Having realised that most of my ‘we like’ articles are about photography, I started work on a lovely little article about illustration. But that all came to a stop as soon as I saw ‘Olympic Dreams’ – a beautiful series of photographs by James Dodd – that I just had to write about. So it’s photography again!
When I first saw them, these beautiful black and white shots really stopped me in my tracks. I’m now kicking myself that I missed the exhibition in Sheffield late last year. Read more…
When I was a kid growing up in Bradford I had one very memorable trip home from school that involved walking right through the middle of a riot. You see, some dude called Salman Rushdie had put pen to paper and written something called the Satanic Verses… and quite a few people were very unhappy that it was being sold in our city (which has a high Muslim population), so unhappy in fact that they decided to smash up the centre of Bradford.
History is littered with groups of people turning to violence, or drastic action, to both highlight their anger at something or demand change within society. From the Suffragettes burning their bras to the student protests in the US against the Vietnam War to more recent G20 protests around the world.
Imagine it’s a Monday night and you’re sat on the sofa watching Coronation Street. Roy Cropper is cooking up 2 Walls sausages on Warburton’s bread with a dollop of Heinz ketchup for Steve McDonald. Normally we wouldn’t know which brands Roy uses in his cafe, nor see any brands at all on the street – except for fake ones like Newton & Ridley ale in the Rovers Returns! But this could soon be the future of your favourite soap thanks to the new ruling by the Government to allow product placement on UK television.
Product placement is a form of advertising that uses branded products or services placed in a context devoid of adverts – like a TV programme or a film. Previously the government had always denied commercial broadcasters the ability to take payment in return for placing products on screen; however earlier this year Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw announced that the Government would be allowing it for the first time in television programmes.
Monopolies are a bad thing, we all know that. It is a universal truth that greater consumer choice creates competitive pricing, innovative products and a fairer world for all. Giant corporations that merge, acquire, undercut and annihilate their way to total domination are looked upon with fear and distaste. I remember, as a student, reading ‘No Logo’ by Naomi Klein and being enraged by the plight of the independent coffee shops, delicatessen’s and family run enterprises that had been crushed by the giant corporations.
As a result I, like most people, have an instinctive predilection to root for the plucky underdog as a response to the dominance of a competitor. It is this basic human instinct that companies like Virgin, Apple and Airbus have used to their advantage to become the global corporate giants they are today. In all areas of my life I will always give the little guy my business, even if it takes more of my time and comes at a premium. All areas, that is, except for the search engine I use. When I’m looking for anything online I’ll always choose Google.
Having seen Ghost Stories at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith at the weekend, I now have the tricky task of writing a review, whilst respecting the director’s final wishes ‘to maintain the secrecy of Ghost Stories’.
Described as ‘a truly terrifying theatrical experience from The League of Gentleman’s master of macabre Jeremy Dyson, and Andy Nyman, co-creator and director of Derren Brown’s television and stage shows’, I was intrigued to find out more. I found a teaser trailer on YouTube, which showed nothing more than a petrified audience, wide eyed and opened mouthed at what they were seeing – but nothing about the show itself. I was sold!
Ever had a cheese, jam and Nice ‘n’ Spicy Nik Naks sandwich? Sounds disgusting? How do you know if you’ve not tasted it? I mean you like cheese don’t you? You like jam don’t you? And everyone loves Nice ‘n’ Spicy Nik Naks… so what’s the problem! Are you not curious as to what it might taste like?
Being curious about everything is essential if you want to be anything better than just a good Creative. Back when I was 17 I loved cheese, jam and Nice ‘n’ Spicy Nik Naks sandwiches… I also read an Encyclopedia from cover to cover and in my early twenties I happily listened as my best friend (who’s an incredibly bright bloke) explained Cosmology to me… all because one day I knew this stuff would be useful.
