I think I had my photo taken today. I was quietly eating my horrible Burger King Chicken Royale (I have to cheer myself up seeing as I can barely walk, another footballing injury) and I saw a black Astra drive past into the near by industrial estate. No, the driver was not holding a camera at me through the window, but on top of his car was a 5 foot black pole, with four cameras pointing from the four compass points.
It was a Google Car.
Google are driving around the UK right now taking photos of every street so that they can add them to their Street View Google mapping service. We all know the buzz of going onto Google Earth and zooming around the world… but imagine that instead of just looking down from the head god like heights of the sky you can drop in a street level and look at houses. And cars. And, obviously, people.
I can understand why this might be alarming. Indeed, it gave me the creeps seeing the stealth like black car drive about, no one else but me paying attention to it and going “LOOK IT IS A GOOGLE CAR!”. Kinda creepy.
I have heard many talks and read a few pieces about it (the best being The Register’s map of sightings, like an X Files UFO map) and some say it is an invasion of privacy. Google’s response is to blur people faces and license plates. Some have said that it is against the law to take photos of things without permission.
Here is my thoughts: We get our photo taken all the time by CCTV and Surveillance cameras, so that should not be that new a sensation – it is unsettling to think that we can now search for them and anyone can now look at your house… from anywhere in the world.
I think that it is not so bad a thing. If I want to see something I can go there and see it and no one can stop me, so why can’t I just virtually go and see it on Street View? Amounts to the same thing I think.
The Register’s Map
The Guardian reporting on the fact it has been approved for the UK
The link. No UK cities yet though…
Look out for me. If I appear in it I’ll post it.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Muchness Dump: The Tale of a Bat Man and a Dead Man
The Dark Knight is a 2008 American superhero film co-written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. Christian Bale reprises the lead role. Batman's primary conflicts in the film include his fight against his arch-nemesis the Joker and his rivalry with district attorney Harvey Dent for the affections of assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes.
This post may contain spoilers.
The above is obvious to anyone who has either seen the first Batman, Batman Forever, the trailer for the Dark Knight or read any of the many many reviews that are appearing everywhere. But no means is this post going to “review” the film but I am going to point out the faults in some critics problems with the films and add my concepts as a fan of the grittier Graphic Novel parts of the Batman lore.
Heath Ledger’s Joker
The Joker in this film is simply sensational. The fact that it was played by a dead man is inconsequential. The performance is electric and rather terrifying, and the little tics that have been put into the Joker’s personality (such as the lip smacking, licking the wounds, telling the origin story three times and three different ways) are incredibly detailed. The most exciting part of seeing the Joker in this way is that this is the real joker – Frank Miller wrote a novel about the Joker and his origins, called The Killing Joke, and crafted a terrifying villain that in the original batman films was a clown, but in this film is effectively a terrorist.
Still, the manic actions of the Joker are obviously opposite to that of Batman and Harvey Dent, as where they seek to find order in the chaos, the Joker fancies creating more and more, which is an interesting point – Harvey Dent uses the coin to show his more chaotic side and this makes his turn to Two-face more interesting, as it is suggested it was always there.
Post 9/11
A recent review called out on the film for it’s allusions to post-9/11 America. It seems that no film set in a big city about a hero and villain can be released without some September 11th 2001 connotations. Sure, the fact that hostages are taken and bombs are used to destroy buildings, this does not mean that it is an analogy to the terrible actions of a real life terrorist. I can see why you might feel that way, but basing a bad review of the film on something you infer, rather than something explicitly mentioned, is rather sloppy and quite wrong.
Harvey Dent
Having seen Batman Forever, you will know that Harvey Dent is the villain Two Face. This might be a spoiler, but it is such common parlance that the film is always building up to that. Luckily, the character is shown to have some serious flaws – seen when Dent threatens an officer early in the film. The most common complaint I have seen is that this transformation is not handled correctly. I don’t know about that, as I always knew Dent as Twoface and it is hard to see them as anything other than the same person. Dent is Two face.
