aldebaran1977

I just saw this Video and wanted to share it with you. I love how it uses computer sounds to create something new, something different: Music!

I just found an initiative that seems to try to organize people in Germany to fight against all those stupid laws made for the internet by politicians who have no idea of what they are regulating there and lobbyists of big companies and associations which influence all those regulations heavily. The result is that the internet is full of mines and mantraps for ordinary people. To make ourselves heard the only way to do so is founding a consumer association for the internet. I know there are some organisations like this in other countries, but I haven't heard of a German one focusing on this topic before. You can get buttons, banners and info on their homepage. Sadly there is no info in English.

<a href="http://www.rettet-das-internet.de/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.rettet-das-internet.de/banner_old.gif" border="0" alt="Aktion für ein freies Internet"></a>

( A Lot More Info Behind The Cut )

I just found this highly amusing satire on the net today. Put like that copyright laws obviously don't make any sense to anyone, even if you are not an expert in the area. I'm really looking forward to all those naked people on YouTube!

As a legally trained person and a Christian I couldn't resist an article which says that an American Senator from the state Nebraska filed a law-suit against God. But the court threw it out because God has no address where the court could send the papers.

I was alerted to this on first sight hilarious, but on a second look really interesting claim by an article on the (mostly) German-speaking site Telepolis.

A friend of mine send me a link to a video that shows how creative some artists today are. Street artist Joshua Allen Harris had the incredible idea to use air from a subway combust in combination with plastic animals made from garbage bags. The result is fantastic and if you like to see it for yourselves, take a look at the video. There are more videos about these inflated animals out there, so you might want to take a look at those, too, if you like what you see here.

I saw this on eyesemerald's lj and tried it out myself. And it really is uncanny how much the result of this test fits me! And there I wasn`t even sure what to answer for the first of those two questions, while the second was easy to answer for me as it was fairly opvious which of the three choices describes me best. Well, I just have to take a look at those other two options with a B or C answer for the first question.

( I Am A Seven )

Lately, I`ve been pretty involved in reading lots of news about what is going on with intellectual property law in the world. Originally, it stemmed from my involvement in Fandom and now the new topic of my PhD thesis. But I thought I might as well share some of the really interesting and sometimes ridiculous stuff that goes on in that area.

Here are two bands who have written songs which have almost the same melody. One is the quite unknown band "The Creaky Boards" and the other is the popular band "Coldplay". Both claim that they haven`t known about the other song when writing their own, and the song of the Creaky Boards is older than the one by Coldplay supporting their claim. Interesting is that the Creaky Boards are not suing Coldplay, but have put together a rather funny vid on YouTube about it. And since then, they have gotten a lot more popular themselves, so that plagiarism here would have had a positive effect for the band.They also admit that both might have been inspired by the "Fairy Theme" in "Legends of Zelda".

If you are interested in this, too, just watch the vid:



And if you want to read more about it, there is an enticing article about it on TechDirt with the title The Songs Coldplay Didn`t Write?.

I really love this song in combination with this really innovative vid on YouTube. Even if the text is in German, it is pretty easy to understand, as it is supported by a sort of sign language or comic illustrations. But nonetheless I`m giving you the translations to the few words in it as well.

Baby-Hai = Baby Shark
kleiner Hai = little shark
großer Hai = big shark
Riesenhai = giant shark
Weißer Hai = white shark
Mädchen schwimmt = girl swims
Hai sieht = Shark sees
Mädchen sieht = Girl sees
Hai holt auf = Shark is getting closer
Mädchen schreit = Girl screams
Hai frisst = Shark eats
böser Hai = bad/naughty shark

Just have a look and enjoy it:

The talented and sweet lomonaaeren wrote a long and superbly done story for me!

And if you haven`t read it yet, you really should and tell her how much you like it!

And to make your mouth watering: This story will have a mystery plot with Harry and Draco as investigators, even if only Harry is an Auror here.

And there will be one other of my favoutie Harry/Draco fanfiction clichees: Ferret!Draco! Yeah and hurrah!

You will also see a new side of Harry here which she describes not only as plausible, but also as very sexy, too.

And there is a minor character who loves to explore and own and see sparkly things which feels like an extra present for me that she got me with this story, even if I didn`t tell her about it.

This was one of the best presents I ever got and it means so much to me that she wrote this story for me.

So here you`ll find this precious gem:

Survivor's Joy (NC-17) by lomonaaeren

Just saw this on eyesemerald's lj when I was looking in vain for a new chapter of her story "Broken Toy". I just had to take this test myself and this is the result:

You are The High Priestess

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.

The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluxuation, particularily when it comes to your moods.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

I just want to add that I`m faring much better now than at the beginning of the year. I`m out of hospital since March 11. I`m fighting this depression with all I have and my psychologist said that I`m doing much better than she ever saw anyone do in such a short amount of time. But sadly it means that I shouldn`t be around lj and fandom anymore, but go out more and meet people in real life. So even if I`m reading some H/D stories once in a while, I don`t read my flist anymore. I`m out of work since the start of April and quite happily so. I still have to apply for jobs and I really hate that, but it was a good decision to stay away from the university. I`m feeling much better now that I have left there. I even wrote a bit for my dissertation now! I hope you are all doing fine yourselves and are not angry with me for not being around any more. I`d love to stay in contact with you nonetheless. Please tell me how you`re faring once in a while in a comment or by email (aldebaran1977 at gmx dot de). I promise I read them and will answer you as well.

