By All That Smells! - It's H.G.Wells

It's Still Working For Me, This Sci-Fi Author Trolling
Just as long as we don't get an injunction or "Cease and Decist" notification from someone's estate, although only one author I've mentioned is still alive at the moment.*
     You should know old Wellsy, as there have been umpteen** films made of his novels.  "The Time Machine", the original one being far the better of the two of course; "The Invisible Man", and sequels, and probably also the John Carpenter film, too; "The Food of the Gods" which is a bad, bad film, to be avoided if you possibly can; "First Men In the Moon" - didn't that Mark Gatiss chap have something to do with a remake?; "The Island of Doctor Moreau" - please avoid the remake as if it were visual Bacillus Pestis; and of course "War of the Worlds", both of 'em***.  
     He also wrote "Little Wars", which is about wargaming, quite ironical in view of him being kind of a semi-pacifist, although little lead soldiers don't leave behind little lead widows and orphans, as I believe Charles Grant once mentioned.


Animals, The
Nope, I'm not referring to the seminal Pink Floyd album of 1977 vintage, although here is the cover photo:

The pig got adrift.  The airline pilot who reported seeing it was breathalysed

     Nor do I refer to The Animals, whose "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" has surely one of the best intro bass lines ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUpBSvN1a50

     Although there is a link to the song if you feel like a listen.
No, I refer to the two animal residents at the Mansion, Jenny the cat and Edna the dog.  It is just like looking after two small children, one an independent yet slothful character, the other a periodically manic yet needy individual.
     They are like children.  When you can't see Edna and things are quiet, you begin to worry - a) Where is she (probably nosing around the drain) and b) What is she doing?
     Then, as children squabble and fight, you can guarantee that if Jenny runs, Edna will chase her until the cat gets high enough or into some narrow space before the pursuit ends.

"Is the dog in there?  'Cos if it is I'm not coming in.   'Cos of dog"

The Neighbours
This morning I did hear a couple of low-key noises and their front door being closed, so Hoorah! the gamma-ray laser shielding did it's job and they are alive.
     Next week it's the turn of the x-ray laser test, fingers crossed that the shielding holds out for that one, too!

For Some, This Would Be Cruel And Unusual Punishment
As I mentioned earlier, I am creating an Index for the N & M Press reprint of "The History of the 51st Highland Division", viz:

     Have I ever created an Index before?  No, but that's not going to stop me.  Up to Page 76 now, interrupted somewhat by having to play the "Tuggy Bone" game with Edna.

Ah, Yes.  Coincidence.  That's My Seat
Who was I blathering on about in the title and text a short while ago?  J. G. Ballard.
     Today "Empire" arrives, and what do we have here?

     I do apologise for it being sideways, but under "The Brit Breakthrough" it mentions the film "High Rise", adapted from the novel of the same name by -

J G  Ballard

Yessssss.

Facebook, Get It Right!
After lambasting Twitter for the silly Tweets about ridiculous entities that Conrad has no conceivable interest in, association with or past employment by, we now return to Facebook and it's nonsensical "Suggested Posts"

The Rich List

     Where has Conrad ever expressed an interest in exactly who is top of the pecking order in terms of finance?  Do not know, do not care, oh there's Kim Cattrall in her ^

"Inherent Vice" And Sterling Hayden
Early in the novel, and the film, Doc Sportello gets laid out by an unseen assailant, whacked in the back of the head with a baseball bat.
     This reminded me of the film of "The Big Sleep", where a murder is committed at the beginning that nobody ends up being accused of or confessing to.  Kinda thrown in there to appease the palate of a jaded audience, perhaps?
     Nobody ever confesses to walloping Doc, nor does he speculate about who did it - he has more on his plate than to worry about someone not killing him - but given that it is a baseball bat, and that Doc later ends up in the offices of Adrian Prussia, with the loathsome Puck Beaverton looking on, and the walls of said office are lined with hundreds of baseball bats - I think Conrad suspects one of these two as being responsible.  Probably Puck.

Puck
("Of Pooks Hill" and close enough)

     Now, in the novel mention is made of a fading Hollywood star, Burke Stodger, who is said to have snitched upon his fellow actors in return for not being prosecuted as a Commie - plus he gets to keep his yacht.
     Let us now examine Sterling Hayden.  Young Sterling had a sterling^^wartime career, joining the OSS, which was the predecessor of the CIA.  He was good enough a soldier that although he enlisted as a private, he got commissioned as an officer.  The OSS sent him to Yugoslavia, where he fought with Tito's Partisans - who were extremely Communist.  O My how Communist were they!  Sterling admired them so much he joined the Communist Party.
     This became something of a problem in the McCarthy era.  When I say "problem" it should probably be written in letters twenty feet tall painted with day-glo red paint.  So, Sterling got his own freedom by informing on his fellow actors.
     This was not looked on at the time with any favour by his peers, and afterwards not by Sterling either, and he went out of his way to beat himself up about it forever after.
     So, Tom, I see right through you.  Burke Stodger = Sterling Hayden!

Sterling on the left
(Sorry, couldn't resist!)

* Brian Aldiss, and he's getting on a bit.
** A bit vague I know.  What, you were expecting Conrad to work at this?
*** Although possibly both could do with more Things Exploding
^ We'll stop right there.  BOOJUM! has a reputation to maintain.
^^ Sorry