Below are the 14 most recent journal entries recorded in Robert's LiveJournal:

Saturday, May 26th, 2007
8:26 pm	RE: Your Peculiar Aristocratic Title My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: His Exalted Highness Duke Robert the Inexorable of Larkhill under Porton Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title Current Mood: nervous Current Music: Deftones - "When Girls Telephone Boys" (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007
12:39 am	More like it In 2007, spookus resolves to... Tell my family about explosives. Drink four glasses of colt every day. Take realityoverride designing. Put fifty armaments a month into my savings account. Cut down to ten cutting instruments a day. Find a better automobilia. Get your own New Year's Resolutions: Current Mood: amused Current Music: Guns N' Roses - "You Could Be Mine" (Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 13th, 2006
4:53 am	Quizzes, quizzes, quizzes... L337 Congratulations! You scored 70! You know what you doing. Zig. You've got the magic touch, the one headshot to rule them all, the one headshot to bind them. Your name is well known amongst the commoners, and they fear and respect you. N00bs tremble at the sight of your character model rounding the corner, and tend to flee in terror. You MAY want to get up off of your ass, more often, though. Go out, chill with friends... learn how to pick up members of the opposite sex, just as well as you play the game. Still, you could always play the game for money...! My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 48% on hax0r Link: The Counter-Strike Test written by Dakk on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test What Half-Life Character Are You? Hosted by theOtaku.com: Anime. Done right. Current Mood: sleepy Current Music: Hans Zimmer - "Broken Arrow" (Comment on this)
Saturday, November 25th, 2006
10:16 pm	Londonism Finally got all the images processed from the London Expedition from 11/11/2006, which my friend and I went to. So, let's get down to business... (Our first view of the Imperial War Museum, only two streets away from the nearest Underground.) (Upon closer inspection, we came across massive battleship guns... Was fairly intimidated.) (Once we got in at about 10AM, we were greeted with this view of a Spitfire. Most famous for the Battle of Britain, or "Operation Sea-lion." Not sure what Mk it was, but I can guess it was pretty earlier considering it has only 3 rotor blades.) (A P-51D North American Mustang, just left of the Spitfire. Just to the left was a Me Bf-109) (On the first floor, a front end of an Avro Lancaster bomber.) (Further into the museum, a V12 Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Spitfires and Mosquitoes being powered by this.) (A panned down view from the first floor balcony. From the left, a light tank used by Desert Rats, Africa Corps. A Soviet T-34 in the middle and a German Panther tank just out of shot.) (One Sherman tank. Not the most sophisticated tank of WWII, but were made in overwhelming numbers.) (A Churchill tank from the British, not too widely known of.) (German Panther tank, look at that sloping armour... I can't imagine how you'd be able to defeat one head on.) (A surviving Nazi Bronze Eagle from Soviet captured Berlin. There's actually a bullet hole on it. Someone wasn't too happy...) (A reconstructed German Enigma machine. Though not a naval one I imagine, as they used 5-8 cogs rather than 3 as shown here.) (American guns, including the famous Tommy gun and Colt .45 which is still in use today.) (An assortment of rifles, revolvers and pistols. Pretty much a candy store for me... ^^) (Photo taken from a Soviet section of the museum. Some of you may have already noticed the Kalashnikov/AK-47 above.) (Another section on the Falklands War, British weaponry shown. Most noticebly the M-16 assault rifle.) (One of my favourite parts of the museum devoted to the SAS. A H&K MP5 is to the right of the image.) (The gun I've been interested in for so long was so close to me. The Belgium FN FAL was used by the British and was for a long time wanted as a template for the now well known Heckler & Koch G3 assault rifle, before choosing the Spanish CETME instead.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (There's Parliament... if you are wanting to know the time, look to the right.) (So I take it the zoom function works...) (Buckingham Palace, with unsuspecting guards.) (An overall view. Do you think those windows are armoured? Don't mind me... just fantisising.) (Some of the Royals showed up, to our surprise... Not that we went there expecting to see them or anything. *rolleyes*) I was quite amazed how they had V1 rockets in IWM though, unless one didn't explode upon impact and was rebuilt. More likely than capturing one in Germany, since they switched over to V2s. Not a bad day all in all, it was much warmer underground that I expected. But at least we didn't spend too much time down there thanks to my excellent navigating skills... *cough cough* Thankfully we knew the difference between Eastbound and Westbound *hint hint* ;) Current Mood: pleased Current Music: Bill Brown - "Command & Conquer - China" (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, November 10th, 2006
1:34 am	It's that time again My score on The Which Mixed Drink Are You? Test: Traditional Martini! (You scored 4 WILD, 10 SOCIAL, 12 SOPHISTICATED, and 4 FUN!) · 1 1/2 oz Gin · 3/4 oz Dry Vermouth · Ice Stir gin and vermouth with ice cubes in mixing glass. Strain into a martini glass. Serve with an olive. The Martini compounded a revival during the 1920's, when the Prohibition movement marked the start of popular gin consumption. Neutral grain spirits were far easier to manufacture in comparison to the aging process inherant of whiskey production. And, at a point where vermouth was also in decline and dryer Martini's became increasingly popular, many wets (those who opposed the Prohibition) opted to drink straight gin under the pretense of a Martini. When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the act repealing the law in 1933, he celebrated with the first legal Martini - his Dirty Martini - two parts Plymouth gin to one part dry vermouth, with a teaspoon of olive brine, an olive, and lemon peel rubbed around the rim of the glass. The traditional martini is a clear, clean, pure drink. You are classic and sophisticated, excelling in more intimate social gatherings. Link: The Which Mixed Drink Are You? Test (OkCupid Free Online Dating) You Are: 10% Blue 64% Gold 60% Green 28% Orange BLUE Clearly outline your expectations for performance in a friendly, but frank way. Recognize their contribution often. Identify rewards for achievement individually and in teams.This builds cooperation and excitement. Couch our comments in feelings terms. "I value your uniqueness and your contribution. You are important to me as a person, and I care about how you feel." Provide personal contact through pats on the back or a light touch of approval. Recognize their creativity and the depth of feeling they put into their work. ORANGE Outcome based short-term goals will be most effective. Focus on behavior and performance more than the finished products. Reward by freeing them to act on their own initiative Tangible rewards and competitive situations create stronger incentives. Set high expectations, which challenge their skills casing them, to know they have really earned the recognition received. Clearly identify the impact their performance has on the organization. GREEN Clear expectations and project outcomes with the latitude to figure out how to accomplish them works well. Provide sincere recognition only when warranted. This color group does not appreciate "hoopla". Assign tasks requiring designing new models or thing up new approaches. Compliments relating to his/her intelligence are the greatest source of esteem. Reinforce through the contributions their knowledge provides for completing projects. GOLD Clearly established expectations short and long- term goals, and plans for achieving them give specific measures of their performance and achievement. Tangible rewards have the greatest appeal. Provide clear, specific feedback regarding the work accomplished and its contribution to the organization. Traditions, rituals and ceremonies are meaningful. When pre-planned, they provide incentives for performance. Hierarchical structure and clearly defined roles aid Gold performance. Praise Their: Unique contributions Personal achievements Personal characteristics that are valued and meaningful Honesty and sincerity Energetic and enthusiastic manner Contributions to the performance of the group and the organization Praise Their: Cleverness Skill Quickness Spontaneity Versatility Quick and timely responses Creativity Motivational skills Praise Their: Competence Quality of work Language capabilities Independent initiative Ingenuity Analysis abilities Clear, logical explanations in precise terms Good ideas and capabilities Praise Their: Accomplishments Thoroughness and sense of responsibility Provide a "pat on the back" regularly and consistently Contributions to the growth and development of the organization and its performance traditions They Dislike: Insincerity Hypocrisy Deception They Dislike: Rigidness Authority Rules They Dislike: Incompetence Unfairness Injustice They Dislike: Non-conformity Ambiguity Waste The highest color score is your PRIMARY color, or the kind of personality that you mainly operate in. Your lowest scored color is your SHADOW color. These are the kinds of personalities that you will struggle to deal with, and understand. FIND VALUE IN EVERY PERSONALITY COLOR! Do not condemn or criticize. If you can learn to appreciate and accept people, whose primary color is your shadow color, it will strengthen your shadow color. By finding value in people with your shadow color will help create the ability to work through difficulties, and remain in community with people. Remember that no matter what color your personality is, always be content with which personality you are so, One color is not above another personality color. The hope of this test is to teach us to communicate, and gives us the ability to honor all of the colors, by bringing people together with appreciation and understanding for one another, and not separation from misunderstanding and judgment. This is the challenge that we all face. REMEMBER:We all have EVERY ONE OF THESE COLOURS IN OUR PERSONALITY. Sometimes we operate in higher degrees of other colors than our primary color, depending on fun, stress, relaxation, and sickness. Finally, I hope you had fun and learned something at the same time. Use the above chart as a quick aid when dealing with family, friends and co-workers. My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on Blue You scored higher than 99% on Gold You scored higher than 99% on Green You scored higher than 99% on Orange Link: The True Colours Personality Test written by maetrix on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test Current Mood: undecided Current Music: Dick Dale - "Misirlou" (Pulp Fiction theme) (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, September 21st, 2006
