Friday 30 April 2010
Charlie Brooker | BBC debate was a cross between Songs of Praise and Over the Rainbow | Comment is free | The Guardian
If the leadership debates were supermarkets – which they're not – ITV's would be Tesco, Sky's would be Morrisons, and the BBC's offering would be Waitrose. The ITV debate felt like a 1990s gameshow whose rules required Alastair Stewart to bellow "Mr Clegg!", "Mr Brown!" or "Mr Cameron!" every thirty seconds; the Sky studio was a poky black cave cluttered with discarded British Airways tail fins and dwarfed by an immense Sky logo. With its mix of cavernous space and high-tech backdrops, the BBC debate resembled a cross between Songs of Praise and current Saturday night talent-show splurge Over the Rainbow: I half expected the loser to hand his shoes to Dimbleby at the end before jetting off into the sky on a rocket-powered podium.
The chief topic was the economy, a subject upon which I have such a poor grasp that from my ignorant perspective all three men may as well have been debating the best way to kidnap a space wraith. Cameron proposed 'efficiency savings' which seemed to boil down to a war on unnecessary leaflets; Brown boomed that this would shrink the economy by £6bn and risk a double-dip recession. Clegg didn't care what happened as long as it was fair. He proposed some kind of cross-party economic fairness committee which, as secret fellowships go, sounds about as much fun as a cardboard-licking party.
Clegg was big on fairness generally. Fairness and difference. He used so many distancing tactics – references to "these two", phrases like "there they go again", constant calls to "get beyond political point-scoring" – he may as well have thrown in a "hark at these arseholes" at the end for good measure. It's a tactic that largely works: he sometimes came across as a slightly exasperated translator sadly explaining to his fellow earthmen in the audience that these two visiting Gallifreyan dignitaries were well-meaning but essentially wrong.
Brown's ears are amazing. I think they're made out of sausages. And he still can't smile properly, which is hardly surprisinggiven his ongoing luck allergy. Following the overblown 'bigotgate' media piss-fight, which saw him force-fed fistfuls of shame, it was vaguely impressive to see him standing at a podium instead of screaming on a ledge. Just as Cameron likes to shoehorn the "change" meme into every sentence (or rather did, before Cleggmania flared up), so Brown mentioned "the same old Conservative Party" so many times he began to sound like a novelty anti-Tory talking keyring.
According to some polls, Cameron won, or at the very least tied with Clegg. Which is odd, because to my biased eyes, he looked hilariously worried whenever the others were talking. He often wore a face like the Fat Controller trying to wee through a Hula Hoop without splashing the sides, in fact. Perhaps that's just the expression he pulls when he's concentrating, in which case it's fair to say he'd be the first prime minister in history who could look inadvertently funny while pushing the nuclear button.
Thursday 29 April 2010
BBC - dot.Rory: The Digital Debate #leadersdebate
Quite interesting as it seems Clegg may well have found support from the more techno-web-savvy voters who cut through the tabloid interference on issues
Tuesday 27 April 2010
Saturday 24 April 2010
Smart phones
Ok, so today Sam got herself the iphone. First impressions are good and many friends already have this renowned bit of tech. However I have been getting used to the Sony Ericsson X10 which as now become a firm favourite of mine. I really like the interface and android is really decent with many useful free apps. So far I have only had to buy the one which allows for pdfs to be displayed fully.
So far the x10 has been better than the reviews (seems the test models were running a poor version of the final software). It's quick, responsive, a great display even without the htc desire's amoled, and really the lack of multitouch for now is now an issue. The touch typing is easy, again i think complaint's are from from testers with fat fingers, i.e. non Japanese. Music and video play back is excellent, and the camera is just wow!
Other features is the excellent management of contacts and the management of twitter and such social networks.
Compared to the iphone the size is about the same but a bigger wide screen display, slightly lighter, nice non slip back, better looks (2001 eat your heart out) and of course none of the itunes hassle when you first set it up.
So yeah already this has made bus journies to work so much better as i can read rss feeds and gaming and work pdfs. In june there is the android update for it so it should get multitouch.
Friday 23 April 2010
Thursday 22 April 2010
Tuesday 20 April 2010
Monday 19 April 2010
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 - new phone
So I picked up this new phone, an android 1.6 (but the update is one it's way) sony ericsson. Damn it's slick, has good media play back, huge screen, great for viewing pdfs and word docs! (I fucking love this part), and of course it connects to the web very well. Ok so no multi touch but I don't care as it may turn up in an update.
Thursday 15 April 2010
Wednesday 14 April 2010
3 years ago I met my wife Sam... here is a pic from the early days
Also looking back at a few LJ entries I realise that life really isn't any less exciting, just better paced.
Monday 12 April 2010
Etheric Laboratories - Making grim horrors' Journal
Go here for lots of vampire and roleplay related goodness.
We are almost at the end of the chronicle so go have a read of Vampire: The Endless Waltz
Friday 9 April 2010
Tuesday 6 April 2010
Monday 5 April 2010
Easter
So I am about to spend some time writing up some stuff for Vampire which is long over due, but firstly just a few words about the last week or so.
We've had trips to IKEA, which was ok as we figgered out which new items we wanted for the flat. Stuff like a nw cabinet and DVD case. Of course over the weekend Leamington and Coventry turned into the living hell holes for the materialistic maniacs that inhabit this shire, moving in roving herds, looking from shop to shop, in search of pastures green and sales.... saler??? Any way it was packed and made my brain fry. Last weekend was pretty much the same as we went to B'ham and so I have picked up a few items of new clothing and of course some Hotel Chocolat eggs (yum... yes very yum!)
On the work front things are moving forward towards the next paper or two, the next research grant is practically submitted (3 years funding) and we will then be reworking it for EPSRC. So hopefully one of the 5 or so grants will be accepted. If more well... thats the next few years secured! But for now I just have to act like they wont get funded and carry on with things.
As I said above Vampire is still going and still working and still getting hits on the forums and communities. The ebook for Manchester (the first few chapters, is still getting downloads each day proving that people want it, and from the few bits of feedback I have had, that it reads like a rougher version of a White Wolf book and looks professional.
Right now on with the writing!
