text:
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 769
Lexis shuffled down the cold, sterile hospital corridor to her private room in the west wing of the Sunnybank Private Hospital. Her eyes were still foggy from the experimental blindness treatment. Dr Faith Savage told her she should begin to see clearly in a couple of weeks. At the beginning of the week, Lexis could only see a single bright light, flooding her ocular senses like the incoming tidal wave on a beach. It wasn't until the seventh day that Lexis began to see shapes, dark forms dancing in the light, like marionettes swinging and swaying on the strings of a puppet master.
Lexis reached her room a staggered across the open corridor to her bed, feeling another bout of vertigo. Getting used to sight after being blind from birth was not going to be easy. She reached her bed and saw dark shadow sitting on her bed.
"Who's there?" She said, startled by the unexpected visitor.
There was no answer and the figure disappeared when she blinked. She was now in the room by herself, but the feeling of another presence in the room did not leave easily. Lexis had only ever felt objects before, so she did not know exactly what anything was supposed to look like. The feel of an object was not always consistent with how it really looked, especially to someone who had no preconceived ideas of what things were.
Lexis felt the buzzer to hail a nurse. She was scared now, she passed nobody on the way to her room, and more disturbing Lexis heard no voices. Finding the call switch only eased her tension slightly. Without a response to the buzzer, she would still be worried.
"Hello," she yelled after no nurse came running within a few minutes. Five minutes was the longest she waited before today.
Lexis hoped up from her bed again and fumbled her way out the door and back into the hall with a hand guiding her along the wall. No movement seemed to happen up the hall, down the hall or at the nurse's station. This struck Lexis as being strange, especially for a private hospital, she would understand it if she went public where half the wards were vacant.
Using the rail on the wall as a guide, Lexis edged her way down the long, bright corridor, looking from side to side for signs of other patients or staff. Everything around was still a blur, but the light seemed to be clearer and, somehow sharper. By the end of the corridor, she was sure that she was living in a bad rerun of the Twilight Zone or something. It just didn't add up, everyone was gone; disappeared over night.
A noise behind Lexis startled her, and she almost tripped over as she pivoted around quickly. Down the end of the corridor, near where Lexis judged her room would be, stood two tall, dark shapes. She thought they couldn't be nursing staff; they always wore white shirts and trousers.
"Hello," she called.
There was no reply, but the figures did seem to hear her call. They slowly moved towards Lexis. As they came closer, Lexis thought they were hovering a few feet above the floor, rather than walking on it like a normal person would, or should.
"Who's there?" she said.
Although the two towering figures were now only a few feet away, they were still fuzzy, lacking clearly defined outlines. Lexis realised that everything looked as though she were watching an out of focus television.
"Welcome, Lexis," one said.
"We have been expecting you," the other said.
"Who are you? Where are the nurses?"
"Oh, you are between time, now," said one.
"Between time... what are you talking about?"
"When you began looking in-between things that were and were not," one said.
"You eventually crossed over to here," The other one said.
"What are you talking about? Where is here, it looks like the hospital to me."
"Here, is where you were before you could see," one said.
"But it is in the space between what you call time," the other one said.
Lexis looked around the corridor. It looked like the hospital she woke up in, but was that the same one she was in before the operation. She could not be sure. Without sight, she did not know exactly what the hospital looked like, so she thought she could be anywhere now.
"Oh, you are anywhere," one said.
"And nowhere," the other one said.
A Sense Of Spell
Posted by Scott Wilson
A Sense Of Spell
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 100
Shiny Bling-Bling arrived home on Venus from another successful hunt for components listed in her spell book. She tipped her bag of human ears, noses, tongues and eyes onto her work bench. Shiny put each fresh ingredient in a labeled jar and flicked open her spell-book. Behind the large book sat and empty jar.
"Oh snazzlepots," she said. "I forgot the fingers."
Without these, she would not be able to cast the human touch spell. Not much of a market for the other human senses without the sensation of touch.
Shiny conjured up another wormhole and headed back to Earth.
After Midnight
Posted by Scott Wilson
After Midnight
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 469
It was well after midnight, when the dog began to whine, growl and then bark. It may have saved them. Not long after Rusty woke Jim and Trudy Livingstone, they heard a faint rustle at the back door. The door knob jiggled about like wind chime being blown by a soft summer breeze and Jim could tell someone was trying to break in.
"Get my gun," Jim said, picking up his baseball bat as he walked down the hall towards the kitchen at the back of the house. The corridor seemed alive, with shadows dancing in the moonlight before Jim's eyes.
By the time he reached the kitchen door, Trudy was at his side with the loaded pump action shotgun, held tightly in front of her chest. Jim put his finger to his lips as his wife was about to say something.
The door handle rattled, then the couple heard the chamber of the lock click open. Time seemed to go in slow motion, and the door handle turned slowly anti-clockwise.
Rusty, the neighbor's German Sheppard, growled loudly, and the door knob creaked to a stop. A white flash shot across the back porch and Rusty whimpered sharply.
Jim motioned for his wife to aim the shotgun at leg height at the back door. He did not want her accidentally killing the intruder when he opened the door.
The door creaked open and a large figure in a musky smelling, black robe stood covering the entire height of the doorway. The figure held a scythe in its right hand that reflected the moonlight on the gap where the face should be. A pale, yellowy white, bony face stared at Jim and Trudy in the moonlight.
Jim and Trudy were speechless. Though Jim was ready to read the riot act to the intruder, no words would make the journey to his mouth now, apart from an incoherent, ba...baa baa.
"Good evening," the figure said in a hollow and deeply British sounding accent. "I am Death, and we have an appointment."
"Ba...baa...baa," Jim stuttered.
"Which one of us?" Trudy managed to say.
"Sorry, madam," Death said. "With your husband, Ivan Trundle."
"Ivan Trundle?" Trudy said.
"Yes, madam. Mr. Ivan Trundle of 94 Bottlebrush Road."
"The Trundle's live next door," Trudy said. "This is 92 Bottlebrush Road."
Death would have looked embarrassed, if he has a face rather than a lifeless skull.
"Oh," he said, turning slowly towards the yard with the dog he had just zapped with a small bolt of year remover.
"Ba...baa...baa" Jim stuttered.
"Do close your mouth dear," Trudy said.
"I do apologies for any inconvenience," Death said. "Third time that this has happened to me this week."
Death turned and walked down the stairs from the porch, shaking his head as he moved towards number 94.
One Hell Of A Time
Posted by Scott Wilson
One Hell Of A Time
By Scott Wilson
Word Count:718
Toby opened his eyes, squinting from the bright yellow and red flames surrounding the cave in which he found himself. His skin stung, burning like a pig on a spit, blistering and swelling painfully. He quickly became aware of the sorrowful sound of a million moans, echoing in the vast, cavernous surroundings. Each bellowed seemed to ricochet off rough, red earthen stalactites and stalagmites like a stray bullet.
"Get up you scum!"
Toby felt a harsh sting run down his naked back. He turned and faced a towering red humanoid figure with the legs of a goat, the torso of a man and the tormented face that was the combination of a human and ram. Hanging from the creature's tightly clenched fist was a long whip made of blood stained barbed wire and bolts.
"Get moving," It bellowed, lifting the menacing whip high above its shoulder.
Toby scrambled to his feet, searing his palms on the hot, rocky floor of the cavern. A naked woman knocked him back to the ground as she rushed past. He felt the tearing flesh pull away from his back as the whip hit his blistered skin again. Quickly, he hoped up and joined the crowd of naked men and women of all ages, races and creeds shuffling along the sharp, rocky floor, towards the centre of the cavern.
"Hell-o, it's nice to see you all here," A creature similar to the one that whipped Toby said, in a deep and thunderous voice. "Now, as the more perceptive of you probably realized by now, this is Hell and I am the Devil."
"Now, you all are here for eternity. Which I hardly need to tell you is a heck of a long time. So you're all get to know each other pretty well by the end. No sorry, forgot, there is no end. Anyway, I'm going to have to split you up into groups."
A young woman ran to the front of the group, screaming.
"Will you stop screaming, please? There will be plenty of time for that entire later, but for now, QUIET!" The Devil raised a finger and the woman's mouth sealed shut in a fleshy gag.
"Thank you."
The Devil opened a large parchment and looked down the list of souls for the day.
"Now, murderers, murderers... over here please... thank you. Looters and pillagers over here, thieves if you could join them and lawyers, yes you can join them to."
Fornicators if you could step forward... Oh, bugger there are lot of you these days, isn't there? Can I split you up into adulterers and the rest to make things a bit easy for my boys please? Male adulterers if you could just form a line in front of that small guillotine in the corner there. We can split the whisker, as you say."
Toby looked around at the steady stream of naked men, walking against their will towards the punishment they would receive, over and over.
"Atheists... atheists? Over here please. You must be feeling a right bunch of tools about now. Oh, don't worry; it won't take long for the boys to make you change your mind about a few things."
Toby tried to run. He could not move his legs and noticed that he defecated himself; the stench rose to his nose and made him vomit.
"Oh bugger it, I don't feel up to sorting the rest of you out at the moment. What's say we just start with a round on the rack for each of you, followed by a nice little disembowelment. Okay. Right...well...are there any questions? Yes?"
An elderly looking gentleman with a noose around his flabby neck yelled something out. Toby could not hear it and was pretty sure it wasn't about anything like the answer it received.
"No, I'm afraid we don't have any toilets. If you'd read your Bible, you might have seen that is was damnation without relief. So, if you didn't go before you came then I'm afraid you're not going to enjoy yourself very much. But then I believe that's the idea."
"And I'll catch you all later at the great barbeque, Bye."
Psyc Out
Posted by Scott Wilson
Psyc Out
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 280
Bob Reece shuffled towards the surgery door, dragging his slightly deadened left leg on the paisley carpet behind him. The stroke he had ten years after becoming a psychiatrist deeply affected the way he saw his patients.
"You just think about that," he said in a low, gruff voice, to the young woman leaving his office. "I won't put up with that again."
Marge, the sixty-year-old receptionist in Dr Reece's office, looked up from the game of solitaire she played on her computer.
"Same time next week?" Marge said.
The young woman looked at Marge, wiped a tear from her eye and nodded.
Dr Reece hobbled over to the front reception desk and taped the receptionist on the shoulder.
"Make a note on her file," he hissed in a venomous voice. "That she is non-compliant and resisting treatment. I recommend that she be taken off her benefits and forced back to work."
Dr Reece shuffled back into his office, tossed the young woman's file in the red tray he reserved for 'patients with an attitude'. He moved behind his large, antique oak desk and dropped into his leather executive chair.
Although he had his stroke twenty years back, when he was only thirty-four years old, the bitterness still consumed him. He had to work to pay the bills, keep a roof over his head and food on his table. His permanent disability made him unsympathetic to anyone on compo and he did everything he could to make them loose their compo so they had to go back to work to.
Crypt Tales
Posted by Scott Wilson
Crypt Tales
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 55
Under the blood, red moon, Samuel worked furiously against time. The shackles around his ankles were never a problem, nor were the one around his left wrist. Securing his right wrist and keeping the key safe for the morning took a great deal of concentration and careful manoeuvring. Lycanthropy was a real bitch.
The Carnival of Flowers
Posted by Scott Wilson
The Carnival of Flowers
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 55
Bright, orange petals exploded colour into the morning sky with a jubilant fanfare, followed closely by an array of sweetly, fragrant white, yellow, and pink blooms. With the first day of spring, the flora obliged willingly with the season's expectations of filling the gardens around Toowoomba with joy and startling backdrops.
He, who has power, has power
Posted by Scott Wilson
He, who has power, has power
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 203
Jenny cried and sniffled uncontrollably, it was a life changing and extremely, traumatic experience for both her and her husband. Over six months ago, she ruptured the C6/C7 discs in her back, causing excruciating pain, suffering, and limiting both her ability to work and have a social life. While it changed her life in every aspect and clinical evidence, CT scans, MRI scans, and two neurosurgeon's reports proved there were physical injuries, the psychiatrist she sought help from betrayed her over a disagreement on their first consultation. The battered ego of the psychiatrist caused him to extract revenge in the most vindictive and personal way he knew how, regardless of the evidence his accusations was blatantly false. By lodging a report stating Jenny was trying to rort the system and become "the sick person," the psychiatrist caused the compensation board to cease paying benefits to her, leaving her without any form of income and the ability to earn a wage due to her debilitating injuries. As Peter Parker's Uncle once said, "With great power, comes great responsibility," there must be some justice in the world for those that abuse this power.
Good Foundations Make A Happy Home
Posted by Scott Wilson
Good Foundations Make A Happy Home
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 1043
John could not understand why nobody else could feel it. Every time he went downstairs, he dreaded it. His parents moved into the house a month ago and he already hated it. He could feel the evil oozing out of the dark, isolated space under the patio. There was only a small crawl space in the brickwork in the middle of the wall half way up and dead bang in the centre. John wished that whoever built the house just bricked the whole wall in and did not leave this scary opening to the pits of hell.
There was only one light switch in the dungeon as his friends and he called it. You had to crouch down to get through the small doorway in the laundry and then quickly maneuver down one-step and across one meter of concrete floor to the light switch, located on the beam on the ceiling. Why the builder did not put this on the wall near the door was another question John would like to ask the builders. Just what were they thinking when they made this split-level house. Three bedrooms, bathroom and toilet on the top level, then down six stairs to the lounge room, kitchen and dining room. A long stairwell down to the garage and laundry was the next level of the house, with the dungeon another step down into the ground beneath the house.
John walked down the stairs to the laundry slowly, hoping that his mother would call him back upstairs, telling him not to worry about getting her the stepladder from the dungeon. Although John's parents didn't call this area the dungeon, they knew John and his friends did. They actually thought it was funny and could understand why they named it the dungeon. The area was cold, damp and constructed entirely of concrete, concrete floor, pillars, foundations and stair. The only non-concrete part of the room was the wall beneath the patio. Inside this area the floor was just dirt and never used for anything at all. Cobwebs hung from wall to floor and floor to ceiling and the dirt stank of moisture.
John entered the laundry, still hopeful of a last minute reprise from going into the dungeon. He hoped that his dad would get home before he went through the small doorway and into the feared spot beneath the house. It was four o clock and the sun was just beginning to make it's decent from the sky for the evening. His father should be home by now, but he wasn't. So John was going to have to go in.
He stuck his head in the doorway and looked towards the daunting hole in the brick way to his right. He turned to the left and stared at the light switch on the beam on the ceiling. He could reach it by standing on his toes, but this meant he would be vulnerable and off balance for a second. John looked back to the right, stepped quickly into the dungeon, and ran to the light switch. The hum of the fluorescent light sounded like a ghost moaning to John's overactive imagination. He stood stationary until the single tube kicked on, faintly lighting the large concrete sepulchre.
"There's nothing there, there's nothing there," John kept repeating to himself softly as he looked around for the stepladder.
"No, not there," he said, spying the small, wooden ladder leaning against the brick wall a few feet to the left of the opening in the wall.
John eyeballed the most direct route from the light switch to the stepladder against the wall. He whimpered, realising he would have to walk in front of the opening to get past it and retrieve the stepladder. No two ways about it, the path against the furtherest wall was blocked off by the old mattress and wheelbarrows.
John took five deep breaths, and then ran to the first support pole. He hide behind it for a second before peering around the corner at the brick wall. He took another five deep breaths, and then ran to the brick wall. There was no way he would touch it so he stood in front of it, building up his strength to fly past the opening.
"You can do it, you can do it." He said softly to himself. John built himself up and took a step towards the opening.
"Johnnie...Johnnie..." a soft whisper floated across the chill in the air to John's tingling ears.
"Just my imagination, just my imagination," he said to himself again.
"No, I'm not," the voice whispered to him softly. "I am right here, Johnnie."
John put his hands over his ears and forced himself to walk across the space in front of the opening. He grabbed the wooden stepladder and swung back around. Inside the opening, John saw the faint, Smokey face of a small boy floating in the dark background. The boy smiled at John with tiny, but razor sharp teeth and big pitch black eyes. Those eyes, John thought. He had never seen anything as horrific in his life. There were no whites to the eyes and they were solid, not like the opaque face surrounding them.
"Come here, Johnnie," The voice said in a whisper as harsh and coarse as a lifelong smoker.
John felt his strength seeping from his body, as though he sprang a leak and his very essence oozed out of his pores. He was petrified, but could not help but be drawn towards the face and the entrance to hell.
* * * *
John's father came home half an hour later. He kissed his wife and put his brief case down next to the front door. He walked up the stairs, past the two single bedrooms and into the master bedroom, stopping briefly at the bedroom filled with John's toys and books.
"I think we should seriously pack up the kids stuff the last owners left behind," he shouted down the hall to his wife.
John's mother walked up the hall and looked into her son's bedroom, with a distant feeling of familiarity.
"I suppose you're right, honey," she said softly. "It's not like we are going to have children any time soon."
Bad Prospects
Posted by Scott Wilson
Bad Prospects
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 1135
Patrick Lawson panned another load of silt and grit in his rusted, weather beaten tray. It was the end of another fruitless day, gold prospecting the tranquil and peaceful creek on the outskirts of Gympie. While he found no gold that day, he still smiled to himself. Tonight, he would meet with Mrs Jones, the local constable's wife for another evening of prospecting.
He packed his gear and bathed in the creek, downstream from his camp save polluting the water for drinking. Patrick pulled on his clean moleskin trousers and heavy, dark blue cotton shirt and walked towards town. By the time he reached Gympie's main street, it was dusk and Constable Jones was already on duty, doing the rounds near the Royal Hotel.
"Quickly, come in before anyone sees you," Elizabeth Jones said to Patrick.
Patrick scurried in the back door of the cottage, looking from side to side to make sure no one saw him. Inside, Elizabeth grabbed him by the waist and pulled his muscled torso toward her soft cotton skirt, kissing him passionately.
Patrick unbuttoned her blouse and cupped her soft, lily-white breast in his hand. If felt tender to his weather beaten hands, better than anything he handled during the day. She unbuckled his belt, harshly pushed his trousers down below his knees and began stroking him tenderly.
"Away from the window," Elizabeth gasped, breathing deeply and panting with lusty excitement.
"I can't wait," Patrick said. "It's been a week since we met."
Elizabeth scampered to the bedroom, pulling her blouse and skirt off when she got to the brass bed and fell backwards with her legs spread invitingly at Patrick. He pulled his trousers off the rest of the way, kicking them to the side, and unbuttoned his shirt as he walked quickly to his lover.
"I wish we could run away together, Patrick." Elizabeth said after they made love, resting contently on Patrick's tanned and muscular chest.
"Aye, so do I."
"Let's do it, tomorrow."
"I've nothing to keep me here, but I don't know how we'd survive if we up'd and moved south. You're probably to used to the luxury of a roof over your head and warm meal every night. I can't provide that."
"But you can provide me with all the satisfaction and love I desire. Not like this cold relationship my marriage has turned in to."
"Aye, can't imagine the constable being to tender in the sack." Patrick cupped her breast gently and kissed her on the neck softly.
"Let's go, Patrick. I can't handle all of this sneaking around and waiting for him, to leave for long enough for us to meet."
"If you're sure," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "Then I'll meet you down by the river tomorrow night. We'll ride out of Gympie under the moonlight. By the time they start looking for you we'll have a good day's head start."
"I'll leave a note saying I'm going to stay with my sister at Bundaberg for a few weeks."
"And if we head towards New South Wales, they'll never find us."
They made love again twice before Patrick had to leave and Elizabeth had to fix the bed and other disrupted furniture around the small workers' cottage.
That night, neither of them slept well. Both excited about the prospect of being together forever, not more sneaking around or hiding their feelings towards each other. Patrick was still half-awake at daybreak when a voice boomed through his tent in a deep, authoritive voice.
"Patrick Lawson, you will come out of your tent with your hands on your head."
Patrick slowly rose from his uncomfortable bed on the hard rocky ground and poked his head out of the tent.
"What's this about?" he said to the five troopers standing with carbines pointed at him.
"Please come out where we can see your entire person. Slowly as it does now, we don't want any trouble from you."
Patrick did not recognise four of the troopers, but did know the face of the fifth, Constable Jones. He did not know if this had anything to do with last night, but did not want to give them reason to gun him down. Slowly, he left his tent and stood in his faded red, long johns before the armed men.
"What's going on?"
"Patrick Lawson," Constable Jones said harshly. "You are under arrest for the murder of William Baxter."
"What, who?"
"Put your hands behind your back slowly."
