skoo.net: April 2005 Archives

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April 30, 2005

Sun is shining

Weather is sweet. Yeah.

Birthday weekend 2005 is finally upon me. I've received some more donations for the skoo.net appeal to mankind, and I will be doing a proper update either later tomorrow, or Monday.

I shall leave you with this link to a rather cool animated hip-hop music video called "Moving Along" by THE PLANETS & blendfilms.com Click pic for info.

Posted by skoo at 02:37 PM | Comments (2)

April 26, 2005

Joust Pt2

Hot off the press:

http://www.weebl.jolt.co.uk/joust2.htm

Enjoy.

Posted by skoo at 11:08 PM | Comments (3)

Birthday Fund

Thanks to another amazing donation of £1 yes, ONE POUND my current birthday fund stands, after paypal took its fees, at a WHOPPING... £5.69 GBP / $10.56 USD.

With only 6 days left until my birthday, this means that the chances of me being able to afford a PSP are almost zero, however, I had a very quick look around for things I can buy.

I didn't give it long, but perhaps a pack of strange playing cards?

If I can somehow double my funds, I could go for something like this.

I love me some gizmos.

Posted by skoo at 08:48 PM | Comments (4)

April 22, 2005

Netbux

I never thought I'd ever get paid to search the net...

Head over to www.netbux.org and sign up, you can even refer friends, and get paid for their searches, too!

You'll need a paypal account to get paid, but those are easy enough to setup.

Posted by skoo at 07:17 PM | Comments (1)

April 21, 2005

April 17, 2005

USA Cont.

We made our way towards the 24 hour restaurant. I ordered a $5 milkshake and a philly cheese steak. Sassy ordered a weird salad thing that arrived in a giant mug-shaped receptical and some sort of scampi basket thing. Yes, that is a vague description, mostly because of the god damn five dollar milkshake. Wow. I think it was made from some sort of magic cow's milk. The philly cheesesteak on the other hand, must have been made from a regular cow.

Now that I come to think about it, I ate a lot of cow based products. Steak, Cheese, Milkshake. It wouldn't suprise me if cow poop was used on the potato field, either. Not that the fries tasted like shit or anything. They were rather nice fries, I'll have you know.

I could tell that night was drawing near so we decided to head back to the camp.

The next morning we headed out to the gaming floor again, only this time it was different. Sassy, for some reason, decided to put $20 into a $1 slot machine, and on her first roll she won $20. I forced her to cash out and we found machines that didn't cost so much. Better safe than sorry, you know.

We relocated ourselves to some machines called "Cleopatra", they were easy to play and had a huge advantage of costing 1 cent per roll. We ordered some sort of mudslide drinks and played Cleo' for a long time. I actually made some money back.

Feeling confident we went off in search of the holy grail. The 25c Monopoly machine. Luck was with us on this day and we found four of the blighters, relatively easily.

I knew something big was going to happen, I was wearing my lucky cowbell t-shirt, so Sassy rubbed it for luck before putting $20 into the machine...

[to be continued]

Posted by skoo at 12:20 PM | Comments (2)

April 16, 2005

Quick appeal update!

Current Total in Pounds Sterling: £4.92 GBP
Current Total in US Dollars: $9.07 USD

The fund took a huge leap thanks mostly, to Sassy, who owed me money from a bet I made (and won) with her! ;) One of you other cheeky buggers donated 50p which means I am going to have to find a new gift, as you guys have surpassed the "lottery ticket" idea!

Perhaps THIS, or maybe THIS, how about THIS little gem?

Only you can decide, donate today and make a dream* come true!

*Not a dream

Posted by skoo at 12:31 PM | Comments (2)

April 14, 2005

Losing it

I've not had much time to update lately, mostly because I have discovered a show from the US called LOST. I had to pause it 8 minutes into the first episode so I could calm down, as I have been waiting for a show like this for years.

If I was a Japanese anime character, I would have had a face like this:

^_^

I suggest you do whatever perfectly legal activities you need to do in order to watch this show.

Whatever you do, do NOT google for: "LOST filetype:torrent" And certainly do NOT check any of the many tv torrent sites. That would be illegal and wrong. Shame on you for thinking that.

