New PS2

I bought my new PS2 today.
It's very tiny but very cool.

I bought a pack with a free copy of Timesplitters to replace the copy that got scratched to pieces and broke as a result.

However, it was very sneaky of Sony to change the adaptor plug at the back for the telly. I had to go out again to buy a cable that worked properly.

XXX 2

The first one was OK.
This one was also OK.

Having endured "Chronicles of Riddick" I can't stand Vin Diesel anymore, sure he was good in Pitch Black but you can tell the fame has gone to his head. XXX was a nice franchise, and although the original didn't mention the agent would change each film I'm pleased they did.

I can't say a bad word about Ice Cube; growing up I was a big big fan of his music both in his NWA days and when he went solo (Yup, I was a wigger!!) and he's transitioned nicely into movies. Boys in the Hood is still one of my favourite films and for a debut he did great in that. He's done alright here too, he's typecast a little bit as the black man who fights the state but that needn't be a bad thing. Better him doing it than Vin trying to be an extreme sports star.

To be honest the film has no memorable bits whatsoever. As I type this, one day on, I can't recall any of the big scenes; oh one chasing a train and one on a boat. The thing I recall the most was the nice looking cars, clearly DUB Magazine and MTV's "Pimp My Ride" have moved modded cars into the mainstream. It was easy casting XZibit as the mechanic.

I saw this film at my new local cinema. I need to make sure next time I don't go too early in the day or sit within sweet throwing distance of the little kiddies who were in there at the same time. Of the 5 sweets that were thrown my way 1 connected. There should be a rule where we can bounce kids off the walls when they do stuff like that, but with the laws of the land more on their side than mine I sat it out. As Sean Connery said in his Oscar acceptance speech, "patience is a virtue".

My PS2 has died

It looks like it hasn't survived the move.
It makes a horrible grinding noise now and has scratched hell out of my Timesplitters disk.

I had fancied those new slim models; now it looks like I'm getting one now.

The new dancing car

Found this on b3ta.com, a very clever parody.

the dancing robot ad but not the dancing robot ad

Cursed

First time I'd been to the cinema for a while what with me focusing on the move and all! I had a nightshift Thursday into Friday with work and so took the opportunity to go to the cinema before it started.

This was pretty lacklustre to be honest, it's not easy to make horror scary anymore and whilst I was expecting good things from Wes Craven, this wasn't it. He relied on cliche, both old and new. Scream was very inventive in 2 fronts; having 2 killers and killing the big star off early. He does very similar here which was a shame.

Christina Ricci looked like a pudgy posh spice and the guy playing her brother looked like the gay presenter of Popworld (My American chum will probably miss both references, sorry!). The one good bit was the transformation from human to werewolf and I thought having a werewolf dog was a nice touch too.

For a final comment with a weak pun; "If you want to see a good horror film, go else where(wolf)"

Google Holiday Logos

One thing I like about the google site is the changes to their logo on different holidays or events. They've finally got around to posting all of them which you can find here

images

Bomb carrying penguins...

Sometimes Americans can be just a little bit stupid as this shows

Damn DVD box security

Whilst I was out shopping today I picked up a copy of hustle when I got it home I thought I'd watch the first disk but had a problem opening the box. Halfway down the side you should open there was a red square that seemed to be keeping the box closed from the inside. 2 screwdrivers and a pair of pliers were then brought into play and after 20 minutes I eventually broke into the box but totally destroyed it in doing so.

Even with the box open I still couldn't get the disk out, the red square was at the end of a red strip that run behind the box and prevented the springs that held the disk in place from being pushed to released the disk. I had to snap that to get the disk out.

It turns out that this is a new security system that the store had forgotten to take off when I made the purchase. I can definitely vouch for how good this security system is. It's called red tag should you be interested in stuff like this.

Oh, and I did eventually get to play the disk; very good it was too!

