tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33117448852466622612024-03-13T04:18:11.604-07:00Procrastination Made Easy For The Apathetic...Stuff from the Web to help while away the hours when you should be working or doing something more important, but just can't be bothered. Some of it's wonderful, some of it is dire. An occasional rant? I'm usually too laid back and will leave that to my short-tempered friends! Actually, let's be honest, who am I kidding. Having a cause or an aim takes effort, this blog will seriously lack direction, wait and see! Welcome to the Advance Portal Universal Reporting Video Array - APURVA for shortapachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-4428069068931645662010-07-09T02:36:00.001-07:002010-10-06T14:34:57.887-07:00“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">S</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">o if I follow George Bernard Shaw's words to their logical conclusion, if I keep on playing, I won't get old?</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Can I go one step further and <i>reverse</i> the ageing process?<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Well, recently I've been trying to do just that. Kind of. I did try a year or so ago to get a 6-pack but I quickly gave up because I had no real desire for a 6-pack and guess what; it ain't easy!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Anyway, fed up of the ever increasing spare tyre and the aches and pains after playing football with people much younger than me, I started looking through the vastness of the web for a quick fix and a few different things caught my eye.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Firstly, I realised that there are no quick fixes. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Second, diet IS important. I know, you're thinking the same as me... "bugger". Giving up chocolate and losing 6lbs in that week kind of drummed home the message for me.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Thirdly, there may not be quick fixes, but there are ways to be much more efficient about the whole lose weight and get your body buff looking thing.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It started with this dude who believes in training exercises based on the way </span></span><a href="http://f1870y6vjtez0r15kjplkvdt0f.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=ANIMAL"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">animals move</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. It kind if makes sense doesn't it. You don't see obese lions do you, and they sleep 22 hours per day (and get their women to sort out their dinner, what a gig!).</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Then I discovered </span><a href="http://www.tabataprotocol.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Tabata Protocol</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. Sounds impressive doesn't it. Click the link check it out. In a nutshell, high intensity kicks butt over long duration.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">That got me looking into functional movement as opposed to the very limited and therefore unnatural movements that (I suppose having never lifted a weight in my life) you find in gyms across the world. And on that note, how many people go to gyms and make a huge difference to their overall fitness and physique? In my experience very few and those are the ones that spend hours upon hours upon hours in there... I just don't want to do that.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Anyway, that led me to </span></span><a href="http://b1128yh4h7g2cp167fgufnclcn.hop.clickbank.net/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Bodyweight Exercise Revolution</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> When the page loads, at the bottom a pop up box appears and if you fill in your details, they email you a FREE workout plus some info on their rationale.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I really liked this and importantly, it made </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">sense</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> to me. Bodyweight exercises target different areas of the body at the same time so that's the first efficiency step. Secondly by doing exercises that to a degree mimic the way that the body moves in real life there are less chance of injuries and by going about your day to day lives your reinforcing those movements - to a degree anyway.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">That then got me looking into their mentor Scott Sonnon who if the hype is to be believed used to train UFC combatants and learnt all of his secrets training with secret services in Russia soon after the fall of the 'Iron Curtain'. Regardless, I like this dude's style! He's created this </span></span><a href="http://60fbbzjxcz9v2p3hp8vh39zck3.hop.clickbank.net/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Tacfit Commando</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> workout which really whet my appetite, but could I really justify a hundred odd nicker?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Luckily I came across this. </span></span><a href="http://www.tacfitcommando.com/blog/israeli-tacfit-challenge#8232;&"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Israeli Tacfit Challenge </span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">which if the hype is to be believed, Sonnon taught the Israeli Special Forces Commandos this training regime for when they were in the field; it's quick, brutal and effective. It's free!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">After doing the Bodyweight Exercise Revolution for a couple of weeks I then switched across to this and have been following this ever since.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What I love about this is it only takes 20 minutes, three times a week. That's it.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It only needs as much space as I take to lie down. That's it.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Equipment? My missus's discarded yoga mat. That's it.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Timer? Ha ha, I got your back, here's a free one; </span></span><a href="http://speedbagforum.com/timer.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Speedbag Forum</span></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The results? First month, I lost a stone. First 6 weeks it was actually a stone and a half. Not much weight loss since, but my body shape has changed rather dramatically.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">As for the diet side of things... I haven't been anywhere near as good as I could be. I still eat anything I like and I still eat at least one bar of chocolate a day despite my best efforts to give that up!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What I have done, is started eating salad. Never used to before, but sticking in a bit of garlic, some spring onions and the odd chilli or some mozarella and I've quite happily taken to it. I'll eat it before a meal for two reasons. Firstly I read somewhere that salad and fruit digest quicker than other foods and if you eat them </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">after </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">a main meal, they just get clogged up in the system and you don't get their full benefit. Secondly, it curbs my appetite a bit. Less often will I have seconds and really stuff myself which I used to do ALL the time before.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Naturally, this has made me a bit more conscious about what I eat. I'm looking at ingredients before and really notice it when I eat something overly greasy or oily.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-79378747895330334032010-04-29T06:04:00.000-07:002010-10-06T14:33:27.730-07:00"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/S9mNMy5lYmI/AAAAAAAAAGA/BdbQdt69UZ8/s1600/wmsp_White_Lions_1.jpg"><blockquote></blockquote><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/S9mNMy5lYmI/AAAAAAAAAGA/BdbQdt69UZ8/s320/wmsp_White_Lions_1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465554873752052322" /></a><br /><div>— William Shakespeare (Hamlet)</div><div><br /></div><div>That's an old fashioned way of saying, 'truth is stranger than fiction'.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, the next generation would probably write 'trth wdr dn fikshun, innit blud?' - but that's another matter!</div><div><br /></div><div>This whole ash cloud debacle from that Icelandic volcano provides more evidence of Mother Nature's awesomeness.</div><div><br /></div><div>I mean c'mon, where was Bruce Willis when we really needed him, playing inter-gallactic snooker, diverting comets into the volcano to plug the damn thing. Or Will Smith, happy to take on little aliens when he's dressed in black, or hide behind Martin Lawrence whilst he's chanting "woosah", but exploding a chunk off a glacier so that it lands in the crater? Oh yeah, they couldn't get a flight out!</div><div><br /></div><div>By the way, check this link, there are some amazing photo's of <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(64, 64, 64); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial;font-size:13px;"><a href="http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/more_from_eyjafjallajokull.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Eyjafjallajökull</span></a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;">and the surrounding area.