Crazy Purple Rubber Squeaky Octopus

Friday, November 30, 2001

Sorry, but I have to bore you for a moment, beacuse these results have got me a bit excited. I`ve been checking up on my sites ranking at various search engines, and just have to tell you what I`ve found.
Searching for `webcam communities` -
Yahoo: listed number 1, and mentioned on results 4 and 5.
Google: listed 1 and 2.
Netscape : listed number 1.
AOL:listed number 1. also listed number 1 for `webcams` and `cams`.
Hotbot: listed number 1 and 6
Altavista: listed 6 and 7.
Lycos: listed number 8.
The only major search sites I don`t have a good listing appear to be MSN and Excite, but even so, these are the kind of results profesional companies would kill for. To say I`m pleased is something of an understatement. I must be doing something right here :-)
:: Steve Benway 5:37 PM [+] ::
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I was going to tell you what I`ve been doing the past couple of days.. developing some small sites and stuff.
Then I was going to tell you about the six videos that I bought yesterday.
I`m not going to do either of those now, I`m just going to tell you about the last video.
Dancer In The Dark, starring Bjork.
This film isn`t like any film you`ve seen before. It`s done in a european style, almost `art house`. Washed out colour, low buget, documetntary style drama musical. Get your head around that if you can.
This isn`t an easy film to watch, in fact, for the first half hour, I was sorely tempted to turn it off. Then all of a sudden it, clicked and I couldn`t take my eyes off the screen.
Deeply moving, often disturbing, and terribly tragic.
I`m not sure if Bjork is a genius, or truly insane. There are scenes... really tragic scenes, where she sings, and she does this thing with her voice, no-one else does it quite like her... you can hear her joy at being alive, despite all that`s happening around her.
If you`re looking for a good time movie, evening entertainment with friends and a beer, don`t watch this, it`ll ruin your whole night.
If you`re feeling depressed, don`t watch this... you`ll end up opening your wrists from despair.
If you`re looking for a nice romance with a happy ending, don`t watch this... there`s no romance at the end of a rope.
If you want an intellectual and emotional mindfuck, something with real beauty, that`s entirtely unlike anything you`ve seen before, that absolutely WILL leave you in tears, if you think you`re up to that, and can understand something where the concept isn`t handed to you on a plate... watch this film.
Just don`t watch it too often
:: Steve Benway 11:34 AM [+] ::
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Monday, November 26, 2001

Sorry, it`s been a while since I updated this thing.
I`ve been both struggling with this cold, so sleeping through most of it, and working on a HUGE site update.
Visually, the changes aren`t very dramatic, but with over 300 pages to alter, that`s a lot of work.
Why have I done this? Simple, I`ve learned a few new little snippets about Search Engine Optimisation, and am putting that knowlege to use. Also, I`m putting more banners up. They may not bring much in the way of extra revenue, but even a little helps.
Anyway, it should be another day or so before the work`s complete, and then I`ll submit to the search engines again, and see if it has any effect.
I`ve also updated my webcam page a bit, making it easier for people to get to various bits of my site, without having to navigate through the whole thing. I had a bit of a problem with this at first, as it wasn`t accepting my text. It took me ages to realise it objected to me mentioning the name of another webcam community...hehehe. I should`ve expected that really. Duh! Still, I found a way around it in the end.
:: Steve Benway 6:21 PM [+] ::
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Thursday, November 22, 2001

Well... I`ve been something of a clever bastard today.
Here`s the thing... I have a webpage that through a particular banner, brings me a small ammount of money. Now, more traffic=more money, and since I`ve done everything I possibly can to improve the ranking of that page with the search engines, what else can I do to increase traffic to that page?
The answer is pretty simple, if you think about it from a different angle. I can`t actually do much to improve that particular page... however, think about this. The original page is written in english, but not everyone on the net is english... not by a long way. So, what I did was translate the page into french, german, italian, and spanish... thus opening up a whole new area of potentail viewers.
Now, since I only speak english, how did I achieve this translation? Easy... google has a translation tool, to enable you to read foreign websites. I just used it to translate my page into those languages, copied the source code, made a few minor modifications, and uploaded.
On the down side today though... I`ve been blacklisted at Jimtools.com, which is the submission service I`ve been using. Probably the email addy I gave them to recieve their spam/newsletter is full, and bouncing their email. Bummer. Guess I`ll have to go find a new submission service, but it`s really no biggie. Google is the only search engine I`m really concerned with, and they`re easy to submit to manually.
:: Steve Benway 11:54 AM [+] ::
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Wednesday, November 21, 2001

