tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45642301930760190792011-09-30T14:19:19.189+01:00This is my attempt at a blog, in which I post things that everybody disagrees with in a place where nobody will read them.Cobaltnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-42750280156912574232011-01-01T21:16:00.004Z2011-01-01T21:17:30.874Z

I was right about 2010, it was shit, wasn't it?I bet 2011 is roughly the same but like, a little bit shitter, maybe.

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-40868654243665474142010-01-18T03:00:00.002Z2010-01-18T03:12:44.902Z

It's gonna be shit, isn't it?No, really, Tories coming into power in Britain in May (western democracy is such a farce, no?); everyone's favourite disappointment President Obama (where is your federal healthcare, dickhead?) wants to escalate the war in Afghanistan; Margaret Thatcher still isn't dead...what's to like?Furthermore, "2010" doesnt exactly roll of the toungue, but 2011 will be even

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-64069710694354995322009-12-31T23:29:00.002Z2009-12-31T23:31:38.115Z

On the way back from town today, I saw a pile of quite long cardboard boxes outside the Durham Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired. All the boxes bore the following moniker:CAUTION:BARACUDAHANDLE WITH CAREI was like "fuck me!" - then I realised "Baracuda" was the name of the company that makes the boxes.

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-74126931410296742502009-12-23T18:33:00.000Z2009-12-23T18:34:30.597Z

That is all

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-16010966556268567702009-12-23T17:23:00.001Z2009-12-23T17:23:28.245Z

I hate all forms of chauvinism, except my own.

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-23710981177206451912009-12-18T02:45:00.001Z2009-12-18T02:45:28.243Z

'Nuff said

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-1462220966681169132009-12-06T03:23:00.004Z2009-12-06T03:33:06.771Z

I have little understanding of the social mysticism weaved by bands and music. Why is it that, simply because of given musical styles, we have these "Emos" who think its a good idea to halve their visual field by combing their hair over one eye, and who all look scarily identical - its like attack of the clones - and yet think they are all "individuals". Music also gives us "goths" - who wear

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-43912976631069972482009-11-29T19:18:00.001Z2009-11-29T19:18:28.114Z

...but I have now.

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-17733838641779545762009-10-22T20:13:00.006+01:002009-10-22T20:29:50.746+01:00

(The image above is just from a random socialist march, in France, I believe)Today, Royal Mail sorting-office workers walked out, tomorrow the deliverymen will join them. This post is an expression of my support for the Communication Workers Union (CWU) in their fight to preserve their union rights (they aren't striking for money, this is a strike of principle).Personally, I think ol' Darth

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-59271773599203318852009-10-18T18:16:00.001+01:002009-10-18T18:17:04.292+01:00

I learned that when a techy sort of person says "My hotmails been compromised", it does not, in fact, mean "My husband is having an affair".

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-36316635725036639852009-10-13T21:37:00.004+01:002009-10-13T21:42:32.870+01:00

Firstly off: Yes, the post title categorically is a pun on Francois' now discountinued 'addictive photography' blog.What follows are some pictures I took in Belgium (in the Ardennes, to be precise), and have since edited in slightly different ways. I think the results are vaguely "artish" for someone who knows nothing about cameras, photography or image editing, and has no specialist software to

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-28498412614423856172009-10-08T20:17:00.009+01:002009-10-13T12:49:49.929+01:00

Note: If you are a smoker, do not read this post: To do so would waste valuable time in which you could be going bungee jumping without a helmet - or a rope.Grrr, I seriously hate smokers. When I rule the world, smoking will only be permitted inside one's own house, and one will have to put a special mark on one's door, made of the fetid black gunk coughed up from one's own lungs, to alert

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-91352687616499098602009-10-07T15:03:00.003+01:002009-10-07T15:28:20.649+01:00

This post seeks to explain what I see as a very strong link between the ideologies of "libertarianism" - i.e. a right-wing perspective supporting total free-markets alongside social freedoms, and "corporatism" - a term which I intend to define forthwith:I don't know who originally coined the term "corporatism"; Mussolini claimed it as his own little wunderkind, but as I understand evidence

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-14676465969076941892009-09-30T11:27:00.003+01:002009-09-30T11:34:02.851+01:00

"FAQ:Q: Where can I get more information about cranberry juice?A: A bureau has been set up - The Cranberry Information Bureau. Its purpose is to give information about cranberry juice. You can contact the bureau on 01273 834716."- http://www.coloplast.co.uk/ECompany/GBMed/FAQ.nsf/(VIEWDOCSBYID)/6CCA07548EFAECD500256A8B003B6854Go on, give them a call on 01273 834716 - you know you want

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-22228405120425318532009-09-28T20:48:00.004+01:002009-09-28T20:57:08.354+01:00