Patrick did not react immediately and received a heavy blow to the kidneys from the butt of an army carbine. He fell to the ground, winded and clutching his side. Three troopers fell on his heavily and roughly pulled his arms behind his back, forcing his face into the rocky ground with more effort than needed. The fourth trooper locked a pair of heavy manacle tightly around Patrick's wrists, cutting into the thick leathery skin with the rough edges.
The troopers hoped off Patrick and pulled him to his feet, almost dislocating his right arm when jerking him up.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Patrick started to say." You must have the wrong man."
"Oh, we've got the right man, Mr Lawson," Constable Jones said harshly, leading Patrick towards the five horses grazing a few feet from the tent.
* * * *
"Is this your pistol, Mr Lawson?" Sergeant Williamson said to Patrick.
The sergeant held up a battered old revolver in front of the cell Patrick sat in on a rickety iron bed. Patrick looked at it carefully and could tell the worn handle and barrel was definitely his.
"I can't be sure," he replied. "It looks like any old pistol to me."
"Aren't these your initials on the grip?"
"P.L. They look like mine. Where did you find it?"
"It was found next to the body of William Baxter last night at nine o clock behind the Royal Hotel."
"But I wasn't at the Royal last night."
"Do you have anyone that can back that statement for you?"
Patrick thought deeply. He sure did have someone who could verify his story, but at what cost? He wondered what would happen if he told them that, he was shagging the constable's wife at the time of the murder.
"No," he said sadly. "I live in the tent the troopers found me in this morning. Unfortunately, by myself."
"Then you have no proof of just where you were last night, do you?"
"No," Patrick said, shaking her head in defeat. "No, I don't."
"Then the trial will be held in two weeks at the Gympie court house."
Patrick hung his head low in sorrow. He could not get a message to Elizabeth and he would not implicate her in her infidelity to save himself from the gallows. It was more disgrace than she deserved.
Black Diamond
Posted by Scott Wilson
Black Diamond
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 300
Out on the street for a living at the age of fourteen, it feels like the picture has only begun. The harsh reality of life has already hit home and Sarah Diamond felt as though they had her under their thumb. The landlord of the small single room flatette she rented in the hostel, the men who paid her for her services by the half hour. Sorrow and madness filled her day, not much better than living at home with an abusive stepfather. At least she knew when and where she the abuse would come from. The one hundred dollars hardly compensated the feeling of disgust and loathing, but at least no one took it free.
Darkness fell on the city again, also seeming to fall on Sarah with heaviness in her heart she expected. She accepted her lifestyle, falling into the drug scene that accompanies her line of work without too much guilt or loathing. It no longer numbed the pain significantly. She does not ask for pity, she knows that there is nothing anyone can do. One day, she will save enough to dig her way out of this situation, or at least she hopes she will. She is not confident she will ever escape after talking with women twice her age that started the same way, thinking the same thing. By the time worked the streets of the Valley for more than a few years you knew you were never going to leave.
Apart from on Pretty Woman, there were no stories of a knight in shining armour coming to save girls like her from the streets. She was, and would always remain, a diamond in the rough.
Mr Powers
Posted by Scott Wilson
Mr. Powers
By Scott Wilson
Word Count:1542
An ad on the front page of the Courier Mail stated boldly in a full-page feature, 'Want to be a super hero? Come try out for the latest reality TV show – My Hero.' Splashed across the bottom half of the page were a variety of costumed characters arrayed in all the colors of the rainbow and all manner of zany outfits. According to the ad, the auditions would be held on the weekend at the distribution warehouse of Dark Idol comics between eight in the morning until five that evening. Founding editor and storywriter, Jack Idol, would be judging the auditions himself.
"Take a look at this," Chris said to the group of nerds hanging out at his flat. "A full page, color ad. That must have cost a fortune."
"Guy must think he's Stan Lee, throwing that sort of money around." Ivan, Chris' friend with an unnaturally large red afro said in a nasally voice.
Chris' other two friend, Charlie and Shaun, paused the Star Wars Jedi Knight game they were playing online, and looked at the ad with childlike excitement.
"We should enter," Shaun said.
"Yeh," replied Charlie. "Use the characters we created in Champions."
Ivan pulled out his superhero role-play game book and took his well-worn character sheet from the page. He held it up beside his head, looked at it then looked at his three friends.
"I look just like Transistor," he said mockingly. "Don't I?"
The rough sketch on the piece of paper held the image of a muscle-bound superhero wearing a tight, bright blue, spandex costume with a silver T across the chest. The three friends burst out laughing at the ridiculous comparison between the hero on paper and their wiry framed friend with thick, black rimmed glasses. The absurdity of even thinking they could dress up like their heroes caused immense amusement to the four friends.
"What have we got to lose?" Shaun said. "The auditions are on next Saturday, so we won't miss work. Don't have to tell anyone we are going."
"Yeh," said Ivan. "It'll be a blast. Dressing up as our characters will be super fun."
Charlie threw a Spiderman figurine at Ivan, hitting him on the forehead.
"What did you do that for?"
"To bring you back to your senses. Where are we going to get costumes in three days?"
Chris opened his laptop and Goggled costume hire in Brisbane. He sifted through a dozen or so possibilities, excluding those that specialised in B&D outfits, until he narrowed it down to four that looked half descent.
"I'll give them a call, see what we can get sorted out," Chris said, picking up the cordless handset on his desk.
By the third phone call, Chris tracked down a costume hire shop that could supply four different superhero type outfits that could have symbols, letters or emblems Velcro'd on in a range of styles and positions.
"Okay, "Chris said cheerfully. "Let's go check these costumes out and get ready for the auditions."
First thing Saturday morning, the four friends drove along Ipswich Road, through the industrial precinct until reaching the address of the auditions. The four friends dressed in their super hero costumes, under their normal clothes. Outside the warehouse, a large crowd of costumed men, women and children gathered already.
"I thought we'd be here before the majority of other contestants," Chris said.
"It's cool," Ivan said reassuringly. "I'm sure we will be just dandy. The amount of time we've played these characters in Champion will give us a better knowledge of the powers and characteristics than the others."
After waiting in line for two hours, the four friends finally reached the entrance to the warehouse. Seated at a shiny, stainless steel table were Patricia Shields and Justin Smoke, two assistant editors for Dark Idol comics.
"Name and powers," Patricia asked Ivan, who was first in line.
"Transistor," said Iva. "I have the power over radio waves."
Charlie was next in line.
"Speedball. I have superhuman speed and can run so fast I barely touch the ground. Water is not a problem, as I can run so fast my weight does not make me sink."
"Next," Justin said.
Chris stood forward and flexed his biceps, or lack thereof.
"Iron Law," he said. "My superhuman strength is the result of an accident in a foundry. Now, my skin is as tough as iron and my strength, that of a dozen men."
Shaun was the last of the four to enter the warehouse.
"Fire Fly. I have the power to fly and shoot fireballs from my eyes."
"Together, we form the HAAS; Heroic Alliance of All Stars," Shaun added.
"Oh," replied Patricia. "A super group. We have not seen one of those today. Jack will be very excited."
"Follow me," said a gorgeous, red head in a tight latex bodysuit.
She lead them further into the warehouse, through a maze of passageways and corridors, all constructed in the same shiny, stainless steel that the desk outside was made of. Pale blue fluorescent lights hummed softly in behind the opaque diffusers in the ceiling.
"How much further?" Ivan asked their host.
"The secret lair is at the heart of the building. It won't take us much longer to reach it, gentlemen."
"She's sure in character," Charlie said to his friends.
"Where are the other contestants?" Ivan said, looking around the corridor.
"Each contestant has been allocated a host to evaluate their character. Once the ten are chosen, you will regroup in the arena for the final stage of the audition."
They followed their host to a small auditorium, where she instructed each of them to sit in a stainless steel chair, which looked more like a modern electric chair than anything of comfort.
"I think I might stand," Ivan said to the host.
"I'm sorry. You must take a seat for the interview process. They look uncomfortable but you will understand why shortly."
Ivan reluctantly sat down, joining his three friends on the cold, hard seats in front of the host. She stood on a small platform in front of them and asked them personal questions individually. After almost an hour Ivan, Chris, Charlie, Shaun and Ivan felt like they had been interrogated by ASIO. The host left them in the room by themselves.
"Some of those questions were just weird," Chris said.
"A bit personal to, I thought," said Ivan. "I felt like I was being grilled for a crime I had committed."
"I suppose it has to be very thorough for legal reasons," Charlie said. "I mean some of the stunts and stuff we will be attempting might be pretty dangerous."
"Yeh, I suppose."
The host re-entered the auditorium.
"Please sit back down in your chairs," she said. "We will now proceed to the main arena."
When Ivan, Charlie, Chris and Shaun took their places back on the sterile chairs, the host clicked a button on what looked to be a DVD remote control. Thick, steel cufflinks shot out of the arms and legs of the solid chairs, locking the four friends into place.
"Hey, what's this all about?" Shaun yelled.
The chairs began to vibrate, and then lift an inch of the floor, before turning around to face a doorway opening in the wall to the left.
"Let me out of here!" Ivan yelled.
The host walked down and ran her hand across Ivan's arm.
"You've been selected as part of the final ten contestants. Now, you will get to meet the great Jack Idol."
The chairs slowly moved on a track in the floor through the doorway, then into a dimly lit passage. The momentum picked up until the chairs moved at a nice even pace of twenty kilometers an hour.
"We've got to get out of here." Charlie yelled over his should to Chris, who was in the set behind him.
Chris struggle and wiggled in the shackles but they did not budge.
"Look, we must almost be there." Shaun shouted, seeing a white light approximately the same size as the door they left the auditorium through.
The chairs flowed out of the tunnel into an even larger auditorium, capable of seating over one hundred people if packed in. There were six other solid stainless steel chairs situated around the outside of the lower level. Sitting on each seat were other superhero fans, dressed up as their own hero.
"Ah, the last of my super team." Jack Idol said in a jovial voice that echoed in the large, empty room.
"You have all passed the auditions and will participate in my quest to create real superheroes."
"I think you can unlock these now," Chris said, rattling the shackles on his wrists.
"Oh, I think we might keep them on for a little bit longer now, Iron Law. I am going to try and turn you into the character you wish to be."
"What the..." Shaun yelled.
"Each of you has given me the story of how your character gained their powers. I am going to try and replicate this scenario and see if I can actually give you the powers."
"You're crazy," yelled Ivan. "You'll kill us."
"Perhaps, Transistor. However, imagine if I don't. You will be real heroes."
Kiss of Death
Posted by Scott Wilson
Kiss of Death
By Scott Wilson
Word Count 198
It was only a brief encounter, like wind through the trees, it came so suddenly. But then it was gone like it had never been, if it weren't for the unseen after effect perhaps there would be no way of knowing it really happened.
How could I have ever seen what was really happening, even though it felt like I was in a dream. She seemed like a lost heart, not a demon that would take my soul as she took me in her arms, and brought me to an end. She promised paradise as she lied upon her bed, like a fallen angel with the devil's charm. It was a night of passion and heat, unlike any I had ever experiences before, and now, would ever experience again.
I tried to stop as she held out her hand, but the fire was burning inside like a furnace of pain. We just met, but she knew what I wanted and she gave it and more, but now I must pay the price. We were strangers, passing in the night like ships at sea. How could I have known?
Rock Soldiers
Posted by Scott Wilson
Rock Soldiers
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 668
Back in the summer of '83, Ace was going off the track in a big way. He lost his wife and son in a drink driving accident, well because of a drunk driver. With the driver being a high profile lawyer and buddies with the Premier of New South Wales, he managed to get off the charge with no criminal record; no time served and not even a fine.
Ace began drinking' and driving' himself after the trial and disappointment of seeing a powerful man escape justice. Each day was bringing me closer to Hell, with the Devil in the passenger's seat of his automobile. The Devil said to him each time he started the car, "Hey Ace, let's not be silly, there's a life out there to steal." I didn't know this at the time, I just thoughts he wasn't coping with life.
He was a good friend of mine and we had been in a band, The Rock Soldier, together since high school. I don't know how I missed how stoned Ace was the night of the accident that he caused when we drove home from a gig down in Sydney. I thought he must have been coming to terms with his loss. I thought Ace was back.
It was midnight on 12 December and we were on the highway back to Brisbane after four months touring the east coast; playing at any and every pub or hotel that would book us. I was sick after eating a bad batch of Chinese takeaway, otherwise it would have been mean me driving, and the accident probably would not have happened. Ace assured me he hadn't had a drink all week and he was sober. I smelt his breath and he seemed clean, so I felt safe with him at the wheel.
The sound of a police siren screeching like a banshee, hot on our tail woke me. I could see the flashing red and blue lights in the mirror and feel a chill in the car that was not from the AC being too high. I told Ace to pull over, but his eyes were glazed over and he did not seem to be focused on anything. They looked glazed over, as he had skulled a bottle of Jim Beam while I was asleep. I tried to grab his arm, but something stopped me. An unseen cold, bony hand grabbed my right arm and pushed it away. Nobody else was in the car, but I swear I saw someone, something, in the rear vision mirror when I looked back at the police car again. Something sort of human, but red and black, with horns like a ram and jagged teeth like a great white shark, smiling at me. When I blinked, it was gone and only the flashing lights of the patrol car were there again.
I heard Ace scream, "I am invincible."
I didn't see the truck we hit or remember that much else from that night. In amongst the wrecked metal, smell of leaking fuel and blood, I rolled in and out of consciousness. Ace's neck seemed to be at a strange angle and as I could tell, he wasn't going to be waking up any time soon.
Friends say they will stay with you right through that danger zone, but the closer you get to that fiery hole the more you realise that you will have to make it alone. I felt my right leg burn; I looked down and saw the bone protruding from just below the knee. That pain was not as bad as the pain I felt, seeing Ace's soul painfully pulled from his corpse. Ace looked at me with terror in his eyes and there was nothing I could do.
When I think of how my life was spared from that near fatal wreck at least I know that if the Devil wants to play his card game now He is going to have to play without an Ace in his deck!
Posted by Scott Wilson
WORD SLAW: My Legacy, S.Wilson
Posted by Scott Wilson
Death on Strike?
Posted by Scott Wilson
Death on Strike?
By Scott Wilson
Word Count:1174
"Sod you then," Death said to the spirit of the lawyer, holding onto his corpse, or at least he was trying to with his ghostly fingers that could not grab anything physical.
Death released his hold of the lawyer's right leg, turned and walked away mumbling about being sick of people always saying it wasn't their time, blah , blah blah.
"Nobody appreciates what I do," Death grumbled. "Fine then. Let's see if you lot can do a better job of things yourselves."
Death kicked a cat that was hanging around the corpse of the lawyer. One of the cat's nine lives fell out of its body and began licking its balls, not noticing that it was no longer attached to the body containing the remaining four lives.
Skulking along the street, Death continued mumbling and complaining until he was far out of earshot of the bewildered lawyer.
The lawyer finally realised he had escaped Death's cold and bony grip, but was still laying outside of his physical body. He sat up and looked around, perplexed by his current situation. There he was, obviously completely dead, but not in Heaven or on his way down to the flaming, sulphur pits of Hell. He tried slipping back into his body. He could lie in the spot his body was but not stick to it. Inside his body's head, he could see the aneurism that caused his dead moments ago and curiously poked it with his finger.
"Well, bugger me," He said. "Now what do I do?"
He turned towards the fading figure of Death in the distance, leapt up and ran off down the road waving his arms and trying to attract the attention of the being he was just trying to escape.
He passed a young teenage couple lingering around the pieces of their gold Mitsubishi Lancer, wrapped around a telephone poll in the centre of the road. They looked just as confused as the lawyer, looking at their broken and bloodied bodies in the torn and jagged skeleton remains of the boy's brand new car. They did not even notice the lawyer run past, chasing Death down the road.
"Hey, wait up," he yelled as Death approached a crest in the hill.
Death turned around and shook his head from side to side, the bony teeth rattled like beans in a can.
"What do you want?" Death groaned in a low, monotone voice, devoid of all emotion and enthusiasm.
"Hey, what am I supposed to do now?"
"What do I care," Death grumbled. "You were soo concerned about hanging on to your body before. Why not go back there."
"I tried," the lawyer said. "But I can't get back inside. What do I do?"
"Not my problem," Death said, turning to walk away. "I quite."
"But, but, you're death. You can't quite."
"Sure, you all hate me when I come to take you to your final destination, like you haven't had your whole life to prepare and then act like it's a big surprise. Do you know anyone who hasn't died? No. So why the big fuss when I try and do my job?"
The lawyer reached out and touched Death's thick, black hessian robe.
"Look, nobody liked me when I did my job either, but I still bloody well did it. Now you just stop feeling sorry for yourself and either put me back in my body or take me to Heaven."
"Fuh," Death chuckled. "You weren't going there. Honestly, did you really think that is where I was going to take you?"
"Well, why not. I won every case I took to trial. Has to be worth something doesn't it."
"No, not really," Death said, pulling out a set of shiny, gold scales from inside his robes. "Look at all the bad stuff on the other side here. Cheating on your taxes, lying, purgery, getting criminals off murder charges when you knew darn well they were guilty and being a downright unfriendly person."
"You can't be serious, being unfriendly? You can't use that against me. It doesn't say anything in the Bible about being a cheerful, laughing baboon, now does it?"
"Oh, I don't care. I don't make the rules, do I? I just get faxed the list at the start of the day and have to listen to you all whinge and whine while I try to finish my job on time. I am sick of hearing, I'm too young to die, I haven't achieved everything I want to, But I just put the kettle on."
"Look," the lawyer said. "I'll make a deal with you..."
"Like I haven't heard that one before," Death moaned.
"No, no seriously. If you put me back in my body, I'll work for Legal Aid for the rest of my life."
"Sorry, even if I had the slightest inclination to consider that pathetic attempt at a bribe, I don't have the power to do anything about it. You'll have to take that up with The Boss."
The lawyer became furious and shook his fists in Death's face.
"Now you look here sport. You take me to The Boss, then so I can sort this and get back to work. I'm going to be very late for an immensely important case. It'll ruin my reputation if I'm not there for the closing session."
Death shook his head again, wishing he had the power to send this annoying little man back to his body, just to shut him up. He was really beginning to get on Death's nerves.
"Hey, are you the Grim Reaper?" a young boy, who had just been run over while skateboarding home from getting a bottle of milk for his mother. "Aren't you supposed to, like come and get me or something?"
"I quite this morning," Death said in his monotone drawl.
"Cool," the boy said. "So can I like, go around and haunt my English teacher? Like, she says I can't write or, like spell. I think she is full of shit, and all. What does she know?"
"You can do what you want," Death said, looking worried about the large group of recently deceased spirits coming up the hill towards him. He sighed and thought, "Why did I stop on the top of this hill, if I'd waited until I got over the crescent they wouldn't have seen me."
The young boy was already half way back down the hill, running past his physical body lying under the car close to the scene of the accident the lawyer passed a few moments before. He did not seem to be the least bit worried about being dead at all.
Death sighed, wishing he hadn't left his pale white horse, Sam, at the office this morning because it had a bit of a sniffle and didn't feel well. He should have known that it was going to be one of those days.
Submission Guidelines
The Fringe is open to submissions of poetry, flash fiction and short stories of any genre. Stories accepted will be published online in our Ezine and also in the monthly pdf magazine.
We are also open to submissions from artists for inclusion in the magazine.
Submissions should be in RTF format or in the body of the email. Send email submissions only to firstname.lastname@example.com
Currently we only offer payment for one story selected as the feature story in the monthly pdf magazine only. The successful author will be contacted to organise payment via paypal for a $5AUD payment. Authors of other accepted stories published on the webzine and in the pdf copy will receive a copy of the pdf version of the mag the story appears in.
We are open to unpublished and previously published stories up to 40,000 words in length.
About The Fringe Magazine
Here at The Fringe Magazine we publish Short Stories, Flash Fiction, Poetry in all genres and reviews of books, roleplay games, music and movies.
Our variety seems to be hiting the mark with over 100,000 views of our Online Magazine with a good spread across all articles.
Our variety seems to be hiting the mark with over 100,000 views of our Online Magazine with a good spread across all articles.?xml:namespace>From surveys we've conducted, our readers are like most people and enjoy reading all kinds of books, both fiction and non-fiction.
With over 350 readers visiting our site each day, we listen to the voice of the masses and try and procure books in all genres to review. To date, we have reviewed over 600 books, including; non-fiction reference, music, art, photography, gardening, cooking, Self Help, architecture, design, biographies and roleplay games.
We also review fiction in all genres; Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance, Horror, Crime, Thriller, Comedy, Western. We also publish Author Interviews, Paintings, Sketches, Art Work, Art Work by Susie Wilson, and non-fiction articles. The only thing you won't find at The Fringe Magazine is a bad review, if we don't like something, we won't put up a review at all.
You will also find music and dvd reviews and the occasional interview with musicians and actors.
- ► 2011 (753)
- ► 2010 (403)
- ► 2009 (214)
- ▼ December (17)


