The Bear That Cares

The Slumbery Abyss

thebearthatcares — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:48:07 +0000

I learned a valuable lesson this morning. It’s a simple story, with a note of advice. I had an exam at 9am. Last night at 2am I got out of bed after realising that I hadn’t revised enough for it. I broke open my 4-pack of Blue Charge, plugged in the kettle in my room, put a bit of ambient music on and prepared for a full night of revision. Oli, who has sleeping disorders anyway, decided to join me in my “all-nighter”. I learned all the equations I needed to know and revised the basic concepts involved in “Properties of Matter”. Later on in my exam I found myself not only forgetting everything due to fatigue, but also falling asleep several times, catching myself on the edge of the slumbery abyss only to wake up feeling drained and confused. I failed the exam miserably. This exam also consisted of 50% of the module.

My lesson is, it’s better to not revise than to over-exert yourself. I’m sure I knew the answers without the ridiculous revision I partook in and for tomorrow’s exam (and Wednesday’s) I will be ensuring I get my full eight hour’s sleep.

By the way, thanks for visiting this site and have yourself a bistick.

Lecture Notes

thebearthatcares — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:48:30 +0000

I’m sure everyone who’s reading this and is/has been at uni will agree, lectures are sometimes very boring. When the lecturer starts droning about something you don’t understand or you know too well, your mind wanders. I draw shit. This morning I came up with a classic. It goes a bit like this (I’ll probably get around to doing the diagrams a bit later:

Problem:

You’re in outer space and you want to know the mass of a body but you don’t want to do any real maths.

Solution:

SPACE-SCALES™!

SPACE-SCALES™ generates its own gravity in order to weigh things without all that hefty rocket science style calculating [this was a lecture on this kind of thing].

ONLY £8*10^10 !

[Drawing of, basically, the moon with a square on the side. There is a scale next to it implying that the scales are 400 miles in diameter. Labels: Authentic craters, Pneumatic plunger with scale on it for weight reading, Set of conventional scales for smaller stuff.]

Simply put your item on the plunger or scales and read the meter.

ALSO AVAILABLE:

SPACE-SCALES™ mini™©

£∞!

[Another drawing, this time of a smooth ball with a block on the side and a diameter of 100 miles. Label: Diamond coated to prevent damage.]

No sharp edges for child use!

WARNING: Whereas SPACE-SCALES™ can measure masses up to the size of the Earth, SPACE-SCALES™ mini™© can only measure masses up to Moon size.

AND

SPACE-SCALES™ ρockeτ (doesn’t work in space) – £300!

[Another drawing of a smaller ball with a block and two little sticks on one side. Diameter 3mm. Label: Handy table top stand.]

Less likely to be vandalised by Russians!

WARNING: Can only measure masses up to “Small crumb of Battenburg cake”™ size.

Terms and conditions:

3 day warranty only valid before product is removed from box. Any death due to misuse of product (therefore any death at all) is not an issue of RME. £∞ paid on demand from RME for anything. Any illegal substances found in packaging not accountable to RME. Warranty void if time passes after purchase.

This flyer is funded and ~~exploited~~ endorsed by Rupert Murdoch Enterprises.

Christmas Holidays

thebearthatcares — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 21:10:30 +0000

Shit way to get readers I know, but I haven’t been writing much at all over the Christmas hols even though I’ve only just started this blog. This would be because I didn’t bring my computer back from uni. My Xbox is my main piece of technology at the moment, especially since the Christmas arrival of Guitar Hero 3. Anyway, I’ll be back at uni on the 6th of January, so I’ll be a compulsive writer from then on assuming my new TV card and HD drive “with wireless capabilities” don’t distract me.

A Question of Insignificance

thebearthatcares — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 15:55:20 +0000

If everyone in the world happened, by chance, to synochronise their breathing, would it have a significant effect on the climate i.e. winds, pressure and temperature? Just a small pondering from a bear in a very nice room in Basingstoke.

Eclectic Radio

thebearthatcares — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 11:19:29 +0000

I’m currently listening to an “eclectic radio station” on iTunes radio. Should I be worried that they’ve played two songs from my personal library in the last hour? Does this make me eclectic?

Packing Bags

thebearthatcares — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 11:17:56 +0000

Is there a place where they design bags for your personal needs? This morning I’m in need of a clothes section, a bass guitar section, an Xbox 360 section, a general shit (like chargers, guitar tuners, glasses, wallets) section and lecture notes section. I only ask out of interest because as it is, I can’t see myself using less than four bags.

Oh, and if anyone’s stuck for Christmas presents for me, I’d like a Macbook Pro please.

Review: Radiohead / In Rainbows

thebearthatcares — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 14:05:56 +0000

Before you even listen to this album you are struck by Radiohead‘s willingness to experiment with new ideas. In order to buy In Rainbows, you must choose how much you want to pay to download it. You can choose any value you like too, not just a selection. Interesting too, lots and lots of people have decided to pay the full amount you would expect to pay for an album.

The best track on the album is the first, the 5 beat show-piece 15 Step, and this sets an example for the rest of the offering to follow off of. From there on, a mixture of textures are incorporated from Thom Yorke’s layered harmonies on Nude, the abrasive sounds that accompany All I Need and the melodic time-skipping of Faust Arp. And Jigsaw Falling Into Place is definitely a top song. I tend to think after listening to it that they should have ended the album with it, but then Videotape stars to play and I realise they have got it just right. It’s not a great song on its own, but followed by silence it leaves a feeling of relaxation and completion, much in the same way Eclipse does on Dark Side of the Moon.

Average Song Rating: 3.2/5

Hits: 15 Step, Nude, Jigsaw Falling Into Place

Shits: House of Cards

Whatever Happened to the Tasker Twins?

thebearthatcares — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 13:19:52 +0000

If anyone knows if the team of near identical giggle-swappers are still alive and around, we need to know dammit!

The last currently known sighting was in early summer/late spring by me when they finished college.

A Word of Wisdom

thebearthatcares — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 02:27:04 +0000

“He dares to be a fool, and that is the first step in the direction of wisdom.”
James Huneker, American musicwriter and critic (1860-1921).

Just a little thing that I found that justifies the way I behave.

Christmas Next Door

thebearthatcares — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:27:43 +0000

So, it’s December, it’s been a long year, and yes, we should begin to think about celebrating the birth of a baby and getting drunk. There’s no disputing that Christmas is getting close. But think about it, how many Christmas songs actually are there? You know, the kind that always get played in shops around this time of year. My guess is 30, probably less. And the fella that lives next door to me in my halls listens to this shit constantly. Such a small collection of songs should not be listened to exclusively for a month, it’s bad for the mind.

I am currently playing Death very loudly with the door open to drive him mad and drown out the Christmas shit.