Oversaturated

The Best Days of Your Life

2009-02-27T22:36:00.003Z

Some people say educational standards have slipped, but I disagree.

Gmail Goggles Prevents Drunk Emails

2008-10-08T01:42:00.001+01:00

New in Gmail Labs: When you enable Mail Goggles, it will check that you're really sure you want to send that late night Friday email. And what better way to check than by making you solve a few simple math problems after you click send to verify you're in the right state of mind?

read more | digg story

The moral of the story is don't be such a fat bitch

2008-10-02T14:48:00.007+01:00

This made me laugh today. Basically the story is a woman got fined £150 for breaching the 75 minute maximum stay in a KFC car park. The reason she overstayed was because she and a "pal" shared a bargain bucket.

FAST food fan Natalie Jackson was hit with a £150 fine at KFC — for staying too long gorging on a monster-sized “family bucket”.

The trainee nurse and a pal plumped for FOURTEEN chicken pieces, SIX bags of fries and large cokes after driving to their local branch.

They spent an hour and a half scoffing the 5,456-calorie feast. Days later regular customer Natalie got the fine in the post for breaking the restaurant car park’s 75-minute limit.

The 24-year-old fumed yesterday: “It’s disgusting. I spend a lot of money in there. Now I’m never going back.”

Hmm. Not sure I sympathise. Especially since she's sold her story to The Sun which probably more than covers the cost of the fine. The "I'm never going back" comment is classic. You eat there three times a week love, I'm betting you will.

£150 fine... for staying too long at the KFC

STAY AWAY FROM KINKOS!!

2008-09-22T19:07:00.005+01:00

Fed EX Kinko's on Tottenham Court Road just charged me £11.99 to scan and email 2 pages.

That was my first and last time at Kinko's. Never been there before so had no idea of the prices and there's no obvious pricing anywhere within the store. However, never in a million years did it cross my mind that it would cost me the best part of twenty quid to scan and email two sheets of paper.

I asked if I could scan two pages of documents and email them to someone. The clerk said yes and scanned my forms. On returning after he'd scanned them he said, "By the way it's £10 for the first sheet and 20p for each additional sheet."

My first reaction was nearly "Fuck off", but I was in a time sensitive situation and this was my last hope. I had no choice. I grudgingly gave him the email address to send the PDF to. Adding insult to injury, after the job was complete I went to pay and he's like, "That's £11.99 please". WTF?? I kicked off, asking why he'd told me it was £10.20 just 3 minutes ago. "Nah mate; £10.20+VAT..."

I asked him them why he didn't tell me the price before and also why he quoted the price without VAT and he acknowledged that he should have told me these things beforehand.

I guess I should have asked what the cost would be before asking him to do it, but it never crossed my mind scanning and emailing 2 sheets of paper would cost £11.99.

For anyone going to Kinkos, my advice would be make sure you confirm the price first before doing anything. It may be WAY higher than you expect. Don't make the same mistake I did.

The future of music distribution?

2008-05-22T04:19:00.001+01:00

Hey readers (lol) I'm back after finishing my exams. I was going to pack this whole blogging thing in but had to reconsider after all the thousands of requests to get back into the saddle. "What will will do without you?", "Please never stop", and "The baby's yours" were the most common comments on the subject of my cessation of Oversaturated. Now that I have a lot more time on my hands you can expect more frequent updates (than once a month).

First on the agenda; The future of music distribution. Read an interesting article here about a company called Sellaband which uses the power of Crowdsourcing to launch new bands without the commercial and creative straitjacket of a record deal. The method is beautifully simple; Music fans on Sellaband invest 10 dollars in an artist they want to back. If the artist gets to 5,000 believers they get $50,000 and then Sellaband steps in to get the band to record an album in a real studio.

I think it's a really simple idea that while not perfect, could potentially be the basis for quite a good model for upcoming bands to kick off. Imagine a subsection of Itunes dedicated to a concept like Sellaband. Could change the music industry.

I also really like the idea I read here about Apple looking to charge say a $100 premium on an Ipod that would give you "all you can eat" music downloading service. I doubt it will ever come to fruition; there's a million legal/technical hurdles not least the slice of the pie the record companies get and whether the downloads are DRMed and how long you're able to keep them. But the idea that for one-off payment of an extra $100 strikes me as genius and one that I would definitely subscribe to.

SellaBand wins $5 million in Series A

Warner Music seeks to offer 'all you can eat' digital music

The new i

2008-04-16T17:40:00.003+01:00

They've done it again. Apple, in their infinite wisdom and imperious majesty have created a product that revolutionises the paradigm shift of existance and reality. I give you - the i:

The Apple "i"

Tags: Apple | Steve Jobs | Funny Video | Comedy

MONROE SEX FLICK SOLD FOR $1.5M

2008-04-14T21:34:00.002+01:00

An illicit copy of the steamy, still-FBI-classified reel - 15 minutes of 16mm film footage in which the original blond bombshell performs oral sex on an unidentified man - was just sold to a New York businessman for $1.5 million, said Keya Morgan, the well-known memorabilia collector who discovered the film and brokered its purchase.

read more | digg story

Rick Astley goes on tour!!

2008-04-13T17:17:00.003+01:00

The Rickroll is coming live to a stage near you. That's right, Rick Astley is part of the Here and Now Tour 2008, a nostaglic nationwide tour featuring some of the "biggest" acts of the 80s. The line up? Rick Astley, Bananarama, Paul Young, ABC, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Johnny Hates Jazz, Cutting Crew. Only 26 days to go!!

Get your tickets here!!

US Bosses want Estelle to fix her teeth

2008-04-12T17:33:00.002+01:00

Top of the UK charts with her first solo hit American Boy featuring Kanye West, and about to go on tour with Wyclef Jean, you might think everything was going great for UK soul sensation Estelle. You'd be wrong;

Her bosses also want her to ditch the boyish haircut she has in her “American Boy” video and would like to give her image a complete overhaul, according to The Sun. The American executives are adamant she makes a lot of significant changes,” said a source. “They want rid of her tomboy hair and want her to get her teeth fixed. Estelle is not happy. She feels her teeth and the rest of her look are a big part of her character.”

