Ugh! Another Birthday.

So old and ancient.

Alien.

Ash is a goddamn plaster cast head with medical catheters in his neck. It's true.

Martian Up Woman And Grow A Third Breast!

I don't think this insult is going to be very successful.

Damn You Puberty, It's All Your Fault.

"Man Up and Grow a Set of Balls" and "Grab yourself by the Balls". I hear these lovely lady like expressions used a lot on talk shows and in reality television series and it got me wondering...

Are there shops out there where you can go to order a new set of balls and they will grow them for you? What is the incubation time for a fully grown set of balls? Do they cocoon your old set of balls in chrysalis for 9-15 days before a bright new set of grown balls emerge? Do I have to wait for my Milk Balls to drop out before my Adult Man Balls grow in?

What's with this manning up thing too? Is it like Powering Up in a video game? Are there cheat codes for the Manning Up Maneuver?

As for gabbing yourself by the Balls... what kind of resistance is met when one part of your physical anatomy grabs another? Is there a state of motion involved; is inertia attained? What kind of velocities are involved here? It could be dangerous to do this. Is it like when Thor throws his hammer and holds onto it and he goes flying off with it?

We all know Women are full on "Woman Upping" all the time so there is no need to ask that question of the opposite sex because they're awesome, but are they capable of growing new sets of body parts too? Could they like, grow a third breast like that chick in Total Recall?

50th Anniversary of "I Have a Dream" Speech.

I also have a dream probably shared by many of you...a dream of a world where women are treated equally and with utter respect; a place where animals are not tortured in lab experiments and kept in torturous conditions for their milk and eggs or eventually killed for their flesh or fur. 

A planet where humans have become so evolved we've stamped out ageism, ableism, homophobia, elitism and of course racism.

An Earth where we nurture and tend to our enviroment, not destroy it and pretend there is an unlimited supply of gifts nature has to offer us.

A reality where people all have a roof over their heads and no one goes starving or hungry and free medical care is not frowned upon and is a basic human right.

A global setting where war and conflict is considered archaic and acceptance and fairness are part of the normal mind set.

A point in this blue dot's history in which governments do the right thing for their people with zero financial influence from the big corporations that make us all work harder and have less and less to show for it.

Like I said it's a dream; I will die knowing this fantasy for humanity will never come to fruition because greed and hatred have poisoned a vast majority of the movers and shakers in the international community.

To quote a young John Connor from the movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day..."We're not going to make it, are we?"

Nouveau Nerd  

Nouveau:  French - New.  
Nerd:  A person, typically described as being overly intellectual, obsessive, or socially impaired.

This is another word I felt compelled to come up with to describe the flood of new nerd and geek writers and podcast/television/radio personalities who consistently get their facts wrong. It's okay to make mistakes from time to time that's the qualities of being human and not Vulcan, but these people head influential websites and mainstream shows that somehow set themselves up to be some sort of figurehead and "expert" on all things geek and nerdy. They're writing or fronting news articles for the benefit of their own interest demographic; you'd think they'd fact check or at least do some homework before presenting their final drafts or presentations to the world. These people tend to acquire their status as the movers and shakers of these communities via good connections in the media industry or they wriggle their way into such a position via another discipline... they're either comedians, struggling actors or writers...a good example of this is someone like Chis Hardwick who constantly makes mistakes on his Nerdist television and podcast shows. I'm sure he does have a passion for Doctor Who, Star Wars and The Walking Dead, but time and time again he has proven insufficient knowledge on the most basic of topics on these subjects. Nouveau Nerds who are thrown into the limelight often lack the humility to admit to their limits. The socially impaired aspect of their psyche become the dominant leading force. They simply want to seem smarter and more informed than they really are to gain total credibility in the geek/nerd communities. 

There is a secondary Nouveau Nerd species that has emerged from all things geek and nerd becoming cool in the eyes of society; these are the people who rarely picked up a comic book, watched any science fiction/horror television shows or movies. They had a casual interest, but not an obsessive love for the stuff they read or watched. Since it's become cool to be a geek or a nerd these people have stepped out of the shadows utilising the abundance of information available to ride the popularity wave. They are nothing more than posers who joined the assembled hordes of geeks and nerds much later in their lives. A typical Secondary Nouveau Nerd is someone who thinks what is presented to them in programs such as the Big Bang Theory which tends to portray geeks and nerds as grossely caricatured and stereotypical characters as fact. 

