Hearing and not listening...

Let me pose a question. When was the last time that you listened to music? And I mean really listen to it, not just hearing a song playing in the background or music blaring out of your car stereo, but actually listen to it?

And I'm sure as you answer this question to yourself, the answer is going to be; "wow, it has been awhile...".
And the truth is, I have the exact same answer. I realised it this morning, when i started to do an assignment for varsity. As per my usual convention, i get all my books out, and turn on my iPod. But as I looked over my shoulder, my vinyl collection caught my eye, (that will be LPs' or records for the uniformed younger reader). And then I realised, wow it has been awhile. I started flipping through them and found Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here. I put it on and sat down and started to work...
 Or so i thought...
As the intro for Shine on you crazy diamond started playing my focus was shifted away from brand new varsity textbooks and documents open on my laptop, to a vast row of old and dusty records.

I  went to sit down in front of my collection, and started the long process of taking each one out, looking at the covers, taking in the graphics, reading the track listings on the back, remembering how each song sounded being played.
Needless to say it brought back many memories of sifting through charity shop boxes looking for rare and forgotten gems, printed on the almost lost beauty of vinyl.

But I digress, back to the point. Looking through all my vinyls made me realise again that I haven't just sat down and listened to the music like I used to, and I believe that I'm all the poorer for it. It's a sad thing to admit, but it's the truth.
People just let life rush past without sitting down and enjoying the music. And to be honest it doesn't matter what genre of music you enjoy listening to, be it hip-hop, rave, dub step, metal, rock or pop. just take the time sit down and listen, just listen to the music, don't just hear it.
Remember that the artist you are listening to, put a little bit of themselves into that song or album, it's a look into their being. They make music to be listened to, not just to be heard, (although it seems that some of them do just that...).

I know, from reading old music and record magazines that in the 70's and 80's people used to have "listening parties". All that you would do when going to this party is literally sit around and just listen to  the music of the day, how awesome is that?? I think this is a lost form of partying, all that people care about today is drinking, getting laid, with music way too loud for anyone to enjoy.
I myself am fortunate enough to say that i have done this once before and it has been the best "party" I've ever been to.

Well I can honestly say after today, purely just listening to music (and not getting any work done), I have made myself a promise, that everyday, after all is said and done, I'm going to sit down in my room, lock my door and just listen, even if it is just for an hour. Just to sit down and listen.
And I invite you to try and do the same, I can almost guarantee that you will be the richer for it.

just a little piece of great music for you...

Is It Just Me??

Is it just me, or has other people also realised this? Last night we were watching The Spy Who Loved Me, classic Bond film, one of the best i must say, classic one-liners, great car, awesome gadgets, but i digress...

The women from the by-gone 70's and 80's era were prettier than the women of today, hands down. And I will argue this point with anyone.

My interest into this phenomenon was prickled again by seeing Barbara Bach playing Anya Asamova in the film, and low and behold an amazing beauty not seen these days.
Ok given she is not a great actress by any stretch of the imagination, but those days, good acting wasn't needed if you looked like that.

A little while later, a lady by the name of Caroline Munro appeared on the screen playing Naomi, a drop dead stunner, in anyones books. I couldn't think of any other big movies that she has starred in, but none the less, search her on google and just see what a beauty she really is.













After seeing the movie I thought about it some more, and I got out my Dukes of Hazzard series' and started watching them again. Seeing the woman that i believe is the most beautiful woman that has ever lived, one Catherine Bach, the real Daisy Duke, not the silly blonde Jessica Simpson floozy, but the curvaceous brunette wonder.

Now I am quite sure that any one would agree with me that this woman is prettier than a mess of catfish (now if your neck isn't as red mine, that means damn pretty).
















These are 3 beauties from a bygone era of beautiful woman, there are many many more of them, if you watch any of the old classics, you'll see them, they're easy to find, they're the ones, when they come on screen, your jaw hits the floor and you can't believe your eyes, thats them.

I hope this might have prickled your interest, and that the few woman that read my mad ramblings, will spread the word among their cohorts, to bring this natural curvy no make-up look back.

Factoid #1

Well as promised, here is the first in the series of quite interesting facts.

HOW TALL WAS NAPOLEON??

Well it is quite widely believed that Napoleon was a short little man. Wrong, this believe comes from a combination of mistranslation and propaganda.
The autopsy, carried out in 1821 by his personal physician, Francesco Antommarchi, recorded his height as '5/2'. which is now believed that this represents the french measurement of '5 pieds 2 pouces', which converts to modern measurements as 5 feet and 6.5 inches (1.69 meters).

The average height of Frenchmen in that era was 5 feet and 4.5 inches anyway, so that means Napoleon was probably taller than most people he came in contact to anyway.
In fact he was taller than the average englishmen, who was 5 feet and 6 inches.

After Napoleon gained power, he imposed eight requirements on all french troops. In the elite imperial Guard, Grenadiers had to be at least 5 feet 10 inches tall, and his personal guard, the elite Mounted Chasseurs, had to be a minimum of 5 feet 7 inches. So most of the time the soldiers around him were taller than him, creating the illusion the he is in fact short.












The British caricaturist, James Gillray was responsible for the first damaging image of the "little" Napoleon, in "the King of Brobdingang and Gulliver", inspired by by Gulliver's Travels.

In the picture to the left, George III is pictured holding Napoleon in his hand, inspecting him with an eye-glass saying,  "I cannot but conclude you to be one of the most pernicious little odious reptiles that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the Earth.'















