The Journal of the Browncoat Cat

She shouldn't have blinked

The photograph you see on the left is not a real old photo.   Most people spend hours, working with Photoshop or GIMP to restore old images.  I set about making a modern photo old and tatty. I saw this photo on line, and decided that what was needed was a head to finish it off.  So, I cut up the photo, and extended upwards, so that there would me enough  room for a head.

I had already given Karen Gillan, the new Doctor Who actress the treatment, so whose head to use next?  It had to be young and pretty, after all, if I was going to be spending so much time staring at a face, should be an attractive one.  I decided to use a photo of  Jaime McDonald from one of her Facebook albums.  Turning Jaime, my friend Mel Hill’s 20 year old daughter into a demure Victorian was so ironic. She is such an active and outgoing  twenty-first century young woman.  It has to be said that I doubt that even Jaime would be very boisterous in dress that required her to wear a corset to squeeze her waist down to 23 inches and then a bustle that would make her skirt  stick out an additional foot or two behind her.  Victorian women  had to be demure.  They were so terrified of being caught doing anything ungainly or unfeminine that they wore this sort of  restrictive clothing that  prevented them from really do anything at all.

21st Century Woman and 19th Century Lady

First things first, the dress was squashed and stretched a bit so that it was the right length for Jaime’s height. On the right is Jaime’s head from the base photo above her face after she had been given a nineteenth century makeover.   This makeover consisted of getting rid of the make up, as a Victorian lady would never contemplate wearing any, and her skin had to be made more “pail and interesting”.  Then the hair had to be manipulated, because adult women wore their hair up, and had lots more of it. I struck on the notion of cutting her hair from the rest of her head,and using that, once suitably shrunk too form the bun on the top of her head. This mask also supplied the hair on either side of the face, once I had cut away some of the detail of the modern hairstyle.

Once the head was in place I realised that she didn’t have any hands, so I trawled the Internet for a suitable picture of Jaime from Facebook to get the hands.

I decided to get a bit artistic.  I applied some filters, first to give the photo a bit of a rough edge, then to make it Sepia and give it a speckled old photo look. A large chunk of the work I had done matching the seems suddenly meant nothing because the filters blurred the image slightly and took away some of the contrast as well as the colour.  Still the image didn’t quite look right.  So used another filter to add some artistic stains and painted on a couple of folds.  That was it, or so I thought.  The image still wasn’t right,  for whilst  the Victorians might  all have had a smile as lovely as Jaime’s,  you never get to see them in old photos.  The reason being that  it would be impossible to hold a proper smile  during the long exposure times the cameras of the day needed.  So back to  Facebook for a picture of Jaime with pursed lips, to tack onto the image, once it had been treated to look suitably old.

Then a few days later, it struck me that despite my previous efforts, Jaime’s head was about 15% to large for the body I had attached it to.  So more manipulation was required to make it smaller. This made the details on the face even less precise.  Oh well it was a small price to pay for the final image.

Metamorphosis

I sent Jaime a copy of this photo, with the subject line on the email, “you shouldn’t have blinked”, a reference to the Doctor Who story Blink, a reference that she was bound to recognise. It struck me, what if she thinks I am a bit weird, spending so much time manipulating her face, and without permission. Fortunately, it is easier to gain forgiveness than permission, and Jaime liked the finished item.  Although sensibly she ignored my suggestion that she should use it as her Facebook Profile Picture.

This video was posted on YouTube, shows filming from episode 11 of the new series of Doctor Who.  It is an episode written by Gareth Roberts, which is believed to be based on the DWM comic strip The Lodger. I love the fact that The Doctor has the number 11 on his football shirt.  Of course, Matt Smith originally wanted to be a professional Footballer, and only switched to acting after a back injury ended his footballing career.

Science Fiction Conventions 1986 – 2010

1986
Novacon 16 : De Vere Hotel, Coventry
Santacon IV : Viking Hotel, York (Multimedia)

1987
Galactacon IV : Shepperton Moat House, Shepperton, Surrey. (Multimedia)
Novacon 17 : Royal Angus Hotel, Birmingham.
Leisure Hive : Wiltshire Hotel, Swindon. (”Doctor Who“)
Necroninecon (Shoestringcon 9) : Hatfield Polytechnic, Hatfield.

