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Posted Apr 21, 2006
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Latest reply: Apr 21, 2006
Di Great Insurekshan
Posted Apr 6, 2006
Comrades,
I've been struggling against the new h2g2 profanity filter. On one level, I accept that I'm a potty-mouth and am willing to tone it down - albeit under duress. However, I discovered that some words that have been on my PS for some time - indeed, they're still there - are now deemed unacceptable. At first I thought that it as the Father Jack variant of the ordinary word for intimate congress. I was wrong. Much to my disbelief, it seems that one cannot quote the lyric to what is *unarguably* the finest lyric of all time, Little Richard's 'Tutti Frutti'. Apparently one syllable is - if taken out of context - offensive to Italians. Although I doubt that any Italian has ever complained.
Howver - only postings are picked up by the profundity filter. Nicknames seem to require human intervention.
THEREFORE:
Starting 10:00 BST, 7th April (or whenever our USAnian comrades wake up) THE GREAT LITTLE RICHARD INSURRECTION. Any takers? I am *not* Tony Curtis!
Discuss this Journal entry [53]
Latest reply: Apr 6, 2006
Yes...but what does it MEAN?
Posted Apr 2, 2006
I recently used a tagline taken from a Lou Reed song. The same album has the song 'Perfect Day' - known by many as a lovely, romantic song and used by the BBC as a theme. Of course, one's perception is entirely changed if one knows the slightest thing about the writer and realises it's about heroin: 'It's such a perfect day. I'm glad I spent it with you.'
That got me thinking about other songs and works of art where a little knowledge of the 'back story' changes one's whole understanding:
'So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright' - Art Garfunkel was an architecture student. Paul Simon's pet name for him was FLW. Simon had decided to break with Garfunkel, but hadn't got around to telling him. Garfunkel was made innocently to sing his swansong: '...Architects may come and architects may go...'
'Caroline, No' - Brian Wilson had a big thing about long her. His wife had hers cut. 'Where did your long hair go/ Whatever happened to the girl I used to know.' His ex-wife nevertheless maintains that it's a beautiful song.
The Catcher in the Rye - does it make sense if I say that it's about WWII? All the young boys went away to war. Many never returned. Of those who did...none of the phonies are talking about it. 'Where do all the ducks go in winter?'
Edgar Degas' Statue of a Little Ballerina - originally a hyper-realistic waxwork. The parts underneath the clothing were modlled in intimate detail. The girl was 13-14 years old. Originally she was exhibited surrounded by drawings showing the physiogonomy of similar 'guttersipes and common street trash.'
Ted Hughes once spoke at my school. He read a poem which said that he said was inspired by being in a hospital waiting room, waiting for a friend to come round. Years later I twigged...'Ah! Sylvia Plath.'
Any others?
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Latest reply: Apr 2, 2006
There's mair folk deein' than has ever deid afore
Posted Mar 8, 2006
Two great men gone in one day:
Poet/ Dreamer Ivor Cutler: http://www.ivorcutler.org/
And the great Malian musician, Ali Farka Toure - reckoned by many Blues musicians to embody the roots of their artform.
They'll both be sadly missed.
Discuss this Journal entry [16]
Latest reply: Mar 8, 2006
A sudden flash of genius!
Posted Mar 6, 2006
I bought some PC memory on eBay last week. £10 for 256MB! Installing it in my ancient FrankenPC should have been a 2 minute job, since I never keep the case screwed on. Just whip off the case, slot it in and start it up. The hardest part should be plugging the 9-odd cables back in the back afterwards. Only...last night I discovered that my hard drive bay is right over the slot and there's not enough clearance to get the card in. So...I've been steeling myself for taking all the drives out, and probably having to take the floppy drive out permanently to make room. Not tricky, just time consuming and a bit of a fankle.
But the solution has just hit me. Duck tape! Take out the hard drive that's in the way, slot in the card...and then just duck tape the drive to a convenient surface.
There are few problems in life that cannot be solved by intelligent use of duck tape.
Discuss this Journal entry [40]
Latest reply: Mar 6, 2006
Edward the Bonobo - Gone.
Researcher U803114
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