On October 2013, I got invited to visit my longtime friend, Brandie, in Tennessee. I accepted, and contacted my cousin Martin, who lives in Texas, about whether I could add on a trip to see him too. He said yes, so I bought air tickets. This was a solo trip, as Mr Madnad not only detests flying, but also doesn’t know Brandie. He doesn’t really know my cousin much either, as Martin has been living in Houston for a good while now. My dearest friend offered a room in her home, and my cousin said I could Read more […]
Archive for the ‘Out & About’ Category
A Tale of Two States Pt 1: Tennessee
November 20th, 2014 
madnad 
Posted in Out & About 
Tags: appalachians, cumberland gap, holiday, tennessee, usa 
Comments Off on A Tale of Two States Pt 1: Tennessee
The Vikings Are Coming!
May 26th, 2014 madnad I have an abiding interest in Vikings that actually started long ago, thanks – in a weird way – to Ray Harryhausen. When I was young, my father took me to the cinema to see Clash Of The Titans. I was blown away. Not just by the special effects, or Harry Hamlin’s hair, but by the stories and characters that feature in this epic fantasy. This little movie birthed an interest in mythology and ancient pantheons that has stayed with me. Back then, I managed to get my hands on a few books on Greek Read more […]
Posted in Out & About Tags: battle beyond the stars, british museum, clash of the titans, viking, vikings Comments Off on The Vikings Are Coming!
The Magic of Gravity
November 27th, 2013 madnad I find that for me, there are few bonuses working in Computer Science. Today however, was one of those rare occasions. I attended a talk this afternoon from two University of Nottingham alumni (one was from Computer Science!) who work for a company called Framestore, a special effects company who notably worked on Alfonso Cuaron’s amazing block buster, Gravity. Richard Graham (Visual Effects Producer on Gravity) and Mark Hills (Framestore’s Head of System Development) gave a unique and fascinating Read more […]
Posted in Film & TV, Out & About Tags: Computer Science, Framestore, Gravity, Mark Hills, Richard Graham, University of Nottingham Comments Off on The Magic of Gravity
The BAFTAs; or London and Back Again part 2
February 24th, 2010 madnad Continued from Part 1 As the sky started to get darker, the lights seemed to get brighter. All the other spectators were looking as anxious and excited as I was when the first limo pulled up. Men and women walked up the red carpet to the waiting horde of PAs/Assistants that seemed to be milling around the red carpet aimlessly. I had no idea who they were unfortunately, but I believe they were the technical guys, producers, writers etc…. all the guys that make the actors look and sound good. The Read more […]
The BAFTAs; or London and Back Again – Part 1
February 23rd, 2010 madnad A few months ago,when I heard the date of the BAFTAs Film awards, I decided that it would a great adventure to go and join the throng of fans on the red carpet. I know people that have done this for the TV BAFTAs but lets face it… film is more my thing. I had no idea who would be attending when I made this decision, although of course, I was hoping that Michael Sheen would attend, as I knew he had presented an award the previous year. Shortly after, the ‘long list’ of nominees was released, Read more […]
Sanctuary
January 12th, 2009 madnad I am sure you are eager to hear of the events of Friday night. The Mighty Boosh show was brilliant. Despite Noel Fielding and Julian Barrat forgetting their lines once or twice, which descended in hilarious adlib, the Mighty Boosh team put a flawless show. We were seated on the left hand side of stage, and had an excellent view. On Friday, we had some of the items that had been stolen in a recent burglary replaced by the Insurance Company. Yes dear reader, we had to live with the unpleasantness Read more […]
