Free Beer!

The only catch is you have to make it yourself. Damn!

BBC News reported that some Dutch students have published the worlds first open source beer recipe. Based on the same principal as open source software, they have published the recipe for anyone to use.

And here it is - Vores Øl.

Being a fan of real beer, I've always been tempted to have a go at brewing my own. Now I have a recipe to work from, I'm one step closer to my booze filled dreams...

DtRT: Do the Right Thing

This is my 100th blog post!

To mark the occasion, I thought I use the post to do something worthwhile...

As I mentioned in my I'm with the band post I've been trying to improve the way I interact with the world; trying to do my little part to make the world a better place.

The feeling that I needed to change/do something started as my 30th birthday loomed last year. The idea that I was going to be older, and therefore presumably more mature, evolved into me realising I should take more responsibility for the impact I have on the this world and for the legacy that I would leave behind.

So I started to change my attitudes and involvements with things like recycling, charity and the environment. Just little things at first, but like they say - "Every little helps".

Feel the same way?
Want to make a difference?

Here's where you can start:

First read The Rough Guide to a Better World; a very informative but easily read book. It's a good place to start and will teach you everything you need to known about world poverty, charities, fair trade and advocacy.

Then visit the we are what we do website and check out their list of the little things you can do everyday to change the world.

I'll post more suggestions and more on this subject in the future (look for DtRT in the post title), but remember doing the right thing doesn't stop you having fun.

Inter-networking

Yay! A couple of photos I've taken have been published on two of my favourite blogs:

Savage Chickens has a spookily apt picture of a theatre poster I spotted on the Paris Metro.

&

The Moxie Blog has a picture of me and my Moxie t-shirt in Paris as part of it's Moxie Shirt Adventures. I'm picture 18, near the bottom.

See, sharing is fun.

Universally Translated

I've signed up to Blog in Space - it's a website that beams blog feeds into deep space.

Why? Why not? Who knows, there might be something out there to read them.

And if I do have any interstellar readers, don't forget to say 'Hi' in the comments.

I'm with the band

Charity bands have become popular over the past year. While I'm not a jewelry person generally, I too have subscribed to this new fashion and currently wear two bands:

The first is a white band for Make Poverty History (which I bought from Actionaid). As part of my attempt to make the world a better place I became involved with the campaign. While I didn't go to any of the protests, I did join in the online/postal advocacy campaign and wear the band to show my support.

The second is a black band from LIVEWRONG. Their philosophy is basically; do what you like. This speaks to the rebel in me and I like the way both the philosophies and the colours contrast each other.

However, I was criticised for wearing them on different wrists the other day. Apparently, this is a sign of racism - separating the colours. Now that's taking things too far...

Silent Bob says what?

Look what I found - My Boring-Ass Life. It's a blog for writter/director Kevin Smith, he of Clerks and Silent Bob fame.

Just as raw and honest as most of his writing.

Buy An Evening with Kevin Smith (DVD)@Amazon.co.uk

The Doctor's New Clothes

from BBC News

This is how the new Doctor will look - geek chic. I like it.

It's good to see him back in a suit, the leather jacket of the last Doctor never seemed right.

I watched the majority of the last season - 3/5. They had some genuinely interesting concepts and scary moments but these were washed over by a bizarre comedy streak that ran through the series. I think they found it hard to balance the adult/dark side of the stories (the X Files/Twilight Zone elements) with the family viewing image/time-slot.

Buy the Doctor Who Series 1 Boxset (DVD)@Amazon.co.uk

Recommended by God?

You can make your own signs at churchsigngenerator.com, they also have a collection of humorous real-life church signs.

Go, and may your God go with you.

Buy Dave Allen - The Best of (DVD)@Amazon.co.uk

Shirt Ninja

Ever wondered what to do with those old black t-shirts that you are too embarrassed to wear anymore?

Ever had to perform a last minute stealth mission but left your black-out gear at home?

Never fear, Enter the Ninja has the answer. Click over to their site and discover how to solve both problems at once.

Shocking Pink?

These posters are part of the new advertising campaign to promote my home city:



It has been criticised in the press for being crass and putting Salford in a negative light. I quite like it. It's a clever play on words that uses the sometimes negative image of a city suburb to highlights it's hidden features.

But pink? Why?

The Vicar's T-shirt Sale

Yay! Now I MUST buy something...

Scotty Dies at 85

Star Trek's Scotty dies aged 85
BBC News

I'm not sure why, but I always though Scotty/James Doohan was the nice one from the ST:OS crew/cast.

He's one of the reasons I became and engineer and also one of the reasons I stopped. Working in a factory doesn't have the same buzz as fixing a warp core...

