tron motorbike

Ooooohhh, once again, if l only had the money........
This is just the sort of motorbike l should be riding. A rather magnificent and powerful Tron one from Hammacher Schlemmer, which is a snip at $55,000.
Still, it's lottery time again tomorrow, so there's always hope.

toodle pip

collecting bags

As l often tell the FPO, she should be grateful l am not loaded, as the good old homestead would be full of even more junk.
Here's something else l could easily collect.
Bags.
Yessirie - that is correcumundo - l said bags.
Rather sadly, l used to have a load of plastic ones from stores (record and toy) and my travels, but l am not sure if l still have them (they could be stashed away in the garage).
I really need to get a life.
But saying that........ Here's a website.

toodle pip

fulop gabor ladybird sculpture

I think this ladybird sculpture by Fulop Gabor is pretty damn cool. There some more stuff here, but l like this one the best. The only thing now is I think l may have to crack on and do a George Best one made out of beer bottle tops.

toodle pip

anti aging mouthpiece from japan

I'll have to but the FPO some of these. An anti aging mouthpiece from Japan.

The promo says

'This easy-to-use beauty and skincare product was developed by an ordinary housewife. Chikako Hirama was simply concerned about her own age and wanted an easy way to combat those telltale lines. Just try the yellow or pink Pupeko daily using such techniques as puffing out your cheeks or sucking them in while breathing through the mouthpiece. Then you can try it while keeping your head upright to give your neck and other muscles further exercise training'.


It can work on so many levels. It looks dirty, it might keep her quiet for a while, and it helps her look younger.
A result on all levels! Hurrah!!!
Look here.

toodle pip

the alabama tornado and underground houses

This is one of the pictures of the devastation caused by the recent Tornado in Alabama. What gets me, is why everyone still adheres to the old way of designing and building houses, especially when there is a good chance a Tornado will come along at some stage and destroy them. Why not build them so they are mostly underground?  The houses would be cooler in summer, warmer in winter, pretty soundproof, and a lot harder to destroy. You could probably get some kind of false windows put in if you wanted, with some kind of periscope device that shows the views from above. Don't even go there if you are thinking about flooding or drainage, as that could easily be sorted.
I tell you, l'm wasted in my job (in more ways than one).

toodle pip

limitless (2011) - neil burger

Limitless stars Bradley Cooper as loser Eddie Morra, who has been dumped by his girlfriend, is pretty broke, and can't get his book written.
He bumps into his old brother in law, who gives him a new smart drug (NRZ) that is yet to come onto the market, and although reluctant at first, Eddie takes it (of course he does, or there would have been no film).
This transforms Eddie, as the pill enables him to access all parts of his brain, making him super intelligent, multilingual, tough, a hit with the ladies, and a lot tidier.
Eddie (naturally) decides he would like some more of the little beauties (tablets not ladies), but his previous brother in law just becomes previous, as he is murdered.
Luckily for Eddie (or is it?), he finds the hidden stash and continues to take it. He dresses smarter, earns lots of money, and gets involved with some shady people, including gangsters he borrows money off (you would think he had more sense), and Robert De Niro, who plays Carl Van Loon, a powerful businessman.
Eddie then starts to feel sick, is followed around by dodgy looking men, has memory loses, and gets involved (closely) in  a murder. Eventually (after a bit of bloodshed), he tries to sort everything out, and runs for senate, but is pressured by Van Loon, who knows he is on the drug, and offers to supply it.
I thought the ending wasn't that great, but the film itself was OK, and pretty good in some places (with some great cinematography). Bradley Cooper transforms himself in the film (the good looking bastard), and De Niro is back to his mean old self, and yet.....
The trouble is, films like this also annoy me, as l am always thinking 'He wouldn't do that' or 'Why doesn't he do this', as, after all, he is meant to be super intelligent.
For starters
He must have known he may be watched or in danger after his old brother in law had been murdered, after all, Eddie called the cops to report it, so the baddies would have known he turned up, and may have the stash.
Following on from this, he would have moved and laid low, while making some serious money, rather than being in a hurry and borrowing off a very dodgy criminal (or pay the criminal back afterwards, and then move away).
Rather than showing off with his new found powers, getting featured in newspaper articles etc, he would have avoided the publicity and played down how lucky he had been, to stay safe.
He buys a state of the art secure home for millions, and yet the windows shatter when someone is thrown against them (Pah!!).
One of the first things he would have done is make some more pills himself, rather than reaching into his stash and being surprised there were non left.
I could go on, but my life is already draining away as it is.
A decent enough movie, but they should make the effort and think these things through, but, once again, l suppose there would be no story, as these things (supposedly) make the thing dramatic.
It still does my head in - maybe l need some pills.

toodle pip.

zakaria tamer book illustrated by hijazi

This Egyptian book is by Zakaria Tamer, and is illustrated by Hijazi. Now l haven't got a clue what the book is about, or anything about the author and illustrator, but l sure do like the cover. It's colourful, surreal and childlike. Marvellous stuff.

toodle pip

more dodgy comic panels

I've never trusted Superman.

