Internal Soundtrack

Winter

2012-01-18T21:57:00.003Z

Basically, this is almost *exactly* how I'd like to look. Although I'd swap the jeans for some by Tender Co. Unfortuneately, I get to wear a suit all day. Almost every day. Hey ho.

Brown, Oh Dear tee over heavy selvedge jeans. Japanese jacket in wool / linen with a scarf. Viberg boots ("Icy Mocha Chromexcel" cowhide leather from Chicago's Horween tannery) and a rucksack.

Click through for more details on each piece.

Another Noodle Dish - Potted Shrimp

2012-01-14T12:42:00.000Z

Potted Shrimp is one of my favourite dishes: I don't know if it's the slightly nutmegy, old-fashioned warmth of mace, or the fact that it's one of the few times you can literally spread pure butter on toast with impunity, but there's definitely *something* about those little ramekins full of small, brown crustaceans.

There are many, many recipes for potted shrimp. Felicity Cloake summarised more than a few in the Guardian on the way to producing her "perfect" recipe. I follow it pretty closely, but I don't add lemon juice (I prefer it on the side when served), and I don't like the addition of Gentleman's Relish (Patum Peperium or anchovy paste). I also substitute cayenne for a Basque pepper called piment d'Espelette.

One useful thing that's happened since Felicity's article, is that brown shrimp are now on sale at Waitrose. Oh. And they are relatively sustainable.

Ingredients (serves 4-6 depending on ramekin size)

2 x 90g packs of Fisherman Brown Shrimp

180g unsalted butter

Large pinch of white pepper**

Large pinch of mace

Small pinch of piment d'Esplette*** (and a touch more to garnish)

1. Melt the butter is a pan, either skimming the milk fats that bubble to the surface, of simply straining the clarified butter through muslin

2. Return most of the butter back to the (clean / dried) pan, and add the spices. Heat gently for five minutes - literally just tickling the butter with gentle heat. It's very easy to burn the spices, so watch it carefully!

3. Allow to cool slightly. I keep the remaining clarified butter in a small jug in a pan of hot water, to stop it from cooling to a solid

4. Divide the shrimp between the ramekins and pour over the spiced butter. Pop into the fridge for a while to firm up and then top with the reserved butter

5. Dust with piment d'Esplette and serve with toast

**I grind my own, buying white Penja peppercorns from The Spice Shop

***A mild Basque pepper that seems to have a "rich, fruity, ripe [flavour], with a hint of lemon and raisin."

A Noodle Dish (with no noodles)

2012-01-11T12:41:00.000Z

This recipe is, of course, not aLancashire Hotpot. The furthest north it gets is Muswell Hill. But it’s stillpretty tasty. I think the idea for individual hotpots comes from Nigel Haworth’s Hotpot with Red Cabbage from Great British Menu, but this is a far simpler andquicker dish.

I make this largely with leftovers from other dishes, forexample a slow cooked shoulder, or indeed leg, of lamb. It’s probablysacrilege, which is why I’m not even going to try and link this dish toLancashire, for fear of reprisals…

Ingredients (makes four individual hotpots)

Leftover lamb

Four or five medium white onions*

Five or six decent sized potatoes*

Beef stock

Butter

Pepper

Four ramekins**

1. I carefully pick through the leftover lamb,removing most of the fat and any connective tissue. I tend to pull apart themeat by hand, as I find it gives a better texture to the finished dish, but youcan (of course) simply cube the meat

2. I then simmer the meat gently in beef stock for30-40 mins (I use the bottled stuff from Waitrose thanks to an unhealthyobsession with Nigella from a few years ago). This second cooking seems toloosen the meat again and also provides a cooking liquor***

3. Halve, de-skin and thinly slice the onions

4. Halve and thinly slice the potatoes (about thethickness of a one pound coin)

5. Butter the ramekins and start to layer the hotpots:potato, onion, pepper, meat, potato, onion, pepper, meat

6. Spoon a few tablespoons of the stock into each ramekin

7. Top with a neat layer of potatoes and dot thetop with butter (or brush with melted butter if you prefer)

8. Cover with double layer of foil and cook for 30mins at 170C with a final 10-15 mins at 180C uncovered to crisp the top

I like to serve this with crispy kale, red cabbage or otherseasonal wintry veg.

*I appreciate that my ingredients are a little vague, but itall depends on the size of the vegetables, and the ramekins

**Leftover pie dishes from, e.g. Charlie Binghams, are ideal

***in the original dish, you wouldn’t necessarily need toadd stock, as the meat and veg would be cooked long and slow in a lidded pot,making their own cooking juices

The Fancy

2012-01-09T13:09:00.000Z

Oh what a lovely beetle...

2011-06-04T09:00:00.000+01:00

These lovely scarabaeidae beetle prints (Ateuchus sp) are actually tea towels from Natural History, a company that produces lovely homeware, notebooks and paper based on designs from nature. The tea towel is available here and retails for £12. I also rather like these Hummingbird cushions and this red coral linen wall hanging, based on a print by the 18th century explorer, naturalist and artist, John Ellis FRS. Oh. And they've been running a competition all week to try and win some of these goodies! Enter here at their rather interesting 'blog...!

Great Scott

2011-06-01T08:41:00.001+01:00

It's been a good year for culinary time travel: first Heston Blumenthal opened the stunningly well-received Dinner at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, relishing in meat fruit, powdered duck and tipsy cake. Then, just as you've finally managed to get a table (there's a three month waiting list), Marcus Wareing goes and opens another one in the recently restored St Pancras Hotel on Euston Road.

It's a remarkable setting; the imposing Midland Grand Hotel had lain empty since the eighties, and, despite many efforts, seemed as though it would never reopen. It was always strange that one of the first sights that greeted visitors stepping off the Eurostar was a derelict building, the last crumbling vestiges of George Gilbert Scott's neo-Gothic Victorian masterpiece.

Of course, all that changed when the Marriot Group took over, restoring the cathedral-like hotel to its former, extravagant and strangely romantic glory. Re-opening exactly 138 years after the Midland Grand, the hotel now houses the Gilbert Scott; a restaurant and bar named in honour of the building's architect, and presided over by Executive Chef, Marcus Wareing.

Wareing, famously Gordon Ramsay's protégé (although now estranged), could not have picked a better location to open his second restaurant. Where the Berkeley is sumptuous in reds, the Gilbert Scott is redolent in monochrome marble and muted leather, housed in splendid, high, vaulted chambers and ornately-decorated ceilings that at once seems cavernous and strangely welcoming.

The bar is relaxed, if a little less comfortable than I expected (perhaps the slightly hard chairs are designed for eating rather than drinking), and serves a good range of cocktails and spirits. Gins range from Plymouth and Tanqueray to Junipero, Oxley and Sipsmith, while the cocktails list will be updated on a seasonal basis. We started with an 1873, the signature drink of CO2-charged Bombay, apple, cranberry and rhubarb and an English Garden - a Citron vodka rickey with apple brandy. Both were a little on the sweet side, although our charmingly helpful server dried the latter out with a little more lemon juice. It's rumoured that the black pepper and salted butter popcorn they serve alongside the drinks will kick-start a renaissance in gourmet popcorn across town. If it does, I'll not be complaining...

But make to the main event. Dinner. I must admit that I'd read a lot of reviews of the Gilbert Scott. "Proper" reviews (i.e. those written by seasoned and well-respected restaurant critics and not by part-time watch ‘bloggers) were generally good but ranged from poor (Fay Maschler) to brilliant (Giles Coren). Twitter and the 'blogosphere were awash with Tweets about less-than-perfect meals, complaints about over-crowding and under-whelming food. There were also the usual comments about the role of Executive Chef - was Marcus ever there? Luckily for us, Mr Wareing was there last night. And the meal was good. Although I learnt a lot more about the next table's Bank Holiday weekend than I'd intended (more about that later). They did get one thing right though - the tables are dangerously close together; if you're going to be discussing super injunctions, I'd eat elsewhere.

Back to the food. We ordered Mushrooms on sippets and Bacon olives to start. The sippets were more substantial than might have been expected; two large portabella mushrooms on a piece of toast, doused in a rich, almost demi-glace sauce specked with parsley and dotted with meltingly soft cubes of bone marrow. The bacon olives were salty slices of bacon-wrapped forcemeat, served with endive and a mustardy vinaigrette. Both were excellent. We were drinking by the glass, and I foolishly paired these with a rather lovely, light and minerally Domaine de Rimauresq Rose 2009. The mushrooms swamped the creamy, slightly floral wine, which was a shame. But still very enjoyable.

Mains were Kentish Pigeon in a pot and Soles in coffins. The latter was unexpectedly inverted - the single coffin (a slice of crisped potato skin) sitting atop samphire, three fillets of sole on a bed of creamed potato. The sauce was rich and buttery with a hint of vermouth, spotted with brown shrimp and a sprinkling of aromatic mace. The lemon sole was perfectly cooked and immediately made me want to book into the courses available in Billingsgate to learn how to properly fillet flat fish. The salty hints of samphire were an inspired addition. The Kentish pigeon was cooked medium-rare and served in a pot with prunes, more mushrooms and thyme. Another rich, unctuous sauce covered the two breasts, which sat atop a bed of savoy cabbage. It was delicious - earthy and gamey offset by the sweetness of prunes. A glass of red from Hochar Père et Fils, Château Musar went remarkably well with it.

As we were ogling the dessert menu, I inadvertently caught the eye of one of the chaps on the (very) nearby table. Having broken through the "fourth wall" we asked their advice on puddings: avoid the Snow Eggs, try the Manchester Tart and order the Warm chocolate in a pot. Of course, we ordered the Warm chocolate in a pot, supplementing this with the Jaffa cake and Earl Grey tea ice cream. The chocolate was good: dark, runny, like a fondant, and topped with cornflakes and creme freche. The Jaffa cake was incredible: a moist, marmaladey, orange-slice covered sponge encasing a chocolate filling. Simply delicious.

Service was prompt, well worth the 12.5% but also included a somewhat unusual £2 per person Cover Charge - presumably for the excellent sage and fennel seed bread. All in, for cocktails, three courses and a couple of glasses of wine, the bill was around £160 for two. An early supper version of the menu is available from £24 for three courses. The wine list begins at £25 a bottle, and there is plenty in the £30-35 range for those who worry about these things.

Overall: a well-deserved four stars. I just wish I'd not been able to hear next-door's conversation about untrimmed lady gardens.

The Fallen Blade

2011-02-19T08:34:00.002Z

Jon Courtenay Grimwood's first foray into the world of fantasy is certainly ambitious: he couples his trademark quick-witted, talon-sharp writing with an earily-pitch perfect evocation of an early fifteenth century Venice in which the descendants of Marco Polo rule the island state. He then throws in a host of magical creatures (some of which are recognisable, others not so), the Machiavellian machinations of an entire court and finally dusts it liberally with Shakespearean references for good measure. Oh, and at the heart of it, a love story or two. That this is just the first of a planned trilogy makes it even more extraordinary. It's obvious from the multi-stranded plot, excellent character development and slight lack of denouement that there is far more to learn about the foundling 'vampire' Tycho, not least who - or even what - he truly is, as well as more of this imagined history of the world. This book has a) reinvigorated my desire to return to Venice, b) got me re-reading Othello and c) waiting on tenterhooks for the second book. Not bad for a first stab.

Start with a Kammerling's...

