(This post is to test the automatic publishing on the mailing list and facebook page and will no doubt be cut short on twitter)

Anyway-

He loved it so much, he wanted to be just like the hero.  He wanted to eat the same food as the hero.   He wanted to react like that guy, treat people the same way, live in the same world.

How many kids grow up and take on values from a fictional character, rather than their parents?

How many people leave their society behind for another?

I went over to my friend’s house to play some games as usual.  We then realised that in order to play the game together, I had to go home.

Undertaking a course at University for teacher training, I realised I had been given student status.

When the ID card arrived in the post, a lightbulb switched on. STUDENT DISCOUNTS!

I ran to go get my NUS card as I knew that this was the most widely accepted form of student ID. Hohoho the days of photocopies and sellotape…

So I’m looking for the application on the NUS site… and er… £7 charge? NUS Extra for £10? The lightbulb popped. Oh you can still get a NUS ID card for free, but no discounts!

Hi, did you know we pay shed loads more than the students last year? Hey screw that fam, let's put ourselves into more debt! Yay!

What the hell happened?

I remember going on the student march, protesting against top up fees. I remember lazy students staying in bed and other people not really paying much attention. I remember a news helicopter flying overhead. We had quite a massive march – it was national, all the students who cared were there. Still, it wasn’t enough. And now, those people who didn’t pay attention are paying through the teeth to get through their education. It’s not like I want to gloat and say “oh well I told you so”. It actually makes me sad.

It’s just another example of general apathy – the attitude where people are just taking every swing that the man throws at them, and are doing nothing in return. The man smiles, he knows he’s won. Or has he? What will it take for the people to turn around and hit back?

In this bleak time, companies cut corners and the government pays the bankers, even though we all know it’s their fault for gambling with OUR money. Why are we footing the bill? Hang on, when did students have to PAY for discounts? They don’t HAVE any money! Or was this part of NUS’s long term plan to actually make profit? Hmmmm?

I was watching Terminator Salvation and I thought… why does Christian Bale still sound like Batman? Why does Christian Bale’s Batman sound… uh… odd? Is that supposed to be scary? Doesn’t it really hurt the throat? If you were a criminal, would you be scared because you’re afraid that he’s going to physically hurt you, or more that he’s going to sexually abuse you?

Anyway, back to Batman.

Trawling through the billions of new tracks in the public domain (cough), I came across a certain voice that was all too familiar. Before accusing the band, The Black Ghosts, of being yet another cheap copy off the manufacturing line, I looked them up.

Ah. It’s Damon.

No, not Matt, but Albarn.

You know, from Blur? Oh right, yeah. He gets around, that talented boy / mic hogger.

His guest vocals feature on The Repetition Kills You. It’s not bad, not bad at all.

Now Damon, will you stop mucking about with other projects and either do something with Blur or just kill them off for good!

Heard these guys a few times. Reminded me of the kills. Funny thing is that listening to the guy I suspected he was French! It’s perhaps sad that I want to see what face the voice has, but whatever! Off I went to youtube and wikipedia.

Having a look at the video, I was… er… surprised! Youtubers were quick to comment that the leads look like Kelly Osbourne and Eminem. Well, turns out the whole lot is from West London! Well enough about the looks, the music is good, and yes, it should remind you of The Kills but a lot more downkey. They’re starting to get hype, with some TV play and some festivals. Could be one to keep tabs on – have a quick listen:

To walk the walk, you’ve got to talk the talk.

God knows who said it, or even if the quote is correct.

What I get from the saying is that even if you are truly skilled in your art (no pun intended), you’ve still got to be able to talk in order to promote yourself. To let people know about you, you need to talk to other people. Other people who probably don’t have time for normal people or normal talk. So you have to be able to talk using fancy, sexy, interesting or even elitist language, in other words, a combination of bull and absolute shit.

Hirst had a bit of “fun” with the media, who turned more or less against him, as his Nothing Matters exhibition got shot down, and had his quote twisted so that it seemed he said anyone can be Rembrant. This is absolutely not what he said, but I’m not here to save his ass. I met him once, and he seemed nice, and signed a book for an art student friend with a message of encouragement, and even let me take a photo with him (so I could prove authenticity – hell I queued for quite a while I can tell you – and I was amongst the first there). So anyway, what I want to draw your attention to, is his brilliant shit.

