January 2008
Possibly the most misleading picture of New Street... →
Apparently New Street is… old! and pleasent!
Shamelessly nicked from the front page of the Birmingham Post (picture actually taken by Iain Findlay, before I get sued)
setanta sports,.... →
hello fantastic fans,………. i’m on telly tonight at 7.30…….. details to follow….. i ‘m back in timperley now,…. my areoplane came into manchester this morning. i’ve dropped off my films at the chemist,…. so there’ll be some pictures up soon. plus some film of me onstage in new york and coney island along with a full report on...
13th Floor Elevators Biography - "Eye... →
The subtitle of this musical biography sums up its story neatly. “Eye Mind – The Saga of Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators, The Pioneers of Psychedelic Sound” by Paul Drummond offers insight into the history of this important band. Although not commercially successful, the 13th Floor Elevators were indeed pioneering and lay claim to being the first band to refer to their music as...
Mike Figgis Wants Us All To Be Nice On The Bus →
Your top five hates on the bus? Kids playing music out of their tinny mobiles? Litter? People shouting down their phones? It’s OK. London’s buses are about to become oases of calm and civil behaviour thanks to director Mike Figgis.
Ad agency M&C Saatchi recruited Figgis to shoot a 3-minute cinema commercial in the split-screen style of his Timecode feature encouraging us all to be much more...
Joy Division documentary →
Oh no… not Joy Division again… lissen up, I understand you perfectly clear. Everyone likes Joy Division, but we don’t take kindly to force feeding and canonising. I understand I really do. Just because they’re the hippest band in the whole wide world doesn’t mean that we should start to ignore. There’s a new documentary out which is nothing to do with Control...
Wellington Grey —... →
Wellington Grey — Miscellanea—what-would-richard-feynman-do
What have the unions ever done for us? →
(contains a few sweary words) Thanks to Mick Davies for the tip.
Leaked UK gov't doc reveals plan to "coerce" Brits... →
Phil from the UK anti-ID-register group NO2ID sends in this nugget — note the call to action there. We’ve got a sensitive government document revealing the British government’s plan to trick us into a database state and we need as many copies as possible, as quickly as possible!
If you mirror this document, please add a link to it in the comments for the post.
UK...
Wanted! - Have you seen these Miis? →
Sadly, this isn’t a story about the police using the Mii designer to create a photo fit of a hardened criminal to show on Crimewatch. Rather, it’s the opposite. West Yorkshire police have released pictures of the Miis contained on a stolen Wii in an attempt to track down the owner.
To back that up, they’ve also released a couple of names, like they release offenders after a rubber-hosed...
Celeste Stein Tights →
Tights might be essential if you want to wear dresses in these colder climes, but they are rarely anything to get excited about. But I’ll make an exception for the range of tights from Celeste Stein. The above images are just a few of the amazing designs available from the American designer as opaque tights. Pictures here are “Black Vogue” a sixties inspired floral print, “Black White Optic” a...
aatw via brocatus & bullshit →
aatw via brocatus & bullshit
Digital Coaching, Catalysts and Sitting on Your... →
I’ve been reflecting on some of the social media work I’ve done over the last year and seeing where I might improve my offering. The model piece of work that I’ve sold to people has gone as follows: “You tell me you want to have a go at this new fangled social media mularkey, but you don’t know where to start. So I’ll start for you and show your people what I’m doing. We’ll start off with me...
Want fries with that degree? →
Imagine you’re a party of government. You’ve made education a key priority, and even appointed one of your most talented ministers to take on the education portfolio. The opposition, however, has recently been on the offensive over education — making it the centrepiece of their new agenda, and gaining ground in the public perception. What message do you put out there to take back the...
via www.badusability.com →
via www.badusability.com
spEak You’re bRanes » Delusions of Grandeur →
Southern racists adopt "Canadian" as a euphemism... →
The Canadian National Post looks on with mild horror as American linguists report on the growing trend in the American south to use “Canadian” as a masking euphemism for black people, so that white racists can say socially inappropriate things without tipping listeners off about the cancer in their souls.
Last August, a blogger in Cincinnati going by the name CincyBlurg reported that...
