tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62824392011-05-18T15:52:37.816+01:00If I write at all, it's for me. Expect a lot of "stuff", i.e. matter without meaning. In other words, a microcosm of the internet.Nathannoreply@blogger.comBlogger2341100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1155800991608278842006-08-17T08:39:00.000+01:002006-08-17T08:49:51.626+01:00

If you know me, you know that I have a poor attention span when the white-hot beam of obsession has left something. Well, friends, this ol' blog about my opinions and stupid stuff I spend my days doing has grown kind of musty of late, as you have must have noticed.I started a new blog. It's aboutmy opinions and the stupid stuff I spend my days doing.I called it The Bran Report. T-shirts will be

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1149805333888445082006-06-08T23:18:00.000+01:002006-06-08T23:22:13.906+01:00

As you may or may not know, Oxford is a university made up of colleges. Until today, one of those was St. Hilda's college, and it only admitted women as students. This had upsides and downsides- to be superficial, it meant that Hilda's grounds were remarkably clean. On the the other hand, it meant that some male undergraduates from other colleges regarded Hilda's as an Amazonian paradise. I once

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1149627639419292962006-06-06T20:17:00.000+01:002006-06-06T22:00:39.546+01:00

A few days ago, there were stormclouds on the horizon. Now, for the dissapointing conclusion!I should warn you that while describing bodily functions is by and large not how I roll, there's only so much this would allow me to tell you about the idea of putting an American gallon of fluid into my body.19:01START THE CLOCK!Mug one- 19:02Milk!Mug two- 19:03This is going to be a cake-walk!Mug three-

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1149496765668766202006-06-05T09:19:00.000+01:002006-06-05T09:39:26.016+01:00

Let me practice my impersonations skills.Aherm."I am the President of the United States.I want to spend a further $66 thousand million bajillion dollars on the war in Iraq, because I think we're actually very close to achieving whatever it was we set out to do.Also, we need to subsidise our agriculture more because other countries are still exporting food. As a conservative, I know the only way

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1149495541692966242006-06-05T09:14:00.000+01:002006-06-05T09:19:01.706+01:00

Sorry for leaving you all a bit in the dark after last time. As it turned out, I was able to argue that normal medical practice reccomends against gross competitive eating during fevers. Legend has it, though, that I won't be able to use that line forever. Stay tuned. But first, dark mutterings about the POTUS.

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1149246514639635932006-06-02T12:08:00.000+01:002006-06-02T12:08:34.653+01:00

Friday 6th June 200651ºN, 1ºW3.15 a.m. British Summer TimeSo he animated a corpse to stage his own murder with the help of the sea-elves!Adventurers, TO THE OCEAN CAVES!5.15 a.m.My head is filled with fire, and I don't mean that as a metaphor for entheogens, I mean it as a metaphor for being close to death. If you'll excuse me, I have some urgent business to attend to (drinking lukewarm water

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1146522673637832102006-05-01T23:18:00.000+01:002006-05-01T23:31:13.653+01:00

There's something in my eye. I cut my hair and trimmed my beard this afternoon, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say a tiny piece of keratin shrapnel is floating around on my right eyeball, and it's kind of uncomfortable. I think I'm just going to go right on and gouge that eye out with a spoon. It can't be worse. IT CAN'T POSSIBLY BE WORSE.rising shotgun in imaginary cars

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1146507353419786462006-05-01T19:00:00.000+01:002006-05-01T19:15:53.433+01:00

I've been listening to my latest craze these last few days: Last.fm. It's an online radio station that is delicious: it plays music that statistics say you will probably like and (I should stress this) nothing else. It's a playlist. Of bands that people recomended to you.The recomendation system does tend to reinforce cliques, though. It works by noting what you listen to and rate, finding other

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1145883293225873112006-04-24T13:54:00.000+01:002006-04-24T13:54:53.236+01:00

HOORAY

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1145478223241567562006-04-19T21:19:00.000+01:002006-04-19T21:23:43.253+01:00

OK, so lately I've been about as good at updating as Carrington. The difference is, I'd be not as likely to leave you with a diatribe about how unqualified politicians are. Truth be told, I ain't political a whole bunch.I'm a slightly malodorous intellectual, and as such I tend to vote for the Green party. The trouble is, they project the air of people who know a lot of things but aren't

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1143246798262267912006-03-25T00:22:00.000Z2006-03-25T00:33:18.276Z

There are a few reasons I haven't been updating the ol' blogotron as much as I should these few weeks past. One of them is that I'm applying to do a postgraduate master's degree in... Haven't I told you all this before? Anyway, a master's in Renewable Energy science. One of the applications demands a passport photo, which means that I'm cast into a mental state I don't normally occupy: awareness

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1142616226283612852006-03-17T17:14:00.000Z2006-03-17T17:23:46.296Z

Dear blog,I am sorry for negelcting you these past few weeks. The reason why is my ongoing lack of understanding when it comes to current leads for cryogenic applications. The good news is that my ignorance had grown to about half a meg of TeX.During this period of Keruoac-esque creativity, I havn;t been shaving. I'd hoped the result would imply wisdom and masculinity. At the time of writing,

