Well fbook is down at work today (in fact i suspect it's being blocked by the new server) so I am forced to return to ye olde LJ to make my petty pontifications. I visited my first Comedy Festival show ever last night, not so much to catch up with the latest in hard edge satire from people deriding an Establishment which hasn't existed for sometime ( Read more... )

Have started reading a Larry Niven collection with somewhat mixed emotions. It was part of the joblot of sci-fi books from the last two decades bequeathed me by my Wife's late Uncle, most of which I have found execrably written on several levels, even when by name authors ( Read more... )

Have nearly completed phase 2 of my VHS to DVD crossdubbing masterplan, that of putting all my Australian TV shows (mainly 60's & 70's) into the digital format. This includes vintage kid shows like Tarax Show, Magic Circle Club and Adventure Island, assorted Sci-fi series, Cop & Spy shows such as Homicide, Division 4, Hunter, Comedies like The ( Read more... )

I just took a look at the Worldcon art show rules and I can't say they seemed to be geared towards the non profit fan enthusiast ( Read more... )

We went up to Bright for a long weekend for J's birthday. We used to go to Buxton/Marysville but the place we stayed at burned down and it would just be too depressing until they rebuild/regenerate up there ( Read more... )

Janet's Nan died yesterday. As mentioned in my earlier posts we had been expecting her to linger for a few months so it was a blessed release, but it's still always a shock. We're both feeling sad, the gloomy weather seems in keeping.

I've recently been wondering about the evolution of Reptiles. These are believed to have evolved from Amphibians which in turn evolved from Fish, but it occured to me can that be right, as Fish & Reptiles have scales but Amphibians do not, and it seems very unlikely that scales would disappear and then make a comeback. A Fish-Reptile direct pathway ( Read more... )

In line with my current avatar it is in fact the 70th anniversary of "The Bat-Man" this month, celebrate by watching

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pqvuqEiPFw&feature=channel_page

J & I went in to see her Gran in hospital on Sat. She was always very thin and now is very emaciated, literally skin & bone but her mind is sharp as ever and was very glad to see us. She's 94, and in that half life where modern medicine prolongs you beyond your time, she wants to go but can't.

I've been reading yet another bio of British comedy great Tony Hancock and was intrigued to find that even his most popular TV shows were soundly beaten in the ratings by ITV's "The Army Game". That was a 50's service comedy with an ensemble cast headed by William Hartnell and later Bill Fraser, with Alfie Bass, Charles Hawtrey, Bernard Breslaw and ( Read more... )