fanboygeeks tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-530789 2009-03-11T23:17:27+00:00 TypePad Fewer, it's fewer damnit. For the love of the wee man please make them stop... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-63957177 2009-03-11T23:17:27+00:00 2009-03-11T23:17:27+00:00 ASDA, March 2009. Seriously, does no once care? Because, if we just let it go, it will eventually just become accepted. Is that what you want? 'Cause that's what'll happen... It makes me want to cry. Stu :'-( redplanet

IMG_0906 ASDA, March 2009.

Seriously, does no once care?  Because, if we just let it go, it will eventually just become accepted.

Is that what you want?  'Cause that's what'll happen...

It makes me want to cry.

Stu :'-(

 "Fewer" damnit, not less, "fewer"! tag:typepad.com,2003:post-57126893 2008-10-17T13:28:09+01:00 2008-10-17T13:28:09+01:00 For heaven's sake, Starbucks! Stu ;-) redplanet

Starbucksnapkins For heaven's sake, Starbucks!

Stu ;-)

 Vote buying? Surely not... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-55570376 2008-09-13T12:45:36+01:00 2008-09-13T12:45:36+01:00 My American wife received the these items in the post this week, two days apart. One is an "economic stimulus cheque", the other a Presidential Election Voting Ballot. Is the timing co-incidence? No? How dare you... Stu ;-) redplanet <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>My American wife received the these items in the post this week, two days apart.&nbsp; One is an &quot;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Stimulus_Act_of_2008">economic stimulus cheque</a>&quot;, the other a <a href="http://www.presidentialelection.com/">Presidential Election</a> Voting Ballot.&nbsp; Is the timing co-incidence?&nbsp; No?&nbsp; How dare you...</p> <p>Stu ;-)<br /><a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=800,height=600,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/09/13/bribery.jpg"><img height="345" width="460" border="0" src="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/fanboygeeks/images/2008/09/13/bribery.jpg" title="Bribery" alt="Bribery" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; float: left;" /></a> </p></div> McCain Rustic Oven Chips "buy" an award. tag:typepad.com,2003:post-55482116 2008-09-11T19:42:46+01:00 2008-09-11T19:42:46+01:00 "Chips so good they've won an award". That's not *strictly* accurate... 1. McCain entered their product into the astroturf "Voted Product of the Year" award. A new category which hadn't existed in previous years, "Home Cooking", was created specially for... redplanet <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=187,height=278,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/09/11/rustic_chips_award.jpg"><img height="222" width="150" border="0" src="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/fanboygeeks/images/2008/09/11/rustic_chips_award.jpg" title="Rustic_chips_award" alt="Rustic_chips_award" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; float: left;" /></a> <a href="http://www.mccain.co.uk/whats-on/">&quot;Chips so good they've won an award&quot;.</a></p> <p>That's not *strictly* accurate...</p> <p>1.&nbsp; McCain <a href="http://www.productoftheyear.co.uk/default.asp?section=464&amp;page=853">entered</a> their product into the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing">astroturf</a> &quot;<a href="http://www.productoftheyear.co.uk/">Voted Product of the Year</a>&quot; award.&nbsp; A new category which hadn't existed in previous years, &quot;<a href="http://www.productoftheyear.co.uk/winner.asp?year=2008&amp;winner=1">Home Cooking</a>&quot;, was <a href="http://www.productoftheyear.co.uk/default.asp?section=464&amp;page=854">created</a> specially for them.</p> <p>2.&nbsp; When Rustic Oven Chips were shortlisted (78% of all products entered were shortlisted in 2006), they were sent a bill for <a href="http://www.productoftheyear.co.uk/default.asp?section=456">£4,750</a>.</p> <p>3.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.tnsglobal.com/">Taylor Nelson Sofres</a>, a market research company who <a href="http://www.seafood.net.au/seafooddirections/2005/presentations/Ed%20Garner.pdf">represent</a> the majority of the previous award-winners, conducted a survey with over 12,000 consumers (of which only <a href="http://www.productoftheyear.co.uk/default.asp?section=464&amp;page=855">60%</a> responded) asking them which of this limited, pre-selected, paid-for-entry shortlist they preferred.