In the film Batman Forver, a heinous crime is acted upon the Dent character. Not only is Tommy Lee Jones playing him, he flips his coin until he gets the decision he wants. This is not the Dent from the comics. Dent flips the coin and goes with the decision, as his 50/50 chance logic is deep rooted. In The Dark Knight it is obvious that this is understood, and at the end, Dent acting upon the coin toss, it is handled well.
The Ending
I am writing this assuming you have seen the film, or at least understand the more recent arcs of the Batman story. The end fills me with hope and pleasure as I know that the Nolans get it. The understand batman better than Burton did and infinitely better than Schumacher did. The whole vigilante ending, where Batman is pursued, is excellent foreshadowing as readers of the novel The Dark Knight Returns know.
Batman in the first film is needed to be masked as the villains are in control of the law enforcement. The need for a mask is to create a symbol for the Gotham citizens to love and the villains to fear. The reason why Dent is so integral is that he is opposite of Batman as a public face – someone who has the courage to stand up as themselves in front of the public and the villains, to show that there is no need to fearful. Batman is rendered useless. This takes us to the point of the recent film. Now, in his aging career, Batman is the masked vigilante. He is now feared by both the public as a villain and the criminal world for being off the wall. This increases the symbolism that was needed in the first place to create the environment that is required to allow for someone like Dent to stand up against the criminals. With Dent now two-face, and the Joker still around, Batman needs to be more for Gotham and for the citizens. It sets up the next film to be an adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns perfectly.
Other points
I really enjoyed the film. I liked the Batman impersonator at the beinging (like in the novel) and the fact that Scarecrow (Dr Crane) makes an appearance, even for a few lines, as it solidifies the concept of a range of villains in the city.
The ending was expected, but how the film got there was always going to be a surprise, and it was well balanced in that respect. My favourite character from the comics is Lt. Gordon, who is also my favourite in this film. Whereas batman is the masked vigilante and Dent is the politician DA, Gordon is the simple family man who is brought along for the ride. The true hero of the film and series is Gordon. Or maybe Alfred.
This post may contain spoilers.
The above is obvious to anyone who has either seen the first Batman, Batman Forever, the trailer for the Dark Knight or read any of the many many reviews that are appearing everywhere. But no means is this post going to “review” the film but I am going to point out the faults in some critics problems with the films and add my concepts as a fan of the grittier Graphic Novel parts of the Batman lore.
Heath Ledger’s Joker
The Joker in this film is simply sensational. The fact that it was played by a dead man is inconsequential. The performance is electric and rather terrifying, and the little tics that have been put into the Joker’s personality (such as the lip smacking, licking the wounds, telling the origin story three times and three different ways) are incredibly detailed. The most exciting part of seeing the Joker in this way is that this is the real joker – Frank Miller wrote a novel about the Joker and his origins, called The Killing Joke, and crafted a terrifying villain that in the original batman films was a clown, but in this film is effectively a terrorist.
Still, the manic actions of the Joker are obviously opposite to that of Batman and Harvey Dent, as where they seek to find order in the chaos, the Joker fancies creating more and more, which is an interesting point – Harvey Dent uses the coin to show his more chaotic side and this makes his turn to Two-face more interesting, as it is suggested it was always there.
Post 9/11
A recent review called out on the film for it’s allusions to post-9/11 America. It seems that no film set in a big city about a hero and villain can be released without some September 11th 2001 connotations. Sure, the fact that hostages are taken and bombs are used to destroy buildings, this does not mean that it is an analogy to the terrible actions of a real life terrorist. I can see why you might feel that way, but basing a bad review of the film on something you infer, rather than something explicitly mentioned, is rather sloppy and quite wrong.
Harvey Dent
Having seen Batman Forever, you will know that Harvey Dent is the villain Two Face. This might be a spoiler, but it is such common parlance that the film is always building up to that. Luckily, the character is shown to have some serious flaws – seen when Dent threatens an officer early in the film. The most common complaint I have seen is that this transformation is not handled correctly. I don’t know about that, as I always knew Dent as Twoface and it is hard to see them as anything other than the same person. Dent is Two face.