So, yesterday was a frustrating day.
I had to go and do the necesary at the unemployment office, and fill out exactly the same forms, answering exactly the same questions, with exactly the same answers as before I did the training course.
Now this in iteslf wouldn`t be so bad, however...
Since I`m making a `new` claim for benefits, I also have to make a new claim for housing benefit, which means my old claim, which was already covered quite acceptably, is now cancelled, and I have to wait FOUR FUCKING MONTHS for my new claim to be processed. That`s bad enough, but any delay in payment of my rent, after the previous 4 month delay will wind me up in court, with the housing people seeking to evict me.
What a wonderful system we have. So... was it worth doing the training course? That remains to be seen. If I can keep the wolves off my door till January, then I`d say yes... `cause I`ll have had all the major dental work done, that I can`t afford to have done if I`m working, and I`ll be able to get a better job into the bargain.
Anyway...
I was so pissed off when I came out of the place, that I treated myself to a video.
Enemy At The Gates:
Great film. Jude Law, and Ed Harris were excellent, and even Bob Hoskins was impressive... which is surprising, `cause I really don`t like him much.
The thing I found curious about it, was the use of English actors to play Russians. There was no attempt made to mimic the Russian accent... and Jude Law in particular sounded extremely English. Now, I don`t see this as a bad thing... just strange. It left me wondering... is this film aimed at the American market, and an assumption made that Americans can`t tell an English accent from a Russian one? Probably not. Maybe it was just a case of allowing the actors to concentrate on their role, without having to worry about faking an accent. If that was the case, they succeeded... the acting is awesome all round.
Now... movies and unemployment offices aside, I really do have a stinking cold. Anyone out there wanna come and nurse me better? ;-)
Oh yeah... my cat.
He`s been playing a new game with me, that he seems to have learned recently. He was being especially persistant at it today. It`s called `Slam the bedroom door open and annoy Steve... just for the hell of it`.
He`s learned that when he wants food, all he has to do is annoy me persistantly, untill I feed him. Untill recently, he used to just meaow constantly at me, but over the past week or so, he`s found that he can take a run at my bedroom door, jump at it with his front paws, and make it slam open into the wall. This in iteslf is annoying, especially as there`s a cold draught coming down the hallway, but worse... when I close the door, he persistantly slams it open again, untill I feed him.
I must admit, as annoying as this is... I adore him for being so smart, and knowing how to make me do what he wants. It`s true, you can`t train cats... but they sure do know how to train us.
:: Steve Benway 2:05 PM [+] ::
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Monday, November 19, 2001

I guess I`ve not been in chat as much as I should... so sue me.
Since getting this new mic, I`ve found myself somewhat hooked on yahoo audio chat again. It`s probably just a phase, but I can`t help wandering through these rooms, and trying to figure out the mindset of these people. They behave very differently from your typical web chatter, and then even more differently from irc chatters.
I`m coming down with a cold... damnit. Started out just feeling a little braindead this evening, but now the sore throat`s kicked in, I guess I`ll just sit back, and see how bad it`s gonna get. Thank god for atomic lemon :-)
:: Steve Benway 7:25 AM [+] ::
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Saturday, November 17, 2001