Dead Funny

I found these faux graves in Boot Hill, Frontierland, Disneyland Paris.
Who said death can't be funny...

AFB

AFB - Away From Blog

I'll be in Paris for the next few days so no posts here. Instead surf over to my holiday blog - My 2 Grand Adventure - to follow my travels.

Threadless No More

I finally got my first t-shirt order from Threadless.com, I should have received it weeks ago but its been stuck at the post office. I am very happy with the quality, although they're not 100% cotton the weave is soft and they have a good shape, and the t-shirt name in the back is a nice touch.

I'll deffinately be ordering from them in the future.

My orders:



- - -

I forgot to mention more T vicar when I did my last t-shirt post. They have a large range, lots of designers and some realy nice Ts. I've not ordered anything yet but my resistance is failing...

Must ... not ... buy Batman t-shirt ... need money ... for ... food.

London Eye mate, do not pass go.

Now here is a cool idea:

Monopoly Live

Equip 18 taxis in London with GPS, link them to an online Monoply London board and you have an interactive game with a reality twist. Choose your cab, spend your £15 million on property, place a couple of hotels and apartments and away you go.

The game lasts for 24-hours and updates every 15 mins. For every £1m you've made at the end you get one entry into a prize draw.

Plus, it's FREE to play.

Buy Monopoly Here & Now Limited Edition (board game)@Amazon.co.uk

Terror Attack on London

London rocked by terror attacks
BBC News

A terrorist attack on London the day after it is awarded the 2012 Olympics and while the G8 conference is being held.

Coincidence? I don't think so

Evil? Without a doubt.

I'm wearing boots of escaping...

Magic Missile movie

D&D meets Cops ... pure geek-funny. Go. Watch. Giggle.

Chick, chick, chicken...

Now Savage Chickens is a perfect example of a simple idea, done well to create a v.cool, funny webpage. Damn, I wish I had ideas like this.

Now for a chicken joke:

Q: Why did the serial-killer chicken cross the road?

A: To get to the other homicide.

Buy Chicken Run (DVD)@Amazon.co.uk

OOOOO

London beats Paris to 2012 Games
BBC Sport

Well done! I mean it's not 'Manchester gets the Olympics' but it's better than it going to Paris.

A regular festival sofa goer

I spent most of this Saturday/Sunday morning watching Live 8 on BBC from the comfort of my sofa.

I also, spent most of the previous Saturday/Sunday morning watching Glastonbury 2005 on BBC from the comfort of my sofa.

I becoming a bit of a agoraphobic, festival sofa goer.

I've never been a big music person. I enjoy listening to music but don't follow bands or subscribe to any particular genre. I only went to my first concert a couple of years ago. Because of this, and my dislike of camping, I've never been too taken with the festival thing and this is probably the closest I'll come to attending one.

I was a little bored with the Glastonbury coverage. They focused on the main Pyramid stage for the majority of the time and the bands that played there all had a similar feel (Keane, Coldplay, Kaiser Chiefs).

Live 8 was much more interesting. Not only did you have a wider range of styles (although mainly white, western pop for which they were criticised) but you were constantly entertained by Jonathan Ross screwing up his links. Highlights included:

JR linking to Brian Wilson saying "Now we go over to Brian Wilson in Philadelphia, although having met him he probably doesn't know were he is". Then going to BW who was playing in Berlin.

JR referring to the live feed from the Big Screen in Manchester as Birmingham at least twice.

Class! Thanks Jonathan for putting the live in Live 8.

Buy Live Aid [1985] (DVD)@Amazon.co.uk

Happy Independence Day!

Happy holidays to all the crazy Americans I met, including: the mad woman on the train from Niagara to NY, the other crazy woman in the NY bar, the two crazy and young girls from Kingston Mines ... can you spot a pattern?

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go and read my holiday blog about my trip to the US - My 2 Grand Adventure

I'm also going to use this other blog for my trip to Paris (and any further travels) next week. I guess that means I'll have to write-up my last day in the US and finish uploading my 700+ pictures ... DAMN.

Buy Independence Day (DVD)@Amazon.co.uk

Virtual G8

Virtual G8 

This is me at the virtual G8 rally. Go. Join up. Do the right thing.

Ectoplasmic Freeze Cannons

I found this while sorting through my stuff for eBay:



It was tucked in an old Real Ghostbusters annual. I was a big fan of Ghostbusters, both the film and the cartoon, and I must have designed this back in my creative youth.

Look at the detail! You could almost start construction.

Buy Ghostbusters (DVD)@Amazon.co.uk