For close to two weeks, there have been fireworks going off nearly every night. Even now, as I type this, I can hear fireworks. Prior to Halloween, the fireworks were probably being let off because of Diwali, then they were likely being launched in anticipation of Halloween itself. After that, the reason for them being used was the run-up to a celebration here in the United Kingdom called Guy Fawkes Night, and then Guy Fawkes Night itself. As for tonight, I have no idea why they are still going on, other than the fact that some people probably still have some fireworks left over!
Have no worries, I am not suddenly opposed to celebrations: however, hearing fireworks nearly every night for close to two weeks can get somewhat irritating. On the other hand, these people are having a good time, so perhaps I should not let it bother me too much.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Saturday, 5 November 2011
Middle Eastern landscapes
When I was about eleven or twelve and had not learned much about the Middle East, from what I had heard about the place I assumed the entire region was flat and nothing more than desert. It was not a case of bias, but instead a lack of understanding; I took the time to correct my ignorance by doing some research into the landscape of the Middle East, and was pleasantly surprised with what I found out.
While I have had a better understanding of Middle Eastern geography and landscape for several years now, I had to go looking for some example images to include here this afternoon. To start with, I looked at some parts of Turkey. One impressive piece of geography I quickly came across was the Pontic Mountain range, located in Northern Turkey. In one of the images I saw of them, if I did not know better I would have thought they were somewhere in Oregon:
Another place in Turkey I found was the beach city of Alanya on the southern coast. It clearly does not look like a place in Oregon, but it certainly is not a desert nor is it flat either:
Going south to Israel, this picture of the Aminadav Forest looks quiet and pretty, and possibly a nice place to take a walk judging from the path. The flowers in springtime must be beautiful there:
The Rainbow Cave located in Israel’s Galilee region, is an extraordinary part of nature, and it is what is called a “natural arch”. The stream it is near is called the Nahal Betzet.
In neighbouring Jordan, this stream and the surrounding woods, located near the city of Salt, look exactly like much of the forestland I remember in Oregon:
Now going over to Iran, the following image is of the Shirabad Waterfall in the north-eastern part of the country. It is just as beautiful as all the other examples I have listed here:
Finally, this picture shows Tehran and its surroundings completely covered in snow. It is only in the last couple of years I learnt that Tehran can receive a substantial amount of snowfall, and Iran itself has a large amount of ski resorts. This image is a spectacular view of the landscape:
The Middle East is a truly diverse place geographically, and as I noted above, some parts of it even look similar to areas of North America (yes, I did single out Oregon, but there are more places across the continent the region has resemblances to). It is not all flat and desert…not by a long shot, and it does disappoint me when some people assume it is (I have heard this same misconception be applied to all of Africa, too). Every region of the world has its natural beauty, and none of it should be dismissed so readily.
Friday, 4 November 2011
CD surprise tracks
Going back to another previous post of mine here, to when I wrote about buying CDs and why I preferred CDs to downloads. Another reason CDs are more fun and will remain so occurred to me this afternoon:
Back in the early nineties, my Dad bought the album Very by the Pet Shop Boys. For a few years after purchasing the CD, he wondered why the player would keep going once the last track, "Go West", had finished. As such, he assumed it was some odd bug with the CD, and so stopped the player manually. One day, he did not do this, and about three minutes after the end of "Go West", he heard the 30-second "Ecstasy (Postscript)" hidden bonus track. The mystery was solved, and from then on whenever Very has been played the bonus segment has been allowed to play and the album able to finish.
Unfortunately, downloaded music puts an end to the fun of quirky little bonus tracks like "Ecstasy (Postscript)", or similar instances such as the remix of "I Am" after "Why Not" on Hilary Duff's Most Wanted and "Chivas" after "Irvine" on Kelly Clarkson's My December. The places where you can buy music to download almost always show track times, and if the last song on an album is significantly longer than all the other tracks, chances are there is a bonus song included in that time, but no longer any surprise of a hidden track remaining.
Still, with music now being downloaded more than ever these days, I am curious to see how many artists will continue to include hidden tracks on their albums. I hope these artists keep it up, although I will understand if they do not.