2011-02-10T11:00:00.002Z

On Tuesday evening, I attended the Kammerling's Ginseng Spirit Tasting at Callooh Callay, in their small, but perfectly-formed Jub-Jub bar. Kammerling's Ginseng Spirit is a soon-to-be-launched drink that lies - according to its creator Alex Kammerling (below) - equidistant between Hendrick's gin, Pimms and Campari.

Alex is, of course, well-known to the drinks world, and has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of alcohol. Having worked in the industry as a bar tender, brand ambassador and even writer, Alex decided to branch out on his own and create a unique drink. He quickly disregarded gin ("the world is full of gins") and instead set about researching Campari and other Campari-like products. This lead to the production of the first bottles of Kammerling's in his Highbury flat. Speaking of bottles, I rather like the medicine / chemical bottles that he's used for packaging.

The result is Kammerling's Ginseng Spirit, a 33% by volume spirit that is predominately flavoured by a blend of all four types of Ginseng (American, Korean, Chinese and the not-quite-a-ginseng Siberian) and Manuka honey, as well as 45 other botanicals. These include echinacea, goji berry (although I prefer one of its many other names - the Duke of Argyll's Tea Tree) and other "superfruits", herbs and other natural extracts. Alex uses a neutral grain spirit and traipsed around the length and breadth of the UK to find appropriate stills.

Ginseng itself is an interesting root; according to Wikipedia, The English word ginseng derives from the Chinese term rénshēn (simplified: 人参; traditional: 人蔘), literally "man root" (referring to the root's characteristic forked shape, resembling the legs of a man). I made a few quips about mandrake roots at the tasting, but it appears that most people's knowledge of transcendental magic is limited.

Alex is keen to point out that all the ingredients are "natural" - a bold claim and one that I applaud. A small amount of annatto is used for colour, giving it a rich, honeyed appearance with a slight red edge.

So what does it taste like? Well, I tried it neat, over ice, a drink that is immediately reminiscent of a Negroni. The initial bitterness is milder than Campari, with a slight medicinal kick not unlike Angustora. The ginseng is prevalent, but not overly so and I really couldn't get much else. However, as the drink developed (i.e. the ice melted), the honey came through, along with citrus notes, such as grapefruit peel. With tonic, it was even better; a drink that I can see replacing my summer Pimms habit quite quickly.

Alex had designed five cocktails that show-cased the versatility of the product - you can find more details of these over here at Drinkslink, and here at Eats drinks and sleeps.

Kammerling's will launch shortly (hopefully) with an initial price of just under £20 a 50cl bottle. Although not cheap, I can see this becoming a firm favourite.

Bremont Supermarine 500

2009-11-18T21:40:00.002Z

The Supermarine 500 is Bremont's first "amphibious" watch. Water-resistant to 500m, it's classically designed, with strong styling and is named after the famous British aircraft manufacturer of the same name. Supermarine's designer, RJ Mitchell was responsible for the Schneider Trophy-winning Supermarine S6-B in 1931 and, of course, the iconic Supermarine Spitfire. The S6-B was the first 'plane to top 400m mph, and can be seen on the caseback.

I'm not sure what exactly influenced the design of the crown guard, but I'd like to think it was the S6-B's exhausts, giving the watch its aviation, as well as diving, cues.

The rubber strap is cleverly integrated into the case, and wears well. Even the Bremont buckle has been designed to reflect the design of the lugs.

There's an automatic Helium Release Valve, and the watch is made from Bremont's unique Trip-Tick three-piece case. The PVD'd barrel remains, and the lugs appear to have been extended slightly from previous models, with sweeping curves.

There's a 120 click sapphire bezel, and the sapphire glass is, of course, coated in Bremont's usual nine layers of AR.

There are four variations - Blue, Black, Green and Silver, I chose blue to echo the colours of the original S6-B.

More information at the Bremont 'site, here: http://bremont.com/featureS500.php?n=S500&s=leather&v=1&c=0

Steinhart Aviator

2009-08-18T20:54:00.004+01:00

The Steinhart Aviator is a large, German, Swiss-made beast of a watch. The SAWLE however, is slightly more exclusive, designed by the denizens of the Watch Lounge - a German horological forum - and limited to 333 pieces.

It began as a mockup on the almost entirely German-speaking forum back in July 2008 (see right for Steinhart's original drawing), and ended up in North London in June 2009.

At 44mm by 44mm it's rather larger that I'd normally wear, but the resemblance to an aviation instrument was interesting, and it's very reasonably priced for such an edition (did I mention it's fuelled by a Swiss-made Unitas 6497 hand-wound movement?).

The attention to detail is surprising - it comes in a lovely antique-effect leather watch roll, with a spare strap and tools.

There even appear to be a few left!

More pics here.

Crustacea horologica

2009-08-17T17:23:00.002+01:00

Crustacea horologica, or the clock-like crustacean, may well be the latin name for this Tissot Navigator from the 1970s. Powered by a Lemania 1341 automatic movement, this piece of seventies stainless steel ephemera grasps the wrist like a metal lobster.

The 1341 was (or rather is) a slightly simplified calibre 1340, having fewer jewels (17 to the 1340's 21) and no 24 hr register. This may be the same movement that Omega used (as the cal. 1040), but it doesn't seem to get the love that it's fellow Lemania movements seem to inspire (i.e. the 5100).

That's a shame, as it still maintains its charm, and even has the classic sweeping "airplane" hand, just like the 5100s.

This one is relatively rare, as relatively few lobster bracelets appear to have survived the 70s. You can see why, and it's certainly an acquired taste. The dial, hands, movement and bracelet are all signed and original, although I had to ask my watchmaker to undertake some crustacea wrangling to get the best out of two examples.

There are a few more photos after the jump, and a lot more at the usual address.

There's snow time like the present...

2009-02-07T11:43:00.003Z

Snow hits London. London grinds to a halt. Hopefully tho, Heathrow T5 will be fully up and running on Wednesday, as that's the day I'm off to Calgary for ten days, knee-deep in the white stuff. Fernie is a relatively small resort in BC, but home to some of the best powder in Canada. When it snows... hey ho.

In preparation, I've got myself a new jacket from Faiise (pronounced phase, for the uninitiated). The Bill is a 3-1, with zip-out inner, made from recycled materials. The company is British (run by Sam and Chris Bevan) and based in East Grinstead. Their kit is all online - at www.faiise.com - and I'll post a full review as soon as the jacket arrives on Tuesday...

William Plumtre

2006-11-14T20:39:00.000Z

William Plumptre attended Chelsea College of Art and then spent two years in Japan, including one year in the studio of Tatsuzo Shimaoka (a Living National Treasure in Japan) who was in turn a pupil of Shoji Hamada.
The influence of both is evident in his work, especially his beautiful square pots and plates. I was lucky enough yesterday to be walking past Euan Mundy Fine Art, in Glasgow, where Plumptre is currently exhibiting, and popped in for a look. Unsurprisingly, I didn't walk out empty handed (see picture)...

Categories: Art

Early Christmas pressie...?

2006-10-31T20:53:00.000Z

With gently rounded sides rising to a slightly incurved rim, resting on a short straight foot, applied overall with a very glossy bubble-suffused glaze of a pale-blue tone, the interior with two splashes transmuting from a vivid lavender colour to a deeper purplish-blue, the exterior with two splashes of similar brilliance, the glaze draining from the mouthrim to a deep mushroom-brown tone and falling just short of the neatly cut footring to reveal the buff body burnt chocolate...

Doesn't sound like much, does it? However, the description (and picture) is of a Jun bubble bowl, currently in the Sotheby's Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art auction next week. And it's valued at a slightly eye-watering £250-300,000...

These bowls aim to create the perfect illusion of a soap bubble - hence the name. It's Northern Song (960- 1127AD) and I'd like it for christmas. Please.

Categories: Art, Life, Priceless

New lensware...

2006-10-16T14:01:00.000+01:00

While my Canon 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM (and the slightly longer 70-300mm) lenses have served me well over the past few months, I was beginning to get a little frustrated by the lack of depth of field control, which has been hampering my creative instincts.
I have therefore ordered a new lens (after much research and discussion) - my first prime - the Canon 60mm f2.8 Macro USM. I'm hoping it will allow me not only to take more macro pictures (the 17-85mm is limited to about 0.2x) but will also allow me to experiment with portraiture.
It's almost too late to visit the Angus McBean: Portraits exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery for some ideas (it ends on 22 October). I might just make it next weekend - or even Friday night (the Gallery is open until 9pm).

Categories: Art, Gear

Miyoko Onishi ceramic sculpture

2006-10-16T13:47:00.000+01:00

Also at Ceramics in the City, and at the Origin Craft Fair(week one) at Somerset House, was Miyoko Onishi. Her hanging sculptures were one of the high points of the Ceramics in the City fair, but her small vases, bowls and plates were also on display. Looking like a flock of birds, or perhaps a cloud of petals, they hang, suspended in long streams (see picture).
My wife gave me one of the hanging pieces for my birthday, but I couldn't resist a small, almost matt black vase, to add to my ever-expanding collection of Japanese ceramacists working in London (see also Akiko Hirai and Mizuyo Yamashita).
All I need now is a little more space to display it all...

Categories: Art, Life, Style

Ceramics in the City

2006-10-06T16:54:00.000+01:00

It was Ceramics in the City a few weeks ago, at the Geffrye Museum, London's annual ceramics fair and part of the Design London festivities. As usual, the event fell on / around my borthday, and (as usual) I couldn't resist adding to my collection.
First up was another piece by Helen Rondell. I think I may have been a victim of some subliminal advertising. Not only is the piece the same as (or very similar to) the one on her flyer for the event (pictured), but it was also exhibited right next to a piece that's very similar to a previous purchase. Helen was also selling some new bits of jewelry - small raku pendants - which are beautiful. If only she could make even smaller bits and turn them into cufflinks...
I also bought two kissing vases from Akiko Hirai, who was also exhibiting some fantastic tea pots.

Categories: Design, Life, Style

Canon Rebel XTi...

2006-08-25T15:57:00.001+01:00

Looks like I was completely wrong about the 400D. It seems that Canon were launching the replacement for the Rebel XT (or the Canon EOS 350D, as it's known here in the UK) and not the Canon EOS 400D. Although, it may actually end up being called the 400D here... confused? I am...

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi offers an unbeatable combination of performance, ease-of-use and value. It has a newly designed 10.1 MP CMOS sensor plus a host of new features including a 2.5-inch LCD monitor, the exclusive EOS Integrated Cleaning System and Canon's Picture Style technology, all in a lightweight, ergonomic body. The Digital Rebel XTi is proof positive that Canon continues to lead the way with our phenomenal digital SLRs.

According to the canon site, it has a few significant upgrades on the old model:
- High performance digital SLR with 10.1 Megapixel Canon CMOS sensor and DIGIC II Image processor. High performance digital SLR with 10.1 Megapixel Canon CMOS sensor and DIGIC II Image processor.
- Large 2.5-inch LCD monitor with new user interface and wide viewing angle. Fast 3 frames-per-second shooting with 27-frame burst and a 0.2 second startup time. High precision, wide area 9-point autofocus system. Large 2.5-inch LCD monitor with new user interface and wide viewing angle. Fast 3 frames-per-second shooting with 27-frame burst and a 0.2 second startup time. High precision, wide area 9-point autofocus system.
- Picture Style settings for a broad range of control over color, contrast and sharpening. Print/Share button featuring advanced camera direct capabilities for greater user control while direct printing. Picture Style settings for a broad range of control over color, contrast and sharpening. Print/Share button featuring advanced camera direct capabilities for greater user control while direct printing.
- Fully compatible with over 50 EF and EF-S Lenses and a wide range of EOS System accessories. Fully compatible with over 50 EF and EF-S Lenses and a wide range of EOS System accessories.
- Strong, lightweight body with the EOS Integrated Cleaning System including a Self Cleaning Sensor Unit. Strong, lightweight body with the EOS Integrated Cleaning System including a Self Cleaning Sensor Unit.