1988
Honeycomb : Wiltshire Hotel, Swindon. (“Doctor Who”)
Falcon : Hilton National Hotel, Bath. (”Doctor Who”)
Concert : Stakis Regency Hotel, Edinburgh. (Multimedia)

1989
Elydore III : Shepperton Moat House, Shepperton. (Multimedia)
Carousel I : Holiday Inn, Cardiff. (”Doctor Who“)
Shang-ri-la : Reading. (“Doctor Who”)

1990
Carousel II : Holiday Inn, Cardiff. (“Doctor Who”)
Confiction (48^th World Science Fiction Convention) : Het Nationaal Congresgebouw, ’sGravenhagen, Nederland.
Concussion : Central Hotel, Cardiff. (Multimedia)

1991
Reconnaissance: Park Hotel, Cardiff.
Speculation (42nd National Science Fiction Convention) : Hospitality Inn, Glasgow.
Touchwood : Shepperton Moat House, Shepperton. (Multimedia)

1992
Lucon IV : Leeds University Students Union, Leeds.
Inconsequential : Aston Court Hotel, Derby. (Humorous S.F.)
Magicon (50^th World Science Fiction Convention) : Orange County Conference Centre, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.

1993
Helicon (44th National Science Fiction Convention) : Hotel de France, St. Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands
SmofCon 10 : Hotel de France, St. Helier, Jersey, C.I. (Conrunning)
Panopticon ‘93 : Novotel Hammersmith, Hammersmith, London. (”Doctor Who“)
Con-Yak (Beneluxcon #19) : Hotel Mercure aan de Amstel, Amsterdam, Nederland.

1994
Inconceivable (Inconsequential II) : Tudor Court Hotel, Drayton, nr Long Eaton, Derbyshire. (Humorous SF)
Wincon III : King Alfred’s College, Winchester.
Armardacon : Astor Hotel, Plymouth. (Predominantly “Star Trek”)

1995
Confabulation (46th National Science Fiction Convention) : Britannia International Hotel, London.
Intersection (53rd World Science Fiction Society) : Scottish Exhibition and Convention Centre, Glasgow, Scotland.

1996
Evolution (49th National Science Fiction Convention) : Raddison Edwardian Hotel, Heathrow, London
Warp 2 (British National Star Trek Convention) : Cardiff International Arena, Cardiff (“Star Trek”)
Inconsistent (Inconsequential III) : Quality Scotch Corner Hotel, Outside Darlington. (Humorous SF)
Novacon 26 : Ibis Hotel, Birmingham.

1998
Intuition (49th National Science Fiction Convention)
Infinity : Angel Hotel, Cardiff (Multimedia) How could I have forgotten that.  The only time I have been on a convention committee.
Lazlar Lyricon 2 : Quality Scotch Corner Hotel, Outside Darlington. (“Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and Douglas Adams / Humourous SF)

1999
Convergence : Stakis Bristol Hotel, Bristol

2000
2Con (51^st National Science Fiction Convention) : Central Hotel. Glasgow
ArmadaCon : Copthorne Hotel, Plymouth (Multimedia)

2001
Nocturnal 3K : Raddison Edwardian, Heathrow, London (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Armadacon : Copthorne Hotel, Plymouth (Multimedia)

2002
South : Raddison Edwardian, Heathrow, London (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Armadacon : Copthorne Hotel, Plymouth (Multimedia)

2003
The Harvest : Paragon Hotel, Earls Court, London (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Construction : Hanover International, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff (World Con Planning)
Armadacon 15 : Copthorne Hotel, Plymouth (Multimedia)

2004
Concourse (55^th British National Science Fiction Convention) : The Winter Gardens, Blackpool.
Armadacon 16 : Copthorne Hotel, Plymouth (Multimedia)

2005
Interaction (63^rd World Science Fiction Convention) : Scottish Exhibition and Convention Centre, Glasgow, Scotland.
2006
Regenerations 2006 : Swansea Marriot, Swansea Marina, Swansea (Doctor Who)
Armadacon 18 : Plymouth Novotel Hotel, Marshmills, Plymouth (Multimedia)