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1142462751092587422006-03-15T22:38:00.000Z2006-03-15T22:45:51.103Z

I've learnt many habits while living with Americans. One of them is AIM, which I added to my preference pane in Adium like another arrow in Legolas's quiver. Along with Adium, of course, comes the art of the away message."When I sit down to write a scientific paper, I often find myself mixing raspberry Absolut with apple juice. It's like a boiled sweet that makes you benevolently confused."This

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1141842563581802082006-03-08T18:26:00.000Z2006-03-08T18:29:23.596Z

Today I did what all scientists want to do: I got wounded. FOR PROGRESS.I need to sleep. Projects be damned.and it won't be a pretty sight

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1141422918881248952006-03-03T21:47:00.000Z2006-03-03T21:55:18.893Z

As someone who has used a few different operating systems, today's Penny Arcade make me cackle with an unfamiliar but delicious patriotism.and it won't be a pretty sight

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1140165386552301822006-02-17T08:31:00.000Z2006-02-17T08:36:26.566Z

The UN says that Guantanamo is a torture camp and wants it closed. The White House says "That's what the terrorists want you to think".drive all over town

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1139776179709696442006-02-12T20:26:00.000Z2006-02-12T20:29:39.720Z

I cannot get enough of Lucida Blackletter right now.

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1139747327893157012006-02-12T11:48:00.000Z2006-02-12T12:29:47.713Z

The furore that is becoming known as the Danish controversy has been extremely unwelcome for me. But in the proud tradition of stating my opinion on global trends I cannot possibly affect, here's what I think.It's all ridiculous.The Jyllands-posten may have had the noble intentions they claim, and they may not. I know enough about the press that I would not be suprised to discover that the J-P

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1139406967393128162006-02-08T12:53:00.000Z2006-02-08T13:56:07.543Z

A number of people have been encouraging me to share my opinions of America and it's denizens.I HATE AMERICANS WITH A FERVOUR MATCHED IN MAGNITUDE ONLY BY THE CANDOUR WITH WHICH I WILL NOW EXPRESS THAT HATRED.Firstly, your foreign policy is characterised by triumpahalism and almost Hawthornian short-sightedness. Secondly, every American I meet is a VAST CREPUSCULAR SACK OF DOUCHE.You left your

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1139174857890413082006-02-05T21:21:00.000Z2006-02-05T21:27:37.903Z

Google's corporate motto is "don't be evil". However, they have recently terrified me.This is what Tiannamen means to me, but this is what Tiannamen means if you search on Google China.I don't know about you guys, but i assumed this kind of crap had ended now that we're in the Al Gore era.And this from a country that's so opposed to revisionist history? It's baffling.lion's mane

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1139061446122662922006-02-04T12:38:00.000Z2006-02-04T13:57:26.190Z

I have to hold my hands up.I have been indicted by Something Awful.In case you somehow don't know, Something Awful is the interweb's equivalent of rubberknecking at car wrecks. It's a carnival of slack-jawed marveling at all the webcest. Their Awful Link of the Day feature is the epitome of this attitude, having before now linked racial supremacists, conspiracy theorists and every fetish that

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1138314772053857332006-01-26T22:22:00.000Z2006-01-26T22:32:52.066Z

Please stop using the genre "Alternative and Punk". Or at least, stop applying it to Sufjan Stevens. it disturbs me to picture a man with safety pins about his person singing earnest songs about Lake Michigan and the Transfiguration.the face of God, the voice of God

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1137269557153949792006-01-14T20:04:00.000Z2006-01-14T20:12:37.163Z

Don't you hate it when a blogger cut-and-pastes a forward mail? Man, I do. Especially when you saw it on a respectable website a little while ago.10 reasons Gay Marriage is wrong:1. Being gay is not natural. And as you know Americans have always rejected unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.2. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1135972292278133282005-12-30T19:50:00.000Z2005-12-30T19:51:52.476Z

Just to break up the metaphysical whinging that is your normal fare while I'm in Devon, I'd like to present a true story that I'm calling "Comically amateurish attempts at political bias".This story come from the Western Morning News- apparently, voted Britain's best rural newspaper. The banner doesn't tell me who voted in that particular poll, though I imagine it would have been people who live

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1135881555758911322005-12-29T18:24:00.000Z2005-12-29T18:39:15.790Z

Today I woke up from a dream about Eurodomino railpasses and Guiness extra cold.Huh, I thought, it's kind of silent and dark. Maybe it's earlier than my usual wake-up at 11 or twelve.After a few spare-brained thoughts on that line, I looked at my mobile. It was 15.44.Somehow, for no good reson, I slept in until four in the afternoon.It was dark and silent because it's been snowing and I don't

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1134779149980112502005-12-16T21:36:00.000Z2005-12-17T00:25:50.040Z

I kind of got side-tracked with Lego and genocide when I was writing this post. You'll see what I mean when I get to the end of the post. What's that, reader? Oh, you said "That's pretty crappy composition there, Nathan". I thought you said "You look pretty tired. Maybe you should eat some mini-pancakes and then go to bed".Anyway, today I was doing some bona-fide work, doing salvage at a house

