Invasion of the Not Quite Dead!

Picture this... The year is 1978, somewhere in the Swiss Alps a meteorite crashes, killing everyone for 20 miles around. A deadly virus from outer space is let loose on Earth. An official cover up... 30 years on and that virus finds its way to an isolated island community off the coast of England. A small group of survivors must work together to defend themselves agains The Invasion of the Not Quite Dead...

Intregued yet? I was. This black comedy horror (quite a mouthful of genres) is an interesting and exciting concept in itself, but when you consider writer/director AD Lane's innovative fundraising techniques it becomes doubly impressive.

Using the social networking site Twitter, a fundraising website, IMDB page, youtube and other sources AD Lane aims to keep his film fully independant by raising the money to make it via dvd/bluray preorders, zombie photo makeovers, partnerships and a variety of other means. With celebrity support from Ken Russel, Kevin Pollak, Tom Savini, David Hess, Leslie Simpson, Warwick Davies and Llyod Kaufman among others. This project has succeeded so far in raising just under £7,000 in just 48 days.

If you become a 'pre-order producer' and live in the UK you will even be invited to appear as an extra in the movie. For that opportunity, a dvd/bluray, postcard and zombie photo makeover seems a pretty good use of £20 (I'd only spend it on cake, shoes or cosplay otherwise). Packages vary in price from £10 for the zombie photo makeover through a variety of lower and higher priced pre-order producer packages (£20-150) varying in content; £500 for a small speaking role through to £5,000 + for investment/a share in potential profits. So whether you're a student like me or a business tycoon, there's a whole range of investment potenial to suit many a bank balance.

Filming for the trailer/intro is announced for August, whilst the rest of the filming is set to begin around Jan/Feb 2010 with a projected premier around Halloween 2010. The BBC will also be airing a documentary on this project and the unique auditioning process near the end of the year. This film already boasts an impressive crew of designers, technicians, composers and special FX artists with a backcatalogue of Hollywood films such as X-men, King Kong, Batman Begins, The Phantom of the Opera, etc, etc.

I for one love this project and intend to give it as much support and exposure as I can. If you like it, why not do the same? Now all I have to do is decide which picture to send for zombie makeover (perhaps dressed as a toaster...) and ask the question... do I get to bite anyone? ;P

Interested and want to know more? Visit the website http://www.theindywoodproject.com/ or contact adlane@indywood.co.uk

Why are all my favourite films about men wearing make-up?

I have recently realised that this is true of most of my favourites...

So, recently been exchanging movie recs with Angpang (http://www.push.uk.net/copywriting.html) on Twitter (yes I have a twitter, it's CakePirate, look me up), so here's a post recommending some films for anyone as wants. This will probably become a fairly regular occurrence since I like films. In order of UK rating, links to trailers in titles ...

U:

Labyrinth (1986), Jim Henson/Stephen Spielberg: I'm not sure this should actually be a U because it can be frightening for little kids... plus, David Bowie in those tights *cough*. This was one of my favourite films when I was between the ages of 3 and 8, then I wore the video out and forgot about it until I spotted it on dvd a few years ago. Now it's one of my faves again (but for entirely different reasons). The Jim Henson Company at its best. Glitter to the max.

PG:

Legend (1985), Ridley Scott: Tom Cruise with buck teeth cavorting about in a gold chainmail mini-skirt your bag? Then this is the film for you. Unicorns and fairies, oh my! Fabulous fantasy with Tim Curry dressed as the devil with his fantastic voice; ooh yeah. Glitter galore.
Music & Lyrics (2007), Marc Lawrence: Typical Hugh Grant rom com about a past-it popstar with a brilliant soundtrack and the lovely Drew Barrymore. Pure cheesy, chick-flick goodness.

12:

Kinky Boots (2005), Julian Jarrold: Based on a true story, again more fabulousness. A feel-good rom com. Also, Nick Frost appears in it. The soundtrack is ace.

