tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66559822011-11-27T23:20:12.241Z"i think you are so sick and cruel to annimals<br>if i ever catch you you are going down"sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.comBlogger8381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-23064396590561803592008-10-31T21:36:00.000Z2008-10-31T21:44:39.487Z

All good things come to an end - and, indeed, so does this blog. It's been a bit of a journey, but it has to stop. After all, there's not Abroad At Home any more, and there hasn't been for over a year. I don't feel like changing the title, so I'm mothballing it instead. Don't for a second think I'm stopping this thing though: for at 13:11 GMT tomorrow, a new blog launches, coinciding with the

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-45472529406128864002008-10-12T13:28:00.001+01:002008-10-12T13:28:56.146+01:00

Whilst I'm on with my little Morecambe and Wise thing - surely the parents of Vic and Bob - I thought it the decent thing to combine that with another of my obsessions.So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you: John, Paul, George, Eric, Ernie... and Bongo.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-16269014939835770172008-10-11T22:29:00.001+01:002008-10-11T22:29:12.488+01:00

COMEDY GOLD.That is all.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-56912957377531085362008-09-30T21:39:00.001+01:002008-09-30T21:39:09.376+01:00

Funny, but so unfair to one of the genuine mavericks of the British recording industry.But yes, it is funny.Did I say it was funny?

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-79120382969581582522008-09-29T12:59:00.005+01:002008-09-29T14:37:08.872+01:00

David Ford, Union Chapel 2, originally uploaded by sp3ccylad.If it's September, it must be Fordtime. Indeed, more to the point, if it's 26th September: for last Friday marked not only David Ford's only headline UK show for the remainder of the year, but also the anniversary of Ford's quite incredible secret gig at Sleepers in Huddersfield.It was massively significant for me too, because I made a

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-46079175256071741872008-09-22T13:41:00.003+01:002008-09-22T21:17:41.450+01:00

"Whatever Robinho's got, it's catching! They're all at it!" The Guardian's report of what was, by any standards, an exceptional City performance.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-89135696424513090702008-09-17T23:13:00.005+01:002008-09-17T23:29:36.177+01:00

You know, unlike a lot of bloggers, I like iTunes' new genius feature (see post below). But tonight: well, everything's gone a bit Pete Tong.I chose a bit of an oddity for a seed - "Barriers", the B-side of Soft Cell's "Numbers". Yeah. I'm sure you're all whistling it now.Anyway, this is the (frankly deranged) playlist it gave me: I mean: WTF? How do you get Arctic Monkeys, Soul II Soul, Haircut

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-10149443789338781042008-09-15T00:41:00.001+01:002008-09-15T00:41:43.704+01:00

One of my more bizarre set-piece rambles when I'm bored revolves around musing aloud about what our world would be like if there was no such thing as scale drawing. What would maps be like? I guess the answer would be "Big. Very, very big."Globes would be downright irresponsible, I suppose.This vapid nonsense constitutes the flimsy excuse I require to post one of my favourite Big Train sketches:

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-21000583134934299192008-09-14T22:20:00.001+01:002008-09-14T22:20:17.322+01:00

Oooh, Stevie Wonder. The godlike Stevie Wonder. Absolutely imperious on Jonathan Ross's show the other night - but this must be the lad in his pomp. What a guy - thanks to Sparkin for hunting this out.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-50660144085155756522008-09-12T18:32:00.001+01:002008-09-12T18:32:12.666+01:00

Can't beat a bit of Rick Astley. Ta to GBS

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-22360739681931153752008-09-10T15:49:00.003+01:002008-09-10T16:08:26.840+01:00

I've been a fan of last.fm for years now - not least because I do like the idea of parading my somewhat individual music taste. Now, finally, Apple bring their own offering as part of iTunes 8 - the modestly named Genius. For an overview of how it works and how the other players in the market are taking it, take a look at this piece from Wired.com.All in all, I like it. The playlists are

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-56307011340699243292008-09-10T11:35:00.001+01:002008-09-10T11:37:10.667+01:00

