A Bit of Everything

Disney Twisted Princesses

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:04:00 +0000

(via Live for Films)

These are great "Dark" takes on classic Disney imagery. Beauty and the Beast looks particularly sinister, which is great!

See the rest of the images over at io9!

DIY Indestructible Thumb Drive [DIY]

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 09:00:00 +0000

DIY Indestructible Thumb Drive [DIY]: "
We love carrying handy little thumb drives everywhere we go, but at times they can be delicate little fellows. Blogger Dmitry Brant—having lost too many thumb drives to his washing machine—set out to make his thumb drive impervious to harm.
His solution: epoxy.

At the office where I work, I had found a supply of epoxy that the hardware engineers use for various purposes. This epoxy comes in little packets, with each packet composed of two pouches containing different substances that, when mixed together, produce the hardening epoxy. I knew about the supply of epoxy for a while, but I hadn't made the connection between the epoxy and the flash drives until one day, in a moment of total enlightenment, I held up my flash drive in one hand, and an epoxy packet in the other, and began to laugh uncontrollably.
That same day, I took an ordinary USB flash drive, removed the plastic case so that the PC board was completely exposed, mixed up some epoxy, and poured it onto both sides of the board, making sure that all the electronic components were fully covered, and only the USB connector exposed. After about 5 minutes the epoxy hardened, and the result was even better than I hoped. The flash drive became indestructible!

Hit up Dmitry's post for the full rundown on how to turn your regular thumb drive to an indestructible epoxy drive. Got your own methods? Let's hear 'em in the comments.

Make your USB flash drive indestructible! [Dmitry Brant]

You've read Fables and Y: The Last Man...now what?

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:13:00 +0000

(reblogged from weeklycrisis.com)

You've read Fables and Y: The Last Man...now what?: "

As a long time comic book reader and reviewer, I’m often asked for recommendations from non-comic book readers on where they should start. These are often folks who may enjoy superhero movies, but aren’t interested in reading continuity-heavy, inaccessible superhero comics. My first recommendations are always Vertigo Comics’s Y: The Last Man and Fables.

These comics are a great introduction to sequential storytelling, are easily available as trade paperbacks in most major book stores, and nearly universally loved by all who read them no matter what their other interests and genders are. The only problem is, once they’ve finished (and almost always loved) these stories, where do they go next?

While Fables and Y have found wide audiences, it’s hard to find any comic that is as universally accepted as they are. From this point, then, instead of trying to find something that nearly everyone will enjoy, it is much easier to ask what genres our new reader enjoys and go from there.

ZOMBIES

Do you dig zombies? Have you ever wished that George Romero's films kept their edge, but had better character development? If so, you’ll want to check out The Walking Dead. It’s a “post-zombie” story, so it is more concerned with the survivors of a zombie apocalypse trying to go on with their lives after society has collapsed. It’s extremely character-focused and incredibly well-written, making it all the more shocking when you realize that absolutely no one in the series is safe from being killed. The realistic art pulls no punches, though, so if you can’t handle much gore, you might want to look for something a bit lighter.

Thankfully, I’ve got just the right thing for your softer side.

CUTE ANIMAL STORIES

There is nothing cuter than Owly, which is one of my wife’s favorite book series. It follows the world’s cutest owl (Owly) and his unlikely best friend (Wormy) through a series of gore-free adventures. It is so adorable that you may want to throw up from overexposure to cuteness. The best part is that the stories lack text dialogue, making them a great introduction for early readers to the joys of sequential storytelling.

Plus, the creator, Andy Runton, has lesson-plans available so that you can even us Owly in the classroom. Now, if that is a bit to saccharine for you, we can swing to the exact opposite end of the spectrum with one of the most influential and disturbing comics of all time.

FANTASY/HORROR

Neil Gaiman has developed a very loyal fan base outside of comics with his films and novels, though his Sandman series is one of his most endearing and influential works. It is one of the original titles for DC’s Vertigo imprint, which prints Y: The Last Man and Fables.

This high-fantasy series follows Dream (the mythical Sandman) and his family of equally as ethereal beings (including his sister Death, who eventually became one of the most popular characters and spawned her own series of books). The art and style is a bit dated if you are used to more contemporary work.

The early volumes are all extremely dark and horror-based, but as the series progresses and it becomes focused on Sandman’s growth as a character, it delves more into mythological exploration than sheer shock value.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY/ANTI-ROMANCE

My wife’s absolute favorite graphic novels are all by Jeffery Brown, who writes a series of autobiographical graphic novels about failed relationships and general heartache. His style is really simple, but intensely relatable.