15:

Still Crazy (1998), Brian Gibson: Fantasmagorical! Brilliant cast containing a lot of big names (Bill Nighy, Timothy Spall, Stephen Rea, Billy Connolly, Jimmy Nail). All about the attempt at a reunion by an ageing glam-rock band from the 1970's and their trials/tribulations on tour. Brilliant soundtrack. Love it.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), Stephan Elliott: Hugo Weaving in Drag. You can never look at Lord of the Rings the same again. Fabulous film, fabulous script, fabulous cast, fabulous costumes, fabulous locations, fabulous props/sets, fabulous soundtrack, just generally fabulous! I love it so much. The dvd case (or the one I have at least) is even pink. Pure gold!
The Orphanage/El orfanto (2007), Guillermo del Torro: Fabulous, psychological/fantasy horror; I didn't think it was scary, just a bit gory at certain points.
Pan's Labyrinth/El laberinto del fauno (2006), Guillermo del Torro: He does it again, a dark/adult fairytale set during the Spanish Civil War. Creepy in a good way, a bit of graphic gore.
The City of Lost Children/La Cité des enfants perdus (1995), Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro: Rec'ed by Angpang. Very good film, very odd, but not as hard to follow as some films. Visually stunning; again, creepy in a good way.

18:

Repo: the Genetic Opera (2008), Darren Lynn Bousman: Fabulous, if you can't find it in the musicals section, look under horror, if you can't find it there, you're guess is as good as mine. Difficult to define, definitely fantastic. Set in the not-too-distant future, with a little bit of a political message about resources/consumption set to a great soundtrack. Brilliant performance from Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy's Giles), Sarah Brightman makes a fabulous Blind Mag and I love the Graverobber (also co-writer). Paris Hilton was surprisingly good, but I still don't like her much. Very gory.

That'll do for now methinks, I'll probably do a separate musicals post soon-ish. Ttfn.

Premier Vision

Earlier this year I went on a study trip to Paris. It was a lot of fun, but I was actually rather disappointed in Indigo. Here are a few of my thoughts:

Direction By Indigo: February 2009

Various companies were clearly thinking about sustainability, some – like Design Works International or Paper & Cloth – through the use of digital print, which is less chemically harmful to the environment. Others, like Beyond Retro and Ancienne Mode, were recycling vintage textiles, retro patterns and full garments. However, not all were. Many companies seemed to be designing with the sole thought of profit at any cost, particularly those whose generic patterns had been seen time and again on the high street and showed no innovation or thought put into use of materials. The use of traditional weaving, screen printing, natural dyes and other historical methods could be seen at several booths, including Helena Gavshon’s. They also used digital print, but seemed much more interested in preserving traditional methods and materials. There seemed to be a number of other companies still using traditional screen printing, but the trend seemed to be towards digital print, whether because of reasons pertaining to sustainability, decreased cost/increased profit, uniformity of design, increased use of new technologies and computer aided design or time saving techniques. Innovation seemed low overall, digital processes in themselves are still considered innovative, but their use was not, on the whole, interesting or unusual. It was mainly used for creating flat prints and patterns; laser-cutting and digital construction of surface textures, etc was minimal to non-existent. There was an awful lot of similar design from stall to stall and most of it was the same as or very similar to designs available for the past couple of years. A lot of florals in the same colours and very similar arrangements, a lot of it was not even particularly well composed. The majority of companies seemed to be playing it safe, which is, perhaps, understandable to a certain extent in this current economic climate. However, lack of profit or immediate saleability should not be an excuse for being ‘safe’, ‘boring’ and lacking in innovative thinking. Many of the companies appeared to be interested purely in design as aesthetics and surface pattern. I did not notice any scientific or technologically imbedded textiles at all, but this may have something to do with the aspect of Indigo as somewhere to sell patterns to industry, but it could easily be so much more than that. Admittedly, there were many empty booths due either to companies having sold out or not wanting to deal with students, so there could have been anything on them during the selling days. Attitudes towards us as students were mixed, many companies were willing to talk and answer questions; some even offered work experience or contacts. Others, were not so friendly, many would not even say hello and some wouldn’t let people look at their products. Surprisingly, the worst offenders of this terrible attitude were a couple of the University stalls. This is not a good way for companies to behave, just because we are students at the moment with little to no influence on industry does not mean we will always be. Many of us may go on to be their bosses; some of us may remember their attitudes and base decisions partly on that. Particularly the Universities, they may have just lost a highly talented future student or lecturer.


Now, I wouldn't base my job decisions on that, but I may walk if those attitudes continued. I probably would for a University place though, atmosphere is everything. It really is not a good way for the industry to act though becuase students are not just students, we're future professionals who, may indeed have control of their paychecks one day.

It's All Gone Boat-shaped!

It seems as if the red, blue and white nautical stripes and anchors are very much here to stay for another season. Not that I'm complaining because I do rather like that aesthetic; it's just that the fashion industry (or the high street anyway) gets less and less creative as it also gets lower and lower quality.

