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Hey guys! Merry Christmas/Happy New Year etc. Just thought I would pop in and and explain my lack of posts. Here goes.
For Christmas I got a brand spanking new PC, great! It's all sparkly and mine, no family to ruin it! (or to blame Trojans on...) The problem is that I currently have no internet connection for it so until I get it fixed I won't be making many posts. But I promise to go post crazy once it's up and running!
I hope you all had an Acceptably Pleasant Exchanging Of Gifts In A False Pretence At Giving A Shit About The Religious Tradition On Which The Day Was Founded, Even Though You're Atheist Or Agnostic At Best, Whilst Simultaneously Trying Not To Choke To Death On The Turkey Day. Some people call it 'Christmas', but I like to keep myself grounded at times like this. Christmas, as far as I'm aware without doing the faintest bit of research, comes from the words "Christ" and "Mass" - The religious celebration of the life of Jesus Christ. But that's not what Christmas is nowadays, so I've rebranded it and coated it with protective 'Bullshit-Be-Gone' spray, bought from some poor gardening store right before it got crushed beneath the giant snowballing behemoth of untold economic destruction called 'The Credit Crunch', and died a horrible death alongside every other store in the world.
Christmas is a time to be jolly I'm told. Why? Because it marks the birth, death or whatever of some oddball cult leader who died millenia ago? No, to hell with that. I don't like Christmas. In the last year or two, me and Christmas had a huge ideological brawl, and we haven't spoken since. I've been crossed off Saint Nick's Christmas Card list, whilst he's been added to my Shoot On Sight list. To me, Christmas is a sham. It's like a Birthday, but the weather is awful, you're expected to buy gifts for everybody you know, you're forced to see relatives you haven't seen since the Christmas before (and there's a good reason for that), and it's all built upon fraudulent religious foundations to begin with. Each year, we give up a truckload of money to buy gifts for people we're not particularly fond of in the name of Jesus. And what little money I have remaining says that if he exists, he's sat up there somewhere laughing his arse off as we all sacrifice our paychecks during this pathetic holiday season.
The redeeming feature that Christmas used to hold was snow. Snow was brilliant. I hate the cold, but provided it brings snow, I'll let it stay for a while. But it no longer does. What little snow we had this year fell far too early in the month, and was by most standards rather minimal anyway. So here I am. Recovering from spending several days with strangers who happen to cling on to a distant branch of my bloodline, warming myself with the single candle I was able to afford with the money that survived Christmas shopping, and mourning my poor, innocent wallet. But no need to worry about me, dear reader. For I received a pair of socks this year.
So, I hope you enjoyed your Acceptably Pleasant Exchanging Of Gifts In A False Pretence At Giving A Shit About The Religious Tradition On Which The Day Was Founded, Even Though You're Atheist Or Agnostic At Best, Whilst Simultaneously Trying Not To Choke To Death On The Turkey Day, and I wish a Bearable Attempt At Optimism Toward The Coming Annum When What You Really Care About Is Forgetting The Horrible Misery Of The Present Year to you all.
Whilst I pray that someone will out-bid me on at least one of the Fallout 3 lots I've foolishly thrown myself into on eBay, I figured I might as well pass the time by going through my browser bookmarks. As you may have guessed, my toolbar is full of the most random crap. From an RSS feed hooked up to Savy Gamer to Daniel Pemberton's own website.
Am I Flirting? falls into the more unusual side of my favourites. I'm not quite sure where I uncovered this little beauty, but it provides me with amusement nonetheless. Its a simple blog, set up so people call e-mail in (amiflirting@gmail.com) with their specific, day-to-day occurrences and find out if they are being flirted with, or subtly flirting themselves.
Indeed, I was skeptical at first. After all, what kind of idiot needs to know if they're flirting or not? Are these people aged 10 or something? However, AIF approaches the subject with a dose of realism. Unlike a corny romance column found at the back of a girly magazine, the blog deals with situations in a very real way. Its not afraid to insult its audience but - at the same time - isn't hesitant to give it hope, either. The entry on November the third perfectly summarises this:
18. If She Smiles and Really Listens When I Talk To Her?
For some reason, even the most simple gesture from a girl — a smile, making eye contact, nodding — can seem like flirting. Is it our Attention Starved Culture? Is it boys growing up without getting Love? Is it just that girls are too used to keeping cool distance in order to avoid gape-mouthed leers and catcalls?
And it’s not just with girls. A guy I know complains that other guys think he’s flirting with them, just because he takes time to really pay attention to them, even in small talk. That some men think he’s gay because he treats them like a person worth being nice to, ergo he wants to screw them.
So here’s the harsh take: girls aren’t always flirting with you if they’re smiling, nodding, and really listening to your cocktail banter. But that doesn’t mean they’re just playing you, either. Or that they don’t like you. “But what if she’s just being nice to me!?” When did “nice” become a consolation prize? They’re being nice to you! And nice tends to be a necessary precursor to flirting. Really, enjoy it. Or else you’ll risk becoming some kind of paranoid creep who accidentally dismisses actual-flirtation-smiles because what girl could really like you? I’m smiling as I say this, trust me.