Back in the early nineties, my Dad bought the album Very by the Pet Shop Boys. For a few years after purchasing the CD, he wondered why the player would keep going once the last track, "Go West", had finished. As such, he assumed it was some odd bug with the CD, and so stopped the player manually. One day, he did not do this, and about three minutes after the end of "Go West", he heard the 30-second "Ecstasy (Postscript)" hidden bonus track. The mystery was solved, and from then on whenever Very has been played the bonus segment has been allowed to play and the album able to finish.
Unfortunately, downloaded music puts an end to the fun of quirky little bonus tracks like "Ecstasy (Postscript)", or similar instances such as the remix of "I Am" after "Why Not" on Hilary Duff's Most Wanted and "Chivas" after "Irvine" on Kelly Clarkson's My December. The places where you can buy music to download almost always show track times, and if the last song on an album is significantly longer than all the other tracks, chances are there is a bonus song included in that time, but no longer any surprise of a hidden track remaining.
Still, with music now being downloaded more than ever these days, I am curious to see how many artists will continue to include hidden tracks on their albums. I hope these artists keep it up, although I will understand if they do not.
Thursday, 3 November 2011
"What Am I Doing Here" - Jordan Hill
Back in mid-October, I wrote an article about the singer Jordan Hill, and one of the songs of hers that I mentioned was "What Am I Doing Here". Here is a link to that song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBvmHhxAPiI
It is a beautiful song: I am really glad it was included on Rhythm Of The Games: 1996 Olympic Games Album, otherwise I would likely not have heard of her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBvmHhxAPiI
It is a beautiful song: I am really glad it was included on Rhythm Of The Games: 1996 Olympic Games Album, otherwise I would likely not have heard of her.
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
My "Recipes": Andrew's Mother's Day Breakfast
The tenth episode of My "Recipes", entitled Andrew's Mother's Day Breakfast:
2 Sausages or 2 slices of bacon
1 slice of toast or one waffle
2 eggs or 1 egg
coffee or fruit juice
How to make it:
ANY WAY YOU LIKE!
My verdict: cool! I can make it ANY way I like! In that case, I will dip the raw sausages/bacon in my coffee/fruit juice, and put the uncooked egg(s) on my toast/waffle! Sounds great to me! Er, no, it does not, I would be sick. Blech.
Joking aside, this recipe is the most unhelpful yet: it has two sets of ingredients, essentially making it two recipes (or more, depending on which ingredients you use). It also evades explaining the preparation by telling the reader to make it “any way they like”.
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Web dew
This is a picture my brother took a few weeks ago of a spider's web covered in dew:
Thanks to the dew, the web was visible from afar (well, twenty or thirty feet away). We have seen bigger webs covered in dew, but we were not able to take any pictures of them.
Monday, 31 October 2011
Songs for Halloween
When I used to listen to the Open House Party, two songs they would play every year around Halloween were "Thriller" by Michael Jackson and "Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett. While they are good anytime, both of them are fitting for this day of the year:
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Oregon Trail II
A computer game that I used to play a lot years ago was Oregon Trail II. I would often play it for a couple of hours at a time, partly for the historical aspect but also because it was just a fun game to play. At first I needed Mum's help to win it, but before long I was able to win on my own, although I did lose a lot of my wagon companions in the process (I did, however, get better to avoid this happening).
From an educational view, from Oregon Trail II I learned about certain lesser-known parts of American history, such as Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and the fate of the Whitman Mission; the trading posts all along the Oregon Trail, the immense size of what used to be the Oregon Country (later called the Oregon Territory), and the various reactions of the American Indians to the settlers. Indeed, not all of those examples was covered in great detail within the game, but the references to them in Oregon Trail II spurred us to research further into them.
With gameplay, Oregon Trail II was not a difficult game to learn at all, despite being rich in its content. It was fun to trade items with other characters within the game, to visit various historical sites, or to treat ill companions and ensure they survived; and finally, the satisfaction of making it to the destination (with one of the destinations, Jacksonville in Southern Oregon, being a place I lived very close to for nearly ten years). The diverse selection of supplies taught one to choose carefully what to bring on the trail, but at the same time it was important to budget accordingly. Finally, a superb soundtrack was composed for Oregon Trail II, with the music changing depending on the circumstances of the health of the travelers.