2:51 pm	Energy lag... I've been feeling pretty tired as of late, most likely still from yesterday, hauling all those barrels. Practically brimming with metal in them, my back seems okay though... Must be getting used to it. One thing I can say for it though, is that it does have a tendency to tone you up, this is a good thing of course. There was this other chap at a scrap yard we were weighing stuff in for, he must've been my age, probably slightly older, 20's or so. I could tell he was obviously new to the trade, too long to list the signs. But you work inside a circle of tradesmen for so many years and you just pick up a newbie at first sight... Anyway, he tried to move one of these barrels and failed. Miserably. Shortly afterward, I came along, put my back into it and shifted it relatively easily. Meh, what can I say... I guess that made me feel pretty good about myself. I take pride in my work, but I wouldn't go as far as saying I overestimate myself. It's been suggested to me that I become more friendly to people and I find this especially difficult, I'm not anti-social perse, I just don't interact with people I know little or nothing about. I'm a suspicious person by nature; anyone should be able to understand this. "Respect is earned" etc etc. And another thing, what's with the freaking name changes every 5 minutes with people? Why can't they stick with one name, pick one you like and keep it ffs. Confuses the hell out of me when people start talking to me on MSN and I don't know who the hell they are, I'll lock their display into e-mail address only if it continues. Me, you see, I like permanence, consistency. I don't have to add some 10 hashes or some dashes to my made up online name so it looks "pretty." But I guess some aren't satisfied with that. Current Mood: drained Current Music: A Perfect Circle - "Counting Bodies"
Wednesday, September 20th, 2006
3:53 pm	Coffee flavoured coffee The week has been progressing steadily with fair amounts of work, my navigation skills were called upon again when we went up to Wednesbury, near West Bromwich. Quite a heavy load as well, even when the throttle was opened, we were maxing out at 40-50 mph only. Funny thing really, "miles" is the only Imperial unit I still cling onto. I can see a future when they replace it with kilometres. We tried out our new GPS navigator this week, it was kind of fiddly to begin with but it had me quite impressed once it was up and running. Kind of makes my job as navigator obsolete, heh, it's lucky I'm needed to do other areas. And besides, the device wasn't full proof, it made a few routes which I judged from experience and couldn't concur with it. I downloaded this recording of an American stand-up comedian, about coffee and how impossible it is getting regular coffee these days. Lol, he couldn't be more right. Anyway, while we're on the coffee topic, ordered some coffee from McDonald's today (a restaurant which has a proven track record for making mostly lousy coffee). Along with two doughnuts. Never tried dunking them in my coffee before and let me say... it was damn nice. It's quickly becoming my favourite combination for lunch. A theme I've noticed this week is my frequent conversations with various unnamed contacts concerning; "the dynamics of relationships." It genuinely surprises me how many people are having issues this month, must be a September thing I guess. This is just not one couple in particular, several at least. But basically, they all have the same flaw in common, the ability to communicate. I just cannot stress how important this is to the durability of a relationship and I'm no expert in this area, I have no degree on this subject. It's just common sense! But as a principle, I don't like interfering in such matters, I can't help here, no counsellor can. It's something that needs to be realised by both parties, at least that's my view on it. Current Mood: tired Current Music: Judy Garland - "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, September 9th, 2006
