Birdstrike

A poor unfortunate pigeon almost certainly bought it when he collided with the passenger side window/rear view mirror of my car as I drove home this evening. I saw it out of the side of my eye and was already half tensed up when it hit the car, fortunately it seems to have done no permanent damage to the car but when I looked in the rear view mirror all I could see was a sad swirling cloud of feathers.

It was my 3rd Bloggiversary yesterday which I totally forgot about in the fun and excitement of bimbling about at home. I always need a couple of days to recover from a holiday, I've only really just got round to starting to upload photos to my flickr stream. This one is my favourite so far.



Barcelona was great, I wish I had brought my walking boots with me though because it demands to be walked through as the buildings are spectacular. I will blog about it more as I upload more photos.

Read

The static blogroll. I know it's long, probably too long but I do read them, or at least have a look when Google Reader tells me that something new has appeared. The only exception to that is Becky's web because it's normally a little voice telling me "I've blogged". There is a reduced and dynamic list to the right with some highlights.

Becky's Web - Becky EnVérité

A Gentleman's C - The Angry Professor

A Hazy Day Today - Rockmother

Alicublog - Roy

The All New Adventures 0f Wyndham The Triffid - Wyndham appears to have stopped blogging

All That Comes With It - Dan

Bad Astronomy - Phil Plait the Bad Astronomer.

Bad Science - Ben Goldacre sticking one on the pseudoscientists

Betty's Utility Room - Betty

Blonde Moments - Hannah

Blurred Lines - Lara Tyg

Boolblog - Boolbar

Cafe De Jenkster - Kris

Clarissa Explains Some Of It - Clarissa

Cosmic Variance - Daniel Holtz et al

The DraGnet - Miss K -back

Daily Mail Watch - Merk

Eggs Akimbo - Em

Eyefood - Kisa

Flat Out Norwich - Flat Out - appears to have stopped blogging

The Gates of Ivory - Isobel

Gatochy's Blog - Mariana

Glitter For Brains - Lee

Herstory - Emma

I Can Has Cheezburger

Idle Thoughts, Furious Musings - Penny M

One Man Blogs - Gordon

Joanna's Diary - Joanna

The Jogger Blogger - Jogger Blogger

Just Jessica - Jessica - retired

The Kaptain Kobold Blog - Kaptain Kobold

Lolcats Can Has Science

Lipstick Vogue - Kat

Luis Droppings - Luis

Midwest Rock Lobster - Chixulub

Mildly Diverting - Kim

NeuroLogica Blog - Steve Novella

¡Oye Billy! - Billy

The Other Side Of The World - Freiya -appears to have stopped blogging

Palace Fan That's A New Dad - James

The Panda's Thumb

Pandora's Hideaway - Pandora

Pig Sty Avenue - Garry

Plutos the Blubberman - Sim

The Quackometer Blog - Le Canard Noir

Rantings Of The Lazy Iguana - Lazy Iguana

Razorblade of Life - Z

Respectful Insolence - Orac

The Rogues Gallery - Evan Bernstein et al

Ross @ Dover - Ross - appears to have stopped blogging

Sad, Sweet Songs and Crazy Rhythms - Magpie

Selina's Universe - Selina Morse - appears to have stopped blogging

Smaller Than Life - Salvadore Vincent

Solid Gone - Stegbeetle

Stephanie's Pillowbook - Stephanie

Steph's Ramblings - Steph

Stephen Fry's Blog - Stephen Fry

Stuff White People Like

Sugar Mountain Farm - Walter

Technovia - Ian Betteridge

Thaumata's Blog of ill repute - Thaumata

Thinking Is Dangerous - Dr* T

Tiny Frog - Tinyfrog

Tom's Astronomy Blog - Tom

Trendy Discotheque - Valerie

Wilder By Far - John Wilder

World-O-Crap - Scott and SZ

xkcd

You're a DJ, I'm the song - Tiffy

Round up of the year 2006: The End

In November

Betty reviewed Fanny Craddock

Pop told us about show and tell at Catholic Kindergarden

DraGnet is Two

Lee covered computer history

December

Presents for the little tykes - Conservatives For American Values style

Becky explained the true meaning of Santa

If you don't read Bad Science already then really you should start now. This blog closely reflects Ben Goldacre's Bad Science column in the Guardian but he often blogs more often than his column appears and it isn't edited for space so he can go into greater detail. I recommend it highly. Like Marcus Brigstock, Ben has his axe sharpened against that awful poo lady Gillian McKeith - snake oil sales woman and emotion vampire, passing herself off as a nutrition expert on C4. The blog entry I've linked to, however, isn't about the old harridan rather it he explains why we should always be careful of statistics.

