Record Arsenal signing Mesut Ozil is looking like excellent value for his 42.5 million pounds transfer fee – he set up all three goals for Arsenal in yesterday’s 3-1 home win against Stoke City (Ozil's home debut match, no less) which put the Gunners top of the Premier league after 5 games of the new season. Nice!
Monday, September 23, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Space, the final front ear
Here is a very nice blog about could-have-been, should-have-been space missions that never happened: Beyond Apollo
Saturday, September 21, 2013
View Talay 2a Condo, Jomtien Beach, Pattaya, Thailand
The condominium development named in the title of this post is, according to my wife Su, the best place to rent or buy a condo in the Pattaya area, and I have to say that I agree with her. She should know after all, because she is Thai and lives in the area. Read her unbiased post about it in her blog here:
Condominium advice for Pattaya and Jomtien Beach, Thailand
Condominium advice for Pattaya and Jomtien Beach, Thailand
Friday, September 20, 2013
Apparently we're all aliens
This article is very interesting, especially if you misread the title at first glance: Organisms ‘originated from space’
Thursday, September 19, 2013
New videos added to my YouTube channel
With reference to my YouTube posts in June this year and also July 2010, I have added 24 more new videos into my YouTube channel over the past two days, so there are now just over 300 great videos in my channel in total.
The new videos include trailers, movie clips and featurettes from Pixar's "Monsters University", Disney's "Planes", Illumination's "Despicable Me 2", Disney's "Frozen" and Marvel's "Thor: The Dark World". And if you're interested, there are over 100 free Flash online games based on these and other movies and cartoons in the Dan-Dare.org and FlashyOnlineGames.com websites.
The new videos include trailers, movie clips and featurettes from Pixar's "Monsters University", Disney's "Planes", Illumination's "Despicable Me 2", Disney's "Frozen" and Marvel's "Thor: The Dark World". And if you're interested, there are over 100 free Flash online games based on these and other movies and cartoons in the Dan-Dare.org and FlashyOnlineGames.com websites.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
MarioWebGames.com and SonicWebGames.com
This is a belated follow-up to my post back in April about MarioWebGames.com and SonicWebGames.com, this time featuring some actual games from the two sites that can be played straight from here:
MarioWebGames.com
Mario's Adventure 2
Bullet Bill 2
SonicWebGames.com
Sonic Match-It
Sonic Chaos Crush (Sonic Breakout)
(See also here)
MarioWebGames.com
Mario's Adventure 2 Bullet Bill 2SonicWebGames.com
Sonic Match-It Sonic Chaos Crush (Sonic Breakout)(See also here)
Monday, September 16, 2013
FlashyOnlineGames.com game recommendations
Expansion of FlashyOnlineGames.com to include more and more high-quality Flash online games continues at a rapid pace. Below is a series of posts in my FlashyOnlineGames.com Blog listing many of the best games now in the site which I thoroughly recommend you to take the time to try out - I promise you will be pleased you did:
Disney Flash online games
Pixar Flash online games
Flash games based on TV cartoon shows
More Flash games based on classic cartoons
Sonic and Mario games
Classic retro computer and arcade games
Disney Flash online games
Pixar Flash online games
Flash games based on TV cartoon shows
More Flash games based on classic cartoons
Sonic and Mario games
Classic retro computer and arcade games
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Wow - Mesut Ozil was a good buy for Arsenal!
With reference to my post earlier this month about Arsenal signing Mesut Ozil: it took the German midfielder just 10 minutes in his Arsenal debut game today (a 3-1 win away to Sunderland) to notch up his first goal-assist for the club when he set up Olivier Giroud for Arsenal's first.
Given that Ozil was also involved in almost everything else Arsenal did going forward, it seems he was indeed a very good buy. Still, it's very early days yet. Fingers crossed he will keep today's form going and going!
Given that Ozil was also involved in almost everything else Arsenal did going forward, it seems he was indeed a very good buy. Still, it's very early days yet. Fingers crossed he will keep today's form going and going!
