Friday, June 27, 2003
New Media Man
Congratualtions to my colleague Mike Short who won the New Media Age Award for " Greatest Individual Contribution to New Media" at last nights awards dinner.
Wednesday, June 18, 2003
Au Revoir
No, don't panic - I am not shutting down my blog like some others I could mention. It is just that I am off to southern France tomorrow on a disgustingly early flight and I doubt very much if my hotel will have Internet on tap so no blog till I get back. This maybe late on Friday if the flight arrives on time. However, as I am flying with Ryan Air, the flight is just as likely to get replaced by a bus service or get diverted to Shannon. In which case I will be back online sometime in July. Oh the joys of budget business travel!
Everything is Closer Than You Think
 Deep joy last week as a Fedex package arrived at my house containing Traveler '03, the latest release from Six Degrees Records. This small label based in San Francisco California, specialises in finding the best groove and dance music from all over the world. The are particularly good at showcasing hybrid or fusion music, where two cultures have met, messed around, and produced progeny which display the best characteristics of both parents. I have been buying their output since I stumbled across a compilation CD on my first visit to Fog City. On successive visits to the west coast I have staggered back through customs carrying a suitcase loaded down with CDs from the Six Degrees catalogue and I have yet to buy an album I didn't like. The Traveler series (one 'L' because it is American) has been running since 1998 and is an annual compilation of the best in global grooves. I have the full set so far and it was with eager anticipation that I tore into the air-freight package to sample the sonic delights within. For me there is only one word to sum up this CD - delicious. From the opening acapella chorus of Rezos from Bobi Cespedes to the afro-stomp fadeout of Xlao Tshao from the Qwii Music Arts Trust each track is fun, funky and full of surprises. But what is this? Peeking inside the cardboard cover I find a bonus disk of rarities. Another 60 minutes of music available only to the first few hundred customers to order '03. Surely Robert Duskis and his team have excelled themselves this year. If you like your music to be melodious with a full-bodied rhythm churning away underneath, I can thoroughly recommend Traveler '03 - in fact any of the Six Degrees compilations. Once you have found the artists you like (in my case Bebel Gilberto, Bob Holroyd and Karsh Kale) you can then investigate their catalogue more thoroughly. I am always on the look out for small but quality record labels so if you know of any, please drop a comment in the box below.
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
What the World Thinks of America
.......or how dear do we hold our Uncle Sam? Working from home today in preparation for a trip overseas for the rest of the week, I have just caught the lunchtime news on BBC1. Five minutes of the bulletin was given over to something which can only be described as an advertisement for a programme to be aired on BBC2 tonight entitled " What the World Thinks of America". The format of the show is to be a live debate lasting and hour and a half and will be hosted by Andrew Marr, one of the BBC's foremost political journalists. Input will be supplied by an array of commentators, politicians and celebrities-du-jour and a studio audience will also be canvassed during the show. Topics mentioned for discussion include American Imperialism, cultural exports, military power, economic control and political influence. According to the preview shown this lunchtime the core of the show will be the results of a global poll of 10,000 people from all over the world except, for some bizarre and apparently technical reason, Africa! The results of the poll will be presented by the hyper-active Peter Snow who will be ensconced with his staggering array of computer simulation equipment in the Cabinet War-Rooms which he described as "the place where Churchill gave birth to the Special Relationship". A couple of teaser results were previewed this lunchtime - for example it seems that greater than 50% of people polled like America - but less than 45% like or trust President Bush. The poll also shows that the majority of people see America as being more dangerous than Syria in terms of having the ability to spark a global conflict. This was all starting to sound promising, and I was already beginning to re-arrange my evening to ensure I didn't miss a moment. Then snow delivered a punchline which undermined the whole value of the poll-results so far. The revelation left me wondering on the quality of the questions, the intelligence of the responders, and therefore the validity of the results as representing an informed global view. When asked who they thought was the greatest ever American, and given a choice of Bill Clinton, Bob Dylan, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D Roosevelt, Homer Simpson, Mr T, George Washington; the combined wisdom of the world snubbed all the Presidents and Equal Rights stalwarts to give a 47% vote for that paragon of wholesome family life Homer Simpson. What confounds me is why the BBC would include two fictional characters for consideration in the first place. I am all for democratic TV, and pitching content where even the dilettante political observer can participate, but I fear the BBC is "dumbing-down" to below an acceptable level. If including Homer Simpson in the same poll as Abraham Lincoln isn't dubming-down then I don't know what is! It will probably be worth watching for entertainment value but if the show goes for comment from the current range of TV's talking heads and eschews input from from such acute observers and men of letters as Norman Mailer, Gore Vidal and Henry Kissinger, all of whom have written articulately for years about the place of America in a global context, then I fear the programme will have little relevance beyond tomorrow's headlines or next Sunday's media reviews.
