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January 31, 2006
Sign up time
Who wants to join in with this years competitions?
If you do fancy taking part then please send me an email, leave a comment below or leave a message in my shoutbox. I will then place the names on this site and during the year points will be placed along side the relevant names.
At the end of the competitions, the person with the most points will receive a £25 Amazon gift certificate.
(That's if I have any money by the end of this year!) Don't know what I will do if I win either. You will just have to make sure you beat me.
Anyone can join at anytime of the year. There aren't any rules as such but there will be for each individual competition, which I will post at the time. The first competition will start when I have a few names. Hopefully there will be quite a few competitions throughout the year but that depends on my workload.
As I said in a previous post, any ideas for competitions will be great to have. So please feel free to contact me.
Competitions could include: online games, ebay comp, art/drawing online, quizzes, crosswords etc etc etc.
Posted by Markiss at 4:21 PM | Comments (7)
January 27, 2006
Rock Star
Ever want to be a rock star? Like throwing stuff out of your hotel window? If the answer is yes, then this is the game for you. You have to chuck stuff out of the window and you get more points the further it goes. Read the instructions first otherwise you will wonder what the hell you are meant to be doing.
Posted by Markiss at 6:35 PM | Comments (4)
January 26, 2006
Competition 2006
Now that January has nearly finshed, it is about time I started off this years competitions. I will be getting rid of the Ebay Challenge on the left and put up the new score board for this year.
I have a few ideas up my sleeve and hopefully will get a few more as the year progresses. Just keep an eye to the left and I will keep it updated. Any ideas for competitions will be great to have. So please feel free to email me.
The basic idea of this years comps will go like this:
1) Anyone can enter a competition.
2) I will put your names on the score board.
3) Winners will get points for 1st 2nd and 3rd place. (May deduct for last place but not sure yet)
4) Most points at the end of the year will receive a prize*.
5) Some comps will have other players voting to see who is the winner.
6) If you sign up for one competition you don't have to do all of them. You just get more points the more you enter.
* Probably a voucher for Amazon.co.uk or something similar. I will let you know the prize before the start of the first competition.
Posted by Markiss at 6:35 PM | Comments (5)
Four Things
Well Lemur Girl was trying to catch a few of her readers out to see if they read her blog and has found out that most of them aggregate it. So we do Lemur. So here is a Meme from Lemur:
Four jobs I’ve had in my life
* Design Technician (Pallot Glass)
* Piano Teacher
* Architect (R. N. Design Consultants Ltd)
* Architect (M.L.D. & S Ltd)
Four movies I can watch over and over
* Saving Private Ryan
* Star Wars IV, V & VI
* On Golden Pond
* National Lampoons Vacation Films (Any)
Four places I have lived
* Jersey (St Ouen, 3 times)
* Jersey (St Brelade, twice)
* Jersey (St Clement, twice)
* Jersey (St Mary, 4 times)
Well I do live on an Island after all! Oh and in St lawrence
Four TV shows I love to watch
* The Simpsons
* Futurama
* Trauma
* Forensic Detectives
Four places I have been on vacation holiday
* Boston/New York
* Cyprus (Paphos/Limassol)
* Europe (France,Germany,Austria,Italy,Madeira,Portugal,Switzerland,Holland etc etc)
* Tunisia (Sousse)
Four of my favourite dishes
* Cottage Pie
* Cauliflower Soup
* Cocquille St Jacques
* Steak Au Poivre
Four websites I visit daily
* The Sun
* The Times Online
* Google
* Ebay
Four places I would rather be right now
* Kenya
* Dinan (France)
* Australia
* Seychelles
Four bloggers I am tagging
None because I don't know any that haven't already done this.
Posted by Markiss at 12:44 PM | Comments (5)
January 24, 2006
Brief Safe
Not too sure what to make of the new Brief Safe One thing is for sure though, your money will certainly be there when you get back from your day out on the beach.
Posted by Markiss at 2:13 PM | Comments (0)
Beta Messenger
Anyone interested in testing the new Msn Messenger version 8.0? Otherwise known as Windows Live Messenger "beta". I have been testing it for a while now and like what I see. I have been given 5 invites to give out so first come first served. Only one thing though, I will only give them out to people who are already on my contact list on messenger. You know who you are. If you want to try it then leave a comment or send me an email and I will sort it out for you.