Click here to find out.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-23942206128976544482008-08-25T09:21:00.006+01:002008-08-25T16:14:51.259+01:00

When I was a kid, my geographic frame of reference was resolutely set to the west and the south. As a family, we looked towards Nottingham, London, and later Birmingham. It was only when we got a newcomer to my junior school in 1973-4 that I looked north for the first time in my life.Pierre, the said newcomer, formed a very close friendship with me - probably based on us being two of the geekiest

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-36384367603129487132008-08-21T20:33:00.000+01:002008-08-21T20:33:20.513+01:00

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Swearing removed from kids' book: "In future editions, the offending word will be altered by one letter and replaced with 'twit'."

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-42181742424481998082008-08-17T23:08:00.004+01:002008-08-17T23:18:12.429+01:00

I've been recording. At long last...Wait For Me (acoustic)Not a new song, but what the hey. It's a song that I always liked, and have performed at open mic nights on numerous occasions. It got more and more strung out each time I performed it, especially after one night in mid-January when I suddenly, on stage guessed correctly that my worst nightmare was happening while I was singing it.But

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-13430719303294291012008-08-16T21:40:00.004+01:002008-08-16T22:57:08.815+01:00

I hope other people find this as hilarious as I do.It doesn't do to take oneself too seriously.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-22703734135148965182008-08-15T10:28:00.006+01:002008-08-16T21:44:18.619+01:00

"Of all the albums we've ever made, this album is the most... recent."Noel Gallagher on BBC Radio 1 this morning. Quite the claim, Noelie.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-51248103434766329512008-08-15T00:03:00.002+01:002008-08-16T21:44:42.450+01:00

My, but there's some upfront people out there. Say it like it is, girl.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-25711900070261634992008-08-04T19:10:00.005+01:002008-08-16T21:45:07.304+01:00

Here's an odd one. Russ Fielden, the tourism boss on Grenada, has asked dog owners to stop using starfish as dog toys.Really.Apparently, dog owners are using starfish as frisbees and chucking them for their dogs to catch. Then they leave the poor hapless quintapeds to die a painful death, and (apparently) the corpses smell something rotten. Not good.Read the full story here.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-56113359695459112662008-06-26T21:12:00.002+01:002008-06-26T21:17:18.898+01:00

In autumn I see youStumbling at sight's edge;Tiny one, mud-pie dirty.Scuffed shoes.Gritblack nails.Faceless.I turn and you vanish - A leafy shadow, A grainy dappleThat reminds me that, Although you died within,You comfort me with your presence.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-72791586638308403422008-06-22T23:39:00.001+01:002008-06-22T23:39:50.796+01:00

., originally uploaded by corvidophile.As self portraits go, not bad at all, girl.It's more than a bit Man Ray.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-48037398010348267872008-06-22T22:47:00.002+01:002008-06-22T22:49:06.756+01:00

Tethered, originally uploaded by sp3ccylad.Some people might view this rather odd image, snapped on the roof of Britannia Buildings in Huddersfield, as a metaphor. Not me.Oooh, no.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-33859005796650267942008-06-22T22:06:00.003+01:002008-06-22T22:15:52.426+01:00

Here's a turnup for the books. Boris can say what he bloody well likes for years, and the moment one of his advisers says the sort of thing he used to do, he's out.This is just a bit weird for me. Guess he won't be saying "piccaninnies" any time soon.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-56731611991077795612008-06-22T21:48:00.001+01:002008-06-22T21:48:24.268+01:00

TileOriginally uploaded by sp3ccyladThis is why I take cameras into pub toilets.Honest, your honour.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-76708346092489130942008-06-19T20:39:00.001+01:002008-06-19T20:39:57.143+01:00

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Australia ire over chef's f-words: "Senator Bernardi claimed that one episode had contained 'the f-word' 80 times in 40 minutes.'And I'm not referring to fondue,' he said"Genius.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-48428288384382425502008-06-14T16:58:00.004+01:002008-06-14T17:08:01.433+01:00

If you'd told me back in June 2005 that by now I'd have spent five whole days listening to David Ford...Have a play yourself - here.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-67193817525181922952008-06-01T23:34:00.002+01:002008-06-01T23:37:17.534+01:00

Ah, but what a song. And what a video, too. That wallpaper. That shirt.Genius.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-38164556403773180722008-05-04T20:52:00.002+01:002008-05-04T20:55:06.149+01:00

R. on Facebook chat, and why it is not a good idea:"its like cheating on msn"

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-71751291551262837252008-04-26T13:16:00.001+01:002008-04-26T13:17:49.495+01:00

Can anybody explain what I did to deserve that?