A few friends of mine had been really stressed lately. School work, personal life, family, everything's piling up. Thus, I decided to google anxiety disorder in children, and I found lotsa infomation. People tend to think that children are the most carefree of all people, and the time they are living in now are the best times. They have no worries, no fret, no stress, no responsibilities, and nothing are of their concern other than school and hanging out with their buddies. However, this is simply paradise for the children in the modern world. Unfortunately, cases of anxiety disorder in children are on the rise.
Children today have schedules. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday are hockey. Tuesdays the Math tutor comes over. Thursday is the day their science group meets to work on the year long project the teacher assigned. Then there are hours of homework (and those hours start at younger and younger grades), the older sibling that is out to get them to worry about, and the boyfriend to figure out how to keep.
As they get older, their parents start deciding and make them think about which university they wish to go, which module they want to take, getting the right high school or university job that will give them valuable working experience that can help them in the future. Being a kid isn’t what it used to be. Anxiety disorder in children is no longer uncommon and parents don’t know how to help because they are often unfamiliar with it.
Parents can learn about the many ways to deal with anxiety disorder in children. It is treatable and there are many options to consider and choose from. Medication is probably the first thing that is thought of but there are many natural remedies for treating anxiety disorder in children that should be considered as well. Take the time to do some research and find out what your options are before settling into one kind of treatment.
For many cases, a lot of parents can simply follow the advices and suggestions from their family doctor. Morever, the family doctor is very aware and clear of the conditions of each family member.However, it has been suggested that doctors are too quick to prescribe medication for conditions that can just as easily be treated with natural methods.
You don’t have to be living in a commune to try out a natural remedy – they are becoming an increasingly more acceptable option among a wide variety of people. They can often be bought at a drugstore or may be as simple as changing the type of food that your child consumes. Natural remedies may include a balance of diet and exercise or the learning of tools that can be used to moderate anxiety disorder in children. Once children have tools to moderate their behavior and feelings, they can learn when to apply it to a specific situation.
Anxiety disorder in children is not uncommon now. Many also fear that they are being over-diagnosed. What I think is that they should research on the web and find out natural methods of cure, and medical methods. Knowledge is power for children who have anxiety disorder and only helps them to function as well and any other child in our society – sometimes better.
Written by: Unleashed11 Merry Christmas!! ... I know, I know. It's a little bit late for that, but who cares?
Like every little curious out there, I make dozens of questions to myself each day. Questions to which, I don't have an answer obviously. One that actually erupted into my mind, was : "Hey Unleashed, do fishes sleep?". The answer was quite obvious : "Meh, let's google it.".
After a quick search, I got the answer. Using the document I read, I'll try to explain it to you.
When humans go to sleep (or even close their eyes), there are changes in the pattern of brain waves in the area of the brain called the neocortex. (The neocortex is part of the cerebral cortex.It is involved in higher functions such as sensory perception, generation of motor commands, spatial reasoning, conscious thought and, in humans, language.)
Fishes don't have the same degree of neocortical development as mammals, which means they don't display the same brain-waves that we use when we go to sleep. So, if we relate sleep with brain-waves, fishes don't sleep.
If, we define sleep as a combination of lowered metabolic rate, slowed physical activity, lowered response to stimuli and the assumption of a resting posture, then some fishes do sleep. These include the "parrotfishes". (picture below)
Parrotfishes find a spot on the seafloor and secrete a mucus envelope in which they spend the night.
Many fishes, however, don't seem to sleep. Tunas and sharks, never stop swimming. There is however one theory that tries to explain this behaviour. The theory at hand suggests that when fishes "sleep" sensory information (mostly visual) gathered during the day is processed to form memories. Fishes that swim continually in blue oceanic waters receive little information (because the sight is always pretty much the same) and require less time to process the memories, which means they have no need to sleep. This is supported by studies on several species of blind fishes that live in caves. These sightless fishes do not sleep.
And this ends Unleashed11's lesson on whether fish sleep, or don't sleep. I hope you enjoyed.
(I did not write this article by myself. I based my explanation on the info I read. Such info can be read on it's original format at: http://www.austmus.gov.au/fishes/faq/sleep.htm . Picture of parrotfish, found on google.)
Apologies to the diehard lonelygirl15 fans, for this article I did only watch the first 100 or so episodes. Remember that when your jaw drops at the stunning ignorance and vague generalisations.
If you haven't heard of lonelygirl15, you may be completely divorced from the unreality of the Internet. As web-only entertainment goes, it's one of the biggest, despite its blatant disregard for typical conventions of language like capital letters, spaces or general legibility (for this and brevity's sake, it will be henceforth called LG). But then, LG is all about disregarding the norm - at least in terms of its presentation.
It's your typical American teenage drama. A girl, a guy, some annoying parents...so far, so obviously cliché. Why, then, does LG succeed in capturing people's imaginations? Because, as I said, it breaks the traditions you'd expect. It's not sun-soaked helicopter shots of beaches, fast cars whizzing around and wooden acting. It's not made for high-definition TVs, either. It's drama for YouTube users. Literally - all the minute-long episodes are uploaded to YouTube to be watched en masse.
A lonely teenage girl on her webcam - is this the future of TV, or porn?