(2 hustle posts in one week, the BBC should be paying me commission)

Flat Progress

Today I got my fridge, I'd been given a 7am - 7pm window for the delivery which wasn't that ideal however luckily the delivery came at 9am. I was still woken up though; perhaps it wasn't a good idea to drink that bottle of wine last night. Anyway, it's been connected and is working fine. I've popped out today to get some stuff to get in it.

The washing machine has also been connected, after a week of grief. Firstly the moulded plug had to be cut off so that the power cable could be fed through the worktop. Then I had to get longer hoses because they had to traverse an obstacle course through the partitions that led to the taps (bottom of washing machine, through top of first partition through bottom of the second partition and then back up to the taps; a total mess). Even once they were overcome the hoses still wouldn't connect properly, open the taps and water would go everywhere. After making sure they were as tight as I could get them, the taps were opened and nothing! This was a good sign as it meant the water had to be going into the machine. I gave it a quick test and it's working fine. My only concern is that I don't think the plumbing has ever been done properly; the waste pipe feeds straight into the waste pipe from the sink which means when the machine is emptying the sink makes a burping noise. There was also a bit of a smell but I think that was the waste water that had been sitting in the pipes for months whilst the flat was sat empty. No smell towards the end of the cycle but I'm still a bit unsure about it. But at least I can wash clothes now.

All that is needed in the kitchen is the cooker, which isn't being deivered until next weekend. The issue I have with this one is that I can't see where it plugs in. There is a cutoff switch that makes it even more confusing. Ah well, I'm paying to have that fitted so the installers can figure that out.

Hustle

There really isn't that much on the TV worth watching however I have become hooked on Hustle.

If you liked Lock Stock then you'll probably like this. The directoin is a bit cheesy at times but as a fan of cons, both short and long, I think it's great.

The first series is also available on DVD. Definitely one to get.

Jokes with realistic endings

Have you seen Stevie Wonder's new house?

No.

Well, it's really nice.




Made me laugh anyway, more can be found here

Top 100 Movies

This time I'll highlight the ones I've seen.

1 Star Wars & The Empire Strikes Back
2 Godfather & Godfather Pt 2
3 The Shawshank Redemption
4 Pulp Fiction
5 Some Like It Hot
6 Gladiator
7 It's A Wonderful Life
8 Blade Runner
9 Schindler's List
10 Goodfellas
11 Psycho
12 Jaws
13 Apocalypse Now
14 One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
15 The Matrix
16 Casablanca
17 The Usual Suspects
18 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
19 Citizen Kane
20 Raging Bull
21 ET
22 Taxi Driver
23 Life of Brian
24 Singin' in the Rain
25 LA Confidential
26 The Wizard of Oz
27 2001: A Space Odyssey
28 Kes
29 Vertigo
30 Lawrence of Arabia
31 Fargo
32 Gone With The Wind
33 Trainspotting
34 The Full Monty
35 The Graduate
36 Alien
37 The Silence of the Lambs
38 Withnail & I
39 The Great Escape
40 Toy Story
41 The Third Man
42 Four Weddings and a Funeral
43 The Sound of Music
44 Fitzcarraldo
45 Deliverance
46 The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
47 Kind Hearts and Coronets
48 Chinatown
49 The Exorcist
50 Annie Hall
51 The Italian Job
52 Sunset Boulevard
53 The Jungle Book
54 Titanic
55 Jean de Florette & Manon des Sources
56 Dr. Strangelove
57 Rebel Without A Cause
58 The Seven Samurai
59 A Matter of Life and Death
60 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
61 Secrets & Lies
62 Blue Velvet
63 La Dolce Vita
64 Spartacus
65 Metropolis
66 Bonnie and Clyde
67 King Kong
68 Get Carter
69 The Searchers
70 The Seventh Seal
71 Don't Look Now
72 Brief Encounter
73 M*A*S*H*
74 The French Connection
75 Top Hat
76 The Producers
77 The Colours (Blue, White & Red)
78 Cabaret
79 Goldfinger
80 Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
81 The Gold Rush
82 High Noon
83 Saturday Night Fever
84 The Adventures of Robin Hood
85 Enter the Dragon
86 Breathless (A Bout de Souffle)
87 Ice Cold in Alex
88 Battleship Potemkin
89 The African Queen
90 The General
91 A Hard Day's Night
92 Way Out West
93 Henry V
94 Easy Rider
95 My Beautiful Laundrette
96 Belle de Jour
97 The Bride of Frankenstein
98 The Terminator
99 Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
100 Do The Right Thing

