Villagers Defense

Help the villagers defend their town by building towers that will destroy the invading company! Use different ammunitions and types of building to destroy the enemy. How long can you hold off the attackers before they strike? Can you become the Villagers Defense?

Trip down memory lane

The Premiership years... Barnsley VS West Ham
I've decided to scour the net for match reports of the reds outing in the Premiership. A brilliant time for Barnsley and admired by others, in what turned out to be a very memorable season and one which every Barnsley fan will never forget. I will post them one at a time in chronological order. Here goes:

Barnsley 1 West Ham 2
By Ian Parkes, PA sport.

Frank Lampard gatecrashed Barnsley's opening day Premiership party as West Ham staged a late smash and grab raid.

Lampard, son of the Hammers' assistant boss and the former Upton Park star with the same name, had barely been on the field for a minute when he touched home a Michael Hughes cross 13 minutes from time.

It brought a sad end to a day which had started out so gloriously for Barnsley and the hoards of fans hoping to greet the dawn of a new era with a famous victory.

After waiting 110 years for football among the game's elite, Barnsley set out their stall in sensational fashion following a rapturous welcome from the 19,000-strong crowd.

As Danny Wilson's side ran out onto the pitch, they were greeted by a continual chorus of "We're in the Premier League" by the Tyke fans, while a thousand red and white balloons were released into the clear blue skies above.

As the temperatures soared on one of the hottest days of the year, Barnsley warmed to their task and the Oakwell cauldron soon exploded when skipper Neil Redfearn grabbed the opener in the ninth minute.

Nicky Eaden's right wing cross was headed back by Paul Wilkinson for Redfearn, last year's leading scorer with 19 goals, to open his account with a simple header and send the Barnsley faithful into delirium.

For the remainder of the half, Wilson's troops remained in control as the visitors were left with nothing but a series of long range shots to show for their efforts.

Redfearn should even have had a second just before the break, but a late, clearing header by Rio Ferdinand prevented the Tykes captain from setting the seal on a wonderful first 45 minutes in the top flight.

But within eight minutes of the restart it all went horribly wrong for Barnsley as Welsh international John Hartson, the saviour of manager Harry Redknapp's campaign last season, spared the London club's blushes again.

Steve Potts, switched from left to right back to accommodate the substitution of Stan Lazaridis for Tim Breacker at the interval, was the instigator as he delivered a high, hanging cross.

Hartson, West Ham's club record ?5million signing towards the end of last season, rose above a cluster of Barnsley defenders to head home into an empty net after keeper David Watson had needlessly raced off his line.

Within a minute Barnsley should have been back in front when John Hendrie was sent clear inside the West Ham half, but keeper Ludek Miklosko raced off his line and blocked the attempted chip at point blank range.

Watson almost handed West Ham the lead in the 58th minute when he failed to collect a simple Lazaridis cross delivered low from the left, but Hartson, seemingly caught unawares, failed to turn home the loose ball.

Within seconds Miklosko had raced out of his box to clear a long Barnsley through ball and this handed Hendrie the chance of a chip with the Czech keeper out of position, but his effort flew over the bar.

Wilson brought on club record signing in ?1.5million Macedonian international Georgi Hristov, but he failed to make an impact and give Barnsley the point they richly deserved.

Then came the killer blow in the 77th minute after Lampard had been brought on just moments earlier for Israeli international Eyal Berkovic.

Hughes delivered and Lampard flicked home with the outside of his right boot past the despairing dive of the helpless Watson to send Barnsley trudging off the field with the muted applause of the home fans to bring the curtain down on an unfortunate end to the day.

Teams:

Barnsley: Watson, Eaden, Moses, De Zeeuw, Hendrie, Redfearn, Wilkinson (Hristov 68), Bullock (Liddell 84), Shirtliff (Marcelle 62), Tinkler, Barnard.

Subs Not Used: Sheridan, Leese.

Goals: Redfearn 9.

West Ham: Miklosko, Breacker (Lazaridis 45), Potts, Rieper, Kitson (Terrier 89), Hartson, Lomas, Ferdinand, Moncur, Hughes, Berkovic (Lampard 76).

Subs Not Used: Dowie, Forrest.

Booked: Breacker, Moncur.

Goals: Hartson 53, Lampard 76.

Att: 18,667.

Ref: A B Wilkie (Chester-le-Street).

Nano-Hype: The Truth behind the Nanotechnology Buzz. Book Review

Nanotechnology has increasingly become a buzz word used by industry and scientists in the battle for funding. Indeed, much of what is now labelled nanoscience or nanotechnology is the product of the re-branding of older science. Although public awareness about nanotechnologies is still very low, gradually this field is increasingly featuring within popular media discourse and appearing in the storylines of films such as Spider Man, Agent Cody Banks, I Robot and The Incredible Hulk; TV programmes, such as Star Trek; children’s cartoons, such as the PowerPuff Girls and video games, like Metal Gear Solid and Duckboy in Nanoland; and it is also the subject of sci-fi novels, such as Crichton’s Prey.

