I actually know people who aren’t on Facebook.  I know that is hard to believe but they are out there…

Some choose to ignore it, some dislike it, some are not technically minded, however unless living under a rock, most have heard of it!

I am sure that most of them think that Facebook is about telling people what you had for lunch.  Well, sometimes that’s exactly what it is. And the problem with that is? I mean, if I meet my mate for a pint at the local, I might talk to them about the latest job I’ve done, or about my rubbish network provider, my issue with foreign call centres or…what I had for lunch.

I think that is why I like Facebook. It is almost always instantly good for my emotional state and combats boredom without competition.

Some of my non-user friends prefer to call Facebook “mindless”. That’s actually not a bad thing either, sometimes it’s nice to relax and read trash. Some days my friends on Facebook depart from their role as uptight intellectuals and are all affect. Public feelings, as I call them, can be particularly powerful, precisely because they are directed not at any one observer but somewhere indefinitely “public” and that means you can catch them or not. (“It’s not about me.” Or, “This is so about me!” I like the dabbling, darting nature of address on Facebook. It’s only a direct hit if I want it to be.)

I also go on Facebook because I have a community there whose politics I may not always agree with but who can be counted upon to be suitably disagreeable when something unconscionable happens, some prefer to share and comment on my posts, some ignore, but all read!  They can be passionate, opinionated and irrepressible. I love that. Intemperate, even, it’s still an emotional response. If I’m disgusted with something whiny I’m reading on the internet or featuring in the news, well, I know someone will have a comment about it on Facebook. Even better, if I can’t bear to tune in to conventional news, I know on Facebook I will have a remarkably interesting slice through the day’s events, whatever those may be, and from a slant just slanted enough to be worth my time.

If it isn’t worth my time, something else is one click away. Facebook doesn’t come to me, I go to it. And that means I can leave, thank you, without any rudeness or guilt. There is no requirement to update, link, comment, or even like. I can peruse and stalk or participate away (I’m opinionated, what can I say? I do a lot of participating).

Is it possible in this so-called fragmented, decentralised, customising life of ours that some of these digital devices actually restore community that was lost in the post-War modernity?  Is it possible social networks like myspace, bebo, facebook and twitter put together the fragmented, alienated self? Not sure. But, mostly, it feels good – Sometimes. And, when it doesn’t, I leave the site and, of course, I go to the pub…

These are just a few mindless thoughts about Facebook on an evening where I’m waiting for a report to upload. So I take these ten minutes of luxury and see what my FB friends are up to.  Oh and to write this rambling post that, of course, I plan to share – on Facebook.

Why do YOU like Facebook? Or do you hate it? (In which case, why waste time reading about it?) In any case, I’d love to hear… who knows, it might inspire yet another mind-wandering ramble about my so-called Facebook life.

(P.S. Facebook really does creep me out, not just sometimes but a lot of the times, on issues of privacy and data mining.  So here’s to balancing the creepy factor against the warm and cosy human factor – Like a lot of life.)

On April Fools Day (aptly named) 01/04/2009 I was out in Barnsley with a friend. I had had a lot to drink and a very good night. At the end of the night there was some sort of altercation where I was punched, fell and sustained a head injury from the pavement. I was unconscious for 4 hours or more and had the rest of that night and the next in Barnsley Hospital.

As part of my recovery I had to go through periods of depression, slurred speech, headaches and unresolvable tiredness. Victim Support contacted me and advised me as a matter of course to enter an application to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) for compensation despite there being no arrests or suspects to the assault.

CICA is the government body responsible for administering the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in England, Scotland and Wales. They form part of the Ministry of Justice and also provide a service on behalf of the Scottish Government.

I filled in the forms with the Victim Support and entered my injuries and mental afflictions sustained after the incident. It has been quite a lengthy process and the CICA asked me for supporting information also writing to the Police, the Hospital and my Doctor.

Today I received an offer for compensation of £1500 of which I am planning to accept after speaking to Victim Support. This covers the amounts that I failed to pay on time when I was depressed but no more. I didn’t do this for the money, however I am pleased with the result and the award by the CICA helps to soften the blow (excuse the pun) lol

I feel that I have recovered adequately now to carry on with life in a positive manner and look forward to going out again in Barnsley. I won’t be drinking quite so much and I think I will be a little more guarded about the people around me, however; the experience has, in my opinion, been an important one!

Useful links:

http://www.cica.gov.uk/ Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA)

http://www.victimsupport.org.uk/ Victim Support National website

http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/ Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC)

A Perfect Getaway was written and directed by David Twohy. In this movie he brings us  the story of a newlywed couple on their honeymoon in Hawaii, trying to figure out if any of the couples around them are murderers.

