I love...

...summer storms. But my thoughts are with the victims of Katrina.

We have summer lightening here (while I type this)... it's beautiful - but the weather can be so cruel. It's going to really rain tonight, but no one will die.

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 8:42 PM 0 comments   

I want...

One of these for my main music/video work horse PC.





One of these for my casual browsing/living room PC.



And one of these to replace my trusty, but a little tired Vaio T1 for traveling/working on the go.







Source: Akihabara News

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 10:14 AM 0 comments   

Games Design 101...

This game ticks all the boxes...





Okay here we go:

Girls - Tick
Girls in Bikinis - Double Tick
Zombies - Tick
Swords - Tick
Guns - Tick
Blood - Tick

Congratulations. You just graduated from Nic's school of Games Design :)

From Magic Box. (memo to myself - I really must start referencing my content!!)

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 10:04 AM 0 comments   

OooOOooOOooOOooOoo...

PRETTY! and SLIM! and LITE! and FLEXIBLE! and GOT INTERESTING SLOTS TO PUT THINGS IN!



Those Korean's sure know how to make great girls ;)

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 9:54 AM 1 comments   

Another bumper month...

Hits have been high again this month - but for weird reasons:

See the peek? 23rd of August. That's cos Kat Dennings had a new movie come out that day.

I'm a big fan of Kat's work (see the permi-link to the blogs I read at the side --->). I think she's different, talented, smart and beautiful.

But obviously I'm missing something with that list, cos the main reason people are coming to my site this month is (drum roll): CLICK LINK

Add any itteration of 'boobs', 'breasts' etc... seems so weird that woman have boobs...

Another big one this months has been: CLICK LINK

Yep - I run a website for dyslexic squirting fans. Took a while for that to filter through (was posted ages ago) but people seem to be finding it now.

Finally, and I feel kinda bad about this, I'm getting a lot of links looking for: CLICK LINK

Sorry guys. I'm as lost as you on that one.

Weirdest link of the month has to be: CLICK LINK

Good lord.

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 11:00 PM 0 comments   

Someone please explain...

...how exactly you can cut your nose while shaving. I'm mean - surely you'd have to be some kinda special case moron to do that - right?



Jeeeezzzzz... I cut myself shaving maybe once every three years. I mean really!

To cheer myself up - I guess I'll have to post a picture of my future wife.



Judge: "And on what grounds do you want to divorce your husband."
Future Wife: "He will only have sex with me if I dress up as a character from Capcom Vs. SNK or Final Fantasy."
Judge: "Divorce approved!"

That scene will happen at least once in my life.

It's okay though - cos I'll move onto...



...future wife number 2. Then maybe...



I think I have turned the phrase 'taking your work home with you' into a fetish. Suanie has already agreed to wear THIS :) Next stop - KL.

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 10:15 PM 1 comments   

The Nerdyist Hobo (I SAID HOBO!!!)...

It's official. I'm out of here at the end of September and officially homeless. My ex is buying our house off of me, freeing me up to find a place that's mine, ALL MINE (MUWAAHHHAHHHAHHHAHHHAHAA).

But - I haven't found a place yet. And the chances of me finding a place to buy in 1 month is slim to nil.

For example - here's some quoted notes from the first apartment I went to see yesterday in Reading:

"Hell on Earth - part 2" (a property I saw last weekend was Hell on Earth part 1).
"Dog Piss" (at least I think it was dog piss on the floor. Could have been runny vomit)
"Bedroom in name only" (meaning you couldn't actually fit a bed in them)

etc, etc, etc.

I was in and out in 2 minutes.

I got a feeling I won't be moving to Reading. The only decent house I have seen is too far from the train station. Was a GREAT house though. Even had a study in the attic, which I felt in an emergency could double as a Panic Room :D

So in October, the Medulla Corp HQ will be the downstairs room in my friend Ravinder's house.

God bless her for taking me in. Most of my stuff will have to stay here at the current HQ until I find a permanent place. My ex and me are still good friends and I'm sure she won't go gun crazy on my things.

Actually, the room in Rav's will be good practice for if I ever move to Tokyo. Let's see what little I need to live ;)

Nic.

P.S. Two of Rav's neighbor's are moving soon. I would put LOTS of money on my being so lazy and so pissed off with the houses I see that I end up buying a property next to her!!!

posted by Nic @ 10:00 AM 1 comments   

I guess I don't need to learn Japanese...

