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You've arrived at the homepage of Stephen Stewart. The archive is available here for those who want it. This site is happily hosted by Dreamhost. Click for more?

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Recommended Viewing

• 300†
  Does exactly what it says on the (comic book) tin. Loved it.
• Little Miss Sunshine†
  Very funny, disturbing (the beauty pageant) and completely messed up -- but in a good way.
• Laputa: Castle in the Sky†
  Story great, characterization a little on the weak side -- though the big robots are cool.
• Porco Rosso†
  Stylish, funny, exciting.
• Grave of the Fireflies†
  Very sad, which was a little unexpected since I didn't know much about it before watching it. Can be a little too slow in places though, otherwise it's very good.
• Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind†
  The story can get a little dense at times what with the various factions, but still really enjoyable, inventive and engaging.
• X-Men: The Last Stand†
  Opportunity, talent, money - all blown. Over 3 films X-Men has hinted of something great that could have been, this last one says "No, sorry - not going to happen". Bah.

flickr.com

ACME

From the totally lush Illustrated Catalog Of ACME Products, comes the ACME Instant Girl. I bet she wouldn’t complain about impromtu fishing trips…

And the gentleman is always in a quandary about whether to take the Disintegrating Pistol or the Integrating Pistol to the duel.

1 CommentsJune 27, 2003

Newtownards Chronicle June 26 2003

Had the reporter followed us out of the court she’d have got a little more scandal at the exit - I can expect to be kneecapped or something was the general gist of the handbag swinging. But what a defence! That I was travelling faster than I had stated, that I was a ¼ mile away when Mr. Hunter started his manoeuvre (which he stated took less than 2 seconds). All of which means I was travelling at a minimum of 450mph…

9 CommentsJune 27, 2003

touching the monkey's bum

I'm sure local insurance companies are practically dancing on their solid mahogany tables at this news. The real punishment for speeding isn't what the law doles out, it's what appears when you next go to renew your motor insurance - a massive premium hike. Northern Ireland motor insurance is shockingly expensive, lack of competition and the percieved risk from the troubles are often cited as reasons. The worst part is the feeling that you do absolutely nothing about it, you can run a defence against the law, but not against the insurers - if they hike the premium you either accept it or go elsewhere, yet magically when you go elsewhere they've increased premiums too. Gah. What's a boy to do?

6 CommentsJune 20, 2003

You'll never take us alive

This sort of thing always sparked serious debate when I worked in the DeathStar. SWM would insist Lucy Liu was a trout and so it all kicked off...

8 CommentsJune 19, 2003

The view from home

It's a beautiful clear evening. The sea is like a milk pond, all silvery with calmness. Scotland fills the horizon with such clarity you almost feel you could swim there. And the farmers have been cutting grass for silage - as if by magic the world is transformed from verdant green to a hedge sewn patchwork of golden drumlins. I love this place, it's beautiful...

3 CommentsJune 17, 2003

Bloggus CÆsari

Simultaneously Commius' cavalry has lined itself up facing the outer wall, while his infantry has left camp in battle order. And now troops once again pour out of Alesia.

-- Bloggus Cæsari

I stole this from Stray Toaster. How talented am I?

2 CommentsJune 17, 2003

Don't turn your back on me, I won't be ignored

Since The Trumpet asked, we'll be playing at Victoria Park again this Wednesday. Against Shorts. If there's enough of them left.

Later: We won 3 - 1. They scored just before the whistle blew for full-time, which was a little annoying. And we played at Blanchflower Stadium as someone forgot to book Vicky Park.

This post ^keeps^ floateding back to the top by the magic of <MTEntries sort_by="modified_on">

More football coming up against RPC, Galen and Tesco. Anyone else? Hmm?

2 CommentsJune 16, 2003

What a wonderful world...

Someday I'll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
High above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.

sung by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

2 CommentsJune 14, 2003

Free Computer

A friend of mine is working for an eating disorder charity at Queens. They need a computer to send emails and check the website (there is no website yet, I have to do that sometime), and they need it to be free, or next to free. If anyone can help, let me know.

3 CommentsJune 13, 2003

Bluebottles

Two of 'em. Doing laps of the room. There's a hole the relative size of Canada in the wall but can they find it? No. I've tried shooting them but it's making a mess of the place. Plus I think that last shot accidently hit a sheep-dog working in the field across the way. Poor thing. Collie-atteral damage.

4 CommentsJune 13, 2003

It's only a chair...

...but what a chair.