Brown’s work is almost all printed by Top Shelf, whose off-beat, “real world” comics are amongst the most creative and innovative books on the market. Brown’s work has a tendency to be melodramatic, but his open and honest approach is refreshing and emotionally resonant.

The best place to start would be with Clumsy, which tells of the rise and fall of a burgeoning relationship with all of the warm-fuzzies and cruel brutality you’d expect from the reality of a real romance.

MODERN SUPERHEROES

It’s hard to recommend any superhero books to new readers (especially women) because they are so interconnected and rely too much on stories from the past. Still, superhero comics are the cornerstone of the comic book industry and so I am often asked where the best place to start for new readers is. I always fall back on Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: The Killing Joke.

Long Halloween takes place during Batman’s early years so it doesn’t require previous knowledge and reads more like a good mystery book than a superhero comic, despite being filled to the brim with some of Batman’s most famous villains.

The Killing Joke is my all-time favorite superhero book and is clearly one of the key inspirations behind Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight. In the story, the Joker tries to push Comissioner Gordon as far as he can to prove that any sane man can snap just like he has, but in the end only Batman can truly be as crazy as the Joker. It’s pretty shocking, but incredibly captivating.

Of course, you can also always try Watchmen. I don’t recommend this right away because it is extremely dense and most of its effectiveness comes from its deconstruction of the superhero genre. However, there is a reason why it is considered the “Holy Grail” of comics and is arguably the best superhero story ever told. You’ve got some of the most engaging characters in the history of the medium being written by its all time greatest writer (Alan Moore) and being drawn by one of its most competent artists. It is required reading for all superhero readers, but isn’t something I’d recommend jumping into right away.

CRIME

Crime comics are getting to be a pretty big genre these days and a lot of the books that are popping up are really good. My absolute favorite of these is Criminal, which is put out by Marvel’s Icon imprint (which is like DC’s Vertigo in a lot of ways). Each volume of Criminal is a stand-alone story, though they all take place in the same “universe” and feature a few cross over characters. Unlike most crime stories, this series follows the criminals rather than the folks trying to catch them. The lush, grizzled artwork by Sean Phillips is the perfect compliment to Ed Brubaker’s atmospheric writing, with the brilliant colors by Val Staples being the icing on the cake of creative awesomeness. Reading it feels a lot like watching an extremely good movie. There are four or five trades out now and all of them are simply fantastic.

I’d also recommend 100 Bullets, which is much longer series (13 volumes covering 100 issues). It combines the pulpy crime elements of something like Criminal with a massive conspiracy theory laden story. It has a huge cast that is all interconnected, so if you take breaks between reading volumes, it can be pretty easy to get lost. However, I think a lot of libraries actually stock the full set, so it might be pretty easy for you to snag them in succession with few delays.

REVISIONIST LITERATURE/HISTORY

Since we are working under the assumption that our new reader has read Fables, they will already have a handle on this concept already. Since they probably liked Fables, they should also love League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (don’t worry, even though the movie was horrible, the comic is amazing).

Instead of fairy tale characters, this is about the best literary characters from the 19th century including Mina Harker from Dracula, Allan Quartermain, Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll, and the Invisible Man joining forces to save Britain from the likes of Fu Manchu and Doctor Moriarty (the nemesis of Sherlock Holmes).

Plus, it is written by Alan Moore (who I referred to earlier as the single greatest writer in the history of comics), so you know that it is amazing. As with all of Moore’s work, this does not pull any punches, though, so don’t expect it to have the same fairly tame appeal of the stories the characters are pulled from—especially in the second volume.

PURE AWESOMENESS

One of my absolute favorite graphic novel series is Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series, which is a manga-inspired tale of a Canadian slacker musician who falls for an enigmatic American delivery girl and must fight her 7 evil exes before he can officially be her boyfriend.

The books cover a number of genres, including action, comedy, and romance, with a number of twists on each. There is a movie coming out next year starring Michael Cera and directed by Edgar “I directed Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, so I’m clearly awesome” Wright, so the volumes are showing up in big chain stores now.

The books are quirky, energetic, and feature some of the most memorable characters I’ve ever read. I get giddy just thinking about how awesome these books are and love them so much that I actually named my hamster after the lead character.

MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE

So, you've decided that your only goal is to make me ridiciulously happy with your next read? Well the best way to do that is to read and love Preacher. It’s amongst the single most controversial, offensive, and thought provoking comics that Vertigo ever published and they are pretty known for controversial, offensive, and thought provoking comics.