Nu-vian

For several years I've been using a word I came up with in my vocabulary that describes a certain type of Doctor Who fan. It's something I combined from the modern leet speak variation of 'new' now 'nu' and the recognised and established word 'Whovian' which denotes a proper Doctor Who fan.

I decided Nu-vian describes best a specific type of fan of the popular sci-fi show Doctor Who. Since Doctor Who has become more and more popular in America over the past few years there have been a growing number of people tuning into the show who are only familiar with the series from 2005 onwards...series one of Nu-Who, not season 27 or 28 depending on if you count the Paul McGann TV movie a season.  They tend to be good hearted well intentioned folk, but lack a thorough insight into the full history of the longest running science fiction series in the world and the titular character. Their knowledge is cursory which is to be expected, but the most annoying aspect of Nu-vians is that they like their Doctors young and sexy due to an infatuation with the tenth Doctor pretty boy David Tennant. I guess time will tell if Nu-vians are a fickle lot; the recent casting of the 12th Doctor Peter Capaldi will test their true love of the show since he does not fit the young pretty boy mold and is more of a throwback to the classic more mature actor in the role.

Farewell Tony Your 'VISIONS' Will go 'ON'

Artist and children's presenter Tony Hart has died, aged 83.

Hart, who lived in Surrey, had suffered from health problems for a number of years, including two strokes. His family said he died peacefully.
The affable presenter inspired children to paint and draw on shows like Vision On, Take Hart and Hartbeat for nearly 50 years before he retired in 2001.
Fellow artist Rolf Harris led tributes, calling Hart "a very gentle and talented guy".
"He enthused and inspired a whole generation of kids into creating their own works of art, simple or complex."

Hart's agent, Roc Renals, said the presenter had died in the early hours of Sunday morning.
He said: "I was for many years his best friend, agent, manager and publicist. He suffered two strokes many years ago and his health declined since then."
"Thousands and thousands of young people who are now grown up will thank him for inspiring them to take up art," he added.
Wilf Lunn, Hart's friend who worked with him on Vision On for nine years, said he was a television pioneer.
"His legacy was the fact he really started all these children's programmes, Art Attack and all that, and he was the guy, right at the beginning.
"And he was the guy who had all these little tricks that teachers used to use because they make things look easy, and we got people into doing it. And he was such a nice man."
Morph

A lovely, gentle, skilful presenter, who allowed the art to be the centre of attention
vauqueliniere

The artist served as an officer in the 1st Gurkha Rifles in World War II, before joining a course at Maidstone College of Art.
Gurkha Welfare Trust director Colonel William Shuttlewood said Hart regularly donated pictures which were auctioned and raised "substantial" amounts of money.
He said: "I am sorry he has gone. He was a lovely chap and was very keen to make sure we were supported properly."
It was a chance meeting in 1952 with a BBC TV producer and a demonstration of his quick art skills on a paper napkin that secured his on-screen career.
Hart became resident artist on the Saturday Special programme that year.
Subsequent TV shows included Playbox, Titch and Quackers, Vision On, Take Hart, Hartbeat and Smart Hart.
From 1977 he appeared with animated clay character Morph, who lived in a pencil box. Morph was later joined by his cream-coloured colleague Chas.
Hartbeat often attracted 5.4 million viewers and Hart's mailbag varied between 6,000 and 8,000 per week.
Richard Deverell, BBC Children's Controller, said: "Tony was a warm man who had an unique ability to communicate with and inspire children.
"He was an inspirational man and a terrific broadcaster."
Hart received two Bafta awards, won a lifetime achievement award in 1998, and also created the original design for the Blue Peter badge.
In an interview last year he said not being able to draw after suffering two strokes was the "greatest cross I have to bear".
However, he added: "My aged heart is warmed by the lovely letters and e-mails I receive, especially when they tell me that my work on television inspired the writers to become artists, sometimes very successful ones."

Knocked For Six!

Rest In Peace Patrick McGoohan.