The makers of LG are those breed of "hip" advertisers who believe that television is so passé, and that the best way to entertain the masses these days is through the buzzword-o-rific viral marketing (basically, people linking each other to stuff). And the glue that holds entertainment to viral marketing? YouTube. So it makes perfect sense to present drama through the media that captivates so many every day - that is, after all, the point of entertainment.
The key to LG's success is its verisimilitude. Authenticity is involving and captivating for an audience, hence the mind-boggling success of reality tripe on our screens. LG capitalises superbly on such ideas by making itself as close to reality as it can possibly get. Our window into the (frankly dull) world of "protagonist" Bree is via her webcam. Verisimilitude becomes something of an art form as the mundane minutiae of everyday life are conveyed in such a boring, typical fashion that, if you didn't know it was fake (as many didn't for its opening months), convinces the audience that Bree is just as real as any of the other vloggers that clog up the Internet (or stick to their Vloggerheads haven). Such a faux reality is the crucial part of LG's existence; without it, the series would suffer greatly.
Verisimilitude is kind of shattered when you start releasing videos in seasons with promotion
Claustrophobic bedroom settings for the latest webcam updates suits the realism perfectly, not being too pretentious or unrealistic. The assortment of props lying around just adds to the wholly authenticate nature of the LG series. It is completely believable, until the plot dovetails into wild fantasy revolving around cultists, ceremonies and characters on the run - but even then, its presentation lends an air of verisimilitude to its subject, not dissimilar to the camera-shakey antics of Blair Watch and Cloverfield. By grounding the series so firmly in reality, LG can use its fanbase - the gullible, the curious, the casual watcher, the diehard lonelygirlophiles - as a springboard for whatever plots it wishes to thrust upon the Internet. You want some contrived love? Just have another account by the love interest, have a few crossover moments and your grinning audience will be delighted. The set up doesn't seem contrived, it just seems natural - unless you maybe look a little deeper and start to question why this is all happening. Do you spot a great opportunity for product placement that would make Back to the Future blush? It's simple to work in because life is littered with big brands - it's only fitting that a series resembling life does too.
You have to admire the way LG works. Complex scripts, cameras, effects, promotions and the like fall by the wayside as the offensively cheap LG strides forward. TV is stuck with weekly broadcasts and time constraints. LG can upload episodes on whatever days it likes, and the audience can watch them whenever it suits them, and catch up on any they've missed. It's so flexible that it's easy to see why a viewer can quickly become entangled in the universe of lonelygirl15 and her comrades.
Some sharp YouTubers quickly released that Bree was a fictional character, but the series continued
But enough of LG's technicalities, what of its story? I watched, in comparison to the whole series, a mere handful of the first series, from its unpretentious, unassuming beginning. There, it was slightly dull. Realistic, involving, slightly boring. It quickly evolved into more; with secondary character Daniel getting his own YouTube channel - allowing some genius audience participation by searching for this extra (though unessential) content. From there, you get your typical teenage drama, focusing on some good old love angst. And the not-so-typical stuff about Bree's bizarre religion, secret ceremonies and then...it jumps the shark. Bree and Daniel get into deep trouble and go on the run from the religious nutjobs, and then Bree's parents go missing. And some old friend of Bree's handily turns up with her own channel, too. I stopped watching around there. Not only was the plot a bit...cliché and crap, but watching LG became too much of a chore.
I've championed the virtues of the format above, in great detail. Yet now we come to the crux of the matter for broadcasting on any medium - will people come back for more? Radio? Yes. TV? Yes. Podcasting? Hell yes, it's automated! But coming back to YouTube every week or so, it becomes so easily missed, and so much like having to work for your own entertainment that you'll probably give up. This analysis seems to be unique to me, as millions (or at least thousands) adore lonelygirl15 and her friends. However, I genuinely found watching LG to be too much like dull work - hence my lack of extensive reviewing. It seems that in my lack of reviewing, there is much to be said in the silence.
User-generated content killed the video star?
Would the format have been better suited to a regimented routine weekly update? While "transmitting" first time, perhaps. But, as with me, repeating viewing fails here. Would the format have benefited from an improved plot? It's hard to tell - but I think the plot grew out of the comfort zone of the medium (and its depressingly maddening comments system...) and subsequently led to (in my eyes) its demise (not its actual demise, the show started mid-2006 and finished August 1, 2008). I don't have a suitable alternative plot, though. So congratulations to all involved in trying. Their bold, brave take on producing a show in this way paves the way for what many may herald as "the future of drama", though that's a way off yet. Innovative, but underwhelming. Perhaps genius innovation is always like that - I can't imagine everyone was agog at the prospect of nerdy teenagers in England putting their thoughts to the masses via computers. But in drama, when trying to entertain, playing it safe works, underwhelming doesn't. This isn't the future; it's a frame for the future - but the picture is forgettable.
Following the events within the Nexus and our complete failure to defeat the Blue Dragonflight, Bran suggested that we take a trip across the continent to the Howling Fjord, where another Alliance base had been successfully established. It was a good idea, especially as the chilly climate of the Tundra was beginning to bore me.