text:
Month: June 2013
my life in a few pictures
Beer fest:
A clearer picture of this hilarious sign
My new friend:
Jun wen, who isnt really a new friend
Jasmine and MC, who i havent seen in ages. Really nostalgic
Valerie, who i havent seen in 2 years. She said i gained weight…. but i forgave her.
Interesting read:
Just displaying my affection for custard paos:
Ice cream because i love and hate myself at the same time:
Sequence of really nice photos:
"Science and Philosophy" — William Carlos Williams
"Science and Philosophy" by William Carlos Williams is collected in The Embodiment of Knowledge (New Directions).
im too weak to feel ur touch so steady ur eyes as i whisper into your ears. Secrets kept, secrets now shared. These feelings now no longer hold a weight against my shoulders. Now lifted, you sprawl towards me. I back away. I hesitate to look you in the eyes while u kiss my neck. You toss me into the present moment. Right now

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Features a 24mm Automotive Grade Rack & Pinion and a 1/2" Steel Mounting Bracket with 3/8" Steel Backing Plate. Includes a 5/8" Diameter Inner Tie Rod Shank and 8000 lbs Pull Out Strength. This kit has Extreme Duty, High Articulation Steel Sealed Rod Ends and comes with a Powder Coat Finish.
Use mouse scroll wheel over image or pinch-to-zoom on touch devices. You can also click and drag around on image.
2013-14 Can-Am Maverick Rack & Pinion w/o EPS
Parked toWicked Bilt Rackzilla Kits
byWicked Bilt
This kit comes with everything you'll need to replace your Can-Am Maverick Rack & Pinion.
Vehicle Info: 2014 Can-am
More from this Profile:
Garage Wicked Vehicles
Garage Wicked Bilt Rackzilla Kits
Garage Wicked Bilt Electra-Steer