Now I have a fairly strict “no spoiler” policy in my reviews, but there is no way to properly review this film without talking about the fact that there is a “twist” in the story. I won’t say what that twist is but there is one.

Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Milla Jovovich) are a newlywed couple – we see a few scenes videotaped from their wedding reception and of their friends wishing them well before they leave for Hawaii. They’re young and full of the promise of a life together. There is enough film and story to fall in love with them and their ideals along with feel as though you are actually experiencing the joy and anticipation with them.

They decide to take a long hike to one of the most remote and beautiful beaches in the islands. On the road to the start of the trail they run into a creepy young couple (Chris Hemsworth and Marley Shelton) who immediately sets your radar off – the guy gets offended that Cliff and Cydney (I hate stupidly spelled common names) hesitated at giving them a ride and they part company. Later on our intrepid couple runs into Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez), another young but more “adventurous” couple. They decide to team up and continue on the trail together, all the while warey of the other couple they met on the road, suspecting them to be the killers of another young newlywed couple not long ago on a different island.

Of course the question is which couple are the actual murderers, and what happens once they are revealed.

A Perfect Getaway has two very different parts – the lead up to the discovery and what comes after. Up until the reveal, while the film has plenty of moments of tension it’s actually quite funny. Olyphant (from Hitman) steals the show as far as I’m concerned – he was very charming and funny, moreso to movie fans I think because much of the humour between him and Zahn (who plays a budding screenwriter) was sort of winking at the audience. In one scene shortly after Olyphant appears in the film and we don’t know if he might be one of the killers, he mentions to Zahn the introduction of a “red snapper” (actually red herring) into a film to throw off the audience. There are more of these types of little jokes as well as others, and to me they were a pleasant relief from the tension. Some say they were overused, but I chuckled at them.

What wasn’t a surprise was the result of the twist, and frankly I found it quite improbable based on what had come before. I would have preferred a more conventional attempt at making the story “different”.

From the point of the reveal the film shifts gears big time into a non-stop cat and mouse game with plenty of edge of your seat moments, violence and some pretty realistic (but not overly done) gore. So while very different, what came before and after the big reveal was pretty entertaining (although I actually enjoyed the first half of the film more) – but the nature of the twist just seemed false and contrived.

Overall I thought it was pretty good – I particularly enjoyed Olyphant as a character, Zahn is always fun to watch and Kiele Sanchez was gorgeous (the scene in which she first appears is quite… distracting lol).

In conclusion I would say that this movie is well worth a visit to your local Cinema, if nothing more than to kick back and relax over a well constructed thriller!

I rate this Movie… 4/5 Penguins!

Overflowing with high-octane action, sizzling big-budget visual effects, and a respectable storyline that binds it all together, is the best real action adventure movie I have seen in a very long time! Far more entertaining and appropriately rendered than Transformers 2, G.I. Joe delivers from beginning to end, thoroughly holding your attention, despite the absence of twists and the predictability of certain scenes. Still, it is appealing and hugely enjoyable, I really did come out of this movie hyped up.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra revolves its plot around a team of young agents who form part of an international force of operatives (known as G.I. Joe) who use high-tech equipment to fight global terror. On their latest assignment they battle Cobra, a terrorist organisation headed by an evil Scottish arms dealer named McCullen (Christopher Eccleston).

From the vast Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite squad pulls on the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer and the growing threat of his mysterious Cobra organisation to prevent them from plunging the world into destruction and chaos via a unique and deadly explosive metal anialating nano weapon.

A competent cast, led by Channing Tatum (Duke) and Dennis Quaid (General Hawk), breathe wholesome life into a bunch of characters that otherwise could have been one-dimensional and uninteresting. Sienna Miller (Anna) and Marlon Wayans (Ripcord) bring fierce energy to the screen, and obviously for Sienna fans this film delivers – infact I even found myself missing scenes because the screen is too big to concentrate on everything… ;o)

Rounding out the cast are Joseph Gordon-Levitt (as Rex) and Rachel Nichols (as the gorgeous and brainy Shana). Surprisingly, under the direction of Stephen Sommers (Van Helsing) the bulk of the cast mesmerizes, displaying maturity, effortless dexterity, and winning chemistry.

Overall, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is the kind of action movie worth repeating trips to the cinema. It achieves what Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen didn’t — absorbing entertainment with the right balance of gripping action and spirited storytelling. At the same time, it also succeeds with its adrenaline-inducing sequences, commendable performances, fuel packed explosions and superb direction that whips all the elements into an engaging whole.

I would whole heartedly recommend this movie to everyone that loves a bit of action – and thats everyone isn’t it? Lol

I rate this movie… 5/5 Penguins