I'm only really commenting because I really like her track American Boy. To be fair, her teeth are pretty bad. But it says a lot about the state of the american music industry when you can't do well unless you look perfect. Meanwhile over here we've got Amy Winehouse running things...

Source: Necole Bitchie.com

Tags: American Boy | Estelle | US Music | funny

Gas Guzzlers

2008-04-11T14:20:00.001+01:00

More Human Giant hilarity;

thehumangiant.com

MTV - Human Giant - Gas Guzzlers

Tags: Human Giant | Gas Guzzlers | Funny Video | Comedy

Slapstick

2008-04-10T13:53:00.005+01:00

Hello all. Ran across this hilarious vid on Youtube:

Saturday Night Live - People Getting Punched

Tags: Saturday Night Live | People Getting Punched | Funny Video | Comedy

Preciously unique amusing cartoon whale in an ocean of second hand bong water

2008-04-09T18:34:00.005+01:00

More Zero Punctuation. This time in the firing line: No More Heroes on Nintendo Wii:

The Escapist: Zero Punctuation: No More Heroes

Tags: Zero Punctuation | No More Heroes | Funny Video | Comedy

The Odds of Dying

2008-04-09T11:21:00.004+01:00

This really cool pic showing the probabilities of dying in various ways. Dying from a lightning strike is more probable than dying in a flood? Doesn't sound right to me.

The odds of dying

Tags: Odds of Dying | lightning strike | Fireworks Discharge | Flood

Obama is cool

2008-04-08T18:52:00.005+01:00

Turns out Barack Obama is commited to not accepting any donations from lobbyists, no matter how small. Long story short, a well meaning man registered as a lobbyist sent Barack $100 and had the cheque returned to him. Full story here.

Speaking on behalf of the rest of the world, as I often do, I have a few words for any Americans reading this page. AMERICA, PLEASE VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA!! I will honestly lose what little faith I had for the US if someone as amazing as Obama comes along and is passed over. I wish people like Barack were politicians in Britain.

Obama Didn't Want My Money

Tags: Barack Obama | US Presidential Election

Video Games Versus Violence

2008-04-07T18:17:00.003+01:00

Saw this interesting image on Digg today. Not sure about the credibility of the source, but a good way of seeing how you can make statistics show whatever you want.

Video Games Versus Violence

For the record, blaming video games for violence is like blaming Islam for terrorism.

Tags: Video game violence | Video games | Digg

New style MacBook and MacBook Pros coming "soon"

2008-04-06T18:30:00.000+01:00

According to AppleInsider the current incarnation of Macbooks and Macbook Pros will be the last before a major design realignment towards current iMac and Macbook Air styling. The new notebooks are rumoured to hit after June of this year. With the new 3G iphone rumoured to be coming in the next 60 days and iMac upgrades on the horizon, 2008 is looking like an exciting year for Apple.

Wasn't sure to tag this under cool or not seeing as I bought my MacBook in October 2007 and it was already obselete by the time I got it home in the car. An entirely new version hitting less than 12 months after my hefty purchase isn't what I'd describe as cool. This despite the "internal refresh" that occured when Leopard released about a week after I got mine. Oh well, that's what the Macrumors buyer's guide is for. Go my AAPL stock!

Apple notebook lines to see major design changes, sources say

Tags: Apple | Macbook | Macbook Pro | iPhone

COOLEST. SHIT. EVER.

2008-04-05T03:23:00.011+01:00

Maybe once a year, the internet throws up something that is so cool, so incredibly amazing, that you sit back in silent awe. As a young child working out that I would turn 13 in The Year 2000, I wondered what kind of futuristic madness might be available by the end of the first decade. I could never have imagined this.

Behold:

Unlike a standard speaker that uses magnets/paper/plastic etc, this plasma speaker uses the non-gas, non-liquid, non-solid, "fourth state of matter" plasma to create compression waves. The pitch is altered by the constantly shifting intensity of the plasma arc at a frequency response range at 200Hz to 12kHz.

When asked if he ever considered selling his device the creator replied, "A lot of work to do before I could consider selling - the safety aspect for starters..." Fair enough, considering that the universe will be destroyed if two of the plasma speaker beams cross. Yes. Ghostbusters was scientific fact.

Plasma Speaker / Singing Arc - FM Modulated Prototype

Tags: Plasma | Plasmer Wave Speakers | Futuristic | 2008

Steve Jobs wants music subscriptions

2008-04-03T16:29:00.003+01:00

Read an interesting article from Valleywag explaining why Steve Jobs wants to change the model for music downloads. He wants to offer ipod users/buyers unlimited downloads for an extra $20-$100. I think this is a genius idea and if implemented could really give Apple complete dominance over the music download market as well as locking people into buying ipods. Bit worried about how much power this gives Apple though...Check out the article here.

Also read on Coed Magazine that Facebook is going to introduce Facebook chat. This could be a masterstroke if they do pull it off, but for some reason this makes me less inclined to use Facebook. It's bad enough logging in and having to deal with a million messages when you shouldn't really be wasting time on it in the first place. Add the extra layer of annoyance when someone pops up trying to chat with you. I hope they offer it as an application that you can opt out of. The reliability of this is in question though since the article claimed this would happen in the next two weeks and two weeks later there's been nothing. Read the article here.

Tags: Apple | iPod | Facebook | Facebook Chat

When Viral Videos Go Bad

2008-03-22T16:25:00.003Z

Updates are likely to be few and far between seeing as I am locking myself away in preparation for Finals. Here's more Human Giant goodness:

MTV - Human Giant - Viral Videos

Tags: Human Giant | Viral Videos | Funny Video | Comedy

Sunday Afternoon

2008-03-18T16:34:00.002Z

This site has basically become a funny video posts site since they're the only post I have time to do these days. Enjoy more Jon La Joie:

Sunday Afternoon on FunnyOrDie.com

Tags: Jon La Joie | Funny or Die | Funny Video | Comedy

Human Giant is amazing

2008-03-14T17:09:00.005Z

Yes. It has been a while since my last post. Been absolutely swamped with coursework, preparing for uni exams, and sorting out a job for this summer. But that matters not because nobody reads this site anyway. Here's another funny video:

Absolute genius. Expect more of this in the coming days.

