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VSX, A shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist: Starbuck Powersurge - a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of Viper Squad Ten, a long-disbanded group of stranded timetravelling troubadours, formed to help finance repairs to their time-machine. Now very much stuck in C21... [ Archives ]
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[ Monday, July 31, 2006 ]HymenopteriskStarbuck [20:30] Comments: 0 [] Whilst sitting enjoying an UBU in a sunny beer garden after work on Friday the one thing that I've been dreading for decades finally happened. I got stung by a wasp. And it only went and got me on my flippin' neck. My life passed before my eyes as I felt the poison starting to spread, the dull throb of the newly-stimulated impulses mingling with the sensory afferent cocktail filtering through from the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery Company's finest. But the main element of the flashback was... WHAT THE FRACK HAVE I BEEN SCARED OF ALL THIS TIME? Wasp sting? Piece of piss, matey. There'll be no more of THIS... [ Friday, July 28, 2006 ]Free (some of) our dataStuart [10:44] Comments: 1 [] I was reading Technology Guardian this morning. Apart from chuckling (as I do on a weekly basis) at Jack Schofield's pipe-chewing pose and losing interest half way through the more overly techy articles, I found myself becoming bemused and exasperated at the inherent conflict between two articles. The first, written in a Guardian-style one would expect from such an article, bemoaned the latest attempted legal intrusion into a new technology not previously legislated for; internet telephony. The cops apparently wnat to find out who sends and receives data over the various "free" broadband phone lines as they think (probably quite rightly) that this form of communication would be attractive to all manner of ne'er do wells. The second, under the banner of the Guardian's "Free our data" campaign, bemoaned the fact that the UK government was not allowing the rest of European countries access to geographical data which data is apparently essential to... er... something. There is some geographical-data-sharing iniative going on at the moment (you'd be forgiven for not having heard about it) and us in Blighty are refusing to play ball. My problem with the first article is that it made clear that the information the police want access to (the identity of people making the calls) just isn't available. To cut a long story short (and to also run what I read through my mental simplification processor unit) the personal information the police want to get hold of simply doesn't exist - "calls" can be made anonymously. I had a number of problems with the second article. First, its example of the type of geographical detail that "needs" to be shared was the height of low tide - because it's "essential for flood prevention". Essential in the country concerned for sure. Essential for another country with a different tide level? I can't see it. Second, it complained that the UK was holding out because the Ordnance Survey want to use the information it owns (maps etc) to make a "profit" (their parantheses). Quite what a "profit" (in brackets) is as distinguished from a profit (without brackets) I am not sure. Maybe there is some objection to an organisation collecting data in such a way as to accrue copyright in it and then seeking to make a return on that endeavour. Whatever the objection, however, we return to the example. Do the OS own the data relating to tide levels? Nope. And is data relating to tide levels freely available elsewhere? Presumably yep. And do the OS own ALL data relating to geographical data and maps? Nope. Someone is quoted as saying the UK's attitude is typical of its island mentality. Er but surely by definition the fact that we ARE an island makes our geographical data less useful to, say, Switzerland than that of one of the countries that borders it. if it's less useful, why should we share it? Like, maybe, why should Skype users have to share details of who they call? Right. So to sum up; article 1 objects to one government body trying to obtain data that does not exist anyway and article 2 objects to another government body refusing to give up data which is (at least in part) freely available elsewhere. Glad that's sorted out. I know the state has greater potential access to data than Joe Public does. I also know Joe Public doesn't care about half the data it could have in the same way as it is simply not cost-effective, expedient or practical for the state to use all it has access to (which is why not every 16 - 25 year old has not been arrested at least once for drunk and disorderly recorded on CCTV). Just because data exists, it does not mean anyone should have access to it; whether the person resisting access is state or individual. [ Thursday, July 27, 2006 ]How Far Can Scramble Invade My SystemStarbuck [17:30] Comments: 4 []   Proof that I've played too many old computer and arcade games in my life: I don't seem to be able to walk along a corridor without tracing my knuckles along the wall next to me, soaring up or swooping down to avoid fixtures and fittings etc. That's when I'm not approaching the corridor using my Doom tactics, of course. Too much of Konami's Scramble (and its clones, including the pink Rocket Raid on the BBC Micro and Beam Software's Penetrator on the Speccie et al) methinks.  