Looks good, and may be a very affordable way to get into digital SLRs...

Canon 400D

2006-08-24T13:10:00.000+01:00

I can't see anything on the Canon UK site about the 400D Digital SLR, but it looks like Canon China has spilled the beans... it appears to be a 10.1 megapixel CMOS, 2.5-inch LCD, 9 point AF, 1600 ISO setting, DIGIC II processor, ultrasonic dust removal, and, of course the Canon EF lens mount. But who knows? It's in Chinese, after all, and has been through Altavista, so I wouldn't trust any of it...

Canon may also have a nnounced a couple of new lenses. More details as they emerge.

Accentuate...

2006-08-09T13:45:00.000+01:00

Just when my I thought my vicarious T-Shirt collecting days were over (I've been banned from buying T-Shirts), I see this stunning Koi long-sleeved women's T-shirt from Accentuate.
Not only is it fish-related (always a plus) but it's also got a story / concept:

An ancient Chinese myth has it that when a koi fish persists in swimming upstream against the rapid waters all the way to the top, then with every bit of its strength leaps off the waterfall, it will transform from a fish into a dragon.

And now for the bad news. They don't seem to deliver to the UK. I guess I'll just have to keep on browsing...

Categories: Life, Style

Ceramics in the City...

2006-08-09T12:26:00.000+01:00

Coming soon to the Geffrye Museum in London, is Ceramics in the City, featuring 50 selected potters working in a range of styles, sizes and techniques. It's on from Friday 22 - Sunday 24 September 2006 and is now in its fifth year.

I can't seem to get the PDF of the Press Release to work at the moment, but I'm expecting that this year will be even better than 2005.

Categories: Art, Life

London Motor Show

2006-08-09T10:04:00.000+01:00

The London Motor Show, held in London' Excel, is now over. While there were many car premières and launches, including the Jaguar XKR (pictured), the Aston Martin Rapide, and the MX5 Roadster Coupe, the big surprise for me was the number of marques missing / absent from the show.
There was no representation from Audi, Volkswagon or even Porsche; the supercar marques were largely relegated to a couple of examples in the "Supercar Paddock", rather than there own stands; and the majority of the premières were novelty buggies (such as the Citroen C-Buggy or the Toyota AYGO).
I've posted a few pictures in a Flickr set, and many more can be found here.

Categories: Gear

The future of sheds...

2006-07-21T10:53:00.000+01:00

I've always wanted a shed. When I was young, there was a classic, cheap, wooden thing at the end of the garden, that stored a few tools. It was ugly, damp, had holes in the walls, and was generally unappealling. But, it could have been so much better...
25 years on, and Ecospace have created a modular studio, which would fit perfectly at the end of the garden, and could become my bright, light, spacious and beautiful shed...
There's even a model with a pitched roof and a mezzanine chillout area. And at a shade under £20k, it's pretty reasonable too.

Categories Life, Style

Opening Pandora's box...

2006-07-21T09:57:00.000+01:00

Pandora is the web-based radio station which runs off the Music Genome Project. Its a great idea, breaking down 10,000 songs into a series of "genes", which describe the core attributes of each track, and using these to suggest other artists / tracks that you might like, based on similarities between songs... as an example, Moby's We are all made of stars, is tagged with the following: electronica roots, disco influences, rock influences, a thin male vocal performance, a laid back male vocal, ambiguous lyrics, use of tonal harmonies, melodic part writing, dry snare, a tight kick sound, a synth bass riff, layered electric guitar riffs, synth riffs, trippy soundscapes, a synth-electric sonority...

I typed Hybrid into Pandora and got the following tracks:
Hybrid - I'm Still Awake: a good start. At least it recognises Hybrid...
Nick Rodes - Come Alive (Tiga Remix): not bad. A little derivative for me. Apparently shares the same "ambiguous lyrics" as Hybrid...
Snapshot - Fluke: classic stuff. Along with The Orb, Orbital, Underworld and Red Ninja, Fluke put me onto techno with their first album Techno Rose of Blighty and the awesome Peel Session which follwed...
James Hardway - See Through Me: nope. Not a good choice. Nothing to it...
IPG - Thinking About Tomorrow (IPG Dub): nice choice. You may not have heard this one, but it's a Beth Orton track form a remix album. A rather inspired choice by Pandora...
G-Spliff - I Know (Melancholic Outtake): nice track but we're getting far too downbeat here.
Moby - We are all made of stars: need to get back to basics here, but not a horrendous choice...

All in all, it was a slightly empty experience. I'm sure that, if I registered, and even subscribed, I'd be able to get a pretty good station going which reflected my musical tastes... but isn't that why I have 4000 songs on my iPod?

Categories: Life, Gear, Music

Schmap

2006-07-03T10:20:00.000+01:00

You may have noticed a new banner / link on the sidebar, pointing to a Travel Guide to Florence, produced by Schmap. A few of my Flickr photos have been included in their guides to both Florence and London, although there are quite a few more guides now available online, including Dublin, Paris and most major US cities.
It's a neat idea, and free, although the "Schmap Player" is a little bulky (approx. 7-11 meg each to download).

Categories: Life, Style

Musandam

2006-07-03T09:34:00.000+01:00

The Musandam Peninsula is an exclave of Oman, separated from the rest of the country by a strip of the UAE. It's also a rather nice place to dive, and there are a number of operators running trips from both Muscat (Oman) and the UAE to various dive sites along the coast.
We took a liveaboard, run by Al Marsa Dhows, and transferred from Dubai to spend six days on their Brown Dhow.
The diving itself was pretty good, with a few tricky currents and a little bit of swell at times, but generally speaking it was relatively relaxed diving. The visability was a little poor, with a lot of particulate matter in the water, leading to some horrendous back scatter on some of the photos... the light was also not quite as good as I'd hoped, but the quality of the reefs and the fish / invertebrate life made up for it...

Categories: Life

Ratatouille trailer

2006-06-10T06:31:00.000+01:00

Ratatouille is the lastest from John Lasseter's Pixar Studios (well, Disney now, but it'll always be Pixar to me). I've been following the pre-production on this for the last couple of years, and a trailer is finally available.
No word yet on the cast, but doesn't the fat rat sound remarkably like David Schwimmer?

Categories: Life

Art for art's sake...

2006-06-01T13:09:00.000+01:00

Why do people buy art? And what makes us "like" one piece more than another?
I have no idea how to answer these questions, but I might be able to provide a little insight into why I buy certain pieces...
1. Emotional connection
2. It's got to be "right"
3. Will I still love it in the morning?
4. The price
5. The seller
Firstly I tend to buy pieces with which I have an emotional attachment. Indeed, I can probably give you a list of at least ten pieces I've seen over the past few years in Ted Few's gallery that I still feel attached to, even though they might be a) too expensive or b) too big to fit into our little flat. The feeling I get when I see a piece, the feeling I get when I look at it, touch it, feel it... is what drives my purchases. For example, I remember going to Olympia last Spring and seeing a small black shape, almost hidden away in the bottom left corner of a bookcase on Ted's stand. I had no idea what it was. But it interested me immediately, and I knew I had to pick it up.
It turned out to be a 15th C obsidian pendant in the shape of a (shoveller?) duck. It was basicly carved, almost rudimentary in style, but still a fine piece of carving. It obviously had some significance to the carver, and probably to others, and it felt jusr "right" when I picked it up...

To be continued

Categories: Life, Art

Olympia Summer Show,,,

2006-06-01T09:17:00.000+01:00

Well, it's summer again (although you couldn't tell from the recent weather) and Olympia will be holding its Summer Fair from the 9th-18th June. As usual, my friend, the uber-eclecticist Ted Few, will be exhibiting on Stand G5.

Categories: Art

iDon'tBelieveIt

2006-05-30T14:07:00.000+01:00

My previously trusty 40Gb 4th Gen Click-Wheel iPod (which has probably been my constant companion over the past year) has given up the ghost after 19 months. According to the Guardian, Apple may even be breaking the law in producing products which appear to be designed to break after the warranty runs out...
However angry I am, I can't seem to get over the fact that, even though it was over £230 quid (Duty Free, I admit), it's still been incredible value.. given the number of hours I day I used it, and the number of plane journeys that it nursed me through, I'm rather sad to see it go. What makes it worse is the rather folorn noise it now makes when attempting to boot up. It's like listening to a record player that can't seem to find its groove...
Rather than boycott Apple (as I probably should), I've even upgraded to the 60Gb iPod. More fool me, I guess.

Categories: Gear, Life

Bone lamp

2006-05-30T13:38:00.000+01:00

I certainly won't be the first to comment on this lamp, but I'm unlikely to be the last. Materious Design have created this Bone Lamp, based on the internal construction of bird bones.
The large degree of negative space, as well as its "structual efficiency", was the inspiration for these Chigo-based designers. The lamps themselves are actually made from recycled PVC tubing.
Functional, beautiful, and based in nature. What more can you ask for?

Categories: Life, Style

Stealth diving

2006-04-24T18:59:00.000+01:00

At the recent London Dive Show, we spent a couple of hours wandering between the neoprene and rubber-merchants, trying to find a BC that would fit, and most importantly fit comfortably, my wife.
We were lucky enough to stumble upon the Zeagle UK stand, where their lightweight, all black and rather stealthy "Stiletto" turned out to be just the ticket.
In a typical display of male madness, I tried one on too - was instantly hooked - and we're now the proud owners of matching BC's...
We'll be trying them out in Oman in June - so I'll post a full review then. But in the meantime, here's some blurb from the US site (UK site www.zeagleuk.com will apparently be up and running in 2-4 weeks time)

The Stiletto is a rugged full featured but light weight BC, designed for divers who may do both warm and temperate water diving but don't need the twin tank capability or higher lift of Zeagle's heavy-duty BC's. The Stiletto's extra durable reinforced 1000 denier nylon bladder material, gives an extra level of protection against abrasion or punctures in close environments like the edge of a coral reef or wreck. It has sufficient lift and weight capacity for most average sized divers to use in their local environments, yet packs easily into a lightweight travel system.

The Stiletto is similar in features to Zeagle's popular Escape BC, but it's bladder is constructed of heavier weight 1000 denier nylon. It also features stainless steel D-rings and Zeagle's PFS (Personal Fit System) sizing.

The Stiletto is ideal for the diver who wants a lightweight but rugged system, for both travel and local diving that doesn't compromise on features.

Categories: life, gear

Happy birthday, M'am

2006-04-21T13:13:00.000+01:00

I'd like to offer my sincerest best wishes to our Queen, Elizabeth II, on this, her 80th birthday.

Happy Birthday, Your Majesty.

Shure enough...

2006-03-10T12:38:00.002Z

Shure have released the i4c, an integrated Sound Isolating Earphone, with microphone. With a dual connector, it allows the wearer to have his / her earphones plugged not only into his / her iPod, but also his / her mobile phone, removing the necessity to remove earphones, pick up phone, etc.

At $329, they're not cheap, but they appear to have very similar technology to the astounding e4c's (of which i am still a proud owner).

Categories: Gear

Bird mad girl...

