Smugglers cove

 Another book for you and another one based on the Angus & Robertson hardback editions, so expect there to be no differences in the text.

The boys are framed up for stealing a local businessman's portrait of Simon Bolivar, when they're named as couriers of the aforementioned picture. There are a few side stories as they track some smugglers and poachers in the everglades, before it all comes together in the last 2 chapters, where its found that the smuggling and poaching teams are part of a larger group. 

It's a odd tale this as the stories never really gel together. The beasts that are the target of poaching, the American Alligator is said to endangered, but a quick look on the IUCN red data list shows that the American Alligator is of least concern. Whether it was when it was written is anyone's guess, but they are now said to be increasing in population.

Also for  some strange reason we get to see Florida Man in his natural habitat. In this case some nutter in full wizards get-up performing alchemy out in the swamp. Of course he's being duped by the smuggling gang so they can steal a diamond necklace from him. Palming gold into his crucible of slag, to convince him that he's succeeded. 

Anyway, as I've said before, there is no difference save for the numbering of the books between these two editions.

You can read the UK and US editions here and here. 

Down the tubes.

So the clown in charge of this city has decided to rebrand the overground rail lines with new names. Personally I never new that the big amorphous orange blob that is the London overground network really needed to be split into several smaller lines to make it easier to navigate. Its just the overground, you don't need any fancy names that make it more confusing. 

We all know why he's doing it, its just a virtue signal so the idiots vote him in again, and overlook the chronic mismanagement and rising crime rate that is characteristic of his term in office. In fact grand dumb vanity projects like this are more like Boris Johnson's term in the mayoral hot seat. But no its fucking labour.

The lines in question are going to be rebranded as such. 

Bus Conductor line (Windrush line) Islington to West Croydon. Which covers all the worst areas of the capital, and is a fitting memorial for the many West Indians who provided vital service as bus conductors back in the day. 

Weaver Line.    Because something something, textile industry. 

Little Line (Liberty Line) Because three fucking stops deserves its own line, obviously. 

The Bobby Moore memorial line (Lioness line) I will also accept the Queens Park Rangers line. As it at least covers the area it concerns (West London). Anything is better than some wimmin wun the euros and deserve their own thing. 

The Minmay line (Mildmay Line)  Covers the actress Lynn Minmay and her efforts to achieve world piece through song.

The Insuffragette line. Because nothing says indulgence like domestic gender terrorists. The line you want is the Lemon line. 

Dragon Year 2024

 Don't normally write this up as such, but I do enjoy going up town and watching the lion dance at Chinese New Year. I hate fireworks and such but this guy dancing around and the drums pounding is my jam.

The past couple of years I've missed out either due to Covid or missing entirely,  and this year is no exception, we came to early and they weren't set up in time. Havea shot of the Lion dance team that I though look good enough to post. Hope you danced your asses off. 

Dork Web

 It seems we're getting another moral panic over the internet, specifically the dark web in general. Thanks to this article, here, about the murder of Brianna Ghey. Scarlett Jenkinson used the dark web to look at murder and so called red rooms to look up fucked up content online. Although reading this we have no idea what she actually saw.

Apparently its what all the kids are doing nowadays which I'm sure is nothing but scaremongering and bullshit on behalf of the author drumming up views. He's apparently never heard of Liveleak back in the day or any amount of gore trash which I never bothered with back then. 

The fact is watching some Labour twunt chuntering on about regulating the net on Sky news means that the greatest resource we have ever had is being regulated out of existence, along with the double edged sword of Social media, which I'll admit is mostly good when its good and depressing at its worst.

But back to the article and I note he's got some sort of porn site up, most of what you'll see he's describing is actually on the normie web TCG sites, not sure about zombies but all the rest I've seen over the years.

Also given that every .onion address is a string of numbers and letters means you'll have to bookmark and such so browser history unless you're deleting every time. The fact is I've been a few times for of all things Mr Metokurs blog on Poa.st and the Syro album release website*. Apart from that without knowing any addresses and stuff and despite it baked into Brave as its incognito mode, I have fuck all reason to use it.

* This was actually on brand as it detailed every process your computer used to view the page and varied if you used no adblock or privacy blocker software. The cover of Syro famously lists everything expense and process that went into financing / making the album and if you are any way anal retentive makes fascinating reading.