Camden Lock by night.
It was COLD!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
The best laid plans come apart at the seams...
...shatter my dreams.
There are some phrases destined to make the heart skip a beat and one of them is "well, why don't you come to my father's chateau in Nice for New Year's?".
Sadly, flights are stupidly expensive (crisis? what crisis?) and points taking half a day via insane places.
Next time...
There are some phrases destined to make the heart skip a beat and one of them is "well, why don't you come to my father's chateau in Nice for New Year's?".
Sadly, flights are stupidly expensive (crisis? what crisis?) and points taking half a day via insane places.
Next time...
The Perl Foundation Migrates the Perl 5 Development Repository to the Git Version Control System
In an unusual burst of tuits I put the press release on PRWeb. It'll be interesting to see the pickup rate.
Good practice for when the perl6 release goes out :)
Good practice for when the perl6 release goes out :)
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Dinner.
We excelled ourselves tonight. Barbecued ribs (48hour marinade), má pó tofu, kai lam with last night's sesame, soy and vinegar dip. Oh, and fluffy rice from the £9.50 rice cooker from Argos.
Yummy.
Yummy.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Canon 5D MkII test day
It came as a bit of a surprise when, as a mildly bigoted Nikonian, I was asked along with a few other photo bloggers to spend the day with the shiny new Canon 5D MkII last week. What follows is a mostly objective review with a few comparisons to my D300 and current baby, the Tamron 17-50 f/2.8.
I'd put the word out I'd be doing this test and got back various requests, mostly amounting to:
Our professional guide was the reknowned if not quite yet legendary photo-journalist Edmond Terakopian, famed not least for his shots of some of the victims of 7/7.
We assembled at Canon's shiny offices on the edges of the City, introduced ourselves and got a first play.
My first impressions:
We were bombarded with various factoids, some of which even made sense to me:
So off we went on out walkabout. We started at the British museum, then as dusk fell, moved to around the London eye and then back over the river to Trafalgar Square.
I've dumped some pics here in full resolution so you can zoom right in and check the noise and overall quality.
There seem to be slight chromatic aberrations in sudden light-to-dark transitions however, this is much more likely to be to do with jpeg artifacts than the kit.
Overall, it's an impressive piece of kit. The menu system is slightly better organised that the Nikon's and there are some great
features. The low-light performance is excellent, but as with the D300 sometimes needs some persuasion not to try to capture daylight levels of light from a night scene.
Would I trade that combination for my D300? Well of course. It costs two and a half times as much. Is it worth that premium? Not convinced. It's a serious piece of top-end amateur kit though and if you have the money and will make use of the features, then go for it.
I'd put the word out I'd be doing this test and got back various requests, mostly amounting to:
- What's it like in low light?
- How fast and accurate is the focusing?
Our professional guide was the reknowned if not quite yet legendary photo-journalist Edmond Terakopian, famed not least for his shots of some of the victims of 7/7.
We assembled at Canon's shiny offices on the edges of the City, introduced ourselves and got a first play.
My first impressions:
- It's heavy! Or at least the configuration they gave us was heavy. It had the Canon 28-70mm f/2.8 which was probably half the weight of the whole kit. I found my wrists aching after a couple of hours, much like my wrists ached after shooting my first couple of gigs with a D70 and the kit lens!
- The basic grip is good. There are sculpted grooves for the thumb and middle finger to rest in. On a simple ergonomic level, the Canon wins. Just don't go quoting the "Canon wins" out of context.
- At f/2.8, apprently given the full-frame sensor, depth-of-field effects are enhanced. My pic of the Evian bottles at f/3.2 shows this!
- I really, really missed the two wheels under the thumb and forefinger. Being able to futz with both aperture and shutter speed independently is a big win for me.
- I also immediately missed having the focus/exposure point rocker under my thumb. It's something I use a *lot* when shooting to expose exactly on what I want and not let the camera try to do what it thinks. It turns out that the little joystick by the LCD could be repurposed to do that. Shame it doesn't out of the box though.
- The LCD was dull compared to the D300. Then I found the brightness option and all was well. What effect that would have on battery drain, I have no idea.
We were bombarded with various factoids, some of which even made sense to me:
- Despite being a "MkII", it's a complete overhaul of the original 5D: the sensor is new and lower-powered, the on-board CPU is newer, being faster and les power-hungry. Certainly after a day of shooting and chimping around 250 pictures, the battery was still full according to the LCD.
