September 11, 2008 • 8:56 am 0
It’s time to bring out the cocoa, draught excluder, big slipper and blankets and settle down into the darkening nights and Autumn TV schedule. Loving it!
(Especially as I have just started a diet and sworn off drinking for a bit – what’s left for a girl to enjoy?!)
What indeed!
Lost in Austen
The Restaurant
The Hairy Bikers
And, thanks to the local CEX all the cheap back issues of DVDs my little heart could desire.
September 3, 2008 • 11:58 am 0
Thanks to Laura Dewis for the mention:
And congratulations to vblogger of the month, Casey Leaver, for getting the most views in the video blog series on “What YouTube taught me” for Getting abreast of your health.
Wonder why videos with sperm and breasts in the title got the most attention?
Although, I am rather partial to CK’s Rugby & Seabass and Guy’s Trains.
And just wait til you see the snails and children that we filmed yesterday for Evolution Megalab.
Filed under: Blogging About Blogs, Films, Higher Education, Internet, PR, Web Geekery, Work
August 8, 2008 • 2:11 pm 5
This summer we asked everyone in the team to pitch ideas for quick, finite, projects. They had to:
Which is why I am currently pulling together a focus group of 14-17 year olds so that we can consult them on what is cool.
Probably not the word ‘cool’ as another colleague has already pointed out.
The idea is to showcase academic knowledge and expertise, thus proving that we are a ‘proper university’ through quick and dirty films to upload on You Tube.
So far, so good. The info has to be visual, that’s a given. But it also has to be something forwardable, blogable, viral. And that’s where our teen consultants will hopefully come in (we are sweetening the deal by offering training and participation in production if they are interested).
We want the films to be facebooked, myspaced, bebo-ed, forwarded and whatever else they get up to. But they have to be good enough – otherwise we look like a try-too-hard uncle.
Doing well on recruitment – but borderline terrified about what to do with 10-15 teens when I get them here. So – this is a brainstorm.
And – a vital top tip have a chat to myt friends with teenagers – find out the best way of getting the best out of them.
Matt – over to you?
Edit: 12:35, 11/8/08
Mat says:
I think the list is mostly right. I’d also like to know
· How they browse – what’s the first thing they log into? How long do they spend on certain sites?
· What’s the most popular system/sites amongst their friends?
· Do they care about quality?
· Coming from different places/schools, do they have the same browsing trends and expectations across the board?
· Do things appeal more to boys or girls? Do we have an even split of boys and girls attending?
I’d like suggestions from them based on topics we give them.
So, it looks like the focus group will be Wed 20th or Wed 27th….
Filed under: Advertising, Films, Higher Education, Internet, PR
April 15, 2008 • 11:31 am 0
I was quite looking forward to Pushing Up Daisies – there was a lot of advance publicity and it looked fun.
I watched the first episode aired on UK terrestrial on Saturday night and was very disappointed. It seemed to me to be a commercialised rip-off of Amelie.
And where Amelie, and even to a certain extent Ally McBeal and My Name is Earl were fresh and natural, this seems confined and forced into a parody of the paradigm.
Even down to the omniscient narrator telling us how many years, days, hours and minutes ago things happened….
La vie n’est que l’interminable répétition d’une représentation qui n’aura jamais lieu.
March 15, 2008 • 6:38 pm 2
I have always loved Westerns. And I have always loved Clint Eastwood: particularly in Westerns and in Dirty Harry; but I will make no excuses for Play Misty for Me.
But his best role for me, and one that he has played variations of throughout his career, is The Man With No Name.
The Man With No Name has many qualities that I admire.
February 18, 2008 • 12:30 pm 0
JUNO (in low tones) Dude, I’m pregnant.
LEAH Maybe it’s just a food baby. Did you have a big lunch?
JUNO It’s not a food baby. I took three pregnancy tests today. I am fo shiz up the spout.
LEAH How did you even generate enough pee for three pregnancy tests?
JUNO I drank like ten tons of Sunny Delight. Anyway, yeah. I’m pregnant. And you’re acting shockingly cavalier.
LEAH Is this for real? Like for real, for real?
JUNO Unfortunately, yes.
LEAH Oh my God! Oh shit! Phuket Thailand!
JUNO That’s the kind of emotion I was looking for in the first take.
LEAH Well, are you going to go to Havenbrooke or Women Now? You need a note from your parents for Havenbrooke.
JUNO I know. Women Now, I guess. The commercial says they help women now.
February 12, 2008 • 1:45 pm 0
Writing about http://imdb.com/title/tt0401383/ and http://www.lescaphandre-lefilm.com/
I am not articulate enough to express how I felt about this film, other than to urge you all to go and see it (with plenty of tissues and a strong stomach). A huge thank you to Paul & Sarah who took us to see it at the gorgeous Queen’s Film Theatre.
February 7, 2008 • 12:34 pm 3
As your fellow passenger, I encourage you to — from time to time and always in a respectful manner, to question my logic. If you’re unconvinced by my particular train and bus rules, tell me so. But allow me to convince you. And I will promise you, right here and now, no activity will ever be taboo… except that just observed. The price you pay for talking too loudly, either to someone else or on the phone, or playing loud music or films, with or without headphones, is, I collect your fucking head. Just like this fucker here. Now if any of you sonsabitches got anything else to say, now’s the fucking time.
In my fantasies I travel with a Hattori Hanzō samurai sword so that I can pad deftly down the train carriage and summarily behead people who are annoying me.
There is an unwritten rule amongst long-term regular train commuters – silence is observed.
Filed under: Bus, Films, Manners, The Drawer, Train
January 15, 2008 • 1:34 pm 0
When my sister was about 13 she took part in an interesting experiment about the amount of information people can take in from different sources at once (basically a group of them sat in front of a bank of TVs showing different things and were then tested in a Crypton Factor stylee). The upshot of the experiment, as I remember it, was that the younger you are the more adept at doing this you are because you have grown used to dealing with a multitude of information – a classic example being an airport!
So, I was interested to see this on Robyn’s Nest.
What I’ve read:
What I’ve listened to:
What I’ve watched:
What I’ve surfed:
At least, that’s all I can remember (Father). Which shows if there was anything else then I haven’t taken it in….
Filed under: Advertising, Blogroll, Blogs, Books, Films, Radio, Radio 4, TV
December 6, 2007 • 12:26 pm 1
We went to see The Golden Compass last night. It was fast-paced (no surprise given the length) and visually beautiful – but the script was a bit clumsy in places:
It’s Ma Costa, Head of the Gyptians and Billy Costa’s mother….
But I was left wondering where I could get an Armoured Bear.
Himself suggested that I could dress up Sprack in some of his old shin pads to get the effect.
I’m not sure she’ll go for it.
