Eat Electric Death

Sunday, 31 October 2004

Friday, 29 October 2004

Well, our clan-mate Beej is leaving Death-Central for a while for a new job which will not be without some liveliness. Beej, having completed his HNVQ in professional Doormanship is now taking up a post as the resident bouncer in the 414 club, Brixton. So we'd just like to say - stay safe fucker - don't do anything we wouldn't do and for god's sake don't say something like "yes sightseeing in Brixton does sound like a good idea" and venture out of the comfort of your little nightclub-compound for no good reason whatsoever.
A le retour Beej! We'll keep the beer warm and the women cold for you until your next return....

Thursday, 28 October 2004

Welcome to the end of 4th Age - Petrolium [Shedir]

http://www.endofsuburbia.com/

If you get this DVD, by whatever means, and watch it your entire perception of civilisation as we know it will be transformed.
We're living in an age of unrivaled ease and prosperity. Perhaps not monetary, but in lifestyle it's never been cushier for a westerner.
The entire thing is built on oil, it's uses are never ending and the bad news is it's running out.
When this particular shit hits the fan we are truly fucked.
Globalisation will shift into reverse, better be prepared for electrical rationing and no personal car usage.
It's not scaremongering, this shit is about to happen and you've got to just accept it and try and figure out what you're going to do. For you, and your family.
It's bleak. We have to use nuclear and all forms of enviro friendly stuff to keep the electricity on and begin now.
Oils other uses will be much harder to duplicate:

Fertiliser
Pesticide
Plastics
Fuel

Read the site and spinoff links, find and watch the documentary. Digest it, get over the fear and panic.
Personally I'm going to start harassing my local MP to get it raised. The corporations will stop it all of course, but you have to try I guess.
Our frivilous disposable culture is coming to an end, but really it should never have been allowed in the first place. This use of a finite resouce should have been regulated when they first started worrying about it in the 60s.
I'm away to fishing, archery and agriculture lessons.

Monday, 25 October 2004

Another dentist blog [Beej]

I just spent a considerable amount of money on BriteSmile treatment at a private dentist. Now I know dentist blogs are fucking boring - we all hate them, what's to discuss? - but this I have to share for the goddamn record.

Firstly, I do not understand the technological process used to whiten my teeth. Gel + UV light + some sort of blocking stuff + cream on lips = white teeth? No clue. But I let them do it anyway. UV light for burning off enamel maybe?

Either way it f***ing hurts. Excrutiating, no exagguration. I'm good with pain, but if I cry and physically shake then that suggests something A BIT FUCKING WORRYING. I've been getting mini-jolts randomly since the treatment, but it's all normal (!) I can't eat any non-white foodstuff (!) and there's nothing I can do except pop another 4x nurofen and wait for it to wear off "in the next 24hrs". This begs the question WTF IS GOING ON IN MY MUSH?! I empathise with Wolverine and the adamantium.

I had him stop the treatment early. No side effects to this, just 80% as white as planned. I couldn't physically take any more of the pain (a weird feeling for someone with a positive completist sort of mentality) :(

a possibly relevant link relating to oral torture.

Maybe my opinion will change when I've had some kip but I just can't recommend this treatment with this sort of pain. No adult should cry in a dentist's chair. BriteSmile - don't say I didn't warn you.

My Mug is Dead! [DNM]

It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my beloved EED original blue mug. It has served many a tea and coffee, but alas due to a rather inept example of handling it crashed to the floor shattering into dozens of pieces. I was actually quite saddened by this!
R.I.P. DNM's EED mug1999-2004

Earn big money in Iraq! Just don't get shot. [Brit]

It's not a new concept that young men and women view working in a hostile environment with less detachment and objectivity than their elders. There are many reports of "hot headed" youngsters throwing their lot in with everyone from genuine armed forces to mercenaries in order to have that taste of adventure, particularlyafter graduating, or spending a few years in what they consider a job with few upsides.
The Iraq conflict has proven something of an absolute boon to such folk - modern warfare is conducted within a framework that can best be described as "a private public partnership".
Services normally provided by the armed forces concerned (logistics, administration, processing, etc) are now literally there to bid for and as such, those in search of life on the wild side can find employment in practically every war zone on the planet in fairly short order.
If its a bit of danger and adrenalin you're after, what better way than to sign up to a private "security and intelligence" firm, and ship out for a definite period on what usually equates to mega money when compared to your professional soldier?
This state of affairs is quite worrying. It is I suppose an indictment of recent and proposed defence spending that such vital services cannot be provided by an overstretched and under equipped armed force proper, but must be farmed out to private individuals to whom war is simply a way of quickly increasing their bottom line.
The reason this blog came to mind is for EED members quite obvious, but that aside this item on the BBC News website caught my eye today.
A 24 year old "bodyguard" from Gloucestershire was killed in Taza,Iraq (exact circumstances not revealed) whilst working for the macho-named Armor Group.
The guy concerned was a civilian contractor responsible for the security and protection of other contractors operating in Iraq. What stuck out is his age - at twenty four, exactly how much experience can one have of operating as a professional bodyguard in a combat environment? What sort of intensive training and recognised certification could have been undertaken?
It just seems completely slapdash to me - 24 year old physically fit bloke given quick turnaround training (I assume) and a weapon, and packed off on silly money to taste the danger and protect contractors.
I feel that the fact Iraq is so full of such companies, operating everything from resource distribution centres to security services, is a damning indictment of current USA and UK operating policy in such environments. The simple fact that such companies exist so easily demonstrates to me at least that our politicians, by cutting funding and therefore capabilities, are actually doing yet more damage to a fragile country teetering on the edge of anarchy as it is.
I've nothing personally against folk seeking out this sort of thing if that is what they want - everyone knows the risks, and if you're number is called, that's it - however, I cannot help but feel that somewhere a lot of people are making a lot of money at the expense of 24 year old guys from Gloucestershire, and that accountability, professionalism and ultimately the safety and security of everyone involved is put at unecessary risk.

DCFinal videos! [Beej]

EED had a Desert Combat sesh on a public server tonight, with the longest round being a bit of a mammoth sesh on Wake. The game was a bit out of the ordinary because not only did clan whale-chomper [EED]Meatball show up, but also [EED]Slim was the highest scoring player on the team (yes, it was Slim wot wun it).
Here are some video snippets of the boys in action, with the inevitable Teamspeak audio mix: