Banksy Winner!!

Some more genius from Banksy!!!

Boosh are Winners!!

Well done to those crazy Mighty Boosh guys - getting a couple of awards at the recent NME awards lolz!

Oh & please excuse any offense by the nature of the winning gongs & cans of beer, but come on it's NME people!!

Today's Stuff

OK so what have I actually been doing all do I hear you ask....OK maybe not, but I'm gonna tell you anyways!! OK here's a very brief [or not] summary, I got up really, irritatingly early - 7:45 & got up & chatted to my mum, trying to put the world to rights, over a cup of tea [win!] & then put some monies away for a rainy day & then hit the shops [uh-ohhhh!!] got some excellent stuffs tho - a couple of hoodies, which I suspect will be nabbed by a certain young woman, especially the Bench one!! Got Maddie some perfume & new one for me...that I'd never heard of before - always a good sign - that means noone else is gonna get it lolz! Also some Gap stuffs a pair of smart black trousers, well I didn't have any, some rad dark-blue chords, a cardigan [like a proper oap lolz!] & a very cool combat-style smart black coat & then went & got a couple of highly mature & not-at-all-silly-things from Toys 'r Us - some new nerf guns - win win win win 8o) just like the one's at my youth centre - pump action 10 shots & some six shooters just for good measure & some Star Wars Lego - yaaaaay Lego!! I've also pre-ordered the Muse Live DVD [H.A.A.R.P.] from Amazon [& more Lego lolz] & a game for my Mac [Command & Conquer: Generals]. Since that hard day's shoppering, I then came home, got distracted by watching the first Terminator movie & 24 Season 2, then actually managed to knuckle down & do some real work. Have just finished the first section for my essay [due in on 12th eeeeek!!], then I've got another essay due in a week later, then the Dissertation will be not that far behind the both of them!!

Right to war people!!!

PS Jsut go get "Soulwax...Most of the Remixes" it's really rather good!!

& another thing

I missed one off my list of geeky & useful...ok maybe 2!!

4] Firefox 3: For all of us who use an actual web browser rather than Internet Explorer [check out this classic blog about killing off IE!!] - Firefox, great news, Firefox 3 is out! for those still using good old Firefox 2 - get the beta version [aka Firefox 3.3 Beta] from this link. The only thing which confused the heck out of me was there was no home button - but it's right there in the toolbar - doofus!! It look a little sharper & definitely runs quicker, plus there are a load of new features - simple things like bookmark tags, feed tags, smart bookmarks, etc. Also it's much cleaner for filing bookmarks - much better!! Check it out, but do remember it is only a beta [i.e. not the final release version] so if you have any nagging issues or reservations - don't get it. The final release should be making its way online after this third beta has been fully tested with the users....us!! So get geeking!!

5] iSquint: OK this is only for you Mac users, but check out the free divx converter from iSquint. In essence all it does is compress the video from a source, say of an episode of Family Guy & shrinks down the size of the screen to exactly the same size as your iPod. Sounds completely pointless yes....well no actually it's a great & unbeleivibly fast way to switch divx [aka *.avi files] movies/tv/whatever so you can watch it on an iPod: classic/g2 nano/touch, all without the expense & hassle of upgrading to Quicktime Pro. I've never had a failed compress & I've managed to get a ridiculous amount of cra...stuff onto my iPod - for example a whole season of Firefly, all 6 seasons of Family Guy, all the Mighty Boosh & all my music video's on, all under 10GB [normally 40GB] so it's quite a saving of space & the quality is pretty good!! If only iPods actually had a reasonable battery life for watching videos on - d'oh!! One day I suppose!

Six out

PS Disclaimer: this was a very geeky blog & I almost apologize - if that was all greek to you I'm sorry, but I'm sure you'll get over it!!!

d'oh!

P.S. for anyone who has the Justice: Cross album......Phantom Pt2 is totally blowing my mind, if you can find it - grab the Soulwax Remix it is just spectacular!! ;o)

iLike

OK here's some very cool [nee geeky] things which have been rocking my socks for the past week[s]:

1] iGoogle: This is very cool little gadget which might save a little time. You can have as many apps as you want on your home page, or just have multiple tabs [a la Firefox] & have as many apps as you want on each tab. Currently I've got mine set up to check my 4 most read blogs, check my gmail & a couple of other apps like google maps search & some time & date app & another cool thing which I'll explain a bit more about in a tick - Google Notebook. I'll give a shout back to Olly Shaw for this info - I blame him & now I've got Maddie using it...let's see who else thinks it's any good?!