Yeah, yeah, I know... this one`s late.
I`ve been busy either in chat, sleeping, or watching some videos I picked up earkier this week.
You know what that mean don`t you? Yup... it`s review time :-)
So, in the order I watched them.
U-571:
WWII, american submarine captures the german Enigma code machine. I have to be honest, this film annoyed the crap out of me. It`s factually incorrect, and another example of `America wins the war all by itself`. Total bullshit. The Enigma machine was captured by a British Destroyer. Only at the very end of the film, just before the credits, do the film makers state the true facts regarding this, and then only because they came under immense pressure from British veterans.
As for the film itself... well, if you wanna see a great WWII submarine film, watch Das Boot, it`s much better than this drivel.
Rules of Engagement:
Samuel L Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones in a military courtroom drama. This film is great, simply for the power of Jackson`s performance. I`ve been making a point to see as many of his as films possible, since Pulp Fiction. He simply IS charisma personified.
Shaft:
Samuel L Jackson again, and again, he`s great. However... the film itself isn`t maybe all I`d hoped for. I can`t quite put my finger on it, but there`s something missing.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon:
Let me make this perfectly clear from the very start THIS FILM IS AWESOME!!!!
Chow Yun Fat is god anyway, but that`s not even what makes this film great. It`s not the martial arts either, breathtaking though they are.
What it comes down to is the depth of the story, and the pure perfectionism displayed by the actors, director and producer.
The thing is, to really get the most from this film, it helps to be slightly familiar with chinese fairytale type movies and tv shows. Ever seen `The Water Margin`, `Monkey`, or `Moon Warriors`? That`s where this film is coming from... only done with massively improved production values, and much more maturity.
What you get is not just the martial arts, but romance, spiritualism, and humour, all combined seemlessly into a perfect vision of Chinese mythological culture.
A friend of mine who saw this said she didn`t like it, because some of the martial arts moves were over the top, ie, their jumps were totally impossible. The thing is.. she was missing the point. This film isn`t intended to be viewed as reality. It`s not a true historical portrayal of life in those times, but of Chinese myths and legends. The fighters used magic to win their battles, and as such, possesed superhuman skills. It`s partly about adding a sense of humour, and partly paying homage to the culture of Chinese tv shows.
Anyway, just in case you haven`t figured it out yet, I like this film... A LOT. It`s easily my favourite chinese film, and quite possibly my favourite film in general, surpassing even Bladerunner and The Matrix.
:: Steve Benway 1:09 AM [+] ::
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Wednesday, November 14, 2001

So... my day.
Woke around 2:30ish pm, went to the centre to sign off, and pick up my cirtificate. Then went into town to pick up a new mic, but the shop was closed, so I went further into town and stocked up on curry.
Came home, watched the news on tv for a bit, and then had a nap. Logged into chat around 7ish.
I think I could get back into not having to be up in the morning very easily :-)
I`m trying to think of something interesting to tell you... but my brain`s turned to mush. Mind you, there`s those that`d say it already was mush ;-)
Okay.. I know. I`ll tell you my observations on the type of people using webcams on the net... stuff I`ve found both from sitting in my chatroom, and various others, and from the tracking data I get from my website.
About 90% of cam users appear to be male, and of those, maybe 90% are looking for places where they can see naked women on cam. Of the small minority who want something different, maybe 90% of those really don`t know what they`re doing... either in a technical way, or just how to use the net in general.
Maybe that`s a rather sweeping generalisation... but it`s rather shocking how few people wander into my chatroom, looking for intelligent conversation, and it`s a very high profile room. In fact, only three of the regular chatters there are people who didn`t already know one or more of the other chatters.
I dare say I`m gonna get feedback from people saying I`m talking utter rubbish... and maybe my conclusions aren`t totally accurate. Certainly not every cam user is a braindead male looking for naked women. Still... it`s frightening just how many are. If you could see the realtime data I get from my website, you`d be shocked.
:: Steve Benway 4:35 AM [+] ::
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So... my day.
Woke around 2:30ish pm, went to the centre to sign off, and pick up my cirtificate. Then went into town to pic up a new mic, but the shop was closed, so I went further into town and stocked up on curry.
Came home, watched the news on tv for a bit, and then had a nap. Logged into chat around 7ish.
I think I could get back into not having to be up in the morning very easily :-)
I`m trying to think of something interesting to tell you... but my brain`s turned to mush. Mind you, there`s those that`d say it already was mush ;-)
Okay.. I know. I`ll tell you my observations on the type of people using webcams on the net... stuff I`ve found both from sitting in my chatroom, and various others, and from the tracking data I get from my website.
About 90% of cam users appear to be male, and of those, maybe 90% are looking for places where they can see naked women on cam. Of the small minority who want something different, maybe 90% of those really don`t know what they`re doing... either in a technical way, or just how to use the net in general.
Maybe that`s a rather sweeping generalisation... but it`s rather shocking how few people wander into my chatroom, looking for intelligent conversation, and it`s a very high profile room. In fact, only three of the regular chatters there are people who didn`t already know one or more of the other chatters.
I dare say I`m gonna get feedback from people saying I`m talking utter rubbish... and maybe my conclusions aren`t totally accurate. Certainly not every cam user is a braindead male looking for naked women. Still... it`s frightening just how many are. If you could see the realtime data I get from my website, you`d be shocked.
:: Steve Benway 4:33 AM [+] ::
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Tuesday, November 13, 2001