...cos they obviously all (secretly) speak perfect english.



Oh - and are also (secretly) Chinese.

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 9:21 AM 2 comments   

He's a cat...

...he's blue... he's made of Lego...



...and I love him!

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 9:18 AM 2 comments   

Killer Beats...

WHY??



Apparently it's a MIDI controller for Live and Traktor. In terms of Controller functions it's looks great - but would you ever admit to owning one unless you were a German goth-techno artist with irrection problems???

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 9:12 AM 0 comments   

"Cuttin' and Skratchin'"...

Tonight I finally got back to my new toy. The Numark CDX and DXM mixer. I did some more samples of what it can do. The usual disclaimer.

1: I've only had this thing a couple of weeks
2: I've hardly used it since then.
3: I've never done any scratch DJing before.

So if you're in my position and thinking about buying one of these amazing CD Decks - this is the kinda of thing I'm getting out of it at the moment.



Click on my hands for some webcam video.

Technical info. Beats are an MP3 played in winamp on my desktop PC direct down the USB to the DXM Mixer. Scratch tracks are a CD in the CDX. The video was recorded back direct up the webcam and USB from the Mixer.

Both the CDX and DXM are performing beyond my expectations, which is so rare for kit these days. If you're thinking about buying either one of these things - do it.

More video when I get some skillz.

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 10:25 PM 0 comments   

A loners guide to Aylesbury...

I never used to go out into Aylesbury on an evening much. However, since finishing ‘the diet’ I’ve had this new policy of no drinking alone. I love wine – but I think wine was a big factor in me being a big fatty.

The solution is this. Go out – get a glass of wine somewhere for an hour – come home. Simple. I can’t drink more than a glass cos I have to drive, so everyone’s a winner.

This new policy has lead me to explore Aylesbury’s night time venues –so if you’re a crazy stalker and wanna track me down, you now know where to look for me.

Yates: Trashy bar. Cheap/nasty wine. I usually go here. I have no idea why. Maybe cos they have sofas. I once saw ‘Cute Chinese Girl from the 7:30am train’ (™) in here. Kinda ruined the persona I had created for her in my mind. Never mind. I’m also usually the oldest person in the place.

The Harrow: I kinda like this pub but it’s a little quiet on a weeknight. They have bands and things on at the weekends. The wine is better and it’s a lot less ‘Chav’ than Yates.

Litten Tree: Avoid like the plague. Only been here once.

Thirty One: I only really have coffee here – but the food looks great. I will try it out one night. Bless them – I went for a coffee here tonight and they told me they had newspapers if I wanted to read them. I said, “It’s okay – I have a book”. “What are you reading?” the woman behind the counter asked. “Naked Lunch”. Her expression was blank. “William Burroughs?” “Is he a chef?” she asked. Cute.

I generally take ‘Naked Lunch’ with me for my nightly wine. It makes the whole ‘Aylesbury experience’ even more surreal.

The Noodle Bar: This is more of an eatery than a bar/pub. The food is okay. It’s a rough approximation of Asian cuisine, but the atmosphere is nice. If I’m working from home on a Friday I will have lunch here.

Pizza Express: Needs no introduction. The staff are nice in there and the food is good quality.

Turkish/maybe Geek/I forget place just down from 31: Sorry – I’m crap with names. It might be called ‘Café Malebon’ – not sure. This place is a great for a coffee but shuts early during the week. Angel and me had a coffee here the other night and the staff seem really nice and the food looks great also.

Coffee Republic: I’m always here. Working usually. I like to get out of the house when I’m working from home and thanks to ‘Skype Zones’ I’m online and drinking Lattes. The staff are nice here and it’s the best coffee shop in Aylesbury. Note: Skype Zones also works in Yates.

Costa: Sometimes I go here. Not as nice as Coffee Republic – but you needs a change every now and then.

There are a few other places in the town I’m going to try out – but tomorrow night I’m thinking about going to this ‘Gentleman’s Club’ I found.