If you want to know a little more then read the extended post.
Windows Live Messenger beta
See. Hear. Share. Instantly.
What it is
Windows Live Messenger will be the next-generation MSN Messenger. It will have everything you already love about Messenger—your contact list, emoticons, and instant access to your friends via text, voice, and video—plus new ways to connect and share documents with almost magical ease. As always, it will be free to download Messenger and use most of its features.
What you will be able to do with it
• Send all your familiar winks and emoticons, plus some cool new ones
• Have real-time text, video and voice conversations*
• Call your friends’ mobile or land-line telephones with Windows Live phone call, and make affordable domestic and international calls**
• Easily share documents of all kinds with Sharing Folders
• Make free PC-to-PC calls with other Messenger users
*Both parties must have compatible Web cameras, speakers, and microphones.
**Windows Live phone call is provided by a Microsoft partner.
System Requirements
• Multimedia PC
• Pentium 233 MHz process (500 MHz recommended)
• Microsoft Windows XP
• Minimum 128 MB of RAM (256 MB recommended)
• Up to 50 MB of hard disk space for installation, 15 MB to run the program.
• Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6 SP1 or later must be installed on your computer, though it does not need to be your default.
• Minimum 800 x 600 screen resolution
Frequently Asked Questions
Voice calling? How will that work?
This feature will let users who sign up for Windows Live phone call (provided by a Microsoft partner) to easily call landline and mobile phones. You will be able to set up a Windows Live Call account through the Messenger interface and start making calls within minutes. You will be able to purchase minutes upfront, then add minutes when your balance runs low. One of the great things about this will be that you will be able to use it to make really affordable domestic and international calls.
You will be able to make PC-to-PC calls for free, with no need to sign up for a Windows Live phone call account, so long as you and your Messenger contact both have compatible speakers and microphones (or headsets).
What are Sharing Folders?
Sharing Folders will be a new and simple way for you to share personal photos, documents, and files with your Messenger contacts. You will be able to create a Sharing Folder by simply dragging files onto a contact name in Messenger. This will create an exact copy of the files on both you and your contact's computers, and create a Sharing Folder that can be accessed from Messenger, and on the desktop.
I can already share documents using e-mail. So what's the big deal?
The Sharing Folder will be easier than email for sharing photos and documents. In a Sharing Folder, any time a file in the folder is added, modified, or deleted, those changes will be synchronised with the person you’re sharing with. The Sharing File icon in Messenger will also show you a gleam on a contact so you will know when a Sharing File has been updated. And it will be a simple drag-and-drop to share files, even simpler than the “send file” and “save as” functions you are already familiar with in Messenger.
The Sharing Folders will work pretty much like the PC folder experience you already know, so it will make sense right away. Just like in Windows, you will be able to drag and drop, get different views of files, copy, paste, etc. You will be able to access a Sharing Folder from your desktop, to manage files whether online or offline. And a Sharing Folder requires virtually zero setup or configuration, and efficiently handles file synchronisation without any fuss.
Posted by Markiss at 1:09 PM | Comments (8)
January 20, 2006
EuroEnglish
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the EU rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5 year phase-in plan that would be known as "EuroEnglish": --
In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c".. Sertainly, this will make the sivil sevants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favor of the "k". This should klear up konfusion and keyboards kan have one less letter.
There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with the "f". This will make words like "fotograf" 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkorage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of the silent "e"'s in the language is disgraceful, and they should go away.
By the 4th yar, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v". During ze fifz year, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaning "ou" and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.
After zis fifz yer, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubls or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech ozer.
ZE DREM VIL FINALI KUM TRU!!
(I know this is an old one but it still makes me laugh)
Posted by Markiss at 5:34 PM | Comments (1)
January 18, 2006
Holiday time
Ok, here's the plot. I want to sort out my holiday for this year. I only have 15 days to take for the year. I want to go somewhere warm (ish). Most of all I want something to do too. I hate just sitting round a pool or on a beach in the sun. Any ideas of the best places to go? My three choices so far are:
Kenya: Safari + Hotel
Mauritius: Hotel + Lounge about
Egypt: Cruise + Hotel
I think I am leaning towards Kenya at the moment but I am open to suggestions. Help please.
