Some good old fashioned anthropomorphism...

Did this a few years ago....

The screaming habdabs

Not really Andy, I had a great time. It's amazing how much overzealous drunken football makes ones legs ache though...

Geosciency stuff

This one's appearing in the June edition of Geoscientist. The July one is just completed. This one is based on everyone favourite smartarse James Lovelock, an incredibly clever man. I do wish he didn't call his big idea Gaia though, it sounds a bit yoghurt weaved.

Hopefully I'll be able to get inspired and do several months worth at once rather than all this hand to mouth nonsense. I don't think I'll get much done today though, I'm still feeling somewhat addled after my mate Andys stag do. So much so that I was an hour and a half late for work this morning. Ho hum.

Best birthday present ever!

Ok I shouldn't have said best ever, that's not fair on all the other tops presents I've had, including the handkerchiefs and the Ernest Hemingway story. But get a load of the Dr Manhatten fridge magnets Graeme and Sarah made for me!! So far they're bespoke, but if you ask nicely they might make some more.

Just don't tell Alan Moore...

There's no time like the present 9

This is one of my favourite comics. Paul Rainey has recently released the latest installment in his graphic novel, or long comic book as pedants make him clarify. It's really difficult to sum up in a few paragraphs because there's so much to it. Here goes anyway.

It's set in present day Milton Keynes where people are able to access what's essentially the internet of the future: The Ultranet. This raises philosophical issues of course, should you search for your obituary? should you check if you're still working at that factory in 30 years? should you download the next 10 years worth of Emmerdale? There is some degree of physical time travel but only backwards it would seem, and this is being stopped as the terminals are powered down.

The story centres around 3 characters, Cliff, Barry and Hugh, as both young and old men. Not only is it extremely funny, it has things to say about getting older, growing up, not growing up and relationships. There are plenty of top cultural references as seen by the younger enthusiasts and as elderly men watching the Hulk, He-Man and Dr Who as part of their classis TV club.

I can't wait to see where Paul's going with this, as there is still some unfinished business from earlier in the story, which is sure to make a great ending, whether it's happy or sad I'm not sure yet.

I really don't feel I've done Pauls work justice here. This is a great great comic book. You simply must buy it.

It's available from his website pbrainey.com and various comic shops, I know it's in OK comics in Leeds 'cos I saw it there.

What a splendid way...

...to spend an evening. After work Dr Moeckel, Dr Thomas and myself sojourned to North Walney Island to look at the dead Whale. The forecast threatened bad weather but if you let that stop you one will never do anything, anyway, we had 2 pairs of waterproof leggings. We walked along the beach about a mile to find the carcass. The wind was blowing up turbulent streaks of sand which gave the evening, dare I say it, an almost spiritual feel. There is something about the beach at Walney: if you ignore the windfarm, the buildings at Millom, the boats and the tideline litter it's easy to imagine that this is how it was hundreds of millions of years ago. One can almost see the horseshoe crabs washing ashore. I guess that's a lot of things to ignore, but it's all relative.

Anyway. It was fascinating to see the Whale, still as yet unidentified. It was, however, unfortunate that Dr Thomas felt it necessary to poke the carcass with a stick and throw stones at it. Ho hum. It didn't half stink as well.

Cryptozoology?

Isn't it funny where one can get ideas from? Last month a 7m carcass washed up on Walney Island, and while it is yet to be identified professionally it clear that it's some sort of whale. It doesn't have teeth & has a large head so it must be one of those filter feeding right whales. As long as you stay upwind it's an impressive sight (photos to follow hopefully). While doing a bit of research into whale anatomy I stumbled up on a pretty neat book: 'in the wake of sea serpents' which has stories about sightings of pleisiosaurs, giant fish and the very believable giant squid. I still need to do a lot of research about cryptozoology and its relationship with zoology, where of course all cryptids end up when properly identified. I wouldn't want it to be too pisstakey, maybe a story about beliefs, delusions, oddities, the unknown and a smattering of comedy. I'm not sure my sketch here does what I have in mind justice, though I certainly do want it to have a ripping yarn feel to it. Having said all that I'm very indecisive at the moment, so could end up doing something altogether different. Ho hum.