Aston Villa Out of the Running

This is a bit premature, but I’m drafting a post on my quest to find a EPL team to support this year, as the NBA is probably going to be dead this upcoming season, and I need a fix to get me through the dark days of winter. It’s a shame too, cause I was all ready to see Thad Young win sixth-man of the year, but I digress…

Anyway, I’m streaming the Fulham-Aston Villa match on ESPN3.com, gathering evidence and forming opinions. Ian Darke just mentioned two of Villa’s celebrity fans are British PM David Cameron and Pippa Middleton’s brother in-law, Prince William. I’d say this removes them from contention without further qualification.

At this rate, I’ll be pining after some third tier team like the Preston North End.

Pimm’s Cup

Didn’t think my first post back after a 3 month+ blogging hiatus would be about alcohol, but I can surprise even myself at times. Anyway, Pimm’s. It’s this gin-based liqueur from England. Perhaps you’ve tried it, yes? If you haven’t, go out and get yourself a bottle and a little Canada Dry as a mixer. Heavenly, dangerous stuff. Perfect summer evening refreshment while trying to decide between Carlos the Jackal and Nights in Rodanthe on your Netflix Instant Watch queue.

Tiny, inexpensive computing →

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a UK registered charity (Registration Number 1129409) which exists to promote the study of computer science and related topics, especially at school level, and to put the fun back into learning computing.

We plan to develop, manufacture and distribute an ultra-low-cost computer, for use in teaching computer programming to children. We expect this computer to have many other applications both in the developed and the developing world.

Our first product is about the size of a USB key, and is designed to plug into a TV or be combined with a touch screen for a low cost tablet. The expected price is $25 for a fully-configured system.

— That is my memory of all those first punk gigs: excitement mixed with fear. Everything was twice as intense.

You just don’t get that now. Can you imagine going to a gig and being scared? It just wouldn’t happen. Or watching a band come onstage and thinking the singer looked amazing? The first time I went to see Siouxsie and the Banshees, I didn’t know what they looked like. I got to the club early—there was barely anyone there apart from this one guy who looked like he was dressed as a clown. He had this big black fringe and the biggest pair of trousers I’d ever seen. I remember just thinking, “What the fuck is this guy wearing?” because at that point it was all drainpipes. At the end of the night he came onstage. It was John McKay, the Banshees’ guitarist. The whole idea of wearing something like that was so new then that I couldn’t get it into my head. That feeling of looking at someone and thinking “What the fuck?” just isn’t there anymore.

(Source: Vice Magazine)

Haruki Murakami (1988)