Podcasts, Radio, TV, Books, Cycling, Photography and More
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Recent Books
It feels like ages since I wrote about some of the recent books I’ve been reading. Let’s try to put that right with this handful of recently finished books. Taipei Story by Rebecca F. Kuang I first discovered Rebecca F Kuang when I read her fantasy epic Babel a couple of years ago. Her lastest…
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The Kingdom
Well here’s a film that’s not likely to get shown in Saudi Arabia – The Kingdom of the title. The Kingdom is the first of a series of films set in a post 9/11 world with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan fairly bogged down. It begins with a skilfully edited credit sequence that uses…
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The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Ultimatum is the final* part of the Bourne trilogy which bears little to no resemblance to the Robert Ludlum books. Incidentally, Ludlum is one of those masterful authors who manages to publish new titles despite being long dead. Anyway, back to the film which is once again directed by Paul Greengrass. What can…
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Sci-Fi TV News
So we get two sets of interesting pieces of news today. First of all, after a significant amount of rumour regarding the future of Doctor Who, and David Tennant in particular, the Beeb has announced that 2009 won’t see series five. Instead there’ll be three specials. This isn’t surprising given that Tennant is now committed…
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Thankless Task
The Sun cut its price in London and the South East today, from 35p to 20p. People in London and the South East obviously need to save our pennies more so than people in the rest of the UK. Goodness, with one bedroom flats going for £300,000, you need to save all the 15 pences…
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iTunes/NBC Universal Dispute
NBC Universal has fallen out with Apple over the pricing of their products on iTunes with the result that Apple will not be offering any new material for sale from the company via its store. That means no new seasons of Heroes, Battlestar Galactica or The Office – three series that have sold very well…
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Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela
I’ve just been listening to an amazing concert that I’m really annoyed I didn’t go to. I’m talking about the appearance of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela under its 26 year old conductor Gustavo Dudamel. Now before you go scooting on believing that I’m getting all high falootin’ talking about classical music, you…
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Pirate Internet Radio
A couple of great posts about internet radio revenues in the UK, from James (late of these parts) and Kevin Coy. While I might rail on incessently about record companies desperately trying to extend copyright periods for no good reason, I passionately believe that performers and artists deserve a fair remuneration for the broadcast of…
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Apple Offer Something To Watch
It’s interesting to see that iTunes in the UK is now finally offering some TV programmes for anyone with a video iPod to actually watch. More to the point, there might actually be a reason to get an Apple TV now (although I suspect that an Xbox 360 might be slightly wiser). Previously there was…
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Last.fm and Future Music
There was much excitement recently, when it was announced that a revamped Music Week would include a chart from Last.fm. This is the site, we’re told, that really discovered the Arctic Monkeys and so on. Now I must admit that I’ve never really persevered with Last.fm to the extent of using it properly. It might…
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When Is A Download Not A Download?
A company called Lionsgate Films has been advertising recently on the tube as well as in newspapers such as today’s Metro (Note: I saw the ad over somebody’s shoulder – I still don’t read Metro). Here’s a copy of the ad: Lionsgate seems to specialise in offering recent US TV fare on DVD. Now none…
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Charting Again
Do you follow the charts? No, me neither. But I couldn’t help noticing that Elvis is having something of a resurgence. Currently there are three singles in the Top 40: Blue Suede Shoes is a “new” entry at no. 13. My Baby Left Me is a “new” entry at no. 19. Suspicious Minds is at…
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Will the Standard Survive
In today’s Media Guardian, Alan Ruddock ponders whether the venerable London Evening Standard will survive the onslaught that has been News International’s London Paper and Associated’s very own London Lite. It has been a year since the two free papers launched, and neither of them are yet profitable. The Standard has unsurprisingly taken something of…
Hadrian’s Wall
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