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>I guess the point is, don't play with Mother Nature, because, invariably, she will win, even in the truth v fiction stakes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Exhibit one are those awesome white lions. I went to a place called Paradise Wildlife Park just off the M25 the other week and I had no idea that such a thing existed. I swear, I turned a corner, saw these magnificent creatures and thought **** me, they're ghosts!</div><div><br /></div><div>At this juncture, can I point out that I don't swear. My mind actually articulated "<i>beep me</i>". Honest!<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, WHITE LIONS!! My favourite animal has always been the tiger and I've never had much time for lions, but WHITE LIONS?! They are not albinos, but some genetic mutation that only occurs in one area (Timbavati) of Southern Africa. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now I guess that the human equivalent is probably <a href="http://www.metacafe.com/watch/250400/liger/">ligers</a> or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQc7jwTqiA4&feature=related">tigons</a> (half lions and half tigers). These are two different species and not designed to mate. Humans have forced the issue (must be money involved somewhere). Whilst the ligers are impressive because of their size (the growth inhibitor gene is in the male tiger and the female lion and so ligers (male lion + female tiger) never stop growing until they die), I think there is something sad about these normally majestic animals being reduced to crazy doctors playthings and they live short, illness riddled lives - see these <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQc7jwTqiA4&feature=related">tigon</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/AnimalMedia#p/u/14/7nmudAITvvQ">white tiger</a> videos.</div><div><br /></div><div>Second case for Mother Nature whooping fiction's butt? Watch this video about the crocodile, the hippo and the deer. Now, I'm not one to anthropomorphize animals as a general rule (for instance, the feline that shares our house and eats bloody more than I do, is known rather functionally as 'Cat'), but if anyone can tell if this hippo is doing anything other than trying to give mouth to mouth to the deer, please enlighten me!</div><div><br /></div><div>The why is easy - "FOR NARNIA... AND ASLAN!" Oh never mind.</div><div><br /></div><object style="background-image:url(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/E51DyWl_q0c/hqdefault.jpg)" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/E51DyWl_q0c&hl=en_GB&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/E51DyWl_q0c&hl=en_GB&fs=1" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-87593865784636795322010-03-24T18:08:00.001-07:002010-03-25T13:01:53.763-07:00"I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/S6u_9BmQp5I/AAAAAAAAAF4/02VuuausoQM/s1600/Picture.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/S6u_9BmQp5I/AAAAAAAAAF4/02VuuausoQM/s320/Picture.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452662828983953298" /></a><br /><div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">I think WC Fields was an alcoholic. When you say stuff like "I don't drink water, fish f*** in it", that kinda swings it for me.<div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I'm not judging. I'm a chilliholic. Or maybe, I should say chilli <i>addict.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>You see, eating chillis causes your body to release endorphins, which gives you a (natural) high. The reason I'm calling myself an addict, is that I loooove spicy food and I find myself needing hotter and hotter chillis. Nandos extra hot? Pah! Tabasco? Double PAH!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, I'm not like Ms Tamuly in the video below, who is a nutter (official medical term). But, I need heat. Lots of heat! GIVE ME HEAT!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, (regains control and manages to ignore shaking hands), did you know that there is an official, scientific measurement of food spiciness?</div><div><br /></div><div>Obviously you didn't, and I did, 'cos I'm smart.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was created by a certain Wilbur Scoville, way back in 1912. Imagination wasn't really his strong point as he called his measure <a href="http://www.scottrobertsweb.com/scoville-scale.php">The Scoville Heat rating</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now Tabasco which all you wimps add the odd drop to in food and think you're living on the edge comes in at around 5000 SHU (Scoville Heat Unit). Ask Tabasco, they'll tell you. Or more likely they'll direct you to their <a href="http://www.tabascofoodservice.com/about_scoville.cfm">website</a>, that's how the world works these days.</div><div><br /></div><div>The hottest chilli sauce ever created? <a href="http://www.hotsauceblog.com/hotsaucearchives/blairs-16-million-product-review/">Blairs 16million</a> which comes in at, yep, you've guessed it, an incredible 16,000,000 SHU! They only made 999 bottles of this stuff and originally it cost about $200, now the bottles are going for over $5000! This stuff is PURE chilli. It's the ultimate. This is as hot as it gets.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, over the last couple of years, I've gone through Dave's Insanity Sauce (about 500,000 SHU), a special reserve version which was about 750,000. My latest one is Blairs Ultra Death. This is 1,100,000 on the Scoville rating!! (bought from www.hot-headz.com - oi, how about some freebies for my plug on my MASSIVELY popular blog?)</div><div><br /></div><div>"You're MAAAAD" I hear you cry! Wrong, chilli's are good for you, straight up guv. They have lots of vitamins, reduce the chances of heart attacks, keep me slim and good looking, the list goes on, <a href="http://www.chilli-willy.com/health-benefits-of-eating-chillies.html">look at this link </a>or this <a href="http://www.chilly.in/chilli_benefits.htm">one</a>, or this <a href="http://www.chez-williams.com/Hot%20Sauce/healthytoo.htm">one</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, who wants to come round for dinner? We won't do the eye rubbing thing honest! I'll even tell you the story about the time I sprinkled on chilli flakes in a restaurant and then went for a wee without washing my hands first. That sort of heat, I don't need!</div><div><br /></div><p><object height="350" width="425"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/qD-0fEvJv2c" name="movie"><embed height="350" width="425" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/qD-0fEvJv2c"></embed></object></p></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-8844179821924685732010-03-04T06:53:00.001-08:002010-03-06T15:19:35.787-08:00"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object height="350" width="425"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/OfxPsXw1PhA" name="movie"><embed height="350" width="425" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/OfxPsXw1PhA"></embed></object></p><p>For the record, that quote is from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou">Maya Angelou</a>, an American poet, memoirist and very important figure in the American Civil Rights Movement.<br /><br />I feel it is important to state who it is from, to separate myself from the masses who have inevitably at one point or another come across this quote and have been unable to resist sharing it with anyone and everyone until the next fad overwhelms them.<br /><br />Anyway, for this clip, the quote works!</p></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-68383109847187943752010-01-25T13:51:00.001-08:002010-01-25T13:57:36.923-08:00"How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours. "<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object height="350" width="425"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/cBp2JDP_fWQ" name="movie"><embed height="350" width="425" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/cBp2JDP_fWQ"></embed></object></p><p>I don't believe in Karma - well not in the way most people do, ie, you do a bad thing and it will come back and bite you on the backside.<br /><br />I do wish bad Karma on others though, usually when I'm driving - be honest, who doesn't!<br /><br />After seeing this, I'm not so sure.<br /><br />Apparently this clip went crazy and in the top ten most watched YouTube vids last year. I've only just come across it and felt that I had to share - why is it 18+ though?<br /><br />I'll be honest, I see people either talking or texting on the phone whilst driving and it always pisses me off.. usually because they don't thank me for giving way or because they cut corners or speed through a changing light whilst I'm in the opposite lane waiting to turn right!<br /><br />This is where the Karma (or lack of the instant variety) thing comes in. They could leave a trail of destruction in their wake and would be totally oblivious to it, because their attention is elsewhere.<br /><br />Now, I'll be pissed at them because they could do what happens in this vid.<br /><br />By the way, the full 30 minute version was on BBC iPlayer until today. It showed how the girls got to be in the car at that particular time (including an earlier breathaliser test - driver was clear).<br /><br />It also shows the aftermath - Police telling parents of their child's deaths, driver's family being ostracised, that sort of thing.<br /><br />It's deeply unpleasant, but rivetting all the same. <br /><br />If I can find the full 30 minute version on the net, I'll post it, otherwise, it's called, appropriately enough "Cow".