- It's a full-frame sensor with 21 Mega-pixels. This is a Good Thing apparently, although I can imagine disk manufacturers rubbing their hands together with glee. A straw-poll showed the participants had between 2TB and 10TB of disk. Each. And various issues with offsite backup. Business opportunity there methinks.
- The RAW drivers weren't out yet so we'd be shooting jpeg.
- There is vignetting correction on board that knows about a selection of lenses. This raises the question about whether to
trust a poky little on-board CPU with doing stuff, like making colour temperature decisions and compressing to jpeg, or let your mighty dual-core computer do it. This is a pub discusion. However, something like lens-correction done on the camera is certainly convenient and obeys the "don't make me think" principle. - The HD video was trumpeted as a major feature. I deliberately ignored it. A major regret now but it's something I'm definitely going to play with on the D300, not sure if that's HD though! As a photo journalist, Edmond was very excited about it and I'm sure his notes of the day will have more on this. It's a major shift in thinking about shooting and one I didn't really want to have to deal with on the day.
So off we went on out walkabout. We started at the British museum, then as dusk fell, moved to around the London eye and then back over the river to Trafalgar Square.
I've dumped some pics here in full resolution so you can zoom right in and check the noise and overall quality.
There seem to be slight chromatic aberrations in sudden light-to-dark transitions however, this is much more likely to be to do with jpeg artifacts than the kit.
Overall, it's an impressive piece of kit. The menu system is slightly better organised that the Nikon's and there are some great
features. The low-light performance is excellent, but as with the D300 sometimes needs some persuasion not to try to capture daylight levels of light from a night scene.
Would I trade that combination for my D300? Well of course. It costs two and a half times as much. Is it worth that premium? Not convinced. It's a serious piece of top-end amateur kit though and if you have the money and will make use of the features, then go for it.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Perl is dead
Ovid blogs here about the death of perl. OK, so the quoted survey is flawed. How about numbers off jobstats?
Not looking a very healthy parrot there either.
SQL 15.1%
C# 6.3%
Java 5.7%
JavaScript 4.5%
C++ 4.2%
C 3.4%
PHP 2.9%
VB 2.5%
Perl 1.6%
Python 0.7%
Ruby 0.5%
Delphi 0.5%
Not looking a very healthy parrot there either.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Testing the Canon 5D Mk2...
On Thursday I will be privileged to spend a day with Canon testing the Canon 5D Mk2.
As a Nikonian myself, they might be taking a risk with this :)
I'll try to be fair.
However, lazywebs: is there anything you want to know about it? Anything you'd like me to test?
Requests in the comments please!
As a Nikonian myself, they might be taking a risk with this :)
I'll try to be fair.
However, lazywebs: is there anything you want to know about it? Anything you'd like me to test?
Requests in the comments please!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Taylor Wessing Photography Prize exhibition at the NPG
I was going to write a long and rambling rave review of this exhibition but The Times did it for me.
I'll add a couple of things:
1. It didn't piss me off. This is important. I have a visceral reaction to other people's pictures and this exhibition, like the Tillmans, made me smile.
2. I've seen it three times now and enjoyed it as much each time.
3. If you want to go see it, I'll tag along too again.
That's all.
I'll add a couple of things:
1. It didn't piss me off. This is important. I have a visceral reaction to other people's pictures and this exhibition, like the Tillmans, made me smile.
2. I've seen it three times now and enjoyed it as much each time.
3. If you want to go see it, I'll tag along too again.
That's all.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Twighlight Silhouette
Regent's Park this afternoon. In an otherwise horrible afternoon for shooting, the sun came out for a few moments, revealing this.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
High Holborn night
Last night was the first of my "Photographing London" course. I signed up mostly to get out of a rut. I've been doing plenty of sessions and some portraiture but was feeling stuck. I'm embracing being a "Londoner", have been doing lots out and about like the museums and stuff like the Globe, but I've not really felt I've "caputred the essence" of London.
I feel like I did it last night. Grimy, saturated and packed with action.
Like London.
I feel like I did it last night. Grimy, saturated and packed with action.