Posted by skoo at 08:02 PM | Comments (4)

April 10, 2005

PSP Stuff

A roundup of useful PSP related information:

Taking apart your lovely PSP. You'd be a fool to.

How to play multiplayer on the PSP with just one copy of a game.

Using your PSP to save your xbox games.

Getting videos and DVDs onto your PSP for free. There are other alternatives now, but the first article has a nice walkthrough for the novice.

Get TiVo on your PSP.

Read ebooks on your PSP.

One that Ash will like.. Webcomics on the PSP.

Access IRC via your PSP.

Making thumbnail images for your PSP save games, and movies.

Using Wipeout Pure to access the internet on your PSP. I suggest using the PSP Browser link on that portal, it has added functionality.

RSS feeds via your PSP.

Mmm, limited edition.

Posted by skoo at 12:38 PM | Comments (7)

April 09, 2005

Appeal update

In what I was intending to be a regular feature (but may have to drp due to lack of participation), my birthday appeal update has made it's first appearance. Although judging by the donations thus far, I may be having one of my poorer birthdays to date.

The running total for the skoo.net appeal to mankind currently stands at exactly £1.00 (One English Pound). Which is about $1.83 USD.

If you wish to change this, please avert your eyes to the button on the right and donate! As stated before, I will pool any donations together and purchase myself a birthday gift. If I recieve no more donations, I will purchase a lottery ticket with my £1 birthday money.

Posted by skoo at 01:59 PM | Comments (2)

April 07, 2005

Chopsticks

When eating with chopsticks, always observe the proper precautions:

[Clicky for big]

Have you ever wanted to see the emotional final scene of Se7en, performed by stuffed animals?

Stuck for decoration ideas for your home? Try a lamp made of sheep stomachs as seen below. Too subtle for you? Try a ceiling full of the damn things! Or, simply, Cow Benches.

Posted by skoo at 06:53 PM | Comments (4)

April 06, 2005

Demolition Squid

Weebl and I wrote a film trailer. Click here to see!

This one took a loooong time to animate, not just because of the more complex animation, but also because of being busy/out of the country/ill/injured/etc.

Hope you enjoy!

Posted by skoo at 12:09 PM | Comments (7)

April 05, 2005

Secret handshake

Kharysma got inducted into Phi Theta Kappa yesterday, I am very proud of her! She has worked extremely hard at college and it is great that the American education system rewards students for working hard.

She is studying to become a nurse, and after reading some of the stuff she has to learn, I have to admit that I would not be able to cope. I had no idea what stratified squamous was, and to be honest I probably don't even know NOW. Hell, I don't even know if that is the correct spelling! You get the idea.

She is such a caring person and I am lucky to have her. Lookie here if you need proof, for her thread on the weebls-stuff forums. [Requires a forum account to view]

I could go on like this all day, so I'll end by saying "Love you, babe!"

Posted by skoo at 11:40 PM | Comments (2)

Appeal to mankind

As you may have noticed, there is now a donation button to the right hand side of the front page. If you did not notice, please avert your eyes to the right for a moment before returning here. There. Isn't it nice?

My birthday is typically on May 2nd, every year, no less. I hereby promise to spend any money you donate very wisely.

In fact, I am trying to save up enough money to import a PSP from Japan (Plan A). If I am able to do this with your help, you will find this blog full of my happiness, and a complete in-depth review of the PSP.

If, on the other hand, I do not make enough money to go ahead with Plan A, I will buy something else for reviewing purposes. This will of course be known as Plan B.

Posted by skoo at 06:25 PM | Comments (6)

April 03, 2005

USA Cont.

The gaming floor grew near and I could see a mixture of elderly people and flashing lights. At first I thought it was some sort of disco revival, but then I remembered that plastic cups full of coins are not often seen at your local disco.

We did a lap of the gaming floor first. Sassy was looking for a very specific type of slot machine, as well as monitoring the craps tables. I had my keen eye out for the card tables, I fancied me some Texas hold'em in particular.

Eventually we decided to just pick a random slot machine and see how we'd go. $20 was deposited and to cut a rather boring story short, we didn't do that great.

We moved back over towards the craps tables and Sassy spotted a slot machine similar to the one she was hunting, so she sat down to play. It was a very strange machine and I think she came out even, although I was keeping one eye on the craps table behind us, as the stick-man dealer-dude (that is not a technical term) was being quite vocal.