Ah, Penetrator, that was a great early Spectrum game, despite its ultradodgy name; played it to death - rock hard later on in the tunnels. Thankfully it had a good DIY level designer so that you could save some of your own slightly more forgiving levels... loved the silky smooth fashion in which the satellite dishes rotated... I was less demanding then...Wish I had more time on my hands so I could solder the contacts beneath the all-important LOAD button on my ZX Spectrum... emulation's too easy - I liked the satisfaction of finally finding the correct volume for a dodgy hyperload C60 tape recording after having spent all afternoon trying to get the damn game to load... But in the meantime, look what I've just found... PLAY SCRAMBLE IN YOUR WEB BROWSER HERE... www.1980-games.com/us/old-games/java-games/scramble.php ... ah, that takes me back 25 years... childhood excitement at brand NEW technology... and distant thoughts about the potential for the future that it heralded... [ Wednesday, July 26, 2006 ]BlogratulationsStarbuck [17:47] Comments: 5 [] There's been mucho good personal development taking place recently within the celestial regions of my Rollcall of Blogs. Astolath has been honourably awarded his degree, Birdy and The Doctor have moved house, and there's been a new addition to the Doppelganger family. Big love all round, and very well done! [ Monday, July 24, 2006 ]50 Films To See Before You DietStarbuck [19:12] Comments: 9 [] Now World+Wife is going to be blogging about this, but what the hell, my wife doesn't blog. To celebrate the relaunch of Film4 as a free-to-air channel, Movie Experts (including Lord David Puttnam, Uwe Boll and Paul W.S. Anderson, though not sure about those last two...) have named the 50 films that they think everybody should see before they die. I hope that the accompanying show wasn't broadcast in the world's troublespots or famine-struck areas... And so that you can "enjoy the list", and nothing at all to do with showing just how clued-up I am (or not), I'm going to self-importantly annotate it according to those films I've seen (labelled S), possess (labelled P, whether bought or those on dodgy VCR recordings off of the telly), or those that I possess but haven't got round to watching yet (PSX). And if you don't like it you can Psx off. From the top, ladies and gentleman: 1. Apocalypse Now (PSX) [ Sunday, July 23, 2006 ]Nintesco Customer Services LiteStarbuck [13:55] Comments: 4 [] I'm a sucker for an impulse buy from Tesco; I've got scores (nearly) of cheap but essential DVDs just waiting for me to find the viewing time. And I'm a sucker for small things; so's my wife - that's why she married me! (Only joking - I'm HUGE. Ahem.) And I'm theoretically a sucker for console games - a bit too much, which is why I've been steering myself clear in recent years. I've not brought a computer game since Rollcage Stage II for the first Playstation back in 2000. However today, upon seeing the Nintendo DS Lite in the supermarket, I just could not resist. Well I did - I came home, thought about it, and went back for it! Ninetysomething Pounds for the Lite bundled with one game, or another four quid with Mario Kart DS thrown in, "excellent" I thought out loud. "But I'd better check at Customer Services whether the Mario Kart budle is the lovely new Lite version or the slightly less lovely old DS machine since it doesn't mention Lite on the display case". What a palaver - the biddies on the desk didn't have a flipping clue! "You'll have to go down to a computer shop to buy a Nintendog, otherwise you can't use it" one said, seemingly trying to put me off the purchase, before admitting it was all "gobbledygook", perhaps meaning the whole concept of these new-fangled picture boxes rather than the gibberish she was spouting. Getting nowhere when I tried to explain I made a run for it, and spent 5 minutes trying to find someone who could help. Spotted a young employee in a bright red t-shirt proclaiming "HERE TO HELP" and thought that he'd do. All sorted (Mario bundle was with the old DS, so I sadly went without), paid at the check-out, and was told I'd have to go to Customer Services to pick it up. Avoided the CS biddies and asked at the tobacconists, who proceeded to spend 5 minutes looking for the "game" that was the DS Lite, then a further 10 minutes whilst a more clued-up employee went to replenish their stocks from the warehouse. Finally home with the machine plus Dr Kawashima's Brain Training. I'd managed to pique Mrs Powersurge's interest by telling her "it'll be good for us". Shame about Mario. Now to stiffen my resolve for the future... [ Thursday, July 20, 2006 ]Tomb of the CybermenStarbuck [19:49] Comments: 1 [] Doppelganger's only gone and linked-up a hyperreference to Tomb of the Cybermen, available to view (in episodes) on YouTube. Though I wasn't "around" when it was first broadcast in 1967, I remember some of the repeats when I was a youngster. Sweet nostalgia. Troughton was a great Doctor. And I had his hair-cut when I was a kid. Ahem. Musuem of Bad Album Covers Starbuck [19:23] Comments: 0 []  Check out the Musuem of Bad Album Covers. Some fantastic stuff therein. And some disturbing stuff. But in most cases, some funny stuff. Quote from one of the voters for the item on the left: "Maybe I've been gay too long, but it sure looks like Ken is waiting anxiously by a glory hole. Which side, you ask? The look on his face tells it all: he's being offered something Really Big!"Tee hee! Spotted at the Background Noise blog. Joe Pasquale, QuizShowHost Parasite Starbuck [13:32] Comments: 9 [] Whilst I'm ranting about the important issues of the day, might I just add that I had the misfortune to catch Joe Pasquale hosting the revamped "The Price is Right" late last week. Now the squeaky-voiced TV funny-man is no Leslie Crowther, or even a Brucie, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. However:
