D. 2006, Web was beginning.
Captain: What happen ?
Mechanic: Somebody set up us the journal.
Operator: We get signal.
Captain: What !
Operator: Main browser turn on.
Captain: It's you !!
CATS: How are you users !!
CATS: All your base are belong to Frank.
CATS: You are on the way to 404.
Captain: What you say !!
CATS: You have no chance to reach your page. Make your spelling correct.
CATS: Ha Ha Ha Ha ....
If you think you've reached this page in error:
- Make sure the URL you're trying to reach is correct.
- Check http://status.livejournal.org to view LiveJournal's current status.
Otherwise, you can:
- Go back to the previous page
- Go to the LiveJournal Homepage.
- Explore the Site Map
*roffles*.
...I learned from "The Princess Bride".
The important lessons for the last couple of months are "Who says life is fair? Where is that written?" and "Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something."
So, as previously mentioned, my eczema which normally doesn't bother me very much, and when it does is mostly pretty low-key and confined to the months of January to March, ( flared up in early September... )
The important lessons for the last couple of months are "Who says life is fair? Where is that written?" and "Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something."
So, as previously mentioned, my eczema which normally doesn't bother me very much, and when it does is mostly pretty low-key and confined to the months of January to March, ( flared up in early September... )
I've been asked to post on behalf of ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
ceehoss that a mutual friend WINOLJ has a ticket for Firefest 6 at Rock City, Nottingham on Oct 24th that they are no longer able to use. The on-door price is £55, and the advance price including booking fee is £52.25, but this one includes overnight accommodation for a low, low total of £60.
If you're interested then comment or messageceehoss and we'll see about getting you in contact with the current ticket owner.
(Edit: Added that ticket includes accommodation. That's what the "ticket + acc" (which looks like "ticket + ale") means on the scrap of paper I have. I'm still not sure about "B[scribble] Twin Stadium")
ceehoss that a mutual friend WINOLJ has a ticket for Firefest 6 at Rock City, Nottingham on Oct 24th that they are no longer able to use. The on-door price is £55, and the advance price including booking fee is £52.25, but this one includes overnight accommodation for a low, low total of £60.If you're interested then comment or message
ceehoss and we'll see about getting you in contact with the current ticket owner.(Edit: Added that ticket includes accommodation. That's what the "ticket + acc" (which looks like "ticket + ale") means on the scrap of paper I have. I'm still not sure about "B[scribble] Twin Stadium")
Dear All,
It's getting towards that time of year again, when in early December we shall descend on Chez Lahlou to eat as much as is humanly possible, and then a wafer thin mint more.
In order to book before the place gets completely full with other, less regular Christmas guests, I shall be booking in early November. This in turn means I need to ask now whether you wish to attend, even though it is only mid October, and hence clearly too early for sane people to start thinking about the tide of yule.
So, if you wish to come along on Wednesday December 2nd to stuff yourself silly, please comment below sometime before November 1.
It's getting towards that time of year again, when in early December we shall descend on Chez Lahlou to eat as much as is humanly possible, and then a wafer thin mint more.
In order to book before the place gets completely full with other, less regular Christmas guests, I shall be booking in early November. This in turn means I need to ask now whether you wish to attend, even though it is only mid October, and hence clearly too early for sane people to start thinking about the tide of yule.
So, if you wish to come along on Wednesday December 2nd to stuff yourself silly, please comment below sometime before November 1.
...I've never had either of my ears pierced.
This is the funniest thing I've read in a long, long time. Tears streaming down my face, unable to breathe funny. Because it's true, and happens to me all the time.
How To Figure Out What Someone Said
Bag Wag Sing!
How To Figure Out What Someone Said
Bag Wag Sing!
Was just looking up the results for the Japanese Grand Prix, and noticed something very odd - the total "Race Time" for every single driver that finished without being lapped end in .x43 seconds.
The odds of 14 other drivers to get the same last 2 digits on their "race time" as the first driver is 1-in-10014, or 1-in-10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,0
One possibility is that the clocks used for the timings are basically broken. But the timings appear to be *mostly* correct and give reasonable values for the more significant digits. So this does not appear to be the case.