Will Arnett - Human Giant Sex Tape

Tags: Human Giant | Will Arnett | Funny Video | Comedy

"I Like to Hurt People Too"

2008-02-23T16:54:00.004Z

Going a little bit crazy with the web comics aren't I? Here's a particularly good one I read from xkcd. Click the image below to see it full size:

Journal 2

Tags: Comic Strips | Journal 2 | xkcd | Funny

Jackbooted Thugs

2008-02-22T00:36:00.000Z

I discovered a selection of hilarious online comic strips from the site Virus Comix, the host of the comic strip Subnormality. Here's one that tickled me. Click the image below to see it full size;

Jackbooted Thugs

Tags: Comic Strips | Jackbooted Thugs | Virus Comix | Funny

The Landlord

2008-02-21T22:33:00.000Z

Just in case you haven't seen this yet, here's a genius video with Will Ferrell;

Tags: Will Ferrell | The Landlord | Funny Video | Comedy | Cute Baby

HD-DVD: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

2008-02-20T21:37:00.002Z

Apologies to my readers for the lack of updates. Uni and job interviews have been kicking my ass. Both of you will be happy to see me back into the swing of things with an update of recent events;

Well, it finally happened; HD-DVD has finally succumbed to the constant pummeling from Blu-Ray. First two major film studios Warner and Paramount went Blu-Ray exclusive. Then Netflix, the US's biggest online rental service said they would stop renting out HD-DVD, not long after Wal-Mart said it would stop selling HD-DVDs in its stores. Now Toshiba has announced it will stop HD-DVD production.

At long. Fucking. Last. At least the bullshit let's-fuck-consumers-over-for-no-reason-other-than-we-can war is done. This is a big boost to Sony because it now almost makes sense to buy a PS3. Almost. That said, I think mainstream HD video is still a good 12-18 months away considering current prices and the fact that it's pointless unless you have an HD TV, which is pointless unless you have an HD television source. If you have no idea what all this means all you need is this: Don't buy an HD-DVD player.

Also in the news recently, in case you literally are living under a rock, Northern Rock has been nationalised by the UK Government. In a nutshell, all long term shareholders are screwed. Unlucky.

Barack Obama has won the Hawaii and Winsconsin caucuses making it 10 straight wins in a row. A black president? After what happened in Deep Impact? America strikes again. Hillary needs to recover quickly or the US will no doubt be in the midst of another 24-style security threat.

As well as this, Amy Winehouse and Britney Spears are still mental, although one of the two is benefitting significantly from this. Meanwhile Kevin Federline is looking like a Machiavellian genius right now.

On an unrelated note I read in Thelondonpaper today that some WAG had joined a racist Facebook group. Sorry what?? How the fuck does that make it to page 5 of a "major" newspaper? Since when is a person's Facebook activity newsworthy? What next? "This just in - Russell Brand has changed his status to I love midgets. More developments after the break..."

Tags: HD-DVD | Blu Ray | Northern Rock | Barack Obama | Amy Winehouse

Hottie and the Nottie Smashes Box Office Records!*

2008-02-12T00:40:00.000Z

"That's hot. That's not..."

Paris Hilton's latest box office smash The Hottie and the Nottie has grossed a massive $27,696 in its opening 3 days. $27,696 at 111 locations in its opening weekend.

$27,696.

That's $230 per theaters. $230 per theatre!! I think making the popcorn for that day probably cost more than $230. Based on an $8 average ticket price, 29 paying customers showed up at each location.

I think to save time I'll do my review now: It's shit.

The facts and figures

Tags: Paris Hilton | The Hottie and the Nottie | Unmitigated Disaster | Comedy

Merrill Lynch predicted the credit crunch one year ago!

2008-02-11T00:25:00.000Z

This piece in the Telegraph almost exactly one year ago today shows that Merrill Lynch predicted the global credit crunch and made their views public. However, their view was based on there being an end to the strong bull run in the markets brought about by central banks tightening monetary policy, and not as fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis precipitating the gumming up of the credit markets. Its interesting that despite their research deparment predicting a slowdown in the credit markets, they still revealed writedowns to the tune of $14.1bn last month.

Merrill Sounds Alarm on Global Liquidity

Tags: Merrill Lynch | Subprime Crisis | Credit Crunch | Predictions

Masdar City - Earth

2008-02-10T22:49:00.000Z

I found on BBC plans for the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city. Masdar City will be created near Abu Dhabi taking around 8 years. Check out the amazing Star Wars-esque pic.

Work starts on Gulf 'green city'

Tags: Green City | Masdar City | Futuristic | Abu Dabi

Free Preview Screening of The Bank Job Monday 11 Feb

2008-02-10T18:08:00.000Z

Want to see a preview screening of The Bank Job starring ex-olympic swimmer and part-time actor Jason Statham for free? To get tickets simply go to Seefilmfirst and enter code: 548248. Be quick the tickets go fast!

Pie Charts

2008-02-10T18:00:00.000Z

You may be wondering why someone would do a random post about pie charts. Me that's who. I love pie-charts and anything pie-chart related.

Tags: Pie Charts | Pac Man | Funny Video | Mitchell & Webb

Scurrying in the Bushes Like Cockney Weasels

2008-02-10T17:48:00.000Z

If you haven't heard of Zero Punctuation...where have you been? This is a British guy based in New Zealand (?) who does reviews of games in a very unique way. I would never class myself as a serious gamer, but I still find his reviews incredibly funny. Check out his latest one for Call Of Duty 4:

The Escapist: Zero Punctuation: Call Of Duty 4

Tags: Zero Punctuation | Call Of Duty 4 | Funny Video | Comedy

The Bucket List

2008-02-08T15:24:00.000Z

"When he closed his eyes, his heart was opened..."

The Bucket List is the "heartwarming" tale of two elderly men, who on their deathbeds comprise a list of tasks they wish to accomplish before they kick the bucket - a "bucket list" if you will.

Starring the two Hollywood heaviweights Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman this movie was never in danger of being anything other than a box-office smash and it did not dissappoint in that respect when it was released in the US late last year. My main fear about this film is that people will see their names on the bill and think, "Two Great actors, it's got to be a great movie right?". Wrong. Both actors give convincing performances as old men, but to be fair, that was hardly a challenge for either of them. It's akin to asking Lindsay Lohan to play a vapid, drunken slut. She'd probably get an Oscar.

