Rise of the Machines
Saw Terminator 3 yesterday - was it the life-changing event I had expected it to be? Er, no. But I wasn't disappointed with it, and I think under the circumstances it was actually quite good. Not perfect, plenty to improve on sure, but not as horrendously awful as it could have been.

The Punisher's verdict: 7/10

I'm blogging at work! I guess I'd better get back to it actually...

What rating is your journal?
brought to you by Quizilla

Woo, I'm now 20 years old. Happy Birthday to me...

Your Brain Usage Profile

Auditory : 42%
Visual : 57%
Left : 77%
Right : 22%

Alex, you are strongly left-hemisphere dominant and show somewhat of a preference for visual learning, a positive combination of styles.

Your left-hemisphere dominance implies that you are strongly organized, logical and detail-oriented. Visual preference indicates that you learn in an active, simultaneous multidimensional fashion.

With this pattern you would likely be good in fields such as engineering, architecture, drafting, computer graphics and the like. It is likely that you will find situations which demand auditory processing somewhat frustrating unless you can impose your own structures and categories while processing it.

Another possible barrier to using your talents to the fullest may be the excess attention that you can tend to give details in your day-to- day operations and learning. You can acknowledge the existence of "the bigger picture" but concentrate on the details and expect that the picture will emerge from the details themselves.

You strive towards goals and this, coupled with the active nature of your learning preference, creates a sense of you being "driven." Your tolerance of ambiguity is, at times, in conflict with your preference for the straight path and directness in everything. You tend to be as impatient with yourself as you are with others.

You have enough auditory learning capability to somewhat balance your more natural chaotic learning style. It is likely that you "slide into" the more sequential auditory learning mode when you get frustrated with the amount of input to be processed.

You are somewhat likely to be driven and distracted, but you have some capability for articulating and visualizing goals, which helps to reduce frustration. You can listen to others, but not without occasional agitation. There are times when your left hemisphere cannot categorize your learnings and place them in context, because that is the domain of the right hemisphere.

Quote of the Day
"That which does not kill us makes us stronger" - Frederich Nietzsche

Matrix Reloaded? Good, but not great. 6.5/10


You are the Original Matrix Fan!


What Kind Of Matrix Fan Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

New Matrix Trailer
HO-LEE SHIT! It's simply awesome, I physically cannot wait for it. I got goosebumps and the last time that happened for a trailer was... well Terminator 3 actually but that was a couple of months ago. Wow.

POO

Erm...

D'oh!

Um...

Link-me-do

Ever played GTA? You'll love watching this video then (10mb) - www.tuvok3of11.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/gta4real.mpg

Can You Dig That Sucka?
I’m sorry I haven’t done any substantial posting recently, (and let’s face it, by “recently” I could mean the last 12-18 months!) but it just seems I never have time even though all I do is sit about doing nothing. Anyway, I've been home for well over a week and it really is good to be back and get a break from York. I mean, I love York and being at Uni, but it is nice to see all of my family and friends.

Book End
The library phoned me up last Wednesday and said they wanted me back, which is great news, but they need to sort some things out at their end before I can go back and as yet I haven't started yet. It's now been almost a week and I go back to York 3 weeks on Thursday so they better sort themselves out if they want me back in time. I am pretty desperate for the money now, I'm about £900 overdrawn. I really don't know where it all goes, as I don't spend that much money it seems to me. I go out pretty regularly, but it's not like I'm out drinking every single night of the week, and I don't buy clothes or DVDs or stuff that much. It just seems that the money disappears anyway. Life of a student I guess.

Exam Stress
At least I've been busy at home - revising and writing an essay. Luckily I've done about half my essay so I'm not too worried about that now but my exams are only in about 3 weeks and I'm quite worried about them. So far, I haven't done anything towards my degree (well, nothing assessed anyway) and after my essays are in and I've done my exams, that's a third of my degree. So as you can see they're quite important. I have been doing revision, but I just don't feel massively confident about them. I've never really had a problem with exams before, but because I haven't done any for 12 months, and they didn't count for anything, I just feel overly nervous about. I'd feel much more confident if all my assessment was done on essays as I think my technique is finally reaching a plateau and I reckon I could write a decent essay on just about anything. Well, perhaps not anything, but you know what I mean.

