maynardcase.co.uk linkfest

Constantine: Rather confusing blather-fest which really struggles to introduce its world before blowing it away. Many side characters barely manage a scene before being killed off in interesting ways. Most plot points are overly silly/complex; you spend time working out what is going on which would be better spent getting emotionally attached to the hero/heroine. Not a terrible film, but a long way from being a good one. (Disclaimer: never read the comic.)

Enigma: Terribly proper visit to Bletchley Park for some decrypting fun! Tries to be a thriller but is a bit too formal; Kate Winslet tries quite hard but I never really cared for the characters. The challenge of breaking Shark (and its solution) was well explained but the tension wasn’t really built up. A rather dull script, considering it was written by Tom Stoppard. Overall: s’alright, I suppose.

Easter Parade: Only watched the first fifteen minutes but was impressed by Fred Astaire’s dance sequence in the toy shop. Overall: unknown…

This staircase is in Heals in Tottenham Court Road.

Bored with crop circles? Live near the sea? Why not make your own sand circles?

Mmmm, nice - a very effective visual interpretation of a performance by famous Jazz saxophone player John Coltrane.

Taken at Kew Gardens

Good morning!
Saturday morning: Sometimes you get the feeling that you haven’t quite thought things through. Earlier in the week I had arranged to go and measure the interior of a house that we are hoping to buy shortly - at about 10.30am on Saturday morning. (At which point I expect the housing market to crash and burn. I’ll let you know when the deal gets signed so that you can be prepared.) Also, my gf’s parents, who are very nice people, were staying for the weekend.

The combination of
a) being very drunk the night before
b) having to get up at 9am
c) trying to be polite to the gf’s parents
is not a good one. <sigh>

Hmmm, that would make a good photo
Went round Kew Gardens in the afternoon, sheltering from the occasional hail in the various huge greenhouses. We were aiming for the orchid displays which are in the Princess Di Conservatory at the moment - and pretty impressive they were too. Orchids are genuinely special flowers (although I don’t quite understand the obsession) and it was interesting seeing all the different varieties. Annoyingly I think they spent quite a bit of their budget setting up vast displays of the same (presumably common) orchids which got a bit overpowering. Despite that it was hard to resist the urge to wander round taking millions of close-ups photos of the flowers.

The other thing which was getting on my nerves was the number of other photographers with better gear than mine… but it’s about the talent and experience, not the equipment! Now all I have to do is get some more talent and experience…

A story on Slashdot pointed me to this list of unmissable gaming reviews - all of which are well worth a look.