2007
Regenerations 2007 : Swansea Marriot, Swansea Marina, Swansea (Doctor Who)

2009
Regenerations 2009 : Village Inn Hotel, Fabian Way, Swansea (Doctor Who)

2010
Picocon 2010 : Imperial College, London

Future Conventions
Regenerations 2010 : Village Inn Hotel, Fabian Way, Swansea (Doctor Who) – September

At 8.30am on Friday, 26th February, 2010:

Weight: 17St  10.8lb (Kg)
BMI: 35.3
Body Fat: 34.7%
Water: 40.0%
Muscle: 32.0%

Diet Notes: Lost 4lb

I am genuinely shocked by today’s result.  I suspected I might have lost a couple of pounds, but this is sensational. Since I started  dieting again at the beginning of the month , my weight has roller-coastered,  sometimes up a lot, sometimes down. I hope my system has settled now and that this is the last roller-coaster result , and from now on I will be on a slow and steady downward trend.

So, the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition is going to field candidates in the upcoming General Election.  I remember the 1980’s, when this bunch of Trotskyite extremists had infiltrated the Labour Party and made it unelectable. The Trade Union and Socialist Coalition  is full off people are in my opinion Marxist extremists  who want to set up a revolutionary Communist system of government in this country. They are not  in my opinion,  even remotely Socialists.  I am so glad that Neil Kinnock finally succeeded in booting this lot of parasites out of the Labour Party.  Its just a shame that he didn’t then turn on the right wing Social Democrat Trojan horse as personified by Tony Blair that has subverted the Labour Party whilst he was at it.  Yes New Labour has acheived much, but a proper Socialist Labour Government that had stayed true to the principles and traditions of the Labour Party could have acheived so much more.

And back to the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition. The sad truth is that this lot of Marxist Muppets will help David Cameron and the Conservative Party win the next election, if they do put up enough candidates in the forthcoming General Election.  In marginals constituencies, anything that fragments the Anti-Tory vote is a gift to Cameron and his Old Etonian bunch of Autocrats.

The Sad Truth

Tonight, the BBC started to ramp up the publicity for the next series of Doctor Who with the trailer below:

So, this is the 2D version of the 3D cinema trailer that will be shown with Alice in Wonderland and Avatar.  And boy, you can tell.  It is very busy, but is still great fun. It doesn’t feature any clips from the upcoming series, but I really hope that the vortex used in this trailer will be seen again in the new Title Sequence, and whenever the TARDIS is seen travelling in time.

It has already been announced that the Daleks and the Weeping Angels are back, so apparently nothing new was shown, until right at the end when the new look Silurians made there first proper appearance. When blurred and distorted images of these creatures first leaked onto the Internet, here were complaints from some fans that these Silurians looked nothing like the originals.  To which I replied that that could only be a good thing.  The original costumes were terrible.  There could be no escaping the fact that the Silurians from the Pertwee and Davison eras looked exactly like a man in a rubber suit and a mask, and no amount of suspension of disbelief could hid that fact.  At the end of this trailer we get to see a believable looking reptilian humanoid creature, a massive improvement on the Silurian costumes from the 1970’s and 1980’s.

At 8am on Friday, 19th February, 2010:

Weight: 18St  0.8lb (Kg)
BMI: 35.3
Body Fat: 36.2%
Water: 39.1%
Muscle: 31.1%

Diet Notes: Gained 1lb

This does not surprise me.  Half Term this week and two nights out this week.

Mayonnaise, or should that be Easy Spread Lard.  If your not careful, before you know it, you have loaded more calories onto your salad than a Sumo Wrestler consumes in a day.  The reduced calorie versions just don’t taste the same.  So, a small amount of mayo is one of my daily treats.  Usually on the bread of my lunchtime sandwich.  Yes, I know I was moaning the week before last week about the pointlessness of putting spread on the toast for beans/spaghetti/tinned tomato on toast, but there is a difference with sandwiches.  The bread is just as porous as it would be toasted, so moisture from the sandwich filling would leech out into the bread making the sandwich soggy if there wasn’t something sitting between the bread and the filling.  So whilst mayo is so very fattening in large quantity, because it so much more spreadable than any yellow spread, no matter what it says on the spread’s tub, it is possible to get a really thin layer on the bread, which will do the job and shouldn’t be more than 50 calories per sandwich.

