Posting this at least partly to remind myself how I made it, on future occasions, 'cos it was extremely tasty and extremely easy, which is always a great combo.  :D

It's somewhat Jamaican-inspired, with a big nod to "Stewed Peas", but not based directly on any particular recipe.

Serves 4 or so

400g casserole beef
4 rashers bacon
2 tins kidney beans
1 ( Read more... )

Here's a very smart article from the Wall Street Journal that says, way better than I can be bothered to, why lit fic has become a genre in its own right, and why, as a genre, it is now somewhat past its best.

So, er, science fiction for the win, I guess...

(I actually read about as much lit fic as I do SF; but most of the lit fic I read, with the ( Read more... )

Dear [headmaster's forename]

[insert apology for not getting back in touch yet about an assembly I'm helping him write for next week]

I'm actually writing with regard to another matter. Mrs Edwards gave
Kyle (and other pupils) a flyer from an evangelical Christian
organisation last week -- it's visible here, on their website:

http://rockwood-mission ( Read more... )

...someone is wrong on the internet.

In this case it's John Mullan, Booker Prize judge and "professor of English", who said he "was not aware of science fiction," and "it is in a special room in book shops, bought by a special kind of person who has special weird things they go to and meet each other."

You know -- Mr Mullan -- you may be right. ( Read more... )

An object lesson in why you shouldn't expect professionally creative people to just do you freebie favours in their chosen field:

I Will Not Read Your Fucking Script.

It's quite funny, but the Dr Suess style poetic version, read by Harlan Ellison, is even funnier.

Perhaps rather cruelly, but quite fairly, the Telegraph has the 20 Worst Dan Brown ( Read more... )

For you clockwork and brass fans -- the steampunk laptop. Pretty.

The Sigh Co site has my favourite T-shirts in a while. There are some great Lovecraft and Poe ones, but my favourite is this one -- not sure I could wear it round here without summoning angry mobs with torches & pitchforks though. If I were female, I would want these too.

Anyone with ( Read more... )

This is a brilliant video. I suspect that most martial artists -- whether doing Western martial arts, combat sports, MMA, whatever -- will see at least some points of similarity between what they do and what's shown here. There are, after all, only so many ways in which it's efficient to strike, throw, strangle, or otherwise injure another human ( Read more... )

It's the best thing RTD has done since Queer As Folk, by a light year. Somewhat disjointed and distinctly spoilery thoughts behind the cut:

( Read more... )

"British Govt are basically unethical scum", part 372: Outsourcing Torture: Atrocity Package Holidays to Pakistan.

"It's not like the Tories are any better", part 73,248: Let's Start Banning Books Again, That Works So Well.

"At Least We Can Still Trust The Police Not To Be Murderous Psychos In Disguise, Not", part 48: Kicked Out For Excessive Force?  ( Read more... )

Munchkin conversations:

serpentstar  "I can't use this Broad Sword [Item, +3 Bonus, 1 Hand, 400 Gold Pieces. Usable by Female players only (or sex-changed Males)]. Do you want to swap it for anything?"

bridiep  "I have Short Wide Armour."

serpentstar  "Well, you're not a dwarf, and I'm not a broad..."

bridiep  "No, you're right here."

. . .

Post-game:

serpentstar  "I think I'm finally beginning to ( Read more... )