FruitBat

Ignorant journalists

2009-11-14T10:18:20Z

The torygraph has a very stupid article today - Household pets that are half-wolf.

What irritates me is the apparent lack of research in the article. It's full of scary quotes from vetinarians who (presumably) explained what was going on, then got their most sensationalist comments quoted.

The one that really got my goat was someone called Beverly Cuddy, editor of 'Dogs Today' (And what a high-class website that is) who said "To live in a domestic situation with a part-wolf is insane".

If they can interbreed, what on earth makes her think that dogs are not part wolf anyway?

Wolf - Canis lupus
Dog - Canis lupus familiaris (Sub-species)

I always assumed it was Rill-YEH...

2009-11-06T13:38:55Z

The adventures of Baby Cthulhu and friends:

I don't usually do this, but...

2009-10-30T17:12:29Z

Quite a lot of you probably don't read the B3ta newsletter. Your loss ;-)

However, today they link to a pictorial of chinese workers recycling modern electronic consumer goods.

It's not like it's news that cool electronic stuff has rare valuable components, it's just a little bit unnerving to see it extracted.

Sadly, this week there was no "Thing that makes you go 'Aaaaaah'" section. Instead, may I recommend AntWeb? Yes, I know very few of you will go 'Aaaaaaah' in a good way, but bear with me. At the very least, a few minutes browsing will clearly explain why I'm building an ant-based animation system :-).

Is this the equivalent of a retrovirus?

2009-10-07T14:46:07Z

Y'all have heard about Conservapedia, right? After all, the founder has been on the Today programme on Radio 4.

Anyway, they've got a great new wheeze going - they want a re-translation of the Bible that "enables a thought-for-thought translation without corruption by liberal bias".

The earliest, most authentic manuscripts lack this verse set forth at Luke 23:34 -

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Is this a liberal corruption of the original? This does not appear in any other Gospel, and the simple fact is that some of the persecutors of Jesus did know what they were doing. This quotation is a favorite of liberals but should not appear in a conservative Bible.

Ladies and gentlemen - if you've not seen it before, gasp in wonder at the Conservative Bible Project!

al_fruitbat @ 2009-09-07T16:42:00

2009-09-07T15:52:14Z

The walk in question began with a gentle stroll on some heathland in Exmoor, then a quarter of an hour scrambling descent (apparently 250m change in altitude) down to the sea. It then took over two hours to climb back up the hill, with ever-more-frequent stops for panting.

chrestomancy took one for the team and went ahead, rescuing us at the summit in his car. I'm not sure I thanked him enough :-D

My council? RyanAir? EasyJet? Don't make me laugh...

2009-08-28T07:15:15Z

For some reason - most likely the usual blatantly untrue press release in silly season - my local council has got themselves into the papers this morning. This isn't particularly unusual - they feature in Private Eye's 'Rotten Boroughs' section with depressing regularity.

What is unusual is both the spectrum of the papers reporting it (both The Grauniad and The Torygraph) and the apparent similarity of their stories, (although as you might expect, the Torygraph is keen on the idea, whereas the Grauniad is deeply suspicious).

My local council is Barnet, which is apparently a Budget Airline Council, and also a Tory Test-Pilot of no-frills government.

Thing is, our local council has for several years been pissing me off by stupid and extravagant spending on seemingly wasteful schemes, then sending no end of letters to us about them. The concept that some of these moronic projects might actually be curtailed is - to my mind - wholly sensible.

A few years ago, we got a letter saying 'We want your opinion on council tax rise'. We were allowed to vote if we wanted the price to rise by 4%, 8% or 12%. It came with a glossy pamphlet explaining how nice they could be to people if we voted for a 12% pricerise, and how sad they would be if they could only increase it by 4%. Nowhere was the option "Try and spend less money" available, and our council tax is by no means cheap.

Barnet was the first council to introduce the idea (with great fanfare and a PR campaign) of legally punishing people for not using their recycling boxes. Fuck knows how they did that - presumably paid the salaries of 'recycling inspectors' or bunged cash at the binmen who noticed the clanking of glass bottles in the main wheelybins. Bet it wasn't free though.

Two months ago, a bloke came to the door with a clipboard and badges. He wanted me to go through a long (and expensively printed) questionnaire about our green habits - like did we take public transport or use low-energy bulbs. He tried - very hard - to get me to 'sign up' to a pledge to reduce some part of our 'evironmental impact'. I politely told him to shove off and go and talk to Tescos and Waitrose about their packaging.

