ALTERED CARBON

 

Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan (2008) 

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 14,201 ratings

 

  All science fiction tends to be tainted by suspicions of being programming, and this is certainly no exception. But despite being a story about AI later made into a TV series by Netflix, I still think it's a great book. Up there with the best sci-fi classics and certainly my pick of Richard Morgan's books.

 

 This must-read story is a confident, action-and-violence packed thriller, and future classic noir SF novel from a multi-award-winning author.

Four hundred years from now mankind is strung out across a region of interstellar space inherited from an ancient civilization discovered on Mars. The colonies are linked together by the occasional sublight colony ship voyages and hyperspatial data-casting. Human consciousness is digitally freighted between the stars and downloaded into bodies as a matter of course.

But some things never change. So when ex-envoy, now-convict Takeshi Kovacs has his consciousness and skills downloaded into the body of a nicotine-addicted ex-thug and presented with a catch-22 offer, he really shouldn't be surprised. 

 

Contracted by a billionaire to discover who murdered his last body, Kovacs is drawn into a terrifying conspiracy that stretches across known space and to the very top of society.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Altered-Carbon

NO DOUBT

 THERE IS NO DOUBT GWEN STEFANI LOOKS LIKE A TRANNY

Gwen Stefani is an American singer and songwriter who came to fame in the 1990s as the lead singer for the band No Doubt, before starting a solo career.

 

Was she a MTF invert deceiving the masses and in particular young women, promoting body image and identity issues? Stefani sometimes seemed sad and tortured in her lyrics, which possibly alluded to her struggles with being an invert in disguise.

This is a hard call, and I'm on the fence about this. She was no Taylor Swift (an obvious MTF) but something does not look right here.

 

 

When "I'm Just a Girl" came out in 1995 I thought it was great, but the messages in the video went totally over my head. Watching it now, the lyrics, Gwen Stafani's mannish looks, and all those images of urinals and public toilets, are not lost on me! Still a good song though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHzOOQfhPFg

 

“Cause I'm just a girl I'd rather not be

'Cause they won't let me drive late at night

Oh I'm just a girl, guess I'm some kind of freak

'Cause they all sit and stare with their eyes”

(excerpt from“Just a girl”)

 

 

“Can you tell I'm faking it?

But I want to be myself

A counterfeit disposition

Can't be good for my health

So many different faces

Depending on the different phases”

(excerpt from “Magic’s in the makeup”) 

 

 

Notable Details:

 

-large clavicle and shoulder skeletal structure

-angular mandible and large male skull

-large trachea and visible adam’s apple

-devil horn’s hand symbols to give allegiance to her god

-straight torso with no female hips

-666 hand sign showing who she worships

-adonis belt visible in various images

 And more recently, seen here on the right in 2023:

RANDOMS 2026 #25

It's been a bit cold and windy here in Wellington this week... 

Is "evolution" even a thing? Apparently IQ peaked amongst people born in 1975, and has been in decline ever since. 

It's seldom discussed - but this was one of the main reasons for the 911 controlled demolition - a cheap way to remove all that asbestos!

The ear lobes never lie

Normies are completely oblivious to this sort of stuff

 

There are so many Masonic signs and celebs keep doing them

Memes totally go off! The news media however does not...

This sign is a true classic.

 

 

Are there any Hollywood actresses who don't recall being 15 year old boys? 

Chump has never changed career - he is still promoting a fake wrestling show.

FINDING A TIMER

Really, how hard can this be? I started out thinking. All I wanted was a timer to encourage me to take regular breaks from using my computer.

But as I often seem to find, it was more difficult than I anticipated. I don't even want all that much really, I thought.

I'm running Linux Mint 22 so as far as Linux goes I'm totally mainstream 

To start with I was thinking I'd like an all in one app that included a repeating countdown timer, and a stopwatch.  

Maybe also with a clock, a world clock, and an alarm as well. And of course I'd like a cool looking moving analogue clock showing the time counting down. Also I'd like to be able to customise everything, and make it stylish and purple. 

And obviously I want it all free as well as ad free and open source.

But after trying half a dozen different apps that all sucked for one reason or another, I ditched all my expectations and just went for one that only did the repeating countdown timer part.

I decided upon "STRETCHLY" 

It's not flashy but it does the job, and yes it is available for Windows and Mac as well as Linux. 

Finally I found a timer that does the basics that I really need with no added stressors. But first I had to ditch any other extras and go full Swedish Minimalist.

Hovering over the logo (black & red yin yang) in the far right of my toolbar shows the remaining time until the next break.

I have it set to do a 3 min break every 30 mins. So every 30 mins it gives me a 30 second warning and then my screen changes to a plain blue notification screen telling me to take a three minute break.

At that stage I can't do anything on my computer, I can't even take a screenshot of the notification screen, so to get this picture I had to take a photo with my camera. 

And it works brilliantly. Because I have no choice, I actually do have a break! In fact I get up, bugger off and go and do other things often for a lot longer than three minutes. 

So I get other things done, and feel better after having a break as well.

When I come back to the computer my next 30 min session has started automatically, and already used up a bunch of time, so I right click on the icon and reset the session, starting it again from 30 mins.

I didn't quite grasp this before I tried it, but this basic app is exactly what I needed!

WEBSITE - https://hovancik.net/stretchly/

HER NAME WAS ROBERT

Alexis Arquette (Birth name: Robert Arquette) 

Arquette was born in Los Angeles, the fourth of five children of Lewis Arquette, an actor and director, and Brenda Olivia, a Jewish actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher, and therapist. Actors Rosanna, Richmond, Patricia, and David Arquette were his siblings.

In 2004, Arquette expressed an interest in undergoing gender-transitioning medical treatment. He decided against undergoing hormone therapy and kept his choice of whether he underwent gender-affirming surgery private from the media by the time he completed his transition in 2006. 

His experience was documented in the film Alexis Arquette: She's My Brother, which debuted at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. Arquette was a vocal supporter of other transgender people, including Chaz Bono, who transitioned shortly after Arquette.

Arquette contracted HIV in 1987. In later life, he suffered from ill health as a result of being HIV-positive. Amid these increasing complications, Alexis began presenting again as a man in 2013. 

Brother David Arquette said that Alexis was "gender suspicious" and alternately felt like a man or a woman at different times. Arquette was placed in a medically induced coma and died on September 11, 2016, surrounded by close family, at the age of 47. 

 The official cause of death was cardiac arrest caused by myocarditis stemming from HIV - What is HIV? - Be sure to watch for future parallels with COVID injection victims.