Emmy-winning actor Patrick McGoohan, best known for starring in cult 1960s TV show The Prisoner, has died at the age of 80. He died in Los Angeles after a short illness, his film producer son-in-law Cleve Landsberg told Associated Press. McGoohan played the character Six in the surreal 1960s show, filmed in the north Wales village of Portmeirion. He won two Emmy awards for his work on TV detective series Columbo, playing different characters. The first came for an episode of the series in 1974, with another 16 years later. 'I am a free man' The screen star also won a Bafta award for best television actor in 1959 for his role in The Greatest Man In The World, a one-off drama in ITV's Armchair Theatre series. In more recent years, McGoohan played King Edward Longshanks in the 1995 Mel Gibson film Braveheart. The actor also starred in ITV series Danger Man, which began in 1960The actor, who was born in New York and raised in England and Ireland, came to screen prominence in TV series Danger Man, in which he played a secret service agent. The programme later aired as Secret Agent in the US. He was later considered for the role of James Bond for the movie Dr No.

But McGoohan was chiefly associated with cult ITV drama The Prisoner, writing some of the episodes himself under a different name. His character spent the entire time attempting to escape from The Village and finding out the identity of his captor, the elusive Number One.
He repeatedly declared: "I am not a number - I am a free man!" In 2000, McGoohan reprised his most famous role in an episode of The Simpsons. 'Cult status' Residents of Portemeirion, which has its own The Prisoner shop selling memorabilia from the show, have paid tribute to the star. Councillor Dewi Lewis said: "It helped to put Portmeirion the village on the map during the 60s and we are still benefiting from that today." Patrick McGoohan in The Prisoner - Courtesy Sony BMG"Mr McGoohan is held in high esteem in the area for the work he did - it still has a loyal following of people who come to Portmeirion annually." Robin Llywelyn, managing director of the Portmeirion village resort, added: "What he created out of The Prisoner is a lasting piece of TV at its best - it achieved cult status. It's something that we are very proud of." Last year, ITV confirmed that Passion of the Christ star Jim Caviezel would take the role of Number Six in a remake of The Prisoner, which will also star Sir Ian McKellen. "His [McGoohan's] creation of The Prisoner made an indelible mark on the sci-fi, fantasy and political thriller genres, creating one of the most iconic characters of all time," AMC, which is co-producing the remake, said in a statement. "AMC hopes to honour his legacy in our re-imagining of The Prisoner." McGoohan's last role came in 2002, as a voice artist in animated picture Treasure Planet.

Time.....Is A Luxury You Don't Have, Admiral!

Rest in peace Ricardo Montalban!

Actor Ricardo Montalban, who starred in the popular US TV show Fantasy Island in the 1970s-80s, has died aged 88, a Los Angeles city official says. The Mexican-born actor died at his home, the official said. Fantasy Island ran for six years and centred on a magical island where guests could live out their dreams. Montalban - who had a long career in entertainment - was also well-known for playing the villain in Star Trek, both on television and in a feature film.
Montalban's death was announced by Eric Garcetti, who represents the LA district where the actor lived. David Brokaw, the actor's friend, described him as a "very courtly, modest, dignified individual," the Associated Press news agency reports. Montalban had been a film star in Mexico before moving to Hollywood in 1946.

Why Snakes? Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?

Whoa! I just had to mention something interesting that happened to me today. I slept late this morning after working most of the night and early hours on an art project that had a deadline at 7.00 A.M. I got out of bed around 2.00 P.M. and turned my computer on to check my e-mails etc. About ten minutes into doing this I heard one of my cats " Boy " making weird growling noises in the hallway to my studio. I turned around to see what all the commotion was about and there in Boy's mouth was a two and a half foot Black Racer snake. Anyone who owns cats knows that trying to pry the animal away from it's prey is virtually impossible without getting clawed and bitten to death. I was in a quandary...how the hell do I get this snake out of the cat's mouth and how do I get it out of the house without hurting it before it slips behind something that makes it impossible to catch. The first part of the operation was a necessity; shut all the three doors in the hallway that lead to other rooms, place cushions on the floor to block off the small spaces under those doors. The cushions wouldn't prevent the snake from accessing the rooms beyond, but they would act as a partial barrier and slow it's progress down buying me some extra minutes. The last thing I wanted was for the snake to get away and slither into my studio which has a lot of shit to maneuver around or worse still my step son's bedroom which is like the pit of hell when it comes to shit everywhere. If the snake got into any of those rooms I would be fucked. It would be a monumental operation to find a snake in there.