Of course my Death Knight accomplice had neglected to tell me that we needed to get there using giant turtles, but by this point nothing could really surprise me. The journey itself was relatively peaceful anyway, despite the seas around Northrend being apparently full of all sorts of nasties.
As promised, the Fjord was a lot greener and nicer than our previous spot. It was also slightly weirder, as the local walrus-people used what appear to be Viking longboats as a lift system into the cliffs. Not only was this very strange, but why boats? Couldn't they have used something a little more... aerodynamic?
I rode across the grassy knolls of the mainland at a casual pace. Ram Tastic (that's what I call my mount) got a little excited when s/he saw these two stags fighting each other. Well, at least I think they were fighting...
Not long after discovering the hormonal bull-things, I stumbled across an old graveyard, full of skeletal guardians. I dispatched them quickly and set about trying to rob the unearthed resting grounds of the deceased. Unfortunately, several thousand players had already trawled through the area prior to my arrival, so I could do little more than stare at the restless shades that haunted the ancient burial grounds. They didn't say much, and one appeared to be summoning a wave of water out of mid-air. Why is beyond me.
Things on this side of the continent only got stranger. Bran pointed me in the direction of some pseudo vagabonds stationed off the coast. I decided what tactics to use on them from miles away:
"Yarr, mateys," I had said. "I be sent here on behal' o' ye olde Death Knight."
The little gang exchanged awkward glances, then the Goblin spoke:
"Whaddup purple foo'!? Me and my bruddas will give you a ride to our pirate hood if you giz da sungrazz to us, blad."
I raised a thick, hairy eyebrow. Did these mediocre gangsters want Sungrass? The herb was a common trade good back on Azeroth, but the harsh temperatures of Northrend had made it difficult to grow, even with the aid of magic. Luckily, I had some of the drug on me, and offered it up to the Goblin's posse. The next thing I knew, the Tauren was man - Elf - handling me and the green-skinned idiot was barking on about how I was under arrest by the Anti-Drug Department of the Valiance Expedition and I was to be taken for exportation back to Stormwind. Seconds later, whilst I was claiming it was for 'personal use' with 'no intent to supply, damn it!' I was thrust into a tiny canoe, handcuffed and taken away by the burly bull.
As the beast rowed along at an extraordinarily fast rate, I hastily thought of excuses to get out of the predicament I suddenly faced. I tried everything, from trying to taunt the Tauren with such phrases as 'HEY, YO MOMMA ENJOYS HANDCUFFS TOO' to pleading with him, insisting I was a general in the Alliance army and this embarrassment for the coalition would surely ruin our efforts across the world.
At the end of the day, I used might over mind and capsized our tiny vessel. The Tauren sunk like a... cow and I scrambled to shore. Ram Tastic was there to meet me, and we set off in-land, attempting to avoid any Alliance encampments, lest the Anti-Drug Department still bayed for our blood. It situation was not unlike my initial escape from Stormwind itself, except now I was wanted for two felonies: Being a charming gentlemen and possessing totally harmless herbs! Rammy cantered on, through the night, seeking sanctuary from our former allies. In the early hours of the morning, we stumbled across this real pirate encampment. Unlike the strange, wannabe gangsters/police we had encountered earlier, the inhabitants of this seaside town were kind people, willing to take me on as a deckhand.
The jobs they gave me were easy, aided by magic and my fellow helpers. Time went by quickly, until - one day - the small port was attacked by a set of vicious, undead bandits. I was told by a fellow cabin boy, Jackov De Mastergator (he was foreign, the others said) that the skeletal attackers had once served the pirate outcasts as normal humans, but had been turned to the dark side after being promised their own island by a goddess of the sea. The fabled escape had many myths surrounding it. Some said its beaches were made out of Pokemon cards. Others claimed its trees were created from wallpaper. In truth, the place was little more than a patch of rock out in the ocean. The fiends were repelled, but it would not be the last time I saw them.
One windy night, most of the town's citizens crammed into the pub. Good thymes were to be had, until one of the drunkest patrons started sounding off about where he'd originated from. "Yeah!" the dozy git shouted, "I came to Northrend to seek out Melaisis the Elf. He's about, oh, as high as that Elf over there!" The twat pointed at me, and the next thing I knew I was flailing my fists about and the obnoxious prick was out cold.
I tried to tell my fellow pirates that it wasn't my fault, and that the bloke wasn't being out of line. Unfortunately, murdering the one person in the entire bar that had openly announced he was out to get me wasn't the best evidence for proving my innocence.
Luckily, just as the locals planned to exorcise their vengeance upon me, the ghost ship attacked. In the chaos that ensued, I clambered over the undead's ship and swam to shore.
Wait, no, scratch that.
Luckily, just as the locals planned to exorcise their vengeance upon me, I saw a parked water-plane... thing parked out by a nearby jetty. Using my infinite initiative, I seized the craft and flew off to safety.
"Y'know, I don't think this thing is very stable..."
English indie-pop duo The Tings Tings got into the Christmas spirit earlier this week with a special stripped-down holiday performance for BBC's Radio 1. So why not join in the festive fun and check out Katie and Jules' performance of "Santa Baby" and "Shut Up and Let It Snow." Enjoy.
