[caption id=”attachment_1547” align=”aligncenter” width=”604” caption=”Me, my mom and my sisters, having fun the Taylor way”]
As 2011 draws to a close, I’ve been thinking of 2012 and what I want to achieve. It’s going to be a big time of change for me - a new job, new projects and a whole new city - so I’ve been thinking about what I want to be at the heart of what I do. Though I’d love to change the world, make it a better place, start a movement, the thing that is really important to me is that I am happy and bring happiness wherever I go. I do love to smile, so that’s a good start.
My mom would always say, it doesn’t matter what you do in life as long as you are happy. As long as you can pay the bills and keep a roof over your head, you can find the happiness in anything.
I do think that happiness and fun should be at the heart of life. No matter how bad it gets, find a way to enjoy it. Make the hard things fun. Because if you can do that, you will spread joy to those around you. It’s like a song I remember from my childhood, except I think of love also as happiness:
"Love is like a magic penny, hold it tight and you won’t have many;
Lend it, spend it and you’ll have so many, they’ll roll all over the floor.”
When I was growing up, my mom’s agoraphobia was at it’s worse. I was raised with a diet of TV and imaginary friends on the bad days, and on the good days, on the magic of one of the most crafty and artistic people I know. My mom can make anything from needlepoint to homemade painted chocolates. She has a garden to rival the Chelsea flower show, has renovated our house and makes stain glass. She fed my sense of curiosity but also my independence so I could take care of myself when she couldn’t.
Sometimes on the days my mom couldn’t get out of bed, we’d have bed picnics. Some of my best memories came out of the hardest times for her. She only told me when I was older, that it was all she could give us those days. Tried to make it fun so the debilitation wouldn’t scare us. It never did. It was part of life. And it made us try to make the bad days good, the best ways we could. Sometimes having pizza in bed is the best you can do.
So as I head into 2012, I’ll bring that with me. How can I be happy, how can I bring happiness to others, how can we all bring that philosophy into our lives. If you’re not happy, why are you doing what you are doing? What are you going to do to change it? How are you going to spread your happiness?
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
2012: The Year of Happy
Monday, 19 December 2011
Why I don't want to be a woman in "It's a Wonderful Life"
[caption id=”attachment_1543” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”From Wikipedia”]
Last night, 5 of us shuffled into the Renior Cinema to see the Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life. Though this is deemed by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made, it was a box office flop at the time. For me, it’s what makes Christmas more Christmasy.
Two of our friends hadn’t seen it before so I was excited to share it with them. A man who’s worth comes not from the riches of finance but the friends that surround him? Brilliant.
It was emotional, as always, but after years of watching it, this was the first time I realised how backward Capra’s view of women was.
Now I understand that women’s roles were very different in 1947 - I don’t agree with it, but it was what it was. In Capra’s world, women may have been a bit feisty but all they wanted (or needed) was a husband or a man to be kind to them and lead them on the right path.
If you’ve never seen It’s a Wonderful Life, stop reading here….
What struck me, was what happened to the women in George Bailey’s life if he never existed (as is played out near the end of the film to show George that he really was worth something). His mother becomes a bitter widower who *shock* *horror* has stooped so low, she’s running a boarding house. The local flirt, Violet Bick, becomes a drunk floozy without George’s steady influence.
But the horror of all horrors appears to be the fate of Mary. Without George ever being born, his brother drowns, hundreds of men burn on a troopship, his Uncle Billy ends up in the insane asylum and the town sinks into a one of strippers, booze and crime as the renamed Potterville. But the one thing the angel Clarence doesn’t want to tell George, is that without him, his wife is unmarried, in her mid-thirties and is working as a Librarian. Surely not! But yes. That is a fate worth than death.
I guess being in my thirties now, this is a bit closer to home. All I can say is, it’s a good thing I’m not a Librarian. In Capra’s world, it would be the end of the world for me. Thank God it’s not.
Friday, 16 December 2011
Not everyone is built for 9 to 5
[caption id=”attachment_1539” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”Photo by Design By Zouny”]
Alarm rings. Snooze. Snooze. Snooze. Shower. Brush teeth. Check watch. It’s what time? Find outfit still on drying rack. Throw on clothes, coat, and shoes. Hope makeup is in my handbag. Lock door. Unlock. Run upstairs. Grab scarf. No queue in cafe. Order with cash. Tap foot as barista takes his time making my drink. Shit. Bus. Run. Spill coffee. Check watch.
