A Big Ball of Stuff

Change is Good

2012-01-20T22:59:00.001Z

Well the book is sort of hold for a bit. Writing a Zombie based work of fiction is quite draining. I find that the more I write the darker it becomes and in order to achieve that I have to tune in to that mood. It doesn't make for a happy bunny!
One thing I have been doing is writing a children's book on the side. My kids love books, far more than I ever did when I was their age so I decided to give them something they could enjoy. I've done two chapters and I've read them out for them. They loved it but then they are an easy audience.
I will return to the Zombie book for now I'm taking a break and writing for my kids. If they enjoy it, I'll publish it.

The Queens Speech

2012-01-12T23:48:00.001Z

Well I've managed to get some more writing done today. I hadn't written anything for a couple of days so it's always hard to find you rhythm again. It always feels like you've been doing some serious running for a couple of months and then when you stop for a few days it becomes increasingly difficult to get back out on the road. And like running you'll find it harder the longer you leave it.

With my writing legs back on the road, I managed to complete two speeches which are delivered in the book. I can't give out the details here (spoilers) but I had to adopt the mindset of positions well above my station! Let's just say that I went looking for speeches made at the outbreak of the second world war in Europe. Perhaps that is cheating a little but it was important to get a feel for authority and defiance in the face of adversity.

The speeches I found from WW2 are still extraordinary today and reverberate through the decades. I hope that I've written great speeches in my book and I certainly hope I've done justice to the commitment and nerve with which they were written.

Planet of the Zombies!

2012-01-11T22:36:00.001Z

I didn't get any writing done yesterday which was a little annoying. It's not that I was being lazy, far from it. After work I was happily driving out of the carpark when another driver went straight into my passenger side. So last night was sat on the sofa moaning about my bad luck, wallowing in self pity.

No writing again today but I was distracted by a hospital appointment I had to keep and a GP visit. I could've written again tonight but watched Rise of the Planet of the apes instead. Turns out it was just the right film to watch. It's truly an amazing movie with some great symbolism hidden in plain sight in amongst some of the really dark moments. Plenty of inspiration for me then so back to writing tomorrow.

Horror Fiction

2011-10-26T06:58:00.001+01:00

11:07am

Did I mention I'm writing a book? Well, I'm writing a book. It's been an ambition of mine for a few years now. Ever since I was a kid I've had an active imagination, I always loved being able to fantasise about possibilities beyond our known reality.

I've always loved science fiction for example. When I was a kid there was a pathway which led between our house and a town about a mile away. It was the perfect place for my imagination to turn my Raleigh Burner BMX into a two wheeled version of the Delorean from Back to the Future. I loved every second of it. Even my current choice of car has been chosen by that child buried inside me! I've also always loved Doctor Who. I'd try and find the most lavish costumes I could and try and emulate past Doctors.

While sci-fi will always be a massive love of mine I've decided that my first work of fiction won't be in this genre.
I'm actually writing a sort of Zombie story. And this again stems from my childhood.

When I was about 6 or 7 years old I'd sometimes be left with a neighbour who had a son who was a year younger that me who I'd play with. Matchbox cars were the toy of choice and all of them would be kept in a draw in his parents living room. One afternoon however we put a VHS tape into the video recorder (a top loader) and we watched 'Night of the Living Dead'.

The movie frightened me beyond belief, chilled me to the bone and endless sleepless nights stretched out for the following couple of months. But, despite all that, including checking behind every door as I went around the house, I actually enjoyed the fear. With the passing of years I've always retained a soft spot for Zombie movies and so the book is being written, it might be the only one but it just needs telling. I need to get the Zombie monkey of my back!

Uncle Sam will eat your brain

2011-03-10T22:34:00.000Z

Via here

Eric Wedum finds a random headline and illustrates it the way he sees fit.

China's 'Two Suns' Video Unexplained By Science

2011-03-04T22:57:00.001Z

One of my fave pages on the tinterweb has this great little story.

The iPad 2

2011-03-04T22:52:00.000Z

Meet Fodd

2011-03-04T22:10:00.000Z

Charlie Sheen vs. Muammar Gaddafi lines

2011-03-02T20:41:00.000Z

Take the test at gaurdian

'Free' Money After Cash Machine Glitch In Oz

2011-03-01T23:15:00.002Z

Long queues began to form at machines as word spread that unrestricted withdrawals could be made, with reports of people walking away with hundreds of dollars.