I've recently came across a topic on death penalty. To many people, death penalty seems to be a cruel method that should be banned. However, there are people who have views on both side. Everyone is a human being. Many think that it's wrong to actually tell people not to kill, but kill the killer. That doesn't make the them different from the perpetrator.
However, death penalty might not be all that bad. If you have a criminal who escaped from jail and killed people, should you keep him locked up behind bars, or hack his head off? Does that saves his life, but risks the lives of many others who are living peacefully out there? Which one should we value more then, a human life, or human lives?
Many countries now don't execute death penalty. Yet, there are still countries which executes death penalty.
Reference [[infomation]] -- Yahoo!
US: Electric chair, gas chamber and lethal injection Utah: Firing squad Iran: Hanging China: Bullet to the back of the head
So what are your views on death penalty? My view is that death penalty should be executed, however a lot of factors have to be taken into consideration. We should not execute a human who took human life, or even human lives. Only if he had the ability to get out there and continue killing innocent people, then he should be executed. Many other factors also consist of his mental condition, his physical condition etc etc. So do you have any views? Feel free to share them.
They’re time-trial levels, where you can race against your own or presumably other people’s ghosts to complete them as quickly as possible. That’s where they evidently think the longevity will be, rather than in extending the plot episodically. But I’m not sure speed-running is for me.
The main basis for my excitement over Mirror’s Edge, apart from the fantastic art, is N. It’s absurdly difficult and endlessly frustrating, but you can retry quickly and there’s enormous scope for finesse. It seems like Mirror’s Edge has a similar process, but I hope speed isn’t the only type of finesse it permits. I never enjoyed trying to maximise my time remaining in N, or speed-run any other game. It was purely about elegance and style.
I tried a speed-run of the first level of Deus Ex once. It went so badly that I actually lost my left leg before I got inside the statue, and I still beat the contemporary fastest time on the Speed Demo Archive.
The bar’s risen quite a bit since then, thankfully, and there’s now a magnificently clever 43 minute run. It turns out grenade-jumping in Deus Ex doesn’t mean what it means in other games, and nano-augmented bunny-hopping is a thing of curious elegance.
This guy has a spectacular way of exiting Maggie Chow’s penthouse suite at maximum speed, never bothers to get his Kill Switch removed, gasses most of UNATCO to get them to open doors for him in their panic, stabs Tracer Tong to shut him up, assassinates Tiffany Savage to save time rescuing her, and pulls off the most laughably improbable escape from the swiftly scuttled Wallcloud. Deus Ex had scope for finesse.
Update: He also survives the most awkward lift ride ever, and there’s something of a surprise ending. I accidentally the whole thing.
This year, I went to Hong Kong for vacation. When I first reached that cold place, I thought that all the mists and haze were simply due to the fact that it's cold. However, after arriving there for a day or so, I realised that it wasn't cold air. It was smoke.
Reference [infomation]: wikipedia
Yes, Hong Kong has serious air pollution. It affects flora and fauna in the area, and the health of residents living there. Visibility is currently less than eight kilometers for 30% of the year. Cases of asthma and bronchial infections have soared in recent years due to reduced air quality.
The dense population, smoke-belching factories and power stations, ceaseless construction and large numbers of diesel vehicles have made for dangerous levels of particulate matter (RSP) and nitrogen dioxide.
Whilst the Government has in the past maintained that the Mainland was an important source of airborne pollutants, experts have estimated that most of Hong Kong's acid rain comes from its own industry and transport: Most of Hong Kong’s power is generated by burning coal. Electricity generation produces half of Hong Kong’s total emissions of nitrogen oxide and particulates, and 92 per cent of its total sulphur dioxide emissions. Most local power stations do not yet have flue gas desulphurisation, although equipment is being installed and the government has required that all new generation capacity should come from natural gas.
In terms of carbon dioxide emissions, the city's Castle Peak power plant, run by China Light and Power, was named the third most polluting electricity generator in the world by Washington-based group Carbon Monitoring for Action, which estimated that the power station produced 35.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in order to generate 28.2 million MWh of energy. The generator, however, claims emissions were one-third of that level.
Hong Kong’s roads are also the most crowded in the world, with almost 280 vehicles for every kilometre of road.[citation needed] The city’s vehicle fleet is dominated by heavily polluting, aging goods vehicles, most of which run between the city and the Pearl River Delta/Shenzhen. Diesel commercial vehicles are responsible 90% of RSPs and 80% of NO2 emissions from the entire road transport sector, despite making up only 23% of the vehicle fleet. Double-decker diesel buses and a steadily growing fleet of private cars have also added to congestion and pollution.
Declining regional air quality means visibility has also decreased dramatically. In 2004, low visibility occurred 18% of the time – the highest on record, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.The number of days in which visibility was less than eight kilometers rose to 102 in 2005 from 40 in 1997.
According to research at the University of Hong Kong, the air in Hong Kong contains almost three times more soot and other pollutants than New York's and more than twice of that in London. Environmentalists blame principally the electricity companies, which have been ordered by the government to cut emissions. Hong Kong has declared the goal of reducing levels of four major pollutants by 55 percent by 2010.