Sunday was the Feast of Saint Valentine, an excuse for people to get all romantic, because the Saint is the Patron Saint of Engaged and Married Couples.  Or should that be the  Saints,  Valentine was a popular name in Fourth and Fifth Century Rome and there are two Saint Valentines venerated on 14^th February,   Saint Valentine the Presbyter, who was martyred for aiding and abetting Christianity and Saint Valentine the Bishop, who built a magnificent Basilica.  Never the less, both are venerated on the same day,  so in the mind of the general public, these two men have been rolled into one. Since the Middle Ages, have been associated with Romantic Love.  Valentine is also the patron saint of Beekeepers, and of Plague Suffers, I cannot see Hallmark and Clinton being keen on that aspect of the sainted gentlemen’s Feast Day.

As soon as Christmas is packed away, card shops put up displays featuring large hearts, flowers, bows and kisses.  Florists do a bundle selling red roses and chocolate companies cream in the cash.  It has become the done thing to show the person that you love that you really care by performing a really ostentatious display of affection.  The Victorians introduced the idea of anonymous Valentine Greetings that contained coded messages that only the recipient could decrypt.

Needless to say, I did not receive any Valentines greetings, coded or otherwise.  I think I would be more worried than pleased if I received an anonymous missive, especially if I could not decipher the cryptive code it contained.  Who would be sending me such a message of love and affection?  Why keep it secret?  Its not as if I have a stern Victorian paterfamilias looking over my shoulder.

Sunday was also the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice, so was the Chinese New Year.  This year is the Year 4707 of the Chinese Calender, and has been designated The Year of the Tiger.  It is the  the twenty seventh year sixty year  JǐaZǐ Cycle, which means that the element Metal is appended to the animal name, so this year is designated as GēngYín 庚寅.  As this is the seventy eighth JǐaZǐ  cycle, the full title of this year is “The 78th Year of the Metal Tiger”.  No doesn’t that sound far more interesting that 2010?

At 8am on Friday, 12th February, 2010:

Weight: 17St 12.8lb (113.8Kg)
BMI: 35.0
Body Fat: 36.1%
Water: 39.1%
Muscle: 31.1%

Diet Notes:
Lost 4lb 4oz

Don’t believe this. There was very little difference between what I ate in Week 1 and Week 2. So why the big change. I can only assume that the weight I recorded for Week 1 was a fluke. An aberration. That in reality, over the course two weeks I have actually lost 1lb 8oz.

Why on Earth do processed foods such as dried stuffing mixes, dried pasta and raw burgers list their uncooked Energy Values?  What sort of freak eats a raw hamburger? Even the biggest fan of rare meat would at least brown the outside of their burger before slamming it in a bun  and that would change its calorific value.  Most people would grill it according to the manufacturer’s instruction before serving it in a bun with cheese, relish, tomato slice .  and a bit of gherkin.  Only a masochist would eat dried pasta, sane people boil their dried pasta until al dente in salted water.  The nutritional information on a lot of packaging is meaningless.

At 8am on Friday, 5th February, 2010:

Weight: 18St 3.1lb (115.7Kg)
BMI: 35.6
Body Fat: 36.4 %
Water: 39.7%
Muscle: 31.7%

Diet Notes:

Gained 2.7lb

This is so disheartening, a “Bad” week, almost a “Diabolical” week.  Having cut down on my food intake to 2,100Kcals per week, stopped putting additional salt on my food and stopped putting Clover or similar spreads on my bread, I was expecting to have lost something instead of gaining weight.  I have also started  exercising and generally tried to be more active.  True it has only been five days since I started this, but last time I recorded my diet on this web log, published what I weighed on a Friday Morning at 8am, so that is what I will do this time.

On the subject of butter on bread, what is the point of putting a spread on toast when you have something like Beans on Toast or Scrambled Eggs on Toast.  It just adds extra calories to the meal and does not effect the taste at all.  Unless you put half a packet of butter or margarine on the toast the flavour of the topping drowns the flavour of the spread.  So I cut out the butter in that sort of meal years ago.  Now I am cutting the yellow spreads from all bread I have with meals.  Same logic, the flavour of the yellow spread alters the flavour of the meal and only adds empty calories to it.