"The Phone Problem"

My response to Cliff's post

I remember my uncle having one of the early "Car Phones"

It was a like a briefcase

 

My first phone was a hand me down from a friend many years back. It was basic -it made calls!- chunky and the battery went flat fast, but living on the canal it was a useful lifeline.

Oh my how times have changed. -Hoorah!

I now still lagg somewhat behind the wonderful glittering tech that is out there. It is not for lack of want, oh how I love new tech wrapped up in sleek, shiny packaging. However living in an oddly dead zone for mobiles I can not justify the upgrade I would like...

 

 ...perhaps...Probably.

But do I follow the crowd and join the iphone populace or go for some of the other tasties out there? 

I am after all looking, not just for a clever phone but a mini computer; to access my virtual world, keep me in touch with my friends, work and basically manage my life! 

For now I make do with a rather nifty, curvacios little phone and my stallwart PDA. My phone is ace! Beautiful scrolling writing within the phone, telling you who's callling, messages, what music's playing etc.

Plus it doubles as my alarm clock radio while it charges.

I look forward, however,  to the day I move and can indulge my geeky, magpie side and have just One all-in-one gadjet.

Don't worry cliff I still use the good old paper and pen everyday to write, 

but I do also write a lot on my pda.

 Read more >>   Options >>  

This is AWESOME!!!

Muppet-tastic

This is just Brilliant

Oh Wow!



This is gonna be legen... wait for it... dary!

I stumbled across the sublime odditiy that is "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" and I am so glad that I did.
It is from the wonderful and brilliant genes of the Whedon clan.
It's cooky, clever, funny and leaves you wanting more.

And Please let there be more.

It can not be streamed from the official website -what is wrong with the world! Joss Whedon has a large fan base of Brits and others around the world. However it can be found (not the best quality).

I urge you to rush out and buy it

Warmth in the Winter

I am in my red mood at the moment.
Here is a lovely fractal flower from DeviantArt
My latest wallpaper

Blood Lily by ~KainApophysis

I am back again

I keep saying I will be back and regularly post.

Yet again I am saying the same thing. Seems to be a yearly thing.

I may not be regular but I WILL BE BACK

I Promise!

Mothers Day

For my Mother

(Red Tulip by Michelvreeke dA)

I miss you

Oh Bliss

All is right in the world.
(OK slight overstatement)
But behold...


I loved Oscar Wilde's children's stories as a child, although I was totally unaware he was the author until my adult life.
My favourite was "The Happy Prince", even though it made me cry.
It is a beautiful story, all of his are.
So now to find that the wonderful Stephen Fry has voiced them is a true joy to behold. I am very happy indeed.
And although I know that I will weep when my disc arrives I will enjoy remembering my mother reading these stories to me.

Fry's site is also well worth a visit. He Blogs and Twitters constantly.
I salute you sir!
And thank you for all the joy you have brought me over the years.
Long may it continue.

When all else fails...

The Visual Affirmation is not working as I'd hope.
This usually does the trick.
Stunning and Motivating

(Watch in High Quality)



wherethehellismatt

Affirmation

DeviantArt is where I go for pretty much all my image needs.
To collect beautiful images, or use as wallpaper, but mainly inspiration , and a great way to spend some time..

Nature Finds A Way by Aeires

This is my usual wallpaper - I love it so much.
Plus it brings some greenery into the room during winter.

This is my motivational one. To remind me that I am a Fire Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac. I don't have to be so scared all the time.

Fire Dragon By Vladstudio

I can not recomend it enough.

Life

Life has never really been "normal" for me.
Recently "Life" has been praying on my mind a lot.
And been brought into sharp focus
Not pretty.

I've thought a lot about life and death
What it means to be living
What it means to die.

What my life is truly about
And is it all worth it?

At the moment it does not feel that way.
My friends and journalling have helped some.
I hope it feels better soon.

Another tool I have found very helpful recently is Deviantart
So here is something that kind of fits

Life and Death by Liol

I'm Back...I Hope

I can't believe it's been so long since my last post!
I know I've not been the best blogger but still.

I have been very ill and dealing with a lot, hence the - ridiculously - long absence.

I hope to improve and be back posting regularly.

Stay tuned...

Mx

Evolutionary Twist

The ancestors of humans and chimpanzees may have interbred and exchanged significant numbers of genes after the initial split between the species, scientist report in the May17th online edition of Nature

Chimpanzees and humans officially split up along the evolutionary path up to ten million years ago, but it seems they may have continued having sex with one another for a good four million years after that.