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1134224594063553202005-12-10T13:46:00.000Z2005-12-10T14:23:14.086Z

You might know that I've spent this last week or so looking for work. Today, I am very happy.I have failed.I have gloriously failed. I've hauled my sorry carcass to enough carnivals of despair to justify throwing up my hands and going "I tried, oh lord how I did try". Now I can gleefully ignore the real world for a little longer- at least until Summer, I'd have thought.There are downsides, of

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1134148425533285942005-12-09T16:47:00.000Z2005-12-10T13:45:50.996Z

This week, I am in dire danger of breaking one or both of my two Life Resolutions.1) Don't spend more than two weeks at a stretch in the parental home2) Never, ever, put yourself in a position where having worked in Little Chef is seen as a good thingSadly, having spent my last dineros on beer and biscuits, it's the time of year when I throw up my hands and go "Alright! I'll spend my days waiting

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1133262749297960602005-11-29T11:08:00.000Z2005-11-29T11:12:29.306Z

I recently changed my webcomics-trawl bookmarks because I'm reading so damn many of them these days. Nowadays it's set up so I have a folder for each day of the week, and each folder contains links to the comics that update on that day.On the whole, the system is working for me, but there are downsides. For example, right now I just want to open the "wednesday" folder and read tomorrow's

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1133125030730102182005-11-27T20:37:00.000Z2005-11-27T20:57:12.536Z

I drank a whole load of coffee in a an attempt to gain transcendental insight into Physics. Instead, it's just filled me with adrenaline and self-loathing and inhibited the part of my brain responsible for making me want to do Physics.Meh.

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1132495007841918652005-11-20T13:43:00.000Z2005-11-20T13:56:47.900Z

Well, I've done no work this weekand it looks like I'm still diseased. However, I do have some good news to relay from my sickbed.they're pointy now

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1132238411148330552005-11-17T14:31:00.000Z2005-11-17T14:40:11.160Z

Yesterday afternoon I said "you know, I have kind of a sore throat". Since then I've definitely come down with the plague.Last night I woke up at roughly two-hour intervals feeling like I was a) choking on my own mucus or b) sufffering from massive burns on my face and various dank spaces inside my head I'd rather not be aware of. Believe me, it was even more unsavoury in first person. I also had

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1131465929052558812005-11-08T15:52:00.000Z2005-11-08T16:05:29.086Z

When I choose my room in this house, I knew there would be upsides and downsides.It's the front of the house on the ground floor, which means I have a big room, no stairs to climb, and picture windows. It's also the only room in the house that's been broken into, and it's the window you tap on if (say) you've managed to lock yourself out at three in the morning. You win some, you loose some.There

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1131121042285810292005-11-04T13:06:00.000Z2005-11-04T16:17:22.366Z

Lately I've been going crazy for Achewood. It's OK if you look at it and think "What the hell is all this?" It's what I did when I first saw it back along. Now, I grant you, it's not always funny and when it is it's generally in a pretty back-handed way.The character Roast Beef, for example, may be the cartoon cat embodiment of pathos, but he's so damn sympathetic I spend most of the time I'm

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1130785170849827052005-10-31T18:00:00.000Z2005-10-31T18:59:30.906Z

It's a new academic year, and the winds of change have bought me American housemates. They're all good, honest Blue Staters, which was the biggest worry. What I didn't forsee was that one of them would use the powers of darkness to make a smoothie.It was made in a blender, and it had ice-cream as an ingredient. I think there was chocolate, and maybe peanut butter? What I did know when I sipped

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1130168688196132272005-10-24T16:26:00.000+01:002005-10-24T16:44:48.233+01:00

You thought I'd stopped posting about Devon, right? Well, you were wrong. I sat down today and thought to myself "Nathan, today you can either make a blog post about how you can't afford shoes, or you can get rid of the text file that's been sitting on your desktop since August". I was far too happy with my weasel similie to let this go to the bin, though your mileage may vary. So here you go,

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1129922852430097672005-10-21T18:50:00.000+01:002005-10-21T20:27:32.480+01:00

You know what, folks.I'm back.Quite apart from the joy of being reconnected to the internet- what I like to think of as the "Real" world- I've spent the whole day playing with routers and switches and cables of all kinds.Boys never grow up; all that changes is the nature of their toys.Buonas díaz, cockbites

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1128872254403377822005-10-09T16:29:00.000+01:002005-10-09T16:37:34.413+01:00

Sorry if updates aren't what they should be. I'm still a bandwidth pirate, hijacking my glimpse into the data world through a neighbours' w-lan. Just so you know.have you ever been honest?

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1128601255286034172005-10-06T13:20:00.000+01:002005-10-06T13:20:55.290+01:00

Holy crap! Dolphins can sing the Batman theme!

