A little Trailer Time
Mega-shark vs Crocosaur. Oh yes, the superpowered prehistoric shark is back, and now it’s battling Crocodile Dundee’s worst nightmare.
Deadheads.
via this post on io9, which has a few other trailers worth watching.
Monthly archives: December 2010
links for 2010-12-05
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Secrets of the Self Employed (or How to be an Amazing [insert profession here])
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These symbols are taken from symbols.com to give you an idea of the prevalence of the death theme in iconography and elaborate on things you might be familiar with.
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Various images are used traditionally to symbolize death; these rank from blunt depictions of cadavers and their parts to more allusive suggestions that time is fleeting and all men are mortals.
Spinneyhead Christmas gifts for the railway modeller
If you’re looking for a gift for the railway modeller in your life then I may have just the things for you.
Check the Model Railway Products category for transfers and one offs for OO gauge layouts, all of which will be dispatched quickly and in plain wrapping so you can sneak them past the person they’re for.
I also have a lot of products available through 3D printing service Shapeways. Of particular interest to your railway modelling friend or relative will be the OO gauge section of the shop. All prices include VAT and delivery (there may be some differences outside the EU). Shapeways estimate a ten day delivery time for their products, though my most recent order arrived in less than that.
1:32nd resin car bodies
Every so often I’ll get obsessed with a particular modelling subject and buy lots of kits, most of which may never get made (by me at least). A couple of years ago, whilst writing a “propellerpunk” sci-fi tale, I got loads of models of less well known planes- prototypes which never made it into production, Luft46 fantasies, that sort of thing. I’ve still got the flying wing, and that may yet get built, but most of the rest have gone the way of EBay.
My new obsession is 1:32nd scale model cars. They don’t take up too much space and they come in some interesting subjects. Arii do some cool Japanese retro vehicles, though I have to find them on EBay as it seems no-one in the UK stocks them. Airfix did an equally interesting range of British vehicles. But they’re mostly out of production now, and the rarer ones can get a bit pricey.
These resin slot car bodies by Pendle Slot Racing may be a source of interesting British classics to customise, if I ever work my way through the backlog I’ve already got. The bodies are £20-£40 each, it’s true, and I’d have to provide chassis and interior detail, but I could have fun creating a very British custom car meet with a few of them.
Or I could buy myself a Scalextric track, build them for their intended purpose and re-enact chases from The Sweeney
links for 2010-12-04
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The inaugural World Book Night will take place on Saturday, 5 March 2011, two days after World Book Day.
With the full support of the Publishers Association, the Booksellers Association, the Independent Publishers Guild, the Reading Agency with libraries, World Book Day and the BBC, one million books will be given away by an army of passionate readers to members of the public across the UK and Ireland – and you could be one of them!
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By tweaking enzymes that prevent chromosome tips from unravelling, researchers have shown age-related tissue degeneration can be reversed in some mice.
Medical breakthroughs involving mice must be taken with rock-sized grains of salt because, despite their genetic similarity, the rodents aren't humans. The latest findings, published online by the journal Nature on 28 November, are no exception. Nevertheless, they provide the first compelling evidence of ageing's reversal — not just delay — in a high-level organism.
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A tent atop a Citroën. Yup. It's exactly why we love the little frogs.
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The “Chain Rocker” is a very distinctive rocking chair made of recycled bicycle chains and tires. BRC Designs layered these reclaimed materials upon a steel support structure which is, itself, composed of 98% recycled steel. Each one has a decidedly heavy metal-esque look that would appeal to bikers and rockers alike
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If you’re a grownup who still secretly loves having toys around (don’t worry, you’re not alone), this awesome bowl might be just the way for you to do it without breaking your sophisticated adult facade. Made by designer Dominic Wilcox of Variations on Normal, each War bowl is handmade using model figures from historic battles. The little plastic army men are melted together in random configurations meaning that every bowl is unique.
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If you're planning an excursion into the frozen tundra, learn a few tricks from those who've lived there the longest. The Inuit of Northern Canada have been making temporary shelters out of snow and ice as long as the white stuff has been around.
An igloo is warmer and more durable than a tent, providing better insulation from the harsh winter elements. Here's a guide to building an Inuit snow house.
Air Manhattan
A bunch of remote controlled plane enthusiasts calling themselves Team Black Sheep shot some great aerial footage of New York. These are the sorts of views we mere mortals would have to steal a helicopter in GTA IV
Can I have one of these to fly around the Lakes when I’m at home some time? Wasdale comes to mind first, but there are a load of other neat valleys I could take it through.
via Jalopnik and Brooklyn Heights Blog
links for 2010-12-03
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London's Science Museum has drawn back the curtain on its latest gallery, which deals with the topic of climate change. The exhibition, planned to stick about for five years, includes plenty of the museum's famous interactive exhibits, along with a summary of the current state of knowledge about how the Earth's atmosphere works and how it's changing.
links for 2010-12-02
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Scientists working at NASA will shortly hold a press conference to announce the discovery of life in an arsenic-rich lake in Yosemite National Park, in the United States. The bacteria, found in the bed of Mono Lake, are believed to exist as a second form of life — using arsenic in cells in place of the phosphorous found in most living cells.