Spare Parts
Apart from that, I haven't done anything. Mother's Day was fun and it was my Nan's birthday yesterday so I spent the day with her. It's my niece's 3rd birthday in a week or 2 and I'm looking forward to Easter (I am a self-confessed choc-a-holic!). Oh, and I watched Wrestlemania on Sunday night, a proper post about that will follow when I get the chance.

Link-me-do
You’ve seen the Pornlizer, now see the Mr. T’inator!!! - http://firefly.sparse.org/~mrt/

Boo Hurrah!

George Bush revealed - http://www.gradis.net/xray.htm

War Blogs - http://www.warblogging.com

Rate people's poo out of 10 - http://www.ratemypoo.com

Quote of the Day
"This is simply a warning shot across the bows of the Iraqi leadership" - Foreign Secretary Geoff Hoon describes today's attacks on Iraq

War War War, Jaw Jaw Jaw
War in Iraq is upon us today. Could today be a momentous day in history? The overthrowing of the evil dictator Saddam Hussein? Or merely the beginning of World War III? Sadly, only time will tell. I am against the war without a second UN resolution, however, I realise that Mr. Tony Blair believes he is doing what is best for the UK. Bush on the other hand, well, I'm not so sure what his reasons are, but jingoism aside, he hasn't properly explained himself. But who am I to disagree?

This war is wrong. It did not need to happen; it is unnecessary and was avoidable. There was still time; there were other ways and reasonable alternatives. But they were not honestly explored. In the mad, maddening rush to arms, the point of last resort was not reached. The case was not made; indeed, the wider international and domestic argument was lost. As US and British forces moved to forward battle positions last night and Iraq's civilian population sought shelter before the approaching storm, it was clear that those political leaders who set this conflict in train now carry an enormous responsibility. The responsibility is all the greater since it is by no means clear that it is fortified by international law, morality, logic or common sense.

There is the hope that Saddam, despite most predictions, may still flee or be overthrown and that his armies will heed US calls to surrender. The prospect that Iraq's dictator will at last be deposed is perhaps the only clear-cut benefit of this entire adventure. There is the hope that, despite months of US scare-mongering, Saddam will not use chemical or biological weapons. There is the hope that Iraq will not quickly splinter into myriad warring factions, creeds and clans and that Turkey's likely intervention in the north does not lead to ethnic conflict there. There is also the hope that the US military strategy, reliant on relatively few, fast-moving ground troops and tanks, supported from the air, will be able to engage and seize their objectives as quickly as planned. Last but not least, there is the profoundly-felt hope that Britain's own forces will escape serious mauling - and that any casualties, unlike after the last Gulf war, will be properly cared for when they come home. Sadly, Britain's fingers-crossed foreign policy means having to hope also that the government's failure to secure clear UN and legal authority does not compromise our soldiers.

The aims of this war have been unclear all along. That confusion must now end. The objective is not a US-run Iraq or some grandiose, US-designed regional reformation. It is an independent, integrated state led by indigenous Iraqis empowered by free elections and working in partnership with the UN. Tony Blair's assurance yesterday that Britain will seek agreement to establish a leading role for the UN is welcome. Getting in is much easier than getting out; but get out quickly the US must. Whatever Dick Cheney and his far-right friends may think, they have no business there.

Stop the War website can be found at: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/

This is a political war, a war of power largely orchestrated by the ideologues and zealots who surround that most implausible of presidents, George Bush. This recourse to war is a substitute for thought and understanding, divisive in conception and enormously damaging to the international order. More broadly, this is a war between powerful men on all sides, men accustomed to getting their own way. It is not a popularly-endorsed war, however hard they try to portray it so - not by the peoples of Iraq or the Muslim sphere or the peoples of the west. They did not want it. But it is ordinary people everywhere who will be affected by the imminent instability and terror. By this untimely, pre-emptive act are all debates, all protests and petitions, and - to most eyes - all UN processes set at nought. All that remains is the sad, fretful hope that it will soon be over.