Dictionary.com provides the following definitions of the word "Terrorism":1. The use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce2. The state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization3. A terroristic method of governing or of resisting a governmentI myself would define it as follows:Purposefully inducing intense fear to manipulate the thoughts and/or actions of othersFor

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-27105463834481230012009-09-27T14:22:00.003+01:002009-09-27T14:38:09.248+01:00

As part of my new self-righteous (another term I do not understand - it is a pejorative word, yet what is wrong with standing up for one's own beliefs?) crusade of fanatical niceness, I intend to publish a series of articles here, attempting to clean up the image of Socialism - as it is an ideology which comes in for much unfair criticism, especially from the American quarter - and most of these

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-28101550453911304972009-09-25T21:58:00.006+01:002009-09-26T18:15:48.015+01:00

"Smartass" or "Smart ass" or sometimes even "Smart-ass".I love this phrase. I never use it myself, because to me it seems an intolerably dense expression to use, but other people seem to use it a lot - and that is why I love it. It such a stupid, defeatist, nonsensical, idiotic thing to say, and yet it is an incredibly popular put-down amongst humanity at large. Isn't it fun to have one's own

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-84502769594545445982009-09-13T12:37:00.007+01:002009-09-25T21:55:07.160+01:00

I have begun reading an unintentionally hilarious political book called "The Broken Compass", by conservative right-winger Peter Hitchens. In this austere tome, he argues that "left-wing" and "right-wing" have lost all meaning - at least, that's what he claims he will be doing in the blurb on the book's dust jacket. In reality, what is supposed to be his central complaint is the dominance of

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-70733223608825898532009-09-06T17:57:00.000+01:002009-09-06T17:58:22.196+01:00

...post a comment if you like cheese.

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-3893149386761851542009-08-23T15:33:00.003+01:002009-08-23T16:17:05.112+01:00

The target of today's stream of puerile invective is Shazia Mirza, who has a weekly column in the Guardian-owned 'Weekend' magazine, in which she writes about her mundane thoughts and experiences - somewhat like my blog, but with more publicity. And she gets paid. And can actually write.The article that sparked this new fire of searing derision is here."I am a very private person..."Shazia begins

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-45374220306651057762009-08-22T15:44:00.004+01:002009-08-22T16:45:00.700+01:00

I always feel a slight twinge of guilt when about to launch a scathing attack on feminism, because misogyny and chauvinism are up there with sycophancy and arrogance on my list of most despised personality traits. So I am compelled to once again point out that I am a firm advocate of gender equality, I accept that there are unfair pay-gaps between men and women and believe that this is very wrong

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-51229250491204357012009-08-19T16:01:00.003+01:002009-08-20T11:39:15.007+01:00

(I have been working on this post for some time, and it is becoming so ridiculously long that I am splitting it into several parts)It is easily arguable that this post belongs more to my journal than it does to this much neglected publication, however, since the reverse is equally true - and I so rarely write to this once cherished blog anymore, I thought I would put it here.Do you know any "

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-70978257034414912072009-08-15T19:40:00.001+01:002009-08-15T19:41:22.421+01:00

in thinking that crumpets taste like a mouldering scone that has been pissed on by a sugar-loving tramp?This question came up recently, that's all.

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-73387254250253743722009-08-12T18:56:00.006+01:002009-08-16T16:01:53.048+01:00

Today I read a Guardian editorial about how the U.S. right are spreading false rumours about the UK NHS to support the false rumours they are spreading about Obama's health care plan...again.And backed by the finance of US big pharma, these lies are spreading like wildfire through the US public, and it is scary - because they are just that, lies - lies whose spread is financed by profiteering

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-50251984737556543732009-08-09T16:02:00.001+01:002009-08-09T16:06:17.977+01:00

And a whole lot of tumbleweed.But hey, my follower count is in double figures now, is yours? Ah, I...see.Seriously though - if you are reading this blog and wondering why I never post to it, then firstly you seriously need to get some hobbies, but secondly the answer is that I can't be bothered and have little to write about here.I still write to my journal though, so you can go read that in all

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-12710272052095632132009-08-01T19:32:00.004+01:002009-08-01T19:39:09.980+01:00

...that I am going to start referring to libertarians/neo-liberals as 'corporatists'. Because that is what they are - their philosophy is based on the transfer of economic power from an elected state to unelected corporate bodies.I begin to tire of those who pushed for the legalisation of the loop-holes that allow big business to export manufacturing jobs from the west to "export processing zones

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-7593838954086668432009-07-31T11:28:00.000+01:002009-07-31T11:29:05.891+01:00

I am, er, back...now. Hello.However for some reason returning to the internet - and indeed, my computer, after two weeks away spawns a feeling akin to that I expect I would feel if I promptly got up, got into my car, drove southwarduntil it was dark, then walked into a random student nightclub full of neurotypicals having a drunken party. Like cyber-social-anxiety disorder...it is strange.Though

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-32944850297869434192009-07-23T07:47:00.001+01:002009-07-23T07:47:00.492+01:00

"The mayor who kept me waiting for two hours at a restaurant? Sit down boys, we're joining this strike!""Er, don't you think the mayor might have just been at a different restaurant, chief?""Well, I can't take that rattlesnake out his letterbox now, now can I!?""Yes chief - you could""Well, let me ask you this: Shut up!"

