Ghostboy

This one is called Precious.

This one is called Deceit.

Have a listen and let us know what you think.

So, the new project is coming together a little more slowly than expected but it’s getting there. Expect to see live performances by Ghostboy in the not too distant future. Well, this year at least.

The Particle v1.0 from Alex Posada on Vimeo.

This would scare you in a nightclub, and possibly give you a fit too. It looks pretty pretty though. The Particle 1.0 is a kinetic sculture by Alex Posada.

[Via DesignBoom]

Innocent Smoothies Kiwi Apple and Lime

This has been around for a while I think but I only tasted it for the first time this month, and it’s really nice. It’ll probably go well with crushed ice and vodka when I start drinking again too.

I have to say that I think the small bottles of Innocent smoothies are a complete rip off in most shops in Ireland, coming in at nearly €3 each. The larger cartons in the picture are around €4, but you only find them in some supermarkets. So maybe I’ll start making some myself. Now, where can I find some spinach and nettle extract?

The Fortress

I walk round the fortress, A place in time, I have the key, But I don’t use it
Trapped inside is, A distant idea, A colour seen, But not heard
The moon it dances, Across the door, A shadow hides, In plain sight
And in the whisper, Of the stream, I hear stories, Never told.

You look out a window, From time to time, Can’t understand, A stereo dream
Herds of people, Crowding by, Going nowhere, Just haunting
You could follow them, If you wanted, But your rules, They won’t allow it
And time creeps by, At the speed of now, You never touched it, But you know it’s gone.

The Cold little fortress, It watches and waits, Will this time, Be any different?
It knows the answer, But it doesn’t say, Wouldn’t want to, Spoil a surprise
I hear the footsteps, Your leaving, For a moment, My journey stops
Oh emptiness, My polygon heart, It still still beats, To your tune.

Asterios Polyp

I’m not sure what to tell you about Asterios Polyp. It’s a comic book, or graphic novel. It’s big. It doesn’t take long to read. It makes you think sometimes.

Worst. Review. Ever.

Actaully, the reason I don’t want to tell you much about it is that I got it as a present (thanks Simon) and I’d never heard of it, or it’s author David Mazzucchelli. So I got to approach it with a completely open mind, something I very much miss doing when it comes to music and film in particular. Comics, and even regular books to some extent, don’t feature in the long list of things I read reviews of or articles about. So reading this book for the first time was really interesting. I had no idea what was going to happen on any level apart from deducing things from what I’d seen as I went along, and it was great.

I remember getting the same thrill from going to see movies I knew nothing about in film festivals years ago, or seeing bands I knew nothing about in Whelans and the like. It seems thinking about it now that there are a million opinions available online and that people like me who use the web a lot, and things like blogs, Twitter and Facebook to share thoughts and opinions maybe are doing each other a disservice sometimes by telling other people what we think about something without being asked to. We spoil the magic of discovery.

So now I wish I didn’t put a picture of the book up there, and tell you its name because now you know something about it, but at the same time I want more people to know about it and enjoy it the way I did. Catch 22 you say. Ain’t life grand says I.

If you like the colour blue, or the colour red, or you’ve ever met someone who’s always right, or someone who’s really talented but isn’t assertive enough, or you’re in the midst of a life changing situation, or none of the above, then go and find, borrow or buy Asterios Polyp and read it, and tell me what you think. But maybe not in public?

Remember that time it snowed in Dublin and that guy was on the news and he slipped and fell over? Yeah, it was only three days ago, but it’s still funny. In fairness, who didn’t have one of these pratfalls on the ice? I know I did.

So these days you can go to the Lego DesignByMe website, download a small program for your Mac or PC, and design your own Lego model from scratch. Then they’ll send you all the pieces you need and you can even make your own box art. Nerdgasm! I don’t even know where to start…

Two weeks off the booze now and what happens? Bars start to offer half price drinks all day! Thanks Panti… lead me not into temptation and all that. For now I’m keeping the Naïve Melody that goes “giving up drink is easy and I don’t miss it all” going round in my head.