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1128213076876347572005-10-02T01:19:00.000+01:002005-10-02T01:31:16.880+01:00

Or more precisely, stolewn bandwidth. The irrationally infuriating wait for internet is affecting me, but one of the new housemates discovered today that somewhere nearby is an open wireless network.With a following wind, we can connect. It's the internet equivalent of carpet-crawling, but it's holding off the shakes.I'll talk at you when we've got a real connection. I hope it's soon.Now I can't

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1127663646079518972005-09-25T15:39:00.000+01:002005-09-25T16:54:06.110+01:00

I'm not really here.I've moved back to Oxford, gloria hosanna in excelsis and so forth, but I don't have an internet connection at home, yet. When that happens I'll post the, um, posts that I've been tapping out on the laptop. When that happens, I want you to pretend that it's the first you've heard of me since I left the shire. Right? Right.cruising for a piece of fun

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1126962155841693342005-09-17T13:28:00.000+01:002005-09-17T14:02:35.900+01:00

Let me hit you with a quoted messenger conversation.Nathan- One Seven One says: (13:20:04)   ¿Hola?Amolith says: (13:24:40)   helloNathan- One Seven One says: (13:24:59)   What's on the rock?Amolith says: (13:25:11)   not a lotNathan- One Seven One says: (13:25:20)   Also: How many gambits can I think of to follow 'Hello'?Amolith says: (13:25:45)   17Nathan- One Seven One says: (13:26:07)   

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1126300456583817282005-09-09T20:28:00.000+01:002005-09-09T22:14:16.636+01:00

I was looking back on yesterday's post where I describe the family home as something out of the Curse of Naar and reflecting that I probably shouldn't ever have children. From there, I had a whole knee-slapping pun about being a "breeder" worked out. Right now you might be reading a jovial section where I distanced myself from the suggestion of homosexuality.I scrapped that plan when a post on

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1126204610583869272005-09-08T19:32:00.000+01:002005-09-08T19:36:50.590+01:00

I have decided on a new upper limit for time spent on in my parent's home. From this autumn forward, I will never shack here for more than two weeks at a stretch.My parents have decided to escape to the island of Barbados, leaving their menagerie in my hands. It has taken on the qualities of a number of my worst nightmares.I don't think I'm alone in saying that my nightmares don't sound that

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1126007129313810962005-09-06T12:42:00.000+01:002005-09-06T12:45:29.316+01:00

I make it eighteen.Eighteen days to go.Until, you know, I can go home, and get out of the family grounds.Yeah.I'm not here: this isn't happening

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1125580384521371142005-09-01T14:09:00.000+01:002005-09-01T14:13:04.526+01:00

I suppose you can call me Hero Zero Dinero, as I'm in somewhat reduced circumstances. Partly that's because of my crazy trips to Bristol, Cumbria, the East Midlands and so on. Partly it's because of my poor money management skills- you can't claim to be a financial genius if you have to borrow money to cover your direct debit debts to Amnesty International. All in all, the biggest reason I'm

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1124640554261076292005-08-21T16:58:00.000+01:002005-08-21T17:09:14.266+01:00

I'm going to the Lake District in a few hours, but I feel I owe you a post. So here's another little slice of my mid-adopter lifestyle.If you've been reading Questionable Content and now feel indie but don't have the music to back it up, then slide on down to Tracks Up the Tree, which is a podcast I've been listening to and enjoying a lot. it is, as the kids would put it, "teh cool".Podcasts are

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1124376686619758262005-08-18T15:12:00.000+01:002005-08-18T15:51:26.696+01:00

I've now been ice-skating. I've now added ice-skating to the nebulous list of activities I ain't doing again, along with driving and alcopops.Iceskating doesn't appeal to me, because it's "Let's strap blades to ourselves and then try to go fast on a slippery surface". The sensation of ridicule, strangely, didn't worry me- although I was anticipating a little extra chargrin as the fingers on my

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1123933584994123432005-08-13T11:41:00.000+01:002005-08-13T12:47:54.503+01:00

Having caught up with my favourite Canadian, I've got a web-quiz based post to share with you all. Brace yourself.If I was to live in the United States, where should I go? Where indeed?The truth is that I've done this quiz before, but in those pre-blog days I simply lost the results. I suppose the immutable record I'm about to produce is a fringe benefit of typing all this hot air.Annoyingly,

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1123929656665195092005-08-13T10:54:00.000+01:002005-08-13T11:41:00.406+01:00

So, if you know me well, you'll know that the throw-away mention of Jedi action last time implies that I'm in Bristol, in the home of someone who owns an X-box and works most of most day.I do like being in Bristol, really. Living out of a rucksack here is infitiely preferable to being at home watching UKTV History and ticking days off the calendar. The natives are welcoming, but as previously

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1123510656767605022005-08-08T14:47:00.000+01:002005-08-08T15:17:36.796+01:00

A mouse-eaten exercise book from my days in primary school was recently discovered behind an excavted fridge. Most of it is illegible, though one surviving page chronicles my trip to "Marses". Having given a suprisingly plausible description of the conditions there, I recounted the booty: a "trunk full of reptiles tortoises and snakes", as well as a "hole full of gold". I'm not sure if I meant a

