I tried to recreate that hp ad thingummy.

Don't think I quite got it right...
(Tue 18th Oct 2005, 11:09, More)

Harold wasn't quite good enough

to cope with more than one ball at a time.
(Thu 16th Jun 2005, 23:53, More)

Those old softies!

Found a CD of stock photos today and decided that I needed to do something with it!
(Sun 5th Jun 2005, 20:13, More)

Attack of the Clone

Click for non-ugly AVI version (468KB)
Other Magical Ben animations
(Sat 7th May 2005, 23:52, More)

Harry Hippo loved mealtimes at the zoo!

(Fri 18th Mar 2005, 18:15, More)

Just wandering around

Previously: Rotate | Pop-off head | Whee! | Head drop | Errant Leg
(Fri 18th Mar 2005, 11:41, More)

» DIY Techno-hacks

WiFi(MT)
The unbranded WiFi adaptor plugged into my PC cost the princely sum of £5, and generally works pretty well. However, its casing (marked "WiFi^MT") isn't very good at allowing air to circulate around its innards and in the recent weather it has a habit of overheating.



My solution is presented above: a carefully balanced stack of 20p coins on the main Realtek IC package to act as a heatsink. I haven't been disconnected from the network since. :-)

Other than that, I don't think my mild obsession with the Z80 counts.
(Wed 26th Aug 2009, 21:09, More)

» Best Films Ever

Lynch, Cronenberg, Gilliam, Carpenter, Burton.
Brazil - dark, humourous, visually stunning and atmospheric, this is Terry Gilliam at his finest.

Metropolis - an amazing technical feat, given its age, and though the story is simple enough it is beautifully and majestically told. Now that they've recovered a copy of the original cut, it can only get better (a large chunk of the film had been lost).

Crash - David Cronenberg's clinical approach results in a haunting, meticulously paced film with an interesting (certainly different!) view on sex and relationships.

Lost Highway - classic David Lynch, and possibly his most obviously "scary" film with the character of the Mystery Man. Told in his typically unconventional style, the film manages to evoke a wide variety of emotions, even though you'll probably need repeated viewings to really get a grip on what is going on (if there even is such thing as a definitive explanation!) Also has a cracking soundtrack.

INLAND EMPIRE - definitely the most interesting film I've seen in a cinema, this is pure, distilled Lynch. Utterly confusing, beautiful, terrifying, haunting, humourous, bizarre; this is a difficult film to sit through, but it's worth every minute.

As you can probably tell I am a bit of a David Lynch fan; I'd recommend pretty much any of his films, but also any film by David Cronenberg, Terry Gilliam, John Carpenter or Tim Burton.
(Sun 20th Jul 2008, 2:20, More)

» Top Tips

Removing security screws
Some security screws on electronics can be removed by taking a cheap Bic biro (you know, the clear ones), removing the insides, melting the fat end with a lighter then pressing firmly against the screw until it solidifies again. (Hopefully it won't melt the plastic casing on the electronics too). Can also be used to remove some screws with stripped heads.

Works a treat on old Sega hardware.
(Fri 18th May 2007, 17:54, More)

» Claims to Fame

The drummer from Status Quo
gave a lecture on drumming at my old-old school. It totally failed to burn down after he left - I guess you need the true Parfitt/Rossi combination.

Beyond that, I've shown Desmond Llewelyn (Q from the James Bond films) around that same school where he was presenting a trophy for swimming (or something).
(Tue 1st Mar 2005, 1:59, More)

» Singing the wrong words

I've always heard
(and still do hear) AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" as having the line:

"Hail Satan, paid my Jews, playin' in a rockin' band."

Shakespeare would be most pleased.
(Tue 1st Feb 2005, 17:42, More)