In the film Batman Forver, a heinous crime is acted upon the Dent character. Not only is Tommy Lee Jones playing him, he flips his coin until he gets the decision he wants. This is not the Dent from the comics. Dent flips the coin and goes with the decision, as his 50/50 chance logic is deep rooted. In The Dark Knight it is obvious that this is understood, and at the end, Dent acting upon the coin toss, it is handled well.
The Ending
I am writing this assuming you have seen the film, or at least understand the more recent arcs of the Batman story. The end fills me with hope and pleasure as I know that the Nolans get it. The understand batman better than Burton did and infinitely better than Schumacher did. The whole vigilante ending, where Batman is pursued, is excellent foreshadowing as readers of the novel The Dark Knight Returns know.
Batman in the first film is needed to be masked as the villains are in control of the law enforcement. The need for a mask is to create a symbol for the Gotham citizens to love and the villains to fear. The reason why Dent is so integral is that he is opposite of Batman as a public face – someone who has the courage to stand up as themselves in front of the public and the villains, to show that there is no need to fearful. Batman is rendered useless. This takes us to the point of the recent film. Now, in his aging career, Batman is the masked vigilante. He is now feared by both the public as a villain and the criminal world for being off the wall. This increases the symbolism that was needed in the first place to create the environment that is required to allow for someone like Dent to stand up against the criminals. With Dent now two-face, and the Joker still around, Batman needs to be more for Gotham and for the citizens. It sets up the next film to be an adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns perfectly.
Other points
I really enjoyed the film. I liked the Batman impersonator at the beinging (like in the novel) and the fact that Scarecrow (Dr Crane) makes an appearance, even for a few lines, as it solidifies the concept of a range of villains in the city.
The ending was expected, but how the film got there was always going to be a surprise, and it was well balanced in that respect. My favourite character from the comics is Lt. Gordon, who is also my favourite in this film. Whereas batman is the masked vigilante and Dent is the politician DA, Gordon is the simple family man who is brought along for the ride. The true hero of the film and series is Gordon. Or maybe Alfred.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Insanity Crash: The World will look up and shout "Save Us!" and I'll whisper... "No."
So, I bought an Xbox360 game this weekend and started playing it on sunday night and I can say it is probably one of the best games I have ever played. The game, Mass Effect, is so deep I can't quite imagine anyone making it. The levels are great to play through, the storyline is compelling, and the gameplay it pretty much the most interesting set up I have played in a long long time.
So, the story. Basically, I am Mark Shepard (I chose the first name) and I am an Alliance solider. I am an infiltrator (I chose that) and I am Earthborn (again, I chose that) and I was the last man standing at an attack on a human colony a few years ago (I chose that too). It is set in 2183 I think and it is basically a big game version of something best described as an episode (maybe series) of Star Trek. I am a recent addition to the Spectre, the Citadels council (the guys who run the Galaxy) and the first human to hold that position. I am charged with finding a rogue spectre called Saren who is attacking colonies trying to unearth information about a group of extinct aliens called the Reapers who it is believed destroy every organic and intelligent lifeform in the universe every 50'000 years or so for no reason.
That is proper sci-fi guys. There are a few things wrong with it though - firstly, everyone speaks English and there is no Babelfish in sight. Also, everything is referred to as "years" and "metres" which are surely a human thing. The game is so spent on making it seem that us humans are new to the galaxy that it is jarring that the rest of the universe knows what we are talking about.
The game is set about as an RPG where I talk to members of the crew, either being a nice boy letting them talk and being courteous, or being a dick, calling them bastards and basically being a shit to them. This effects the storyline and the outcome of the game.
And in true RPG fashion I am stunned by the depth of the game. I can talk to pretty much anyone, about loads of topics, and have hundreds of weapons with many many upgrades and items to use. And some nice battle sections, it feels like what I wish Halo was when it came out. Steve and I have enjoyed watching the story unfold and the length of the game (approaching 8 hours of gameplay and only on the third of eight chapters, with millions of side quests ignored for now) I am truly sucked into the world of Mass Effect. Jumping across the Milky Way is great fun.
