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The Google Analytics tell me...
2008-02-18 18:34:00
That searches for 'Jumper' and 'The Stars My Destination' have been bringing people to 'is alive' but specifically to this. Its no wonder, as Jumper was recently released with Hayden (my wooden acting killed the Star Wars trilogy) Christensen in the lead role. That's one I wouldn?t even think of streaming?maybe a urination stream.
More About: Google , Google Analytics , Analytics

Guitar Zeroes
2008-02-18 17:16:00
I?ve talked about the dangers posed to you and others when trying to create music using console peripherals (Wiiii I?m DJ) and next in what seems to be a growing trend of geekness, a mod too far, comes the Guitar Zeroes.The Guitar Zeroes have modified the guitar shaped controls from Guitar Hero and re-implemented them to generate original music rather than just keeping time with a pre-layed track. I can?t say I like their style but its certainly more interesting than a lot of the bland, guitar music that?s coming out of Terra recently.Like the esteemed planner Adrian Jarvis would say, ?Pretending the 80s and acid house didn?t happen isn?t an option anymore, yeah!?In any case, rock out with these controller, axes?or something to that effect.

Public Relations (the web way)
2008-02-18 02:32:00
From Surfthechannel:
More About: Public Relations , Public , Relations

Valentines: a catalyst for fear
2008-02-15 13:45:00
It sneaked up on me, like some kind of love-starved stalker. I, like every other hapless idiot, was forced at heart point to do ?the shop.?Instead of boycotting Valentines , which might upset your significant udder, because, despite how independently minded you think you are, it?s harder than you think to break from the herd mentality (that sentence was longer than it needed to be). I mean how many people do you know boycott Christmas (excepting religious differences) apart from hardcore humbuggers?So, this year I bought a potted plant, no, not the half dead ones you get in offices but a proper one with bulbs and everything. This was my stand against a) the waste buying cut flowers produces and b) the terrible working conditions that some of the countries these flowers are grown in.Next, I refused to buy a card with so much as a heart on it. Hallmark certainly doesn?t need any more incentive to churn out shit. Instead I bought a very tasteful (I thought anyway) V&A card. Arts goo...
More About: Fear , Catalyst

Inferno of sound
2008-02-14 14:11:00
?Ohhh, I feel sick, my head is about to burst and my chest aches!? That?s what we could all be gurgling on the floor of a restricted area coming near to you soon! As well as giving us Abba and Ikea, the Swedish manufacturer Indusec has now inflicted the ?Inferno ? on the world.The Inferno 'sound bar' emits a 125dB within a defined area. It causes nausea and physical aches.It?s so effective that Indusec are selling them to the Russian government to protect their nuclear weapon depots. It looks like deaf mercenaries and terrorists might well have found their calling?figuratively speaking.Got your own stash of nuclear grade plutonium? Well, the Inferno isn?t just for Federal governments with oil and gas money to burn. You too can afford one of these sound, death rays for the ?ridiculous? price of $1,800. That?s about £914.As well as the former Sov Block, Boots is also planning to install the Inferno throughout all their shops. Never has a trip to buy shampoo seemed so hazardous.
More About: Sound

What is the value of a commercial award?
2008-02-11 12:53:00
Is there still a need for commercial/industry awards? Catching the very end of the Baftas ?08, I couldn?t help thinking, what are commercial/industry awards really for? I came to two conclusions: firstly, as a means to celebrate the achievements of a group of people for doing something outstanding in their medium. Secondly, as a means of promotion I.e. ?that film has got three more shiny gold stickers than the other one, I?m gonna get this one, errrrr.?Adulation and recognition: If you?ve worked on something whether it be a film, game, online media etc Providing your not an egomaniac and manage to keep a level head, you should be fully aware if the end product is any good. Working on something for a long time can begin to warp your mind, this is always a danger but regardless, you should still be able to say, ?well, we had good intentions but clients, investors, time, technology, were against us.?Scratch the first off then. The second reason for there existence is as a sort of aggre...
More About: Commercial , Award