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-12553334460816807602008-04-14T06:51:00.002+01:002008-04-14T06:54:01.308+01:00

I've lost count on just how many counts this is wrong.ABSOLUTELY STUNNING ERECT FOX WITH LAMP WALKING STICK

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-26508308264860461902008-04-13T18:50:00.000+01:002008-04-13T18:52:21.284+01:00

This is not funny.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-4738680478865112912008-04-13T09:17:00.003+01:002008-04-13T19:03:33.889+01:00

I Have Become My FatherOriginally uploaded by sp3ccylad Round at Česka's the other night, I was playing with my new phone, faffing with mirrors and generally looking for ways to surprise myself. Imagine my surprise when I saw my father's face looking down at me, disapproving.It scares the living shit out of me.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-70779947547730697682008-04-06T19:53:00.004+01:002008-04-06T20:01:50.067+01:00

I've just found out that, according to last.fm, I'm the oldest person going to see Jens Lekman over at the Woodhouse Liberal Club in May.Should this worry me? Could someone older than me buy a ticket? Please?

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-56850555532420374132008-04-06T08:43:00.003+01:002008-04-06T10:10:40.461+01:00

This morning, I'm having a swift listen to Someone to Drive you Home, The Long Blondes' first album: as tomorrow sees the official release date for "Couples", the new album by the band I am rapidly coming to regard as one of the most exciting bands Yorkshire has produced in years, because, unlike Kid Acne, I'm of the belief that there's more to South Yorks than drizzle and dogging: and I really

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-80025930381101786892008-04-05T22:12:00.000+01:002008-04-05T22:14:01.413+01:00

125,920 PeopleSorry.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-1023933625415873272008-04-05T21:16:00.004+01:002008-04-05T21:37:21.001+01:00

This is why.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-16809026695040529022008-04-05T20:46:00.000+01:002008-04-05T20:49:24.928+01:00

As a teenager, Mad was a guilty pleasure for me. Like masturbation, I suppose. C'mon, it was the late '70s. Anyway - I don't reckon to posting stuff that appeared in the B3ta newsletter, but I make one helluvan exception for this. It's a gallery of a selection of Mad magazine's excellent fold-ins, as designed by the god-like Al Jaffee and lovingly animated by The New York Times

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-55722944413275578982008-04-05T19:28:00.005+01:002008-04-05T19:46:07.774+01:00

It's been a funny old week this week over at Sp3ccylad Towers. All sorts of the shiznit has been going on in my life (none of it I could have remotely have guessed at at the beginning of the week), and it's picked up a fair amount of the quoteage. Here's the highlights.Me, on the phone to my mother:"Quick question, mum. Is your phone O2?""My mobile? No, it starts 07 like everybody else's."My mate

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-72735828988722709572008-03-30T11:47:00.007+01:002008-03-30T22:01:40.683+01:00

Now. This is information I understand. I'm a bit of a stats geek - give me a few hours with Excel and I'm a happy man. So, imagine my JOY (and I mean that most sincerely, folks) when I found  GraphJam, which has all sorts of genuinely useful information all graphically presented for easy consumption.Now I understand life.(Graph switched to celebrate the least trendiest part of a certain person's

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-71178718844213902462008-03-30T08:31:00.001+01:002008-03-30T08:57:06.288+01:00

I hate the switch to British Summer Time.  That sounds a bit ungrateful, I suppose - I like the long hours of daylight, leaving work in the daylight, hell, I like the way the day sits within the clock way better. I just don't like the switch - that nasty 23-hour day and putting the clocks forward is a combination I'd rather forget.So, right now, my thoughts are with Roman Piekarski, who co-owns

