tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26918613908333813702009-11-25T21:55:56.248+01:00BlogthorneThomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-9591768172713457862008-07-03T02:04:00.000+01:002008-07-03T02:05:06.840+01:00Uke It!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/locandinaFestival_web-790625.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/locandinaFestival_web-790580.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>This weekend the first Italian Ukulele festival <a href="http://www.barlumen.com/ukeit/ukeit-in-english.htm">"UKEit"</a> is being held in Vicenza. <br />Once word got out that international Ukulele stars James Hill and Bosko and Honey had accepted the invitation, Italian players came pouring out of the woodwork. It looks like it's going to rock! <br />The event is the brainchild of the talented folks from "Istituto Barlumen" and they had such a good response that they even managed to produce a CD packed full of an eclectic array of Italian Ukulele tracks.<br />Track 15 on the CD is performed by a little known sword-swallower and closet Uke player. See if you can guess who it is by listening to this <a href="http://www.blackthorne.it/CARGO/NonVoglioCrescereSample.mp3">sample</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-959176817271345786?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-73453801013695508192008-05-29T03:02:00.006+01:002008-07-03T02:33:14.796+01:00Good Face for Radio<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Polli-752550.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Polli-752526.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I'm on the radio tonight and tomorrow night at midnight in Italy on Radio Tre in "La Fabbrica di Polli" an off-the-wall comedy show. <br />3/7/08 Update: The show was great! If you want to hear the two episodes (in Italian) via the magic of the interwebs follow these links for <a href="http://www.blackthorne.it/CARGO/FabbricaDiPolli103.mp3">Episode One</a> or <a href="http://www.blackthorne.it/CARGO/FabbricaDiPolli104.mp3">Episode two</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-7345380101369550819?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-56915795209230183002008-05-27T21:11:00.004+01:002008-05-27T21:29:31.374+01:00Iona's show goes on!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Iona-730177.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Iona-730172.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I just heard that my friend Iona just sailed through the semifinals of Britain's got Talent despite a nasty injury this morning. What a trooper. She deserves this success - she's a great person and a beautiful performer.<br />Simon Cowell and the other judges were bowled over by the courage she showed: going on in front of the nation despite the pain and fear that an injury like that can cause.<br />You can see Iona's site <a href="http://www.ionacontortionist.com/">here</a><br />Over the next few days we will try and post more information to the site and keep you updated on her progress.<br />GO IONA!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-5691579520923018300?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-40492541639542526412008-03-06T05:48:00.004+01:002008-03-07T04:34:11.416+01:00Clever!I don't normally enjoy doing television shows but the "<a href="http://www.sat1.de/comedy_show/clever/">Clever!</a>" show in Germany turned out to be an exception. The show has been going for several seasons but there are no signs that it's running out of steam.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Clever-742280.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Clever-742264.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />There was a great family atmosphere to the production. The director's dog padded round the office and one of the presenters had a tiny child hanging from her hip when she wasn't actually on stage. Everyone was friendly and efficient.<br />I did an assortment of swords and finished with a new 12kg hammerdrill.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/CleverStills-798310.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/CleverStills-798295.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The long sword was ably removed from my throat with a flourish by the gorgeous German actress <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalia_Avelon">Natalia</a><span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalia_Avelon"> Avelon</a>, the actress who played <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uschi_Obermaier">Uschi Obermaier</a> in 8 Mile high (Das Wilde Leben).</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Clever2-758924.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Clever2-758895.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Check out the YouTube video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzHRTdDPddo">here</a>.<br /><br /><span><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-4049254163954252641?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-89258860355156269552007-12-23T04:44:00.000+01:002007-12-23T06:24:22.079+01:00Project Damocles<span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class="on" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Add_Image" title="Add Image" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="addImage();" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);;ButtonMouseDown(this);"></span></span><br />Here we go again. Seems like most of my news this year has been about Guinness World Records, so it's only fitting that I should see the year out with one last record-breaking adventure: a few weeks ago I set the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">record for the heaviest object to be sword-swallowed</span>. I wanted something spectacular so I decided to up the ante on my signature act The Jackhammer Swallow by swallowing his big brother, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">a 38kg demolition hammer</span>.