The story follows Jesse Custer, a preacher, who is granted incredible powers after a demon and an angel have sex and create an entirely unholy. Not crazy enough for you? Well, then you’ll be glad to know that he decides to use his powers to wage war on God after he realizes that the Almighty has abandoned us.

Still not crazy enough? Did I mention that he is joined by his alcoholic Irish vampire best friend and former assassin girlfriend, and that they are being pursued by a secret Christian military and the “Saint of Killers” (God’s personal hitman)? It’s a modern Western and simply amazing. I know it sounds crazy, but I can’t recommend it enough. If I was trapped on an island and could only take one complete comic book series, it would be Preacher.

Buy ANYTHING on eBay!

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:49:00 +0000

Twitter is great. Every now and then a bizzare tweet pops up at the right time, just as you're checking you feed. A once in a lifetime post, that if you had missed it you would never have come accross anything like it again.

On such instance happened today. @ConsumeTea posted a link to eBay showing details of a finished auction for "Magical Unicorn Semen". Yup, you read that correctly. Best thing is, someone actually bought this item for no less than $31 (plus $3 postage & packaging).

Hit the link below to go to to eBay and see for yourself:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200366238168

I'm not sure how long the link will be available so i've posted the item description below. Brilliant.

This is possibly the only jar of Unicorn semen left in the united states.Unicorns were bred for their magic and keen night hunting skills to protect lepreachauns that had been injured in battle during the civil war. Unicorns were only found in two places on the planet, the northern and southern hemispheres. This specimen was squoozed only a week ago, and still has a warm salty feel to it. Anyone in possession of this rare and magical fluid will be able to swim with the wolves and fly with the dolphins as its powers are still being found.I opened the jar while i was on my computer and my computer flickered for a minute and i realized the semen had helped me kill Yogg-Saron on my World of Warcraft account and i recieved the Shawl of Haunted memories and the Mantle of the Wayward Conqueror. i have already been blessed and recieved my gift from this Mythical Jizz so i'm going to pass the power onto someone else. Just a few squirts of it in your hair will give you the glowing ora that only monogamously challenged strippers have under the blacklight.Do not drink the unicorn semen as the power is too much for the human digestive system and could change your DNA and give you the shits. Bid, but Bid Wisely.

Like food? I try and have some everyday.

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Just a quick post to let anyone that reads this know about a great curry recipe i came across. I found it at Curry Frenzy. The Tikka recipe alone is worth it's weight in chicken!

Anyways, it's called a Chicken Tikka Bhuna (hit the link for the website & recipe). I'd say it was medium hot but depends how sensitive your taste buds are.

I've listed the ingredients & method below including links to the Curry Frenzy site where you can buy all the ingredients. I managed to get all the ingredients from my local Supermarket though.

Although it's a great dish, it is quite oily. After cooking you can skim the oil off while it's in the pot before you serve it up. You can keep this in a sealed tub in the fridge and use it the next time you make a curry.

To make the Chicken Tikka, hit the link in the first line of the ingredients list. When making the Chicken Tikka i marinaded the chicken for 48 hours, which was brilliant but I'd recommend going the full 60 hour marinade for maximum taste!

The chicken tikka is great on it's own with some salad and a wedge of lemon if you don't fancy cooking up some Bhuna.

Ingredients (serves 4):

800g Cooked Chicken Tikka
1 Cup/300ml Water or Chicken Stock
2 Small white onions finely chopped
2 Teaspoons Ginger Puree
2 Teaspoons Garlic Puree
200g Groundnut Oil
1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
4 Teaspoons Mild Curry Powder
1 Teaspoon Chilli Powder
2 Teaspoons Garam Masala Powder
1 Teaspoon whole Toasting Seeds
100ml Natural Yogurt
4 Tablespoons Tomato Puree
100ml Pureed Onion
1 Small onion, 2 Deseeded Tomatoes, chopped into a very fine dice to garnish

To make the Onion Puree, bring a small pan of water to the boil and add some chopped onions. Boil until soft, drain and puree with a hand blender or in a food processor. Freeze any extra you make for next time.

Heat a large saucepan on a high heat. Once it is hot add the whole seeds and toast them until they sizzle and crackle. Now add the oil and then add the chopped onions and reduce the heat to low. You can optionally add 1 or 2 Whole Star Anise which help bring out the sweetness of the onions and imparts a subtle aniseed flavour but remove them once the onions are cooked. Cook the onions gently and slowly until they turn a golden brown colour.

