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Below are the most recent 19 friends' journal entries.
| Friday, December 25th, 2009 |
cavalorn
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7:53p |
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| Thursday, December 24th, 2009 |
cavalorn
|
9:11p |
White Christmas
Punctually at Christmas the soft plush Of sentiment snows down, embosoms all The sharp and pointed shapes of venom, shawls The hills and hides the shocking holes of this Uneven world of want and wealth, cushions With cosy wish like cotton-wool the cool Arms-length interstices of caste and class And into obese folds subtracts from sight All truculent acts, bleeding the world white. Punctually that glib pair, Peace and Goodwill, Emerge royally to take the air, Collect the bows, assimilate the smiles, Of waiting men. It is a genial time. Angels, like stalactites, descend from heaven. Bishops distribute their weight in words, Congratulate the poor on Christ-like lack, And the Member for the constituency Feeds the five thousand and has plenty back. Punctually, tonight, in old stone circles Of set reunion, families stiffly sit And listen; this is the night, and this the happy time When the tinned milk of human kindness is Upheld and holed by radio-appeal. Hushed are hurrying heels on hard roads, And every parlour’s a pink pond of light To the cold and travelling man going by In the dark, without a bark or bite. But punctually tomorrow you will see All this silent and dissembling world Of silted sentiment suddenly melt Into mush and watery welter of words Beneath the warm and moving traffic of Feet and actual fact. Over the stark plain The stilted mill-chimneys spread once again spread Their sackcloth and ashes, a flowing mane Of repentance for the false day that’s sped. - W.R. Rodgers |
| Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 |
stinkygoat
|
7:57p |
A magazine for witches
 On the way back from Swansea we stopped to go to that mega Tesco on the road on the way out of town and we noticed a Borders book shop going through its throes and decided to nip in and see what was what. Place'd been picked nearly clean but with everything priced at 10p it was silly not to just go through buying any old random crap for a laugh. So I ended up with some mag for New Agers, a copy of Cigar Aficionado full of ads just as pretentious and you'd expect them to be, another mag in much the same vein for Scotch boozers, a magazine guide to weird shit from Fortean Times and an armful of books about this and that for £1.10 all told. Probably weirdest of all was this magazine for witches I found. I had no idea witches needed magazines but there it is, and it is as full of ads for all manner of crap like crystals, idols, runes, magickal supplies and strange things to do with the hallowed cycle of menstruation as you can imagine. The whisky mag's great for some properly berzerk tasting notes too. One $500 bottle is described as tasting like "peat kiln smoke, fresh asphalt, damp earth warehouses, morning-after campfires and old boat dock". YUMMY! Still, glad to be back home now, it was rainy and a zoo in Swansea, and now I don't have to lift my arse to go anywhere farther than down the pub for a few days. Bliss :). We pretty much just treat Christmas as a complete break from work and routine, and just sit around eating, watching telly, drinking and generally chilling out. No need for any more shopping now as we are sorted for food, booze, strange reading material, bog roll, sheep food and hay. We have a huge pile of meat. There's the new zelda to play through, I've a game of New Super Mario Bros Wii on the go, and there's always the odd poke at the score tables on Gridrunner Revolution to be had now too thanks to our shiny new online scoring stuff. We've had some nice interest taken in our iPhone dev stuff from Touch Arcade and Pocket Gamer already and with that and some other interesting stuff that looks like it may be happening soon we should be able to begin next year's work on a positive note. But for now it's time for a bit of chill }:-). |
cavalorn
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3:41p |
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| Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 |
stinkygoat
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11:59a |
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| Saturday, December 19th, 2009 |
cavalorn
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12:33p |
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| Friday, December 18th, 2009 |
andygates
|
7:38p |
That 'Russian Analysis' and a Plea for Honesty
Busted over at Deltoid. It's another cherry-pick and misquote by a politically-motivated organization, repeated in the sympathetic press without fact-checking. James Dellingpole, have you no shame?