<br /></p></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-1414426582229058602010-01-07T12:10:00.001-08:002010-01-20T09:22:40.866-08:00"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/S1c7s24LSiI/AAAAAAAAAFw/KQYrOq_9nfo/s1600-h/homervitruvian.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/S1c7s24LSiI/AAAAAAAAAFw/KQYrOq_9nfo/s200/homervitruvian.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428873517649840674" /></a><br />Well Mr Da Vinci, that may be the case, but I tell you, I'm right about this one thing... I have an almost genius ability to read people's faces.<div><br /></div><div>Oh, I also know the answer to one your greatest mysteries, you irrepresible genius you.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Well, let me clarify about my genius ability; it's not bad for an ordinary joe anyway. I'm no Paul Ekman - he's a bloke who has written a whole bloody manual on reading faces, (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facial_Action_Coding_System">FACS</a>), cataloguing every single type of expression a face can make. Apparently, these facial expressions, i.e. disgust, fear, hatred, contempt etc are universal.</div><div><br /></div><div>The interesting thing about this malarky is, you can't hide these expressions. They may only appear fleetingly, but nevertheless, if someone asks you a question and you intend to lie, for a fraction of a second, your face will give the game away.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's what the TV series, <a href="http://lietome-streaming.blogspot.com/">Lie To Me</a> is about. You have this independent company headed by Tim Roth who specialise in finding out if people are lying by either using FACS or body language. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the pilot, a character called Ria Torres is poached from her job as she is a 'natural' at reading faces, body language etc and ends up with a briefcase full of money as a 'signing-on' fee!</div><div><br /></div><div>I want that, I'm a natural! Anyone know a real life company that does this? If they want a CV, just tell them that I got 100% in the following test;</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/smiles/index.shtml">FAKE SMILE TEST</a></div><div><br /></div><div>As for Leonardo, probably the greatest genius that ever lived, inventor of SCUBA gear, the hanglider, the helicopter, mirrored writing adept etc etc, you'll always be known for one thing - Yep, the Mona Lisa.</div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div>By the way, the answer to Da Vinci's most famous enigma about Mona Lisa's smile? Yeah she's faking it!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-80124482108367100822009-11-10T13:26:00.000-08:002009-11-10T16:25:00.132-08:00...you take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Svn-PaGHnyI/AAAAAAAAAFo/mJNeSKK58zs/s1600-h/Katy+Perry.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Svn-PaGHnyI/AAAAAAAAAFo/mJNeSKK58zs/s200/Katy+Perry.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402628768664100642" /></a><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Obviously, because you are reading this, you have a modicum of intelligence. Obviously therefore, one knows that when one contemplates motivation, one must first consider <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs">Maslow and his Hierarchy of Needs mode</a>l. One must then consider, why is he talking posh, he's from East London!</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">OK, let's change the vernacular... Ok,ok, the posh is gone, just me again, innit?</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Motivation. I only had a scrap to start with, and now it's gone, long gone.</span></span></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div>My body into <a href="http://apatheticprocrastination.blogspot.com/2009/07/greatest-wealth-is-health.html">temple thing</a>... Didn't really work. Well, it did for a month, I was looking and feeling better, and looking forward to my daily routines which included;</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/rossboxing2.htm">Burpees</a></div><div><a href="http://artofmanliness.com/2009/06/26/a-bodyweight-workout-for-busy-men/">Bodyweight Exercises</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Then one day, mid session, got into position for 'the plank', thought "I can't be asked", got up, walked away and haven't done a thing since!</div><div><br /></div><div>It's actually worse than that. Whilst I was exercising, my appetite increased, and I started eating more chocolate, and when I stopped exercising I carried on with the chocolate and therefore I've actually put on weight!</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, you're probably wondering what that has to do with Morpheus? Well, I briefly looked into the reasons for my failure.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, there is a <a href="http://sivers.org/zipit">theory </a>that if you 'announce your plans to others, you satisfy your self-identity just enough, that you're less motivated to actually do it'. Trouble is, not only does that not make for good blog writing (yes I'm aware of the irony), I wouldn't want that to become common knowledge and be single-handedly responsible for the collapse of goal orientated communication around the world (great responsibility, great power, blah blah).</div><div><br /></div><div>But that's not the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">reason </span>for my failure. Oh no, there is a deeper darker reason. To quote Morpheus in full;</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><blockquote>This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.</blockquote></span></span></span></div><div>So, are you ready to take the red pill?</div><div><br /></div><div>Ok, here goes... The New World Order/Freemasons/Illuminati/Reptilian Shape-Shifters, call them what you will, they didn't want me to succeed!</div><div><br /></div><div>There, I've said it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now I know you're wondering what earth shattering proof I possess?</div><div><br />Well firstly, see this video that demonstrates that <a href="http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2009/09/is-president-obama-really-a-robot.html">President Obama is really a robot</a> and therefore controlled by shadowy figures in the background!</div><div><br /></div><div>Now follow this link to see that the recent <a href="http://vigilantcitizen.com/?p=2191">MTV music awards really were an occult ritual</a> 21st Century style (and tedious link to the Katie Perry in a West Ham basque picture at a different MTV shindig).</div><div><br /></div><div>These conspirators are everywhere, <a href="http://www.samuelcraven.com/">Jay-Z, Susan Boyle, the ubiquitous dollar bil</a>l, controlling what you see, hear, read and think.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wait, what's that noise? Who'se outside? Men in white coats? NOOOOOOO</div><div>Like Nobel prizewinner Milosz said "In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth rings out like a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">pistol </span>shot"</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;">THIS IS MY PISTOL SHOT I TELL YOU, THIS IS MY PISTOL SHO...</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">TRANSMISSION ENDED, THIS BLOGGER HAS NOW LEFT THE BUILDING</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-56083434558249054322009-08-19T04:54:00.000-07:002009-08-19T05:42:54.556-07:00"Often people look like they are thinking, when in reality they are merely rearranging their prejudices"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SovxyhjHxFI/AAAAAAAAAFg/gihK5IknrA4/s1600-h/aracism.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 318px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SovxyhjHxFI/AAAAAAAAAFg/gihK5IknrA4/s320/aracism.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371652830870881362" /></a><br />That was one of some very profound things said by William James, not bad for an American - oops, I did it again, my prejudice is coming out.<div><br /></div><div>Yep, that's right, I'm admitting to being prejudiced.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><blockquote>SHOCK GASP HORROR!!!</blockquote></b>Well at least I'm honest! And you know what, I bet you are too.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><blockquote>BOO HISS OUTRAGE!!!</blockquote></b></div><div>Easy now, calm down, I think I'd better explain!</div><div><br /></div><div>I wasn't prejudiced yesterday, nor even this morning for that matter. I am now because I took an IAT test.</div><div><br /></div><div>A what?</div><div><br /></div><div>The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is an experimental method within social psychology designed to measure the strength of automatic association between mental representations of objects/concepts in memory. The IAT requires the rapid categorisation of various stimulus objects , such that easier pairings (and faster repsonses) are interpreted as being more strongly associated in memory than more difficult pairings (slower responses).</div><div><br /></div><div>That's right, bow down before your intellectual superior, can you construct a sentence like that?!</div><div><br /></div><div>OK OK, you can get up off your knees now, I pinched that from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implicit_Association_Test">Wikipedia</a>!</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the theory in English. You place a list of words and pictures in either the left or the right hand column as they appear on the screen. The words relate to either positive or negative emotions. The pictures are of either black or white people. Whether the words go with the black or the white people changes through the test, but how quickly you categorise, determines how (if at all) prejudiced you are!