Make a paste of the ginger puree, garlic puree, curry powder, Turmeric powder, Chilli powder, with a little water. Add to saucepan and stir in well and fry for a couple of minutes.

Now add your 800g Cooked Chicken Tikka stir in well.

Mix the Yogurt, Tomato Puree, Onion Puree, together in a jug with the water or stock and pour into the saucepan and mix in well. Turn up the heat until the sauce begins to simmer and leave to simmer for 10 Minutes. Stir occasionally.

Finally sprinkle in the Garam masala and stir in well for the final 2 minutes of cooking. Garnish with the 1 Small onion, 2 Deseeded Tomatoes, chopped into a very fine dice and serve.

Enjoy!

Reynard City

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:12:00 +0000

About a month ago i set out on an expedition to find new titles to read. On my journey, with a little help from Twitter, i found a nice little online comic called Reynard City.

Many of the digital comics i found on the Internet are written and produced by experienced teams or individuals already established in some way in the industry. The thing is, Reynard City, from Polycomical, isn't just any comic. It's been set up as a platform fro new talent; artists, writers, etc, to gain vital exposure and experience in the industry. This is a key point to remember. This is new talent.

Reynard City is set in an animal world in another dimension. A group of freedom fighters including AK Girl, Hyper Rob and Wondervixen battle again the evil Mega for and the Consortium to free their planet from destruction. I wont spoil it for you though as there is a twist in the story line early on, plus it's better you read it tan me trying to describe it!

The quality of the work is pretty good. Decent Artwork and Will Turner, et al, do well as writers.

It's not without its ups and downs though. In a couple of issues the story becomes hard to follow due to some ill placed speech bubbles that can be too big, have awkward fonts and contain too much white space. This is the minority of issues though. Notably issues 6 & 8 are very well produced. They look great and are my favourite of the series so far. Something i'd pick up off the shelf at my local comic book store. The series also contains one black & white issue (#5). I like the work from this artist and can See his name being in many high profile niche titles in the future.

I'm a big fan of cover art and RC, even though it's only 9 issues in, has it's fair share of striking front page visuals. Issues 2, 3, 4 & 5 are my personal favourites. They set the mood for the story ahead and entice you to begin reading.

Well, i think I've said enough. Now hit the link below and go and read it for yourself!!

http://www.reynardcity.co.uk/

If you're on Twitter, do an early follow Friday and follow @reynardcity

London Film & Comicon

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:54:00 +0000

Well, myself and some friends travelled 400 miles to gets there. We booked our tickets in advance. We waited 20 odd minutes in the Early bird "fast" Que.

And we only spent 2 hours at the show... then went to Forbidden Planet on Shaftesbury Avenue.

It wasn't a complete waste of time. I managed to pick up a lot of comics - 42 issues (lots of randoms) plus 4 trades. I got a few items i really wanted off my list (Hellboy, The Walking Dead, etc), but there is still a lot i need to look out for.

Even though i picked up a decent haul, i don't think i'll be attending another Collector Mania event any time soon. Not enough comics.

Being pretty new to comics (just over 18 months) i don't have a huge amount, but my collection has grown to 2 boxes full now. I saw an ad at the show for stackable boxes and it made me think about cataloguing my collection.

Doing it now would make searching through them a hell of a lot easier in the future. So, in the next couple of weeks i'm going to sit down and log my whole collection on a google docs spreadsheet (if only they had Google Access) and (maybe) share it with you - if you want to read it that is.

It shouldn't be funny, but it is.

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 07:49:00 +0000

I nearly wet myself the first time i saw this video. It shouldn't be funny, you know, to laugh at other peoples misfortunes, etc. It's just the way the 2nd woman appears on camera running like an old man.

Once you've laugh at it a few times though, actually watch it and think about it. These women could have caused themselves serious harm. And no one actually attempted to help them till they got across the finishing line. i know it shows grit and determination, but it's a bit stupid too.

Anyways, enough moaning about it. If laughter is the best medicine, this is a strong dose!

Droid Comic Viewer

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:27:00 +0000

Yesterday Droid Comic Viewer (DCV) was released onto the Android Market. I thought this was a great concept, so was keen to try it out! I downloaded it this morning and at lunch downloaded a couple of titles (i, Robot #1 & #2).

My initial response is that this is a great little app. The UI is nice - gesturing left or right to move between pages, etc. The two comics i've downloaded so far look great. The Artwork comes across well and text is easy to read.