2006-03-09T14:56:00.000Z

Eva Solo designs some really great stuff - simple and elegant, yet practical. I tend to have a look everytime I'm in Selfridge's (her products are sold downstairs in the Design House bit along with Moomin mugs), but somehow managed to miss this bird table until recently.
I guess it's a product of having no outside space, but I have a serious longing for a bird table, bird bath, or anything that's garden-related.

Ceramically challenged

2006-03-06T14:06:00.000Z

To quote Britney Spears, oops, I did it again. Having promised not to buy any more pieces (for the time being) I managed to pick up three rather nice bowls from the Ceramic Art London 2006 event this weekend.
The first purchase was two "feather bowls" by Annie Turner, one in a wonderful bluey-grey and the other in white. Both pieces are handmade bowls embossed on the inside with a feather. Annie takes her inspiration from the Deben River:

Turner's sculpture is imprinted with the Deben's past and present, the cycles of nature and the interaction of man. These are, as she puts it "objects that trigger the memory", as much collective memory as personal recollection. These encrusted forms - families of spoons, sinkers, ladders, sluices and so on - reveal the particular texture and weather of this waterland, the character of its beds and inlets, the colour of its reflected sky. The richly layered "meander bowls", impressed with the fragments and detritus Turner has found on innumerable walks, are small in scale but encapsulate so much about the broader landscape - a tidal geography concentrated and made intimate.

(words by David Whiting)
The other was a small red-glazed sake bowl (pictured) by Margaret Curtis (probably one of a pair , so my next mission is to track down its sibling).
I'll definitely keep following both of these potters' work. Annie, in particular, was a joy to meet at the event. It's a shame I didn't manage to speak to Antonia Salmon (see previous posts) as she appeared to be tied up for most of the day, but we did get to speak to Peter Hayes, whose work we later saw in the Fine Arts and Antiques Fair in Olympia...

Olympia Fine Arts & Antiques

2006-03-03T13:59:00.000Z

This week is Fine Arts and Antiques - Spring, at Olympia. As usual, I will be paying a visit to my great friend and master of the eclectic, Ted Few.
Ted is on Stand B12.

Categories: Life, Style

Antonia Salmon

2006-03-03T13:33:00.000Z

Having returned from Qatar last week, I was wondering around Carnaby Street and noticed that the Contemporary Ceramics - the Craft Potters Association gallery - (at 7 Marshall St) had a couple of pieces by Antonia Salmon. Being slightly phased and a little jet-lagged, I walked out with a "Standing Form" piece, which I've been compelled to fondle at every available opportunity.
It's a raku-fired, smoke-glazed piece that is typical Salmon. Beautiful, elegant, tactile, irrestible.

Categories: Life, Style

Orry in Doha

2006-02-20T14:31:00.000Z

Orry is the official mascot of the 15th Asian Games, to be held in Doha, Qatar, later this year. He's an oryx - an antelope like animal, indigenous to Qatar.
Korea hosted the last Asian Games, back in 2002, and the preparatory building work in Doha really needs to be seen to be believed. [pictures to follow]

Categories: Life

Butterfly effect

2006-02-10T12:39:00.000Z

Lauren Moriarty's Butterfly Effect lampshades use a layering effect to give the impression of fluttering wings. If only there were on sale...

Categories: Life, Style

Lost World

2006-02-08T10:34:00.000Z

This small frog is 1 of more than 20 new frog species discovered by scientists on an expedition in New Guinea in late 2005. It measures a mere 0.6 inch (14 millimeters) long and was detected only when it produced a soft call from among leaves on the steepest part of the forest floor.

It's just one of dozens of new amphibians, birds and mammals that have been discivered recently, in Indonesia's Foja Mountains, traditionally populated by the Kwerba people.

Categories: Life

Big boys toys...

2006-02-07T08:43:00.000Z

You'll have seen the new ads for the Jaguar XK, and probably even read the reviews (as all the motoring journos in the world appear to have been invited to Cape Town, South Africa to test drive the bloomin' thing). And now, you can enter the Jaguar XK Flash site and create your own version to download to your desktop. It may not sound like the real thing, but it'll keep you happy until you can afford to drop £60k on the convertible model...

Categories: Fun, Life, Style, Gear

Google Maps have changed the name of my road...

2006-02-06T10:28:00.000Z

Someone over at Google Local UK appears to be messing around with UK street / road names. Although the definitoin of the latest Google Satelite Maps is a drastic improvement, the latest maps appear to have regressed to a former version of the London A-Z... or maybe it's from a parallel universe... for example, Archway Road is now "Britannia Crescent", and Holmesdale Road has become "Chichester Drive". I guess it's time to notify all the utility companies of a change of address...

I'm not sure whether this is a North London thing, or whether the "bug" extends further, but it's a little odd.

Here's a link to the Street Map version... and a picture of what North London should look like...

Old Masters - update

2006-02-05T10:02:00.000Z

Looks like the Christies sale wasn't quite as successful as some might have thought, with the star lot (the Michelangelo) apparently not selling at all (the reserve was undisclosed). Good news for Gericault fans - lot 127 sold for significantly over it's estimate of $150-200k at $314k, as did a rather nice Rembrandt (lot 75).

Ski Sunday

2006-01-27T17:39:00.000Z

Oakley's Crowbar goggles looked to be the coolest shades in Snow and Rock the other day, but were a tad pricey. So I went for a slightly cheaper verison which has a similar lens, if not the ultra-cool carbon fibre look I wanted.
Off skiing tomorrow in La Tania, so 'blog will be dead for a while (as if anyone actually reads this stuff anyway...)

Categories: Gear

T-shirt round up

2006-01-24T17:38:00.000Z

Still no word from preshrunk as to when they're relaunching with the new design. In the meantime, here's a musubi from Moongirl.com. I'm not sure if it's meant to be a sort of penguin but whatever it is, it's as cute as a bag of kittens...
It's been a good week for the boys too, with a few good T-shirts available from Hardboiled Inc, including this Wolf shirt (I prefer it in Asphalt, but there we are).

The latter is priced at £16.95...

Categories: Style, Fun

Fluffy filo

2006-01-24T17:21:00.000Z

The guys over at GIANTmicrobes have a groovy range of plush toys in the shape of various nasties, including Ebola, Giardia and Mad Cow...
Available in the UK for about £6.95 each, they'll make the ideal gift for Valentine's Day for your doctor / virologist / microbiologist / travelling friends...
I'm still not convinced about their selection - it'd be nice to see a pair of Schistosomes, for example. And you can never have too many malaria plasmodia...

Category: Life

Fancy an old master?

2006-01-23T14:38:00.000Z

Christies is having a sale of Old Masters tomorrow in the Rockefeller Plaza, New York, and although I'd love to place a bid or two, I really don't hink I can afford it at the moment. The Michelangelo (pictured) doesn't even have an estimate (it's available on request), but pre-sales hype is already running at fever pitch with estimates ranging from $2m to $4m.
Of course, there are plenty of other beautiful drawings in the catalogue, including a large number of Pissarro's drawings, and this slightly miscatalogued drawing of a peasant family observing a dog chasing chickens before a farmouse / ship [delete as appropriate].

Categories: Art

The perfect shirt?

2006-01-20T13:47:00.000Z

I've mentioned Thomas Mahon (bespoke tailor) before, and was interested to read about his proposed new line of English Cut shirts. While bespoke clothing is probably going to remain out of my price range for the foreseeable future, he also mentions a few other shirtmakers, namely Coles, Turnbull & Asser and Budd of Piccadilly.
I must admit that I normally buy shirts from Charles Thrwhitt, and am particularly fond of their non-iron shirts (ideal for travelling) and their Superfine 180s which are fantastically comfortable.
However, following Thomas' recommendation, I've just ordered a blue herringbone shirt from Coles with a cut-away collar, a navy and orange spotted tie, and some orange / navy silk knotted cufflinks.
It may be a departure from my normal "style", but this is 2006, after all...

Categories: Style

London Art Fair

2006-01-19T15:25:00.000Z

We got free tickets to the opening night of the London Art Fair last night, as the Business Design Centre in Islington, North London, from City am. There were some amazing pieces on display from some of London's top art galleries:

From the last century the Fair encompasses Modern British artists such as L S Lowry, Ben Nicholson and William Scott through to Terry Frost and Henry Moore. Contemporary work bridges Peter Blake, Bridget Riley and Anish Kapoor to Gavin Turk, Damien Hirst and Rachel Whiteread.

But the overall effect was slightly disappointing, with none of th quirkiness that other Art Fairs, such as the Olympia Fine Arts & Antiques Fair, seem to have. Of course, it might actually have been due to the fact that I couldn't afford to buy anything at the fair which put me off a bit...

Categories: Art

More raku

2006-01-16T13:28:00.000Z

Antonia Salmon specialises in smoke-fired ceramic and bronze sculpture. She's been working in Sheffield for over 20 years and has exhibited widely.
The piece on the left is called Mollusc, and is available from Paddon and Paddon in Eastbourne, or online at Studio Pottery.
Keen-eyed readers will no doubt notice the slight similarity between this piece, and other piece about which I recently 'blogged by Helen Rondell. The more I see of these works, the more I want to understand the techniques that are used... and maybe even learn how to throw (and fire) a pot.

Categories: Art

You too can OwnArt

2006-01-16T13:18:00.000Z

The Arts Council is expanding its OwnArt initiative into London from January this year. The scheme aims to encourage the public to buy art by offering interest free loans to cover the price of purchase.

The Own Art scheme is designed to make it easy and affordable for everyone to buy contemporary works of art and craft including paintings, photography, sculpture, glassware and furniture.
You can borrow up to £2,000, or as little as £100, and pay back the loan in 10 monthly instalments - interest free*. The scheme is available through a network of over 250 participating venues across the country.
Arts Council England aims to put the arts at the heart of national life. One of the ways we do this is to encourage people to live with art they love. We also want to help artists live by their creative output and support galleries who sell high quality contemporary art.

I must admit that I'd never heard of the initative before - but will be looking into it closely as more new galleries sign up.

Categories: Art, Life

You can't make an Omlet...

2006-01-13T16:09:00.000Z

Omlet is a company which provides the opportunity for ordinary, non-farming-types to own a chicken or two... and therefore to get freshly laid eggs every day (or as often as the little hens can lay them I suppose). The Eglu is "a coop for the 21st century, featuring spacious open plan living for 2 - 4 medium size chickens or up to 5 bantams, it is a stylish and practical addition to any garden. Designed to be comfortable for the chickens and effortless for you, the eglu makes keeping chickens rewarding and fun."
Sounds ideal. I just hope Haringey Council will let me have one...

Categories: Life, Gear

Off the cuff...

2006-01-11T12:36:00.000Z

Let's get this out in the open. I'm a snob. There. Said it. So I tend to buy clothes from retailers other than Marks & Spencers, BHS or the like. However, there comes a time when even a snob like me has to admit that things appear to be changing at M&S.
While their business performance might not be stellar, their newish Collezione and Luxury ranges contain a few stars. Before Christmas I bought a rather nice 100% cashmere v-necked jumper for under £70, and have recently been admiring their new suits.
Cream of the crop would appear to be this three-button single breasted affair in a charcoal stripe. It's not cheap (jacket £220.00 and trousers £129.00) and there appears to be no stock left online, but the details look good, and it might even fool your boss.

By the way, if you ever want good tailoring advice, read the English Cut. Thomas's blog is fantastic, and even includes an article on what to do if you really can only afford a couple of hundred quid on a suit...