Now the last (and first) time I went to a strip club was in LA, and I was wonderfully exploited by a beautiful Thai girl named ‘Devon’. I’m really, really curious to see what kind of experience an Aylesbury strip club has to offer. I’ll probably not go – but if I do, you know I will blog it. I guess I’ll have to remember not to wear trainers (sneakers) ;)

Maybe it will be great and I will finally get to live out my dream of being a DJ in a strip club :D

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 11:06 PM 1 comments   

"Where are you baby..."

I'm sorry I haven't blogged much lately. Life has been crazy this last week or so.

First there's work. Work is incredibly busy right now and probably will be for a long time.

Second there's 'Angel'. I've been looking after my friend as she was here for a while on holiday.

Third, I'm house hunting.

I keep finding little things to blog about but never have the time. Now - now I've forgotten all of them. But people have been hassling me to update my diary so I feel I should at least try, so here's a random picture.

I found this headline in the local paper.



"London Bomber Sold Me Crack Cocaine" - I'll make up the rest from now on...

"I could have understood him attacking someone, but not blowing people up with a bomb", said 23-year-old crack addict Paul Tanker. "He was just, ya know, some guy, like. I just knew him for the pipe and ting". Paul, a crack addict of some 5 years added, "It's always the people you least expect. I mean - he was just a crack dealer, ya know. He got me through some hard times. Times when money isn't enough and you have to do things, ya know, perform acts, ya know, make a man smile like only a woman can, ya know, suck hard on the pink pipe of pleasure, ya know, or 'Black Hawk Down', ya get me?". Paul had just enough time to toast the rocks once more and shout, "Ya fucker!" before vomiting and stealing my pen.

In other news...

"Trained dogs show off new tricks"

Little-Crappington was the scene for this year’s annual 'Woof and Ready' dog festival. Dogs of all shapes and sizes came to perform humiliating stunts to suitable repulsed onlookers. "It's just a bit of fun", said Harry Toppington of Bigger-Crappington, “And if the kids can learn something about the horrors of war – then it’s all been worth it”. Mr. Toppington had been preparing for the competition all year. "Oh, this is the big one", he added. "I've even made little costumes and everything". Mr. Toppington's two Shih Tzu’s 'Imelda' and 'Evanna' swooped first place with their passionate re-enactment of the Normandy Beach landings. “It’s my little way of bringing the boys home”, added the victorious owner.

Second place went to Wanda Batley's Alaskan Malamute, 'Darcy'. "Oh I don't know what I'd do without him", she told this reporter. "He's like my best friend. I like nothing better than rolling up beside him with a mug of hot coco and reading romantic novels in front of the fire together. He's my little man. You know sometimes I dress him up in my late husbands clothes. He’s always a proper gentleman". 'Darcy' performed various scenes from the Tom Cruise film 'Jerry Maguire' to sickend audience. etc etc etc.

And you wonder why I'm moving??

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 10:21 PM 1 comments   

Big TV...

...or very small girl.



You decide.

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 6:12 PM 0 comments   

"You just leave me alone"...

I'm beginning to wonder why TV Shows get re-made. Explicitly US-UK/UK-US remakes.

I love 'Queer Eye', and I kinda like 'Pimp My Ride'. I watched the UK 'Queer Eye' for a few minutes before declaring it the devils spawn. Last night I saw a bit of 'Pimp UK'. OH MY GOD! Tim Westwood is such a creepy mutha fucker - and like 'Queer Eye', it simply doesn't work.

Reverse of this is 'The Office'. The US one is simple appalling.

So - can anyone think of a remake TV Show that is actually BETTER than the source???

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 8:46 PM 2 comments   

Such a hypocrite

A while ago I did a post asking since when did the working day started the moment you left the house in the morning... people working on laptops on trains and all that good stuff.

Well - since coming back from Japan I don't think I've stopped working. Morning on the train. Day. Evening on the train. Night in the bar. Weekends in the coffee shop.

What has amazed me is actually effectively I work outside of the office (and my house). I do tend to work a lot from my local Coffee Republic. So much much so that I decided I should probably get online there.

There are loads of options for getting online here (I'm here now btw). All expensive except one. Skype Zones. For $7.99 a month you get unlimited internet instead of the $8 an hour!!!!

All this is great and everything - but I'm beginning to wonder if the reason I work better in the coffee shop is BECAUSE I don't have the internet bugging me. Hmmmm...

Going looking at a couple of houses tomorrow in Reading. I guess I really am moving.

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 5:34 PM 0 comments   

Any excuse...