Fortunately, I am pleased to announce that Oregon Trail II does work on Windows 7, and on XP: except for a couple of minor graphic bugs, for all intents and purposes the game runs perfectly on those operating systems, so if you feel like playing Oregon Trail II again, or want to try it out, you will be able to.
From an educational view, from Oregon Trail II I learned about certain lesser-known parts of American history, such as Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and the fate of the Whitman Mission; the trading posts all along the Oregon Trail, the immense size of what used to be the Oregon Country (later called the Oregon Territory), and the various reactions of the American Indians to the settlers. Indeed, not all of those examples was covered in great detail within the game, but the references to them in Oregon Trail II spurred us to research further into them.
With gameplay, Oregon Trail II was not a difficult game to learn at all, despite being rich in its content. It was fun to trade items with other characters within the game, to visit various historical sites, or to treat ill companions and ensure they survived; and finally, the satisfaction of making it to the destination (with one of the destinations, Jacksonville in Southern Oregon, being a place I lived very close to for nearly ten years). The diverse selection of supplies taught one to choose carefully what to bring on the trail, but at the same time it was important to budget accordingly. Finally, a superb soundtrack was composed for Oregon Trail II, with the music changing depending on the circumstances of the health of the travelers.
Fortunately, I am pleased to announce that Oregon Trail II does work on Windows 7, and on XP: except for a couple of minor graphic bugs, for all intents and purposes the game runs perfectly on those operating systems, so if you feel like playing Oregon Trail II again, or want to try it out, you will be able to.
Saturday, 29 October 2011
The next month
My twenty-first birthday is next month. I am wondering how my birthday will be celebrated this year: in 2010, that birthday was different to the few before it because we were still living at my grandparents' house and therefore we celebrated it with relatives. For the last few years, including last year, the dinner I have requested has been burgers, fries, and eggs or baked beans; it is not an original meal anymore, but it is one of my favourite junk food meals.
How do I feel about turning twenty-one? Unsure, actually. Nearly every year I get asked, "How does it feel to be <insert age here>?", and every year I give the same answer, "same as it did when I was <insert age here>". My twentieth birthday was different in the fact it was spent in a different country to most of the birthdays coming before it, but going directly from nineteen -> twenty overnight did not feel any different in itself.
Being twenty overall has felt a lot different to the past few years, as it should do, and the UK move itself notwithstanding, but there are still several issues where it is still the same and I am working to change that. Despite the tone of this post, I am certainly not feeling negative about turning twenty-one. In fact, my feelings on it are more positive, but turning twenty-one would be nothing more than a number if for the most part it is a repeat of the last few years (minus the moves).
I think as a start, I will not request burgers, fries, and eggs and/or baked beans for my upcoming birthday. Granted, this is a small change, but it is just the beginning.
How do I feel about turning twenty-one? Unsure, actually. Nearly every year I get asked, "How does it feel to be <insert age here>?", and every year I give the same answer, "same as it did when I was <insert age here>". My twentieth birthday was different in the fact it was spent in a different country to most of the birthdays coming before it, but going directly from nineteen -> twenty overnight did not feel any different in itself.
Being twenty overall has felt a lot different to the past few years, as it should do, and the UK move itself notwithstanding, but there are still several issues where it is still the same and I am working to change that. Despite the tone of this post, I am certainly not feeling negative about turning twenty-one. In fact, my feelings on it are more positive, but turning twenty-one would be nothing more than a number if for the most part it is a repeat of the last few years (minus the moves).
I think as a start, I will not request burgers, fries, and eggs and/or baked beans for my upcoming birthday. Granted, this is a small change, but it is just the beginning.
Friday, 28 October 2011
Another one of my jokes (2)
Here is another one of my jokes, again one written for the 2008 Christmas crackers:
"What do you call a reptile who watches people through security cameras? A monitor lizard."