The length of the game is refreshing as Steve has played through Gears of War in a couple of days and also completed Call of Duty 4 in a few hours (not an exaggeration, I played it really badly last night for an hour and completed 1/3 of the game). These other games have multiplayer options that are supposed to extend the length of the game... since when did multiplayer excuse a game for being short? I much prefer a long single player story rather than a short story bolstered by a large number of multiplayer options.
Anyway, something else that caught my eye is the trailer for Watchmen (see it here). The graphic novel - say comic book at your peril - is immense, and I suggest you pick it up NOW, but for the uninitiated, here is a quick synopsis of an incredibly deep book.
So, in the 50s a group of vigilantes who were carrying out the acts seen in comic books of the time join forces to create the Minutemen, who would organise together to sort out crime. A few decades later and their children/replacements/new heroes are taking over, and are being quite effective. However, the government are not enjoying it and pass the Keene Act in 1977 to Ban all the vigilantes. All of them hang up their costumes - except one. Rorschach feels that his mask is in fact his true human face and his "mask" is his true identity. In 1985 he enters an apartment of Edward Blake, who had been murdered by being thrown out his apartment building. Rorschach discovers that Eddie Blake was infact the Comedian, a member of the very vigilante group that Rorschach was part of.
He realises that there is a plot to kill all the members of the vigilantes that are around, and warns the Nite Owl and Silk Spectre II. In fact, there is something much more sinister going on, which might be a bigger threat to mankind than Rorschach first thought.
It has truly one of those endings that make you go, "Christ!" and read it again. If the film stays close to the novel (which, from the look of the trailer, it will) the director Zack Snyder might just have done the impossible. I seriously suggest you check out the trailer and read the novel.
The naked blue guy? He is Doc Manhattan and the only one who actually has super hero powers. And is the reason that Russia are about to nuke America. And makes a clockwork cathedral. On Mars. Yeah... just read it okay?
So, the story. Basically, I am Mark Shepard (I chose the first name) and I am an Alliance solider. I am an infiltrator (I chose that) and I am Earthborn (again, I chose that) and I was the last man standing at an attack on a human colony a few years ago (I chose that too). It is set in 2183 I think and it is basically a big game version of something best described as an episode (maybe series) of Star Trek. I am a recent addition to the Spectre, the Citadels council (the guys who run the Galaxy) and the first human to hold that position. I am charged with finding a rogue spectre called Saren who is attacking colonies trying to unearth information about a group of extinct aliens called the Reapers who it is believed destroy every organic and intelligent lifeform in the universe every 50'000 years or so for no reason.
That is proper sci-fi guys. There are a few things wrong with it though - firstly, everyone speaks English and there is no Babelfish in sight. Also, everything is referred to as "years" and "metres" which are surely a human thing. The game is so spent on making it seem that us humans are new to the galaxy that it is jarring that the rest of the universe knows what we are talking about.
The game is set about as an RPG where I talk to members of the crew, either being a nice boy letting them talk and being courteous, or being a dick, calling them bastards and basically being a shit to them. This effects the storyline and the outcome of the game.
And in true RPG fashion I am stunned by the depth of the game. I can talk to pretty much anyone, about loads of topics, and have hundreds of weapons with many many upgrades and items to use. And some nice battle sections, it feels like what I wish Halo was when it came out. Steve and I have enjoyed watching the story unfold and the length of the game (approaching 8 hours of gameplay and only on the third of eight chapters, with millions of side quests ignored for now) I am truly sucked into the world of Mass Effect. Jumping across the Milky Way is great fun.
The length of the game is refreshing as Steve has played through Gears of War in a couple of days and also completed Call of Duty 4 in a few hours (not an exaggeration, I played it really badly last night for an hour and completed 1/3 of the game). These other games have multiplayer options that are supposed to extend the length of the game... since when did multiplayer excuse a game for being short? I much prefer a long single player story rather than a short story bolstered by a large number of multiplayer options.
Anyway, something else that caught my eye is the trailer for Watchmen (see it here). The graphic novel - say comic book at your peril - is immense, and I suggest you pick it up NOW, but for the uninitiated, here is a quick synopsis of an incredibly deep book.
