I’ve been rereading H. P. Lovecraft’s stories recently, because they’re entertainingly detached from reality, and also because I discovered that he is now freely available in .txt format so I can read him on my phone, in the dark, for added spookiness. Whilst digging for background I found his essay on Cats and Dogs, which is new to me, and made me giggle. He comes down firmly on the side of the peerless and softly gliding cat, which performs its mysterious orbit with the relentless and obtrusive certainty of a planet in infinity,
as you would expect from someone who created a Gothic fantasy centered on avenging the killing of a kitten, and who wrote his own mog into one of his best stories. (more…)
0 comments 2007-11-30 22:13 Categories: Books, Cats, Geek Stuff
Good news everyone: Futurama is back!
Well, sort of. It’s only back if you’re American, so yet again I have had to resort to (ahem) unofficial distribution channels in order to obtain a copy of a movie that doesn’t even have a UK release date yet. I hasten to add that once Fox remember that there are a load of Futurama fans beyond the borders of the United States, I will gladly, gleefully even, cough up for a legal copy: it’s really good.
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1 comment 2007-11-29 16:23 Categories: Animation, Computers, Geek Stuff, Rage
A group of teenage proto-gangstas get on the bus and stomp right to the back of the top deck, talking loudly and incomprehensibly about whatever it is that teenage proto-gangsters talk about. Like everyone else on the bus I completely fail to ignore them and end up attempting to decipher their little ingroup jargon. Occasionally a few words jump out at me and I can follow for a bit, as below:
Proto-gangsta A: Yo yo yo, fo’ shizzle, etc. Hey man look it’s Pongo!
Proto-gangsta B: Where?
Proto-gangsta A: Over there look, Pongo, innit!
Me: (Aside) Must be a nickname for some bounder these criminal types consort with. Wonder what the fellow looks like… Hm… Nope, can’t see anyone obviously nefarious, how odd.
Proto-gangsta A: Look man, Pongo and Perdita! Both of ‘em.
Proto-gangsta B: What you on about, G?
Me: (Aside) Yeah, what are you on about? Word.
Proto-gangsta A: Pongo and Perdita man, ain’t you seen that film, 101 Dalmations?
Proto-gangsta B: Oh yeah, nice one!
And there are indeed two dalmations out for a walk. I suddenly feel much less threatened by these particular youths than I did before overhearing this exchange.
2 comments 2007-11-26 20:29 Categories: Miscellaneous
Finally: the recognition I deserve! I got a gold star from the head of my old sixth-form college (My mum gave a copy of the Kittenwar book to Mr. Rostron, who was deputy head when I was there, and is, as I recall, a very nice chap). I’m reasonably sure I never got one of those when I was actually a student there, although that might just be a result of my mardy teenage self having refused to acknowledge such things at the time. I was a bit like that as a sixth-former.
2 comments 2007-11-17 20:41 Categories: Cats, Kittenwar &c.
If you want a proper review of Leopard you’re in the wrong place. I’m not qualified enough or enthusiastic enough to bash out thousands of words about the latest version of OS X, so instead I’m just going to list a few of my initial impressions.
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0 comments 2007-11-03 13:28 Categories: Computers, Geek Stuff, Reviews