text:
Jonathan + Nina
Laura is one in a million. We really wanted a wedding photographer who didnt just show up and take standard wedding photos but rather someone we could connect with, someone who understood what our wedding was all about, someone who would capture the day + the surroundings + atmosphere + emotions in the most authentic way. Laura did exactly that and so much more! From the first skype chat we had with her, we knew we had found someone special.
On the day, Laura simply just blended in. She was amongst everyone, capturing the most beautiful moments as they unfolded. Most of the time, we werent even aware she was around us which allowed us to be as natural as possible. During our personal photo session on the day, we had nothing but fun. Laura made us feel at ease, we could really tune into those special moments and it was also combined with so much fun and giggles.
All (!!) our guests commented on how lovely she was – on a professional and personal level – and how wonderful the photos are.
W couldnt be happier and are forever grateful that we found Laura! For us, she was part of the big table of family + friends on the day. And we now consider her our family photographer for many years to come – that should speak for itself!
Thank you Laura!!!
Dan + Kayleigh
Words cannot describe how amazing laura is. The photos speak for themselves about how superbly talented she is. She did our wedding and captured the whole thing perfectly, reflecting exactly what the day way for us. The creativity of some of the shots was increbile and I cannot recommend her highly enough. I am tempted to get married again a few more times just to see what pictures she can create! Thank you for being brilliant in absolutely every aspect!
Jack + Emma
Laura did our engagement and wedding photos and she was a true professional. She put both me and my (camera shy!) husband at ease which meant that she captured us perfectly and the resulting photographs were absolutely stunning. My walls are full of her photos because they were all so brilliant. I honestly cannot say enough positive things about this woman. Just brilliant!
James + Sophie
We absolutely knew from day one that we needed Laura for our big day. Laura made us feel at ease and as if we had been friends for years (which we hope we will be!) The love she has for her work shows throughout everything that she does. Every single guest commented on how amazingly Laura fitted into our wedding party. The pictures we now have to treasure forever take our breath away every time we look at them and for that we really cannot thank Laura enough. A talented, warm, kind hearted lady with a talent that you should not miss.
Joe + Jasmine
Absolutely stunning wedding photos were created by Laura. We loved every minute of working with her, we had our engagement shoot and wedding photos. We get so many comments about the photographs she took and how beautiful they are.
Johnny + Natalie
From day one I knew Laura was the wedding photographer for me. Her beautiful website gives a great idea of how talented she is but it wasn't until we met at our engagement shoot that her professionalism really shone through. Being based in the north east of England and having our wedding in the middle of Northumberland, Laura had long drives for both the engagement shoot and then wedding but she was truly worth looking further afield. Throughout the planning process up until the big day, Laura put our minds at ease and made me excited to be photographed (something that isn't easy as I hate posing). Her techniques to make you relax and have fun with your partner had led to the most natural, beautiful and truly reflective wedding photos that I could have asked for. On the day, Laura was so much more than our photographer. She helped the day run smoothly and became one of our family. To this day, my family still ask how she is doing. We couldn't have asked for more.
Simon + Victoria
Laura put us at ease straight away. I had so many questions and she answered them all patiently; there was never any rush. We love our wedding pictures and friends say how wonderful they are – she captures every little detail and constantly made sure that the groom and I were relaxed and enjoying it all. I was very impressed that the wedding photographer was so unobtrusive to the day – yet we got so many fantastic pictures that we will always treasure.
Helen Davies
Fabulous photography and Laura went the extra mile making the atmosphere really relaxed and easy. Would definitely recommend but the photos speak for themselves! Xx
Rebecca Steele
Thanks so much for the amazing pictures of Leia. Such a brilliant job and they are just stunning! Super patient and fab with our little girl who tried her best to fight sleep throughout the shoot would highly recommend to anybody!
Kimmy Milner
Beautiful photos of our newborn son. Lovely relaxed atmosphere & very professional . Would highly recommend Laura & felt completely at ease. Thank you again
Kelly Widdowson
Had a wonderful shoot with Laura for our newborn baby. Thank you so much for your time and patience. So excited about seeing the images you captured. xx
Sian Upton
Laura is a wonderful lady who makes a lovely experience for parents and little ones, and something to treasure forever. X
Lindsay Potts
Fabulous photographer, such a way with children, always brings out a smile in my little girl! Beautiful photographs we will treasure forever.
Lisa Wright
Thank you Laura for the amazing photos of our baby Harry!! ? We love them so much and was so difficult to decide which one to have in a frame as they are all so beautiful!! ?
From the initial booking you have been so helpful and professional and I don't know how you do it but you managed to get Harry all sleepy and calm for the photos. You've definitely got the gift of a baby whisperer!! The whole experience was brilliant very relaxed and calm environment with no pressure s of time etc…
Thanks again and would definitely recommend to anyone thinking about it!! ?
Laws Taylor
So please with how this amazing lady works. She made myself and family feel so comfortable through out our photo shoot and the the photos are stunning. I'll be using Laura for more family photos and would completely recommend her. Thank you so much Laura
Shellie Wild
We had a newborn shoot with Laura a few weeks ago. The photos are truly amazing, memories we will treasure forever. Laura was highly professional, she has such a calming way with our baby Patsie and made us feel very comfortable. Highly recommended. Thank you Laura
Melissa Nelson
I took my 4 day old boy Harry for Laura to photograph and what a lovely morning we had. Laura was dubbed "the baby whisperer" by my cousin who came to watch! She is amazing at calming babies and patient with feeding times. The pictures I received are gorgeous, beautiful memories to have. I would highly recommend her.
Heather Hughes
We visited Laura a few weeks ago for a baby photo shoot. Laura made us feel very relaxed and comfortable and she has a lovely calming nature about her. I have to say she was very good at settling my 9 day old little girl and she took some amazing pictures. Can't wait to see them. I have recommended Laura 2 all my friends x
Emma Casewell
Amazing lady, in all aspects of her work, had Laura for a family shoot, our wedding and now our little baby.. Love her work. So so talented xxx
Emma Morris
We can't thank you enough for our newborn session. The images are just amazing! We love every single one and will always cherish our first ever photographs of our boy!#makingmemories
Laura Brennan
Absolutely brilliant! ! Very friendly & professional. You have created memories for a lifetime for us. Thank you!!!
Melanie Lawrence
Amazing day x amazing memories we took away from the day that we will remember forever x Laura is such a natural with babies and made myself and my fiancé instantly at ease and managed to get the best out of Reve x can't recommend enough x thank you so much Laura