Air pollution figures for the very wet June 2008 were higher than for corresponding periods in the last two years, causing scientists to be mystified as to its unexpected behaviour.
The mortality rate from vehicular pollution can be twice as high near heavily traveled roads, based on a study conducted in Holland at residences 50 meters from a main road and 100 meters from a freeway[6]. Since millions of people in Hong Kong live and work in close proximity to busy roads, this presents a major health risk to city residents. The Hong Kong Medical Association estimates that air pollution can exacerbate asthma, impair lung function and raise the risk of cardio-respiratory death by 2 to 3 percent for every increase of 10 micrograms per cubic metre of pollutants[6]. Studies by local public health experts have found that these roadside pollution levels are responsible for 90,000 hospital admissions and 2,800 premature deaths every year.
Cast your mines back to August 2008. Remember this post? Well you should! It's our most digged post, our most popular post and therefore better than everything else ever, so why would I reference this? That's because it's time for the promised Slipknot Live review.
The gig I am reviewing is the Sheffield Arena event, held on the 12th of December. I would of done this earlier but I have been sick. Damn foreign bodies attacking me on the inside!
The Supports
Supporting was fan favourite Children of Bodom and controversial shredders Machine Head. With Bodom up first they had the hardest job of the night... warming up 12,000 metalheads on a cold rainy night. Something which was achieved if not for the unfortunate underlying thought of their lack of stage presence. The lead singer moved around... but the rest of the band could have been cardboard cut outs. Harsh, too harsh but it's a complicated thought to put onto paper without doing as such. Just when you thought you could catch your breath out come Machine Head. Increasing the temperature, Halo was serenaded with 4 circle moshpits, which was mention as part of Rob Flyn's excellent crowd taunting. However during the second to last song Machine Head's Phil Demmel collapsed. Being quickly rushed off stage, their segment was ended. The band minus Phil did return to the stage to apologise for not finishing their set and thank Sheffield. The Sheffield audience returning with a uniformed applauded for Phil. Memorable to say the least.
Children of Bodom Live: 3/5 - Musically brilliant... but they need to work on their live act.
Machine Head: 3.5/5 - Interacted with the audience well and performed. (Well... You know what I mean.)
One question remained... Could Slipknot top this?
Slipknot Live.
Do I really need to answer that? Opening with Surfacing the gig rose and rose... Rising to dizzying heights I've never seen from a show. Not only was the music prefect, but they owned every nanometre of the stage. Add to that a lights and pyrotechnics show that would leave Jeff Wayne in awe, it's hard not to get caught on the bandwagon. Songs included Before I Forget, Duality, Psychosocial, Surfacing and The Heretic Anthem, all of these songs being song with pride by Slipknot's faithful maggots. The biggest songs missing from the setlist were Wait and Bleed and Vermilion, but with a back catalogue like Slipknot's some thing's got to give. Moshpit's were constant and huge... not surprising, just amazing. Every song worked well in the arena with all instruments being at the right volume, especially the kegs, nothing overpowering. The first time I've seen this at a concert of any type, often drums are the main offenders for overpowering. Overall the night proved that Slipknot are the best band to see live because they can write complicated, intricate songs whilst this never letting the intensity dropping and producing a visual spectacular.
Sky News writes: '"Jason Farrell has been investigating the darker side of the virtual world Second Life - and found an area called "Wonderland" that is being used by child abusers.
Farrell created his own character in the multiplayer onlineworld to carry out his investigation over a number of months.
"Wonderland is a virtual children's playground where paedophiles cruise and kids are solicited," said Farrell.
"At first site it looks like a real-life playground.
"Here child-like avatars are not just playing on swings - they're offering sex. These are virtual children of all ages - even toddlers.
"After talking to one child I was offered a range of sordid and sick sexual acts.
"My avatar had entered a virtual paedophile ring. Obviously, I declined the offers and reported my disturbing findings."'
Shrug indeed, stock photo! My opinion is that of the neutral ground, for now. There are paedophiles everywhere on the Internet, and measures should be taken to foil their devilishly perverted plans whenever possible. Steps are already in place on various popular websites to stop kids from joining (Everything from Habbo to Facebook require you to be at least of a certain age to join, from 12-or-be-banned to 16 but-we-hide-it). This is for good reason. Despite 'net paedophiles being quite rare, these steps are here to deter children from joining so they don't fall prey to paedophiles, but surely if a webmaster knows there's some around his site, he should actively move to eliminate them, right? It is naive to assume that most successful enterprises take up this technique, usually due to the lack of manpower, time or the fact that most of these individuals are their investors. Still, Second Life Insider seems completely against any of these steps.
"It's likelier that these are adults roleplaying as children. Regardless, this is exactly the sort of 'broadly offensive' behavior that Linden Lab is famously against, yet nothing has been done about Wonderland, despite repeated entreaties over a period of weeks from the community of residents who roleplay nonsexual children. Of course, the mainstream press pick this up and run with it, making Linden Lab look bad, the child avatar community look bad, and all of us in Second Life look bad by tenuous association."