Two weeks ago, dozens of big plastic posters appeared on every lampost around our house. Individual colour prints smugly declaiming "17 households of XXX Terrace have pledged to walk to work" and "9 households of KY Avenue have promised to recycle their fudge"*. Again, I bet all of this prim sanctimonious crap wasn't cheap, and it's a sort of low-level irritant as you walk along the street.

Anyway, rant over. We certainly don't live in a 'Budget Airline' council at the moment - more like the typical bureaucratic do-gooding bunch of wastrels (for comparison, I've also lived for ages in Haringey and Oxford, which felt much the same). A bit of cost-cutting would do our local area no end of good, IMO.

*May not appear on actual posters

Damn these difference engines!

2009-08-07T17:13:38Z

My 'puter is on the blink.

This is particularly irritating since I am currently attempting to make said 'puter my primay source of income. Having it BSOD on me about 10-30 minutes after the screensaver kicks off* is sub-optimal, to say the least.

Initially I thought it might be the GFX card, but I only bought that 17 months ago.. and it's not overheating. In fact, it looks fine.

It appears that it might be time for me to begin another complete reformat and reinstall - which nowadays will take around 1-2 days or so, and still cause annoyance when you realise that Utility X is no longer installed.

Oh well. Could be worse. Suppose I'd better get on with it.

I wish stability (or even error tracking) were a priority in modern OS's.

(*Only when a particular program fires, and not always, and it crashes occasionally during YouTube during use, so it's not that simple)

Back from hols

2009-07-31T08:30:32Z

This country's a lot cooler than the south of france, but the wine is more expensive. The food is cheaper - but generally lower quality, and the chocolate selection in the supermarkets is pitiful by comparison.

Also, I only managed to stall the hire car once, which is a new personal best - given that I normally drive an automatic these days.

Gah! My Strike-Fu is poor

2009-06-10T07:36:16Z

Left the house before 6am today, hand-held GPS and bus route plan in hand. Two buses - ought to do it.
First fail - My first bus started running from 7am, not 6am. D'oh!
However, taking three different buses (406, 102, 143) I got to Archway and onto my needed bus, the 43.
I got to work 10 minutes earlier than usual, only to discover that the bloody Northern Line is running fine today.

D'OH!

Spoof detection FAIL

2009-03-31T17:06:57Z

I have to admit defeat. I can't tell if this article is taking the piss or not.

Summary - The Times reports on a proposed experiment by the Royal Horticultural Society to record people's voices, then play them back to plants under controlled conditions - to see if it makes any difference. Then they have various scientists talking about deep vibrations and Barry White. So far, so good. Then come these paragraphs -

"Although the experts believe that the voices are likely to be more important than what is read, this science is in its infancy. It was felt that every effort should be made not to upset the tomato plants by inflicting on them Jeffrey Archer or Dan Brown.

The Day of the Triffids may read to human beings like a frightening vision of man-eating monster plants, but to a tomato plant the description of the arrival of the triffids in neglected gardens around the world may be nothing short of inspirational. "

I suspect it's probably an article that's gone live a day early, intended for April 1st. I had forgotten that tomorrow is The Day The Internet Cannot Be Trusted.

P.S.A.

2009-03-27T10:53:56Z

This is a great deal (on an admittedly old Xbox 360 game from 2007). You can now buy Earth Defence Force 2017 for £9.99, delivery included.

I can't remember if I posted a proper review of this lovely cheap shooter, but for a tenner you really ought to consider it worth your time. For one thing, it's brilliant fun in split-screen co-op.

There's a 9/10 review from Eurogamer here.

Teef!

2009-03-26T13:03:09Z

After much (deserved) prodding from _alanna I finally went to the dentist this morning. For the first time in over a decade. May even be over 15 years...

OK, OK, so I am a bit phobic (I had extensive orthodontic work when I was younger, including the removal of four entirely healthy teeth in a lengthy procedure I still don't like to think about - over 20 injections!).

My rationale for this inattentiveness was the superficially logical "well, my teeth don't hurt so why go to the dentist?" (and yes, I'm well aware of the importance and efficacy of prophylaxis ;-).

As it turns out, I am very lucky. Apparently, I do not need fillings, although I should go back and let him scrape and polish.

I hadn't exactly been dreading the appointment, but it wasn't something I was looking forward to, either. So, yay - teef!

Zoo!

