Week 21 of the Internet

Hello, hello, hello! And welcome to another week of the internet. Well, my internet anyway. The bits and pieces that fly by my eyes and make me think 'huh', because really, if we're honest, that's all we think. It's all crap really, only to be forgotten as soon as you leave this page. But you know what? That's OK. Why? Because I'm to Thailand. Ha! In May, I should add, so you're stuck with me for the next few weeks. 

So, start your weekend by reading about the history of barbed wire. It's more interesting than you'd think, and has the bonus (?), of containing one of the most depressing and shaming photos in our history (hint: buffalo skulls).

Once you've hung your head in European shame for a suitable amount of time, cheer up by looking at this tea, which is just how tea would have looked when those silly Americans threw it in Boston's harbour. Silly Americans. They actually had a fair point really. 

I've got a feeling I've posted this before, but I like it, so here it is again. 

Speaking of spectating, well, actually this is dreaming, but you know, same same (ish)... I love this montage of dreams in films. It ends with the dream sequence I remember most of all. It horrified me when I first saw it. 

While we're on films, check out this collection of first and final frames from films. It's oddly beautiful.

If you like growing stuff but don't know when to plant it (like me), then this is the cheat sheet for you. 

This is truly horrifying, and apparently completely legit. 

Hmmm. I can't end on that note. God knows why I put things in that order. Let me see what I can find to end on a high. 

Oh right, well McDonalds has launched their own line of clothing and home stuff. Yes, now you can dress in Big Macs and have a Big Mac duvet, in your Big Mac wallpapered bedroom. 

The lovely and humble (but quite aggressive, I'm told), robin was crowned the Britain's National Bird this week. I actually voted for the blue tit, but it was a really tough choice. I just like blue tits. They remind me of sitting the garden in spring and summer. 

Not really a high, but spare a thought for Petal, who went to the big bed in the sky this week. She was a tiny little thing, but went on forever. If she wasn't tripping you up as you went up and down the stairs, causing you to fall and simultaneously almost cut her in half with your legs, she was creeping under the duvet and licking your bottom. She will be missed. 

Have a great weekend. I won't be back next week as it's Easter, so I'll either be drunk or eating. 

Ah ha! Look - I found something cool to end on: flying through the solar eclipse.

The Internet: Week 20

Hello and welcome to another week of the internet. Right now, as I type, a solar eclipse is happening. At least I think so. It's been nothing but blue skies the whole week, but today? Today is cloudy. That, I'm told, is what they call 'life'. Luckily, with 36 years on this lump of rock, I am used to this 'life' business, so I'm not surprised at this turn of events. The next significant one won't happen until 2026 (in the UK, anyway). Hopefully I'll still be around then. And in the UK. Anyway, enough about me, what about you?

Discussions about art are wonderful. I have zero education in art, but I love getting in to not-quite-sober discussions about what is art. I once saw a programme about an elephant who bashed a brush about the canvas creating, well, a mess. They then put that painting in a gallery, said it was by a new artist, and people went nuts about the hidden meaning, or how it deconstructs today's society with a hint of postmodern sarcasm, or whatever. It was partly hysterical, and party maddening. Art. I dunno. 

If films are more your kind of art but you can't decide what to watch, check out Flixfindr. It will help you. 

Guns are bad, mmm-kay? This is a good idea to drum home that guns aren't just things you should own because you can. 

Still in America, but on quite a different note, Vincent LaFloret has captured stunning aerial shots of San Francisco. Check out the others here. It's really worth a look. 

Next time you're bored, try Google Feud. "Google Feud is a web game based on the Google API. We select the questions, then the results are pulled directly from Google's autocomplete."

Still bored? Watch Jurassic Park in LEGO.

It's the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. If you don't know what that is or how it affects you, watch this, because it does affect you, and everyone else. 

OK, history lesson over, and in fact, post over. 

I sat and watched somewhere in the Faroe Islands go completely dark, while Copenhagen remained relatively light and sadly very cloudy. It looked very exciting from YouTube. I hope you managed to catch a glimpse, wherever you are. 

Bon weekend!

Week 19 of the WWW

Another late post this week. It's been beautiful weather and to be perfectly honest, I've been out a lot rather than in the office. I'm sure you understand. I've now got 30 minutes before dinner is ready and guests arrive (we eat early now we're parent type people), so I'll try and make this post have some kind of coherence. Not that they usually do but who cares?

This video will make you angry. So think calm thoughts. 

We lost Terry Pratchett this week. Very sad news. He's been a figure in most of my life, thanks to my brother who was a big fan. I'll admit I've never read his books. I was never a huge fan of fiction, but I've started to lean that way these days. Despite my not reading his books, I still found his last tweets and the emotional response to his death overwhelming. 

Find out what made Terry, and the rest of us, human, in this very nice parallax site from the beeb. 

I've never been on a cruise ship, but I've always been tempted by it. There's something intriguing about living in a contained area for a certain amount of time. Great for people watching too. 

The mighty, mighty mountains. I've also never been to the Himalayas, and given the choice between them and a cruise ship, I'd get cold any day of the week. 

Here's a taste of Austria. I have been to Austria. Twice, so there. 

Excellent drone footage through the Crossrail tunnels in Loondon. I've never flown a drone, but I did see one crash into a crowd watching a cruise ship dock in Hamburg (apparently it was a very exciting cruise ship. New or something). 

That's it! Go about your weekend.