&nbsp; Oh, and there was <a href="http://www.productoftheyear.co.uk/default.asp?section=464&amp;page=855">no need</a> for the people surveyed to have even tasted McCain Rustic Oven Chips to vote for them, they could be judged simply from the accompanying blurb and glossy photo in the voting brochure.</p> <p>4.&nbsp; On winning the category they had between a 1 in 2, or a 1 in 6 chance of winning, McCain were sent another bill for <a href="http://www.productoftheyear.co.uk/default.asp?section=456">£12,500</a>.&nbsp; Pow, for the next 12 months they can now boast to anyone who will listen about the &quot;Voted Product of the Year&quot; award they bought.</p> <p>Can I stress, the award wasn't for &quot;best taste&quot; or anything worthwhile - it was for &quot;<a href="http://www.productoftheyear.co.uk/productpage.asp?id=292">Best Innovation in Home Cooking</a>&quot;.&nbsp; Oven chips.&nbsp; Innovation (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCain_Foods_Limited">maybe in 1957</a>)?&nbsp; Home Cooking ('cause they're <a href="http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/2007/01/12/uk-food-labelling-sheme-give-oven-chips-a-green-light-and-why-this-makes-me-see-red/">so healthy</a>)?</p> <p>Does this award have any value apart from cynically hoodwinking the public?</p> <p>FanboyGeek<br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em;">(précised from a <a href="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/fanboygeeks/2007/03/voted_product_o.html">previous post</a>)</span></p></div> To tick or untick tag:typepad.com,2003:post-54692668 2008-08-26T09:46:54+01:00 2008-08-26T09:46:54+01:00 I'm on the National Express East Coast train traveling from Edinburgh to London and am delighted to discover that internet access is now free (you had to pay for it on GNER). Calling it "broadband" is a stretch, though -... redplanet <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>I'm on the <a href="http://www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com/">National Express East Coast</a> train traveling from Edinburgh to London and am delighted to discover that internet access is now free (you had to pay for it on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_North_Eastern_Railway">GNER</a>).&nbsp; Calling it &quot;broadband&quot; is a stretch, though - according to <a href="http://www.broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk/">BroadbandSpeedchecker</a> it's 136Kpbs Down and 85Kbps Up - but then again I am able to do *this* for free so I shouldn't complain.</p> <p>Anyway to get the free internet you have to log in with an email address - technically there's no real reason why this is necessary...&nbsp; Once you give your email address you are then offered the usual <em>&quot;can we and some other random people send you spam&quot;</em> tick box.&nbsp; However, it's worded thus:</p> <p><em>&quot;If you do <strong>not</strong> wish to receive ... please <strong>untick</strong> the box&quot;</em></p> <p>For the second time this week such an option has strained my brain trying to figure out whether ticking the box will result in me getting spam or not.&nbsp; Go on, try to figure it out yourself.&nbsp; Methinks the vagueness is intentional...</p> <p>Stu ;-)</p> <p><a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=339,height=143,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/26/untickbox1_2.jpg"><img height="143" width="339" border="0" src="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/blog/images/2008/08/26/untickbox1_2.jpg" title="Untickbox1_2" alt="Untickbox1_2" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; float: left;" /></a> <a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=455,height=59,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/26/untickbox2_2.jpg"><img height="59" width="455" border="0" src="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/blog/images/2008/08/26/untickbox2_2.jpg" title="Untickbox2_2" alt="Untickbox2_2" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; float: left;" /></a> </p></div> Tron 2! It's for real! Geek Overload! tag:typepad.com,2003:post-53486838 2008-07-30T12:02:52+01:00 2008-07-30T12:02:52+01:00 Sorry I've been away for so long... Being a new Daddy, summer holiday, poorly parents and work have all taken their toll.. But I'm back! I had to come back... Because Tron 2 is no longer a myth! It's for... redplanet <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Sorry I've been away for so long...