One other possibility is that the clocks used are simply not accurate to 1/1000 of a second - they are accurate to 1/10 of a second but give the same value for the 1/100 of a second and below. But in that case, why are the timings reported to 1/1000 of a second? Also, given that qualifying is done on a timed basis and that 1/1000 of a second does make a difference, surely someone would have noticed this problem beforehand?
A third possibility that springs to mind is that the winner is timed to 1/1000 of a second, but later cars are timed by how far behind the winner they were, but only to 1/10 of a second. When these differences are then used to produce full race times, you get the distribution seen on that page.
Anyone any other ideas? References?
The odds of 14 other drivers to get the same last 2 digits on their "race time" as the first driver is 1-in-10014, or 1-in-10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,0
One possibility is that the clocks used for the timings are basically broken. But the timings appear to be *mostly* correct and give reasonable values for the more significant digits. So this does not appear to be the case.
One other possibility is that the clocks used are simply not accurate to 1/1000 of a second - they are accurate to 1/10 of a second but give the same value for the 1/100 of a second and below. But in that case, why are the timings reported to 1/1000 of a second? Also, given that qualifying is done on a timed basis and that 1/1000 of a second does make a difference, surely someone would have noticed this problem beforehand?
A third possibility that springs to mind is that the winner is timed to 1/1000 of a second, but later cars are timed by how far behind the winner they were, but only to 1/10 of a second. When these differences are then used to produce full race times, you get the distribution seen on that page.
Anyone any other ideas? References?
International Blasphemy Day [...] is a movement to dismantle the wall which exists between religion and criticism.
So, in support of the Danish cartoonists and publishers who did nothing more than put ink to paper, I would just like to say...
Thor is just a stupid weakling who'd be nothing without his magical artifacts Mjöllnir, Megingjord and Járngreipr. Really, what kind of thunder and lightning God is incapable of creating lightning with just his bare hands? Odin can't be very potent if that's the sort of progeny he sires.
Ra, Anubis and the rest of the Egyptian lot are a bunch of ugly animal-headed monstrosities.
Ganesh is a fat Jabba.
The Flying Spaghetti Monster is a bowl of wet noodle soup, and pirates were a vicious bunch of psycopathic criminals you'd have to be an idiot to romanticise.
The Judeo-Christian-Muslim God is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully. Moses was far too fond of the hallucinogens, Jesus of Nazareth was a con-man and Mohammed was a pædophile.
Jupiter is a complete rip-off of Zeus. Lame.
Zeus was an uncontrollable sex-addict, having far too many children for his, or anyone else's, own good. Really, if a God can't show any self-restraint at all, are they worth following? And what chance do us mortals have at controlling our baser impulses?
The Triple Goddess is a weak attempt to cater to everyone. Monotheistic or polytheistic? Why not just cater to everyone! Also, Earth-mother type deities in general smell really bad, from refusing to kill the multitude of "natural" (but still thoroughly rancid) bacteria which thrive on their millenia-old accumulations of sebum.
There, I think that covers it. If you happen to believe in any of these seemingly equally outlandish (to me at least) mythological creatures and I haven't offended you, I'll try harder next year.
Food for thought: if I have both offended and amused you, are you a hypocrite?
So, in support of the Danish cartoonists and publishers who did nothing more than put ink to paper, I would just like to say...
Thor is just a stupid weakling who'd be nothing without his magical artifacts Mjöllnir, Megingjord and Járngreipr. Really, what kind of thunder and lightning God is incapable of creating lightning with just his bare hands? Odin can't be very potent if that's the sort of progeny he sires.
Ra, Anubis and the rest of the Egyptian lot are a bunch of ugly animal-headed monstrosities.
Ganesh is a fat Jabba.
The Flying Spaghetti Monster is a bowl of wet noodle soup, and pirates were a vicious bunch of psycopathic criminals you'd have to be an idiot to romanticise.
The Judeo-Christian-Muslim God is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully. Moses was far too fond of the hallucinogens, Jesus of Nazareth was a con-man and Mohammed was a pædophile.
