i am sparticus: Words

Short Blog Are Good Blogs

The best chord is the H chord

Proper update later

Random Edinburgh Stuff

Chai Tea, Stuntman for the PS-2, Barbecues and Big Stupid Hills are all good. The Eurovision song contest is not.
Tomorrow, we go to see the Matrix. Hooray!
Big Brother is odd, and as bee isn't doing a Big Brother Blog this year. I might. Then again, I may watch more and it might suck. I imagine Jaclyn knows far too much about it already.

More Hatred For The Daily Mail

I glanced at the Daily Mail today, and was so outraged by their headlines, that I almost bought a copy just to write about how biased and erronious they were. As it was I didn't, because that would just be wrong. However I did go look at the website in the hope that some of the trash they wrote had been put online. But it turns out that...

1. The Daily Mail website has nothing about the Daily Mail on it
2. It also is at least 3.9mb big (it's still downloading on my computer after almost 7 minutes), which is smaller than they average mp3. (It's now finished, 4.3 mb)
3. It's also possibly the worst coded website I've seen for a professional company. And considering it has no content it would be quite easy to do properly.
4. 3 whole images don't work properly.

So now not only am I annoyed at the daily mail for not having the story I wanted to write about on their website, I'm annoyed at them because they have such a bad website. Moan Moan Moan.

Ohh but I'm seeing Helen tomorrow! Expect less bloggage

Why MSN Messenger Is Actually Really Boring

Today, I made a revolutionary⁽¹⁾ discovery. You see when I try to sign into msn, if I'm loading a webpage, checking e-mail or downloading something, it invariably times out. It wasn't going fast enough to connect in time. This is odd, because while my connection is rubbish (56k, with like a mile long lead to the nearest plug) I still get reasonable speeds, and it should connect if it's trying to for a minute. So I figure that MSN is sending rather a lot of information back and forth between my computer and MSN hq for evil nefarious means.
To prove this I decided to conduct and entirely un-scientific test. I stopped everything else internet related and opened up the dial up properties thing, recorded how much data had gone out and come in this session. Signed into MSN, and then recorded how much data had gone out and come in. Lo and behold to my great suprise, it transmitted next to nothing (well 6k from me to them, and 20k from them to me) which is like nothing for a relatively secure service (this site is about 30k or so if it wasnt' all zipped up).
So in conclusion. MSN doesnt' send all your private information to microsoft when you sign in. Which is kinda boring.
On a less boring note, this game rocks my world, as does this site, he so has written the best article ever on Evangelical Ghettoism

Footnotes

1) Revolutionary in the sense that everything else I've discovered is revoultionary. i.e. it isn't.

The University Course I'm Doing

I'm sick...
Sick to death of people trying to sell me things I don't want! Which is why I bought the "get-rid-of-people-trying-to-sell-me-things automatic 2000x" Problem solved!

Or really I more sick of explaining what I'm doing next year. It's quite simple really.
I have a conditional offer for a degree in youth and community work and applied theology, accredited by oxford brookes, but run by CYM at 4 different places, but done from a seperate placement. Which is conditional on me applying through UCAS and finding a placement.

It's best if I explain it pictorally
And I can't explain it better than that really

Promises and Promises

That last blog was from the queue to see the coopers. It was cut short as I thought they where about to open the doors. They didn't.
Anyway, the coopers where amazing. Absolutely fantastic. The new stuff rocked, and they still have stupid hair. I have bruises from the gig. Excellent.
I've also just installed apache, php, perl and MySql on my computer. I now have a fake website running on my computer. I even installed movabletype on it, so I can test all the stuff offline. Needless to say it's geektastically pointless. But still. Oh and I redesigned my wallpaper, so now everything is grouped correctly. I would take a screenshot but I'm lazy.

Oh and I spent all morning cleaning out gutters and seeing if gravestones would fall over. how surreal.

And I got a conditional offer for a degree next year. But that's small news when compared to gravestones, gutters, apache and the cooper temple clause

Man queueing for bands sucks.

Man queueing for bands sucks. I propose less queues and more rock and roll!

Random News Of Today

Exams

Today I got to invigilate (I think that's the word) and exam. T'was boring. You know when you're in an exam and finish early and sit there doing nothing. Well it's like that but without the advantage of being able to doodle plans on your paper of ways you're going to prevent your parents from seeing your exam results. It's dull I tell you.

