Monthly archives: February 2009


Tweets today

23:23 Blog: Tweets today tinyurl.com/aukj94 #

23:40 The Ground Zero maplet just randomly selected Nagasaki for nuking. Fat Man or Little Boy? Can’t remember. www.carloslabs.com/node/16 #

14:24 Blog: Capturing light with chemicals? What an odd idea. tinyurl.com/dxmq6v #

16:27 Blog: Deep, deep blue tinyurl.com/d2n8vl #

16:27 Blog: Anyone want a stealth yacht tinyurl.com/cav9aq #

19:05 On Two Wheels- Photos from February’s Critical Mass tinyurl.com/alpao8 #

21:41 Sprechen sie Cumbrian, marra? #

22:33 Damned and proud! #

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Anyone want a stealth yacht

The US Navy is giving away its prototype stealth warship. If you want to take advantage of the deal you also have to accept a submesible drydock, which may be harder to store. There are no weapons on the ship, and no mention is made of its current seaworthiness, but it would surely be the perfect conveyance for a reclusive film star or billionaire.


Deep, deep blue


Deep, deep blue, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.

No, it’s not HDR, just a long exposure.

I took this last night whilst waiting for the Critical Mass to begin. There are a few more long exposure shots of cyclists and architecture in the Critical Mass February 2009 set.


Capturing light with chemicals? What an odd idea.


Icy Canal, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.

As I was heading off to Hogmoney I couldn’t find my digital camera anywhere. However, I did have my old APS camera and a lot of out of date film.

The thing about film is that you’re aware there’s a limit on the number of shots you can take with it. So I was wary of the APS and most of my Hog pictures were taken on my phone. I took a few wintery shots and finally finished the roll at the Ida Maria gig earlier this month.

My little APS has never been happy with the dark- low light photos have always had a lot of noise in them- so the excessive grain probably isn’t down to the fact the film was supposed to be used in 2005.

I have a few more rolls of film, APS and 35mm, lying around and I may use them up as well. So I’ve created a 2009 On Film set on Flickr.


Tweets today

23:27 Blog: Tweets today tinyurl.com/cgvhlr #

11:46 Get the Dodge out of Hell- teens must rescue granddad’s hot rod from Satan. #hiconcept #

11:49 Strawberry Teas Forever-the WI will never be the same as lsd is confused for sugar. #hiconcept #

13:52 I’m not content to be with you in the daytime. #

14:36 I think I can feel the SAD going away. Shiny Happy People may have helped, but it’s mostly the days stretching. #

14:47 In love. In fear. In hate. In tears. #

15:27 Blog: Talk to ze hand tinyurl.com/agzc5v #

17:25 Blog: I might have found Ian a wife…. tinyurl.com/df98tz #

18:10 Very impressive Critical Mass turn out this month. Makes me sad I’m not back on my bike yet. #

19:19 The non-alcoholic mojito is nice, but only 50p cheaper than the alcoholic one. #

19:54 What’s the deal with skirts over jeans/flares? I may be getting old, because I keep asking this question. #

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Tweets today

00:30 @warrenellis I just posted another bit of the work in progress tinyurl.com/ato93h #

01:28 Blog: Sounds of Soldiers- Piracy tinyurl.com/awawzm #

10:24 Blog: Ground Zero- who shall we nuke today tinyurl.com/csnjjn #

10:48 I’ve left the house before noon. That’s unprecedented. #

11:26 Blog: And on Saturdays I hallucinate tinyurl.com/dyt8va #

14:51 Every pebble on the beach. Again. #

18:26 Blog: Pink Something Or Other tinyurl.com/aauhbe #

18:48 At the Not Part Of meetup upstairs in Odder. Let’s see what transpires. #

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Pink Something Or Other


Pink Something Or Other, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.

I think it’s time to challenge myself to post at least one photo a day again. So I’m setting a reminder on my phone for 6 o’clock every evening.


And on Saturdays I hallucinate


Croc, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.

This is but one of the strangely dressed creatures I met on Saturday whilst helping out with a breast cancer campaign collection. The ginger bearded Britney was the scariest and the young lady with the whiskers the sweetest. There are more pictures in the set.


Ground Zero- who shall we nuke today

This Google Maps mashup allows you to drop various sizes of nuclear device (or an asteroid) on the city of your choice. The damage at various radii are then added to the map.

These are generic, obviously. The script’s author admits that terrain, detonation height and other factors would affect damage in reality, but it gives you an idea.

via io9


Sounds of Soldiers- Piracy

Notes Licenced or licensed? I’ll sort it out later.

Second time lucky on part-exing my old books. I stop by the storage unit to pick up a few more then head for the market.

The load’s so heavy this time that I drag along the trailer as a hand cart, trying not to be too antisocial about it. If possible it’s always good to do a little reconnaissance before committing to anything, so I head for a wander around the book alleys.

Mostly, this load consists of non-fiction- war library stuff and that fine fighting book on Second World War aircraft. The third shop along seems to stock the right kind of books. But it’s not that that makes me stop.