When I came back with the cushions from the living room couch I found to my horror the snake had gone. Well at least that took care of the problem of seperating cat and snake. I figured the snake had bitten him and had wriggled into the place my cat was now intently staring at... the hall closet. Well at least the snake chose somewhere that had less junk to move. Living in Florida the past few years has taught us to put all our personal belongings in boxes just in case we have to leave the house with them in a hurry because of severe hurricanes. Most of the closets and cupboards in our house are stocked tight with heavy boxes full of personal stuff we either want to take with us in an emergency or leave in a relatively safe place to wait out the storm. The hall cupboard was no exception. I took on the task of removing all the heavy boxes and put them in the guest bathroom and locked Boy in there too so I could attempt this procedure with as little problem as possible. The snake was a tricky bastard. It snuck under the last box in the closet and when I removed that it made a dash towards my studio door. The cushions gave me something to trap him underneath and carefully I edged the cushion and the snake towards a cardboard box I had prepared earlier. It was time consuming and very nerve wracking, but I finally got it in the box and released it outside unharmed. I've heard that these species of non venomous snakes are one of the the fastest in the world and I can testify to the reptile's speed. They are also known for putting up vigorous fights, biting hard and often once cornered, so I guess I was very lucky not to have gotten bitten by it. I hope Boy or Mini, my other cat didn't get bitten during this encounter.

Forget about the snake handlers way of grabbing them by the back of the head, these things are way too agile to do that, If anyone else has this problem happen to them I suggest the plan of attack I used here. At the end of it all I was pretty proud of my achievement, but I don't think I would want to take on anything more dangerous than that. I think I'll leave the giant snake slaying to Conan the Barbarian and anyone who wants to go hunting for for Blood Orchids.

Take Your Stinking Paws Off Me You Damn Dirty Disease!

In the early hours of Saturday morning the world lost a big screen hero and a real life tough guy Charlton Heston. For me the chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice of the actor were the qualities that made him perfect for the characters he played. I will fondly remember him as Ben Hur ( Ben Hur 1959 ) George Taylor ( Planet Of The Apes 1968 ) Robert Neville ( Omega Man 1971 ) Detective Robert Thorn ( Soylent Green 1973 ) He was my Mum's screen idol and because of this she took me to see him in one of the first films I ever saw as a child, Planet Of The Apes. It was this film that made me make - up effects crazy and a science fiction fan for life. It was also my introduction to this man's body of excellent work and I still haven't gotten around to seeing all of them yet. Now that he's gone I shall be investigating his back catalogue of films and perhaps find the time to see more of him in action. Today at my house we will be holding our own little tribute to him by watching one of his films and creating a little mini shrine on our computers with photos of him. I'll also move my 12 inch Sideshow figure of Heston as George Taylor the Astronaut to a place on my desk besides my computer.

Memorable Charlton Heston quotes.

"I don't seem to have a 20th century face"
Charlton Heston

How true and how perfect his face was for the man who raced chariots in 26 AD, or the astronaut who crash lands back to Earth in the year 3978 AD and has to fight for survival in a land of simians, or the doctor who saved mankind from a plague in the not so distant future of 1977 or the cop in 2022 who uncovered the secret of Soylent Green.


"It's been quite a ride. I loved every minute of it"
Charlton Heston
And so have we, thank you Mr. Heston may you rest in peace.

Warriors Are Real Men And They Come Out To Play-eyay!

My wife and I were watching the directors cut of the Warriors last night and it was really interesting to see this film again having not seen it in several years. It has dated somewhat, despite the fact that it was meant to be set sometime in the future.The clothes the actors wore in 1979 simply don't pass for the apparel being sold in today's stores. I suppose it's conceivable that 70's fashions like the large fuck off Concorde wing collars proudly displayed on men and women's buttoned shirts could make a comeback, but I wouldn't put a large sum of money down on betting it will happen any time soon. I think trouser flares, otherwise known as bell bottoms, will continue to come and go because each generation discovers the flattering effects they have on people with chunky legs such as myself. I could never wear drainpipe jeans as a kid or as a teenager because they made me look like a strangely shaped duck arse man. It wasn't as if I was a fat child in fact I was stick thin until I turned the age of 25 easily slipping into jeans with a 21 inch waistband. No my problem was I was short and drainpipe legs were specifically designed to look better on a taller, proportioned pair of pins.