Like London.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
London Expo
A very weird experience. All that pent-up sexual energy going into dressing up as things with pointy ears. What was more bizarre was the Muslim even going on at the Excel at the same time. Hijab as cosplay anyone? Very confusing.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Nokia launch thing.
Nokia have a new flagship shop on Regents Street.
It's cool but no as cool as the Apple store.
They launched something tonight and whilst the cocktails were nice, the nibbles cool and the catering staff (big up to the unfortunately named Mange crew) excellent, it totally failed to engage me.
What was it FOR?
Apart from snagging a mouse mat, T-shirt...
It's cool but no as cool as the Apple store.
They launched something tonight and whilst the cocktails were nice, the nibbles cool and the catering staff (big up to the unfortunately named Mange crew) excellent, it totally failed to engage me.
What was it FOR?
Apart from snagging a mouse mat, T-shirt...
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Heavy Metal in Baghdad
If you have any RAWK in you soul you must see this movie. The story of four guys with metal in their souls trying to ply their trade as the only metal band in war-torn Iraq is deeply moving and left me wanting to get on the blower and organise an airlift of guitars and drums to Damascus (where they ended up).
SEE THIS FILM.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Jimmy Doherty's Farm Food and Wine @ Vinopolis
Thanks to those lovely people at Londonist I was able to procure a couple of tickets to the above session. My companion was French and
has spent many years in Taiwan and China so could easily be described as a foodie.
Apparently Jimmy Doherty is some kind of TV pig-breeding good farming evenagelist type, but not having a TV, I wouldn't know about that. Also involved were Paul Kelley the Turkey Guy and Nigel Bartle the Tomato Geek.
First up Vinopolis itself. With the Thames Festival going on, Vinopolis was a haven of calm and in itself and amazing building.
Then were were all seated, the presenters took their places at the table and Vinopolis' resident wine expert Tom Forrest.
All the speakers were excellent and above all passionate about
their subjects.
So, to the tastings.
First up, we were were presented with pork sausages and roasted tomatoes. Jimmy described them as "both kinds: meat and meat with herbs". These are 97% meat and a tougher chew than your average supermarket banger. Accompanying these were a Malbec from Marta's Vineyard (geddit?) and an IPA from Greenwich brewery Meantime Brewery. Everything was lovely and the common vote gave the edge to the beer with the sausages.
Next was the belly pork. Oh yes. This is Chinese soul food so we were anticipating it and were not disappointed in the least. Accompanied by a Booker's Vineyard Blanc de Blancs which was so full of apples it was perfect. Much ooh-ing and aah-ing ensued.
Finally the turkey. We were also treated an exhibition on how to properly carve a turkey. I have to say, this was much better than the usual rubbish we serve up on Christmas day but not quite as stunning as the first two. Kelley's impression of the male and female turkey calls more than made up for it. The wine was a fizzy Shiraz which was a real perception-challenger.
In between all that, there was lots of chat and interesting questions. Some factoids I noted down:
o If hail hits Andean vines, it sets them back four years.
o Screwtops on wine are *great*. Especially for picnics.
o Flavour comes with maturity (something I keep telling my girlfriend).
o The fat in matured meat tends towards unsaturated
o Don't try to sell "love sausage" opposite a church
o Dry tomato seeds on a paper towel and grow them!
o Bees are really, really important to tomatoes! In fact, to all agriculture.
o In the absence of bees, use a vibrator to stimulate the pollination.
o We only grow 60% of our food. Food security is important.
o Look for black hairs on your pork and turkeys. It's a sign of a rare(r) breed.
o We eat 36 million turkeys a year.
o All turkeys originated from Mexico.
o Food labeling like "organic" is misleading. Bartle's tomatoes don't use pesticides but can't be classed as organic as they're grown in gro-bags. Inorganic apples have no pesticide residue when they arrive in the shop, yet organic apples may well have elevated copper levels from the "organic" pesticide.
o Real turkey takes half as long to cook and should be rested for an hour before dismembering.
o Make stock!
o Using bananas or ripe tomatoes to ripen green ones is an old wive's tale. Tomatoes should be ripened on the vine. Got green tomatoes? Make chutney.
o Bartle heats his 20-odd acres of greenhouse with heat drawn off from a power station
o If you see tomatoes from "Norfolk, UK", they're Bartle's. Buy them.
That's all.
I'll leave you with one word that sums up these guys and what they do: "passion".
has spent many years in Taiwan and China so could easily be described as a foodie.
