Brighter side of web - February 2007

1. "Marriages are made in heaven. But so again, are thunder and lightning."

• Anonymous.

2. "At my age I do what Mark Twain did. I get my daily paper, look at the obituaries page and if I’m not there I carry on as usual."

• Patrick Moore, English astronomer

3. "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here...This is the War Room!"

• (Dr. Strangelove, 1964) Peter Sellers Quotes

MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL has some quite funny moments a fairly exciting story, and some low budget adventure. But compared to films such as Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal, it is quite silly. If you are an intellectual midget, and you like giggling, you could do worse than seeing... [gong bangs, Chinese characters for "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" appear]

Kwouk: Monty Python and the Holy Grail!

• Video of the Black Knight Scene

"tis but a scratch!"

"A scratch! your arms off"

• Video of the Bridge of Death

  Bridgekeeper: What... is your favourite colour?

  Sir Galahad: Blue. No, yellOOOOOOOW!! [is cast into the gorge]

Brazil on top of the world with a dazzling array of skill

Based on a true story of Gladys Aylward, this Oscar winning film tells the story of how one woman was inspired to leave the comforts of England to travel to China to work as a missionary. In China she sets up an inn for tired hungry mule drivers, where she gets an opportunity to share stories from the Bible. Gradually overcoming the hostility and suspicion of the locals she wins the heart of Army colonel (Curt Jurgens), she also impresses the powerful local mandarin (Robert Donat). Her finest hour comes during the Japanese invasion where she escorted 100 orphan children to safety.

True, the mind-sky
Has dark clouds,
But what prevents me
From rising above them
With the help of my soul?

- Sri Chinmoy

Photo from: Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries

"Don’t Make Me Wait" and "Don’t Make Me Think" are 2 connected principles of web design that will help increase traffic and make sure people want to come back to your site.

Don’t Make me Wait – A recent study found that consumers who need to wait more than 4 seconds for a site to load, often went elsewhere. 4 seconds is not actually that long. It shows how much visitors value speed of page load.

See: Tips to increase Speed

Most web developers will have a fast internet connection (8mb) but remember the majority of people will not be so fortunate. Check your site on a dial up - you will really begin to value speed then.

1.   " I love peace, and am anxious that we should give the world still another useful lesson, by showing to them other modes of punishing injuries than by war, which is as much a punishment to the punisher as to the sufferer.”
2.  " I do not believe war the most certain means of enforcing principles. Those peaceable coercions which are in the power of every nation, if undertaken in concert and in time of peace, are more likely to produce the desired effect."
3. “When angry, count ten, before you speak; if very angry, a hundred.”
4. “The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time”
5. “He who steadily observes the moral precepts in which all religions concur, will never be questioned at the gates of heaven as to the dogmas in which they all differ.”

Saints and Soldiers

Based on actual events during WWII "Saints and Soldier" tells the story of a small number of American soldiers who somehow managed to escape from the massacre of Malmady. However they were left trapped behind enemy lines and were over 20KM from the American lines. They are willing to stick it out, hiding from the Germans. However they then come across an Allied pilot (Oberon Winley)shot down in possession of vital information about the German advance. Therefore they decide to make the perilous journey back through the German lines.

The film is a good combination of character development and action. It is not a standard war movie and poses interesting questions and moral dilema's. The film was created on a small budget, but at the same time the action scenes are effective and gripping. From the war crime of Malmedy, the film makes a powerful case for showing that War is never a simple case of black and white. In its own way the film is both tragic and uplifting.

Saints and Soldiers official site

If you enjoy filling in opinion polls you may be interested in this scheme by YouGov.co.uk

• You Gov sign up

You get paid 50p per survey that you complete. My sister says she is close to getting her first £50. The registration form takes about 1 or 2 mins to complete.

I like the site design of You Gov - simple but effective.

Peter Kay being interviewed with Michael Parkinson. Lots of new material I hadn't heard before

Elephant in the way.

Funny Exam Answers

There is a saying that a thief will see others as a thief, but a saint sees everybody else has a saint. There are innumerable reasons to be miserable when we look at the teeming problems of the world. If we are not careful the problems and troubles of the world can see overwhelming but at the same time it is possible to look always on the bright side of life.