Nothing Matters. No shit!

Here is the blurb from the White Cube promo email:

At White Cube Hoxton Square, Hirst will present a group of paintings, which include three triptychs from 2007-09, each depicting crows shot in mid-flight against blue skies, with outspread wings and violent splatters of red paint across their bodies. In the four triptychs on show in the lower ground floor at White Cube Mason’s Yard, these crows reappear, as omens of bad news. They often share the space with ghost-like figures, skeletal forms and objects, including chairs, lemons, knives, animal skulls, wine glasses or a scorpion.

Rudi Fuchs begins his essay with the following reading of these paintings: ‘When I try to pinpoint what the visual mood is in Hirst’s new images, I am constantly reminded of Beckett – not of any one story in particular, though subject matter is important, but of the austere dryness of the language. Sentences are interrupted, lines are broken, observations are fragmented in order to direct us slowly towards a clearer perception of the real.’

I remember reading through the book I bought for my friend, and noting an essay written by some dude, who I suspect to be an art student or maybe even a teacher. It was full of the most head scratching fancy pants bollocks but sounds so out of my league it’s not worth arguing with type lingo I had ever seen. I was amazed, the effect I think he had aimed for when seeing his fly paintings. Fuck that shit, if you want to baffle people into near fainting, just shove more of these essays at them.

Oh and there’s nothing like making a reference to another, hopefully deceased and thus certainly respected, artist. It’s like episodes of Family Guy, where they make constant references to old series eg: the Flintstones, the Jetsons, Lost in Space, Dukes of Hazzard and Chips. That way, everyone’s going all gooey in nostalgia, which makes you forget about the cheap gags.

Hey I could be wrong about all of this, maybe that essay stuff is totally true, or someone’s honest opinion (Oh yeah? Find me something negative in the essay!), and maybe I’m just too low level to really appreciate. However, what I do appreciate, is the skill to talk shit. Frankly, it’s inspirational. People are ready to be shepherded. Why be a sheep, when you can be a wolf?

Actually, no, there’s no shame for the Danish.

If you’ve signed that chain email, you’ve wasted your time, and that of the whales (they’re not dolphins).

The island of Faroe is independent – Denmark has no control over it, so moaning at the Danes will do no good.

This “cultural” event is gradually getting more flak from its people, but at the moment, it’s an important part of island life. Outsiders would think it stupid, barbaric and perhaps wonder why they bother. Hard to imagine growing up with this and seeing it as a celebration, something to see in amazement. A bit like football.

Look son, one day, all this'll be yours.

Perhaps if we were cooped up in a small island with nothing else to do, we’d resort to behaviour that other people would find insane. A bit like voting for a crap President, twice.

At any rate, complaints need to be sent to Faroe, not to Denmark.

You can ask PETA to do it on your behalf, just fill out this form.

With the latest update for PS3 owners, you can now connect your PSNetwork account to your Facebook account. Note there’s no mention of Hi5 or Myspace, so that pretty much sums up that “war” being over (the irony being that facebook is becoming more and more like Myspace everyday). Anyface, once you connect the accounts, your facebook account will automatically post news when you “do” something on PSN, such as achieve a new trophy. Pretty cool eh? Or does it make you look even more like a dork?

What’s Sony’s real motivation behind this? IMHO, it’s aimed at the stereotypical male audience who use facebook, probably especially those with an avatar as they don’t have a high enough self esteem, trying to play upon the stereotypically male uncontrollable urge to compete with others. How does this help Sony?

You’re on facebook, you see your friend has gained a trophy. Let’s not forget you’re a stereotypical male, which means you want to get that trophy, and get one more, or one better. What do you do? Pick up the game (or even better, buy it) and play! Would you like some DownLoadable Content with that? Only 99p for a screensaver or theme! Super size your gaming weapon for only £2.19!

Did you notice that you can only deposit funds in multiples of £5 into your PSN wallet? Did you notice that most DLC rarely cost a full pound? So what?

You’ll more than likely leave at least a penny in your PSN wallet. So? That penny stays in Sony’s bank, gaining interest for them, not for you. So? It’s only a penny. And?

How many people in the world have a ps3 and a penny (or two) in their PSN account?

Very smart, Sony, very smart!

sheesh, new technology eh?