Just before I graduated from University, I went to a careers fair to help me decide what I wanted to do with my life. At one of the stalls was our local Police force - advertising the exciting new world of digital forensics. Here is - almost verbatim - the conversation I had with the recruiter. Me: "Hello! What do I need to do in order to use my computer science degree to catch criminals?" Them: "Well, after the physical, first you'll need to spend several years as a beat copper working on…
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Six years ago, I went to my first EMF Camp. The next event was cancelled by Covid. The one after that saw me come down with Covid - although I presented remotely. So I was beyond thrilled to be able to attend & speak this year. There's always a risk that you can never recapture the magic of your youth. But EMF is consistently brilliant. A delightful alternative reality of robots, lasers, art, lasers, music, lasers, technical talks, lasers, and strange lights in the sky. Also, a TESLA COIL! …
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I recently went to EMF Camp (which is Glastonbury for geeks - lots of random electronics, talks, art, and camping). Naturally, I took along my Infrared camera and pointed it at interesting things! First up… sewage! Festivals often have big tanks to take away human effluence. But how can you, a normal human, tell how full they are? Luckily, fresh sewage is warm. Phone boxen were plenty - thanks CuTel. Because the metal of the box is cold and human fingers are warm, it's possible to see r…
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One of the things that often confuses Americans when they visit the UK is our lack of window screens. All the Imperialist Yankee media I consumed as a kid had a delightful array of screen doors and windows. But here in rainy old England, there's never been much call for them. Mosquitos are rare. Our bugs tend not to be large and terrifying. Our summers are rarely hot for long enough to warrant opening the windows. But, hey, climate change is real. After sweltering last year and getting a fair …
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This is a decent slice of sci-fi. It's the sort of story that probably could have been written any time in the last 100 years. The sole survivor of the human race is picked up by friendly aliens and spends his life as a specimen of scientific and cultural curiosity. And then... events occur! It's all rather silly fun. The aliens are all pacifists and spend more time negotiating rather than blasting. We bounce from world to world looking for remnants of civilisation. There's mild peril and…
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I'll say one thing for ゴジラ(Godzilla)-1.0（マイナスワン, it is loud. Even at a moderate volume, your subwoofer will get a workout and your neighbours will start banging the walls. Let them. Godzilla rules! Got neighbours on both sides? Good! Your rears speakers will also be thoroughly abused by Godzilla's roar and the terrifyingly loud explosions. There's almost zero buildup. No backstory. No exposition. At exactly 4 minutes and 30 seconds into the film BAM! Godzilla starts fucking shit up. Absolute…
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