So it has been all over the news of late that Mr. Dwayne Chambers took drugs to make him run faster than the other people who run fast for a living. He has been punished for doing it, he is not allowed to run in the Beijing Olympics… or any Olympics until he is dead, at which point I imagine he will be pretty crap at running anyway.

All this despite the fact he has proven recently by winning the qualifying race that he is clearly the best (now) drug-free runner we have in this country. I realise he was a very naughty boy and he should be punished. But Great Britain is pretty rubbish at the Olympics and we really need people what can run right fast to be there running right fast for us.

We as a nation are hugely loyal sports fans, we stick with our rubbish football, tennis, cricket and athletics teams through thick and thin, but surely there is only so much we can take.

So do you think Dwayne should just be given a gentle slap on the wrists and then be told to go and bring home the gold medal? Or do you think we should make an example of the cheating drug taking scumbag and show those athletes they are not going to get away with it?

p.s. I know I haven’t updated for ages, but on the plus side look how many more hits I get when I don’t update this thing. This blog is way more popular if I’m not involved in it in any way.

Anyway after numerous hours of browsing those dirty dirty links I finally took the time to solve the problem which was mainly caused by my lazy ass not updating my Wordpress since version 2.1. I am now running a fully functioning version of 2.5 with no links to pornography… unless you count linking to Celeste’s sex fest of a blog. I really should have updated sooner, because Wordpress 2.5 is ace… I highly recommend it.

I thought with a new version of Wordpress I should change the look of this dated old sucker, so I have a theme that I have been working on, which is nowhere near finished, as you will see if you scroll down to the completely un-cssified footer. I have added some new features too, like the Polls in the sidebar which I’m hoping will be pretty good fun. I am also going to add a revolving header image to keep things fresh.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that I spelled Archives wrong up top… and it was lovingly hand written damn my Welsh inability to spell.

So yes, I just thought I would update you on the goings on and keep looking out for further changes.

p.s. I was also accepted by TLA to advertise here, but I’m not sure whether t go for it due to the Google bashing I will receive… what do you guys think… should I do it? The hosting bill is wigga-da-wigga-da-wack.

Anyway, I have got a lot to get off my chest, but let’s start with an easy one. Since the invention of the amazing boredom saver known as the TV people have been reading less and less. Along with the TV we have computer games, which are also an ace boredom killer. I suppose the internet has probably got people reading a bit, but that’s not proper reading… you’re reading this, but if anything it will probably make you less intelligent and less cultured.

I have to admit that I’m not a big reader. I get really into a book, but then I can’t be bothered reading it so I leave it for a bit… then when I go back to reading it I have forgotten what has happened so I have to start again and it’s a vicious cycle. The last book I actually read from start to finish was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, which admittedly is a kids book, but a very good one. I am currently reading Russel Brand’s autobiography, as Sarah thinks I have a man crush on him… I do not.

So do you read, what are you reading, do you think the next generation of kids will be silly because they play Halo instead of reading Dickens… let me know.

Big Love… Ryan

Coca-Cola is the UK’s top grocery brand.

M&M’s were created so as not to melt when American soldiers were in war in hot countries

To follow up on my post about world records, this guy Tomas Vogel has set the world record for unhooking bras… you’d think a woman would hold that record, he’s not even attractive. But somehow he put in enough practice to bust open 56 bras in 60 seconds… that is impressive. I reckon I could do one… if I tried really hard and was really lucky.

Another bra related stat is that Viking women were the first in the Western world to wear bras.

Add your own random facts below… thank you please.

And to throw in a topical one tonight I think Andy Abraham is going to win the prestigious career improving(?) right to represent their country in the Eurovision Song Contest… who do you think will take the UK crown?

EDIT: Added the “Hello Boys” ad… just for you Rhys.

Chris Evans on Radio 2 has been asking this question, so in a blatant act of plagiarism I am asking the very same thing… Pajamas or no pajamas?

I realise it’s pretty freakin’ cold at the moment so you’d think everyone would be wrapping up, but it appears from his show that everyone is still braving the sexier/colder option.

I have to admit I am a boxers or pj bottoms man. So what about the rest of the universe… Pajamas or no pajamas? Leave me a note in my scantily clad comment creator.

I am not a religious person in any way, but I have decided to give something up for lent anyway. Sarah is giving up crisps and apart from that one slip up which I have already forgotten about she has done it perfectly. I have decided to give up something that I should never have started in the first place, and that is watching crap TV.

I know what you’re thinking… Ryan that is not possible.