Oh well. I found out why my other website was down. They`d deleted it, due to me not using my isp account often enough with them. Oops...hehehe.
Well... I can`t say I blame them. They make their money from the call charges people build up while using them, and while I was only using them for maybe 5 mins every couple of months, I was using up over 2 gigs of server bandwidth a month.
Anyway, they`ve very kindly reactivated my account, so while I may have to upload my site and mp3s again... I at least have a nice huge chunk of free(ish) server space back again.
I guess I should log into them a bit more this time.
Oh how I love the internet :-)
:: Steve Benway 1:43 PM [+] ::
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Yeash. My other website`s down. I`m not sure if it`s just the server, or if they`ve deleted it. Either way, its bad news. I keep my mp3s on that site. Guess I`ll have to link to my mp3.com page for people the download them. It should be less of an issue when my CD`s available though... the mp3s will be available there too.
:: Steve Benway 1:54 AM [+] ::
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Monday, November 12, 2001

Ok, they just got in touch with me.
I sign off of the course tomorrow, and recieve the cirtificate for the truck that I passed on.
So, I won`t get the counterbalance licence. To be honest, even though that may limit me a little in the number of jobs I can apply for, I`m not too gutted. Counterbalances are generally used outside as a yard truck, and I really don`t wanna be working outside.
I guess I`ll try and get some more sleep now, and tomorrow, after signing off of the course, I have to see about what I`m gonna do next. I either go and sign up to some employment agencies, or start claiming unemployment benefit again. Oh joy.
:: Steve Benway 2:30 PM [+] ::
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ARGH!!!
So much for the world kissing my arse... kicked would be a better description.
I slept through my alarms, and was 2 1/2 hours late for the training course. The way the forklift training goes, if you miss the start, you either have to do it on a different week (which I can`t because this is my last week) or you simply don`t get to do it.
I spoke with the manager to see what`s going to happen, and he`s going to phone me later today.
Seems to me, there aren`t too many ways it can go. Either they`ll extend my course again; unlikely, since they`ve already extended one. They might try to fit me in at the end of the week; also unlikely, since it`d take 3 days, and there`s already a 3 day course running. Or... I simply get the one cirtificate I`ve earned, and call it quits.
Those would be the best options. If it goes badly, they might decide that I didn`t finish the course, and thus won`t give me the cirtificate I did pass.
What an utterly abysmal day.
:: Steve Benway 11:28 AM [+] ::
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Damn it all. It`s gone 4am, I have to be up in 3 hours, and I still can`t sleep. My main isp`s gone down, I`ve got too much on my plate, and everyone wants something.
All I can say is, I`m pissed off, fed up, and fuck it all. I`m taking a break for a couple of days, and the whole world can kiss my arse.
I`ll be back when I`m in a better mood
:: Steve Benway 4:22 AM [+] ::
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Sunday, November 11, 2001

I really hope you aren`t expecting me to say anything interesting, or even intelligent just now. It`s 9:30am, and I haven`t been to bed yet. I`d sleep, but I`m so hyper on caffein, it just isn`t gonna happen yet..hehehe.
What can I tell you? I`m listening to New Order... so as far as my world`s concerned, it`s still the mid 80`s and I`m typing this on a Sinclair ZX81.
That reminds me... anyone who knows a bit about me will know I collect old computers. Anyway.. there was a guy on there was a guy on the same course as me who has a ZX81... a computer I`ve been trying to get my hands on for years. He wouldn`t sell it to me. I could`ve cried.
Alright, that`s enough thought association. I have to try and sleep.
:: Steve Benway 10:07 AM [+] ::
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Saturday, November 10, 2001

