I Think This Takes it to its Logical Conclusion:

HAL at Home

My friend Neil, knowing my interests and weaknesses better than anyone other than my wife, gave me a spectacular birthday present, seen hanging in the picture above -- a print in the style of one of HAL's readouts. I think it's amazing, and really sets off the room.

Watchmen - Hitler finds out about the ending

I don't need the internet to tell me that

Another frozen river.
I don’t care enough to know its name;
That’s not the story I’m trying to tell.
All this talk of storms.

Our asynchronous time:
You wake as I go to sleep,
Our brief conversations in the day,
satellite static in the spaces between words.

Through processes and queuing I'll return east,
longitudes converging,
and sleep in your day,
waiting for you to come home.

On My Way to Breakfast

The Hyatt has a very Logan's Run interior.

It was at this point I started to think that waffles would be a good choice for breakfast.

Or maybe beans.

A bit of a brave claim.

It's really cold!

Wow

http://www.popsci.com/content/inauguration-day

The Most Pynchon Thing I've Seen on the Internets:

California store selling jerky from cows abducted by aliens

... I bet he's kicking himself this wasn't in Vineland.

Well that was amazing

As I said, we stayed up all night and watched the election -- from 7pm to 7am. In Denmark, we mostly had to rely on CNN, but it was still gripping. Their much-hyped hologram was rubbish though. They could have done the same thing by just compositing in an image (if they didn't cheat and just do that). We supplemented with regular internet checks and some Danish/Norwegian coverage.

I had to stay up all the way to the end of Obama's speech -- I got burned with the 2001 election when Gore hadn't won two days later. The speech was great closure, and I was very tired and emotional by the end. I don't think I've been that tearful during an election night since that time they voted Bush in again.

There's a lot riding on this man's shoulders now, but he will get some great people to help him get there.

Sometimes, things do turn out the right way.

Exciting Times

We're staying up late tonight to watch the election - it's going to be exciting. I really think that the American People have a chance to do something amazing here.

Of course, if they screw it up this time, we're pushing them into the sun.

I Hated Brand First

(I have revised this post, as on second reading it really wasn't vitriolic enough)

I feel I should say that I hated Russell Brand long before any of those bandwagon-jumping complainers phoned the BBC. I hated him long before I even knew who he was -- just seeing his bloated, retarded face staring out at me from bookshelves was enough to instil an animal desire to eliminate him from the gene pool lest he soil it by reproducing. I literally could not punch his face often or hard enough. And then I heard him speak.

I'm not too sure what all this prank call fuss is about since I don't live in the UK and don't really want to give the turd any mental bandwidth, but hopefully this will be the end of him. The British Public really only have themselves to blame -- this is what happens when you look to a fat, talentless junkie to provide your five minutes of entertainment: having suddenly pulled a "purpose" out of somewhere, they outstay their welcome until the last puerile laughs have died out. Comedy is a profession, don't leave it to useless wastes of skin.

If he does somehow end up on ITV, I'll only watch him if he stars in "Overdose of the Week". It's a pitch I have been developing. Call me.

If Only...

Though I don't agree with the use of "probably" -- it's too much like fence-sitting, and I bet Dawkins doesn't approve either. Still, it's a start.

All Aboard the Atheist Bus Campaign

Fundraising target: £5,500.00
Donations so far: £ 110,156.83

http://www.justgiving.com/atheistbus

... it's not just me, is it?

Ridley Scott to film The Forever War?

When I heard the rumour a shiver ran down my spine - I had to stand up at my desk and pace around a bit. Could it really be true?

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117993856.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2564

I'm quite stunned -- it would simply be The Best Thing Ever.

Joe Haldeman's The Forever War is, 34 years after its publication, one of the most intelligent, compassionate pieces of (science) fiction ever written. When Alien out in 1979, I used to think what a great job he'd do it it. I can hardly belive it's going to happen.

Last week, the possibility of a new Thomas Pynchon novel, and now this? If I'm this lucky at the moment, look out for headlines that Russell Brand has contracted Ebola, and bizarrely, every single recording or trace him ever made has been coincidentally lost. Though since the Catholic Church has officially admited that god didn't create man then I shouldn't expect too much.

Miss Alaska Responds to a Question

Remember when Miss South Carolina got a little confused when answering a question?

Well, she has some competition! Miss Alaska. Soon to be "Oh, Did He Die? I Guess that Makes Me President Then!"

40

So, yesterday I was 40. You kind of forget, in the angst of it, that your mother was probably having a bit of a day of it too. In fact, I'm almost certain my mother remembers more of it than I do, but I forgot to ask.

Ses and I saw the morning run away from us until we were out in the midday meat trucks of Jutland, heading to the grey coast.

We saw some 2000 year old guy, better preserved than me; how would this man have felt, with no concept of foreign nations or money, if he'd known that he would have a museum constructed around him.

And then afterwards we take a low-risk walk around ancient woods and then home via the beach and an improbably good Mexican restaurant in Vejle. It would seem I have eaten five three burritos in the past five days.

This was all via a very long detour to an amusingly-named town just because we thought we were hilarious.

And then home -- phonecalls and emails, Champagne and some DVDs, Stanley wondering if this good cheer would mean tuna. Which of course it did.