Apparently Jimmy Doherty is some kind of TV pig-breeding good farming evenagelist type, but not having a TV, I wouldn't know about that. Also involved were Paul Kelley the Turkey Guy and Nigel Bartle the Tomato Geek.
First up Vinopolis itself. With the Thames Festival going on, Vinopolis was a haven of calm and in itself and amazing building.
Then were were all seated, the presenters took their places at the table and Vinopolis' resident wine expert Tom Forrest.
All the speakers were excellent and above all passionate about
their subjects.
So, to the tastings.
First up, we were were presented with pork sausages and roasted tomatoes. Jimmy described them as "both kinds: meat and meat with herbs". These are 97% meat and a tougher chew than your average supermarket banger. Accompanying these were a Malbec from Marta's Vineyard (geddit?) and an IPA from Greenwich brewery Meantime Brewery. Everything was lovely and the common vote gave the edge to the beer with the sausages.
Next was the belly pork. Oh yes. This is Chinese soul food so we were anticipating it and were not disappointed in the least. Accompanied by a Booker's Vineyard Blanc de Blancs which was so full of apples it was perfect. Much ooh-ing and aah-ing ensued.
Finally the turkey. We were also treated an exhibition on how to properly carve a turkey. I have to say, this was much better than the usual rubbish we serve up on Christmas day but not quite as stunning as the first two. Kelley's impression of the male and female turkey calls more than made up for it. The wine was a fizzy Shiraz which was a real perception-challenger.
In between all that, there was lots of chat and interesting questions. Some factoids I noted down:
o If hail hits Andean vines, it sets them back four years.
o Screwtops on wine are *great*. Especially for picnics.
o Flavour comes with maturity (something I keep telling my girlfriend).
o The fat in matured meat tends towards unsaturated
o Don't try to sell "love sausage" opposite a church
o Dry tomato seeds on a paper towel and grow them!
o Bees are really, really important to tomatoes! In fact, to all agriculture.
o In the absence of bees, use a vibrator to stimulate the pollination.
o We only grow 60% of our food. Food security is important.
o Look for black hairs on your pork and turkeys. It's a sign of a rare(r) breed.
o We eat 36 million turkeys a year.
o All turkeys originated from Mexico.
o Food labeling like "organic" is misleading. Bartle's tomatoes don't use pesticides but can't be classed as organic as they're grown in gro-bags. Inorganic apples have no pesticide residue when they arrive in the shop, yet organic apples may well have elevated copper levels from the "organic" pesticide.
o Real turkey takes half as long to cook and should be rested for an hour before dismembering.
o Make stock!
o Using bananas or ripe tomatoes to ripen green ones is an old wive's tale. Tomatoes should be ripened on the vine. Got green tomatoes? Make chutney.
o Bartle heats his 20-odd acres of greenhouse with heat drawn off from a power station
o If you see tomatoes from "Norfolk, UK", they're Bartle's. Buy them.
That's all.
I'll leave you with one word that sums up these guys and what they do: "passion".
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Victor Menace, Troubadour
The light was awful but this should give you some idea of the bouncy ninja gypsy that is Victor Menace.
Way better than that Gogol Bordello rubbish.
Way better than that Gogol Bordello rubbish.
Monday, September 08, 2008
God: a modest proposal
Here's a proposal:
Before all kinds of religious people start imposing their morals on us, everything from opening hours to censorship, from creationism to wars, could you all, and I mean you Jews, Christians and Muslims on behalf of the Abrahamic faiths, just get together and agree on *one* version of the truth between you. By all means then put that up for inspection by the rest of us. It's all too confusing trying to take in all these differing ideas.
Just an idea.
Until you sort yourselves out, we should remove all religiously sources laws and rules from our schools, governments and so on.
Thanks.
Before all kinds of religious people start imposing their morals on us, everything from opening hours to censorship, from creationism to wars, could you all, and I mean you Jews, Christians and Muslims on behalf of the Abrahamic faiths, just get together and agree on *one* version of the truth between you. By all means then put that up for inspection by the rest of us. It's all too confusing trying to take in all these differing ideas.
Just an idea.
Until you sort yourselves out, we should remove all religiously sources laws and rules from our schools, governments and so on.