The Mighty Boosh, spiritual successor to Nathan Barley?
2008-02-08 14:01:00
They?ve both got actors Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt in common. They?re both set in London. One is definitely more surreal than the other and yet despite this, they both satirise a particular segment of society so well its scary.Nathan Barley is funny even if you?re unfamiliar with Hoxditch. However, it takes on new meaning if you?ve ever been on a night out or worked there. Capturing what was the hobo yuppies, creative businesses and surrounding artistic community scene of 2005. Lets have a peek through the looking glass:The Mighty Boosh, when grounded in some reality, tends to focus more on the drainpipes, black eyeliner and hair sculpted to casual perfection, movement. Small contingents of these can be found in Shoreditch but they are more prevalent in Camden:
More About: Spiritual

Oh, a Fuelmyblog member are you, mmmm?
2008-02-08 00:56:00
I?ve been accepted into the exclusive Fuelmyblog community. How it warrants being called 'exclusive' is a mystery. I mean, they let me in and I?ve never belonged to any club, ever?except the Lego Club. Does that count?I think everyone can sympathise with the pain of stepping barefoot on a discarded Lego block but the Lego Club repaid that pain debt in full. They remembered my birthday ever year till I was ten. Will you do the same Fuelmyblog?

Ashes to Ashes from LIFE that used to be ON MARS
2008-02-08 00:21:00
The shrieking of nothing is killing. Just pictures of jap girls in synthesis and I aint got no money and I aint got no hair but I?m hoping to kick but the planet its glowing.? Indeed. Once again Bowie has inspired another TV series as surreal and entertaining as his lyrics. I?ve just finished watching the first episode of Ashes to Ashes, the Life on Mars spin off. It?s a promising start.First episode down and there are questions galore: Why has the protagonist been sent back to 1981? Why have Gene Hunt and co transferred from Manchester to London? Will Sam Tyler make an appearance? I suppose this is what J.J Abrams refers to as the ?mystery box.? I still think all that gel he puts on has seeped through and clogged up his neural pathways. Until the series finishes and warrants reflection, lets reminisce.Edit: Here's a promo

New bits and bobs
2008-02-06 00:17:00
I hope you?ll notice all the new ?pwnd? features on the side bar. We have a rss feed, an email notification box, a Technorati button, a del.ici.ous button and the Word Shrapnel tag list. Please enjoy the 'Word Shrapnel' list, after all, tags are the blogging equivalent of 40? rims.
More About: Bits

Hearts and minds: Death Note, Samurai Champloo and SAC
2008-02-04 18:00:00
They are juvenile, sexiest and derivative. So said my significant udder of comics and anime. Like some crazy eyed profit or oil hungry, industrial-military complex spokesman, I managed to convert her, on the first one at least. It?s the same for everything you care to think of; some people just don?t get poetry, others football, some, God. The old strategy of, ?try it, you might like it? or ?all the cool kids are doing it? don?t always work. Instead you need to think deeply about what people?s conceptions are and how you can offer them something unexpected.Comics:Full of spandex wearing, self righteous, never doubting, muscle bound idiots. This is still the case, you need only venture to the subterranean, B.O den, that is the Forbidden Planet in Soho to see that the best selling comics are still the ones that would make anyone except an adolescent boy, shudder.However, there is many a comic that is the polar opposite. Alan Moore?s, Watchmen or the same panelled smack I got my signif...
More About: Note , Minds , Death , Death Note , Samurai Champloo