The police had to step in to warn people they could face fraud charges for taking the money.

The problem affected around 40 ATMs belonging to the Commonwealth Bank in Sydney.

A bank spokesman said the ATMs "have been operating in standby mode. That means the ATM... can't identify the customers' account balance". Read on...

Bank Robbers Dug Tunnel for 6 Months

2011-03-01T23:13:00.000Z

It took crafty bank robbers six months to dig a 98-foot-long underground tunnel leading to the basement vault of a bank in Buenos Aires. The criminals managed to empty out only 10 percent of the 1,408 safety deposit boxes in the bank.

The robbers began digging the tunnel in July after renting a building near the bank, buenosairesnews.net reported. After the robbery, police found the passageway – which is more than 98 feet long and 3 feet in diameter – stocked with water bottles and equipped with carpeting, lights and ventilation. Read on...

How Long Do Mafia Victims Take to Dissolve In Acid?

2011-03-01T23:04:00.000Z

The Sicilian Mafia is known for its "lupara bianca," or "white shotgun," murders, whereby victims mysteriously vanish without a trace. According to informants, a common method of disposal is to dissolve the bodies of victims in vats of sulfuric acid. Not only does this satisfy any Mafioso's sadistic side, it also destroys the evidence—i.e. the corpse—within minutes. Or so it is said. Read on...

Smile

2011-03-01T23:01:00.000Z

Prank suicide

2011-03-01T22:52:00.001Z

Attack of the killer escalator

2011-03-01T22:08:00.002Z

Ripping up paper is brilliant

2011-03-01T22:06:00.002Z

Darth Vader Volkswagen ad parody

2011-03-01T22:03:00.000Z

Laughingsquid.com

Monsters of your 20's

2011-03-01T22:02:00.000Z

Neo in character

2011-03-01T21:59:00.000Z

New space imagery

2011-02-28T22:00:00.000Z

The Stardust-NEXT probe has captured amazing photos of the comet Tempel 1 at approximately 11:35 p.m. EST Feb. 14, but the images took about four hours to reach Earth. Photos from deep space will take time just like anything else travelling vast distances but the Stardust images took longer than most.

Weather conditions, the spacecraft's range and the processing of the images are thought to be responsible.

The plan was to first transmit the pictures that Stardust took when it was nearest to Tempel 1, a distance of around 112 miles away. Although Stardust took photos as it approached the comet, passed alongside it and looked backwards towards it. Mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California., wanted to get the closest shots of Tempel 1 transmitted first.

Stardust is 209 million miles from Earth, and it took 19 minutes for the images to arrive. (By comparison, a similar radio transmission from the moon would take about a second-and-a-half to reach Earth. Because the images were transmitted one by one, it took significantly longer for the HD pictures to get to Earth.

Sweden now and then

2011-02-28T21:49:00.000Z

F*ck me! I hope we don't have to go toe to toe with the Germans again!

Great Fans

2011-02-28T21:35:00.002Z

Awesome dog

2011-02-28T21:32:00.002Z

Bear Grylls was always cool

2011-02-28T21:27:00.000Z

Big Foot Beanie

2011-02-28T21:21:00.003Z

Big Foot hat at Amazon

Who said Dads can't dance?!?!

2011-02-28T21:20:00.002Z

Crazy driver ploughs into huge gathering of cyclists - GRAPHIC VIDEO - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

2011-02-28T21:11:00.000Z

Last Friday during a peaceful cyclist gathering in Brazil the driver of a volkswagon Golf drove at extreme speed into the cyclists. Incident happens 55 seconds.

More news click here

Batman...

2011-02-28T21:00:00.000Z

Cruel but funny joke on kids

2011-02-28T20:58:00.000Z

Massive fail compilation

2011-02-28T20:56:00.002Z

Actors in character

2011-02-28T20:55:00.000Z

Left: You're a child swallowing a spoonful of medicine that your mom promised would taste good, and now she's telling you that if it didn't taste awful it wouldn't work. Center: You're at a social dinner with your work colleagues and their spouses, desperately trying to signal your partner to stop talking so freely about your shared sex life. Right: You're a bunny-level skier who has decided to try a black-diamond slope, and now, with no idea how to stop, you're headed straight for a tree.