Categories: Style

A Place to...

2006-01-11T10:58:00.000Z

Kevin McCloud is best known for presenting Channel 4's Grand Designs. But he's also set up a website, Place, which

"brings great design back to earth: giving you an easy, affordable way to enrich your personal space with brilliantly designed, beautiful objects."

Place is cuurently on sale and the pick of the bunch for me so far, are the rather haunting ceramic platters and vases from Contra (see picture) and the achingly beautiful and equally expensive Tangleweb platter (below) by Timea Sido.

The latter is a limited edition piece and retails at £250 (not reduced in the sale), while the Contra bowls (also designed by Sido) range from a more affordable £7.50 to £15.00

Categories: Life, Style

Shurely not...

2006-01-10T09:36:00.000Z

As some of you may remember, I went a little dolally over the summer, and spent a ludicrous amount of money on some Shure e4c earphones.
At the CES this week, Shure launched their new e500 range, which promises a "new paradigm" in personal listening. The earphones have a "push to hear" option, which allows them to switch from noise-cancelling to act as a microphone, muting the sound and allowing wearers to interact with the outside world...
It's a great idea, as the noise cancelling aspects of the Shure range can be a little isolating at times.
They'll apparently be available in May 2006 and will retail for a little under $500...

Categories: Gear, Music

Dem bones...

2006-01-06T14:00:00.000Z

On the way back from the station the other day, I was pleasantly surprised to see a cyclist wearing a rather cool top - the Foska Bones Training Jacket.
Not only is it highly reflective, but it's also highly individual. And might be a useful guide for the Accident and Emergency crew who are first on hand to crack your ribs open to give you cardiac massage when you get knocked off your bike by a passing car / taxi (or to allow the coroner to put the pieces back together in the right order...)

Categories: Gear

A Bridge too far?

2006-01-06T12:26:00.000Z

I currently use a Canon S60 (a replacement for the S50 which was stolen last year). It's a pretty good, 5mp digicam, with a 3.6x optical zoom and enough manual freedom to be able to do the majority of the things I want. In addition, there's a very reasonably priced underwater housing (the WPC-40) which performs well underwater, especially in the crystal clear, well-lit waters of the Indian Ocean [now if I could just stop re-formatting the memory cards before I've transferred them to my computer...]

However, I'm increasingly finding that I'm not able to get enough control over the depth of field, nor able to force it to focus on the desired subject. It's great for point-and-shoot, but...
So, being a gadetty sort of guy, I was very interested in the release of Sony's new(ish) DSC R1 - a "bridge" camera, somewhere between a digital SLR and a point-and-shoot. Plus, it's pretty cool to look at...
To quote from the fantastic DPReview.com:

However it's not the body design which makes this camera unique (many have copied the DSC-D700), it is the camera's sensor and lens. This is the first all-in-one digital camera to utilize a large (APS size) sensor, to be precise a 10.3 megapixel CMOS unit measuring 21.5 x 14.4 mm which is essentially a slightly smaller version of the sensor used in the Nikon D2X. It's also the first APS size sensor to provide full time live preview to the camera's LCD monitor or EVF (electronic viewfinder). This means that there's no mirror box or prism making the camera more compact and allowing the lens to be positioned much closer to the sensor. Equally as important and interesting is the lens which provides a 24 - 120 mm (equivalent) five times zoom with a maximum aperture of F2.8 - F4.8.

Worth the £550? Maybe... just maybe...

Categories: Gear

Merry everyone...

2005-12-22T15:33:00.000Z

Have fun... back on the 29th

Categories: Fun

Time for tea?

2005-12-21T14:16:00.000Z

Choi Time is a small company selling small "tea balls" - handmade balls of teas, which are individually wrapped and magically unfurl when infused in hot water.
In London, you can find similar tea being served in Ping Pong on Gt Marlborough St - where you can also find some rather good dim sum or "Little Steamed Parcels of Goodness" as they're alternatively known...
Of course, it's also handy for Liberty's, Regent St and Carnaby St too. Which means you can pop down to G:room too and check out their menswear, including the Marshall Artist and Howies ranges...
Now if only I had the balls to buy (and wear) this shirt or the "I'd rather be wanking" shirt from last season...

Categories: Life

Don't try this at home...

2005-12-21T08:12:00.000Z

Well, there's more than one way to fix an iPod (apparently), and, although I wasn't willing to try the "hold it at waist height and drop it" technique, I did give it a quick smack as it was mounting. More of a light tap really. Well, actually it was a fair wallop, but there we are.

It's been working for the past 36 hours - so perhaps it doesn't need a new drive.

Categories: Gear

A ceramic birthday

2005-12-19T14:09:00.000Z

I was recently taken to the Ceramics in the City fair, at the Geffrye Museum in East London. I've been a fan of ceramics for some time now, and have been amassing a small, but carefully crafted collection of largely oriental ceramics for the past two years. The majority of these have been purchased from a shop on Wigmore Street, in central London, called Mint, where I was lucky enough to stumble upon a few Japanese ceramacists working in London - among them Akiko Hirai - whose Plum Blossom bowl adorns the front of the Ceramics in the City press release.
However, although I met Akiko at the Fair, and purchased a few more pieces from her, it was the acheingly beautiful raku pieces of Helen Rondell that caught my eye.
Raku is a form of pottery that began in the 16th century in Japan and is named after the family who "discovered" the process. Chôjirô, the first generation of the Raku family, began to make raku tea ceremony bowls during the Momoyama period (1573-1615), but the process has evolved somewhat and now applies to any piece that is low-fired, and where bisqued work is quickly heated to red hot temperature and then taken out of the kiln and reduced in wood shavings, newspaper or a similar combustible material.
Helen works with newspaper - although I do not understand the alchemy through which she creates such beautiful pieces...

Categories: Art

Usaba: samurai kitchen utensils

2005-12-19T13:25:00.000Z

Right. Let's get down to some serious knife-talk. I saw these guys (the Japanese Knife Company) at a Food & Drink fair last year, and was lucky enough to be able to try out almost their entire range of usuba bocho (薄刃包丁, thin knives).

According to the incredibly cool people at JKC, the usaba "is shaped liked a narrow cleaver, traditionally used for preparing vegetable with its very slightly curved edge it is also perfect for chopping herbs very finely. The width is useful for scooping. Of course with its razor sharp edge it cut through any fish or meat if needed..."

I immediately fell in love with two knives. The above pictured Kobayashi usaba hocho (at between £306 and £442) and the not-quite-so-pricey Shun Professional (around £127). The former has the most incredible hamon. It's almost like looking at a small samurai blade. Truly a thing of beauty...

I'm planning a trip to their showroom (or rather hamonoya) in the new year...

Categories: Gear, Life

RiPod?

2005-12-19T10:15:00.000Z

Mmm... I hate it when this happens. As you know, I'm more than a little bit attached to my 4G 40gig iPod. It's been everywhere with me since I picked it up Duty Free in Singapore Airport last September, and had a little over 3,500 songs on it. I even spent a fortune on some gorgeous headphones (first the Sony Noise Cancelling MDR-70s and then a pair of the near perfect Shure e4c's). However, on Saturday afternoon, my iPod died.
So... I spent most of Saturday and Sunday trawling the Apple site for hints / tips, as well as various forums for advice.
The main problems are:

Whirring / clicking on startup
Inability to mount the drive / recognise the iPod on the desktop [Volume not recongised when running Disc Repair]
Reset works temporarily, but then I get the "!" folder warning
Restore worked temporarily, but then the iBook hung twice trying to update
"Do not Disconnect" warning even when not mounted...

All in all, it was a bad weekend for my 'pod. It sounds as if it will cost £160 to replace the drive (using Apple Support) or £150 from UKiPodRepairs. Not sure what Warranty I get with either of them, but I'm almost tempted to chuck it in and start again... maybe with the Extended Apple Support Warranty this time...

Ho hum...

Categories: Gear, Music

The Teardrop explodes...

2005-12-16T15:48:00.000Z

I slipped on my headphones this morning as I boarded the little Dornier 328 operated by ScotAir and settled down to listen to some carefully chosen tracks... or at least I tried to.

The first track I played was Teardrop - Massive Attack's beautiful second single from the Mezzanine album... and immediately fell asleep. Well, not quite immediately. I puzzled and puzzled for a few minutes while I desperately tried to remember who provided the vocals...

Of course, it was Liz Fraser from the Cocteau Twins. But buggered if I could remember that this morning...

Oh, and did I mention that you can now download the video for Teardrop for the princely sum of £1.89 from iTunes? Seems a lot, really. But it is a classic track and an awesome video...

Categories: Music

Live music...

2005-12-16T15:37:00.000Z

I'm forever talking about Bloc Party and Kasabian, two bands whose debut albums made my year. Both have released a slew of singles, EPs and remixes, and have now (finally) released live albums from shows over the summer.

Bloc Party's Live from the Carling Weekend: Reading Festival showcases their great live sound andKele's vocal range and stage presence. While Kasabian's Live at Brixton Academy is just as turbo-charged as I remember (when we saw them at Ally Pally over Easter).

Categories: Music

Flickr Posters

2005-12-13T14:54:00.000Z

So. We can finally print photos, calendars, books and even posters from Qoop and Flickr. I've just previewed a poster (£9.99) that's based on a couple of my Flickr sets, and the results look pretty good. Might be a good way of preserving photos from birthday / wedding / other significant occasion - without all the fuss...

Might also keep the family off your back this Christmas. Try sending them a book of photos so that they'll always have somethin by which to remember you...

Categories: Life, Art

Ricky Gervais Guardian podcast

2005-12-05T12:15:00.000Z

Ricky Gervais now has a weekly Podcast hosted by the Guardian.
Download it now.
Or not.

Categories: Life, Fun

Time travel on the Tube

2005-12-04T11:08:00.000Z

It's always nice to see people taking freely available information and representing it in unusual ways. Oskar Karlin, has done just that, with his "Time Travel" version of London's Tube map.
Oskar is studying Human Geography at Stockholm University (Sweden) and has previously studied graphic design. He's taken the Tube map and reimagined it as a series of timezones, rather than the geographic zones used by London Underground.

Categories: Fun, Life

Mother ship

2005-11-23T15:24:00.000Z

Kubb's debut album Mother has received rave reviews. I've been pimping them for a while now and, having listened to the album again, I must say I'm pretty impressed. There've been a few comparisons to Coldplay, Radiohead and even Keane in the press, but that may be slightly unfair. Yes, they do sound a bit like other bands, and some of the tracks are incredibly derivative. For instance, Without you sounds remarkably like U2's With or without you, and Grow almost becomes a version of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.

But it's still a great debut - all the more so for the 'rags to riches' story behind lead singer's Harry's history. Apparently he was working as a waiter in an organic cafe in North London, where he was asked to sing Happy Birthday to a customer. That customer turned out to be Rollo, of Faithless fame (oh, and he's Dido's brother too). And the rest, as they say, is history.

Categories: Music

Organic Tee?

2005-11-23T11:18:00.000Z

Loomstate is a company that was created to help reinforce the truths associated with common sense and the people who practice it. People who give a shit are sexy. Loomstate embraces denim as the medium that best communicates purity, timelessness, Americana, and revolution.

Or so the blurb goes. Whatever Loomstate might say, they make top organic clothes with great design and patterns. Available online in the States, they can also be found in Selfridges, Harvy Nics and Harrods.

I love this "I Love Tee" tee. But it's £49. And their hooded zip-up tops are to die for... but £159? I buy organic vegetables and meat, so why not clothes? But at these prices?

