Y2Ken and Friends

Pre-empting the Revolution

2009-01-26T23:17:00.005Z

So, yet again it appears I've jumped into a technological revolution mere weeks before it has taken off in quite astonishing style.

Last time it was Facebook, which saw almost my entire school year joining up only three or four weeks after I had made an account only to be told it would "never match up to MySpace". This time, the web-2.0-site in question would be Twitter, where micro-blogging is the word of the day. I set up my account just over a week before Stephen Fry's 2-minute discussion of the site on Johnathan Ross's fantastic comeback show saw several of my friends signing up within moments of the episode being broadcast.

It is today, however, when I have noticed it most. Reams of articles popping up all over the shop, including one on the BBC website which I found so soon after its posting that when I subsequently headed to Twitter I discovered that almost all the quotes in the article from celebrities had been made on the site within the past 10-20 minutes.

The final act of the day which inspired me to write this blog was what occurred just after I had finished watching an episode of Charlie Brooker's ScreenWipe which I had been alerted to through his Twitter, when I saw posts from Robert Llewellyn and Johnathan Ross saying that the outrageous (and outrageously entertaining) Russell Brand had just that moment joined the Twitter crowd. It felt good to be one of the first to welcome him into this booming community. And it shows just how quickly things can roll up (and particularly during this sudden Twitter-splosion we are experiencing) that when I first checked Russell's page he had recieved 340 followers after 5 minutes of being there. At the current moment of writing (about 50 minutes later) he has 3,094 followers (now - at end of editing - 3,167). Impressive stuff.

I urge you all, head over there at once and join the Tweet-volution!

Ken out.

Currently Listening: 1up.com - 1up Yours 01/22/2009 (The final ever 1up Yours show)

We'll Have Lasaaaaaagne...

2009-01-23T14:44:00.004Z

Afternoon all. I trust you are well...

Well, the exams are impending, and revision must therefore be done. Of course, it would seem prudent of the TV people at this point if they could reduce the number of televisual distractions, which is why it seems an inappropriate time to launch "new" channel Dave+1, thus completely ruining any chance of me ever getting anything done again. Ever.

After all, now I can watch any Top Gear reruns an hour later if I miss them. Or even if I don't. This could well ruin me... let's just hope I can resist for at least this one week.

On another note, If you haven't read my last post yet, please do so... and please watch The Union, or at least the bit where they meet the man who has crippling MS, and can barely function under normal circumstances, yet can hold a reasonably stable conversation (and comes across as quite an intelligent man) after he smokes a joint. I don't see alcohol or tobacco having similar medical benefits - so why do they pass under a legislation which will not allow the use of a natural plant for it's benefical properties?

Oh, and if you get a moment, go and check out excellent new film Role Models, I highly recommend it. That's presuming of course that you've already seen Death Race by now, otherwise you would of course have made watching that an absolute priority.

Ken out.

Currently Listening: Oasis - Digsy's Dinner

The Union

2009-01-13T01:51:00.003Z

So, just a quick one today guys. And it's a bit of an appeal for common sense.

I'm sure you all have a fair amount of spare time here and there. So please, take just two hours at some time and watch this documentary - it's called "The Union". Whatever your views on the subject, whether you believe cannabis should be legal or not, whether you would use it or not, take the time and watch this. Tell your friends. Spread the link around.

After watching it, tell me if you can still honestly say that it should be illegal. Tell me if you would deny the MS sufferer something which so visibly improves his condition. Tell me if you can understand why it's illegal and yet cigarettes and alcohol are not.

Tell me if you can look at the way we handle this, the way that just a couple of months ago, Gordon Brown received the results of a report he commissioned on cannabis - stating that cannabis should not be made a higher class of drug, and if anything should be decriminalized - and simply dismissed the results because they were not what he wanted to hear, and not laugh at the preposterousness of the whole shebang.

I don't want you to start smoking weed. I wouldn't tell people to smoke weed unless they had a health condition it could improve. But I wouldn't want Britain to be a society that prosecutes people for using a natural plant which has never been directly responsible for any deaths, ever.

Oh, and lets not forget who wants marijuana to stay legal. Not just the government. Not just the campaigners. But the dealers too, because prices get pushed up while it's illegal. And who pays for the war on cannabis? The regular taxpayers, whether they care about people doing it or not.

I don't particularly care for cannabis. But I care that we have a law currently in place in our country which currently makes no sense whatsoever.

It's two hours of your life... Watch it. Please.

Ken out.

Hey, this isn't Kung Fu Panda...

2008-12-30T23:34:00.004Z

So, I hope you've all been jovially indulging in the Christmas festivities over the past week or so. Personally I've been reasonably busy, what with family and friends to see before I go back home. Anyways...

Played a bit of Dead Space for the first time about an hour ago round Bugg's house. With the lights down it was pretty atmospheric and at times quite spooky, although the scariest moment was when Veronica walked in suddenly in the middle of a tense pause in proceedings. We found, however, that any fears you build up are often best repressed by stamping repeatedly on anything you kill. And then stamping on it some more. As James put it, "Hey, this isn't Kung Fu Panda!" It also made the walk home in the dark a tad more entertaining than normal.

Other than that, I've been (among other things) learning to drum with the rather excellent Guitar Hero: World Tour, watching Michael McIntyre's fantastic live DVD (watch it if you get the chance, it's especially hilarious), and training myself to correctly utilise the knife sharpening pole/sword/thing I got for Christmas.

Oh, and I must say I did enjoy the Shooting Stars evening tonight. I'm unsure at the moment as to whether a full series is planned for 2009, but I do hope so. At least the new series of QI should be back on our screens very soon. I can but hope that it will fill the void left now Top Gear has finished (with that exquisite Vietnam episode which brought much laughter and warmth into my oft-cynical heart).

I shall return in 2009 - my best wishes for a Happy New Year to all.

Ken out.

Currently Listening: Michael Jackson - Beat It (video|lyrics|mp3tube)

Why'd you leave the keys up on the table?

2008-12-17T19:20:00.002Z

So the blog, as they say, is back.
I'm gonna start with something pretty everyday - I've got a song stuck in my head. Damn that Serj and his crazy-fast machine-gun vocal blitzkrieg stylings.

So why do I have "the cleverest metal single heard since Faith No More decided to call it quits(1)" stuck in my head? Well, I'm not entirely sure, but probably a combination of hearing it for the first time in quite a while on Saturday (I've not listened to SoaD for some time actually, well until this week that is), and one of the funniest videos I've seen in a long time.

That would be this excerpt from Pablo Francisco's Ouch! show about cock-blocking. Watch the whole video, it's hilarious. However, keep a special eye out for 1:32 in. Good stuff...

Ken out.

Currently Listening: Have a guess. No? Really? Of course it was...
System of a Down - Chop Suey! (video|lyrics|mp3tube)

References: (1) Quoted from Robert Burrow, found in Amazon UK product description for Toxicity.

Taking a trip through the doors of perception...

2008-12-17T18:14:00.003Z

Fellow children of the apocalypse (or however you dear readers prefer to be known) - I return. Hopefully I will start getting some random blogs down from now on - so prepare to be astounded, amused and amazed as we travel through the wonders of this world.

Ken out. (for now)

2006-11-05T11:52:00.000Z

PS3 Launch

Enter the mind of Ken

2006-10-02T13:29:00.000+01:00

Welcome to my new blog location. From here onwards I shall blog from time to time, hopefully regularly. Also check out my other blog at http://thepanayifactor.blogspot.com.