I win. No seriously, I win this game because I have had a theme tune written for me. Well, technically it was written for my blog, oh okay, it was inspired by the name of my blog. What? This isn't a contest and I can't win? Oh. Sorry.
According to my mother my first musical experience was dancing (or being danced, as I was baby at the time) round the room to T Rex. Was I too young to be influenced by this? Or did it somehow generate an interest in dinosaurs rather than glam rock? Lucky escape.
Adam and the Ants - Stand and Deliver
I was torn between a classic Ants track or something from his later albums. In the end memories of Saturday morning's spent watching this video on Multi-Coloured Swap Shop won the day (but if you've only heard his old material check out the 1995 album "Wonderful").http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPgHbt0OD
Drill Queen - Born Depressed
Justin is an information architect with whom I worked on several projects; he also played guitar for Drill Queen.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRrq6zp2_
Traveling Wilburys - Tweeter and the Monkey Man
Just about the only bits of vinyl from my dad's music collection that I copied to tape, and one of the few bands that Lettice and I both love. It looks like the record label have been at YouTube so we're lucky to find this animation:http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2cb4t_
Moxy Früvous - My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors
Moxy Früvous were a cool, funny, somewhat cheesey Canadian band who I was introduced to via two friends at university. If you saw the groaning bookshelves in our flat you'd know why this song always makes me smile.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9F_XHb81
Cerys Matthews - Oxygen
I can't sing. I really can't sing. Neither can my brother, though as churchgoer he makes up with gusto for what he lacks in aptitude. Clearly we got our singing genes from the English or Swedish parts of our family not the Welsh.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPqaPHTlh
Pulp - Mis-shapes
The end of the summer of 1995. On the news it's Blur vs Oasis. But, before Blair, there was a much better third way.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7rxAeF1w
Aziza Mustafa Zadeh - Ay Dilber
Stiff Little Fingers - Tin Soldiers
Hands up who wanted (or even expected) to hear some Azerbaijani Jazz today? Well, you're out of luck as I can't find it anywhere on the web. So have some classic punk instead.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl5V26oXH
Tanita Tikaram - And I Think Of You
The reason I'm here. Sort of. I created my first home page in 1995 (personal home pages, remember them? Like Facebook profiles but you had to do all the work yourself) and wanted to do a bit more. So looking around the nascent web for the various artists I liked I spotted that Tanita didn't have any fan pages dedicated to her. The resulting site helped to get me my first job at a web design agency.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9bphQpCL
Book
Assuming I'm going to be here for a while then I want something fairly long. An old favourite or something I've never gotten around to? I think I'll go for the latter and take Peter Ackroyd's London: The Biography to remind myself of home.Luxury Item
A brewing kit. Let's see which of the fruit on the island makes the best booze.Hey kids, the latest craze is to stack your (toy) animals. Well it keeps us off the streets...
Starting in 15mm, Splintered Light Miniatures have a range of animals including terror birds, wolves, boars, komodo dragons and others. Oh, and Giant Weasels.
In 28mm, the beastie featured here is one of two packs available from Gary Hunt Miniatures in New Zealand (but priced in US Dollars). Very drool worthy.
Moving onto cavemen. No web site yet for Forge of Ice, but see TMP for details of their Primitive Tents.
And finally, if dino fans put their money where their mouth is then Wargames Fcatory may create some plastic figures for us, on the suggestions list so far are Tyrannosaurus Rex and Small Carnivorous Dinosaurs. I think I may do a little research and suggest a small herbivores pack to give those meat eaters something to chase other than foolhardy time travellers.
Bravo Hype, Darwin Duff, Dino Boss, Finton Jump, Flint Flip, Flux Drift, Force Class, Gala Dream, Mardi Gras, Morse Action , Musket Strike, Pelican Fly, Point Taken, Power Line, Python Crush, Radar Wave, Ration Time, Sabre Squad, Spy Man GTX, Twisted Low, Un Kenneth
The above are not unsigned bands from MySpace, nor are they Gears of War clans, nor are they the literal translations of Pokemon names.
They are in fact names of men's lace up shoes from Clarks.
I quite like the sound of Dino Boss though.
I promised you some dinosaurs, so here we go. For quite a long time my Dinosaurs in Miniature page has contained the line Rules (coming soon)
so I figure why not do something about that? As this blogging every day thing is very taxing, I'm presenting a skeleton list here and asking you good people to help me flesh it out. What am I missing? What have I got wrong? I'm only after more or less professionally published rules here.
