Microblog: A very long article Wikipedia article on the orientation of toilet paper [Jun 7th, 22:52] [R]

Sunday, December 29th, 2013

La trolle impromptue

Translation: [ Google | Babelfish ]

Categories: [ Books/Comics/Troy ]

ISBN: 9782302036215

© Amazon.fr

L'esprit de Waha se retrouvé échangé avec celui d'une jeune humaine qui passait en bateau sur la rivière, à cause du pouvoir, juste découvert, du petit-frère de celle-ci. Les trolls se demandent alors pourquoi Waha aime soudain tant l'eau et refuse de manger de la viande crue, tandis que les humains se demandent ce qui arrive à leur fille, d'habitude bien élevée et effacée. Parmi les humains, Waha tente de découvrir comment les esprits ont été échangés. Elle le découvre lors de son mariage, tue sauvagement son nouveau mari, et repart à Phalompe avec le petit-frère. Ce dernier parvient à échanger à nouveau les esprits, et les deux humains sont autorisés à rentrer chez eux sans être dévorés.

[ Posted on December 29th, 2013 at 23:42 | no comment | ]

Orbite terrestre basse

Translation: [ Google | Babelfish ]

Categories: [ Books/Comics/Golden City ]

ISBN: 9782756037578

© Amazon.fr

Dixième volume de la série Golden City. Après la destruction de la cité flottante Golden city, une nouvelle cité en orbite a été construite. Kumiko est perdue en ville, où les pauvres manifestent violemment contre les nantis qui ont construit la nouvelle Golden City. Elle est enlevée par des hommes de mains du docteur Seed, qui expérimente des médicaments sur des SDF après leur avoir effacé la mémoire. Mifa part au secours de Kumiko, mais est fait prisonnière, sa mémoire effacée, et disparait avec Seed. Ses amis libèrent cependant Kumiko. À la fin, après avoir échappé au tueur à gages lancé à ses trousses par le conseil d'administration de son groupe, Banks revient d'Afrique où il jouait les Robins des bois.

[ Posted on December 29th, 2013 at 23:26 | no comment | ]

L'onde Septimus

Translation: [ Google | Babelfish ]

Categories: [ Books/Comics/Blake et Mortimer ]

ISBN: 9782870971895

© Amazon.fr

Vingt-deuxième tome des aventures de Blake et Mortimer. Un groupe de personnes tentent de reprendre les expériencens de Septimus sur l'onde Méga et essayent pour cela de retrouver Olrik, le cobaye original. De son coté, Mortimer étudie lui aussi l'onde Méga et observe une interférence d'origine inconnue. Des clones de Septimus, de plus en plus nombreux, parcourent les rues de Londres. Enquêtant sur le cas d'anciens soldats évadés de l'asile, Blake trouve un vaisseau spatial enfoui sous Londres, tandis que Mortimer, piégé par les groupe décrit plus haut, s'allie à Olrik pour leur échapper et tenter de soigner les cauchemares de ce dernier. L'entité extra-terrestre sous Londres, influencée par l'onde Méga de Mortimer, est la source des clones de Septimus, dont le but est l'invasion de la Terre. Blake détruit le vaisseau spatial et les clones disparaissent.

[ Posted on December 29th, 2013 at 23:18 | 1 comment | ]

Le labyrinthe d'Hadès

Translation: [ Google | Babelfish ]

Categories: [ Books/Comics/Atalante ]

ISBN: 9782302036352

© Amazon.fr

Sixième volume d'Atalante, paru en 2013.

L'Argo est échoué, et Atalante, Jason et les argnoautes sont attaqués par des morts-vivants. Pour leur échapper, ils entrent dans un batiment abandonné, un labyrinthe qui les mêne à l'entrée des Enfers. Ils y rencontrent Perséphone, qui leur apprend qu'Hadès a disparu depuis des semaines et que les morts parviennent à s'échapper. Atalante apprend aussi que l'eau de la source du Styx pourra guérir Raxos, mordu par un mort-vivant et en train de se transformer en l'un d'eux. Atalante s'enfonce dans les Enfers à la recherche de la source. Elle découvre un géant enchaîné.

[ Posted on December 29th, 2013 at 23:01 | no comment | ]

Monday, December 23rd, 2013

Chocolats 26

Translation: [ Google | Babelfish ]

Categories: [ Cooking/Chocolats ]

Christian, Bolivie Fèves sauvages 70% : pain frais

Christian, Pérou 75% : doux

Christian, Ghana Commerce équitable 73% : noix de coco, intense

Christian, Vietnam plantation Ben Tre 70% : acide

Christian, Pérou Puiera 70% : un peu acide

[ Posted on December 23rd, 2013 at 11:40 | no comment | ]

Sunday, December 15th, 2013

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Categories: [ TV/Cinema/The Hobbit ]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hobbit%3A_The_Desolation_of_Smaug