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Graham's Hierarchy of Disagreement
Partially related to my last post, here are a couple of things worth looking at in regards to discussion and disagreement:
An article relevant to the above pyramid can be found at http://www.paulgraham.com/disagree.html
Note: the above image is not mine, and has been taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Graham%27s_Hierarchy_of_Disagreement.jpg. Licensing is documented on that page.
An article relevant to the above pyramid can be found at http://www.paulgraham.com/disagree.html
Note: the above image is not mine, and has been taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Graham%27s_Hierarchy_of_Disagreement.jpg. Licensing is documented on that page.
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
The debate over common courtesy
I have always believed that politeness is honourable, and at a minimum, a good thing to pursue: I was raised to treat others as you would want to be treated, and all my cousins have been brought up this way as well. People both in United States and United Kingdom, and in nations beyond them, appreciate small words of courtesy such as “please” and “thank you” (or the equivalent in other languages), and often despair when these terms are forgotten or perceived to be on the decline. These small words then become great gestures.
Manners are not merely limited to words: they apply to actions as well. As an example, whenever I have entered a building and there is someone right behind me, I have held the door open for them rather than let it shut behind me in their face; and the usual response is a “thank you”, a smile, or a nod, and in all the other cases no response at all. Other people have done this for me, and I am appreciative. Another example is pulling out a chair for someone so they can sit next to you (providing that is where they wanted to sit), as I have done for people and people have done for me. In every case, these actions were done in the best of faith.
Consequently, I was astounded the day I learned that there are people who deem the above behaviour to be rude, at the very least. I could not believe it when I heard that some people do consider every instance of “please” and “thank you” to be phony, or nothing more than sarcasm and/or a need for the person saying them to impress others and feel “validated”. Worse yet, in regards to holding a door open for the person right behind you, there were some who thought that anyone who did this was either a creep or had some ulterior motive, such as trying to rob the person they held the door open for of being able to do something without the aid of anyone else (this view is downright bizarre). These opinions were not limited to “please”/”thank you” or door opening: it was being applied to all acts of common courtesy. It seemed that these people were not only declining to assume good intentions on behalf of others: they were actually assuming the worst intentions possible.
Now I can certainly understand how in some cases saying “thank you” or holding a door could be considered rude. If someone says “thank you” sarcastically to a person who unintentionally inconvenienced them, that is rude; and if someone barges through a lengthy line of people just to open a door for them all, that does come across as pompous and as shouting to everyone else “Look at me! I’m polite! I opened this door for you!”…which is totally the opposite of polite. However, such occurrences are not commonplace, and the vast majority of people are genuinely polite, not trying to impress or get into the good books of others. I even agree that over-saying “please”/”thank you” and insisting on opening every door or pulling out every chair for people could be annoying, but such a person only needs to be taught to moderate their behaviour, assuming they are being genuine with their actions.
That last sentence brings me onto my final point: there are people who also equate mere courtesy and helpfulness as a sign of someone’s weakness, especially if a person is overdoing it (going back to the “validated” comment before), and try to use their manners against them. I am opposed to this, as having civility and good manners does not equal being a doormat, for a person can still be resolute and/or disagree without being obnoxious. If anything, a firm yet civil stance on something is far more commendable and preferable than accusatory or angry disagreement. I know I can say no when I have to, but I can do so politely, and firmly if it becomes necessary.
The bright side to all of this is that these negative viewpoints on common courtesy are a minority and do not appear to be catching on. In every debate I have encountered on manners, the majority of participants want them to endure and even to become even more prevalent in society: the important point is just to remember to be courteous with confidence, and not to overdo it or to come across as fake or weak.
At the present time, no one has complained to me about courtesy (just the opposite, in fact), but if and when they do, I will be sure not to end up proving one of the aforementioned points.
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Cee Lo Green: Rollo Goodlove?
If you listen the pop radio, you have likely heard of Cee Lo Green and possibly heard his hit song "Forget You". You may even have heard "Crazy", the popular track by Gnarls Barkley, the musical project between Green and Danger Mouse. Have you heard of the Reverend Rollo Goodlove?
Sometime last year, there was an evening at my grandparents' house when my brother and I were listening to the radio, and "Forget You" played. After the song had finished, the presenter remarked that Green "had a cartoonish-sounding voice" (or something along those lines). We smiled and agreed...this was Rollo Goodlove the presenter was talking about here!
