Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 12th May 2026

12th May, 2026.

You know … I get YouTube throwing videos at me, all the time!

Including for a James Spader vehicle, called The Blacklist.

Which, it has to be said, does look like fun.

But … it’s got me thinking I look like Spader’s character.

I wish: mostly that I had his pay check.

~≈$≈~

Which reminds me … 

I’ve woken up, this morning, switched on my computer and found … that there’s an operating system update available.

macOS 26·5, if you’re interested.

It looks like there’s a lot of bug fixes in there … 

~≈≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 12th May, 2024.

12th May, 2024.

La La … Sunday, Sunday … !

If you’ll pardon the paraphrase!

At any rate … ?

I think I need to go back to bed: reviewing “Space Babies” meant a late night!

~≈📺≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14-6-2022 — World Blood Donor Day

14th June, 2022.

Right … finally I think I have a direction to go in.

You’ll remember I’m trying to get extra financial help: and had the Mandatory Reconsideration — after a Work Capacity Assessment — turned down.

I’m trying to find out how to appeal that: at a tribunal.

After a phone call, yesterday?   And, as it turns out, reading the wrong bit of a letter?!

It seems I have to apply online.

It looks like I’m going to be staring at a screen, today!

~≈Â≈~

Which I sort of figured out.

I know for a fact I’m getting my next call from the Job Centre, today: at 10:30.

We’ll have to see what my case worker says about the appeal.

~≈Â≈~

It seems Google have software.

We all knew that, didn’t we?

More specifically?   They’re the company behind the Language Model for Dialogue Applications, or LAMDA.

It’s supposed to be able to hold conversations: much better ones than Siri or Alexa.

Yesterday, news broke.

According to Google engineer, Blake Lemoine, the thing’s sentient.

Self aware, in other words.

Alive, if want to put it that way.

I honestly couldn’t tell you if it is, or isn’t.

But if it is?   Alive, self aware, capable of interacting with the world, and with people?

Then there’s an old line from William Gibson’s Neuromancer that springs to mind*.

“… it ain’t no way human …”

~≈Â≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 12th May, 2022

12th May, 2022.

Right … it’s official: I have a training course, today!

And not a job related one, either: I’m due to have an educational session about Type 2 diabetes, this afternoon.

Hopefully … ?

It’ll be entertainingly informative: rather than dryly informative.

~≈Í≈~

Oh, and yes: I’ve woken up with an earworm.

Stephen Duffy’s Kiss Me.

Why?

I’m blowed if I know!

~≈Í≈~

And, as a final point … ?

Yes: my nephew was over, yesterday: and yes.

There’s more video!

Would you mike hitting Like, Share and Subscribe … ?

Cheers!

~≈Í≈~

The Daily Teaser — 12-5-2016

Oh, now I hate that when that happens.

I had to phone in ill, yesterday!

Where my guts were — again — playing up.

Thankfully, and at the moment?

Things are looking a little calmer.

But, my gods!   It’s only now — affected by a long term condition — I can see that it has several effects,

It’s got a knock on affect on how much I get paid, psychologically … 

And leaves me feeling very annoyed at how my body’s behaving!

I can safely say it’s leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

Metaphorically, if nothing else.

~≈ï≈~

The Daily Teaser — 12-5-2013: Hancock

Hmmm … 

Well, that’s a relief!

I don’t know if you’d heard, but a small group in the US, had recently become the first people to produce — and and fired — a plastic gun made with a three-d printer.

Thankfully … ?

The US government has, quite sensibly, I think, insisted the group take the designs down: granted, only after those designs been downloaded quite a few times, but none-the-less, insisted.

The genie is out of the bottle.   So let’s hope it’s not got TOO far out of it … … 

≈≈≈†≈≈≈

Yesterday’s Teaser saw both Debbi and Mr Strict getting in their answers: with Debbi* reminding us (and running it past Mr S, as well), it also saw both scoring ten out of ten.

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

Q1) 12 May, 1924, saw the birth of comic, Tony Hancock.   What was the name of his radio show … ?

Q2) More to the point, what was the show renamed as, during the last year of its TV run … ?

Q3) Name either of the show’s script writers.

Q4) Terry Nation, one of Hancock’s later writers, eventually went on to create which Dr Who creature?

Q5) Who — in the radio version of the show — played Hancock’s Australian lodger … ?

Q6) Which South African born actor moved on to become a star of the Carry On films, after being sacked from Hancock’s show … ?

Q7) In which episode of the TV series did Hancock famously cut his hand with a bread knife … ?

Q8) And finally … in which Australian city did Hancock die … ?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 11th May, 1927, saw the founding of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.   Which studio head’s idea was it … ?

A1) Louis B Meyer’s.

Q2) Which studio did he head … ?

A2) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: also known as MGM.

Q3) Which actor was the organization’s first president … ?

A3) Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.

Q4) Who’s the current Academy President … ?

A4) Howard Winchel‘Hawk’ Koch Jr.

Q5) The Academy’s Board of Governors is made up of members of the sixteen Academy branches: name one of them.

A5) Actors, art directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, make-up artists and hairstylist, music, producers, PR, shorts films and animated features (that’s one branch, I should add), sound, visual effects and writers.

Q6) What nickname is given to the Academy Awards statuette … ?

A6) The Oscars.

Q7) In which year were those awards first handed out … ?

A7) 1929.

Q8) What film won the Best Picture gong, at those first awards … ?

A8) Wings: with Clara Bow as its star.

Q9) As of 2012, how many Academy members voted for those awards: 4,783, 5,783 or 6,783 … ?

A9) 5,783.

Q10) And FINALLY … Which film — in February of this year — won the Best Picture award … ?

A10) Argo.   (Step forward, Bill Bailey … )

Enjoy those.

I’ll leave you with this thought from the late Tony Hancock …

“It’s red hot, mate. I hate to think of this sort of book getting in the wrong hands. As soon as I've finished this, I shall recommend they ban it.”

Tony Hancock (As far as I can tell, this quote is from ‘The Missing Page’)

And instead of a soundtrack … ?   I’ll leave you with Twelve Angry Men … 

Have a good Sunday

*        Of course not, Debbi!   Although wouldn’t things be fair more easy to repair, if we all were … ?   It’d be like changing a part.   (Actually, talking of which, Debbi, you wait ’til you see what they’ve done with the Cybermen†: it’s WAY cool!!!!!!)

†        I’ve got to admit, it’s only NOW that the new series Dr Who has picked up on the Cybermen and thought, ‘Right … What can we do with them … ?’