The Ig Nobel Prize Awards 2013
This article in Yahoo! UK yesterday made me laugh so much when I first read it, and I'm still getting minor after-giggles an hour later while starting to write about it here!
Wacky Ig Nobel prizes show the funny side of science
The tongue-in-cheek Ig Nobel awards were handed to dozens of scientists, including those who confirmed drunk people think they are more attractive and studied the onion enzyme that makes us cry.
The Nobel prize spoof honors achievements "that first make people laugh and then make them think," according to a press release. The Ig Nobels invite real Nobel laureates to confer honors on serious scientists for work that is generally only unintentionally funny.
There is also a peace prize, which this year was jointly awarded to the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, for making it illegal to applaud in public, and to the Belarus police "for arresting a one-armed man for applauding."
The safety engineering prize went to late American researcher Gustano Pizzo, who invented a system to trap airplane hijackers, seal them into a package and parachute them into the hands of police.
A team from Britain, the Netherlands and Canada were awarded the probability prize for determining that the longer a cow has been lying down, the more likely it is it will soon stand up.
They also discovered that once a cow stands up, you cannot easily predict how soon it will lie down again.
The physics prize went to researchers who discovered that some people would be physically capable of running across the surface of a pond -- if those people and that pond were on the moon.
A joint award in biology and astronomy was given to a team from Sweden, Australia, Germany, Australia and the UK, who uncovered the fact that when dung beetles get lost, they can navigate their way home by looking at the Milky Way.
The study by researchers who confirmed drunk people really do think they are more attractive won the Psychology Prize.
A team from Japan and Germany tackled the age-old question of why onions make us cry and discovered merely that the biochemical process is "even more complicated than scientists previously realized."
The archaeology prize went to a US-Canada team who parboiled a dead shrew, swallowed it without chewing, and then carefully examined their excretions to see which bones dissolve inside the human digestive system.
It was the 23rd edition of the Ig Nobels, awarded at the uber-prestigious Harvard University in Boston.
The prize-winners, who travel to the ceremony at their own expense, were given 60 seconds for an acceptance speech, a time limit enforced by an implacable eight-year-old girl.
The ceremony also included the premiere of a mini-opera called "The Blonsky Device," inspired by the life and work of 1999 Ig Nobel Prize winners George and Charlotte Blonsky.
The couple invented a machine to aid a woman in giving birth by strapping her onto a circular table, which is then rotated at high speed.
(The awards are organised by Improbable Research.)
Wacky Ig Nobel prizes show the funny side of science
The tongue-in-cheek Ig Nobel awards were handed to dozens of scientists, including those who confirmed drunk people think they are more attractive and studied the onion enzyme that makes us cry.
The Nobel prize spoof honors achievements "that first make people laugh and then make them think," according to a press release. The Ig Nobels invite real Nobel laureates to confer honors on serious scientists for work that is generally only unintentionally funny.
There is also a peace prize, which this year was jointly awarded to the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, for making it illegal to applaud in public, and to the Belarus police "for arresting a one-armed man for applauding."
The safety engineering prize went to late American researcher Gustano Pizzo, who invented a system to trap airplane hijackers, seal them into a package and parachute them into the hands of police.
A team from Britain, the Netherlands and Canada were awarded the probability prize for determining that the longer a cow has been lying down, the more likely it is it will soon stand up.
They also discovered that once a cow stands up, you cannot easily predict how soon it will lie down again.
The physics prize went to researchers who discovered that some people would be physically capable of running across the surface of a pond -- if those people and that pond were on the moon.
A joint award in biology and astronomy was given to a team from Sweden, Australia, Germany, Australia and the UK, who uncovered the fact that when dung beetles get lost, they can navigate their way home by looking at the Milky Way.
The study by researchers who confirmed drunk people really do think they are more attractive won the Psychology Prize.