Take New Look par example, used to be you could get a really good pair of jeans that would last. Now, I wear jeans until they fall apart at the seams, are full of holes, covered in paint, too big and the bottoms are wrecked; I'm short and hemming jeans often ruins the cut (especially if there's a design on them or they're flared) or you feel like there's no point since they won't last long enough to merit it anyway, or you're just really lazy like moi... Anyway, up until last year I had 2 pairs of New Look jeans I absolutely adored, they lasted 4 and 5 years respectively and, had they not been entirely the wrong size, I might have made a more concerted rescue attempt (as it stands, one pair have gone to patch my brother's jeans and the other is probably going to be reborn as a handbag or something, haven't yet decided). So, having need of new jeans I thought, "hey, why not try the same place again?" No such luck. Like the majority of shops they don't cater for short people like myself (usually "petite" is still a couple of inches too long or in some cases, a couple of inches too short), easily solved but turning up the cuffs. However, one pair, 6 months down the line, the seams went gone and the crotch wore out; the other pair, after 3-4 months they went all grey and baggy (especially at the knees). I still wear the latter as they have yet to fall apart. I know they were only £10 and £6 respectively in the sale, but outwith the sale they were £30 and £25 respectively, more than I paid for the decent jeans 5 years ago. Not impressed at all.

Not all is doom and gloom though. I was recommended Marks & Spencer's by several reliable sources. They do have some nice stuff, but it's generally waaaaaaaaaay too expensive for a student budget and the rest is very conservative, middle-aged and upwards woman, so I hadn't really considered it as the place to buy jeans. Oh, but it is. You do have to hunt for the gems amongst the unfashionable and uncomfortable (I think anyway, just don't like where they sit really) high-waisted, straight-legged, boring ones, but there are nice ones there to find. I now have 2 pairs which, quelle suprise, are the right length for me and 3 months on show no signs of being poor quality. The verdict is still out on whether they last more than a year, but so far I am impressed. The waist is still too large, but, hey, that's a post for another time.

And now for the musical portion of this blog (it has gone rather musical):



Ooh, I do like me a bit of Cole Porter.



Go Sailor! Go!

Expect more music related posts, something a bit more serious and then some unbridled silliness comin' at ya like a wet flannel soon.

Peace out.

It's Good to be Spontaneous

Today when wandering the charity shops to find last minute items for Terry Pratchett's Mort (the student theatre company I'm part of's latest production) I picked up a random CD for £2, which looked quite interesting. Since I'm open to new experiences I figured, hey, why not, especially since the money goes to charity and if it was pants then I'd just pop it back in , no harm done.

Ice Cream by Salad (Island Records, 1997) is rather good though. I'm glad I randomly decided to get it. Unfortunately, none of their work is on Youtube, so you shall just have to track it down by yourselves. The wiki article should give you some background info though.

Also, lead singer Marijne van der Vlugt is in the band Cowboy Racer (also fabulous) whose song Yellow Horse featured in Grey's Anatomy.

Oh and I found Sarah McLaughlin's Icecream whilst looking on Youtube and it's great:



And just becuase nothing is complete without this (may be NSFW, contains sweary words):



Peace out...

Mars Ain't the Kinda of Place to Raise Your Kids...

Crossposted from http://cakepirates.livejournal.com/:

I've been meaning to post this up for quite a while now. This is an essay I wrote for my course at uni last semester and I was incredibly surprised that it got an A3 seeing as I was hoping for a C1 and expecting a C3. Anyway, it's all about interactive teaching/learning and suchlike you should check out some of the videos on Snozelan, etc, they are very intersting and I might pick up further research into this topic when I've got some time. Apologies for the spelling and grammar errors, I do try to catch these things, but spell-check only goes so far...

Also, if you get the chance to read Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point and/or Senses & Sensibilities by Jillyn Smith, do so because they rock so hard! Their writting styles are interseting, lively and reasonably easy to understand.

Mars Ain’t the Kind of Place to Raise Your Kids...[1]

So what is this design thing all about anyway?

