boss_kitty

H-B 2 Meee

I'm 42.  Here's the list Faceache came up with for me for today on songs I like which is pretty much definitive for me (although older me I s'pose, not much new there [no Harvey Milk or Polysics or Mai Shi]), maybe only missing the Cramps.  Talking of whom my lovely wife bought me a biography of said awesomeness for b'day so hoorah for that.  I still want to be Lux and Ivy, even though they're both well in their 50s now.  They still rule and are sooooo cool.  Here's their version of the title song to Russ Mayer's film Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill superimposed over clips from the film.  It's available on their live '83 (I think) album Smell of Female, my first Cramps buy, and probably my fave album by them.

Ketchup

Just a quick skip round my busy life.

First, blog direction.  Once I get settled and my course out the way, one way or another, the blog will become more focused on video games, with just the odd bit of me dicking about thrown in.  Or maybe it won't, depends how I feel.

So vid games first, despite having a Wii now (stupid name) am sworn off games 'til course has run its course, so nothing to see here.

In music, saw Half Man Half Biscuit (for the fourth time) at Rock City (thanks Beth for belated Xmas prezzie) last week.  Contrary to last time they were great and there was little lariness from the crowd.  Excellent, Mr Eldritch's (my oppo on the night) review here.

Saw the best film I've seen in some considerable time with fellow work interns last week.  It were Lars and the Real Girl and it was beautiful and touching, perfectly weighted and didn't put a foot wrong.

Talking of feet, congrats to Notts for clawing their way to continuing league status with a gritty performance v Wycombe.  Outclassed on the day by a side with better skills and better team abilities the rugged Notts defence held out and it was fitting that my player of the year Richard Butcher got the goal that saved us (very surprised Pilko got players' and fans' awards well though he's played).  Phew!

Finally a TV recommendation.  Kids' show Hedz (BBC2 Saturday mornings) is great!!!!  OK it's just people dicking about with big cardboard cut-outs on their faces, but it is great (if reminiscent of Vic and Bob's Action Image Exchange [with hand gestures]).  Here's a clip that demonstrates more sophisticated political humour than the once-great Have I Got News for You which has been awful first 2 shows up.

Guardian Bleeder

Following on (sort of) from the previous post, nice pro-games piece in the Observer at the weekend (web version here).

Dunno if even the most wide eyed and credulous game-ophile could support the "teaches more than school" headline really, but hey it catches the eye and raises the dander of Major Knee-jerk of Middle England, so who cares if the truth is something less sensational but actually an interesting talking point.

No mention of Leisure Suit Larry though, thank fucking christ.  Let's keep that one very quiet. (image from Gamespot)

Byronic Cant

I feel I may need to eat some humble pie, dear reader.  Anyone who spoke to me about the proposed review of the effects of video games and the Internet on children being spearheaded by Dr Tanya Byron will know that I was less than approving.  I feel slightly threatened professionally by Dr Byron, something about her different model of practice, assertiveness (almost bossiness) and sureness in her rightness, in a black and white way, that gets my hackles up instantly; allied to what I saw as a hunger for publicity evidenced by her numerous appearances on TV.

Anyway, the review is out now, and I have to say it is very difficult to find anything in the summary (I haven't had the time to wade through the full report I'm afraid) that I disagree with.  At the worst I find voluntary Internet agreements to be a bit of a rose-tinted idea, and I also have anecdotal doubts that parents can truly claim to be unaware of the unsuitability of certain games (and DVDs for that matter) for children below the classification recommended age.  Finally, the increased role for schools and teachers in e-safety is a laudable idea, but knowing some teachers and their IT skills I don't know how "safe" this will be (Frolix_8 has a series of posts re teachers e-incompetence one of which is here hehehehe).

It's also made me think about what I think about blanket country-wide censorship per se, but this isn't a criticism of the report as it lays much of the responsibility for appropriately allowing access to games and the Internet at the doorstep of parents.

