Recently updated blogs

For those who came of age after the 1980s, it might be hard to fully grasp the bold spirit of weddings during that decade. Everything about the celebration was larger than life—wedding dresses, cakes, and even guest lists reflected the era’s signature love of extravagance. Dresses were designed to make an unforgettable statement, brides walked […]

This was the final official 32X release, and coming out in 1996, I think there are two assumptions that can be safely made about it. The first is that it coming out was something of an adherence to the lost cause fallacy: possibly the publisher specifically had a license to make Marvel games only for the 32X, and they were going to do it whether it made sense or not. …

The world feels pretty uncertain right now. Conflicts are constant, the threat of nuclear war looms far too close for comfort, and the cost of living is climbing faster than most people can keep up with. Understandably, many are cutting back on luxury spending, focusing instead on essentials. It begs the question: what does all this mean for woodworking as a hobby? Will it remain an accessible and fulfilling pastime, …

The UncoolTwo50 is over – well, the voting phase is – but the posting continues. These are the final 10 near-misses. 60. PUBLIC ENEMY – “By The Time I Get To Arizona” (1991) I learned too late that this record is NOT in fact a single, despite having an (incendiary) video made for it, it was a B-Side. But that’s OK! Because apparently an album tracks challenge is planned and …

For VGBees, Sean Aitchison opined that Sonic should really pick a direction and stick to it: Sonic games of the last two decades have all had some “bold and new” element shoehorned into 3D Sonic gameplay — which has itself never fully been polished enough to form a solid base to support these new ideas. Sonic is amorphous, no longer bold for experimenting, now just a nebulous concept that is …

An end of week recap “Ideologies separate us. Dreams and anguish bring us together.” – Eugène Ionesco For my elevenses today, I shall help myself to a stout slice of chocolate cake in recognition of my 400th wind up for Book Jotter. WUTW #1 appeared on 14th January 2018 and in it I shared a handful of recent reads, gleefully announced my upcoming visit to the Hay Festival and… well, …

Photography of East London with more information about local events and history projects

Detailed review of the Scanner Calligraphy DKL Pro, a light painting photography scanner tool designed to illuminate scenes, models, or create light trails. Disclaimer The Scanner Calligraphy DKL Pro was sent to me by Frodo from Children Of Darklight for an honest review. The links in this review are non-affiliate links. Scanner Calligraphy DKL Pro (English) Scanner Calligraphy DKL Pro (Espanol) Design and Construction The Scanner Calligraphy DKL Pro is …

Saturday 23rd November 2024 Passengers on TfL’s route 358 between Crystal Palace and Orpington finally got to travel on the much anticipated Irizar electric ‘tram style’ buses on Wednesday when seven of the 17 vehicles allocated to the route, operated by Go-Ahead London from its Green Street Green bus garage, hit the road. Readers may recall I wrote about a journey I made exactly two years ago expecting at that …

I read 12 books in September and October. I enjoyed all of them. Seven of the books were mysteries; five were in other genres.Humor / Cartoon CollectionA Wealth of Pigeons: A Cartoon Collection (2020) by Harry Bliss and Steve MartinIn this book, Steve Martin partnered with the cartoonist Harry Bliss to create a collection of cartoons and comic strips. Steve provided caption and cartoon ideas, and Harry created the artwork. …

A basic compass at $8 from Coghlan's but made for them by a navigation company with over 40 years experience. Good quality at a good price! Read More ... Continue reading Gear review – Coghlan’s Map Compass at PMags.com.

The first intimation I had that maps involved mathematics was when I looked up a map projection and came face to face with the equation that generated it. Math was never my strongest subject, so it’s probably for the best that I never went into cartography. Especially since it turns out that there’s a lot more math hidden behind the maps we use on a daily basis than you might …

From From Peoples into Nations: A History of Eastern Europe, by John Connelly (Princeton University Press, 2020), Kindle pp. 463-464: By 1941, three zones of influence had emerged in Nazi-dominated East Central Europe. The first included areas where Germany destroyed states and left no native administration, itself taking rudimentary control. The second comprised areas where it destroyed states and replaced them with its own political entities, misleadingly called “independent states.” …

Turning the clock back to 2012, when volunteering with CRAMBA I worked with my friend Kristi and developed the Ride Dirt Trails, Not Mud Trails signage. Originally hosted on the CRAMBA page (Internet Archive) this has fallen prey to link rot, so I’m re-posting / re-hosting it here. Back when this was released we very intentionally made it available it under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license along with an Adobe …

My latest post on Now Smell This is a review of three gourmand fragrances: Régime des Fleurs Fleur Éclair (orange blossom and cocoa pastry!), Arquiste Almond Suede (bitter almond marzipan and leather) and Isabelle Larignon Milky Dragon (oolong tea with notes of stone fruits and cream). You can read it here.