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1122835741738868372005-07-31T19:43:00.000+01:002005-07-31T19:49:01.743+01:00

At the moment I am without shoes. Like many students who rent accommodation from their university, at the start of this summer I was expected to get the hell out, and take all my stuff with me. I'd fooled myself into thinking I didn't own much, when the truth is that I don't own much that I ever moved. Einstein's famous equation, E equal to M times c squared, tells us that 99% of the energy that

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1122485823571266372005-07-27T18:35:00.000+01:002005-07-27T18:37:03.576+01:00

Um.In a minute I'll tell you where I've really been. First however, I want you to accept this: I've been in prison.On the whole, that'd be the only reasonable excuse I can think of for not updating for, oh, I don't know, three months.Two weeks. Sixty million years.OK, now that we've established I'm not lazy, just a crookAside: I once heard that in the French elections earlier this decade the

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1120586134816919092005-07-05T18:55:00.000+01:002005-07-05T18:55:34.816+01:00

Wow.It's been quite a while since I posted here. In that time I've sat exams, moved house, temporarily relocated to Devon and organised trips to Wales, Sussex and the Czech republic that will all be happening next week.Also, I notice that on returning to the 'shire, I've started moaning. It's not even like I've had direct cause for the post below, it's just a bit of malaise bought to the surface

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1120586087857700182005-07-05T18:52:00.000+01:002005-07-05T18:54:47.863+01:00

I don't like parties.I hate nightclubs.Don't get me wrong, an informal gathering of the kind that normally involves a trip to a distant off-licensce and, subsequently watching Star Wars mildly anaesthetised by Red Stripe and breadsticks... I'm bang up alongside that idea.The problem, though is that I can best be described as a witticism in trousers. I am solely a stick-structure of theories.

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1118490905299119352005-06-11T12:53:00.000+01:002005-06-11T12:55:21.216+01:00

I don't mean to bang on about American politics, but this map intruiged me.and I spin, like a compass

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1118348734202765662005-06-09T21:12:00.000+01:002005-06-09T21:25:34.206+01:00

The country I live in is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Around these parts we call it the UK, or sometimes Britain if we want to be less formal, though strictly that's just the name of one of main island. It is a union of two Kingdoms, a Principaility, a Province, and a ragbag of Dependencies.This sometimes makes it hard to fill out online forms.Country of residence:

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1118265468472770792005-06-08T22:15:00.000+01:002005-06-08T22:20:15.700+01:00

I wish to tender that I have not been blog-writing because of all the sweat-and-brow style revising going on.I will now discredit my own excuse by posting a second image from Something Awful, and moreover one that only an extremely narrow sector of the world would understand.All I can say is that if you were a physicist, you'd get it.I got hallucinations. Do you want some?

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1118007453879122722005-06-05T22:00:00.000+01:002005-06-05T22:40:21.963+01:00

Well, it's been quite a while. OK, sorry, I know. It turns out that in a week's time I'm going to have to tell people everything I can think of about condensed matter physics.I'll hit you back then. In the meantime...Funny?no-one ever dies, they just write things in the sky

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1117240228217689492005-05-28T01:20:00.000+01:002005-05-28T01:30:28.223+01:00

You might or might not remember me whingeing about laptop problems. I won't bore you with the details of the back-and-forth, but suffice to say that the issue is resolved and there's a new link in the chain between my fingers and your eyes.Allow me to quote.Holkins I drove home with the book in my lap, singing a song which could not be transcribed, because it was the audible form of

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1116235403221071842005-05-16T10:12:00.000+01:002005-05-16T10:23:24.043+01:00

The world of international politics can leave you pretty jaded. If, like me, you're struggling to remember that adage about there being no such thing as nations, only people, I advise you take a look at this website: It went up shortly after the American election, and to me the title is beautiful in it's simplicity: Sorry, Everybody.I'm a dog without a collar on

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1116094906167517792005-05-14T19:05:00.000+01:002005-05-14T19:21:46.173+01:00

Sometimes events in the world make me shake my head. I'm not remarking on this story to say I'm right, they're wrong because truly and honestly I can only categorise this as something that's completely beyond my ken.I hate the fact that about five hundred people are being held without access to lawyers, family or news of the outside world- hell, most haven't even been charged. I'm talking, of

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1115924718240701722005-05-12T19:57:00.000+01:002005-05-12T20:05:18.343+01:00

I'm having to borrow a monstous black behemoth of a laptop to indulge my digital aspirations. It's getting a little embarrasing.By "monstrous behemoth" I mean "full-sized keyboard", as opposed to a comfortable ten inches that allow you to type without ever uncurling your hands from racoon-like fists.By "It's getting a little embarrasing", I mean that it's denting my pride to spend the early hours

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1115843412322907022005-05-11T21:08:00.000+01:002005-05-11T21:30:12.483+01:00

Consider the following situation. It's an auction, but with this twist: the winner pays his bid and collects the wares as usual, but the second highest bidder also has to pay, and gets nothing.The first item on auction is a £20 note. I'll start the bidding at tuppence. Do you want to outbid me?We'll both be better off if you don't, because if you bid 3p then it's obviously in my interest to bid 4

