The Big Giveaway - part 1

I'm leaving Manchester at the end of June. In my six-and-a-half years here, I've accumulated lots of things that I can't take with me on the plane to Japan. Do you want any of it?

Should I buy a Kindle?

posted February 21 at 8:50am via Text Message · Like?

Matthew Doherty
Unless I've got a tablet pc, I would say yes. Price of books are usually cheaper, plus u can find all the classics for free.

Ed Padmore
And in the blue corner... No. Books should be bought, read, and lent out - sometimes to never return. The flow of an actual object, the path it takes with different drivers is far better than files on a screen that can be recommended to another user. I'd like them for newspapers, but not books. Too many screens in the world as it is.

Ed Padmore ‎
...and you can get the classics for 10p.

"...with all the karmic credits you have accrued through our friendship..."

A funny conversation from Facebook today. Some of the names might have been adjusted to protect the innocent, but you'll probably be able to identify the main culprits without too much trouble.

Gripton
has discovered a trend whereby whenever I post that something awful has happened to me, at least one person states it's karma. It's caused me to reflect on my life and my actions, and confront the truths these people have forced me to address. Following this period of intraspection I think I should address those people directly,

Laura’s in France for a week, and I’ve got lots of trips around the area for work, so I imagine there’ll be lots of reading from me over the next few days…

Blue Screen of Death

And, what's worse, I can't boot from CD as the drive's busted, and I can't boot from USB as the laptop's keyboard is busted so I use a plug-in keyboard in the only working port. Time to get that netbook eh?

Voltaire, reimagined

Man, sometimes I love A Softer World.

Bad Service at Jessops, Trafford Centre

On Monday, I went to M&S and picked up a nice point-and-shoot camera for Laura’s birthday at lunchtime.

On Monday evening, on the phone, Laura said, “I’ve got some vouchers for the Trafford Centre. Will you come with me and help me choose a DSLR camera?”

On Tuesday lunchtime, I went back to M&S and returned the point-and-shoot camera.

On Tuesday evening, I had a terrible customer experience at Jessops in the Trafford Centre. And still we bought the camera from them.

Guess who's back... back again...

After an excruciating sixty-seven days offline, I am overjoyed to report that the my internet-enabled life has been resumed. Hallelujah! Praise be! I was lost, but now am found.

Now, if you don't mind, I've got to do some serious catching up on webcomics...

Twilight

In the last week, I’ve read the entire Twilight saga. All of it. Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and finally Breaking Dawn. A few thoughts.

Mia-owwwwwww!!!

Look what Pervy found!

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So, it would appear that my laptop's keyboard is fucked. Luckily, I picked up a USB keyboard a while back to accommodate my girthy fingers.

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I just tried to type the first two sentences above sentence using the fucked keyboard. That's how fucked it is. Luckily, the new laptop that my colleague is collecting on my behalf will be with us soon. I can't wait!

Can't I procrastinate some other time?

After the jump is a list of things that I did before starting my homework today.

I ♥ muff diving

Laura and I went for breakfast at the Chorlton Eatery. It’s a good sized meal, with quick and friendly service – of course the true test of service is how the weekend rush is handled – so why hadn’t I been before? I thought about putting it to Dunk and Kate as a possible venue, but didn’t check the veggie options before I left. .

"We've been burgled."

My elation of an afternoon off work, and my excitement of going out for the evening with the lovely Laura, were both sadly truncated by finding out that we’d been burgled.

A power cut at work? Early departure? Jackpot! Well, so I thought. Arriving home at 2pm, I settled into bed to read The Dark Knight Strikes Again. Something that I read recently inspired me to pick it up and to appreciate it again. It really is a daring and exciting book, both with its plot and its style. What bliss!

I come from the land of the ice and snow

We were sent home early from college last night because of snow. I thought that Gerard was being overly cautious. Waking up this morning to five or six inches*, however, has rather changed my mind. I strapped on my boots, and stomped on outside. “There’s no buses,” said the woman at the stop, “I’ve been here since half seven.”

Darth Alarm Clock

Pirate Batman - the last word.

The cool picture of Pirate Batman, it seems, might just be concept art, rather than an indication of what's to come. That's according to an interview with Grant Morrison on Comic Book Resources here.

If you look behind the six covers Andy's done – they all join up into one big image – Bruce is mostly wearing sort of conventional period clothes, dictated by the in-story logic. In the first story, Bruce is actually stripped to the waist, as we saw him on the last page of "Final Crisis." All he has is his utility belt. So we don't necessarily get to see him as Bat- Pirate with the flowing beard of dreadlocks and the mask, which genuinely breaks my heart [laughs].

Gifts and curry

Amazon has been my life-line this Christmas. Most of my shopping has been delivered in brown boxes to my desk at work. The last of them, for Pippa, arrived today. It’s an amazingly tacky Dizzee Rascal necklace that’s shaped like a guitar pick (picture after the jump). I wrapped it at my desk, and arranged to meet Pip at her work to exchange gifts.

Pirate Batman - sketch

This is Pirate Batman. Oh yes!

via Pop Culture Zoo

OMG! Pirate Batman!

Some very interesting Batman news, about the Grant Morrison's Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne (expected April 2010):

(news via Examiner.com)

It will chronicle the Caped Crusader's journey through history, and set the stage for his greatest adventures according to Morrison. Some early artwork reveals a pirate version of Batman and a caveman version as well with more to be revealed. Why Bruce feels the need to don various versions of his costume in times when he doesn't exist is also to be revealed.

That's right...

...a pirate version of Batman...

Caveman Batman picture after the jump: