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Day out at Sea Life Centre Birmingham

Tip: Check your cereal boxes for “Buy One Get One Free” offers.

My good lady and I had a great day out at the Sea Life Centre Birmingham yesterday. It had been at least a couple of years since we’d last been and so it made a nice change. Plus we had a “buy one get one free” voucher from a cereal box, which is always nice.

Stood behind the family in front I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Dad. He was forking out £71.80 for himself, his wife and his two or three kids. I almost tapped him on the shoulder to advise him to go next door and buy two boxes of Frosties. Thereby getting two adult entries for the cost of two cereal boxes. But I figured the Sea Life Centre could do some good with the extra.

I was impressed with the array of sea creatures throughout the building, with the underwater tunnel at the end being of particular stand out. All of the talks we saw, including the Oceanic Adventures; Asian Short-clawed otters; and the behind the scenes tour were all great and very informative.

This was also the first time I’d seen Gentoo penguins up close. They were very cool and very inquisitive with the human faces pushed up against the glass.

The route throughout the Sea Life Centre was just right – not too long and not too short. I think we got there at about 1pm and left and about 4:45pm after the last talk. So you could easily do this in a morning or an afternoon. It pretty much moves around the building in one direction with many rooms containing multiple displays. Of course you can always go back through to look at any creatures again – we did, multiple times.

The only draw back was the lack of a cafe in the building, but that isn’t really a deal-breaker for me.

If you’re in Birmingham and have a morning or afternoon free, do consider the Sea Life Centre.

Some Facts I Remember Learning

The difference between Sharks and Rays is that Sharks have gills on the side of their head; Rays’ are on the bottom of their body.

The Mantis Shrimp’s hit is so strong, that if humans had the equivalent power, we could hit a ball into space.

Some breeds of fish can change sex, for instance when one of a breeding pair is removed.

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Okay so I’m only on the title screen of @505_Games game Virginia and I’m already in love. #DiscoverVirginia

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Interview With Droid Bishop

Droid Bishop is a well known and respected name within the synthwave scene. He has music on SoundCloud that spans back several years, which you should definitely go and check out.

This month I was lucky enough to be able to send him some questions to answer and with Bishop-like precision, he got the answers straight back to me.

The Interview

Please tell us about yourself in as many or as little words as you like.
I am Droid Bishop. I live & make music in Los Angeles. This city at night is the best place and time to exist.
Growing up, who were your heroes in music?
My childhood musical heroes (who are still my heroes) include, Michael Jackson, Metallica, Queen, The Misfits, Daft Punk, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, Django Reinhardt, Tupac, and many many more.
Growing up, who were your heroes outside of music?
Arnold Swarzenegger, Bruce Lee, Jamie Thomas, Harrison Ford, Marty McFly, Ferris Bueller , Zack Morris
What was the first album you remember buying?
Michael Jackson “Dangerous” on cassette
Was there any defining moment in your life when you knew that you wanted to write, record and perform music?
I’ve been playing music since I was 7 years old, but after discovering Metallica’s early albums I knew that was it for me.
Who is your biggest influence in how you approach what you do today?
Daft Punk, Tycho, Todd Terje, Power Glove, Com Truise, Aphex Twin
What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
Receiving messages from fan’s letting me know that my music makes their life better. That is what music/art should be about.
What is your favourite Book?
The Alchemist
What is your favourite Album?
I don’t know if I can answer that, but a few top choices would be: Michael Jackson “Thriller” , Metallica “Master of Puppets” , Daft Punk “Discovery”, Steely Dan “The Royal Scam”
What is your favourite Film?
Die Hard
What is your favourite TV Show?
Seinfeld
Do you have a favourite film/tv/musical soundtrack?
At the moment, “It Follows” film score. Also, “Back To The Future”
Are there any new albums you are binge listening to at the moment?
Not at the moment. I’m working on new music, so I tend to block everything else out while I’m in that process.
You’re walking somewhere and your mp3 player has only a little battery left; You’ve only got time for one more song. What song do you play?
Probably an unreleased demo of Droid Bishop song that i’m working on.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Take it easy on the drugs & alcohol.
If you could ask any person – living or passed – any question, who would it be and what would you ask them?
I would ask Freddie Mercury if we could make a song together.
Your stage name must be a reference to Bishop from Aliens. What made you use him for your name?
I had made a song many many years ago, titled ” Android Bishop” after the character from Aliens. I love that movie and so I just dropped the “A” for Droid and thought it would fit with my Sci Fi synth wave style.
Could you tell us a joke?
Knock Knock.
Who’s there?
…Go fuck ya self

Thank You Droid Bishop

A big thank you to Droid Bishop for taking the time to answer those questions, and so quickly to. Not bad for a human…

Please head over to Droid Bishop’s Bandcamp page and pick yourself up some of the greatest synthwave music there is.