Design is often perceived as pandering to a mass consumerist market and churning out pretty things; useless, disposable and ultimately destined to pollute a landfill site near you. Or, even worse perhaps, be shipped to a developing country to contaminate and, possibly, destroy their society and scenery as well. And, yes, in many instances, this is the case, but not all, not by a long shot. Attitudes towards design need to change as much as our attitudes towards how we use our natural resources. According to the Design Council (?:2): “Good design begins with the needs of the user. No design, no matter how beautiful and ingenious, is any good if it doesn't fulfil a user need...” A great example of a group practicing user-centred design is DEMAND, a registered charity working to “design and manufacture bespoke equipment for disabled people, where no off the shelf solutions exist...” (http://www.demand.org.uk/ (10/12/2008)). Design is and should be about finding solutions to problems. The same solution is not necessarily going to suit everyone, so how do you get around that obstacle?

Design is not just stuff...

“If you work with the child’s preferred learning style, as opposed to the more common method of working from what the child is not good at, you are then teaching them from a position of strength rather than weakness...” (Hirstwood ?:2). Sound familiar? Education and learning are just as much designed systems as the school buildings they occur in or the uniform which you may have worn there. Many things can fall under the general umbrella heading of interactive learning. And, yes, there is a lot of stuff associated with it; exploration of new technologies is always going to have strong links with education, who better to test some new innovation than someone who has no expectations or preconceptions of how it should work? One such example is SynergyNet, the “interactive multi-touch desks” (Lipsett 2008:1) created by Durham University’s Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) department and currently being tested in schools. They described their creation as: “...very similar to the type of interface shown as a vision of the future in the TV series Star Trek.” (Lipsett 2008:1). The idea, it seems, is for the class activities to become more student, rather than teacher-led, allowing the student to work at his or her own pace with separate tasks suitable for their level set to each desk; with added networking to allow for group activities. Its creators also claim that it has applications in relation to social inclusion and equality. However, this technology is still a long way off being ready for mainstream use and is far from affordable (£8,000 per desk) at this stage in development.

Relevant examples of technologies used in current interactive teaching are interactive whiteboards, which have been around for several years now. They allow for group activities, but are still teacher focused; they act as a computer screen which you can also draw on digitally with different coloured “pens”. Equally there is an educational video-gaming element to them. Special controllers (similar to those used by the Playstation game Buzz!) can be used to compete in teams or individually in user-created quizzes. It can turn learning into a more engaging experience and some of the information can be more likely to stick in your head than under a more traditional format of revision. More recently there is Nintendo’s Wii, which has a lot of potential to become an interactive teaching device. “Technology behind computer gaming... is developing exponentially. Equipment that five years ago was restricted to university virtual reality labs costing hundreds of thousands of pounds is now mainstream... Wii has suddenly made gaming both kinaesthetic and social...” (Hirstwood 2007:1). It could allow people with mobility issues to participate in sports which they may not otherwise have been able to, admittedly using the Wiimote to flick a digital bowling ball across the screen is an entirely different experience from actually throwing the real thing down the alley, but for people with restricted movement it allows them to experience some of the excitement, physical exercise and skills without too much exertion. The Wii’s smaller, more portable cousin, the DS also has in-built interactive technology and also has educational games currently available. Video gaming in education is not a new concept – it was certainly around in the 1990’s (Zoombeenies, Dread Dragon Droom, etc) – technology has simply moved on enough that they have become more physically interactive and possibly more acceptable in the classroom.

Sometimes a simpler approach is better...

However, high-tech solutions aren’t always the best ones. Interactive learning still existed before the days of personal computers; it just hadn’t been given a fancy title yet. According to Jillyn Smith (1989:198): “The senses need to be stimulated to develop, and many studies indicate that humans... need certain kinds of tactile experiences to develop into healthy individuals...” Something that computers, however good they may be, cannot give is human contact and their ability to provide tactile experiences/environments is currently limited. Snozelan or Multi-sensory/White Rooms, such as the ones at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Ryehill and Twinkle House in West Lancashire are used to help children and adults with physical or learning difficulties. “Although sophisticated equipment can be used, excellent work can also be done using items such as hand-held torches and cooking foil to break the light beams...” (The CALL Centre ?:1) Something as simple as a bubble tube, aromatherapy oils or fibre-optic sprays can teach important focusing or numeracy skills, etc. Weighted blankets or belts (like the miracle belt) can help to ground a child with Down’s syndrome or ADHD, etc. It is said that “Physical contact is the ultimate signal to infants and... small children that they are safe...” (Smith 1989:199). For many children with Autism or other disabilities, the opposite can be true, but the use of these (designed) objects seems to help many of them in a similar way to how human contact helps others. Many of these tactile techniques can also be used effectively with children without these problems.