Posted by Markiss at 1:17 AM | Comments (8)
January 17, 2006
Scissors in Arm
Next time you think about spraying a nerd with water you best take a look to see if he has got any dangerous objects near him. Especially a pair of scissors. This has got to hurt!
Posted by Markiss at 6:15 PM | Comments (9)
Mail Beta
Windows Live Mail Beta (The new Hotmail) has been around for a while now. So far I am pretty impressed with the new layout and features. Also impressed that we now have 2 gigs of storage to play with.
I was wondering what you guys thought of it. Thumbs up or down?
Also, how many of you have actually got it yet?
Posted by Markiss at 1:15 PM | Comments (5)
Rectal Scanning
Why oh why do we chat about this kind of stuff in the pub? I mean "Rectal Scanning"!
I suppose I should explain. But(t) I can't. Simple reason being I just haven't got a clue what the discussion was all about.
Typical night down the local I suppose. Was something to do with Tom Cruise I think :-)
Posted by Markiss at 12:54 AM | Comments (2)
January 13, 2006
Paraskavedekatriaphobia
Now there's a nice word. Know what it means? Well you will in a minute. What is todays date? Yup Friday the 13th. Paraskavedekatriaphobia is a phobia of the day Friday the 13th. If you suffer from this then don't worry, help is at hand.
Aren't I a mind of useless information today?
Posted by Markiss at 5:05 PM | Comments (0)
Chinese USA
An ancient map may prove it was a Chinese eunuch who discovered America and not Christopher Columbus.
Well there's a thing.
Source www.ananova.com
Posted by Markiss at 4:44 PM | Comments (0)
1.0 Mbps
Now that was a nice surprise. Was just working away and my Internet connection went down. When I reconnected it, I was bumped up from 512 kbs to 1.0 Mbps and all for free. In fact it is costing £1 less each month. Things like that don't often happen but when they do, everyone is happy. Now to go and download a load of stuff that I don't need.
Posted by Markiss at 4:29 PM | Comments (1)
January 12, 2006
AC/DC
Anyone who knows me will know that I like a variety of different music styles. One of my favourite's though is good old rock. I've been to some awesome gigs in my time including Kiss, Saxon, Thin Lizzy, Zz Top, Extreme, Meat Loaf, Iron Maiden etc etc. One band that I would love to have seen is AC/DC. So me being me decided to do a bit of Googling to see what the band were up to and to see if there was any chance of me finally getting to see them live. Well 3 things came from that search. The first being that they are still together and they are in fact writing a new album. Second being that they will tour with this new album. Great, that means I may be able to see them before they hang up the school uniform.
Third was something that I found absolutely hilarious. I found a video of them playing in Spain in 1980, they played 3 songs live in front of a really lucky crowd. What I found funny about it was the fact that the audience seemed to be in the wrong place. They should have been at a Carpenters gig by the look of 'em.
There is Angus Young, head banging and playing mental guitar, sweat pouring from his head, arms swinging in the air and when the song finishes what do the audience do? They stay seated and clap. The audience seems to range in age from 5 up to 85 years old too. That's one gig I am glad I wasn't at in the end :-)
Posted by Markiss at 1:47 PM | Comments (2)
January 10, 2006
Myth Busters
Thought you may like to read some of these interesting myth busters. I found them on www.livescience.com.
Most people here will know about the myths but just maybe a few of you didn't know. Well none of you would admit to it anyway.
Water drains backwards in the Southern Hemisphere due to the Earth's rotation
Not only is the Earth's rotation too weak to affect the direction of water flowing in a drain, tests you can easily perform in a few washrooms will show that water whirlpools both ways depending on the sink's structure, not the hemisphere.
Hair and fingernails continue growing after death
Though hair and fingernails appear to keep growing after death, this is merely a morbid optical illusion at work. In death the human body dehydrates severely, retracting enough skin to expose more nail and hair.
It takes seven years to digest gum
While it may prove a bit more difficult to break down than organic foodstuffs, chewing gum gets no special treatment from the digestive system. Doctors figure this old wives' tale was invented to prevent kids from swallowing the rubbery substance.
The Great Wall of China is the only manmade structure visible from space
There are several variations on this folkloric statement, and they're all quantifiably false. Astronauts can spot the Great Wall from low-Earth orbit, along with plenty of other things like the Giza pyramids and even airport runways. But they can't see the Wall from the Moon.
