holy vesicle bioreactors radioactiveman! BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | 'Artificial life' comes step closer

this just creeps through the news rather than instigating the debate which it hints at.....having lived for almost a year now in a country with a very different attitude to alcohol I do sometimes wonder if we drink a bit too much in the UK....BBC NEWS | Wales | Mobile hospitals to treat drunks

So after a few nights of battling sleeplessness I retreated to the sofa last night...six hours of sleep, the most I've had in weeks and sufficient to let the creative juices flow at work today, all going very well and it looks like my contract is being extended throughout next year, very very good news.

music: none
book: Deadhouse Gates, a Malazan tale of the fallen. Speaking of books I've put down Banks new book after a few chapters and feel unwilling to pick it back up, I'm sure I will but it has not gripped me in the way his other SF did. Sadly, I almost feel like he's trying to hard.
weather: damp, dank and daylight is in short supply
top tip: rather than using a knife, use scissors to divide a pizza - much less mess and you can pretend to be a surgeon.



repeat after me, this is not funny....this is not funnyBBC NEWS | Scotland | Krankie hurt in beanstalk tumble..I expect there will be some terrible end to this which will make me feel stricken with guilt but right now just keep repeating...this is not funny

Its Skåne, its december and as a result its cold and overcast. After 5 weeks of hospital, then a further two of NeoNatal we have been firmly at home - as nuclear family (whatever the hell that is) for the last few week or so. I return to work tommorow, not something which totally fills me with joy - given the extreme cosy factor I've been enjoying but still, we can't live on air.

As a result of the broken sleep my mind is feeling rather cabbaged and I wander around being a little 'punchy' (as in punch drunk rather than violent). My various projects continue at different states of activity, the quest to build my own PC continues with a loose idea of specifications and the spring campaign of bouldering is being gradually built up to by feet off training on the fingerboard. The sit up regime begins again on monday (which, in the words of Mr T in rocky II will lead only to 'Pain') and my copious mental and scribbled notes for a novel will begin to take some concrete form. Speaking of books I see that Pullman has written two new kids stories, should be worth checking out (you can probably visit his site ....here). I noticed, on the bbc site, that they are removing direct references to god from the forthcoming film, as there was a concern it would offend. The film makers actually stated that this was a result of stronger, more religious beliefs in the US .....God botherers.



weather: overcast and 5 degrees
music: none
book: Deadhouse Gates: A Malazan Tale of the Fallen (again!)
Thought: Just counting for Elias, we will use approximately 10 000 nappies in the next 3 years - if we have another child soon this figure will, of course, double. Nice to know that we are creating a rich vein of shit for some future civillisation of scatophillics to mine.


always worth a look....NASA - Home

this is priceless, the more ignorant racists get showered in 'slurry' the better...BBC NEWS | UK | Kilroy-Silk attacked with slurry

and so shaking off the dust off the site I RETURN with a difference and differently......more to follow but never fear the blog is coming back to life.


cool flash....Alexis Tr�panier

Normal service still not continuing - imminent arrivial of child into the world. Maybe I'll start some kind of diary as life as a parent, and then maybe not as theres plenty of blogs which cater for that particular wierdness. Postings will start again at the end of next week and then increase in frequency from then on..........

recent movie: Spiderman II 6.5 out of ten
recent book: quicksilver, Neal Stephenson...bloody excellent
weather: sunny, 3 degrees above freezing
music: Everyday is like sunday, Smiths

how fucking cool is this - new project (as if I haven't enough!) is to build my own PC...which of course means creates a monster as theres no need for half measures so presently looking at Pentium 4 with 384MB ram, or something, I have not a clue what clockspeed is or what 16 bit means, which is the point of doing this...Computer Cases, PC Cases - Starting at $24.99!

one of many sites devoted to the dark materials trilogy books.....and, again with the life under a stone, the movie!!His Dark Materials .org

Yeah, I know I said there would be no activity but lifes full of excitement isn't it - check out this blog, very interesting and at times disturbs......Jon's Jail Journal

The news is just in - Nevada has just declared for Bush. Bloody hell.

And yes, the blog has been very silent but baby related events have somewhat taken over. Thus, there will be a reactivation of it when the dust settles somewhat and K escapes hospital. Expect service to return in the next 2-3 weeks. (assuming that we're all still here and Bush has not declared war on the devil and starting drilling huge holes in the ground and lobbing nuclear bombs down them - it could happen). I've actually started to really get upset about the US, particularly when I read an article about 'intelligent design' (a dressed up version of creationism) being taught in American schools.

horrah...our generation of geeks come up with the goods, fuck you hollywood.....Film Threat - Reviews

More to come, expect changes, a slightly less burbling tone.....and heck, I dunno, c'mon....things are different.

so no surprises there then......Film Threat - Reviews

lovely cold crisp weather. but the temperatures already dropping beneath 10.......it bodes ill for the winter!


and it would appear that even the bogs are better here.....BBC NEWS | UK | England | Tyne/Wear | Call to end 'bog standard' loos

Sunday, and the day of the worship. I myself spent the morning in blissful workout mode which involved lots of sit ups and then a tendon testing session on the newly installed finger board above the bedroom door frame (the installation of which was one of the more nervewracking things I've done in while, drill on hammer setting against very hard brick - nasty noise, clutch continual slipping, scary monsters. Once again fertile imagination imagining drill bit suddenly snapping and burying itself in the wet bits of my head). Wandered off to one of Malmös coffee houses and drunk a vat of latte, washing down a rather nice and budget falafal.

