Two thousand and seven

Yah, I have been very lazy on t'blog front.

Many exciting occurences have come and gone with nary a peep out of me.
I will be more motivated in the new year of 2007.
I will fulfil my potential.
I will be all that I can be.
Sadly, that isn't very much, so expect more of the same.

It's a brave new world, I'm telling you.

In the meantime, watch this ...

Back off, man - I'm a scientist!

Aside from the obvious, e.g. New Scientist, there's much wondrousness out there. So screw the poxy arts and humanities and let's go:

Bad Science: shines like a good deed in a naughty world. Dr Ben Goldacre (he of the eponymous Guardian column) takes on the modern-day quacks and snake-oil peddlers and exposes their pseudo-medical treatments and theories (reserving a bit of ire for stupid unquestioning media types who give them credibility.) Ace. Also check out the forums.

Inkycircus: a top-hole blog on all sort of science (pop and otherwise). There's a triffic post on a photo from the 1927 Solvay Conference - a sort of hit parade of the movers and shakers in the quantum physical world. Check it, here.

Cogito Ergo Summary: the Londonist's weekly science listings of events in London. Find your local geek-fest. Usually in the forefront of the listings is;

The Dana Centre . Based down South Kensington way and set up by the Science Museum and others it runs an impressive number of events and talks on a range of scientific topics. You have to book a ticket but they're free, gratis and for nothing. Odd website, though. Has a sort of "hey, kids, science is fun!" feel to it.

The Federation of American Scientists: originally formed by some Manhattan Project scientists back in '45, their emphasis is pretty much on global and strategic security issues but site has some fascinating articles on a host of stuff especially nuclear weapons. Worth a read.

Apothecary's Drawer: a weblog that takes "an eclectic and sceptical look at topics near the triple point of science, arts, and culture." A very well-researched, nicely done, engaging blog. One of the reasons why I get so little done at work these days...

Emilio Segré Visual Archives: contains the American Institute of Physics's collection of more than twenty-five thousand images relating to scientists of the 20th Century. You can purchase images as well, so if you've ever fancied a photo of Bohr hanging with Mr & Mrs Heisenberg on your bedside table, now's your chance.

And remember, people; always be kind to arts, media, politics and humanities types. They don't know any better and when human experimentation is fully allowed, we're going to need them... 8o)

Christmas 2005

Filled with festive cheer and all that cobblers, Scattergun would like to wish a Merry Bloody Christmas and a Happy Bastard New Year to one and all...

The Mighty Boosh Post - the post that hurts the most...

On Monday, headed out to Shillibeers off Caledonian Rd, North London with Cursor for few pints of Guinness, prior to nipping next door to the Pleasance Theatre to see the first warm-up gig for The Mighty Boosh tour.
It was wildy shambolic and f**king brilliant. Highlights included a monologue from The Moon explaining how Saturn is always pissed but a good cook, Naboo the shaman, a Russian-style mini-play about pies, a fan-letter from Tom Paulin, faulty / missing props, an audience member having his eyes gouged out, using membership of Ronnie Scott's to impress ladies, and some songs. Top notch comedy from them - as always.
Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding had a little chat to the audience at the end to explain that it was all still coming together...

Aside: Would you believe, I bumped into Julian Barratt in a pub on Friday. Lovely feller. Bought him a pint as a way of saying thanks for all the good comedy. I wish I'd bought him a few more now...

Boosh fan site, here and here. Also check out the great Boosh Forum, here.

Harold Pinter & The Prize of Nobel

Watched the Nobel Lecture of the playwright Harold Pinter on More4 last night - a brutal, coruscating speech which started with him giving unusual insights into his writing, then making a witheringly detailed attack on recent British-American foreign policy and closing with a quote from Pablo Neruda that pretty much explained his reasons for delivering such an address;
"why doesn't his poetry speak of dreams and leaves
and the great volcanoes of his native land?
Come and see the blood in the streets.
Come and see.
The blood in the streets.
Come and see the blood.
In the streets!"

Watch and read the lecture at Nobelprize.org.

Guardian article: "Shades of Beckett..."

Full text of Pablo Neruda's "I'm Explaining A Few Things."
Neruda also won the Nobel Prize in Literature, back in 1971. You can read his speech, here.

Sleeping with the NME*

Is the music press a bunch of lick-spittle lackeys who bow to the corporate c*ck?

I have no idea. However, a lively debate touching on the subject is going on over at The Londonist regarding the NME Album of The Year.
Click on the link - it's an interesting tale. Much argy-bargy of the "show your sources!", "why aren't you denying it?" ilk. Nice.

Further reading: the 'I-Sky' column in Private Eye, devoted to instances of shameless cross-plugging in the Murdoch Empire.


*OK, title doesn't really work but it does bring back memories of that Manic Street Preachers B-side to 'Suicide Is Painless' which took the form of an excerpt from a BBC documentary on the NME, transcript here.
It featured such future luminaries as Steve Lamacq ("beginning to stain the carpet"), Mary-Anne Hobbs ("I'm only the scum assistant"), James Brown ("It doesn't say T-Rex"), Andrew Collins ("Print it!") and that Danny Wotsisname who presented that football programme on Channel 5.

