[iippo]'s diary
Written about Thursday 2011-06-02
Written: (4874 days ago)
It has happened: I can not understand news anymore.
-The Finnish Tories can't get a government together, they just kicked out all the ones they were trying to make a coalition with and now have to go ask the other ones if they'd like to come...? Just, what?
-People all dying from poisoned cucumber...? What the heck is up with that? Like, who does that? Or how? And why for goodness sakes? Why are people dying of cucumber?! X_x
Ignoring all that, I had a wonderful bank holiday today, cleaned a bit, drew a lot, Elftowned a lot... Tomorrow is work again, and then it's saturday and sunday again.
I'm going to have international visitors this summer. Next week my first missionary companion (Californian) will come over, and in July an El Salvadorian that I met in Sweden will come :)
What I Enjoyed about Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - not-really-a-Review
-Contains spoilers- -They will be blacked out accordingly-This isn't really a review. More of a confession in many parts. First part is that I did go see the new Pirates movie, and the second part is that I enjoyed it. I went to see it, despite of what Kermode said, despite of what I said to myself. It was kind of like a repetition of the way I approached the first Pirates movie: when I saw the trailers to it, I said "meh, not going to go see it" and then my sister asked if I wanted to go, and I said yes. o.O This is exactly what happened here too: my sister asked if I'd like to go, and I said yes. This time is was very much a conscious decision of wanting to spend time with my sister no matter what. And so we went. The only bit that I really regret is that we went to see the 3D version. 3D glasses are uncomfortable for a person who wears regular glasses; I find fast scenes difficult to see as it is, 3D makes it worse; things that are out of focus on the screen look rubbish in 3D; and 3D is more expensive. Basically, going to the 3D viewing was an accident, we didn't mean to. But my sister hadn't been to anything 3D before, so that was good for her.
It's silly how I feel about 3D, because when I was a child, I read about 3D movies and thought it was such a shame that they didn't exist anymore. But I didn't wear glasses as a child either, so I didn't foresee my current problems. To put it short: the real world being in 3D causes me enough problems, I really have no interest in my entertainment being 3D too *goes back to reading books*
But on to the topic: what I enjoyed. Because I'm not going to lie, I did enjoy the film. Yes, that does make me a second-class citizen and I will never be able to look the Good Doctor in the eye after this. But overall what I found enjoyable in this film was the feeling of return, and that is exactly what sequels are all about. "Jack's back" and "one last (or one of many lasts) trip to the crazy funny world of the Pirates" and all that. It's like getting together with old friends: slightly disappointing (because you've grown all apart and don't really have things in common anymore) but it's still really good to see them. You don't really necessarily care if you don't see them ever again - but if you do, it'll be nice to see them again that time too. :P So yes, I will go watch Pirates 5 too. Because there will be one, they can't just leave her in a bottle.
Now, in case you have or have not seen trailers or cast lists, it may or may not come as a surprise that there is no Elizabeth Swann or... that guy that Orlando Bloom played. So we learn very powerfully that the Pirates of the Caribbean mentioned in the title of the film are Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa. Good thing too, because I like Barbossa the mostest :) And that fat drunken guy, he's cool too. Other interesting people are dame Judy Dench cameo and Harry Potter's uncle (or some guy who looks a lot like him) as the jolly king of England. Or king of jolly England, either way. Brings a quick history introduction to the shorter viewers about privateers.
Something that the critics trashed this film about was the lack of plot: what are they doing and why and who is that guy and why do we care? And I agree, the story was confusing. But I don't care, for two reasons. Firstly, because when it comes to these kinds of movies (genre films with world), I care infinitely more about the world than the story. Secondly, and more importantly, this felt like a Monkey Island -game in movie format! :D It's awesome. First we need to get out of a sticky situation, then there is some uber treasure somewhere which becomes the ultimate goal. But for that we need a ship, and a crew, and a map, and then a bunch of items that combined will make the thingie work - and while we gather the stuff we get glimpses of the looming evil that'll all come down to the final show/hoe/count
Next item on the list: mermaids. It was very important they dealt with mermaids because of Peter Pan and general pirate-lore. I thought they were nicely done (Kermode compared to Harry Potter's lake people, but they're not the same thing at all, and I actually liked these girls better than the lake people), not too alien and not utter airheads, keeping to canon but also making them a little more dangerous. And maybe because I'm religious and thus read into things, but I thought the little love affair with the priest and the mermaid was incredibly interesting. How he sees soul in her but isn't really sure, blablabla... I thought it was interesting to see how it developed. Although the mermaids name was fail. Syrena? As in, siren? -_- Blah.
Another interesting religion dealio was the Spanish. (Seriously bad movie ending spoiler under here, don't read unless you've seen the film or definitely will not go see it) I really did not see it coming that they'd just trash the fountain as a pagan abomination. And the faces of all the characters in that scene really reflect mine: what the heck!? It made me think of the conquistadors in The Road to Eldorado, or even the Borg. Like a force of nature. Was quite cool, I thought.
Then Jack being a swashbuckling private. This was also something of a problem for the critics: Jack Sparrow is no longer the worst pirate ever, he's actually a really good pirate, what with the sword fighting and the acrobatics and the general buckling of the swash. But y'know, it's much better than the... whole shaky Keith Richards/drunk
I didn't absolutely adore everything about it, Blackbeard was meh as was his ship-magic, but hey ho, there you go, that's what happens when you try to take Barbossa's crown as the epic old pirate captain, just like Davy Jones. Though he was slightly more epic, what with the squidlyness. :P
Anyhoo, this is long enough now, I think.
Written about Saturday 2011-05-28
Written: (4879 days ago)
I think internet has fail when it comes to information about compound machines.
Basically what I need is five compound machines (that is, things that are made out of two of the six classic simple machines: lever, pulley, wedge, inclined plane, screw, wheel-and-axle). So first up, not only does the Internet not agree with itself how many simple machines there are (some leave out screw because it's an inclined plane going around in circles, some add gears though they are basically wheels, and hey, wedge is just two inclined planes going somewhere together etc etc...) But we'll go with the six basics, because that's what the Reneissance people said (and I'm really into everything that mentions Reneissance right now).
So far I have
-scissors/axe = lever + wedge
-wheelbarrow = lever + wheel (this is a hugely controversial one, some think it has an inclined plane going for it too)
-fan = wedge + wheel (questionable: are the blades really doing to air what wedges are for? Technically yes, though in a really miniscule scale... Close enough, I'll take it)
-crane = pulley + and then I lost track. I guess it's a lever. But I can't have yet another lever-combo, I can have two each max.
I never got around to properly figuring out what exactly does a bicycle have, all the sources disagree and some add handbrakes to the mix and everything. Does it have more than two (making it a complex machine), and if so, why does it come up in every search for compound machine, even for "compound machine -bicycle"? >.< Do bicycle gears count as pulleys or wheel-and-axle
So if someone really understands this part, could you please be so kind as to identify one part of a bicycle that is a compound machine, and tell me clearly in a way that I can believe what the two simple machines in it are?
See, the plan is that I'll have the simple machines in a row, and the compounds on top of them, so that the machine that is a compound of lever and pulley is on top of the lever and the pulley.
For example
i.p+w/a w/a+wed wed+pul pul+scr scr+lev
inc.plane wheel/axle wedge pulley screw lever
Except I need to figure out what's what and in what order they need to line up so I have ones that match them. And I just realised that out of scissors, wheelbarrow and fan I can't have all three because they can't line up. Grr.
I also had a brilliant idea that I could wear a corset on top of my summer dress for my sister's wedding. Basically I've been wanting a corset for a while, because I'm just sinking bakwards through the years here in terms of taste in every aspect and I've been hitting that Victorian thing for a while. :P And I just think a corset sounds like a great way to shape up, not even as a thing to wear to show off but as underwear :3
www.fabela.fi seems to be my shop for the future.
And these socks plskthnx for the wedding
http://carneva
<poll:77327>
And then completely unrelated to this.
I got stung by a wasp yesterday. It was really unfortunate, I was going to lie down on the hammock, and I sat and put my hands down on my sides to support myself in order to lie down - and the wasp was under my hand, and it stung. And it hurt, and I got up in a huff and went to the bathroom and ran cold water on my hand (which was stung) and went to get some cream that made it not hurt. Then came upstairs and started to cry and took the insect killing spray and in a fit of rage sprayed the nasty thing (it was stuck on the balcony inside the glass) and watched it crumple up and suffer, which made me cry even more.
I've learnt somethings about myself: 1. I cry when I get angry. 2. I do revenge cold. First one is a good thing, because it disarms me when I get angry. I can't start shouting or fighting, or do anything dumb in a heat of anger. I'm just totally emotionally immobilised. It also means I will avoid getting angry because I don't like being seen crying (you have to be a very close friend to have ever seen me angry). The second one is less good, because it means I hold grudges (which is actually really bad, and I really do this and it sucks :/)
And the Finnish Social Security sent me a letter saying I don't live in Finland. This made me angry-cry too.
So I have a life-rule: iippo loses whenever she gets angry. I already had this rule with my dog, but now it applies to everything.