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-38696373346092672182008-03-29T12:40:00.001Z2008-03-29T13:57:23.941Z

Well: we are according to a couple of blokes in Hawaii...Asking a Judge to Save the World, and Maybe a Whole Lot More - New York Times: "Walter L. Wagner and Luis Sancho contend that scientists at the European Center for Nuclear Research, or CERN, have played down the chances that the collider could produce, among other horrors, a tiny black hole, which, they say, could eat the Earth."Damn Health

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-36515252021037874592008-03-29T08:44:00.002Z2008-03-29T13:49:34.774Z

Excuse me if I get all expositional, but my gut feeling tells me that the average age for the readership has dropped to the point where 2001 seems like an age ago. So let me explain a thing or two for the sake of the young 'uns.As hinted at previously, the internet is more than three years old - and one of the earliest uses of the internet was to get people to do silly things they hadn't

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-92212819387307131982008-03-27T23:54:00.001Z2008-03-28T00:03:26.332Z

Here's an odd one:"A Texas man is facing charges for selling liquor without a license after he was found peddling bottles of vodka containing dead baby rattlesnakes."That is really quite ho---BACK UP A BIT! Just hold it there. He was charged for selling liquor without a license. ***sighs***Extra bite - Texan faces charges over snake vodka

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-40065611335442129542008-03-25T22:59:00.002Z2008-03-26T00:06:06.675Z

We can't relax for a second, people. Gophers are not only threatening our way of life, but they are fighting back in ways we cannot comprehend.Vigilance is a must; as is keeping an eye on lame-brained pest controllers.Where's Tommy Saxondale when you need him?

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-65320319834908188382008-03-25T11:49:00.003Z2008-03-25T12:57:34.213Z

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-34392233167312884622008-03-25T11:21:00.002Z2008-03-25T12:56:31.456Z

I'm wasting away. I MEAN it. And I don't get it, I really don't. I realise I didn't eat as much as I should have done in the last few months: but when every day seems like an intolerable pressure for one reason or another, I suppose one has an excuse... For the last three years or so, I've seen a crash coming: that the lifestyle was, in some way or another completely unsustainable - that

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-84381490801231748182008-03-25T00:23:00.006Z2008-03-25T12:58:20.374Z

Consider, if you will, the case of one Glenn Irvin Sparling, a 65 year old man from Ravenden Springs in Arkansas.He gets into his car. Drives to the post office. Crashes into it. Goes home. Gets another car. Does it again, in a "rinse and repeat" kind of way."Sparling had damaged a post office previously, and the sheriff said Sparling had a history of damaging postal buildings. No one was in the

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-88079105664598898452008-03-24T22:52:00.000Z2008-03-24T22:55:01.645Z

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-16876605304609355862008-03-24T21:57:00.004Z2008-03-25T13:00:36.063Z

I certainly used to seek out The Family Circus, although I did find it a bit overly cute at times. It could get to hurting my teeth a bit, y'know? Then along comes... The Nietzsche Family Circus, with its random juxtaposition of Family Circus comics and captions by... well, Nietzsche. It fair puts the shits up me; and (I say this with love and respect) I hope it does the same for you.UPDATE: this

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-86798165705598740382008-03-24T19:06:00.002Z2008-03-25T22:39:08.490Z

Beatles' ally Neil Aspinall diesThe Times: Neil Aspinall: The obituaryHunter Davies in The Guardian: Beatles fixer and friend takes secrets to the graveAllan Kozinn in The New York Times: Neil Aspinall. Beatles' Aide, dies at 66Allan Kozinn in The New York Times: Magical Mystery Tour Ends for Apple Corps Executive Parmy Olson in Forbes: Aspinall No Longer With The BeatlesThe Independent: Neil

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-43510133915323593572008-03-24T17:21:00.005Z2008-03-24T20:45:10.510Z

