Go here, read this

A few weeks ago I linked to The WormWorld Saga (an online comic, being published one chapter at a time). I did so as a link, which meant a lot of people didn't go see it (I mention this, because at least three people I've talked to about comics since have said "What's that then?".). So I'm linking again, this time including some prettiness to tempt you in:



So now you can click here and then choose what language you want to read it in.

Something I largely approve of

750,000 more people are about to pay the higher rate of tax, because the limit has dropped from £37k to £35k*.

Meanwhile, 500,000 low-income people are about to stop paying tax altogether, with the bottom limit changed from £6.5k to £7.5k.

The IFS estimates that the richest 10% of people will lose 3% of their net income from April 6, compared with a 1% loss for the population as a whole.

Those with the highest incomes have already been hit by the new 50% tax rate for people earning more than £150,000 and the loss of the personal tax allowance for those on more than £100,000.

* That's not including the tax-free allowance, but it still drops more people into paying higher-rate tax.

Interesting Links for 31-1-2011

• God Is In The TV interview the ever fabulous Hannah Werdmuller
  (tags: HannahWerdmuller music interview)
• 750,000 more people 'to pay higher rate of tax' (and 500,000 to stop paying income tax at all)
  (tags: tax uk)
• MAXO signals - a solution to the Fermi Paradox by Charlie Stross
  (tags: charlesstross writing scifi)
• Battlestar Choclactica. This is why the Cylons were chasing it. They were desperate for chocolate.
  (tags: battlestar bsg chocolate)
• Note: If you are impressed by a female science blogger do not convey this by telling her her tits are gorgeous...
  (tags: gender science sexism blogging feminism)
• This Is Your Artistic Brain on Drugs
  (tags: art drugs)
• Why one wife now chooses to shop alone
  (tags: shopping funny)
• Tiny Adorable Animals That Will Make You Squee
  (tags: cute animals)
• Myths RETOLD: A VERITABLE SMORGASBORD OF MYTHOLOGY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND AWESOME!
  (tags: mythology funny)
• Juden raus (Jews Out!) a boardgame from 1930s Germany.
  (tags: germany boardgames Jews)
• Ignosticism. I keep encountering this, and then forgetting about it. Which is a shame, as it's a very useful position.
  (tags: ignosticism religion knowledge)
• Ayn Rand Received Social Security, Medicare
  (tags: aynrand objectivism politics funny)

The Modern Way

Myths

I think that what keeps pulling me back to Better Myths is that it feels somehow authentic. It feels like you're being told a story by a person. It harks back to the days of storytellers doing their best to entertain people - and not doing so in highly polished language, but in the language of ordinary people.

So, the writing is, to put it mildly, bad. It's not the voice of a seasoned bard, it's the voice of an excitable teenager, who's heard the stories enough to remember what happens in them, and is desperate to pass on the awesomeness to his friends. It's campfire storytelling. And that gives it a human kind of energy that I can really appreciate. Also, they're funny.

For example: The death of Baldur, and its aftermath, and raganarok.

I have the most awesome friends list

sunshee posted a bunch of their pictures. Their post is flocked, but thankfully they've also got a lot of them on their blog, and some of them are pretty awesome.

My favourites are probably these two:




You can see more over on blogspot.

Aaaaalmost there, aaaaalmost there.

As you may recall, the joiner told us last week that we should get a builder in to brick up the fireplace, and put in a vent. The builder was awesome, charging us £100 to do the job _and_ coming round on Saturday to do it (he brought his seven-year-old kid with him, who carried stuff around and was very well behaved and shy).

This evening (and half of this afternoon) has thus been spent moving everything that was in the living room into the study, so that the joiner can lay the flooring. We have a _lot_ of stuff. But thankfully it all fits, just about. Of course, it was only two months ago that we moved everything out of the study into the living room, so that the flooring could be taken up in _there_.

Anyway. Tomorrow. Finally.

I'm not holding my breath, of course. _Something_ is bound to go wrong.