</div><div><br /></div><div>Fiendishly clever and in my case, downright annoying!</div><div><br /></div><div>In reality, this measures your subconscious thinking, but of course (well, hopefully), your consciousness keeps a tab on your actual behaviour... usually!</div><div><br /></div><div>Take the test for yourself, it'd be great if you could comment what your result was...</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/">PROJECT IMPLICIT - THE TEST</a> and click on the 'demonstration' tab.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-38160938717867229032009-07-17T02:22:00.000-07:002009-07-17T05:31:52.396-07:00"When inspiration does not come to me, I go halfway to meet it."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SmBtIBdM-8I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/rPttl5QK69k/s1600-h/pepsi-logos3-jpg.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 102px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SmBtIBdM-8I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/rPttl5QK69k/s320/pepsi-logos3-jpg.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359403541168192450" /></a><div>I currently have 'psychology' on the brain, as opposed to the other thing that Sigmund Freud talked a lot about.</div><div><br /></div>I was taken to see Derren Brown the other week, and he was as always, pretty impressive. I know that a lot of his tricks, his 'Mentalism' is down to his knowledge and awareness of people's behaviour in certain situations, and as this sort of thing fascinates me, I thought that I would delve a little deeper.<div><br /></div><div>This led me to <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quirkology-Curious-Science-Everyday-Lives/dp/0330448110/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247823469&sr=8-1">Quirkology </a>by Richard Wiseman, which I have started reading, and I'm finding it fascinating, it's full of oddball psychological experiments analysing human behaviour.</div><div><br /></div><div>So there I was, watching <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/15/michael-jacksons-head-on_n_233449.html">Michael Jackson dancing with his head on fire</a> whilst filming a commercial for Pepsi and I was reminded about the murder of Kitty Genovese because it took such a long time for people to rush to his aid, and the 3rd degree burns that he suffered triggered the drug addiction that ultimately claimed his life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kitty was stabbed to death outside her apartment block in New York in 1964. Nearly 40 people either saw the incident out of their window or heard her screams for help. The attacker even went away and came back ten minutes later. It was over half an hour before any of them called for help as (it is assumed), they thought that somebody else would do it.</div><div><br /></div><div>This socio-psychological behaviour, is known as <a href="http://66.102.1.104/scholar?q=cache:H_EgMYu5AZgJ:scholar.google.com/+Bystander+intervention+in+emergencies&hl=en">"Diffusion of Responsibility", or "The Bystander Effect"</a> and has led to many studies which have successfully replicated it... If other people are around to help, you are less likely to respond first, or will wait until you have been given specific instructions.</div><div><br /></div><div>Makes you wonder, if that accident hadn't happened to Jacko, or if people had reacted quicker and therefore he hadn't needed the pain killing drugs in the first place, what else he could have gone onto achieve...</div><div><br /></div><div>Or maybe I'm reading too much into it, after all, in the immortal words of Freud, "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar..." </div><div><br /></div><div>No, wait, what does <i>that </i>mean?!</div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-9234423546300080302009-07-15T05:01:00.000-07:002009-07-17T16:12:30.147-07:00"...and so it all proceeds into deepest darkness"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SmEDDD5vxJI/AAAAAAAAAFY/2vk5vF-6aYI/s1600-h/signs.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 270px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SmEDDD5vxJI/AAAAAAAAAFY/2vk5vF-6aYI/s320/signs.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359568382669603986" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; ">"I write differently from what I speak, I speak differently from what I think, I think differently from the way I ought to think, and so it all proceeds into deepest darkness." </span><div><br /></div><div>Yeah, I'm with you on that one Kafka, normally I do my best to ensure that my English is written proper like, ya know?</div><div><br /></div><div>My keyboard set up is slightly odd by the way. There is a sliding shelf under the desk where the keyboard sits, and for whatever reason (apathy probably), I don't pull the keyboard out usually. Luckily, I can touch type. In my own inimitable style, I am a three finger touch typist, but a touch typist all the same.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are a few keys that I have to look for, which is annoying because all it does is slow me down, Goddammit! These keys are the ones to the right of P, L and M, you know, the @'s, :, /'s of this world.</div><div><br /></div><div>On my last post, due to the effort involved in pulling out the keyboard, averting my eyes from the screen, readjusting their focus and employing the required neck muscles to look down at the offending keyboard, I chose to use speech marks (") in certain places as opposed to their billynomate equivalents (') which I <i>think </i>is wrong.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not as anal as either <a href="http://gsteamengine.blogspot.com/">Gareth </a>or <a href="http://thegamesgonecrazy.blogspot.com/">Fanno </a>in this regard who seem to have an irresistable urge to correct even the slightest error in grammar, syntax, spelling or punctuation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Their fastidiousness pales compares to certain people who have set up websites <i>dedicated </i>to highlighting these errors. I have to say, some of it is quite comical;</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.apostropheabuse.com/">apostropheabuse</a></div><div><a href="http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/">unnecessaryquotes</a></div><div><a href="http://terriblywrite.wordpress.com/">terriblywrite</a></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Whilst we are on the subject, I thought that you might enjoy this site too...</div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/">passiveaggressivenotes</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/"></a>And of course, the snobbery of us English speakers knows no bounds...</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://engrishfunny.com/">engrishfunny</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Thankfully, there is at least one person out there who loves their linguistics and wants to share as opposed to criticise - <a href="http://walkinthewords.blogspot.com/">nerd</a>!<a href="http://engrishfunny.com/"><br /></a><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-50206917136554692512009-07-01T06:32:00.000-07:002009-07-02T12:04:48.631-07:00"The greatest wealth is health"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SktxfwEoSXI/AAAAAAAAAE4/1gblFlOmzU8/s1600-h/Canada+etc+033.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 152px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SktxfwEoSXI/AAAAAAAAAE4/1gblFlOmzU8/s200/Canada+etc+033.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353497372354169202" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SktxUJpF_XI/AAAAAAAAAEw/TxAmiuB2_mM/s1600-h/Canada+etc+032.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 152px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SktxUJpF_XI/AAAAAAAAAEw/TxAmiuB2_mM/s200/Canada+etc+032.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353497173059566962" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgil">Virgil </a>was a dude, if he had a penny for everytime a couple of his phrases had been used, he'd be pretty well off. Still dead though, as my guess is that the science behind <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryonics">Cyronics </a>wasn't around back in those days. "Fortune favours the brave". Yep, that was him. "Love conquers all" was him too.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Ok, I'm procrastinating. "Why" I hear you all ask, weirdly in unison.<br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Well, I'm going through a mid-life crisis.<br /><br />No, not really, at least I don't think so.<br /><br />I desperately need to prove my masculinity now that my wife is working full time.<br /><br />No, that's not it either.<br /><br />I'm not a shallow narcissist and it has nothing to do with me hitting 40 in a few years time. Maybe I'm just thinking if I don't do it now, I'll probably never shift it.<br /><br />Ok, this is the plan, I'm giving myself 4 months to turn my body into a proper temple from the current Aztec ruin that it is!<br /><br />Only trouble is, I have no money, no time and to be brutally honest, (to explain my indecision at the start), no real inclination either!<br /><br />I know basically what I need to do. Get rid of some of the fat, change the rest to muscle, easy!