One of the reasons for the survival of this myth is by the wide used term, 'Napoleon Complex', used to describe short people who make up for their lack of stature by being overly aggressive. There isn't actually any scientific evidence to support for this commonly held theory, neither is it an officially recognised psychiatric syndrome, and doesn't seem to occur in the animal kingdom.


I hope you all found this to be of an interesting flavour, and this made your mouths water for more.
Adios for now folks, until next time.

It's been a while

Wow so it has been quite a while since I have scribbled something on the walls of the internet...

Quite a few things have changed. working my ass off, going back to varsity next year, and riding as much as i can.
Yes thats right, I got my silly ass back into UJ. woohoo. Going to be a Lawyer one day. hell yeah

And riding yes, I ride mountain bikes now. Probably one of the most relaxing, exhilarating, exciting, hardest things I have ever done! I love it.

So this is just to say, that from now on, I am going to try my best to post twice a week. ONe random post like usual, and the second post for the week will be something with a bit more substance. Once a week I am going to give a quite interesting fact, a little something dug out of the the deep pools of knowledge, to remove the plague of general ignorance.


Just remember, if you're feeling down, do what stalin did.

OMG!! DREAM COME TRUE!!

Oh good Christ!! My wildest dreams have come true! And guess what the Japanese have done it again, wow i love those little guys!!

Yes your eyes do not deceive you, this is a human piloted mech robot.

The time has come for the age mechs, and all I can think is HOLY CRAP!!
And this thing is brilliant, utterly brilliant!! I mean even without looking at the features, just look at it!!

Now the Kuratas is being built by Suidobashi Heavy Industry, it is the vision of artist Kogoro Kurata and robotics expert Wataru Yoshizaki.

Now this thing is big, it stands about 4 meters high, 3 meters wide and almost 4 meters long, and puts in a hefty weight of 4.5 tons, thats big man.
Its controlled by a system that they have dubbed "V-Sido", they are claiming this is one of the most watched robotic control systems in the world.

Now this system allows you to control the mech with a touchscreen UI, and a Kinect based user interface. And the best thing I have ever heard, not even screen writers in movies have thought about this, a smile trigger. Yes folks a smile trigger, the guns fire when you smile!!! You can take out your enemies by smiling at them, why yes I do like that!!!

You can even control your Kuratas from your 3G smartphone, how dope is that?

Now the company lets you customise your mech, from different arm attachments, to different types of armour to even having a cup holder inside your mech, oh and faux leather interior!

Now the basic price for this bad boy is 1,353,500 US Dollars, and with the more fun things you add, the more the price increases.
And as things work in the world today, you can order this bad boy online!!!!

Heres a video the company made, of how to operate the Kuratas.

I believe that is the start of something big, I think Mr. Hideo Kojima (creator of the Metal Gear Solid series), is thinking to himself now, "Metal Gear is coming!"


Here is a link to their website, check it out, its awesome!!!
http://suidobashijuko.jp

BREAKING NEWS- DARKNESS WITHIN

BREAKING NEWS everybody!! Machine Head has released a brand spanking new video for the song Darkness Within from their monolithic 7th studio album, The Locust.

I just watched the video myself, and I must say, wow, what a great video. It really represents the song, and what the song is about, something that i find is lost in a lot of heavy metal videos today.

http://loudwire.com/machine-head-darkness-within-exclusive-video-premiere/

Theres the link to where you can watch the vid. I can honestly say check it out even if you're just a lil bit of a Machine Head fan.

olympic shit?

well it is olympic time again, and I'm sure that I'm not the only one that doesn't really give to shites about it...

Now with the insane amounts of media coverage that it is getting (it is the biggest sports event in the world, given), one can't really escape watching an event or two.
But lets be honest, some of the events are bit shit.

Yes I am talking about events like, gymnastics, synchronized swimming and diving, equestrian cross country.

Now I am taking anything away from the athletes, they are amazing in what they do, I do have a lot of respect for what they do and how they do it.

But lets be honest, any sport where no matter what you do, or how well you do it, the outcome is decided by a panel of judges (old fossils from bygone  ages and times), who give you a score based on grace, style, and looks, where technicality is a small fraction of your score and not the whole score. I'm sorry but screw that.
some of those athletes do amazing things, really, but the fat fuck decides, no you're not graceful enough you loose. And I ask myself hey fatty can you do that, no I think not, now go back and eat you muffins again fatty...

I have the same problem with the synchronized diving and swimming as the gymnastics, bunch of tits sitting behind a desk deciding your performance for you, total shite i believe...








Now lets see whats left, ah yes, equestrian cross country.
The most obnoxious, snobby, up thighs "sport" I have ever witnessed in my entire life.
Now I put the word sport in inverted commas, because I cannot see this as a sport, it is a mode of transport people, goddamn, people rode horses for years, to get from point A to point B. But now it is a sport, but not a sport for everyone, to be able to partake in this sport, one needs to be one of the pseudo rich to afford this sport, spending millions of dollars on a horse, feeding, and taking care of the horse.
And then not the race this cash cow, or should I say cash horse, but to parade it up and down in front of judges once again, and then jump a few fences. oh please really, get a real job...

Now there are another two sport equally as stupid, but I'm not gonna write as much about them as well, cause it grinds me... firstly handball, looks like a sport made up by school kids during recess...
It's stupid, go play basketball or netball...
Fencing, really long ass needles, and you poke each other with them, really now, get real swords and fight it out, I would watch that actually...

Thats about it, I don't have much more to say about it.
Keep well folks, enjoy