Tempest in a B-cup

Infinite Canvas - done right

2011-09-07T09:42:53Z

I always thought that "infinite canvas" was a neat idea in theory, but unworkable in practice. Well, Paul Gadzikowski over at The Hero of Three Faces has come up with a new way to expand the borders of the comics page. And the cool thing about it is: it works!

Go see for yourself!

I am not a Finn

2011-08-24T08:10:56Z

The things you learn about yourself as you get older. Here I was, reasonably secure in my identity as bisexual, feminist, Finn, Lutheran, accountant, etc. and then suddenly I find I have been living a lie all these <mumble> years.

The populist True Finns party changed their name Sunday last. Or, to be specific, the English language translation of their name. From now on, they are to be known as The Finns. And since they are pretty much against everything I am for — and vice versa — I am obviously not a Finn.

I am undecided on what to do. Should I join the Swedish speaking minority? They have a much less gloomy outlook on life than us Finnish speakers, plus they have hot babes, such as my idol Tove Jansson. (Actually, she's dead now (and so is her wife) but anyway.) Or should I just assume a fake accent? I think I could manage a Pottsylvanian accent without too much effort.

Still no cure for... wait, what?

2011-05-12T13:46:21Z

Women who drink coffee regularly have a significantly lower risk of developing antiestrogen-resistant estrogen-receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer, researchers from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, revealed in Breast Cancer Research.

Would you like to know more? More?

You know what they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In other words, 12 to 16 times better. I'll drink to that. *goes to make coffee* Uh, purely as preventative medicine of course. Not for pleasure. Definitely.

Bitter Lesbian Eskimos want to corrupt your children!

2011-03-28T22:48:48Z

It's true you know. Little children, we corrupt for the lulz. Your grown-up daughters, for toaster ovens and other valuable prizes.

Landover Baptist Church have cast their lidless eye upon the Moomintrolls, those apparently wholesome fantasy creatures created by Tove Jansson in 1945 that have since appeared in numerous books, comic strips, animated children's tv series, and of course assorted forms of merchandising. I learned of this debacle from one of the Finnish evening papers who thoughtfully linked to the discussion on the LBC forum. The thread ran for fourteen pages when I read it. Quite an entertaining read.

The whole thing smells like an inside job to me, though. The OP seems to be Finnish, living in or near the city of Tampere. And most of the commenters are Finnish too, trying terribly earnestly to explain that a) Finns are not Eskimos and 2) Moomintrolls are not eldritch abominations spawned from the diseased imagination of a twisted pervert.

And now if you'll excuse me, I must go back to my simple but monotonous diet of carpet and whale blubber.

I hate DST

2011-03-27T01:35:12Z

Daylight Saving Time is stupid. Having to reset your clocks by one hour is stupid. We should just pick one time and stick with it. But the worst thing about Daylight Saving Time is that the changeover is in the wee hours of the night, so you have to get up at 3 AM to set your clocks. I hate that. Going back to bed now.

I can haz final frontier?

2011-03-26T17:45:42Z

Came across this gem from 2007. Probably the first long form lolcat-speak work, it predates the LOLcat Bible by a couple of months. What it is, is essentially Star Trek with lolcat subtitles. The Trouble With Tribbles for lolcats. I expect everybody else was already aware of this, but if you are as ignorant as I was up to an hour ago, go read it. You will has a happy.

Enlarge your manhood with genuine replica watch

2011-01-03T09:35:44Z

We have had a small can of Spam on our kitchen shelf for about a year. We originally got it as a joke because of the recent connotations of the name. MsDragoon refuses to touch the stuff, but I finally broke down and tried it.

Prettydragoon's Awesome Spam Dinner

appr. 200 g Spam

Remove Spam from can. Slice. Microwave on HIGH until done. Serve with kimchi and rice.

(So as not to entirely lose my SCA cred, I used an obscure 14th Century cookbook, Ye Anonymouse Cokery Boke, as the source for my recipe. I had to make some minor changes for modern equipment and based on what I had in the house. Here's the original:

Roste mete in ye manor of ye Northmen

Nym ane goodli pece of spamme and hack hem ynto slyces. Seethe hem in ye mycroondes until done and so serue hem forth.)

Spam wasn't all that bad. I found the flavour to be reasonably ham-like and the texture is, well, sausage-like. Funny thing that. Probably wouldn't want to eat it every day, but it's all right every once in a while.

Also, my manhood stays rigid until I put it back in the drawer. I definitely recommend Spam for everybody.

My very own beer? How sweet of you!

2010-10-14T15:23:54Z

So I was shopping in our friendly local neighbourhood hypermarket. In the beer aisle I came across this. Trashy Blonde beer from BrewDog Brewery. How could I resist my namesake beer? Don't answer that.

For the four color glossy, see http://www.brewdog.com/trashy_blonde.php. The beer is a nice pale colour, seriously hopped, with an aftertaste of lychee. It's got more hops than I really prefer, but otherwise an agreeable new acquaintance. I could get into serious trouble with this Trashy Blonde.

Incidentally, I found out this is brewed by the company that also make Tactical Nuclear Penguin, the world's strongest beer.

An insight into the Finnish psyche

2010-09-24T12:47:25Z

They say that folk dancing is one of the few things you shouldn't try. They may be right. But here's something you are sure to like.

That clip is from 1980. Need I say more?

I fail at meme.

2010-07-19T12:01:13Z

So I tried this "I write like" site that's all the rage this week. I typed in "LEEEROY JENKINS!"

I got 'Chicken'.

...at least I didn't get Dan Brown.

Does this silver jumpsuit make my butt look big?