It's quite a lite app too. It takes up just under 200k. Comics themselves are around 2Mb and up, however they can be saved to SD card so no need to worry about clogging up phone memory (once you've saved the comic to SD just go to 'my downloads' and uninstall the comic. Tip: turn the device off then on again after uninstalling the comic as a known bug in Android means memory will still show as if the comic hadn't been uninstalled if you don't).

There are a number of comics to download from the Android Market, particularly from Robot Comics, which are compatible with the DCV so you shouldn't be stuck for anything to read. The software opens CBZ/ZIP, CBR/RAR (beta), ACV, JPEG, PNG, BMP and GIF files, so again it should be compatible with digital comics on the android market and, possibly, content downloaded externally (don't quote me on that though).

Since i've just installed this nice little piece of software it wouldn't be fair to fully comment on it yet, so i'll give it a go, download and read a few titles, then update the blog.

If you have an Android powered device, download it yourself. Search the Market for "Droid Comic Viewer"

Buddy Runner Android App

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:51:00 +0000

I’m into running. I make no apologies for it. There’s nothing better than going for a long run. What makes it even better though is the amount gadgetry available to use while you’re running. Heart rate monitors, GPS equipment, etc. But for those of us who can’t justify splashing out at least £150 plus on toys, there are always free Smartphone applications.

Last year I used Nokia Sports Tracker on my N95 8GB, which was great. So good, I seriously considered only Nokia’s for my next phone choice. But, I decided to jump the S60 ship and landed with my HTC Dream (AKA Google G1) which uses the Android operating system.

The first thing I did was search the App Market for running apps, and a few came up. I installed a couple apps and tried them out but my favourite was Buddy Runner (BR).

Buddy Runner is a GPS tracking app with a nice, simple UI. In the app itself, three tabs are visible at the top of the Screen; Workout, Map and History (my version doesn't have the settings tab as shown in the screenshot. to access settings i press the menu button).

The workout Tab shows you your Time, Distance and Pace (these can be shown in Km or Miles). In the settings panel you can change how your pace is calculated (from start, last few sec, etc). You can also set audio feedback – a nice lady will tell you your time, pace and distance every 0.5 miles, 1 mile or every 10mins, etc, depending on your preference. Personally, I turned audio feedback off. I keep my phone in a belt when i'm running so don't hear the audio notifications all the time.

The GPS is surprisingly good. With my old Nokia Sports Tracker, it would take around a minute or so before it locked but (at most) 30 seconds and Buddy runner is locked and ready to go. The map is obviously linked to Google Maps – enough said there. Again they keep things simple in the History tab too. It displays your activities to date (showing date, time & distance). You cans select an activity to expand it and show the activity details such as date, time, distance, pace, calories burned and status, which leads me onto to the good stuff.

If it wasn’t enough having a great free GPS tracking app on your phone, once you’ve finished a run, the software will automatically upload the run details and store on your own Dashboard, then email you with a link to the site. If you know your username the dashboard is easy to find as it’s www.buddyrunner.com/USERNAME.

You can see from the screenshot you get some nice graphs. Once you’ve added a few you can compare runs, see your personal bests set when using BR, etc. Another great feature is the ability to post updates on your runs to Facebook, Twitter or Friendfeed.

I’ve been out a few runs now with Buddy Runner and I still think it’s great. In comparison to Nokia Sports Tracker, you can’t get the same depth of analysis of your runs, but the UI, even that on the BR site, is a lot cleaner, simpler and easier to follow. As a cheap and simple alternative to that Garmin GPS gadget you’ve always wanted, it’s a must.

The trail sticker on the BR website banner suggests that the free period may be up soon. How long the free trial will last I’m not sure. What I do know is that if it’s not too expensive (i.e. just a few pounds), I’d buy it.

Go to www.buddyrunner.com and see what you think.

Happy running!

The List

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:35:00 +0000

After all the help from fellow tweeps - who suggested titles i should look out for while i'm at Comicon - i pulled together the list of suggestions in a spreadsheet (helps me keep clear on it!). Anyways, there are a few holes in there, pretty much since i'm not sure about titles outside of Marvel.

So, i've posted the list below (minus writer and label). Any comments/additions to the list are welcome and encouraged - as long as they're full of comic goodness.

I'll be happy if i manage to get even just a few titles in trade but the more the better!