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1115142771328441672005-05-03T18:34:00.000+01:002005-05-03T18:52:51.330+01:00

So, sorry it's been a little while. The start of term is always hectic, and having been underground all day playing around with lumps of Americium and steam-valves, all I really want to do is listen to a bit of Moby, and maybe get some some webcomic on.I also haven't got my trust laptop back from King's Langlet yet. We're still not sure if a "regeneration" is going to be neccesary, but in any

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1114550609904079002005-04-26T22:02:00.000+01:002005-04-26T22:23:29.906+01:00

I'm sitting here chewing on a Beef Experimental, and pondering what exactly it is that has lead to a recent explosion in my intake of fiction. Well, in fact, both fiction and non-fiction, but that doesn't make for quite such a pleasant-sounding title.This musing was bought on by the fact that I've more or less gone through all the books on my shelves and my more literary housemate, from whom I

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1114278323271195732005-04-23T18:32:00.000+01:002005-04-23T18:45:23.273+01:00

So it turns out the new Pope doesn't read my blog. I'm not all that suprised.Apparently the job he held up until now was being head of an office called the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is the name they decided on when people started using it's original name- The Holy Inquisition- as a byname for reactionary conservative paranoia.I have kind of a bad feeling about this.the

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1113838594069354732005-04-18T16:07:00.000+01:002005-04-18T16:37:53.393+01:00

Sitting here, I am able to experience a profound experience. I trod into college through the heady april smog to hand in some stuff, and print out some other stuff. I failed to bring the first object with me, and as such the only logical thing to do is to walk home, pick it up and walk back up here again. On the other hand, I can't be bothered. Does the extra forty minutes of walking outweigh the

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1113488516729560922005-04-14T15:03:00.000+01:002005-04-14T15:21:56.730+01:00

My trusty ol' laptop has had a recurrence of his congenital logic-board weakness. Here's a little lesson I learned, and I'm passing it on to you. Don't just take a bus to the nation's capital assuming they can make everything wonderful. At least, you know, phone ahead or something.I assumed that when I walked in the door they'd take the machine from my hands, smack it sharply against the wall,

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1113135500758659792005-04-10T13:16:00.000+01:002005-04-10T13:18:20.760+01:00

I meant to mention it in the last post, but here's an extra little nugget of information.Over here the Church of England is officially established, meaning it is a branch of the government in some mediaeval sense. This greatly irritates me and the Archbishop of Canterbury, but no-one else much cares. Anyway, it also means that the CoE is under the same anti-discrimination laws as the rest of the

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1113135129456742612005-04-10T12:49:00.000+01:002005-04-10T13:12:09.456+01:00

America seems very het up about the issue of 'gay marriage', and at risk of sounding egotistical I don't really see why this is the big, confusing, angry mess it's gt to be.There are three meanings to what you or I or George mean when we say 'marriage', and it's mixing up those meanings that causes so much confusion on the issue. There's the emotional, lifestyle sense of the word: what you might

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1112895180841736012005-04-08T18:32:00.000+01:002005-04-07T18:33:00.843+01:00

If I had to come up with one word to describe my life right now, it would be "nothing to report". You should probably take that as read any time I'm in Devon, Grendelian musings notwithstanding.It's technically true that this weekend I'll be 21 which is, according to certain authorities, the last birthday that matters until 40. The thing is, I've never had a birthday that I enjoyed more than your

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1112895094432153682005-04-07T18:30:00.000+01:002005-04-07T18:31:34.433+01:00

The word "its" troubles me deeply. "It's" is obviously a contraction for "it is", but it'\s also the possessive of It, right? But no, seeing the ambiguity someone decided that we should break the rule and use "its" instead. Obviously no-one can have any good reason to use "its", except Oh wait, yes, that's the plural of "it".Coming from me, this is significant. Sentences like "Their they're in

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1112462512384774442005-04-02T18:14:00.000+01:002005-04-02T18:21:52.386+01:00

My teeth have grown too large.Every moment I spend back here in Devon is painful to me on an existential level. Sometime during my first or second term at university I split into two beings. One is flawed construct of mental energy on an abstract plane, bohdisatva-like and smiling beatifically in the white light of Oxford, where everything is clean, hale and too hand. The other is a creeping

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1111841253722083252005-03-26T12:04:00.000Z2005-03-26T12:48:02.063Z

So, sorry I haven't updated for a week. I've been very busy with my project of living entirely off unadorned pasta and porridge, while being driven loopy by the isolation of living in a tower on my own for two weeks. One symptom of this is that I've listened to the newly-aqquired 'teardrop' by Massive Attack a total of 19 times in 36 hours. What's more, I've found the chorus line is "Fearless on

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1111316610159713182005-03-21T08:00:00.000Z2005-03-20T11:03:30.160Z

I've heard the term 'Retail therapy". As I understand it, it means that you go out and spend money on CDs or cars or pretty shoes or whatever, and thus feel happy. It's not something I've ever been able to get behind: I'm a much more pragmatic shopper. My thoughts run along the line "I need trousers. There are some. Good."On the other hand, I'm a real big geek. Imagine the format of retail theory

