Russell Davies

As disappointed as you are
About | Feed | Archive | Findings | This blog by email

welcome the undermanager

Warning - this is one of those tedious posts where people write about their social media strategies rather than just getting on with them. Apologies.

Anyway.

I liked twitter a lot more when you could get it via SMS (which you can't now, in the UK, not without doing complicated stuff that's not worth it). I liked that you could then use it in different ways depending where you were and what you were doing.

I used to follow loads of twittering streams but only set up a much smaller number for SMS. This seemed to work well. SMS was kept for people I was likely to bump into, or people I knew well. At home, via twitterific I was happy to see almost anything burble by in the twitterstream.

When SMS access went away I really missed it. I liked those little buzzes of update popping up all the time. Now, when I'm away from m'computer I have to check the mobile twitter site on my phone, which is fine, but it's really making clear how much twitter is filling up with all sorts of other stuff. And I think I need another bifuraction strategy to sort the twitters I want while I'm out and about and the ones I want dribbling ambiently into a big display.

So, I'm going to start some social pruning on the regular account - leaving people that I might bump into, might want to bump into, or know well enough to want to know what they're about with an unseemly amount of haste. This is partly for attention management purposes, partly because I'm not sure I want loads of people I don't know reading all my twitters. Some days I mind, some days I don't. But, anyway I'm going to get a lot more discriminating with letting people in there. To see how that feels.

And I've started the Undermanager account for following delightful objects, fictional people, company puppets, people I don't know well but like the sound of, people who seem to have stopped twittering much, people I'm unlikely to bump into, people who mostly twitter about the fact that they've written a blogpost etc etc. I'm not having a go at these things at all. They're all part of the rich tapestry of twitter. But I'd like to catch-up with them at my leisure, on my computer, not at the post office, while paying money to Orange. And I might use the Undermanager account for those things myself. Not the 'going to get a coffee stuff' but the 'I've written a blogpost' 'listened to a track on blip' stuff. The Undermanager is life admin. If you'd like to follow it, that would be delightful. If you wouldn't, that would be understood.





January 03, 2009 in stupid | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

this year

Daytum1

Many things will get measured.

January 02, 2009 in diary | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

2009

Forthewin

January 01, 2009 in diary | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

i enjoyed this last time...

Life

so here are some more links. It's almost like a blog or something. Maybe it'll have to stop being a cyberstation. Best quote all year: "I would rather be confused for ten minutes than bored for five seconds." Jimmy McGovern as reported by Tony Jordan (I think it's in this bit). A passionate amateur beats a bored professional. All of Jeffre's posts are good. So this one is. Computer entertainment. Best of Contagious. (a pdf) The future of urban journalism. Howies Hand Me Downs. Dark Skies Parks in Scotland. Why do anything else? Less cowbell, more Collings. Printable paper. A good hat. Learn a Christmassy tune. Physics Invaders. (Thanks Boris), A Narrative Map Of London. Predicitions via Stock photography. The joy of the random. Actually, this has always been a Cyber Station.

December 21, 2008 in sites | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

last polaroid day

Polaroid

New Year's Eve is the last day of polaroid production. I think I'm going to plan on making it a Polaroid Day for me. Just because, you know. And maybe we could make a flickr pool doodah if you fancy dragging that old camera from that bottom drawer in the kitchen and joining in. Then we won't just be getting pissed, we'll be taking part in a worldwide art thingy too.

December 20, 2008 in events | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

too linky linky

2459589452_7a95ca7483

Some things that might be worth clicking.

PSFK are doing one of their Good Ideas Salon things in London. Mother are up to issue 4 with their Four Feet From A Rat comics. And if they get enough people pledging to buy one they'll make a compilation book. Video worth watching (via Matt and Jerakeen) - 7 minutes from launch to splashdown. A very good game. And the game I've spent most time playing on my touch. Currently in the Internet Cupboard. A crystal chair. The Piano Baschet-Malbos. Beards. Yes. Future Storytelling. Hands playing football. Todd Machover is my new god. You can also hear him talk at the RSA. The other bloke is less god-like. "This is the business we've chosen". Landing a 747. Visual Thinking Reading List. Hear Sir Ken live. Elected to Division One 1892. A project for after Christmas. Runs on a cup of tea. The best Christmas song. And a wish for the New Year - may you be Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace. 

December 19, 2008 in sites | Permalink

december 16th

2007

2007

2006

2006

2005

2005.

I spend a lot of time in cafes.

December 16, 2008 in diary | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

sci-fi visions from slough

Thunderbirdslogger2

Arthur and I were watching Thunderbirds the other day. It was Path Of Destruction which features the marvelous Crab Logger (above). And I was struck how fabulously weathered and patina-ed it is. And then, having just read this fantastic thing about the respective aesthetics of Star Wars and 2001 it made me wonder whether the design of Gerry Anderson's vehicles had influenced George Lucas at all.

A bit of googling brings me to this page which says that both 2001 and Star Wars used techniques developed for Sting Ray, Thunderbirds etc and which talks about designer/special effects chap Brian Johnson, who worked on Thunderbirds, Space 1999, Alien and The Empire Strikes Back. And contains the assertion that the Star Wars designers were told to 'make it look as good as Space 1999'. It makes you realise how influential Anderson's productions were, and how many of our visions of the future were constructed or conceived in the English suburbs.

Fireballbase

Moongadget also talks about Derek Meddings; who took his Gerry Anderson experience and applied it to tons of movies - including many of the most visually imaginative Bonds. Having been to this event with Matt, the connections between the lairs Ken Adam designed for villains and the locations Gerry Anderson puts his various goodies and baddies in became apparent. I'm not sure who influenced who, but maybe there was some sort of scenius thing going on the in the world of British effects and design.

Thunderbirdspenelope

Tracyisland

It also struck me just how wealthy the Tracy family must be to fund all this stuff privately. They didn't just have a private island, they had a space programme. The latest Forbes Fictional Rich List puts Scrooge McDuck at Number One. Fair enough. But Jeff Tracy has got to be at least as wealthy as Tony Stark at Number 10.

Thunderbirdsroad

I was also reminded how the denuded roads and public spaces of the Anderson era seems to prefigure so many scifi visions. He was probably doing it for practical reasons, but there's a bleakness/blankness that seems to echo through the years.

Or something. Anyway.

December 15, 2008 | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

welcome to my cyberstation

Wiredstyle

I dug this out of storage the other day.

Websites

Websites2

Did anyone really ever have a 'cyberstation'? I remembered almost everything else in here, but not that. More here.

December 14, 2008 in writing | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

lyddle end hiatus

Dsc02259

I put another bunch of Lyddle End properties in the post a few days ago. There are about 30 out in the world now. But I think, with the analogue friction of the Christmas season now in full effect, I might stop sending stuff until the New Year. The Post Office queues are too depressing. (Except for a couple of hand deliveries I still need to do.)

So if you've not had one yet, don't fret. You could go and get your own, let me know and I'll send you some money. Or you could wait until January. And if you need an extension on the deadline that's fine.

Above is Arthur's prototype. I guess genetic manipulation is going to take a big leap forward.

December 13, 2008 in slow projects | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

« Previous | Next »