Hope is - and should be - the policy now. In truth, hope is the only policy for a Britain committed to the US come what may, almost wholly deprived of its independence of action, both military and diplomatic, and at the mercy of events directed in Washington. There is the hope that civilian casualties are kept to a minimum (whatever that means) and the American bombs and missiles are indeed "smarter" than in 1991. There is the hope that pledges to avoid essential civilian infrastructure such as hospitals and power plants will be honoured. This war will be prosecuted, says US Admiral Timothy Keating, with "breath-taking speed, agility, precision and persistence". Well, we shall see. Aid agencies warn of possible humanitarian and refugee crises. Hopefully, these human tragedies will not materialise.

This is my personality type apparently, I don't agree but what do I know?

Conscious self	Overall self

Take Free Enneagram Test

Should've gone up yesterday...

St. Valentine’s Day Massacre
Ah, February 14th is upon us again and for singletons like me it’s a chance to wallow in self-pity or go out there and do something about it. That is if you believe the hype. It amazes me how each year Valentines Day becomes more commercialised. Yes, if did have a girlfriend then I probably would take them out for a meal (unfortunately McDonalds and Burger King don’t count), buy them some chocolates and some flowers. However, the way society is at the moment, it’s as if we’re under some mystical pressure to do all of these things, and if we don’t then we’re a “bad boyfriend”. I simply shake my head and sigh at this sort of thing sometimes.

England = Poo
Oh My God. England lost to Australia last night in a football match (though to call what England played last night “football” is an insult). Not that Australia didn’t deserve to win. They played extremely well and fully deserved the plaudits. But England were abysmal. No, they were worse than that, they were the pits. I’m not 100% certain whether I think this is a worse result for England than their 2-2 draw with Macedonia or whoever the hell it was.

Playing one team for 45 minutes and another entirely different team for the second half worked about as well as a solar-powered torch. Sven, you have messed up bad, and I understand you’re under pressure from club managers but something needs to be done. I feel like creating a blueprint and sending it to the FA and FIFA on how they should change the game so that the debacle that happened last night never happens again. Rant over.

Quote of the Day
“Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far” - Theodore Roosevelt 1901

Gulf War Mk II
Tony Benn, staunch left-winger and former Labour MP came to to do a talk on behalf of the "Stop the War Campaign" on Thursday, just days after conducting his interview with Saddam Hussein. I went to watch him and he was an excellent public speaker, made some good points about Saddam Hussein, and put forward his views on why we shouldn't go to war with Iraq. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it was well worth it. The highlights included him being told he was not allowed to smoke in Central Hall, to which he took out his pipe and lit it, and then when he received a phone call in the middle of his talk from CNN to do an interview via phone to 25m listening Americans. When they asked him where he was and he said "York", they thought he meant "New York". You just gotta love that.

In a related tidbit, here's something that was originally on the Internet and became famous from the Daily Mirror stealing it for a front page recently, just seemed germane in light of recent developments:



Quote of the Day
"So I drink a lot, have casual sex and swear, and suddenly I'm cast as a bad boy" - Rising British star Colin Farrell on his 'angelic' lifestyle

Illness and the Beast
I can’t believe how little I blog now. It always seems to me that I blogged just a couple of days ago, and then when I actually check it turns out I haven’t blogged for a couple of weeks. I really can’t account for this. Just one of those things I guess. To be honest, I have been much busier this term at Uni than previously, in fact I seem to be going to the library almost every day.

At the moment though, I’m feeling quite unwell as I seem to have developed a horrendous cold and cough that is making me feel rotten. I was going to go out tonight but instead I’ll be reduced to watching Steven Spielberg’s Taken and the football on TV (not a bad alternative admittedly).

America’s Finest
This week saw the return to terrestrial TV of two of one of America’s highest-rated shows and the start of a new “must-see” American drama. I’m talking about CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Boomtown. Because both are on Channel 5 (which is Britain’s sort of low-budget, soft-core porn channel) neither will get massive ratings, though I’m sure they’ll both do well respectively for Channel 5. I’d never watched CSI before and I have to say I really enjoyed it. As you’d expect from America, very slick, well-written, well-acted and just generally of a high standard. Boomtown too was very interesting, it takes a crime each week and sees it from 7 different perspectives so you get the full picture. I guess the closest you thing you could compare it to would be… er, Memento? I don’t know, but it works.