text:
Loyal Readers:
Once again I must take off my warlord hat and put on the refined headgear of your informed social commentator. Why, you ask? Because this shanzhai shit is getting out of hand. Oh, you probably figured that out from the title of this post.
First, what is shanzhai? Shit, if you do not know, you may be beyond help. Shanzhai literally means "mountain fortress" but thanks to the intertube world is now used to refer to knock-off goods, and can also be translated into the American slang term "ghetto." BTW, if you are not familiar with this word, you must be living in a cave. A dank, stinky, Yan'an cave filled with wife sharing, pill-popping, yangge-dancing dumb-ass peasants.
Secondly, how do we know that the shanzhai craze has gotten out of hand? My first clue was the fact that during a recent Chinese autoshow, half the cars were knockoffs of Western models. Here is one example:
Looks vaguely familiar, no?
My second clue was when the New York Times, the "Grey Lady" herself, starting talking about how shanzhai China has become:
Technological advances have allowed hundreds of small Chinese companies, some with as few as 10 employees, to churn out what are known here as shanzhai, or black market, cellphones, often for as little as $20 apiece.
Although shanzhai phones have only been around a few years, they already account for more than 20 percent of sales in China, which is the world's biggest mobile phone market, according to the research firm Gartner.
Now, we all know that the NY Times is a tool in the Jiang Jieshi and Guomindang machine, so for them to call out China, in the middle of a fucking war, says something. BTW, what the fuck is a cellphone? I digress. Did I mention the shanzhai soy sauce made from human hair?
Now, many of you may be wondering why I care so much about this shanzhai shit. Well, let me level with you. Yan Xishan has been holding down Shanxi for decades. As I stated before, I am the real revolutionary. I helped bring down the damn Qing dynasty! But with this shanzhai shit, I fear in the future my memory will be overshadowed by some shanzhai revolutionary. Sun Yat-sen, Jiang Jieshi, even (gasp) that infamous peasant fucker Zhu De. I thus call on my Chinese brothers and sisters, let us be a little less ghetto, a little less nongcun, and a bit more Taiyuan.