I spend loads of time watching rubbish stuff like Corrie and Eastenders because Sarah wants to watch it and I’m not just going to go in the other room and never see her, so I watch it too… or I stare into space just beyond the TV. Or those times when you know there is nothing on until like 9pm, so you just channel surf, hoping and praying there will be an episode of Friends you’ve never seen on or something… which there never is, and then before you know it it’s 9pm and that thing you wanted to watch is on.

So what I intend to do is do something else when that rubbish stuff is on. Like draw / design or read or make something. I have been doing this already and am finding it very fulfilling and productive.

So what are you giving up for lent this year?

It has loads of plugins for relevant content and stuff which I like, but I really need to change the look of it and it has a picture of some random guy who is not me on the archives page, and loads of broken links, but I have decided to leave it live for now. If I didn’t have it live I would never get around to updating it as I am the master of procrastination.

I hope you like it, and remember kids…

Procrastinators are the leaders of tomorrow.

So I don’t know why, but there hasn’t been a film I’ve wanted to see in the cinema for ages… but all of a sudden there are loads of films I want to see. This post is going to be a trailerfest by the way.

Be Kind Rewind

I will start with the film I am most excited of all about. It is the release of Be Kind Rewind which comes out on the 22nd February. As you may know I have a man crush on Michel Gondry, so I am always excited about anything he does… excluding like going to the shops, having a wee… you know what I mean.

Juno

I am also very excited about Juno, which I have been avoiding watching on a bootlegged DVD which is flying around in here in favour of the big screen experience. I could have gone to see it for free with SeeFilmFirst, but I was busy last night grrr.

Jumper

I am also excited about Jumper (which is not about those ones your gran knits for Christmas). I am not just excited about this because Rachel Bilson appears to make an appearance in her brassiere (which is obviously included in the trailer), but it also includes people with superpowers and other geekery.

Cloverfield

Then of course there is Cloverfield which comes out here today and is produced by JJ “Lost” Abrams. I will be venturing out to see this sucker. The problem might be that it has been massively (over?) hyped and I hope it isn’t a let down. I have heard reports that the whole film is ace, but the end is poor. Please don’t tell me what happens if you have already seen it.

No Country For Old Men

I also want to see No Country For Old Men. I am a big fan of The Coen Brothers. This has already been released, but only in those cinemas that show good films (of which there are none anywhere near me).

And More…

I will definitely have to wait for the DVD release of Paranoid Park, which also looks good. And Forgetting Sarah Marshall by Judd Apatow of Knocked up and Superbad fame.

Also coming out will be loads of sequels and prequels and stuff, like the new James Bond film, The Dark Knight (with Heath Ledger… like you didn’t know) and even a new Indiana Jones film. As well as Harry Potter and Rambo.

So… which 2008 films are you looking forward to? Also, have you seen any good films already this year?

When I was at school, me and my friends always used to argue who was the hottest out of Jet and Lightning. There was a definite divide in opinions between the people who (wrongly) thought Lightning was hotter than Jet and (correctly) visa-versa.

When I think about it, it is probably wrong to fancy girls who really could kick the crap out of you, but when you are as weak as me, that is just a fact of life you have to get used to.

So which Gladiator did you used to fancy? If any, maybe you hated them all… although no one can deny that Wolf was a handsome devil wasn’t he?

So to celebrate this momentous occasion I thought I would share the absolutely unbelievably good Michel Gondry music video for the White Stripes song Fell in Love With a Girl, enjoy…

Oh and contrary to what Jack White might have you believe in videos like this, there is absolutely no CGI* … it is all pure lego and childlike genius of my hero Michel Gondry.

* Michel Gondry said so in his DVD

So anyway, onto business. You must have seen all the Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Chicken Run programme, or seen him on the news or whatever. He is also getting Senior Oliver involved, which pretty much means it is going to become the biggest thing on the political agenda before too long.

So what did you guys think? Do battery chickens have a good enough life, or is it free range all the way for you? Maybe battery chickens lives could be improved a little bit and then they would still be cheap, but not abused.

I have always bought free range eggs, I have now vowed never to get another battery chicken. It is no life for a chicken. I think if you can’t afford to buy a normal (free range) chicken that has lived a normal life that every chicken should have the right to live, then maybe that should mean you can’t afford to buy a chicken full stop. This is just my opinion - What are your thoughts?

Big Love

Ryan

So anyway who do you think will replace him? Will it be the legend that is Jose Mourinho, I heard mutterings of Ian Wright earlier… that would be great, stop him from making all those freakin’ TV ads.

So today I want to know if you think footballers wages are fair, or do you think they get paid far too much.

