loving the alien.....

I put my terrible typing down to a bottle of Merlot ;-)

Films what I have watched this week.

28 days later..

Modern zombie style film, sort of day of the dead meets eastenders. Actually its not at all bad. Much better than I had been led to believe. The cast is pretty good, the scary bits are pretty scary and the premise is very clever and well supported thoughout the film. Some bits are a trifle annoying and some bits are downright disturbing, but I reckon I'd watch it again.


The recruit.

Colin Farrel (hardest working actor of the moment, in *everything*) plays a young graduate recruited by Al Pacino into the the CIA in what is to be fair a good entertaining hi-tech thriller. The ending is a little obvious, but the rest of the film keeps you guessing from scene to scene. Well worth a watch if you have a few hours to kill and fancy something that doesn't take too much effort but is entertaining none the less.


Battlefield Earth.

Just as bad as everyone said it was. Really, it sucked ass. I'm a big fan of the book and must have read it half a dozen times over the last 20 years but this film sucked to a whole new level. Right from the start the direction and acting is truly awful. Onl watch if you like seeing John Travolta fail miserabley at stuff.


Fear and loathing in Las Vegas.

Weird, just weird. Entertaining in its own non-directional we're-on-a-massive-trip sort of way, and Depp is pretty good, but it got old pretty quick.


Enemy at the gates.

Just watched this again on BBC1 and its the third time I've seen it in a year i guess. Now, I'm a sucker for sniper films anyway (I know, sad isn't it) but this is just great. It has fabulously horrific historical context and evbryone is great in it. Everyone. Feinnes, Law, Weiss, even Bob Hoskins. Ed Harris is also good as Major Keonig and its a bit of a departure for him but he handles it well. Really good film, go rent it.

Also, I flicked during Enemy at eh gates to The 100 sexiest moments on chhanel 4. Finally! Critics agree with me! Top Gun is all about repressed homosexuality. And not all that repressed either. Seriously, take a careful look at the beach volleyball scene. They all look liek they're about to shag each other. Not surprised Nicole dumped him ;-)

BBC NEWS | Politics | Blair launches 'Big Conversation':

"Tony Blair has launched what he says is the biggest consultation exercise ever with voters. "

As long as he likes what you are saying, otherwise it's the Free-Speech Zone for you! Or Room 101 I guess.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Plastic promises dense data store:

"In the journal Nature, the US researchers behind the discovery say it could let them pack a gigabyte of data into a sugar cube-sized device. "

Er, guys? My USB pocket-drive isn't much bigger than a sugarcube and it's 1 gig already?

I'm expecting more, got it? OK then, get on with it. I wanna see a terrabyte drive by the end of next week.

I have just discovered DesktopX and it is great. It's a utility which lets me put all sorts of cool things on my desktop. I currently have a lovely little mp3 player and a longhorn style panel including clock, google search bar, dictionary search bar, my programs button, my documents button, internet info (IP, in, out etc), performance(mem, cpu), drive space free, systray, media player... It's great.

Hang on... Have a look here to see just what I'm on about...

Hmm, lovely.

Ok, back to work. Oh, if you live in the States, Happy "buying Manhattan for a rug and some beads" day...

;-)

Not much. I've added new links on the right for Penny-Arcade and a couple of Slashdot favourites.
Not around tomorrow, trying to sell my car :-(
I see in the news that Tony Blair want s to start a "discussion with the nation", unless you are planning on saying something he doesn't like, in which case he will lock you up, against your will incidentally, in a 'free-speech zone' (tm).
Also, ironically, Tim at Bloggerheads spent 11 months trying to get in touch with the PM with no success ;-) and now *he* wants to start a discussion? Wanker. Vote him out next time please.

I am a computer gamer. I love games. I play them. A lot.

Now, in the eyes of the popular press that basically makes me Satan, or at the very least the next Washington Sniper. The guys at Penny-Arcade (I really must get round to putting a link up for them) are sick and tired of this.
So, what to do? They have decided to prove that gamers can be nice people too". They have created an Amazon Wishlist of toys and games. People can go visit and buy stuff which Gabe and Tycho (the P-A guys) will deliver to the Seattle Children's Hospital for Christmas. The hospital have OK'd this and quite frankly who's heart wouldn't soften at the thought of kids spending Christmas in hospital? I know mine would.

So, get with the clicky! go buy something for these kids, even is its only a pack of batteries or a pair of headphones. It's not much to ask and think how much you could help them through christmas alone, even if only for a few minutes.

BBC NEWS | Politics | Iraq transition 'on course': "He acknowledged the security situation there remained 'difficult'. "

Hmm, 'difficult'. I never thought I'd hear a situation which has killed 8000 Iraqi civilians and 400 coalition troops descrobed as 'difficult'. The Time crossword is difficult. Breaking up with someone is difficult. The war in Iraq is a crime.

greenfairydotcom: Ceci n'est pas un weblog: "Things I have learnt about the varying concept of free speech from being a moderator at Chasing Bush "

Go read.

Interwebnet.org - Your handy 'see and understand' guide to 'Free Speech Zones'

Well done again Tim. He really does have a good eye for a photoshop, although I suppose this is more of a photocaption..

News: "Sweeping measures to deal with terrorist attacks and other emergencies are to be announced this week, giving the Government power to over-ride civil liberties in times of crisis, and evacuate threatened areas, restrict people's movements and confiscate property."

"Some of the proposals in the draft version of the Bill, drawn up in the summer, have alarmed civil rights activists, notably a clause that gives the Government the power to suspend parts or all of the Human Rights Act without a vote by MPs."

Wow. Big time now eh Tony? Suspending the Human Rights Act? Let's see, yep, that gives you licence to torture and imprison without trial, oh, and you can go for cruel and unusual punishments if you want...

Seriously, be very very worried about this. Contact your MP and demand an explanation of these measures.

Don't know who your MP is? Find out here.

Sunday Herald:

"SWEEPING new emergency legal powers to deal with the aftermath of a large terrorist attack in Britain are being considered by the government.
The measures could potentially outlaw participation in a protest march, such as last week's demonstrations during President Bush's state visit, making it, in effect, a criminal offence to criticise government policy."