New Project!

Screenshot of "Air"

http://air.dynalias.com/air

My ongoing work on a novel =)

(Yes, aspiring novelists are like lawyers…never in short supply of them)

$10 Sharpie Wallpaper

Charlie Kratzer, of Lexington (England), decided to spruce up his plain cream-coloured wallpaper in his basement with something original.

So he did – big time.

Kratzer went out and bought $10 worth of Sharpies and Magic Markers, the original thick black ones, and covered every single wall with line drawings of scenes and personal interests.

The great fictional detectives Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot casually regard one another, while nearby Winston Churchill and George Bernard Shaw lounge together. They are warmed by a Sharpie fireplace, which faces the real one. William Shakespeare, R2D2 and the Marx Brothers also grace the walls.

Kratzer also drew the scene of his uptairs library, complete with pictures of real paintings, such as The Dream by Picasso.

The whole effect is extremely fascinating…You should take a look at the video, which lets you pan around the basement to see the entire “wallpaper”.

Link:

http://www.heraldleaderphoto.com/2008/09/18/man-decorates-basement-with-10-worth-of-sharpie/

In the meantime, here’s a picture preview:

Re-creation of Kratzen's uptairs library

WANTED: Dancing Y Chromosome

At the place where I take ballroom dancing lessons, (Latin, which I think is hotter than Standard like waltz or something,) there’s a serious shortage of guys able to, or even willing, to partner with the girls (including yours truly) for private lessons and competitions. All the guys I have talked to are either not interested in such a, uh, “sissy” sport; or they’re simply afraid of falling on their butt and making a fool of themselves. The ones that actually do dance, moreover…well, 99% of the time they: (a) have danced since the age of three when their mothers forced them into it or (b) have their sister as a partner.

Really, quite depressing.

There is also this other couple, both about 18 years old and fantastically good. They happen to be girlfriend and boyfriend, so that made me think: What would happen if they broke up? They would probably continue dancing together, but it would be really awkward, especially considering the fact that Latin dances are normally very, uh…passionate.

(Their coach is a balding man with a significant potbelly, and my friend wondered how the teacher could teach properly if he couldn’t even see his own feet…To that, I have no comment.)

Anyway, what guys don’t see about starting dance is that once they get past the beginner stage, the demand for them is going to skyrocket, and they will be flooded with requests to partner with various girls, which would mean more choice among other things

So, guys, listen up and try some dance! Trust me, it’ll pay off in more ways than one.

One Year of Art, in High Speed

Beyond cool.

Telemarketer “Oh Snap” Moments

(True stories)

Scenario #1: Friend picks up the ringing telephone

Friend: “Hello?”

Telemarketer: “Hello, this is Ipsos-Reid, and we like to know if you would be willing to participate in a survey about a product of ours. Is there someone available aged 19 or older?”

Friend: “No.”

Telemarketer: “When would be a good time to call back?”

-Pause-

Friend: “Uh, never.”  -Hangs up-

———

Scenario #2: Same friend picks up same telephone.

Friend: “Hello?”

Telemarketer: “Hiyesthisisshawcablenetworkcommunicationscorporationandwewouldliketointroducetoyoutoournewestproductwhichisbeingfeaturedinmanymediasourcesand–”

Friend: “Uh, what?”

Telemarketer: “–itsatriedandtrueapproachtonewwaysofentertainmentandwetrulybelievethat–”

Friend: “Sir, are you on drugs?” -Promptly hangs up-

Later…

Friend: “Another telemarketer called me this morning and was jabbering away at like 100 miles an hour.”

Me: “Yeah?”

Friend: “Really I hung up after saying, Sir are you on drugs?“

Me: “Yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir.”

Friend: “Man, that’s a lot of drugs.”

Can you say, “OH SNAP”?

iPhone Gmail Malfunction?

Is it just me, or is Gmail not working on my iPhone?

I’m not accessing it using Safari, but rather on the actual Mail app on the Home Screen.

Whenever I try connecting, it just says Cannot Get Mail: The connection to the server “imap.gmail.com” has failed.

I’ve tried both the Other (IMAP) and real Gmail setup, but neither of them manages to work.

Does anybody else have this problem?

The Modern Dark Ages

I read the sci-fi short story “Harrison Bergeron” a few days ago, and I must say that it was rather unconventional.

The first line goes like this:

The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren’t only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General.

The theme of it is, basically, Egalitarianism – everybody alike with no individuality whatsoever, whether good or bad or mental or physical. When they say equal, they mean equal to the extreme, with no ifs, ands or buts.

To the point where prettier faces are hidden under hideous masks, and one would be required to wear an ear radio tuned to headache-causing noises to distract you if your IQ was higher than average.