&nbsp; Being a new Daddy, summer holiday, poorly parents and work have all taken their toll..&nbsp; </p> <p>But I'm back!</p> <p>I had to come back...</p> <p>Because <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tron_%28film%29">Tron</a> 2 is no longer a myth!</p> <p>It's for real!&nbsp; (And it's called &quot;<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1267309/"><strong>TR2N</strong></a>&quot;).</p> <p>A shocked <a href="http://www.comic-con.org/">ComicCon</a> audience, already reeling from seeing a preview trailer for <a href="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=L7fRwkKmaN4">Terminator Salvation</a> earlier in the week, were shown a &quot;surprise&quot; trailer on Friday - and as you can hear from the audience, as they realised what they were watching, joy broke out.&nbsp; Listen for the heartfelt cheer when <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000313/">Jeff Bridges</a> appears - reprising his role as Kevin Flynn.&nbsp; (Oops, did I spoil it for you?!)&nbsp; Fortunately for the rest of us someone camcorded it...</p> <p><a href="http://www.josephkosinski.com/">Joseph Kosinski</a>, commercials director and protégé of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000399/">David Fincher</a>, is directing, with original Tron creator <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0513974/">Steven Lisberger</a> producing for Disney/Pixar.&nbsp; <a href="http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index?pn=index">Lost</a> writers <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0457736/">Eddie Kitsis</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0395271/">Adam Horowitz</a> are penning the script.</p> <p>As a Tron evangelist I'm so excited it's ridiculous.&nbsp; You can keep your cynical cash-in <a href="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=d0bA_LMZAHA">Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Made of Gold</a>, and I will not tire of punching anyone involved in the sacrilege <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970416/">The Day the Earth Stood Still</a> remake (the original is about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthy_Era">McCarthyism</a> you idiots, it can't be remade!) - but, this is a sequel that deserves to be made, and the fact that Lisberger (the keeper of Tron) is producing is enough to satisfy me that this will be a film worth seeing, and more importantly worth making.</p> <p>However.&nbsp; Enjoy this trailer while you can, because Disney are currently issuing writs against anyone hosting this clip.&nbsp; I'm imagining that the Russian site that's hosting this version won't roll over as easy as YouTube, but I have to ask - &quot;why?&quot;.</p> <p>A camcorded trailer spread across the internet by hysterically enthusiastic evangelists is surely better marketing than the <a href="http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/">Dark Knight</a> black pepper <a href="http://www.burgerking.co.uk/">Whopper</a> currently being whored across the country to overweight kids?&nbsp; Film studios are so obsessed with copyright that they don't seem to understand that people like me are spreading the trailer around because we can't wait to hand over our hard-earned cash to them to see the film, and we'd like our friends to be as excited about it as we are.&nbsp; We're doing the marketing for them - for free - and as thanks we get labelled as &quot;pirates&quot;.&nbsp; Gee thanks.&nbsp; It's not like I've got this grainy, virtually unwatchable trailer for free so now I won't go and see the film.&nbsp; If a film is shit I won't go and see it, but irrespective of what anyone says about *this* film I'll be breaking down the cinema doors to see it on the big screen.</p> <p>Anyway, enjoy the trailer, and it's safe to say that I'll be organising a FanboyGeek screening.&nbsp; Hopefully at the <a href="http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_imax">London IMAX</a>...</p> <p>Stu ;-)</p> <p><object width="400" height="353"><param value="http://video.rutube.ru/8f598466020da2693e730210fdf8930b" name="movie" /><param value="window" name="wmode" /><param value="true" name="allowFullScreen" /><embed width="400" height="353" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="window" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.rutube.ru/8f598466020da2693e730210fdf8930b"></embed></object></p></div> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/fanboygeeks/2008/07/teaser-from-dr.html" /> <link rel="replies" type="text/html" href="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/fanboygeeks/2008/07/teaser-from-dr.html" thr:count="0" /> <id>tag:typepad.com,2003:post-52554314</id> <published>2008-07-11T18:24:37+01:00</published> <updated>2008-07-11T18:24:37+01:00</updated> <summary>Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.