Sunday 27 April 2014

Do more of what makes you happy

Following the wisdom of the t-shirt.


I've always been a big fan of t-shirts featuring cool quotes, so when I recently went on a shopping spree it was the t-shirts with cool quotes that most caught my eye. After all, if there's a quote you really like then why not wear it?

"Do more of what make you happy."
by Sphere
These are the t-shirts I eventually bought, with each one featuring a simple yet excellent quote...

1) "Do more of what makes you happy."


When I saw this t-shirt and read the quote I just thought, "That's brilliant!" It's such a simple and obvious statement, but sometimes even the most simple stuff needs to be pointed out. On occasions some people try to come up with all sorts of complicated strategies and clever formulas for how to achieve a happy life, but if you had to sum up the secret to happiness in one sentence then you couldn't find a better sentence than this.

I try to do the things that make me happy as often as possible, and it's a brilliantly simple philosophy to live your life by. However, life can sometimes distract you from even the most simple things, so with this t-shirt now in my wardrobe it should act as a helpful reminder for me to always try to do more of the things which make me happy.

Sunday 20 April 2014

10 cool internet Easter eggs (part 4)

Another selection of hidden internet tricks.


An artist's impression of an Easter egg
(non-internet variety).
As it's Easter I figured it would be the ideal time to round-up another selection of weird tricks and novelties (commonly known as Easter eggs) found hidden on various websites.

This latest batch includes Easter eggs inspired by Doctor Who, Star Wars, the end of the world and even myself, Charles Fudgemuffin! So read on to discover the latest selection of Easter eggs found hidden around the internet...

Update: This article was published in 2014. Sadly, many of the featured links and Easter eggs are no longer active. For examples where that is the case, I'm afraid you'll just have to take my word for it that they were really amusing Easter eggs. And as a word of advice, perhaps you should have got here sooner!

1) Doctor Who's Tardis spotted on Google Maps


First up is an Easter egg found on Google Maps which Doctor Who fans will appreciate. If you go to Earls Court Road in London you'll notice a police telephone box which looks suspiciously like the Tardis. If you hover your mouse over this telephone box and then press the 'up' arrow on your keyboard, you'll be transported inside of the Tardis!

You can find the exact map co-ordinates of the police telephone box at the following link:
Doctor's Who's Tardis spotted on Google Maps

Sunday 13 April 2014

Book reviews (part 6)

I've enjoyed quite a few books and short stories over the past couple of months, so here's another batch of reviews.
The Ants Are Coming by Bruce Bullock


The Ants Are Coming by Bruce Bullock - 4.8 / 5.0


The Ants Are Coming is an excellently written account of an African village where the villagers are forced to evacuate their homes due to the approach of millions of red siafu ants.  I loved this short story and I suspect that anyone with an interest in or appreciation of Africa will also thoroughly enjoy it.

The story is told in a very matter-of-fact way and this style works well as the author expertly describes the horror of nature and the response of the villagers to the oncoming threat of the siafu ants.

Sunday 6 April 2014

7 April Fools' Day pranks (2014 edition)

A few of the spoof stories and pranks found on the web on April Fools' Day.


Last year I rounded up some of the best online pranks played by various websites on April Fool's Day and as you'd expect there were plenty of spoofs this year as well, so here are a few of my favourites...

1) Scientists baffled by square eggs


Traditional 'egg' shaped eggs could become
a thing of the past according to 'April Fuller'.
Freedom Food Farms were reporting that one of their farms had become the first in the world to rear chickens that can lay square eggs! Egg distribution company Hammond Eggs are already looking into the benefits of the square egg, with an obvious bonus being that eggs will now be easier to stack, and of course the square shape means that making sliced egg sandwiches will be more convenient from now on.

However, eagle eyed viewers may be able to spot a couple of 'April Fool' clues in the promotional video, such as square eggs being available in shops from April 1st, and also a more subtle clue is the name of the Hammond Eggs spokeswoman ... April Fuller.

You can watch the full video at the following link:
Chickens lay square eggs (Sadly, Hammond Eggs's April Fools Day video is no longer available.)