One Click Pony: Silver AJ

How to watch a film with a friend when you don't own a TV: 2013 edition

Sun, 12 May 2013 21:40:00 +0100

Spend 5 mins locating correct DVD among all the other DVDs. Remove DVD from case, poke side of laptop with it, and remember too late that new Macbook has no CD drive. Dig out Superdrive from cupboard and plug it in.

Accidentally insert DVD upside-down. Press Eject. Press Eject. Press Eject. Swear. Dismount and re-plug in Superdrive. Press Eject. Scream. Reboot laptop and hold down trackpad as it starts up. Press Eject. Unplug Superdrive and curse Apple to hell and back for not including a proper fucking eject button.

Suddenly remember you have a downloaded copy of the movie on your spare hard drive. Feel smug. Begin watching this. Realise it would look better on larger screen, so attempt to plug in and arrange external monitor while movie is playing. Accidentally unplug hard drive cable and crash movie 10 minutes in when fiddling with monitor. Facepalm.

Re-plug in hard drive, copy movie to laptop and resume watching. Discover this .avi must be corrupt as sound dies 20 minutes in and it goes all pixelated. Swear like a trooper.

Pick up knife and attempt to forcibly pry open Superdrive to get DVD out. Fail. Google ‘DVD stuck in Superdrive’ and see entire webpage detailing all the tiny screws you need to undo with special tools, to actually take one apart and get it out. Throw Superdrive on sofa and vow to go to Apple Store next week and throw hissy fit.

Friend suggests watching different DVD. Since first DVD is still stuck in Superdrive, dig out spare old laptop (with proper CD drive) to watch new DVD. Plug in. Press power button. Wait. Press power button. Wait. Wait. It’s been sitting unused too long and won’t turn on. Give up. Close old laptop. Laugh manically.

Start watching different film on iPlayer instead. It’s shit. Close laptop and admit defeat and tiredness. Say shameful goodbye to friend and go to bed questioning own life choices.

Why yes I’m delighted to have to unwrap all 50 individual...

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 23:11:24 +0100

Why yes I’m delighted to have to unwrap all 50 individual watercolour pans before using them for the first time. Delighted.

My giant floor drawing at Art Macabre the other day (at Museum...

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 10:23:41 +0000

My giant floor drawing at Art Macabre the other day (at Museum of London)

Photo

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 02:08:36 +0000

daveio: MY HERO

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:15:21 +0000

daveio:

MY HERO

amatnemo: I don’t understand people who think drunk texts are annoying. I think drunk texts are so...

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 13:40:36 +0000

amatnemo:

I don’t understand people who think drunk texts are annoying. I think drunk texts are so cute. Just think of it this way, you’re who that person is thinking of when their brain isn’t even functioning properly, you’re who that person is thinking of when they can’t even form coherent sentences. You’re on that person’s mind when they have the motor skills of an infant, that’s pretty fucking awesome if you ask me.

A plastic surgeon transforms a pig’s head into a woman’s head

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 03:57:05 +0000

A plastic surgeon transforms a pig’s head into a woman’s head

The Science Behind Those Obama Campaign E-Mails - Businessweek

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 00:23:26 +0000

The Science Behind Those Obama Campaign E-Mails - Businessweek:

When being a designer gets truly depressing.

Writers, analysts, and managers routinely bet on which lines would perform best and worst. “We were so bad at predicting what would win that it only reinforced the need to constantly keep testing,” says Showalter. “Every time something really ugly won, it would shock me: giant-size fonts for links, plain-text links vs. pretty ‘Donate’ buttons. Eventually we got to thinking, ‘How could we make things even less attractive?’ That’s how we arrived at the ugly yellow highlighting on the sections we wanted to draw people’s eye to.”

youwontlivethisonedown: Last week, as part of a cultural...

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 15:18:14 +0000

youwontlivethisonedown:

Last week, as part of a cultural discovery project for one of my classes, I spent three days wearing ‘girls’ clothes while going about my day. I wanted to explore the general reaction and preconceptions that people in my city have to clothing, especially in regards to gender. To me, the idea that a piece of fabric or accessory can be so intertwined with who are in our conscious is perplexing. I didn’t want to show off, or offend anyone by my act of curiosity. Rather, I wanted to act as a meticulous observer of the times, to see if the community around me was really as open-minded as I wanted to believe that it was. After all, if such things really only had a place in the realm of high-fashion and in Scottish tradition, then something bigger must be at work.

On the first day, I wore a long-sleeve pink top cropped at the collarbone. I received many compliments, a few glares and even a free Venti gingerbread latte. On the second, I rocked a pink blouse with a high-waisted belt. Again, the same amount of well-wishes, questions and passing eye-rolls. These things were to be expected, as it isn’t necessarily the norm to see someone like me wearing things like these. I felt collected and confident in these modest outfits, seemingly convinced that the world around me could care less about the clothes someone wore. Most affirming was the response to my nails, which were almost always met with a cheerful grin, a high-five and a few words of encouragement.