</summary> <author> <name>Jane Wilcock</name> </author> <content type="html" xml:lang="en-US" xml:base="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/fanboygeeks/"> <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object width="400" height="225"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1227202&amp;server=www.vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" /> <embed src="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1227202&amp;server=www.vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://www.vimeo.com/1227202?pg=embed&sec=1227202">Teaser</a> from <a href="http://www.vimeo.com/drhorrible?pg=embed&sec=1227202">Dr. Horrible&#039;s Sing-Along Blog</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com?pg=embed&sec=1227202">Vimeo</a>.</p></div> </content> </entry> <entry> <title>George Carlin RIP tag:typepad.com,2003:post-51779346 2008-06-24T09:56:18+01:00 2008-06-24T09:56:18+01:00 I wish I was smart enough to be able to write something clever and worthy, but I'm not so I can't. George Carlin was important. He was a voice of dissent for most of his 71 years. The world is... redplanet <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=400,height=500,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/24/georgecarlin.jpg"><img width="200" height="250" border="0" src="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/fanboygeeks/images/2008/06/24/georgecarlin.jpg" title="Georgecarlin" alt="Georgecarlin" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; float: left;" /></a> I wish I was smart enough to be able to write something clever and worthy, but I'm not so I can't.</p> <p>George Carlin was important.&nbsp; He was a voice of dissent for most of his 71 years. The world is now duller and less funny, and the bullshitters will find it easier to get one over on us now.</p> <p>We know you're not in Heaven, because neither of us believe in Heaven, but I'm going to wish that you Rest in Peace all the same.</p> <p>Joe Pesci bless you.</p> <p>Stu :-)</p> <p><object width="425" height="349"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BTyzTJTNhNk&amp;hl=en&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0x006699&amp;color2=0x54abd6&amp;border=1" name="movie" /><embed width="425" height="349" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BTyzTJTNhNk&amp;hl=en&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0x006699&amp;color2=0x54abd6&amp;border=1"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="349"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MeSSwKffj9o&amp;hl=en&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0x006699&amp;color2=0x54abd6&amp;border=1" name="movie" /><embed width="425" height="349" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MeSSwKffj9o&amp;hl=en&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0x006699&amp;color2=0x54abd6&amp;border=1"></embed></object></p></div> Battle Of The Social Networks tag:typepad.com,2003:post-51667904 2008-06-21T14:46:18+01:00 2008-06-21T14:46:18+01:00 glumbert - The Battle Of Social Networks! (posted by Joe) Joe Pavlo Relax those shoulders tag:typepad.com,2003:post-51654032 2008-06-20T22:48:17+01:00 2008-06-20T22:48:17+01:00 Stu I sympathise and hope this salves a little (hang in there for the dark side) Jane Wilcock <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Stu I sympathise and hope this salves a little (hang in there for the dark side)</p> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UkTQwP2gFxU&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UkTQwP2gFxU&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div> F*ck you Daniel Kagan tag:typepad.com,2003:post-51570512 2008-06-19T16:10:45+01:00 2008-06-19T16:10:45+01:00 I've just recently bought the domain name clairejulia.net for my baby daughter. I'm not a big fan of people using .com as it implies they're a corporation, also for individuals a .co.uk suffix suggests they're a UK company. Thus, I... redplanet <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=622,height=549,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/19/domainspam.jpg"><img height="132" width="150" border="0" src="http://redplanetblog.typepad.com/fanboygeeks/images/2008/06/19/domainspam.jpg" title="Domainspam" alt="Domainspam" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; float: left;" /></a> I've just recently bought the domain name <em>clairejulia<strong>.net</strong></em> for my baby daughter.