I personally think it’s good that they get paid a lot of money, because there is loads of money made from ticket sales and I think it’s good that they get a big portion of that… it is after all the footballers who are entertaining the crowds. A lot of people complain about footballers getting paid too much, but I would much rather they get the money than some guy who wears a suit and smokes cigars rolled on the thighs of virgins all day.

So do you think they get paid fairly or is it ridiculous how much they get paid.

I know I haven’t updated ina while, I have been busy with freelance work and stuff. I have however been posting the random crap I find on my tumblelog. Things like the wonderbra spoof on the Dairy milk ad, which is well worth a watch… for more than one reason. And quotes from the likes of Richard Kelly (director of Donnie Darko) and Bat Pegs, which are ace.

Anyway I apologise for the poor spelling of which I’m sure there are loads as Sarah’s computer doesn’t do a spellcheck as you type and I’m in a rush. So on that note, in the words of Duncan Banatine: I’m out.

Today I really want to know what people think of the big toothbrush debate. Are electric toothbrushes actually better than manual ones?

I have been considering buying an electric toothbrush, because on TV ads they really get rid of the dirt with ease. Plus in the morning, I am pretty much incapable of getting myself dressed, let alone the manual labour involved with getting your teeth clean. I have a feeling though that those TV ads are about as real as Kate Moss’ eyelashes.

There was a freelance guy at my work for a while, and one day he came in after being to the dentist and he said the dentist had suggested he buy an electric toothbrush. The dentist has never suggested I buy one, so maybe he was just rubbish at brushing his teeth. Or maybe they are better, I don’t know.

So should I buy an electric toothbrush? What kind of toothbrush do you use?

Let’s settle this once and for all, what is better… electric or manual?

Tumblr is a way of keeping a tumblelog which is like a blog of really short posts about stuff you discover on the web, or overhear or want to say. It’s a bit like keeping a blog of stuff you’d normally submit to delicious, digg, stumble upon, clipmarks and twitter.

So anyway you can check out my new tumblelog, brown boxes here. Let me know what you think. If you already have a tumblelog, then let me know the address and I will check it out.

I would advise that everyone starts one, they are really easy to update and a good way of looking back over stuff you discovered online, but might otherwise forget. If you’re a lazy blogger like me then it really is the perfect tool for you. Oh, I forgot to mention, the default design is really nice too.

So anyway. Today’s question is based on this thing I found while perusing the interweb as I do.

I found this video of a woman spinning around, and don’t even ask me how it works, cause it makes me fill ill thinking about it… it’s like when I think about how big the universe is, when I feel overwhelmed I feel ill.

So anyway this woman is spinning around. I see her going clockwise and can’t understand why anyone could not see her going clockwise, but Sarah can and so can other people.

If you can see her going clockwise apparently you use the right-hand side of your brain more, and if you see her going anti-clockwise… you’re a freak of nature and you use the left-hand side of your brain more, which is the useful side of your brain.

Click here to see the spinning woman… then come back here and tell me if you see her going clockwise or anti-clockwise.

This got me to thinking… who is the sexiest superhero of all time?

I have compiled a list of potential sexiest superheroes… and I want you to let me know who is the most hottest.

So for the boys to choose from, the first is Jenifer Garner as Elektra… a good start I know.

Next is the potential favourite I would guess. It is of course Jessica Alba as Sue Storm from the Fantastic 4 series… the problem is her superpower is to make herself invisible, and why would we want to not see her? The mind boggles.

Next up is the first of two entries for the woman who must really like wearing leather/pvc Halle Berry. First up then is Halle Berry as Catwoman. The movie may well have been the worst film ever, I don’t know because I can’t bring myself to watch it, it gets a mesley 3.2 out of 10 on imdb. But she must go someway to saving it by looking very nice indeed.

Next up I’m getting old school on yo’ asses. It’s Helen Slater as Super Girl from way back in 1984, just after I was born. I think you will agree she is a contender, although like most of the people on here they could easily kick your ass, which might be a bit of a turn off.

Next up is the second entry for Halle Berry as Storm from the X-Men movies. Storm is not one of my favourites, but maybe you guys have a different opinion.

Another fairly old school entry here for Alicia Silverstone, Who I have fond memories of from my youth playing Batgirl in Batman and Robin from 10 whole years ago in 1997. This movie was also really bad, but maybe she was a bit of a saving grace.

Next up I decided to throw in Rebecca Romijn playing Mystique from the X-Men movies, quite simply because all she is wearing is body paint… that is all.

And women wonder why men like comics so much.