No - hang on: that was 1969: but the fans are still at it. The looney wing of Beatledom over at Team McCartney reckon Macca's still leaving them secret messages in the ol' glass onion.  Hasn't he got better things to do? Like, I dunno: weigh his money?Super-dooper t-shirt designs from those scurrilous people at shotdeadinthehead.com.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-51221704879416674912008-03-24T13:29:00.001Z2008-03-24T16:53:07.659Z

Scary Japanese product alert! I know: these things are like shooting fish in a barrel, but this is a cracker. A PC case in the shape of a French maid's bum region - both bottoms, front and back.I wish I'd been at the meeting that pitched that product.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-48587025023844748482008-03-24T13:06:00.003Z2008-03-24T13:15:14.991Z

A great Newsweek article from 1995 about how rubbish the internet is. And it isn't all that, to be honest, is it? I mean: it's brought me nothing but trouble..."Yet Nicholas Negroponte, director of the MIT Media Lab, predicts that we'll soon buy books and newspapers straight over the Intenet. Uh, sure."The Internet? Bah!

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-4994284234081114172008-03-23T20:21:00.002Z2008-03-23T20:25:32.599Z

It's not as exciting as the headline implies, or even the picture for that matter; but read on, regardless.Actually, it's pretty sad.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-60880011345859642332008-03-23T10:35:00.003Z2008-03-23T10:44:10.244Z

Keeping up here with the Easter theme, I found a story about the Philippine Government putting out a health warning about crucifixion.No shit.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-31708325280937960282008-03-23T09:36:00.004Z2008-03-23T09:50:54.032Z

Speccylad's real-life incarnation, the quiet, mild-mannered guy that abhors all this immature blogging nonsense, quite likes Facebook. Why? It manages to be both silly and useful at the same time (much like him), it's an easy way to keep tabs on friends, and it helps when trying to remember people's names. For both Sp3cs and his real-life version have a terrible memory for faces and names. 

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-42105507365580496092008-03-22T21:11:00.002Z2008-03-22T21:12:38.789Z

What can I say? Really?

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-21376168328948166312008-03-22T19:06:00.004Z2008-03-22T19:22:48.627Z

Why yes. Tis Shaturday, a day that comes but once in six or seven years. So Sp3ccylad, once described in an MSN message as "the bastard son of Jarvis Cocker and Prince"* is proud to present William Shatner and Joe Jackson performing Pulp's "Common People" (as included on his rather spiffy album Has Been).It's a truly great performance, and hey: it stops me banging on about David "David Bloody

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-85311013443053578102008-03-22T11:17:00.004Z2008-03-22T18:59:10.086Z

Let's not cry too hard, mind.Apparently Starbucks' supervisors in California have been swiping tips that should have gone to the baristas' pockets, and they've been caught out in a class action suit.We're not talking small change either. The robbing scum have been taking the poor bloody footsoldiers for $86 million: which they have been forced to pay back... with interest. Poor babies.BBC NEWS |

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-22794302435386469512008-03-22T09:08:00.006Z2008-03-22T09:29:42.764Z

The wrong picture. Sorry. Now this is a scary one. OK, that Steve Irwin guy was messing with shit and it was only a matter of time before something got him. However, stingrays leaping out of the water and killing random tourists is a step too far.  Sp3ccylad says: "Back off, Mother Nature"

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-55444732382617517002008-03-22T08:30:00.002Z2008-03-22T08:41:14.411Z

If I'm really lucky, both of my readers will remember a blog post from way back in June 2005 when I reported on a gig I went to at The Cornerhouse (aka The Parish). The support act was one David Ford, and I don't mind admitting that night changed my life.I was going places alone, anything to avoid being at home in what was increasingly at that point a cold, loveless, calculating marriage. It

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-71734254386666142122008-03-21T13:41:00.004Z2008-03-21T14:13:53.899Z

Hello there. It's been a while, has it not? A lot has happened - I've been up to all sorts of stuff, but the main thing is that the long-running embarrassment that was my marriage is now no more. Weep no tears - at least these days when she pulls an unpredictable stunt no-one points the finger at me...Still enough of that. I'm back and I'm blogging again. I promise not to be away for so long in

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-89573498121844727312007-06-11T21:56:00.000+01:002007-06-11T21:57:07.972+01:00

Sp3ccylad --[noun]: A person of questionable sanity who starts their own cult'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-70082495598406954802007-06-09T09:38:00.001+01:002007-06-09T09:38:53.100+01:00

A man could get lost Originally uploaded by sp3ccylad I took this photo in Vox two weeks ago, and I have no idea who she is.Ideas anyone?

