Yearly archives: 2013

Inside the minds of conspiracy theorists

This entry was posted in Conspiracy theories on by

I’ve argued with conspiracy theory believers, and been called all sorts of names because I’ve pointed out the implausibility of their claims. However, it’s these people who like to crow about being the only ones who can see the “truth” who are the most gullible. The distrust in authority or “the mainstream” (and everyone else) that they foster, makes them more likely to accept without question ridiculous, and often contradictory, ideas so long as they show the Establishment in a bad light. It’s a sad way to live, and I often find myself feeling sorry for them at some point during our exchanges.

Inside the minds of the JFK conspiracy theorists – opinion – 22 November 2013 – New Scientist.

Feel-good graphene condom development to be funded by the Gates Foundation (Wired UK)

This entry was posted in Condom contraception Graphene Manchester University on by

The future of condoms could come from Manchester! Okay, the intention- improved sexual health, particularly in the developing world- is serious, but it’s hard not to make funnies about condom research.

With all the students in town, it shouldn’t be hard to get volunteers to test them out. (I think I did it again.)

Feel-good graphene condom development to be funded by the Gates Foundation (Wired UK).

Treasure hunt for £4m worth of Bitcoins buried on hard drive at landfill site – Telegraph

This entry was posted in money technology on by

This is the potential setup for some sort of caper movie or slapstick chase film, with people finding, and then losing or having stolen, a hard drive loaded with Bitcoins (or made up filmic equivalent).

Treasure hunt for £4m worth of Bitcoins buried on hard drive at landfill site – Telegraph.

Christmas gift ideas from Spinneyhead

This entry was posted in 3d printing amazon art Fiction Kindle Products on by

Not long to go until Christmas, so, if you’re unsure about what to get your friends and family, may I suggest a couple of online shops.

Buy my handmade, art and vintage stuff from Zibbet, or get 3D printed models from Shapeways. All cool stuff, some of it using the most modern of methods, some old school.

And don’t forget, if you have a Kindle you can buy my books from Amazon (and Garth Owen’s as well).

Double Trouble Hot Rod

This entry was posted in Hot Rod inspiration on by

It may seem like an odd thing for a cyclist and longtime eco-worrier to say, but I like cars. Interesting cars, not everyday ones or even those supercars we’re all supposed to drool over. Stuff like this- a two engine, four supercharger 1927 Ford Model T hot rod. It’s insane and awesome and far more interesting than any Ferrari could ever be.

Corrugated Citroen Cliche 2

This entry was posted in flickr on by



Corrugated Citroen Cliche, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.

Okay, so you have to mispronounce Citroen to get that to alliterate, but I hope you can appreciate what I was going for.

I love the look of these old French vans, but they’re everywhere now, lazy shorthand for "authentic" and "artisan". I’d love to see some old Bedfords, or even first-gen Transits being used as well, just to mix it up a bit.

Workington has an Opera House?

This entry was posted in Architecture Workington on by

I just discovered this post about a campaign to save the historic Workington Opera House. I never knew that Workington had an Opera House, but it hasn’t been home to grand musical events since before I was born, was a bingo hall for many years and more recently- based upon the photo in the post- was the awesomely named Marrafruits grocer’s shop.

It’s so odd to find out details like this about a town I lived just down the road from for most of my childhood.

Vote for Policies

This entry was posted in politics on by

Vote for Policies is an interesting site, another in a line of neat democracy enhancing tools on the web. You choose four to six areas of concern and are then presented with policies from six different parties, but you’re not initially told which policies belong to which party*. Choose the collection of policies which you most closely agree with in each area and the site will work out the party you’re most closely aligned with.

Here are my results. I come out as two thirds Green (which is reassuring, as I joined the Greens a couple of months ago). If you’re inclined to sneer and tell me that the Greens are a one-policy party, please note that the environmental policies I voted for were the LibDems’. Also interesting is that the results for my constituency (from only 458 respondents, admittedly), put the Greens ahead of Labour.

*But it’s fairly obvious in some cases- the repeated blaming of the EU or immigrants flags up the BNP and UKIP quickly.