The Wire 4x01

The Wire 4x01, originally uploaded by _saturnine.

The first half of US TV season is well and truly behind us now, so I'm diving into season 4 of The Wire this week. While I don't think it's as good as everyone else makes out, it's not a show to ignore.

Durnford Street

Durnford Street, originally uploaded by _saturnine.

Hmmm...

I guess the way the Catholic church stockpiles assets could technically be called thrifting... and that gold throne is obviously vintage. [via]

"At Happy Lawson, a kid-friendly store that overlooks Yokohama Harbor, customers can buy fresh sushi and carbon offsets, pay income tax and change diapers, book airplane tickets and sip vodka coolers. There's hot soup, cold beer, fresh bread, clean toilets, french fries, earwax remover, spotless floors, and a broadband-empowered machine that will order home appliances, book concert tickets and sign a customer up for driver's education."

- Japan's convenience stores profit by taking convenience to new level

Simon's Sister's Dog: A Cautionary Tale

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Maynard James Keenan Moments

Watching a lot of TOOL related videos on YouTube tonight. The fan/stage grapple will never be unfunny.

"Brawling South Korean politicians tried to sledgehammer their way into a parliamentary meeting room barricaded by the ruling party as the National Assembly descended into chaos on Thursday over a free-trade agreement with the United States."

Yes, there are pictures [via trendalicious]

Quickie

Korean model Lee, shot by Ph for Stiletto magazine, via Model.com.

100 Farewells

100 Farewells from wreckandsalvage on Vimeo.

Link Dump 18/12/08

• Motel Life is a photo essay by the Denver Post's Hyoung Chang and Jason Blevins documenting the lives of families who are currently living in American motels.

• My favorite news story from yesterday was that in 2005 Hawaiian oil drillers broke into an unusually shallow magma chamber: "They are not sure how large the magma chamber is, but some initial testing suggests it may have been put in place by activity from Kilauea in the 1950s, perhaps even the 1920s. Professor Marsh said the chamber was docile and slowly cooling. The consistency of the magma was like chilled pancake syrup."

• Lopi of Fashion Architect makes the most amazing birthday presents for her boyfriend. The t-shirt is stunning, but last year's graffiti doll blew my mind. She is so talented.

• Zoriah: Afghanistan Mountains from U.S. Military Helicopter

• The Big Picture: Scenes from Guantanamo Bay. Protip for American politicians, if you shut down this facility and gave the land back to Cuba, you'd improve your international reputation by 100 points.

• List of common misperceptions on Wikipedia. I learned things!

• An old-ish link, but I liked Ali-Bell's interpretations of captcha words: "regul, adj. The kind of woman who wears tracksuit pants with "Princess" written across her backside and gives her children names like Tiffnee, Kortnee and Willyum. Derived from regal."

Hope Bear

Hope Bear, originally uploaded by Barack Obama.

HOPE BEAR BURNED YOUR CHURCH DOWN.

At Dusk

At Dusk, originally uploaded by _saturnine.

Al Murray - God Bless America

Aldi

Aldi, originally uploaded by _saturnine.

Best Call

Best Call, originally uploaded by _saturnine.

Satan's Spawn

Cutting Edge: The Fun Police

Watching this Cutting Edge documentary about Heath & Safety officers in the UK. Some of the visuals are just better than they should be for a little documentary on Channel Four, and these are two nice examples.

"So now I'm conflicted, I have never behaved like this in a shop before. I'm standing there, delirious from the heat, heady with the bargains I have found, not entirely sure whether they fit me and missing one of my shoes."

- It's a Jungle Out There by Lady Melbourne, an account of visiting the Primark flagship store in London.

Mark Kermode on Jason Statham

Quick Fashion Break

I try not to blog or talk too much about how much I love the fashion blog culture of the internet, because there's no good way of explaining a fixation on exterior looks, especially when I am not a very aesthetically built human being, without the assumption being made that you're a bit of a twat obsessed with the latest designer offerings. Not so!

But anyway, I am currently watching Susie Bubble's quick video report on the epic Angel vintage sale that happened in London today. She's going to post a longer blog when she can, but the video she's posted for now is worth watching simply for the size of the queue that formed to get in. There were hundreds (maybe thousands) of people waiting to get in and rummage through the boxes that were laid out - and with good reason. It worked on a simple premise: buy a bag worth £10, £20 or £50 and fill it with vintage clothes until it can be filled no more. Brilliant concept, and it certainly packed the people in. As trendy as vintage gear has got in the last few years, I had no idea people were that into cheap clothes. It's pretty rewarding to see people turning on their heels and be happy to spend so little on what they wear.

Although I do wonder as to how much will be popping up on eBay for the price of a single bag...

Announcement!

I have started a Warhammer blog called Bow & Stab - I have a few posts completed and more in draft form. So if you play, take a look, tell me where I might be going wrong. The aim is to keep track of what I think of the game and the things I'm experiencing. Unless the game randomly turns awful, I want to stay on the positive side and include lots of screenshots.

The Bridge (1)

The Bridge (1), originally uploaded by _saturnine.

False Storms

False Storms, originally uploaded by _saturnine.

CSI 3x22 Play With Fire

CSI 3x22 Play With Fire, originally uploaded by _saturnine.

Watching some old episodes of CSI - I'm at the point in the 2008/9 TV schedule where the early shows (eg: True Blood) have finished up and I'm struggling to find sources of entertainment. This is why I will always buy the boxsets of my favorite shows. Nothing's better.

Hollywood Smiles

Hollywood Smiles, originally uploaded by _saturnine.

Western White-Crowned Robin

Western White-Crowned Robin, originally uploaded by _saturnine.