So (deep breath) sorry Dr Byron for my denigration of you, the report is actually a fine piece of work, let's hope it has an effect.  Also sorry to anyone (particularly Keith) who had to hear my ill-informed ranting about the report before I'd read it, a lesson to be learned there maybe?

Summary of the report here (worth reading)
Full report here (probably worth reading too but long!)

What I've been doing

Watching Paris-Nice, both Moreau and Dave Millar seem to have acquired huge arses and legs since last season.  Dave fell off in the rain again I see.  Nice to have Harman and Kelly back.

Listening to Half Man Half Biscuit (particularly enjoying "Friday Night and the Gates are Low") cheers Mark for the "help".

Depressed about Notts, but resigned to the fact that the Conference is the only destination our bus stops at.

Watching Life on Mars concurrently with the new series Ashes to Ashes, which doesn't show the latter in a good light, but both are entertaining enough.  Loving the Camberwick Green "Is he kicking in a nonce?" scene in LoM.

Oh and finally lots of early-ish (71-74) Alice Cooper (Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith are surely the ultimate rhythm section says muso-mimeshow-gobshite [see below]).

You?

Season's Gratings

Merry Christmas to you all and to all a goodnight.

Confession

I quite like Lily Allen

Flying Ant Day #3000000

Yep, the buggers have taken the air again, I'll try and remember to blog every one next year, but there seem to have been loads of fleet flights this year which blows my "one flying ant day a year" theory out of the nest (link's quite good actually).  Bah!

Beck and Caw

What a rubbish title.

Dave 'n' Vickie Beckham are easy targets, and I've had to wait some time in line to get my shot at them I suppose, and here I am about to pass it up!!!!  I'm too nice for my own good.

They've just had a raunchy perfume pseudo pr0n photo-shoot published in American W magazine, and I suppose they're checking all the demographic boxes in their attempt to conquer the States.  Homoerotica, dirt, S&M, doll-love and it's all just a bit too clean and calculated, so misses the point.  And I find that quite alluring.  So well done them.  Succeed by failing.

Pictures from Victoria's website (I'm sure she doesn't spend hours maintaining it or even seconds) here.

Conspiracy Theory (well this is the internet)

Noticed that the first (and as far as I am aware only) prosecution over the Operation Puerto /Dr Fuentes blood doping raid is to be made on my (now retired) hero Jan Ullrich.  Not particularly surprised, all the elements were there: dodgy "genius coach", occasional superhuman efforts, East German early days in their Dynamo Berlin sports training facility.  But I always liked Jan, for his fallibility, liking for cake and beer and amphetamines (when not racing) and his quite, funny humility in the face of Armstrong's bullying braggadocio.

Anyhow, Jan is supposedly the one guy they can definitely pin down to being the "owner" of one of the blood bottles in Fuente's facility.  Why is the only one they can identify a retired big name????   What about the countless other samples that were supposedly "owned" by current pros????  What will prosecuting a retired athlete actually do????

It reminds me of Equipe's badgering of retired Lance Armstrong.  Equipe were not quite so bad I suppose as at least they had a bit of a pop at Armstrong when he was racing, but they only really made concerted (almost paranoiac) efforts to discredit him after he retired.  They're also currently doing the same with swimmer Ian Thorpe, who is using the Armstrong "most tested athlete and no positives while competing" defence too (suspicious????).

Now I don't know who is and isn't guilty of doping, but why waste the effort and get a publicity-valuable conviction of someone who doesn't race anymore, when there would be better deterrent value to going after current, active dopers?  Or maybe that'd involve too much legal effort?  It'd be a start though.

Cycling PS:  Tour of Flanders this Sunday, always a good race, also Nic Cooke won again in the Ladies' World Cup.  Plus well done GB cycling team in the World Track Championships, top of the medal table and zero TV coverage (well red button live on digital but no actual on air time devoted to it) or lauding in the press, it's easier to moan eh???  Get your money on Vicky Pendleton for Female Sports Personality of the Year.