A team from Japan and Germany tackled the age-old question of why onions make us cry and discovered merely that the biochemical process is "even more complicated than scientists previously realized."
The archaeology prize went to a US-Canada team who parboiled a dead shrew, swallowed it without chewing, and then carefully examined their excretions to see which bones dissolve inside the human digestive system.
It was the 23rd edition of the Ig Nobels, awarded at the uber-prestigious Harvard University in Boston.
The prize-winners, who travel to the ceremony at their own expense, were given 60 seconds for an acceptance speech, a time limit enforced by an implacable eight-year-old girl.
The ceremony also included the premiere of a mini-opera called "The Blonsky Device," inspired by the life and work of 1999 Ig Nobel Prize winners George and Charlotte Blonsky.
The couple invented a machine to aid a woman in giving birth by strapping her onto a circular table, which is then rotated at high speed.
(The awards are organised by Improbable Research.)
Friday, September 13, 2013
Building a time machine “is possible” claims Professor Brian Cox
This interesting article appeared in the Yahoo! UK site the other day, although I only just read it. I really like the Professor, he's a very entertaining chap for a boffin!
Time machines similar to Doctor Who’s Tardis are possible, Professor Brian Cox said in a speech at the British Science Festival.
Time machines similar to Dr Who’s Tardis are possible, Professor Brian Cox said in a speech at the British Science Festival.
“Can you build a time machine?” said Professor Cox. “The answer is yes.”
There’s just one, tiny problem, Professor Cox says - if you can build a machine capable of time-travel, you can only travel into the future. You can’t come back.
Professor Cox also suggested that research at the LHC might uncover extra dimensions - thus, perhaps finally explaining how the Tardis is bigger on the inside.
Professor Cox, a Dr Who fan, is to deliver a 60-minute speech on Dr Who to be screened by the BBC on November 23 - tackling questions such as extraterrestrial life, travelling to other dimensions and time travel.
Professor Cox says that time travel is possible, and has already been done - albeit at a very small scale. The technology to accelerate something as big as a police box to near light speed does not yet exist.
Professor Cox says that, armed with such technology, “You can go into the future; you've got almost total freedom of movement in the future.”
To “travel” forward in time, you simply need to accelerate to speeds close to the speed of light, Cox says - as you get close to that speed, time slows down, but only for you, according to Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity.
“If you go fast, your clock runs slow relative to people who are still. As you approach the speed of light, your clock runs so slow you could come back 10,000 years in the future," said Professor Cox.
Cox said previously on Conan O’Brien’s chat show that travel into the past was “impossible”, saying, “You can travel into the future as fast as you like. You can’t travel into the past.”
But in his speech in Birmingham, the physicist went into more detail - suggesting that “wormholes” often used in science fiction as portals through time may not offer a simple way to travel into the past.
“In General Relativity, you can do it in principle. It's to do with building these things called wormholes; shortcuts through space and time. But most physicists doubt it. Hawking came up with the 'chronology protection conjecture' - physics we don't yet understand that means wormholes are not stable.”
Travelling between different dimensions, though, might be easier - a relief for the Doctor, for whom “transdimensional engineering” was a key part of the Tardis.
Cox says, “We look for extra dimensions at the LHC (Large Hadron Collider). You can imagine extra dimensions in space, and that we are living on a sheet of higher dimensional space.”
Whether this explains how the interior of the Tardis is “dimensionally transcendental” - bigger on the inside - will perhaps be revealed in Cox’s speech on the 23rd.
Time machines similar to Doctor Who’s Tardis are possible, Professor Brian Cox said in a speech at the British Science Festival.
Time machines similar to Dr Who’s Tardis are possible, Professor Brian Cox said in a speech at the British Science Festival.
“Can you build a time machine?” said Professor Cox. “The answer is yes.”
There’s just one, tiny problem, Professor Cox says - if you can build a machine capable of time-travel, you can only travel into the future. You can’t come back.