The Bucket List sees us watching old men driving vintage cars round a racetrack, jumping out of planes, and going skydiving, among other things. These tasks inject a touch of comedy into proceedings, but not much. There are more serious and heartfelt tasks the men attempt, but these aren't till the end of the movie.

Thankfully, this is one movie where the tagline gives you fair warning. The problem for me in this movie is that it's just not my cup of tea. I can see it is a decent movie that will be loved by many over the age of 50 and has some very touching moments, but it suffers from the fact that it is released amongst some absolutely amazing movies (No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood etc.) Way too much sentimental shmultz for my taste. The ending is sad, so sensitive types will want to take a Kleenex but it did nothing for me and will not stay in my head like many other films I've seen this year. Buy it on DVD for your grandparents and they'll love you forever.

Well, until they die obviously.

5/10

The Bucket List is released Friday 15 February 2008 in the UK. Avoid it at all costs.

Tags: The Bucket List | Cancer | Old Men | Friendship

Why Microsoft Had No Choice

2008-02-08T15:13:00.000Z

Remember when I told you that Microsoft offered $44.6 Billion for Yahoo? Just read an excellent article on FT.com on why Microsoft had to made the offer they did. It's a subscription site so here's the article;

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

Microsoft has a good chance of making a hash out of buying Yahoo. Assuming it wins control of the internet company – and it is hard to see it failing to do so unless regulators intervene – the management challenge will be huge.

Yet Microsoft has to try. The offensive arguments are clear. The software giant has missed out on the internet growth wave surfed by rival Google, and to a lesser extent Yahoo. Buying the latter would give it a fighting chance of tapping into that huge, relatively new, and still fast-expanding, internet advertising market.

There are also defensive arguments. Microsoft needs a stronger internet presence to protect its broader software franchise. More and more computing power is likely to move to the “cloud”, where software programmes are run centrally and delivered as a service to internet users. Google, for example, with its huge user base can unleash a new software service on millions of users at the flick of a switch and make advertising dollars from the resulting internet traffic. Microsoft’s software business it still more focused on big upgrade cycles to Windows and Office. These are slow, costly and likely to come under increasing scrutiny as regulators frown on new services being bundled into them.

Microsoft needs a big internet audience as a shop window for new software services, which it can fund through advertising revenues. Also, it wants a hedge in case computing power shifts to the cloud more profoundly than Microsoft expects, undermining the importance of desktop software. If its big monopoly franchises really do start to erode, it will be vital to have a strong position in the software delivery system of the future: the internet. Having lacked the branding and media savvy to build that in-house, Yahoo is the only real option left.

Here's a link direct to the article if you are an FT.com subscriber.
UPDATE: This is now looking pretty irrelevant since Yahoo! are going to reject the offer anyway!

Tags: Microsoft | Yahoo | Google | Internet

Free Preview Screening of The Bucket List Monday 4 Feb

2008-02-02T03:27:00.000Z

Want to see a preview screening of The Bucket List for free? To get tickets simply go to Seefilmfirst and enter code: 810431. Be quick the tickets go fast!

Microsoft offers $44.6 Billion for Yahoo!

2008-02-01T12:16:00.001Z

Microsoft just announced what has been rumored forever: a formal offer for Yahoo. Microsoft's proposal to Yahoo's board of directors represents $31 per share or about $44.6 Billion.

This is huge. Firstly, this has been part of the internet rumour-mill for the best part of absolutely ages. Case in point: 10 Reasons Why Microsoft Will Aquire Yahoo In 2007 which was written December 2006, or What if Microsoft Bought Yahoo? written January 2007. I guess it makes sense because Microsoft's internet presence is something they desperately want to improve to compete with the snarling behemoth that is Google. Yahoo have a lot of great services and communities that could really benefit from the clout of an industry leader like Microsoft. Will the Yahoo board accept the offer? I hope they do so we can start saying "Microsoft!"

Microsoft offers $44.6 Billion for Yahoo!

Tags: Microsoft | Yahoo | Google | Internet

Juno Movie Review

2008-02-01T01:57:00.000Z

"A comedy about growing up...and the bumps along the way."

Aware as I am that this movie has been out in the UK for a while, I still think if I've taken the time out of my busy schedule to watch it, I might as well review it. Juno is a quirky film about a 16 year old girl Juno MacGuff who unexpectedly falls pregnant. She eventually decides to give up the baby to an adoptive couple and the story progresses as things start to unravel. The film earned notoriety pre-release because it's screenplay is the brainchild of a stripper/first-time film-writer.

First and foremost I have to acknowledge the performance of Ellen Page for her excellent portrayal of Juno. Even though Page is not called upon to show huge emotional range over the course of the film, she fills out the character of Juno with a real truth and you can imagine Juno as a real person. The rest of the cast including Jennifer Garner and Jason Batemen give solid performances as well, but Miss Page really shines. My only slight gripe is that Michael Cera yet again gives the EXACT SAME Arrested Development/Superbad awkward male teen performance he always gives. I love Michael Cera and I don't dispute he plays the role exceptionally well, but I must admit it's getting a little tiresome seeing him play the same character over and over. Especially this time without the funny lines.

For me this was a good solid feel good film. From the opening credits this flick has Indie written all over it. Juno is fairly unique in terms of style and this gives it a fresh feel when placed next to the typical lazy Hollywood Rom-com we're usually fed. Special mention must be made for the film's soundtrack. While I would not go as far as to say it is exactly to my personal taste, it matches this film to a T. Totally spot on for this movie It is a perfect example of how the correct marriage of music and film can work beautifully.

After hearing all the critical acclaim, for me this film is just a touch overrated. No argument when it comes to Performance by an Actreess in a Leading Roles, but the Oscar nods for Best Film and Original Screenplay are a bit of a stretch. For the first half of the film, the dialogue of every teenager simply isn't believable in the slightest. In my opinion Juno uses way too much witty incisive adult language for her age and it breaks the illusion of reality.