2009-03-18T17:25:55Z

Today we went to London Zoo, which was grand. Highlights included multiple tiny primary-coloured (bright blue, yellow, orange and red) poison arrow frogs, meerkats, some enthusiastically swinging non-surly gibbons, a very sleepy tiger and a great leafcutter ant exhibit with ants parading along ropes strung between boxes containing their nest and the leaves they were harvesting.

However, I've got to say the otters were probably the highlight. I even took some footage (don't bother with sound)

They're asian short-clawed otters, so they live in a close family group - unlike the european otter, which is solitary.

Obligatory update

2009-03-11T23:51:13Z

My deepest thanks to metame but I have to hyperlink this on my own journal.

Go here if you want to listen to Yahtzee's ZeroPunctuation review of my game.

(He kinda likes it - and the bits he doesn't like, I'm not unhappy about)

Hello Grauniad readers!

2009-02-03T19:39:50Z

I'm a muppet. I've only just realised that my latest game was reviewed in the Guardian today (Tuesday 3rd Feb).

Does anyone have a copy they could save that review from for my scrapbook? It's a short couple of paragraphs.

You know when you've been using potatoshop too long when...

2009-02-02T15:08:47Z

Yes, snow. It's great. We went for a walk in the park where there were lots of people making snowmen, and one furtive group of youths making an enormous snow cock-and-balls. We then got a great seat in the bay window of a local pub, and watched it snow some more.

I took several photos. This one is amusing largely because I guarantee it's not potatoshopped in the slightest. That doesn't stop the bench looking like a really shoddy cut-n-paste job, though.

Penguins!

2008-12-30T18:00:58Z

The first of many... A panning shot over an Adélie penguin colony.

"My lord, I suspect an incredible secret has been kept on this planet... that the penguins exist in vast numbers... vast numbers... and it is they that control it."

Oh dear...

2008-11-28T00:40:35Z

The BBC is remaking The Day of the Triffids

The problem is the fundamentals here - it's not the inevitable yoof characters they'll impose that'll kill it. What will kill it is the inability of the BBC to deliver intelligent drama any more. They won't be able to deliver the science, they won't be able to deliver the bleakness, they won't be able to deliver the misguided bigotry and most importantly they won't be able to deliver the ending.

Triffids is not about 6 foot plants with stinging whips, it's about the decline of authority, the natural unpleasantness of the human race in extremis, and the need for everyone to think for themselves.

I'm betting the BBC right now are going "Ooh, low budget popular SF which we could resurrect for a cheap prime-time 'Dr Who Lite' series". This will fail dismally, with people laughing about "that shit TV show with the oh so scary plastic plants"

Robot Cat

2008-11-21T16:16:15Z

I own one of these things, but not the other.

Our first preview!

2008-11-01T01:00:33Z

Ooh, I think he kinda likes it!

But here's the important thing: The game makes a decent first hands-on impression -- certainly better than previous high-profile Wii franchise revivals like Samba de Amigo and Nights. Since the version I played contained one straightforward level without features like the ability to upgrade weapons, it felt a lot like most other light-gun games. Still, the style works well, and it's a fun five-minute demo.

/boasts

Anathem

2008-10-06T22:58:23Z

I don't usually post reviews of books - I get through so many that it would be ridiculous.
However, I am going to celebrate my enkeyboardedness with a big double-thumbs-up for Neal Stephenson's latest tome, Anathem.

I don't really know what made me love it so much - except it's like Eco's Name of the Rose crossed with Xkcd. I can't actually say why I liked it without giving away the plot.

Suffice to say that with this novel Stephenson is now a hard SF writer with a lyrical bent. Anathem reminds me of the works of Iain M Banks, except it's better than Banks' recent efforts.

Finally - and hugely impressively - in a marked difference to most authors who have gotten successful, Stephenson appears to have listened to his (justified) critics and delivered a satisfying, rounded and well-paced ending.

Don't start Anathem if the concept of techno-monks having dinner conversations about quantum effects on the multiverse turns you off. Did I mention that sometimes one word in four is invented? However, like Banks' greatest efforts, if you're prepared to become subsumed in Anathem's world, a very rich and fulfilling treat lies in store.

Like the opposite of writing longhand.

2008-10-05T17:38:38Z

One wine-into-keyboard event and I'm now clicking on the on-screen-keyboard utility.
Grrr...
My 'backup' keyboard is PS/2 and my new puter is USB only. I have tons of usb-ps2 adapters, but none the other way round. Grrr...

lets hope my sysadmin at work can sort me out, but no gaming this evening. ;-(

And I was halfway through a reply about 360 games, too.