&nbsp; I'm not a big fan of people using <strong>.com</strong> as it implies they're a corporation, also for individuals a <strong>.co.uk</strong> suffix suggests they're a UK company.&nbsp; Thus, I prefer <strong>.net</strong> for individuals (despite it originally being for network infrastructures).&nbsp; To me,<em><strong>&nbsp;</strong>clairejulia<strong>.net</strong></em> implies &quot;<em>Claire Julia on the Internet</em>&quot;.&nbsp; Actually, I think ICANN should release <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.web">.web</a></strong> for personal URLs, but that's another story.</p> <p>So, this week I received a SPAM email from a <a href="mailto:daniel@domainsalertservice.com">Dan Kagan</a> of <a href="http://domainsalertservice.com/">Domains Alert Service</a> informing me that his company have &quot;<em>acquired</em>&quot; <em>clairejulia<strong>.com</strong></em> for their company's &quot;<em>development plans</em>&quot;, but as the owner of <em>clairejulia<strong>.net</strong></em> they would allow me the &quot;<em>opportunity to acquire</em>&quot; it from them for $99.</p> <p>Clearly, this company scours the domain registries searching for domains where there are are other <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-level_domain">TLD </a>variations available, then snap them up and hold them to ransom.</p> <p>Well, I don't want to respond to this email and thus encourage his spamming, so in case Daniel Kagan is ever <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egosurfing">egosurfing</a>, here's my response:</p> <p><em>Dear Daniel<br /><br />Stick clairejulia.com up your f*cking arse you cybersquatting, blackmailing, scum-sucking, bottom-feeding, spamming c*nt.<br /><br />I hope your low-rent business fails and you lose everything.<br /><br />Kind regards<br /><br />The owner of clairejulia.net</em></p></div> Hilarious, geeked out and filthy TNG Rap tag:typepad.com,2003:post-50998750 2008-06-07T20:25:41+01:00 2008-06-07T20:25:41+01:00 Excellent piece of work! It's as if it was custom made for Fanboygeeks! This is not safe for work, which, by the way, is one of the main reasons I like it. -Joe Joe Pavlo <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Excellent piece of work! It's as if it was custom made for Fanboygeeks!</p> <p><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ClP8n6asn3w&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ClP8n6asn3w&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p> <p>This is not safe for work, which, <em>by the way</em>, is one of the main reasons I like it.</p> <p>-Joe</p></div> Elmo's failed Casino audition tag:typepad.com,2003:post-50854394 2008-06-05T13:27:29+01:00 2008-06-05T13:27:29+01:00 Thought this was worthy of fanboygeek Jon Bains

Thought this was worthy of fanboygeek

 Weezer - Pork and Beans tag:typepad.com,2003:post-50364874 2008-05-24T23:28:49+01:00 2008-05-24T23:28:49+01:00 From the moment I realised that the opening lyrics to Buddy Holly were "what's with these homies dissin' my girl?" I knew that Weezer were something special. This video now takes them in to the upper stratosphere of viral videos.... Joe Pavlo <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/muP9eH2p2PI&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/muP9eH2p2PI&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></p> <p>From the moment I realised that the opening lyrics to Buddy Holly were "what's with these homies dissin' my girl?" I knew that Weezer were something special. This video now takes them in to the upper stratosphere of viral videos. I submit it here on the day of release on YouTube where it has already racked up over a million and a half hits.</p> <p>Gentlemen, we are witnessing history being made.</p> <p>-Joe</p></div> Wanna hear your IP address *moaned* to you? tag:typepad.com,2003:post-50305476 2008-05-23T14:45:58+01:00 2008-05-23T14:45:58+01:00 Yes? Click this button then... NSFW. And this is why it's called FanBOYgeek... redplanet

Yes?

Click this button then...

NSFW.

And this is why it's called FanBOYgeek...