Howard Schatz

You are what you eat

2011-02-26T21:35:00.002Z

Dog Obedience

2011-02-26T21:34:00.000Z

Not his Mom

2011-02-26T21:32:00.000Z

Plane Crash - No worries!

2011-02-26T21:30:00.000Z

Don't know why I love this so much, funny as a box of frogs...

Oh bollocks!

2011-02-26T21:27:00.000Z

HaHaStop

iPhone Hype

2011-02-26T21:23:00.000Z

Source

What Killed the Blackbirds in Arkansas and Louisiana?

2011-02-26T21:19:00.000Z

After approximately 5,000 blackbirds fell from the sky on New Year's Eve in Beebe, Ark., local authorities have been narrowing down the possible causes for this seemingly supernatural event as autopsies of the birds continue.

On Monday (Jan. 3), 17 of the red-winged blackbirds underwent necropsies, or animal autopsies. Carried out by the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, the necropsies' preliminary testing showed that they died after massive physical trauma.

“Further tests will be done to rule out other causes, but the birds suffered from acute physical trauma leading to internal hemorrhage and death. There was no sign of any chronic or infectious disease,” the report stated. The trauma that killed them was found to be primarily in breast tissue, with blood clots in the body cavity and internal bleeding.

Read the rest of the article by Mysteries Staff here

Why Do We Die?

2011-02-26T21:15:00.000Z

Sorry to bring the happy tone down somewhat, but it's my blog, so I will.

We die naturally because our cells die.

After they’ve done their job, billions of cells in your body die each day and make way for new cells.

Old cells age us. Inside a cell, telomeres at the end of each chromosome contain genetic information that gets clipped away with each cell division. At first, telomeres are long enough that they can handle a snip here and a trim there. But after they hit a certain length, the information is lost.

When programmed cell death goes haywire, it can lead to diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Damage from exposure to ultraviolet light and free radicals also age cells.

But don’t despair. Scientists have extended the lives of flies, worms and mice through genetic tinkering or technology that mimics the effects of caloric restriction. Some research suggests humans could one day live to 140 years of age.

Random, eh?

4-year-old’s Out-of-Body Experience: Religion or Science?

2011-02-26T21:09:00.000Z

Several years ago, when Colton Burpo was 4 years old, he underwent cardiac arrest and was resuscitated during emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix. Four months later, Colton started saying strange things to his father, a Nebraskan pastor named Todd, and his mother, Sonja, about his near-death experience (NDE).

Colton recounted rising up out of the operating room, looking down on the doctors and his praying parents from above, and floating away to heaven, where he met his dead grandfather, his unborn sister who had died in a miscarriage, Jesus and God. In the New York Times bestseller "Heaven is for Real" (Thomas Nelson 2010), Todd Burpo tells the story of his son's trip to heaven and back.

Judging by book sales, this young boy's out-of-body experience in the operating room has given a great deal of encouragement to many people's religious beliefs. But what about those who don't believe in the Christian idea of heaven, but who also don't feel comfortable calling a 4-year-old a liar? Is there a scientific explanation for what happened to Colton?

Read the rest of the story here

Social Media Leaves People 'More Lonely'

2011-02-26T21:05:00.000Z

Written by Robert Cole at Sky News

We live in an ever more interconnected world - yet we are left feeling lonelier for it, according to American author Sherry Turkle.

Prof Turkle from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) argues that despite the advent of Twitter, Facebook and text messaging our intimate relationship with technology has not translated into closer personal relationships between fellow humans.

In fact, she says in her new book Alone Together, we are lacking the very thing that increased communication should bring - more face time with each other.

As a result, our Facebook status updates leave many of us feeling lonely, alienated and dissatisfied with life.

She says: "These days, insecure in our relationships and anxious about intimacy, we look to technology for ways to be in relationships and protect ourselves from them at the same time."

See the video here

Tall Robber Forces Banks To Heighten Security

2011-02-26T21:01:00.000Z

Source: skynews

Police in New York have urged banks to heighten their security - literally - to guard against a 6ft 5in robber they think has struck seven times in as many weeks.

