cloudy sky blue cloudy sky blue cloudy sky blue cloudy sky blue cloudy sky blue cloudy sky blue magic 8 ball
blogonblogoff

blogonblogoff - side b

'everything is nothing if you've got no one'

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Uncommercial headfoot
This is driving me insane, does anyone know what the music is for the latest VW Golf TV Advert is?. I know I have heard it before and I probably have it. Come one someone put me out of my misery and don't tell me to go to http://www.commercialbreaksandbeats.co.uk/ as I've been and it's not there.
Posted by Edward @ 04:59 PM GMT
[ link ]

Sunday, February 22, 2004
Farewell my friends
So I hear that Mark and Lard are going their separate ways. With Mark Radcliffe going to Radio 2 and Lard aka Marc Riley heading off to digital radio station 6Music. I'll be honest and say that I've not heard Mark and Lard on their Radio 1 afternoon show for a couple of years now. I used to listen to it and their breakfast/graveyard slot religously but I got tired of the afternoon show because of the dud music and the pretty much same old rehashed games and features. Mark has always moonlighted on Radio 4 and 2 being the narrator for the occasional documentary, the latest of which was on Badly Drawn Boy. I wonder what show he will be doing. I guess whatever he will get bigger audiences than Radio 1 and possibly be able to play more of the music he enjoys rather than off the playlists. I wonder what Marc will be doing? Whatever they will probably enjoy it more than their present slots. I wish them luck.

I am part of the unofficial Manchester Lomo group, I say official as there is a Lomo Embassy in Manchester but there doesn't seem to be much going on so we all formed our group. We get together once a month and just show our latest pictures and chat about techniques. It's a good laugh. We did out first Lomo outing at Urbis just generally having no regard for the no photography rule sneaking loads of shots. It was a good laugh but the problem is that it is now free and it does seem the exhibitions are a little messed up. Loads of scallys just messing around on the id card making machine. This year I have generally been taking more pictures than ever, in fact being just a little mad about it all going through approximately two rolls of film a week. Of course its costing me a fortune in film processing but getting my films back is one of the few things I really enjoy at the moment.

Posted by Edward @ 11:30 AM GMT
[ link ]

Tuesday, February 17, 2004
Spinning clean lines
After what I said about online music downloads I must confess I have now brought my first online album/EP. A collection of songs from the Twisted Nerve Jukebox 45 Series which I have got on vinyl. That's probably the most silly thing, already owning the records yet going for convienience. I must say that Twisted Nerve are nice in providing sleeves for you to print out but it's a shame that they are at an average bit rate, still Adian Smith et al are excellent. Is this going to start a trend, I hope not.

At the weekend I was starting to get hooked on my brothers Powerball Gyroscope. It's a combination of fun and self imposed torture. You keep wanting another go even if your arm is shattered. The funny thing is that you look completely silly as you try to get the high rpm's and people who don't know what you are doing may question your insanity as they look on. I am really crap at it and although I still think it's a gadget I must admit to liking it.

Went to the Peter Saville exhibition at Urbis oever weekend. I really enjoyed his clean design and his influences. The best thing about Saville is he admits that he borrows, recycles, is hugely influenced by things he seen and done. You can't argue with that honesty and his input into the exhibition really helps. I like his Photoshoped artworks and his complex thoughts into the record sleeves designs is exemplary. I can only aspire to do something similar but better!

Posted by Edward @ 10:14 AM GMT
[ link ]

Monday, February 9, 2004
Blimey Charlie wicker basket
I know swearing and sexual inuendos isn't big nor is it clever, but under the right circumstance it can sure as hell be funny. Well in America the Federal Communications Commission (I guess a bit like the media watch dogs in the UK) doesn't see it's usage by Clear Channel as appropriate. In the WMFU newsletter it mentions:


"The FCC issued the largest language-related fine in the nation's history against Clear Channel, for 26 episodes of the "Bubba The Love Sponge" radio show which originates from Tampa, Florida... words include references to Scooby Doo, Crack, Drive By Shootings, Jennifer Lopez and The Jetsons, The Chipmunks and blow jobs."