Via
lonemagpie
The illustration on the quiz is inaccurate as the real Velociraptor was the size of a dog and not larger than a man. The question of climbing onto the top bunk is interesting as a few paleontologists have suggested that the infamous raptor claws were for climbing rather than for hunting. Do you want me to shut up yet?
HLBS have released some new additions to their dinosaur range - mostly smaller critters this time, some, like this bone headed chap, never before done in this scale.
As promised only two and half months ago I've now upgraded the blog to use the standard WordPress sidebar syntax which makes it much more widget-friendly. I've also converted what little JavaScript I was using to use jQuery as part of my ongoing learning process.
I've added a few new plugins to the mix: Sociable, Better Blogroll and MyTwitter.
Richard Deasey of HLBS/DZ/DeeZee fame has sculpted a new range for RLBPS in the States: Dazed Miniatures.
On the other side of the world, Gary Hunt has some very nice looking feathered raptor greens.
Back in Blighty, Magister Militum have posted some new pics showing painted examples of their DinoMight range.
And finally, Jeff Valent Studios are offering their T. Rex at 33% off.
Dinosaurs in Miniature has been updated with all the latest releases: Some cavegirls from Reaper, some running dinos from Hasslefree and a Megatherium and Smilodon from Rattrap.
And at long last someone, Amazon Miniatures as it happens, has made the killer pig itself, an Entelodont:

Venice was simply amazing. Lovely weather, great food (especially the seafood), amazing sights.
We stayed at the Hotel Rivamare on the Lido, which meant we took a boat across the lagoon into Venice proper everyday. In the city itself we saw all the big names: the Palazzo Ducale or Doge's Palace, the Basilica di San Marco, the Piazza, the Bridge of Sighs, Rialto Bridge, the Grand Canal.
Things that appealed more directly to me included the Museum of Natural History was only partially open but we did get to see the excellent Ouranosaurus and Sarchosuchus; The Museo Storico Navale or Naval History Museum which only costs €1.55 and is packed full of relics from Venice's and Italy's seafaring history; The Rome and the Barbarians exhibition in the Palazzo Grassi was a ten times more expensive (and I really wanted the exhibition book but at €48 it was too much) but much more extensive than I'd expect for a temporary exhibit.
We also visited some of the other lagoon islands: Murano for the glassmaking; Burano for the lace making and painted houses; and Torcello for the eleventh century cathedral.
For one day we got the train to Verona, passing castles and vineyards on the way. There we visited the Arena and the Castle and had another fantastic lunch. One day wasn't enough and we plan to go back sometime.
It was one of the most by-the-numbers renditions of (the easy to understand bits of) Joseph Campbell's monomyth that I'd seen in a while. I smiled at the bemusement when hunter-gatherers first came across the evidence of agriculture, but of course in Campbell's scheme there has to be a 'boon' to take back home at the end (sorry, that was a spoiler). There were also bits lifted from the Bible, Stargate, Conan and 300, just in case the mention of Campbell misled you into thinking there were highbrow sources being used.
The action and CGI were very good, the actors managed to keep straight face. It's not a bad movie in the sense that it's exciting and visual, but it's certainly one to watch with the brain switched off.
Oh, by the way, the Doctor Who and Star Trek trailers look amazing on the big screen.
I've just updated the Dinosaurs in Miniature pages with the latest releases and re-releases.
Wargames Illustrated have finished re-releasing the DZ Miniatures prehistoric mammals. They're also selling a set of rules called Tooth and Claw to tie in with this range. Written by Chris "every other set of rules out there" Peers who has pedigree on this area with Saurian Safari. My copy is in the post, so with luck I'll be able to post a review soon.
There are also new rules out from Magister Militum called DinoMight and MM continue to expand their range of 10mm figures, now including some non-dinosaurs.
Finally on the pre-historic front Reaper have released a "Jungle Girl with Sabre Tooth Tiger" which is okay-ish except for the huge mold line in the photo and the fact that it's an idea that's been done several times before. Very nice cat though.
Meanwhile... It was only a matter of time... Pre-painted, collectible (i.e. random sealed boxes) miniatures for Doctor Who (via Forbidden Planet). They're by Character Options which is a good sign (they make the very nice DW action figures) and the price is the same as for the Star Wars minis. On the downside (apart from the collectible nature) is the scale, 35mm, and the lack of anything from the classic series. Will I be buying them? They're Doctor Who miniatures!
why will we never know how dinosaurs died because we never knew what they were like i think that we will never know what and how they went extinct and you scintist stop tring so hard
First things first, this comment was left on a page listing 15mm scale miniature dinosaurs. Yes, a page about toy dinosaurs that doesn't discuss the science of dinosaurs or the reason for their extinction at all.
