home

(i couldn’t use the same title twice)

It felt so good to hobble out to slinky on Friday, I had to be there for its triumphant return to the Opera House.

Up until some silly cow kept hitting my leg and it cramped up, I was having a wicked night.. I even hop danced on one leg for about a minute! Then I invented the leaning on a wall dance, as a couple of people started copying me like it was some craze.

Welcome home slinky.

              

I’m a signed up Pastafarian, as many of you regular readers will know.

Having been touched by his noodly appendage I find it offensive that spaghetti is shown on television, without uttering the arrrgh oh his noodliness as is required by my religion.

I therefore insist that all references and images of spaghetti portrayed or otherwise displayed in the media include this reference so as not to offend my religious beliefs.

Thank you

…and don’t you dare say my religious beliefs are any less valid or real than yours.

              

observant geeks amongst you may notice a few changes around here… nicer looking URL’s - go on click on a post title or hover your mouse over the links on the left… it wont say a load of code like it used to (alukeonlife.com/?p=124) instead it’ll say the date and name of the post… much more friendly.

Also notice a shiny camera icon, now the *new* gallery is not so new… and a few under the hood improvements (technorati pinging for one).

All bought on by a need to maximise things for the up coming book site… decided here needed a bit of love… and the luke williams portfolio site… I’m still tinkering, so if it goes wobbly don’t panic.

Easy to get sidetracked when you’re stuck in a flat! Must limp to the library and finish the first draft damn it!!!

              

That’s a sighing kind of “oh” btw.

Oooh, I bet that caught Sarah’s attention if no-one else!

anyway….. Ezra Levant specifically.

Who?

He’s the former publisher of the Western Standard in Canada, who is being forced to defend his right to free speech in Canada by a Saudi Arabian trained Imam who has placed a complaint with (ready for the irony) the Human Rights Commission in Alberta - after he re-published those Danish cartoons of Muhammed some time ago.

I love the irony that so often rears its head when islamic issues come to light, my favourite ever has to be this poster:

image from Pat Condell, go watch his videos - hilarious but scary.

Ok, joking aside about the fact it is a Saudi Arabian making the complaint, there’s a number of issues raised which I think are generally very important to us all.

In his defence when asked his intent on publishing the cartoons, he answered that he had given numerous interviews answering his real reasons for publishing them but his answer to the HRC was that it was the most offensive reason listed in the complaint against him, and, that it is his right to publish them regardless of his intention. An interesting approach, his intent is to make it a freedom of speech/press issue.

Is it a freedom of press/speech issue or is it one of discrimination/hatred towards another human being (ie the complainant human rights)?

This section from his interview is superb, he is challenged about how his publication may of caused offence and increased discrimination towards muslims - to my mind he gives one of the clearest real reasons for increasing tensions with muslim communities, everyone should watch this.

Springers final thought for today: “Religion - A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable” Ambrose Bierce

              

Flips and balance.

…that’s what you’ll start to see from me, as my health improves. Expect some 180 degree twists, some rebalancing of work/life commitments and priorities.

Expect the unexpected! (yuk what a cliche… bla)

I watched Ransom tonight, i know… mel gibson… bla bla… there’s one thing I really love about this film, the way his character thinks - he knows the kidnapper won’t give his son back alive if he pays him, so he offers the money as a reward to anyone who shops in the kidnapper - GENIUS!

Obviously in real life, bla bla… but it still represents some superb flipped on its head thinking! I love it.

The eBook is my first flip, my biggest challenge is obscurity, by making the eBook free (kinda, you’ll see) and pushing it everywhere, I kill loads of birds with one stone…

If I charged for the book, which friends get it for free?

eBooks have a shelf life of weeks before they get copied, uploaded and shared… rather than expend time and energy fighting the inevitable, why not make the most of it by offering it for free* anyway and driving traffic to the homepage?

I’m waffling and, sadly that doesn’t involve making tasty waffles (hmmm waffles) so i’ll say goodnight.

              

Wooohoo a second day of noticeable progress, I’m careful not to get too excited in case this is just a boost from the steroids, but yay! The swellings gone down again, I can almost see my knee cap and those pointy bits on my ankles are starting to show themselves… “hello mr kneecap, so nice to see you!”

It’s going to take a good while yet, but its encouraging that there is finally some progress.

(props to Mr M on this photo, bit old now but still a beauty)

So now i’m finding it a bit easier to look forward to the big “what next?”… hmmm… well it starts by sorting my flat out and getting the book first draft finally nailed.

then what…

push back into DJing maybe towards the end of next month… perhaps…

maybe a new start in hamster breeding? nah…

perhaps a return to the world of work… hmmm…

lets get the health sorted, the book out, sort my flat out and then see