Radiohead to do an arena tour

Radiohead are doing an arena tour. Good for them (y). I however, shall be seeing them in a much smaller venue (about 48,000 people less). Excellent.

New windows called Longhorn?

Apparently the new version of windows is going to be called Longhorn. Which sucks. Also it's apparently full up of stuff that "protects" your content. Basically there is a part of your computer that'll be completed protected from access. Which includes you. It's for like mp3's you download, so you can't edit them and stuff. And people can send you private e-mails you can't forward. So it's a windows product, that stops you from accessing certain portions of your hard-drive but you can download stuff to that part you can't access. I bet it'll be 2 weeks before someone releases a virus that hides in there.

Patriotic Acts Gone Wrong

Via bewb.org >> Partiotically Altering History.
Apparently in the usa, some crazy people, are trying to pass a crazy law. The law's designed to instill patriotic values to young Americans, by insuring that all history books and lessons create "an overall tone that portrays the United States as a country that has overcome its mistakes and emerged as the freest, most democratic nation in the history of the world."
It'd be like 1984 all over again, if 1984 ever happened in the first place

Things to do with Oxford

So I went to Oxford, saw cousins (inc. matthew), saw ben and also had my interview for this degree next year. I won't go on about that, as I don't know, and my literary skills aren't up to making the interview seem exciting to everyone who doesn't really know anything about it.
So something more exciting...
I just ordered tickets to see radiohead at the manchester apollo (be quick, tickets still on sale!), well with the help of Stoobs. Stoobs rocks! Haha so I've got a ticket for me, and Charli! and Dave will be there. Hooray!
RADIOHEAD!!! And the coopers next week! FRIDAY! WOOOHOOOO!!! GIG TASTIC!

Everyone go buy the independant.

Everyone go buy the independant. In the review section they have people saying what their least favourite book is. Generally they say stuff like "this book is pretentious rubbish and i don't see why anyone ever liked it". John Peel however says his least favourite book is "alex ferguson's biography, I'm a liverpool supporter." That man is a genius.
In other news I have an interview today for the degree I might be doing next year. Your prayers/encouragemant/general good will would be appreciated.

St. Thomas Kilnhurst Website

As I'm off for an interview on Thursday (and more on that later), I'm missing most of the stuff I'd have to do lots of planning for. So I decided to redesign the church website to make it easier to understand, and more content filled. So if everybody would like to point themselves to the trial new page of the St. Thomas Church, Kilnhurst website. Tell me if it works, especially if you're using a mac or ie 5.0/5.5.
Only 2 days till worms world party arrives!

Weak as I am

Right.
If you are using skin 2 (which you won't know you are, because it was pretending to see skin 1) then it'll now look a lot different. If you aren't you can view it here. Anyway it's new. And shiny. And will possibly work in every browser. I did it all reasonably late at night, and I'll still probably fiddle with the margins and find some way of making it easier for people to tell whether it's me or stetler blogging, but it'll stay in the same form most likely.
I also slightly altered the guestbook, so hopefully less people will be moaning for my head on a plate now. (mmmm head on a plate (Matthew 14:6-11)).
And finally in my triage/trio/tribune of website related notices, I really will try to get photos and the flash stuff back and running at some point, just don't hold yer breath/
Anyway, in news not connected to the website, I need my bed.

Super Link Value

Wow, the other day I blogged about Blogshares not thinking anything of it. But looking at our site now, turns out that any links from good old iamsparticus.co.uk are worth $645.83. I'm not sure what these means, but I think it means that if either Stetler or I link to some other blog, then their price goes up. Capitalising (haha, that's quite a good joke there) on my new found stock market knowledge, I spent all my money on in a puddle because I like the name and the layout, and now i'm going to link to it repeatedly, in the hope that my shares in in a puddle will sky rocket in value, making me king of the stock market world. So go look at in a puddle. Mwahahaha.
Also Keith Devens should really start letting people buy his shares.
Hooray for fake money! It's like Popex all over again!

Cannabis, Harry Potter and some other stuff

In Brief

Tobacco in Cannabis joints is just as posionous as tobacco in cigarettes

Research has concluded that people die from the posionous substances in tobacco, and as cannabis joints contain tobacco, then you can die from that as well.
AMAZING! Tobacco is still posionous if it's in a cannabis joint? Wow, the new stuff they discover every day.

