It was a tremendous giggle to go and see my mate Martin Stockman strut his stuff on Anthony Gormley’s fourth plinth as part of the ‘One and Other’ project. Dressed in cricket whites, resplendent in team blazer and cap he read his own poems (some with a cricket theme) and also lyrics from Roxy Music […]
Stockman’s Plinth Innings Read More »
Matthew Robson (aged 15) wrote a memo for Morgan Stanley called ‘How Teenagers Consume Media’ and caused a stir. I’m hoping to be as helpful with my own memo along similar lines. Don’t expect it to make the front page of the FT any time soon though. How 31 Year Olds Consume Media By Dan
How 31 Year Olds Consume Media Read More »
It’s amusing to think back to the notion of schools’ television when I was a kid in the 1980s. Whole classes would sit in front of a big telly and watch broadcasts live or on video. The video was much sought after, as I recall. Televisions were wheeled from room to room. Telly time was
TV Nostalgia: The Boy from Space Read More »
One non-snobby reason I like Waitrose is the very real commitment to local produce. And one of the reasons to rejoice about this policy is their selection of bottled ales from Sussex. Selflessly, I have taken it upon myself to shell out, stock up and tuck in for you, dear readers. Hepworth’s Pullman. 4.2% Pullman
Real Ale Tasting Notes Read More »
(It seems like I’ve been blogging mostly politics these past few weeks. Here’s a bit of whimsy… the first in a possibly new series of nostalgia telly posts). The Adventure Game lurks dimly in my memory and sometimes I worry that I’m the only person who can recall it. I think it was on at
TV Nostalgia: The Adventure Game Read More »
Twitter is people saying what they’re doing right now. So what would history be like if it had played out on Twitter? I’m calling it Twistory. Sellar and Yeatman meets Web 2.0. All the history you can remember in 140 characters. Here’s a chunk of something I’ve been working on these past few weeks. 1914
Introducing Twistory: 1914 Read More »
Patriotism, let alone nationalism, is not that British. We seem coy about celebrating our nationality and it’s rather a shame. Until recently the Union Flag was seldom flown on public buildings and, unlike in other parts of the Commonwealth where the Queen’s portrait is often seen or the States where the Star Spangled Banner is
In Praise of British Citizenship Ceremonies Read More »
I picked up a set of about 12 self-help manuals in a charity shop a few weeks back. They have proved to be mightily entertaining. I think Harry Robert’s 1939 volume ‘The Practical Way to Keep Fit’ is superb. The illustrations are of particular amusement. Here are some choice cuts.
The Practical Way to Keep Fit Read More »
Meg Whitman was the CEO and President of eBay from 1998 to 2008 and is now pursuing a bid for the Governorship of California. She led one of the biggest technology-based companies in the world, taking it from start-up to global dominance. In many ways she was the most powerful woman in Silicon Valley and
Ada Lovelace Day: Meg Whitman Read More »
Do you remember the hyperbole that estate agents used to pop through the door? Times have changed. This amused. Translate as: “People keep saying the housing market has collapsed. It’s not true, we’ve actually sold a flat on your street!”
Estate Agents: hope springs eternal. Read More »
I spotted this in a Brighton gig guide. It’s an intersting little iPod accessory. Just plug it in and, well, just plug it in. It’s all reasonably self-explanatory…
iPod Accessory for the Ladies Read More »
Just went to bag my ticket online for the Great Escape festival in Brighton in May. It was great fun last year and the 2009 line-up is shaping up nicely. But I was astonished by the additional charges being applied to fans buying tickets online. £9.95 in postage and processing fees. It’s a fair additional
The Great Escape Online Ticket Rip-off! Read More »
All it needed was a cheery ‘thanks very much, we’ll look into it’ and all would have been well but that easy-going Irish humour was lacking recently when several Ryanair staff decided having a pop at a blogger making some quite minor but nonetheless constructive, critical points about the online booking form on purveyor of
Ryanair: cheap flights and cheap jibes Read More »
Southern Railways usually do a pretty good job of running trains to and from London and Brighton. But the past few weeks have been horrendous. I’ll forgive snow disruption reluctantly (although not the website being down due to demand as people were desperate to get info) but signal failures, fatalities causing total chaos and general
Southern Railway Passenger Playlist Read More »