Rollo Goodlove is a character that Green voiced in the television version of The Boondocks. In the two episodes he is featured in, Goodlove is supposedly an activist, and appears (at first) to be genuinely wanting to help advance worthwhile causes, but in reality, his participation is merely to shamelessly promote himself. A lot of people do not know about Green's role in The Boondocks (and this includes his fans), which is a shame because I think this piece of voiceover work is a good complement to the rest of his career.
A few years ago, back when we still watched television, The Boondocks was one of our favorite shows (plus the only one we watched on Cartoon Network other than Robot Chicken), and when it came to watching the second season, we were pleased to discover that Green had a role in it ("Crazy" is a great song, after all). Therefore, when people say "he has a cartoonish-sounding voice", we can say "yes, he is Rollo Goodlove!".
Now, if someone talks to you about Cee Lo Green, test their knowledge of him and ask about Rollo Goodlove! As an aside, The Boondocks is truly a brilliant cartoon, although I do not recommend it if you are not keen on vulgar language, but if you are okay with that, do have a look into it.
Sometime last year, there was an evening at my grandparents' house when my brother and I were listening to the radio, and "Forget You" played. After the song had finished, the presenter remarked that Green "had a cartoonish-sounding voice" (or something along those lines). We smiled and agreed...this was Rollo Goodlove the presenter was talking about here!
Rollo Goodlove is a character that Green voiced in the television version of The Boondocks. In the two episodes he is featured in, Goodlove is supposedly an activist, and appears (at first) to be genuinely wanting to help advance worthwhile causes, but in reality, his participation is merely to shamelessly promote himself. A lot of people do not know about Green's role in The Boondocks (and this includes his fans), which is a shame because I think this piece of voiceover work is a good complement to the rest of his career.
A few years ago, back when we still watched television, The Boondocks was one of our favorite shows (plus the only one we watched on Cartoon Network other than Robot Chicken), and when it came to watching the second season, we were pleased to discover that Green had a role in it ("Crazy" is a great song, after all). Therefore, when people say "he has a cartoonish-sounding voice", we can say "yes, he is Rollo Goodlove!".
Now, if someone talks to you about Cee Lo Green, test their knowledge of him and ask about Rollo Goodlove! As an aside, The Boondocks is truly a brilliant cartoon, although I do not recommend it if you are not keen on vulgar language, but if you are okay with that, do have a look into it.
Monday, 24 October 2011
Stargate character test
Back in August I took the Serenity character test, and at the same time did the "Madonna era test" plus a few others. These are my results from the Stargate character test:
You are Thor
Thor 52%
Daniel Jackson 49%
Teal'c 47%
Samantha Carter 42%
Dr. Frasier 40%
Jack O'Neill 33%
General Hammond 25%
A Goa'uld 5%
"You are a very intelligent and benevolent person and you try to make sure that people are treated fairly."
Thor was extremely wise and a strong force for good: in a way, it is an honour to have a comparison to him, even if he is a fictional character.
Note: above image is not mine and is linked from http://www.seabreezecomputers.com/stargate/pics/thor.jpg
Thor 52%
Daniel Jackson 49%
Teal'c 47%
Samantha Carter 42%
Dr. Frasier 40%
Jack O'Neill 33%
General Hammond 25%
A Goa'uld 5%
"You are a very intelligent and benevolent person and you try to make sure that people are treated fairly."
Thor was extremely wise and a strong force for good: in a way, it is an honour to have a comparison to him, even if he is a fictional character.
Note: above image is not mine and is linked from http://www.seabreezecomputers.com/stargate/pics/thor.jpg
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Hong Kong at night
I love the following image of Hong Kong at night:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Hong_Kong_Skyline_Restitch_-_Dec_2007.jpg
I do like looking at pictures of nighttime skylines, but this Hong Kong image is one of the best. The lights illuminate the buildings really well.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Hong_Kong_Skyline_Restitch_-_Dec_2007.jpg
I do like looking at pictures of nighttime skylines, but this Hong Kong image is one of the best. The lights illuminate the buildings really well.
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