Land of Hope and Glory
Just like most other American shows (e.g. Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, 24), they’re all of a really high standard. Now I appreciate that we tend to get only the best stuff from America, but the point I want to make is that America’s best is by far superior to Britain’s best. The closest thing Britain has to 24 is probably Spooks, which I thought was alright but nothing compared to its American counterparts. Again, something like Ultimate Force with Ross “Grant Mitchell” Kemp and Red Cap with Tamzin Outhwaite are, frankly, poor.

Why is this? Basically, it’s money. American shows get massive budgets compared to the crap made by the Beeb and ITV, they have a writing team (emphasis being on “team”) rather than just 1 or 2 writers, and they usually get biggish name actors (the best example being Kiefer Sutherland in 24 or Donnie Wahlberg in Boomtown). Think of one of my favourite TV shows, Star Trek. Imagine if the BBC made that. It would just be awful. Dr. Who may be a cult show, but the production values are laughable. I really enjoy all the American imports, don’t get me wrong, I just wish we could produce something with the same style, slickness and all-round verve of our neighbours across the Atlantic.

Insight into Advertising
Because I have no idea what I want to do with my life, I attended a couple of Careers Workshops this week (before being struck by illness). The first was by Norwich Union, one of the UK’s largest companies, and although interesting, the most enticing aspect of their presentation was that if you join their graduate scheme, you get a starting salary of £20,000 a year which is pretty good. (Not that I’m motivated just by money or anything, but, you know, it’s a consideration).

However, the second workshop I went to was presented by an advertising agency called Lowe who are based in London and it was really inspirational. I basically only signed up to this one because I thought it might be interesting, however, it was a real eye-opener. The two people who came in were recent graduates, and, although I understand they were here to do this, they really did make working in advertising seem like an attractive proposition. It certainly made me evaluate what I want to do after Uni. Although everyone wants to work on the creative aspect of things (i.e. dreaming up adverts and getting to film them), most of what they described sounded pretty exciting as well. Plus, 75% of the people in the workshop were attractive blonde women. (Not that I’m motivated by pretty women or anything, but, you know, it’s a consideration).

Quote of the Day
“It’s like a cross between Marx and Nietzsche, with added Hun-hate and a bit of Susannah Constantine and Trinny Woodall”” - Zoe Williams of the Guardian assesses the state of videogaming today

Film is the Truth
Went to see Gangs of New York the other day. My what a great film. Scorsese manages to hit the peaks that have eluded him recently. Daniel Day-Lewis is exceptional, Leonardo di Caprio (no swooning please) is passable but overall the film was excellent. The ending could be seen as a cop-out slightly (I don't want to give anything away) but was satisfying enough to make me happy.

Late Late Late
Woo, I didn't realise it had been so long since I last blogged. D'oh. Anyway, I'm back at Uni livin' it large and having a good time. Christmas was... pretty much the same as every year, though it was good to see all the family again. New Year was expensive (I somehow managed to spend all my Christmas money on New Years Eve) and since then I've just been taking things easy and preparing to do some serious work this term.

Shockwaves versus Bryclreem
I got really bored of my hair about 2 years ago and decided to do something about it so I started using gel (Shockwaves). I've been using that regularly now and I'm generally very happy with it. It can sometimes look a bit greasy but usually gel only enhances my hair because of the way I style it. However, one of my friends has been preaching the virtues of Bryclreem to me so I have decided to take the plunge and buy some. The effect on my hair is incredibly similar to Shockwaves. In fact, I'd probably go as far as saying they have the exact same effect. Despite having completely different textures and looks, Shockwaves and Brylcreem are essentially the same. Maybe it's my stupid hair that renders all hair products the same. Especially now I've accidentally dyed it ginger (don't ask). Maybe I should invent hair stuff that makes everyone's hairs look perfect.

Quote of the Day
"Anarchy is order; government is civil war" - Anselme Bellegarrique

Tired and Hungover
A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!