My friend Angel is over from Dubai on one of her yearly world tours.



Look at me 'coping a feel'!!!! Jeezzzussss... girls beware - I'm a total pervert!!!

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 5:09 PM 3 comments   

More Cowbell...

Okay - I'm VERY late to this party, but this sketch from SNL (we don't get SNK in the UK) really does it for me.



Click on the pic for the video. Christopher Walken is A GOD!!

Also click HERE for a remix. For my tastes... it needs MORE COWBELL!!!

Links from the ever excellent Music Thing.

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 9:46 AM 2 comments   

No mis-takes a-loud...

So bear in mind that until one and a half days ago I had never even attempted 'turntablism' - but here's a quick audio demo to kinda show what my new toys do.

Get it HERE

I'm no Q-Bert... but give me a few more days and I should get better. Give me a few years and I might actually be good.

aiiieeeeettttt...

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 3:36 PM 1 comments   

New Toy part 2/Studio Audit...

I picked up the Numark CDX last week as I told ya below. But I was waiting on the delivery of this Numark DXM01 before I got really excited.



What's really cool about this mixer is that it has 2 USB interfaces. Basically - it's a DJ mixer with 2 USB soundcards built in. This suits my setup completely. I have a PC connected to Channel 1 (which will be my Vaio if I ever gig) and the CDX Turntable connected to Channel 2.

The Mixer is now my main soundcard - taking over duties from the old creative labs card in my PC. At first I was a little worried about latency, but I installed the ASIO4ALL driver and the latency is VERY acceptable in the early tests of loading up Live with a resonablly complicaed piece of music, then slamming as many keys as possible on aVSTi :)

So the studio now looks like this...



Mixing...



Sequencing/Virtual Synths... I have a new policy of only using free plugins.



The Korg microKONTROL. This is really handy for quickly testing things out - but I've moved over to using the computer keyboard for entering drum tracks instead of the pads on the Korg...



Not sure what this is... something from my past... maybe I'll pick it up again and see what it does...



Cheepo Evolution Midi controller. It's got full size keys so if I ever want to play a more expreive part I use this instead of the Korg. It's hooked into the Korg's Midi In.

Somewhere there's hardware like a Yamaha A3000 gathering dust. I'm virtual and digital all the way :)

Now I guess I should do some music sometime... Hmmmm....

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 8:07 AM 1 comments   

This is GREAT!!!

But not as great as this...

Seperated at birth???




I think so...

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 9:46 AM 0 comments   

Run DMC...

New toy...



I finally treated myself to one of those CD/DJ beasts after about 2 years of looking. This one seems to be the best out their right now. I'm waiting on delivery of a new mixer that also doubles as a USB sound card. The idea is to have 1 deck, 1 laptop running Live.

So yes - I'm working on a new mix. Yes... I am thinking about actually doing some live DJing instead of just bedroom mixing. New mix is already insane :)

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 5:43 PM 0 comments   

Hiroshima Mon Amour...

My thoughts are with you.

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 5:07 PM 0 comments   

It's official...

...I have no friends...

Okay - not strictly true - but I don't have any friends that I can go out and have a drink with right now - which is what I want... cos it's my birthday - and your 21st is meant to be special ;)

So basically, my friend situation works like this. I have a friend who lives about a 15 minute drive from me - but she is on holiday in the south of France. I have an ex-gf who is a friend... but can never escape her bf unless they have a huge row (plus she's now on that wacky diet I was on so can't go for a drink anyway).

Everyone else lives f'in miles away from me.

Why don't I have any friends more local?? I guess I just never found anyone in my town that I wanted to be friends with.

Maybe this will be solved in the near future as I'm selling up (to my pre-mentioned ex-gf) and moving out to pastures new. I'm not sure where though just yet...

I have the option of moving to a town that has things going on.. it's 25 minutes to London.. and I can afford it - but again I don't know a single soul there. or I can move 15 minutes up the road... 30 minutes to London... not very happening at all - but I have a couple friends there.

Or I could just rent and lick the interest off my house profits... Hmmm...

Since it was my birthday and I had no one to share it with - I went to a Spa and got massaged and poked and fed and stuff. Was nice. Was Expensive. Was probably what I needed.



Still miss Tokyo like a long lost friend...

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 6:54 PM 4 comments