Harry Potter Character Combatibility Test created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Luna Lovegood You are Luna Lovegood. You daydream and often seem to be drifting off into your own world. You have very strong opinions that many agree are not logical. You place a lot of faith in these beliefs. Possibly, you see more than what meets the eye. You are very accepting of others. You may have only a few close friends because you refuse to sacrifice your opinions and true self for social graces. Luna Lovegood 84% Neville Longbottom 72% Remus Lupin 69% Hermione Granger 63% Albus Dumbledore 63% Bellatrix Lestrange 53% Sirius Black 47% Lord Voldemort 44% Oliver Wood 44% Severus Snape 41% Harry Potter 38% Ron Weasley 38% Draco Malfoy 38% Percy Weasley 28%

Yeah for another meme! Colour me surprised by the result. ;-)

Here are some really cool memes! I couldn`t resist them all...

( LJ )


( Ten )

After a short conversation grey_hunter and I had, she went with the flow and wrote a funny little crack fic about Luna as the new (or old) Borg Queen. It`s called Luna and the Borg and if you enjoy some crack (with a side dish of H/D and tennis), go and read it immediately!

I thought it was time to post something again. And this time it is not about H/D or fanfiction at all. Lately, I watched (among others) two lesser known movies which I can only wholeheartedly recommend.

1. Brick (2005)

This film could have been seen on the Fantasy Film Fest, an annual Film Fest which features Horror, Fantasy and other strange not-mainstream movies. I saw it on DVD and was completely enthused. The protagonist looks a lot like I imagine Harry Potter which was an added bonus. Just now I found out that in 1999 he played one of the main roles in "10 Things I Hate About You". It`s Joseph Gordon-Lewitt.

Soemone on IMDB wrote a comment that I will use here, as it really introduces the movie quite perfectly:

The geography of film noir is usually a neighborhood, a city, a region ... BRICK transposes this geography onto a high school with surprisingly successful results. Watching it brought to mind not only the black & white films of the 40s and 50s, but glimmers of Gus van Sant, David Lynch and River's Edge. What gives BRICK its filmic authenticity (much different from realism) is its language -- the language of Chandler and Hammett, but re-imagined from the lips of contemporary teens.

The effect is staggering. BRICK essentially re-creates a world we thought we knew. Suddenly there are forces at work that we recognize because we knew they were there. But to see them in this noir glow is to give them an exciting new life ... "to see them again for the first time." There are plot twists and surprises aplenty here, although familiar once you realize the inspirations for the film. But familiarity is more than compensated by a superb cast and (not generally noted in these comments) excellent music. Contemporizing the soundtrack keeps us on our toes and makes a significant contribution to the tension of BRICK.

I loved how the glistening sun of California contrasted with the theme and dialogs of a film noir. A film using a high school setting and featuring no parents at all. A film that made me believe that the medium can still produce something new and shiny out of its traditional elements. If you want to stray off the well-trodden main path and walk away from all the other sheep, watch this movie and I`m pretty sure that you just have to love this film as much as I did.


2. A Little Trip To Heaven (2005)

Another not well-known gem of a film. Despite its cast (Forest Whitaker, Julia Stiles) it was only ever shown on several film festivals (in the US on the Sundance Film Festival in 2006) and was released on DVD in Germany in September 2007. This film is set in Minnesota, but was filmed in Iceland. The actors seemed to have done most of the stunts themselves as the additional material on the DVD seems to imply.

This is a thriller that had the atmosphere of a film made by the Coen brothers, especially like Fargo. An claims adjuster is send to investigate the death of one of their insured customers who burned to death after a car accident. In a rural area in Minnesota he talks to the police, the sister of the victim and sole beneficiary, Isold, and her husband and sweet little son. It`s cold and desolate there. But the adjuster gets a feeling that not all is as it seems and decides to continue investigating on his own. There are lots of plot-twists which I always love and you have to watch carefully to not miss the hints. The actors are superb, especially Forest Whitaker as the adjuster and Jeremy Renner as Isold`s husband. There are no heroes here in the normal sense of the word and only shady characters.

If you expect fanciable guys and women in a beautiful environment, you`d be disappointed by this film, but it makes it just that more real than most of the Hollywood productions these days. There are lies and frauds everywhere, the only sunshine here is Isold`s small son. But it is a highly intelligent movie full of cynism and reality. And it has a really beutiful soundtrack which only underlines the atmosphere. Go watch it, if you love intelligent mystery thrillers with a huge dosis of reality and a slow pace.

I know that it is a bit early, but I`m not sure, if I find the time again to wish you all a

Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year!

And thank you chani_atreides for your lovely Christmas Card! I just got it today and it made my day! At least something feels like Christmas right now, while I`m working like mad and suffering from the flu at the same time...