StumbleUpon worse than crack
2008-01-31 16:27:00
This plug-in has breathed new life into my web surfing but, in theory, it might well destroy my 'real' life. Where texting cost you money and fingernails, prolonged Facebook use made you sad and playing games for too long made your eyes, fingers, sanity and relationships, real ones, deteriorate, StumbleUpon has no obvious, discernable drawbacks.By its very nature the longer you spend on it the more you like it. Next thing you know, every press of the Stumble button fills you with a sense of glee. This is ?surfing? the right way. Then again, hours can fly by and seem like minutes, a definite sign of addiction. Maybe I should nip this in the bud?What Whack-off-pedia has to say, ?StumbleUpon is a web browser plug-in that allows its users to discover and rate webpages, photos, videos, and news articles. These webpages are typically presented when the user -- known within the community as a Stumbler -- clicks the "Stumble!" button on the browser's toolbar. StumbleUpon chooses which ne...
More About: Crack , Stumbleupon

An ode to Genndy Tartakovsky
2008-01-30 14:19:00
I was going to write a lengthy essay on how Genndy Tartakovsky?s (creator of Dexter?s Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars) imagination and love of brickolages makes him a real inspiration. He?s made cartoons more cinematic, poignant, funny and entertaining than I thought possible, blah, blah, gush, gush. Anything I write amusing, insightful, fanboyish or otherwise will only distract from this man?s genius. I wouldn?t do it justice, well, not judicial justice.Instead it?s an ode the Tube way:The Powerpuff Girls are unlikely heroes. Their accidental creation at the hands of Professor Utonium through a concoction of sugar, spice, everything nice and Chemical X is what makes them pocket sized punchers. They constantly have to ?save the day,? sometimes against the green super chimp, Mojo Jojo, the yokel with a death ray, Fuzzy Lumpkins and the nefarious cross dressing devil, HIM.Tartakovsky?s use of sound, light and colour:Three blind jackals guard a w...

Attention deficit
2008-01-29 23:31:00
Wow, with cartoon promos like these, its no wonder I turned out the way I did.
More About: Attention , Deficit

Destructive decks
2008-01-29 15:00:00
I?ve never been a massive fan of skateboarding ever since the ripe old age of twelve when I found I had no aptitude for it. The question arises how do you make a youth sub culture that has sold out so spectacularly, edgy again?Blow things up of course. Make the Olis? who Ollie skate over, under and through, incendiary obstacles. It brings new meaning to the term, ?blood sports.?

A slew of indie games
2008-01-29 14:23:00
Crayon Physics DeluxeAs a child I had a brief stint in drawing. I would scribble prolific galleries of crayon coloured wonderment. The reason for this proliferation is once you?ve laid oversized crayon to paper that?s it. Finality. In Crayon Physics Deluxe however, you can recapture warm, fuzzy, childhood memories but this time your pictures come to life and you can keep on drawing!The aim is to get a ball from one end of the screen to touch a star at the other. How you manage this task is entirely up you as ever shape you draw takes on the physics of the game.FezAs well as a name for a stylish hat, Fez is a 2D character. Problem is he?s just realised he lives in a 3D world. A metaphysical problem if ever there was one. Still, he can console himself with the Descartian premise, ?I think, therefore I play.?World of gooStick different bits, kinds, sorts, odd and ends of goo together in a Lemming style attempt to save the little gooites. Be prepared to battle giant chainsaws and climb ...
More About: Games , Indie

Future Shock Me
2008-01-28 20:56:00
Ever since Marty McFly was told not to give his letter to Doc, less the time space continuum collapse, I?ve wanted the ability to send myself a message from the future. Sadly, I lack a Flux Capacitor or a Delorean for that matter.Sending myself an email that won?t arrive until the future is the best I can hope for. Lame.
More About: Shock , Future

The Geek Hierarchy
2008-01-28 20:21:00
Now we know where we stand. Great.
More About: Geek

Silhouettes are so i-dodge
2008-01-28 19:16:00
Stomp the musical: dustbin men, who look a bit too metro-sexual to pass as authentic, start banging lids and sweeping with brooms in a rhythmic way.In this animation ghosts of dustbin men are caught in an eternal musical purgatory. The horror.
More About: Dodge

Mindless Pollocks?
2008-01-28 18:44:00
Mine looks more like an epileptic?s worst nightmare?Have a go here