<br /><br />I'm thinking of a £50 budget which rules out gym memberships. Just as well, I calculated that I have been a member of various gyms over the years for a total of 7 years. In that time, I've used the swimming pools on offer 3 times and the actual gym itself? Well if we include the 3 induction sessions,and take away the one that I missed, it's been, let me just add up, ah yes, twice!<br /><br />There are a couple of other obstacles.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br />I know nothing about diet, and am not going to learn. If anyone tries to tell me, I just switch off. It's just an automatic reaction, I have nooooo interest!<br /><br />I can't jog. I can, in fact I can run forever if there's a ball in front of me, but jog for jogging sake? Purlease, how boring is that! I don't have suitable trainers anyway. I have a pair of footy boots, some astro-turf trainers, 1 pair of shoes and the only trainers I have, I lost the laces ages ago and they fall off if walk any faster than a tortoise.<br /><br />So, in a nutshell, no money, no knowledge, no equipment and no motivation!<br /><br />I do have a couple of things going for me though.<br /><br />I'd like to think that I'm naturally quite fit and healthy.<br /><br />I play footy once a week and I also go weekly to the golf driving range that I blogged about <a href="http://apatheticprocrastination.blogspot.com/2009/05/victorious-warriors-win-first-then-go.html">previously</a>, but not sure how that helps at all!<br /><br />I have a trampoline in the garden, but my back tends to hurt everytime I use it.<br /><br />There's one of them exercise balls somewhere in the garage.<br /><br />And lastly, I have the kids to run after.<br /><br />I have a few ideas to help me. I've bought a skipping rope for £2, it did wonders for Rocky after all !<br /><br />My good friend the internet has supplied with lots of videos and useful links</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I just need to find the time to read/look at them now...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I wonder if it's the appearance of my 2nd, 3rd and 4th grey hairs, eight years after my first? No, it's not that either. I do fancy a couple more tattoo's, hmm, I wonder if that's it?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">If anyone would like to join in with me, feel free!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The links that I am going to use;</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.joesgoals.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Goal Tracker</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> - I'm a visual person, and some would say simple, and this is both, simple and visual!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://hundredpushups.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Push-Up's</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> - I've been trying to follow this for the last couple of weeks.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.twohundredsitups.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sit-Up's</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> - Again, I've been doing this for the last couple of weeks too.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I've been doing the above to build up a bit of strength, I need to move it up a level now, and need to find some time to go through all these links!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/abs/abs.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/abs/abs.html</span></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Jump-Rope"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Skipping 1</span></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/jump-rope-cardio-workouts-part-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Skipping 2</span></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Play-Baseball-Jump-Rope-5150373"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Skipping 3</span></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-do-a-Skip-Rope-Workout-34903560"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Skipping 4</span></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-get-a-six-pack-working-out-at-home"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">VideoJug</span></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This </span><a href="http://www.nowloss.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">http://www.nowloss.com/</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> looks useful</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://heheli.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Health site</span></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Summary of a </span><a href="http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=22017419"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">BBC TV PROGRAMME </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">that I caught the last 5 minutes of,,,</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hx5VhLS5JY"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Positivity?</span></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Another </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIIIXLhK8vw"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">SKIPPING </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">vid</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.monkeysee.com/play/13599-how-to-get-fabulous-abs"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">More vids</span></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-57284178773767465032009-06-26T16:31:00.001-07:002009-07-02T12:08:11.828-07:00'...livin' crazy that's the only way...'<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SkVm1ljoQtI/AAAAAAAAAEo/-_rFlkwkjSw/s1600-h/fedora.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SkVm1ljoQtI/AAAAAAAAAEo/-_rFlkwkjSw/s200/fedora.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351796803000353490" /></a>- 'Off the Wall' from, Off the Wall, which I think I have rediscovered as the greatest summer driving tune of all time!<div><br />Wacko Jacko is no more... RIP fella.<div><br /></div><div>The man may or may not have had a dark side, but he undoubtably had a weird side.</div><div><br /></div><div>You can't blame him I guess. Sorry, you can, you can empathise to a degree with the factors that contributed, such as the ultimate 'pushy parent', the total lack of privacy, the demand to be his friend from every crazy in the street to the crazies known as 'Heads ofState' etc, but the choices were his.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even his end has a tinge of bizarre to it, from the disappearing Dr to the final <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8121884.stm">911 call</a>... how calm is the caller when The King of Pop lies dying within feet of him!</div><div><br /></div><div>I will happily admit that he had more talent in his little finger at the age of FIVE than I do today in my whole body!</div><div><br /></div><div>As a tribute, I think that I will <a href="http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-moon-walk">learn to moonwalk</a> like him.</div><div><br /></div><div>Seeing as I can only find 4 cd cases and 3 cd's of his, I may use this little <a href="http://michael-jackson-vlog.blogspot.com/">video blog</a> in the background to play some of his tunes.</div><div><br /></div><div>In case I get too carried away with the wave of emotion I may visit <a href="http://xpock.com/2007/02/25/the-transformations-of-michael-jackson">this site </a>to remind me of his facial history!</div><div><br /></div><div>To see some bizarre mixed with nerd you may want to <a href="http://www.whiteglovetracking.com/">check this out</a>...</div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, I found this absolute gem of a site which has <a href="http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/index.html">mug shots</a> of famous celebrities (including Jacko) when they get arrested, brilliant!</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for the memories Wacko...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-12324107136833308382009-06-19T02:37:00.000-07:002009-12-03T04:42:09.852-08:00"Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone"That's not my favourite Picasso quote, but is the most appropriate for this post.<div><br /></div><div>You see, I'm torn at the moment. I have discovered these things called generators, some of which I have blogged about <a href="http://apatheticprocrastination.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-latest-discovery-generators.html">before</a>. In a nutshell, you take a picture - sorry, not physically take, well yes you do, but this is afterwards when the picture that you have taken is sitting somehwere on your desktop. So you take the taken picture, put it through this 'generator' and voila, you have a piece of art... or at least a picture with an effect of some kind.</div><div><br /></div><div>Going back to being torn, I've done the hard work, I've trawled through the net, night after night, day after day, now I want the recognition and glory. I want to use these generated pictures and wow people. I want them to say 'that's brilliant' and and ask me how it's done. I WANT MY 15 MINUTES OF FAME GODDAMIT!</div><div><br /></div><div>Trouble is, I don't have the time to deal with any increase in fan mail, and to be honest, it's been several months and I am still to use any of these generators.</div><div><br /></div><div>That changed a few days ago. A friend of mine had an <a href="http://gsteamengine.blogspot.com/2009/06/in-search-of-totally-tropical-taste.html">issue</a>. To be honestly he regularly has <a href="http://www.gsteamengine.blogspot.com/">issues</a>, but he has his own blog which he uses as a release valve and I'm pretty sure he appears normal to the rest of society.