Back on the air with Pandora

It has been a long time, but Slimy Martian is back on the air. Watch out for more fantasmagorical posts. A few categories spring to mind, and this space is destined to become a brain dump zone for various eclectic items.

First though, I have to rave about Pandora. This site, based on the music genome project, creates a radio station that learns about the music you like. Obviously there is a commercial aspect, where you cannot flick through too many crappy tunes that are sent your way. But so far, this aspect isn't too intrusive.

And anything that enhances world awareness of esoteric 70s prog rock is a bonus in my book.

It's good to be back...

Charlotte in the Magic Hour

Yay! We can post pictures directly to Blogger now, instead of having to act like a sysadmin to load up the file and point it to the right place yadda yadda. Here is a gorgeous picture (mise-en-scene: S Martin) taken of Charlotte, aged 3 months, wearing the "roomy" hat that her Mummy knitted for her (with "help" from the Tobester), during a bright winter sunset at the park.

Tin Foil

I wonder, was tin foil ever actually made of tin?

Blackberry Heaven

Greetings gentle reader, this post has been composed and sent from one of those new Blackberry doofilackies - (http://www.blackberry.com/products/blackberry7200/blackberry7230.shtml).

If I didn't have such fat fingers, I would be able to write a lot faster. It makes me wonder if, in much the same way that we have modified our environment to meet our needs in the past, I wonder if we will evolve differently in the future to adapt to the devices and machines that we create?

This device effectively obviates my need for a workstation in my office. All I really need is a comfy chair in a coffee shop so I can process emails in comfort in between meetings...

Giving up smoking... again!

"These nicotine patches are great" I tell my friends. "I've used them so many times, and they always work for me". Well if they really worked for me, I wouldn't have to keep using them, would I? Still, it's better to have a nicotine patch on your arm than puffing on a pack of smokes every day. Or is it? Will we all develop cancers on our arms or backs, where we kept on placing those patches? Do people get addicted to patches?

Quitting's all about willpower, the epic battle of your Good Conscience against Nick O'Teen, the little Iago who whispers in your ear... "but you like smoking... smoking is great... just have one, you can give up tomorrow"

And you've got to have a reason to give up. When the Tobester proudly brought me a cigarette and a lighter, thinking that this is a kind thing to do, then I know it's time to give it up. This morning we had a brief conversation (it was hard to compete with The Fairly Odd Parents on Nickelodeon) about smoking and addiction - a tough conversation to have with a five year old, but he took it in, eventually.

I onced dreamed up a concept-album cover, in garish yellows and greens like a Zappa album, called "Fag-Butt Sarnie"*; a close-up photo of a slice of pappy white bread smeared thickly with cheap margarine, and the filling? The contents of an over-brimming ash-tray. God knows what the album would have sounded like, but I'm holding the thought of that sandwich, and every time I get an itch, I think of eating the sarnie.

* Note to non-British people: a "Fag-Butt" is a cigarette end, OK?

This is Charlotte, laughing at Dad's lack of hair 

Introducing...

Hello gentle reader, it's about time that Simondo and the other smaller slimy martians had yet another web presence, so here, for a short time at least, is Slimy Martian at blogger.com

There's plenty going on - Emmando and Charlotta are having fun in their sleep deprivation competition, and the Tobester has just found out he can play The Simpsons Hit and Run on the Xbox in Spanish. Simondo is about to enter the Wonderful World of Management.

Soon I'll work out how to get my bloggerbot working, and you'll see us all, in glorious technicolour.