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1111245634516185402005-03-19T15:07:00.000Z2005-03-19T15:20:34.516Z

I have just enjoyed a delicious apple. On the side of the bag it says "The healthy way to 5-a-day". (I feel slightly cheated about his because they always make the '5' very large, as if to imply you're going to get five apples. Lies, all lies.) This is, of course, in reference to that famous bit of research or whatever that concluded the old aphorism "An apple a day keep the doctor away" was

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1111152853344342062005-03-18T12:28:00.000Z2005-03-18T13:34:13.350Z

Today I was going to tell you about how my tower is mostly empty of people and how this has led me to grow an apathetic beard. It looks best when I'm not wearing glasses, though I now have the self-doubt that curses all mypoics: is that because they distract from the shaded jawline, or because they allow me to see myself clearly in the mirror?Well, anyway it's not real interesting, and I don't

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1110565949631838062005-03-11T17:46:00.000Z2005-03-11T18:32:29.633Z

I wish people wouldn't leave messages on my voicemail. It wouldn't be a problem if I was a dilligent and organized person, but... oh well.I hate having the little icon on the phone screen that indicates a new voicemail message. That's fine assuming that I can immediately check it and get rid of that icon. This time, though, I had only twelve pence of credit, and calls to that voicemail aren't

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1109672465394120152005-03-01T09:42:00.000Z2005-03-01T10:21:05.396Z

Today's news story: It seems that for residents of Kentucky, McCarthy is back.Let me just summarise what I thought to be the most vital sentances from that article.Investigators say they discovered materials at Poole's home that outline possible acts of violence aimed at students, teachers, and police...."I've been working on one of my short stories, (and) the short story they found was about

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1109591873676334252005-02-28T11:57:00.000Z2005-02-28T11:57:53.676Z

I fell this conversation needs recording for posterity. Never give out your password or credit card number in an instant message conversation.Nathan: Sun's goin' down, and so's my motivation says: (11:53:14 am)   Say Tom. Did we take any kind of error figures duirng our experiment?Nathan: Sun's goin' down, and so's my motivation says: (11:53:25 am)   You know, like on the linear fits or anything?

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1109501394148056682005-02-27T10:48:00.000Z2005-02-27T10:49:54.150Z

I have no idea what it means, but I found this paragraph intruiging.In the wake of the 2004 presidential election, conservative commentator Steve Sailer, in a cover story in the December 20, 2004 edition of The American Conservative, discovered a very strong correlation between a state's white fertility rate and its support for Bush in that election. (He included the District of Columbia in his

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1109336946238673512005-02-25T12:32:00.000Z2005-02-25T13:09:06.243Z

Todays little nugget of topicality is this: Anglican rift grows over gay row. To summarise, a while ago a man was appointed the Bishop of New Hampshire even though the 'word on the street' is that he has a boyfriend. This caused a big bru-ha-ha at the time, because as well all know God hates fags. The latest news is that it rather looks like the US church (and Canada, who are also limp-wristed on

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1109186820448190702005-02-23T19:25:00.000Z2005-02-23T19:30:13.913Z

For those of you who read my posts from fair Oxford, you might be interested in this link.Music: "Southern Server Rights" by Half Film

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1108762732026333232005-02-18T21:16:00.000Z2005-02-18T21:58:27.910Z

There's a line on one of the episodes of Red vs. Blue that goes something like "You have a weblog?- Yes, it's great. it's just like being a real journalist, but without the pressues of time or accuracy".Generally I don't feel like that. I've got to the stage where in my mind this blog is just a diary I can make entries to by typing. Somehow I can look at my counter statistics and see Pakistan

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1108305276935591872005-02-13T14:31:00.000Z2005-02-13T14:35:17.423Z

OK, so I haven't posted in a little while. I apologise. I do have ideas for posts, I mean, it's just.... well, let me put it this way.\begin{eqnarray}M &=& m_\alpha + m_\beta \&=& {D^2\over G} ({v_\alpha^2 \over d_\alpha} + {v_\beta^2 \over d_\beta})\&=& {{D^2 2 \pi}\over {G\tau}} (v_\alpha + v_\beta)\end{eqnarray}And, in addition,Greetings, Emporer. Avernum sends it's regards.Music: "Even better

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1107250276036576102005-02-06T09:30:00.000Z2005-02-06T14:53:43.200Z

A while ago I was getting suited out for a formal dinner. This is a pretty rare event for me. If you so desired, here in Oxford you could wear a suit and gown to lunch every day of the week, but I fit much more on the far end of that spectrum. Indeed, twenty minutes before the soup course I was still struggling folornly with my tie. Now, I don't know what the following means. Perhaps it's a sign

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1107288797946299912005-02-01T18:49:00.000Z2005-02-01T20:13:17.946Z

The Ballad of Old King Pipe Old King Pipe is a fearsome sight His beard is long and grey He warns you of his raids by night with the texts he sends by day We know his eyes are black as thunder We know hair theft is his career But how the hell he got your mobile number remains unclear. So beware! Guard your hair! He comes in the night A knock at the door! A crash! A roar! but who IS Old King