Professor Cox also suggested that research at the LHC might uncover extra dimensions - thus, perhaps finally explaining how the Tardis is bigger on the inside.
Professor Cox, a Dr Who fan, is to deliver a 60-minute speech on Dr Who to be screened by the BBC on November 23 - tackling questions such as extraterrestrial life, travelling to other dimensions and time travel.
Professor Cox says that time travel is possible, and has already been done - albeit at a very small scale. The technology to accelerate something as big as a police box to near light speed does not yet exist.
Professor Cox says that, armed with such technology, “You can go into the future; you've got almost total freedom of movement in the future.”
To “travel” forward in time, you simply need to accelerate to speeds close to the speed of light, Cox says - as you get close to that speed, time slows down, but only for you, according to Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity.
“If you go fast, your clock runs slow relative to people who are still. As you approach the speed of light, your clock runs so slow you could come back 10,000 years in the future," said Professor Cox.
Cox said previously on Conan O’Brien’s chat show that travel into the past was “impossible”, saying, “You can travel into the future as fast as you like. You can’t travel into the past.”
But in his speech in Birmingham, the physicist went into more detail - suggesting that “wormholes” often used in science fiction as portals through time may not offer a simple way to travel into the past.
“In General Relativity, you can do it in principle. It's to do with building these things called wormholes; shortcuts through space and time. But most physicists doubt it. Hawking came up with the 'chronology protection conjecture' - physics we don't yet understand that means wormholes are not stable.”
Travelling between different dimensions, though, might be easier - a relief for the Doctor, for whom “transdimensional engineering” was a key part of the Tardis.
Cox says, “We look for extra dimensions at the LHC (Large Hadron Collider). You can imagine extra dimensions in space, and that we are living on a sheet of higher dimensional space.”
Whether this explains how the interior of the Tardis is “dimensionally transcendental” - bigger on the inside - will perhaps be revealed in Cox’s speech on the 23rd.
Monday, September 02, 2013
No Suarez for Arsenal, but Ozil seems like a very good buy
Following on from my post in July about Arsenal bidding for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez - which didn't work out - Arsenal did finally spend some serious money on a true superstar, the totally awesome Mesut Ozil, in the final hour of the final day of the summer transfer window. Phew!
Here are a couple of great-to-read newspaper articles regarding the transfer:
The Guardian - Mesut Ozil can breathe new life into Arsenal's Emirates era
The Telegraph - Arsenal and United land Mesut Ozil and Marouane Fellaini late on transfer deadline day
Here are a couple of great-to-read newspaper articles regarding the transfer:
The Guardian - Mesut Ozil can breathe new life into Arsenal's Emirates era
The Telegraph - Arsenal and United land Mesut Ozil and Marouane Fellaini late on transfer deadline day
Thursday, August 08, 2013
Pixar online games
My good friend Calvin has been very busy recently working on our joint Flash online game websites. In addition to the rapidly expanding FlashyOnlineGames.com site (which you can read about in one of my posts last month), he has also been adding lots of great new games to the LightningCarsGames.com site.
Here is a list of some of the best of those games for you to try out here:
Cars: Lightning McQueen Desert Dash
Cars: Radiator Springs Racing
Cars: Lightning McQueen Tractor Tipping
Cars: Doc Hudson's Time Trial
Cars: Mater to the Rescue
Cars: Luigi's Casa Della Tires
Cars: Ramone's Coloring Book
Toy Story: Woody's Big Escape
A Bugs Life: A Bugs Land
Monsters Inc,: Monster Melee
Finding Nemo: Crush's Summer Holiday
The Incredibles: Save the Day
Ratatouille: Choppity Chop
WALL-E Pinball
Up: Sky Glider
Don't forget to visit the site to play all the other games!