If you’re an avid watcher of the Royal Variety Performance Show, circa 1998, here’s a face you might recognise, if not the name – Ennio Marchetto. Described by some as a living cartoon, and by others as human origami… on a cold and wet October Sunday I went to see if he could brighten up the dark evening (and cheer up my hangover from the night before) with his colourful performance.
For one night only, Marchetto was performing at the Lowry Theatre in Salford Quays. The show opened as the low murmur from the audience settled in, curtains already open and a bright light lit stage that looked like the cleaner had forgotten to sweep. From around the corner, a sleepy paper caricature (paper pyjamas, paper wig, paper candle) yawned and stretched its way to the front of the stage. The audience had silenced themselves for the evening’s performance and as Marchetto blew his paper candle out, the lights in the auditorium switched off. The show had begun. Read more…
What do you think of when you hear the words YouTube? How about, the good, the bad, and the ugly? Sometimes it’s really ugly, sometimes confusingly, you get all 3 in one movie. While YouTube is undoubtedly the place to go to get as many eyeballs on your video as possible, I’m sure I’m not the only one who wishes there was a magical button to filter out the mobile phone uploads of last nights party, the offensive comments and get straight to the really good stuff. Well, there isn’t. But there is Vimeo, a place where you can find a community of passionate filmmakers, along with the likes of Moby, Royksopp, Kanye West, film director Michael Bay, and even the White House, uploading their stuff in high definition.
Last edited by Andrew Campbell on October 7, 2009 at 11:40 am
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If you have ever commented on a blog post, web news article or Facebook group, you will probably have come into contact with trolls. They are the thoroughly irksome, pedantic and occasionally downright unsavoury individuals who post irrelevant, inflammatory and/or abusive remarks in message boards, often with the sole intent of disrupting on-topic conversation or undermining other forum users.
For the most part, trolls are accepted as just one of those irritations that happen online – like receiving those persistent emails about enlarging your penis, or unwittingly helping to prolong Rick Astley’s career – but for us marketing types trolls are more than just an annoyance. The truth is that these cyber-tosspots cost advertising agencies in the UK alone millions of pounds every year. Read more…
It’s staring at me on the arm of the sofa but I have promised that I won’t use it. I even turned it face down so I am not tempted to check my Facebook to see who has commented on my status in the last fifteen minutes, or to download the “Fish Tycoon” application I have heard my friend talking about. You can nurture and breed your own fish then sell them for virtual money. Truth is I hate fish, but the iPhone application looks fun…!!
An addiction?
Needless to say, my iPhone has become a worrying addiction – and the application store on iTunes is starting to cost me a lot of money! The store is what really makes the iPhone so unique and is the biggest advancement in mobile technology in recent years. It’s accessible via iTunes and holds over 25,000 applications ranging from the really useful to the completely pointless and bizarre. Read more…
Ever had a cheese, jam and Nice ‘n’ Spicy Nik Naks sandwich? Sounds disgusting? How do you know if you’ve not tasted it? I mean you like cheese don’t you? You like jam don’t you? And everyone loves Nice ‘n’ Spicy Nik Naks… so what’s the problem! Are you not curious as to what it might taste like?
What do you think of when you hear the words YouTube? How about, the good, the bad, and the ugly? Sometimes it’s really ugly, sometimes confusingly, you get 
If you have ever commented on a blog post, web news article or Facebook group, you will probably have come into contact with trolls. They are the thoroughly irksome, pedantic and occasionally downright unsavoury individuals who post irrelevant, inflammatory and/or abusive remarks in message boards, often with the sole intent of disrupting on-topic conversation or undermining other forum users.
It’s staring at me on the arm of the sofa but I have promised that I won’t use it. I even turned it face down so I am not tempted to check my Facebook to see who has commented on my status in the last fifteen minutes, or to download the “Fish Tycoon” application I have heard my friend talking about. You can nurture and breed your own fish then sell them for virtual money. Truth is I hate fish, but the iPhone application looks fun…!!
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