What happened on the third day changed my perspective on humanity forever. I dressed myself as I normally would; band t-shirt, cardigan, plain Vans, etc. However, instead of black jeans, I complimented the outfit with a plain black skirt and matching set of tights. For me, this was a huge step in self-image. Years ago, I was barely confident enough to leave the house for school. These days, the opposite couldn’t be more true. As I set off about my day, the absolute worst in people came out in a full-force flurry of expletives and discomfort. I was ridiculed in whispers. I was mocked in glances. I was obnoxiously and filthily cat-called by a construction crew who, from behind, couldn’t tell that I was a man. Stopping by a bathroom before a lecture, a frat-bro went out of his way to shove me into the adjacent wall after eyeing me up and down on his way out. Expletives and names that might induce me to vomit were I to repeat them, were casually thrown in my direction with almost zero passing thought. By day’s end, I feared a full-on breakdown, unable to stand up for myself or what I believed in to maintain the integrity of the observer’s perspective. In a way, I had no right to feel that way, mostly because of the realization that this is the way that many have to live their lives. I fought back tears as every stare and ill-formed word engrained themselves in my sub-conscious.

Though I may not know you, I think that it’s important that we all come to understand why these things happen. In my book, cat-calling, shaming and harassment are among the worst actions we can engage in. As a heterosexual male, I will never truly know the fear that women may experience while walking home from work, going see a friend for lunch, or being sized-up in public based on their clothing. I will never truly know the gut-rot that a transgender individual may feel while being eyed up and down at the store or in class, strangers seeming to think as if the clothing they see before them begs a legal invitation of ridicule. I will never truly know the plights of these people, but as an ally and a human being invested in true equality, it is now my obligation to stand up for them as if I did.

What scares me the most is not the glances, mixed emotions, or 10-page paper that will inevitably come as a by-product of this project. No, what scares me is that this is the world we live in. We exist in a place where individuals living their truths can be subjected, directly or otherwise, to fear simply for living those truths. We live in an age where feeling ‘normal’ in your own clothing can create unfathomable contention with strangers, despite them having zero investment in their lives. We live in a world where the material, the fabric, the pieces that adorn you are somehow allowed to say more about who you are than the convictions in your heart and the sincerity in your deeds.

I don’t know about you, but I refuse that world. I refuse to let these things overcome the passion and genuine honesty that I’ve been so fortunate to bear witness to in my time. I refuse to let backwards, unprogressive mindsets stifle the glow and drive of those who are undeservingly robbed of it. Don’t say it can’t happen to you. If it happened to me, under the most average of circumstances on the streets in a progressive-leaning city, it could happen to anyone, and that is something I truly do not understand.

After all, it’s just a skirt.

What is it about a piece of inanimate, plain fabric that scares you so much?

♫ How do you liiiike your eggs in the morning… ♪

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 10:14:51 +0000

♫ How do you liiiike your eggs in the morning… ♪

That thing where you skate against time, to bail out someone...

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:13:40 +0000

That thing where you skate against time, to bail out someone who’s forgotten their bike lock key.

0hcecelia: A perfect example of the golden ratio

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 08:13:00 +0000

0hcecelia:

A perfect example of the golden ratio

daveio: tryinggtoevolve: zhenshchina: Holy fuck. These are...

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 03:51:52 +0000

daveio:

tryinggtoevolve:

zhenshchina:

Holy fuck. These are the craziest gifs I’ve ever seen. Apparently they are from the work of Jan Švankmajer. Surrealism, man. What a trip.

Wow..

holy what the hell.

Why is everyone weirded out by these? I find the first one really passionate and lovely. Less so the second, obviously, but ART.

99 Life Hacks to make your life easier!

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 13:17:00 +0100

…and 98 other rather brilliant everyday lifehacks. GENIUS.

mintfish:

putting this shit under a readmore holy fuck

shialabeowulf:

Read More

Tash doing her happy dance (Taken with Cinemagram)

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 17:40:03 +0100

Tash doing her happy dance (Taken with Cinemagram)

Highlight of the weekend - Animal Inside Out at the Natural...

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 13:27:16 +0100

Highlight of the weekend - Animal Inside Out at the Natural History Museum. Incredible. (Taken with Instagram)

stophatingyourbody: Feminism DOES NOT EQUAL ‘man-haters’,...

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 17:51:34 +0100

stophatingyourbody:

Feminism DOES NOT EQUAL ‘man-haters’, ‘women are better’, ‘feminazis’, etc.

Feminism means realizing we live in a society where men are valued above women, where men make the majority of the decisions.

Feminism is fighting for equal opportunity for ALL genders.

Feminism is not a dirty word.

Three ball confidence (Taken with Cinemagram)

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 00:38:02 +0100

Three ball confidence (Taken with Cinemagram)

Somerset toy poodles. Extremely smart in every sense of the word...

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 18:32:57 +0100

Somerset toy poodles. Extremely smart in every sense of the word (Taken with Instagram)

My favourite doughnut flavour - nail varnish (Taken with...

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 14:33:28 +0100

My favourite doughnut flavour - nail varnish (Taken with Instagram)