In defence of black and white

At a recent (highly informal) social gathering, I decided to take some snaps, as is often done at such events. On more of a spur-of-the-moment decision than anything, I switched my phone camera to black and white and proceeded to take photos in this fashion throughout the evening.
Apparently in doing this, I broke some kind of unspoken social taboo, as when I showed the photos around, their monochrome nature evoked confusion, derision, and even what appeared to be mild anger in one case. The general consensus seemed to be: Why on earth would you take pictures in black and white when it's been possible for years to take them in colour?
If you're reading this and you don't know me, you'd be forgiven for thinking I'm just an overly pretentious twat who chose trusty b/w in order to show with crystal clarity the horrors of social degradation, or something. So I'll make it clear right now that's not the case. In any case, making such observations are tricky when you're... Well, you get my drift. Anyway, as mentioned earlier, the colour drain was a decision made in a matter of seconds, based on several thoughts.
One: Sad as it sounds, I like to use all the various "effects" on my sprauncy phone every now and again. I thought I'd give black and white a shot.
Two: Colour is useful for showing up something particularly colourful, but since we would be indoors all evening, I couldn't think of anything that would actually necessitate the use o' colour. Unless, I don't know, I wanted to show up the redness of someone's cheeks while screaming along to Chili Peppers. Exactly.
Three: More geekiness. I like the way shadows and contrast show up in black and white. It can turn an average snap into something really quite pretty.
Finally, four: Just because we can take photos in colour, doesn't mean we have to. Plenty of people still dig out old game consoles (I would, if I still had them) for a quick retro blast. There are those who still favour a vinyl LP over CDs, and there's something very nice about receiving a handwritten letter through the post (having said that, I do love e-mailing, and pretty much everything Internet-related). I don't believe in giving up old technology just because something shinier comes along (again, having said that, I'm a sucker for all kinds of new-fangled gadgetry... I'm really not so good at putting forward an argument).
There, rant over. Hey, that felt good...

Quality, not quantity

I've just had an epiphany. From now on my posts will be shorter, and more concise. Good idea, wouldn't you say?

What the FuXX0r3d?

You may or may not be familiar with the curious Internet phenomenon known as "leet speak" (or 1337, as it is commonly heard/read). If you're not, let me fill you in. If you've ever played Counter-Strike, Battlefield 2, or a similar online game, or indeed if you've ever interacted with anyone online, then you've likely encountered it. It's the made-up language that allows us to spout such inane terms as "w00t i pwned u n00b lolololoooool", (usually in anger) "HAXX0RR", and "l58fdhjd5gj5" (that last one's made up, but it comes pretty close to some of the stuff you see). Like text-speak, it's a curious sub-language that exists only because of very modern technology. Unlike text-speak, it is utterly pointless. Yes, there are certain terms that exist (e.g. "ul" = "unlucky" - though that's a benevolence rarely seen in online battlefields) so that a player can get the message across quickly without running the risk of being shot/blown up/arcane missiled. On the other hand, most of what constitutes leet (short for "elite", if you were wondering) speak seems to be a pointless combination of letters and numbers that surely takes more time to type, as well as being downright nonsensical? Having said all this, I have been known to type such phrases as "w00t" (meaning: "I am pleased by what is currently occurring.") while hiding behind rusty barrels or other such physics-enabled scenery. I even use it in real conversation sometimes (before you yell "HYPOCRITE!" and/or shake your head with barely-concealed pity, it's purely for comedic purposes).
NB: It should be noted that this is not a topic I've researched extensively. It's all just stuff I've pulled out of my own experiences. So, if my argument is full of holes, or if it's not in fact an argument at all, but rather a random mish-mash of semi-angry rants and facts, you'll know why.
I started playing World of Warcraft again a couple of weeks ago, after being on hiatus since Xmas. Arguably it would have been wiser for me to just stay away, much like you would advise a man who has, by some miracle, staved off heroin addiction for two months, to stay away from the stuff. OK, so it's not that addictive, but it has a habit of sucking up free time and making you forget about all those other, uncompleted games you have. Anyway, I started again to help me stop thinking about the imminent release of Oblivion, though it's really not imminent enough, if you ask me.
So... not much else happening really. I think my three months-long Strokes overload has finally come to an end, and I've come out on the other side (see what I did there?) thinking they may just be my favourite band. Oh, and Room On Fire is their best album, all you ROF-haters!
Bought Serenity on DVD a couple of weeks ago. Great film, made even better now I've seen Firefly, the TV series. Oh, and speaking of TV, it randomly came to me the other day that it's going to rock this summer. We have...
Big Brother 7
Lost Season Two
Germany 2006
w00t, you might say.

Well, we're off to a good start...

For some strange reason I'm unable to copy over my posts from my MSN Space. So I'm afraid if, for whatever reason, you want to read my earlier ramblings, you'll have to hop over to http://spaces.msn.com/elliotmc/

Anyway, whoever you are and whatever you're doing here, I guess I'd better introduce myself. Actually no, fuck that. Chances are if you're reading this you know who I am already, and if you are just some random person wandering in with a bemused look on your face, well, I doubt you really want my details, do you?* If you've followed the directions from my MSN Space then you know the drill. I write about various things, mostly music, films and games, in a vague hope that I come across as at somewhat entertaining, and that this "practice" may one day aid me in my ascent to superstar journalism (Not bloody likely).
Anyway, enjoy!


*Sorry, did that come across as a bit harsh? You're all very welcome, whoever you might be.