Impressive TV advert

That's entertainment – The first UK live television ad played out last night on Channel 4. It was a three-minute advert for Honda, featuring a team of sky jumpers spelling out the brand’s name to promote the ‘difficult is worth doing’ philosophy.

I am the music maker

What a great idea this is - make your own online version of a mixtape. Sweet!

I grew up making my own compilation tapes by recording favourite songs off the radio, late night under the bed clothes activity resulted in A-ha, Fleetwood mac and Genesis rubbing shoulders with Guns n' Roses, Pearl Jam and Nirvana. The local library's cassette section was also plundered mercilessly, choice musical morsels being devoured on sight.

With the arrival of the digital age came MP3s and i-tunes. A once laborious process now entered light speed and I entered a new era of compilation creation. Bespoke CDs soon flooded the market, which in turn led to one-off Album cover artwork. Girlfriends seemed to appreciate them which was nice but in truth the geeky archivist inside of me was the foremost person whose passion was being sated.

And so now we have muxtape. Interesting to see how they have linked each uploaded track to a 'buy' button (via amazon). It's a great little setup, very simple and very user friendly. Only accepts MP3s so my latterly ripped more obscure MP4s wil have to remain in limited circulation - which might not be a bad thing.

Here is my initial offering, more an exercise in beginning the process than a considered collection of music. I have assembled this from my playlists that one might best describe as 'Angry and up for it' indie disco music.

Laugh? i nearly pissed myself

Phil on Bus

Photo by FuryBoy.

I love this photo. I hate looking at myself in photos so it was a nice surprise to see this on Chris' flickr site. Really like the blurry, energetic hand!

I remember the day but i don't remember this being taken. Too much booze once again?

Spartan photography

Disciplined images from Rasmus Norlander
I really like images with white backgrounds

Presentation approaches

Intelligent analysis of what makes a good/bad presentation.

Like so many things in life it could all perhaps be boiled down to chemistry, and by this I mean the rapport the presenter has with their audience. Sounds simple but very difficult to do time and time again. Preparation is obviously key as is confidence but i'd suggest enthusiasm and engagement also play their part.

Long time reader of bad language because if nothing else the writer gives a non-designer PoV. Refreshing to hear a viewpoint from someone who doesn't use a Mac and isn't working out of a trendy studio in the cooler parts of London.

I first started reading this blog when I was working from home and the range of tips of how self-employed, domestically based individuals could function better was illuminating. 

love it? hate it?

This approach is an interesting one. Not sure if I'm for or against the confidence and disregard for the accepted norm, ie. lavishly 'designed' and strongly branded portfolio sites. I love the use of existing applications (flickr and wikipedia, etc) but think that there should still be some form of identity/presence/personality presented by creative companies.

Clever nonetheless, will be interesting to see how long this incarnation of Modernista.com lasts. I suspect until the next chapter of the web comes along.

Blue Jake from Brooklyn

Recent discovery on the photoblogging circuit. Great photos not so much because of the style, more because of the subject matter - the down at heel side of New York. Warehouses, abandoned lots, and light industrial units are all captured by this Brooklyn native.

The well captioned photos suggest a man prepared to get off the beaten path to find the places other photographers just don't reach. And seems to possess a belief in the power of serendipity, always a delightful and rewarding trait.