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-22312734896099601452007-05-16T12:13:00.000+01:002007-05-16T12:16:45.435+01:00

...but Fnurgled is finally available on emusic. Joy of joys.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-30141900587266955742007-05-16T12:11:00.000+01:002007-05-16T12:12:28.014+01:00

xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-91029431415256208732007-05-14T18:34:00.001+01:002007-05-14T18:34:39.899+01:00

Laptop Originally uploaded by sp3ccylad. So I thought I'd show it off. And why not?

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-46947391749268489052007-05-03T10:01:00.000+01:002007-05-04T07:15:48.995+01:00

Pre-order a t-shirt with them on here.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-8598938933401534012007-05-03T09:45:00.000+01:002007-05-03T15:09:14.514+01:00

Ded Peepulz Originally uploaded by sp3ccylad. Muffin: late on the bandwagon as ever.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-67680331810011397052007-05-02T10:51:00.000+01:002007-05-03T09:37:25.145+01:00

Cornish lobster fishermen land a deer: "It was a perfect sunny morning. Cornish fishermen Chris Earl and Tony Allsopp were chugging out to sea on their boat, Spilgarn, to check on their lobster pots.And then the deer, all antlers and big worried eyes, swam past. 'It's not the sort of creature you expect to see half a mile out,' said Mr Earl yesterday." No, I don't suppose it is.Seadeer

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-74697325421546630382007-05-01T10:53:00.000+01:002007-05-01T11:01:09.363+01:00

Peter Gabriel shakes the tree, ad-supported MP3s fall out"Peter Gabriel is one of the founding investors of a new music download service that offers tracks for free to users who are willing to listen to ads. The service, called We7 for some reason, offers MP3 versions of tracks with advertising attached to the beginning of songs. Four weeks after downloading the track, the user can then download

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-90367401649914056152007-04-29T18:32:00.000+01:002007-04-29T18:49:03.571+01:00

Some of you living in foreign parts will be aware of Chris Morris's fantastic series Brass Eye, but unable to watch because the powers that be think that not enough foreign people will find Brass Eye funny. This is nonsense, of course, but when did DVD distribution ever make sense? So all hail the person who put Brass Eye on Google Video. All the links are here.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-68882340005279909522007-04-29T14:10:00.000+01:002007-04-29T18:41:35.136+01:00

I was sent this link with the anguished question "Is this... right?" in the subject line.I don't know. I don't... know.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-79654731641321953502007-04-28T16:33:00.000+01:002007-04-28T16:33:11.193+01:00

You Belong in DublinFriendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions.You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.What European City Do You Belong In?

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-62009598782363526772007-04-26T20:07:00.001+01:002007-04-26T20:10:28.756+01:00

Nothing more to say really. OK, his time at City wasn't his greatest spell ever, but that's in the past.I want to say something and mean it:Alan Ball's a football genius.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-19419678380138515402007-04-25T09:53:00.000+01:002007-04-25T09:59:59.459+01:00

Wired Magazine: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran "November 4, 1979, began like any other day at the US embassy in Tehran. The staff filtered in under gray skies, the marines manned their posts, and the daily crush of anti-American protestors massed outside the gate chanting, "Allahu akbar! Marg bar Amrika!"Mark and Cora Lijek, a young couple serving in their

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-89697570336896775822007-04-24T10:34:00.000+01:002007-04-24T10:40:18.953+01:00

Make Mom MadBronx Bronx Hair Machine.Bronx Bronx Hair Machine!BRONX BRONX HAIR MACHINE!