Thanks.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Killing Kate, Purple Turtle
Took loads of pics.This was *the one*. More to follow. But this is Matt Love in full flow. What a guitarist :)
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Brighton
OK, moblogging from the new Sony Ericsson C902. I'll probably still prefer to go via flickr for good pics but for snaps of events that I don't want to pollute my flickr stream with, this might be the better route. Whaddaya reckon?
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Bleed From Within, Camden Underworld
Good dose of metal, sadly under-promoted: the overpowering smell was Lynx not sweat.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Idyll
Sitting outside with a glass of wine and Peter Ackroyd's Biography of London with a sunset and a thrush singing.
Does it get any better?
Does it get any better?
Monday, July 28, 2008
London City Airport expansion
I just ranted this on FB, crossposted here, in response to this article on LCY expansion on the Torygraph.
I remember when LCY was a lovely, civilised, genteel little airport with that cute little shuttle bus from Liverpool Street, or, if on expenses, a taxi which had its journey time cut massively by some new tunnel on the way.
Now, it's a congested zoo.
And with all the rebuilding work going on, the DLR is somewhat shambolic and unreliable. I've missed one flight already because of the delays.
Oh, and beer in the bar at £4.30 a pint. WTF?
I got lucky with T5 in April: went hand baggage, no lounge access since I'm a BA pleb but combine Wagamama with a nice cocktail bar who cares? Sure, the Heathrow Express is an expensive option but it's fast and in my experience, reliable.
Still, from work in the City on a Friday afternoon to the arms of my beloved in Amsterdam in a couple of hours, who's counting?
If I were a permie, Eurostar/Thalys would be an option though :)
I remember when LCY was a lovely, civilised, genteel little airport with that cute little shuttle bus from Liverpool Street, or, if on expenses, a taxi which had its journey time cut massively by some new tunnel on the way.
Now, it's a congested zoo.
And with all the rebuilding work going on, the DLR is somewhat shambolic and unreliable. I've missed one flight already because of the delays.
Oh, and beer in the bar at £4.30 a pint. WTF?
I got lucky with T5 in April: went hand baggage, no lounge access since I'm a BA pleb but combine Wagamama with a nice cocktail bar who cares? Sure, the Heathrow Express is an expensive option but it's fast and in my experience, reliable.
Still, from work in the City on a Friday afternoon to the arms of my beloved in Amsterdam in a couple of hours, who's counting?
If I were a permie, Eurostar/Thalys would be an option though :)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Dypmphna Skehill
Another from the Dymphna session. This one is going to be on the cover of the CD. It had been a long hard day's shooting and she wanted a drink. NOW! :)
Shot in the doomed Crown and Goose in Camden. Lovely evening light reflecting in off the white wall building opposite.
Shot in the doomed Crown and Goose in Camden. Lovely evening light reflecting in off the white wall building opposite.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Dwain Chambers - one more opinion
He did the crime, he did the time.
Can't argue with the results.
If bans are lifetime, then it has to be across the sport, not by one organisation. And Norway.
If we're talking the "purity" of the Olympics, then let's get back to sports that are useful in combat. So track, field, archery, horse events, shooting, boxing, shooting are in.
As is beach volleyball. Aesthetics are important after all.
Can't argue with the results.
If bans are lifetime, then it has to be across the sport, not by one organisation. And Norway.
If we're talking the "purity" of the Olympics, then let's get back to sports that are useful in combat. So track, field, archery, horse events, shooting, boxing, shooting are in.
As is beach volleyball. Aesthetics are important after all.
Kung Fu Panda - Detailed Review.
There were LOLZ and not a few yuks.
It was very big on IMAX.
If anyone disses it without seeing it, they are humourless assholes.
It was very big on IMAX.
If anyone disses it without seeing it, they are humourless assholes.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Dymphna Skehill
Did a photo shoot in and around Camden on Sunday for Dymphna's new album. This one is far and away my favourite, ethereal and Celtic like the lass herself.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Gillian Glover, Bullet Bar
Oh yes. Second time in two weeks I've seen a second gen star and trust me, Gillian is the real deal. Just a lovely gig.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Grace Solero, @ the 12-Bar
For those of you who follow my pix, you know I found Grace busking at TCR tube a while back. This was the first time I've seen her since I've been back in London and also my first time at the 12-bar.