As Chairman Tao put it July 2007 would seem a good time to plan a holiday as far away from the UK as possible. Beware, Wembley Stadium (if operational) is going to host a "Concert For Diana" It's gonna be ghastly, worse than the awful "Brenda: fiftieth on the throne" concerts for the young people especially as the chances of a bewildered appearance from Ozzy Osbourne are not high. Expect over the hill, middle of the road toadies and that's just the audience, the bands will be worse. Far worse.

Finally the year's Highlight.

We got engaged. :D

Round up of the year 2006: September and October

September:

Pop about being a day late

I also found a new blog The Razorblade of Life, Z produced this beautiful writing on motherhood.

Sim, did Monsters

You know you have friends when they do something like this for you

October:

Most Wrong Thing Evah

Kim gets the dibs for linking to this

MLIGCS loved her roomie

Russia: it's not always that bad as Val's friend Mila found out

Chixulub would like to warn you not to do this at home. I laughed so hard I hurt myself.

Round up of the year 2006: July and August

In July

I became a tranny pop after several hours of pleading pay off.

Iggy celebrated Independence Day in the states in his own imitable way!

Urban Chick highlighted the latest Edinburgh taste sensation.

Gordon ate all the pasties. Gordon is one of those bloggers who consistently writes at high standards. Worth the visit just for this line: "This is usually said in a tone that suggests that if you don’t place your order in the next three seconds, somewhere a kitten will meet a brief yet painful death. Probably in a blender."

Becky did cartoons

August

Lee pondered the street stoppers. I found Lee through pure luck, I was flicking through flickr when I saw this picture. I had a look at his profile, saw he had a blog which I enjoyed immensely as I bimbled through his archives. Then I saw that not only does he know Kim from Mildly Diverting he had shared a flat with her. Which all goes to prove that really there are only about 5 people in the world.

Not a blog but art instead, Bex has blogged about her and I really admire her work too, check this out - Choose Love by Bridget Love

Dear John letters are so hard to write.

Round up of the year 2006: May and June

In May:

Wyndham The Triffid reviewed Vidal Gore's Pamplist saving the rest of us the bother of reading the book.

Becky and I watched the "50 Greatest One Hit Wonders" on the box, some of the music was very ropey to say the least but Becky was inspired.

In June:

I could have stuffed this round up with loads of Pluto's cartoons.

Round up of the year 2006: March and April

March: St David's day and St Patrick's day happened. St Patrick's happened to be more entertaining.

Becky went for the ultimate mash up of overblown popular entertainment ie Queen and Lord of the Rings and gave us this. Lord of the Rhapsody

In April:

Frieya was the first blogger on my particular street to get in with a review of the new Dr Who

Pop at Pop's Bucket enjoyed the Easter Vacation

Johnny Virgil explained stuff

Round Up Of The Year 2006: The Beginning

I've been keeping careful track over the year of the blog posts that I've enjoyed, been informed by, or just struck by. It's my choice, it's subjective and I make no apologies for it but I hope you enjoy what I have chosen.

In January

Selina placed that bit from Deutronomy in its proper context.

In February

Becky and I went to Amsterdam for her birthday. It was bloody cold and grey but we had a wonderful time, Bex summed it up here Gellizig.

American Election Roundup.

George W Bush is finally a Lame Duck

Round up of some American bloggers views on Tuesday's elections.

The Lazy Iguana said good bye and good riddance to Kathrene Harris

Candace was smug

Pop's was poorly

The Bad Astronomer was pleased for science as was the New Scientist Blog

Herman got upset*

*This is satire.

Reident DJ

Today is the History Matters Great Big Blog day. Write a diary entry send it to them and they'll bung it in an archive for evermore, except the more interesting or bathetic ones which they'll put into a coffee table book in time for Christmas no doubt. Very worthy it's sort of a bit like the mass observation project that ran from 1937 until about the mid 50s then was restarted in 1981, but I can't see how much real use one day from many people will be. Also I read their terms and conditions and thought nah not for me.

