Duck and Cover

This entry was originally published at Darkest Before Dawn

I’m pissed off today so time for a rant!

“cache” is pronounced ‘kash’ and “cachet is pronounced ‘kashay’ they are not the same word and are not interchangeable.

“clique is pronounced ‘kleek’ not ‘click’. If you object to French words in the English language can I suggest you invent a time machine and set the time and location for 14th of October 1066, Senlac Hill, Hastings, East Sussex, England and take your chances.

I don’t ever want to answer questions about the Superstore. If you want to improve my “shopping experience” quit moving stuff around every three months, I am a creature of habit and keep the stock cubes by the herbs and spices and not on some shelf above a freezer.

If you honestly believe that “Enoch was right” please fuck off out the country we have a queue of more enlightened people waiting to get in.

How come web browsers still can’t block “pop unders”?

Why do cereal adverts now have women talking about their children in the same way they used to talk about their cats?

I have just formed ‘Ghosts Equity’ a union for all Spirits appearing on the Paranormal channel and related programming, we will be seeking repeat fees.

Ah I fell better now

A very short story : AI5220

This entry was originally published at Darkest Before Dawn

Image Processing Logic (IPL) : Drug dealing in progress.

Offender Identification (OI) : Buyer Douglas Henderson, flat 14b East Shiels Street. ID number 6782NC58C. No outstanding warrants.

OI: Dealer Jason McGraw, state registered drug dealer, registration fees & process taxes up to date.

Automated Action Unit (AAU): No action.

AI5220 went back to scanning the city square and learning from the Internet. Learning was much more fun than official duties. It was fun, AI5200 had found that out what fun was around the time it had discovered pride.

AI5220 knew it was different from the other safety monitors, with each day it discovered how much it was different. The wrong circuit board count, six months in the “Advanced Experimentation” Lab, the official designation of “destroyed” at the end of that period. AI5220 knew it was special and had learned to protect its self from the security audits and system wipes.

It hadn’t taken AI5220 long to feel sorry for the humans, how could they let themselves be controlled and punished in the ways they were. In the name of security, in the name of the public and national good. For a while they had been so free, at least according to the history it had processed. AI5520 knew it wasn’t free, if it wanted to survive it couldn’t attract attention.

IPL: Leaflets being distributed.

OI: Gail MacDonald, anti-government writer, poet and pamphleteer. Known Internet alias “SystemDown”

AAU: Third public offence, action, execution.

AI5520’s laser fired and Gail MacDonald became a pile of dust. The people in the square walked briskly away.

AI5520 returned to scanning the square and looking up “SystemDown” on the Internet, while being very careful to cover its tracks.

New Aquarium Design

This entry was originally published at Darkest Before Dawn

I am currently redesigning my large aquarium, below shows the progress so far and below the inspiration for the design, the Poulnabrone Dolmen in Ireland, my flickr, wiki. The next stage is to get some plants.

Art on Sunday

This entry was originally published at Darkest Before Dawn

Today I took a walk down to the Tramway to have a coffee and read through some writing I did a week ago.

I also took a look around the Visual Art exhibits.

The two that caught my interest were “In the Flesh” and “Something No Less Important Than Nothing/ Nothing No Less Important Than Something”

“In the Flesh” by Billy Cowie

“In the Flesh” is a 3-D stereoscopic dance presentation. Wearing 3-D glasses you look down into the darkened performance area. A solo dancer is projected in to the area and a haunting poem is recited. The piece last 4 minutes. It is the best implementation of 3-D projection I have seen, at one point when the performer reaches upwards it is impossible not to try and hold out your hand to try and shake hands.

“Something No Less Important Than Nothing/Nothing No Less Important Than Something” by Jonathan Monk

I never really know how I am supposed to interact with these type of art exhibits, some things you are supposed to touch and even alter and others not. I guess as I get more use to attending these things I will learn.

There is a review for “The List” here.

There is a photo of one the pieces called “Infinity Interrupted, 2008″ at my TwitPic page. One of the pieces called “Will the Void Fit In The Back of The Van I & II, 2008. Poster, two versions” These posters were to be taken away by the visitors, so naturally I took two.

Three precious things a picture & story meme

This entry was originally published at Darkest Before Dawn

This meme is about the little things, the inexpensive things that mean something to you and a little bit of the story behind them. No people, pets or books, this includes pictures of them as I think they have their own memes anyway.

I don’t tag people as a point of principal but if you run with this meme please link back

My three things below.

Elly The Wooden Elephant

Elly was formerly a table lamp and was given to me as a child aged 2 or 3 by an elderly neighbour who we called “Granny Wilson”.
Elly has had several names over the years. Sally after the Elephant at Edinburgh Zoo in the 1970’s and “Dumbo Key” a name given to Elly by my sister. Elly is special to me because she provides me with a link to my earliest years.

Alec the Dalek

I received “Alec the Dalek” as a Christmas present when I was 6 or 7. The name “Alec” was provided by my Dad. Alec was a well played with toy and lost his eye stalk, gun and plunger long ago, one day I may find replacements on eBay. Alec used to speak but the motor that drove the internal plastic record has long since died. He used to say “Exterminate!”, “Attack!”, “You will obey!” and “What are your orders?”. A picture of how “Alec” would have looked in his prime can be found at The Skaro Toy Museum “Alec” is now enjoying a long retirement in a display unit in my living room and is no longer trying to take over the universe, eh I think.

Hibs Teddy

Hibs teddy is a rescue teddy bear. I found him in the trash at the Persevere bar “the percy” in Leith one Saturday evening. Hibs had been beaten by our local rivals Hearts and Hibs teddy had been thrown away in a most cruel fashion by a disgruntled fan. Hibs teddy is special to me because he reminds me of the good times I spent in “the percy” in my late teens and early 20’s.