Category Archives: Comics

Treasure Islands

Happy RLS Day! Robert Louis Stevenson is 168 today.

Hoping flattery will get me everywhere
Don’t worry, Bob. You don’t look a day over 43.

He really doesn’t though, does he? Look at the light in those wee eyes! To look at him, you wouldn’t believe that he would be dead by the end of the next year.

[For more personal and whimsical reflections, check out the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.] Continue reading Treasure Islands

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The Spectre

I’m starting to think in more detail about what I’m going to do for Death Awareness Week this year.

Man, I have *got* to fix my post-1981 Disney blind spot
Everyone’s at it, you know.

I was originally turned on to Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief‘s work when Mrs Stroke Bloke and I attended a Death Café back in 2013.

[Pass the minutes before death below. And if you’re still waiting,
check out the apoplexy newsletter.
]

Continue reading The Spectre

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Doctor! Doctor!

A couple of days ago, a teacher from London won $1MM as the world’s best teacher in the Global Teacher Prize.

Algernon, apparently
In my day, Teacher didn’t even have a name!

Yeah, pay attention. You might just learn something. Today’s lesson: the arts and the art of surgery…

[For extra credit, check out the Apoplexy Newsletter.] Continue reading Doctor! Doctor!

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Waiting For Gadot

Adam West – the TV Batman – died this week. As a wee boy, I loved Batman, and Adam West’s Batman and his awesome Batmobile and his colourful cast of supporting characters was a huge part of that.

Still annoyed the BBC interrupted the showing of that movie to announce the end of the Falklands War
I mean, how cool is that?!

Pretty cool. But my love for the Batman character has waned in recent years.

There’s more cool stuff in the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.
And thoughts on the new Wonder Woman movie below…

Continue reading Waiting For Gadot

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Ghost in the Shell

OK. Two weeks ago was #stroke news. Last week was music. That must mean that this week, it’s… SCI-FI!!!

But let’s not be too predictable. I’m not going to bang on too much about last weekend’s Doctor Who. Although Smile was a good little episode. Thought-provoking. In fact, as I think about it again, I reckon that it might have been more satisfying that this week’s bigger, sexier, sci-fi outing.

I'm wearing a hoodie right now, Sexy
“But middle-aged Scottish men are sexier than Scarlett Johansson!” (FACT)

[For even more satisfaction, check out the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.] Continue reading Ghost in the Shell

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The Broons

This might be a post for any non-Scottish readers who’ve ever wondered what the chuff I’m on about when I talk about Paw Broon.

The Broons, y’see, are Scotland’s Favourite Family. But then, you knew that already.

Scotland's second favourite family
Oh. We thought you meant…. Never mind.

Last Thursday, I went to the Perth Concert Hall to watch a new play, The Broons: Maggie’s Wedding, for a review for The Edinburgh ReporterContinue reading The Broons

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2016 AD – Welcome to the Future

Each year, The Fabulous Beth reaches five time zones across the ocean on Hogmanay to wish folks a Happy New Year from the future. You’re all here in the future now, right?

Wait, haven’t I been to 2000 before? (cover artist, Ian Kennedy)

Well, welcome. Come on in. Have a cigar. Or don’t. There are resolutions to think of. Or not. Continue reading 2016 AD – Welcome to the Future

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Lovelace

In the wake of last week’s post about Post-Capitalism and cyberpunk (and sure, strokes) BBC Radio 4 embarked on its Digital Week. It seemed Britain’s talk station was forever teetering on the edge of a discussion about what the next generation of roboticisation would mean for us humans. But they never quite got there while I was listening. A bit like today’s news stories.

AH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!

A good job, too. Because I don’t know about you, Dear Reader, but I’m not up to another socio-economic post today. However, Digital Week did throw up some gems….

[As always, you can catch the lighter flip-side of apoplectic.me in the apoplexy Tiny Letter here.]

Continue reading Lovelace

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The Golden Lasso of Truth

If the Edinburgh International Festival starts in four days, then it must be the beginning of August. It’s even a nice day in Auld Reekie, as if the weather is any guide to what day time of year it is around here.

Oh, it’s sprummtumner!

And if it’s the beginning of August, we must be approaching the third anniversary of The Event – as suggested by last week’s post. I which case, it must also be time that my mindfulness practice, in its largest sense, calls for a check-in.

[What else has been going on? Check out the Apoplexy Tiny Letter to find out!]

Continue reading The Golden Lasso of Truth

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Stroke Bloke – Year Three

The band of which I’m a member, Nerd Bait, has been working on its latest big-banding, Scottish-rapping, disco-jiving long-form concept single. For ease of use, let’s refer to it by the codename I’ve just made up, Aquaman – The Musical.

Hey! That’s *not* what I wrote! (Monica Ras for the A.V. Club’s Loser Superhero Week)

Actually, Aquaman only came to mind in this relation a few minutes ago. But  Nerd Bait’s Prof Paul also sent along some comic-related material as we were discussing the new material. Quite unrelated to the stuff we were writing, you understand. But he had identified a certain apoplectic flavour. Probably partly because of the level of apoplexy evident in Batman is a Corny Dingus. And maybe also because comics are one of the many areas of popular culture in which I regularly display the butterfly-worthy shallowness of my interests on the blog.

[Yeah, like a Tiny Letter distribution – get more whimsy here!] Continue reading Stroke Bloke – Year Three

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