"I'm telling you I'm pregnant and you're acting shockingly cavalier..." and "Yes, hello, I need to procure a hasty abortion...I’m sorry, I’m on my hamburger phone and it’s kind of awkward to talk on. It’s really more of a novelty than a functional appliance..." While they are delicious lines, they're totally unrealistic out of a 16 yr olds mouth. Also, calling this a comedy is also a but much. I chuckled maybe twice, but never laughed out loud. Criticisms aside, I really enjoyed this intelligent "comedy" and I definitely think that if you like your movies quirky with razor-sharp dialogue you'll love this.

8/10

Tags: Juno | Teenage Pregnancy | Dark Comedy | Ellen Page

Thriller fails to thrill Tube passengers

2008-01-31T13:29:00.001Z

Nothing can make tube passengers react – not even a Tube carriageful of dancers re-enacting Michael Jackson's Thriller video. This is pretty darn cool and has actually changed my life; every tube ride from now on will have me harbouring the secret desire for random strangers to get up and do an MJ dance routine.

Thriller dance on the tube - Michael Jackson thriller

Tags: Thriller | Michael Jackson | London Tube | Cool

Try This Experiment While Sitting at Your Desk

2008-01-30T18:09:00.001Z

A funny little brain trick which actually works. Try it!

Try This Experiment While Sitting at Your Desk

Tags: Brain Tricks | Foot Exercise | Cool | Fun

Google Maps.. Gone Wrong

2008-01-30T17:53:00.001Z

Made me laugh:

Google Maps

Tags: Google Maps | Funny Video | Comedy | Alien Being

Breaking: John Edwards quitting presidential race

2008-01-30T14:58:00.001Z

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards is dropping out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, CNN has learned. The former senator has told top advisors about his decision. It is expected he will announce it at a speech in New Orleans, Louisiana, at 1p.m. Wednesday.

This is interesting. Who will Edwards endorse? My feeling is he is desperate to be vice-president and is waiting to see who pulls ahead between Barack and Hilary. Once he's chosen who he thinks is his best shot to VP he will swiftly endorse them, most likely tipping the Democratic Nomination squarely in their favour. He will then ride the presidential ticket to near certain victory. His only problem, there's a bit of speculation that Al Gore will swoop in with a celebrity endorsement of Obama before Super Tuesday. If that happens, Edwards will be forced to side with Hilary to keep his VP aspirations alive. I get the feeling that if this were to happen, Obama/Gore would be quite and attractive ticket to the undecided voters. But not as attractive as Obama/Edwards.

I'm not American so I can't vote, but from what I've seen from here in the UK is the best presidential partnership would be Obama/Paul. Yeah, I said it! Just my two cents.

John Edwards quitting presidential race

Umbrella that tells the weather. Why didn't I think of that?

2008-01-30T14:28:00.001Z

The brainchild of an American company can receive local weather forecasts automatically through a built-in radio receiver in the handle, which receives weather data for 150 US locations via a website called Accuweather.com....

Giving umbrellas a hi-tech spin

Tags: Cool Gadgets | umbrellas | Cool | Invention

Cloverfield Movie Review

2008-01-28T19:41:00.000Z

"Some Thing has found us..."

One of the most hyped films in recent history finally made it's debut 10 days ago and broke box office records. If certain reviews are to believe, it has redefined the monster thriller genre, not least due to the uniqueness of filming. The entire <> mins are shot on a standard run-of-the-mill handheld digital camera à la Blair Witch. What began as a low budget, potential indie cult classic evolved into an internet phenonomenon. Largely through the encylopedia sized backstory divulged through alternative reality games, where clues are scattered online and in actual real life locations.

Much of the fuel for hype came from the fact that Cloverfield was produced by a certain JJ Abrams, one of the hottest properties in Hollywood right now. Currently well known for his TV production on hit shows like Felicity, Alias, and the epic mystery-fest that is Lost, he also has pedigree in movies as a writer on Armegeddon and Mission Impossible III. Like Lost, the entire Cloverfield project was cloaked in secrecy. The film technically didn't have a name during production, cryptically assuming a variety of fake working titles that changed fairly regularly. Casting involved making actors read from scripts not of the movie, but from random tv shows and films. Scripts were watermarked, and pages were added and changed each day on set.

Here's the premise. On the eve of his departure for a new job in Japan, Rob (Michael Stahl-David) is thrown a surprise going-away party. Things take an unexpected turn when an apperant earthquake hits. The crowd watch news reports of an earthquake, then rush to the roof to assess the damage. A fireball explodes on the distant horizon and flaming debree begins to rain down on the roof. Confusion gives way to panic as the partygoers stumble through the blackout and into the streets. Amid the human screams and one inhuman roar, Rob and his friends and plonked right in the middle of a nightmare situation. Through the eyes of Hud (TJ Miller) we follow Rob and his crew as they embark on their nightmare rescue mission.

The decision to use actors who were all complete unknowns was a great one. It adds to the hyper-realism of the film and helps you forget that this is a movie and not a home video. Cloverfield is extremely clever in what you see and what you don't see and everything important is shown clearly without wrecking the sense that this is amatuer footage. And it's not just non-stop action. The makers do well to intertwine monsterous events with the home video the Hud accidently records over. Not only a novel way of revealing character backstory, it also allows for breathers from the action, which is frenetic at times to say the least. The set pieces are superb, in particular, a scene in the subway tunnel is absolutely incredible and stands out as pure action movie gold.

Cloverfield is certainly unique. Something that needs to be classed as an experience rather than simply a monster movie. The use of a handycam is an absolute stroke of genius, putting you right in the heart of the action. Although the constant shaking can be a little disconcerting, if you make it through the first 30 or so minutes without puking up you'll be alright. Another thing I loved was that interaction with the monster is not fleeting. We're given full on views more than once in the film. Add to the fact that Cloverfield clocks in at less than an hour and a half shows that the film is self-aware; it knows it's an action film not an Oscar hopefull. A super fun roller coaster ride, not a self-indulgent bum-number. This is an instant classic which leaves the door open for a potential sequel. I can't wait.