Jupiter is a complete rip-off of Zeus. Lame.
Zeus was an uncontrollable sex-addict, having far too many children for his, or anyone else's, own good. Really, if a God can't show any self-restraint at all, are they worth following? And what chance do us mortals have at controlling our baser impulses?
The Triple Goddess is a weak attempt to cater to everyone. Monotheistic or polytheistic? Why not just cater to everyone! Also, Earth-mother type deities in general smell really bad, from refusing to kill the multitude of "natural" (but still thoroughly rancid) bacteria which thrive on their millenia-old accumulations of sebum.
There, I think that covers it. If you happen to believe in any of these seemingly equally outlandish (to me at least) mythological creatures and I haven't offended you, I'll try harder next year.
Food for thought: if I have both offended and amused you, are you a hypocrite?
A quick apology for falling out of view a bit over the last couple of weeks. My eczema, which is a continual but normally low-level and inconspicuous annoyance, decided to make one of it's rare appearances on my face. This left me, as it tends to do, feeling not particularly bothered about doing anything, especially if there were a social element to it, and generally wanting to crawl into a bit of a hole until it blows over.
It has now pretty much done so, so I might be around a bit more from next week.
It has now pretty much done so, so I might be around a bit more from next week.
This Wednesday we're having lard early in order to catch District 13 at the Showroom after, it being the last part of their "Martial Focus" season of kung fu movies.
So, the plan is to meet in the Porter Brook on Eccleshall Road from around 5:30pm, wander down Eccleshall Road until we find somewhere that looks interesting at about 6pm, and then eat and get to the cinema in time for 8:30.
See you there.
So, the plan is to meet in the Porter Brook on Eccleshall Road from around 5:30pm, wander down Eccleshall Road until we find somewhere that looks interesting at about 6pm, and then eat and get to the cinema in time for 8:30.
See you there.
Inglorious Basterds is a Quentin Tarantino film, through and through.
( Set in wartime France, it tells two stories of resistance against the Nazis... )
As it is, this is a good film with an intricate and immersive script, subtle and believable acting, and plenty of dark humour. If it weren't for the dicking about, it would be brilliant.
( Set in wartime France, it tells two stories of resistance against the Nazis... )
As it is, this is a good film with an intricate and immersive script, subtle and believable acting, and plenty of dark humour. If it weren't for the dicking about, it would be brilliant.
As "creepy moppet" horror movies go, this is a really good one.
Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) is a 9-year old orphan, adopted by John and Kate Coleman (Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga). Born in Russia, her original foster parents died some time ago in a house fire after they moved to the USA. With all she's been through, she is fairly reserved and quiet, giving her an air of sensibility and self-assuredness. But this helps her seem to make a connection with John and Kate while they are looking around the orphanage, and they decide to adopt her.
( However, all is not well with Esther... )
Scary, tense, jump-inducing, intelligent and disturbing - if you like being a bit scared but not too grossed out then you'll find this a lot of fun.
Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) is a 9-year old orphan, adopted by John and Kate Coleman (Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga). Born in Russia, her original foster parents died some time ago in a house fire after they moved to the USA. With all she's been through, she is fairly reserved and quiet, giving her an air of sensibility and self-assuredness. But this helps her seem to make a connection with John and Kate while they are looking around the orphanage, and they decide to adopt her.
( However, all is not well with Esther... )
Scary, tense, jump-inducing, intelligent and disturbing - if you like being a bit scared but not too grossed out then you'll find this a lot of fun.
A few of people have been talking about Tim Minchin recently, and I caught his "So Fucking Rock" tour on E4 a few weeks ago, and I do believe he is indeed a comedy god.
He is also playing Sheffield City Hall on October 17th. On the off chance that there are still tickets available, does anyone else fancy going to see him? (In case you can't be bothered to click through, tickets are £17.50) I'll see about getting tickets this weekend for those that are interested.
He is also playing Sheffield City Hall on October 17th. On the off chance that there are still tickets available, does anyone else fancy going to see him? (In case you can't be bothered to click through, tickets are £17.50) I'll see about getting tickets this weekend for those that are interested.
