Designer gas masks and the Urban Security Suit

This is possibly the coolest thing I have EVER seen, the Urban Security Suit designed by Tim Smit, is made of neoprene and lined with molded Kevlar, it also comes with stylish gas mask. Yes you could really use it in a war zone, and yes, it is quite ridiculous to consider how good you're looking while being shot at or gassed, but let's be honest, this would make one hell of a good looking soldier.

I suppose some interesting things to consider are the fact that this is obviously not uniform so would most likely to be worn by a rag-tag group of rebels, or by militants, not by any official armed forces. Perhaps this is terrorist-chic?

Obviously it's not actually meant to be genuinely worn in war as it's simply a piece of art, (although it would protect you if you needed it to), but it makes an interesting statement that war is so much a part of many peoples lives that, hey, why not have warfare fashion? Perhaps this is not so much a reality as an idea for a game or a story, but the idea that a war has been waged for so long that this kind of fashion for combat has emerged is certainly an interesting one. Food for thought at least.

Of course let's not forget the very coolest use for this piece of clothing, just how amazingly AWESOME (excuse the Americanism) would it be to show up at a club night like BangFace or to a festival wearing this thing? Frikkin' awesome is I think the appropriate answer here. I want one so very badly, although I would personally be content with a copy of the hoodie and the mask, I don't really need the Kevlar. Unfortunately I don't think they are on sale, but at the next masked themed club night I go to I am most definitely going to copy this outfit as well as I can. I mean my god! this is even cooler than my idea of wearing a mask of my own face over my face!

Also for your consideration, designer gas masks:
A bit to Bling if you ask me, but hey, maybe for the discerning rap artist with more money than taste?

How to milk a good idea.

It seems today, that all you see is...perfectly good TV shows going on a good 2-3 seasons too long, and becoming terrible.

This is (mostly) the reserve of American shows. Unfortunately, as British public broadcast television begins to dwindle in terms of the money it has available, American shows are increasingly becoming the only good thing worth watching. On the internet, admittedly, but still.

The problem lies in the very concept, unfortunately. American shows get made with 20+ episode series' and high production values, which makes good tv, which people watch, which makes money. Then the creators dont want to give up on a good idea, so they keep it going, often long beyond a shows creative shelf-life. The money driven system which CREATES the good American TV shows is the same one that drives them into the dirt, creatively.

The list of shows that got worse and worse as they went on is impressive. Off the top of my head i can think of Friends, the Simpsons, Scrubs, Lost (season 2-3), 24,The OC, Buffy, Angel, Prison Break, The X-Files.

The most frustrating thing about all this, is that the situation IS avoidable! South Park has stayed fresh over 12 seasons by the creators keeping very tight control over the shows direction and integrity. ER manages to keep going by having no over-arching storyline, and no irreplacable characters, focusing solely on good drama. The Office and Twin Peaks, whilst being vastly different shows, both realised that their appeal could only be stretched so far, whilst brilliant creations, they were both essentially one trick ponies, and thus the wise decision was made to end after two seasons each.


Im not sure what the resolution to this problem is. I wanted to avoid sounding like a raving Commie, but the most obvious solution is the one we are least able to affect; until the creators of TV shows start to care more about artistic integrity and QUALITY instead of money, we will continue to have Simpsons episodes with 2-3 laughs, Scrubs episodes where the colouring is even MORE pastel and JD/Turk gay it up/fall over more, and the survivors of Lost still not having a fucking CLUE what is going on.

Sandwich Blog

The Refrigerator Raider V1.0

Today's Players:
Asher:

Stan:


Ingredients:
Thick white bread - 3 pieces
Ham
Salami
Cheddar Cheese (Mature)
French mustard-seed
Branston Pickle
Gherkins
Thickly Sliced tomatoes
Mayonnaise

The Method:
Take the three pieces of bread and spread the mayonnaise on one side of two pieces, and both sides of one piece (the middle piece). Also spread the branston onto the bottom layer. Next Slice the Cheese, Gherkins and Tomatoes and place half of them onto the bottom layer along with a layer of salami. Next, add the middle slice, spreading mustard seed on the top, and finally add the rest of the ingredients, not forgetting the ham.

The Result:






Eating Style:
Basic:
Place your hands on the four and eight o'clock sandwich positions, then eat without taking them off the sandwich or moving them.
Advanced:
No hands.

Respect?
Medium.


Criticisms:
A fine sandwich, but too much Branston overpowers the other flavours, and mustard just doesn't seem to work. Perhaps a condiment too far?