Tuesday 15 January 2013
Pon Far
Been a while since I posted here, but thought this little Dilbert collection was funny enough to repost:
Monday 4 June 2012
Prometheus
Well my thoughts on Prometheus are a little varied. As a stand alone film I love it, as part of the Alien franchise, I struggle to reconcile it.
The following contains spoilers... you have been warned!
Ok lets start with a quick run down of the creation of the alien, and the involvement of the "Engineers".
In the opening scene we see a lone Engineer performing some form of ritual on earth... by ingesting the black goo the engineer de-constructs (at a DNA level we are shown) with the result that he kick starts the creation of life on earth (we'll overlook the fact he fell into water as splitting ovum, and just accept that proto-life evolved from there).
This sets up the fact that (big leap of faith here) the Engineers consider themselves some sort of life creating gods, and perform self sacrifice in there "holy mission" to create life on different planets (self sacrifice is necessary to fulfil the law of conservation of energy).
Later when the crew discover the cannisters of black goo we note that there are worms in the ground. When the cannisters leak their DNA is what gives rise to the "white worm" aliens.
When Shaw is impregnated by her infected husband the squid like alien takes its DNA from a gamete, hence it's requirement to impregnate a host.
However this is where I struggle to reconcile the remainder of the film.
So in summary my theory behind the film is that it's all an accident caused by these Engineers being over complacent in their "holy mission" to seed the universe, which accidentally created monsters by using the wrong DNA.
The following contains spoilers... you have been warned!
Ok lets start with a quick run down of the creation of the alien, and the involvement of the "Engineers".
In the opening scene we see a lone Engineer performing some form of ritual on earth... by ingesting the black goo the engineer de-constructs (at a DNA level we are shown) with the result that he kick starts the creation of life on earth (we'll overlook the fact he fell into water as splitting ovum, and just accept that proto-life evolved from there).
This sets up the fact that (big leap of faith here) the Engineers consider themselves some sort of life creating gods, and perform self sacrifice in there "holy mission" to create life on different planets (self sacrifice is necessary to fulfil the law of conservation of energy).
Later when the crew discover the cannisters of black goo we note that there are worms in the ground. When the cannisters leak their DNA is what gives rise to the "white worm" aliens.
When Shaw is impregnated by her infected husband the squid like alien takes its DNA from a gamete, hence it's requirement to impregnate a host.
However this is where I struggle to reconcile the remainder of the film.
- Why does the impregnated alien take on the "alien" form?
- Why do the white worms attack and essentially zombiefy it's prey?
- Why do they have acid for blood?
- Why were the Engineers running away? (I don't buy the bio-weapon theory)?
- Why did the Engineers direct us to the planet?
So in summary my theory behind the film is that it's all an accident caused by these Engineers being over complacent in their "holy mission" to seed the universe, which accidentally created monsters by using the wrong DNA.
Sunday 4 December 2011
5.1 ish
Bought a 5.1 surround system for £10 at a boot fair a while back. Only now just had a chance to fit it out in the bedroom.
I can see now why it was going so cheap. Although it's complete, because it's for a PC so it has no amp, so anything I plug into it comes out in Stereo :(
However I had a brainwave... Why not run it through a PC?
Sound from the PC comes out in glorious 5.1 and oh my god it's powerful... Only have to barely turn the dial to fill the room!
Sadly though the sound card can't process the stereo signal from the TV into virtual surround :( so that problem still exists. So question is whether to buy an amp, or wire the PC video out to the TV?
Friday 11 November 2011
Pocky Time
11:11 11/11/11 so many sticks of pocky
Not to forget the most important fact, that today is Armistice Day.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
From Laurence Binyon's poem For the Fallen, written in September
1914
Tuesday 8 November 2011
I Wii(l) be fit :)
With the aid of the Wii fit and some good old fashioned dieting I'm going to be a changed man... But early days. My first measurement is 17 3/4 stone. Let's see what I can do then :)
Balance 94% not bad
Agility 12... Bit rubbish.
And a Wii Fit Age of 30... Woo 2 years off!
Balance 94% not bad
Agility 12... Bit rubbish.
And a Wii Fit Age of 30... Woo 2 years off!
Tuesday 18 October 2011
Swoop!
What I would’ve done for a video camera today…
Outside my office window I’ve just been watching a mother falcon teaching her two young to hunt.
Hovering over a large pond she was demonstrating how to hover, and practicing swooping down on imaginary prey. She dived down, then they copied. They all repeated this several times in different places on the pond. Then went and perched on a lamppost to rest, came back and did it again, this time from nearly twice the height.
Once they’d repeated this the mother flew off and her young followed her apparently racing one another to catch up to her :-)
Outside my office window I’ve just been watching a mother falcon teaching her two young to hunt.