What a strange night. I took a stroll through undernet for something to do. Listed over 5000 channels, and visited a couple of hundred... no-one was talking.
I guess I shouldn`t be surprised.. but it just seemed odd. Guess it`s been a while since I used irc much outside of my own room.
I was rather saddened at one point though... the very first room I ever treated as home doesn`t exist any more.
R.I.P #amirc. I guess it died along with the Amiga computers it supported. Ah well.
Hehehe... some guy just wandered into the room, and asked looney why he couldn`t see his face on the cam. I owe you one Jodene... that fake cam rocks.
:: Steve Benway 2:15 AM [+] ::
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Friday, November 09, 2001

Ok.. wtf`s going on here? I`m 33 not 16.
While I was in town this afternoon, I picked up a couple of CDs. New Order, `Substance`... no biggie there, just nostalgia, but out of curiosity, I also bought Marilyn Manson `Holy Wood`. I was pretty much expecting it to be obvious shock material, and I suppose to some extent it is, but with the Nine Inch Nails connection, I wanted to hear for myself. What I wasn`t expecting was to be impressed. However... this album rocks!!!
I`ve always listened to certain types of music for certain moods, and for a noisy, aggressive, and downright delinquent, kickass mood, where you wanna really annoy the neighbours, this can`t be beat.
Sorry to everyone on my street, but I have to turn this up a bit louder ;-)
:: Steve Benway 6:52 PM [+] ::
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Thursday, November 08, 2001

Well, I guess training wasn`t too bad, except I was sat next to the most utterly annoying little twerp. He just wouldn`t shut up, and spoke nothing but drivel.
On the plus side, there`s a job I spotted in the paper... advertising for web designers. I don`t have all of the skills or experience necesary, though I do have some of them. I`m gonna apply anyway... after all, the worst that can happen is they`ll say no.
On getting home, I crashed out almost immediately. Was asleep for 4 hours.. which leaves me here. So, lets see what the evening brings :-)
:: Steve Benway 8:12 PM [+] ::
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Very tired. My jaw aches some still, though not nearly as bad as I`d been given to expect.
It`s raining outside. Can I go back to bed please?
I`m sooooooo tempted to ring the training centre and tell them I won`t be in today, but I have a feeling I`m walking a fine line with my instructor this week, having been somewhat blunt with him on monday. If he decides i`m not taking the job search part of the course seriously (which I`m not) he could have me thrown off the course, and then I wouldn`t get my cirtificates... so I guess I`d better go in and bear it for another day and a half.
No time left... I`d better go.
:: Steve Benway 8:35 AM [+] ::
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Wednesday, November 07, 2001

I managed to get through the day without loading up on paracetamol or asprin, which was something of a relief, though sleeping proved to be rather difficult.
It`s really quite amazing how a little thing like having 2 teeth removed can totally knock the crap out of you. I just woke up, and to say I`m exhausted is an understatement.
Wanna know what amazes me even more though? Well... when I`m online, my webcam is online.. everyone who knows me knows this. Yet I still get people messaging me in the middle of the night while I`m in bed. This in itself wouldn`t really be a big deal, except when someone messages me, my computer plays a loud sample, and usually wakes me up. It just kind of boggles my brain a bit, getting woken by someone saying "Are you there?", when it`s a very simple thing to just look at my webcam and find out before waking me.
Before anyone reads this and thinks I`m speaking about them in particular, no... I`m not, several people do it. Don`t get me wrong either, I do like the fact that people want to talk to me, but yeash.. for people who think they know me at least a little bit, how can they not know they`re gonna wake me if they message me while I`m asleep? And more than that... given that they could actually check if I`m awake before messaging me... why don`t they?
I dunno... maybe I just assume, or expect too much, but it just leaves me with a rather nagging feeling. I guess I should just come right out and say it when someone messages me while I`m asleep "Can`t you check my cam first? You just woke me up"... but I dunno. *shrugs*
Anyway, I`ll stop complaining now. The cat`s insisting I feed him, so I`m off to the shop for catfood, and probably some high energy milk shakes or something. Eating`s still quite an ordeal.
:: Steve Benway 10:13 AM [+] ::
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Tuesday, November 06, 2001