And today is Friday 13th, of the 6th month of the 3rd year of the 2nd millenium, one day before the moon waxes full. Surely those mystic-meg types have booked themselves into some sort of nuclear shelter for today. If anyone has any sightings of the ground opening up and dead people being spewed forth, do let me know.

2 CommentsJune 13, 2003

Toaster be bangin', yo

Ballymena men are always hard to understand, but Steve Rushe usually makes sense...

(Shizzolator link via Emily)

2 CommentsJune 12, 2003

All Ball Ref, all ball

We, Greenwell St. FC, beat Ferguson McIlveen 2 - 1 last night at Victoria Park (To anyone from outside Northern Ireland this will probably sound a lot grander than it is, sorry for the deception.) It was a good game by us, our midfield finally started playing defense as well as offence, it was a pleasing site from the back end of the pitch. I play at centre half, last night wasn't the greatest example of that position but it got the job done.
We even had a proper IFA referree this time, he was worth ever penny of his £25 fee - finally, my tackling got the recogniton it deserves! (Tackles which usually end in a heated nose-to-nose debate about what my intentions really were.)

Steve has a great post on sectarianism in football, most people I know would call sectarian booing harmless fun, on a par with booing the bad guys in WWE. However I believe that only when 'sectarianism' comes to mean something harmless in Northern Ireland that I'd agree with them.

4 CommentsJune 12, 2003

Markup Niggles

Creating valid markup is one thing, maintaining it as valid is quite another. I'm constantly posting dodgey URLs and image tags in MT, not thinking of it as part of the HTML of this site, which foobars any validation that an interested observer might investigate.

I'm about to try and figure out how to draw a table in CSS, because tableless design doesn't mean you won't need a table...

Aslo trying to come up with a winning argument against JT's 'build it any old how - just make it work' theory, but I think I'll have to leave that to the smart people.

And I hope Steve finds the right book on Irish history.

6 CommentsJune 9, 2003

Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michaelangelo

I used to love this game. If it was still about I might still love it...

3 CommentsJune 7, 2003

BlogShares

My BlogShares hot tip for today is Marty Was Here. I have some inside information and can pretty much guarantee this'll be a winner. The value increases once Marty claims his blog, and a re-index should see the incoming links add value to Marty's blog (it's value is as low as it can be right now).
Also any blog with '@ Persianblog' appended to the title is usually a big winner.
Finally don't buy out all the shares in a blog, leave a small quantity (say, 50) to continue making small trades in - ramping the share price up (assuming the value of the blog remains constant or improves). The P/E is an indication of the stability of the share price, I usually sell at P/E 250 as after that the price may go down or up - but any increase is usually small and not worth the risk (again assuming the blog value isn't changed).
See this graph (share prive V time) to show how changes in share price are minimised as the P/E gets to the magic number (assuming no change in blog value).

3 CommentsJune 7, 2003

Today (a great Smashing Pumpkins song)

Never travel with Ulsterbus, especially if you're over 6 feet tall, NI Rail at least has the leg room and nice views of Belfast Lough in the sun, when travelling from Bangor. The apple crumble in the Northern Whig is divine, and the company was good too. Marty tells such interesting stories about us Presbyterians. And I was in the Royal Courts of Justice (I really like saying that) today, Stake Knife was there too, it's a very interesting place, all limestone and marble with people swishing about in wigs and capes.

Today is also the 59th anniversary of D-Day. That is all.

1 CommentsJune 6, 2003

The Ponytail has left the building

Seaman joins Man City. Clearly age has not dulled his desire for the game. It'll be weird to see him in the jaws of anothers goal mouth. I hear Philippe Mexes might be joining Arsenal, and Amarouso too. Actually when you get down to it anybody who can kick a ball has been linked to Arsenal recently...

2 CommentsJune 4, 2003

THE BRAES O' BALQUHIDDER

Will ye go, lassie, go,
To the braes o' Balquhidder?
Where the blaeberries grow,
'Mang the bonnie bloomin' heather;
Where the deer and the roe
Lightly bounding together,
Sport the lang simmer day
'Mang the braes o' Balquhidder.

Robert Tannahill (1774-1810)

I went off-piste a little while cycling through woods near Clandeboye, got stung by nettles very badly. Much, much pain. Also nearly took a face plant near Helen's Tower but thankfully managed to hold on (as it was rock all around). It's been raining heavily recently so I was mucked to the eye-balls and loved it.

I think it's fair to say that the summer schedule has started and blogging may take a back seat, then again I do have to sit here and fill in application forms and crap so I can't totally break free.

3 CommentsJune 4, 2003