Here is a list of some of the best of those games for you to try out here:
Cars: Lightning McQueen Desert Dash
Cars: Radiator Springs Racing
Cars: Lightning McQueen Tractor Tipping
Cars: Doc Hudson's Time Trial
Cars: Mater to the Rescue
Cars: Luigi's Casa Della Tires
Cars: Ramone's Coloring Book
Toy Story: Woody's Big Escape
A Bugs Life: A Bugs Land
Monsters Inc,: Monster Melee
Finding Nemo: Crush's Summer Holiday
The Incredibles: Save the Day
Ratatouille: Choppity Chop
WALL-E Pinball
Up: Sky Glider
Don't forget to visit the site to play all the other games!
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Happy 5th Wedding Anniversay to my amazing wife Su!
Wow, the time sure has gone fast Su. Lily is now a year old, and Boss will soon be 7. How is that possible? It's been loads of fun, and hopefully will always continue to be. Thank you darling. Love from me. XXXXX
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
The Arsenal and Luis Suarez transfer saga gets serious
Being a life-long Arsenal fan has never been easy, but it has also never been boring. And it is currently more interesting than ever, now that the club is at last able to compete financially for big-name transfers.
All summer so far Arsenal have been linked with the possible signings of a host of superstars, such as Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain, Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and my favourite, Liverpool's Luis Suarez. So far though, no such signings have actually happened (as is normal for Arsenal, unfortunately).
However.....
While looking through the latest Arsenal transfer rumours just now, I spotted this little gem that seems to be from a reliable source, claiming that Arsenal have now lodged a £40 million + £1 bid for Suarez. Incredible! Hope it works!!
All summer so far Arsenal have been linked with the possible signings of a host of superstars, such as Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain, Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and my favourite, Liverpool's Luis Suarez. So far though, no such signings have actually happened (as is normal for Arsenal, unfortunately).
However.....
While looking through the latest Arsenal transfer rumours just now, I spotted this little gem that seems to be from a reliable source, claiming that Arsenal have now lodged a £40 million + £1 bid for Suarez. Incredible! Hope it works!!
Thursday, July 18, 2013
More Flashy online games fun!
First launched in July last year, the FlashyOnlineGames.com site has recently been massively updated and expanded to include even more Flash online games and desktop wallpaper backgrounds. Check out these sections to see for yourself just how many awesome games there now are in the site:
Super Mario Bros Games
(including Super Smash Bros. Flash)
Sonic the Hedgehog Games
(including Sonic the Hedgehog: Super Sonic Pinball)
Arcade Classic Games
(including Asteroids)
Disney Games
(including Bolt: Run Bolt, Run)
Pixar Games
(including Toy Story: Operation Alien Rescue)
DreamWorks Games
(including Shrek: Shrek Shreds)
Cartoon Network Games
(including Tom and Jerry: Tom's Trap'o'Matic)
Nickelodeon Games
(including Power Rangers: Red Hot Rescue)
Don't forget to keep coming back to the site regularly, as new games are being added all the time!
(See also here)
Super Mario Bros Games
(including Super Smash Bros. Flash)
Sonic the Hedgehog Games
(including Sonic the Hedgehog: Super Sonic Pinball)
Arcade Classic Games
(including Asteroids)
Disney Games
(including Bolt: Run Bolt, Run)
Pixar Games
(including Toy Story: Operation Alien Rescue)
DreamWorks Games
(including Shrek: Shrek Shreds)
Cartoon Network Games
(including Tom and Jerry: Tom's Trap'o'Matic)
Nickelodeon Games
(including Power Rangers: Red Hot Rescue)
Don't forget to keep coming back to the site regularly, as new games are being added all the time!