Top 100 Greatest Cartoons

Here's another. This time I'll highlight the ones I like now or have liked when I was younger.
Are you getting an idea of what makes me tick now?

1. The Simpsons
   
2. Tom and Jerry
   
3. South Park
   
4. Toy Story/Toy Story 2
   
5. Family Guy
   
6. Shrek/Shrek 2
   
7. The Lion King
   
8. Spirited Away
   
9. The Incredibles
   
10. Bugs Bunny
    
11. The Flintstones
    
12. The Iron Giant
    
13. The Nightmare Before Christmas
    
14. Finding Nemo
    
15. Wallace and Gromit
    
16. Akira
    
17. Aladdin
    
18. The Ren and Stimpy Show
    
19. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
    
20. Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies
    
21. Princess Mononoke
    
22. Monsters, Inc
    
23. Popeye
    
24. Danger Mouse
    
25. Pinnochio
    
26. Futurama
    
27. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
    
28. Spongebob Squarepants
    
29. Dungeons and Dragons
    
30. Daffy Duck
    
31. Mickey Mouse
    
32. Beavis and Butthead
    
33. Beauty and the Beast
    
34. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
    
35. Sylvester and Tweetie Pie
    
36. Magic Roundabout
    
37. Transformers
    
38. 101 Dalmations
    
39. Charlie Brown
    
40. Rugrats
    
41. King of the Hill
    
42. Samurai Jack
    
43. Ivor the Engine
    
44. Spider-Man
    
45. Pokemon
    
46. Inspector Gadget
    
47. Road Runner
    
48. Bod
    
49. Scooby Doo, Where Are You?
    
50. Donald Duck
    
51. The Little Mermaid
    
52. 2DTV
    
53. Fantasia
    
54. Thundercats
    
55. Winnie the Pooh
    
56. Fritz the Cat
    
57. The Jungle Book
    
58. The Powerpuff Girls
    
59. Chicken Run
    
60. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
    
61. Foghorn Leghorn
    
62. Battle of the Planets
    
63. Bambi
    
64. Top Cat
    
65. A Bug's Life
    
66. Captain Pugwash
    
67. The Snowman
    
68. Hong Kong Phooey
    
69. Wind in the Willows
    
70. Monty Python
    
71. Alice in Wonderland
    
72. Legend of the Overfiend
    
73. Pepe le Pew
    
74. Willo the Wisp
    
75. Lady and the Tramp
    
76. Belleville Rendezvous
    
77. The Adventures of Tintin
    
78. Noggin the Nog
    
79. Peter Pan
    
80. Yogi Bear
    
81. Barbar
    
82. How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
    
83. Dumbo
    
84. Roobarb
    
85. Droopy Dog
    
86. Watership Down
    
87. Jamie and the Magic Torch
    
88. Woody Woodpecker
    
89. Felix the Cat
    
90. Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels
    
91. Mighty Mouse
    
92. Animal Farm
    
93. Mr Magoo
    
94. Queer Duck
    
95. Charley Says...
    
96. Betty Boop
    
97. Huckleberry Hound
    
98. Wait till Your Father Gets Home
    
99. The Pink Panther
    
100. Wacky Races

Top 100 Albums

Channel 4 showed the Top 100 albums at the weekend which I've listed below. To show how bad my taste is I've highlighted those I've had at some point or still own. I haven't done that well to be honest.