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1107213985452681652005-01-31T23:17:00.000Z2005-01-31T23:26:25.453Z

A while ago I blogged about the problems of being the only "sharer" on an iTunes network. Since3 then, I'm somewhat proud to say, at least seven people have turned on sharing and have, as promised, expanded my musical horizons. It's just like they say: the only thing better than lesbian punk is lesbian punk while drunk. Music: "House of the Rising Sun" by, believe it or not, Sinead O'Connor

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1107095844142006652005-01-30T14:30:00.000Z2005-01-30T14:43:36.586Z

Here in Britain we have three main parties. Labour rule the roost, and if you're American you can think of them as Democrats. The Conservatives are a small and pathetic opposition, and if you're American you can think of them as slightly more right-wing democrats. Then we have the Liberal Democrats, who were last in government in 1912. Their predecessors were the kind of people who came up with

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1106577373199494552005-01-24T14:23:00.000Z2005-01-24T14:36:33.926Z

"I'd had enough political and theological discussions by the time I was nineteen to figure out that they are functionally inert. No-one convinces anyone of anything, everybody just heaps their baggage on the table and gestures at it wildly." -Jerry Holkins I ought to get that printed out, laminated, and stuck to my bedroom door so I see it every morning.

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1106512395499066872005-01-23T20:27:00.000Z2005-01-23T20:33:15.500Z

(... try saying that ten times quickly.) I'm never one to be pessimistic, but consider this equation and see what you make of it. Yushchenko + Bush = Operation United Sword. Music: "Hunting Bears" by Radiohead

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1106484514788866462005-01-23T13:13:00.000Z2005-01-23T12:48:34.786Z

Since coming to Oxford, I've inherited an email account from a previous student (and, for that matter, a department) who apparently had next to no sense of e-mail hygiene. I've gotten used to the idea that I'm going to get a lot of email from people who want to talk to me about my penis and the urgent need to buy enhancements for it, herbal or otherwise, and just possibly to take out a mortgage

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1105910828783276362005-01-16T21:09:00.000Z2005-01-16T21:27:08.783Z

Five people are listening to my music library right now. I don't know who they are or what they're listening to, but I do know that if I unplug the LAN connection and use my laptop somewhere other than at my desk, those people are going to be cut off, potentially mid-song. Politeness has shackled me to my desk. My sense of courtesy to anonymous people has suprised me- all I know is that they

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1105725350549700882005-01-15T05:38:00.000Z2005-01-16T21:09:01.720Z

It's about this time in every term, when the utter lack of activity of the last few months starts to compress into a crumple-zone of workload, that I start to really wonder if I should have started blogging as an activity over, say, sleeping. Still, in a futile gesture towards being as Diverting as I try to be, here's what will hopefuloly be my last D&D related link for a while. (When asked if

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1105532305887962522005-01-12T13:04:00.000Z2005-01-12T12:18:25.886Z

Yesterday I mention D&D. Idle googling led me to to discover this intruiging piece of cultural flotsam. The first half is merely ludicrous, but it's not until the very end that I started wondering I was actually reasing a parody. No. No, that's sold as legit. What a world we live in.

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1105479622501537232005-01-11T20:47:00.000Z2005-01-11T21:40:22.500Z

One of the ancient abandonware games sitting on my hard-drive is Sim Cinema. (The link is for the Mac Version. I'll be honest, I don't know if it ever came out for Windows.) Lately, I've been thinking about the kind of things I'd add if I was developing the game. For no real reason, I've come to think of this expanded and largely fantastical game as "Sim Cinema XL". When you get right down to it,

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1105223075766335882005-01-08T21:22:00.000Z2005-01-08T22:24:35.766Z

According to the collective cultural unconscious, Stairway to Heaven,when played backwards, contains satanic messages. Today I've managed to actually hear it, and I have to say it's not all that striking. When I think of this myth, it occurs to me that it took off not because the "message" is apparent, but because it fits in with what it's critics want rock'n'roll to be. When the phenomes are

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1104970376887825022005-01-05T23:59:00.000Z2005-01-06T00:12:56.886Z

At two a.m. on New Year's Eve I was worn out and in the floating sensations of fatigue, I felt one of those growing senses of disorientation as the world around you seems to grow ever more dreamlike and bizairre. I'd seen twenty hours and three countries since breakfast. In the sci-fi Dark side of the Sun, Terry Pratchett says that there is some soul-like part of the psyche which can't travel

Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6282439.post-1104345804373780812004-12-29T18:40:00.000Z2004-12-29T18:43:24.373Z

As you're probably aware, there was an earthquake under the Indian ocean the other day. It was an 8.9 on the Richter scale, which... well, I can't even imagine it. Had the epicentre fallen on dry land, there would have been visible waves traveling through the earth. As it was, it fell below the sea. Any coasts facing that sea were swamped, including Sri Lanka. Mercifully the wave seems to have

Nathannoreply@blogger.com