If you read the full FCC Clear Channel report, paragraphs nine and the transcriptions in the attachements you will see this is all very tongue in cheek stuff that DJ's do. Okay it may cause some offence and some of it isn't funny. The strange thing is that if you look at the time of the broadcasts, they are in the breakfast show slot. How come they got away with this for 2 episodes let alone 26. I remember when the Mark Radcliffe show on afternoon Radio 1 getting complaints because of Fat Harry White the luuuv machine using far too much smutty inuendo but that really was mild in comparison to Bubba The Love Sponge.

Posted by Edward @ 06:46 PM GMT
[ link ]

Sunday, February 8, 2004
Music dig in the downloads
I spent a whole we at the university which is very sad. Okay I didn't stay here at night but I've made a visit every day this week. I will not be dragged here again if I can help it. It's not that bad, I needed to do some work for a charity website I am working on so it's much better to have a permanent web connection to check things out and do the research hence the Saturday visit. Now if I was mighty organised I would have gone swimming here at the same time but I wasn't so I'm back in on a Sunday. I guess the good thing is the the Uni pool is ozone treated so I don't stink when I leave.

It's the last week that the train upgrades are happening so hopefully I will be head back to Manchester at the weekends without any problems.

I am getting mighty peeved with this MyDoom virus with what seems like a never ending amount of dodgy attachments filling my inbox. Good job my hosting upgrade gives me a load more space.

When it comes to MP3's I think I've just become addicted to the format because of it's ease to obtain, play and now it's all starting to become very interesting with legal download site becoming available.

In the past I said I would go out and buy the record anyway if at all possible but enjoy being able to listen to a vinyl only track on my iPod but slowly I am aquiring albums that I would not plan on buying, ever. As a digital commodity I really don't have anything tangible so to speak, although I can and sometimes burn them onto CD. I do have a stack of MP3 CD's but browsing through them in a folder is a soulless experience. I go 'oh I've not listened to that for ages' and the subsequently just keep on browsing. In fact I think I am narrowing my choices as to what to listen because I can't see the sleeve or read the notes etc. Maybe if I went further to make a copy of the cover it wouldn't be so bad but I really can't be bothered. This convenience is to a certain extent making me lose touch with the music I own. As much of my records and CD's are stored away because I don't have any room at my current place I do find that when I get access to them a few times a month there is more a joy going through them, but with such a limited time I mostly end up only looking for something specific. I'm not sure what the point I'm try to make is, maybe this is just saying I need to get my own place so that for the first time in years I am able to have a coherant and visible collection to browse through and rediscover lost gems! I still keep on buying records but not as much these days and although things like Warp's Bleep are very good I don't think I would pay £6.99 for a 'virtual' copy of the album, do you get sleeve designs, the liner notes etc? Nope so that doesn't help. I will just end up being overwhelmed by the amount of digital information I own and have to archive.

If the iTunes Shop ever reaches Europe then I guess the best thing will be that you can preview most of the tracks before going out to the shops and buying it. Still many problems though as not many small label singles get a look in. My own record label won't certainly sell it's wares online because so much is to do with the physical object and the physical interaction.

Blimey I feel like I am going crazy...Maybe I already am.

Posted by Edward @ 04:34 PM GMT
[ link ]

Friday, February 6, 2004
Sooper Dooper power up
Blimey, I've got new hosting with souped up capabilities. I should do more blogging and now I can host audio files from my record label here rather than having them all over the place. Anyway got some new projects going.

Oh and I am so surprised that I won a prize in the Lomo BMW X3 competition. I'm in the winners gallery for January under the alias BMXEDD. I'm really chuffed but unlucky to win a Color Splash Camera that I already have. I plan to customise it and have Colorsplash duels with my Brother.

Posted by Edward @ 10:06 AM GMT
[ link ]