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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YouTube trawling
I won’t embed this, but what the…
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0552152676
0552152676
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State of Broadcasting
A great piece by Will Hutton in yesterday’s Observer. It’s hard to fault him on anything he says about British TV today. And I look forward to reading Jeremy Isaacs’s article in Prospect magazine.
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Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band
To Wembley Arena (never a fun phrase to type, but it was pretty painless this evening) to see Bruce Springsteen. Now I’ve got to admit that I’m not a “Bruce” fan. In his heyday he was selling out Wembley Stadium, but we’re now in the somewhat smaller Arena – not that the stadium’s available of…
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How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
I don’t mention radio dramas very often here, and I should really. How to Lose Friends and Alienate People is based on the book by Toby Young relating his experiences working as a journalist in America – in particular for a spell spent at Vanity Fair. In this radio version (the link works until Friday),…
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ID Cards Back on the Agenda
I’m getting terribly bored with this, but the PM will insist on continuing to push an utterly pointless cause. It’s ID Cards – or the really big database – that I’m talking about. He’s back on the offensive again with a piece in the Telegraph today. He seems not to have won over those readers…
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Battersea Power Station
I visited the China Power Station: Part I exhibition at Battersea Power Station today, which is worth going to, if only for the opportunity to have a look around the famous London landmark before it’s converted into a spectacular new venue. I wasn’t the only person going around packing a camera; everywhere I went, another…
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Arsenal v CSKA Moscow
A disappointing 0-0 draw. But I did take my camera…
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The Dangers of Trade Advertising
OK. Here’s how not to do trade advertising. Thinkbox is the marketing body for the UK TV industry. In other words, their job is to ensure that marketeers are aware of the benefits of spending money on TV, and not the internet (or anywhere else) where so much money is being redirected these days (Google…
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Nigel Kneale Dies
I today learnt that Nigel Kneale, creator of Quatermass and many other excellent TV plays and series, has died aged 84. A few obituaries can be found here, here, and here, with more to undoubtedly follow. [UPDATE] Here are a few more obituaries and remembrances: Mark Gatiss (BBC), Mark Gatiss (Guardian), Guardian obituary, Times obituary,…
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Five’s Download Service
Five’s TV download service has been working for a few weeks now, offering downloads of the various CSI flavours. For some reason the service is being heavily advertised in the marketing trade press. Indeed, I thought that maybe they’d put a free episode up for trial such is their current press spend. But no, it’s…
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Football and Gambling
Five Live had a report today about how gambling, and to a lesser extent porn, are becoming quite serious addictions amongst some young footballers. You can listen to the report here. It’s ironic, then, that so many shirt sponsors in the British leagues are now tacky internet gambling companies. Step forward Aston Villa, Blackburn, Middlesborough…
Hadrian’s Wall
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