Again, it'd be great to see honesty from the right: Some Russians who said "yes, it's happening and we think it's great! Farming! Resource exploitation! Enough for all - you get flooded, come here, work a Siberian vineyard and show us your wacky indigenous dishes: everyone wins!"
Alas no. The "Russian Analysis" is a selective sample that doesn't even say what they say it says, and by name-dropping they give it that fake gleam of state support. It's just some suits talking crap. Current Mood:  vexed |
cavalorn
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6:04p |
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stinkygoat
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5:21p |
Press Release
Llamasoft: Gridrunner Revolution online score tables, awesome new pricing - Llamasoft online scoreboards now open - Free upgrade for existing Gridrunner Revolution players - Gridrunner Revolution and Space Giraffe now available for under $10 each - Both games available for an outstanding $14.99 the pair - Gridrunner Revolution soundtrack now available from Turbo Recordings Llamasoft are positively stoked to announce that a much-requested feature has been added to Gridrunner Revolution in the form of online scoreboards for all play modes. Users can sign up in-game to join the Llamasoft online scoreboards and rank themselves amongst players from all over the world. The online score tables are viewable both in-game and on the Llamasoft website. We have spent a few weeks to create a robust and practical online scoreboarding system which will be used in every new Llamasoft release from now on. Register your profile once to have access to the system in all upcoming Llamasoft releases on any platform. The updated version of the game containing the online score functionality is available right now. Existing users should just download a new copy of the game, uninstall the old version and install the new one. New menu options in-game allow users to register for and use the online scoring system. Furthermore, in the spirit of the season, we are offering our games for an offer price which, if you haven't already got them, you'd be as crazy as a Scientologist to miss out on. Both Gridrunner Revolution and Space Giraffe are now available for just $9.99 each. Gridrunner Revolution is one of Metacritic's Best 40 PC games of 2009. It features a graphically unique style coupled with gameplay which is enjoyable and accessible and which goes far beyond what appears at first glance to be simple shoot-'em-up action; all set to a pulse-pounding soundtrack created by the artists of Turbo Recordings. Players learn that beauty is worth more than mere aggression, and that using the game's mechanisms creatively to achieve the most aesthetically pleasing results is what truly yields the best scores. Scores which you can now compare with other players all over the world thanks to the new Llamasoft online scoreboards. That such a game is available for less than the price of a chicken Vindaloo is quite remarkable. Space Giraffe PC is quite simply one of the best and deepest abstract shooters ever made, and those who love it are truly passionate about it to the point where many list it amongst the best games of all time. Players learn to push the boundaries of their perception in order to prevail in a game which leads them through astounding synaesthesiac vistas to entirely new and inordinately pleasing states of mind. Discover for yourself why PC Gamer rated this game a "Must Buy" at 92% and why Space Giraffe PC is considered by many to be one of the most original and beautiful games ever. The PC release improves considerably over its Xbox 360 ancestor, featuring enhanced shader effects, extra levels, and sensuously accessible gameplay that will invigorate your senses and expand your mind right from the very first level. For such a groundbreaking game to be available for less than the price of a couple of London pints represents outstanding value in both gaming and recreational procedural neuromodification. Perhaps most incredibly, in a Galaxy-shaking event the likes of which has not been seen in this sector of the Universe since Great Lord Xenu started blowing up space ghosts with H-bombs in Earth's volcanoes 75 million years ago, Llamasoft has harnessed the power of Matter, Energy, Space and Time to bring you both these excellent and outstanding games for the seasonal sleighbell eggnog Rudolphtastic price of only $14.99 for a bundle of both games. That you can buy two of the best and most distinctive PC games of recent times, created by Llamasoft (founded in 1982, one of the longest-established software houses in existence, and still actually making software rather than simply trying to sue anyone who dares to use the words "llama" or "soft" in their games) for less than the price of a dodgy kebab and a tin of Red Bull after the pubs have kicked out but you're still pissed and hungry - it's truly one of the most outstanding bargains in the history of Mankind, and a true marvel of the modern age. The new versions of the games are available from Llamasoft right now: http://llamasoft.co.uk/grintro2.phpAnd will be available on Direct2Drive as soon as the new build goes live there (any time now; check the prices, when they are the new ones then the new build will be live there) and shortly on Steam too. We would also like to mention that Turbo Recordings have released an excellent soundtrack album of the tunes from Gridrunner Revolution. If you loved the tunes in the game, now is the time to add them to your music collection. The album features a variety of artists from the Turbo Recordings label: Dahlbäck & Dahlbäck: Forsberg Loves the Acid DMX Krew: Texture Mapping Radio Bliss Placid Acid Jesper Dahlbäck: Mega Signalizer Super Connector Lazersonic & Zak Frost: Aquaplane (Unit 4 Remix) Mr James Barth: Workin the Truth For the Lords Popof: Chiken Flavour Tempered Dance Proxy: Decoy and is available from Turbo Recordings here: http://www.shop-turbo.com/browse/music/digital/?id=1348It's a great way to enjoy the music from the game even when you are not playing, and a great way to check out the work of some of the great artists on Turbo's books. That's it for now. We would be most happy if you would spread these tidings of great joy far and wide, and if you spot any lost reindeer send them to me };-). |