Lot to say (and I have been saying it at the TV or newspaper or whatever) so I might be a little incoherent.
Apparently there is some Christian fundie group that says that the end of the world starts today, based on some calculations done from the Bible. While you were calculating and reading into the text things that aren't there, didn't you come across the part where it says that no one knows the time or the day, not even angels in heaven, and that the day of the Son of Man comes like a thief in the night and there are no hints or tips as to when it'll happen? This means "no one knows", not "most people don't know" or "only really clever people will know." It's not so bad to think that the world will end a specific day - it is oka yto be wrong and it is okay to be crazy - but these people who believe it have thrown away their savings and quit their jobs etc... :( Ah well.
I also watched a documentary about the Virtual Revolution the other day, and it was about Google mainly, how they watch you and what you search for etc... And it had this ominous feel all the way through, and I was waiting for this big thing of "da-DAH! Isn't it evil!?" - but it didn't come. It was all things that are known, being turned to "isn't it terrible how they are tracking you in order to give you ads that are relevant to you? *gasp*" What, as opposed to getting really annoying ads? I would love it if this technology of specified ads could be applied to everything. "uh oh, iippo is coming, quick, take the naked people off that billboard!" I think it's great, it's actually help me find things that I might be interested in finding. What a crime. The only thing that was even half worth a "good point" was this philosophical take on how recommendation
Also, since the hockey match last Sunday, I have heard or seen references to it every day of the week in some form or another (and I haven't been going out to look for it). It's everywhere, all the time, everyone is talking about it. Apparently it had a similar effect on Finnish culture as the death of Diana had on the British: people are doing things that are awfully not-Finnish, like talking to strangers and being happy. :P And then having a heated argument whether the hockey players were too drunk and therefore have corrupted our youth again.
I started at the bookshop yesterday, it's very cool, but there isn't a lot to do right now. I hope they get things in order and things pick up soon. If nothing else, I will learn how to have a business out of my garage from this - and this might be a great thing. I also get to redesign their logo (yay, professional things in portfolio!) Plus, there are so friggin' many books in there D: My head will asplode. If I was any more morally questionable person, I would probably start nicking books. But I'm not and therefore won't steal from them. Instead I'll probably buy a whole ton of books from there. Or write down titles and go to the library a lot.
The bookstore is almost 10km away from my house. If I bike there and back every day monday to friday, I will cycle a hundred kilometres per week D: That is much. So cool. The steel that I earned/became on my mission is going nowhere :D
So many projects o.o Including one for the Church's international art competition. The theme is "make known His wonderful works" - works = machines! God's wonderful machines, people! :P
*is too darn excited about life*
Written about Monday 2011-05-16
Written: (4891 days ago)
The Poni rides again! *went to town today by bike* I just have the coolest old-fashioned bike, y'see.
And I re-created my burning romance with the public library, and will begin to stake out the corner by the art shelf as rightly mine. Since it is a kind of a smaller library, I might make a goal of reading all the art books they have on that shelf. :3 And then starting random-firing with the search engine because they have a lot of the art books in storage that you can get if you ask for them. In order to ask for them, you need to know they are there. To find that out you use the search engine. This I found out today trying to find Botticelli books and there were none on the shelf (and I thought "come on, Sandro Botticelli is big enough for a little library"). And after searching, I found a lot of books about him in the county libraries and they were all in storage, in every library. Seeing the copies that I got out in my local I can understand that they are in storage, they were a little tattered. But that makes me wonder: what other treasures are hidden in there? :O Maybe I just need to make friends with the librarian and get her to let me browse the storage.
Also, assuming that no one of you watched the finals either, I'll just tell you: Finland won. Second time for them to win the World Thingie, second time when they won against Sweden. The game was cool and had some cool, a little sloppy (I didn't watch it on Sunday night of course, but I taped it and watched it after I found out who won, so not a lot of excitement there, but I don't really get that emotionally attached yet anyway), except towards the end where the Finns just made a million goals. Guys, you would have won 2-1, you didn't need to win 6-1. So it was sad to see all the Swedes all sad. Maybe the thing for me to learn from this is to not watch the final anymore, only the earlier games. But then again, the next one of these is in a year, so I'll probably forget what I learnt just now. Now if only there was a way to watch some more hockey somewhere. I think they show NHL games on some channel, but I think you need to pay extra for that channel or something... Bleh.