I'm sure even way back then the film looked ridiculous to the tough guys who belonged to the real gang communities in the New York area depicted in the film. However the flamboyant gang colors and costume designs were a great way to identify each street or neighborhood clan individual, and was one of the strongest and most memorable elements of the film. But real hard men wouldn't be seen dead in those kinds of "faggoty" duds. Wearing that kind of accoutrement would most certainly get you your head kicked in on the mean streets of a notoriously dangerous city in the USA or UK. Which brings me to the topic of masculinity.

I never considered myself a macho man, you know, the type that likes to get together with the guys, chug down copious amounts of beer, watch the football match = soccer game, on telly ( British slang for television ) or going out to the pubs and getting into fisticuffs ( fight ) at the end of the night because someone "looked" at you the wrong way when you had one too many to drink. No I've always loved the company of women and being involved with more feminine pursuits.

A lot of guys who go clothes shopping with their other halves find the whole process unbearably dull, and intolerable to deal with without the distraction of alcohol or food to pass the time away. I see the hurt in their eyes when I stand alongside them outside the changing rooms of a female clothing shop while we both wait for our partners to spring fourth and give us an impromptu display of form and fashion. Time and time again I find most guys give me the rolled eyes expression to articulate their feelings of impatience and displeasure with the situation. It's their way of connecting with another like-minded individual and sharing some solidarity with another human being. Of course I play along in order to make the other dude feel at ease, but in all honesty I always look forward to lending my artistic eye and giving my wife some feedback on the clothes she's trying on. I guess I will never understand the other man's grief. It's not like you're being water boarded or having your eyeballs spooned out with a jagged teaspoon. All you have to do is wait there in the relative comfort of an air conditioned room and wait until you are asked to participate in the duty of decision making. It's not that hard and sometimes you get to sit in a comfy chair while you do this. So what if the female in your life can't make up her mind and has to visit and revisit various retailers for several hours until she's sure of what she wants it's a small price to pay for a happy coexistence.



If I happen to be wearing a baseball cap when accompanying my wife on our shopping jaunts this invariably prompts further interaction with blokes who are impatiently tapping their feet and shifting uncomfortably from side to side until their companions emerge from the mysterious aperture of the women's changing room. The reason for the verbal interplay is brought about by the fact that most of my hats usually have a sports team logo printed or sewn onto the front of them.

I buy hats that look good on my head. I have a very large forehead so to counteract the immensity of skull flesh on display I like to cover up. I buy hats that also suit the shape of my face ones that will slim my features down. I buy hats with colors and logos that I find attractive. I do not buy hats because I support a baseball team. In fact I don't know much about baseball at all and I never felt the need to get into it. Baseball just doesn't interest me. My lack of familiarity and enthusiasm for the sport often leads to very difficult conversations with those in the know, and I found that if I just keep my side of the chat to " yeah's " and let the other guy do all work I can come through it reasonably unabashed.

I didn't realize clothes were such a big part of American cultural identity until I moved here. Don't get me wrong; in Britain it's a similar situation. You are judged by how you look and what you wear to a certain degree but it's not on as grand a scale as it is in in the Land of Uncle Sam. A large percentage of society has been preprogrammed by the media and fashion police to invalidly assert that specific styles equate to a person's individuality, professionalism, intelligence and good standing in the community. It's bullshit. These archaic principles all adhere to the rule that the clothes maketh the man, but sensible, informed people know better, but unfortunately official bodies like to stick us with these antiquated protocols at work and at play and like the mindless sheep we are taught to be, a lot of us do not question or disobey these rules.

The style of clothing we wear is not an equivalent to ones individuality, it is simply a means of expressing ones individuality and probably in most cases not a very good marker for expressing a persons individuality when you consider we can only buy what clothes retailers sell us, the choices are not infinite.

The most commonly touted benefits for wearing casual clothing in a professional working environment has been improved morale, increased worker productivity, more open communication between staff and managers, cost savings to employees because casual wear is less expensive, and improved quality of work. The few pitfalls caused by a casual working environment have all been cited by the old guard a generation of people who stick rigidly to obsolete beliefs because it makes them feel in control and comfortable in their surroundings. All the complaints come from a place where the practice of " dressing down" is only practiced on one day of the week. The confusion of not knowing what to wear would be virtually eliminated if you could go casual every single day. People eventually get into the groove if given enough time to settle into a routine. The arguments for the lack of uniformity and conformity are valid depending on which profession you're talking about. I think those are a matter of executive decision.