andygates
|
9:34a |
Exe Valley Triathlon
Just a reminder, if you're thinking about entering the Exe Valley Tri on 9th May 2010, entries are filling up. It's a nice pool sprint with a mostly flat out-and-back valley bike, then an onroad rolling run. Good little start to the season. |
sciolist
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8:13a |
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| Thursday, December 17th, 2009 |
cavalorn
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11:44a |
"we have to stop that because of something we weren't expecting well we did expect it but we asked them not to do it and they did it anyway..." Current Mood: NOW TESTIFY |
| Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 |
andygates
|
11:58a |
100 Reasons Analyzed
The breadth and sheer cheek of the bogosity in that 100 Reasons article took my breath away. After tearing it apart yesterday, I thought I'd do a bit of analysis:  Fully a quarter of the arguments are ideological, completely unrelated to the natural world or to science; they're "kyoto sucks" or "obama sucks" or "windmills suck". Next largest are the lies. Straight-out deception. A fifth of the document is just plain lies. What next? Attacks on the credibility of the IPCC, and 'climategate' smears: these aren't challenges to the science, but snarks at the people. This is what happens when ideologues go after scientists, and it's ugly. Next is crank references. I'm including some fringey references that may pan out in that, because they're being spun as cranks who will tear down the lie - some honest work may be misquoted by the authors, and I apologise if that's the case. And then we're down into the usual denier crap: cherry-picking (you can prove anything that way; one node is not a keystone, it is an outlier); it's the sun; the CO2 lag canard; baffling people with numbers (mixing up rates and values is a classic obfuscation trick); obsolete science and finally crumbs of logical fallacies, stuff that just doesn't make sense. How did this rubbish get past the fact-checking apparatus of the national press? This has all the credibility of "Elvis Sighted on Moon". |
skean
|
10:46a |
10:10
10:10 is a simple challenge: cut your emissions by 10% in 2010. I've had a think about my emissions, and I've put some of it below. Food: I'm moving more towards a less meat diet. It's expensive, I like to know the provenance of my meat which isn't always possible, and it's a double whammy of guilt, killing things and energy usage. I still really enjoy a good steak, so I'm not going to stop that once in a while, but on a day to day basis I'm consciously shifting much more to non meat options. Domestic power: Green option supplier already, which costs a little more. Getting into a habit of turning the lights off as much as possible. Need to turn things off standby more - TV, DVD, Power packs for PC/Printer/Phone. Work: Struggling a bit here. PC's have to be left on for updates overnight. Lights go off automatically. We recycle non confidential waste (after shredding). I resue my plastic cups for the water fountain. Need to bring a mug and spoon in the cut down on paper cup and plastic stirrer wastage. Commute: I only ever go by public transport (train and tram) or bike. Don't own a car. Need to up my bike days over the summer now we have a decent shower and changing room again. Leisure: This is the biggie. I fly a lot. Any gains I make in other areas are more than offset by flying. I think I average a reutrn flight about every 3 weeks. I managed one holiday last year by train in France. Maybe a realistic goal is to say 2 holidays by train in 2010? |
| Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 |
cavalorn
|
10:13p |
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andygates
|
3:24p |
100 Reasons Climate-Change Deniers Are Talking Crap
Some bunch of jokers calling themselves the European Federation put this collection of tired canards among the right-wing pigeons, who have dutifully published it as a great and mighty scoop. This from the Express and the Mail, mind you, the "MI5 Killed Diana" and "Hooray for the Blackshirts" papers. Caveat lector. Anyway, as it's slow, I'm going to see how many I can whack without breaking a sweat. (Later) Wow, that was easy. Is this the best they can do? Note the massive logical inconsistency (it's happening! it's not! it's the sun! it's the clouds! it's Obama!) and the use of repetition to fake up a hundred points, the use of all manner of logical falseness, and especially the treatment of science as ideologically, rather than observationally driven. Frankly, this is all crap. ( Epic 100-Reasons whac-a-mole under the cut ) |
| Monday, December 14th, 2009 |
andygates
|
8:54p |
How to make decarbonizing sexy?