(See also here)
Thursday, June 06, 2013
Disney and Pixar trailers and film clips
I've been putting lots of great Disney and Pixar videos into my YouTube account recently, all collected together into playlists to make it easier for you to watch groups of related ones:
Pixar Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University videos
Disney Wreck-It Ralph videos
Pixar Cars 1, Cars 2 and Disney Planes videos
Despicable Me 1 and 2 videos
DreamWorks Rise of the Guardians videos
I hope you enjoy them! And remember, you can play loads of great free Disney and Pixar games directly in your web browser here:
Dan-Dare.org's Disney and Pixar games site
Pixar Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University videos
Disney Wreck-It Ralph videos
Pixar Cars 1, Cars 2 and Disney Planes videos
Despicable Me 1 and 2 videos
DreamWorks Rise of the Guardians videos
I hope you enjoy them! And remember, you can play loads of great free Disney and Pixar games directly in your web browser here:
Dan-Dare.org's Disney and Pixar games site
Friday, May 24, 2013
Response to a UK soldier being hacked to death on a London Street
This is the real reason why I quit England and came to live in Thailand ten years ago: It makes no difference which political party is in power at Westminster, they only care about human rights for immigrants and little about the rights of true English people:
From Wednesday just gone came this utterly shocking story: British soldier hacked to death in suspected Islamist attack
Then yesterday came this not-at-all surprising story: Woolwich: EDL Protests As Mosques Targeted
I suspect there's a lot more of that to come - if you read the comments below the second story, you'll see clearly what I already know but which UK politicians constantly ignore: that true English people are totally sick and tired of the endless uncontrolled immigration into England, and the fact that non-English people get treated much better than English people.
To cap it all off, if you are a true English white person like me and you talk in public in England in such a way as to vociferously criticise this whole immigration/Islam issue, you can actually get into trouble with the law for being racist and/or inciting racial hatred! And yet if non-English people talk in public in a similar way, criticising England and English people in truly hateful ways, nothing is done to them! Seriously, what do "the powers that be" think is going to happen in the end? How stupid are they?
Very stupid, clearly. In 1968 a great English man and a very conscientious politician (probably the last one of those ever!), Enoch Powell, made a very famous speech about the dangers of uncontrolled immigration (click on those two previous links and read what's there if you care about the truth, by the way).
The speech caused great controversy at the time (to put it mildly), but it has since turned out to be so prophetic that it seems dear old Enoch must have borrowed Dr. Who's "Tardis" and taken a peek into his then future (our present).
It would be most wise for those in power in England to, at long, long last, pay urgent attention to what Mr. Powell said all those years ago, and to what almost every single English person is saying today, namely: Stop the uncontrolled immigration into England!!! And get rid of the ridiculous Human Rights Act which only favors those who do not deserve human rights!!!
Failure to do so will, I am afraid, and as Enoch so eloquently and accurately put it, lead to "the River Tiber foaming with much blood."
God Save the Queen!
From Wednesday just gone came this utterly shocking story: British soldier hacked to death in suspected Islamist attack
Then yesterday came this not-at-all surprising story: Woolwich: EDL Protests As Mosques Targeted
I suspect there's a lot more of that to come - if you read the comments below the second story, you'll see clearly what I already know but which UK politicians constantly ignore: that true English people are totally sick and tired of the endless uncontrolled immigration into England, and the fact that non-English people get treated much better than English people.
To cap it all off, if you are a true English white person like me and you talk in public in England in such a way as to vociferously criticise this whole immigration/Islam issue, you can actually get into trouble with the law for being racist and/or inciting racial hatred! And yet if non-English people talk in public in a similar way, criticising England and English people in truly hateful ways, nothing is done to them! Seriously, what do "the powers that be" think is going to happen in the end? How stupid are they?
Very stupid, clearly. In 1968 a great English man and a very conscientious politician (probably the last one of those ever!), Enoch Powell, made a very famous speech about the dangers of uncontrolled immigration (click on those two previous links and read what's there if you care about the truth, by the way).
The speech caused great controversy at the time (to put it mildly), but it has since turned out to be so prophetic that it seems dear old Enoch must have borrowed Dr. Who's "Tardis" and taken a peek into his then future (our present).