Intelligence comes from the wearer of the clothes and in no way do the clothes have some invisible union with the brain. Here is a link http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54984 to a funny article on a the web which takes a satirical look at an IQ test involving the use of baseball caps.

As for good standing in the community... well, we all know how our perceptions of the holier than thou, frock wearing priests have been turned upside down after one sex abuse scandal after another. Yet bikers continue to get the bad rap simply because they have a penchant for wearing leather, have long hair and like to bike the open roads. The fuds of the world regard them with distain and consider these individuals raunchy, boozy, dangerous, unsavory misfits, who happen to raise millions of dollars for children's charities everywhere.

After watching the Warriors together my wife said to me the next morning that it was refreshing to see a man with chest hair. I believe she was referring to the character named Vermin played by Terry Michos. In the film he wore a leather waistcoat unbuttoned exposing his manly man of a hairy chest. This after all was the era of the Bee Gees, golden medallions resting upon weaves of virile fur. It was perfectly acceptable in those days to look like this; in fact it was preferred,
but at some point in the 80's it became unfashionable to have body hair anywhere except on top of your head or face. People like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone shaved their chest hair in order to show off their muscles.

The Glam Rock and New Romance movements of the music scene encouraged guys to wear make up, shave unwanted body hair and in some respects transform their appearance to that of a more androgynous creature. This, I think, was the beginning of the end for guys with their fair share of animalistic, naturalistic body coats. I have chest hair and my wife loves it. In fact when we first met, I was a patient in hospital and she was the nurse assigned to my ward and she tells me that seeing my chest hair under my open pajama top was one of the first things that attracted

her to me. My stepson's girlfriend absolutely hates body hair on a man so the poor kid has to shave all the time to keep her happy. The aversion to this kind of hair has grown to pandemic proportions. This younger generation of girls want their male bodies bald and soft to the touch and won't accept anything less than artificial perfection. Maybe this is payback for all the years men told women to get bigger tits and plumper lips and shave their bushes away until no hair was present. Indeed something has changed the public consciousness in regard to what is pleasing to the eyes, the fingers

and the nose.

Guys have lapped up the trend to become more feminine just like the poor teenage girls who became anorexic and bulimic in their singular quest to try and become the impossibly unattainable Barbie body beautiful. Guys bathroom medicine cabinets are now stocked full of all manner of creams, potions and lotions when once there may have been only some toothpaste, shaving cream, and a bar of soap on the sink basin. The female only domain of moisturizers and exfoliates has now been invaded by the enemy.

So where does this leave me? I don't shave my chest hair. I don't use any health and beauty products. A bar of soap a flannel and some shampoo does me fine. I have no need for conditioners, hair gels or waxes, styling mousse etc. By these standards I should be considered a throwback, but on the other hand I like shopping with my wife and I hate sports and beer. So what the fuck does that make me? A metro sexual? Not quite, not by the definition of that word. I guess I'm just complicated and maybe there are other fellows out there who are equally complicated and refuse to be pigeon holed and categorized. Perhaps there are people out there like me who are disgusted at how superficial both males and females have become and are sad that we can't just be ourselves anymore. In a way, watching a 70's film like this reminded me of freer times when men could be men and women could be women, more or less. It's funny the things that go through your head when viewing a film full of beefy testosterone action.

Silverscreen Movie Posters...To Your Right & Down A Bit!

This blogging malarkey is all very time consuming, especially when you try to spruce things up by adding a page element like the new slideshow facility. Fuckin ell! You can't link to photos on your computer's hard drive because of the way it is all set up so you have to be a member of Picassa Web Album, Flickr, Phototbucket, or some other picture hosting service. So in order to have some flashy visuals to look at I had to join up to one of these websites. I picked Flickr and over the course of half a day I collected the pictures I wanted from the net, saved them on my computer then uploaded them to my newly created Flickr account. Then I had to do some hot linking thing between the two websites. Phew! It's now up and running and looks ever so pretty on the right hand side of my page. It's just a visual representation of the list of movies I recommend to others. It's not a list of the most obscure and avant-garde art house pieces which will give me an air of superiority in all matters of film knowledge and taste. It's just a film list littered with mainstream blockbusters from all eras. I'm not interested in trying to prove anything nor do I have airs of pretension. I hate film snobs who try to do that and I do not wish to be one so I guess that elitist attitude makes me a kind of snob anyway. I am what I am and I simply love any kind of B-Movie and make no apologies for it to anyone. They are always great to watch and pure escapist fun. If I needed a dose of melodrama then I would watch the Lifetime or Hallmark TV channels. If I crave a film which studies matters of the human condition and the milieu which brings about such cultural and sociological variations then I'll go to a multi medium art gallery or an independent film festival. For all my other needs I'll trundle off to my local cinema and see the magic unfold there. The list mainly comprises films in the following genres...Science Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Live Action Comic Book and Animation. There are some other films from other genres stuck in there which I absolutely adore and couldn't leave off the list, but they are the exceptions to the rule.

