Journal Entries
It's all downhill from here
Posted Oct 1, 2003
So you think that you're a bit sad then? You've maybe got a collection of model cars, you play Dungeons and Dragons or perhaps you like skipping or something.
Think again.
Not only do some people collect dull things, but they make web sites out of them.
http://www.pencils.com/
... they are not alone ...
http://www.infofreako.com/jad/enpitsu-e.html
but the coup de gras is ...
http://www.pencilpages.com/
... which boasts a gallery and philosophy pages The list is endless. Pages and pages of ...
http://www.the-pencil-place.freeserve.co.uk/pen_phys.htm
http://dir.yahoo.com/Recreation/Hobbies/Collecting/Pencil_Sharpeners/
http://www.pencilcollector.org/membership.htm
... and then there are the pencil sharpener collectors.
http://www.keyworlds.com/c/collecting-pencil_sharpeners.htm
It doesn't stop there. There are other things that people should be ashamed of doing, but instead they build web sites. Things such as International Cup Stacking ...
http://www.speedstacks.com/
http://www.worldcupstackingassociation.org/
http://www.cr.k12.ia.us/trum/Murray/cup_stacking.htm
http://mr-jim.com/cupstacking.htm
... and the movies that go with them.
Make it stop. Make it stop!! 
Discuss this Journal entry [12]
Latest reply: Oct 1, 2003
English ...??!!!
Posted Sep 26, 2003
English, the official European Language!
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would be known as "Euro-English".
In the first year, 's' will replace the soft 'c'. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard 'c' will be dropped in favor of the 'k'. This should klear up konfusion and komputer keyboards kan have one less letter.
There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome 'ph' will be replased with the 'f'. This will make words like 'fotograf' 20% shorter!
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double leters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of the silent 'e' in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.
By the 4th year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing 'th' with 'z' and 'w' wiz 'v'. During ze fifz year ze unesesary 'o' kan be dropd from vords kontaining 'ou' and similar changes vud of kurs be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.
After ze fifz yer ve vil hav a rali sensibl ritn styl. Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evriun vil find it ezi tu undrstand ech ozer.
Zen Z Drem Vil Finali Kum Tru!!
Z signifikant advantag is vi don't ned to spek German! 
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Sep 26, 2003
Speel Chick
Posted Sep 15, 2003
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in
waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe. 
pttrey azamnig I thnik
No Lonegr sahll I Speel Chick as evryeone kowns waht I maen anawyy
Discuss this Journal entry [5]
Latest reply: Sep 15, 2003
Glorious Mud
Posted Aug 7, 2003
Mucking around with the code behind my home page, I come across how to change the Brunel Skin colours. Woohoo!! Methinks I have an opportunity to make my space look like a palace with golden walls. The results? Mud glorious Mud. 
Anyone know the hex code for gold? I don't think this would work though as the yellow writing would dissappear. 
I'll stick to drinking Waggledance for the moment. Maybe look at this again later.
Discuss this Journal entry [4]
Latest reply: Aug 7, 2003
New Name Please.
Posted Jun 27, 2002
The Frog (bike) is dead! Long live the Frog. It was on the operating table after ripping a Cam shaft loose. We fixed all of that but it was clear that its days were numbered. 
It would have taken a few thousand in spares and about twelve months of carefull work to fix. That and the billowing clouds of acrid smoke that filled the air every time the engine was running gave us a clear idea that this was the end of the road. So we called it. 
I went to Ye Olde Bike Shoppe in Redhill and asked for a three tonne bike with a top speed of nine thousand miles and hour that answers to the name of Arnold 
. Unfortunately he told me he had just the thing, a Yamaha XJ900.
It had special idiot resistant features that made it ideal for me. I took it for a test drive.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!! 
A little quick it was. I felt like a small piece of rag tied neatly to the handle bars flapping in the breeze. It's even got a hyperspace button and vertical take off (if you mash up your clutch control) 
.
I bought it anyway, with the perhaps vain hope that one day, I'll be able to ride it. One can hope. 
So here's the deal. I'm looking for suggestions for a name for this new steed. What do you think?
Discuss this Journal entry [4]
Latest reply: Jun 27, 2002
Moonglum Clampflower (MornC), Muse of Ego, Keeper of the Lamp and Guru, (aka Happinose)
Researcher U182207
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