text:
Update (October 31, 2014): After receiving my Imperial Armor: Vol. 13 book a week ago, I realized this conversion will represent (quite appropriately!) the special Bloodthirster in the appendix of the book, An'ggrath the Unbound. I am very pleased to have built this guy for just such a book to be published shortly after!
Another big milestone achieved. At this rate I may have to add a few more items to the list so I can keep up with stuff year round! Regardless, this was one of the major items on the To-Do list challenge I began last month at the behest of +Dave Weston!
After building a bunch of marines, traitor guard, and bloodletters, I soon began to thirst for something.. bigger. To fill this role, I looked to my sorcerer, Hrodir. He is, of course, Urlag's trusted and loyal ally, employing magics and sorcery to help their nefarious cause. Powers augmented by the chaos artefacts found on Prospero, in addition to his inherent talents at rune-casting and foresight, make him a powerful ally indeed.
My recent purchases of Bloodletters were acquired solely for the summoning spell from Hrodir (with a small possibility of an allied contingent as time goes on). But why not summon the big dogs, a Bloodthirster?
So my mind was made up, I need a bloodthirster.
|And preferably not one circa 1996.
The task, then, was to scour for bits that I'd want to use. And it soon dawned on me that the Warhammer Fantasy line of Beastmen had the ideal basis, the Ghorgon. Next up, some wings. After a small search, it was discovered that the largest and most impressive wings could be found here, from the LotR range. What's more is that they're plastic - no fiddling around with those huge metal clunkers on the classic Bloodthirster! The rest was easy - I had leftover Lasher Tendrils (Maulerfiend) to make a whip, and a Knight Titan chainsword to convert into an immense chain-halberd. Thinks were shaping up!
|Getting a feel for the size of this bad boy. The Chainsword looks a little big.
|Lasher tendrils to be re-purposed as whips.
|Starting to get some glue!
|Green-stuffing the gaps with some fur (in-progress).
|The chainsword is entirely too big. I'll need to trim down the engine housing.
|Knocked off the rear power plant, added some gnarly teeth and starting the banding.
|Hrodir and his new friend. Terminators come up to its knee!
|The finished build. Lacking armor plates, but I think I may like it better like this.
So there it is! An impressive build, bigger than I anticipated, it doesn't even fit on the 60mm round base I wanted to use! Had to order a single Maulerfiend base to mount him on. What're y'alls thoughts? Should I change anything? Add more? I have a bunch of scale chain links to wrap and add if that will make it more menacing. Let me know what you think!
I'll throw some paint on it this week. But for now, let me check this bad boy off my list!
Melochor the Dread, Lord of the Bone Sacrament, Defiler of the Thirteen Sanctuaries of the Eternal Spire, Blood-Chosen of Khorne's Court of Skulls. Behold!


text:
The rooftop scene in Munich has evolved over the past three years and now it's time for an update of my first article.
When I first wrote about this back in 2012 I thought that a rooftop bar crawl could be a great idea... then I didn't. Why? simply because to enjoy the experience you need an exploding wallet: Rooftopping in Munich is expensive.
Little Tip: Research beforehand, also because most rooftops won't accept walk-ins!
1) SELF-SERVICE CAFETERIA+RESTAURANT WITH STYLEInside Oberpollinger, on the 5th floor LeBuffet has one of the most affordable rooftops in Munich. At LeBuffet you can enjoy anything from a double espresso or a bier and a Pretzel to a three- course meal.
ADDRESS: Neuhauser Straße 18, 80331 München.
RESERVATIONS: No, they don't make a reservations.
OPENING HOURS: from 9am till 8pm everyday but Sundays that is closed (like everything else in Munich).
2) DRINKS+VIEW FROM THE COOL MUNICHThe Hotel Deutsche Eiche is a must-visit in Glockenback which is the gay area in Munich and also one of the "coolest" districts in Munich (together with Schwabing).
The hotel has been around for some time but it's not smelly old, on the contrary! they did an amazing job renovating it and now it's a boutique hotel with three stars and a 60 sqm rooftop! A good place for cocktails!
RESERVATIONS: No, they don't make a reservations.
OPENING HOURS: It is open from 7am - 23pm but bar service is from 4pm - 22pm. They only have a bar, so if you want food you need to order it at the hotel restaurants and take it with you upstairs.
3) THE BEST VIEW OF MUNICHThe Mandarin Hotel in Munich is still doing renovations to its lateral façade so many people think that the rooftop is closed. Wrong! it is open and it is so popular that you won't get in unless you have a reservation.
The China Moon Roof Terrace has the best views of Munich and so you must pay the price if you'd like to enjoy them: 17 EUR per the glass of wine... some would say: a small price to enjoy that magnificent view...
ADDRESS: Neuturmstraße 1, 80331 München.
RESERVATIONS: Required.
OPENING HOURS: FROM 1pm to 10pm.
4) LUXUS BREAKFAST OR JUST A BEERThe Bayerischer Hof is the most luxurious hotel in Munich, where the Barça football club (soccer for Americans) and Real Madrid sleep before facing FC Bayern.
The rooftop has a cafeteria/bar/restaurant. The breakfast is superb (and super expensive) but I've also been there for small drink before lunch. A small beer during the day, before lunch will get you one of the small tables at the terrace...
ADDRESS: Neuturmstraße 1, 80331 München.
RESERVATIONS: Required.
OPENING HOURS: FROM 1pm to 10pm.
5) AM VIKTUALIENMARKTI loved my old apartment at the Frauenstraße and now that I'm back I am surprised with all the new stores/restaurants. I know the Louis Hotel well but I didn't know about the Emiko Roof Terrace and now that I've been, I can say it is one of my favorites.
ADDRESS: Viktualienmarkt 6, 80331 München
RESERVATIONS: Required.
OPENING HOURS: FROM 2pm to 10pm.
6) WHAT THE TOURIST GUIDE CALLED A CLASSICGlockenspiel cafe has been there for ages. The coffee is good but the food is regular... I've been disappointed with service every time I've been there for the past 5 years but the place has a great view so I kept coming back...
These days: Renovations block your view and no matter how many complaints...the service is still bad/slow so ... Why is the place still worth a visit? In my opinion it is NOT but I have to mention it here so my rooftop guide of Munich is complete.
ADDRESS: Marienplatz 28, 80331 München.
RESERVATIONS: Optional but suggested.
OPENING HOURS: 9am to 12pm everyday but Sundays.
The Flushing Meadows is a new hotel in Munich that has a flashing new rooftop bar. The entrance is not very inviting at the moment... just look for tiny door... once you're in you won't regret it!
ADDRESS: Frauenhoferstraße 32, 80469 München
RESERVATIONS: Optional but suggested.
OPENING HOURS: 10am to 2am.
Cafe im Vorhoelzer Forum
For a cafe and a croissant or sandwich at lunch time: the Cafe at the TUM in Munich is probably the most affordable rooftop in Munich.
RESERVATIONS: Optional but suggested.
OPENING HOURS: 9am to 10:30pm.
I haven't been but I've got so many emails about it that I had to include it in this blog post. The place is located in Neuhasen so you'll need to take the metro/tram to visit it.
OPENING HOURS: 10am to 11:00pm.
Do you know other rooftops in Munich? What is your favorite?
Related Posts:


text:
Zodaca Travel Hanging Cosmetic Carry Bag Toiletry Wash Organizer Storage - Gray Greek Key with Black Trim
Item #: 901-24221649
Model #: 2355578
Brand: Zodaca
Not yet rated.Be the first to Write a Review!
$15.49 Each
Delivery Date:
Enter Zip CodeParcel
Great for a business trip, camping, hiking, backpacking, travel and other outdoor activities.Multiple pockets can fit all of your travel wants and needs, makes everything easy to find!Premium Quality: Mainly made of high quality Micro Fiber, PVC backing, strong metal hanging hook, durable zipper and highest-standard workmanship.
- Special Design: 7 inside pockets and 1 large expandable pouch.
- Hanging hook will make it easily accessible in any room.
- Save the maximum space: Light-weight, portable, foldable, easy to store.
- When it's empty, you can fold very thinly and save space.
- Easy to keep clean and fast drying. Mesh pocket is great to store items that need more air flow.
- Size Rolled up : 11.5" L x 3"D x 7.5" H; Size Open: 11.5" L x 3" D x 25.5" H
- Material: Microfiber Fabric
- Size: 12" L x 4.5" W x 13" H
- Material: Polyesther
- ⚠ WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including DEHP, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to P65Warnings.ca.gov.
|Tote & Handbag Material : Polyester
|Tote and Handbag Design or Style : Bag
|Tote & Handbag Pattern : Patterned
|Tote & Handbag Style : Casual Chic
|Tote & Handbag Size : Medium
|Tote & Handbag Straps : Handle
|Tote & Handbag Use : Day to Night
|Tote & Handbag Closure Type : Hook & Loop
|Brand : Zodaca
|Customizable : No
|Weight : 0.53 lbs. per Each


text:
The advantages of body contouring treatments are countless. However, unfortunately, the treatments are not meant for anybody and everybody. There is a certain category of candidates who are suitable for these treatments. Other persons opting for them can become prone to a host of unwanted risks and complications. Moreover, there are certain pre-op conditions that need to be met for the candidate to be eligible for these treatments. A thorough and detailed discussion with the doctor, in charge of the case, is an absolute must before going into the operation room. All questions and doubts must be duly addressed and clarified during these consultation sessions.
Stemming the tide of age
After a certain age, usually the mid-40s, the skin starts loosening. However, many think that body contouring can help with these. This is why doctors mostly get patients from this age group. Body contours are for people who are battling with a physically unattractive body, after losing a lot of weight. The drooping and sagging of skin after a certain age is inevitable and while Botox and face lifts can provide temporary relief, no treatment or procedure has been developed by researchers till date that can reverse the body's clock for good.
Removing excess skin from the body
People, all over the world, dream of losing weight and getting a fitter and a more attractive body, on the whole. However, not many realize that losing weight is not the difficult part. It is the excessive fat tissue that makes the skin sag. This is what the contouring treatments offer to get rid of, not the fat itself. Most interested individuals do not realize this. They opt for body contouring treatments without seeking proper consultations with a qualified and certified doctor and come out of surgery with disappointing results. Hence, the patient is advised to be well aware of the results before going in for surgery.
Important precautions to take before surgery
The very first requirement is that the patient should stabilize his or her weight for at least a few months before going in for body contouring, through balanced diets and a healthy lifestyle pattern. The individual should never go in for these procedures that take a while to recover, without having a group of people who will surely be there for help during the recovery period. Since it is advisable that minimum stress is endured during this span of time, there should be no hurry in getting back to work. Fulfil all commitments prior to the surgery. Smoking is a big no-no before surgery, and so is alcohol. The patient should increase his or her protein intake to 50gm-70gm on a daily basis to speed up the recovery.


