Russell Davies

audio nonsense

I really liked the idea of the iTunes signature maker, but I didn't really like the results, mostly because I only use iTunes for listening to IT Conversations at work. So I dug out the vinyl and made my own(about 76KB). It's not highly listenable but it's quite 'me'.

There are 20 tracks in there. First person to name 15 of them in the comments gets a free copy of the book.

end snake and ladders frustration

We bought some 20 sided die at the weekend, presumably designed for Dungeons and Dragons etc, but it occured to me that they'd be perfect for easing the frustrations of the forthcoming board-games season. (What else do you do at Christmas?) Playing board games with a five year-old is always problematic because they don't really have the patience for it, but with a 20 sided dice you can fly through a game without needing to introduce any artificial elements. The one pictured above looks good too, it's a jumbo (which means it's less easy to lose under the table) it's from here.

our product will come to the market

This is the lid of a robot I bought for Arthur in Italy so obviously it's a product of mangled translation. But I like the way it sums up the extent of many Web 1.0 dotcom launch strategies:

1. Our product will come to market.
2. We'll be Fast, Cool and Super.

And then if you add 'Defend Peace' with echoes of 'Don't Be Evil' it turns into a Web 2.0 strategy.

backing shyly into the limelight

Those of you who've never clicked on any of those 'my other sites' link on the right might be astonished and dismayed to know I don't spend my whole life writing about planning or my family. I also spend an inordinate amount of time writing about, and being in, cafes. So much so, that one of my blogs (egg bacon chips and beans) has recently been transformed into a book and published by Harper Collins. And now you, gentle reader, can buy a copy from Amazon, by clicking here. The picture above is the book being read by Pete Ashton. His review is here. He seems to like it.

Hurrah.

And by scrolling down the page a little you can even get an egg bacon chips and beans t-shirt. Well worth 18 of your earth pounds.

blimey

Can you imagine a worse combintion? Seriously. I tried to think of some more dreadful combinations in order to be funny, and I can't think of anything. Blimey.

H1 Bees

As a former H1-B holder myself I was very amused by a feature on The World'sTechnology podcast (scroll down to last feature piece). It's about a group of Indian software engineers living in the States and an album they've written about the experience of being an H1-B visa holder. At least one of them professes to being a Jethro Tull fan, and while that's not completely apparent in the music, it's an intriguing mix of Eastern and Western musical amatuerism - in the best sense of the word.

40 seconds of ducks

I shot this with my little Sony T7 a few weeks back and found it in iPhoto again yesterday. So I added a bit of music and here it is. I don't know why but it makes me laugh.

It's 4MB.

justice

hollywood suggestion

I've just been listening to some Studio 360 podcasts (highly recommended). The October 1st issue has an interview with Neil Gaiman, which I really enjoyed. I've tended to avoid his stuff in the past, looks a bit too goth for me, but I think I'll have to yield. He talked really interestingly about a bunch of stuff.

One of the things he discussed was the dreadful predicatibilty of many Hollywood movies - you know exactly what's going to happen from minute to minute with a lot of them. Partly because you know how long the average movie lasts, and you know that they've still got X amount of time to fill.

Anne and I once discussed a solution to this which, if I was Global President, I'd immediately impose.

You know how a lot of movies like to open with a bit of suspense? There's a chase scene about 10 minutes in, the heroes in peril, or something. But you know he's going to be OK becuase he's the big name movie star and they're not going to kill him so soon. Or at all, probably.

Well, they should have a quota system that means that some movies do end about 10 minutes in. So the car is teetering on the edge of the cliff, the hero has to grab his girlfriend's hand to escape, he stretches to reach her, their fingers touch, he  grasps her fingers,  he falls, pulling her down on top of him, they both die, movie ends. If, say, 1 in 10 movie ended 15 minutes in, like that, wouldn't that make all the others that much more suspenseful?

I think you'd have to do it so each movie was available in two cuts, one of 15 minutes (or whatever), one the full 90, and they'd be served up randomly by  the projectionist.

That'd add interest at the multiplex.

slightly amusing coincidence

I saw these new Mighty World toys at the weekend. They're intrigingly specific to modern culture. And I share a workspace with Jenny who does trends and culture and stuff and Seb who does skate and that. So this seemed like a slightly amusing coincidence.

I'm going to call them Chris and Minnie from now on.