Captain Picard Says ‘No’ To Twitter

If ever there was a person who could lead a nation mired with debt, war and corruption, that person would be Patrick Stewart. As Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek: TNG, he managed to overcome Klingon attacks and forge alliances throughout the galaxy. As Profesor Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies, he sought peace and unity between mutants and humans. Now he has managed to use is charismatic voice and earnest swagger to convince me that Twiter is a pointless and “simplistic” past time. I’m honestly considering giving it up. He mentions the iPhone, email and gaming, and I have to say that my respect for him has grown even more. I want to email him and ask that he takes over from Gordon Brown as Prime Minister of Britain. We need someone with backbone, charm and an attraction to peace.

TheBrotha.

The Boondocks Are Back on March 28th

Just watch below. I will say no more.

Better Luck Next Time

Like I expected, Nigeria’s luck ran out. They only have themselves to blame for this walk of shame but they just didn’t seem to realise in time just how close they were to lifting the title until the final whistle blew as Ghana booked their place in the final. Best wishes to Ghana, I really want you guys to lift the Cup for the enjoyment of West Africa. Show the Egyptian Pharaohs how we do it.

As for the, not so, Super Eagles, You have six months to get your heads straight, the World Cup is next and no one has seen anything good from us since 1998.

TheBrotha.

Come On Super Eagles!


The African Cup of Nations this year has, in my opinion at least, failed to inspire much interest from anyone. Some of you may be aware of the ambush shooting of the Togo team bus before the start of the tournament, but that seems like the only noteworthy part of this years games. Unfortunately for the competition, the European-based players just don’t seem interested, either. Much has been said about the timing of the tournament (during the middle of the European football season) and also the fact that the World Cup begins when the season ends in the summer. Exhaustion, or what?

I would love to see an agreement between the African and European Football Unions that would result in the African tournament taking place during an agreed European winter break (which exists in several European leagues). Also, I think that Africa should take a chill pill with regards to the frequency of the competition; every four years would be a hell of a lot less stressful for all involved as opposed to every two.

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Access Denied

Mobile broadband

I have to say that I can’t stand download limits. ISPs are giving us ridiculously minor amounts of bandwith and are charging a premium as though they were selling a non-renewable product like petrol. It’s stupid and unfair.

I can still remember when I first got internet access in the late ’90s and having to connect up to AOL’s service via my super quick 28.8 kbps modem. When I upgraded to a 56k modem I felt as though I had turned my Skoda of a connection into a Ferrari Enzo. Fast forward to 2003, and I had jumped onto the Bugatti Veyron 1mb broadband service from Telewest (who became NTL and now Virgin Media). Always on and super quick loading became the norm as the internet continued to evolve from text-heavy sites to hi-res images and video.

Then I got a Sony Ericsson mobile phone that allowed me to access the internet wirelessly through the magic of GPRS. ‘The future is now’, I thought.

Having shifted from a static desktop computer setup to the portable ease and freedom of a laptop, I decided that I needed an internet service to match. Enter mobile internet.

I signed up with 3 Mobile as they had already given me a good phone service and decided to reward them with even more of my money each month in turn for access to Youtube and Facebook whilst sitting on the bus. Good move, I thought, and although there was a 3gb data limit, I felt sure that I’d be fine.

Wrong.

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Okay… I’m Here Again

Missed me much?

Probably not. Anyway, I’m back at work, fresh from two weeks worth of paternity leave and bonding time with my first human-shaped creation. Life-changing experience? Yes.

I don’t want to throw a whole load of clichés into your retinas but it’s true. Now that I’m responsible for a burgeoning young life I feel the weight of expectation building on me as I attempt to get my future ready and stable in preparation for the inevitable pitter patter of many more sets of feet. It’s only a matter of time before we start adding brothers and sisters to young Theo’s competition for attention and I can’t wait.

Welcome to the world, son

Not much, if anything, has changed at work though. After the obvious ‘congratulations’ for having a child and the many welcoming invitations to fatherhood, it was back to boring business as usual, and the realisation that I really need a new job. Not only for the sake of my sanity but also for the sakes of my wallet and family. You see, I work in London, rent in London and also study in London. However, my family is in Luton and I would love to be with them all the time. I don’t mind commuting to and fro and giving my landlord notice on the rent, but I would prefer to find a job in Luton before making any changes to a situation that may appear cracked but currently unbroken.

And so, I’m also back to blogging as well. This is something that also needs work. I’ve decided to make more of a concerted effort to give you guys more of myself and less of the hype of media interests. I don’t get paid to be a journalist and so I’ve decided to give that up and just stick to the one part of the universe that I’m an expert in… me.

I assure you, there will be no ego trip or mad, psycho rantings, just honest, introspective updates on my thoughts.

So hello 2010, we’ve been waiting, try not to disappoint.

TheBrotha.

Almost Back

Hi. I wanted to quickly say ‘Happy New Year’ as we embark on our travels through 2010. My girlfriend gave birth to my son on 2nd January and I am currently on my final week of paternity leave. I want to thank you all for continuing to read some of my older posts in anticipation for new content and for all the goodwill emails as well. I hope to be back blogging very soon. Possibly from next week.

I hope this year pans out well for us all. Think positive.

TheBrotha.

I Couldn’t Resist…

I know, I know, I’m supposed to be on ‘a break‘ but I saw these videos and I had a nostalgic remembrance of the MVPuppets from the NBA Playoffs in the summer. I just have to share these with you before padlocking my laptop.

Enjoy.

[Previous NBA MVPuppets are posted here and here.]

I’m On A Break

sunset, originally uploaded by TheBrotha.

Hi people. I’ve decided to take a break from blogging for a while as I’ve had a little too much on my plate. As I manage to regain my composure and focus I’ll return and hit you up with some insights that I’ve gained from the books I’ve read over Christmas, a few reviews of any album I believe deserves attention (regardless of age so expect something from the swinging 60s, maybe) and a tale or two from any possible misadventures from December.

Have a great Christmas and get excited for 2010. It promises to be a good year. Don’t sue me if it isn’t.

See you next year.

TheBrotha.

President Morgan Freeman, Again?

The man that everyone wishes ran the world is to star in the film adaptation of John Carlin’s book,  Invictus. Morgan Freeman has been a very convincing ‘God’ (see Bruce Almighty) and has already presided over America during a meteor shower (see Deep Impact). Who better to play Nelson Mandela and reunite South Africans via the sport of Rugby?

Directed by Clint Eastwood, expect to see the emotion hit you full on just like his other films have done (Milion Dollar Baby, Letters From Iwo Jima). Rugby is taken extremely seriously by South Africans and so Mandela’s idea of using the game and the 1995 Rugby World Cup to send a message to his divided people and to the rest of the world was nothing short of groundbreaking.

With Matt Damon also starring, this promises to be a tour de force of a film and a potential all-time classic. I’ve been told by one of my rugby-loving friends that the match sequences are “mind-blowing”.

Endorsement enough? It should be out in the States next week and in the UK on February 5th, 2010.

TheBrotha.