Monsters, CCNA, Work, Gaming, Politics

[tcpip]

Monsters 1: Lordi wins Eurovision. Surprised to see many people on my flist making a big deal of this. Let's face it, their lyrics suck and musically they're as competent as KISS or Twisted Sister (i.e., not at all). Basically, they're a crap band in glam monster outfits.

Monsters 2: A gaggle of g*ths wander through Melbourne dressed up as zombies. I find myself wondering what's the point? Sure we love to frock up and apply makeup in new and interesting ways, but I could only think that said participants are competing with Malaysian beggars (I actually saw I guy like this in Indonesia).

Monsters 3: Dracorex hogwartsia, "The Dragon King of Hogwarts", has been discovered. Hat-tip to ozraptor4 with whom caseopaya and I are going to the Melbourne zoo tonight for a presentation by a wild animals vet graduate from Murdoch Uni.

CCNA: (Re)sat my semester 2 theory exam on Tueday. Despite feeling like death warmed up I finished with 30 minutes to spare. Instead of doing the sensible thing and checking some of my answers I submitted. Shouldn't have worried; 91.3%; pleased with that result.

Work: I have a lot of it at the moment. Was given at the start of the week a sixty page website to finish by today. No, I haven't been doing much else.

Gaming: Three new faces at GURPS Australian Noir last Sunday; we're going to have to break up into two groups and a two week cycle. Thinking GURPS, retro AD&D, Using HARP, MERP or Rolemaster for Thieves World (artbroken's ears prick up) and possibly Call of Cthulhu. Would be great if someone would run a SF game; like Paranoia or Cyberpunk.

Politics: Back to the medieval fiefdoms as Montenegro declares independence. Want to reduce teenage pregnancies and STDs? Provide sex education and treat them like the adults they are. Duh. Will someone please pay for the externalities? Global warming may exceed predictions - as in six degrees hotter.

Comments

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Well, what is it then exactly?

Eurovision: a viewer's guide

[catsidhe.livejournal.com]

If it ever was about 'the music', I think that quaint notion died in the sixties. Since then it has been about showing up, because it's expected that you at least try, but not necessarily trying too hard, because if you win then you have to host it next year, which could be far more expensive than it's worth (I've heard a rumour that Ireland deliberately sends third-rate contestants every year, because they don't want to risk accidentaly winning). But you don't want to do too badly either, because who wants to be beaten by Armenia or Estonia, even if you don't take it seriously.

Therefore the result is a competition packed with groups or individuals tuned and primped to be cute, fluffy and inoffensive, and songs carefully monitored to contain nothing but the words "Love", "Happiness" and "Respect" in whatever combination and translation, surgically removed from any concept of 'good taste' or 'dignity'. Legs and breasts rate well, as do inoffensive SNAGs. Every so often you'll see an abberation slip through the defenses, like the Israeli transsexual winner a few years ago, or indeed, Lordi. They can usually be picked by the outrage when they win their own country's play-off. Most of the contestants seem to take the whole farce seriously. Occasionally, they patently don't. (Lithuania, I'm looking at you. "We are the winners", indeed.)

It's basically a huge carnival of bad taste, masochism and schadenfreude, all wrapped up in glitter and neon.

Most of us are not laughing with the contestants, if you get my meaning. Sir Terry Wogan certainly wasn't.

Re: Eurovision: a viewer's guide

[baralier.livejournal.com]

Last weekend's Age: Good Weekend had an interview with one of the organisers who was complaining that the English treated it like a joke because they always sent the worst song that they could find (this year's being a case in point).

Though with Lithuania's entry ("We are the winners of Eurovision") I'd hardly say the rest of Europe was taking it seriously either.

Re: Eurovision: a viewer's guide

[catsidhe.livejournal.com]

"treat it" hell, it has been a joke for decades, it is just that the organisers and most of the contestants are the only ones not to have realised.