A detailed analysis of human and chimp DNA suggests the lines finally diverged less than 5.4 million years ago.
The finding, published in the journal Nature, is about 1-2 million years later than the fossils have indicated.

Commenting on the research, Daniel Lieberman, a professor of biological anthropology at Harvard, told the Associated Press: "It's a totally cool and extremely clever analysis.
"My problem is imagining what it would be like to have a bipedal hominid and a chimpanzee viewing each other as appropriate mates, not to put it too crudely."

From BBC

I'll let you make you own jokes for this one

Bad Blogger!

I have been a very bad blogger
I have not posted for ages and in fact have not posted half the things I wanted to.
It's largely due to being very hectic at the moment as I am moving shortly.
I've also had a few problems with my dear laptop Grace, my own fault as I have not been looking after her well enough.
The crazy thing is that I really have so much to blog about. This has already been a very full on year for me with loads happening.
I will have to do a quick catch up and bring things up to date.
Easier said than done!

So I promise to fill this space with lots of interesting stuff as soon as I'm able.

Those boys are at it again!

My clever friend Lorenzo and his equally clever brother Robin are going leaps and bounds in the world of comics.

"Everyone at Blink Twice is proud to announce that Malcolm Magic will hit double figures at this year's Bristol Comic Expo! After countless adventures, everyone's favourite drunken bunny has finally crossed over into the big time as the debut series from brothers Robin and Lawrence Etherington reaches the Magic number 10. Due to be released at the convention this bumper issue will contain more action, excitement and surprises than ever before!"

"The next big project to emerge from the studio of Blink Twice is the ongoing full colour series MOON!, set to launch in early 2007"

So pop along to the expo and imerse yourself in strange new worlds
or click on the links to the rightand head to the Blink Twice Studios or Malcolm Magic himself!

Also making his debut is another talented friend of mine MP, his first ever comic is being launched there. More details to come...

The comic is called "Violent" and my friend MP's strip is called "An Eye for an Eye", although the title may change, in issue 10 launched at the expo. Go and check it out and suport him, this is his first ever published work.
Congrats sweetie!

Night walk

Although this is a US thing I think it is a good thing and worth supporting.
Maybe we'll have one here someday.

"Out of the Darkness Overnight"
A 20-mile walk through the night to end the silence surrounding suicide

Every 18 minutes in the U.S., someone dies by suicide. This July men and women will come to Chicago from all over the country to do something bold in the face of this fact. They will walk together 20 miles through the night, from dusk until dawn.

It's called the Out of the Darkness Overnight and it's designed to help shed light on the issue of suicide. We're bringing together friends, family members and loved ones whose lives have been touched by suicide or depression, giving them a voice to issues that have previously been kept in silence.

Each walker commits to raising $1000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Net proceeds will help fund research and education on depression and suicide.

This person has committed to raising $2000 USD.

My Supporter ID: 58145716 if you want to make donations
Click on the link above


2005 Out of the Darkness Overnight raises over $1.3 million

Rebranding

Read this...

"Marketing bollocks gets everywhere.
now the american armed forces have been caught up in it as they rebrand the war on terror."

Thanks to Pat for this

McDonalds Partners In Illegal Rainforest Devastation

Thanks to WarrenEllis for this

New Greenpeace research shows that McDonald’s are partners in forest crime that is creating a trail of destruction right into the heart of the Amazon rainforest.

In the last three years 70,000 km2 of Amazon rainforest has been destroyed - that’s an area of forest the size of six football pitches every minute. Much of this destruction has been driven by the soya industry.

Now watch this...
(They had too much fun making this fucked-up flash-animation info piece.)

Triffids alive and on the move

"The humble sea lily, which normally remains rooted to the ocean bed by a stem, has been caught creeping away from predators in deep sea video footage. The footage (600KB, requires Quicktime) It shows, for the first time, a sea lily crawling slowly across the ocean floor on its fingers, dragging its broken stem behind it".
-New Scientist

Watch the footage, it's really quite creepy. This is a plant after all!
What an amazing world we live in.

Rasta Rats

Marijuana might cause new cell growth in the Brain

A synthetic chemical similar to the active ingredient in marijuana makes new cells grow in rat brains. What is more, in rats this cell growth appears to be linked with reducing anxiety and depression. The results suggest that marijuana, or its derivatives, could actually be good for the brain.
When the rats who had received the cannabinoid were placed under stress, they showed fewer signs of anxiety and depression than rats who had not had the treatment.
Zhang says more research is needed before it is clear whether cannabinoids could some day be used to treat depression in humans.
-New Scientist