2] Google Notebook: OK so this leads me nicely onto something I just discovered this very evening, whilst doing a standard google search [like you do] & saw a little tag under each link called 'Note This'. Just click it & you can add it, ad hoc to a little app, add notations to each link or whatever & then this clever little app can be linked into your gmail account [come on people it's 2008 after all] or iGoogle & be accessed whenever you want. You can put certain links into catgories or folders for simple filing & then deleted when you're finished. Having only used it tonight I'm not sure it's totally without its faults. However, rather than having a ton of bookmarks [that's right not favorites - seriously does anyone still use Internet Explorer?!] when you're doing research, just have a load of notes. I like it!!

3] The other thing I've started using a bit [ok, only if you check my Facebook page with any regularity!!] is the the good old Beeb News Website has added something rather rad to the bottom of each & every one of their articles - tags! Seriously go have a look!! You can now bookmark [see they don't like IE either!!] with:

* Delicious
* Digg
* reddit
* Facebook
* StumbleUpon

The only one of those which really interested me was the Facebook one. All you do [so long as you are signed in on] is click on the the Facebook link at the end of the article & it adds it to your Posted Items, & you can add your own comments etc. I think it's a great way to share some interesting news articles with the world of people who don't check out the Beeb [I'm sure there must be some people out there!!].


Six out

GIR

OK I haven't blogged again for a while [again] - mostly due to the joys of food poisoning [mental note NEVER trust Tesco Value spag-bol - EVER!!] - it knocked my system for six & laid me out for the count from Saturday night till today - not cool, seeing as I have rather a lot of work to do & now much less time to do it in! I've now got just under 2 weeks for Pastoral Care, just under 3 weeks for Human Personhood Through Popular Art & then till 23rd April for the Dissertation [of Doom]. So I was totally laid low with abdominal pains & zero energy - just getting up & out of bed was a struggle & it's taken me all this time to get my energy levels up from nothing & to shift the poisoning! I'm running at about 90% I reckon, but I think a few more days & I'll be back to normal [whatever that is!!].

Also have now been with Maddie for 4 whole months - scary stuff, but rather spectacular all at the same time!! I've not seen her since last Thursday which sucks, but with me ill, it kinda limits my driving capabilities, but she's been really sweet & been checking up on me [awwww!] & my mum's been making sure I drink enough fluid & at least try to eat something - you know I'm ill when I struggle to eat half a bowl of soup - so very unlike me you might say!!

Right enough rambling, I've got to get on with some workington!!

Six out...


......we continue!!

Sins of the Blogger

OK it's been far too long since I blogged [November!] & I'm definitely going to get on it again, I now have the technical resources [i.e. a new & very rad laptop] but not yet the time to blog properly. I'm currently in the reading stage of my dissertation, & it's generally going rather well, & I'm enjoying it but it's a heck of a lot of work still left to go. Also I've now only got a term & a half left of my placement, so that's scary & exciting all at the same time - now it's the job-hunting season!! With that in mind, I need to go & read some more [I've officially now read more in this half term than I have in my entire degree!!]. My final update is with teh Madders - things are going really quite awesomely & we both feel that we know where this relationship might be going - but don't get ahead of yourself just yet readers - the timing is all wrong - I gotta find a job & she's got to work out which Uni to go to as well.

Right to Waaaaaaar...well hitting the book anyways, laters potaters!!

Pure reflections [Part 1]

OK, I've started reading again, again about relationships, this time it's 'Pure: sex & relationships God's way' by Linda Marshall [for details on the book click here] both because of a thirst of understanding & also [specifically this book] because Maddie is doing a study, using this as the key text - I feel that it makes sense, so that we can discuss both of our opinions & thoughts on it.

My first reflection has come from an early chapter [Pure: Perfection] where the author has listed commonly held character traits of men & women, by a group of Christian students. It was quite an amusing list, however, there was one which really struck me:

Made to be in realtionship with God.

I'm not completely certain why this is the case, but I think that my thoughts track back to Genesis 1-3 & the creation story [specifically the creation of Man & Woman] - which I am studying in my quiet times at the moment.

Thinking about the reason for God to create man, it should be really quite obvious that we were created for relationship with Him, but I think that this fact can often be missed or forgotten by Christians - could you imagine that revelation hitting the world - that our entire purpose is to be in relationship with God - it's mind-boggling even to contemplate it!

Although I'm yet to really get to the meat of this book, however, I think that hopefully this will not only add to my growing insight into relationships, but also aid my delevopment in my spiritual life & understanding of God.