That suggests that they've developed entirely independently from our life, implying that if life has evolved twice on Earth, then it's far more likely to have evolved off Earth too — especially as it's believed by astronomers that among stars similar to the Sun, as many as one in four could have small rocky planets like Earth, at least some of which would occupy the same "goldilocks zone" that Earth exists in — neither too hot, nor too cold, for life to emerge.
links for 2010-12-01
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The uniform numbers in American football are unusual compared to those in any other sport. They are displayed in more locations on the uniform than in those of other sports (on both the front and back of the jersey, on both shoulders, and often on the helmet), and on the front of the jersey, they are displayed very large, taking up almost the entire front of the jersey. Just as importantly, certain numbers may only be worn by players playing particular positions; thus the jersey numbers assist the officials in determining possible illegal actions by players.
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Most people are repulsed by mould, but one artist is using it to create creepy, decaying architectural models of houses.
Daniele Del Nero creates architectural scale models of buildings with a domestic look to them. He then dampens the exterior of the structure and applies a thin dusting of flour. The model is then placed into a transparent plexiglass case. Mould starts to grow after a couple of days and dies within two weeks, leaving behind what Del Nero describes as "a dusty spider-web which covers the model like a rambler plant".
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10 Best Blogs for Indie Authors
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Sale by Tender – HMS Invincible
HMS Invincible is for sale by tender. Laid down in 1973 at Vickers Shipbuilding, Barrow-in-Furness, she was completed in 1980. She is currently stable for tow, subject to buyer confirmation.
Displacement – Current 17000 Tonnes
Estimated metal weight – 10000 Tonnes
Estimated metal % – 95% mild steel
Length – OA 210m, W/L 193m
Draught – Fwd 5.2m, Mid 5.8m, Aft 5.8m
Beam – Extreme 35m, Ex-walkways 32m, W/L 27.53m
Height – 46m (estimated at current draught
Engines – Removed
Generators and Pumps – Generally unserviceable or not working
For fuller information, please see the General Particulars.
How to butcher Bambi
Warren Ellis has just alerted his Twitter followers to the pre-Christmas sale by a company called Martin’s Jerked Meat. I’m tempted, but I’m also stocked up with almost enough food to take me into the New Year. I am, however, interested in Martin’s butchery courses.
Starting in spring 2010 we will be running courses on skinning and butchering venison in South Wales.
Courses are available for one or two days.
The weekend course starts with your arrival on Friday evening. Saturday morning begins with a hands on lesson in skinning a fresh carcass. We will salt the skin ready for curing later on. Next, you will be shown how to break the deer down into haunches and joints with advice on the best uses of each cut.
We will be processing some of the meat for both mince and sausages which we will all make together. You will be guided through how to salt down a haunch to make a delicious dry cured venison “Parma ham” style joint of meat and we will also help you cut and package your share of the venison to your preference for easy freezing when you get home.
We will have the outdoor smoker and dehydrators on site and you will be shown how to marinate and dry the meat using both methods.
Once the meat is processed we will then prepare the choicest cuts and you will be shown how to cook them over an open fire. On Sunday we share out the meat, jerky, sausages and mince between all the people on the course.
The one day courses run from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm on Saturdays and will consist of skinning the deer and breaking down the carcass into manageable pieces.You will then render the fat into tallow and make a stock from the bones before making 2 different varieities of traditional sausages. Once all of the sausages have been made they will be shared amongst all the people on the course.
Course Costs
2 Day Course: £250 (including meals, camping and a banquet on Saturday night)
1 Day Course: £130 (including meals)
Group Bookings Available. There are a number of B&Bs within easy walking distance of the course location.
For enquiries or to register for this course, please send an email to Martin.
Snow under my wheels
Snow under my wheels, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.
The snow stopped, so I headed out. I couldn’t resist a short hop along the Fallowfield Loop, which is where I picked up this coating. There was also a devour into Platt Fields to photograph transformers and GIs in the snow. They’ll be uploaded later.
I was worried that the thin sheen of melt water on the roads might not be cleared by the rush hour traffic and there’d be the risk of black ice for my commute tomorrow. Then it started snowing heavily again whilst I was shopping, and that opens up all sorts of other possibilities. I may have fun just getting home later.
No plan survives first contact with the snow
No plan survives first contact with the snow, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.
The plan was to cycle into town a bit earlier than normal. Then the snow finally arrived (properly) in Manchester. If it stops snowing I’ll ride through the drifts. I just don’t want to be blinded by the flakes in my eyes.