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally came my opportunity to use some of my secret generators! I set up a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=95434974867">Facebook group</a> specifically for the purpose and posted several photo's on there. As an aside he later said that this was one of the nicest things that anyone had done for him. That made me feel a bit guilty as I didn't do it totally for altruistic reasons!</div><div><br /></div><div>So, do I continue to piggyback on the angst of my fellow bloggers and Facebook friends or do I stay true to the vague point of this blog and give you something to do for yourselves? You got it, here are some non picture necessary generators;</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://ruletheweb.co.uk/b3ta/bus/">The Bus</a></div><div><a href="http://atom.smasher.org/chinese/">The Chinese Takeaway</a></div><div><a href="http://www.milinkito.com/swf/bart.php?texto=West+Ham+Rule+OK&Submit=Crear+nueva+frase">Bart's Chalkboard</a></div><div><br /></div><div>My favourite Picasso quote by the way could be one of the following</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; font-family:georgia;font-size:14px;">"I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else. " </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life " </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">"Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not. " </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:14px;">But it's probably;</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">"When I was a child my mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier, you'll be a general. If you become a monk, you'll be the pope.' Instead I became a painter and wound up as Picasso." </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:14px;"><br />Good job he didn't use his full name... <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-weight: bold; font-family:-webkit-sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso!</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-13680789405465392352009-06-08T03:39:00.001-07:002009-06-08T04:24:20.973-07:00"I know God won't give me anything I can't handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Siz0FDhLjVI/AAAAAAAAAEg/70tk0HKa14I/s1600-h/LAN_Bench_Computer_Desks.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Siz0FDhLjVI/AAAAAAAAAEg/70tk0HKa14I/s320/LAN_Bench_Computer_Desks.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344915225462934866" /></a><br />Now quite obviously, I am no Mother Teresa. I'm still alive for starters, and wearing anything on my head causes it to ache.<div><br /></div><div>I do have compassion and I do care about you, my dear reader though. </div><div><br />With that in mind, I thought that as well as trying to expand your mental faculties in my little corner of cyberspace, I would also do my utmost to keep you in tip top physical and spiritual condition! </div><div><br /></div><div>WAIT! Don't go, don't navigate away, it's ok, I'm one of you, Mother Teresa without the wrinkles remember. You don't have to stray far from your own particular portal to the world to do it! That's right, when you hear that ping to announce an incoming email, you'll never be more than seconds away from viewing it! See, it's ok.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lesson one is Yoga! <a href="http://www.soundtells.com/YogaSitting/Online/index.htm">According to the blurb on the site that I'm about to direct you to, 'these exercises will strengthen your abdomen, deepen your breath and reduce the possibility of blood-clot formation!'</a> There's videos of how to do it, so there's no excuse for getting it wrong...</div><div><br /></div><div>Want to tone that butt? Of course you do! <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Exercise-While-Sitting-at-Your-Computer">Here are some 'deskercise' tips and a video to help you do just that...</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Finally for now, <a href="http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/16/how-to-exercise-while-youre-stuck-at-your-desk/">these folks at Diylife.com have collated a similar list to give you even more resources...</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe I'll put up a before and after picture of me so that you can see the miraculous transformation, anyone interested?</div><div><br /></div><div>So there you go, how good am I (although not as much as Mother T!). Although in my defence, even Mother Teresa is not Mother Teresa anymore. She is in fact Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, ie, 3/4 of the way to being a saint!</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll leave you with one more Mother T (or BToC as she should now be known) quote:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin." </span></span></span><br /></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-7632979960001189772009-05-31T15:32:00.000-07:002009-05-31T16:56:39.457-07:00"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SiMZKje-HLI/AAAAAAAAAEY/Tvb3jrosh7A/s1600-h/fez.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SiMZKje-HLI/AAAAAAAAAEY/Tvb3jrosh7A/s200/fez.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342141252106067122" /></a><br /><div>I spend too much time in my car.<br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div>No, I'm not getting RSI due to constantly sticking various fingers up at other drivers as is fashionable in my little corner of the world. No, play me a radio ad, any radio ad and I can recite it word for word.</div><div><br /></div><div>Definitely not cool. What's worse is that I get disappointed when companies change their jingles - some of them are <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">really </span>catchy!</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, the new <a href="http://www.talkingretail.com/products/product-news/12557-comedy-stars-dish-up-the-laughs-for-new-ginsters-campaign.html">Ginsters </a>ad is an accidental imitators dream. About 30 seconds of non-stop one liners which I'm pretty sure they have pinched from Tommy Cooper.</div><div><br /></div><div>Toomy Cooper of course was famous for his one liners and bad magic acts which kind of proved Abraham's Lincolns rule, but it worked for him!</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some of my favourite Tommy Cooper one-liners;</div><div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;">Went to the paper shop - it had blown away.</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;">A woman told her doctor, 'I've got a bad back. 'The doctor said, 'It's old age. 'The woman said, 'I want a second opinion. 'The doctor says, 'OK. you're ugly as well. '</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;">'You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen, it said 'Parking Fine. 'So that was nice.'</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;">A man walked into the doctor's, The doctor said 'I haven't seen you in a long time'<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;font-size:16px;"> </span>The man replied, 'I know I've been ill'</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;">A man walked into the doctor's, he said 'I've hurt my arm in several places' <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;font-size:16px;"> </span>The doctor said 'well don't go there any more'</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;">I'm on a whiskey diet. I've lost three days already.</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;">'So I rang up my local swimming baths. I said ' Is that the local swimming baths?' He said ' It depends where you're calling from.'</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;">I went to the doctors the other day and I said, 'have you got anything for wind' , so he gave me a kite.</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;">So I rang up a local building firm, I said 'I want a skip outside my house'. He said 'I'm not stopping you.'</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Arial;font-size:16px;"><p style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">I went into this ice cream parlour and said 'I'd like a vanilla cone'. <br />The assistant said 'Hundreds and thousands ?'. I said 'No - I'll just have<br />the one'.</span></p><p style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">He said 'knickerbocker glory?' I said 'I do get a certain amount of <br />freedom in these trousers, yes</span></p></span></span></li></ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;">There are more <a href="http://www.guy-sports.com/humor/comedians/comedian_tommy_cooper.htm#Tommy_Cooper_Jokes_-_One_liners_(Cooperisms)_">here, including some longer ones.</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;">Incidentally, there is a bit of a debate raging within the comedy circuit as to whether or not these are really Tommy Cooper jokes or Tim Vines.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;">Very similar style, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eshR-WpdYDM">here is a Tim Vine video</a> that is definitely worth checking out.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></div></div></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-46296360194212446722009-05-26T15:08:00.000-07:002009-05-27T06:40:23.789-07:00"I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Sh1CvnGpiGI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/irhsAAqgVWw/s1600-h/Hannibal.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 168px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Sh1CvnGpiGI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/irhsAAqgVWw/s200/Hannibal.