Good Magazine is Great →
I received my first issue of Good Magazine the other day (thanks Frank!) and I absolutely loved it. In fact, I read the thing cover to cover in one sitting.
For those that don’t know, Good Magazine is an effort to provide media about people doing good in the world to hopefully offset all the bad stuff that the mainstream media likes to focus on.
One of the things that makes Good Magazine such a...
UB40 singer quits group →
UB40’s lead singer Ali Campbell is to leave the group after almost 30 years, the band confirms.
Where is the Black Country then, really? →
Today I was talking to the Black Country Chamber of Commerce about their plans to get the region officially recognised by the Ordinance Survey maps.
The hardest part of the whole business is deciding what and where the Black Country actually is though. Although it’s obviously got it’s own identity - probably more so than the surrounding areas of other cities of similar size.
I don’t know about...
High Industrial:
How Microsoft marketing ‘Macs’ a... →
High Industrial:
How Microsoft marketing ‘Macs’ a product: “Microsoft marketers have learned their lesson. They no longer expect Mac users to pick up a package marked ‘Certified for Windows Vista,’ with a jumble of specs on the front. Here’s how Microsoft renamed and repackaged the same mouse for Mac users. It’s clear that Mac users have a preference for clear, simple packaging.”— marco
It’s...
Poor standard of retail signage →
I snapped this photo this morning in my local tube station in London, Old Street Station. I call it “The poor standard of retail signage.” Link
Skitch →
Currently my process for getting an image onto a blog is a little long winded because I like to have a little control over what happens. A screen grab or jpeg goes into Preview or is uploaded to (the quite wonderful) Picnik to resize them. Then they’re uploaded either via ftp or within Wordpress. It’s a bit of a hassle. Skitch looks to streamline this process tremendously. Screen grab,...
Leonard Cohen to tour Europe? →
I’ve not heard about Leonard Cohen for ages.What’s he doin’ these days? Kung-fu? Lookin’ like that guy from Dempsey and Makepeace? Well, if rumours are to be buhlieved, then right now, he’s gearing up for a world tour.
A posting on Leonardcohenforum.com reads: “The following advance notice is posted with Leonard’s permission. Leonard Cohen will be touring...
Aren't they all? →
Dave Gorman posted a photo:
Suck Less at Photoshop [How To] →
Screencaster Donnie Hoyle says you suck at Photoshop, and offers a few hilarious NSFW tutorials that contain some naughty words (so don’t watch ‘em in front of the children). Above he covers distortion, warp and layer effects. After the jump, two more show you how to cover your mistakes, and use the clone stamp.
Covering Your Mistakes Clone Stamp and Manual Cloning [via Laughing...
Best of 2007: Ronnie Hazlehurst - Last of the... →
The Last of the Summer Wine (tab)
The saddest passing of 2007 was that of theme tune legend Ronnie Hazlehurst. He wrote the theme tunes of a great raft of shows from the 70s and 80s (none of which will mean much to you if you live outside the UK). Watch Matt Berry (IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace) talk about him and play a note perfect rendition of the Sorry! theme tune.
Hazlehurst’s theme...
Fucking Fucker guitar amp: Boing Boing Gadgets →
Over on Boing Boing Gadgets, our Joel reports on the latest in rock-n-roll gadgetry, the attitudinal Fucking Fucker all-tube guitar amp from Metasonix, which comes with many nihilistic humor touches: “The G-1000 consists of two totally independent amplifiers, with very different preamp sections. One channel is called the HAPPY channel. The other is called the ANGRY channel.” Link,...
the fridge: part two →
The food stealing has reached new limits, I just found this!…
The Sports Factor: Darts: Verbal and regular →
In a week when the return of the messiah to Newcastle United has thankfully shifted the spotlight from off-field events at my team Liverpool, what better time to assess the ‘Geordie Nation’? And who better to explain it than Sid Waddell? And how better to explain it than to put him on Australia’s ABC Radio National and get him to try to explain to Australians, in the form of The Sports Factor’s...
