Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 5/3/2025 — Judge Dredd is Watching You.

5th March, 2025: Judge Dredd is Watching You!

Right … it’s now — officially — Wednesday … !

And … ?

A day I’m feeling stuffed: in the wake of a celebratory birthday meal.

Japanese, so you know.

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The beef was nice: I’m just not sure about the sashimi … !

~≈🥢≈~

I had a text, yesterday: from a woman claiming to be called Hannah.

The conversation went like this: 

I started getting suspicious … roughly when ‘Hannah’ asked if the person organising recruitment could send me the details through WhatsApp: something I’d not come across before.

So I told her I’d be happier if they emailed me: I was assuming a genuine recruiter would have accessed my CV, and have my email.

Nope!

‘Hannah’ asked if she could give me the details.

I — slightly tetchily — asked if I needed to drive.

I don’t, so it’s the first thing I ask about, when genuine recruiters contact me.

That was a question that got ignored: instead, ‘Hannah’ assured me the job wouldn’t interfere with my current job, and that the post was relaxing.

Relaxing?

I think we can say the conversation went well.

Once I’d twigged that ‘Hannah’ wasn’t going to answer my questions: and told me to “have a nice life”!

At any rate … ?

Once the chat — Chat?   Exchange of messages! — finished?

I did a little digging: and found that the recruiters ‘Hannah’ claimed to be from, were genuine.

But — after emailing them — found that the exchange had been exactly what I’d thought it was.

Not from them, and thus, in all probability, a scam.

Or, at least, an attempted scam.

I’m just glad I realised in time.

~≈🕵️≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 5-3-2024 — The Return of Dredd.

5th March, 2024: The Return of Dredd.

Yep, it’s officially Tuesday: and I’m now a year and a day older than I was, yesterday.

I’m … 

Grateful for all the best wishes: and for the donation to the birthday fundraiser I’ve organised on Facebook.

But I’m also grateful the fuss is over for another year!

~≈Ω≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 5-3-2023 — Judge Dredd.

5th March, 2023: Judge Dredd.

Yes: it’s officially the day after my birthday … and I’ve had a very nice meal with my family.

At the local Wildwood, so you know.

It’s got to be said, they do a rather good steak and chips.

It’s a shame my two sisters forgot to bring the presents … !

Still, I can’t complain, two much.

That was a rather nice steak!

~≈§≈~

Remember, yesterday, I woke up to find my radiator wasn’t working?

Resetting it — by holding the power button down for three seconds — seemed to help.

I’m still keeping something of an eye peeled: in case it does the same thing, again.

It’s not repeated the behaviour, this morning: for which I’m truly thankful.

But?

One?   I’m still keeping an eye peeled.

And two?   I’m wondering what caused that!

~≈§≈~

Oh … and JUST in case you’re wondering … ?

Yes: I also managed to finish my written and video reviews of ‘Seventeen Seconds’: the most recent episode of Star Trek Picard.

You really have to see this series.

Michelle Hurd’s Raffi, and Michael Dorn’s Worf, doing their Good Cop/Bad Cop routine?

Is funny, witty, dramatic … and very watchable!

~≈§≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 26-2-2022: 2000AD

26th February, 2022.

Argh … says the blogger!

I made a mistake!   With my medications!

I managed to pick up two boxes of Levothyroxine: fifty milligram boxes.

When I should have asked for one hundred milligram boxes.

I’ll have to go back to the chemist, today.

In the immortal words of Hector the Hound?

I’m a great big, silly old Hector … !

~≈🐶≈~

One thing I’ve noticed about the situation in Ukraine?

Is that Russian troops have taken the Chernobyl power plant.

Apparently?   There’s been a radiation spike: one that experts say isn’t dangerous … but none-the-less, been observed.

I’m going to assume nothing will happen as a result of the Russian presence.

But that certainly adds a new terror to events.

~≈💥≈~

Gran Torino: NICE … !

14th June, 2013

You know, I have to say, I do know how to procrastinate, sometimes, when it comes to a write up.

Really … !

Not by much, though.   After all, it’s only last night I saw the movie I wanted to talk about.

But I have to admit: apart from heading up to the my GPs to pick up a prescription, I have been faffing about, quite a bit … !

At any rate … ?

At ANY rate, I managed to catch a film last night: something I’d had in my collection for some time: but never actually got around to watching.

The 22008, Clint Eastwood directed and produced film, Gran Torino … 

~≈∏≈~

Dredd:Blood, guts and NO sense of Humour!

14th January, 2013ª.

Putting pictures on Blogspot can be a bother, sometimes.

Especially if, like me, you’ve just added them in from a URL, a weblink.

You have to put them in in reverse order, if you’re putting them in from a URL.

Hmmm … 

Any way … 

That’s not quite what I was going to tell you about, when I started this post.

Oh, no.

No … 

I was going to tell you about the movie I’ve just watched.

Karl Urban’s latest sci-fi piece, the Pete Travis directed film that is … Dredd … !

~~~~~

15th January, 2013

Sorry, I had to just had to get some sleep, there, over night … !

At ANY rate, I was telling you about the film I saw last night: the recent version of the cult 2000ad strip, Judge Dredd.

The film sees Dredd (Karl Urban) — introduced through a routine patrol at the film’s start — being assigned to take Rookie Judge Cassandra Anderson* (Olivia Thirby) on her final assessment as a traineeº.

With Rookie Anderson in charge … ?

The pair head for a super-sized apartment block, called Peach Treesª, to investigate some reported homicides.

What they don’t find out, until they get there … ?

Is that the Peach Trees block is under the control of one Madelaine Madrigal (Lena Headey) — or Ma Ma — who’s a psychotic former hooker, turned drug lord.

And really not a stunningly pleasant person …

~~~~~

Now, I’ll have to admit to assorted … well, let’s call them mixed feelings, shall I … ?