So my drivel will have to stay outside of academic archives for a little longer.

Anyway my day, well the bits of my day that I can repeat to yous out there, was dull. Go to work talk to people, shuffle bits of paper, answer questions and give advice, draft emails and letters. In the inbetweenie bits, that is lunch, I had a look at flickr check out this marvelous dress. The young lad in the office is thinking of a tattoo so has been drawing designs on paper and his hand to see how they look. He says that he's not going to have it on his hand it was just so that he could show the lady who is going to do the design for him his ideas.

a. The lady who does tattoo design is "quite hawt" apparently

b. We would have let him take a sheet of paper out of the office but he said that this helped him to remember.

On the way home I saw the poster for the nightclub stuck up in the bus shelter near work. I've pixilated some details as I don't want to give the oxygen of publicity to them more than I can help it. I've no idea who they are trying to attract with this. :-/

And there you go quite a blah day really I think better out of any serious depository than in.

Blogs in the Guardian.

The Guardian seems to be very into the blogging phenomena at the moment. The editor has a blog, they have various "Blogs" covering technology, the news, culture, business and games. Each day on page 2 there is a small section called "Today On The Web" which culls comments from blogs about a newsworthy topic.

It all feels very forced. The "Blogs" don't feel like blogs they feel like a cross between a newspaper column that has been put on line and the spam blogs you find if you click through "next blog" for any length of time on Blogger.

The Today on the Web section is irksome because any fule can do a search on a phrase and come up with 3 to 4 coherent snatches of writing on a subject. It is money for old rope, I could do that and I haven't got a degree in journalism.

They seemed to have missed a trick although I will stand by my argument that blogging is not the new journalism it does have a role whether that be social commentary, in creating an online community such as the trannisphere or communicating with far flung family. In fact I can see the Christmas blog entry will be the round robin letter of 2005 and they are not capturing that.

However I do have to say it isn't all bad as they did mention Becky's Hamster Flickr Sudoku the other day in the online News Blog.

I will put the necessary links in later, I can't right now as I haven't worked out how to copy URLs on this tablet I'm blogging on. The Tablet is Jessica's. Becky and I and Jess of course are staying at Sophie's for the weekend.

Postscript 6 November 2005 have inserted the links.

Email Me You So and Sos

Thanks to the fantastic Becky I now have a Gmail account for the blog so you all have to use it, I want questions about me I will ignore the sicky ones, unless they make me laugh and then you will have to risk being humiliated in front of my readers
So come on guys and girls ask me a question about me, so go on you know is isn't that scary.

Not Quite Right.

Conservatives for American Values is a satirical blog that sends up the lunacy of fundamentalist Christians and Republicans who think Dubya is too liberal. Many of their readers get the joke but a few don't and the comments page is always interesting to read. Deeply earnest Liberals and Socialists get themselves more and more worked up and ranty and earnest committed Christians (non fundamentalist I assume) get upset by the bigoted and quite frankly unchristian statements made by the authors. The "authors" Michael Gregory Steele and Herman B Hayes always respond to the comments in the same satirical vein.

However, yesterday they blogged about the founder of Domino's Pizza, Tom Monaghan, wanting to found a town in Florida that would be inhabited only by practicing "orthodox" Catholics. Their post (I can't get it to link doh)was funny but the aims of Mr Monaghan are not. That anyone would want to build a town that was only aimed at one faith or denomination is depressing, it sounds like bigotry, yet not having enough confidence in their beliefs that they can stand them being tested in a multifaith or secular environment. Tom Monaghan seems to be promising a town with more churches than you can shake a stick at, with masses being said in each on the hour during the hours of daylight; that is going to take an awful lot of priests and the western church is running very short of them. Where once we exported them we are now importing priests from Latin America and the African continent. I was disturbed when reading more in the Boston Phoenix Online about it, that there are priests who are quite enthusiastic about the idea. To me it seems to go against much of what Christianity should stand for.

Ps. You may have noticed a "we" creep in there. I am an atheist but I was raised as a Catholic. I don't believe in God not because of anything the Catholic Church may have said or done it's because I just don't it is not rational.

