The Scientist

Sat here Gravity's Rainbow remix by Kavinsky blaring out. All is quiet.
I like to ride at night on the dark lonely streets
Its odd, the only place where it is my own
Nobody about to hassle or holler
Just the sound of my breathing
Times like these are when I can think about everything and nothing
So don't be suprised when I can drive
To find me out at night for a ride

That all came out straight on my bike, followed by my dinner, so don't take to many digs.

Physcology
I'm not really in my field but social science has science in it. If I'm honest I used to disregard it as hocom or a non-subject. But the old cliché (there will be many in here) don't knock it till you tried it. At uni you meet lots of new people, all of them very different from one another, but all inherinetly the same. All that they say about the eldest child or the only child comes true. I suppose as the eldest and with neuroscience and physcology being blurred in their boundaries, and coupled with my want to know-all nature. But as M.Cartmill once said

As an adolescent I aspired to lasting fame, I carved factual certainty, I thirsted for a meaningful reason of human life - so I became a scientist. This is like becoming an archbishop so you can meet girls

Which is very true, although the catholic church it is a good way to meet boys, but less on that the better. Scientists aren't the person I'd go to if I had a problem, there my mind works in a way not conducive any meaningful life experience. Nothing is certain. Science is guess work at best, a correlation doesn't mean they're related. More shark attacks with more ice creams sold is an old one. So don't listen to everything the person in the white coat tells you.

I'm now going all hippy which seems a stark contradiction to Virgin with their abuse of electricity with the adverts and their business. But as in minority report when do adverts become tailor made? Already facebook has things that are linked to your interests, relationship status and friends. Blyk and many other mobile network operators also have a similar principle, they send adverts out and adverts attach to the end of text messages that they send to people. Although some of the information in these adverts is surprisingly to tailor made, and a degree of listening to conversations or monitoring someones whereabouts would be necessary. All a bit scary, the fact that you can be followed.

The next wave of this is interactive billboards that sense the gender, age and many other degrees of classification. So who knows someday you could be walking past judgmental billboards telling what smell to wear or what boxers David Beckham is wearing and how if you wear them you'll be like him.

Artistry

You only become good at something if you practice, nobody is born amazing. I have tried to become more arty and less of the pedantic geeky scientist, you can be the judge of my attainment and effort in rectifying that.

But now for the meat of the sandwich, the Virgin Media ads. There have been some good ads featuring the Virgin brand a lot of recent times, Virgin Atlantic celebrating its 25 anniversary with attractive flight attendants and a buff pilot strutting through a remarkably clean, tidy and quiet airport.

However my favourite, is the recent one involving the a rugged man's journey on a train. The journey is mundane but his friends, his girlfriend, music and a computer gaming experience all miraculously are present at different points. That seems to sum life up and its happiness pretty well (despite the gaming), and apparently you can relive that all through a smartphone. So therefore if x = happiness and y=smartphone then x=y + train ticket. So buy a smartphone and be happy on a train remembering all those people.

Finally as a forlorn finish. My friend Legweak is off to Benicassim, a festival in the south of spain by the coast for 9 days. This festival is labelled the Glastonbury in the sun (or of the sun) and this year features headliners Oasis, Paul Weller, Franz Ferdinand, Kings of Leon and many other great acts. Now suffice to say I'm not going with him, and if like me you aren't going or even if you are this mixtape will wet your appetite for the awaiting climax of the festival.
It might not be an indie mixtape (contrary to the headliners) but you will like and recognise plenty of the songs and their electro-dance remix cousins as well as artists such as Boyz noise and remixes from herve and 2manydjs.

A brief description by the man himself

'Although the line-up is quite indie/rock, I've made an electro/club/dance mixtape and included 18 artists that are playing this year in 22 tracks. This is one for the mojitos rather than the Aquabona's, although you may need the latter by the end. RAAAAVE IT UP!'


Download it here.

Moving on

Now this is not a heartfelt story of how my fancies are changing, no. This is about moving house, well from flat to house. My first year of university has finished, well hopefully if all the results are the way I want them. But today I said goodbye to my 1st year flat, almost a sad moment as I closed the door and locked it for the last time remembering how it was when I arrived those 9 months ago. Getting in opening the door, getting posters an pictures out putting stuff away and then start drinking. However as my Dad reminded me today one door shuts another one slams you in the face, but I'm very much looking forward to living in my new house with 2 out of 3 of the sane flatmates so all is swell. With it comes all the responsibility of managing bills, rents and other boring adult things that I took for granted.

One more thing about this is it means most of my friends will arrive at university next year, one fortunate enough to be coming to Sheffield. So I'll still have a little feel of freshers...
I'm going to start the whole science thing up again when I'm on a computer with macromedia flash and an internet connection that doesn't have to go through a human operator to a switchboard.

Anything paticularly interesting you want to know?
But a few quick facts for now, to make you sound either weird or genius depending on the timing:

Sex does not affect performance in sport if practiced the night before

Fit people sweat more than unfit people

Not all fat is bad, without it your brain would not be there and nor would you

OH and double dipping is NOT the same as putting your mouth in the dip, still it is pretty disgusting

And one final thng before I forget, those who live in a hole or circumvent the TV liscensing authorities Mock the week starts next week at 9pm on BBC 2.

To wet your appetite or to throw you a bone here is one of many reasons why I look forward to its return

Art? Inspiration? thought?

My incredibly arty friend Legweak (I want that fiver next week) has managed to get me into adverts and all sorts of interesting amazing things. Charlie Brooker's newswipe (for some reason iplayer won't let me on the 1st one), which despite his coarse language and aggressive mannerisms being his comedy tool of force is pretty funny.

Also animals speaking are always a guaranteed laugh, and although I missed them first time the whole series of them had me giggling, not quite laughing but on my way if it wasn't SOO hot in my room!

Relax

Now this is not going to be a blog about Frankie or Hollywood. In fact I don't even know where this is going, I'm gonna rid my head of what ever comes to mind.

But firstly football, not my best topic at the moment but USA's fight to the final and attitude showed something, that no matter your skill level will and determination can triumph. Ultimately however they did not and Brazil won 3 - 2 in the final. With some pretty smooth performances and a wrongly judged disallowed goal, but here is some of the action.
Links for all the best goals are there as well, one paticular italian isn't too bad, not the goal scorer but check out the control on the sideline!

But I'm now going to go a bit downhearted now.
Its been a difficult week, serious family issues to contend with, constant worrying about my little brothers secondary school place and the minor problem of the person I like being harder to get hold of than an excited cat.
None of those I can have any control over, so I try and set it to the back of my mind and do other stuff fixing bikes, riding bikes, but there is only so far that goes. It isn't even as if I have the excuse that no one is here and there are no friends in Bristol.

I have regressed, devolved or evolved into the desk bound goal junkie, I can't relax anymore, waking up at 5am regularly. I am back to the antisocial state of my life pre 6th form.
Well I think this, I might be beating myself up, it could be my attitude beating myself up about the stuff, what ifs and hypotheticals. I don't fear change; I fear no more chances, no way back.