Categories: Style, Life

Holiday reading

2005-11-22T17:38:00.000Z

Jon Courtney Grimwood has written some pretty good books. Actually, I can't think of a single one of his novels that I didn't like. Which is why I'm so chuffed that I've just picked up his new novel - 9tail Fox.

Sergeant Bobby Zha of the SFPD is desperate to find out who murdered him. But he also needs the answers to some other questions. Like, why is he in another man's body? Why is someone trying to kill him, again... And why is he being hauntd by a nine-tailed Celestial fox?
From the shell-shattered ruins of Stalingrad in 1942 to the present day politics of San Francisco's Chinatown, 9tail Fox is evocative of place and crystal clear in its depiction of character.

I'm itching to read it. I loved the Pachazade trilogy, and the previous stuff (redRobe, reMix, Lucifer's Dragon and NeoAddix), although it took at least a second reading to get into Stamping Butterflies.

Categories: Life

In praise of insects

2005-11-22T13:16:00.000Z

To celebrate the launch of David Attenborough's new Life in the Undergrowth on Wednesday at 9pm (you can watch a couple of clips from the first programme here) why not treat your loved one to something from Maxilla & Mandible? This fantastic store is situated on the Upper East Side, not a stone's throw from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. We visited the store a few years ago and it's a bit like walking into London's Natural History Museum - but being able to buy all the exhibits...

Anyhoo - these lucite bangles are an example of the kind of entomologically-inspired jewelry that's available in their online shop. Trust me - bugs are going to be huge this year. Especially Onychophora (Velvet Worms)...

Categories: Life, Style, Gear

Wishlists

2005-11-19T21:03:00.000Z

If you've visited Josh Rubin's awesome Coolhunting or the scarily trendy Coolhunter, you've probably already seen these iKuffs... they're ludicrously expensive ($199.99) but should be available soon in brushed / polished stainless steel, aluminium, glass and even carbon fibre. I have a bit of a thing about cufflinks, and would be tempted by the carbon fibre - if they ever get released.

Meanwhile, back in reality, there are a number of ties, clips and widgets that one can use to ensure that the lovely Shure e4c headphones you've just bought look good when wrapped around your iPod. Top of my current list are these earbud clips from PKOH NYC.

Categories: Style, Gear

The Metric system

2005-11-10T08:54:00.000Z

Although relatively well-established in the US, Metric haven't really had that much of a following in the UK. However, with the release of their second album (Live it out, which follows their 2003 album Old World Undergound), and the recent decision by iTunes Music Store to offer Monster Hospital as Single of the Week), all that might change...

I've only heard three tracks from the album so far (Monster Hospital, the List and Dead Disco), all of which are available to watch as videos on the Metric site.

Categories: Music

New 'phones from Shure

2005-10-31T09:09:00.000Z

Shure appears to have jumped on the Sony PSP bandwagon with the release of three "gaming" in-ear 'phones. The matt black e4g's look to be exactly the same as the e4c's I bought a few months back, but have a slightly shorter cable!

Not sure how many PSP gamers are going to spring for a $299 pair of 'phones, but there we are. They look cool and the slightly more reasonably priced e2g's do look much better than the older version.

Categories: Gear

Monkeys business

2005-10-26T08:50:00.000+01:00

The rise of the Arctic Monkeys continues... they stormed to the top of the UK charts last week (although they were deposed this week by Westlife).

Meanwhile, back on my Internal Soundtrack, the double A-side / B-sides to their single ('Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts' and 'Chun Li's Spinning Bird Kick') are getting heavy rotation. The former is a glorious mix of Pulp-esque lyrics with an almost Cure-like poppy riff.

Also getting some airtime is the new album from Kirsty Hawkshaw. Kirsty provided the (rather posh) vocals on Opus 3's Fine Day back in the early 90's. Since then, she's worked with Hybrid (on Morning Sci-Fi's Blackout), Orbital (on both Halcyon and Lush), DJ Tiesto and many others. The new album Meta-message, is out now and includes a new remix of Fine Day, as well as Blackout and many new songs, including All I Want (produced by Hybrid's Mike Truman).

Categories: Music

Romeo is dead

2005-10-14T19:17:00.000+01:00

The purchase of a pair of Iridium Black Romeo 2.0's was the high-point of my recent Duty Free shopping spree (well, hardly a spree, since I only purchased the Romeo's and a very cheap headphone jack splitter from Dixon's).

I do feel a little guilty. Having lusted after these shiny new shades for the last six months, I finally bought them, blowing far too much money in the process. I love 'em to bits, don't get me wrong, but there are probably better ways to spend the cash...

Categories: Gear

Arctic Monkeys

2005-10-03T13:16:00.000+01:00

I know I haven't posted in a while, and for that I apologise (to both of you). But it's not as if I've been inundated with emails saying how much you've missed me. Anyway, a brief post to get back on track - and I promise to try harder these coming weeks to keep this 'blog updated.
Anyway. The Arctic Monkeys. Yes, I know I'm probably the last person in the known universe to jump on this particular band-wagon, but they are rather good...

Last night these two bouncers
And one of em's alright
The other one's the scary one
His way or no way, totalatarian

Well I'm so glad they turned us all away we'll put it down to fate

[From the Ritz to the Rubble]

They've only released one single (I think), but the album's one of the most sought after items already on Amazon.co.uk.

Along with Kubb (another band that I completely failed to catch at Night & Day in Manchester) they could just be "the next big thing". Honest. And I don't mean the "addictive viking game".

Hybrid technology

2005-09-13T19:53:00.000+01:00

So... Hybrid may not have released any new tunes, nor even a single, but they have contributed a new track to the WipeOut Pure soundtrack (which I just happen to have downloaded from Distinctive Records...)

Anyway, the track, called Zulu, is pretty good, although is more of a thumping techno-track than the glorious symphonics on Wide Angle or even Morning Sci-Fi...

Romeo (2.0) and Juliet

2005-09-11T21:46:00.000+01:00

So. Another week, another album purchased from iTunes Music Store. This time it was Juliet's Random Order, a rather good debut album from the Pennsylvanian-born chantreuse who was a Free Download Single of the Week a couple of months ago...

Anyway, I've listened to the album a few times now and have been pretty impressed. It was produced by Jacques du Cont, a.k.a. the Thin White Duke and his style is evident in quite a few of the tracks. It's good ol' electro-pop with a hard edge.

Anyway, the Romeo of the title is, of course, the Oakley Romeo 2.0 - a pair of sunglasses that costs about the same as a return flight to the States. Ne'er mind. I'm going to have to get a pair, regardless. I'll probably go for the Polarised lenses - as you never know what thermo-nuclear-type optical abuse my eyes might be subject to in the City of London...

FSM forever...

2005-08-26T23:39:00.000+01:00

It had to happen eventually. While the rest of us have been quietly getting on with our lives, the InterWeb has been alive with the sound of noodly appendages...

The cult of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has arrived and will take over the world... I promise. I was told it in a dream by someone who explained gravity to me. Honest. Apparently gravity is God holding us down. Although why would he do that when there's the FSM to battle for the future of humanity...?

I hate to do this, but...

2005-08-26T23:15:00.000+01:00

It really is time I started to make an effort on this 'blog... posting everything to which I listen is an interesting, if rather self-centred, endevour. But it's hardly going to set the world on fire.

However, the T-shirts at Threadless certainly will...

2005-08-26T23:04:00.000+01:00

Sorry. Been out and about for the last few evenings so haven't posted... Apple's Mindlink (TM) technology was in full flight, pulling out some top tracks from the darkest crevices of my music "collection". Meanwhile, at work, I've been flat out, and attending far too many meetings, so listening time was seriously impinged upon... ne'er mind.

Wednesday

Dream on (Dave Clarke acoustic mix) - Depeche Mode - Remixes 81...04
Close to me (acoustic mix) - the Cure - Acoustic Hits
Shine on (original extended LP mix) - Degrees of Motion - Shine on (Single)
God is a DJ - Faithless - Sunday 8pm
Blind - the House of Love - the House of Love
Oxbow lakes (Evensong string arrangement) - the Orb - Oxbow Lakes ep
Antonin Dvorak (Concerto pour violoncelle et orchestre en mi mineur: In E Minor, Op. 85: IV.Allegro, ma non troppo) - Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Jacqueline Du Pre[conducted by Daniel Barenboim] - Les introuvables de Jacqueline du Pré
Get together - the Wonder Stuff - Hup

Thursday

Smokebelch II - the Sabres of Paradise - Sabresonic II
Dooms Night (Tima Maas remix) - Azzido da Bass - Mixmag presents...
On top - the Killers - Hot Fuss
Sweet lullaby (around the world mix) - Deep Forest - White Whisper
Bach cello suiteno. 2 in D minor BWV 1008 (alemande) - Jacqueline Du Pre - Les introuvables de Jacqueline du Pré
Always / never - Manic Street Preachers - Lifeblood
See the sun (plus hidden track) - Dido - Life for Rent
Find me (dedicated to the blonde mix) - Jam & Spoon - Find Me
Tears - Django Reinhardt - King of the Gypsies
One of the people - Adamski's Thing - Ministry of Sound
Come - the Kleptones - A Night at the Hip Hopera
Electricity - the Avalanches - Since I Left You
49 per cent - Royskopp - the Understanding

Friday

Burn - the Cure - the Crow OST
Little baby nothing - Manic Street Preachers - Forever Delayed
To here knows when - My Bloody Valentine - Tremelo EP
Katherina - Deep Forest - Boheme
Groovejet (original) - Spiller - Cream Ibiza Arrivals...
Leave home - the Chemical Brothers - Exit Planet Dust
Magic theatre - Kula Shaker - K
Hey boy hey girl - the Chemical Brothers - Singles 93-03

Have a nice day...

2005-08-23T21:24:00.000+01:00

Tuesday morning and all's well. Ish. I didn't sleep particularly well, to be honest, due to some rogue blinds...

The hotel in which I regularly stay is pretty good - in fact it's rated as a 5 star hotel - but it does have its little annoyances.

For a start, the window blinds in the corner rooms never meet. Which probably wouldn't be a problem for most people, but I really like my room to be dark (and cold - thank God for aircon). So to be woken this morning by the sun streaming through a small two-three inch gap was more than slightly irritating. Ne'er mind...

Anyway. Ignoring the fact that my day got off on the wrong foot, here's what skipped across my iPod today... appropriately themed, of course:

Useless (the Kruder & Dorfmeister session) - Depeche Mode - Remixes 81...04
This is the new shit - Marilyn Manson - the Matrix Reloaded OST
Sour times - Portishead - Dummy
Mortal - Paul Oakenfold - the Harder they Come
Killer's lullaby (nightmares on wax rmx) - Faithless - Sunday 8pm
It can't rain all the time [apparently it can in Manchester] - Jane Siberry - the Crow OST
Happiness is a warm gun - the Beatles - the White Album
A question of lust - Depeche Mode - Remixes 81...04
Abuse - the Aloof - some free CD from GQ
Easy - Groove Armada - the Best of Groove Armada
Grateful when you're dead - Kula Shaker - K
Queer - Garbage - the Best Album...
Resistence is useless - I, Monster - Daydream in Blue
She's hearing voices - Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
You're creeping me out - Future Sound of London - ISDN
Welcome to this world - Submarine - Skin Diving

Another early start...