I will not be online between Christmas and the 3 Januray 2008, so please don`t kill the internet or lj during that time. Hopefully i will be healthy and sound by then, so that I can enjoy my little holiday with my boy-friend in the south of Germany. That sadly means that I will be even less able to read any beautifully done fanfiction at all :-( I`m so far behind on all those Holiday Exchange Fics that it feels to me like I haven`t even started reading yet. I will probably read them for the whole of next year, if my life continues like that! So, anthimaeria, that means that I will be completely unable to guess your fic this time around. The exception may be, if I stumble upon it by chance before the great reveal and am reasonably sure that that fic could only be written by you.

On a happier note: I just read a small, but very wonderful book which gives you a very Christmas-sy feeling, even if it isn`t about Christmas at all. It has a bit of a similar theme to "It`s A Wonderful Life" by Frank Capra with James Stewart. If you like sentimental, sad, but feel good stories, you should really read The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom which is a quick, cheap and lovely read.

Aargh! I need to rant here now! As I don`t have much time at the moment and have bookmarked most of the Holiday Exchange Fics that interested me, it really makes me angry to have wasted so much time on a story which absolutely isn`t my cup of tea!

I just read the 180 pages long Occam`s Razor because I mistakenly thought that H/D would be the main pairing. And, come on, how much Snarry could there be, if Snape was dead and only occupying a portrait?!? But obviously a lot more than I could stand! I hate Snarry! Aaargh!

In other words: If you are expecting this story to be H/D and don`t like Snarry in the slightest, don`t read it!

In other words, this story is long, plotty and reasonably well-written, but only appeals to people who can stand HP/SS. So really not to me. And yes, I know, I wasn`t the recipient and don`t have any right to be angry about it, but it just was such a waste of time for me.

I just read the most beautiful and heartbreaking fic in the whole of the Holiday Exchanges so far (and that is quite a feat, as there have already been quite a lot really good ones)! You really need to read it, too, but please keep the tissues at hand (and preferably: Don`t read it at work ;-))

The Price We Pay For Wings by Anon (H/D, R, character death - but not Harry or Draco, hopeful ending)

On another account I have to admit that I was really excitet about Sectus in 2009. It`s been held in a beautiful Welsh Castle and I`d love to go, but it is just too expensive for me. I can hardly survive with the money I earn and to pay 290 British Pounds for a four-day-event is completely impossible on my budget. I would have loved to meet a lot of you there and hope for you that most of you can afford it.

Oh, I just saw that it will only happen in 2009 and not next year. Does anyone know why there is no Sectus in 2008? And perhaps I`m a rich lawyer until then and will be able to pay my due!

Just read this very interesting essay strigoia posted a link to. I also think that everyone should read and think about it. So go read this (admittedly very long) essay:

What You Can`t Say by Paul Graham

Today I read an interesting article on Telepolis (www.heise.de) about how courts in Germany don`t accept homosexuality as a reason for refuge in Germany. There were several court cases quoted which said that a penalty for homosexuality or homosexual behaviour, even if it meant years of prison or death for the perpetrator, is only a law to hold up public morals. Homosexuals who keep their sexuality to themselves and only, if ever, practice it in absolute private, need not fear to be imprisoned or executed. Therefore it is allowed to send refugees back to their home countries, even if there is a prison sentence or an execution awaiting them there. At least, it is not a reason to be granted asylum in Germany. The government supported upon question of the opposition this practice of the courts. Ignoring international refugee standards and EC regulations.

I still cannot believe that courts nowadays here in Germany might actually decide like this, but obviously I expected more of my country and my fellow legal practitioners. I hope the publicity will soon change this stance or the EU will intervene.

Here is a link to the article for those of you who are interested in more detailed information (and are able to read German): Kieser: Beihilfe zum Mord? Verfolgung wegen Homosexualität nicht "asylrelevant"

Today I finally have to rec some new fics here which definitely require reading!

First I have to advise you to read two short drabbles that aoifene (formerly known as aoifeic) wrote after I prompted her with the word "hedgehog". On eis funny and the other one is angsty, even if I didn`t believe she could write one like that with my prompt. But she immediately had to show me otherwise:

Hedgehog - Funny Ficlet

Hedgehog - Angsty Ficlet

Thanks so much again for writing those, honey!


And then there is a new chapter to mahoganyhandle`s sadly completely underappreciated fic Dream That The Gods Are Good and she is already working to write more and as there is not much left of the fic, she hopes to finish it until the end of the month. Yippee! So go read, even if you usually don`t like WiPs. And tell her how much you enjoy it, so she wouldn`t think that no one is reading anyway anymore.


And I also want to recommend several mpreg (yes, you heard me alright) stories from the hd_inspired exchange which is just taking place at the moment. Even if you don`t like most of the mpreg stories out there, because they are feminizing the boys too much, you just have to read these three nonetheless:

Sperm Cow

Jolene

Coming to Terms

The authors ar still unknown and the rating is R/NC-17. I`m not sure how many more will be posted, but those have been my favourites so far. So, go read those!