In discussion today, "why does everyone have to agree before cutting emissions? Why not just do it?" As I see it, this is because they all view "it" as a painful thing, and so the whole Prisoner's Dilemma / competition thing kicks in. Untrustworthy actors are expected to welch; trustworthy actors don't want to be the schmuck. The whole thing would be a metric ton easier if someone had the chutzpah to present decarbonizing as a short term economic and social good. Any suggestions? ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) despaer , economics is your bag. How'd you sell it? The current best sell, the Stern report, is about a 500% ROI but on a century timescale, which clearly means not you, not me and not the current governments (possibly not the current nations). |
| Sunday, December 13th, 2009 |
stinkygoat
|
8:36p |
Back from a nice weekend }:-)
Jost got back from a nice weekend - it was my mum's 80th birthday and we took her to the football }:-). That may sound a bit of a strange thing to do but we're a family of Southampton FC supporters and the football is something we can all join in and enjoy, and something which my dad loved. We did it in style, going for a hospitality package which involved a nice meal and loads of drink in the Matt Le Tissier Suite at the ground, and watching the game from the VIP seats. We even got to rub shoulders with some famous football types - sitting just 2 seats away from me, and at the next table over for the meal, was Lawrie McMenemy, who had been Southampton's manager during the season the team won the FA Cup. Somewhere I have a photo of my 14 year old self holding the Cup with him. It was a really good day out, and we were quite a crowd (I have 5 brothers, all with wives and children, so there were plenty of us; although unfortunately one of the brothers couldn't make it, being ill with flu). Good to see them all, I rarely get a chance to see them all together like that. Had a chance for a bit of a think on the way back, and I've definitely been letting this depression get the better of me of late. I need to take some positive steps to sort my head out. So: no Internet drama, no posting when depressed/upset/drunk or any combination of the above, no dwelling on bad crap that happened in the past, only good stuff about how nice the new games stuff is coming out and such. I found when I'd got back that Giles had spent a lot of time cleaning up around the house because he figured that an untidy cluttered place only makes you feel even more depressed and he wanted me to have an environment more conducive to positive thought. Which was very kind of him }:-). And in the spirit of all that here's a little clip of some progress on my iPhone shooter, showing a prototype of a bit of the first level. A bit of my scrolly shooter on iPhone from Jeff Minter on Vimeo. Starts out very time pilotty as you can see but it'll have more complex missions on some levels than "just shoot the planes then warp", and it'll get a bit Star Forcey as well along the way . Nothing here is final, graphics are placeholders, the name is a placeholder, $usual_disclaimers }:-). |
| Saturday, December 12th, 2009 |
skean
|
5:25p |
Writer's Block: Voulez-vous parler ...
English, German, French and Russian, in that order of aptitude, going from Mother Tongue down to comical conversations. Spanish (again), because I love the sound |
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