Your name: Marcus O'Neill
Your online/nickname: Captain M.
Web page URL:
Age: 28
Birthday: My birthday's April 12 2016; how long do I live?
Gender: male
Location: Poole, Dorset
Height/weight: IIRC 1m75,
Current haircolour/style: long black
Natural hair colour: light brownish
Eye colour: blue
Religion: I never talk about it in polite company; ditto sex and politics
Siblings: 1 brother
Children: none (committed non-parent)
Relationship status: a perpetual disaster area
Occupation: literary guerilla, cosmic cowboy
Pets: Snotty the snail and Colin the cockroach
Computer you're on: Macintosh Powerbook 3400c
Books: loads – non-fiction including history, archaeology astronomy, evolution, geology. Also, SF + historical fiction
Movies: Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now, The Bounty (1984 version) Saving Private Ryan, Henry V, 2001, The Unforgiven. Plan 9 From Outer Space, Ed Wood, Lawnmower Man.
Poems: the absurdist school
Television shows: Don't watch much but stuff I do like includes The Prisoner, Bab 5, Time Team, Dads Army, Monkey Business, Tom & Jerry (the original violent version) The ad with the Cuprinol wood man (sends me into hysterics)
Bands/musicians: too many to list but a few include Die Laughing, Faith & the Muse, The Shroud, Fading Colours, ALF, NMA, Hawkwind, Gong. Also like some classical and folk.
Board games: tiddlywinks (winkers of the world unite)
Computer games: Escape Velocity and various related plugin scenarios
Other games: ringing doorbells then running off, getting chased by the police
Magazines: Astronomy Now, Modern Astronomer, NewScientist, History Today, What Lawnmower, MacFormat, Gothic Propaganda (a new magazine coming soon from Captain M and associates.
Places to visit: The Andromeda Galaxy
Food: Healthy stuff
Colours: black, red, green
Drinks: dry Martini (shaken not stirred)
What other newsgroups do you read: uk.sci.astronomy, comp.sys.mac, rec.lawnmowers
To which mailing lists are you susbscribed: lots of Nasa and astro stuff, lawnmower news
How long have you been reading UPG: about 2 yrs
What has been your favorite thread on UPG: The anal retentive ones
What are some of your hobbies: astronomy, history, historical reeanactment, rambling in the countryside, nature conservation, mowing the lawn
What's the motto you adhere to: stuff conformity, eccentric and proud of it
What's is your personal stupid human trick: playing tricks on stupid humans
What do you want to be doing 10 years from now: In 10 years time the human race will likely have drowned in its own detritus or self destructed in some such way. Or alternatively the inexorable forces of globalization and transnational corporations will have created a dystopia where everywhere looks like Basingstoke and everyone has become like a Borg drone. In other words I'm much to cynical about the future to even contemplate it.
What is the one thing/skill that you do not have now that you wished you possessed: can't single one of the many
What do you think is your best asset: none
What do you think is the worst thing about you: shyness, lack of self esteem, indolence
What do you value most in a friend: being there
How do you picture UPG: A jungle
Do you have another question: How can you tell if the fridge light goes off when you close the door (a variant of the Schrodinger's Cat question)