<br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/DewaltHammer-754410.jpg" alt="" border="0" />This created all sorts of technical difficulties - the bit was 25mm thick (1 inch), I couldn't lift 38kg above my head and if I did figure out a way of getting it up there and down my throat, how was I going to stop it from falling over and splitting me open from the inside? To make matters worse, I wanted the hammer to be running. I mean, why bother, unless you're going to do the thing properly, right?<br />After a couple of months development I settled on winching the hammer into position mechanically then lowering it down manually until I was carrying all the weight. Two guide tracks stopped the hammer from falling out of alignment when I took my hands away. Guinness regulations stated that I had to support the weight of the hammer for at least three seconds for the claim to be valid. This kind of act often can't be trained for too close to showdate because of the risk of small injuries that would render the show impossible. I did the final test swallow two weeks before and then started training my neck and face for the weight. A few days before the show I drove to the RTL studios in Cologne, Germany, where the show was going to be filmed live.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">You can see the result <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ieb5BPhy6jU"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">here</span></a>.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Damocles-787519.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><div style="text-align: justify;">You can see in the video that the hammer jammed on the guides and by the third attempt I started to think it wasn't going to happen, especially when I realised I was struggling to lift the weight. I found the force for one final push and the runners thankfully ran freely on the guides. A few more seconds of pain and the job was done: the fourth record this year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Time to rest! See you all next year for more adventures.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-8925886035515626955?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-67483843833107589492007-12-06T13:52:00.000+01:002007-12-06T14:04:52.198+01:00Errata CorrigeBladthorne should be Blackthorne. Due to a balls up by the Associated Press my name was spelt wrong in the press release that followed my recent Guinness World Record - The World's Heaviest Sword Swallow - a 38kg Demolition Hammer. I will write more about the record when I get a moment but for now I need to get this information out as the story sparked a lot of interest in the press but they are all chasing the wrong name.<br /><br />More meta data for the search engines: Error. Bladthorne does not exist. Bladthorne is Thomas Blackthorne. www.blackthorne.it Bladthorne Demolition hammer jackhammer<br />road hammer Guinness Record 38kg Germany Bladthorne sword swallower swallow<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-6748384383310758949?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-62749494675817659012007-11-27T05:14:00.001+01:002007-11-28T01:06:18.491+01:00The High Priestess of Punk!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/NinaHagen-717167.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/NinaHagen-717158.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>When I was growing up Nina Hagen was my heroine - beautiful, talented and completely wild. Her first albums were painted in shocking punk colours, without the grunginess of the UK punk scene.<br />AND... she wrote Naturträne, one of my all-time favourite songs.<br />So how happy was I this weekend to find out she was a guest star on a TV show I was on?!<br />In fact, it turned out that she was to be there during my section. Woohoo!<br />We chatted after the show and she still has the beauty of an untamed creative animal. Fantastic!<br />I hope we stay in touch.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-6274949467581765901?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-41973835395121511512007-09-15T17:04:00.001+01:002008-04-25T15:02:12.574+01:00The Sword of Swords<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/SoS-Hilt-Black-733849.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/SoS-Hilt-Black-733844.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Some of you may know that I own a sword with a very particular history: It has been down the throats of 33 of the world's sword swallowers!<br />Recently its status as the world's most swallowed sword has been officially recognised by Guinness World Records.<br />There is a Wikipedia entry that has the history of the sword and the names of those that have swallowed it, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sword_of_Swords">here</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-4197383539512151151?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-1255515580321435082007-09-05T14:32:00.000+01:002007-10-15T16:54:42.667+01:00Edinburgh Madness<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Stool-716668.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Stool-716609.