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-28400998477451731752007-04-18T22:47:00.001+01:002007-04-18T22:47:30.751+01:00

A Motivational Poster Originally uploaded by sp3ccylad. I'm saying nothing else.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-9005171422896222832007-04-12T20:00:00.000+01:002007-04-12T20:03:02.413+01:00

A superb article from Justin Webb of the BBC about anti-Americanism and its origins: "The US is perceived by many as an international bully, a modern day imperial power. At this critical moment in history, Washington correspondent Justin Webb challenges that idea.He argues anti-Americanism is often a cover for hatreds with little justification in fact. His three part series takes him to Cairo,

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-77340633012586508632007-04-09T23:25:00.000+01:002007-04-09T23:31:47.788+01:00

A word of advice before I start this one. Remember - your entire taste in music is made up of what you've heard. What you hear is controlled by the music industry almost 100% - or, as cke put it in the blog Chunks, Eggs en Prix:"Think of it--there's only so much music that one person can listen to in a day. Most people seem to prefer to have music playing dimly in the background through virtually

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-6902179135877034812007-04-06T09:50:00.000+01:002007-04-06T10:05:50.066+01:00

March's webstats for "Don't Look Back In Anger". Yeah. Just March. Go on, make it worse. Click here and have a listen. Oh, I despair sometimes.In the meantime, I was faffing around on Google (what, you mean you don't type Sp3ccylad in?) and I found this:Answers on a postcard to the usual address.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-40865233133435063922007-04-05T10:18:00.000+01:002007-04-05T10:20:58.893+01:00

Legendary guitarist Dick Dale, asked for advice for the struggling musician. He's startlingly frank.I heartily agree with every word.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-79589631100412662602007-04-04T14:42:00.000+01:002007-04-04T17:27:20.272+01:00

Just when you think things are about as Orwellian as they can get, we edge just a little bit closer to the precipice with the latest wacky scheme. This time, the powers-that-be aren't content with watching us constantly with CCTV.Britain is already the most watched nation in the world: there's 1 camera for every 14 people in the UK. Probably more, as that figure was quoted last year.So, we get

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-66990155553385487432007-04-03T16:04:00.000+01:002007-04-04T15:18:54.752+01:00

No, I wish I was making it up, but truth, yet again, is way stranger than fiction. Durex want condom testers."It isn't some crazy kind of '60s love-in," said a spokesperson.(Regardless of their denials, feel free to apply here.)

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-74927862508070419362007-04-03T08:19:00.000+01:002007-04-03T16:40:09.810+01:00

I never was a fan of Thatcherism. I can't draw any pride from coming from the same town as Baroness Thatch. The only thing her roots are useful is a form of idiot test: "comes from Grantham, must be a conservative" is a surefire fast-track to losing my respect.I've been thinking a lot this week about the Falklands War 25 years ago, and how everything seemed to change from that moment on. It was

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-6482800229079362092007-04-02T20:01:00.000+01:002007-04-02T20:33:45.407+01:00

"Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free;And your cash. Especially your cash."Immigration is a subject close to my heart for all sorts of reasons - not least because I've been an immigrant. It's a costly business, and in the USA that applies more than most. I remember being fleeced for two Employment Authorization Documents (12-month temporary work permits sold

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-54892865462998536292007-04-02T17:16:00.000+01:002007-04-02T17:44:53.902+01:00

I'm not entirely sure I can believe today's announcement made by Steve Jobs and Eric Nicoli, the CEO of EMI, stating that EMI's catalogue (with one notable exception, of course) will go on sale DRM-free.Only a few days ago, I was all but asking people wanting to buy my stuff to go elsewhere than shop at iTunes, such was the degree to which DRM pisses me off. Now, I wouldn't exactly say I have the

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-86176735109388424262007-04-02T16:19:00.000+01:002007-04-02T16:24:37.863+01:00

I... Er...The Raincoats. Leeds. That is all.The Raincoats! Argh! *swoons*

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-10539256459935529172007-04-01T19:32:00.000+01:002007-04-01T19:35:03.110+01:00