Five different 'creative' work phases
2008-01-28 14:18:00
I went to see Martin Orton of Bold Creative ; they do dem tings wiv da yoot. We got to talking and he disclosed to me the theory of the ?five different work phases.? Despite sounding like a long lost martial art it works like this:The first stage of your working life revolves around people paying you purely for your time, i.e. low skilled, Mcjobs.Employers then start paying you purely for a skill set, i.e. mad milking cow skills.A combo arises where sooner of later people pay you for both typing or drawing away but also the rare light bulb incidents too.Next, ?Hey I don?t want to move my hands ever again, I want to be like that worm thing in Dune and only move vast distances with the power of my mind (and the spice.)Money's coming in for ideas but, oh dear, there?s someone on the tier below who?ll make your ideas a reality and for cheaper!You?ve been churning out ideas for a good long while and your body is now withered but your mind pulsates like a sea of jellyfish. Well done, you?...
More About: Work , Hase

Mushi-shi
2008-01-24 18:05:00
I?ve been calling my significant udder, ?mushi? for as long as I can remember. It?s not due to a stroke but an ongoing case of affection. Now go to the nearest reflective surface and make an ?O? with your mouth and that?s the same expression I had when I saw a new Japanese game for the DS was named, ?Mushi-shi.?Whacking the Google with ?Mushi-shi? brings up a whack-off-pedia page that has this to say, ?Mushi are described as beings in touch with the essence of life, far more basic and pure than the grotesque creatures we are accustomed to. Due to their ephemeral nature most humans are incapable of perceiving Mushi and are oblivious to their existence, but there are a few who possess the ability to see and interact with Mushi.?Indeed. From the trailer below, it?s safe to say that my lady friend wins out on visuals, interaction and game play. I might well give this one a miss.

Portal: A Day in the Life of a Turret
2008-01-23 00:00:00
Sometimes you just feel like something quick, cheap and filthy. That?s how fast food chains, kebab shops and greasy spoons make money. The blog equivalent is to find something that someone else has made by which I mean a ?user? of the interweb and not a studio, agency, conglomerate etc and post it with as little comment as possible. Instead of writing another lengthy post, enjoy the web equivalent of a McMuffin.
More About: Life , Portal , Day In The Life , Turret

Juno and Wristcutters: A semi-independent world
2008-01-22 22:00:00
I always imagined that when you die, that?s it; it?s the oblivion show. This isn?t the case according to the semi-indie film Wristcutters: A Love Story. Like the name suggests, suicide whisks you to a world where, ?everything is the same, only worse.? No drifting in the ether or eternal hellfire, instead a stark landscape reminiscent of the more arid parts of California where you still need somewhere to call home and therefore need a Mc-job to pay for it. There?s no smiling either, instead you while away eternity by going to bars and playing the ?how do you think they offed themselves? game.Our protagonist, Zia, has his hope for something better rekindled when he learns that the ex-girlfriend, who he killed himself for, has, in turn, offed herself. He embarks on a journey of reunion accompanied by his alcoholic, Russian musician friend, Eugene. Eugene has a black hole under the passenger seat of his car by the way. This and many other small anomalies make up the washed out world of ...
More About: World , Independent , Semi , Juno

Pop up ads make me cry
2008-01-21 14:31:00
I usually like the technology section of the Guardian: there?s that man with the pipe who looks like a less paedophilic kind of granddad, who could probably help you mend more than the punctured tire on your bike and then there's that guy who looks slightly odd that they send to all the technology expos (probably because they don?t like to have him around the office.)But pop ads threaten to destroy all the love I have for it. That is to say not just on the Guardian site but all over the interweb. You wouldn?t stand for it in ?real life.? You don?t have billboards that fall off the side of buildings crushing you under the weight of their message. Your TV doesn?t attempt to mount your face during every commercial break. And you don?t have Nicolas Cage jump out of a magazine stuffing that tacky watch he?s sponsoring into your retina. So why is it that you can?t visit some of your favourite sites without some obtrusive ad pop up and chase you around the screen like some drunken psych...
More About: Make

