The Megaphone : A Debate Blog

Hello, kids. It has been a long time I know, but I’m back and I’m bigger than ever… I don’t know why, that just sounded right.

Anyway, I have got a lot to get off my chest, but let’s start with an easy one. Since the invention of the amazing boredom saver known as the TV people have been reading less and less. Along with the TV we have computer games, which are also an ace boredom killer. I suppose the internet has probably got people reading a bit, but that’s not proper reading… you’re reading this, but if anything it will probably make you less intelligent and less cultured.

I have to admit that I’m not a big reader. I get really into a book, but then I can’t be bothered reading it so I leave it for a bit… then when I go back to reading it I have forgotten what has happened so I have to start again and it’s a vicious cycle. The last book I actually read from start to finish was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, which admittedly is a kids book, but a very good one. I am currently reading Russel Brand’s autobiography, as Sarah thinks I have a man crush on him… I do not.

So do you read, what are you reading, do you think the next generation of kids will be silly because they play Halo instead of reading Dickens… let me know.

Big Love… Ryan

Hello, I must apologise for my absence over the past few days… ok weeks. I have been mega busy with work and doing some freelance design, and re-designing the main part of my website… I intend to apply that style to this blog (when I find the hours), so any comments would be nice. I have also started another blog, but more about that later. I have also started teaching myself to write php and mysql which is not as much fun as you’d think.

So anyway. Today’s question is based on this thing I found while perusing the interweb as I do.

I found this video of a woman spinning around, and don’t even ask me how it works, cause it makes me fill ill thinking about it… it’s like when I think about how big the universe is, when I feel overwhelmed I feel ill.

So anyway this woman is spinning around. I see her going clockwise and can’t understand why anyone could not see her going clockwise, but Sarah can and so can other people.

If you can see her going clockwise apparently you use the right-hand side of your brain more, and if you see her going anti-clockwise… you’re a freak of nature and you use the left-hand side of your brain more, which is the useful side of your brain.

Click here to see the spinning woman… then come back here and tell me if you see her going clockwise or anti-clockwise.

If you’re into keeping your blog up to scratch with Web Standards and Mr XHTML Validator over at The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), but every time you embed YouTube and Google video in your blog it really messes everything up… I’m here to help.

So to embed valid XHTML YouTube and Google video in your blog just copy and paste the code below, change the url link to the video you want to show and you’re good to go… you’re welcome.

<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="INSERT URL HERE" width="425" height="355">
<param name="movie" value="AND INSERT URL HERE" />
<p><a href="http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer"><img src="http://www.adobe.com/images/shared/download_buttons/get_flash_player.gif" alt="Get Adobe Flash player" style="border:none;" /></a></p></object>

And it’s as simple as that.

I really don’t have time to write a big post today, on what I think might be an interesting subject, so I’m counting on you guys for some good comments.

I want to know what people think about The public vs comprehensive school debate. I heard a fact the other day, but I have kind of forgotten it, so I’m making it up. It was something like 80% of the most powerful people in this country were educated privately. This is pretty shocking really. Having rich people from rich backgrounds in power can’t be favorable for the working classes, surely. What is it that makes people from this schooling become so powerful?

There were people from my comprehensive school who were stupendously intelligent, why do they never seem to get the same breaks in life?

Is a private school eduction better than a comprehensive school one?

So when I was a lad… I had to walk 15 miles in the snow, just to change the TV channel. Just kidding it was more like 20 miles.

So when I was a lad… in year 9 at school I really wanted to choose history as one of my options, I was denied access to this class as the history grade I received in year 9 was an F. Apparently if you are crap at a subject, you are not allowed to improve your understanding of it.

I wasn’t very good at school generally, fortunately you don’t have to be a genius to be a Graphic Designer (according to this book, you do have to be something else though). I would have to say that History was my worst subject in school, by far. I have a terrible memory and stood no chance of remembering names and dates (apparently not all schools taught History like that… but mine did).

Today’s question is… What was your worst subject at school. Is there anyone out there, who like Albert Einstein or The Ultimate Warrior failed at school, but turned out to be freakishly intelligent.

Answers in the comments box… please do not copy anyone else’s answers, anyone caught cheating will receive an F, you may begin.