World of Goo = Awesome!

2008-10-03T08:20:11Z

Anyone who's into game design has probably encountered the excellent Tower Of Goo years before. I've been playing it, off-and-on for some time. The creators have been hard at work since then, converting their gameplay experiment into a fully fledged indie game (entirely self-published so far, and with no marketing spend, hence this post)

Following rave reviews from Eurogamer and RockPaperShotgun, I finally decided to pay £11 or so and pre-order because I felt I had to play the first chapter. (I hadn't done so before because a) it was through PayPal*, b)we didn't know a release date, c) it was apparently coming to WiiWare and d) no-one told me it was worth the cash)

World of Goo isn't just worth the cash for the pre-order, it's nearly worth full price for this first chapter alone. It's spectacular, phenomenal, brilliant, marvellous, enchanting, [insert favoured superlative here].

You know those magnetic ball-and-rod toys that clip together, allowing you to make geometrical shapes? World of Goo is a bit like those, except in 2D with sort of stretchy boingy physics, and anthropomorphic little blobs of goo that independently climb your structure to get as high as possible (their weight affects what you build) and then go 'wheeeeeeee!' when you stick them up at the top of your tower to reach a new height.

At least try the experimental one if you like games and have a soul. If you discover yourself addicted to it, pre-order World of Goo and play the sumptuous first chapter (of 5). There's about 15-20 levels of awesomeness in there, as well as a network enabled fully fledged version of Tower Of Goo where you get to see the heights other players have achieved as floaty clouds above you for you to aim at.

*As it turns out, PayPal now accepts credit cards instead of demanding you have an account, so that's an improvement.

Need a new iconograph

2008-09-25T18:53:23Z

I'm in a moderate state of bafflement at the moment. _alanna and myself have booked a rather special holiday this christmas, and I need a camera - since my current one uses "Advanced Photo System" 35mm film cartridges that cost a bomb to develop, and I don't think people make them any more.

My budget's up to £200, and I'm particularly interested in small size, optical zoom, light weight and simple connectivity. I'm going to take tons of storage, and there'll be a laptop with plenty of storage nearby. This device needs to be reasonably rugged, light enough to carry comfortably and not totally allergic to cold, damp and salt.

I'm not so much asking for individual camera recommendations (although they'd be helpful) more which sites people trust, and which features to look out for and gotchas to be aware of.

Unsurprisingly, ter intertron is filled with camera reviewers, merchants, forums, comparisons and so on, and I'm drowning in data. Any help would be welcome! ;-)

Dancing for Cthulhu's praise

2008-09-04T21:05:45Z

My friendly local games shop has delivered once again. I have been engrossed in Spore for hours now.

There are several reviews online - and I don't agree with many of them. This game is superb, and it appears to be wired directly into my brain. I'm a tactical min-maxer with a love of light strategy games (I can appreciate deep strategy, but I'm not all that good at it). I also have a keen interest in making sure the colours co-ordinate. For example, I was a Lego freak when I was young, but bilateral symmetry had to be observed. If there weren't enough blue bricks to make a wall on both sides of the [whatever] then it had to be redesigned. Those who could tolerate multicoloured designs were just wrong, mmkay?

As I'm sure you know, Spore is basically animated plasticine. You make stuff, and it comes to life. Then you refine it. Then you pit your stuff against other people's stuff, and gain more resources to build more stuff.

In the background, the game selects your opponents from the vast selection that have been saved on the game servers. In my case, it appears to be pitting me (in the main game) against enemy creatures that I myself have created previously.

Yes folks, I am currently in the Creature stage, fighting against badguys that I myself slaved over in the full Creature Creator. I had my first WTF OMG moment this evening when I crested a hill to discover that my next opponents were a family group of Cthulhus, and my underpowered wasp/ant creature was no match for them.

Here's a youtube of the encounter. I try and befriend Cthulhu, and then follow his moves - a sing, a dance, a pose etc. Unfortunately for me, I made Cthulhu with the complete Creature Editor, featuring parts that I simply cannot afford yet. Thus his abilities are many levels above my own, and I have no chance of impressing him. However, you can see one of my own tribe deeply impressed by my performance, and keen to breed towards the end ;-).

This game is genius. I wish I could make something comparable, but I know I won't get the chance.
On the other hand, I have my doubts that it'll be commercially successful. It's a bit geek-hardcode for real mainstream success, but I've been way wrong in the past.