It's not strictly crossing a picket line if... →
John Legend has come up with a plan for pleasing record company bosses and sticking to the letter of the Screenwriter’s Guild request: he’s going to play his Grammy gig in a plane: Details are still being worked out, a Grammy spokesperson tells Billboard.biz, but Legend will perform a 30-minute set aboard a Delta Air Lines, Grammy-branded Boeing 757. The flight will leave New York on...
The Velvet Touch →
“Ginsberg is both tragic and dynamic, a lyrical genius, con man extraordinaire, and probably the single greatest influence on American poetical voice since Whitman.” -Bob Dylan ”Pot is Fun” -Allen Ginsberg “I’m not a Hippie!” -Jonathan Richman At the end of “See You Later, Allen Ginsberg,” you can hear Bob Dylan start to say,...
Go Go Gadget Arms!! →
dis kitteh wishes for gadget arms.
picture: Jacki Wolfe
lolcaption: Jacki Wolfe
pew pew →
jess_carrasco has added a photo to the pool:
Picture By: www.flickr.com/photos/babykailan/264934043/
Kitty Monkey Dog Bear??? →
WHAT IN THE!?! For crying out loud, what in the ever-living cross-breeding world is GOING ON HERE!? kitty monkey dog bear, originally uploaded by Qathi.
WHAT IN THE? Seriously, what is going on? kitty monkey dog bear, originally uploaded by Qathi.
Rivvo Telephone Box Wine Cabinet →
A classic piece of design re-invented - as the Rivvo Telephone Box Wine Cabinet. It’s not an original telephone box, it’s a replica - although it does stand almost as tall at just over 6ft. Features include space for 24 bottles of wine using a drawer arrangement, a pull-out shelf, back mirror and overhead storage for wine glasses. There’s even built-in lighting in case you...
Will Self: Psychogeography on Studio360 →
Studio360’s a great show. (Feeds and podcast are here.) They make an effort to find a way to talk about the arts and culture which goes beyond studio chat. This interview with Will Self about Psyschogeography is a good example. They did it on a walk into Manhattan from the La Guardia airport, they even did a Google map. I always think Self’s at his best when he’s extemporising with the real world...
They're not you friends; they're not even... →
Perhaps unsurprisingly - although the stench of desperation is somewhat strong - it turns out there are companies who you can pay to boost the number of plays for your band on MySpace: From: Want More PROMO? Date: Jan 2, 2008 8:12 PM These are the promotion packages we offer to bigger artists: MONTHLY RATES: PROMOTION 1: 400$ 5,000 a day for 1 month - Total plays a month: 150,000 PROMOTION...
Zine Scene →
Zine Scene. Radio 4 doc where “Jarvis Cocker explores the history of fanzines” usefully defined as “small publications designed and produced by devotees of popular phenomena.” Starts tomorrow at 11.30am. ta Andy KK
Tetrical - 3D Tetris Stacking Game Developed by... →
Impossible
A thought on spam →
Just a thought… If one runs a blog or online forum about erectile dysfunction and the use of viagra to combat that - how do you decide what is and isn’t spam?
A hypothetical though, of course!
Why we love local newspapers →
Hats off to the Norwich Evening News, which knows exactly the pecking order for the story about KT Tunstall’s engagement: Norwich man to marry pop star
well MTV, this mah tree →
Daily Bonuf Lol* Psst. Think ur funny? Make ur own lol*whatever and see.
dis whre da magik hapn
O, Rly? Cause mah fadder wuz a trees!
picture: dunno source, via our lolcat builder. lol caption: AP
Link →
SimCity goes free software →
SimCity has just been released as free software under the GPL version 3 license (though the name has been changed to Micropolis for trademark reasons; it was the original working title). This was precipitated by the inclusion of SimCity on the One Laptop Per Child XO machines, but no reason the kids should have all the fun. Can’t wait to see the SimCity hacks that emerge now:
The...
SimCity goes free software →
SimCity has just been released as free software under the GPL version 3 license (though the name has been changed to Micropolis for trademark reasons; it was the original working title). This was precipitated by the inclusion of SimCity on the One Laptop Per Child XO machines, but no reason the kids should have all the fun. Can’t wait to see the SimCity hacks that emerge now:
The...