So, in the 50s a group of vigilantes who were carrying out the acts seen in comic books of the time join forces to create the Minutemen, who would organise together to sort out crime. A few decades later and their children/replacements/new heroes are taking over, and are being quite effective. However, the government are not enjoying it and pass the Keene Act in 1977 to Ban all the vigilantes. All of them hang up their costumes - except one. Rorschach feels that his mask is in fact his true human face and his "mask" is his true identity. In 1985 he enters an apartment of Edward Blake, who had been murdered by being thrown out his apartment building. Rorschach discovers that Eddie Blake was infact the Comedian, a member of the very vigilante group that Rorschach was part of.
He realises that there is a plot to kill all the members of the vigilantes that are around, and warns the Nite Owl and Silk Spectre II. In fact, there is something much more sinister going on, which might be a bigger threat to mankind than Rorschach first thought.
It has truly one of those endings that make you go, "Christ!" and read it again. If the film stays close to the novel (which, from the look of the trailer, it will) the director Zack Snyder might just have done the impossible. I seriously suggest you check out the trailer and read the novel.
The naked blue guy? He is Doc Manhattan and the only one who actually has super hero powers. And is the reason that Russia are about to nuke America. And makes a clockwork cathedral. On Mars. Yeah... just read it okay?
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Insanity Crashed.
I woke up this morning and glanced at my watch. It told me I was running late. So, I dashed into the bathroom, bleary eyed, dived under the shower, hurridly washed and rinsed my hair, dried off, rushed back into the bedroom and went to pull the blinds up.
"Blimey" I though "It is still really dark".
"Hold on."
I look outside. The dawn has still not came. I start to worry that the world has ended or that the sun has not risen. I glance back at my watch.
Bollocks, I read it the wrong way round. After showering and getting ready - not dressed yet - I realised I had read the time upside down and it was 1.30am, not 8am. Back to bed then.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Insanity Crash: iPhone? WhatPhone? - The Nerds that queued.
Since working for four years in a mobile telephone boutique I have has a slight distaste in my mouth for anything mobile phoney. The reason for this is pretty simple – over exposure. For years I was forced by interest and excitement to be pursuing the latest gadgets and mobile telephone gear. I still have a wealth of ingrained knowledge about GPRS, message centre numbers and the talk times for certain Nokia mobile phones, and try as I might I just can’t shift the recollections. I am sure that somewhere in my head there is a mark-all and delete key, but I can’t find it – this is my excuse for not remembering the Bernoulli equation of by heart (that is a lie – been working here for a year and I do remember it off by heart, for shame).
In anycase, last week I got a text message from my current mobile providers saying that the new Apple iPhone was available to buy. Like any proper geek, I am normally swayed by the lush design ethos of an Apple product, fapping over the inches (or lack of) the latest MacBook or moaning about how Windows crashes all the time, so being invited in to getting the new iPhone was quite nice of O2.
Until I got to the site and it didn’t load. So I gave it up. No point in wasting hours of work on the O2 site when Wikipedia and Google are sitting there, their cursors panting like dogs.
So it is with bemusement that I read later in the day (and the week) that it was the proper iPhone launch. It had a reported 13000 hits every second (a number other bloggers are concerned about) but it drew a line under a moment in my life. I think a few years ago I would have a horn for the device, but right now, I only want it because is looks good, does WiFi (which my older phone did but my new one doesn’t) and it is an iPod in phone format. I probably should be paying more attention to them (or at least have known about the biggest consumer electronics launch of the year) but it didn’t bother me that much really. I can wait.
But it reminds me of something I have no waited for. December 2006 saw myself and Colin standing outside Game at 8.25am on a very cold morning to pick up our Nintendo Wiis. I, being the stereotypical student, had not the funds to keep the Wii, and sold it at cost to a dear friend (what was I thinking! They were selling for 3 times that on eBay, Christ!) But Colin, whose had been bought by his collected friends, kept his. And we played it all day. I missed the final day of classes for it if I remember correctly.
Also, last year, again Colin and I queued up at midnight to obtain a copy of the final Harry Potter book. We were not alone; at the Wii launch there were about 30 people or so, but at the Harry Potter launch there was hundreds. We queued all the way around Borders for a good hour and half, reading two magazines for free while we waited. When we got to the till there were hundreds of copies of the Harry Potter novel – it wasn’t going to sell out.