New Harry Potter Book Almost As Long As All The Lord of the Rings Book

I read this in the telegraph somewhere. Basically the new harry potter book is only a hundred pages or so shorter than the 3 lord of the rings books put together. I bet it's not as good.

Random Website stuff

If smilies break in everyone's blog then it's because I'm fixing stuff. Likewise with the guestbook

Jerry Springer: The Opera

Some people have made Jerry Springer: The Opera. This is not a joke. I have no idea what he content of Jerry Springer the Opera is, but I imagine it goes something like this...

Jerry Springer: The Opera "Rings around the family tree"

Crowd/Choir: "Jerrrryy Springer" ^{"Jerry Springer"} _{"Jerry Springer"} "He's the man, with the talkshow" ^"Jerry" "Jerry" _"Jerry" ^"Jerry" "Jerry" _"Jerry" "Jerry"
Jerry Springer: "Thank you ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to (8)The Jerry Springer Show. Today our first guest is a young man, who recently found out that his grandfather is. A GOD! So without further ado, let's bring him on. Ladies and Gentlemen... Seigfried!"
Crowd/Choir: "Woohooooooo" ^{"Go Seigy"}
Seigfried: "Thanks Jerry, Thanks everyone"
J.S: "Thanks for coming on Seigfried, now you're here today, because, let me get this straight, you have reason to believe your grandfather was a god, but not just any god, the ruler of all gods?"
Seigfried: "That's right Jerry, both my parents died before I knew them, my father just after my conception, and my mother just after my birth. Untill recently I had no clue to my lineage, but the other day I found out that my dad, Siegmund, was actually the son of this ruler of Gods"
Crowd/Choir: "A god, _{A god}, his grandfather was a god"
J.S: "Well, that's a pretty impressive story Seigfried. Well before we go any further, we've got to tell you that we've got someone waiting backstage who has been listening in. Ladies and Gentlemen, lets bring out our next guest. He claims to be the ruler of all gods, and more importantly the grandfather of seigfriend, ladies and gentlemen... WOTAN!"
Crowd/Choir: "WOTAN" _"WOTAN" ^"WOTAN" "He thinks he's the ruler of all gods"
J.S. "Wotan, welcome to the Jerry Springer Show, and allow me to introduce you to your mortal grandson Seigfried"
Wotan: "Thanks Jerry. Look Seigfried, I'm sorry we had to meet like this, can you forgive me?"
Seigfried: "Grandad? Is this really you? I mean where the Aaahhhh have you been? What you let my parents both die, and then you ignore me for years? And then you expect me to just forgive you? What kind of a grandfather are you?"
Wotan: "Look grandson, I can understand why you're mad. But you have to understand that I had my reasons. I couldn't contact you because then the giants might think I was tampering with your true destiny and world events"
Seigfried: "Oh yeah, that's the same excuse I always get. Blame the giants. It's always the Giant's fault. Global Warming? Blame the giants! You just can't show commitment! You couldn't even look after your own son's child! And you're a god!"
Female Large Black Soloist: "You Go Girl! Tellllll it like it iiiiII^{ISSSSS SISTEEEERRRRR!}"
J.S: "Wait, before we get carried away with blaming each other, Wotan has something he needs to tell you"
Wotan: "Look grandson, there is something you need to know. You see your mother, well her name was Sieglinde, and well her father, that was me too."
Seigfried: "Wait, so my mum and my dad where... brother and sister? What the aaahhhhh?"
Crowd/Choir: "his mother was his aunt, and his uncle was his dad and he thought his life was already bad" ^{"Incest Incest"} _{"Jerry Jerry!"}
Wotan: "Look, it's not like how it sounds, I only used them to make you."
Seigfried: "You're sick, you know that? SICK! You made your own kids have a child, all to serve your own means? It's no wonder those giants want you out!"
Crowd/Choir: "Out Out Out" ^{"OUT OUT OUT"} _{"OUT OUT OUT"}
Seigfried: picks up a chair
J.S: "Well we're going to cut to a break now, but stay with us, because we'll be back with Loge, who says he can't stop being devious and evil and Brunhilde, who is willing to destroy her father's own kingdom!"

If you don't understand, go get some education...