8/10

Cloverfield is released Friday 1 February 2008 in the UK

Tags: Cloverfield | J.J. Abrams | Monster Movie | New York

David Blaine is a Douche

2008-01-26T04:11:00.000Z

Funniest shit I've seen in a long time:

Tags: David Blaine | Funny Video | Comedy | Street Magic

What's Going On Right Now

2008-01-22T22:53:00.000Z

Hello readers. "Aaaaah". That's the sound I made when I spotted the front page of The Sun this morning. Remember when I told you that Amy Winehouse was papped ordering only nugget sauce from McDonlad's? Well it turns out her actions make perfect sense. She was cracked up to her eyeballs. Mere hours before attending her husband's court appearance she was honking on a crack pipe. Firstly, if someone wants to smoke crack, let them. And then offer to buy their HD TV off them for a tenner at 3am the next morning. Secondly, I think all the papers trying to cover their asses by liberally sprinkling their pieces with the word "allegedly" need not worry. She must have been off her tits if she wasn't suspicious of one of her "friends" following her around all day with their (secret?) videocamera. If I'm taking hits off a crack pipe in front of my wedding pics and I spot a blinking red light, I'm gonna ask questions. See the vid here.

Flicking through Thelondonpaper at lunch I spotted a couple of gems in the "Funny Old World" section. First was the story of a £75,000 theft-proof BMW that was stolen - when the police left it unlocked with the keys in the ignition...Second was the story of Vietnamese Customs finding a crate of live snakes on a plane. Wait what?? The illegal cargo, on board a Thai Air flight from Bangkok, was hidden inside 60 ice boxes marked "fresh fish".

"Who knows what would have happened if they had broken out and crawled around the plane when it was flying?" said Dao Van Lien, head of customs at Hanoi airport. Erm, I do. Are there cinemas in Vietnam or what?

Remember when I told you that No Country For Old Men would make the Oscar shortlist for Best Motion Picture? Remember how I eulogised over the magnificent performance of Javier Bardem? Creamed my pants over the superb use of sound? Or praised the cinematography? Well the Oscar Noms have been released and guess what? No Country has won nods in the Best Motion Picture of the Year, Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Achievement in Sound Editing, and Achievement in Cinematography categories, among others. Both No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood topped the class with eight nominations. Click here for the whole list.

All this talk of movies reminds me how much I want to see Cloverfield. On release in the US it beat out Star Wars to break box office records for a January Weekend with an estimated $46 million gross over those 3 days*. Considering it cost an estimated $35 million to make that's pretty impressive. Interestingly enough, some research on Boxofficemojo shows that it's not the biggest monster-flick opening weekend; Hulk and King Kong opened to $62 million and $50 million.

For the past 3 months or so I have ardently refused to get involved in all Cloverfield's interactive online nonsense and I've been tiptoeing around spoilers since 1-18-08. Annoyingly I still have about another 10 days to go. Doesn't help that my friends over at online mag LOAD Magazine have seen it already and are taunting me. Apparently the newest marketing technique is torture people with little snippets of info then make them wait 2 weeks for the film to come out while everyone over the pond says how amazing it is. It worked, I will be first in line on general release!

Of course, all this will soon be immaterial once the entire world economy crashes. Yesterday saw the worst day since 9/11 for many stock indices in Europe. With the US observing Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, US Federal Reserve took today's market opening as the opportunity to try and prevent a similar massacre in US markets by slashing interest rates by an unprecedented 75 basis points. The move down to 3.5 per cent was the first unscheduled Fed rate cut since September 17 2001 and its largest single cut since August 1982.

For those who dismissed all the above as gibberish here's your take-home: SELL YOUR STOCKS NOW!! Oversaturated is predicting a major market correction in the next 28 days. Don't say I didn't warn you. Turns out it's all George Dubya's fault. Click here for an interesting video on how he managed to so spectacularly fuck up. Go Ron Paul!

At the time of writing this, The net is abuzz with the news that Heath Ledger has died! Not good news...

*However, Star Wars' $35 million would equal over $53 million adjusted for ticket price inflation

How To Make Stay-Awake Glasses

2008-01-22T15:30:00.001Z

This made me laugh

How To Make Stay-Awake Glasses

Tags: Stay Awake Glasses | Funny Video | Comedy | Weird

Sometimes the oldies are the best...

2008-01-21T00:34:00.000Z

Old School 35mm slide viewer + iPod Nano = 1973 Mini TV:

Nanoscope: AppleTV 1973.0

Tags: Ipod Nano | 1970s | Amazing | Mini TV

No Country For Old Men Movie Review

2008-01-20T02:20:00.000Z

"There are no clean getaways..."

No Country for Old Men is an atmospheric thriller from the Coen Brothers, who previously directed, wrote, and produced Fargo, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and The Big Lebowski. This film closed off 2007 to great critical acclaim in the US, picking up 2 Golden Globes (from 4 nominations). It will surely make the Oscar shortlist for Best Motion Picture I have no doubt about that.

No Country tells the story of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) who, out hunting, stumbles upon a scene of dead bodies, guns, and drugs on the Mexican border. He finds $2 million cash and plans to begin a new life. If only. Unfortunately for him psychopathic hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bordem) is after him. The chase turns out to one of the best I can remember.

There is so much about this film that is just fantastic cinema. The settings and landscapes in the movie are dazzling and Roger Deakins can take credit for some breathtaking cinematography. The performances from the leads are superb, giving depth to rich characters whose flaws are unveiled over the film's duration. Brolin and Lee Jones expertly display their talents, but the performance of Javier Bordem as the hitman Chigurh is extraordinary. Quite possibly the most chilling portrayal of relentless, unnegotiable evil I have ever witnessed. I got a spine-tingling nervousness whenever he was on screen. While this is a particularly brutal and violent film the Coen Brothers never go overboard with gore, and the excellent interchange between explicit and implicit violence leaves you continually gripped, never knowing what you will be shown next.

Additionally, the use of sound in this film is magnificent. There is hardly any music in this film whatsoever. There are a multitude of scenes where the deliberate sparcity of sound crafts incredible suspense. Any filmmaker looking to be educated on the art of creating tension need look no further. The supremely powerful scene in which Moss and Chigurh are in the same motel, separated by a wall is honestly one of the most intense I have ever experienced in film.