It would be most wise for those in power in England to, at long, long last, pay urgent attention to what Mr. Powell said all those years ago, and to what almost every single English person is saying today, namely: Stop the uncontrolled immigration into England!!! And get rid of the ridiculous Human Rights Act which only favors those who do not deserve human rights!!!
Failure to do so will, I am afraid, and as Enoch so eloquently and accurately put it, lead to "the River Tiber foaming with much blood."
God Save the Queen!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
English football has gone mad!
Here's an excellent article by Jim White in today's Yahoo.co.uk, which I totally agree with:
At the time of writing, the plans for the Stoke Sentinel’s Tony Pulis 16-page souvenir supplement were still up in the air.
But doubtless the production will be straight forward, without frill or artifice, getting to the point with minimum fuss, a route one publication.
Arsenal fans may disagree, but we’ll miss Pulis. In his tracksuit and cap he was the manager who most resembled a touchline dad, ranting and shouting his way through a Premier League season. In press conferences he always stood up, perhaps to convey a message of urgency and momentum. Either that, or he suffered from some vicious piles.
And now he has gone, the Premier League managerial landscape has altered irrevocably. With Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes also taking their leave from long-held sinecures, Arsene Wenger is now the only manager in the country’s top division who was appointed before 2010. Indeed, all the other 91 clubs in league football have changed their manager since Arsenal last won a trophy, in 2005. What an incredible statistic that is of a business that has lost all faith in stability.
After Wenger, the second longest serving top flight boss is now Alan Pardew, who has been at St James’s Park for 2 years and 157 days. Though if the rumours of his imminent departure swirling around Newcastle turn out to be true, at the start of the season the runner up to Wenger will be Sam Allardyce, who is just about to clock up two seasons at the Boleyn Ground. When the three clubs without managers have found their next man, 12 of our top clubs will be under the control of a boss who has been in situ for less than a year. So much for continuity. So much for longevity. So much for creating a footballing legacy.
At the time of writing, the plans for the Stoke Sentinel’s Tony Pulis 16-page souvenir supplement were still up in the air.
But doubtless the production will be straight forward, without frill or artifice, getting to the point with minimum fuss, a route one publication.
Arsenal fans may disagree, but we’ll miss Pulis. In his tracksuit and cap he was the manager who most resembled a touchline dad, ranting and shouting his way through a Premier League season. In press conferences he always stood up, perhaps to convey a message of urgency and momentum. Either that, or he suffered from some vicious piles.
And now he has gone, the Premier League managerial landscape has altered irrevocably. With Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes also taking their leave from long-held sinecures, Arsene Wenger is now the only manager in the country’s top division who was appointed before 2010. Indeed, all the other 91 clubs in league football have changed their manager since Arsenal last won a trophy, in 2005. What an incredible statistic that is of a business that has lost all faith in stability.
After Wenger, the second longest serving top flight boss is now Alan Pardew, who has been at St James’s Park for 2 years and 157 days. Though if the rumours of his imminent departure swirling around Newcastle turn out to be true, at the start of the season the runner up to Wenger will be Sam Allardyce, who is just about to clock up two seasons at the Boleyn Ground. When the three clubs without managers have found their next man, 12 of our top clubs will be under the control of a boss who has been in situ for less than a year. So much for continuity. So much for longevity. So much for creating a footballing legacy.
Monday, May 20, 2013
In 2015 the first British person will "officially" go into space
I just read this interesting article in Yahoo.co.uk via Sky News today:
The British space industry is being given a boost with confirmation that Britain's first official astronaut is to take part in a mission on the International Space Station in 2015.
Major Tim Peake has undergone 14 months of rigorous training, which has included survival courses and exercises under water and underground.
Now almost three years after graduating as an astronaut, the 41-year-old former major and helicopter pilot in the British Army Air Corps has been selected to fly on a five-month mission on the international space station.
He has been training under water, underground, completed survival courses and now, almost three years after graduating as an astronaut, he has been selected for a five-month mission on the ISS.