Berube’s new book sets out to unpack the ‘hype’ or ‘spin’ used by its advocates and critics alike.

This book is a welcome contribution to the literature in so far as there has been relatively little discussion of the role of the media in hyping nanotech. Through close attention to detail Nano-hype highlights the contested nature of the field, illustrating how both utopian and dystopian claims have shaped the debate.

The book is prefaced by a Forward from Mihail Roco and divided into eleven substantive chapters. The introductory chapters discuss the influence of science fiction on grey goo scenarios but do not fully get to grips with the complexities of the blurring of science fiction with science ‘fact’.

Aside from Chapters 1 and 11 (the strongest contributions) most of the publication is taken up with surveying the various communities (scientists, industry, government and NGOs) which have played an active role in promoting or contesting nanotech. Unfortunately these chapters tend to simply list institutions, initiatives and key individuals and provide little indication of overall context, or develop a sense of narrative flow. However, examples of government initiatives and promotional reports are drawn from a variety of different countries including the US, the UK, China and Japan. Chapter 6 considers a range of applications such as healthcare, agriculture, food, electronics and energy. Chapter 9 usefully focuses upon nanohazards and nanotoxicology, while Chapter 11 examines social and ethical implications of nanotechnology research. Here Berube briefly considers some of the potential implications of nanotech for health and environmental sustainability. The limitations with the deficit model of the public understanding of science are acknowledged and emphasis is placed upon upstream methods of public engagement. This is discussed further in the final chapter, which suggests that the concept of the public sphere in US science and technology decision-making bears little relation to the reality of a largely disenchanted public. Although Berube notes several problems with experiments in participatory democracy (including citizen’s juries and consensus conferences) there is little consideration of what is entailed by attempts to move public engagement ‘upstream’.

Rather than provide a general, exhaustively documented and largely descriptive history Berube could have offered some detailed case studies of particular events, highlighting how certain claims about nanotech become legitimized over others. More reference could have been made to previous biotechnology controversies, exploring the similarities and divergences in relation to the nanotech debate. The literature on the sociology of expectations, amplification of risks and the hyping of emergent technologies highlights a myriad of factors affecting the initial shaping of utopian and dystopian visions of the future.

Too often this book provides a wealth of descriptive detail but offers little by the way of indepth insight. A large proportion of the sources are Internet-based, which is likely to mean that readers will have difficulty following up references after any length of time. Indeed, the extensive use of end-notes (spanning just over 100 pages) makes it a rather frustrating book to read. This is particularly so given that the sources of many of the quotations can only be revealed by wading through the chapter notes.

Berube, a communications professor at the University of South Carolina, is at pains to emphasize that he has degrees in biology and psychology as well as communications studies.

He states that he ‘over-researched’ the book in order to make it robust against potential criticism that it was written by a non-specialist. Unfortunately, in the attempt to provide an ‘objective’ account of hyping in the nanotech debate, Berube appears reticent to offer any firm conclusions. Nevertheless, this book offers a useful general reference point for anyone interested in following the media-politics of the early history of the nanotech debate.

Why I hate plane travel

Let me explain to you as quickly as I can why I hate to travel, even though, if you know me well enough (or read this page enough) you’d think I travel by plane every two seconds. This is due mostly to having a sick mother 3000 miles away, and also in some small part in my need to jet set. Well…

I’m currently on a US Air flight to Miami, with a brief stopover in Charlotte. It’s 1:30 in the morning, and there is no way in hell I’m going to sleep. I’m sandwiched in the bitch seat and the AC isn’t working. Not to mention the fact that this was not the first plane I was supposed to be on, nor the second, nor the third…let me explain…

So. It’s May 1, around, oh 4PM. I’m cleaning up my apartment, minding my own business, and someone from ATA (the airline I had initially chosen for my trip) calls me to tell me some bad news. It seems that the US military has commandeered my connecting flight from Chicago (my original stopover point) in order to fly troops home from Iraq. Now, in principle, I have no problem with this whatsoever, since I was such an hawkish supporter of the war, I have no right to complain. However, they aren’t supposed to be taken already booked flights, so that left me a little confused.

Regardless, the nice lady was able to put me on a flight at 11:45, getting me into Ft. Lauderdale at 11am the next morning. I figured, great, since my original flight was at 6 in the friggin morning, I could just sleep when I got to the hotel all day. Fine and dandy. I bade my cat goodbye and headed to the airport.

And then the shit began to pile up…

I get to the airport terminal. Terminal 2, to be exact. I walk in there with all of my bags..and they tell me to go to Terminal 3…ON FOOT. Fine. I go.

I get to the ATA counter…and the line is around the block. O-kay.