And all this without even venturing into the fields of robotics or interactive web-design...

Design is a much more complex, far-reaching subject than it first appears and there are many ways in which it can and should be used to better people’s lives. There is no simple answer to what it really is: “And so I leave you with this thought, dear reader. Use the technology which the engineer has developed, but use it with a humble and questioning spirit...” (Lewycka 2006:303).

---

[1] Title taken from the song Rocket Man By Elton John.

Bibliography

Adams-Spink, G. (2006) Innovative designs tackle disabilities. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4690784.stm [9/12/2008]

Ambron, S. & Hooper, K. (ed.) (1990) Learning with Interactive Multimedia... Redmont, Washington: Microsoft Press.

Anderson, L. & Huang, H-C. (1995) Puppet Motel. New York: Voyager.

Bower, G. H. & Hilgard, E.R. (1981) Theories of Learning. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

CBS News (2007) http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lOnoLESsWW0 [9/12/2008]

Cogill, J. (2002) How is the interactive whiteboard being used in primary school and how does this affect teachers and teaching? http://www.virtuallearning.org.uk/whiteboards/IFS_Interactive_whiteboards_in_the_primary_school.pdf [16/11/2008]

Design Council (?) What is Design. http://www.hku.hk/bse/interdisciplinary/what_is_design.pdf [9/12/2008]

DEMAND, Design & Manufacture for Disability (?) http://www.demand.org.uk/ [10/12/2008]

Druin, A. & Hendler, J. (ed.) (2000) Robots for Kids: Exploring New Technologies for Learning. San Diego: Morgan Kaufmann/Academic Press.

Elizabeth Fitzroy Support (2005) http://www.sensoryworld.org/ [9/12/2008]

Gladwell, M. (2008) The Tipping Point. London: Little, Brown Book Company.

HealthcareNewsNetwork (2008) http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=U2j7yriau34 [10/12/2008]

Hirstwood, R. (2007) Do You Need a Wii? http://www.multi-sensory-room.co.uk/page49/page50/page50.html [9/12/2008]

Hirstwood, R. (?) Sensory Learning. http://www.multi-sensory-room.co.uk/page49/page52/page52.html [9/12/2008]

John, E. & Taupin, B. (1972) Rocket Man. Honky Château.

Lewycka, M. (2006) A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian. London: Penguin Books, Ltd.

Lipsett, A. (2008) School Desks: The Next Generation... http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/sep/17/itforschools.elearning [16/11/2008]

Longhorn, F. (2007) Sensory Gardens and Very Special People. http://www.multi-sensory-room.co.uk/page49/page56/page56.html [9/10/2008]

Original Diamond Designs, Inc. (?) http://www.miraclebelt.com/ [10/12/2008]

Schank, R. C. & Morson, G. S. (1998) Tell Me A Story: Narrative and Intelligence. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press.

Sheffield Children’s Hospital/SCHCharity (2007) http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=87DAGlTlUSQ [9/12/2008]

Smith, J. (1989) Senses & Sensibilities. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

The CALL Centre, the University of Edinburgh (?) Do White Rooms or Multi-sensory Rooms work? http://callcentre.education.ed.ac.uk/SEN/Early_Ed/Sensory_Stim_EEA/Visual_Stim_EEB/White_Room_EEC/white_room_eec.html [9/12/2008]

Stevic Rust, L. (2008) http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VyzFOQTrOJA [9/12/2008]

Twinkle House Multi-Sensory Studio (?) http://www.twinklehouse.co.uk [9/12/2008]

Pakhchyan, S. (2008) Fashioning Technology. Italy: O’Reilly.

Prashnig, B. & Dryden, G. (2004) The Power of Diversity: New Ways of Learning and Teaching Through Learning Styles. Continuum International Publishing Group.

Gee Willikers Batman!

For some reason Blogspot wasn't working on my computer for about a month or so, so I started an lj to keep me busy in the meantime. Crossposted from http://cakepirates.livejournal.com/:

Whilst searching for pop art/artists as reference for a uni project I stumbled across this article:Lichtenstein: creator or copycat?