film recently seen: Bourne Supremacy, fucking great. Really good.
book: Girlfriend in a Coma, Douglas Coupland. I was expecting some kind of introspective on growing up but, as well as that, got a post apocalypse novel as well. cool.
music: Mirror in the Bathroom

minor disappointment: finding out that ICO, which I've meaning to buy for ages, costs over 50 quid on Amazon Uk as its now collectable.



nice pac man game.....Moonflip.com - Free Flash Games

So. A while ago, when I was in Iceland, I saw one the more disturbing and upsetting things that I've seen in a long time. Me, and my chums N (a chap, Dansk) and E (a lady, Svensk) were wandering up Rekjavik high street looking for somewhere to grab some food and maybe a beer or two. I was actually not that into a drinking fest, which N was, given that I'd just shook off a massive hangover. The last few hours had been spent being parboiled in the blue lagoon so I was feeling pretty mellow. So, we wandered up the hill, looking into restaurants when we heard raised voices - sorry, thats very English. These people were screaming at each other, a man and a woman. She was attractive and well dressed, he was a tank - a brick shit house. So they are walking towards us, still arguing, when suddenly, shockingly, he lashed out punching her in the face and then twice in the stomach. She stumbled to a halt while he simply strolled on. It was so brutal and so quick, that we were shocked into inaction. I put my hand onto her arm, but then she ran after him shouting and screaming incoherently. Me and N looked at each other and then he said - we should do something - so was went back down the street where the couple were shouting at each other again. Only about 20 seconds had passed. Even as we arrived she then punched him, in the face and he, once again, began to wade in. So, after only some minutes ago thinking about what to have for dinner I now found myself in between two stangers, trying to stop the guy hitting the girl again. As I put my hands on his arm and chest, I realised that his bicep was fucking huge - it was at this point I wondered vaguely if they'd fly my body home or just leave me where I fell. Fortunately he backed off, but the weird thing was - as N said later - was that it was almost as if we were not there, he seemed completely oblivious to our presence. He then began screaming at her, she screaming back. Her lip had been split and there was blood on her face. He suddenly stalked further off the street, checking his face to see if he was bleeding from where she had hit him - yeah mate, real fucking hero that you are. She realised we did not speak much icelandic so dropped into English, which was totally surreal. N, who is a trainee Doctor, checked out her face while reasuring her - one of her teeth had been cracked and broken. At the same time the guy had returned and was now prowling around us, him speaking in English now, demanding that she give him his money. So, she says that he can have his money and we end up in the surreal situation of escorting her to a cash machine where she drew out a load of cash and threw at the blokes feet. She then staggered further off down the street with us all in tow, the asshole picking up the cash from the street and then leaving up another street.
She was now in total shock, shaking and continually touching her already swelling face. She was crying like mad, so we used her phone to call the cops. Well, to cut a sad story short the cops turned up and while she was talking to one of them in the back of the cop car we gave our details to another. But heres the kicker, while we talking to her - waiting for the cops to turn up and trying to comfort her - turns out the guy, who it seemed was her boyfriend, was on steriods. Which went some way to explaining his total wierd state of mind when were trying to help her.

So, the post match analysis - in the pretend world we would have righteously waded into the bloke, beaten him up and sent him running home, she would have escaped a probably abusive relationship and everything would of worked out fine. In the real world we did little but pick up the pieces. We helped her, sure, but did we help enough? We have not heard from the Icelandic cops so either she pressed charges and the physical evidence was sufficient or, perhaps she did not.




well, I was going to blog another site but this one fought the law and broke in.......six degrees and the power of networks will have to wait. This is more geekness but its cool.....Quarks to Quasars, Powers of Ten

Morrisey, down boy....down, I'm not telling you again you muscled daffodil dispensing shambler.

A bit more sane today after a quick snooze on the couch. This afternoon was the first baby class which in true Swedish style involved coffee and cake, and some candles. It was all in Swedish, which truly tested my new found lanquage skills, so now I'm loaded up with the swedish for dilation, cervix, mucus plug and bloodbath.

Yesterday was a haze of proofreading which drifted into today after only five hours sleep and then back into copenhagen, though I escaped early for the afore mentioned baby class.
One of the Danes I'm working with made me most happy (i think) by saying 'your English is very good', under the impression I was Swedish. For the last few days I've been speaking Swedish to Danes and English to Swedes - confusing.


Train, Plane and Automobile interest circles. 'nuff said. Stoatface @ Fotopic.Net

I'm in proof reading hell.


and this ones going out to all you Billy Ray fans .....Questia Online Library - The Online Library

(a background of sawing guitars, blurring through a haze of holophonic static)
You remember the dream. Rising out of cool water, the sun suddenly warm on your chest as you look up to the infinite blue. A light smile passing across your face as you throw your arms sideways and float, the pressure of the water stopping your fall.
waking
Theres nothing to see on this ocean that cannot be seen on another day.

the devil will find work for idle hands to do.........

working my ass off in Copenhagen, tired, hungry (only consumed one Frankfurter in the last 6 hours) and really need to work out.

oh the devil will find work for idle hands to do...........

but I'm still fond of you, oh ho......


so, so, so cool. BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | SpaceShipOne rockets to success

but I'm still fond of you, oh ho ho. Morrisey revival going on here. stay in touch, mans been moving around Sweden and Denmark and been way to starry eyed to blog. So a hypercast update, conference in copenhagen, parents in Ronneby and pram buying.

I was happy in the haze etc etc


interesting and rather sad at times....mans inhumanity to monkeyFamous Monkeys Through History