Web Wandering – A Portal Remix

Now a little something for fellow Portal fans. I give you “The Device Has Been Modified” by Victims of Science.

Source: YouTube (MP3)

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Fanfiction – A Bad Week At The Wizengamot

A Bad Week At The Wizengamot by DisobedienceWriter

Length: 3 Chapters, Complete
Sources: Harry Potter
Rating: 5/5

Slytherins are supposed to be cunning, right? Ever get the feeling that the magical world as a whole has inbred their way to subhuman intelligence? Well, this fic will show you what a super-Slytherin Harry Potter should act like. Starting the day after having his wand snapped at the beginning of book 5, Harry starts applying political and economic pressure. Within a week, wizarding Britain is cut off at the knees and the laughing stock of the rest of the wizarding world.

But wait, there’s more. The second chapter shows all the fun Sirius Black gets to have as interim minister of magic while Harry is enjoying life operating a vinyard in France and the third chapter shows a deranged Cornelius Fudge trying (and failing miserably) to become a dark lord.

All in all, the fic ranges from amusing to hilarious and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a pick-me-up.

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Interesting Poetry – “Full Fathom Five”

Today’s poetry quote isn’t a poem per se, but rather an excerpt from The Tempest by William Shakespeare which I found particularly memorable after hearing it quoted in an undersea documentary film. Enjoy…

Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes;
Nothing of him that does fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:
Ding-dong,
Hark! Now I hear them – Ding-dong, bell.

The Tempest, William Shakespeare

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Fanfiction – Parallel Pixie

Parallel Pixie by Space Pirate Hamster

Length: 3 Chapters, Vanished/Dropped
Sources: Magical Girl Pretty Sammy?
Rating: 4/5

For those who are interested, I just added Space Pirate Hamster’s Parallel Pixie to the Vanished FanFic Archive. I’m not exactly familiar with the source series, but as I understand it, it’s protagonist and friends are gender-swapped versions of the antagonist from Magical Girl Pretty Sammy. It doesn’t really matter much since the portions which appear to have been borrowed are very generic.

Space Pirate Hamster took the liberty of making the situation a bit more serious in the switch. (It feels more like Gabriel than it’s apparent source series) In this case, the main character is an effeminate boy who gets picked on by the other boys at school and by his little sister. As a result, he ends up willingly taking the opportunity to transform into a girl.

Of course, what sort of magical transformation would be complete without a mascot? Of course, I doubt this uncouth flying rabbit (His name is Rambler, by the way) would appreciate you calling him that, so just stick to “faerie of the ribbon” if you need a title. 😛

As with Space Pirate Hamster’s other stuff of this nature, I quite like it. It’s really too bad that he’s apparently fallen off the web because it’d be nice to see more of it.

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Fanfiction – The Power The Dark Lord Knows Of

The Power The Dark Lord Knows Of by Finbar

Length: Oneshot
Sources: Harry Potter
Rating: 5/5

Today’s fic is a silly one. Just how powerful is a prophecy? Powerful enough to continually grant Harry a new “power he knows not” as he keeps telling Voldemort what they are? This is great for a laugh, but too short for me to say much else. Definitely a very memorable idea though.

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Lair Improvement – Desk Baskets

Have you ever wished you had a nice little basket hanging off your desk to store things like pens, notepads, vitamin D tablets, and so on without cluttering up the desk itself? If so, read on.

My desk is made of scrap lumber and I don’t mind drilling a couple of holes in it, but I understand that not everybody will feel the same, so I’ll provide two sets of instructions.

First, for a strong basket on a desk made of real wood:

  • One wireframe drawer organizer ($1 at my local dollar store)
  • Two #8×1½" flat-head wood screws
  • Two #10 stainless steel flat washers
  • A 1/8" drill bit and drill
  • An appropriate screwdriver

Simply drill two holes in the side of your desk, slide the washers onto the screws to prevent the basket from falling off, and screw the basket in place.

Now, for the recipe for metal or particle board desks: (Note: I haven’t actually tested this, but I don’t see why it won’t work)

  • One wireframe drawer organizer ($1 at my local dollar store)
  • Two 4" metal corner braces
  • Appropriate paired nuts and bolts (possibly with washers)
  • Double-sided foam tape

Simply bolt the braces to the drawer organizer and then use the foam tape to attach the braces to the top of the desk. You can then put your computer (or some other object which sits on little feet) over them to hide them from sight.

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Fanfiction – The Marriage

The Marriage by Janara

Length: Oneshot
Sources: Harry Potter
Rating: 5/5

Remember all those “Harry gets bonded to someone” fics you had to wade through? Fancy a parody? “The Marriage” is a funny little oneshot where, when Dumbledore tries to magically bond Harry to Snape, Harry outwits him and magically bonds Dumbledore to Voldemort. Humor ensues.

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