1 RADIOHEAD - OK Computer
2 U2 - The Joshua Tree
3 NIRVANA - Nevermind
4 MICHAEL JACKSON - Thriller
5 PINK FLOYD - Dark Side of the Moon
6 OASIS - Definitely Maybe
7 THE BEATLES - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
8 MADONNA - Like a Prayer
9 GUNS N' ROSES - Appetite For Destruction
10 THE BEATLES - Revolver
11 R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
12 THE BEATLES - The White Album
13 QUEEN - A Night at the Opera
14 COLDPLAY - Parachutes
15 OASIS - (What's the Story) Morning Glory
16 ALANIS MORISSETTE - Jagged Little Pill
17 LED ZEPPELIN - Led Zeppelin IV
18 THE VERVE - Urban Hymns
19 JIMI HENDRIX - Are you Experienced
20 THE SMITHS - The Queen Is Dead
21 JOHN LENNON - Imagine
22 RADIOHEAD - The Bends
23 BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS - Exodus
24 THE STONE ROSES - The Stone Roses
25 SIMON AND GARFUNKEL - Bridge Over Troubled Water
26 BJORK - Debut
27 THE DOORS - The Doors
28 ABBA - Arrival
29 MICHAEL JACKSON - Off the Wall
30 DURAN DURAN - Rio
31 SEX PISTOLS - Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols
32 DAVID BOWIE - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
33 THE BEACH BOYS - Pet Sounds
34 JOY DIVISION - Closer
35 THE ROLLING STONES - Let It Bleed
36 BLUR - Parklife
37 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Born to Run
38 BILLIE HOLIDAY - Lady Sings the Blues
39 THE WHITE STRIPES - Elephant
40 BLACK SABBATH - Paranoid
41 THE SPECIALS - Specials
42 THE ROLLING STONES - Exile on Main Street
43 FRANK SINATRA - Songs for Swingin' Lovers!
44 THE CLASH - London Calling
45 THE PRODIGY - The Fat of the Land
46 THE VELVET UNDERGROUND - The Velvet Underground and Nico
47 DIRE STRAITS - Brothers in Arms
48 PIXIES - Doolittle
49 ARETHA FRANKLIN - I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
50 THE LIBERTINES - The Libertines
51 HAPPY MONDAYS - Pills 'N' Thrills and Bellyaches
52 PATTI SMITH - Horses
53 THE WHO - Tommy
54 LOU REED - Transformer
55 BOB DYLAN - Blood on the Tracks
56 PRINCE - Sign 'o' the Times
57 DIDO - No Angel
58 AIR - Moon Safari
59 ELTON JOHN - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
60 THE JAM - All Mod Cons
61 JEFF BUCKLEY - Grace
62 FLEETWOOD MAC - Rumours
63 MOBY - Play
64 RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
65 THE POLICE - Synchronicity
66 JONI MITCHELL - Blue
67 CURTIS MAYFIELD - Superfly
68 ELVIS PRESLEY - The Sun Sessions
69 OUTKAST - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
70 PULP - Different Class
71 KRAFTWERK - Trans-Europe Express
72 MASSIVE ATTACK - Blue Lines
73 BECK - Odelay
74 STEVIE WONDER - Songs in the Key of Life
75 KATE BUSH - Hounds of Love
76 TALKING HEADS - Fear of Music
77 EMINEM - The Marshall Mathers LP
78 MARVIN GAYE - What's Going On
79 GEORGE MICHAEL - Faith
80 SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER - The Original Movie Soundtrack
81 PRIMAL SCREAM - Screamadelica
82 JOHN COLTRANE - A Love Supreme
83 LOVE - Forever Changes
84 PAUL SIMON - Graceland
85 NICK DRAKE - Five Leaves Left
86 MEAT LOAF - Bat Out of Hell
87 DUSTY SPRINGFIELD - Dusty in Memphis
88 DE LA SOUL - 3 Feet High and Rising
89 THE STROKES - Is this It
90 MADNESS - One Step Beyond...
91 ROBBIE WILLIAMS - I've Been Expecting You
92 NEIL YOUNG - After the Gold Rush
93 PUBLIC ENEMY - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
94 BLONDIE - Parallel Lines
95 THE EAGLES - Hotel California
96 JAMES BROWN - Sex Machine
97 THE STREETS - A Grand Don't Come for Free
98 DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
99 ROD STEWART - Every Picture Tells a Story
100 THE HUMAN LEAGUE - Dare!