The hunt for the tall raider, nicknamed the Holiday Bandit because his alleged crime spree started in December, is being stepped up in the city.The FBI has identified the man as Marat Mikhaylich and put him at the top of their most wanted violent crimes list. Read more here

Apolloa 18 - Official trailer

2011-02-26T20:56:00.000Z

Hangover 2 Memorial Day - Official Trailer

2011-02-26T20:49:00.000Z

You farted?

2011-02-26T20:43:00.000Z

Banksy CCTV

2011-02-26T20:23:00.000Z

E.T. Extinction - OFFICIAL TRAILER!!! Exclusive!!!

2011-02-26T20:11:00.002Z

500 worst passwords ever

2011-02-26T11:44:00.000Z

Kate Bingaman-Burt

Support the Ricky Gervais campaign

2011-02-26T11:38:00.000Z

You'll need to print Karls picture out and display it with disgust in your car window. Head like a fucking orange!

Despicable Me - "WHAT?"

2011-02-26T11:25:00.000Z

Harsh victorian punishment

2011-02-26T00:11:00.000Z

Thousands of Victorian-era criminal records have been published online for the first time in a collection that paints a vivid picture of the judicial system during the 1800s.

The record of Mary Morrison, who threw sulphuric acid over her estranged husband.

The documents, 4,400 criminal records and 500 mug shots, have been published by family history website Ancestry.co.uk.

They testify that 59-year-old Mary Richards was sent to jail for five years in 1880 for stealing 130 oysters valued at eight shillings.

Mary Morrison, a 40-year-old servant who threw sulphuric acid over her estranged husband for not paying her weekly allowance, also got five years, but only served three.

Read the rest of the story here

Photo of the day - Greek cop gets bombed!

2011-02-26T00:06:00.000Z

Making faces on Omegle

2011-02-26T00:03:00.002Z

Don't shoot!

2011-02-26T00:01:00.000Z

Visit the official site for more, click here

Sticky Comics - Computer Update

2011-02-25T23:57:00.000Z

Visit sticky comics

Old men lightsaber duel

2011-02-25T23:52:00.000Z

Like? Dislike? Facebook in the office

2011-02-25T23:47:00.002Z

Cats keeping fit

2011-02-25T23:44:00.000Z

More at ShoeBox

The Bible - Fu*k you!

2011-02-25T23:41:00.000Z

Purplehayess says: "So a FB friend made a status about gay marriage, and homosexuality, being a sin. After his mother jumped into the discussion, I'd had enough."

New trick shots - US Womans national team

2011-02-25T23:37:00.000Z

Google search results for 'Murder'

2011-02-25T23:27:00.000Z

Jebus! Second in the rankings! Try it yourself!

Thom Yorke's dance moves revealed!

2011-02-24T18:24:00.000Z

Amazing Facebook facts - Video

2011-02-24T18:19:00.000Z

The World Is Obsessed With Facebook from Alex Trimpe on Vimeo.

Early design - The Detroit Robo Cop statue

2011-02-22T23:04:00.000Z

150 Famous lines from the history of movies in 10 mins

2011-02-22T23:01:00.002Z

Savage Chickens - Tree 'Aliens'

2011-02-22T22:48:00.000Z

Savage Chickens.com

Helpful Tyler Durden

2011-02-22T22:45:00.000Z

Transformers - Dark of the Moon OFFICIAL TRAILER 2011

2011-02-22T13:05:00.000Z

Goose chases man on scooter

2011-02-22T12:58:00.002Z

Campaigners Raise $50k For Statue Of Robocop

2011-02-20T19:37:00.000Z

SkyNews.com reports...

The idea of of celebrating the character from the popular movie trilogy was sparked by a tweet directed at Detroit mayor Dave Bing.

"Philadelphia has a a statue of Rocky, Robocop would kick Rocky's butt. He's a great ambassador for Detroit," MT tweeted.

The mayor replied that there were no plans for a statue of Robocop to be erected.

But the suggestion sparked an internet campaign that saw the creation of a dedicated Facebook page and the topic trending on Twitter for several days. Click here for more on this story...