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-16709643866319964852009-07-17T13:30:00.002+01:002009-07-17T13:30:01.941+01:00

I am currently on holiday and thus this blog is inactive for anywhere between 6 days and 3 weeks. If any urgent hate mail or such like needs to be sent, please send it to:Cobalt_VS@hotmail.co.ukI still won't be able to check for that between 6 days and 2 weeks, and will probably forget afterwards anyways, but still - there you go.

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-50897258758300374372009-07-16T07:47:00.000+01:002009-07-16T07:47:00.458+01:00

"There are three ways to do things: The right way, the wrong way, and the Max Power way!""Isn't that the wrong way?""Yes! But Faster!"

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-85270320557436199542009-07-11T20:44:00.009+01:002009-07-13T13:37:27.349+01:00

Have a look at this:Now, when I watched that guy pot so many ping-pong balls consecutively, my thoughts were "skillful" followed by "cool".This, it seems, is not the reaction the clip is intended to provoke in its target audience. The advert, as you have just noticed, concludes with some ever-so-slightly-cockney person proclaiming Phones 4U's "Great deals...for popular people" campaign - which

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-46789898529426425452009-07-09T15:13:00.001+01:002009-07-09T15:15:03.007+01:00

I'm loving today's, it really encapsulates the sort of sage wisdoms held on that site in the most succint manner:

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-24794422357006859082009-07-09T13:58:00.008+01:002009-07-09T14:39:19.140+01:00

Scientists at Newcastle University yesterday created a human sperm cell synthetically, in the lab.1I was discussing this with an internet friend, and she expressed a sentiment that I have found to be both prevalent and perplexing:"It is quite sickening, it is not natural or right"This disposition is not, of course, limited to sperm creation - it is advanced after pretty much every vaguely

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-61656133720887914332009-07-09T07:47:00.001+01:002009-07-09T07:47:00.330+01:00

"How long do I have to live, doctor?" "Well, I'm surprised your alive right now"

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-54055287931882285732009-07-04T16:23:00.002+01:002009-07-04T16:25:31.667+01:00

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-79208765086073321302009-07-02T15:12:00.002+01:002009-07-02T15:47:29.466+01:00

In many places, the word "Socialism" has become a byword for "evil". It is often thought of as synonymous with ignorant youthful idealism, or even fascistic oppression. Socialists are thought of as fundamentally "bad" people.And I wonder why. I do not see conservatives as fundamentally "bad", even though they do horrifically evil things, like support wars and torture and take the side of

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-84846593688392694122009-07-02T07:47:00.001+01:002009-07-02T07:47:02.162+01:00

"What can you prescribe, doctor?" "Fire! And lots of it!"

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-81690691380150991682009-07-01T21:06:00.005+01:002009-07-02T15:07:09.261+01:00

If I die, and most people do, my biographer will need some high-minded and pretentious quotes to include in his work, so that I sound intelligent to his readers and appear to be a subject worthy of biographical treatise. Furthermore, these quotes can later be used by oxbridge-academics to pepper about their works, and by vacuous berks to put into their forum signatures and MSN personal messages

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-58183451880878691882009-06-30T19:54:00.003+01:002009-06-30T20:29:59.573+01:00

Yes, I, a socialist/social democrat hybrid sort of person, really did just advocate giving the anarcho-capitalists what they want. I think it is, sadly, the only way to eventual improvement. The pathetic neoliberalism for the poor, socialism for the rich system that we have presently could maintain itself ad nauseum forever - it won't, because someone will do something stupid, humans,

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-90394060569148699092009-06-29T16:32:00.005+01:002009-06-29T16:45:54.467+01:00

I just re-did the political compass test, having learned a lot more about Keynesian economics, demand management and planned/mixed economies, as well as the ills of anarcho-capitalism (on which I hope to write a post, soon), and was expecting to find myself higher up towards authoritarian, advocating, as I was, more authoritarian economic regulations. But no, I was right the way over to the left,

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-69631484206457135432009-06-29T12:12:00.006+01:002009-06-29T13:37:50.802+01:00

Primarily, how American taxes are wasted, actually, for while this issue does extend well beyond the good ol' US of A, North America is by far the most the most prominent and extreme example. This is partly because it is the biggest economic, military and political power on the face of the planet at this present time, and partly because of its unique marriage of centralisation with independent

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-78512060650983412902009-06-27T16:15:00.012+01:002009-06-30T17:10:04.078+01:00

