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A trait that seems to be core to my personality, but has definitely gotten me in trouble, is that I’m not one to ‘take sides.’ While I have affiliations (Oaklander, GenXer, Democrat), I don’t have much of a tribal sense. I never had school spirit. Apart from the companies I started, I was never employed anywhere for longer than 2 years. I voted for Nader in 1996 and 2000 (and …

Catherine Wheel ChromeGet It At DiscogsThe original title, Crank, would have been apt. Producer Gil Norton (Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen) was brought in to toughen this band's sound and set them apart from the wave of U.K. upstarts who were pounding U.S. shores. That he did. But it's not necessarily progress; Talk Talk's master experimentalist, Tim Friese-Greene, gave Catherine Wheel's brilliant debut, Ferment, a dripping beauty, opulent textures illuminating …

Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, with Deirdre Molumby and Brian Lloyd. At time of recording, it was ranked 3rd on the list of best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database. Show notes, including links: https://them0vieblog.com/2024/09/14/391-barbie-leaving-cert-2024/ Follow us on twitter at @thetwofifty.

With, I have to admit, little optimism, I caught the bus to Canny Farm. Would any of the pubs have survived, or was I on a hiding to nothing?Locals will already have realised that my use of the names Cantril Farm, Canny Farm or even Cannibal Farm is pure affectation, as the area was renamed Stockbridge Village long before I first came to Liverpool. Anyway, I started at the location …

Had intended to head over the Derwent for my next trotanostering session, but a stiff north-easterly wind knocked that idea on the head. Switched my attention back to the Soar instead where I knew I could tuck myself away around the back of the island. However, looking out of the window I was in two minds and nearly didn't go but when I checked the weather forecast and saw the …

For close to two decades now, the venerable YSI Castaway has been the gold standard for small, relatively cheap, handheld CTDs. In the early days of OpenROV, the robot’s little payload bay was sized explicitly to fit a Castaway. When Kersey and I started building the OpenCTD, our benchmark for viability was how well the ... Read More "Comparing the OpenCTD to a YSI Castaway" »

Here's my weekly update with a few interesting random findings that I came across the last week or two. I am going to try to make sure they're here in time for you to enjoy with your morning coffee (or beverage of choice) every Saturday or Sunday, and include some of my thoughts around them.Side note: This is a sample AI generated 'podcast' discussing this post, from a new tool …

I like this silver maple bowl that I just finished, and I liked making it even more. Part of the reason is that it gave me an opportunity to use a curved (cooper’s hollowing) drawknife that I had picked it … Continue reading →

Artist: Coffin Rot Album: Dreams of the Disturbed Year: 2024 Genre: Death Metal Web: https://youtu.be/lI5ZbGiEQao / https://coffinrot-maggotstomp.bandcamp.com Country: United States Quality: 320 Kbps Tracklist: 1. Slaughtered Like Swine 2. Perverted Exhumation 3. Lurking in the Cemetery 4. Unmarked, Shallow Grave 5. Living Cremation 6. Hands of Death 7. Predator Becomes Prey 8. The Howling Man Witness: -[*]- Fucking killer new album from Portland's Coffin Rot! Thanks to CarlG for spreading …

It's that time of the month again.... stumping time! Here we have a clever scene (at least, we think so) featuring a man in a convertible. No hints, just a picture. Remember this movie? As always, if you are not familiar with the rules to the Impossibly Difficult Name that Movie game or the prize, click here!

So this here is a Destroid Tomahawk. Destroids are land-based mecha used by UN forces to fight alien invaders in the anime Macross, which was release in the United States as part of Robotech.This is the edition of BattleTech that I played back in the eighties. That is not a Destroid Tomahawk. It is a Warhammer BattleMech. As I understand it, the company that licensed Macross to make Robotech then …

A dramatic rise in pregnant women dying in Texas after abortion ban The number of women in Texas who died while pregnant, during labor or soon after childbirth skyrocketed following the state’s 2021 ban on abortion care — far outpacing a slower rise in maternal mortality across the nation, a new investigation of federal public health data finds. Please vote for people who care about women. This should not be …

Despite living in Taiwan for more than one-and-a-half years, until yesterday I was yet to catch a bus. The schedules are numerous and confusing, and I have better transport options:The light rail’s within a 10-minute walk of my apartmentI’m less than 15 minutes from the MRTThere’s a YouBike (bike rental) station 100 meters from my buildingI have a scooterUber is cheapA night market, two shopping malls, three cinemas, three supermarkets, …

Adedapo Adeniyi is a promising 20 yo abstract SF author from Ilorin, Nigeria. Disclaimer: you should read The Dilemma of the He and His House, House? then Mosquito Farm before reading the interview. Which Nigerian city do you live in? Can you describe it for us? I live in Ilorin, it's in Kwara State. I think Ilorin is great, I've lived here all my life, it's claustrophobic and surreal, simultaneously …