I apologise, lovey, but that's not the way the cookie crumbles in the media world. How many newspapers would sell if we spent 450 words out of 500 writing a disclaimer saying 'well, not everyone in Second Life does this but...'? Moreover, people like to pretend they're kids? I dabble in roleplay occasionally, but really.
The comments section of the SLI article is laughable, too. People attack the first poster for daring to suggest how 'disgusting' pretending to be a child is, and then try to defend such an... interesting imaginary escape. Now, I'm not saying the Sky article is right, as the possibility of kids getting involved with predators online and adults pretending to be kids are two completely different things (although it could be argued the latter could lead to the former in some twisted way). The thing that fascinates me is 'child's play' (and not the charity). Surely we all had a rollicking good time being kids back well... y'know, when we were younger? I trawled the comments of the Second Life Insider and other such sites for an explanation and... didn't really get one. People are more than happy to spring to the concept's defence, saying that consenting adults should be able to do anything non-sexual, but why? I don't understand the psychology of behaving like a kid, when you aren't. There's an escapist element, but it involves you purposely acting more idiotic than you already are.
The latest telly-revolutionising zeitgeist bandwagon is "on demand". Pioneered by NTL/Virgin Media through set-top boxes, its spread - thanks to the BBC's iPlayer - onto the Internet. Which means that a whole lot of TV is available on demand. Each UK terrestrial channel has its own on demand service, and The Three Rs would like to present its guide to one of these services (iPlayer).
BBC iPlayer Shows: an extensive library of audio-visual treats are mere clicks away with iPlayer. The majority of shows from all BBC channels (and radio stations) are available for playback. You can also watch BBC channels live through the live streaming technology. Catch-up Period: exactly seven days, though some whole series (Merlin, for example) are available with episodes dating back months ago! Price: free...if you pay the licence fee, of course... Delivery: embedded Flash player, or download in restricted files playable through BBC iPlayer Manager.
iPlayer's slick presentation and banquet of content is a large reason why watching TV on the web has become the current vogue. It offers normal quality and a high-quality stream for big broadband connections. With the huge corporation of the BBC behind it, iPlayer is a massive Internet success and works supremely well.
Bran returned to find me shortly after my encounter with the huntericidal Druids and my old Archmage friend. "Here!" the Death Knight had said. "Get on my horse and ride out!"
"Why?"
"Because it'll make for some cool screenshots!"
So I mounted up on Bran's originally-named steed ('Dusk') and we set off on our quest once again.
I began by volunteering to help out the Red Dragonflight against their Blue brothers (ignore the fact that I am no longer riding Dusk).
"Rawr, raaaawr!" Said the dragons. Fortunately, I had taken a doctorate in Draconian at Feathermoon University, and we able to successfully translate what the mighty, ancient beasts were saying:
"¡Hola! ¡Viene paseo nuestro pato, señor!"
"¡Usted debe agarrar a los magos malos!"
"Quick, torture the bugger!" This one was English; a member of the Kirin Tor of Dalaran. Like part of the ruling sect of the magical city. It was our imperative to discover what the Blue Dragonflight were up to, lest they take over the entire continent. Unfortunately, it emerged that their plans on the mainland weren't that evil, really. All I had to do was break one of the Red symapthisers out of a magical prison and return to base. Simple, right?
Of course the Reds neglected to inform me that the temporary jail were large, floating cubes formed out of pure arcane energy and protected by the backbone of the Blue forces, but I was willing to overlook this slight technicality, given the possible reward.
Following the jailbreak, the Reds deemed me capable enough to take the fight to the Nexus, stationed on an island just off the coast of the Borean Tundra. The forward camp there was hardly more than a glorified Paladin bubble with some snazzy effects. It was full of weirdos, too. The kind of people who would want JLS to win this year's X-Factor, or advertise their website on JJ.AM.
These perverted idiots sent me out on a few ridiculous missions to monitor and interfere with Malygos (who's a Dragonflight leader) and his plans. These included charming the Blue drakes (see above) so they can be slaughtered by the members of the encampment. Well, they have to eat something, I guess.
"Storm the Nexus!" they say. "Get them where they're weak!" What the Blues failed to realise, however, is that I was only level 71 and therefore any instance I went to would probably have zero effect on the storyline anyway. All the same, we got to battle against some pretty cool things; the bottom level of the citadel rests on a rift in the magical ley lines that litter Azeroth, meaning that some pretty crazy stuff has a habit of spawning.
Y'know what they call me back in the homeland? Tankzilla, baby. Hold on bitch; I'm about to get arggo. My mage don't make a blizzard, he makes it snow. When you a tank, no one says 'no'! Now bend over Nelf female, 'cause you is a hoe! Hold on girl, Melly is about to get low.
/freestyle
"What did you mean; Malygos wasn't there!?" I had told the Reds (who had evidently learned English in the time when I was in the Nexus that there wasn't even the slightest hint of a killable lore character in the low-end instance, so they sent me on the back of an elder dragon to seek out the big Blue. See that bearded bloke in the picture above? That's Malygos and he's at the top of his castle. What a surprise!
"Oh, hi Mr.Malygos! Yeah, it was all the Reds! Burn them! I didn't help them at all! They're insane! Love your facial hair! See you later, I'm er... off to kill some mages, yeah!"