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340498118849431650" /></a><br />I'm reminded of Stephen Covey and his '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_7_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People">7 Habits...</a>' because of Derren Brown. I'm reminded of Derren Brown because a friend rang up this week and asked if I would like to go see him live. Which reminds me of the very first time that I saw Brown, which was this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UpUcgPP-YY">clip</a> which blew me away. So there I was, remembering (there's a theme starting to develop here) Derren Brown, and I thought of his book, '<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tricks-Mind-Derren-Brown/dp/1905026358/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243377207&sr=8-1">Tricks of the Mind</a>' which I cannot recommend highly enough. I started reading it expecting an autobiography of sorts and finished it uplifted, mentally exhilarated and empowered with more brain improvement techniques than I did after reading '7 Habits...'!<br /><br />Brown elaborate tricks are heavily reliant on memory and he discusses several techniques. The simplest is the 'Loci' method. I use this for lists such as shopping lists, it works a treat;<br /><br />1) Create a mental map of your home, and move from room to room in a logical order, paying attention to things that stand out, fireplaces, sofas etc.<br /><br />2) Form a visual image of the items that you need to remember in the different rooms, if you can make them larger than life and either moving or funny, so much the better.<br /><br />3) Take a minute to impress the memory into your head, and then hey presto, you should remember those items for as long as you wish to by taking a 'mental stroll' through your house and asking yourself, 'what was on the sofa, or in the oven or on the creaky step' etc!<br /><br />Here is a little game to reinforce the <a href="http://cat.xula.edu/thinker/memory/strategies/loci">idea</a>.<br /><br />I've expanded my 'mental map' to go from the train station home, past several shops, houses and cars that stand out, right through to all the rooms in my house and various bits of the garden. I haven't counted, but I guess I could probably remember a list of 50 items if I ever had the inclination (which is highly unlikely!). There is no limit, and if you start making up locations, you will have the beginnings of a memory palace like Hannibal Lecter in the book <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hannibal-Thomas-Harris/dp/0099297701/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243423505&sr=8-3">Hannibal </a>( I believe that it was edited out of the film)!<div><br /></div><div>They have memory championships, and those people have trained their minds to remember <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">thousands </span>of things. Here is a recent champion <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NROegsMqNc">Andi Bell</a> demonstrating the Loci technique with a slight twist. </div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, I thought I'd leave you with a couple of Derren Brown video's to amuse yourselves!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Xop411uKE&feature=related">Richard and Judy</a></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRSv0xx4A80">Card Trick</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-70959698854975911422009-05-20T16:58:00.000-07:002009-05-21T04:20:31.537-07:00"Victorious warriors win first, then go to war..."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/ShU45S6VszI/AAAAAAAAAEI/V8ksHdL7rAk/s1600-h/Keep_off_the_Grass.ashx.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/ShU45S6VszI/AAAAAAAAAEI/V8ksHdL7rAk/s320/Keep_off_the_Grass.ashx.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338235490297819954" /></a><br /><br /><br />I wonder which bright spark thought to couple Major Nesbeths story with Sun Tzu's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Art of War</span> and create the NLP phenomenon? Sorry, I'm talking to myself again.<div><br /></div><div>I am competitive. Tonight I was due to play at <a href="http://www.topgolf.co.uk/">TopGolf</a> (a golf driving range with bowling type scoring) with a friend. I always win, which is how I like it. Trouble is, since we last went, he's bought his own set of fancy clubs and has been several times, and has started edging closer and closer to my highest ever score.</div><div><br /></div><div>Starting to feel slightly anxious at the prospect of not winning, I remembered the story of Major James Nesbeth of the US Army who, probably unwittingly, utilised <a href="http://www.davidbonham-carter.com/2009/02/job-interviews-nlp-visualisation.html">visualisation </a>techniques.</div><div><br /></div><div>He was a POW during the Vietnam war, and spent four years of his life in a cell about five foot square, routinely tortured by his captors. To preserve his sanity, every single day, he would visualise his local golf course. The sights, the sounds, the smells and he would spend about four hours a day, working his way around the eighteen holes, all in his head, in as much detail as possible.</div><div><br /></div><div>Eventually he was freed, ended up back home and on his favourite golf course. The story varies at this point, but what is generally agreed, is that he achieved an almost identical score to his best ever, thanks to the mental pictures that he had been creating during his captivity. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, I knew what I had to do, trouble is, I didn't have four years (or even hours) to do it!</div><div><br /></div><div>That's when my trusty friend, the internet sailed to the rescue on the information super-highway!</div><div><br /></div><div>In just ten minutes whilst having lunch, I perfected my swing thanks to <a href="http://www.videojug.com/">videojug</a> and how to hold the damn club correctly in the first place thanks to <a href="http://www.5min.com/">5min</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>I haven't had enough time to go through <a href="http://www.videojug.com/">videojug </a>and <a href="http://www.5min.com/">5min </a>properly, but they seem fantastic concepts... short little instructional videos on how to do anything from juggling through to finding your seven <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">chi </span>spots... now <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">that </span>video I'm looking forward to!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-63919335811876839672009-05-19T14:09:00.000-07:002009-05-19T14:41:50.858-07:00"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/ShMmUZhs_sI/AAAAAAAAADw/TY4r3Rnrq-A/s1600-h/beanstoast.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/ShMmUZhs_sI/AAAAAAAAADw/TY4r3Rnrq-A/s320/beanstoast.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337652115255656130" /></a><br />Darwin would be proud of me. My life (and my family's) is about to be turned upside down with the missus about to start work and me becoming a house husband!<div><br /></div><div>The main fear that I have is to do with cooking. Don't get me wrong, not only can I cook, I am brilliant too - as long as I'm cooking mac cheese or penne arrabiata!</div><div><br /></div><div>Trouble is, that's where my creativity ends. Fear not about the health and diet of my kids! Thanks to the web that is world wide, I have found a perfect site!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.studentrecipes.com/">http://www.studentrecipes.com/<br /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Not only are the recipes for students so therefore easy, on the home page, you can put in the ingredients that you have got at home and it will suggest recipes for you - perfect for little ole disorganised me who won't remember to go shopping!</div><div><br /></div><div>And before anyone thinks I'm going to have it easy with this house husband lark, I'd just like to point out that I still have my own business to run inbetween!</div><div><br /></div><div>As a treat for all the hard work I'm putting in? I think I'll have to wander over to <a href="http://www.anniebakes.com/chocolate.htm">anniebakes </a>site dedicated to chocolate recipes and drool, mmm!</div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-26402911747487799942009-05-09T15:50:00.000-07:002009-05-09T16:33:29.158-07:00"If I Have Been Able To See Further, It Was Because I Stood On The Shoulders Of Giants"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SgYSpd4U6LI/AAAAAAAAADo/pSYBqn5oUGY/s1600-h/minotaur.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 245px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SgYSpd4U6LI/AAAAAAAAADo/pSYBqn5oUGY/s320/minotaur.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333971312271747250" /></a><br />Who would have thought that bestiality could lead to so much fun. Wait, hold your horses (not like that!) Let me explain.<div><br /></div><div>The story starts in the mists of times with those Ancient Greeks. King Minos annoyed Poseidon, and vengeful git that Poseidon was, he arranged for Queen Parsiphae and a bull to have 'relations'. Infamously, the resulting child was know as 'The Minotaur'. King Minos did what any good husband would do - he ordered a clever chap called Daedalus to build a Labyrinth that was near enough impossible to escape from as a home for The Minotaur. </div><div><br /></div><div>As an aside, King Minos then locked up Daedalus and his son so nobody could ever discover the secrets of the Labyrinth. Of course, Daedalus being rather clever, he fashioned some wings and escaped, but his dimwit son was Icarus who flew too close to the sun, lost all his feathers and subsequently drowned!