So why did the Wii sell out? Or the iPhone? Surely, they would have expected the demand and altered the supply? Well, not exactly. You see, getti9ng headlines that your product “sold out” like Nintendo and Apple achieved is not a bad thing – indeed, it is a great thing. It gives column inches and publicity and the adult needs this.
When a gizmo that only wealthy or stupid people can afford or want, when they don’t get it, they go elsewhere. The iPhone is not unique – in the same way that an Apple MacBook is not, you can go and get a PC, if you need a phone but are wanting an iPhone, you could get a Blackberry or an iPaq or something by one of the larger manufacturers. No need to wait.
If you want a games console but need a Christmas present the Xbox360, while more expensive, is an answer. So the inches are truly publicity, good or bad.
Imagine a parent not being able to deliver the latest (and final) Harry Potter book to their kids. It would be catastrophic.
My point is this; I am not bothered about the iPhone. I’ll get one if I fancy it when I can, not when I have to put so much effort in. I can understand the need to be the first, but also don’t quite get the fervour some fans have had (like queuing in the morning for it). There is plenty more “better” phones out there than the iPhone. The Wii and the Harry Potter book, I can forgive, for not only are they more constrictive, but also I did it, and therefore it can’t be uncool. Q.E.D.
In anycase, last week I got a text message from my current mobile providers saying that the new Apple iPhone was available to buy. Like any proper geek, I am normally swayed by the lush design ethos of an Apple product, fapping over the inches (or lack of) the latest MacBook or moaning about how Windows crashes all the time, so being invited in to getting the new iPhone was quite nice of O2.
Until I got to the site and it didn’t load. So I gave it up. No point in wasting hours of work on the O2 site when Wikipedia and Google are sitting there, their cursors panting like dogs.
So it is with bemusement that I read later in the day (and the week) that it was the proper iPhone launch. It had a reported 13000 hits every second (a number other bloggers are concerned about) but it drew a line under a moment in my life. I think a few years ago I would have a horn for the device, but right now, I only want it because is looks good, does WiFi (which my older phone did but my new one doesn’t) and it is an iPod in phone format. I probably should be paying more attention to them (or at least have known about the biggest consumer electronics launch of the year) but it didn’t bother me that much really. I can wait.
But it reminds me of something I have no waited for. December 2006 saw myself and Colin standing outside Game at 8.25am on a very cold morning to pick up our Nintendo Wiis. I, being the stereotypical student, had not the funds to keep the Wii, and sold it at cost to a dear friend (what was I thinking! They were selling for 3 times that on eBay, Christ!) But Colin, whose had been bought by his collected friends, kept his. And we played it all day. I missed the final day of classes for it if I remember correctly.
Also, last year, again Colin and I queued up at midnight to obtain a copy of the final Harry Potter book. We were not alone; at the Wii launch there were about 30 people or so, but at the Harry Potter launch there was hundreds. We queued all the way around Borders for a good hour and half, reading two magazines for free while we waited. When we got to the till there were hundreds of copies of the Harry Potter novel – it wasn’t going to sell out.
So why did the Wii sell out? Or the iPhone? Surely, they would have expected the demand and altered the supply? Well, not exactly. You see, getti9ng headlines that your product “sold out” like Nintendo and Apple achieved is not a bad thing – indeed, it is a great thing. It gives column inches and publicity and the adult needs this.
When a gizmo that only wealthy or stupid people can afford or want, when they don’t get it, they go elsewhere. The iPhone is not unique – in the same way that an Apple MacBook is not, you can go and get a PC, if you need a phone but are wanting an iPhone, you could get a Blackberry or an iPaq or something by one of the larger manufacturers. No need to wait.
If you want a games console but need a Christmas present the Xbox360, while more expensive, is an answer. So the inches are truly publicity, good or bad.
Imagine a parent not being able to deliver the latest (and final) Harry Potter book to their kids. It would be catastrophic.