Who says the media is just an incestuous old-pals network? (That slur excludes Andrew Collins, because I like him.)

Scattergun at The Q Awards

OK, so I didn't really go to the Q Awards on Monday but Lady C and I were invited to a Q after-show party at Destino, off Piccadilly (a chum was DJing.)

The achingly hip venue was utterly rammed and full of trendy types madly rubber-necking at each other to spot famous people. I had my sights firmly fixed to collar the young ladies swirling through the crowd carrying the trays of hors d'oeuvres. Finally managed to get a good spot by the kitchen door next to the free cocktail bar and proceeded to gorge and booze myself stupid. Productive evening.

I did think I recognised a bloke who was in my philosophy tutorial group at university - until Lady C kindly pointed out to me that it was in fact one of the guys from The Magic Numbers. Hmm.

Nattered to various types, including the chap who runs Acid Jazz records. He gave me couple of hot tips on bagsying tables and getting the staff to bring over bottles of wine. Nice bloke.

The toilet cubicles were quite busy all night. Perhaps it was something in the food.

Calm down dear, it's a commercial...

Part of my job as a soi-disant scribbler on the net is to point out bits of pop-culture fad to you (hopefully after everyone else has, so I've got things to link to.)

I was going to write a post on how the Cillit Bang advert appears to have people in a frenzy but luckily Aardvark.dj* has done the hard work, so I don't have to - check it.
(It's a story for our times, I'm telling you.)

The link on his post to the JAKAZiD remix of the ad is priceless!
(Straight into the sound and vision, so lower the volume if you're accessing it from a funeral home or summink.)

*Check out the rest of his blog - v. good.

Dove-imitation ban strikes Yorkshire!

In the news today, Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax has banned visitors from cooing at other people's new-born babies.

My first reaction to that headline was, "Who the hell goes around cooing at other people's babies?" I am clearly a heartless pig without a paternal bone in my body.
Yay me.

Enforcing this ban should prove delightful. Excuse me, Sir, did you just impersonate a pigeon in the vicinity of that infant? You come along with me. Now, now.

Brace yourself for a deluge of the phrase, "political correctness gone mad."

On a more serious note, I would have thought that early interaction with a range of people would provide much-needed stimuli for a baby and is essential for its development. Although babies are not public property. You wouldn't, however, guess this from some members of public who will quite happily stop a stranger with a baby and perform the coochie-coo routine. This is an especial problem with multiple births - walk around with twins and you're a magnet for all with spare time on their hands and inane questions on their mind: "Are they identical?", "Isn't it sweet when you can dress them the same?" and "Why are you swearing at me? - I'm just asking about your children!". General invasion of personal space can start earlier as pregnancy appears to be an excuse for random touching - women having to endure patting of the bump from well-meaning passers-by. For why?

Such instances of aggressive cooing and over-familiarity can happily be avoided by the wearing of a T-shirt reading "Touch my child without my permission and you die", or the carrying of a loaded weapon which can be drawn and fired to the accompanying spoken refrain of "Coo this, m*therf*cker!!"

I digress...

Formula 1

Fernando Alonso is crowned 2005 Formula One World Champion by taking third place in the Renault at Sao Paulo in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

He also becomes the youngest ever world champion, beating the thirty-three year old record of the great Emerson Fittipaldi.

Nice one, Fernando!

Race report, here.

It's not over yet, however, as the McLaren 1-2 finish gives them a two point lead in the Constructors Championship over Renault.

Music to sit up and take notice of

The Angry Liberal Records site is now up and running - here.
Get down there, read the reviews and grab your copy of the new Corporation:Blend EP, Chapter of Accidents - brilliant stuff and highly recommended (see earlier post.)

For more good new music (on an electronic tip), check out Lestrade and download Transport Sec.

Scoot on over to The Mighty Boosh fansite: The Boosh Is Loose!
Head for the 'Special' page, where you can download 'Midfielding' by Midfield General featuring none other than Noel Fielding purveying his natty line in mad storytelling over the top. Genius.
(Must do a separate post on the Boosh. It's the best programme I've seen for a long time. And I watch a lot of television.)

Music blogs - there's a few beauties out there you know.
* Musicircus is a beautiful one, with the emphasis firmly on the jazz and the classical. Nice.
* Mocking Music, which has a great post on the C-86 tape given away with copies of the NME, back in the day.
* Keeping the C-86 alive is indie mp3, the Ronseal woodstain of blogs. Head over there and listen - he's got very good taste.
* Spoilt Victorian Child. Probably the best-looking of the bunch (found it via thingsmagazine, natch), a site that's well worth full exploration - plenty of informative posts, downloads and see the link to SVC Records and SVC Radio, too. I certainly feel spoilt...

Fact of the post: click and scroll down to find out why Israel enters the Eurovision Song Contest. Then look up the Intervision Song Contest. Mad shit.

P.S. Do you want to know what the Future of Music is? Do you? Well, I'll tell you. Come closer. It's this.