Podcasts, Radio, TV, Books, Cycling, Photography and More
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Mountain Films
I am not a climber, but I’ve always had a soft spot for mountaineering films and books. Books like Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and Touching the Void by Joe Simpson are amazing books. Today, with social media being an important aspect of any professional climber’s needs, that means that most are accompanied by…
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The Future of Radio
Today was an important day in radio, as Ofcom reported its statement on the future of commercial radio in the UK. As most of the country is probably aware – certainly readers of this blog should be – we are just beginning a massive five year switchover from analogue to digital TV. By 2012 the…
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That Lost Database
I must admit that to a certain extent, I’m revelling in the discomfort that Gordon Brown and Alastair Darling are currently experiencing in regard to the appalling loss of personal data that the HMRC has been responsible for. However, I’m still somewhat disappointed that the press and media in general are concentrating more on the…
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Oop. Sorry. Lost It.
I really shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. HM Revenue and Customs has lost 25m Child Benefit records. They were sent on CDs by unrecorded delivery. They didn’t reach their destination. This, don’t forget, is the government that wants to build a national ID database. They simply cannot be trusted with our data. Aside from…
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Publishing Straight To Paperback
A fascinating piece from Saturday’s Guardian explains how going forward, Picador will be publishing nearly all their literary fiction straight to paperback with an expected £7.99 price point. A limited number of guaranteed sellers will retain their hardback status, and some titles will get published in both formats – one aimed at collectors/fans. To my…
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Show Your Support
Soccer Scene in Carnaby Street has two main windows which are regularly handed over to major football kit suppliers. So you’ll regularly see one window given over to Nike’s kit deal with Man Utd or Liverpool’s new Adidas away kit. This morning, there was a new window display for Puma featuring a red shirt I…
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Guardian on Usmanov
There’s a longish piece in this morning’s Guardian about Usmanov accompanied by a profile and the full text of an email exchange between him and The Guardian. He is once again denying involvement in some of the allegations he’s been accused of. Make your own mind up…
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Not Optimised For The IPhone
With the recent launch of the iPhone in the UK, suddenly we’re getting a spate of “we’ve optimised what we do for the iPhone” announcements. For example, Sky News has an iPhone friendly home page, while the BBC has streamlined its podcasts page for iPhones. A couple of things to say about this: 1) Isn’t…
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It’s A Kind of Magic
There was an excellent long piece by Bad Science’s Ben Goldacre in yesterday’s Guardian about the perils of homeopathy. Not only is there no evidence that it works (mainly because it’s founded on nonsensical designs), but homeopathic practitioners have actually suggested using their remedies for such killer diseases as malaria and even AIDS. Don’t forget,…
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Colossus Working Again
It’s great to hear that the team over at Bletchley Park has finished its rebuild of Colossus. This was one of the first programmable computers ever built, and it was used for code breaking towards the end of WWII. The photo above was taken a couple of years ago now when I visited Bletchley Park.…
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Ed Reardon – Series 4
A little advance warning that my favourite Radio 4 comedy is returning for a new series on Friday 16 November at 11.30am on Radio 4. Yes, Ed Reardon’s back on air, and he’s not downloadable as a podcast! powered by ODEO
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One Billion Viewers
Not this again. Today’s Telegraph has a banner at the top of the front page proclaiming that one billion people will be watching today’s Arsenal v Man Utd game. What on earth are they on about. One person in six is watching a UK club match? I think not. As I’ve said time and again,…
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Book Signings
Did you know that Christmas is coming? I was so annoyed when I saw my first Christmas advert on the 20th October. I can really do without sleigh bells before the clocks go back. Anyway, the Christmas season is well upon us now, and the celebrity books are rolling out left, right and centre. On…
Hadrian’s Wall
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