PPS. It is a parody. Here is Michael explaining all:- Catch

Something Else To Do

Jennifer Government: NationStates

Discovered this on Don Swift's excellent blog (Update which unfortunately no longer exists). It's a great way to find out if you would be a just, fair, democratic leader or a crazed psychopath with hoards of scared subjects. Or to quote from the site itself:

Jennifer Government: NationStates is a nation simulation game. You create your own country, fashioned after your own ideals, and care for its people. Either that or you deliberately torture them. It's really up to you.

Now I really must go to bed.

Because I'm soft

Only because I'm soft and I like cats, please check out this site, a young family in New York City who are proud owners of a beautiful Maine cat had a horrific discovery one day, their beautiful cat had been deliberately injured by some dick. Vet bills are as expensive there as they are here, they have set up a website to raise funds to help pay the bills. I'm pretty sure it is genuine and he is a lovely cat, clicking on the ads will help.
Wampi the cat

30/7/05 Update some git aimed an ad clicker at the ads on the site so they had to be removed. Such a shame because it was a good way of helping them out, though I know more than enough about recycling plastic.

Random Burblings � G8 Diary: This Is What Democracy Looks Like

Random Burblings � G8 Diary: This Is What Democracy Looks Like An eyewitness report from someone who was caught up in the "riots" that happened in Edinburgh yesterday. He had his camara with him too even better!

Gem No 3?

Not got much to say today haven't even been able to steal an idea ahem I mean been inspired by anything I've seen on the net today.

I did decide to remove the bravenet stat counter as it was not capturing all the hits I was getting and I replaced it with the globe visitors map.

I did find this though Conservatives for American Values through blog explosion. It's a spot on satire of far right Christian fundlementalist websites and blogs that you keep coming across if you flick through any blog list for too long. Well at least I sincerely hope it is.

Blank Sheet Of Paper - Panic

There are times when I haven't the foggiest what to write yet I think I should write something every day hence the Appraisal of the Day riff. I thought that if nothing else I could put that up, but because it is actually very laborious, I've stopped doing it. Although my machine has Xgig of memory it has about as much active memory as your average goldfish which is why I can't wait to receive my New Shiny Computer. Unfortunately New Shiny Computer has arrived but it is at my brother's in Hampshire and I don't know when I am going to see him next I will have to ring him sometime this week. So until I can get my hands on the bestie I'm stuck with this old and knackered warhorse. Mind you I shouldn't diss the current machine too much I might have a buyer for it, only he reads this blog, if he sees this post it won't do my negotiations much good!

I am still confused by my stats, all three counters give wildly different figures for the number of page hits, visitors that day, unique visitors first time visitors and returning visitors. I don't really know which one I should believe the most and they all have different features that are not shared with the other two but are quite useful. So I suppose I will keep all three for the moment but I do think it is an extravagance having 3 no 4 counters if you include the rss feed one.

I did manage to get myself a tag cloud. It is a self referential one though, my rss feed is through feedburner fed into TagCloud it took a wee while for the cloud to pick up on the feed but eventually it populated itself. I'm very please with myself because basically I hadn't the foggiest what it was all about, how are tags chosen for instance? I would never chose the word "unfortunately" as a tag because I use it so often, however I would use Dr Who, which isn't listed.

1st Undiscovered Gem

(To the sound of a muted drum roll)

Come on down Urban Chick ta da

Further to my last post Ms Urban Chick applied for the post of undiscovered gem. Having had a look at her blog I can recommend it especially the wonderful post about being fitted for a bra at the purveyers of support to royal bosoms - Rigby and Peller.

Blog Wars

I am a great fan of the blogs of Becky EnVérité, Siobhan Curran and Miss K. All three produce beautiful looking websites/blogs, are far better writers than I am and create fantastic pictures to illustrate their blogs/sites.

Today Ms E and Ms Curran have been engaged in a battle of posts over who produced the first trannie blog, Becky has claimed to have invented the indifference engine so that she could be the first t'blogger and Siobhan to have been blogging in the middle ages!

However I think they may have been both pipped to the post by Joanne Nicholls who has found evidence in Cave-tgirl paintings. (Click here. You have to scroll down a little to see what I mean but it's worth it)

But I would like to point out is that although Becky may have invented the "indifference engine", the first computer programme was written by a G-girl... come on down Ada Countess Lovelace

UPDATED 17 Oct 08


Link to Trannifesto removed as the blog no longer exists