Tonight at 8, if anybody’s interested. “Future Boy” and “Ghiblies” are on the cards, as is “Naruto” if either (a) Paul brings some, (b) Not-Gay Gareth brings some, or (c) I acquire some by then. See you later!
Blog
Dan And Alex
Man O’ War Rules, Templates, Info Etc.
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Back In Aber
Claire and I are back in Aber after our trip around the country. We’re both knackered so, for now, that is all.
Claire’s Birthday, and Preston
Well, Claire and I are in Preston. We travelled up here last night (after a few false starts, including getting to Mach before realising we’d left the Green Day tickets blu-tacked to the wall “so we don’t forget them” in Aber and having to turn back). Claire’s been made out to be a bookworm again, with a heap of new reading material to keep her occupied for the coming year.
Visited my mum’s house. My sisters are typically hilarious. They’ve got a new chicken (after the last ones were eaten by foxes) + chicks, and a new guinea pig (called Pork Chop, which I think is a fantastic name for a guinea pig), and the puppies have grown up so it’s complete mayhem of the excitable 3-month-old doggy variety. They’d decorated a cake for Claire’s birthday, which read “Happy Birfday [sic] Mini Melton” and had an (anatomically correct) picture of her, with an arrow and the word “You” pointing to it.
This evening, we’re off to see Feeder and R.E.M. at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground, which’ll be fab, and then tomorrow, we’re travelling down to Milton Keynes to see Green Day (& friends), then we’ll spend Sunday in London before returning to Aber. This puts Troma Night in the hands of those of you still in Aber. Bryn has a key to the flat, and I’ve changed my password on Duality to something you’ll be able to guess: to determine it, look at the large yellow sign in the kitchen – there is a mis-spelling on it, and there is a number on it. Type the mis-spelled word (in lowercase) as it appears on the sign, followed by the number. If you have any trouble, text me. And if somebody could record/download the Dr. Who episode (as Claire and I will miss it), that’d be great.
I mentioned to my family that the computer game that’s occupied me most of late is Microsoft Train Simulator. My dad seemed pleased, but the rest of my family seem to want to award me an anorak. Once she’d checked to see that I wasn’t joking, the dialogue with Becky went as follows:
Bex: Microsoft Train Simulator?
Dan: Yup.
Bex: Trains?
Dan: Uh-huh.
Bex: So… what? You plan train routes, manage finances, that kind of thing…
Dan: No, it’s not like Transport Tycoon. You drive trains.
Bex: You… drive trains.
Dan: Yeah; you drive different kinds of trains along real-world routes to a schedule.
Bex: So… do you like; earn money and you can buy better trains? Or unlock secret areas?
Dan: No.
Bex: Wh… bu… <disapproving silence>
Well; I’m guessing she won’t be wanting a copy, then.
Fun. Cool. Saucy. Axe Feather.
This was fun even before I realised that tickling her in different places when she was in different positions had different effects.
I like it.
Many years later, I’d go on to recreate this advertisement using modern web technologies.
Squashed Philosophers – Condensed Philosophy
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I Can’t Stop Thinking! #6
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SmartData (And French Visitors) Night Out
SmartData and friends (including our French exchange students and some of their friends from placements around the UK went out for a few drinks and a dance on Friday night. Here’s a piccy which I think pretty much sums up the theme for the evening:
Axe Feather
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Tickle that girl. Damn sexy.
Many years later, I’d go on to recreate this advertisement using modern web technologies.
Robotic Bins And Benches
Singing Benches Let Loose In City, writes the BBC. Just plain weird, say I.
Dan And Alex
Good Stuff
Well; everything’s going notably well this last day or two: Naruto Night I, our new weekly Thursday Night anime night, went off well: only Paul, JTA, Claire and I were able to make it, but that’s pretty much the number we got to the first ever Troma Night, and look what a success that turned out to be… Anyway; Paul and I will try to get a web site set up, because we think this has potential.
Work’s going well, but that’s just work. Claire’s got some good news, but I think she’ll want to share it with you in her blog when she gets round to it.
And, after a few days of stalling, I’ve made a little more progress on TromaNightAdventure2, the sequel to my original RockMonkey WikiGame adventure game. My planned format has changed a little, and it won’t be featuring as a WikiGame directly any more, but… you’ll see: I’m hoping to formally announce progress and a release date next week.
Off to work. Don’t forget, no Geek Night tonight.
Naruto Night
Okay, okay, so I took my time to look at and get into Naruto, a most fantastic anime series. Thanks to Rory and Gareth for showing me the movie, and Paul for providing episodes.
We’ll now be having a weekly “Naruto Night” (to go alongside Tuesday’s “Knightmare Night”, Friday’s “Geek Night”, and Saturday’s “Troma Night”), on Thursday nights, starting tomorrow at 8pm. At each of these we’ll watch about 6 episodes of the Naruto series… assuming Paul can keep me supplied with them. And… I don’t know… eat ramen or something.
Tomorrow we’ll watch episodes 2 through 8, unless anybody comes along who’s never seen any before, in which case we’ll start at number 1. If you’re in two minds, come: it’s fab. See you there.
In other news, Geek Night this week will be rescheduled to Sunday night as Claire and I will be going on a “SmartData and friends and clients and friends and various French exchange students” pub crawl on Friday night. Which you’re all welcome to, if you like – I’ll happily introduce everybody to everybody – and if hanging out with drunken geeks is your thing, come along.
My head feels wheelful.
HSBC Account
HSBC have closed my bank account with them: a bank account I’d had with them since they were Midland Bank, back when I was still in high school. I hadn’t used it for, well – anything at all – for the last 9 months or so, and didn’t know it had been closed (they’d never told me) until I decided to check my balance last week and had my card stolen by a machine.
I went along to see them today, mostly out of curiosity as to what had happened. The cashier sent me to customer services, who seemed quite confused when they were unable to access my account details on the computer. They eventually found my details and had explained what had happened. The final balance, they informed me, was minus 6 pence.
Me: I’m not sure I can settle that six-pence debt all at once. Perhaps I can take a loan with you, and pay you back – I don’t know – eight monthly installments of a penny each, to clear it.
Her: That won’t be necessary.
Me: Umm, okay then… I could probably spare about sixpence… <checks wallet> Would you take a cheque?
Her: We’re happy to write-off the debt.
Me: I’m not sure I could live with myself knowing I’d cost you that sixpence. I mean; I’ve been with HSBC since before it was HSBC… almost ten years, now –
Her: <getting a little scared now>
Me: – and you’ve been great to me. There was that time you refused to give me a student account for no apparent reason, so I took my business to NatWest. And then there was that time I argued with your technical support staff about your facist web browser compatability policy for your online banking. And that time you keep posting me new Solo cards, one a month, for fun. And that time just five minutes ago that I queued for almost 12 minutes just to be told my account had been closed and the bank hadn’t even written to me to tell me. After all of that, how could I possibly steal sixpence from you?
Her: Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?
Dan 6 – 0 HSBC