text:
Pocket Sized Economical Digital Volt Meter / Multimeter
Great economical tool for every CCTV installer or anyone installing security equipment. Save yourself lots of difficult troubleshooting and make sure your cameras and other surveillance equipment are getting the power they need with this handy volt meter tester. Easily measure and test DC voltage, AC voltage, DC current, resistance, temperature, batteries and more. Includes test leads, 9V battery and instruction manual.
- DC Voltage: 200mV - 1000V
- AC Voltage: 200V - 750V
- Resistance: 200Ω - 2000kΩ
- Transistor Test; DIODE Test
- Low Battery Indicator
- Overload Protection: 220vDC/AC < 15sec
- Power: 9V battery
- Dimensions: 4 3/4" x 2 3/4" x 7/8"
You may also be interested in the following product(s)
3.5" LCD Test Monitor Kit
Model #:ACA-VT-KIT-8C
Sale Price: $139.00
TR-12DC-500, Regulated 12vDC Transformer, 500 MA
Model #:TR-12DC-500
List Price:$7.48
Our Price: $1.99
Video Ground Loop Isolator for Analog Video
Model #:ACA-BNC-ISO
Sale Price: $14.95


text:
John Olofson opened OLOFSON HAUTE COIFFURE in Brompton Rd in 1953. The salon established a reputation as the COURT salon for the Queen's Courtiers and friends and was in direct competition with RAYMONDE (Teasy Weasy), the first 'Celebrity Hairdresser'.
Describing how he started his career in the 1960s, Daniel Galvin is quoted as saying: "So I wrote to Olofson, the top salon, which was famous for serving a Society Clientele. I took a position as a junior colourist."
OLOFSON kept its reputation intact as others came and went. In 1993, Geoffrey Flanders bought OLOFSON and merged it with his own Knightsbridge Salon, EQUUS (named as a salute to the Peter Schaeffer play and the location in Cheval Place).
Geoffrey's renown as a colourist had created a client list that included: Jackie Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Isabella Blow, Maggie Smith, The Duchess of Westminster, Princess Michael of Kent, Nan Kempner, Arianna Huffington, King Hussein, Queen Noor & the Jordanian Royal children.
Complementing the Equestrian theme, the Merger of OLOFSON and EQUUS created a thoroughbred salon amongst a field of also-rans. The Thespian link is continued today by employing a team of young "Resting" Actors as Shampoo Assistants.
Knightsbridge has become a shadow of its former self, so in August 2012 EQUUS moved to the chic enclave of LAUNCESTON VILLAGE in Kensington. Exclusive and full of charm, it has a country feel yet is only a short walk from Kensington Palace.
EQUUS spans the decades and brings the depth of this knowledge with it. In a fast changing world, there are still some things that remain sacrosanct and a loyal and trusted Hairdresser is now more necessary than ever.


text:
02030 048 338
[email protected]
PV-T Hybrid solar
Heat Pumps
Solar panels (PV)
Solar Thermal
Thermal store
Battery storage
Under floor heating
Case studies
About Us
At convert energy we have teamed up with a leading hybrid inverter manufacturer in order to bring you cost effective battery solutions that are tailored to your specific project requirements.
The units can be used both as your PV inverter, (as a grid/battery inverter) and charge controller. This significantly reduces the balance of system costs and increases the speed of installation.
Battery systems are starting to come of age in the UK, with the reduction of FIT rates and smart homeowners wishing to use more of their on-site generation rather than feeding back to grid, this product should see strong growth in the UK over the next few years.
The units we sell will not only convert your DC Photovoltaic energy to AC, they also have the ability to recharge the batteries from grid which can be very useful for saving money on split tariffs. The battery systems can save your daytime photovoltaic generation and release it in the evening when you need it, saving you money by increasing your self-sufficient energy production.
The systems are 'time discharge' programmable so you can tailor the discharge of the system to maximise you're on site usage. There is also a feed for a dedicated AC load, this means if the grid fails, you can still support your important loads form your battery system in a safe manner.
For more information please get in contact with us. We would be happy to help answer any questions you may have.
System with Li - ion
System with Lead carbon
Contact us
Useful links for Solar Battery information
( links are to External Resources )
This report outlines significant cost savings for the UK electricity system, should the potential for energy storage be realised. The impact of which could deliver savings of up to £50 a year on an average consumer energy bill through a system wide saving of up to £2.4bn a year by 2030.
Carbon trust - energy storage report
Here is some guidance information for battery and solar systems from MCS, the renewable energy certification body.
MCS battery and solar guidance
The Energy Savings Trust offer advice and resources for home owners looking to better understand a technology. They are a great place to start when thinking about what might be the most useful energy saving measure to implement in your home.
Energy Savings Trust - energy storage
This free updated PVGIS web tool is a great way to find out how a combined solar and battery system might work for you. The easy to use interface and quick visualization mean you can tweak the system to best meet your needs.
PVGIS 5 (Beta)


text:
Welcome to Taiwan Food & Pharmaceutical Machinery Manufacturers' Association
- The Only and Professional Food and Pharmaceutical Machinery Manufacturers' Association in Taiwan.
Taiwan Food & Pharmaceutical Machinery Manufacturers' Association was established in April 1995 with more than one hundred food & pharmacy machinery manufacturers as members at present. We aim to assist our members to develop international market with participation of international...Read More
Taiwan Food & Pharmaceutical Machinery Manufacturers' Association (TFPMA) provides complete information about Taiwan food & pharmacy machines and whole-plant equipment to the buyers all over the world.
Last News
- 07Mar 2019
The Features of TaiNEX 2
Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 2 (TaiNEX 2), an expansion project invested by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and operated by Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), opened...Read More
- 17Sep 2018
President Tsai pledges to make Taiwan a global smart machinery hub
President Tsai Ing-wen said Aug. 29 that the government is making solid progress in transforming Taiwan into a global hub for smart machinery and intelligent manufacturing.Read More
- 30Jun 2018
2018 Taipei International 5-in-1 Food Show Breaks Records of Scale
The Taipei International 5-in-1 Food Show is a combination of Food Taipei, Foodtech & Pharmatech Taipei, Taipei Pack, Taiwan Horeca and Halal Taiwan. The event is the largest of its kind on the island...Read More
- 23Jan 2018
Exports break yearly, monthly records
The nation's export orders surged 17.05 percent year-on-year to a record high of US$48.47 billion last month, largely driven by a US smartphone vendor's handset orders and rising global demand for servers,...Read More


text:
"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16)."
Today my wife forwarded an Email to me that contained the subject line "biblical temple exhibit in his back yard". When I read through the text and looked at the photos of the work of the man who built the exhibit, I agreed with the comment in the text that read,"Amazing".
The text of the Email begins:
"A retired farmer has spent more than 30 years building an enormous scale model of a Biblical temple. Alec Garrard, 78, has dedicated a massive 33,000 hours to constructing the ancient Herod's Temple , which measures a whopping 20 foot by 12 foot.
The pensioner has hand-baked and painted every clay brick and tile and even sculpted 4,000 tiny human figures to populate the courtyards.
Historical experts believe the model is the best representation in the world of what the Jewish temple actually looked like and it has attracted thousands of visitors from all over the globe. But Mr. Garrard, who started the elaborate project in his 40s, says his masterpiece will not be finished in his lifetime."
He has received acclaim from archeologists and other experts for his work, and no wonder. His temple didn't just appear out of thin air. He researched the Temple of Herod for three years before he even began to construct his model.
Garrard had something else that motivated him. He said, I've always loved making models and as I was getting older I started to think about making one big project which would see me through to the end of my life."
What impresses me most about Garrard is that he found his passion and matched it with his gift. Garrard said, "I have an interest in buildings and religion so I thought maybe I could combine the two and I came up with the idea of doing the Temple ."
In addition, I admire him in that he keeps learning:.
"I'd seen one or two examples of it in Biblical exhibitions, but I thought they were rubbish and I knew I could do better. I've been working on it for decades, but it will never be finished as I am always finding something new to add."
I just started taking a class at church which is supposed to help me discover my spiritual gifts. I've been a Christian a long time, and I thought I knew what they were already, but some new information in the first class surprised me.
Our book mentioned a gift I had never heard of: creative communication. It cited Psalm 150:3-5 as a reference from the Bible concerning this gift.
The passage above has to do with musical talent. But the authors of the book (Network, by Bugbee and Cousins) describe creative communication this way: "The divine enablement to communicate God's truth through a variety of art form."
People who hold this gift have the ability to "use variety and creativity to captivate people and cause them to consider Christ's message…". Those so gifted with creative communication also are able to "challenge people's perspective of God…" and "demonstrate fresh ways to express the Lords's ministry and message."
My ears and eyes perked up during this class when I encountered this information. This was because one of the creative communication art forms mentioned is writing.
I've been told all my life by many people that I am a good writer. However, up until now I had never considered the possibility that it might be a spiritual gift.
Occasionally someone will read one of these devotionals and note the insight in it. There are times when I write here that I do feel as if I am getting some fresh message from the Lord.
Now, I do not write this in an attitude of boastfulness, nor do I consider what I write to be extra biblical. It's just that I think there may be times God allows me to see a new spin on things and communicate it.
If this is true, it has biblical precedent. Jesus once said that a disciple in His kingdom who teaches His Word " is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old (Matthew 13:52)."
Mr. Garrard motivates me because it was late into his life when he began his amazing project. I am also putting on some grey hairs (and not all of them on my head). He inspires me because I see from his life that it is never too late to begin using your gift for God's glory.
I have no idea if Mr. Garrard believes in Jesus Christ. However, if he does, his gift is also mentioned in the Bible: craftsmanship. The authors of my church textbook would say he has been enabled by God to creatively design and build items to be used for ministry.
His temple is surely ministering to people. By viewing it, one can get some perspective on what life was like for the people who worshipped there. One can even picture in their minds Jesus teaching there, or chasing the moneylenders out of the place.
I am grateful that Mr. Garrard chose not to hide his gift away. His work and example has encouraged me to do the same.