It is true that we may never know with 100% certainty what caused the extinction of all non-avian dinosaurs some sixty five million years ago. However, their is a large and growing body of evidence that lets us form a number of hyoptheses. Falling sea levels, increased volcanic activity and a massive meteorite impact probably all played their part.
Further study into the K-T extinction will not only tell us more about the end of the dinosaurs but will provide us with insights into the effect that climate change can have on the Earth and the creatures that live here. A subject that is of obvious importance to all of us.
...Dinosaurs
As tagged by
miss_s_b. Post a comment with "top ten" or "top five" and I'll give you a subject to base your list around.
Stegosaurus
Maybe because we start our names with the same three letters but I've always liked Steggy. One of the classic dinos that all the kids know, and one of the most fantastically strange looking creatures to ever walk on land.

Allosaurus
A big mean predator, not as unbalanced to look at as T.rex but still big enough and toothy enough to give you nightmares.
Brachiosaurus
Of Lofty as we call him round our way. Not only is it one of the biggest dinos but it's also unusual in having longer legs at the front than at the back (hence the name).
Anklyosaurus
Walking tank. My default user icon.
Deinonychus
Velociraptor : Deinonychus = Hobbit : Human
Then they go and spoil it by having the good looking bloke use a blowtorch right in front of the
Oh, and they doubled the size of Arthropleura. There could be a larger species that simply hasn't been found in the fossil record yet...
Science aside, it's fun tea time nonsense, but the geek is very annoying and only Douglas Henshaw shows any signs of actually being able to act.
One last thing. We've all been conned. On the ITV web site for the series there's a list of creatures. Have a look and see if you spot whats missing:
- Coelurosauravus
- Scutosaurus
- Gorgonopsid
- Giant Spiders
- Arthropleura
- Mosasaur
- Hesperonis
- Dodo
- Parasite
- Pteranodon
- Agnurognathus
- Predator
Not one of those is a dinosaur. No dinosaurs. Weren't we promised dinosaurs? But all we get is arthropods, synapsids, and birds (I know birds are dinosaurs). Give us some proper dinos!
Fairly predictable stuff all round. The creatures are presented in a now-familar fashion - on the technical side this is from many of the same people as Walking with... and Prehistoric Park - and it doesn't look like the plot is going to find a cliché it doesn't like.
Oh well, there's nothing else on the telly on a Saturday evening for the next few weeks. Let's see, six episodes takes us to March 17th and the 24th is the rumoured start date for Doctor Who. Not taking any chances with the ratings on this one are we ITV?
Anyway, here's some of what I wanted to tell you all.
Wordie "Like Flickr, but without the photos." Silly but funny.
A Preacher TV series? OMG. How fucking cool would that be if they did it right?
Speaking of TV (oh I'm smooth I am). Is Robin Hood the gayest programme on the box at the moment? Can you point at any one of the regular characters and say "Yes, they're 100% heterosexual"? Let's look at them all:
- Robin - ran off to the Holy Land rather than marry Marion; homo-erotic wrestling match with Guy last week.
- Much - follows Robin around all the time making puppy dog eyes
- John - left his wife to live in the forest with a bunch of men
- Alan - did you see him trying on the women's jewellery a couple of episodes back?
- Will - claims to love Djaq, who...
- Djaq - man's name, men's clothes, short hair
- Marion - creeps out of the house at night disguised as a man
- Guy - all that tight black leather and generally being the Sheriff's bitch
- The Sheriff - has a gimp called Guy; seemed equally interested in the nun and the serving boy
Built my first AJAX powered web thingy. It's very Web 2.0 - even got popup message box things with semi-opaque backgrounds.
Back on Web 1.33333 I've updated the Dinosaurs in Miniature web pages. Added 10mm and 6mm listings and updated the existing lists.
Oh, and that fuckwit who thinks MI5 are stalking him through the telly has spammed radw, presumably thanks to some cross posted threads from a uk. group. Still it makes a change from the normal moronic trolling. Why do I still read? Must be some form of masochism.
Going to see Mitchell and Webb tomorrow. In Cryodon, but it's okay - I've had my innoculations. That's the start of a long weekend and we have big plans. Take in a film or two, do the Christmas shopping, visit the British Museum, giroscope's birthday curry, clean the flat from top to bottom. Come Tuesday I'll be glad to be back at work.

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