New trick shots

2011-02-20T19:28:00.002Z

Angry Little Fu#k

2011-02-20T19:23:00.002Z

Educating the employees

2011-02-20T19:20:00.000Z

The Fuck-Up

Youtube prankster is facing serious jailtime

2011-02-20T19:11:00.000Z

YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day

The fantasy world map

2011-02-20T19:05:00.000Z

By Dan Meth

Warriors in the Mist: A Medieval Dark Fantasy

Escher's waterfall IRL

2011-02-20T19:00:00.000Z

M. C. Escher (Waterfall) Art Poster Print - 22x26 Art Poster Print Art Poster Print by M. C. Escher, 22x26 Art Poster Print by M. C. Escher, 22x26

eBay item: Awkward date with a weird guy

2011-02-20T18:53:00.000Z

eBay 101: Selling on eBay For Part-time or Full-time Income, Beginner to PowerSeller in 90 Days

Jimmy Connors - Legend

2011-02-19T21:21:00.000Z

Man lives with blade in head for 4 years

2011-02-19T21:18:00.000Z

Chinese man Li Fu got stabbed in the back of his head 4 years ago. The knife broke and its 4-inch blade got stuck inside his head. Doctors failed to notice fuck all at the time and the man lived like this ever since.

Little Hip-Hoppers

2011-02-19T21:15:00.000Z

Sex - Can you spot it?

2011-02-16T21:32:00.000Z

Greatest Amazon Review

2011-02-16T21:23:00.000Z

English Grammar For Dummies

Beatles Live in Cheltenham Nov 1, 1963 RARE Footage Plus Interview

2011-02-16T21:19:00.000Z

More Beatles

The Beatles - Live In Sweden 1963 (Full Concert) Video

2011-02-16T21:13:00.000Z

More Beatles

The Beatles - Live at Shea Stadium video

2011-02-16T21:09:00.000Z

More Beatles

Supercut: Cinema's most disturbing kisses

2011-02-15T21:36:00.002Z

Infographic: George Lucas's revenue from Star Wars

2011-02-15T21:33:00.000Z

More tower graphics here

Bird hitches a ride on car's windshield

2011-02-15T21:26:00.000Z

Youtube user 1977tiptop writes: "This bird landed on my windshield at a McDonald's parking lot. So I drove around the parking lot to see how long he would stay on.".

Onomatopoeia

2011-02-13T21:06:00.000Z

The Comics: An Illustrated History of Comic Strip Art

http://www.explosm.net/

Moron of the day - Escalator Fail

2011-02-13T21:02:00.000Z

Intellectual Morons: How Ideology Makes Smart People Fall for Stupid Ideas

Picture of the Day - Up close and personal with a Polar bear

2011-02-13T20:59:00.000Z

Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat, near Ontario, Canada: a two-inch thick plexiglass has been installed between a paddling pool and the polar bear enclosure.

Aurora Plush 12" Baby Slushy Aurora Babies Polar Bear

Alan Partridge - Eddie Shadow

2011-02-13T20:52:00.000Z

Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge - The Complete Series

New Alan Partridge Series 2011

2011-02-13T20:38:00.000Z

Check it, hahahahahahaha! in advance! Click here for new Alan Partridge

Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge - The Complete Series

Dashboard camera shows close call with Death!

2011-02-13T20:35:00.000Z

Fila Men's FA0796-02 Automatic Highway Watch

Johnny Mac - trick shot quarterback

2011-02-12T10:25:00.002Z

Boarding a train in Burma

2011-02-12T10:19:00.000Z

In Burma trains don't stop, they just slow down!

Reel Wisdom: Lessons from 40 Films in 7 Minutes

2011-02-09T21:30:00.000Z

Bus Crash:CCTV Inside Shows Moment Of Impact

2011-02-09T21:14:00.000Z

Lewis N. Clark Travel Comfort Set, Black, One Size

Man banned from having sex because of low IQ

2011-02-08T21:48:00.000Z

A 41 year-old has been in a relationship with a man with whom he lived and has been told by officials to stop with immediate effect.

But his local council decided his “vigorous sex drive” was inappropriate and that with an IQ of 48 and a “moderate” learning disability, he did not understand what he was doing.

A psychiatrist involved in the case even tried to prevent the man being given sex education, on the grounds that it would leave him “confused”.

More at The Telegraph

The Complete Book of Intelligence Tests: 500 Exercises to Improve, Upgrade and Enhance Your Mind Strength (The IQ Workout Series)

Star Wars: A New Hope told in icons

2011-02-08T21:43:00.000Z

Star Wars: The Original Trilogy