Ugh! That was utterly brutal. She had a LOT of trouble getting the 2nd tooth out, and was just about to resort to surgery when it finally came out. To say I`m relieved is an understatement. I really don`t fancy being sliced up, thank you very much.
Anyway, when the anasthetic wears of, she says this is gonna really hurt and I have to take pain killers. That`s kind of a bummer, `cause the ammount of pain killer I`ll need is sure to make me sick. I guess I`ll wait and see.
I`m finding it hard to think straight at the moment... I was shot so full of cocain to numb the tooth, it`s kinda gone to my head a bit.
:: Steve Benway 2:52 PM [+] ::
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Here we go... I`m just about to go to the dentists. 2 more extractions. Even though I know how it goes, I`m still scared almost witless.
:: Steve Benway 1:15 PM [+] ::
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Monday, November 05, 2001

I went and got the parcel. It was a set of materials for a home based IT training course. I totally forgot I`d signed up for it months ago. Turn`s out it`s no different from the IT course I just completed, and is even less useful, because it doesn`t actually include the software. Everything`s done using Macromedia Flash. I`m just glad it didn`t cost me anything.
The `job search` today annoyed the crap out of me. I showd the instructor the CV I`d done on my own computer, and he simply sat and nit picked, pointing out all the places where it was different from the one produced by the people who run the course.
Needless to say, I told him exactly what I thought of his opinion.. like tiny details such as a slightly thicker line here, or different size bullet point there is going to matter to a potential employer. Blithering idiot!!! Basicly, he doesn`t like the idea that I can do the task quite adequately without his guidance. That whole part of the course is a total waste of time and tax payers money.
Still, on the positive side, I only have to put up with 1 1/2 more days of that bullshit, then it`s back to about 3 days training on the 2nd forklift, and I`m out of there.
:: Steve Benway 4:36 PM [+] ::
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For some reason, this thing`s pretty much dumped my entire archive of logs, so at the moment, pretty much all that`s on this page is all there is. Bummer. It doesn`t seem to be putting the dates in either... I dunno.
I`m too tired to worry about that anyway, didn`t sleep at all well last night... caught maybe 3 hours. No big surprise, I`ve got a sucky week ahead of me.
More crappy job search, wasting my time in an office, doing a load of pointless excercises that I could just as easily do at home, and that serve no purpose at all, untill I`ve completed training on the second forklift. Then tomorrow, brutal dental sugery, followed by about a week of pain.
Geez, havent` I woken in a good mood.
Anyways, there is one thing I`m at least curious about. There`s a parcel waiting for me at the post office, and I`ve no idea what it is, or who it`s from. Hmm... I wasn`t actually sure what time I`d be able to go and pick it up, but to hell with it, I`ll be late for training, and go and pick it up now. Hopefully, it`s not just some dumb piece of oversized junk mail.
:: Steve Benway 8:42 AM [+] ::
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Sunday, November 04, 2001