Beside the till is a display of new books, the paper still white and the spines stiff. The sign in front of the pile says “Top Seller!” and the picture on the top copy is very very familiar.

I licensed the image of the Eiffel Tower’s destruction to an agency. They sell it on, take a cut and tell me who’s using it legitimately. I don’t recall them mentioning a book called Sounds of Soldiers, by someone with the same name as me.

I pick up a copy and flip it around to read the blurb on the back. There’s a picture of Robert Jones. It’s entirely unlike looking in a mirror. Apparently alternate me is blonde and vacantly good looking. I wouldn’t be surprised if, like the cover, this image has been stolen.

Robert Jones was trapped in Paris when the Americans bombed the Eiffel Tower, capturing one of the iconic images of the conflict between the USA and old Europe. He then spent over three years covering the war on his blog, witnessing both the atomic battle of the Mediterrannean and the final surrender of American forces.

And, no doubt, all that time he looked good in a poncey sweater, chinos and deck shoes.

I should know better, but I look inside. The chapter titles are familiar enough. No doubt the prose would be as well if I paused to read any. What I can tell from skimming is that the layout is awful and inconsistent and the internal black and white photos are very badly reproduced.

The guy behind the counter looks down at the trailer and nods, “Selling or exchanging?”

“Probably exchanging. If I can find anything interesting.” I put my book down in front of him.

“Yeah. That one’s real popular right now. He tells a good story, but, y’know, no way he did all that stuff.”

I can’t help but smile. I flip the book over and tap the portrait, “No way he did all that stuff. He’s not Robert Jones.”

“How do you know?”

I’m still in the habit of carrying identification. The photo driving licence comes out of my back pocket and I lay it on top of the book. The guy does a double take from the card to me then back to the card. “No. Fucking. Way.”

“Oh, fucking way. Trust me. So, where do you get these from?”

He’s looking very nervous. “We….. uh, we print them ourselves. We’ve got a printer and binder and we download the files and make copies.”

“You pay people for the files?”

“Yeah. And then for copies we sell. As many as we want to tell them we’ve sold, anyway.”

“A trust system. Nice. You’ll have to tell me all about the site you get your files from. And I’ll be taking a few copies for myself. The rest will have to go into storage, or the recycling bin.”

He nods dumbly. I point at the trailer, “So, what can I get for these?”


It’s so hard it’s leading me astray

It’s my direction
It’s my proposal
It’s so hard
It’s leading me astray

My obsession
It”s my creation
You’ll understand
Its not important now

********in conversation
********in combination
********i tell the truth
********my feelings still remain

All I need is
Co-ordination
I can’t imagine
My destination
My intention
Ask my opinion
But no excuse
My feelings still remain

My feelings still remain

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Souvenir


Tweets today

23:29 I never did learn how to hotwire a car. #

10:45 Gmail’s being annoyingly slow. Is it just my connection or are other people having similar problems? #

11:26 Blog: The American invasion of Devon tinyurl.com/cq8leb #

14:27 Blog: Solveig- the baby Banksy tinyurl.com/aqleun #

14:31 @maskeddave They’re caught between their hatred of Brown and their dislike of foreigners. You can see the agenda shifting each paragraph. #

16:25 Blog: Sounds of Soldiers- Dancing in the Dark tinyurl.com/boo6wr #

16:50 @MagicDan85 Ah yes. GTA fantasies. I want a rocket launcher every time I see a stretch limo. #

19:28 On Two Wheels- Critical Mass tinyurl.com/b7ncsb #

21:27 Blog: Everything Dinosaur tinyurl.com/csk3ef #

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Sounds of Soldiers- Dancing in the Dark

We watch the reports on the bomb for far too long. The television is the only source of light in the room. More deaths, I really thought I’d left all that behind.

Sally can’t seem to settle. She tries lying with her head in my lap, then curling up against the cushion at the other end. After a while she gets up and walks through to the kitchen to check something. I take the opportunity to check again the locks on the front door and move the bike trailer so that the first thing anyone coming through will do is tip it over.

We both get back to the living room at the same time. She heads over to the television. “That’s about enough of that.” she switches it off.

It’s dark. I’m loving how little light pollution there is in the city nowadays. Of course, it does mean I can’t see where Sally is. Our only guide as we home in on each other is radar on our shuffling and voices.

“Was every day like this in France? Overpowered by knowing you were only streets away from death?”

“Not every day. But too many, for sure.” Let’s see. One, two steps and I’m up against the side of the sofa. Now, there’s no table in the middle of the room, but that also means there’s enough space for us to walk past each other. I make a guess and head off for where I think the television is. I adjust my direction slightly when I hear a giggle.

“I never thought I wanted babies, until I met yours. Now I don’t know, maybe one day. If things ever get better. But tonight I just want to fuck.” After a moment she adds, “If I can find you.”

I take another step toward the voice. A hand brushes against me, stops and grabs T-shirt. Then she’s right against me, one hand pulling my head down into a kiss, the other struggling with my belt.