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />OK, so what do you do if you discover that your sword-swallowing buddies are all in town for the festival? You design a stunt to get them together and set a new world record!<br />That's how four of us ended up swallowing the four legs of a bar stool in front of a rowdy Edinburgh audience. It was a blast!<br />There's a great video of it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JachIV55WQE">here</a>.<br /><br /><img src="file:///Users/a/Desktop/Stool.jpg" alt="" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-125551558032143508?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-68785649741292789122007-08-05T19:34:00.000+01:002007-08-14T20:45:49.766+01:00Some Summer!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Falco-786150.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Falco-786147.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The summer has quickly turned into a fevered blur of festival madness. The season is a little different this year with lots of one and two nighters and the festivals themselves have been much more varied: ranging from huge rock gigs to medieval pageants. No time to get bored.<br />My record in the recent Guinness show was repeated in the 'best of'season finale which meant that I'm getting a lot of "aren't you that bloke on the telly?" which I guess means it did what it was supposed to do. I'm being asked for more autographs after the shows too, which is weird because it really brings home how a few minutes on the magic box can change an audience's expectations when they see the show live.<br /><br />"So who's that bird in the photo?" I hear you wonder. She's one of the stars of the Merelli family falconry show, and I do mean stars: all the birds are beautifully trained and performed with power, grace and breath-taking accuracy. The level of skill was higher than I've ever seen and as I watched them perform at dusk in a little medieval town perched on a scraggy Italian hilltop, and saw the timeless bond between the falconers and their birds, all seemed right with the world.<br /><br />A few days later I was at a Glastonbury-type rock gig which was... ...uhm, different.<br /><br /><img src="file:///Users/a/Desktop/Falco.jpg" alt="" /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-6878564974129278912?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-75483444252240395762007-07-18T00:32:00.000+01:002007-07-18T17:45:49.722+01:00Viskovitz<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Viskovitz-785428.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Viskovitz-785424.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This is the latest member of my household. He's called Viskovitz after the book by Alessandro Boffa. He's an Irian Jaya carpet python <span style="font-style: italic;">(Morelia Spilota Variegata)</span>, which originally come from the island of West Papua, near Australia.<br /><br />When the pet shop closed down he had nowhere to go so he came to me.<br /><br />Lucky him. Lucky me.<br /><br />The picture is misleading because he's actually quite small but he hasn't stopped eating since he arrived so that won't be true for very long.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-7548344425224039576?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-22301031184199388412007-07-13T17:23:00.000+01:002007-07-18T17:39:08.906+01:00Show Dates<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Summer-map-728346.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Summer-map-728335.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This is where you"ll find me over the next few weeks:<br /><br />Italy:<br />Casalpusterlengo 14th July<br />Fermignano 19+20th July<br />Fanano 21+22nd July<br />Sarnico 27+28+29th July<br />Bianzano 4+5th Aug<br /><br />Switzerland:<br />Bern 9+10+11th Aug<br /><br />Then it's up for a week in Edinburgh and then back to Italy to finish the summer here. Contact me if you want those dates too.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-2230103118419938841?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-46964310985563243362007-07-02T21:32:00.001+01:002007-07-03T00:01:58.745+01:00New Guinness Record!<span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Lift-792714"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Lift-792711" alt="" border="0" /></a>Well, it's taken me a long time to bring you the news because things have been crazy-busy around here</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> but I can now report back on the last story: I did set a new Guinness World Record for the tongue</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> lift, so it now stands at 12 kilos.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Jack has already put the video up on YouTube so <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnwI4d6AsUk">check it out</a> and leave a bunch of stars and comments!<br /><br />As often happens, the production company came to me at the last minute with this one so we had to go into overdrive to get the act on stage in time.<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">In each of the countries in which I attempt the</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> record I like to lift something</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> different and given that the attempt was happening in Rome we decided on a large transparent box of pasta. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Pasta-780907"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Pasta-780904" alt="" border="0" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-size:100%;">We built the prop in the workshop in two and a half days and I was putting the final touches to it just before it was filmed.</span></p></div><span style="font-size:100%;">The pressure was intense but it all went well in the end and we now know that the human tongue does not split or break off with 12 kilos!</span><p><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Belen-760578"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Belen-760575" alt="" border="0" /></a></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Marco-763985"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Marco-763983" alt="" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;">The beautiful Belen Rodriguez squealed delightfully at all the right moments and Fabrizio Frizzi presented the whole thing enthusiastically.<br />My old friend Marco Frigatti from Guinness World Records was there to judge the record attempt and looked like he was having a blast!</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-4696431098556324336?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-68266886712692959772007-06-12T17:02:00.001+01:002007-06-12T17:27:58.847+01:00Circus Maximus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Gancio-712337.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Gancio-711900.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Tomorrow Circo Massimo Show starts its 2007 season on Italian television. This year the prestigious circus show will be presented by Fabrizio Frizzi (above) and Belen Rodriguez and I will be appearing in the finale of the first episode, attempting to beat my tongue weight-lifting Guinness world record.<br />I first set the record at 11kg in England in 2004 then beat it by half a kilo in Germany last year (<a href="http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=37yHbMMbeQk">see video</a>) so the Italian attempt is set at 12kg.<br />The show also features part of my sword swallowing act.<br />If you're in Italy the show's tomorrow at 9 p.m. on RAI TRE.<br />If you're somewhere else, check back here in a couple of days to see how I got on!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-6826688671269295977?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-68931909082500045772007-05-15T13:44:00.000+01:002007-05-15T13:59:19.482+01:00Convicts on the run<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/silverstone_web%7E1-797650.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/silverstone_web%7E1-797643.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I stumbled across this bunch of criminals on the net because they used my name while talking about their record attempt in the recent London Marathon.<br />They succeeded in establishing the Guinness record for the ‘Most Linked Runners to Complete a Marathon’ and are using the exposure to raise money for <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/worldrecorddct?page=1">charity</a>.<br />Calling me a "Great British hero" alongside Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Elen MacArthur was tongue-in-cheek but I have broad shoulders (and a famously strong tongue in <span style="font-style: italic;">my</span> cheek). Besides it caught my attention and hopefully it will catch yours and you'll go along and leave a donation.<br />Congratulations to 17 new Great British heroes!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-6893190908250004577?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-25893386277692628832007-04-20T02:18:00.000+01:002007-04-20T02:49:40.844+01:00Greece is the word that you heard...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/ElladaLogo-725302.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/ElladaLogo-725296.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I recorded a guest spot on Ελλάδα έχεις ταλέντο which goes out tonight, so if you're in Greece you can see me doing my act in Greek.<br /><br /> ...might be more disturbing than watching the act!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-2589338627769262883?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-19867798568378571752007-03-29T12:50:00.000+01:002007-03-29T14:02:01.411+01:00Take a Walk on the Riled Side<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Lou-ser-751738.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/Lou-ser-750917.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Lou Reed was in town to promote his latest photography exhibition. I went along to the press conference but almost wished I hadn't. He ponced in, after keeping everyone waiting for 2 hours and was sour-faced and reticent the whole time. I took this picture towards the end of the event in one of the lighter moments.<br /><br />As we stood around later talking about his behaviour I tried to remember why he was famous in the first place. He was part of a group that didn't really get anywhere until Warhol took an interest. He made a couple of good solo albums in the 70's, largely because David Bowie took an interest. He was bisexual in a moment when it was dangerous to be so and he was the original Rock'n'Roll animal.<br /><br />But is that enough? Similar characters with bad-boy reputations continued to evolve and produce good work (like Bowie, the Stones etc), making their antics seem like a justified part of their extraordinarily talented personas.<br /><br />As he and his entourage fussed about trying to work out which of the top hotels had the best massage facilities all I could think about was blurting out "..but.. the emperor's not wearing any clothes!"