Un Lun Dun

Posted on by Alasdair

So, I’m reading Mieville’s latest, a children’s book about two teenage girls who slip into a mirror world occupied by all the lost and broken things of London. So far, it’s excellent. But I just had to share a couple of lines from early in the novel, that made me smile with recognition, the sort of shared opinion that endears me to the work.

“There’s a lot of animals very good at that sort of disinformation. There are no cats in UnLondon, for example, because they’re not magic and mysterious at all, they’re idiots.”

Cycling Help?

Posted on by Alasdair

Not, y’know, literal help with the actual cycling, obviously. That’d be peculiar. But I know there are a few people around here that take their cycling pretty seriously, and I need a bit of advice.

I’ve just started cycling to work, and the saddle on my bike is, to put it politely, not terribly comfortable. Can anyone point me at a reputable maker of more comfortable saddles? Are there any things I should look out for? What kind of price could I expect to pay? Comfort really is all I’m looking for…

I May Die

Posted on by Alasdair

So, as everyone knows, I’m allergic to exercise, and possessed of the balancing skills of a penguin with CJD.

So I’ve just signed up for a rollerblading course.

Diseased Marketing

Posted on by Alasdair

My absurdly hardworking chum Alex de Campi has just been rather badly shafted my a marketing agency. You can read the full story of how Moodia and BoggleIt.com shafted a bunch of hard working people for yourself.

I personally find this particularly disgusting, because Alex, being the terribly conscientious person that she is, is determined to pay the people she worked with, even though she wasn’t paid herself. To which end she’s selling a prized painting, by one of my favourite artists, Wright of Derby. I can only imagine how heartbreaking that must be. If I could afford the damn thing, I’d buy it myself.

I mention this so that everyone is aware that Moodia are a bunch of cunts, and BoggleIt.com are a shitpot operation that appear to exist only to scam the terminally stupid. It’s among the most contemptible practices of my industry, this notion that it’s OK to not pay freelancers if for some reason, you don’t like their work. I’m pleased to say that I have never, and would never work for someone who did that. If a freelancer does the work, they get the fucking money. If you were worried about the standard of their work, you should not have commissioned them in the first place.

I’m also willing to bet hard cash that Moodia will have charged BoggleIt.com for the “account handling” time incurred in the commerical that they don’t like, and haven’t paid for.

<a href="http://www.alexdecampi.com/2007/04/boggleit-saga-when-in-doubt-shaft">Moodia</a> are a bunch of cunts, and <a href="http://www.alexdecampi.com/2007/04/boggleit-saga-when-in-doubt-shaft">BoggleIt.com</a> are a shitpot operation that appear to exist only to scam the terminally stupid. <a href="http://alexdecampi.livejournal.com/64695.html">Here's the full story about how they shaft talented hardworking freelancers</a>.

That New Computer Smell

Posted on by Alasdair

We’ve got a new guy starting at work next week. He’s going to inherit my old machine, and I’ve just spent the afternoon setting up my delightful new 20″ iMac. It’s Friday, and we’re all out of here shortly for a pint sitting in the sun my the river.

It’s a rough old life.

Taste of London

Posted on by Alasdair

Is on again this year. I went last year, it was ace. Details here: http://www.channel4.com/life/microsites/T/taste/london.html

ewa and I are planning on going. Anyone else fancy it? Should we try and all pick the same day and time? My preference is for either the Friday evening or Saturday afternoon slot…

Sunshine

Posted on by Alasdair

Is a bloody good film. I couldn’t stop thinking of a quote from Alan Moore as I was watching it:

“We parade with the magicians on the endless plazas of the sun and watch them trail gem-warted fingers through six-thousand degrees centigrade degrees of photosphere. We walk there at their side, become them are them. Are at last our true and only selves. We flourish, we ignite. And as with each, so with us all. So with our culture and our world where information brinks its saturation threshold, and we all look up in that white moment when the sky unwraps, and the unfiltered truth of us rains blazing down; a searing holy deluge where those parts of us we’ve not yet turned to gold are utterly devoured, are made incinerate.”

That’s Moore talking about heaven. About glory. About the ultimate human achievement. And that’s what the film is about. And Sunshine isn’t perfect, but I love the theme, and I really, really enjoyed it. Seriously, go see it.

Book and Album Reviews: Weeks 13 and 14

Posted on by Alasdair

I’m going to get back on top of this, honest – here’s the ultra-high-speed version of the last two weeks, and I’ll try and get this week’s up on Friday. The books this time are from Budgie, and Marysia, and thank you both very much.

Book: Convergence Culture by Henry Jenkins

Convergence Culture is broadly, about the impact new media is having on old – the fight to keep details of shows secret, the way corporations cope with fan-fiction (or indeed, fan film), the challenges of storytelling across multiple media. Each capter of the book takes a single media property as a leading example – Survior, American Idol, Star Wars, The Matrix, and so on. Jenkins is one of my favourite media thinkers, because he unashamedly comes at things from a background that is both academic and fan, and his work is very accessible because of it. If you’ve got the slightest interest in the future of the creative economy, he is one of the thinkers you ought to be reading.

Album: Acoustica by Alarm Will Sound

This is an album of classical music covers of the music of The Aphex Twin. It’s actually very good indeed, if a little hard to describe. The general result is a slightly softened version of Richard James’ stuff – it reminds me slightly of Squarepusher’s ep “Budakhan Mindphone”.

Book: The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter

Modern era retelling of classic fairytales, with particular emphasis on subverting the traditional role of women within those tales. Lovely, lovely prose, with a sly wit. Recommended.

Album: Weapons of Grass Destruction by Hayseed Dixie

Well, they started out doing bluegrass/rock covers of classic heavy rock. They’ve since started combining that with original material. I like ’em, but I’ve got a terrible finger-in-the-ear too-rah-lay streak that I can’t seem to do anything about, and this plays into it nicely. Anyway, this is more the same from them, with some particularly fine covers on this one: “Mein Teil” (originally by Rammstein) stands out in particular…

White Mischief – Brigid At Play

Posted on by Alasdair

Brigid At Play

(Obviously, this is Mademoiselle Fifi again,)

I’ve noticed that the happier I am with a shot, the harder I find it to talk about it. And I’m pretty bloody happy with this one. I would perhaps have liked to bring the details on her face out a bit more, bit it’s go all the essential things I wanted from the shot. I hope you like it.