Why the love for J.J Abrams?
2008-01-15 18:44:00
I was catching up with my TED viewing yesterday when I chanced across a lecture given by J.J Abrams , writer, producer, director and spectacle wearer. The lecture was interesting enough, much talk of character development over special effects, a mystery box that he keeps in his office to remind him about, well, the importance of mystery presumeably.Despite the passable lecture I didn?t understand why the assembled audience made up of scientists, designers, artists etc laughed harder than was necessary at so, so jokes and gave a standing ovation once he?d finally stopped.I?ve seen many a TED lecture and although it is a rare occurrence, some can be quite dull but usually this is down to the specific orator rather than the subject of discussion. J.J Abrams ?owned the stage? which essentially meant he walked up and down it and made sure to make eye contact with as much of the audience as possible.So far so unremarkable but it must have been the enthusiasm he brought to the TED hall that...
More About: Love

Excerpts from the ?Gentleman?s Encyclopaedia Chile? by Mr. Reginald Greenle
2008-01-11 17:19:00
(The) MulletIt?ll be of some comfort to the citizens of Alabama, that the Mullet, a distinct and somewhat uncouth hair fashion, which can best be described as, to quote a devotee of the style, ?business in the front, party in the back? has been embraced whole-heartedly in the more urbanized areas of Chile . Sported by youths and bucks, I have no doubts that it is an attempt to keep up with the dandys' of local fashion than any public statement on the political origin, to wit, the United (Revolutionary) States.One cannot expect far-flung countries to keep up with the latest European fashions so do not be too judgemental.Pisco (Sour)Considered Chile?s national drink next to the newly established trade in wines, Pisco is made by fermenting grapes. Depending on the quality and strength, Pisco can taste like anything from Whisky to Tequila, horse piss to ambrosia.In a sly move, worthy of Bonaparte, the Chilean government named a particular region, ?Pisco Elqui? in order to ensure the nam...
More About: Gentleman

WANTED
2008-01-10 17:00:00
As someone who has read WANTED, and who enjoyed it immensely, I can?t help but feel violated for the nth time as Hollywood is releasing a motion picture based on the cult comic. The comic written by citizen pen, Mark Millar, is about a down trodden, youngish man, who is spat at by the local yoot, emasculated by his boss and cheated on by his girlfriend. He is Edward Norton in Fight Club. Our protagonist has however, the decidedly more advantageous luck of being the heir to the world?s greatest assassin?s fortune and skills. This deux ex machina is communicated to him by a femme fatale (played by Angelina Jolie in the film.) Cue the montage of training and awakening of said devastating killing efficiency.What made the comic a more interesting proposition than the weak and clichéd synopsis might thus far entail, is that all this assassination business takes place in a world where super villains have taken over the world, the catch, no one realises. The world was divided between five a...
More About: Wanted

I'm not dead but in chile
2007-12-20 20:21:00
The loyal is alive/I?m not dead fan base may have noticed a bit of a decline in the output of this blog. I haven't done as many irate bloggers do and gone off due to boredom or lack of discipline, I?ve been and still am in the desert planet Chile . Lots of adventures: jawas, stormtroopers, ships, alien life and food is all being recorded in my grey box and I?ll be posting it all soon enough. Stay faithful, stay blogued.
More About: Dead

Top ten of 2007
2007-11-29 17:19:00
December is the time of year when TV channels, due to a lack of ideas and hibernation, tend to flog off top tens. I've succumbed...below is a list of the most visited 'is alive/i'm not dead' posts:1. Portal end song2. Create your own psp theme3. Louis Bourgeois4. Wild Gourmets5. I am Legend6. Starcraft, Warhammer 40K7. Art of catching lobsters8. TV Links shut down9. Synetics top ten10. Matthew Barney