Who are the nine

http://whoarethenine.com/animation.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20051229075140/http://whoarethenine.com/animation.html

From the Who are the nine site:

“Each of the animated sequences above was a test, an experiment to see what we could accomplish with the resources available.

Each one took a small step beyond the previous attempt that, when seen one at a time, look relatively insignificant, but by step 8, you’re already about a leap beyond where you started.

To explain further, we’ve put a little about each of the animated sequences underneath the live sample. Enjoy”

Nice.

Update 2022 : site dropped off the web sometime in 2008 I think , this was the only animation I could salvage:

Edward Tufte: Posters and Graph Paper

http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/posters


From the page:
“Probably the best statistical graphic ever drawn, this map by Charles Joseph Minard portrays the losses suffered by Napoleon’s army in the Russian campaign of 1812.

Beginning at the Polish-Russian border, the thick band shows the size of the army at each position. The path of Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow in the bitterly cold winter is depicted by the dark lower band, which is tied to temperature and time scales.”

Update: 2022 – this site has stayed online and intact – which is great. For more info on Tufte check out his wikipedia page. This is just one of the many interesting links I recorded via stumbleupon.

The Year London Blew Up

http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/Y/year_london_blew_up/

The Year London Blew Up: 1974 – Channel 4 Thursday 1 September 9pm, Channel 4 (British TV)


From the page:
“What happens when a city faces a cell of fanatics with a single goal: to bring the maximum terror to the civilian population?

Militant Islamists may be the current threat, but in 1974/5, the enemy was the Provisional IRA.

Four men hiding out in London bedsits carried out over 40 separate incidents across the capital.

The city and its people reeled under the impact of this sustained attack, but finally found the resolve to face the onslaught and defeat it.”

I remember it well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Irish_Republican_Army

“According to reports from Reuters, the IRA killed almost 1,800 people… 600 civilians also died at the hands of the IRA, mostly Catholics. Many of the civilians were deliberately killed,…”

and what were our American allies doing during this? They were complicit by allowing Noraid to solicit funds using the catchphrase:

“Give a dollar, buy a bullet, kill a British soldier”

Sept 2nd – Excellent production BTW

https://www.channel4.com

fUSION Anomaly. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

http://fusionanomaly.net/doandroidsdreamofelectricsheep.html


 

 

fUSION Anomaly. – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – this novel by Philip K Dick was the basis of the film Bladerunner.

Update 2022: the site is still online which is great but does look rather dated now. I did notice that the copyright (copyleft) notice said 1997 – 2021. Over twenty years on line is an achievement.

Main site:

https://fusionanomaly.net/nodebase.html

Ireland and the UK

http://www.langerland.com/content/view/37/59/

This Ireland and the UK cartoon is no longer available – I’ve tried to locate other copies – but no luck.

No longer available

Hilarious, the 10 greatest things about Britain as seen from the Irish perspective. I am pleased to report that I made it to the Number One slot. Better than that pile of pants the BBC’s ‘Greatest Britons’

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/greatbritons.shtml

where I came last…

Webcam in UNITED STATES

http://www.opentopia.com/showcam.php?id=1016

http://www.opentopia.com/hiddencam.php?country=United%20States

Webcams in the UNITED STATES Update 2022: Be careful some NSFW links at the bottom of the page. The site still works though and does have a good list of webcams that are SFW.


The original posting had a webcam showing chickens but I couldn’t find one on the site so,…

http://flyingskunk.com/live.php

http://flyingskunk.com/live.php

Banned Cartoons

Banned cartoons: also racially sensitive ‘toons are reviewed

“If you squint your eyes long and hard enough, any fictional character on any animated cartoon begins to develop its own offensive, socially improper qualities. Even the dynamics inherent to seemingly innocent cartoon settings and situations can appear sinister when scrutinized by qualified armchair cynics.”

http://www.rotten.com/library/culture/banned-cartoons/

https://web.archive.org/web/20170707022523/http://www.rotten.com/library/culture/banned-cartoons/

Update2022: site dropped offline in 2017

In the 1930’s when the Nazi film maker Leni Riefenstahl http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leni_Riefenstahl visited the USA all of the film studios refused to have anything to do with the awful bitch except for Disney.

In an effort to redeem Disney’s reputation, Der Fuehrer’s Face (1942),and other anti-Nazi cartoons were made.

