http://www.flyingghoti.net/blogs/personal/ 2008-05-13T02:30:02Z Martin Marks http://www.flyingghoti.net/ BlogHead β.3 (Fishie Edition) http://www.flyingghoti.net/flying_ghoti_small.png http://www.flyingghoti.net/blogs/personal/index.php?date=20080512#220950 2008-05-13T02:09:50Z Martin Observation: Indiana Jones and the Sorcerer's Stone Indiana Jones and the Chamber of Secrets *Indiana Jones and the Prisoner of Azkaban Indiana Jones and the Goblet of Fire ?Indiana Jones and the Order of the Phoenix *Indiana Jones and the Half-Blood Prince *Indiana Jones and the Deathly Hallows *Harry Potter and the Raiders of the Lost Ark1 *Harry Potter and the Temple of Doom *Harry Potter and the Last Crusade ?Harry Potter and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull So that's Indy with about 57% and Harry with 25%, depending on how you count. Regardless, clearly the advantage is to Mr Jones. What deeper insights into the natures of both series does this give us? Notes: 1: YES YES I KNOW http://www.flyingghoti.net/blogs/personal/index.php?date=20080512#175737 2008-05-12T21:57:37Z Martin So the other day I came across something all you retro-future lovers might enjoy: a series of French postcards from 1910 predicting what life would be like en l'an 2000. I think the most fascinating thing about them is that they predict no social changes at all. This one is fairly amusing to me for probably obvious reasons, but I think this one is hands down the best. Convergence! http://www.flyingghoti.net/blogs/personal/index.php?date=20080510#214113 2008-05-11T01:41:13Z Martin Twelve hours of basically uninterrupted cleaning, and now the apartment looks better than it has since I moved in. I have to do it like this, to work myself up into a frenzy where every speck of dust or spangle of glitter (curse you, Neil!) is a mortal enemy, and I can't rest for more than a few minutes or the frenzy will evaporate and I'll end up with a bigger mess than when I started. Basically it's a matter of using my Neurosis Powers for good instead of evil. The end result is pretty impressive - I actually took pictures so I would remember - but it is distinctly exhausting. Not exhausting enough to keep me from going out tonight, however, assuming I can get the boys together. (I figure I'd better start taking advantage of being 25 while I can, because it only lasts another month.) http://www.flyingghoti.net/blogs/personal/index.php?date=20080510#084547 2008-05-10T12:45:47Z Martin If you were dating a former Star Trek actor, would you want them to, you know, prove their full functionality (pick your nerd euphemism) in character and/or costume? http://www.flyingghoti.net/blogs/personal/index.php?date=20080509#215900 2008-05-10T01:59:00Z Martin As you may know, I pretty much have a mad brain-crush on Nikola Tesla. If I could pick a spirit animal for my inner boffin, he would be totally tops on the list. And, of course, I have an ever-growing love for the history comics of Kate Beaton. So when I found out she was selling prints of probably her greatest strip, which just happens to be about the raw sex appeal of Nikola Tesla, I could hardly resist the lure of the impulse buy. Can you tell me I was wrong? (No you can't.) http://www.flyingghoti.net/blogs/personal/index.php?date=20080508#224414 2008-05-09T02:44:14Z Martin Google Charts is precisely. http://www.flyingghoti.net/blogs/personal/index.php?date=20080508#213055 2008-05-09T01:30:55Z Martin The problem with the brownie recipe on the Ghirardelli tin is that it's just too damn perfect. I mean, what can you possibly do with it? A really good recipe leaves you thinking "man, that was great, but next time...", but these brownies are so damn fantastic there's no real room for improvement. The only variation I've ever managed to make on these is to cream in the butter rather than melting it, and I only do that because I have a KitchenAid so I may as well save myself washing a bowl. But beyond that, there's nothing much else to do. And it's also a ridiculously simple recipe, so you can't even make it any easier - and even if you could, it wouldn't be worth bothering, because then you'd be done making them before the damn oven had preheated. They're so frustrating! And yet so damn good! http://www.flyingghoti.net/blogs/personal/index.php?date=20080508#211340 2008-05-09T01:13:40Z Martin So I'm somewhat out of the loop; I just learned yesterday that Red Ken has been unseated as Mayor of London by some batshit crazy Tory. If you aren't familiar with The Right On Ken Livingstone, suffice it to say that he was one of the most consistently interesting politicians in Britain and one of the loudest liberal voices in western politics. (The past tense is probably premature in that sentence; Margaret Thatcher herself couldn't keep him down, and she abolished his damn job.) http://www.flyingghoti.net/blogs/personal/index.php?date=20080508#202250 2008-05-09T00:22:50Z Martin So I'm going to Vienna in August to spend a week with Schwamelia and Johannes. Ticket is bought, boss is informed. Further bulletins as events warrant. http://www.flyingghoti.net/blogs/personal/index.php?date=20080508#201645 2008-05-09T00:16:45Z Martin I had an idea today for weather-sensing traffic lights, but I can't decide how they should work. Should they give pedestrians greater priority when it's raining and they're in more of a hurry or when it's nice out and there are more of them? http://www.flyingghoti.net/blogs/personal/index.php?date=20080508#175832 2008-05-08T21:58:32Z Martin "Hershey Park is not the opposite of a clear pink piece of metal that smells like cranberries!"