6:39 pm	Typical... :) Firearms Expert You scored 100 Firearms ID! Let's face it, you didn't make any mistakes there. Definately the work of Special Forces! Or a gun nut... You obviously have spent time getting to know your weapons and it shows. Congrats! My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 88% on Firearms ID Link: The Firearms Identification Test written by Lozzman on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test Professional Soldier You scored 174 tactics and 175 aggression! You are what we call a Professional Soldier. You have great combat experence and are a great fighter. You are great at what you do but there is still room for improvement. You have are full of great ideas but never take the time to put them to use. You are loyal to your supperiors and will give your life to save there's, even if it's there fault. If I had a military and was recruiting I'd tell you to get more aggressive and think out side the box. And then and only then would I consider recruiting you into my military. My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 87% on tactics You scored higher than 90% on aggression Link: The what kind of soldier are you Test written by anubis77 on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test Current Mood: calm Current Music: Ensiferum - "Tale of Revenge" (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 6th, 2006
7:06 pm	Who Designed This!? It's been a pretty busy week so far, had a job heading up to Nottingham which was nice. I hear a lot of Nottingham "bashing" from where I'm from (competing states) but really, Nottingham is quite pretty. Not nearly as industrial as my city. Another interesting thing to note along the way was the road rage with other drivers, something common for a job on the road. I usually stay cold in such situations, but it felt pretty natural shouting abuse back. Something instinctual clicks inside of you and rationalization takes a back seat, feeling enraged with heat and strength. It reminds me of an incident I witnessed when I was younger, it shocked me at the time, but I look back at it with laughter now. Two motorists having an argument in the middle of busy traffic, until one of them exits the car holding a tyre iron and smashes the other couples windows in. Hahaha, the couple just froze in their seats, fucking showed them. XD The cargo we shifted wasn't a problem, except for this welded metal monster that was about 7-10m high. We weren't overloaded, but it was quite top-heavy, a nightmare on corners and paranoia on low bridges. Worst of all, we only had 3 decent ratchet straps to work with. Not too favourable at all. I'm relieved they held though, it's amazing how much force they can administer on objects to keep them secure. The only problem I have with this set up however, is the flatbed has aluminium hooks. Seriously... what sick bastard would design a truck with cast aluminium hooks!? They bend after a few pounds pressure and I ratchet stuff down pretty damn hard, as you should do. I've worked with several lorries and never had that configuration before, they really should be steel ideally. Current Mood: amused Current Music: Gundam Wing - "Rhythm Emotion" (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 30th, 2006
4:02 pm	Some Random Quizzes III "Some Random Quizzes III: Now It's Personal" HK-91 You scored 72 Predictability, 79 Tolerance, 81 Reliability, and 39 Complication! Of German Design, Heckler and Koch puts out some of the worlds best weapons ever made. You have been battle tested and proven many times over by several european nations. Your also very complicated to fully disassemble and are very finicky about what type of ammo you will use. using the wrong ammo can make you a very dangerous person, so make sure you get your facts right before launching an attack. This test tracked 4 variables. How the score compared to the other people's: Higher than 69% on Predictability Higher than 80% on Tolerance Higher than 61% on Reliability Higher than 32% on Complication Link: The What Kind of Weapon are You Test written by thirteenthcor on Ok Cupid Borg You scored 66 % Aggressivness, 93 % Technology, and 46 % Social Enlightenment! Homeworld: Unknown (their origin is somewhere in the Delta Quadrant) The Borg - the scourge of the universe. Their very name strikes fear into the hearts of species everywhere. An aggressive, ruthless species, they are single-minded in their pursuit for efficiency. The Borg believe that organic species are weak and seek to improve themselves by incorporating technology to become cyborgs. The Borg have no sense of individuality, instead having a hive mentality. As a Borg, you seek knowledge and power - you're also prepared to do whatever it takes to get these. You have no patience for frivolous things - what is the point of doing something if it isn't useful? You also don't make friends easily. This is because you are convinced your way is the right way and you're aggressive enough to enforce your beliefs on everyone else - by force if necessary. OTHER CATEGORIES Ferengi Vulcan Romulan Human Klingon Cardassian Borg Android/Hologram Like this test? Then don't forget to rate it!! Want more? How about some shameless self-promotion? I've also written other tests - check them out! You know you want to... The Trekkie Test The Do *YOU* Remember The 90's Test The Capitals of the World Test The Australian Trivia Test This test tracked 3 variables. How the score compared to the other people's: Higher than 83% on Aggressivness Higher than 95% on Technology Higher than 26% on So.Enlightenmet Link: The Which Star Trek Species R U Test written by MadameBoffin on Ok Cupid Current Music: Killswitch Engage - "Irreversal" (Comment on this)
Saturday, August 19th, 2006
