A comeback is imminent! July 19, 2010
Posted by Al in : Uncategorized , add a commentHi,
I’ve been missing for almost 2 years, but I’ve just reinstalled the latest version of WordPress, downloaded Windows Live Writer (which is the best blogging tool I’ve ever used), and I’m about ready to start posting again.
I must apologise for my long absence, but I got fed up with the Internet due to the American election, and the incessant coverage of the Obama-McCain contest. In the end the best man won, and Obama has done wonders for America both in the USA and abroad; however, the continuing American bias of the Internet really got to me 2 years ago. This barrage of US-centric news was combined with the rise of other aggregators of interesting Internet links, such as Digg and Reddit, and with a new job in work which has kept me pretty busy ever since.
Digg and Reddit are still there, the job is still busy, but I keep finding the occasional link that I’d like to post, but I’d prefer not to share via Facebook (mainly due to the number of younger relatives in my friends). So, give me a short while and I’ll start churning out the stuff I’ve found interesting and worth sharing.
Amazing Yo-Yo skills September 30, 2008
Posted by Al in : clever,cool,educational,video , add a commentThis guy is good – and he’s only about 12 years old! Watch and learn what a Yo-Yo can do. I found some good tricks at http://The-Silencer.com/ that I’m going to try for myself.
You might have to watch this twice September 29, 2008
Posted by Al in : clever,video , 1 comment so farWow! This is so clever that the first time you watch it you won’t understand it until the end, but from then on it makes perfect sense. A really clever, well thought out and produced advert.
Octopodi – short and clever animation September 19, 2008
Posted by Al in : cartoon,clever , add a commentThis is quite nice, and shows what can be done with a simple subject matter and a little bit of time.
Amazing card tricks from Lennart Green
Posted by Al in : clever,magic,video , add a commentNow here’s a guy I’d like to see more of. This act is clever, intelligent, well thought out, targeted at his audience and incredibly well performed. When you first start watching you might think he’s a bit of a bumbling fool; but it doesn’t take long for Lennart to impress you with his skill, and once he gets you smiling you won’t stop until the end of the show. I’m going to look for more of his stuff, as I think he’s brilliant.
Things you can do with sticky notes
Posted by Al in : clever,video , 3 commentsThis is cool: I like the ingenuity behind linking sticky notes so that they make Slinky’s. The whole video is also well presented with good music – which always makes for better viewing.
3,000bhp Chevy
Posted by Al in : motoring,video , add a commentTake an old American car, completely rebuild it with a space-frame chassis and then fir a 3,000bhp Merlin engine from a Spitfire. Do this and you have a nice car, but when you spend that extra time in getting the bodywork and artwork just right then you end up with an amazing car. I’d love to see a video of this car in real action, but this video shows how well prepared it is.
Why we’re in the financial mess we are now
Posted by Al in : politics,scary , add a commentIf you were wondering exactly why the world’s financial markets are collapsing, then I would suggest you pay attention to this short, but useful Sub-prime primer. It’s amazing that people still don’t understand that the current financial model, that has been built over the last century or more, is actually flawed, and that continued growth is not a given. It’s also ridiculous that some of the largest financial institutions in the world were willing to lend money to people who would never be able to pay it back, had no security for the loan and then other large financial institutions bought these unsecured loans for far more than they were really worth. One day someone will manage to stand up to these institutions and point out that a radical rethink is required.
Buffalo Ladyboy gang terrorises Chiang Mai September 15, 2008
Posted by Al in : bizarre , add a commentIf you’re visiting Thailand, and you end up in Chiang Mai, then you ought to avoid sleeping in parked cars. Although the Infamous Buffalo Ladyboy Gang have now been arrested, it is possible that another gang may attempt to copy their modus operandi and rob you whilst also offering weird sexual favours. Quite bizarre, really, and possibly only ever likely to happen in Thailand.
Flash spider toy September 13, 2008
Posted by Al in : clever,website , add a commentThis is a very realistic looking spider. All created in Flash and capable of following your mouse pointer, or of being controlled by you. I think this is a very good piece of animation, and it just shows how far we have come to be able to have such a realistic piece of animation running inside an ordinary browser.