All that said, this had a few niggling problems. At times I found it hard to understand a fair amount of dialogue due to the strong Texan accents. This really bothered me. Secondly, I felt the storyline would have been enhanced immensely had Tommy Lee Jones's character Sheriff Ed Tom Bell played a bigger role. However, the most significant flaw was the ending. I felt it was a massive anti-climax, especially considering all that had preceded it. I couldn't help walking away feeling slightly disappointed. It felt to me like a missed opportunity. While not a tremendous blight on the movie, for me the ending really didn't work and spoilt a potential masterpiece.

Overall, I am delighted I saw this film first in the theatre and not on DVD because the unexpected thills are truly shocking and really need a cinema to do them true justice. This will be one of the greatest cinematic experiences of 2008 and with a stronger ending, would have been an instant classic as apposed to a very, very good film. This is so close to being a 9 it hurts.

8/10

Tags: No Country For Old Men | Javier Bardem | Josh Brolin | Tommy Lee Jones

Saucy Amy Winehouse Pics

2008-01-19T03:25:00.000Z

Here are pictures of Amy Winehouse running round with packets of nugget sauce from McDonald's. Apparently after attending her husband’s preliminary court hearing yesterday she decided she needed some nugget sauce. No food - just the sauce. I'm not making this shit up.

Tags: Amy Winehouse | Crazy People | Nugget Sauce | McDonald's

Because there aren't enough videos

2008-01-18T21:46:00.000Z

Ok, so I've gone a bit crazy on the videos of late. But to be fair, nothing interesting seems to be in the news right now (other than the Ledge that is Corey Delaney). Rather annoyingly it's all Britney Spears at the moment. Apparently it's news because she's running round buying pregnancy tests and has just developed a pseudo-British accent. Her advisors aren't even trying to stop it anymore, that's the least of their fucking worries. They're just glad she's not shaving her head and attacking people with umbrellas. You can just imagine a whole team of people at her PR agency answering 2 phones at once going, "Hello...she's what?....She's shoved a chicken up her minge again??......no comment".

Anyway, on an unrelated note, here's another funny video by Jon Lajoie. His site is linked in the sidebar on the right. Check it out because his videos are hilarious. Here's his take on an Everyday Normal Guy:

Tags: Jon Lajoie | Funny Video | Comedy | Rap

Big Train: Pun Writers

2008-01-18T00:47:00.000Z

One of my favourite sketches from the genius that was Big Train:

Big Train 'pun-writers'

Tags: Big Train | Simon Pegg | Comedy | Puns

I Need This Now!

2008-01-17T16:52:00.000Z

One of the coolest things I have seen in a long time:

How To Make Fire Balls - video powered by Metacafe

Now where can I get some lighter fluid...

Tags: Magic Balls | Fire Balls | Amazing | Fire

Corey Delaney: Party Liason

2008-01-16T01:40:00.001Z

This guy is a legend! Van Wilder meets Napoleon Dynamite in this unbelieveable Australian news interview. A 16 year old throws a house party, 500 kids turn up, cause huge damage and terrify the neighbours. He goes on TV to tell his side:

Btw, the name Worthington is just a fake name he gave to the reporters initially to avoid getting in trouble. His real name is Corey Delaney.

The exchange at the end is simply genius:

Newscaster: I suggest you go away and take a good hard look at yourself.
Corey: I have. Everyone has. They love it.

Gold...

UPDATE: Looks like the Australian justice system is booking Corey on child porn charges. WTF?? Read the story here.

UPDATE 2: Corey's made the front page of the Timesonline website!! Check it here!

Aussie Party

Tags: Corey Delaney | Funny | Comedy | House Party

There's Something in the Air™ and nothing in your pocket...

2008-01-16T00:58:00.001Z

Only 2 grand for a laptop without a dvd drive...

read more | digg story

Tags :Macbook Air | Apple | Steve Jobs | Macbook

"Fuck Your Hat!!"

2008-01-15T23:16:00.001Z

Went down to The End in Holborn last night with a couple of mates. It was indie/new rave night and I was a little apprehensive at first seeing as it's not really my scene even though I do enjoy listening to some of that music. My preconceptions turned out right; tons of angular haircuts, skinny jeans and neon clothing. I'm open minded so I didn't let it affect my night.

Turns out the secret live guest was Lightspeed Champion. He started out playing his own songs but then kicked it up a notch when he started doing covers. For some reason, someone behind decided that the gig could not go on any longer without yelling "Fuck Your Hat!!". There was an audible laugh from the crowd and Lightspeed referred to it as "Someone said something racist about my hat".

I particularly enjoyed when Fred Les was invited onstage for a seemingly impromtu Slow Hands by Interpol. Not having the words, Fred whipped out his Blackberry and Googled the lyrics. Gotta say I've never seen that done at a gig and it was pretty well done. Buddy Holly by Weezer and Heart in a Cage by The Strokes were also offered to a grateful crowd. For some reason though we only got to hear the intro of C'mon C'mon by The Von Bondies before he made his exit.

I'd also like to mention the Lightspeed Champion drummer was exceedingly fit. They have one more fan! If you're into chilled out indie definitely check out his upcoming album Falling Off the Lavender Bridge.

Tags :Lightspeed Champion | Fred Les | Music | Indie

Crank Dat Curry Sauce

2008-01-12T13:38:00.000Z

Check out this funny parody of Soulja Boy's Crank Dat:

Crank Dat Curry Sauce

Tags :Soulja Boy | Curry Sauce | Comedy | Parody

Walk Hard Movie Review

2008-01-09T22:09:00.000Z

"Life made him tough. Love made him strong. Music made him hard..."

From the creative mind behind some of the most acclaimed comedies of recent times comes Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. With 40 Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Superbad on his CV, Judd Apatow is one of Hollywood's Hottest Producer/Writer/Directors. Having seen and enjoyed those previous works, I was expecting great things. Dewey Cox didn't dissapoint.

This movie takes a different direction to Apatow's previous films. While 40 Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up were "adult" comedies that surprised many with their sensitivity and pathos, Walk Hard immediately asserts itself as slapstick comedy and is more akin to Anchorman than any of The 'Tow's aforementioned flicks.

