One day late, I've decided to do something for Advent. Of course, it's weird being an
atheist doing anything vaguely associated with the coming of The Christ; but if Christians can recycle the germanic fertility festival of Eostre as a celebration of resurrection -
why not?
Anyways each of the days leading up to Christmas, I'm changing my Twitter avatar to that of a character or historical figure who has, in some way, influenced me. I'd struggle to call them either heroes or role models, because often they're not; but I am who I am because of how their life has made a gravity well through which my life has tumbled through like a comet stumbling through the social universe with little more than an ability to make convoluted metaphors and write sentences that go on on and on until they are stopped in a way that seems more like a mercy killing than a conclusion.
Still with me? Good, here's the people so far:
December 1: I hadn't thought of this yet
December 2: Oscar Wilde, a genius of the Victorian age before being crushed by it's dark side.

December 3: Eric Blair, an author who saw clearly
December 4th: Matt Stone and Trey Parker - Cultural commentators and comic writers.
December 5th: Ada Lovelace - Computer Programmer
December 6th:
Neal Stephenson: Author and Technology Writer. Second Life is based on one of his books.
December 7th: Linus Torvalds - Father of Linux
December 8th: Emmeline Pankhurst - Political Activist

December 9th: Groucho Marx - Iconoclast
December 10th: Douglas Adams - Philosopher
December 11th: Christa McAuliffe - teacher and almost astronaut
December 12th: Edgar Allen Poe - Tortured soul and birdwatcher
December 13th - Alan Turing. A great warrior.
December 14th - Isaac Asimov.
December 15th: William Blake - an old romantic.
December 16th: Number 6 - "a free man"

December 17th: John Peel - supporter of youth culture

December 18th: Terry Pratchett - author

December 19th: MC Escher - imaginer of the impossible

December 20th: Eleanor Roosevelt - Human Rights Champion

December 21st: Johnny Marr - Musician and Diplomat of Divas
December 22nd: Sam Lowry (from the film: Brazil) - dreamer in a world of nightmares.
December 23rd: Steven Spielberg: Creator of Films

December 24th: Bill Hicks: Legendary Comedian