Monday, June 16, 2003
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
.....and sometimes inaction can be deafening.
Fresh Spam
I have noticed that the content of spam mail arriving at my overloaded inbox has taken on a subtle shift. It is no longer my virility, financial wellbeing, or possession of a degree which is being questioned by these spammers. The fear and doubt which is top of mind for them, and therefore they think for me, is whether or not I will be able to get my hands on a copy of the new Harry Potter book when it launches at the end of this week. Given that I have not read any of JK Rowling's books to date, and didn't think that much of the first film so didn't bother with the second, I doubt very much as if I will be losing much sleep over the arrival of what is probably the most anticipated (=hyped) publishing event of the millennium so far.
Friday, June 13, 2003
Cracked Pots
Someone sent me this lovely little story today by email. I don't believe in passing such things on by email because the world is full of enough "junk"mail already. However I publish it here in the hope that those who read my blog enjoy it.  A water-bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But, the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts." The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path. Every day as we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house." Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life!
Busy, busy, busy....
...and it is all work. A new project on which I am working is taking up all my time and energy at the moment. Plus I have a couple of other interesting opportunities which I am progressing. It all makes for a fun life but not conducive to prolific blogging. Meanwhile the house move is progressing slowly but surely and who knows, I might even manage to take a holiday sometime soon. Stay tuned...
Tuesday, June 10, 2003
Gaudeamus igitur
Apropos of nothing whatsoever, and at a loss of what to blog about today, I have resorted to the last refuge of the desperate blogger. I checked to see what anniversaries we should have been celebrating today. According to Holidays on the Net June 10th is: So lets all raise several glasses of Port to Maurice and Judy and nibble on a taco. Tomorrow we can look forward to: Which we shall celebrate by diving in the Danube wearing a Hawaiian shirt.
Monday, June 09, 2003
Wierd Mathematics
 Here you go folks a bit of light mental arithmetics for you. This is pretty interesting how it works out. It takes less than a minute. Work this out as you read, but don't cheat and read the bottom until you've worked through it, you will spoil the fun! 1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have dinner out. (ie: any number between 2 and 10) 2. Multiply this number by 2 (Just to be bold) 3. Add 5. (For Sunday) 4. Multiply it by 50 - I'll wait while you get the calculator................ 5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1753.... If you haven't, add 1752.......... 6.. Now subtract the four-digit year that you were born. You should now have a three-digit number.... The first digit of this was your original number (i.e., how many times you want to have eat out each week.) The next two numbers are... Your Age! 2003 is the only year ever when this will work. Impressive, isn't it?
Britain at 6am
The BBC's national gem, Radio 4, starts each day with a news and current affairs programme that is listened to by Heads of State and Captains of Industry. The Today Programme has commissioned internationally renown photographer Nick Danziger to produce a series of photographs which captures events going on around the country as the programme comes on air at 6am. These are not the expected scenes of morning joggers passing milk floats and paper boys but the situations which are normally hidden from view as we all stir ourselves and greet the day. Each week the photographs will follow a theme and this week's images were taken around the crew a Fire Station in the West Midlands. Remember to visit over the next few weeks as Danziger's images cover new and interesting themes.
Seeing The World Through Your Eyes
Coming soon, another global project organised by Tracey. This new one is called 26 Things - An International Photographic Scavenger Hunt The nature of the new project is to seek out the twenty six things, themes or objects on a supplied list and photograph them over the given period of time. I love these collaborative projects. Completing the assignment is fun, but what is fascinating is seeing the entries coming in from all over the world. I had hours of fun sifting through the contributions made to Tracey's Mayday Project, and discovered lots of new blogs and photoblogs to visit as a result. As of now there are already 549 people signed up to participate in the 26 Things project, including me. Become an active global villager - sign up today!
Never work with Children or Animals
 Showbiz news is always full of the telephone number salaries which are paid to the incumbent actors in popular, long running US TV series. However, as the stars of Friends, Buffy, Ally McBeal and others have learned when audience figures wain the production companies are no longer prepared, or able, to indulge the greed of their leading ladies and gentlemen. Economics come into play and series are either cancelled, or the stars find themselves replaced with more cost effective alternatives. In the UK our actors are altogether more realistic. There are actors and actresses in the UK soaps who have been in the same role for years, accepting job security for a respectable salary. In the capricious world of acting the value of this is not to be underestimated. Even so, the dear old BBC, which is funded by the license fee and not normally held to ransom by its stars, occasionally finds the need to trim costs here and there. Rumours that the BBC are replacing well known EastEnders stars with cheaper, unknown alternatives have taken on a new credibility today with the leaking of a picture for the replacement Dot Branning (nee Cotton).