Written about Saturday 2011-05-14
Written: (4893 days ago)
In case some of you my dear friends weren't watching the semi-finals between Finland and Russia (I can't actually think of any of my friends bar maybe Viking who would have watched...) Here's the goal that takes hockey beyond sport and into art.
http://www.you
At the point where the announcer starts going crazy he says "guys did you see that, did you see that goal?" and before the slo-mo version I had to admit: no, no I did not, what happened. And then they show it over and over from every angle, and you really gain an appreciation to some of the finest hockey-moving that goes on out there. <3
The goal is scored by the 19-year-old Mikael Granlund.
And the win by the Finns here means that the final is once again between Finland and Sweden. I don't understand why any other countries even ever bother to enter the contest, it's always about Finland and Sweden. And either one that wins I'll be happy :)
Written about Friday 2011-05-13
Written: (4894 days ago)
http://www.you
A very beautifully done video to an incredibly beautiful Tom Waits song. There is some lovely ephemeral quality to the photography and the strange way that the video is put together from the pictures. Makes the result a little jerky sometimes, but still beautifully fleeting. Like most Tom Waits things. He just does that strange feeling very well. And I hate it when he's doing one of the funny ones (tragic and funny, like the Christmas card from a hooker or what it was called, and the Piano has been drinking in this playlist) and the audience is just roaring in the background. It ruins the feeling. I would want to listen to it without the laughter, it makes it cheap somehow. I'll see if I find one without laughing, and see if I would laugh at it by myself, or cry and laugh at the same time.
This was also an interesting internet fail in that I couldn't figure what was the URL to the video alone, I was in the playlist and didn't want to miss my place by too much faffing. There used to be a box to the side with a couple of type-boxes that had the URL and the embed-URL in them... Whatever happened to them? :/
Also, I watched The Newton Boys today and thoroughly enjoyed it (I have a thing for stories that don't have proper endings, and that one was rather anti-climactic). Now I'd like very much to get a hold of some of the soundtrack of that film, the music was wonderful. :) So when [Ms. Steel] put a link in her diary to the Ross sisters and [Viking] in his diary linked to a trailer with the voice of Tom Waits - it was all perfect :) Thank you, perfect people.
Written about Saturday 2011-05-07
Written: (4900 days ago)
Guys. I just accidentally found out what Ira Glass looks like, by watching this trailer http://myheart
This has happened to me before. Twice. First time when I found out what [windowframe] looks like. Okay fine, voice was not involved, but typing. But it still had that strange effect of "hmm, there is an actual person behind these signs and symbols that I've learnt to associate and have an emotional response to (such as seeing the word SilverFire on my online friends list, or see her MSN icon pop up in the corner of my screen)." I did know that the person was there, but the sudden evidence of it causes an interesting feeling.
The second time was on my mission. My second area, first time I'm away from Norrland and the friends I made there, here to now make friends with a new bunch of missionaries. And our district leader and his companion (aka sort of our allocated friends) are on the island of Gotland. Which means we never get to meet them, until about after a month. Elder G. claimed that we had met before, but I have no recollection of this event. He says that we had a proper conversation - but I have forgotten completely. Anyway, so he's the only person who knows what everyone else in this district look like. Anyway. We talk on the phone every night, he is still the District Leader and we have some amazing District unity going on here. I learn to love these two elders so incredibly much. And then comes the time of Zone Conference, when we meet. And it's so weird. Now these voices that I love have faces, and I have to learn to love these faces.
Now in case you care, this is what Ira Glass looks like: http://todayis
And to hear his voice, listen to www.thisameric
http://theglos
What was the first thing you thought of when you saw this picture?
If it was "maybe I could make that dress by..." then we need to talk. :)
Also, dis:
http://theglos
I want them both.
Written about Wednesday 2011-05-04
Written: (4903 days ago)
One of these.
My greenie (aka the missionary who had me for her very first companion - that makes me her mum) emailed me news from Sweden. Just in time for Mother's Day and everything. And the news is that she's going to Gothenburg! <3<3<3 That means she'll be there until at least July... Duuuudes, I totally need to go visit Gbg this summer. It's the best place, I swear.
We should all just move to Gothenburg and be happy forever and buy books from really cheap second-hand bookstores and visit nautical antiques stores with the biggest dogs that humanity has ever laid eyes on and meet snarky Elsalvadorians and laugh at their self-deprecati
In other news, I watched Good Will Hunting yesterday night. It's a very interesting movie (minus all the swearing, but I guess it creates atmosphere or gives insight into these people - or maybe it's just gratuituos) and caused some interesting reflection. He tried to describe the way he thinks about math, how it just kind of comes.
So I started to think of how I think and what my experience of thinking is. I've had that "it just comes" in languages, especially grammar. Especially in Swedish, but also when I did French, my downfall was the lack of vocab that I learnt. I had all sorts of complex grammatical constructs that made perfect sense to me, but no words to put in it.