Title (Notes, e.g. issues/runs to look out for, etc)
100 Bullets
11th Hour
Atomic Robo (Vol 1 Fighting Scientists of Tesldyne)
Awakening
Batman & Robin Reborn
Bayou
Brit
Buffy S8
Clyde Fans (Book 1)
Criminal
Days Missing
DMZ (1st trade edition)
Essex County: Tales from the Farm (Trade V1)
Fables
Global Frequency
Hell Boy (Wake the Devil. Seeds of Destruction)
House of Mystery
Invincible
Jack Staff
Kick Ass & American Jesus
Madam Xanadu
Mouse Guard 1st trade edition
Mr Stuffins
Northlanders
Planetary
Preacher
Red Mass for Mars
Retake
Sandman
Sin City
Sleeper
Sullen Grey
The Astounding Wolf Man
The Authority Start from the beginning
The Boys: Name of the Game (Trade V1)
The Nightly News
The Phantom
The Spirit (all stand alone issues. start anywhere)
The Surrogates
The Umbrella Academy (Dallas [6 part]. Apocalypse Suite [6 part])
The Walking Dead
Transhuman
Transpoloitan
Wasteland
Y: The Last Man
Any Titles by Warren Ellis & Garth Ennis

tweeps are a helpful bunch

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:38:00 +0000

Around 18 months ago I was introduced to the Marvel Universe and since then I haven't looked back. I love reading stories from all eras. The whole history of how the universe and its characters have evolved and interacted never ceases to amaze me.

Up until a week ago i'd only ever read Marvel titles. I started to wonder why I hadn't explored other areas, but it doesn't help when the people who introduced you to comics are Marvel fanboys though.

So, how could I take that first step away? Where do I start?

Twitter.

Most of the people I follow on twitter are comic book writers, artists or likeminded fans. So, hopefull that i'd get at least one response, I sent out a tweet asking for help to broaden my comic horizons and for suggestions of non Marvel comics to buy when I'm at comicon in a few weeks time.

It started slow, but with the help of @ohsuperheroine, who sent a message out to her followers about me, I got a flood of reponses. To say I was pleased was an understatement. It was great that so many people were willing to "share the comic book love" (as one twitterer put it) and suggest their favourite titles.

I know have a long long list of comics to look out for when I'm carefully flicking through issues at London Comicon. Whether I can afford them all is a different matter ;)

So, I've learned that twitter, while full of celebs, affiliate marketing spam and porn spam, also has its fair share of really nice, helpful people.

Sent from my G1

What's wrong with using a virtual keyboard? Something, according to Swype

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:39:00 +0000

New blog post on predictivetext.blogspot.com

Have a look.

Thanks!

Is it fair to charge more for variants?

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:47:00 +0000

I visited Forbidden Planet in Glasgow today to update my reading pile. It started off a normal visit. I headed straight to the new release section and started looked for items in my "to get" list. I suddenly noticed that piled next to the standard issues, variant cover issues had been bagged, boarded and a £5 sticker slapped on them.

Pretty shocking! Can they do that? Come on, if I want to overpay for a variant cover I'll go on eBay. I don't expect that from a large chain retailer though.

Well, I got the last laugh (I think, even though I spent more than I should have). They hadn't repriced all the variants and I managed to sneak a couple at normal price (pictured).

Grumble over. Happy now.

Sent from my G1

Why didn't anyone think of this before?!

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:12:00 +0000

I came across this video on YouTube demonstrating what i can only hope is the next evolution in UK plugs! Boring subject, i know, but have you had a look at a plug lately? Big and clunky. Never mind if you want to used a multi plug adaptor. Their design of the super slim plug appears to have been inspired by the MacBook Air - being thin and all.

I think the concept is great. Fingers crossed it gets put into production.

Well done Philips

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:00:00 +0000

It's been just over 2 weeks now since I sent of my Philips senseo coffee maker to get repaired after the recall announcement. Didn't bother me too much. They paid for packaging and collection via DHL. Told me they'd replace the part that seems to be exploding in the minority of other units and send it back.

I arrived home tonight to find they'd sent me a shiny brand new senseo! Obviously planned as the "we're happy to send you a new one" letter was written in 6 languages, but that's beside the point. Well done Philips. For the effort of sending away the unit for recall you've rewarded me with a new machine and a 2 year warrenty.

Coffee anyone?

Sent from my G1

One down.

noreply@blogger.com (snikt) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:20:00 +0000

Ironically enough, my first post is a link to another blog I've started writing for. Go figure.

http://predictivetext.blogspot.com/