It was nice :)
It was nice :)
Friday, June 13, 2008
Friday 13th
Of course I don't believe in that superstitious bollocks, but obviously today was the day the DLR chose to be crap and I missed my flight.
Doesn't help that mercury is retrograde too.
Doesn't help that mercury is retrograde too.
Logan Plant, Sons of Albion, Camden Barfly
Odd one this. Somehow I expected more. The last time I was in the Barfly, it was packed and sweaty for Candian and Taiwanese metal. Last night, it was thirty or so slightly diffident, possibly trendy, folks here to see a legend one step removed.
Plant Jr. certainly had the sound and the moves and the band were very tight but it all sounded too much like a Zep tribute. Maybe they'll come across better at Download this weekend.
Plant Jr. certainly had the sound and the moves and the band were very tight but it all sounded too much like a Zep tribute. Maybe they'll come across better at Download this weekend.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Riot:Noise, Single Launch
Went to see Marty and the boys at the dreadful Bar Monsta on Saturday where they rolled the rock in awesome style. Nice one guys.
Now people - buy the damn single! It's on iTunes. Annoy the neighbours!
Now people - buy the damn single! It's on iTunes. Annoy the neighbours!
Monday, June 09, 2008
The Laurel Collective
First gig on my return to London.
Up in Hoxton, after a passable bowl of Vietnamese vermicelli soup. Light was terrible and the band didn't come across on the crappy stage and the terrible PA nearly as well as they're recorded.
Up in Hoxton, after a passable bowl of Vietnamese vermicelli soup. Light was terrible and the band didn't come across on the crappy stage and the terrible PA nearly as well as they're recorded.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Technical Support for LDR's
OK, folks, now that I'm nauseatingly loved up but for now, it's a long-distance thing (again) I really want to make technology bridge the gap and keep things simmering over. So, for others in the same situation, I want to write a guide to using tech for LDR's.
Off the top of my head, I can think of:
1. Skype. With video. Obvious smutty uses aside, it's great for just seeing and talking to your loved one.
2. Cheap telephony. In the UK 18866.com gives stupidly cheap landline/mobile to landline calls across countries. There are others.
3. Texting. Can be expensive across borders but still good.
OK, folks, so anything else you use to keep in touch?
Ta,
Off the top of my head, I can think of:
1. Skype. With video. Obvious smutty uses aside, it's great for just seeing and talking to your loved one.
2. Cheap telephony. In the UK 18866.com gives stupidly cheap landline/mobile to landline calls across countries. There are others.
3. Texting. Can be expensive across borders but still good.
OK, folks, so anything else you use to keep in touch?
Ta,
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Laser314 exhibition in Amsterdam
I've been doing quite a bit of art recently, in Amsterdam, Berlin, London and LA just for giggles. Some of it has left me distinctly cold, like the Magnum retrospective at the Stedelijk and some has been outstanding and moving like the internment exhibition at the Japanese-American museum in LA.
So, to the latest: laser314's thing at the ABC Treehouse gallery near Spui.
Sadly, it's meh.
His stuff is part of the fabric of Amsterdam. When you're out you'll come across a deeply moving phrase bleeding from a hoarding that makes you stop and think. And as this example shows, he's literate too.
Sadly, out of context and hanging on a gallery wall, I'm not in the least convinced it works.
YMMV?
The ABC building is awesome though :) I want a desk there. And wifi.
So, to the latest: laser314's thing at the ABC Treehouse gallery near Spui.
Sadly, it's meh.
His stuff is part of the fabric of Amsterdam. When you're out you'll come across a deeply moving phrase bleeding from a hoarding that makes you stop and think. And as this example shows, he's literate too.
Sadly, out of context and hanging on a gallery wall, I'm not in the least convinced it works.
YMMV?
The ABC building is awesome though :) I want a desk there. And wifi.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Tagged!
I hate this crap but, since I've been tagged by such a superstar I'll play just this once.
So, six random things about me:
1. I pretty much have amusia: I can't tell a fourth from a fifth or a sixth from a third.
2. My grandparents are from each of the four corners of the union. My Irish clan is the O'Donoghue's and Kilkenny Castle is the family seat.
3. My ideal weight is 10st 8lbs.
4. Yes, love at first sight is possible. Reciprocation may, however, take several years and cause both people a lot of pain.