Humans use only 10 percent of their brains
This media darling has been around for at least a century. Fortunately, it's just not true. MRI imaging clearly demonstrates—with fancy colors no less—that humans put most of their cerebral cortex to good use, even while dozing.
Adults don't grow new brain cells
Much of a human's crucial brain development happens during childhood, but it isn't all downhill from there. Studies have shown that neurons continue to grow and change well into the adult years.
A penny dropped from the top of a tall building could kill a pedestrian
A penny isn't the most aerodynamic of weapons. A combination of its shape and wind friction means that, tossed even from the 1,250-foot Empire State Building, it would travel fast enough merely to sting an unlucky pedestrian.
Lightning never strikes the same place twice
In fact lightning favors certain spots, particularly high locations. The Empire State Building is struck about 25 times every year. Ben Franklin grasped the concept long ago and mounted a metal rod atop the roof of his home, then ran a wire to the ground, thereby inventing the lightning rod.
Posted by Markiss at 4:24 PM | Comments (1)
January 5, 2006
Blonde Joke
Joke for the day
This has just got to be the best blonde joke in the world
Posted by Markiss at 5:59 PM | Comments (0)
Balls Clue
Anyone remember that post I made about those Golf Balls I found on the way back home from the pub?
Well look what I found in my pocket yesterday. I found it in the jacket I was wearing on New Years Eve. I take it that it was put there by either Dan or Beav, Huh?
Posted by Markiss at 2:35 PM | Comments (3)
Rudolph Big Dick
Ok it's a little out of season for watching a video about Rudolph the red nose reindeer but what about Rudolph the Five Legged Reindeer?
I watched this and just loved it, so thought I would pass it on to you guys. It must have taken ages to make and is quite long but well worth watching.
Hope you enjoy it. (N.S.F.W) 18+
Posted by Markiss at 11:16 AM | Comments (3)
January 4, 2006
Did Jesus exist?
It should be interesting to see what happens with this. He has to the end of this month to prove that Jesus existed:
AN ITALIAN judge has ordered a priest to appear in court this month to prove that Jesus Christ existed.
The case against Father Enrico Righi has been brought in the town of Viterbo, north of Rome, by Luigi Cascioli, a retired agronomist who once studied for the priesthood but later became a militant atheist.
Signor Cascioli, author of a book called The Fable of Christ, began legal proceedings against Father Righi three years ago after the priest denounced Signor Cascioli in the parish newsletter for questioning Christ’s historical existence.
Yesterday Gaetano Mautone, a judge in Viterbo, set a preliminary hearing for the end of this month and ordered Father Righi to appear. The judge had earlier refused to take up the case, but was overruled last month by the Court of Appeal, which agreed that Signor Cascioli had a reasonable case for his accusation that Father Righi was “abusing popular credulity”.
Signor Cascioli’s contention — echoed in numerous atheist books and internet sites — is that there was no reliable evidence that Jesus lived and died in 1st-century Palestine apart from the Gospel accounts, which Christians took on faith. There is therefore no basis for Christianity, he claims.
Signor Cascioli’s one-man campaign came to a head at a court hearing last April when he lodged his accusations of “abuse of popular credulity” and “impersonation”, both offences under the Italian penal code. He argued that all claims for the existence of Jesus from sources other than the Bible stem from authors who lived “after the time of the hypothetical Jesus” and were therefore not reliable witnesses.
You can read the full story here.
Posted by Markiss at 4:56 PM | Comments (0)
Tetris 1 D
Here is the first game for the new year. You have to try this out. I made sure it was a fairly easy one to start off with though. I know all your brains will be a little fizzled out from all that partying you have been up to over the festive period.
As always, high scores in the comments please.
Posted by Markiss at 4:40 PM | Comments (0)
The Who Tour 2006
Great news for the start of 2006 already. I have just heard that "The Who" will be touring later on this year. Pete Townsend mentioned it on his official website just before Christmas. As an added bonus, they will be releasing a new album too. The last one released was in 1982 so it has been quite a wait for their fans.
I for one can't wait to hear what the new material will be like but if Pete and Roger have anything to do with it i'm sure it wont be disappointing.
I wonder what the chances of them playing a concert in Jersey are? Bugger all I suppose but he has said they will be broadcasting it over the Internet at some stage.
Pete also has a blog if anyone is interested.
Posted by Markiss at 12:18 PM | Comments (2)
