Return Of The Dead

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We got our Furby, Domo, back from the repair shop yesterday. The man who owns the shop lied told us that he couldn’t fix it because he was unable to get into the workings, but we brought him (her?) back anyway.

Jo put some batteries in Domo, and s/he worked! We’ve no idea how it happened, but I suspect Furbies are a magical, self-healing species. Either that or the electrician actually did repair it, and had forgotten the incident. Or perhaps Furbies are a magical, non-self-healing species, who wipe the memories of those who help, giving the illusion they are self-healing.

The important thing is, though, that Domo is alive and kicking, and Freya has been interacting with it this evening. She has a little difficulty in understanding what is being said, which is in itself understandable. Domo uses broken English and Furbish to communicate, with a dash of dialect.

Jo and I are reacquainting ourselves with Domo’s functions, and it’ll be interesting to see how much more memory Domo has to learn.

How Many People Does It Take To Play A Video Game?

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Sometime I wonder why and when I rekindled my fondness for videogames. Now, more than ever, I appreciate playing and reading about all aspects of the culture, and I can only assume it has something to do with revisiting my youth, along with the need to escape (since I don’t go clubbing any more).

There is a rich and varied scene producing some fantastic forms of art, and this Space Invaders performance highlights this perfectly:

The Pole Position re-enactment as actually a better piece, though I have a soft spot for Space Invaders.

Calm After The Storm

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After a very turbulent half year back at work, things seem to have reached a relatively harmonious state. The irksome lower classes, who had never had me as a teacher before this year, have learnt to accept me and my authority, for the most part, and a radical change has occurred with Class 1 and 2.

I’d started a less-then-liberal regime a few months ago, ringing up troublesome children’s parents after 3 breaches of the stringent rules I had introduced. At first I thought this to be an overreaction, but now I realise it to be an effective and necessary action, and I do not regret it a bit.

I still have a few problems now and again, though the general ambiance during these lessons is both relaxed and enjoyable. I can have more fun with the pupils, and I enjoy their company. On top of this, this is the first year I feel I am really able to teach English to the younger children, which can only be a plus for them.

Virtual Reality

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I was making my way over the playground at work today, after a lunchtime stroll to the shops, when I noticed a crack in the ground. For a split-second I was transported into Jo’s and my current favourite DS title, Animal Crossing, and immediately became excited at the prospect of what kind of fossil may be hiding just below the surface.

I was quickly pulled back into the real world, but found the whole experience (whole being about a tenth of a second) bizarre enough to take a picture. Anyone unfamiliar with Animal Crossing (i.e almost everyone) would find this tale either confusing or worrying, as probably would the majority of Animal Crossing players; I’m slightly proud that my brain works in this way.

Eurovision 2007: Part 1

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Hoorah! Our favourite from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest have just won the national final. The Ark came first with “The Worrying Kind”, a typical Glam-Pop song, which could go either way in the international arena, but we are very glad that the Swedish population think as we do.

The Eurovision Song Contest has changed over the last few years, with very different styles of music being accepted and winning (Finland’s Lordi being a case in point), so it just remains to be seen how The Ark fare this year. I think, regardless the result, that The Ark have extremely good stage presence, and will not be easily forgotten.

Here’s hoping for a Swedish win, then.

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