2010-07-10T18:20:59Z

The future is finally here. Flying cars are expected to start shipping next year. However, the article says about the car's speed:

It is powered by a rear propeller and flies about 115 miles per hour.

I've done 125 mph on highway. Of course that was on the Autobahn with a rental car and I only did it like once, but still. Usually I putter along at 100 mph like a little old lady.

A Frenchman's Home Is His Castle

2010-07-01T18:47:25Z

Especially a brand new 13th Century castle, built with 13th Century technology.

Ashes, ashes, all fall down

2010-04-15T16:12:11Z

Am I glad I'm not flying anywhere in the near future. The volcano under Eyjafjalla Glacier in Iceland keeps spewing ash high into the atmosphere. The resulting ash cloud has caused airspace to be closed in most of northern Europe, with thousands of flights cancelled. Apparently flying through an ash cloud isn't exactly good for aircraft.

And the fun part is, it seems the volcano might keep erupting for months. Or it might stop tomorrow. No telling yet.

Would you like to know more?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8621407.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8622438.stm

I aten't dead.

2010-04-07T20:14:05Z

Not that I don't feel like I am, some days.

The monstrous squid is your friend.

2010-03-21T23:33:39Z

Just look at that friendly face!

Meme madness

2010-03-09T07:42:55Z

*hugs to kittyboymuffin*

You are a Romantic Seme!

A true romantic, you're safest sticking with a partner who is gentle and can appreciate your mature, loving ways and protective nature. Most often found with a handful of roses and wine, you are committed to your partner and their happiness, which makes you a perfect match for the Innocent Uke, who you will dedicate yourself to and lavish with gifts and attention.

Most compatible with: Innocent Uke, Clueless Uke

Least compatible with: Badass Uke, Dramatic Uke

What seme or uke are you? Take the experience at SemeUke.com, or find merchandise here.

Homeopathy follow-up

2010-02-03T15:59:13Z

So the demonstration that I mentioned last time went off without a hitch. Apparently nobody got sick of the overdose. I guess those people took too much of the drugs for them to have any effect.

Anyway, I much prefer homoapathy to homeopathy. Or I would, if I could be bothered.

This can't possibly end well.

2010-01-21T12:05:33Z

It seems some skeptics are planning a demonstration on the dangers of homeopathic medicine. Sounds dangerous to me, deliberately overdosing on medication like that.

I heard of an incident at a homeopathic convention. It seems some... prankster... diluted the punch bowl 90% with ice water. 200 people were admitted to hospital with alcohol poisoning.

Would you like to know more?

Teh Great Moon Landing Hoax

2009-07-20T18:58:51Z

It is alleged that 40 years ago, the Americans landed on the Moon. For anyone with half a brain, this is a patently absurd claim. The capitalist system is axiomatically incapable of achieving any goal more advanced than next quarter’s profit.

The truthiest truth is that the first man on the Moon was the late, great Ivan Ivanovich, a. k. a. Vanya the Magnificient, the celebrated acrobat dwarf of the Great Moscow State Circus. He landed on the Moon on 17 November 1970 in the Lunokhod-1 lunar exploratory vehicle and operated it for almost a year on the lunar surface, until his oxygen ran out on 14 September 1971 and he laid down his life in unstinting service to the peace-loving workers and peasants of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. So in fact the Soviet Union won the Moon race.

Comrades, fill your mugs with vodak and toast that unsung hero, first man on the Moon, Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumous), Vanya the Magnificient!

Suddenly, I feel serious about art again.

2009-06-29T12:35:05Z

At times I lurk on Fark.com. Mostly on weekends to look at Caturday pictures. But sometimes they actually feature some worthwhile news about the human condition.

Such as this item reported by The Sun:
Artist wins £20,000 grant - to look at women's butts: "The project is taking on the issues around the bottom and how it is viewed in contemporary culture and viewed by the male"

I wonder if Ms Williams needs an intern.

Whither crappy Geocities pages?

2009-06-10T12:12:57Z

Geocities.com is closing down later this year. Yes I do have a Geocities page myself. I made it when I was even younger and prettier (and blonder, if that is possible) than today. So where can I move all my awesome, uh, art so that they can be enjoyed by generations to come? Most of what I have there is random plotbunnies and some old drawings, so I might as well dump them in DeviantArt. I like to think they are reasonably deviant. But what of my magnum opus, my Nanowrimo 2007 novel? It is far too long to fit in one DeviantArt entry. Or one Livejournal entry, either. Maybe I should turn it into a serial? Or would that be too corny? Feel free to call me a flake.

If election persists for over 24 hours, seek media attention.

2009-06-07T19:10:51Z

Every time there is an election, talking heads are Concerned About Low Voter Turnout. So what. If more people vote, my vote will count for less.

Identity crisis, Classical style

2009-04-24T09:25:21Z

Which Greek God Are You?

My Result: Athena

prettydragoon

You're an Athena! People around you think they've got what it takes to be the best and the brightest? Well they don't because YOU DO. You resemble Athena, the be-all and end-all goddess when it comes to brains, brawn, and fortitude. Heck, she even crafts (in the best way possible, of course) in her spare time. Goddess of war and wisdom, she's the one who provides results. (Possibly because she never wastes time on sex) Athena: inspiring heroism since 4,000 B.C.E.

Click here to see a t-shirt letting everyone know you're an Athena!

Quiz School

Take this quiz & get your result

Which Greek God Are You? » Quiz Maker

Beware the Ides of March!

2009-03-14T19:42:52Z

So Ides was yesterday, so now we are safe for another year, amirite?

Computer? Computer?

2008-12-20T10:29:53Z

Program complete.