I finally get up to the counter…45 minute delay on the plane. No problem, I can still make my connecting flight. Kewl. I go through security. I get chosen out of all the passengers for the security monkeys to spread my cheeks and go prospecting.

That ordeal done with, I hobble to the gate…and I look at the board…and it says my flight is leaving at 3:00. That must be a mistake…nope. 4 HOUR DELAY.

10 minutes of an idiot who barely spoke a word of English…he tells me to go all the way back to the terminal and talk to someone. They know I’m coming.

Okay. I head all the way the fuck back. And get in that damn line. Again.

I get up to the counter. Get another just-fresh off the boat dude who doesn’t like me, has never heard of me, and doesn’t want to help me. 10 minutes later, he gives me this.

“There is a US AIR flight leaving for Charlotte. It’s 11:20 now. It leaves in 25 minutes. They aren’t answering the phone down there, so you’re going to have to run.”

I thank him and get my bearings. I’m at terminal 3. US AIR is at terminal 1.

Suddenly, 5 weeks of the gym are going to pay off.

If you were at LAX anywhere between terminal 3 and 1 at around 11:25 Thursday night, and you were wondering who that maniac with the bags running top speed down the terminal was, let me kill the mystery for ya; it was me.

I get there. I pull out all the stops. My ID. My US AIR Id. My fake ID. I get a ticket…middle seat. But a seat nonetheless. I go through security. And once again, I am chosen to be explored.

But I made it on the plane. And get a middle seat, which is where I’m writing this from. Right now. To my right is a lovely young lady who is sound asleep. I hope she doesn’t wake up and see this. But my biggest problem is to my left. I’m sitting here, chilling to Jan Hammer, and this dude nudges me and asks me to stop fidgeting, because he wants to sleep.

Keep in mind, I haven’t moved a muscle.

The nice young lady next to me makes a face as if to say ,”What the fuck is HIS problem?”

He’s snoring loudly now. I don’t care because I have my headphones on.

I hope he never wakes up.

chicken wings

phew. today was fun. hung out with adi at his place. watched nang nak. lepak-ed, talked and whatnots. ooh ooh, his mom and dad bought me stuff from mecca; a pearl necklace and a bottle of orange tulip perfume. nice.

later, we went to taipan, bought pizza at dominos then to starbucks to meet up with sofia and stef. and ooh, tricia 'che' pun ade skali. sungguh gembira.

have u guys watched 'pontianak harum sundal malam'? good or should i just wait for the vcd? but it's still not out yet right? hmm...

Ghost Sex

A professor at the University of West Virginia was giving a lecture on the supernatural.

To get a feel for his audience, he asks, "How many people here believe in ghosts?"

About 90 students raise their hands.

"Well, that's a good start. Out of those of you who believe in ghosts, do any of you think you have seen a ghost?"

About 40 students raise their hands.

"That's really good. I'm really glad you thake this seriously. Has anyone here ever talked to a ghost?"

About 15 students raise their hand.

"Has anyone here ever touched a ghost?"

Three students raise their hands.

"That's fantastic. Now, let me ask you one question further... Have any of you ever made love to a ghost?"

Way in the back, Bubba raises his hand.

The professor takes off his glasses, and says "Son, in all the years I've been giving this lecture, no one has ever claimed to have made love to a ghost. You've got to come up here and tell us about your experience."

The big redneck student replied with a nod and a grin, and began to make his way up to the podium. When he reached the front of the room, the professor asks, "So, Bubba, tell us what it's like to have sex with a ghost."

Bubba replied, "Ohhhh! From way back there I thought you said GOATS!"

A late St. Patrick's Day joke

Two men were sitting next to each other at a bar. After a while, one guy looks at the other and says, "I can't help but think, from listening to you, that you're from Ireland."

The other guy responds proudly, "Yes, that I am!"

The first guy says, "So am I! And where about from Ireland... might you be?"

The other guy answers, "I'm from Dublin, I am."

The first guy responds, "Sure and begora, and so am I! And what street did you live on in Dublin?"

The other guy says, "A lovely little area it was... I lived on McCleary Street, in the old central part of town."

The first guy says, "Faith & begora it's a small world.... so did I! So did I!! And to what school would you have been going?"

The other guy answers, "Well now, I went to St. Mary's, of course."

The first guy gets really excited and says, "And so did I. Tell me.... what year did you graduate?"

The other guy answers, "Well, now, let's see.... I graduated in 1964."

The first guy exclaims, "The Good Lord must be smiling down upon us! I can hardly believe our good luck at winding up in the same bar tonight. Can you believe it.... I graduated from St. Mary's in 1964, my own self."

About this time, Vicky walks into the bar; sits down; and orders a beer.

Brian, the bartender, walks over to Vicky shaking his head, and mutters, "It's going to be a long night tonight."

Vicky asks, "Why do you say that, Brian?"

"The Murphy twins are drunk again."