Trust a Python to get it right. Terry Jones writes in The Guardian about the Iranian diplomatic hoo-hah and calls on the West to get the plank out of its own eye. "For God's sake, what's wrong with putting a bag over her head? " Genius.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-1601891185947598872007-04-01T14:30:00.000+01:002007-04-01T23:04:47.486+01:00

He's Brian Johnson - a student at Duke University. He's been responsible for hacking into sp3ccylad.com, producing, amongst other things, that really time-consuming thing that wound Abroad At Home back to August all the time, which, frankly, nearly had me quitting blogging out of sheer frustration.I'll be in touch with Duke in the morning. With a whole raft of evidence.But what evidence?You see,

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-45382446693700615952006-12-30T17:37:00.000Z2006-12-30T17:51:02.696Z

I had a phone call left on my voice mail today. Apparently a local pub requires a Leo Sayer impersonator. A very odd call to come home to, especially with the remnants of last night still rattling around my system in a particularly vicious manner. I so hope it's a wrong number, because I'm not tempted. Not even for a second. No.This is the guy you want. I think.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-47917508719532601272006-12-29T12:23:00.000Z2006-12-29T12:37:56.827Z

25th May 2006. I escape from work, and look forward to a few days off. I don't like to work on my birthday: in fact I never do, but I thought it politic to take some annual leave, rather than doing what I usually do.I remember thinking that it was an extraordinarily beautiful day: Greenhead Park was full of people playing. Not just children, but people of all ages were out, just goofing off. This

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-34264577672113393452006-12-28T08:04:00.000Z2006-12-28T08:20:49.291Z

I can only recall crying with happiness once in my life. That was just after midnight on the night of 22nd July 2006. The reason? I was privileged enough to hear an advance mix of a song that crept me out and yet smothered me with a contradictory beauty and delicacy completely at odds with the lyrical content of the song.Yeah. I blubbed like a baby. Download You Belong To Me here.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-83440789027000135932006-12-27T20:24:00.000Z2006-12-27T21:33:59.234Z

What do you get if you administer the largest dose of LSD in history to an elephant?No, it isn't a joke: and the answer isn't all that surprising, but I won't waste your click by telling you what happened.Let The Guardian tell you instead.Picture credit: the quite fantastic oCo

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-46833537599574176492006-12-26T10:16:00.000Z2006-12-26T10:25:23.518Z

Funny year, this one. So I'm trying to take stock, TO MAKE SURE IT NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN. I don't think it will, but hey, you can't be sure. As part of this taking stock I've been looking back on "moments" of the year and... well. Suffer, bitches.Right. Sunday 12th February was freezing, as I remember. Really bitter. So I was quite relieved when, after a false start, I arrived at the Cockpit in

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-43617288384601468172006-12-25T22:46:00.000Z2006-12-25T22:47:11.782Z

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-80767723838524154832006-12-25T00:19:00.000Z2006-12-25T00:20:08.508Z

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-16864678688147144862006-12-22T14:13:00.000Z2006-12-22T15:02:02.514Z

Yes, my iPod died again the other day. This time I realised it was far enough out of guarantee to make a trip to Sheffield a bit of a gamble, and anyway: Meadowhall should be called Meadowhell this time of year.And yes, I've tried the "smack it hard" trick. It gave me about 2 months more usage, but dead is dead.So, I reasoned it's time to stop being such a victim and take matters into my own

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-79303063864656703712006-12-22T13:44:00.000Z2006-12-22T13:50:12.594Z

A 999 call from a person who asked to speak to Santa was among the most outrageous reasons for ringing Yorkshire's ambulance service.Right. That's it. I'm considering moving.

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6655982.post-1035096108562779762006-12-21T07:09:00.000Z2006-12-21T07:19:31.060Z

There are two types of adult. Those who think they've grown up, and those who know they won't. The former, in my experience, tend to be nasty types, playing a role, prone to think of themselves as "normal" and unable to see the effects of their own, often toxic, behaviour. The latter type tend to be a more self-aware bunch, sometimes prone to feeling lost in the sea of so-called "adults", but

sp3ccyladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730425281009531909noreply@blogger.com0