So for the women to choose from…

First up is new kid on the block Brandon Routh playing the new Superman. Women must like men in lycra… I personally can’t see it… not it… oh get out of this hole…. oh no.

Next up is Christian Bale as Batman (Begins). There were a few other Batmen in the running, like George Clooney… but he was in such a bad Batman movie that he is out of the running. Christian Bale gets extra points, because before making this movie he weighed like 3 stone and lived off a diet of 1 can of tuna and 1 apple a day.

Next up is my personal favourite as a fellow geek. Tobey Maguire as Spiderman. Maybe not a favourite of people with arachnophobia.

And last but not least is Hugh Jackman playing Wolverine in X-Men (there are a lot of sexies in X-Men). He is a real man… look at that hairy chest and mutton chops… ace.

Ok, time to decide, who is the sexiest superhero of all time?

I have been trying to work out if this is a good or a bad idea. At first I thought it was going to make a massive loss, but I believe it is download only, so there is no postal cost.

I actually think this is going to be a huge success. Not just because the die hard Radiohead fans have been waiting four years for the album, but the amount of publicity this is getting is ridiculous. Plus the fact that loads of people who would normally just illegally download, or copy their friends copy, which was copied off someone else… will probably be willing to fork out 0p. This means In Rainbows is going to sell massive quantities of albums which in turn means a really good chart position for a really long time.

If you want the beautifully packaged vinyl with all of the original artwork, you will have to be willing to fork out £40.

Radiohead don’t really have anything to loose, as they are already rich beyond their wildest dreams.

So do you think this is a good idea?

And how much would you be willing to pay for the album?

Oh and after you download, while artwork is being produced by the amazing Stanley Donwood, John Hicks has knocked together a very nice temporary cover.

That is all.

*Not true.

I’m not the least healthy person in the world, I play football once a week for an hour. But I haven’t been able to play for like two months, and I actually noticed I was getting a bit of a belly. So I decided to take drastic measures and actually do some exercise… it is after all “good for you”, and the alternative would be to give up pizza and ice-cream and all that other good stuff people on American TV eat when they have just been dumped.

So I decided to go jogging, because I have heard people say it’s really relaxing and you can really do some good thinking. These people are liars, and the only thinking I could do is “when is this torture going to end”.

I planned to jog along the promenade where I live for 10 minutes, then do a u-turn and jog back home, making a total 20 minute jog which I thought would be a good start. So I had been running for ages and started to feel like I was going to die so I looked at my watch and I had only been going for 4 minutes, I’m not kidding. So I kept going… chasing the ten minute mark. But after a mesley 6 minutes I had to return home a beaten man. I was running for 13 minutes all together and I was pretty close to collapse by the end.

On a brighter note I feel ace for having done it and plan to go jogging twice a week from now on… which probably won’t happen as I am rubbish at stuff like this.

Do you exercise, and if so what do you do (keep it clean)? And if not why not?

I feel sorry for the poor people who started smoking (legally) at 16, they’re now addicted. Now they’re like 17 and can’t buy cigarettes any more, what are they going to do… is Gordon Brown going to give them prescription cigarettes or something? They don’t make heroin addicts go cold turkey… this is just mean.

What do you guys think of this?

• Has all 4 wheels on the ground at the same time
• Rolls along silently, and does not sound like the clean, smooth supermarket floor is made of gravel
• Goes exactly where you intend it to
• No matter how many times you touch it… it never… ever sends a bolt of lightning coursing through your body

With today’s technology, it really can’t be that difficult.

Dear Jodie Marsh,
I have a strong distaste for you.

Dear Sky,
Please could you sack the wise-guy who came up with the idea to use corporate blue as the colour of making the top and bottom letterbox elements bright, distracting, eye-catching blue… damn you. This is just a way of punishing those of us not fortunate enough to have a new-fangled widescreen TV. I am sending you negative energy as we speak.

EDIT - Since I originally wrote this, the problem has been resolved… wow this blog has got some power, I hadn’t even published the post… Dear Shannyn Sossamon…

Who would you like to write to today and what would you write?

Yes these are the finalists, which suggests they beat off some competition to get here. So understandably there are some names in the running who are the epitome of Radio 2 like the man himself Mr Wogan and even the Beatles, they are popular and clean cut and loved by people my parents age.

There are however some bizarre (I reiterate) FINALISTS. My personal favorite is Lara Croft. Yes you heard me right Tomb Raider herself. She is young sexy adventurous, and hasn’t even been alive for a quarter of the time Radio 2 has. Also I doubt if many Radio 2 listeners have heard of her let alone tried playing one of the games. How the hell is she a finalist, is this some sort of joke… I have no idea.