Blogging Mania! I Blog Therefore I Am!

Since I decided to create a blog I also looked into some interesting facts about this online entity. I read that 8,000-17,000 new blogs are created every single day. That works out as one created somewhere in the world every 5.8 seconds. 36 per cent irritated friends or family with their musings, while an incredible 12 per cent attracted the attention of lawyers with their venomous commentary.

According to the data from Weblog search engine Technorati, 45 per cent of the weblogs have not had a post in over three months, I'll probably join this percentage of people because I can't sit on my arse in front of a computer for hours on end. There are other things to do in life so they will always come first, still I'll try my best to write something every day, but I have a feeling with all the will in the world, just like New Year's resolutions, I'm setting myself up for failure or piles.

Still, there are a significant portion of people out there who are still posting each day. Yay, keep the dream alive brothers & sisters. The number of conversations are increasing to over 275,000 individual posts a day. On average, more than three blogs are updated every second. Which goes to show you there is a lot of shit to talk and write about.

A survey run by MIT conducted earlier this year stated that a majority of bloggers identified themselves on their own sites: 55 per cent of respondents provided their real names, while another 20 per cent provided some variant of the real name: first name only, first name and initial of surname, or just a pseudonym.

Anonymity would appear to be the way to go. Keeping schtum as to your real identity would protect you from becoming one of the 360,000 people per year who allegedly receive subpoenas as a result of their blogging. It would also protect the 1,080,000 bloggers who annually piss off their loved ones and acquaintances. Well this kind of makes sense to me, in this day and age it's not really a good idea to upset the status quo by accusing " the man " of all manner of crimes and then freely revealing your true identity online. Thats' just stupid, although I suspect the government or bad individuals out there who really want to know your secret identity have lots of ways and means at their disposal to find out who you are. So how secretly can you blog in a modern fandangled world such as this?

After doing the research today I have become aware of all the blogging pitfalls. With this useful knowledge in hand I consider myself forewarned and I will try to be fair with my assessements of people and will try very hard to avoid sensitive subject matter at all costs. Yeah right!

A Blogger Is Born! Something Bloggable Is About To Happen!

My meandering exploration of the digital realm, otherwise known as the world wide web, has brought me presently to this place... a free web service hosted by Google for bloggers. I resisted the temptation to... no, scrub that; I ignored the possibilities of setting up my own blog page because I was merrily posting my thoughts and opinions on message boards everywhere on the net. I saw no need to duplicate the same thing under the guise of what basically amounts to a personal journal for all to see and read.

It's true, web forums come and go quite rapidly and anything valuable you may have had to contribute to a topic in one of a thousand multiple threads may well be permanently deleted forever. This is the chance you take when making use of those available services. The better ones work very efficiently and a good search function can bring back one's online past at a dizzying speed. If one creates a good rapport with the other users or posters on these message boards then the experience can be very rewarding and enlightening, unfortunately, most of the time it's a just a pain in the arse dealing with replies from morons who create multiple user names to push their agendas forward. Anarchy usually ensues and people, instead of debating, start arguing, then insulting one another.

I have to admit I didn't see the beauty in having a permanent platform to voice ideas and views until recently. To me the blog culture represented another outlet for the narcissistic tendencies of a younger dystopian MySpace/Face Book/Leet Speaking/Text Messaging generation. I wasn't interested in pushing my ego, my vanity, my conceit on everyone else. Plenty of people do that already, but I did need a place to rant about some of the injustices in the world that make me rather mad. This is as good a place as any to set up camp to bitch and moan especially since plenty of my friends and family kept telling me I needed to do something like this... a place I could vent all of my pent up frustration with the world and perhaps furnish my knowledge and give insight to subjects I have special interests in unto others.