5. My son was taller than me when he was 14. He's now 6' 2" at 15.
6. The only two things I currently have on my "things to do before I die" list are: go to Taiwan and be in a rock and roll band. The second might be hard because of factoid 1.
I tag Dave Cross, James Hurst, Spiros, Indy, Joana and cowfish.
So, six random things about me:
1. I pretty much have amusia: I can't tell a fourth from a fifth or a sixth from a third.
2. My grandparents are from each of the four corners of the union. My Irish clan is the O'Donoghue's and Kilkenny Castle is the family seat.
3. My ideal weight is 10st 8lbs.
4. Yes, love at first sight is possible. Reciprocation may, however, take several years and cause both people a lot of pain.
5. My son was taller than me when he was 14. He's now 6' 2" at 15.
6. The only two things I currently have on my "things to do before I die" list are: go to Taiwan and be in a rock and roll band. The second might be hard because of factoid 1.
I tag Dave Cross, James Hurst, Spiros, Indy, Joana and cowfish.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
It appears...
...I've volunteered to tour manage a friend's band's tour in July.
I don't *think* I was that drunk...
I don't *think* I was that drunk...
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Chuffed
Only been here a few days, and fame of a sort already :) I'll take a little featurette in laist!
This calls for a celebration!
This calls for a celebration!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Calamity Magnet @ The Viper Room
So this has turned into a bit of a busman's holiday. I got randomly invited (thanks Genevieve!) to the launch of Calamity Magnet's EP at the Viper Room. Now, I'd say being on the guest list at the Viper Room is on the "list of things to do before I die" so I gladly accepted. And it was good to get back into the shooting saddle again.
OK, so they're not exactly my genre, but I really enjoyed it. Nice, wistful, country-tinged rock with more than a little whimsy. Highly recommended. UK bookers take note: these guys are GOOD.
Props also to the support bands: Let's Go Sailing and the other guy.
OK, so they're not exactly my genre, but I really enjoyed it. Nice, wistful, country-tinged rock with more than a little whimsy. Highly recommended. UK bookers take note: these guys are GOOD.
Props also to the support bands: Let's Go Sailing and the other guy.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Dear California...
It's all very nice this attempt to go green, but to still insist that a pack of six bottles of beer go in a bag is just bonkers. It's not the prohibition any more!
ktxbye
ktxbye
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
Wolfgang Tillmans "Lighter" at the Hamburger Bahnof, Berlin
I'd seen some Tillmans as part of my course at Bath Univerity a year or two ago and his work remained of interest. So when the opportunity came up to see a full-on retrospective in Berlin, I jumped at the chance.
First though, a few words about the Hamburger Bahnof. Formerly the terminus for the Berlin-Hamburg railway and close to Berlin's cavernous, new central station, it has been converted into an amazing space for art with a light, airy main hall, free coat check and the obligatory busy cafe serving all manner of culinary delights. Not as impressive a building as the Tate Modern perhaps, but definitely calmer and more civilised.
So to the exhibtion.
It made me smile.
Such a wide variety of works were on display in a surprisingly higgledy-piggledy manner, yet all conistent with the man himself: from simple canvases of colour, through his signature group sweaty nighclub shots to a fascination with windows.
By the end of four rooms of his work though, I was saturated with colour, and generally art-ed out, which I guess is a good thing!
Highly recommended.
First though, a few words about the Hamburger Bahnof. Formerly the terminus for the Berlin-Hamburg railway and close to Berlin's cavernous, new central station, it has been converted into an amazing space for art with a light, airy main hall, free coat check and the obligatory busy cafe serving all manner of culinary delights. Not as impressive a building as the Tate Modern perhaps, but definitely calmer and more civilised.
So to the exhibtion.
It made me smile.
Such a wide variety of works were on display in a surprisingly higgledy-piggledy manner, yet all conistent with the man himself: from simple canvases of colour, through his signature group sweaty nighclub shots to a fascination with windows.
By the end of four rooms of his work though, I was saturated with colour, and generally art-ed out, which I guess is a good thing!
Highly recommended.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008
Curse you TV
"Ashes to ashes" has cost me a fortune on iTunes in music I already bought the first time round. Which is now on obsolete media. Grrrr.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Skinny bridge
Today was the first day of spring. The transformation in Amsterdam and indeed my own feelings was just amazing. More please!