<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-1986779856837857175?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-6052281520281125802007-02-20T00:46:00.001+01:002007-02-24T10:28:27.290+01:00Bug-eyed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/BugEye-744921.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 112px;" src="http://www.blackthorne.it/blog/uploaded_images/BugEye-738629.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />Had to go for an eye exam today for what I originally thought was arc eye (having been welding this week-end) but it turns out I may have some kind of funky eye disease.<br />To study the retina better they added a drop to my eye which dilated the pupil. After the visit I had a couple of hours to scare as many children as possible. Next visit I'll have to get them to give me a bottle for next halloween.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-605228152028112580?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-5682896589960500052007-02-05T15:16:00.001+01:002007-02-05T17:33:27.458+01:00Contakt<span class="nametext" style="font-size:130%;">In January shows become scarce after everyone uses up their Christmas budget. This normally lasts into about the third week in February and it's my favourite time of year: I finally get a chance to work on new stuff and projects unrelated to my shows.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><p><span class="nametext" style="font-size:130%;">So there is a building frenzy in my workshop at the moment and I'm also working with a new Italian record label called Contakt. Contakt's website is <a href="http://www.contakt.it/">here</a>, or you can find them on myspace <a href="http://www.myspace.com/contaktrecordings">here</a>.</span></p><p><span class="nametext" style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="border-width: 0px;" src="http://myspace-398.vo.llnwd.net/00937/89/30/937620398_m.jpg" /><br /><br /></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-568289658996050005?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-69773212968664692462007-02-05T11:42:00.001+01:002007-02-05T17:36:09.400+01:00Web 2.0 Maclinks<span style="font-size:130%;"><object height="350" width="425"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6gmP4nk0EOE" name="movie"><param value="transparent" name="wmode"><br /><embed wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6gmP4nk0EOE" height="350" width="425"><br /></object></span><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Any one with a Mac out there knows that things are rocking for us at the moment: after the Dark ages of the 90's we are experiencing a rennaisance.<br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">The Mac is particularly well-suited to all the Web 2.0. stuff that everyone's talking about.<br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">Here's a quick list of cheap, or free, software that will give your machine some extra umph! Some of it even runs on PCs.</span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://flyingmeat.com/voodoopad/">VoodooPad</a> - Simple Wiki creator. One of those things that you don't realise how useful they are until you start using it.</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/start">Blogger</a> - Simple blogging on Google that created this page</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://del.icio.us/">Del.icio.us</a> - Social bookmarking. I'm not really interested in the "social" bit but I love not having to search my browsers for a bookmark especially when I'm travelling.</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/">flickr</a> - massive photo repository</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://massmug.com/">MassMug</a> - currently my favourite podcast about Macs. Informative and irreverent.</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.flock.com/">Flock</a> - Browser that makes good use of Web 2.0 stuff. I have it hooked up directly to my Blogger, Del.icio.us and flickr pages. Ties all three together seamlessly. Like with all new browsers there are some pages it has minor glitches with so I haven't thrown out Safari for now.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-6977321296866469246?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2691861390833381370.post-60066553570806029822007-02-04T21:47:00.000+01:002007-02-05T15:50:37.478+01:00Here we go<span style="font-size:130%;">So I'm finally getting into this Web 2.0 deal (well, sliding reluctantly towards it more like) so I thought I should do more of a blog thang here. I'll give it a try for a while but I have a feeling I'll prefer the Curiosity page I have been running so far.<br /><br />The problem is that the amount of work needed for the Curiosity page far exceded the time I had free. This became especially true recently: 2006 was crazy busy workwise and the page fell into disuse which of course is exactly when I could have done with it being busiest, as I had a lot of things to share with you all and was making a lot of new contacts who should have been kept up to date with all that was going on.<br /><br />Blogging </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >is</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> more immediate and less demanding, so although it feels like too much direct exposure, I'm going to give it a try...</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2691861390833381370-6006655357080602982?l=www.blackthorne.it%2Fblog%2Findex.htm' alt='' /></div>Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05847765402540286060noreply@blogger.com0