Linkables 29/3/9

Something of a bumper crop this time around, what with my recent lack of any kind of posts, let alone links ones. Enjoy:

A ridiculously lucky Turkish guy.

Addictive multiplayer acronym game.

The daft punk's console.

Intriguing they-must-have-faked-it fantasy football adverts from America.

Chinlone, the traditional sport of Myanmar.

Via David Mitchell (I've never found a columnist who seems to steal the thoughts out of my head quite so easily), we have the marvellous spEak You're bRanes, which mocks the ubiquitous Have Your Say commenters about whom I've complained a couple of times, but with less humour and less sucess.

Astounding lack of mathematical nous from an American phone company.

An example of a great graph from Graph Jam.

Two more columns from Dr. Ben Goldacre, examining data presented in the news or advertising - on prostate cancer and carbon monoxide.

A very moving Touching-the-void-esque account of a mountaineering tradgedy on Everest. Found via this discussion on ask metafilter.

Tactile Illusions from New Scientist.

Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweed

So, March 2009 is set to be the leanest blogging month for FOTSLJW since its inception*. Is it the time of year? March 2008 suggests no, seeing as there was an entry for every day of the month then with one spare entry to boot. Is it that the writers here have lost interest in this place. I would claim a resounding "NO!" to that, as many of the writers have commented on entries even if they haven't created any new ones recently. Plus I just know that's not the case.

Maybe its just the fact that everyone here is a human being with a life that sometimes allows for indulgence in blogging, and at other times becomes continually busy, with some things being placed on the back burner out of necessity. This blog is a hobby more than anything for me. I don't have wild dreams of anyone picking up my film reviews, opinion pieces or esoteric ramblings and starting to pay me for writing them. This place is great for me to use, but sometimes, whether I like it or not, other things in my life need to take priority. My school breaks up for Easter on Thursday this week (with an INSET day on the Friday - when you're a teacher you have to go in on those days, surprisingly), so hopefully over the two weeks of holiday I'll have a chance to start writing here a little more regularly. This term has been three weeks shorter than the winter term, but it's felt a hell of a lot more tiring. I'm certainly not the only teacher I know who feels that way either.

Anyway, here's to April being a little more fleshy in terms of bloggery here. I'll leave you with a video of a dog having a very vivid dream.



*Following this entry, March 2009 now actually has one more post than July 2007, the month this blog was started. However, seeing as the first post here was written on the 20th day of the month, I reckon March 2009 wins as least bloggy month overall.

Yeah, shut up, I know.

Sometimes you just need to inexplicably stop blogging for a month, ok.

I'm pretty busy at the moment, but will be trying to find time to post the odd nugget or two, hopefully working back up to a reasonable schedule.

In the meantime, watch Charlie Brooker's new show. Right now.

Sweet View

So, google launched street view in england. Less than five minutes later (actually not kidding), I managed to find myself!!! How cool is that??

Joe on street view

The question you're afraid to admit asking yourself as you walk past those tabloid front pages in the shop each morning, glancing quickly as you go...

... "Is Jade Goody dead yet?"

Charlotte hornets...

I've been a little quiet here in terms of my own posts recently, but I'm aiming to change that in the near future. But, for now, here's a shameless plug to my sister Charlotte's brand new blog. At the moment her focus is mainly on social and political commentary and her entries are genuinely a good read. So get over there and wear your opinions on your sleeves.