Hovering over a large pond she was demonstrating how to hover, and practicing swooping down on imaginary prey. She dived down, then they copied. They all repeated this several times in different places on the pond. Then went and perched on a lamppost to rest, came back and did it again, this time from nearly twice the height.
Once they’d repeated this the mother flew off and her young followed her apparently racing one another to catch up to her :-)
Saturday 12 February 2011
Gin Anyone
Gin, stored in a bath, served from a Teapot by a Fusilier in Central London... you'd lock me up and call me crazy... if I didn't have pictures!
Tank Tracks
Monday 17 January 2011
Free Videoing for Gigs Events etc!
Well it's been far too long since I've posted on here... but have no fear I've not deserted the internets. Just been more active elsewhere.
Mainly this is the fault of the real world... I mustn't complain, I've been doing some pretty interesting things lately, filming for Alternative Karaoke:
Also I've been going out to Oxfords famous Intrusion Goth night and getting about over the Christmas break (and getting stuck in it see here). Hopefully that'll change, but then I say that every year!
This year I'll hopefully have more to write about and fingers crossed I'll somehow make the time to do it... reason is I'm trying to make a business out of a hobby... and no not this blog (no one in their right mind would pay me for these ramblings). But instead my videoing skills. Now I'll be the first to be modest and say I'm no James Cameron, but I know my Camcorder pretty well, and it's a killer piece of equipment (yeah it's no 2k 3D jobby... I can't justify the expense of something like that), with the addition of a 0.7x wide angle lens and a compressor microphone (courtesy of my parents for Birthday and Christmas) and a truly superb monopod and shoulder mount (courtesy of Nomis Mum and Step Dad... yes I'm fully aware I will look a total wally wearing the shoulder mount), I'm now fully geared up to get right into the thick of it at conventions, gigs and other events.
I love videoing... to the point that even a Japanese tourist would say is excessive. So to get paid for it is a dream, and one that's either impossible, or extremely far off. So now here's the thing... if you're in a band, run an event/convention or anything that would benefit from a video of some sort, drop me a line. I'll take on all comers, and if you're willing to give me a free ticket to get in I'll do it for nothing... and that includes my skills editing and transforming whatever it is into a fully fledged trailer/YouTube clip/music video/film/DVD or everything in between and beyond. Whatever you want I can give it 100% All I ask is the opportunity to hone my skills. And you know what... I hope my work will either make whoever I work with famous or both of us.
A good friend of mine is helping me out by making a website just for this purpose and to showcase my work... this will eventually be online at www.roamingjay.co.uk but my work can always be found on www.youtube.com/roamingjay and occasionally I'll mention it on here.
So if you're reading this and not already bored to tears why not try me out... in an economy like today's getting something for free is not something you see every day!
Mainly this is the fault of the real world... I mustn't complain, I've been doing some pretty interesting things lately, filming for Alternative Karaoke:
Also I've been going out to Oxfords famous Intrusion Goth night and getting about over the Christmas break (and getting stuck in it see here). Hopefully that'll change, but then I say that every year!
This year I'll hopefully have more to write about and fingers crossed I'll somehow make the time to do it... reason is I'm trying to make a business out of a hobby... and no not this blog (no one in their right mind would pay me for these ramblings). But instead my videoing skills. Now I'll be the first to be modest and say I'm no James Cameron, but I know my Camcorder pretty well, and it's a killer piece of equipment (yeah it's no 2k 3D jobby... I can't justify the expense of something like that), with the addition of a 0.7x wide angle lens and a compressor microphone (courtesy of my parents for Birthday and Christmas) and a truly superb monopod and shoulder mount (courtesy of Nomis Mum and Step Dad... yes I'm fully aware I will look a total wally wearing the shoulder mount), I'm now fully geared up to get right into the thick of it at conventions, gigs and other events.
I love videoing... to the point that even a Japanese tourist would say is excessive. So to get paid for it is a dream, and one that's either impossible, or extremely far off. So now here's the thing... if you're in a band, run an event/convention or anything that would benefit from a video of some sort, drop me a line. I'll take on all comers, and if you're willing to give me a free ticket to get in I'll do it for nothing... and that includes my skills editing and transforming whatever it is into a fully fledged trailer/YouTube clip/music video/film/DVD or everything in between and beyond. Whatever you want I can give it 100% All I ask is the opportunity to hone my skills. And you know what... I hope my work will either make whoever I work with famous or both of us.
A good friend of mine is helping me out by making a website just for this purpose and to showcase my work... this will eventually be online at www.roamingjay.co.uk but my work can always be found on www.youtube.com/roamingjay and occasionally I'll mention it on here.
So if you're reading this and not already bored to tears why not try me out... in an economy like today's getting something for free is not something you see every day!
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