I haven’t watched this Brian De Palma film in years. Blow Out opened to scant audience interest upon its release, despite earning predominantly positive notices from critics. Travolta and Allen’s lead performances, De Palma’s direction, and the film’s visual style were praised as its strongest points. However, it ultimately fared poorly at the box office, largely due to negative word of mouth surrounding its bleak ending.
A Fire Within
January 25, 2025
For the past few months, I simply haven’t been able to get this fragrance out of my mind, so I was delighted when a small sample finally arrived from the States. I’d been eagerly awaiting its arrival, especially as this brand has only released a handful of products over the last ten years.
On my first try, I detect a hint of liquorice, which is really quite lovely. I’ll need to explore it further, though I’m not yet certain about its longevity or strength.
Update (26 January 2025): I have tried this fragrance again today and must note that it smells remarkably similar to Dior’s New Look. This new impression comes from a more detailed testing session, where its distinctive floral nuances and elegant sillage echoed the Dior creation’s signature blend.
Prompt Engineering
January 24, 2025
My new book arrived today: Prompt Engineering for Generative AI, a new publication focusing on the application of large language models (LLMs) and diffusion models. I do think O’Reilly books are overpriced, but they do offer publications on very specialised topics.
I added some React animations to an app I am working on. It looks completely different to how I was originally using it. Last year, I was basically sending all my json requests via the terminal.
I also added a simple React animation to this site. The title should now sweep into view.
Bad Weather
January 23, 2025
I couldn’t get out to exercise today because it was raining on and off, so I spent many hours working on prompting templates for Flux. I finally managed to send my fleece off for repairs. It’s still a brilliant piece of winter clothing, so letting a few rusty zips stop me from using it seemed rather wasteful.
GPS 23’ 34”N
January 22, 2025
Inspired by Walpole Bay; seaweed, white flowers and salt water collected on 25th March 2014, (sunny day).
Reminiscent of an uninhabited bay; man-made structures that bridge land and sea and a crisp fragrance of salt, sweet pea and musk.