Also in art my thinking it seems to work la: I have to do the mediocre struggling along to keep my conscious mind busily doing something so that the truly awesome things can happen on their own. This hasn't happened very often (twice that I can account for). But I still get things done with the mediocre part too, and it keeps me busy, productive and out of harm's way :P
Drawings are coming along marvelously, I thought about uploading an excerpt/WIP, but I don't think I can be bothered to do the photographing and uploading and everything. Maybe. But it's a lot of fun and I'm doing a lot of thinking at the same time, so there'll be an essay and everything to go with it. I'll even find a way to exhibit when it's all done.
Also, the combined moods of my current online friends say that "life was created for people like [iippo] or worse" :D
This is astonishing. It's Google Street View, curated by an artist:
http://9-eyes.
And the essay that goes with it:
http://www.art
Really worth reading, gives so much depth and meaning to what you see in 9-eyes
He also has a video art piece of Orpheus missing his Eurydice
http://jonrafm
I don't care whatchoo say. I think Yoko is cool. She was cool before she started hanging out with the Beatles, and she's still cool.
Anyway, her thoughts on Mother's Day :)
http://imagine
When I woke up on Sunday morning, I found a dead bumblebee in my bed.
Yes, I was worried and puzzled too.
Happy new week everybody. I had things to say but I forgotted them.
If I'm ever late... It's probably like this:
*is never late*
Written about Saturday 2011-04-30
Written: (4907 days ago)
The Original Coca-Cola recipe.
http://www.thi
By the way, I love Ira Glass. Just... Love him.
COULD YOBS MOLEST ENGLAND?
Haven't they already?
COULD BRUSSELS INFECT BRITISH JUSTICE WITH AIDS?
Safe sex, yo.
ARE PAEDOPHILES TURNING MIDDLE BRITAIN GAY?
:O Yes amg
HAS BINGE DRINKING STOLEN THE IDENTITY OF THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY?
Bloody drunken Tories... -_-
WILL CANCER IMPREGNATE YOU?
The explanation to the immaculate conception! :O
COULD GYPSIES KILL THE ROYAL FAMILY?
Actually, yes. It's not even funny.
IS THE METRIC SYSTEM MAKING BRITAIN'S FARMERS OBESE?
There is a strange logic to this one: "Measure in stones: I'm fine. Measure in kilograms - holy heck I'm fat!"
IS THE LABOUR PARTY STEALING FROM HARD-WORKING FAMILIES?
And leaving the lazy families be?!
COULD FOXES DESTROY PENSIONERS?
...could they?
And this is where I leave you.
Good night, from today's installments of Daily Mail-o-matic.
http://www.qwg
I'm looking into all them polytechs around Finland. There is a number of them, and some of them are doing cool stuff. :3
I really like lists. List seem to be something that define a lot of my wiki-art. There's also something cool about the process of making lists, the monotony of typing them (I never cheat - I create my own lists from scratch).
I'm thinking of making something like dis http://www.cra
I found the thingie by looking for "craft community" because I couldn't remember what your thingie was called Silvie (but then it dawned on me that maybe the one you talk about a lot if only for yarn things?)
News about R.E.M.
Don't worry, nothign earth-shaking. They are still cool, and Michael Stipe has a beard. o.O
But they are doing... something. With YouTube. They are... curating YouTube.
So they made a playlist of cool things, and a little introductory video to go with it.
http://www.you
I do believe that this makes them more cool than they were before.
I can't get my parenthesis right with this paragraph, so I took them out. And then I took out all other punctuation too, in despair:
Then on to iippo Today I drove 35 minutes to another town with my father the town where my brother who was having a day-off and using it to fix up his car and having had asked my dad to come help him lives with his family I tagged along in order to meet up with an Italian girl who is here on a study exchange whom I met last Sunday in church and translated for her She is studying design and I asked her to show me her school and their facilities because it sounds interesting and also because I did not know there was any kind of an art school near here There is albeit it's a polytech but I have since going to Cov after the initial feeling of betrayal when I heard that my dear Alma Mater used to be a polytech up until they allowed polytechs to start calling themselves universities had I known that I probably would have been too snobbish to apply and wouldn't have met the wonderful people I did though I probably would have met other wonderful people... but it's better to not be a snob about polytechs learnt to not be snobby about polytechs I want to teach there.
Sorry about that.
I also think that the perfect date is October 10th. Autumn is the best season, and October is there in the productive middle of Cats Days. Get some nice strong wind, leaves blowing in the air, get to wrap up a little but not so much that you'd die without...