Right back to it!

Ski Sundae?!

The internet is such a silly place - let's go to Camelot instead!!

Had something highly unusal happen during the middle of the night - a power-out! & it really did suck!! This was mostly because of the '1 or 2' bits of electronic equipment in my room, when the power went down I could tell [all LED's on my wireless router, 1TB HDD, iMac, dock, lamps, speakers went off!] then over the next hour & a half - between 3 - 4:30am the power went on & off about 5 times!!


Each time the power went back on; my iMac [because of power-fail option > system preferences n00bs!], the street lamp outside my window & the security floodlights all burst back into life & work me up - grrrrr!!

all in all, a busy saturday, follow by a bit of a shocker of a night's sleep did not mean a very happy Pikachu first thing this morning! But hey-ho a lie in tommorow morning I feel - I think I need one!!

Fun & Games

Well Saturday was the reunion for the Mid Wessex Junior Week 2 - I was running the games section [uh-oh!], so had to do more prep in the morning & came up with a combination of group/team games & stuff for 'the entertainment of the campers' [embassasing Nate basically!].

This involved some creative thinking so we had:

Getting up - dressing up as something to represent the theme of the tents they had at camp.

iwantoneofthose.com - trying to find everything on a very strange list off items!

Ninja Sleeping Lions - like sleeping lions, but one person then wakes up all of the lions individually & then more, to form a crew & go & scare the last lion!

Finally, but by no means least something which I called.....

Experiment No. 6 - this involved young trying to drink a jug of water....whilst making an angry face & shaking your fist!!

Just to add a bit of competition to the whole affair I got someone else to smile & wave & try drinking the jug of water! I managed to get Ros & Nate in a battle of wits & general stupidity & Nate definitely came off worse lolz. Just for an added [& I must say inspired] comedy effect, I brought along a change off clothes for Nate [I had a feeling he'd spill it everywhere lolz] - full ski-gear :oD

There were of course some rejected ideas; Pope Idol [oh dear!], Backwards [going backwards over an obstacle course] & one which I wanted to play, but didn't Bag Escape [stand, put your hands in your pockets, have a sleeping bag put over your head & then try to escape!].

After the games we had PJ's [a buch of skits] but without the comedy element of PC who was 'too busy with work to come along' [Captain Beakie say's you're on trial next year mate - sorry!!] so Nate stepped in. It went ok, but some of the jokes were a bit sketchy...or was that the idea?!

We also had a good chat from Shani, reminding everyone about what we learned during the sessions at camp this year.

After the campers had gone home [around 6] the whole leadership team got a curry ordered & settled down to silly conversations & much jackass-style antics [blaming no-one G & Nate!!] then food arrived, I picked up Maddie & it was all good clean fun!! We left around 8:30 & I had Ros, Maddie, Hobbit & AJ to drop off home, before rolling in at about 11:30 - ouch!!

How many?!?

Morning bloggers - had a very busy couple of days: friday night we had more than one or two young people turn up for the regular Friday group - 49 to be precise, with 5 junior [i.e under 18] leaders so technically 54 - it was raaaather busy!!

this then created the rather nice 'problem' of having too many young people in the building, but not quite reaching bursting point. It did, however, create rather an organisational headache - what can you do with that many young people?

This does bring up the quantity vs. quality debate & make me ponder how much 'good' work you can do with that many people. So it was all a little head-scratchy, but I'm taking it to both my Boss & Management Committee in a big meeting on Monday night, so watch this space... But in the mean-time some more contemplation & prayer is necessary methinks!

Oh & one more just for luck!!

OK, there's one book, which I've been recommending ever since I read it [yes, that's right I have read at least one book whilst on my degree course!]: The Five Love Languages [Gary Chapman]

Although it is actually written in the context of a married relationship, there are in fact many principles which can be applied to other contexts [i.e. single, those in a relationship or a courtship or even engaged]. However, what has been an intersting reflection [i.e. Wednesday] is how this could affect my perception of God's love. Another reflection is from my reflecting his theory that there are 5 separated 'languages' that people communicate love [Acts of Service, Gifts, Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, & Physical Touch], then thinking about if one [or more] of those is removed - one can feel so negative towards someone who is not 'showing love'.

Intersting reflections & it's definitely worth a read - it's made a difference to my own approach towards love - how I perceive it, as well as how I show it.