We eventually moved a bit closer and just stood there watching, to get a feel for the table, when it happened. He spotted us.

Next thing I know, we are being taught how to play craps. This was actually quite handy as both Sassy and I needed a refresher course. Soon we were up to speed and we cashed in.

Casino chips have a great feel to them. I believe they are made from clay, with a little brass disk inside to give them their weight. Each denomination has coloured markings on the side, as well as being a different base colour. Casino chips weigh 11.5 grams each and they make the most wonderous noise when you "shuffle" them. I decided at this moment to start a chip collection. I took a $1 chip home with me.

Anyways, back to the main event, the table was very friendly and I got to witness some crazy superstitions, which I tried to mimic in later games. Best to fit in with the locals, you see. This typically involves rolling the die against the table wall until your lucky number(s) come(s) up. Doubles are quite popular, and some people will then stack the die ontop of each other, before lifting them up and throwing them down the table.

We played for a while, and had a good time. I was about even for the session, and Sassy was a little under. We didn't want to blow everything right away so we moved on.

Something I did not mention earlier was that this building had two casinos inside. We only toured one of the two, and I had assumed, from not actually seeing any, that the card tables were simply located at the other casino. I was partly right, as we swiftly located the blackjack tables.

"Must be getting close" I thought.

WRONG. BIG FAT WRONG. IN YOUR FACE WRONG. This must be the only casino in the world where you can not play poker. I was gutted. Words can not express. You see, when going to a casino you must be willing to lose all that you gamble. Which I would not have minded, had it been at the card table. But I was not to be given that chance.

Don't get me wrong, I was still enjoying myself, but I really wanted to play poker. At least I was in ~~good~~ great company!

Sassy dragged me off to get some food, and on the way she challenged me to guess the time, because there are no clocks and no windows in a casino. I guessed quite accurately and she seemed miffed that I was able to keep track so adeptly.

I said "I'm from England, we invented time!"

Posted by skoo at 12:25 PM | Comments (0)

April 02, 2005

You down with OPP?

(Obligatory Pope Post). Bad start, let me try that again.

As most of you will know by now, the Pope finally passed away today. I am not a religious man, and I am sure I will be sick of the word "Pope" pretty soon thanks to the media FRENZY that will follow, but in the meantime I am going to waffle on with my opinion(s) and anecdotes.

I will now share with you some info which I did not believe:

When the Pope dies, the officials that were part of the papal administration no longer rule. The governing of the Vatican is taken over by the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, or Chamberlain of the church. The camerlengo supervises all aspects of what goes on from the the death of the pope to the election of the next pope. His responsibilities include the papal funeral and preparations for the conclave. The camerlengo's first duty is to perform a medieval ritual. At the deathbed of the pope the camerlengo takes a silver hammer and lightly taps on the pope's forehead three times, calling him by his Christian name. When there is no reply, he announces to those present that the pope is dead.

Brutal, but a fact none the less. It got me thinking, "What if he was only almost dead, and the hammer finished him off?" I mean, talk about pressure!

I was told about this on April 1st so you can hopefully understand why I would not believe it until I actually saw the proof. No, I did not see the pope getting hit on the head, I was refering to the link.

As I said earlier, I'm not religious, so I will not be able to appreciate the "grandness" of it all, but I do not understand why so many people are being disrespectful of his death. I suppose it is easier to make fun of things you do not believe in, or things that use a silver hammer to test for death. I'm still having trouble with that info. Can you imagine if you hit the pope on the head and he was just sleeping?

I am glad for his sake that he made it through April 1st, although I suppose it just prolonged his pain. You know what? I really don't know why I started writing this post. In my non-religious eyes, he is just an old man who died, and for that I am sad. But in the grand scheme of things, surely that is what he wanted to do all along? To meet his maker? This is too much philosophy for a Saturday night.

Rest in Peace, old man. You deserve it. The Peace, that is.

Posted by skoo at 11:13 PM | Comments (3)

Slowly, slowly

I have been getting to grips with this blog software this morning. It's afternoon now, so that goes to show you how hectic my life is.

I've post-dated some entries about my recent trip to the USA, as I would like to keep the entire report here. Future updates will, of course, be added as I write them.

Posted by skoo at 01:57 PM | Comments (1)