2005-08-22T20:00:00.000+01:00

Another Monday morning and another early start. As usual, Euston station was amazingly quiet - almost eerily so. It's funny that buildings that were designed to be busy look so alien when they're empty... there's probably a photo essay in there somewhere...

Anyway. Back to the music. I can't quite remember what was going through my head when I made this, but there must have been some thought process (although at 6.20am, I'm really not good for anything)...

[by the way, the picture is of a deserted warehouse, and external fire escape, somewhere in darkest Manchester. Sometimes you find beauty in the strangest places]

Spiders – Moby – Hotel
Girls in bars – Cities of Foam – A Great Day for the Races
Satyam shivam sundaram – Thievery Corporation – the Cosmic Game
Celia’s dream – Slowdive – Just for a Day
End of the century – Blur –
Clint Eastwood (Ed Case / Sweetie Irie Refix) – Gorillaz – Gorillaz (Expanded edition)
City in progress – Broadcast – the Noise Made by People
Poison (environmental science dub mix) – the Prodigy – Poison EP
Feel good inc (album crossfade) – Gorillaz – Demon Days
Lullaby – the Cure – Disintegration
Bottom of the sea – the Duke Spirit – Cuts across the Land
Four Magpies – Minotaur Shock – Maritime
Tour de France etape 2 – Kraftwerk – Minimum-Maximum
Smile like you mean it – (Ruff & Jam eastside mix) – the Killers – Smile like you mean it
Pan am slit scam – Kasabian – Live at Brixton Academy
Pick up (Four Tet remix) – Bonobo – Live Session
Lovely head – Goldfrapp – Wonderful Electric (Live)
Ten little girls – Curve – the Way of Curve
Musclecars – Mylo – Destroy Rock & Roll
Koyal (songbird) – Nitin Sawhney – Philtre

iTwatting about

2005-08-20T19:12:00.000+01:00

Am I becoming an iTwat? Have I lost all musical and moral integrity by moving away from "bricks and mortar" music purchases (vinyl or CD) and into the virtual world of the iTunes Music Store?

I'm not sure. I certainly purchase music far more regularly (494 songs at approximately £0.79 is actually quite a lot of cash), and it could be argued that my musical taste has suffered somewhat: I make many more speculative purchases now that I did a few years ago when each purchase required a trip into the shops. Having said that, I've been buying online from Play for years, so it's not a massive change - just more instant.

Ne'er mind. At least I haven't started publishing iMixes yet.

Are you Shure?

2005-08-20T18:47:00.000+01:00

Right. This is the second time I've had to type this in - I lost the first version... bloomin' keyboard shortcuts.

Anyhoo, as you know, I bought a pair of Shure e4c earphones last month (pictured), to replace my good-for-nothing Sony MDR NC-11 Noice Cancelling earphones which managed to break three times in about six months. I also had a couple of pairs of Fontopias in white and black (although I think the white ones were stolen).

As I was doing a spot of flying (Manchester - London and London - Edinburgh, as you ask), I decided to try out the triple-flanged sleeves against the foam sleeves supplied with the earphones. I've already had to cut down the triple-flange to a double-flange to get a better fit, but I fould that the foam sleeves were next-to-useless. I couldn't get a decent fit - even with squishing the foam before inserting into the ear, and I found that they cut out very little of the Avro RJ-100's engine noise. I even tried them during take-off and landing (obviously without the iPod - as that would be contrary to the British Airways rules about using electronic equipment during take-off / landing...) but found that very little noise was blocked.

The double-flanges, on the other hand, worked very well, and although they may not "cancel" as much noise as my flimsy Sony MDR's, they have a much higher quality sound. The Sony's "hiss" quite a bit, which can be off-putting.

Anyway, here was the playlist for Thursday / Friday's flights:

Cafe del mar (universal state of mind remix) - Energy 52 - Cafe del Mar: the Best remixes
Waiting for the rain - Mint Royale - Wait for You EP [this is the song that contains the original sample used by Mint Royale in their remix of Singing in the rain]
Born slippy nuxx (Paul Oakenfold mix) - Underworld - Born slippy nuxx
The night I lost my head - Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger
Zenophile ('05 version) - Mylo - Destry Rock & Roll
Fourth of July - Galaxie 500 - This is our music
I feel love - Curve - The way of Curve
Never win (Benny Benassi remix) - Fischerspooner - Never Win
Wait & see (featuring Chikinki) - Teifschwarz - Eat Books
The plug (live version) - Bonobo - Live Session EP
L.S.F. (lost souls forever) - Kasabian - Live at Brixton Academy
Tristesse globale - Royskopp - the Understanding
Mr Brightside (thin white duke mix) - the Killers - Smile like you mean it
The robots - Kraftwerk - Minimum-Maximum (Live)

Too much too soon

2005-08-16T22:02:00.000+01:00

So... another go for iTunes' Party Shuffle thingy... and yet again - although it was meant to give me 25 songs, I got 26. Rubbish. Nonsense. Bloody useless, unable-to-count, stoopid software...

Galvanize (single version) - the Chemical Brothers - Galvanize
Ask - the Smiths - Louder thsn Bombs
Stanley road - Paul Weller - Q - Assorted
Piano concerto No 3 in D minor (Allegro ma non tanto) - Concertgebouw Orchestra - Rakhmaninov
Inter-lergen-ten-ko II - the Sabres of Paradise - Sabresonic II
Out of this world - Edwyn Collins - Q-Assorted
Heat - the Mission - Children
Out of mind - the Cure - Fascination Street
Sleep alone - Moby - 18
Kelly watch the stars - Air - Moon Safari
Blue light - Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Club foot (Jimmy Douglass remix) - Kasabian - Club Foot EP
Excession - Altitude - Ministry of Sound
Bach cello suite No 1 in G major - Jacqueline du Pre - Les Introuvables de Jacqueline du Pre
Brand new day (Quivver dub) - Minds of Men - Brand New Day
Tempus est iocundum - Berlin Radio Symphony - Carmina Burana
Suite 3 (Courante) - Yo-Yo Ma - the Cello Suites
Where you end - Moby - Hotel
Block rockin' beats - the Chemical Brothers - Singles 93-03
Dinosaurs - Bonobo - Animal Magic
Piano trio in B flat op 97 Archduke - Pablo Casals - Beethoven Piano Trio
Hairy trees - Goldfrapp - Black Cherry
Oolaa - Orbital - Orbital 01
Still life - Suede - Dog Man Star
Atom bomb (Atomix 6) - Fluke - Atom Bomb
Shine on - the House of Love - the House of Love

MoBlog

2005-08-15T21:38:00.000+01:00

Monday's playlist was auto-generated by the rather functionality-free "Party Shuffle" feature in iTunes. Even RealPlayer has a better autofill function... why can't Apple give us the ability to shuffle by Genre, or Artist, or even to fix the length of the playlist? Ne'er mind - here it is in full (or rather the first 25 songs, as I truncated it):

Bug powder dust - Kruder & Dorfmeister - The K&D Sessions
Marta's song - Deep Forest - Boheme
Weathered stone - Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works
Piku - the Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
Stubborn stitches - the Duke Spirit - Cuts Across the Land
Pomme fritz (meat 'n veg) - the Orb - Pomme Fritz
Break and enter - the Prodigy - Music for the Jilted Generation
The caterpiller (Flicker mix) - the Cure - Mixed Up
Halcyon (Original) - Chicane - Cream Ibiza Arrivals
Jazz - the Kleptones - A Night at the Hip Hopera
Velvet divorce - Sneaker Pimps - Total Film 2002
This land is mine - Dido - Life for rent
Stardust - Menswear - The Best... Album in the World
Fuel my fire - the Prodigy - The Fat of the Land
Dream on (Dave Clarke acoustic mix) - Depeche Mode - Remixes 81...04
Hypnotised (Kowalski remix) - Paul Oakenfold - The Harder They Come
Two tribes (magimix instrumental) - Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Two Tribes
Overdrive (original mix) - DJ Sandy vs House Trap - Cream Ibiza Arrivals
Whenever - Beth Orton - Trailer Park
Mega C (bonus track) - Fischerspooner - #1
Speechless - Kruder & Dorfmeister - The K&D Sessions
If you tolerate this your children will be next (David Holmes remix) - Manic Street Preachers - Forever Delayed - the Remixes
Toxygene (7" edit) - the Orb - U.F.Orb: the Best of the Orb
Flaming june (B&J's reconstruction) - Blank & Jones - "A Forest" EP
Take California - Propellerheads - Decksandrumsandrockandroll
Clean (colder remix) - Depeche Mode - Remixes 81...04

I have no idea how iTunes managed to slip an extra track in there (26 rather than the requested 25, but there we are... bloomin' Apple)

Fish on Saturday

2005-08-14T10:36:00.000+01:00

Saturday morning was either going to be a trip to the London Wetland Centre in Barnes, or the London Aquarium, depending on the weather...

As anyone who was trying to watch the cricket will know, the weather has been dreadful all over the country, so we popped into the relative safety of the Aquarium, and their new Octopus and Jellyfish exhibits.

As for music on the way down? Well, I downloaded the new single from Goldfrapp's upcoming Supernature album - Ohh La La, as well as the limited edition remixes... the verdict? A little samey, and remarkably similar to Big Machine, but still pretty good...

Lazy boy...

2005-08-13T10:04:00.000+01:00

Apologies of the almost complete and total lack of posting over the past week; I don't have any excuses (apart from the lack of any decent broadband interWeb access in the hotel and the fact that the WiFi refused to work in my room..)

Anyway, moving swiftly on, it's been a relatively quiet week. I have been listening to a huge amount of music, but nothing really stands out. Following on from the previous iTunes Single of the Week post, I completely failed to get to the Kubb gig on Tuesday night... which was a shame.

However, I did pull together a short playlist for the journey home on Virgin Trains (hence the piccy):

Raining again (Mhc extended mix) - Moby - Raining again (the Mhc mixes) [well - I was leaving Manchester and surprise, surprise, it wasn't all that dry...]
Release two - Leftfield - Release the pressure [I needed to relax...]
Higher than the sun (a dub symphony) - Primal Scream - Screamadelica [is this the best "musical journey" album ever?]
A forest (live in France) - the Cure - Seventeen seconds
Frontier psychiatrist - the Avalanches - Since I left you
Smile like you mean it (Fischerspooner remix) - the Killers - Smile like you mean it
Sunset (Bird of prey) [Darren Emerson remix] - Fatboy Slim - Sunset (Bird of prey)
Sugar rush (Pure cane mix) - Man with no Name - Sugar rush / Teleport
Mortal - Paul Oakenfold - The Harder they Come

Wednesday's blues

2005-08-03T20:46:00.000+01:00

Firstly, I must apologise for the shameless use of one of my own Flickr pictures for this entry - but it's one of my most viewed pictures - so someone out there obviously likes it. Anyway, it was another busy day with minimal musical mumblings.

I was listening to a little bit of Ladytron (Sugar, from the Suga EP) which reminded me (rather pleasantly I might add) of the acheingly beautiful guitar swirls of My Bloody Valentine...

That was followed by a desperate attempt to recapture my youth as I dived into the Oliver Lieb remix of the classic Ibiza choon Cafe del Mar. My mood was tempered slightly by Radiohead's Creep, and Sunday 8pm by Faithless. Finally, a tiny bit of the always-brilliant-but-frequently-quite-daft Orb. I love the Orb. Always have... and Earth (Gaia) is one of my faves... a bonus point for recognising the filmic sample at the beginning:

"Klytus, I'm bored. What play thing can you offer me today...?"

Answers to the usual address.