Bullshit is a powerful tool, only the foolish underestimate it, to their peril.I remember my first AS level external exam for English Language. From my abysmal mock results, and general crapness at the subject, I was convinced I had no chance at passing it, so I didn't revise for it at all, instead concentrating my revision on my other 3 subjects, with a view to dropping English Language at the

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-19208525260862642632009-06-25T17:00:00.002+01:002009-07-01T13:51:30.590+01:00

Francis Wheen stole my joke! The little bastard! Ok, ok, fine, so his book was published in 2004, which is 5 years earlier than I made this joke, but perhaps he has some sort of time-travel device which allowed to him to commit this heinous act of plagiarism.Compare this, from Wheen's "How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered The World":"...Imagine the disappointment of a suicide-bomber who arrives in heaven

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-75289515691880274572009-06-25T16:44:00.007+01:002009-06-25T17:57:00.443+01:00

Largely out of boredom, I have been reading the bible quite a lot recently, and have been struck by the number of passages which explicitly advocate values that are quite overtly socialist. I find this strange, since the New Christian Right types in America tend to be the ones siding with the far-right republicans, the ones who accuse Barrack Obama of being a “Socialist” – in the automatic

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-41065123964683537642009-06-25T16:05:00.003+01:002009-06-25T16:15:29.389+01:00

I just found the 2004 book How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World: A Short History of Modern Delusions by Francis Wheen, sitting on a shelf in my house and realised I had somehow not read this.I have only so far read as far as the end of the first chapter of this book and find myself already compelled to write that this is a wonderfully intellectual assessment of the socio-economic political issues

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-53555758152697987072009-06-25T13:48:00.000+01:002009-06-25T13:48:01.171+01:00

"Anti-Capitalist" is not a label I have ever used to describe myself. Over the (admittedly very few) years I have been "leftist", "liberal", "socialist", "marxist", "neo-marxist" and "social democrat", but never "anti-capitalist".But I find myself becoming increasingly disillusioned with western society. Not to say that there are superior alternatives to be found elsewhere. No. Just to say that

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-31360526796217243322009-06-25T07:47:00.000+01:002009-06-25T07:47:02.014+01:00

"And so...the caterpillar has emerged from it's cocoon, as a shark!...With a gun, for a mouth."

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-10735709062722411432009-06-23T12:58:00.008+01:002009-06-23T14:18:40.533+01:00

WARNING: The following post should probably not be read by religious readers...even though it is not that offensive...it's still pretty disagreeable The collective social phenomenon I wish to discuss here, which is probably evident from the title, is not one restricted to neurotypicals, so I will try my utmost to refrain from over use of the 'N' word.Many people seem to be determined that life,

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-67803566950791984132009-06-19T20:11:00.006+01:002009-06-19T20:51:54.197+01:00

...is that it has a horrible tendency to make me sick into my own scorn. In posts such as this and this, I have often lamented the state of consumerist society, in particular those quintessentially neurotypical, 'conspicuous consumption' type aspects, like fashion and cosmetics.Sitting here, being subjected to endless streams of tabloid headlines about people with names like "Jade" getting

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-21612274543929398262009-06-19T17:00:00.003+01:002009-06-19T17:00:30.704+01:00

Been reading some more stuff by rightists today - rightists who still refuse to see that they have already won the whole left/right debate, that leftist comment is just that - comment. Being, as usual, slightly annoyed by all of this (one great quote I found today claimed that "any sane person can see that under Obama America is moving towards a fascist Mussolini-like state" - hmm, that just

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-20086467428480542632009-06-19T16:31:00.004+01:002009-06-19T16:31:04.993+01:00

WARNING! WARNING! DANGER! DANGER!...er, what else did that robot off that sci-fi movie say, after "Warning! Warning! Danger! Danger!"...oh, I can't remember. Anyhoo, the point is that decent and civilised people should not be reading this post, because it is very angry and sweary and immature and gratuitously over uses the word "fuck". So if you're offended by that kind of thing, do not read on.

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-15265877387733580842009-06-18T07:47:00.000+01:002009-06-18T13:58:09.618+01:00

'Springfield Historical Society: Where the dead come alive! (metaphorically)'

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-74640973913230994372009-06-16T13:00:00.005+01:002009-06-16T13:16:01.095+01:00

And if anyone does not realise how fantastically witty a pun that title is, then you should first go and learn what synaesthesia means...and maybe then watch Apocalypse Now...except I haven't even seen that film, and I still use that line for comic reference without any trouble, so maybe just learn what synaesthesia is.You can do that without even leaving this page, actually, for I am about to

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-34534024253645098562009-06-14T15:35:00.008+01:002009-06-14T16:30:41.413+01:00