Wikipedia

Following An Unexpected Journey, Bilbo and the dwarves continue their adventure, through the forest of Mirkwood; Gandalf has left them without an explanation. In the forest, the party is attacked by giant spiders, and after escaping, are captured by the Wood Elves. They soon after escape, riding empty barrels down the river. They are chased by Orcs and protected by elves, led by Legolas. The latter is set on killing Azog. Meanwhile, Gandalf visits the tombs of the Nazgûl and finds them empty. He then travers to Dol Guldur. Bilbo and the Dwarves are then smuggled into the lake town of Esgaroth by Bard, the descendant of the rulers of Dale. Thorin promises the current ruler a share of the gold in the Lonely Mountain in return for weapons and supplies. Meanwhile, Gandalf confronts the necromancer at Dol Guldur and recognizes Sauron; Gandalf is taken prisoner. Bilbo and the Dwarves reach the mountain and thanks to Bilbo manage to open the secret door. Bilbo then seeks the Arkenstone in a huge pile of treasures, but wakes up Smaug the dragon. Rekindling the forges, they attemtp to burry the dragon in molten gold, but the latter escapes and decides to go and destroy Esgaroth for having helped the Dwarves.

[ Posted on December 15th, 2013 at 23:45 | no comment | ]

Saturday, December 14th, 2013

Tennent's Extra

Categories: [ Beer/Tennent ]

Tennent_s_Extra

Very strong and sweet, better than other strong beer I've tasted, but still not very interesting. Contains malted barley.

Tennent Caledonian Breweries, Glasgow, Scotland. 9.3% alcohol.

[ Posted on December 14th, 2013 at 22:00 | no comment | ]

Sunday, December 8th, 2013

McGrath's Irish Red Ale

Categories: [ Beer/Clanconnel ]

McGrath_s_Irish_Red_Ale

“caramel sweetness of the malts with toasted biscuit notes… earthy hops”

Just another ale. Contains barley malt and wheat.

Clanconnel Brewing company, Craigavon, Northern Ireland. 4.3% alcohol.

[ Posted on December 8th, 2013 at 12:37 | no comment | ]

Saturday, December 7th, 2013

The Value of Money in Dodger

Categories: [ Science ]

Terry Pratchett's Dodger is said to take place in the first quarter of the Victorian Era. We'll assume it is the year 1840. According to the National Archive's currency converter, 1 £ in 1840 is worth about 45 GBP in 2005.

Moreover, the same source indicates that with 100 GBP (about 2£ 5s) you could buy 11 days work of a craftsman wages in the building trade, 3 stones (42 lbs) of wool or 1 quarter (28 lbs) of wheat. As a reference, a person's daily needs in energy are equivalent to about 2 lbs of wheat (representing 2950 kcal according to Wikipedia).

These are the coins mentionned in Dodger:

  • Guinea: 21s = 252d (47.25 GBP)
  • Sovereign: 1 £ = 20s = 240d (45 GBP)
  • Crown: 5s = 60d (11.25 GBP)
  • Half-Crown: 2.5s = 30d (5.63 GBP) (about 1.5 lbs of wheat)
  • Shilling: 1s = 12d (2.25 GBP)
  • Sixpence: 1/2s = 6d (1.13 GBP)
  • Groat: 4d (0.75 GBP)
  • Thruppence: 3d (0.56 GBP)
  • Penny: 1d (0.19 GBP)
  • Half-penny: 1/2d (0.10 GBP)
  • Farthing: 1/4d (0.05 GBP)

A day worth of a craftman's wages is therfore 4s, which could buy 2.5 lbs of wheat or 4 lbs of wool.

[ Posted on December 7th, 2013 at 18:06 | no comment | ]

Thursday, December 5th, 2013

Dodger

Categories: [ Books ]

ISBN: 9780552563154

© Amazon.fr

Dodger lives in early Victoria London and makes a living as a tosher, finding and reselling precious objects and coins in the sewers. One night he saves the life of a young woman who was beaten up by unknown men. Charles Dickens and Henry Mayhew, who happended to pass by help Dodger and take the woman, who refuses to tell her name, to Mayhew's place. Dodger takes in interest in the woman, named Simplicity by Mayhew, and promises himself to avenge her. During his investigation, he accidentally arrests Sweeney Todd and thanks to Dickens who writes about him in the newspaper and has opens a subscription for him, he becomes famous and much richer than he has ever been. He learns from Simplicity that she is the daughter of a German teacher and married to a German prince against his father's will, and the latter is attempting to get her killed so that his son can be married to a more politically suitable woman. The British government, to avoid diplomatical complications with Germany is in favour of sending Simplicity back. Moreover, the rumor has it that the Germans have sent the Outlander, an assassin that nobody has ever been able to identify, to kill Simplicity and Dodger. Dodger and Dickens then hide Simplicity at Angela Burdett-Coutts place, a known philantropist. Dodger then devises a plan to officially get Simplicity dead: taking advantage of guiding Benjamin Disraeli, Dickens, Mayhew and Simplicity disguised as a boy in a visit through the sewers, Simplicity is supposed to get lost and killed by the Outlander, while the rest of the group find a disfigured body (stolen from the Coroner's mortuary) that looks like Simplicity. During the visit in the sewers, the real Outlander (a woman) attacks Dodger, but his is saved by Simplicity in the nick of time. Dodger's plan can anyway proceed, and Simplicity is now free from her awful husband. Dodger and her plan to get married; Dodger is also hired by the Queen to become one of her spies.

[ Posted on December 5th, 2013 at 23:45 | no comment | ]