1:57 am	Some More Random Quizzes The highly anticipated sequel to the blog hit: "Some Random Quizzes..." Wolverine Congratulations! You scored 97! Yikes!! You're the bad-ass Canadian, who carries the I-don't-give-a-damn attitude and is never seen outside a fight. Fighting and smashing is your life but however you are a very honourable person.And you're probably very sexy, too. You delight in annoying the hell out of jockstraps like Cyclops and stealing girlfriends. Maybe you should tone down the fighting and smashing bit, though. Not everyone's out to get you. This test tracked 1 variable. How the score compared to the other people's: Higher than 98% on xmenpoints Link: The Which X-man are YOU Test written by hippies_rule on Ok Cupid Working Man You scored 34 Geek Ratio, 27 Immaturity, and 36 Aptitude! You just use the internet for your job, and that's fine. You obviously don't use the internet for much pleasure or gaming or your geek factor would be higher. No worries though, you are a professional individual who is mature enough that you probably have non-internet friends, unlike some people in your office. This test tracked 3 variables. How the score compared to the other people's: Higher than 35% on Geek Ratio Higher than 27% on Immaturity Higher than 49% on Aptitude Link: The Internet Stereotype Test written by flashedarling on Ok Cupid Current Mood: busy Current Music: Fear Factory - "Linchpin" (Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 16th, 2006
8:16 pm	Some quiz results taken from this week... Blond Beast You scored 44% Temporality, 79% Strength, and 31% activity! You are more beast than man. You existed before morals. You only care about satisfying your desire, and once it is discharged, you move on. Luckily, you're strong enough to always be able to discharge it. Your kind can't adapt to civilization, so you die out. This test tracked 3 variables. How the score compared to the other people's: Higher than 5% on Temporality Higher than 95% on Strength Higher than 6% on activity Link: The Nietzsche Personality Test Test written by edwardevil on Ok Cupid The Jaguar Spirit You scored 58% Creativity, 28% Compassion, 75% Strength, and 64% Intelligence! You are a Jaguar Spirit. You move like a predator, and enjoy the night. You are agile and graceful, and have amazing night vision. You tend to be solitary, but sometimes get along with one or two others. Jaguars are very wild spirits with strong wills. Don't forget my two other spiritual tests: Sitakaliism Test Paganism Test, my political test: The Fruity Commie Pinko Liberal Test, and my Biology Test This test tracked 4 variables. How the score compared to the other people's: Higher than 18% on Creativity Higher than 0% on Compassion Higher than 99% on Strength Higher than 76% on Intelligence Link: The Spirit Animal Test written by sitakali on Ok Cupid Current Mood: numb Current Music: Sonata Arctica - "Wolf and Raven" (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 15th, 2006
4:01 pm	Pressing Issues: "McFlurry Stardardization" It has come to my attention that McDonald's McFlurrys (see pic above) have no standardization when it comes down to quantity of ice cream. Basically, the amount of ice cream you receive is relative to each branch you purchase it from. Whilst this may not appear to be of any significant inconvinience, it is irritating nonetheless. Consumers have the right to know what and how much they're getting for their money. Okay, probably not end of the world or anything, I am however irritated by the fact even big corporate businesses will try anything to rip you off a little bit here and a little bit there. To be honest, I don't even eat this stuff, it's my Father that pointed this out and now I can see what he means; some places they fill the container up right to the top (as it should be, I thank those 0 star cadets!) and some places fill them just above half if you're lucky... That sucks, the filling process should be automated so I wouldn't have to rant about this. So, next time you're at Macky D's. Give it some thought when you order this, compare it to the image that THEY advertise. That is all, good hunting. ;) Current Mood: annoyed Current Music: DevilDriver - "I Could Care Less" (Comment on this)
Monday, August 14th, 2006
3:29 pm	Hot Stuff Today was fairly productive, large amounts of brass (alloy), cast aluminium and copper were "cleaned off." A term we use in the scrap trade frequently, basically the process of seperating the metals from other metals, this is usually steel or iron. Obviously, this is less valuable but is still stock piled, in the right grade and quantity, it can fetch some profit. I guess the highlight of the day was using the Oxy Acetylene cutting torch, I always enjoy using it. Something about having 3300C at your disposal, for you knowledgeable types out there, you will no doubt know that steel will melt at 1500C. So it's safe to say that the cutting torch can cut through anything in my yard. (note: this is not me photographed, just images for reference for people who have NEVER seen a cutting torch before... Though I don't know how you can live with yourself if you haven't.) Other than that, I came away with a gas welding torch and two standard cutting torches. Not that I'll need them anytime soon, but it's comforting to know that I have such advanced equipment at my fingertips. (yeap, reference) Current Mood: satisfied Current Music: HammerFall - "The Dragon Lies Bleeding" (Comment on this)