Tuesday's choons

2005-08-02T18:34:00.000+01:00

Not much on the 'pod today. Just listened to a couple or three tracks I'd recently downloaded from iTunes...

The free download of the week was Alcatraz, by a band called Kubb. The track itself is pretty peasant - lighter than Coldplay and far more enjoyable - and I'd be tempted to have a listen to their debut album when it's released later in the year. Most of the Singles of the Week are a bit hit and miss. I've only purchased one album on the back of them - Cities of Foam's A great day for the race - but that probably has more to do with my current fetish for dreamy-funky-chilled-out listening and the snail on the album cover (artwork by Justin Kleiner - see Stoma picture above from his current series) than any marketing by Apple... speaking of Justin Kleiner - the guy even has a couple of downloads available.

Catching a tube...

2005-07-30T15:31:00.000+01:00

I'd like to say that I went surfing today - but alas, that'll have to wait a few weeks at least. Instead, I jumped on the tube at Highgate with my Aunt and accompanied her the majority of the way to Waterloo... it would have been rude to slip on the Shures, so we read the Grauniad together.

However, I was wondering around town for a while, browsing until my hair appointment, so it got me thinking about shopping muzak again.

Topman is (apparently) where the fashionistas go to score some cheap chic. So I popped in for a look. I've been searching for some jeans for a while (although I did pick up a pair of paperdenim&cloth jeams from Selfridges' sale for only £27, so I probably don't need any more just at the moment...) and went to look at Topman's Denim not Denim range. It was actually a little disappointing, and although I still have a slight T-shirt fetish, I wasn't even tempted to buy anything at all...

Anyway - muzak to shop by (or should that be "Muzak by which to shop"):

I don't know what it is about Fischerspooner, but it always seems just right for a bit of window-shopping, or leche-vitrine as the French would say. So Odessey it was...

Another freaky Friday...

2005-07-29T19:48:00.000+01:00

Crumbs... it's amazing how many tracks you can listen to when a) you get your head down, and b) you have about five hours on a train... as is my wont at the moment, the iPod's still on Shuffle.

However, I'm beginning to find that I'm increasingly tempted to skip tracks to find something I actually want to listen to... which is annoying. So I may have to go back to selected playlists instead...

Brakes on - Air - 10,000 Hz Legend
Change down - Bonobo - Dial "M" for Monkey
Trash - Suede - Coming up
Ambulence - Blur - Think Tank
Inside you - the Wonder Stuff - Hup
State we're in - the Chemical Brothers - Come With Us
Very - Moby - Hotel
White whisper - Deep Forest - Deep Forest
Blind - the House of Love - House of Love
Cemetary party - Air - the Virgin Suicides
A number of microphones - Propellerheads - Decksandrumsandrockandroll
Song to the siren - the Chemical Brothers - Exit Planet Dust
Phoebus Apollo - Carl Cox - Technohedz
The 13th - the Cure - the 13th (single)
Shoalin satellite - Theivery Corporation - DJ Kicks
Close to me - the Cure - Greatest Hits
Bulgarian melody - Deep Forest - Boheme
Weathered stone - Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works
After the flesh - My Life with the Thrill Kill Cult - the Crow
Firestarter - the Prodigy - the Fat of the Land
Country house - Blur - Best Album in the World Ever

[actually - there were quite a few other songs in there, but I kept nodding off on the train...]

Glass onion - the Beatles - White Album
Give it away - Zero 7 - Simple Things
Beautiful - Moby - Hotel
Suite 4 (Allemande) - Yo-Yo Ma - the Cello Suites
Sleep alone - Moby - 18
Live as you dream - Beth Orton - Trailer Park
Matrix Reloaded suite - Don Davis - the Matrix Reloaded
Come on, let's go - Broadcast - the Noise made by People
Jumbo (Jedi's sugar hit mix) - Underworld - Jumbo
Flash (radio edit) - BBE - Flash
Don Giovanni (a cenar teo m'invitasti) - Colin Davis
Beyond the pale - the Mission - Children

The rest of the way home was spent watching Die Another Day. I think I got extra surf-geek points for recognising the waves in the opening sequence as being Jaws in Hawaii...

Lucky Thursday

2005-07-28T16:06:00.000+01:00

The continuing story of the iPod shuffle...

Pela janela (through the window) – Thievery Corporation – The Cosmic Game
Lonely girls – Suede – a New Morning
Cloning technology - ?
III. Cello concerto in B Minor – Dvorak – Pierre Fournier
People in the city –Air – 10,000 Hz Legend
Bruch Kol nidrei Op. 47 – Jacqueline du Pre
On the way to the club – Blur – Think Tank
Tears – Django Reinhardt – King of the Gypsies
To the end – Blur – Parklife
Belfast – Orbital – Orbital

Stopped at Tamworth for no apparent reason. Didn’t see any escaped pigs. Ne’er mind…

Is it really so strange? – the Smiths – Louder then Bombs
Southern rain – the Tears – Refugees
Plainsong – the Cure – Disintegration
Bach cello suite No. 2 in D minor BWW 1008 – Jacqueline du Pre
Higher than a skyscraper – Hybrid – Higher than a skyscraper

Virgin Trains’ bacon rolls – not bad; apparently freshly made (although if you ask for the bacon “well done / crispy” it arrives in a very similar state to the regular version). Shame their coffee is so poor…

New shuffle

Atlantis (Way Out West club mix) – Section X – Atlantis
Turn turn turn – the Byrds – Empire Classic Movie Soundtracks
It’s a man’s, man’s world – James Brown – Live in…
Mistaken tourist – Minotaur Shock – Maritime
Were div werit alle min (Carmina Burana) – Carl Orff – Berlin Radio Symphony
I will – the Beatles – the Beatles (White Album)
Change (7” radio edit) – the Lightning Seeds – Change [I’ve never really liked this song since the footie programme stole it]
The end of the world – the Cure – the End of the World
Saffron – Eastern Lane – Festival 04
The private psychedelic reel – the Chemical Brothers – Singles 93-03
See you when you’re 40 – Dido – Life for Rent

[bizarrely, this is the first time in ten months that a Dido song has been played on my iPod. However, you can’t travel anywhere in North London without hearing at least one of her songs. It spreads even further than that… she was even playing on the speakers outside the Apple store in Arlington, Virginia when I was there in June. Bloomin’ Dido…]

Halcyon (original) – Chicane – Cream Ibiza Arrivals
Where shall I turn? – Kruder & Dorfmeister – the K&D Sessions
Spellbound – Tango – DJ Kicks (Kruder & Dorfmeister) [well, what are the chances – and don’t get me started on all that variance from the mean stuff. Which reminds me, must check out this week’s Bad Science article in the Grauniad]
Tsunami (Cornelius remix) – Manic Street Preachers – Forever Delayed: the remixes
T.N.T. for the brain (Radio edit) – Enigma – T.N.T. for the Brain

Arrived into Euston a little delayed and was immediately ushered out of the station - another security alert cleared the whole building. Nothing on the news, so assume it was a false alarm...

Frontline bowling

2005-07-27T18:02:00.000+01:00

A continuation of the shuffle from yesterday takes me deeper into my musical past. There was obviously a "golden period" of music somewhere between 1993 and about 1996, as the majority of these tracks seem to come from that era... [alternatively, it may just be that my musical tastes are desperately bad...]

Shine on (Radiant edit) - Degrees of Motion - Shine On
Long time coming - the Delays - Long Time Coming
Le soleil est pres de moi - Air - Premiers Symptomes
Until then - Braodcast - the Noise Made by People
Personal Jesus (Pump mix) - Depeche Mode - Remixes 81-04
Inside my mind (blue skies) (Elephant remix) - Groove Armada - the Remixes
Govinda - Kula Shaker - K
Wendy time - the Cure - Wish
Modern boys - Suede - Sci-fi Lullabies
Pounds & Penze (Flatner's Deutschemark mix) - Corvin Dalek - Mixmag presents...
Vitamin - Kraftwerk - Minimum-Maximum
The Kiss - the Cure - Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
Creep - TLC - Back to Mine: Underworld
Flying (E.T. The Extraterrestrial) - John Williams - Ultimate Soundtracks
Insomnia (Armand's European vacation mix) - Faithless - Reverence
The continuing story of Bungalow Bill - the Beatles - The Beatles (the White Album)
Afro-central - Leftfield - Leftism
Say my name (Hindsight afterlife remix) - Zee - Say My Name
Toxygene (Way Out West Begbie mix) - the Orb - Toxygene
Rays of the rising sun (Dekkard & Dane's mach mix) - Mozaic - Rays of the Rising Sun
Lion rip (Single mix) - the Duke Spirit - Cuts across the Land
Come together - the Beatles - Abbey Road
The 13th (Killer bee mix) - the Cure - the 13th

Interesting facts: the Cure make up 4.95% of my 3,234 tracks; the Beatles only 1.95%.

Another shuffle through the ages...

2005-07-26T18:13:00.000+01:00

Crumbs. Looking back on the day's soundtrack can be a daunting (and revealing) experience. Did I really listen to that many tracks?

Blow me away - Submarine - Skindiving
Breathing in fumes (Single version) - Depeche Mode - Remixes 81-04
Julee Cruise - Falling - The Orb: Back to Mine
Speedway - the Prodigy - Music for the Jilted Generation
Sunday (the day before my birthday) - Moby - 18
Autobahn - Kraftwerk - Maximum-Minimum (Live)
Nice - Duran Duran - Astronaut
Dominion (Bonkers break beat mix) - Way Out West - Dominion
You never give me your money - the Beatles - Abbey Road
Bleachin - Bleachin' - Ministry of Sound presents...
Nightvision - Daft Punk - Discovery
Get yourself high - the Chemical Brothers - Singles 93-03
Cut - the Cure - Wish
Catch the breeze - Slowdive - Just for a Day
Stardust - Menswear - Best Album... in the World Ever
Livin' free - Small World - DJ Kicks (Kruder Dorfmeister)
Sarabande (Bach Cello suite No 1 in G Major) - Jaqueline du Pre
Cresta la wave - Alpinestars - Ministry of Sound presents...
Allegretto graziosa (Brahms Symphony No 2 Op 73) - Milan Symphony Orchestra
Der neugierige (Schubert D795) - Dietrich Fischer
Delta Mk II - the Orb - Toxygene
Dinosaurs (Jon Kennedy mix) - Bonobo - One Offs, Remixes...
2 twigs - Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works...
III Cello concerto in A Minor (Saint Saens) - Pierre Fournier

Tuesday Tears

2005-07-26T17:39:00.000+01:00

The day began early, as usual, with the first Norf-bound train out of Euston. I was watching the excellent Billabong Odyssey for a while and then tuned-out with the Tears and a bit of Mylo...

I was also trying out my modified flexi-fit Triple Flange Sleeves for my new Shure E4C's... I cut the smallest flange off them last night, so I guess they're actually Double Flange Sleeves now...

the Tears - Here come the Tears
Galaxie 500 - Fourth of July [I don't know why, but I suddenly needed to hear that brilliant opening line: "I wrote a poem on a dog biscuit - even the dog refused to look at it..." Perhaps it was a reaction to Brett / Bernard's lyrics?]
Mylo - Destroy Rock'n'Roll

After that, it was a relatively easy ride into work, and straight into a series of meetings. Sometimes I wish I could put a little Internal (or should that be External?) Soundtrack on during meetings - it'd probably do wonders for productivity and decision-making. A little hard trance might get some of the slower ones off on the right foot...