Human Life and Respect Starbuck [12:03] Comments: 5 [] Quelle suprise , George W Bush has made first use of his Congress veto to block further embryonic stem cell research. "This bill would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others. It crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect."Obviously, considering American foreign policy and its support of it's "friends", the moral boundary concerning the taking of innocent human life only applies to Americans and, due to the related political influences within America, the Israelis. And the world looks on and watches as they sow the seed for our society's destruction. How can we be so shortsighted, so blinded, so selfish and stupid? Respect. [ Monday, July 17, 2006 ]TV QuickStarbuck [19:15] Comments: 6 [] Just 'cos I've been on holiday doesn't mean I've not kept up with my obsession with quality TV (big thanks cable -on-demand). And so, I would just like to take the time to "big-up" the following:
[ Sunday, July 16, 2006 ]Postcard from SpainStarbuck [17:39] Comments: 0 [] A few notes that I'd jotted down in "old format" whilst on my recent Spanish sojourn (craftily coupled with hiding out from the Van Dammes):
Theirspace Stuart [13:21] Comments: 1 [] We like Charlie Brooker round here (see previous cobblers). The one recent thing wot he wrote that I completely related to was this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1809636,00.html It's sooooooo true. It makes me just want to throw in the towel. Mini-Musi-Revu-Si's Stuart [11:17] Comments: 5 [] I have been buying loads of CDs. These reviews are less than 100 words each. Reviews up to 100 words each available elsewhere. PEEPING TOM The long-awaited Mike Patton "as commercial as Faith No More" project. Lots of guest vocalists, knob twiddlers. Has been described as "dark trip hop" but not by me. It's very FNM, only with less guitars. It's bloody brilliant. THOM YORKE - ERASER Very hard work this one. Kind of like Kid A only more miserable and even more squelchy. Can't help thinking he should chill out a bit, and that I'd be better off listening to some of the people he's copying rather than this pale imitation. That way I would avoid his whining too. Digression - I went to see the Head at Victoria Park years ago just after Kid A and they played there because they could put the shows on themselves and do it in as non-corporate way as possible (man). I always remember arriving to see hundreds of enormous Budweiser and Virgin lorries everywhere. And now they're playing V. Sure they have to play somewhere, but stop moaning about it already. MUSE - BLACKHOLES AND REVELATIONS Quite simply utterly (a) ridiculous and (b) superb. How a band can so shamelessly evoke one of my most hated bands (Queen) and yet I still love them, I don't know. Supermassive Blackhole (which doesn't sound like Queen) is single of the year hands down. TV ON THE RADIO - RETURN TO COOKIE MOUNTAIN On my first listen as we speak. Bowie loves them and that's not the only immediate similarity with Arcade Fire. Experimental without being rubbish... I hear saxophones... interesting song structures... could be more than vocalist... erm sounding good so far. GET CAPE WEAR CAPE FLY Best name ever. Sounds okay too. SUMMER SINGLES REVIEWS Lilly Allen - Smile The sound of London in the summer (copyright everyone). It really is great though. Simian (remix thing) - We Are Your Friends The sound of everywhere else in the summer (copyright me). It's great too. Christine Aguilera - Ain't No Other Man I haven't heard it but someone told me it is "pop genius". Is it better than Lilly though? She's the sound of... oh I've done that one. HMV SALE PURCHASE REVIEWS The La's (£2.99) Meant to be a bit of a classic innit? Sounds like a load of dated old sea shanties to me though. There She Goes must be the most unrepresentative single pulled from an album EVER. Iggy and the Stooges - Raw Power (£3.99) Greatest album cover of all time even though he hated it initially. Not as good as The Stooges or Fun House though. [ Monday, July 03, 2006 ]Normal service will temporarily be replaced by the latest Hoff videoStarbuck [21:14] Comments: 6 [] I'm going to be lieing low electronically over the next few weeks... the Van Damme's have been sniffing around... I need to hide out in sunnier climes... not that you could get much sunnier than Britain right now... But in meantime here's something to keep you entertained until my return... ... its David Hasselhoff, and he seems to have got the joke. Top stuff. Read this: Astolath on Orwell Starbuck [20:33] Comments: 1 [] HERE. And the world will begin to make some sense. [ Sunday, July 02, 2006 ]Animal Rescue AftermathStarbuck [17:28] Comments: 0 [] Back in April we were woken by the sound of a mother duck in distress, waddling franticly up and down the road outside our house, or perching herself sentinel-like on the nearby rooftops. Her babies were trapped in the pit of a nearby electricity substation where she had nested. The electricity company were called to see what they could do, and a very nice electrician spent hours trying to coax them into a box. This is their story following the resuce of the ducklings...      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