Author: 6000

Everything was going fine, and then…

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…suddenly a modern day Charlie Chaplin turned up in a pullover that his mum had knitted and then given him as a Christmas gift.

I jest, obviously. This is Cape Town’s P.H.Fat with “City of Thieves”.

Yes. They’re white. Yes. You’re amazed. They sound black, but they look white.
And as final proof that your eyes are actually correct, they dance white too.

It’s been getting a lot of airplay and although it’s a little outside the usual demographic for this blog, I can like to stretch your boundaries a little. (Dad: Don’t even bother)

The MK video demonstrates some of Cape Town’s nicest places and elements of its fetid industrial heartland.

Enjoy.

Learn a language

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As many of you will know, I have family ties to the Isle of Man, that gorgeous little lump of rock ‘twixt England and Ireland. And, on the Isle of Man, they speak Manx Gaelic. Or rather, they did. It’s been dying out now for a long while and the Manx Heritage Foundation have decided to do something about it.

Their latest step in this direction is a free smartphone app to assist people with learning Manx:

The ‘Learn Manx’ app is based on the successful adult language course ran by the Manx Heritage Foundation in the Island and is a fantastic resource for all those who are interested in getting to grips with Manx Gaelic.  ‘Learn Manx’ consists of ten units, each consisting of a variety of activities, whilst two additional revision lessons feature the TT Races as learning tools. The app will eventually cover 30 units in total, providing a fantastic introduction to the language to those unfamiliar with it, as well as a great revision course for those who already know some Manx.

The app development has been supported by a telecommunications company on the island.
Their spokesperson:

It was a pleasure and a privilege to be able to support the Manx Heritage Foundation in a merger between 21st Century technology and our Manx Gaelic language with origins dating back to the 4th Century.
Whether you use the Manx Language App for fun or serious learning it keeps our language very much alive.

And that’s the idea, right?

I’m going to give it a go and see how I get on. There are more gutteral sounds than in Afrikaans, so it might sound like I’m struggling with a nasty cough at first, but pretty soon, I’ll be able to fluently order a pint of Okell’s Ale or fluently find my way to the nearest pub to fluently order a pint of Okell’s Ale.

What could possibly go wrong?

Now all I need is an app to learn isiXhosa as well. Anyone?

Learn Manx (or Ynsee Gaelg) is available FREE from the Google Play store or from iTunes if you’re more Apple than Android.

Android link:

 

Tit Pox hits UK

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Garden birds are dying from a viral disease which is spreading across the UK, say researchers at the Zoological Society of London, who have spent a lot of time looking at great tits.

The large (by viral standards, anyway) avipoxvius has probably been carried to the British Isles by an insect vector and is now affecting large numbers of garden birds, especially the great tit population, which had previously been unexposed. If there was ever an argument for exposing your great tits, this is surely it.

As a child, I can remember always enjoying the sight of great tits in local parks and so I hope something can be done about this. It would be sad if future generations were unable to view great tits on a regular basis.
The cold winter will hopefully limit the spread of the virus, although it may also result in blue tits catching it too.

(sorry)

Be safe around trains

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In case you haven’t seen it yet, that’s the eventual message from this rather cute video called Dumb Ways To Die from Metro Trains in Australia:

Unsurprisingly, aside from some advice about keeping away from the platform edge and trying to get around level crossing barriers, there are some really imaginative ways of finishing yourself off, should you be so inclined.

UPDATE: And it reminds me of this, which is also very cool and also has an important message.