text:
Phone number: 036234....
Fax number: (03) 6223....
Year Established: 2000
Business Info
Recommend This Business
The review system is a way for customers of this business to easily share their opinion. By sharing your experience with this business, you help other consumers find the right business for them! By leaving a review, you also earn STARPOINTS. Starpoints can be redeemed for cash or prizes like iTunes giftcards. Find out more about Starpoints here.
Some tips when posting a review: When writing a review, see if you can be as balanced as possible. What did you like, what didn't you like? Here are some things to think about - How was the customer service? How was the product or service quality? How was the price/value? Please also check and adhere to the editorial guidelines when posting a review.
Add your own review
Full Category Tree
Nearby Businesses within 5 km
- A 0.0 km Dixon Fabian Brooke
- B 0.0 km Slater & Gordon: Hobart
- C 0.1 km Goodman Barristers & Solicitors
- D 0.1 km Marshall A G R
- E 0.1 km Wood Andrew
Nearby Suburbs
- Battery Point (4) - 1.14 km
- South Hobart (1) - 1.58 km
- North Hobart (1) - 1.72 km
- New Town (1) - 3.26 kms
- Rosny Park (3) - 3.66 kms


text:
No gathering is too big or small for EVERYONE to come. So, we all worked hard to make it to Portland for Caleb's cousins wedding. A few were unable to attend and they were seriously missed!
I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of the wedding. I didn't want to think about anything so I left my camera at the hotel, but when I got to the location I just about died. It was the most beautiful wedding I've ever been to...and I've been to my share of weddings.
Well, they knew how to throw a party....they put Caleb and I at a table with his siblings and three of his guy cousin and their wives. We started laughing before we sat down and didn't stop until our heads hit our pillows.
The food was delish, the photo booth, complete with tons of props kept us busy for awhile, the firework show amazing...yes I said firework show, and the live band kepts us dancing till midnight. I actually think the parents lasted longer on the floor then we did.
We had an incredible weekend and I'm so thankful for all my crazy Greeks.


text:
This post is a continuation of a previous post: What does it take to open a distillery?
So I'm not ready to open a distillery. I'm guessing you aren't either if you're reading this, but hopefully you're just as interested in the topic as I am.
I decided to focus on experimenting with taking the worst, cheapest liquors that I could find and improving them through creative aging processes. My fascination became a matter of how quickly could I accelerate the aging process and make gut-rot moonshine into something that would not only be enjoyed, but also appreciated.
In later posts I'll dive into barrel aging, alternative aging methods, accelerating oxygenation, and some of the science.
It's hard to call something "my whiskey" when I've had no part in the selection of the raw materials or process by which those ingredients were turned into liquor. I can only take take over after and leverage science to modify that product into something people will enjoy. Starting with a high quality product such as those from Washington's Woodinville Whiskey Company or Oregon's House Spirits makes the process easy. I usually start with something more like a split of Georgia Moon and Everclear.
I hope people who come to this site will challenge me on my methods as, like cooking, sometimes it's part art. I also hope people will share their methods. I'm going to aim for an open dialogue here.


text:
The H500 UAS (User Adjust Single), Height Adjustable Desking System is compact, versatile and comes in a variety of shapes to suit almost every office.
Effortlessly you are able to adjust the height of the worktop from sitting to standing with a simple adjustment of the handle. Available in the single configuration (pictured), 120 degree or 90 degree all with the H500 renowned user adjust mechanism.
H500 UAS is a smart choice and represents real whole of life value for any office.
Features :
- Simple manual adjustment mechanism;
- Quick and easy user personalisation;
- Adjusts to multiple heights from 660mm to 1060mm;
- Ideal for multi user environments like Activity Based Working;
- Facilitates changing work positions which has significant health & well being benefits;
- Costs & space effective compared to fixed height desking;
- Available in a variety of desk sizes & shapes;
- Available in H leg or C leg configurations.
- Specs 1800 l x 1800 w x 750 d (90°); 1200 l x 1200 w x 750 d (120°); 1200-2200 w x 700 d (straight)
- Colours Consult a representative


text:
Doing breakfast is the new going out in Belgrade. There is no better way than to start your day with a delicious meal. I've discovered four new breakfast spots for you. Enjoy.
These are ten wonderful things you can do while visiting Belgrade. Each of them will be a unique experience, I promise.


text:
The intern running the @espn Twitter account is trolling us with Tebow-like tenacity
I love sports. I love to laugh. If you can combine these elements on Twitter, you're a winner in my book. I try to work sports and humor into my tweets, and enjoy following others who do the same. However, not everyone has a knack for it. If you'd like to see a sports + humor train wreck happening on a daily basis, look no further than @espn.
It's hard to deny the stats: with 6.1 million followers and a whopping 99 Klout score, @espn is doing something right. But humor ain't it. When any other account irritates me to the level that @espn has, I unfollow. But I generally enjoy all of their other tweets. Their in-game alerts, stats, and programming notes are all good. However, their tweeted attempts at humor contain so much cheese that it makes me physically ill to read them. I went through their tweets from the past few weeks and have embedded the worst of the worst.
Your favorite sports team is like your family. If someone insults it, it's game on.
— ESPN (@espn) March 6, 2013
Waking up can be hard. Turning on @sportscenter…that's easy.
— ESPN (@espn) March 5, 2013
Chanting at your television during a live soccer match is a great way to warm up your vocal cords in the morning.
— ESPN (@espn) March 3, 2013
Dear March, It's so good to have you back. Sincerely, College hoops fans everywhere
— ESPN (@espn) March 2, 2013
No, incessantly checking your phone for score updates during dinner is not rude.
— ESPN (@espn) March 1, 2013
If your ring tone is a sports theme song, you deserve a ringing endorsement.
— ESPN (@espn) March 1, 2013
Daydreaming about shooting jumpers, hitting a pitching wedge, catching a touchdown, etc.… We know the feeling.
— ESPN (@espn) February 27, 2013
Planning your entire week around your team's schedule is the definition of dedication.
— ESPN (@espn) February 26, 2013
Reading up on your favorite teams and athletes is procrastination in its most productive form.
— ESPN (@espn) February 25, 2013
If bears can hibernate in the winter, you can stay inside and watch sports all season. It's only fair.
— ESPN (@espn) February 23, 2013
Re-watching highlight reels from high school is a great way to remind yourself of your athletic glory days.
— ESPN (@espn) February 20, 2013
If you use a TV, phone, laptop, and tablet simultaneously to keep up with sports, you have a problem…of being way too awesome.
— ESPN (@espn) February 21, 2013
Remember, these are just from the past few weeks. I could keep going, but you get the idea. So, who's to blame for these embarrassing tweets? Well, much like the Tebow love affair at ESPN, it's a two-way street. Tebow gets ratings, so they feed us more Tebow. Their approach to Twitter is no different. Look at the action on some of these tweets. If you compare the RT/Favorite counts to some of their general sports tweets, these cheesy jokes are somehow well above average.
So, while I don't think @espn will be changing their Twitter habits any time soon, there are a few things we as followers can do to slow these horrendously terrible tweets.
- Stop RTing and Favoriting them.
- Stop RTing and Favoriting them.
- Stop RTing and Favoriting them.
I'll leave @espn with everyone's favorite condescending jab: Stick to sports.


text:
This is the 7th post in the Innovating Like a Startup blog series. Previous Post: Building an Effective Project Team
An MVP is a Minimum Viable Product. However, now that the term has been around for a few years, we tend to focus on the "minimal" part more than the "viable" or the "product" parts. I personally like to break down each piece of an MVP:
Minimum - without excess, nothing more than what is needed. This concept was the biggest challenge to the traditional model of product development so it shocked the system the most.
Viable - capable of working successfully. Most likely, your product will have bugs, won't work for some people, and won't be scalable to millions of users. But, if it is a working solution to a problem, then it's viable.
Product - products are things that people use to solve problems. The goal of your MVP should be to determine whether your product is solving the right problem for your customers and give them confidence that your product is capable of solving their problem.
BE EMBARRASSED (Because you know too much.)
Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn once said, "If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late." I believe this is true in that you should be embarrassed by your product, not because you went too fast and made messy oversights that customers discovered, but because YOU know your future product vision will solve the problem 10 X better than what you are giving customers today. It is common and normal to feel this way. But remember, the goal is to test the overarching question, "Will something like this product solve the customer's problem?" not, "Will this version of the product dominate the industry?"
Most people I meet think they have to build all the tech and that everything needs to work automatically for them to test an MVP. In reality, testing an MVP is more about the way the customer experiences the product, and not about what goes on "behind the scenes." If you wanted to test the technical nature of a product, you would be building a proof of concept that would show its technical feasibility. An MVP is about testing the customers' reactions. Put yourself in the mind of the customer. What do they see, feel, and experience? Make that as real as possible. However, for things that happen behind the scenes, you can do those manually, use pre-defined data or paths, and a bunch of different approaches that can save you time and money building an MVP. Remember, a "viable" product is capable of working successfully, but that doesn't mean it needs to work across 1 million different potential paths.
MVP's are purpose-built products, meaning they were built to test a specific hypothesis (remember the scientific method). Sometimes that same MVP can be just slightly modified to test additional hypotheses, but they are still built to test one specific thing. We are looking for directionality in the data, meaning, from your MVP, you should be able to answer questions like, "Did this go in the direction I thought it would?," "Was the customer delighted?," and, "Did he/she ask the right questions?"
But, to answer the question, "When am I done?": you are not done until you have a product that meets the market need (this is where "product/market fit happens") and you feel like there are not any major risks or gaps in the product's solution to the customer's problem.
In his annual letter to shareholders, Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO, wrote that you should make decisions when you have about "70% of the information you wish you had" and if you have any more information, you are probably deciding too slowly. Hopefully, your MVP testing will answer several questions and provide lots of new insights; however, you will always wish you had more information. New product innovation is inherently risky. Yes, there are several things you can (and should do) to mitigate those risks, but dealing with some degree of uncertainty is par for the course. The same way you can't steer a parked car, innovation (the process of iterating, remixing, and improving ideas) isn't possible without action and some risk-taking.
Don't miss a step!
Subscribe to the series — you won't regret it.