heee, heee... I know I would be addicted to computer games if I started playing them - that god of war one sounds pretty good, I like that kind of fantasy children's entartainment - so I don't even go there! Heaven help me f I meet a bloke who's into them, then I will probably never get any work done. Maybe in my retirement I'll become a thumb pusher. My friend's husband is a sound designer for a games company and is absolutely OBSESSED, he regularly has 24 hour sessions with his mates - and, amazingly, he gets to interview Daniel Craig and Judy Dench for the new Bond game; how thrilling!!!!!!!! And he met Time Burton whhhhhaaaaawwwwwooooooooooooo my friend thought she might get to have lunch with him and was having kittens for weeks, but it didn't come off.


Oh dear I'm rambling and I have a form to fill in -it's the form from planet major big deal, for a permanent post at one of my teaching places, so a once in a decade chance etc etc. It's practically an MA in itself.

hhmmm yeah, probably, although I don't know too much about computer games past Sonic the Hedgehog so I wouldn't pick up on that. I liked the whole snakiness body thing - I recently saw a film with Uma Thurman as a more human Medusa so the snake thing made a nice change. The below par 3d set up made it hard for me to really get details of things too.

I really felt for medusa in this one after hearing her story- she was given the snake hair because she was raped and then all the company she gets is people trying to chop her head off... Tarantino aught to make medusa's revenge! Or is that Kill Bill anyhow?

======= Date Modified 27 Apr 2010 09:44:27 =======
I thought the effects were great for medusa, but that they were a bit mean calling her a b**** given her back story. What did you think?

Congratulations Rick, that's great news, must be a wonderful thing to feel proud of it, in all it's completed glory, after all this time 8-)

Hey everybody, thank you so much for your support. I went to the event, was really stressed about it, but all went ok in the end, I just got a nervous half smile from my niece when I turned and caught her staring at me through a window. A few friends came with me and were lovely. I'm really glad I went, I can never be accused of missing it, and will never feel I missed out.

Thank you again cyber friends XX

I saw Clash of the Titans, yeah, I enjoyed it, it was fun, although I could only get to see it in 3d and the effects are not great so I think 2d wouldhave been better.

My favourite line from the film: 'There's a demi-god in Argos'; well, if I were a demi-god I wouldn't be shopping in Argos.

======= Date Modified 26 Apr 2010 20:59:32 =======
Hi Super here's the wicki on it

The name Marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. The legend states that he was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon (in which he had just fought),[4] which took place in August or September, 490 BC.[5] It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming "?e?????aµe?" (Nenikékamen, 'We have won.') before collapsing and dying.[6] The account of the run from Marathon to Athens first appears in Plutarch's On the Glory of Athens in the 1st century AD which quotes from Heraclides Ponticus's lost work, giving the runner's name as either Thersipus of Erchius or Eucles.[7] Lucian of Samosata (2nd century AD) also gives the story but names the runner Philippides (not Pheidippides).[8]

There is debate about the historical accuracy of this legend.[1][9] The Greek historian Herodotus, the main source for the Greco-Persian Wars, mentions Pheidippides as the messenger who ran from Athens to Sparta asking for help, and then ran back, a distance of over 240 kilometres (150 mi)[10] each way.[11] In some Herodotus manuscripts the name of the runner between Athens and Sparta is given as Philippides. Herodotus makes no mention of a messenger sent from Marathon to Athens, and relates that the main part of the Athenian army, having already fought and won the grueling battle, and fearing a naval raid by the Persian fleet against an undefended Athens, marched quickly back from the battle to Athens, arriving the same day.

In 1876, Robert Browning wrote the poem "Pheidippides". Browning's poem, his composite story, became part of late-19th century popular culture and was accepted as a historic legend.[citation needed]


It's all the research I have time for, I'm afraid...

Well, my joints specialist says marathon running is a complete disaster for the joints of any human being. Plus, doesn't the whole marathon running thing stem from somebody running to max capacity and then dropping down dead of exhaustion at 26.2 miles? We may be better at endurance than other species, but that won't change the damage to your knees etc.

My marathon running mate has pemranently damaged feet too, due to running, she's done three. They are all squashed out and painful.

WEEEHHHHAYYYYYYEEEEE you made it into the dodgy, but telling, world of google scholar. WELL DONE, you've arrived (up)

======= Date Modified 25 Apr 2010 22:50:37 =======
Hi Dispatcher, I think the while marathon running for charity thing is a bit of a waste of time, knee joints and NHS resources. I have a friend who keeps doing it, and we, in my circle are suffering from dreadful charity fatigue, especially as great chunks of the money we've raised go on expenses such as hotel and travel expenses. I also think this craze for marathon running is probably storing up problems for the NHS, we are not built to do this kind of extended intense activity, and it will crucify your knees and feet. That's my twupenth worth anyhow! Good luck, I'll watch the programme, thanks.

======= Date Modified 21 Apr 2010 11:09:14 =======
Hi Tony, I can see why you think racism could be at play here. However, you may take heart in knowing that we get many, many PhD applicants on here who have had similarly vague and confusing responses and experiences, it seems to be a pretty common way of dealing with unsuccessful applicants, so what you have experienced may just be regular academic twaddliness. Although it does seem very odd that one place asked for you passport before interview, I've never heard of that, but maybe others have.

Whatever their reasons are for not choosing you, keep going, keep pushing and you will get there, that's the most important thing with a PhD and academia anyhow: endurance and blind, determined, grit. If you are in the sciences, there are more studentships available, so perhaps you could get anothother academic to look over your application and give you some advice on how to imporve it.


I am a part-time PhD student and I teach, full-time equivalent hours, during term time, and it is hard to fit the PhD in, but I do it, because I love my research and I want the PhD and publications. So you can do it part-time, it just takes grim determination, but then so does PhDing full-time - according to posts on here, the isolation can be demoralising.


Oh and also: As has been discussed recently on this forum, these posts are often allocated before they are even advertised, to a favourite student alrerady know tot he supervisor. I've seen it happen in my teaching departments, and with various posts I've rubbish excuses could be down to having no better reason than that they already have someone. I second the suggestion to get in touch with academics you already know, particularly ones you who you know like you, for this reason.

Sounds like a fabulous trip Jepson. Glad you made it, there's dedication for you...

Hey Dan, I regularly get grumpy about all of those things, apart from the last one, because it's usually me doing the texting... tho I am well, well over 30.

The fantastic Mr. Fox is amazing! My favourite of recent times.

My family were really into folk when I was a kid, my mum won the song competition at the Whitby folk festival, and I can still remember going for a meal, all excited, afterwards. I had steak diane and my sis had maryland chicken.

I also used to do clog dancing, I had my own clogs made: red lancashire duck toes.