China Predictions #1

http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20040701faessay83405-p0/george-j-gilboy/the-myth-behind-china-s-miracle.html

Update: Now behind a paywall

From the page:

“Washington need not worry about China’s economic boom, much less respond with protectionism. Although China controls more of the world’s exports than ever before, its high-return high-tech industries are dominated by foreign companies. And Chinese firms will not displace them any time soon: Beijing’s one-party politics have bred a timid business culture that prevents domestic firms from developing key technologies and keeps them dependent on the West.”

Update 2022: This prediction didn’t turn out so well now did it?

China Predictions #2

http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20050901faessay84504/wang-jisi/china-s-search-for-stability-with-america.html

(Now only accessible behind a paywall.)

From the page:

“No country can affect China’s fortunes more directly than the United States. Many potential flashpoints — such as Taiwan, Japan, and North Korea — remain, and true friendship between Washington and Beijing is unlikely. But their interests have grown so intertwined that cooperation is the best way to serve both countries.”

‘Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?’ – Answer

‘Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?’

Answer: King Henry II of England (March 5, 1133 – July 6, 1189)

The Priest in question was Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Thomas Becket clashed with King Henry II because Thomas sustained that the Pope and English Bishops could not accept the jurisdiction of the King over them. This refusal to submit to the crown provoked Henry to the full force of his Plantagenet anger.

Four of Henry’s knights murdered Becket in order to court favour with him and in doing so turned Becket into a saint. Henry lost popularity and had to become a penitent. He was publicly whipped by monks and made himself wear a horsehair shirt.
Ouch.

Who gets into Heaven…?

via GIPHY

Who gets into Heaven…?

Speaker: Hello, newcomers, and welcome to Hell.
Can everybody hear me? [taps the mic a few times] Hello? Can everybuh-? Okay. [the crowd quiets down]
Uh, I’m the hell director. Uh, it looks like we have about 8,615 of you newbies today, and for those of you who are a little confused, uh, you are dead, and this is hell, so, abandon all hope and uh yada yada yada.
Uh, we are now going to start the orientation process, which will last about-

Man 4: Hey, wait a minute, I shouldn’t be here. I was a totally strict and devout Protestant! I thought we went to heaven!

Hell Director: Yes, well I’m afraid you were wrong.

Soldier: I was a practicing Jehovah’s Witness.

Hell director: Uh, you picked the wrong religion as well.

Man 5: Well, who was right? Who gets into heaven?

Hell Director: I’m afraid it was the Mormons.
Yes, the Mormons were the correct answer.

Crowd: [disappointed] Awww.

Yes, wouldn’t it be a bugger if after praying devoutly to the God of your choice for a whole lifetime it turns out that you picked the wrong religion…

In Memoriam Dave Marsden

http://argoslabs.com/~malefico/gallery/imagenes/pirineos-original-magritte.jpg

In memoriam Dave Marsden, poet, philosopher, magickian and friend.
You said “there’s a lot of love in Geburah.’
Just for you here’s ‘The Temple of the Gnosis’
and ‘The City of Bridges’

The veil has been lifted.

How I wish, how I wish you were here.

So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,
blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have you found? The same old fears.
Wish you were here.

Are you Addicted to the Internet?

Are you Addicted to the Internet?
75%

Hardcore Junkie (61% – 80%)
While you do get a bit of sleep every night and sometimes leave the house, you spend as much time as you can online. You usually have a browser, chat clients, server consoles, and your email on auto check open at all times. Phone? What’s that? You plan your social events by contacting your friends online. Just be careful you don’t get a repetitive wrist injury…



The Are you Addicted to the Internet? Quiz at Quiz Me!


Thanks to http://the-one-u-want.stumbleupon.com/ for this

Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4141948.stm

I’m feeling cryptic so who said this:

‘Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?’