You know the first thing that pops into my head when I see this image… Radio 2. What do you guys think?

So here is the full list of finalists:
Muhammad Ali
The Beatles
David Bowie
Kate Bush
David Cassidy
Lara Croft
Diana, Princess of Wales
Michael Jackson
John Lennon
Nelson Mandela
Sir Paul McCartney
Morrissey
Donny Osmond
Elvis Presley
Sir Cliff Richard
Sir Terry Wogan

My vote is with Lara. Who would you vote for?

So I don’t really have question today.. maybe it could be do you like this game. Anyway my friend told me about this game LocoRoco which you can play here. The controls take a while to get used to… but you don’t have anything better to do so go play, it is ace.

Point the first is does anyone actually buy Spam, the meaty treat any more? They did go for a bizzare and widespread TV advertising using the “Spam up” strapline, whatever the hell that means. When I see Spam fritters in the shop, I don’t actually know what the are, but they sound wrong. With every supermarket under the sun offering value luncheon meat, I can’t believe there is a thriving business for Spam, but there is never any talk of them losing profits.

Anyway the other thing I wanted to talk about is spam emails, like this one I received just a few hours ago.

I really can’t see how spam emails are successful. Are there really people out there who purposefully go into their junk folder and think “oooh I wonder if there are any good deals on Viagra today”?

Yet these emails never seem to slowing down, and with a high profile Viagra scam on the news recently it doesn’t seem like they are going to go away. I also heard that Viagra is like the second biggest selling drug in the UK at the moment (I don’t know if that is factual). They are designed so badly too… they are really not enticing.

So does anyone buy stuff off spam? I just can’t imagine anyone buying anything off a spam email. What do you all think of Spam of the email and meaty variety?

EDIT: Maybe if spam emails looked like this people would buy that stuff…

Found at CR

So on Sunday night I watched an ace programme on BBC4 about the dispute over whether or not Steve Ditko is deserving of being called Spiderman’s co-creator.

For those of you who don’t know (shame on you) Stan Lee is the incredibly famous writer and widely acclaimed “creator” of the Spiderman comics and head honcho over at Marvel comics, home of such greats as X-Men, The Incredible Hulk and The Fantastic Four. Steve Ditko is the artist who originally artworked all of the Spiderman comics before walking out after a man row with Stan Lee.

Stan Lee’s Side of the Argument…
It has been said that Stan Lee will “take any credit that hasn’t yet been claimed”, and with this mentality to this day he made no effort to hide the fact he believes he is the sole creator of Spiderman. Stan lee believes that because he came up with the concept of Spiderman he is therefore the creator.

Steve Ditko’s Side of the Argument…
Steve Ditko believes he should be considered the co-creator of Spiderman because the instantly recognisable appearance of Spiderman we all know and love to this day was completely dreamed up by Steve Ditko.

Before Steve’s departure from Marvel Stan did write Steve a letter saying he considered him to be co-creator of Spiderman and said he could show that to whoever he wanted. The letter really was written in a kind of “yeah right” manner and Steve was not happy. Soon after Steve Ditko left Marvel and had a relatively un-successful career writing politically conservative comics which were not popular with rebellious comic reading teens. He also voiced his opinion on the matter with a comic he produced which showed on the left Stan Lee’s contribution to Spiderman which was a paragraph of text and then on the right, his contribution which was a beautifully illustrated image of Spiderman swinging on a web trough the city.

This dispute continues to this day. Although on the Spiderman movies’ opening credits Steve Ditko does get a mention. Most people including the man hmself believe Stan Lee is the creator of Spiderman.

What do you guys think? Does Steve Ditko deserve the title “co-creator of Spiderman” or does that honor belong to the legend that is Stan Lee, as it was after all his idea?

Leave your comments in the box…

I guess this explains why the zune is brown.

So to randomly throw in a question, do you think this will be better than the iPod?

It does have a pretty cool sharing facility, but with the new iPod touch out now… wowaweewa… my biased vote goes to Apple.

I have to admit that at the weekend if I am up early enough, I am secretly a massive fan of the OC. It’s not just because I fancy all of the women on it (including the hot moms… don’t tell Sarah), I actually really get into the cheesy acting and impossible story lines. I want the DVD’s, but I couldn’t face the shame when friends came round… explaining owning 5 series of the OC would be tricky.

Ok, so that was a tough confession for me, so I want to know about your guilty pleasures. They don’t have to be TV shows, could be a crappy film or band. So let me know with a comment.

Can anyone explain what it is all about?