Zeitgeist.A German loan-word which translates pretty accurately to "spirit of the times".As I pointed out here, the spirit of our present times is one of slavish neoliberalism, dressed up with a neocon facade.I admire the political spectrum website Political Compass for not shifting its definition of the political "centre" to match these current rightist times, as many other speculators have, for

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-79511816895827505062009-06-12T19:26:00.003+01:002009-06-12T19:40:32.440+01:00

These aphorisms are a bit like Sod's/Murphy's law, but different."In the area of malevolence, it is fate's inclination to offer and then snatch away, rather than simply deny"And what I mean by this is that, if you are an unlucky person, and there is something you really want/need, it is more likely that you will get it, or be offered at a chance at it, and then it (or the chance at it) will be

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-14681927193546749312009-06-12T15:46:00.004+01:002009-06-12T16:19:00.262+01:00

Aha, sorry, I just thought I'd throw in a slightly provocative title that made me sound like some Daily-Mail reading chauvinist twat who spends all his waking hours ranting about the malign incursions of "The PC Brigade" into a once proud society of accidents at work and abused children.I have great respect for the cause of liberal feminism. There is no doubt that there are still instances where

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-12646871212061559782009-06-11T12:06:00.003+01:002009-06-11T12:14:33.506+01:00

I have at last got around to starting my second-blog project, and have created a web journal where I record in detail the fact that I do nothing, all day every day. It's pretty exciting stuff, and can be found here, should anyone wish to peruse my social ineptitude and failure at life in general.I haven't actually decided on the template or colour scheme yet, I keep switching between things

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-41462753854287618702009-06-11T07:47:00.002+01:002009-06-11T19:26:46.060+01:00

"Alcohol: The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems!"

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-80478755585158499312009-06-10T12:55:00.006+01:002009-06-10T17:49:10.066+01:00

Well, political nihilism can be justified now, for we the left are utterly defeated. Perhaps our once strong ideology will return in another age, but not, I should think, in my life time.We have had our moments. Our greatest time was perhaps that of WWII to the late 70s. The nazis, that collective of the evils of rightism all put together and taken to their ultimate extremes (or logical

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-66081964470157868042009-06-09T17:49:00.003+01:002009-06-09T17:59:06.943+01:00

I am still, like, here and stuff, yeah? I have just been away from my computer for three days due to various coinciding events.This post is really just to push the previous incoherent mess down the page a bit, though I do have two posts which I am currently trying to write...and am also about to (I think) embark on creating a second blog that I will actually use (I have two other than this,

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-21591310152822334112009-06-05T07:47:00.002+01:002009-06-19T13:32:55.160+01:00

Do not read this post! It is very long and boring and incoherent and badly spelled (or should that be "spelt"?). This is merely a collection of desparing thoughts which I hope to eventually re-write as an article. Now stop reading! Right now! This is a draft! Go away!This post is sort of the sequel to my post about self-doubt, here. However this is not so much a neurodiversity post as a

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-90744612522967195692009-06-04T19:35:00.005+01:002009-06-04T20:27:35.390+01:00

This is not the post I referred to in my last one, that will (I hope) come next.No, it had briefly slipped my mind that today was the day the UK votes for its MEPs, so I should of course be posting about that.My predictions are as follows:Labour is f***ked. Seriously.Conservatives will do pretty well, but will lose some votes to UKIP, the BNP and other more fringe parties.Lib dems might take

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-80510254092215146632009-06-04T15:19:00.005+01:002009-07-09T15:19:09.510+01:00

Content Warning: Possibly offensive post, if you hold any cherished values which you cannot bear to see contradicted, do not read this post. This post which is, ironically, about you."Hold to nothing too violently. Every fool stands convinced; and everyone convinced is a fool; and the faultier a man's judgement, the firmer his conviction."-- Baltasar GracianNow, having got that formality (ahem)

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-13151034801301556612009-06-04T15:08:00.005+01:002009-06-04T20:19:01.224+01:00

Yay! Finally, an overcast day! Our convex metallurgic gun-metal dome is back! I can write!Today it really is a beautiful day, so shove this in your pipe and smoke it, you sun-loving neurotypicals!Incidentally, today was a convenient day for it to cool down, because I had an A level sociology exam (which was easy), which constitutes one small part of the matrix of factors which determine whether I

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-43386141166134008582009-06-01T20:25:00.003+01:002009-06-01T20:29:31.580+01:00

Too hot, too hot, too hot!Too hot to write any posts, too hot to be doing any work, too hot to be doing any of the things I am supposed to be doing for various medical forums, too hot to spell check this post, too hot to go and read and comment on any other blogs, to hot to go on blog patrol.I hate heat! I hate the sun! I hate summer!Asinine Rants remains in hibernation untill it starts raining,

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-72467404034046549022009-05-31T10:47:00.000+01:002009-05-31T10:47:00.534+01:00