</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, we went to the world famous Hampton Court Palace Maze last week. What a disappointment that place is! Even my 2 year old managed to find his way in and out, without needing to stand on my shoulders, unlike Sir Isaac Newton (unless he was talking physics, and not mazes?)</div><div><br /></div><div>So, I had a look on the net, hoping to find some 3D mazes that would be better.</div><div><br /></div><div>Instead, I found this brilliant game called <a href="http://www.tnelson.demon.co.uk/mazes/index.html">Theseus and the Minotaur</a>. So far, I've got stuck on level 4 which is dead annoying! Did I mention that it was Theseus that finally killed The Minotaur?</div><div><br /></div><div>There was also <a href="http://www.logicmazes.com/">this site by Robert Abbott</a> who's apparently a bit of an expert on mazes. His games are also different, but challenging in a cerebral sense, give them a go.</div><div><br /></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-84862034436559927002009-05-03T16:08:00.000-07:002009-05-04T13:40:39.111-07:00"Real Stupidity Beats Artificial Intelligence Every Time"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Sf4khx43SnI/AAAAAAAAADA/7TJiUmqdmBg/s1600-h/warningsignclever.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Sf4khx43SnI/AAAAAAAAADA/7TJiUmqdmBg/s320/warningsignclever.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331739171599370866" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">... So said Terry Pratchett. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And that witty quote in the picture has been paraphrased from Einstein, which sounds like another sensible thing that he's said (creationists care to disagree?).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Woody Allen said "The brain is only my second favourite organ". So that's your two favourite things that can't be enlarged then!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Wrong, help is at hand! We'll stick to the second organ, for the time being. Here is some <a href="http://www.brain-training-game.com/braintrainer/index.cfm?fuseaction=frontpage">Brain Training</a> to get that thing working. Sign up's straightforward and so far I haven't been inundated with any junk emails.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Maybe in a few weeks you can become clever too, and the you can spout quotes such as;</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying." </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">That was Oscar Wilde who also said </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit".</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Oh well, you can't have it all.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-11817242136600453732009-04-29T16:37:00.000-07:002009-05-01T05:49:49.821-07:00You. Yes You; I > U<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SfjrVSqooOI/AAAAAAAAAC4/ZHY-i50J4Wk/s1600-h/procrastination.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 268px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SfjrVSqooOI/AAAAAAAAAC4/ZHY-i50J4Wk/s320/procrastination.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330268910013423842" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SfjncUSSJzI/AAAAAAAAACQ/Ew3CSTsRQSs/s1600-h/apathy.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 223px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/SfjncUSSJzI/AAAAAAAAACQ/Ew3CSTsRQSs/s320/apathy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330264632660731698" /></a><div><br /></div><div> No thicko, I don't <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">LOVE </span>you, I'm saying that I'm <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">GREATER </span>than you?</div><div><br /></div><div>Be honest now, you thought 'ah' first and then when the realisation kicked it, it was like getting happy slapped.</div><div><br /></div><div>The posters and other things that you can buy over at <a href="http://despair.com/">despair.com</a> are brilliant... looking at the site is also another good way to spend that last half hour before you can go home! Click <a href="http://despair.com/viewall.html">here </a>to see all the demotivational posters. The <a href="http://site.despair.com/despairwear/">merchandise </a>is worth checking out too...<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-17661812011145957402009-04-23T04:10:00.001-07:002009-05-04T13:47:00.670-07:00"Time Is An Illusion, Lunchtime Doubly So"<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object height="350" width="425"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/5MRvxpxDqkg" name="movie"><embed height="350" width="425" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/5MRvxpxDqkg"></embed></object></p><p>Damn, this is cooler than quoting Douglas Adams!<br /><br />Stare at the dot in the middle whilst the film plays.<br /><br />Half way through, it'll turn into a black and white photo, but you'll be seeing it in colour!</p><p>Amazing, I thought. If you doubt it, go back at any point and just play it from about 20 secs.</p></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-82739138728900552122009-04-22T16:38:00.000-07:002009-05-04T13:54:03.274-07:00"Art Is What You Can Get Away With"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Se-vXCJM2rI/AAAAAAAAABk/fyqRrNasoYk/s1600-h/wantedposteranay.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 165px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Se-vXCJM2rI/AAAAAAAAABk/fyqRrNasoYk/s200/wantedposteranay.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327669694449900210" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Se-t3mwUu6I/AAAAAAAAABc/7N3cWJWRw5k/s1600-h/AnayGoo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Se-t3mwUu6I/AAAAAAAAABc/7N3cWJWRw5k/s200/AnayGoo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327668055010229154" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Se-r4dG7n3I/AAAAAAAAABM/u4JGgH2j7Ys/s1600-h/AnayWarh0ol.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Se-r4dG7n3I/AAAAAAAAABM/u4JGgH2j7Ys/s200/AnayWarh0ol.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327665870577311602" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Se-raJ_3VPI/AAAAAAAAABE/nqoxayxMmbA/s1600-h/AnayRubiks.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jY7Ox0WhMik/Se-raJ_3VPI/AAAAAAAAABE/nqoxayxMmbA/s320/AnayRubiks.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327665350051321074" /></a><br />I wonder what Warhol would have done if he had GENERATORS? No, not the things that are supposed to power buildings in horror films but have always run out of gas and cost at least one life to get going again...<div><br /></div><div>Picture and word generators! I've discovered some amazing effects that can be done, and most of them seem free!</div><div><br /></div><div>You can have hours of fun mucking around with photo's and coming up with witty slogans etc... in fact, you could probably waste a whole evening doing this and avoid the washing up... I just did!</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some of the links, I'll add more in the future;</div><div><br /></div><div>Rubiks and Gooing; great fun, warp any of your pictures (looks similar to the editing that you can do on the new DSi - <a href="http://www.dumpr.net/">http://www.dumpr.net/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Warholiser - <a href="http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/warholizer.php">http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/warholizer.php</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Wanted - <a href="http://www.glassgiant.com/wanted/">http://www.glassgiant.com/wanted/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>By the way, that's my boy's photo that I have been editing... The future captain of West Ham and England... You heard it here first!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-77132378936615021722009-03-02T07:33:00.001-08:002009-05-04T14:38:27.455-07:00"Light Travels Faster Than Sound, Isn't That Why People Appear Bright Before You Hear Them Speak?"<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object height="350" width="425"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/f4BsArNh1cY" name="movie"><embed height="350" width="425" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/f4BsArNh1cY"></embed></object></p><p>Wow, that is one big snake, and damn it's fast!</p><p>You'd need to be quicker than a Steven Wright one liner to get away from that thing!</p></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3311744885246662261.post-74972588530219857772009-02-28T13:17:00.000-08:002009-05-04T14:19:56.420-07:00"I don't have pet peeves like some people. I have whole kennels of irritation."<div>I think Whoopi nicked that from George Carlin who said "I don't have pet peeves, I have major psychotic f***ing hatreds".</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I can't use that as I don't swear. Neither do I have major psychotic f***ing hatreds, although they sound like fun.</div><div><br /></div><div>What I do have, is a pet spider, that I feed daily and care for, and look after. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/">Feel free to see him here, and you're also welcome to double click here and there to leave him some food to eat. Please don't pull him around by the legs, he gets dizzy and doesn't like it.</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>apachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07135125391209158845noreply@blogger.com0