Another random question meme

Question mark in Armenian
Random question mark

I got this one by email from Viv. As ever, feel free to put your answers in the comments, or put them on your blog and pop a link down there.

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE: In a roundabout way. My dad’s “Robert John”, my grandad “John Robert”. In effect I’m therefore names after my grandad, but with the Gaelic spelling of John.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED: Wet eyes, very recently watching parents with their children at a street parade. I am so broody it’s ridiculous. Actual proper crying was some time ago and relating to things I blogged about a lot at the time and would rather move on from.
DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING: To paraphrase my old report cards “could be better”. It’s lousy now I type all the time instead.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT: If you’re as specific as “lunch” then it’d be ham.
DO YOU HAVE KIDS: Not yet.
IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU:  Depends. Would I buy me a drink?
DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT:  Well, duh. Does the Pope **** on bears?

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS: Yes
WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP: Parachute? Yes. Bungee? No.

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF: Yes
DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG: In some ways. Not in others. Depends on your point of view. Some would say “strong”, others “stubborn”.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH: Nope
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM: Sorbet, if that classes as ice cream

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE: I really don’t know. I just get an overall impression. It does depend a lot on the person. Could be their figure, their hair, their smell (good or bad…)

RED OR PINK: Red
WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF: That I’m not a dad yet
WHO or WHAT DO YOU MISS THE MOST: Friends from back home while I’m traveling
DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU: If they can be arsed
WHAT COLOUR TROUSERS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING: Green and none, in that order
WHAT WAS THE LAST THING U ATE: Rhubarb and apple crumble with custard and cream

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW: System of a Down – random play MP3s
IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE: Purpley-pink
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SMELL: Kind of hard to pick just one
WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE: Not sure. Shelly, I think, when I was in Melbourne

DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU: Like her? Love her to bits – she’s a very special person indeed
FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH: Football. There are other sports?

EYE COLOUR: Brown
DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS: Not any more
FAVORITE FOOD: Beans on toast, amongst other things
SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS: Neither – I like the ones with unhappy endings, simply because they’re different. Take Se7en as an example. Or Fight Club.
LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED: Watchmen on IMAX in Melbourne
WHAT COLOUR TOP ARE YOU WEARING: Black and white. Striped. Of course.
HUGS OR KISSES: I’m greedy. Both. With tongues and groping and everything
FAVORITE DESSERT: My mum’s chocolate cake, though I’ve not had it in years

MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND: Dunno, don’t care

LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND: Ditto

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW: Q Clearance by Peter Benchley

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE : Don’t have one
WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT: TV? What’s that?

ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES: Beatles
WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME: Figure it out for yourself: Travel Blog (although probably Oz)

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT: Being awesome. Seriously? I have a very good sense of direction
WHERE WERE YOU BORN: Gateshead

WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING: Meh. Whoever

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Birdy news

en: Pura, a 1-year-old Kakapo (Strigops habrop...
Cute Kakapo

Great news, this. As of March 11th, there are over 100 Kakapo parrots in the wild. This is hugely important and utterly wonderful. Fourteen years ago there were around 50 of the daft little creatures – down from the hundred or so that were on Stewart Island when we first discovered them… and then accidentally came close to wiping them out by introducing the likes of rats to their home territory.

For those who don’t know, the Kakapo are flightless parrots. They originally inhabited one island off the south coast of New Zealand (although conservationists moved them temporarily in an effort to give them safety while their original home was cleared of imported predators) and were on the verge of extinction until work began to help boost their numbers.

They’re also one of the stars of – in my opinion – Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine‘s fine book/radio series Last Chance To See. Much as I’m a HHG fan, this ranks as my favourite of Adams’ works, but it can be a bugger to find in bookshops. I’ve seen it stacked in sci-fi with his other titles, in the holiday books with Lonely Planet, under natural history, in the modern science section…

If you can find it, get a copy. Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine are currently working on the sequel which will begin life – I believe – as a TV series on BBC shortly.

For some photos and the story of my trip to Stewart Island a couple of years ago, check out this post on the Travel Blog.

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And Another Thing…

Click to embiggen
Click to embiggen

And Another Thing… is the title of the sixth book of the now ridiculously-named Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. And the first not to be written by original author Douglas Adams. There’s an excuse for this. The man himself is dead. Instead, children’s author Eoin Colfer has been chosen to continue the story arc and the book’s due to be published on the 12th October this year – 30 years after the publication of the first novel.

I have blogged about this before, but thanks to John Coxon of ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha, I can now present you with the cover art for the book which he managed to nab at a pre-launch party the other night. I’m also going to upload it to Wikipedia in a second…

The launch of the sixth book with be preceded by (yet another) edition of each of the earlier volumes. They’ll have an introduction by HHG-related persons and the first book will also come with some stickers. Good grief. If course, I’m already going to see if it’s available to pre-order on Amazon because I’m sad like that.

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Twitter spam

Image representing Twitter as depicted in Crun...
Twitter

I just got four emails from Twitter telling me that Morgan, Kelly, Tasmine and Kate (or someone) were now following me. All of them had actual usernames along the lines of 4CVFD5T and a single post on their Twitter feed – telling me that they’d just got their free laptop from some dodgy website. With a link to the website.

OK, so far so “meh”. It’s obvious spam.

So why the hell did all four have over 250 followers? What ****** actually follows the feed from an obvious spam merchant? Really?

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