Thursday, February 07, 2008
New MacBook
My trusty and only slightly tuna-infused G4 is nearing the end of its Applecare eriod and has a couple of warranty, as opposed to abuse, related niggles that need fixing. So in preparation for sending it off and bequeathing it to my progeny, I had a new laptop in my sights. After much evangelising from my old colleague CMS, I was persuaded that a simple MacBook would suffice rather than the pro. The differences between the two were minor and white plastic wasn't that gay after all.
So, off to PC World and return with a remarkably slimline box.
First impressions are very good indeed. Bright screen, no lid latch to fail and after the annoying intro video, a breeze to get through initial network and user setup.
First niggle: MacBook couldn't see my G4 over firewire to import my not insignificant volume of data. Having been warned off rsync by the aforementioned cms, I consulted the Mac shop in Bath who suggested looking at the system profile to see if the G4 was seen at all on the firewire and then run the disk utility to see if the volume was visible to be forcibly mounted. After much, much cable plugging, magically both became true. It was then a simple matter to repair the G4's disk from the MacBook and mount it. Woohoo!
First epiphany: all my apps run on Intel. Woo for fat binaries!
Second and final niggle: my Vodafone USB dongle doesn't work. The USB bus sees it, the Vodafone software spins. I haven't had the time or the energy to work it out. Not sure if I care.
Result: MacBook: 6/5.
So, off to PC World and return with a remarkably slimline box.
First impressions are very good indeed. Bright screen, no lid latch to fail and after the annoying intro video, a breeze to get through initial network and user setup.
First niggle: MacBook couldn't see my G4 over firewire to import my not insignificant volume of data. Having been warned off rsync by the aforementioned cms, I consulted the Mac shop in Bath who suggested looking at the system profile to see if the G4 was seen at all on the firewire and then run the disk utility to see if the volume was visible to be forcibly mounted. After much, much cable plugging, magically both became true. It was then a simple matter to repair the G4's disk from the MacBook and mount it. Woohoo!
First epiphany: all my apps run on Intel. Woo for fat binaries!
Second and final niggle: my Vodafone USB dongle doesn't work. The USB bus sees it, the Vodafone software spins. I haven't had the time or the energy to work it out. Not sure if I care.
Result: MacBook: 6/5.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
What precisely do recruiters actually do for a living?
These are £100k+ jobs and two recruiters have recycled the same spec and added no value. Compare recruiter 1 and recruiter 2.
At least one has been smart enough to bump the salary to get the greater interest.
At least one has been smart enough to bump the salary to get the greater interest.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Robinson, Way and Co.
Ok, this is worth a blog entry on its own. A long time ago I blogged about a notorious debt-chasing company and their overbearing underhand tactics. Well, this was left as a comment to that blog:
Kinda says it all really. Illiterate and missing the point totally. I didn't owe the fucking money in the first place. But of course, work for a company hassling people for money and you get a different view of the world. Oh, to make a fly-on-the-wall documentary in that firm...
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Robinson, Way and Co.":
all you are doin is black spoting your name if u dont pay i wrk for them
Kinda says it all really. Illiterate and missing the point totally. I didn't owe the fucking money in the first place. But of course, work for a company hassling people for money and you get a different view of the world. Oh, to make a fly-on-the-wall documentary in that firm...
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Misty morning on the Amstel
OK, so it's not a sunrise. Perhaps the next best thing? Leaving my flat, it was just plain miserable,but by the time I got to walking across the Amstel, it was misty enough to produce this. And aside from some blue barge boards on the boat and some red guide lights on the lock in the distance, the scene was already mostly in black and white.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Swimming
They say that part of being motivated for something is to make a public commitment.
As part of my near year's changes I am going to swim twice a week. I'll be happy to do between 10 and 20 25 meter lengths to start with but would aim for 50 in a reasonable time (what's reasonable, anyone? a couple of days?!) after a few months.
Just getting my kit together now and I'm off to the Zwembad.
Update: 20 lengths of 30 (ish) meters. I'll take that.
As part of my near year's changes I am going to swim twice a week. I'll be happy to do between 10 and 20 25 meter lengths to start with but would aim for 50 in a reasonable time (what's reasonable, anyone? a couple of days?!) after a few months.
Just getting my kit together now and I'm off to the Zwembad.
Update: 20 lengths of 30 (ish) meters. I'll take that.
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