...To Be Retrieved From Secret Vault To Save Rock And Roll.
The Onion proves once again that it does, indeed, rơck.
"May God have mercy on our souls for what we are going to set loose upon the world," proclaimed Queen guitarist Brian May, dressed in druidic robes and bathed in the rising blue smoke of a nearby fog machine. "Will it save rock or destroy mankind? We have no way of knowing—yet we have no other choice."
The Onion proves once again that it does, indeed, rơck.
The Universe is much bigger than you can possibly imagine, grander, more subtle, more elegant. It is more ancient than you can comprehend, more beautiful and awe-inspiring than any work of art in any gallery, and filled with treasures of which you would not have the audacity to dream.
( With apologies to Carl Sagan )
(Via Pharyngula.)
( With apologies to Carl Sagan )
(Via Pharyngula.)
Well, having first gone climbing with talma in Jan 2008, and then started climbing somewhat regularly with glitterybint and swordfiend just over a year ago, I finally went proper climbing on my first real rocks last night with zombie90, delanthear, Jen, Kiri (both of whom may not be on LJ) and Dave (no, not that one, or the other one, or the other one - a completely different one who you probably don't know and may not even have a distinguishing nickname) up at Birchen Edge.
It was a lot of fun.
Different from wall climbing too. Not necessarily harder or easier, but very different, particularly in the type of holds you get, and where they are. On the gritstone where we were, there's a whole lot more 3-dimensional reaching into the rock face for hand holds, as opposed to the mostly 2-dimensional left/right, up/down surfaces you get on walls. The footholds are much more "feature"-like than "hold"-like in comparison to wall routes, except they're much longer, and have better grip. There's also a lot more scope for wedging your whole body into parts of the face.
The sections we were on weren't as high or tiring as I was expecting. The route lengths were closer to 12-15ft boulder problems than 30ft wall climbs. Obviously this is dependent on where you go to climb, but I somehow imagined that all outdoor climbing routes were at least 50ft high and real tests of stamina.
But yes, lots of fun. Would definitely like to go again.
Must get better at belaying a lead-climber though, especially when they're on two ropes. Paying out and taking in slack on one rope, which seems to require some manipulation of the rope above the belay device, while simultaneously keeping a firm hold of both it and the other rope below the belay device, seems to require more hands than I currently possess. I am informed that I am not being crap or slow at this, that it is genuinely tricky to do, and the only thing that makes it easier is practice, but it's still awfully stressful nerve-wracking because if you do get it wrong, someone could actually die. On reflection, I suppose it shouldn't be that much more stressful than driving a car, but it is. Or maybe I just don't remember how nervous I was when I started to learn how to drive. But thanks to Zombie90 for trusting me, and Jen and Delanthear for "backstopping" for me, just in case I got it wrong.
Given that quite a few people I know climb, I thought there might be some interest in the fact that Leo Houlding (who raced Jeremy Clarkson up the 1200ft Verdon Gorge in southern France) is giving a lecture and demonstration at The Climbing Works on Sunday November 1st.
talma in Jan 2008, and then started climbing somewhat regularly with glitterybint and swordfiend just over a year ago, I finally went proper climbing on my first real rocks last night with zombie90, delanthear, Jen, Kiri (both of whom may not be on LJ) and Dave (no, not that one, or the other one, or the other one - a completely different one who you probably don't know and may not even have a distinguishing nickname) up at Birchen Edge.It was a lot of fun.
Different from wall climbing too. Not necessarily harder or easier, but very different, particularly in the type of holds you get, and where they are. On the gritstone where we were, there's a whole lot more 3-dimensional reaching into the rock face for hand holds, as opposed to the mostly 2-dimensional left/right, up/down surfaces you get on walls. The footholds are much more "feature"-like than "hold"-like in comparison to wall routes, except they're much longer, and have better grip. There's also a lot more scope for wedging your whole body into parts of the face.
The sections we were on weren't as high or tiring as I was expecting. The route lengths were closer to 12-15ft boulder problems than 30ft wall climbs. Obviously this is dependent on where you go to climb, but I somehow imagined that all outdoor climbing routes were at least 50ft high and real tests of stamina.