Sunday, June 08, 2003
Busy Week
Wow! I can hardly believe that it has been nearly a week since I last blogged. I must apologise. It is however not a lack of motivation on my part, more that I have been incredibly busy and the day job and other life events have somewhat taken over all my time recently. The net result of course is that I now have lots to blog about. So, in the interests of speed lets have a quick recap of the past week. Monday: Took car for MOT Test (passed). Meeting with Government Minister in London where I saw the Queen. Tuesday: Attended trade show and press launch at Earls Court - attended after show party. Wednesday: Published and distributed online industry magazine to several thousand readers. Thursday: Sold my house! Friday: Completed writing a proposal for a major project. Saturday: Went house hunting. saw one I liked and made an offer! Normal blogging service will soon return to normal (assuming you can call any of this stuff normal!)
Monday, June 02, 2003
The Queen and I
I suddenly had a call to attend a meeting in London today (it was a meeting with someone very special and I may tell you more about it later). The office where the meeting was held was less than 100 yards from Westminster Abbey where, quite coincidentally, HRH Queen Elizabeth II was attending a service to commemorate the 50 year anniversary of her Coronation. Walking across Parliament Square I could already see the crowds gathered to get a look at Her Majesty, and as I entered Victoria Street I had to push through masses of people, mainly foreign tourists. Just after I had crossed the road in front of the Methodist Central Hall a large black Rolls Royce bearing the Royal Standard swept past and in it was seated our Queen, dressed in pale yellow, accompanied by Prince Philip wearing a sober suit. I stood there for a moment on the kerb-side so she could get a good look at me, resplendent as I was in a dark suit, blue shirt and mock military tie. I think seeing me must have added a special something to her day.
Sunday, June 01, 2003
Midsummer in Midsomer
 On Friday I told you that there was a film crew in the village. They were here to film part of an episode from the hugely popular detective series Midsomer Murders starring John Nettles and Daniel Casey. Our village is often used as a film and television location and in recent years Bentley Productions, who make Midsomer Murders (MM) have been regular summer visitors. If you haven't seen the programme, it is set in an imaginary area known as Midsomer which is near the equally fictitious town of Causton. The villages in the area include Midsomer Mallow, Midsomer Parva, Midsomer Worthy and others. In actual fact they are the villages of Long Crendon, Nether Winchendon, Haddenham, Cuddington, Bledlow, Holmer Green and The Lee - I know these may sound equally unlikely to my foreign readers but they are all genuine villages and hamlets within the county of Buckinghamshire. Whenever Bentley is going to be filming and in need of people to appear in the background of scenes a postcard will appear in the Post Office window. I myself have answered the call and I am now an experienced "Background Artist" a posh word for what I used to call an Extra. The money is pitiful, the process of waiting around to be "used" is mind-numbing but the excitement of appearing in a scene is brilliant. My role in MM on two occasions has been that of a plain clothes detective and I can be seen in two separate episodes of the fourth series. In "Garden of Death" I can be seen bagging evidence at a crime scene. In the second "The Electric Vendetta" I am walking away from the camera (not my best side!) whilst Detective Cheif Inspector Barnaby and Sergeant Troy discuss how one of the characters was fried to a crisp in his car. In both instances I was on location for a whole day and we filmed the same scene multiple times for something which lasted only seconds on the screen when it appeared. Naturally I was very proud, but I am not holding my breath for a "Best Supporting Actor" BAFTA nomination. Similarly, our village was used in a major ITV production of Oliver Twist. For one whole day the film company closed off the centre of the village, the streets were completely re-dressed to look Victorian, modern fittings were removed or covered up, mud and straw was thrown on the ground to cover up the tarmac, a whole market was built including pens containing live farm animals, and stalls full of fresh food including bread, pies, vegetables and churns of milk. There were stagecoaches and Shirehorses pulling drays full of hay and a water butt appeared outside the village hall. Many of the villagers were hired as extras and dressed in period costume. It was a scene where Oliver first meets the Artful Dodger and filming lasted for hours. Many months later, the scene appeared in the second episode. All the villagers eagerly awaited to see their friends or their houses on the TV. When it came, the scene lasted for 30 seconds, didn't show any of the villagers, didn't use any of the expensive scenery which had been created and just focussed in on Oliver and his chum sitting by the water butt. The whole thing could have been filmed in a studio for far less money and inconvenience. It was then I realised what a wasteful process film production is and I can quite understand how a grand epic like The Matrix can cost tens of millions to make.
|
