Dalek porn
Filed Under Daleks
I am not surprised this exists. I did not specifically learn of it until today and had never particularly wondered about Dalek porn…but had anyone asked me, I would have said that naturally it must exist. Because there’s porn for everything.
The Dalek went down to Georgia
Filed Under Daleks
Somebody did build a Dalek for security purposes.
It’s only armed with a water cannon…for now.
But we know all about this slippery slope, how a desire to fill a seemingly unobjectionable need (protecting day care centers from suspected drug dealers or granting a greater degree of mobility to the eventual mutated form of your species) can go horribly wrong and result in a virtually unstoppable genocidal army.
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this design is the lack of a convenient eyestalk upon which to hang a hat, thereby causing a critical failure. But at least it doesn’t fly. Because that would be stupid.
Things I accomplished this week
Filed Under Life, Knitting, Daleks, Skiing
Skiing! For five days. Really enjoyed it. Did not experience the debilitating lower leg pain that made this year’s first outing, and the final one last year, so unpleasant (and short). I’m still not a good skier, but I’m back to functional and have reconfirmed that I really like my equipment. I had previously done some of Mount Snow’s blue trails, and did more this time. (Spring Mountain claims I have done a black diamond, but their black diamond is neither black nor diamond.) I also went farther up the mountain than I have before. This was an accident—the bottom part of one trail was closed, so Larry and I had to ski over to a different lift—but a happy one. I enjoyed the longer trail down, though doing it as the last run on the last day was a bit tough. But I’m walking normally again, with limited twinges. I also had the experience of skiing on soft white stuff. Since my skiing experience is limited to the east (what is this “pow-der” of which you speak?) this was a surprising departure from crunchy or slushy, but I rather liked it.
Obtained goggles! Given the wind on a couple days, this was a wise purchase. Admittedly, it would’ve been wiser at the beginning of the week, not the middle….
Outlet shopping! Okay, I’m not really into outlet shopping. But it was a fun group outing, and I got some things I like, which I would never have bought at full price.
Parmesan encrusted tilapia! Cheaper and cheesier than crack.
Hot tubs and heated pool! Because it’s an awful lot of fun to sit in a warm bath while snow falls and your hair freezes.
Knitting! Made and attached Dalek appendages. Modified the pattern so the eyestalk ends in a black bulb with a bit of gray yarn in the center for contrast. (Because dude, I know what a Dalek’s eyestalk looks like, and it’s not just undifferentiated gray.) Partially stuffed Dalek (which still lacks a base). Determined that it looks much more Dalek-like when stuffed. Also determined that the bobbles and eyestalk on the head are not centered over the gun and manipulator arm. I am not particularly upset about this, because Daleks are perfectly capable of turning their heads, so I guess mine just thinks there’s something interesting off to the right.
Obtained glasses! They fit reasonably well, and unlike contacts they correct my astigmatism. Most importantly, they came with a beefy case. It’s not Kiko-proof, but will stand up better than the old case, which was soft, velcro-based thing.
Received flooring quote! This is actually a big deal. The first people we asked for a quote came to measure but never contacted us after that; the second could only give us a quote on the living room, not the basement. Paid flooring people a substantial deposit. Encountered no unpleasant divisiveness over color or materials, despite the fact that Larry’s dislike of browns eliminated many of our carpet color options. Not that it makes him a bad person or anything, and burgundy’s a perfectly dandy color. But I’m just saying.
|
Permalink | Trackback |
2 Comments
I finished most of my Dalek
Now I just need to weave the head shut, knit and attach the appendages, stuff it and close it up. Well, that’s not really a “just,” but I now have something that looks more like a Dalek than a tea cozy. I am inordinately proud of the thing. I don’t often create physical objects, and there’s something viscerally satisfying in taking a strand of yarn and turning it into something.
Just wanted to share, because I know you’re all on tenterhooks waiting to find out how my knitting project turns out.
|
Permalink | Trackback |
3 Comments
Culture shock
Filed Under Life, Knitting, Daleks, Dancing
In the past week, I experienced two sharp moments of culture shock.
The first occurred at a wedding. Each place setting had a Christmas cracker. Before we were seated, the DJ wove through the crowd, informing everyone of the timing for pulling open the crackers (when the bride and groom were announced), the request that we all wear the paper crowns (duh)—and, shockingly, a basic explanation of Christmas crackers.
It may bear mentioning that in recent generations my relatives who did not come from North Wales came from Liverpool, so I undoubtedly had a more Anglo-centric upbringing than most. I absorbed Doctor Who years before Star Trek, and my impressions of the veterinary profession were formed watching All Creatures Great and Small. When I was a kid, we’d take an early winter day trip to Ontario for shopping. Along with other UK themed yummies, we’d buy Christmas crackers for dinner on Christmas Eve.
So I expressed my shock to Larry; while he is better acquainted with Christmas crackers than your average Jew, he didn’t have any difficulty understanding how some people might not have encountered them. And indeed, an informal survey of a few guests (and random folks in the past several days) confirms that intelligent and generally well-informed adults can be ignorant of this particular cultural artifact.
The second shocking thing occurred when I brought my knitting to the Hogmanay recovery party. Several people asked what I was knitting, and I simply said “A Dalek” and showed them the picture on my printout of the pattern. A subset of those people asked if it was going to be a tea cozy.
Even my public knitting tends to take place in informal settings, and I am used to people recognizing a Dalek. This isn’t so much the Anglo-centrism as geek-centrism. I am always a bit surprised to find such glaringly imperfect overlap of geekdoms.
Though I will admit, in the picture the stuffed Daleks do kind of look like tea cozies.
Geeky solutions
I know knitters are geeks. (Okay, I guess my sample set is a bit skewed, but still.) KnitML is delightful. And yes, I really need to start my Dalek.
And speaking of Daleks, Charlie Stross advocates using them to secure the London Underground. He envisions hordes of Brits reflexively fleeing upward to escape, leaving the terrorists to be exterminated. As noted in comments, that will only work for the more mature Doctor Who fan; the rest will simply cower and await a display of aerial superiority. But hey, that’s the price of screwing with perfectly good alien killing machines.
Evil Mad Scientists, indeed
Filed Under Daleks
I totally need to make one of these:
Because who doesn’t need a robotic Dalek pumpkin?
(I know I won’t actually make one, because I’m lazy. But I should.)
I may have a new knitting project
I never did get back into knitting after I messed up my thumb a couple years ago, and I probably should; I spend too much time at a keyboard not to wonder about carpal tunnel, and knitting supposedly helps fend it off. When I was knitting, I liked mindless projects, like big long scarves. And no, I didn’t do Tom Baker scarves; I did a couple Hogwarts scarves. (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and a half-finished non-Hogwarts brown on brown, for the record.) Plus a few other just-learning projects: misshapen mittens, odd looking hats, and such.
But if I do a Dalek, that means the finished product should look like something. And I’ll actually have to, like, count. It’s a surprisingly intimidating thought (especially considering my old default crafty thing was counted cross-stitch, which has “count” right there in the name). I don’t have to count with the scarves. I just keep knitting in a circle (often in front of the TV) and check when it looks like I’m closing in on twenty rows and have to think about switching colors. Still, I suppose it’s important to broaden one’s horizons.
|
Permalink | Trackback |
3 Comments
Most. Terrifying. Dalek. Ever.
Filed Under Daleks