Something I read just now prompted me to do a google search containing only the words "death by", here are some of the interesting results that came up on the first page:Death by CaffeineDeath by CurryDeath by ArchitectureDeath by Sectarian MobDeath by IndifferenceDeath by AudioDeath by Rare White Tiger in New ZealandDeath by MeetingDeath by PowerPointDeath by Black HoleDeath by

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-14887114935175001802009-05-30T13:25:00.006+01:002009-05-30T19:08:55.282+01:00

Yesterday, I saw on the news that one of our (and by "our", I mean British) royalty people had gone to New York on a so-called "state visit". Prince somebody or other...I have trouble with their names, the arrogant, annoying, racist one - but that doesn't narrow it down at all. Prince, um, Harry, I think. I'm pretty sure that's the one who went to that party dressed as a nazi? Oh well, beyond

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-84583081533114778982009-05-29T20:48:00.008+01:002009-05-29T21:20:51.876+01:00

and quite clearly that intention has carried through. However this post isn't about anything except the posts I chose not to write, because it's too hot for blogging, writing...thinking, today - and, I am told, by smiling, sun-loving idiots, tomorrow too! Brilliant. More sweat and headaches, more insomnia, more wasps. Trés bon! I love summer.I was going to write about this hilariously erroneous

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-42845141036245804162009-05-27T19:36:00.008+01:002009-08-17T15:29:48.945+01:00

I'll explain that title in a minute. Or slightly more than a minute, it really depends on how fast you read - or how fast I type, depending on which way you look at it.This blog just won an award. Did you just read that? It's not a sentence that needs any decoration with fancy superlatives because if you read it, then look at this blog, then read it again, the shock value is quite obvious all of

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-46883728932167494382009-05-27T19:16:00.003+01:002009-05-27T19:29:24.544+01:00

I recently read a vaguely amusing comment on a random blog that I stumbled across, to the effect that the poster had got a follower/comment on their own blog from someone whose blog they did not want to follow in return because they would be ashamed if people thought they read that thing, as it was full of "long and nonsensical posts" and other problems. Yet apparently they felt themselves to be

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-53061760317494768382009-05-26T19:31:00.002+01:002009-05-26T19:34:13.772+01:00

I found this while doing some impromtu research into the physiology of laughter, apparently a study trying to find the worlds funniest joke came up with this:"A couple of Mississippi hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing, his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls the emergency services. He

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-29577515337658872452009-05-25T20:27:00.008+01:002009-05-25T21:01:16.822+01:00

By my poor standards, I think one of my better articles was the one where I suggested that religiosity and rightism were lower in neurodiverse people. In that post, I said I had never found a single neurodiverse religious fundamentalist. I must now, sadly, retract that statement.Blog Patrol just stumbled across this. Are you hovering over that link? See the url? Yeah, my heart sank too. Oh well,

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-59732072085267378952009-05-25T13:44:00.010+01:002009-05-25T14:24:29.589+01:00

There are certain adjectives which if people attribute to themselves, I instinctively just think "twat" and disregard anything they say. This is quite a useful instinct when, in one of my regular bored periods, I go trawling through blogger profiles to see if anything interesting comes up, because it allows me to skip over people who write certain things in their "about me" bit on the profile

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-21765774240970024052009-05-23T15:30:00.004+01:002009-05-23T15:47:33.767+01:00

This post will discuss, briefly, the three things mentioned in the triadic structure that forms its title.Firstly, my extremely cheap frames with my new prescription lenses have arrived. Wow, and I thought I was fuck ugly before....and I was! But wow, these look so bad!! Fortunately for me I have never been one to be overtly concerned about my appearance - I can't get on with other people anyway,

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-70092074130606636432009-05-21T14:43:00.003+01:002009-05-21T14:56:06.598+01:00

Wow, when I search through the jungle of the internet for peoples experiences of depression I am shocked to find how incredibly ecstatic most of these peoples lives are compared to mine - and I thought I might have a problem with self-pity!People, people each in what appear to me to be their respective Shangri La, who have depression diagnoses, who say they are suicidal. Yet when you look at the

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-79125839863853331612009-05-21T14:20:00.003+01:002009-05-21T14:30:41.019+01:00

I have not played chess on a board for a while, I much prefer computer chess, on the whole - it is easier to analyse your moves and your strategy, more complex games result.Though today I played board chess, against someone who barely knows how the pieces move - it is amazing how much different it is when you are playing with a physical board, after months of only playing computer chess one makes

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-64134215450686506472009-05-21T11:49:00.003+01:002009-05-21T12:28:37.006+01:00

For over a year, despite the gross decline of my health, I have not wept, once, ever. This has always much frustrated me. I am not sure what the physiology of crying is, why the tear ducts should stream salty fluid in moments of overwhelming sadness, but the fact is that they do and that people tend to feel better after this strange release of emotion.The logical detachment I needed to imbue