Canada's singing spaceman Chris Hadfield has used social media to give incredible insight into life in orbit. His tour ended last week - and Peake's will start in two years' time.
Speaking after his selection for the programme, he said: "I applied to become an astronaut with the European Space Agency because I believe for me it's a unique opportunity in my life to become part of a team that can have such a positive impact on society.
"I believe humankind faces some enormous challenges this century, and the space arena is going to be fundamental in overcoming some of those challenges."
Peake will face his own personal challenges - getting used to life without gravity, and his family.
His living quarters during the mission will be barely the size of a phone box.
Space writer Nick Spall said: "Space can make lots of money. The satellite industry's very successful, but space isn't just about building satellites or building robots to explore the solar system.
"It's also human space flight as well, and all the developed countries, and in particular the emerging developed countries, China, India, are commiting themselves to human space flight, so it's a case of Britain joining in."
Although British-born adventurers like Helen Sharman and Piers Sellers have been into space before, Peake will officially be the first British astronaut.
The others either took American citizenship or their missions were privately funded.
But when his Soyuz rocket blasts off from Kazakhstan he will be focused more on where he is going than where he has come from.
The British space industry is being given a boost with confirmation that Britain's first official astronaut is to take part in a mission on the International Space Station in 2015.
Major Tim Peake has undergone 14 months of rigorous training, which has included survival courses and exercises under water and underground.
Now almost three years after graduating as an astronaut, the 41-year-old former major and helicopter pilot in the British Army Air Corps has been selected to fly on a five-month mission on the international space station.
He has been training under water, underground, completed survival courses and now, almost three years after graduating as an astronaut, he has been selected for a five-month mission on the ISS.
Canada's singing spaceman Chris Hadfield has used social media to give incredible insight into life in orbit. His tour ended last week - and Peake's will start in two years' time.
Speaking after his selection for the programme, he said: "I applied to become an astronaut with the European Space Agency because I believe for me it's a unique opportunity in my life to become part of a team that can have such a positive impact on society.
"I believe humankind faces some enormous challenges this century, and the space arena is going to be fundamental in overcoming some of those challenges."
Peake will face his own personal challenges - getting used to life without gravity, and his family.
His living quarters during the mission will be barely the size of a phone box.
Space writer Nick Spall said: "Space can make lots of money. The satellite industry's very successful, but space isn't just about building satellites or building robots to explore the solar system.
"It's also human space flight as well, and all the developed countries, and in particular the emerging developed countries, China, India, are commiting themselves to human space flight, so it's a case of Britain joining in."
Although British-born adventurers like Helen Sharman and Piers Sellers have been into space before, Peake will officially be the first British astronaut.
The others either took American citizenship or their missions were privately funded.
But when his Soyuz rocket blasts off from Kazakhstan he will be focused more on where he is going than where he has come from.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
A must-have Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future book
If you're a Dan Dare fan, a comic-book fan or a general sci-fi fan, here is a book that I totally recommend you to get a copy of:
Dan Dare: Spacefleet Operations Manual (Haynes Owner's Workshop Manual)
(The link will take you to an excellent illustrated review of the book in the Mail Online website)
Whether you love Amazon or hate it, as usual they seem to have the best deal on the book, in this case at the Amazon.co.uk site.
Dan Dare: Spacefleet Operations Manual (Haynes Owner's Workshop Manual)
(The link will take you to an excellent illustrated review of the book in the Mail Online website)
Whether you love Amazon or hate it, as usual they seem to have the best deal on the book, in this case at the Amazon.co.uk site.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Mario and Sonic game recommendations
For all you Super Mario Brothers and Sonic the Hedgehog fans out there, here are two blog posts highlighting some of the best free online games in the MarioWebGames.com and SonicWebGames.com sites which I a sure you will enjoy playing:
Mario and Sonic game recommendations part 1
Mario and Sonic game recommendations part 2
Mario and Sonic game recommendations part 1
Mario and Sonic game recommendations part 2
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