My point is this; I am not bothered about the iPhone. I’ll get one if I fancy it when I can, not when I have to put so much effort in. I can understand the need to be the first, but also don’t quite get the fervour some fans have had (like queuing in the morning for it). There is plenty more “better” phones out there than the iPhone. The Wii and the Harry Potter book, I can forgive, for not only are they more constrictive, but also I did it, and therefore it can’t be uncool. Q.E.D.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Insanity Crash: Amarikens.
Recently I have been attending what is highly regarded as The engineering course for my industry. It is the Cambell’s Gas Conditioning and Process course, and was two weeks of process engineering detail and industry appliance. Aside from being effectively a two week long holiday from work, so to speak, it was also a very interesting time to be had, rubbing shoulders with many people from various disciplines from around the world (mostly the UK, but some came from further afield).
The lecturer was from America, Kansas to be exact, and was probably the first American that I had properly had a conversation with. I can’t think really of any other with which I have talked at length to, so there you go. Also on the course was a Canadian and later, on the night out, I met the American’s son, but more about him later.
The thing that struck me most about meeting the American was the Americanisms in his speech. We speak the same language, but the differences were surprisingly as bad as the stereotypes make out.
Tempeture – Instead of temperature he missed out the R and said it a lot.
Turbins – Instead of using the real name Turbine, dropping the “magic e” at the end gave a whole new meaning to the headgear, and also gave a rather hilarious-if-you-were-there racist joke about terrorists, equilibrium, and the latent heat of terrorisation.
Gram – One of the attendees was called Graeme, and as such, was referred to as 100th of a Kilogram. I make an effort to pronounce names correctly but this surely is just laziness?
Drug – I wouldn’t believe it if I had not heard it. Instead of dragged he repeatedly used the world drug.
It was not only the rather annoying “new” words he used but also the grammar was horrible, mixing tenses and using such sayings as “more better”, “more safer” and “even more disadvantageous” my head was spinning.
The Canadian however did not use these unhealthy misuses of English but had that amazing accent that replaces “about” with “a boat” and others.
The American’s son was confronted about this by myself after a couple too many pints of beer, and his reaction was brilliant. He went off on a tangent, explaining the voting system in America, his couple of guns, his girlfriend’s father showing him his collection of guns (about 3000) and the Americanisation of Britain, suggesting we were more patriotic than he was after I admitted to eating Burger King and McDonalds more than he has ever. It also transpired that he was particularly racist – an equal opportunity racist by his own admission; he hates everyone the same.
The great colonial experiment is turning out quite nicely.
The lecturer was from America, Kansas to be exact, and was probably the first American that I had properly had a conversation with. I can’t think really of any other with which I have talked at length to, so there you go. Also on the course was a Canadian and later, on the night out, I met the American’s son, but more about him later.
The thing that struck me most about meeting the American was the Americanisms in his speech. We speak the same language, but the differences were surprisingly as bad as the stereotypes make out.
Tempeture – Instead of temperature he missed out the R and said it a lot.
Turbins – Instead of using the real name Turbine, dropping the “magic e” at the end gave a whole new meaning to the headgear, and also gave a rather hilarious-if-you-were-there racist joke about terrorists, equilibrium, and the latent heat of terrorisation.
Gram – One of the attendees was called Graeme, and as such, was referred to as 100th of a Kilogram. I make an effort to pronounce names correctly but this surely is just laziness?
Drug – I wouldn’t believe it if I had not heard it. Instead of dragged he repeatedly used the world drug.
It was not only the rather annoying “new” words he used but also the grammar was horrible, mixing tenses and using such sayings as “more better”, “more safer” and “even more disadvantageous” my head was spinning.
The Canadian however did not use these unhealthy misuses of English but had that amazing accent that replaces “about” with “a boat” and others.
The American’s son was confronted about this by myself after a couple too many pints of beer, and his reaction was brilliant. He went off on a tangent, explaining the voting system in America, his couple of guns, his girlfriend’s father showing him his collection of guns (about 3000) and the Americanisation of Britain, suggesting we were more patriotic than he was after I admitted to eating Burger King and McDonalds more than he has ever. It also transpired that he was particularly racist – an equal opportunity racist by his own admission; he hates everyone the same.
The great colonial experiment is turning out quite nicely.
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