Neil Hopcroft

“TWO Star Wars fans are in a critical condition in hospital after duelling with lightsabres made by filling fluorescent light tubes with petrol“

…was what their van should have said – they were laying some high-friction red asphalt on the road by one of the crossing points in Milton. I’m not sure that ‘Caution: white-lining’ really gives out that much better a message, though.

Today I crossed the river and walked to the next village east – Horningsea. On the way I passed a field of grain, you can see where the rabbits live because there are near perfect semicircles of trampled grain around each of their warrens.

Horningsea itself is a tedious village, theres no commerce there except for a garden centre and a couple of pubs. Still, at least it hasn’t suffered the kind of hideous expansion Milton has had, there are a few new-builds, but they’re mostly on the higher end of the market and fairly sympathetic to the area – I suspect its more on flood plain than Milton, but not by much, surely?

I stopped at the garden centre for a ‘comfort break’ on the way home – I thought I’d take a look at their offerings for improving the interior of my house. I was told the other day that my house looks rather more practical than romantic – to which my response was that I spend far more time being functional than being romantic, so that was a reasonable way for it to be[0]. And its got to be said that after looking at the things on offer to make it more romantic theres is a very real chance that nothing is going to change. I was also appalled at the price of rakes.

What do you think – what should the house of a single man look like? Should he spend a lot of time and effort turning it into some kind of chick magnet? Or would it be more sensible for it to be practical and functional? How does what peoples houses look like affect what you think of the people that live there? What should I do to improve the interior of my house?

[0] Yes, I know this is man-logic, but its what I know…

A friend of mine has some Apple][ disks she’d like to read – does anyone have the necessary equipment to do it? Or some clues as to a good way of retrieving the data.
(I assume they’re 5.25 single density, but I’ve asked her to fax a copy over just in case…)

Friday night was Chains on Velvet in Norwich. The journey to Norwich from here shouldn’t be that difficult – its only an hours drive and we were going after all the traffic should have finished…..but we hadn’t counted on the A11 being closed, or the badly balanced traffic lights at RAF Lakenheath. We spent 30 minutes waiting to get through their lights – the mood was improved somewhat by some beautiful skies (and the tedium removed slightly by making LJ posts), but theres got to be a better way.

Finally we got to Norwich, where we had a quick tour of ‘the Norfolk Broads’, all dressed up for their night out on the town, and found the Waterfront after only one circuit of the city.

The venue has changed little since I was last there – which must have been something getting on for eight or nine years, the main change being the view across the river, now there are luxury riverside apartments where once there was industrial wasteland and disused railway sidings.

As for the music, it seemed pretty average for a while, nothing too bad but nothing outstanding either, there was a bunch of cheesy 80s alternative stuff that got me dancing a little, but then it swerved back toward generic EBM club fare, signalling the end….half one, last set and its not exciting, time to go…but then Ozzy pointed out that theres a noise set to come 2-3, so thats worth staying for. And it was, though it wasn’t as harsh as I was hoping – I gotta get me more noise…

It was interesting, also, to see the people – the majority are young, probably students given this is a university venue, with only a few still on the scene from the days I used to be there. Of those there were a number of familiar faces, though placing those faces and attaching names to them wasn’t happening.

Newton: But, right, if they go on forever, then my shiny gravity means that the Universe will collapse under its own weight.
Newton’s flatmate: Seriously, Isaac, no more opium on your cornflakes.

A brief brief history of time – doing for science what the Reduced Shakespear Company did for culture.

It will have a sign saying it is “on loan from the British Museum“

More new directions in computer generated music
…I particularly like the photon clarinet, which I think would make a perfect theremin substitute for simonsatori and the Rome Burns crew.

I know I’ll never find furniture to fit, but I still want this house