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-21153938505907698672009-05-21T07:47:00.002+01:002009-06-25T17:52:45.400+01:00

Lift up a rock, and neurotypicals crawl out from underneath.No.Yet such is how I am coming to view them. A diametric echo of how they see me, perhaps, but if so then it is an ego-centric, almost narcissistic echo, consumed by overbearing arrogance and vanity. An echo with a superiority complex. Though a justified one, perhaps, in that this echo is at least equipped with the requisite detachment

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-770745583478193672009-05-20T20:00:00.013+01:002009-05-23T20:08:46.305+01:00

This will probably not be the last post I ever write on this blog. Or, perhaps more accurately, it will probably not be the second last post ever published to this blog. But god, the horror of what I face tomorrow, at 9:00AM, is making me tempted...is making me think of my 3.5 inch stainless steel exit strategy.Not, sadly, a strategy I feel I will be able to put into action, either before 9AM on

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-7371692492476175672009-05-20T11:48:00.003+01:002009-05-20T12:33:09.771+01:00

The title of this post, as I hope the content of this blog has made abundantly clear, does not refer to me. Indeed, my blogger avatar is itself a left wing (geddit? I did), no, the title refers to Caroline Lucas, head of the UK green party, who was recently interviewed in the Guardian, here.Myself, I have generally considered environmentalism to be a leftist ideology, despite the Tories callous

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-31260438830503439052009-05-19T20:03:00.002+01:002009-05-20T11:36:37.443+01:00

For some reason, when I visit my blog, it often loads my post on an athestic perspective on death as the first post, not showing and newer posts above that or in the archive. Yet when I refresh it shows the actual newest post at the top. Refresh again and it goes back to the atheism/death post. The worst thing is I HAVE DELETED THAT POST NOW - BUT IT STILL DOES THIS!Any wise tech types who happen

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-3924203874238565422009-05-19T19:55:00.000+01:002009-05-19T19:55:40.383+01:00

"What is art?" is a question that comes up perhaps even more than the equally enigmatic "What is culture" cliché. Indeed, the question over the nature of art was recently raised on the photography blog I follow - there's a free link for you, Francois.This triggered me into one of my rambling chains of thought over what a good definition of art might be. I at first considered the definitions

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-32764411662978973422009-05-19T09:59:00.010+01:002009-05-19T11:13:46.562+01:00

:-)

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-65534379601874185382009-05-19T09:47:00.006+01:002009-06-25T17:54:14.354+01:00

This post was originally going to be called "Question thy Country, Love thy World", and be an attack of patriotism and nationalism. Oh, I'm sorry, I should not be surprised that you do not like the sound of "an attack on patriotism". This is because you, presumably, like all of us, to varying extents, have been socialised into a belief that your country is, in some, intangible way, superior to

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-27166949416549117142009-05-18T10:37:00.001+01:002009-05-20T13:01:53.374+01:00

The topic of this post is, I presume, self-evident from the title, so my introduction shall instead discuss why I have decided to write about this at all, and why now.Those two questions are, in fact, very simple to answer. To the former, because it, especially since the decline of my health, has been an area of great interest to me; to the latter, because I am currently going through something

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-8347551199733339362009-05-17T19:40:00.001+01:002009-05-17T21:08:30.877+01:00

In this post, I explored the falsity of the argument that morals come from scripture, and also mentioned the contradictions between the two versions of the ten commandments offered in the bible. However, neither version of the commandments really gives ten pillars on which to build a perfect society, as many of the directives are about sacrifices and so forth.Many secular organisations and

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-14246979277784938492009-05-17T17:47:00.000+01:002009-05-17T17:47:00.542+01:00

I was not going to write this article, but then I noticed my blog had acquired a fourth follower, on whose blog I read this post, about, essentially, the perception of autism, and, by extension, neurodiversity in general, as some sort of mental disease which must be eradicated for the good of society.This is an issue which has been of great concern to me for some time, I was particularly

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-74417204575646155032009-05-17T12:28:00.007+01:002009-05-17T20:59:41.492+01:00

I feel a bit guilty...actually, in light of this post's title, that was perhaps not the best way to start.No, the reason I feel a little guilty is because I just bought a copy of the Bible, a translation published by a global collective of fanatical zealots who wish to spread Christianity around the world by the flaming sword of their almighty blood god Yahweh, with a view, one presumes, to

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-83162512835701498522009-05-16T12:31:00.014+01:002009-06-25T17:51:42.153+01:00

Fear not, despite the presence of the dreaded 'P' word in the title, this post will (hopefully) not be delving too far into the deep issues surrounding the great divides of the political spectrum. However, if you are deeply religious it could well be slightly offensive, so, er, you might want to stop reading now. I apologise, but I cannot be bothered to set up a second blog purely for the purpose