The film charts the extraordinary life of simple country boy Dewey Cox, who after a tragic machete accident goes on to become a music legend. In a nod to Forrest Gump, Cox apparently seems to have single-handedly created most of the popular music genres of the 50s, 60s & 70s. We watch our protagonist battle the temptation of drugs and women as he crosses paths with Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles.

You may have guessed from the title that this is not a subtle, layered comedy. Walk Hard is essentially a 90 minute sktech show and is laden with catchphrases, stereotypes, and running jokes. While that may sound terrible, the film does well not to fall into tedium. The first 10/15 minutes are priceless, and set the tone for the rest of the film. Although the gags are hit and miss, they're funny more times than they not. A geniunely hilarious scene with Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Justin Long, and Jason Schwartzman as The Beatles is a highlight.

While this wasn't the funniest film I've seen and never made me laugh out loud, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It especially liked the fact that Walk Hard did not drag on since EVERY film in 2007, good, bad, or indifferent, ran for 20 minutes too long. If you're a fan of comedies Walk Hard is well worth a trip to the cinema and is released in the UK January 18.

7/10

Tags: Walk Hard | Judd Apatow | Film Reviews | Comedy

My Current Fave Podcasts

2008-01-09T01:51:00.000Z

Since this is a vanity blog where I recommend things that I like, I just wanted to point you in the direction of a few of my favourite podcasts. Top of the list is the Scott Mills Daily. It's released most weekdays. It's my favourite podcast and I listen to it whenever it comes out.

Second is the Russell Brand Podcast which is released once a week. An amalgamation of the best bits of his radio show which often involve ringing up celebrities and solving listners' problems. Works largely due to his comedy partner Matt Morgan who is hilarious. Randy Brand is a pretty polarising character but I think he's funny and therefore so should you.

Finally, the Diggnation Podacast which comes in both visual and aural form. It's a weekly podcast summerising some noteworthy stories from the previous week on Digg. Did I mention the hosts are drunk during every show? Awesome.

Scott Mills Daily

Russell Brand Podcast

Diggnation Podacast

Tags: Scott Mills | Russell Brand | Diggnation | Podcasts

"Celebrity" Spotting with Oversaturated

2008-01-09T01:09:00.000Z

Saw Dale Winton today coming back home from uni at around 4pm on Marylebone Road. He is surprisingly tall and very orange. A bit of a contrast to the last "celebrity" I saw on Marylebone Road - Mathew Horne (of The Catherine Tate Show fame). He looked pale, weedy, and surprisingly short.

This is what happens when I have nothing to write about...

Tags:Dale Winton | Mathew Horne | Catherine Tate

Predictions for 2008

2008-01-06T00:24:00.001Z

Here are my 2008 predictions:

A Cheaper iPhone in the UK: My mobile phone contract expires in March. I'm currently a student and therefore very grateful to be paying £17.50 a month for what I get. However, the iPhone looks sweet. I doubt my loan will strecth to the 300 quid or whatever it is, plus £35 a month. That said, I'm currently on Three so anything would be an improvement.

Blu Ray will go into a commanding lead: Not sure how many of you are aware of the Blu-Ray/HD-DVD war but basically it's VHS versus Betamax all over again and right now there is only one loser - the consumer. Conventional wisdom dictates that it's too early to start spending astronomical amounts investing in HD movie collections. I don't believe in conventional wisdom. Take all your life savings and get a PS3 to go with your fancy new LCD HD TV because most of the major movie studios are aligning behind the Sony-led format and apparently Apple is also waiting in the wings to join Team Blu-Ray. It's over.

Celebrity Big Brother will finally die: I don't really have strong feelings for reality tv shows. I just ignore them. However, there is one that I just cannot stand. Celebrity Big Brother is the annoying itch on the arsecrack of humanity. After the whole racism scandal I hoped, nay, prayed that Channel 4 would drop CBB for good. Ms Goody, the monster Channel 4 had created, seemed to have singlehandedly destroyed the show for good. It was deliciously ironic that the person who had attained "celebrity" status from the normal Big Brother would be the end of the Celebrity incarnation.

According to Rudy Guliani the End is Nigh

2008-01-05T23:58:00.001Z

Saw this on Digg and thought it was hilarious:

I really hope Rudy "Team America" Guiliani doesn't win in 2008. That said, I just love everything about this ad. It's so overtly, unashamedly racist it's laughable. "A people peverted?" WTF?? How can he be a serious candidate?? The scariest thing about it is the fact that there are people in America who actually agree with this fuckwit. I wanna beat his kids.

Rudy Giuliani TV Ad "Ready"

Tags: Rudy Giuliani | Funny Video | Scaremongering

Russell Peters: Outsourced

2008-01-05T23:37:00.000Z

Definitely one of my favourite stand-ups, here is his entire 2006 show Outsourced which I just discovered...in 2008:

Russell Peters Outsourced on Google Video

Tags: Russell Peters | Funny | Comedy | Indian | Stand-Up

You'll Thank Me Later

2008-01-05T23:10:00.000Z

Found a really useful link to a page that details exactly what happens in those infamous video nasty websites like 2 Girls 1 Cup. If you are one of the lucky few people that have not seen these vids, good for you. Read this page and will never have to.

The fact that I already knew about and had seen 4 out of 6 of these vids is a chilling indictment of the owner of this blog. £50 to the first person to correctly guess the four. Answers on a postcard.

Descriptions of goatse, 2 girls 1 cup, and other gross-outs that hopefully you'll never watch

First foray into the blogosphere

2008-01-05T16:53:00.000Z

The infamous first post.

Seeing as this is an historic moment in internet history, I feel it's vital this post has the appropriate weight and gravitas. That is why I am playing O Fortuna in the background as I write this. It was a toss up between that and Requiem for a Dream (y'know, the Sky Sports News theme tune). I've always thought it hilariously laughable how they used such a dramatic piece of music when 95% of the time the main headline is something along the lines of "Harry Redknapp confirms it is cold outside". More on that later...

What I find most appealing about blogs is the fact that they represent an unfiltered stream of consciousness direct from the author to the reader. That is what I intend for this blog to be; a miscellaneous selection of stuff I find cool, and my opinions on current events.

Thanks for reading