Clues:
i) It wasn’t John Prescott, the British deputy Prime Minister http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Prescott
ii) It wasn’t http://edwthelongshanks.stumbleupon.com/

Answers when I get back, on the other hand you could just ‘google’ it: http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%20%22who%20will%20rid%20me%20of%20this%20turbulent%20priest%22&imgsz=xxlarge&svnum=100&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&sa=N&tab=iw

In the port of Amsterdam 

In the port of Amsterdam
There's a sailor who sings
Of the dreams that he brings
From the wide open sea
In the port of Amsterdam
There's a sailor who sleeps
While the river bank weeps
To the old willow tree

In the port of Amsterdam
There's a sailor who dies
Full of beer, full of cries
In a drunken town fight
In the port of Amsterdam
There's a sailor who's born
On a hot muggy morn
By the dawn's early light

In the port of Amsterdam
Where the sailors all meet
There's a sailor who eats
Only fish heads and tails
And he'll show you his teeth
That have rotted too soon
That can haul up the sails
That can swallow the moon

And he yells to the cook
With his arms open wide
"Hey, bring me more fish
Throw it down by my side"
And he wants so to belch
But he's too full to try
So he stands up and laughs
And he zips up his fly

In the port of Amsterdam
You can see sailors dance
Paunches bursting their pants
Grinding women to porch
They've forgotten the tune
That their whiskey voice croaked
Splitting the night
With the roar of their jokes
And they turn and they dance
And they laugh and they lust
Till the rancid sound of the accordion bursts
And then out of the night
With their pride in their pants
And the sluts that they tow
Underneath the street lamps

In the port of Amsterdam
There's a sailor who drinks
And he drinks and he drinks
And he drinks once again
He'll drink to the health
Of the whores of Amsterdam
Who've given their bodies
To a thousand other men
Yeah, they've bargained their virtue
Their goodness all gone
For a few dirty coins
Well he just can't go on
Throws his nose to the sky
And he aims it up above
And he pisses like I cry
On the unfaithful love

In the port of Amsterdam

Written by Jacques Brel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Brel

The Economist Video Games

http://www.economist.com/printedition/displayCover.cfm?url=/images/20050806/20050806issuecovUS400.jpg

The Economist report on Video Games – factual not sensationalist

From the print edition:
“Critics of video games say they encourage addiction and violence, but research does not support the claim…


Thumbs up to the Economist for this excellent balanced and insightful comment on the recent ‘outrage’ about video games.

What do they know of cricket,

What do they know of cricket, who only cricket know
England expects…

What do they know of cricket, who only cricket know?

The second test match between England & Australia at Edgbaston which ended so spectacularly on Sunday will be remembered for many individual triumphs. But two simple gestures explain what makes cricket so special.

On Saturday, after clean bowling Andrew Flintoff, Shane Warne flashed him a discrete thumbs up. Australia’s legendary spin bowler was conveying appreciation of a superb innings by the England all-rounder.

On Sunday, when England clinched the closest ever Ashes victory, Flintoff ducked away from the melee of jubliant England players to congratulate and console the two batsmen who had carried Australia to the very brink of victory.

It is heartening to see that there is still room for sportsmanship and mutual respect, even in the closest of matches.

Update 2022:

Pictures updated

The Unofficial Peter OToole Pages!

http://www.realitymouse.com/otoole/

The Unofficial Peter OToole Pages seems to have dropped off the web sometime in 2007, possibly later as the site may have moved. The latest version I could access can be found here:

https://web.archive.org/web/20070228232718/http://www.realitymouse.com/otoole/main.html

The The Unofficial Peter OToole Pages! were run by Hamish Grant

The actor Peter O’Toole 73 years old this week, born in Co. Galway, Eire, raised in ‘Hunsbeck’, Leeds.

Screwed over by imageshack

http://img346.imageshack.us/img346/3838/265749ej.jpg

Updated 2022:

Screwed over by imageshack changing their use policy. Before I had my own space I used to use image shack to host blog pictures – but in 2015 they changed their policy and these pictures are now lost – some can be salvaged – others not. These ones can’t.

This is going to happen a lot…

New characters for a new century.

First Steps in Second Life

http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/975/2ndlifeb3np.jpg

Ive been taking my first steps in Second Life…

This is me in Second Life
A hammock is a great place to relax….
and for those country roads I also bought a car.

Update 2022:

These pictures look so dated because at the time my computer was a snail and Second Life has developed a lot – but to be honest it never really lived up to its potential. The Achilles heel of Second Life is that it is not scalable and the handover between one virtual square of 256 x 256 meters is not smooth.

On a positive note glad to see that Meta and Alphabet (Facepage and Goggle) tried meta verses and failed. Google had the good grace to try early and quit early.

Second Life is still free to play – although they no longer pay you to be there – I got in early enough to have that grandfathered into my account .

Download it here:

https://secondlife.com