“A saint always sees everyone in the world — even the worst possible thief — as a saint. Similarly, a thief will see even the most divine saint as a thief. We judge others according to our own standard, according to our own realisation.”

• Sri Chinmoy [1]

An unexpected side effect of the Internet, is that the art of writing is becoming more widespread and important than ever before. Through writing on the subjects that interest you, the Internet provides a unique opportunity to make a living through your writing. If you hope to make a successful website it is important to place considerable importance on the technique and inspiration of writing

1. Don’t be Put Off. I quite often hear people say they are “not a writer” It is easy to have such false modesty. However just because you are not a professional writer is not a reason to start writing. My theory is that if you can communicate ideas verbally, there is no reason why you can’t communicate through writing.

Insanity is hereditary, you get it from your children

Teacher: "Can anybody give an example of "COINCIDENCE?"

Johnny : "Sir, my Mother and Father got married on the same day, same time."

Teacher: "George Washington not only chopped down his father's Cherry tree but also admitted doing it. Now do you know why his father didn't punish him?"

Johnny : "Because George still had the axe in his hand?"

Teacher : What a pair of strange socks you are wearing, one is green and one is blue with red spots!

Kirk : Yes it's really strange. I have another pair just like them at home.

The Great McGinty

Prologue: "This is the story of two men who met in a banana republic. One of them never did anything dishonest in his life except for one crazy minute. The other never did anything honest in his life except for one crazy minute. They both had to get out of the country."

This film is told in flashback by Dan McGinty (Brian Donlevy). Living in depression hit America, Dan is homeless and destitute. However he is asked to help the Mayor with vote rigging in an election. He proves so adept at vote rigging, the Mafia style boss, gives McGinty a promotion. Soon he is elected Mayor himself, with the full support of the Mafia. He even takes a wife of convenience (Catherine McGinty played by Muriel Angelus) to help in getting elected. Slowly we see Dan McGinty’s good side, eventually his wife persuades him to stand up to the Mafia and do something good. A lifetime of easy money threatened by one moment’s of good intention.

This was my first Preston Sturges film. It definitely won’t be my last. It has really interesting characters and a thought provoking story line. It is also just good fun to watch.

I would like very much to choose a good name for this blog. The original name was "Richard's Blog" - OK, but not particularly original or insightful. The current blog name "Good Things" is far too bland. Anyway I asked the help of my friend Shardul, who choose a very good name for his blog The Brighter Side of Life. these are some suggestions, which Shardul kindly gave to me:

1. "On the Sunny Side of the Street"
2. "It's All Downhill From Here" - I like this, related to my cycling
3. "Blog of the Lion-Heart" (After King Richard III - The Lionheart)
4. "Spinning Wheels"

By: Sri Chinmoy

Ashrita with Tiger

Ashrita has broken records in a variety of exotic places. He also has a great fondness for animals, even dangerous ones. I remember one record where he tried to set a Guiness record for underwater juggling in a tank full of sharks. This was actually one of the few records he missed ( a shark knocked a ball away!)

Anyway in his blog entry Ashrita talks about his fascinating experience befriending a Tiger and then proceeding to set a record.

"The Abbot also told me to put my hand on the tiger’s back so the tiger would know that I was in control! Wow! I certainly didn’t feel like I was in control! But I could tell the Abbot was monitoring the tiger’s every move."

A motorised arm chair.

When buying a car it is important that you have a comfy chair, but I think this is taking the principle to extremes. It reminds me of the sketch in "Last of the Summer Wine" by BBC when the 3 old men go sliding down a hill on a settee.

"Somebody said you can't have your cake and eat it"

"no it was not Marie Antoinette."

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Corporal Punishment

Captain Blackadder, the master of sarcastic wit, gets ample opportunity to display his black humour as he prepares for the firing squad

see also: Peter Sellers interview with Michael Parkinson

This guy looks to be enjoying himself, but he looks dangerously close to the edge of the waterfall.

Other inspirational photos of China

via:

I took this photo whilst training recently. It is one of those quintessential English village whose name temporarily eludes me, It is near Great Milton in Oxfordshire.

Sunset

from: http://www.fotograferen.net/ by: Rutger Geerling

Very good selection of sunset / sunrise photographs available at his site.