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-24403991669486530762009-05-14T19:15:00.006+01:002009-06-25T17:50:54.416+01:00

More politics, I'm afraid. I will return to verbally abusing neurotypical society in good time.When reading the paper today, I was struck by two articles pertaining to the activities of rightists. The first was this one, about an advertising campaign being run in the US by a group called "Conservatives for Patient's Rights" (CPR - an unintended pun, I presume), which claims that healthcare reform

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-49724164270918031762009-05-14T10:30:00.003+01:002009-05-14T11:02:36.769+01:00

Lo', ye wanderers of the internet, here lies a somewhat silly idea.One which is largely self-explanatory based on the title of this post. Basically, it works like this:Should any random person who knows algebraic chess notation stumble across this post, feel free to post a move in the comments - a move for black - because I call white - ha! Though I will remove that provision on the off-chance

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-32760818995171120182009-05-12T18:57:00.007+01:002009-05-14T11:33:27.458+01:00

Chamber of EchoesDo not expound your greatness so,Lest you find yourself at darkness' mouth.For long absent has been the foe,The chamber is empty, lifeless, uncouth.There you stand, to nothing your brilliance you decry,Proclaim to shadow the follies of scum,And stand waiting for the sycophantic walls' reply,Waiting, for the echoes come.Concurrence of your praise the echoes bear,And you respond,

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-50366745892316589062009-05-12T08:53:00.006+01:002009-05-12T11:14:16.146+01:00

Who is the narrator? One might cynically suggest that he is my god, it is, after all, his omniscient opinion that, to some extent my actions aim to please.What is the narrator? That is in some ways a simpler question. A semi-conscious, almost schizophrenic aspect of my psyche, from whose perspective I tend to imagine my actions, even thoughts, and those of others. For instance, the narrator

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-9760475601638371152009-05-11T13:11:00.017+01:002009-05-11T20:57:55.180+01:00

Unconscious.That is the most apt term I can conceive to describe the apparently instinctive nature of neurotypical action - and, indeed, thought. They do not think, they are not aware, they just do. It is almost as if they are mentally oblivious to, well, pretty much everything. Some internal instinct guides all their actions. For some this instinct is stronger than others, some have to

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-1380758665444045952009-05-10T17:47:00.002+01:002009-05-10T19:38:50.482+01:00

Sanguine, my brother? Ahaha, I'm sorry, I will dispense with the nerd references now - that was a long time ago, when I still had tendons :PI write this post because I only just learned what the American right-wing slang term "pinko" means. It refers to those who are far left but not socialist or communist. Presumably because pink is a lighter shade of red, and red is the colour of socialism.Oh,

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-48995807718237664582009-05-09T13:44:00.007+01:002009-05-09T16:31:11.052+01:00

I'm sorry, I mean sight tests. Noticing my visual range continue to dramatically fall, today I had my second eye test of the year, and have got a prescription for my second pair of glasses of the year - the last pair cost nearly £100 - and that was only 4 months ago!This is also the third opticians I have been with. I abandoned the first one because their manager was just such an utter creep, who

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-127960881459956872009-05-06T20:10:00.016+01:002009-07-08T16:37:40.926+01:00

Recently, I was, for the second time in three days, accused of being a high-minded, stuck up, egotistical, arrogant academic. Perhaps the fact that, having just written that sentence, I feel compelled to point out that "egotistical" and "arrogant" are so similar in meaning that using the two words consecutively is something of a tautology, lends some credence to this accusation.One instance of

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-92116518715195927882009-05-06T19:18:00.005+01:002009-05-07T19:37:33.732+01:00

In some perverse way, I like disproving philosophical paradoxes. It makes you think - these paradoxes are designed, to put it bluntly, to state utter BS in a way which makes this BS sound both logical and correct. I will mention two such paradoxes here, and disprove them. I am aware that these are both ripped out of Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion" (Which, as mentioned in a previous post, I am

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-44643963313986048092009-05-04T15:02:00.006+01:002009-05-04T20:33:24.194+01:00

Ahhhhrg! I just went through a red light right in front of a police car!! It was a pedestrian light, but I'm not sure if that makes it worse or better - on the one hand, there wasn't going to be a car-crash, on the other, there could have been pedestrian-squashing.But this wasn't my fault! No, really, and I am going to explain why, so that my innocence can survive for posterity.I was pulling up

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564230193076019079.post-88796636272577418982009-05-04T12:13:00.003+01:002009-05-09T16:18:03.087+01:00

The Obligatory Religious Sensitivities Warning: If you are strongly (or, perhaps, even slightly) religious, there is a small part of this post which may offend your sensitivities. And you wouldn't want that, would you? So, even if you were planning on reading such a long, rambling and dreary post as this, I suggest that you don't.That, if you are wondering, which, naturally, you are, is supposed

Cobaltnoreply@blogger.com2