And also to wanting to see this film for some time.   After all, I grew up on the original comic-book version of the character, in the late seventies and early eighties.

That background left me with equally mixed feeling about the 1995 Stallone take on the character which got bits right — the general look of Mega-City One, the sense of humour,  the look of Mean Machine Angel — but also managed to alienate many.

Dredd does not take of his helmet, Mr Stallone!

As you can imagine, that left me looking forward to this … with a certain sense of trepidation^.

After catching this version … ?

I have to admit to having mixed feelings about Dredd.

In some senses, it has a much rougher edge to it than the ’95 film: and arguably, a greater degree of realism.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing: this is, for the most part, a very good — and mostly true to source — interpretation of the strip.   And one that tries to present a plausible near future.

Where I felt Dredd did suffer … ?

Was in a lack of a sense of humour: something I feel the original strip certainly had, when I was reading it: and some thing that Demolition Man, Robocop and Iron Sky certainly had more of.

What can I tell you … ?

If you see Dredd expect a very good effort.

Just don’t expect the character’s sense of irony to have made it on screen.

Dredd.

★★☆☆

*        Whilst it not actually mentioned in the film, the character’s first name is given as Cassandra, relatively early on in the comics.

º        In the comic strips, these are usually carried out in the Cursed Earth, the irradiated desert outside the city walls, and referred as Hotdog Runs.

ª        Sticking reasonably close to the background universe, the city†’s apartment blocks are small vertical towns. 

†       The city in question is the dystopian Mega-City 1: in the comics, it stretched from the northern part of the US east coast, to the southern part, covering — at various points in its fictional history — everywhere from New York to Miami.   In the film it’s slightly smaller, only going from Boston to Washington DC.

^        See what I did, there … ?   I AVOIDED the word ‘dread’ … !

ª        As of 21/2/2023?   I’ve managed to replace the pictures.

The Daily Teaser — 10-1-2013

Oh, now that’s something … 

I’m a bit of a film fan: you’d probably noticed, hadn’t you … ?

I’m also one who’d grown up in the 1980s: and, like many boys my age, one who grew up frequently reading 2000AD.   Including all those exciting — and deeply satirical — main strip, Judge Dredd.

Well, I’m on something of a budget: so the fact that the recently released film about the character, Dredd is out on DVD, on Monday is something that tweaked my interest.

Frankly … ?   I can’t wait … !

Hmmm … Let’s get moving on, shall we?   I’d hate to get too enthusiastic at you.

««·»»

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi putting in her answers: along with letting us know she felt something I’d said, yesterday, had rung the proverbial cherries for her, she also managed to bag 6 out of 6*ª.

Let’s see how she — and you — do with today’s questions, shall we?   Here they are, along with the ‘How To’, License and video … 

Q1) 10th January, 49BC, saw Julius Cæsar start the Roman Civil War: by crossing which river … ?

Q2) More to the point, who became Emperor, as a result of that civil war … ?

Q3) 10th January, 1927, saw the release of which Fritz Lang film … ?

Q4) 10th January, 1863, saw the initial opening of the London Underground: between Paddington and Farringdon.   Which tube line, now connects the two stations … ?

Q5) 10th January, 1929, saw the first publication of The Adventures Of Tintin: who played Tintin in the 2011 film … ?

Q6) And finally … 10th January, 1920, saw the formal end of World War 1: when which treaty came into effect … ?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 9th January, 2001, saw Apple introduce its iTunes software: what’s the current version of iTunes … ?

A1) iTunes 11.

Q2) More to the point, name any of the three families of operating system that iTunes is available on … 

A2) Mac OS X, Windows and iOS.

Q3) 9th January, 1957, saw Sir Anthony Eden resign as British Prime Minister: due to ill health.   Who replaced him, as PM … ?

A3) Harold MacMillan.

Q4) 9th January, 1947, was the last time Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Short was seen alive.   How is she better known to history … ?

A4) The Black Dahlia.

Q5) 9th January, 1806, saw Admiral Horatio Nelson given a state funeral: in which church is he buried … ?

A5) Saint Paul’s Cathedral, in London.

Q6) And finally … 9th January, 1858, saw the death of Anson Jones: he was the last President of an independent where … ?

A6) Texas.

Enjoy those, everyone.

As today’s the anniversary of the death of blues legend, Howlin’ Wolf, I’ll leave you with a song of his that’s beloved by pub-rock bands … 

And with this quote from director, Walter Hill …

“I always say the next one is my favorite.”

Walter Hill, born 10th January 1942.

Have a good day.

*        Oh, the third one’s iOS, Debbi, rather than Linuxº, per se: the operating system on the iPhone and iPad … ?

º        I’ll be frank, Debbi, I’ve a personal feeling that the better known Linux OS’s — Ubuntu in particular, as it’s the best known distribution — would have a fair bigger uptake, if Apple released iTunes for the platform.   I think that’s going to take a while … … 

ª        Oh, did you manage to find stuff about Sonic … ?   I’ve dug up the Wikipedia article about the original game — here — as well as the Disambiguation page.