But yes, lots of fun. Would definitely like to go again.
Must get better at belaying a lead-climber though, especially when they're on two ropes. Paying out and taking in slack on one rope, which seems to require some manipulation of the rope above the belay device, while simultaneously keeping a firm hold of both it and the other rope below the belay device, seems to require more hands than I currently possess. I am informed that I am not being crap or slow at this, that it is genuinely tricky to do, and the only thing that makes it easier is practice, but it's still awfully stressful nerve-wracking because if you do get it wrong, someone could actually die. On reflection, I suppose it shouldn't be that much more stressful than driving a car, but it is. Or maybe I just don't remember how nervous I was when I started to learn how to drive. But thanks to Zombie90 for trusting me, and Jen and Delanthear for "backstopping" for me, just in case I got it wrong.
Given that quite a few people I know climb, I thought there might be some interest in the fact that Leo Houlding (who raced Jeremy Clarkson up the 1200ft Verdon Gorge in southern France) is giving a lecture and demonstration at The Climbing Works on Sunday November 1st.
There's been a lot of articles on this recently, and while I agree with what a lot of them have to say, not many have mentioned what I consider to be the heart of the matter.
( Does the government have the authority to legislate at all over how I treat my own body, or how I freely invite others to treat it? )
( Does the government have the authority to legislate at all over how I treat my own body, or how I freely invite others to treat it? )
It's been a filling few days.
Thursday was Chinese for dinner, a tradition I picked up some time ago.
Friday was lunch down at Bungalow & Bears, which was really good.
Saturday was going down to my parents for the annual pig roast, wherein I had a rather large plate of pig, stuffing, apple sauce, potatoes and garnish, followed by another, followed by a bit more pig that would otherwise have gone to waste (a crime if ever there was one), followed by some pudding, and some more pudding, and some more pudding, and then a fourth bit of pudding, with cream. I was so full, sitting down was painful. But I was very happy. And relaxed, in a special way that only being back with my parents can be.
Sunday, I got fed a nice fry-up for brunch (it's difficult to hungry around my Mum) and then, because I didn't have any food in when I got back and the shops were shut, I ordered out for pizza.
And then today was lard, where we went to Yuen Shan on London Road for a particularly good order-from-the-menu all-you-can-eat meal. Where I did eat as much as I could. Again.
Now, I am feeling a little porky.
So, while I am in general against the idea of diets, preferring instead to just try to eat reasonable portion sizes of things that aren't too unhealthy and get a modicum of exercise, I think it can be safely said that that alternative is currently out of the window, across the lawn, down the road, and halfway to the next town by now. Therefore, becoming a salad muncher[0] for a few days is probably a good idea for once.
[0] Should be a euphemism for something.
Thursday was Chinese for dinner, a tradition I picked up some time ago.
Friday was lunch down at Bungalow & Bears, which was really good.
Saturday was going down to my parents for the annual pig roast, wherein I had a rather large plate of pig, stuffing, apple sauce, potatoes and garnish, followed by another, followed by a bit more pig that would otherwise have gone to waste (a crime if ever there was one), followed by some pudding, and some more pudding, and some more pudding, and then a fourth bit of pudding, with cream. I was so full, sitting down was painful. But I was very happy. And relaxed, in a special way that only being back with my parents can be.
Sunday, I got fed a nice fry-up for brunch (it's difficult to hungry around my Mum) and then, because I didn't have any food in when I got back and the shops were shut, I ordered out for pizza.
And then today was lard, where we went to Yuen Shan on London Road for a particularly good order-from-the-menu all-you-can-eat meal. Where I did eat as much as I could. Again.
Now, I am feeling a little porky.
So, while I am in general against the idea of diets, preferring instead to just try to eat reasonable portion sizes of things that aren't too unhealthy and get a modicum of exercise, I think it can be safely said that that alternative is currently out of the window, across the lawn, down the road, and halfway to the next town by now. Therefore, becoming a salad muncher[0] for a few days is probably a good idea for once.
[0] Should be a euphemism for something.