toodle pip

killing bono (2011) - nick hamm

Starting in the late 1970's, this is the tale of two brothers trying to make it big in their band, but being dwarfed by the accomplishments of their former school friends, U2 (and especially Bono). Based on the book 'Killing Bono - I was Bono's doppelgänger' by Neil McCormick, Killing Bono has a similar feel to 'The Commitments' about it. Now this may be lazy stereotyping on my part, as they both feature Irish youngsters in bands trying to succeed, with some humour and music thrown in, but what the Hell, that's the view I'm taking. Ben Barnes and Robert Sheehan star as Neil and Ivan McCormick, the brothers trying to make it, but, unknown to Ivan, his brother Neil had persuaded Bono not to let him join U2 in the early days, when Ivan was practising with them, as he wanted to be successful on their own terms, and be better and bigger than U2. Misfortune also follows the brothers along the way, with disastrous double bookings and mishaps. They also get involved with Danny Machin, an Irish gangster (played superbly by Stanley Townsend), and Neil turns down the chance to support U2 at their homecoming Croke Park gig in 1987. There are band fights and break ups, some romance (and break ups), and lots and lots of bickering. Pretty good though.

toodle pip

pat benatar - between a heart and a rock place

I am not a great fan of Pat Benatar, but when l used to hang out at a mates place years age (Hello Stocky!), he had posters up on the walls and loved her. Through him, l was forced to listen to her albums and despite liking the odd track, was not convinced.
While scrolling on the Kindle, l fancied reading something light, and l thought l would give this book a go, to see if there was anything l had been missing out on.  I only had the book on it as l had uploaded a load of books from a DVD l had with thousands on, as there is no way on Gods green and pleasant land that l would have parted with my hard earned money for it, even if it was in a massively reduced sale. Praise the good Lord that l didn't have to pay up, as it was pretty dire. Nothing that interesting was contained in it for me anyway. Tales of falling in love with the guitarist and marrying him, falling out with Chrysalis, the record company she signed to, and trying to fight sexism in the music industry (while wearing skin tight clothes). Along the way, she wins Grammys (how, l don't know), has kids |(that, l do know), and goes on about her voice and her records. No sex, drink and drugs tales, and a pretty uneventful background. Ozzy Osbourne's book was sooooooooooooooooooooooo much better (as you would expect). I wouldn't even recommend this book if l was a fan of the music.

toodle pip

satellite shot of the concordia

This is a great satellite shot of the Costa Concordia shipwreck. It also re-enforces my belief that even l could have swam to safety.

toodle pip

breakdancing traffic cop

Makes the traffic police in England look pretty square.

toodle pip

figo's advert and bar

Watching the new Luis Figo advert (Just for Men), which seems to be shown about every 4.5 seconds at the moment, l can't help but think back to the glorious days of being on holiday with bugger all to do. There are a couple of pictures above from his ( as wikipedia would have it, 'upscale' ) bar in Portugal, featuring other footballers and his partner in the bar, China. Wish l was still in there now, especially now the crappy weather seems to be arriving.

toodle pip

dodgy batman toy gun

This Batman toy gun looks well dodgy. I think this short, wide legged and rotund version would get way too much pleasure out of me squeezing that trigger. Also, it looks like he has got a butt plug in. Not that l'm judging of course, l just wouldn't want him squirting all over me.


toodle pip

two nasty deaths via flaming bulls and child eating crocodiles

 A flaming bull - yesterday

A croc - yesterday

Lying in bed this morning and catching up with some of the recent new via yesterdays Sunday papers (The Observer), l read about two gruesome and pretty (one imagines) painful deaths.

In Navajas, Spain, a 45 year old man  was gouged by a bull after the man had slipped while joining in with festivities, which include being chased by the bulls. Not a lot of chasing was going on, as the bull did not have to go very far to take it's anger out on the fallen (and no doubt panicking) man. What anger? you may ask. Well, it's a bull for one thing, and it's horns had been covered in wax and then ignited, so that it would run amok while franticly shaking it's head, trying to put out the flames (and probably being very scared of them). So the man was not just gouged, he was gouged with the flaming horns of an angry and frightened bull. And then the bull stamped on him.  I bet he never anticipated dying like that when he was a young nipper.

Now some might say he deserved it and knew the risks. The other victim certainly didn't.

In Indonesia, a young girl of 10 was hunting for turtles by a river with her father and brother, when she was suddenly snatched by a crocodile in front of them, who were powerless to help. Nothing has been found of the body since then.

Thankfully l do not live near crocodile infested rivers, and don't go running with bulls, so l should be safe at the moment. Mind you, my house will probably blow up in a gas explosion now.  If it does - I knew the risks and it's only a coincidence, and l was not tempting fate! I do not believe in such thing.
Should be short, unexpected and sweet anyway.

toodle pip

pele sounding bitter about messi

Lionel Messi has won the European Footballer Of The Year (Ballon d'Or) award for the third time, but it sounds like he is getting under Pele's skin, if his recent comments are to be believed.
Pele had other world class Brazilians playing with him, and most of his goals were against crappy teams (and he counted goals in  friendlies).
Messi is still young, and if he stays injury free, will win the award many more times. He even scored another brilliant hat-trick again yesterday evening for Barcelona v Malaga.
Pele was great, but Messi is head and shoulders above anyone else at the moment, and it just sounds as though Pele is bitter.
Maybe his Viagra has stopped working.




toodle pip

walter freeman and lobotomy

While myself and the FPO were at Robbo and Kerry's on Friday, after the celebrations had abated (Kerry's 40th and a gain of 5 pounds), we were discussing lobotomies (as you do in polite society), and more importantly, the work of Walter Jackson Freeman.
For those that don't know, he pioneered the transorbital ( ice pick) frontal lobotomy, and then got carried away with it, performing them extensively (he kept records of 3,439) over aprox 30 years, including on John F Kennedy's sister Rosemary, until there were too many deaths, and he stopped in1967. This was all without any formal surgical training. Basically, it's put an ice pick up a tear duct and tap it into the front of the brain, wiggle it about, then repeat under the other eye.
Amazing (and no thanks).
There's an interesting sound bite about what it was like to have a lobotomy by Freeman here.

toodle pip