After managing to escape from the insane Blue leader (it sounds like bloody Top Gun) I rang Bran up on my Hearth... phone and told him the story of my situation. He sympathised, and took me on a trip to kill some Scourge. I knew it would be just a chance for him to boost his own ego by killing undead fiends, but I let it slide.
"Cool."
"Yep. Say, you done the quest that involves you having to kill the vampire bloke at the top of the floating necropolis because the Lich King likes him? Its pretty cool!"
I sighed. "My blog entries are supposed to be semi-IC, Bran! The only quests I'm on is the one to get my reputation back, and the quest of life. Also, how much exp does it give?"
You'd think we were in a China Mieville novel. Except I don't want to have sex with the giant beetles. Yet.
Blood-sucking, good looking Night Elf half-breeds that oppress all the other, lesser races could be seen as some sort of complex political message. Unfortunately, I am far too simplistic to analyse this possibility, so here's some Bob Marley lyrics:
I am on the rock, and then I check a stock,
I have to run like a fugitive, to save the life I live,
Im gonna be iron, like a lion, in zion (repeat),
Iron lion zion,
Im on the run, but I aint got no gun,
See they want to be the star,
So they fighting tribal war,
And they saying iron like a lion in zion,
Iron like a lion in zion,
Iron lion zion.
LAST WORD WITH ARCHMAGE VARGOTH: "No dragon is an island, Melaisis! You should live to learn with your enemies, otherwise they'll end up in your giant fort and killing your friends for epics. Just remember that red is the colour of Communists, and crazy people. Sometimes they're the same thing. What matters, however, is that we're all dragons inside, but not all of us are voiced by John Hurt."
Written by: Melaisis (brought to you by David Thomas!)
Swedish indie outfit Peter, Bjorn and John has released their first Seaside Rock single "Take Your Hands Off That Girl (unofficial title)" today. As a bonus the already catchy tune is coupled with a great modern day masquerade party that features a dance-off for male dominance. Overall, this is a great follow up release to reintroduce Peter, Bjorn and John after their rampant success with "Young Folks."
Also, there is a a subtle Rick Roll in the video that Stereogum keenly pointed out. See if you can spot it.
Sitting on your couch, you remember the good old days, where you used to watch the same good old cartoons, play the same old games and imitate your good old heroes.
I don't know about you guys, but being a kid from the 90's, I have loads of memories I would like to share, so that you too, can remember your childhood.
Memory Nr1:Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Who can forget these little guys? The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are part of everyone's past, and no one can deny it. Their adventures were bloody awesome and we all loved to see Shredder get a kick up his ***.
Memory Nr2: Power Rangers
Power Rangers... Those guys really made our day with their "Aiiiha!!!" and their punches that made opponent's fly 3 meters back. Unfortunately, the quality of the show has declined a lot since their "golden days".
Memory Nr3: POGS This is something that each and everyone of us had. Pogs (or Tazo's in other countries) played an important role while we were growing up. The competition and the need to have the coolest ones were one of the main reasons of "Pog Mania".
Memory Nr4: Light-Up Shoes Ah, I remember having one of these. Step, step, Light, light. These sneakers were the shit! Having them was a must in terms of fashion.
Memory Nr5: Dragon Ball The adventures of our favorite little monkey, who dyed his hair blond later in the series. Seeing this was a ritual for us. Interrupting us during the show meant instant death...
Memory Nr6: Pokémon Video Games
Ok, if you didn't have a Gameboy Color with a Pokémon Red, Blue or Yellow cartridge, you had some kind of problem. Maybe you thought Pokémon was childish. Maybe you couldn't afford a Gameboy Color. Or maybe you were just plain stupid(no offense meant xD). Having your monsters up to Lvl100 meant complete pwnage when playing with the link cable... and you spent months of your childhood training these little sprites inside a screen so that you could boast:
-"Hey look at my Lvl100 Charizard!". -"Who cares? We prefer Mudkipz." -"Huh?"
PS: Mudkip's didn't exist at that time XD
Memory Nr7: Spice Girls "Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want, So tell me what you want, what you really really want!". The words you would whisper after listening to these girls sing "Wannabe". These girls were a real phenomenon down in the 90's, and we all liked seeing them on TV.
Memory Nr8: Tamagotchi
Tamagotchi's... god damn! These little machines had you glued to it's tiny screen for hours! Feeding it...putting it to sleep and cleaning it's shit. -_- But we all loved this little machine! Even though we had to clean his shit. -_-
Memory Nr9: Going to McDonalds just to get them bloody toys McDonalds toys were like drug at the time. You couldn't just get enough of them. Each and everyday you would ask your parents -"Can we go to McDonalds?", but you didn't even realise that you were poisoning your body with fats and shit like that.
Memory Nr10: Action Man
Action Man ... We all had one of these! Some of us even had a whole collection. -_- We had fun simulating battles and other crazy stuff. But one thing is for sure, Action man can't surpass Chuck Norris!
And that's it folks. Of course there are hundreds of other memories I could've posted here, but I posted the ones that I think everyone familiarizes the most with. Tell me what you think and post your own memories. :D
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