Sound like your morning? Maybe you’re like me. Starting the day with a sense of urgency, of being one step behind. The plight of a night person born into the world of 9-5.
My brain is most ready to work at 9…pm. It’s not condusive to a social life or, in fact, doing my day job. Its not that I can’t work at any other time, its more like my brain gets a rush, a jolt of creativity as soon as night hits. I have had many a eureka moment on the dance floor at 2 am.
I wonder if this is due to my extreme extrovert nature. I find it hard in the mornings. I’m completely depleted. If I’m home alone too long on my own I feel the same. It took me a while to figure out we are all like batteries. Introverts wake up as a full battery and every interaction with someone drains them bit by bit until, at the end of the day, they’re empty. Extoverts, like me, wake up drained and every interaction fills them up. I’m buzzing once night falls. I don’t need coffee. I just need people.
In my ideal world, I’d be able to shift how the work world works. The concept of 9-5 is outdated. Most traditional employers don’t understand that by shifting work patterns to suit the most productive time of their employees, they may actually get more work done. I see this working with developers. Reading the The Facebook Effect, you’ll see the story of a team of workers only starting the day in mid afternoon and coding into the night. What if they were forced into 9-5? Would they have been as successful. I’d argue, no.
For me, I’d work 11-7 while others might choose to work 6-3. We’d all be happy and productive and I would stress less in the mornings. But until that day comes, I guess I’ll continue to press snooze, and rush through my morning, spilling coffee in my wake.
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Brewdog Camden: Why drink anywhere else?
Last night, the night I’ve been waiting for arrived. The launch of Brewdog Camden.
My first introduction to this Scottish Brewery came in a Squirrel shaped bottle. The gimic hooked me but it was the beer that made me stay.
I’m from the land of wheat (and other such plants grown in farmers fields) and we have quite a heritage of microbreweries. I’ve had my taste of many, many beers. Often in pickup trucks, sometimes in fields, usually by lakes. But, to be honest, I’d gone off beer the last few years and red wine has been my poisen of choice. I’m pleased to say it’s Brewdog that brought me back.
[caption id=”attachment_1534” align=”aligncenter” width=”168” caption=”There were some blind tastings. Honest.”]
Last night James Watttook us through a tasting of Brewdog staples such as Punk IPA and Hardcore Punk.
[caption id=”attachment_1534” align=”aligncenter” width=”168” caption=”Trying some Punk IPA. Tasty.”]
Though I truely enjoy the Punk IPA, it was the prototype Scotch Ale that struck my fancy. A heady mix of chocolate, coffee and smokey flavours that made me fall in love. It hasn’t been named yet so I hope if I talk about how much I love it, they’ll name it after me…hint, hint.
[caption id=”attachment_1535” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”Waaaaaasabi!”]
At the bar, the barkeep kindly let me try the Alice Porter and Christmas Porter which were both tasty, but it was the “Mr Miyagi Wasabi Stout” that caught my eye. I immediately thought gimmick but I should have known better. The stout was great. Spicy beer? Who would have thunk it. Upon tasting, I got a half and then made sure everyone else tried it too. Yes. It’s that good.
[caption id=”attachment_1534” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”Neil with his second chance burger. Thank you nice barman. And Tim.”]
The place had a great vibe, helpful staff (special thanks to the man who replaced my mate’s burger after it fell on the floor) and I could see it being a regular haunt of mine. There were only 2 downsides for me. Only 3 toilets can be problematic if the place is packed. I’m a girl. This is something I think about.
[caption id=”attachment_1534” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”Tim Anderson of Masterchef fame talking about food. Or beer. Or both.”]
But more importantly for me, the menu, created (and last night, cooked by) Masterchef winner Tim Anderson, was too limited. Though everyone said the burgers were amazing, I’m a veggie. My friend, full of hunger, had to ditch out early in search of food. I know the owners are scottish and meat is reported to be a main staple, I hope they expand their menu by one or two veggie friendly things (that aren’t slathered in cheese) so we can all eat and drink to our hearts content.
Want to find out more about Brewdog? Check them out online at www.brewdog.com or follow them on Twitter @brewdog (or for those in Londontown @brewdogcamden). If you’d like to buy some shares (like I have), head over to www.brewdog.com/equityforpunks. It gets you discounts online and in the bar. And that can only be a good thing right?
Monday, 12 December 2011
Nominations for IAWTV Awards out this Wednesday!
