Water on the brain

It's true of Britain as much as it is of France: being a civil servant with a tiny brane is no handicap

A man with an unusually tiny brain managed to live an entirely normal life despite his condition, caused by a fluid buildup in his skull, French researchers reported on Thursday (19 July).


MRI Scan of man's brain

Water on the brain

It's true of Britain as much as it is of France: being a civil servant with a tiny brane is no handicap

A man with an unusually tiny brain managed to live an entirely normal life despite his condition, caused by a fluid buildup in his skull, French researchers reported on Thursday (19 July).


MRI Scan of man's brain

Movies, security, repairs

Last night, in lieu of the weekly game, we watched Peter Jackson’s King Kong on DVD. Three hours plus interruptions, say 3 hours 30 minutes in all, including phone calls, coffee breaks and the like.

Excellent special effects as you would imagine from WETA, but it really is a classic example of a director who has just had a huge hit being given carte blanche to do as he pleases. Did everyone forget that this is the man behind such abysmal fare as Basket Case? colonel_maxim had the right of it, I think, when he observed that Jackson needed a good editor. Virtually every scene is about 20% too long and a couple of them shouldn’t be there at all. When the gang fell into the ravine with the giant insects we both shouted “referee!” at the telly. I mean, come on.

With 20% lopped off it may become a good film; I can’t see it ever being a great film. I would have hated to see it at the cinema.

Sometime later this week, the police will be sending someone around to look at our flat door and to talk security to us. Apparently although Whetstone is generally a low crime area, there has been a spate of break ins and attempted break ins along the High Road in recent weeks. I am hoping that armed with that intelligence and perhaps even something in writing it will spur the landlord into providing us with a stronger door, perhaps one with a separate steel gate a little in front of the door itself. A new security door would do, though.

Does anyone out there in LJ land have any useful experience of pressurising landlords into keeping up their end of the tenancy agreement? I don’t want to threaten him with lawyers or anything like that if we can possibly get away with it, but I would like us to get what we’re entitled to from him, especially as it isn’t the cheapest place in the world to live. Practical advice welcomed; I have had a look at a couple of websites, but they seem to be a little hazy on the subject and don’t go beyond suggesting that it may be possible top pressurise landlords into making repairs.

Movies, security, repairs

Last night, in lieu of the weekly game, we watched Peter Jackson’s King Kong on DVD. Three hours plus interruptions, say 3 hours 30 minutes in all, including phone calls, coffee breaks and the like.

Excellent special effects as you would imagine from WETA, but it really is a classic example of a director who has just had a huge hit being given carte blanche to do as he pleases. Did everyone forget that this is the man behind such abysmal fare as Basket Case? colonel_maxim had the right of it, I think, when he observed that Jackson needed a good editor. Virtually every scene is about 20% too long and a couple of them shouldn’t be there at all. When the gang fell into the ravine with the giant insects we both shouted “referee!” at the telly. I mean, come on.

With 20% lopped off it may become a good film; I can’t see it ever being a great film. I would have hated to see it at the cinema.

Sometime later this week, the police will be sending someone around to look at our flat door and to talk security to us. Apparently although Whetstone is generally a low crime area, there has been a spate of break ins and attempted break ins along the High Road in recent weeks. I am hoping that armed with that intelligence and perhaps even something in writing it will spur the landlord into providing us with a stronger door, perhaps one with a separate steel gate a little in front of the door itself. A new security door would do, though.

Does anyone out there in LJ land have any useful experience of pressurising landlords into keeping up their end of the tenancy agreement? I don’t want to threaten him with lawyers or anything like that if we can possibly get away with it, but I would like us to get what we’re entitled to from him, especially as it isn’t the cheapest place in the world to live. Practical advice welcomed; I have had a look at a couple of websites, but they seem to be a little hazy on the subject and don’t go beyond suggesting that it may be possible top pressurise landlords into making repairs.

Thwarted!

I have on my desk, courtesy fencingsculptor, a shiny new Flight Control TARDIS, a season 3 Doctor figure and a Martha Jones figure all to the same scale. The seven year old in my head is experiencing geekgasm.

My plans for the afternoon are foiled, however, by the lack of three AAA batteries and a screwdriver – though to be fair, without the batteries a screwdriver would be redundant, nay taunting (though to have the batteries without the screwdriver would be frustrating, so there is no good way through this). You see this collectible¹ TARDIS is not only to scale with the figures, but the doors open inwards to reveal the control room. The side door opens to reveal the telephone. If the batteries were installed, it would all light up, inside and out and there would be SOUND EFFECTS.

Pick it up and get a dematerialisation sound; put it down to get a rematerialisation sound. Open the doors and there is a hum. Spin it and it makes the noise of the TARDIS in flight. Jog it around a bit and it makes the sound of emergency, interrupted flight. This sis the sort of toy collectible they should have made when I was seven.

But.

I have no screwdriver and am short of three AAA batteries. My afternoon is in ruins; I must work instead of driving my colleagues green with envy wild with annoyance with the repeated demonstrations of TARDIS noises and me humming the Doctor Who theme tune.

Grumble.


¹This is a euphemism for toy. It is marginally more acceptable (in my head at least) for me to acquire collectibles than it is to buy toys. Watch me tiptoe along the tight rope of semantics and marvel.

Thwarted!

I have on my desk, courtesy fencingsculptor, a shiny new Flight Control TARDIS, a season 3 Doctor figure and a Martha Jones figure all to the same scale. The seven year old in my head is experiencing geekgasm.

My plans for the afternoon are foiled, however, by the lack of three AAA batteries and a screwdriver – though to be fair, without the batteries a screwdriver would be redundant, nay taunting (though to have the batteries without the screwdriver would be frustrating, so there is no good way through this). You see this collectible¹ TARDIS is not only to scale with the figures, but the doors open inwards to reveal the control room. The side door opens to reveal the telephone. If the batteries were installed, it would all light up, inside and out and there would be SOUND EFFECTS.

Pick it up and get a dematerialisation sound; put it down to get a rematerialisation sound. Open the doors and there is a hum. Spin it and it makes the noise of the TARDIS in flight. Jog it around a bit and it makes the sound of emergency, interrupted flight. This sis the sort of toy collectible they should have made when I was seven.

But.

I have no screwdriver and am short of three AAA batteries. My afternoon is in ruins; I must work instead of driving my colleagues green with envy wild with annoyance with the repeated demonstrations of TARDIS noises and me humming the Doctor Who theme tune.

Grumble.


¹This is a euphemism for toy. It is marginally more acceptable (in my head at least) for me to acquire collectibles than it is to buy toys. Watch me tiptoe along the tight rope of semantics and marvel.

Meh

I have a thumping headache and the police have decided that they will come around and stare at the door tonight after all.

I am supposed to be going out for a pint with ellefurtle, colonel_maxim, motorpickle and Chris sans LJ tonight, but I feel rather squiffy and harrassed. I don't think it will be such a good idea.

Home now, I think, to greet ill-timed Plod.

Meh

I have a thumping headache and the police have decided that they will come around and stare at the door tonight after all.

I am supposed to be going out for a pint with ellefurtle, colonel_maxim, motorpickle and Chris sans LJ tonight, but I feel rather squiffy and harrassed. I don't think it will be such a good idea.

Home now, I think, to greet ill-timed Plod.