Have a Scooby-Doo

October 5, 2015Economics, Politics, Science, StrokeHerbie, nitrogen oxides, Volkswagenricky

Over the past couple of weeks, life in Edinburgh has moved along at its usual break-neck (for a stroke survivor) pace. But the news cycle hasn’t stopped. In rUK, they’re in the midst of the party conference season.

I mentioned it, but I think I got away with it! — Don’t mention Godwin’s Law!

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Manchester look so nice! The wee fella in the picture above gets a look-in because, in 1933, he ordered a project that would produce a basic vehicle capable of transporting two adults and three children at 100 km/h. And this led to the creation of Volkswagen, which has been featuring in stroke news while I’ve been busy. Although you might not know it, cos no one’s suggested VW has been trying to give you a stroke, right? Continue reading Have a Scooby-Doo →

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Reflektor Reduks

September 28, 2015Art, Brooklyn, Death, Edinburgh, Movies, Pop MusicArcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, Orpheus and Eurydice, The Reflektor Tapesricky

[Long-Suffering Girlfriend of the Blog Beth and I went to see Kahlil Joseph and Arcade Fire’s The Reflektor Tapes this past weekend. So, today seemed like a good day to repost some reflektions on the album Reflektor and… other stuff.]

And it just got spacier from there — Weirdly, the entire movie theatre lobby was an Italian restaurant

One of the many rubbish things about having a massive haemorrhagic stroke is that the ever-present factor of fatigue, and the whole brain lesions thing, militate against a quick return to the traditional, full-time workforce. Continue reading Reflektor Reduks →

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Lovelace

September 21, 2015Comics, Death, Poetry, Science, UncategorizedAda Lovelace, George Eliot, Jane Austen, Lord Byronricky

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.

A good day to bury this one — 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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Post-Capitalism

September 14, 2015Economics, Podcasts, StrokeAberdeen FC, Cyberpunk, Paul Mason, Post-capitalismricky

It’s my birthday this week. I’m too old to take birthdays too seriously these days, but there is a certain frisson added to the event by the memory of my new age taking so long to bed in, in 2012. Because of the brain attack suffered two weeks later, y’see?

Nine, to be exact. — Aberdeen 2-1 Celtic this week? Now that makes me feel young.

Continue reading Post-Capitalism →

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Nerd Bait GHV6 – Update

September 9, 2015Birds Fate, Composed Music, Nerd Bait, Pop Music, StrokeBandcamp, GHV6, Nerd Baitricky

Nerd Bait’s Wurdz Boi writes:

Nerd Bait’s appointed-against-his-will marketing svengali and master of low-light photography @chrisdonia suggested that the band get hip to the kids and put Greatest Hits, Vol.6 – featuring stroke-themed mini-musical The Treacherous Brain – up on Bandcamp.

<a href="http://nerdbait.bandcamp.com/album/greatest-hits-volume-6">Greatest Hits, Volume 6 by Nerd Bait</a>

So just like Radiohead, we posted our album with a “name your price” option starting at £0.00. You get high-quality downloads in MP3, FLAC, and more, as well as unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app. We get to be rich. Like Radiohead. Rich, I tells ya!

"All the peanut butter, bacon, and jelly sandwiches you can eat, son." — Nerd Bait’s Wurdz Boi signs the band’s publishing deal.

Well, we get to share our stuff with you in a convenient and free fashion, and we’re very happy about that.

We hope you’ll take advantage of us it.

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Monofinism

September 7, 2015Books, Composed Music, Nerd Bait, Pop MusicEdinburgh International Book Festival, Free downloads, Illicit Ink, Jura Unbound, Nerd Baitricky

This post is being simulposted at nerdbaitband.com. If you’ve not been there before – and even if you have – I’d ask you to read it there. There’s stacks of stuff to explore that isn’t here at apoplectic.me.

As intimated last week, the Festival really is over. So this week, rather than sitting shiva in Edinburgh, Beth and I are paying a quick visit to the U.S. This means that for the first time in some time I’m blogging at 35,000 feet, while I continue to reminisce about all fun I had during August.

Sian sez "LIVE FOR THE NOIZE!!!" — Stroke Bloke having fun. During August. (Photo credits: Chris Scott, @chrisdonia)

Continue reading Monofinism →

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Festival Judgement Day: Genisys

August 31, 2015Books, Dr. Who, Edinburgh, Nerd BaitCaroline Criado-Perez, EIBF, Rob Shearmanricky

As I noted last week, you can measure out an Edinburgh life in festivals if you’re so inclined. And the 2015 Festival, and Fringe, and Book Festival all come to a close today, in a blaze of sunshine (as of 10:13 am BST).

Wait. This is stamped 2013?! — Edinburgh after the Skynet Judgment Day

[As apoplectic.me returns to its usual programming, please sign up for the Apoplexy Tiny Letter.] Continue reading Festival Judgement Day: Genisys →

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Heigh Ho!

August 24, 2015Edinburgh, Healthcare, Nerd Bait, Politics, StrokeAmazon, economics, journalism, Strokericky

Back in January, I wrote briefly of Moritz Erhardt. He’s rarely far from my mind, if I’m honest.

Moritz was a 21-year-old intern at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in London who, ten-and-a-half months after my haemorrhagic stroke, died after working three nights in a row. Early each morning, he would pop home for a quick shower while his taxi waited outside, before returning to the office. As a news report at the time wrote, “this procedure is so commonplace that it has a name: the magic roundabout.”

But let’s ruin a different childhood memory this time….

Just call me Grumpy. Or Strokey — What are you looking so happy about, you silly sods?

[Want a beautiful memory? Check out Nerd Bait‘s retelling of The Tale of The Little Mermaid with a bunch of talented people in attendance at Illicit Ink‘s Happily Never After as part of the Jura Unbound strand at the Edinburgh International Book Festival tomorrow.]

Continue reading Heigh Ho! →

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Gerontocracy

August 17, 2015Books, Healthcare, Politics, ScienceAgeing, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Scottish Parliamentary Electionsricky

J. Alfred Prufrock may have measured out his life in coffee spoons, but here in Edinburgh we use a different unit.

Holding out for a Wee Mermannie — “Sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown” (Image by Lucky-Cricket-33)

Incredibly, we’re already over a week into the 2015 Festival. This year Beth and I are centring our participation mostly around the book festival.

[For more of Ricky’s thoughts on this year’s Festival,
you can subscribe to the Apoplexy Tiny Letter here.] Continue reading Gerontocracy →

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Gone Fishin’

August 10, 2015Blog News, Nerd Baitricky

A quick flick through my Penguin Dictionary of Modern Humorous Quotations reveals that no one has ever said anything funning about fishing.

What, I'm a clown? I'm supposed to make you laugh? — “That’s true!”

So, I’ve not gone fishing, but apoplectic.me is taking the week off – things are busy around here. In the meantime, why not check out Nerd Bait’s site in preparation for the première of their new short-form concept album, The Tail of The Wee Mermannie, at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on 25th August?

Alternatively, please take a minute sign up for the weekly Apoplexy Tiny Letter.

apoplectic.me will be back on 17th August. Till then, have a great week!

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Apoplectic Me

the scribblings of a bloke who had a stroke…

Have a Scooby-Doo

Reflektor Reduks

Lovelace

Post-Capitalism

Nerd Bait GHV6 – Update

Monofinism

Festival Judgement Day: Genisys

Heigh Ho!

Gerontocracy

Gone Fishin’