How stupid is this?

When I moved in, there was a card from the council to say they'd called but I wasn't in. When I called them to say that I had just moved in and clearly wasn't in when they called I was told that they called round to make sure I wasn't in. (!!!!!)

When a property is empty you're exempt from paying council tax. It makes sense to have a department that checks for this as it would be easy to cheat the system. It just makes no sense to leave a card to say they called round when they find the place empty.

I'm a hurting

Woken up this morning with stiff legs and bruises on my forearms to match the bruises on my shoulders given to me by the ride in Sweden. I'm clearly not suited for physical exertion.

Today I've had no choice but to take things easy, but everything is pretty much unpacked now.

The shower is cool though, it got its first run this morning and is much better than the powered trickle I had at the last flat

Moving home

Well today is the big day and supposedly one of the most stressful days, beaten only by getting married. Actually I'm pleased to say it went really smoothly even if the start wasn't as I liked.

I was actually woken by my dad entering the flat at 6 a.m. After getting dressed I showed him what needed to go and what should stay. I think he was pleased that I really had pretty much got everything sorted, well it had taken me the best part of 2 weeks to do so.

I then made my way down to the new place whilst he oversaw the loading of the van. My mum coordinates moves for the army so I had the loan of 3 of her guys and a van for the day. Saved me a small fortune and a lot of effort. The first worry that I had was that the van would beat me down but it didn't. I was there well in advance; although the loading was quick they took their time with the travel down, which I didn't mind at all.

My second worry was that there were 3 items that I didn't think would make it up the stairs, a large table, a dj console and the sofa. Fortunately, with some effort and coordination we managed to get the lot in. Woohoo!!

With everything unloaded, I spent the rest of the day unpacking which I think I've just about done. I've encountered a problem with the washing machine in that I can't get the plug to the socket without cutting the cable, the moulded plug is too big to get through the hole and I don't want to make the hole bigger. I've ordered my fridge and cooker and they will arrive next week. The other problem I have is that we're not allowed to put up sky dishes and I'm not in a cable area, which means I can only use freeview for digital TV; I would have liked to have had some more channels. So the money I would have spent on that will instead see me upgrading to a broadband connection which will enable both my PC and Playstation to be connected.

Day trip to Gothenburg

In Sweden there is a great park called Liseberg that had invited the coaster club to the press launch for its new coaster, Kanonen. The flight was at 7 in the morning which meant I had to check in at 5. So starting at 4 in the morning, I knew this was going to be a long day.

The flight itself was only £50 return which makes a mockery of our train network. I couldn't even travel to the North of England for that amount.

The ride itself was a lot of fun. It has quite a powerful launch and because it does a lot in such a small amount of space the ride does not relent and throws you at all angles. The restraints are a little uncomfortable and I've come back with bruises on the shoulders; always a good sign of a decent ride (masochist I know). I'm glad I chose not to film on-ride as there were a lot of people smashing themselves in the face with their cameras as the ride launched; one guy even managed to take a blow to the throat.

The park had also opened their wooden coaster, Balder, which is the best wooden coaster out there (according to the enthusiasts anyway). It certainly was a lot of fun with airtime on every hill. I just about managed to keep my jacket on as it was being pulled from my back by the power of the ride.

I eventually got back home at around half past midnight, not good when I needed to be up the next day to move home, but I'm so glad I made the trip. Oh, and in case you're wondering, a day trip to Sweden is not common but I would definitely do it again.