I was surprised, I , like many others thought that Lichtenstein was just parodying/paying homage to 1940's/50's/60's comics, but didn't realise that many of them are pretty much direct lifts from the original with slightly different colouring (he really liked blondes), if even that. If you go check out this: Deconstructing Roy Lichtenstein you can easily see where he got them from. Arguably, you could see it as "fanart" that he got paid for or found object/image art (but not quite as it's copied not collaged/CAD) and if most of the original copyright holders accept it, I suppose it's alright... or is it? I don't know, it just seems rather dishonest, especially when the artist hasn't been asked for permission (George Tuska didn't even know that his work had been used), but at the time nobody did anything for whatever reason and it's far too late now.

However, sometimes copyright can be bad. Nadia Plesner's Simple Living t-shirt design was targeted by Louis Vuitton (http://massdelirium.wordpress.com/2008/05/05/issues-management-louis-vuitton-and-nadia-plesner/) for using a similar logo (but not the same as) to theirs which is, in a way, understandable brand protection yadda-yadda, but it was for charity, surely they could've been seen to support the cause (maybe even make a donation to Save Darfur), they can easily afford to after all. Thousands of genuine fake designer products are seized every year, why not go after the makers of those rather than an artist trying to raise awareness and funds for a charity.

The world is an odd place indeed.

Yo Ho Ho and a Packet of Buns...

Avast ye cakies!

Captain Pudding reporting for duty, hope this battenburg's ship-shape and ready to sail...

So, what's this all about then?

Well, this blog came about for several reasons. It was suggested by a friend that I get a website, but I haven't got the first clue how to do that, so I thought I'd start out with a blog as it seemed a much simpler idea. Also, partly because I did a project on Curiosity Cabinets at uni and discovered a very definate link between blogs and the wunderkrammer of Reanissance Europe; much like today's blogs they were for collecting and understanding universal knoweldge (but that's ablog for another time). Another reason is that my lecturer tells us frequently that there are 10 designers for each job and only one in 3 of us will become designers (or some such statistic) and that students who blog tend to get better marks. I would rather like to pass my course and, hey, anything that helps, right? Plus: http://www.openforum.com/marketing/video_hearitfortheblog.html as found here: http://design-cultures.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-11-04T14%3A05%3A00Z&max-results=10 . I'm also quite opinionated and rather nosy on a variety of subjects and I'd quite like to discuss some of them (if anyone ever actually reads this thing).

What's this actually going to be used for though?

A sort of online curiosity cabinet full of cool objects, articles, websites, blogs, stuff, etc. wot I have found or written about. Useful links. Probably design issues. A bit of fashion no doubt (I am a textiles student after all) because I love clothes, shoes and am an accessories fiend. Maybe a bit of my artwork. Con reports, possibly: I'm a massive geek and there's not much to be done about it. The occasional movie/tv show review. A bit about books/comics/manga I've been reading. Adventure and travel reports. Stuff about comedy I'm into, some music and theatre. And probably a lot more besides.

Why Cake Pirates?

Why not? It combines two of my favourite things, cake and pirates. Plus, it's fun and there's increasingly fewer and fewer original titles for things out there.

What's a Cake Pirate when it's at home?

Well, a lot of things. Generally a cake pirate is interested in the world at large, ethical and ecological issues like recycling, a bit of politics on occasion (though they despair of the stupidity of government), a bit of everything. They like to make things or have adventures. Probably baking or confectionary plays a big role; it is doubtful that they'll ever be a size 0 and wouldn't want to be anyway. They aren't particularly interested in the world of celebrity unless it is deserved and really don't like Big Brother or the Beckhams and wish they would just go away. Vintage is a must; a cake pirate is probably part womble and loves charity shops a rediculous amount... they may or may not have difficulty not purchasing 500kg hippy bundles of clothing...

How can I become one?


Just be yourself, try your best to recycle and don't be a sheep. Do your own thing rather than following the crowed and all that hackneyed nonsense. Have as many adventures as possible and try not to get yourself in too much trouble.

Who be ye anyhow?

Part textiles student, part cosplayer, part glam-rock-space-pirate, part chipmunk princess, part octopus bicycle. Cake Pirate Pudding is somewhat eccentric, has rather ecclectic tastes and a slighty perculiar sense of style (a rather odd mixture of tweed, sequins and men's shirts). David Bowie is pretty much my favourite star/style icon. Bassically I'm a massive geek who eventually hopes to become a theatrical costume designer.

Any last words before ye walk the plank?

I appologise in advance for all the spelling and grammatical errors that doubtless will occur throughout the life of this blog. I'm aware that I can't type, but I insist on trying anyway. Also, I shall think of something inspirational to say later, but now I must dance!