Still not nerdy enough!

The Phoenix has landed.

The approach was counted down in metres :-)

Eurovision Final

The evening didn't begin well. I headed off to a party at a venue I had never been to. I found the street, but the number 72 postbox was attached to a garage that had abandoned furniture outside. It and the houses nearby showed no signs of life. I tried knocking at 66 where there were lights on but got no answer. Fifteen minutes until kickoff. I had no time to waste searching for this place. So I called home to set the recorder on and dashed home. On the plus side I found a toy mower for the Crankmaster on the street.

Thank heavens for the harddrive recorder and the wonder of timeshift. I manage to catchup by the first ad break. Not that there was much new to see. Romania had a new frock but otherwise the acts from the semis looked unchanged to me. I think losing the lime green eyeshadow was probably a cunning move.

The golf cart and fake beards from France was amusing. Spain was just awful.

I'm now torn over how to choose the worst song. One was a bad performance, one a bad song and one a bad idea. And yet all awful that they are hard to separate. But that's the wonder of Eurovision.

Even though Terry Wogan said the Russia win was just political voting I found I didn't mind it. Last year I really didn't like the winning entry but this year it was a good song and pretty boys to look at. (even though it did sound a lot like Wild World)

My favourites came nowhere near the top of the board (Latvia, Finland and B&H) but that's okay. They'll get the most listens when I buy the CDs.

And that's all from this little black duck. At least in writing.

Eurovision Semi 2

Ho hum. Perhaps it all peaked too early. Am I over it already? One more night to go. Sadly with this new format we've already seen all but five of the 24 songs in the final.

It started well with Iceland but didn't really get much better from there.

The Pirates from Lativa were fun but probably not good enough to win.

The woman from Sweden was scary looking. Very scary, very wrong.

Croatia was odd but got big points from me when the bottle xylophone appeared and the old dude started scratching the gramophone. Quirky but not that good really.

I loved the background images from Albania. And that's probably an indication of how forgettable the song was.

I have a new worst song - Bulgaria. It has no idea what music style it was trying to use and kept swapping between them. "DJ, take me away" Please take them away.

Hard to say what will win. The ones I like a odd but not odd enough to win the popular vote. Greece will probably win for all I know.

Retropolis Transit Authority

World Of Tomorrow

Christmas is just around the corner...I want this one please


and this one


In our robot infused future I still won't be wearing crapola pink....no matter what our benevolent overlords tell me.

Eurovision Semi 1

Well the first installment has just finished. Was anyone else watching? Anyone care?

Well if you do, here's a few comments from me.

Half of the acts from each semi will get through to the final so it's easy to pick most of the successful ones. I don't know if they plan it but most of the good acts seem to happen in the last third of the show every time....

Belgium has my vote for worst act so far. The lollipop hoop dress was nasty and the singing wasn't fabulous.

Poland got through to the finals but frankly I found the fake tan, the cleavage, the precarious dress and the teeth very disturbing.

Bosnia & Herzegovina are my favourites so far. The performance was something bizarely puppet show and the song wasn't bad either.

Finland was funky. The Fins like their metal music and quite frankly they have the language for it. I think now it's a pity that Lordi sang in English. I loved the drums too.

Russia was odd that they mixed barefoot and ice skating performers. Obviously they weren't standing on ice so it must have been some polymer ice substitute - got distracted trying to work that out. Interesting song. Nasty harmony.
Note- the weightlifter in the snippet before Russia had very tight pants, shall we say....

Dustin the Turkey from Ireland was a hoot but sadly not a hit with the voters. Dustin himself was a pathetic puppet but the staging with the dancers wearing huge feathers was great.

I could go on but I'll save energy for the next two nights....

Because we haven't been nerdy enough lately...

For more nerdy fun, go to Not From Concentrate.

We are all in grave danger...

of a John Farnham 'comeback' or 'farewell' tour. I'm sure Glen Wheatley has used his 10 months in gaol to plan his revenge, and now that he is housebound for 5 months what better way to wreak his horrible vengeance on us?

Seriously, was the release of a tax-dodger from gaol to home detention today enough for a commercial station to send a reporter to the gaol, a phalanx of photographers and reporters to follow his wife (and supposedly him) in their BMW the 240km to their home? Sunrise did a special cross this morning to a reporter who breathlessly reported that the car, with windows too dark to see through, left in the early hours of the morning and seemed to be headed to Glen Wheatley's home. There were more reporters waiting at his house. Is this really news?

4 Battle!

4 Battle!
Originally uploaded by Wenchilada

Didn't take the sign with us this time (weren't game after our adventure in Tian'anmen Square), so we figured miming in a secluded spot would suffice.

ForBattle! Great Wall of China...


My quads hate me. I hope you're happy.

Beer!

For Harry and LMH, in memory of the old days...

more cat pictures

I thought boys existed so we would have someone to warm our feet on at night???

Developed in the late 1930's by "George W. Crane, MD, PhD, (1901–95) of Northwestern University, who ran a counseling practice, wrote a syndicated national newspaper column called "The Worry Clinic" and started his own matchmaking service."

click on the Picture for more details

via BoingBoing

post modern cardboard deconstrcuction

Uhm... they grow up?

K. I understand that they are only considering this, and I understand that they are looking at the consequences, but am I the only one who sees the small but subtle flaw in this plan:

if an animal eats a small cane toad and manages to survive, it doesn't usually repeat the mistake. "It's astonishing how quickly fish, frogs and some small mammals are learning to avoid the toads after a bad experience," Shine says.

He now proposes taking advantage of this by releasing baby, sterile male "teacher toads", in advance of the invasion front.

Hey Cozzie, this one's for you!