Jun
15
100 Years of IBM
June 15, 2011 | Leave a Comment
This month sees IBM celebrate its 100th anniversary. Here’s a little bit of IBMÂ UK history/trip down memory lane. Back in 1989 I was at North Harbour just outside Portsmouth and the boss wanted a pic taken. Here’s the result. The dashing executive on the left is me in a very new Pierre Cardin suit […]
Jun
10
Shonen Knife, Free Time
June 10, 2011 | Leave a Comment
Long time fans will be relieved to know lead singer Naoko’s English accent remains unchanged: just the right side of comprehensible but occasionally straying into that weird place where the hard Japanese consonants fade into vowels already mushier than a heartbroken Michael Bolton whereupon it all becomes a glorious balm for the ears. My copy […]
May
5
Sickboy on the Alternative Vote vote
May 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment
Can’t say I’m getting too worked up about this AV thing one way or another but based on what I’ve been hearing on air recently the people campaigning for a YES to introducing the new AV system cannot help but remind me of Sickboy in Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting . . . when he’s losing an […]
Apr
25
Al Qaeda’s job application
April 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment
One of the more interesting things to come out of the NYT/wikileaks Gitmo files yesterday was the revelation that to join Al Qaeda you actually need to fill out a form: Any ideas for just what that application or indeed rejection would be like are welcome. UPDATE: 2nd May . . . AQ were always […]
Feb
19
Watson’s Jeopardy Victory: what it really means
February 19, 2011 | Leave a Comment
So the computer won. Does this mean the T2000 is just round the corner ready to rule over us puny humans?
Jan
31
Egyptian Hip Hop, Jan 27th, Bush Hall: review
January 31, 2011 | Leave a Comment
I always wondered what that guy who turned down the Beatles is doing now? Legend has it he scribbled down “Guitar bands aren’t where it’s at” before disappearing off into a career in Mickey Ds. Kraut-rock on acid blurring the lines between on-stage tune ups, occasional grunting and and any normal recognisable song start indicators […]
Dec
2
FIFA 2018 World Cup and Panorama
December 2, 2010 | Leave a Comment
To those who say that the BBC Panorama investigation into FIFA is to blame for England losing the World Cup in 2018 I say Whoa!!
Oct
29
127 Hours: review
October 29, 2010 | 3 Comments
I’ve got this theory that actors love sole roles — films where the cast list pretty much has just their name on it. It’s the chance they have to really impress with minimal risk. If they do screw up then people will inevitably blame the director or the script or some other entity and even […]