Fried-eggs 2

Also visited St Andy's [Witney] to pick up a book, which Maddie is studying & 'accidentally' picked up a couple more as well:



Pure [Linda Marshall, 2005]




Your First 2 Years in Youth Ministry [Doug Fields, 2002]




A New Kind of Youth Ministry [Chris Folmsbee, 2007]

I'll let you know what I think......when I've had a chance to read them!

Fried eggs & ham?

Ok y'all it's Friday [hence the marginally silly title!] & after a bit of a shocker of a night sleep [I still have no idea, but I reckon I'll blame listening hard house - I mean who can sleep with choons blasting!?] I managed to get me ass out of bed & go network with one of teh n00bs [first year CYM students for those not in teh know!] in Costa Coffee [Witney] as I regularly do on a Friday morning. It was good to check where she was in terms of Fieldwork & essays & I helped her think through her most pressing essay & get her to tease out some of the issues about 1 Corinthians 5:5-9

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

So hopefully Si has actually been of some use today ;oD

We continue....

Random musings

It's rather late at night by all accounts [1.45am & counting], but am still awake, so to occupy this new bout of insomnia, I has been playing with my blogger template, to try make it a little more interesting - so what do you think?! Also have generally been blogging a lot more than usual, which is both strange, but good!!

Am really getting into the concept of not just talking about going to the shops & buying coffee, but reflection & contemplation through writing - & it's a good exercise & discipline to do it regularly. I mean where would we be if the Beeb didn't blog the news?! OK, we'd be without a website, but you take the point I feel!

Anyways, enough musings, finally we havce a random piece of 'why do you still own a PC' advertising from those Apple geekoids - enjoy:

Facebook musings Pt1

This comes from an article Beeb weebsite. Microsoft has invested $240m in Facebook in exchange for a 1.6% share of the company. That puts a monetary value of $15bn (£7.3bn) on my favourite [& most used] social networking website! So why does Microsoft think Facebook is worth $15bn? According to the Beeb's techy guys & financial analysists there are 15 potential reasons, which are as follows:

1. The network has gone viral in the last 12 months, with more than 50 million users worldwide and a user base that is growing faster than great rival MySpace. According to Facebook, it adds 200,000 new users each day.

2. The average user spends 3.5 hours a month on Facebook - more than the average user on rival MySpace - which is increasingly attractive to advertisers.

3. Facebook is the current Web 2.0 darling - popular with ordinary users and "tech heads" alike.

4. US research reveals that Facebook users come from wealthier homes and are more likely to attend college than MySpace users - increasing that attraction for advertisers.

5. Microsoft's investment makes them a serious player in the growing market of "social advertising". Social network profiles are full of personal data that users voluntarily hand over, which is very useful for targeting adverts.

6. Sixty percent of Facebook users are outside of the US - so Microsoft's investment buys access to a global audience quickly and simply.

7. Facebook is the new web: The decision to open up the network to outside developers turned Facebook into a destination for many uses, like messaging, photos and video. Of course, as Facebook is on the web it could never really be the new web.

8. Every major content firm with an online presence is either working on a Facebook application or has already launched one - from Google to the BBC.

9. According to a report, 233 million hours of work are lost each month in the UK due to staff looking at social networks. Advertisers can now target people when at their desks.

10. The openness of Facebook is attracting a wealth of talented developers who can launch their applications to millions of users quickly.

11. Facebook messaging is the new e-mail. Everyone feels stressed from a deluge of e-mail from unwanted people and companies. But Facebook messages are always from friends.

12. Facebook's "status updates" have become the easiest way to let friends know what you are doing and how you are feeling at any given moment.

13. Facebook thrives on playful applications such as Pirates, Zombies, Super Wall and Top Friends, which have made the network a place to play as well as communicate.

14. Facebook is the acceptable face of blogging - you can reflect your life and personality online without being seen as a "blogger", which often carries a geeky stigma.

15. Facebook is worth $15bn only because Microsoft says so. The value of Facebook is based on a 1.6% share of the firm being worth the $240m Microsoft paid for it. Microsoft and Google were in a bidding war for a slice of the firm and both companies have large pockets. This was not just business, this was personal, according to some analysts.

This is a very interesting musing from the Beeb, so I thought I'd share it with those who don't as often frequent the Tech pages of the Beeb as often as myself, but who do spend time on teh Book! I especially like number 14, seeing as I occasionally blog lolz! But it's definitely worth a wee bit of contemplation.

Six out

Funny ha blah!!

oh & one more - just for us emo-lovers!!

Funny ha ha!

I saw this on one of my interweeb surfing & it really made me chuckle!!