October 2009
80 posts
“But for now, this is a truly golden age - the era of the teenage expert, albums...”
– John Harris: The golden age of infinite music
Social networking: death is no barrier →
Facebook is launching the option to “memorialize” (spit, shudder) the profiles of members who have died. When was a kid, dreaming of the future, I always knew it would be like this - that even mortality wouldn’t interfere with the business of being online and thus within constant and instantaneous reach of friends, family and spam requests to play Word Twist.
“When...
Compare and contrast →
The enemies of reason - which describes itself as a “massive Brooker rip-off” - compares the anti-BBC headlines in certain tawdry tabloid newspapers over the last couple of days, spouting outrage at how Nick Griffin was given airtime, with other recent headlines in which they … spouted outrage about immigration (my favourite being, from the Daily Star: “BBC puts Muslims...
“Finally he confided that he thought the BBC to be ‘part of a thoroughly...”
– David Aaronovitch writing about Nick Griffin’s appearance on the BBC’s Question Time
“These days, a several-megabyte file on my computer is starting to feel as much...”
– The £10,000 playlist - Streaming music: it’s the future, kids. But Phil Gyford has his head screwed on tightly enough to see both the good and the bad points.
Pictures that paint a thousand words →
Text in art. Text is art. Art is text. Art in text.
the fucking word of the day →
“it’s easier to learn with sex, drugs, and fucking swearing” [via HTMLGIANT]
“It’s a happy result that should bring even more cheer to Johnston fans...”
– Pitchfork reviews Daniel Johnston’s new album, and gets things in perspective as it does so. A new cat, yes.
Peter Hain warns BBC it may face legal action over... →
I’m sure Hain means well, but he clearly has a faulty understanding of democracy and free speech. The BNP are a political party who won two European Parliament seats earlier this year thanks to voters (bigoted racist voters, admittedly). So they have, regrettably, a right to air their abhorrent views on TV. Rather than banning them from appearing and letting them play the victim, let’s...
“If you already have a blog, make sure you spray-feed your URL in niblets...”
– Subject: Our Marketing Plan
Will the Mail react to Moir as it expected the BBC... →
That’s a tough one. Erm. No? This hits the nail on the head when it comes to double standards.
WatchA 2007 installation, housed in the New Cooperage Building in Plymouth’s Royal William Dockyard. Triggered by constantly changing air currents, the feathered electronic devices each play excerpts of the Shipping Forecast.
The Master Singers: Weather Forecast - the weather...
A strange, lonely and troubling death ... →
To be clear, the recent death of Boyzone ‘star’ Stephen Gately meant nothing to me. Boybands, Irish or otherwise, aren’t really my mug of hemlock. But reading the words of Jan Moir in the Daily Mail (oh, what a surprise) made me sick. By all accounts, Gately was a completely inoffensive person - butter wouldn’t melt, etc - but Moir makes clear her opinion that the reason he...
It’s simply not fair. In today’s celebrity culture, I want to be famous enough to be admitted to a private health clinic suffering “from a severe bout of nervous exhaustion”. Maybe I need to join the Sugababes first, though.
Tories to launch Spotify ad campaign →
If ever I needed a reason to seriously consider signing up for the premium version of Spotify, then this is it.
"Thinking of you at this time. Hope things improve... →
Stephen Fry is praising this initiative on Twitter - so it must be a good thing, right? Well, far be it from me to disagree with such an eminent personage as Mr Fry, since we’re generally on the same wavelength about most things, but no - a new range of ‘Get Well Soon’ cards for people with mental health problems, produced by the highly respected Royal College of Psychiatrists,...
Procrasturbating →
My favourite definition is undoubtedly: “The act of getting incredibly excited about some project, creation or invention, usually to someone at a pub, bar or party, that deep down you know you may never even begin, let alone complete”. This is my life, ladies and gentlemen. This is my life.
“Really, if you think about it, it doesn’t need the //. I could have designed it...”
– Backslash: web creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee apologises for his strokes
