Automated Attack Monkeys, Scalpel Mines, & Acid

Solo Blog: Disturbing the Universe by Dave Clements. A heady mixture of scifi and actual science. Fun and interesting.

Group Blog: Geek Feminism. A nice mix of articles and a regular (not quite as regular as mine) linkspam.

Twitterer: West Yorkshire Police Dog Unit. A nice mix of safety advice, wit, and pictures of cute doggies.

Podcast: Sherlock Holmes Adventures. Interesting old radio shows from the previous century with Nigel Bruce, now in podcast form. Some Doyle originals and some "new" adventures. And adverts for KREML HAIR TONIC. THAT'S K-R-E-M-L.

Pinterest Board: Icons by Kiddý Ámundadóttir. Kiddy has broad-ranging tastes, but the pictures she posts to this board are always interesting whether you're a fan of the person or not.

Radio Show: Earthsearch. Classic radio scifi which you can just catch on iPlayer if you're quick. Lots of fun.

TV series: Elementary. Beats the shit out of Sherlock. Sorry Moffat/Gatiss, but it does. Lucy Liu's Watson is bloody awesome.

Today I am adding in TV and radio - I'm going to try and steer clear of the prime time mainstream stuff, though, and point you towards interesting things that you might have missed. Also, I'll try to link to internet sources (iPlayer for the BBC, for example) where you can obtain the content if you missed it on broadcast. Anyway, on with the motley:

Solo Blog: Thagomiser by Debi Linton - if you like me, and you like my views on pop culture, but would like to read someone who covers things other than Doctor Who, then Debi is the girl for you. I am particularly enjoying her current series entitled "Debi watches Arrow so you don't have to".

Group Blog: Dogshaming - Hilarious photos of dogs who have done things deemed to be naughty. Cats? Who needs cats?

Twitterer: Very British Problems. Amusing glance at how we British make ourselves suffer out of misplaced regard for politeness and not bothering anybody.

Podcast: Nerdflix, not to be confused with NerdFlix or Nerd Flix or many other similarly-named podcasts, is a podcast in which the hosts and occasionally their guests talk over sacred cows of the scifi/horror/etc. genres. Becca and Tony are very knowledgable, and I particularly liked their episode on Quatermas and the Pit, HOWEVER I am reccing it for shameless self-promotion purposes. If you like me you should download the episode which should be appearing this week in which I fight with the other guest Glenn about pretty much all aspects of the Five Doctors. And bear in mind this is me trying to be civil. Because it's a podcast, you can't see the number of times I mouthed "that's bollocks!" ;)
* shamelessly ramping up the controversy for clicks *
* but not as shamelessly as some coughcoughBurchillcough *

Pinterest Board: Anne De Campo's Doctor Who board. Stuff from here often gets repinned by other people because Anne is good at selecting interesting stuff.

Radio Show: Call Clegg. If you're a masochist, or a Lib Dem, or just like shouting at the radio, Call Clegg is a fun way to spend half an hour on a Thursday morning. Myself, I found myself shouting at the presenter more than Clegg ("stop interrupting! That's a straw man! Christ you're annoying!") but YMMV. Count Packula has a helpful guide to how to listen if you're outside of London.

TV series: Father Brown, which is on weekday afternoons, even though it looks as though it was made for a prime time Sunday slot (which is where they normally put the premium versions of what Waterstone's call "cosy crime" - weekday afternoon is normally reruns of Diagnosis Murder and Murder She Wrote) is actually really well made and acted. The victim with his head stoved in in the first episode has make-up that would make Phil Leakey or Roy Ashton proud. Arthur Weasley is grand as the titular Father Brown, but the stars for me are Kasia Koleczek and Sorcha Cusack as Father Brown's battling parish staff.

Solo Blog: Peter Black, a Lib Dem Welsh assembly member. Peter is a great Lib Dem news aggregator, with a slant towards Wales and away from the Westminster Bubble, which can only be a good thing IMHO.

Group Blog: Classic Who Facts, all of which are totally true and not made up at all.

Twitterer: @historyweird - hilarious historical facts/news stories.

Podcast: Clarkesworld - science fiction, fantasy and horror stories three times a month. The host has a voice that doesn't grate on my ears, and the diverse mix of authors they feature is fantastic, lots of women and PoC.

Pinterest Board: Doctor Who - Daleks by Kat Ann. I want a Christmas Tree Dalek so bad now.

Here are my recommendations for stuff on t'internet you should check out:

• Solo Blogger - For those about to Rock - A tumblr dedicated to all things metal (and occasional silly jokes). A bit Kiss-heavy for my tastes, but I love all the old photos of Motley Crue in their days of most ridiculousness.


• Group Blog - scans_daily - a source of news and comment about comics which is refreshingly free of all the het-white-male-privilege-bullshit that normally infests mainstream comicsy sites..


• Twitterer - The Fantastic Films Weekend official twitter feed - this is where I shall be this weekend.


• Pinterest Board - Icons by Kiddý Ámundadóttir - Kiddy is a person I came across pretty randomly, and she has such broad yet refined taste. Her Icons board covers film, music, and other stars, and generally the pictures she posts of them are very well chosen.


• Google Plusser - Saturn - all the other planets and planetoids are worth following too, but I have to follow Saturn for Holly ;).


• Other - Argyle and Bute Council - who are today learning about The Streisand Effect after banning a nine year old from blogging about her school dinners. A NINE YEAR OLD, people. Go and tell the authoritarian arseholes what you think of them stamping down on a child with the full might of bureaucracy.

Right, and now I really must away to bradford. I have a film festival to go to! Tata!

Apologies for slight radio silence at the moment - just as I get more hours at the Lib Dem call centre, so I get extra hours at the pub (again). Work totals about 50 hours a week at the mo. On the one hand, YAY MONEY! On the other, boooo tired... Anyway, here are my recommendations for stuff on t'internet you should check out:

• Solo Blogger - McGillianaire - An eclectic mix of sport and culture from a guy who is about as multicultural as anyone I know.


• Group Blog - Full Fact (syndicated to DW as fullfact_feed) - Fascinating indepth fact-checking of claims made in the media and/or by politicians.


• Twitterer - Andy Emmerson - witty and proflific Lib Dem twitterer. Often sweary, always opinionated, always entertaining.


• Pinterest Board - Sci-Fi by George Takei - most of George's boards are worth following, but this one and Epic are the best.


• Google Plusser - Science Museum - lots of interesting stuff here.


• Other - Women Write About Comics Carnival's Quick Hit Special - write something on the topic this Saturday and get included in the carnival!

Here are my recommendations for stuff on t'internet you should check out:

• Solo Blogger - Colin Baker (syndicated to DW as colinbaker_opinion_feed). Yes, yes, I know, I'm biased. Also available on twitter as @SawbonesHex.


• Group Blog - Who Daily (syndicated to DW as who_daily_feed) - a comprehensive daily list of pretty much all of the Doctor Who related activity on the internet.


• Twitterer - FEMINIST HULK, who doesn't post as often as he used to, due to the arrival of HULK BABY, but each tweet is still either entertaining or enlightening or both.


• Pinterest Board - James Brough's Cinema Board, which features a growing collection of James's favourite film posters, most of which are not going to be the ones you see outside the local multiplex.


• Google Plusser - Robert Llewellyn, a heady mix of Krytie and liberal/green politics


• Other - OK Comics - my favourite, fairly local, comic shop.