I didn`t post in the weblog yesterday. Having gone into town, and found two music and video shops doing a 3 videos for £30 deal, I bought 6 videos, and spent the rest of the day watching them.
I guess that makes it movie review time :-)
Red Planet: .
I`ll be honest, I wasn`t expecting this to be much good, after seeing Mission To Mars, and finding it utterly lame. I`m glad to say I was very pleasantly surprised. The acting was excellent (Even Val Kilmer), and the script was entirely plausible, while still having some exciting moments. I`d put this somewhere in the same ballpark as 2010.
Titan AE:
Fantastic animation and 3D graphics, shame about the characterisation. If this had been aimed at a more mature audience, in the way of much Japanese animation, it would have been far more impressive. Instead, the characters and much of the plot was very Disneyesque and lacking in real depth, leaving me quite disapointed.
Deep Blue Sea:
This one was a surprise. Every review I`ve seen of it, and many of my friends who`ve seen it, say it`s absolute rubbish. What`s wrong with these people? To compare the film with Jaws would be a mistake. Ever seen Scream? Been impressed with the way it makes a mockery of all the old horror film cliches? This film is similar, in many ways. If you take it too seriously, you`re missing the point. Just sit back, disengage your brain, and enjoy it.
The Sixth Sense:
In a word, breathtaking. Easily one of the best films I`ve ever seen, and certainly one of Bruce Willis`s best performances. As I said in an earlier post, he just gets better and better. The ending was a real surprise, and the director is something of a genius. He left so many clues, but you still don`t get it, till he hands it to you on a plate. Call me a wuss, but this film had me in tears... and any film that can do that to me HAS to be good.
Gone In 60 Seconds:
A typical high octane Nicholas Cage film. It`s not too taxing on the brain, but extremely proficient at what it does, with that easily recognisable Cage sense of humour stamped all over it. Films like this will never win any Oscars, but that`s missing the point. It`s a thoroughly enjoyable high action romp, and I just can`t help but enjoy it.
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence:
Awesome. Truly awesome. People often quote The Man Who Fell To Earth as David Bowie`s best film, but I have to differ. In that, he merely plays his then current stage persona, going by a different name. In Mr Lawrence... he acts, and very well. Not only does he make a very convincing, bloody minded yet free thinking English army officer, the way he manages to portray the mental deterioration of that character is very impressive.
Bowie`s isn`t the only great performance here.. this film give something of a taster of the brilliant work of `Beat` Ketano Tekashi that is yet to come in other films such as Violent Cop, Sonatine, and Johny Neumonic.
The other thing that got my attention in this film was the theme music. I`ve been hearing a dance tune on the radio a lot lately, and knew I`d heard it somewhere before... I just haven`t been able to place it. This is where it comes from.

:: Steve Benway 4:46 PM [+] ::
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Friday, November 02, 2001

Hehe... so, a free day off. I slept through the whole day. It`s 5:15pm, and I just got up... mind you, I didn`t go to bed till around 6:30am this morning.
Anyways, the good news today is, I just received written confirmation from peoplesound of acceptance of my CD, and they`ve given me a timeframe to expect it to be in production, and for the webpage to be active. Aprox 8 weeks.
So... all being well, I can expect to be able to sell the thing on or around January the 2nd. That`s quite a wait, but what the heck... it`ll have to do. I`m just happy to have it in writing.
I`m thinking pretty soon, I should go get some decent audio leads, a midi interface for this pc, some new guitar strings, and start trying to complete the tracks I`ve had sitting around, using this machine instead of the Amiga. Not because this machine is better at the job... it isn`t, but simply because it`s more convenient for recording samples.
I currently have two tunes sitting in the memory of my Roland MC303, one`s been there for at least 6 months, and both are in need of some extra sampled sounds, and a set of lyrics that`s just screaming out for a tune.
Actually, I`m not sure how I`ll go about promoting that song, `cause there`s no way peoplesound will touch it. Offensive doesn`t begin to describe it. Juvenile just about covers it`s level of irresponsibility... the kind of thing you`d expect a bunch of drunken slobs to be singing along to coming home from the pub. That`s the whole point though.. it may be immature and juvenile, but it sure is a fun song ;-)
:: Steve Benway 5:36 PM [+] ::
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Thursday, November 01, 2001

So... how did the test go?
I made one really stupid mistake, reversing out of a pallet before retracting the forks, and a few minor mistakes that I fully expected to make. I`m not too hot at stacking pallets straight, and expected to drop some points there.
The end result? Well... you`re allowed to drop up to 40 points. 41 points is a fail. I dropped 26 points.
What this means is, I`m now qualified to safely operate a reach type forklift truck. Woohoo :-))
I have a week of `jobsearch` next week, which will be interrupted by more rather brutal dental work, and the following week, I`ll be training on a counterbalance type forklift. This is a much easier machine, and I have no real concerns about my ability to pass the test.
As for this week though... having completed the test, I was allowed to go home.. though I did actually wait to see the result of the guy I`d been training with, as we`d been helping each other all through the training... and tomorrow, the day is my own, I don`t have to go in :-))
:: Steve Benway 2:12 PM [+] ::
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