I’ve just found out that the nominations for the Inaugural IAWTV Awards nominations are going to be announced this Wednesday beginning at 10:00am PST. We’ve entered Raptured so everyone have your fingers crossed!
If you want to watch Shira Lazar and Ethan Newberry make the announcements, you can watch the live stream here: http://bit.ly/wtchill
Thursday, 24 November 2011
Sunday, 20 November 2011
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Thursday, 3 November 2011
From off-line to on-line: Benjamin Ellis at #dellb2b
What is the link between the on and the offline world. It’s us. Or “two worlds bound by flesh” as Benjamin Ellis says. The uniqueness of the individual can be a help and a hinderence depending on what you want to achieve.
So we have to start with the question, how does virtual become real?
It could be something that gives us inspiration, moves a conversation online to the pub with friends, 3D printing or physically going somewhere.
And if we flip that, how does the real become virtual? That’s done through recording, media capture - blogging, podcasting, pictures, etc.
BUT most companies limit themselves to the idea of input “the keyboard” and output “the printer”
A lot of our offline interactions happen away from the desk. We see that in two ways where we don’t end up capturing the content/ideas we’re discussing:
- The meeting/ corrider conversation: Valuable corrider conversations end up not being captured and those thoughts and moments are lost. They are great for those who are there but what about the rest of the business. They won’t benefit.
- Conference calls/ mobile: you could put them online and do speech to text so they are searchable but most people don’t.
What we need to do is bridge this unstructured process. This is where the interesting things happen. You want to make it easy and effective - but these are opposite things. So you need to get it right to make it easier later.
What can we currently do to instantly move from real to virtual:
QR codes: The QR code is one way. Though we may question how many people are using them, 14 million americans in the month of July used a QR code. That’s a lot of scanning. But how can it be used beyond marketing on a poster or business card? How about adding them to your meeting documents so you give attendees access to the original source or a wiki where they can add their input. These are jump off points, yes, but can still be creative: http://www.flickr.com/groups/qr-art/pool/show/
AR: Augmented reality is starting to be experimented with. Layar.com layers information over a physical page/add/wall/whatever so when you use the app, you can interact with the page virtually.
AV: Augmented Virtuality is allowing for personalisation in virtual worlds. Arcade Fire has a great example of using video and HTML 5 that creates a personalised experience - music, technology, personalisation - marketing at it’s finest. http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com
There is also Blue Mars Lite which is a 3D virtual world platform. See more here: http://www.bluemars.com/bluemarslite/ You could get people into a space, share documents and chat, all online.
A few examples from the crowd:
theSocialCV.com - You can add conferences you go to onto your online CV
lanyrd.com - online vs offline tracks who’s there and collects the artifacts - slidedecks, writeups, videos and it helps us reconnect with people who where there.
So to wrap up: Social media can blend on and offline. So much of the valuable information is offline, so we need to get that online to share more and better. Then you can layer on the physical product and use technology to blend those worlds.
I’m looking forward to the future…
Top video tips
I wasn’t going to lead a session at DellB2B but I decided that it would be good to talk about video. In the B2B space and even in the B2C space, it feels like there is a lot of content but is it any good? I was asked to give a few tips after my experience with Raptured (you can watch it on http://rapturedtheseries.com)
1) Know your audience: Is this for your current fans or to make new fans. Make sure the content is in the right tone for them and in the right places for them to find it. If you have a serious brand, a fast paced MTV style video with bikini clad “babes” may not really work for you. You may get the views but they properly won’t stick around and you may lose your current customer base.
2) Know the purpose of the video: What do you want your video to achieve? Is it to create brand awareness? Is it to help your customers with customer service or technical issues? Or do you just want to look cool? It’s better to know that before you start than think about it afterwards. You may have a very expensive video that only 5 people and your mum watches.
3) Market it really hard: Unfortunately the adage “if you build it they will come” doesn’t work anymore (did it ever work?) so you have to TELL people about your video. Let’s say you interviewed Brian Solis. When is he speaking next? Tell people going to the conference about it. Tell him about it. Find the forums that talk about it. Get on all the video platforms you can (they are search engines too)
4) YouTube’s optimum upload time - 5pm: So think 5 pm in London, 5pm in New York, 5 pm in LA - wherever you have people you want to target. Make it available for the right time for them.
5) Make it short, sharp and professional: Yes, we all have the tools now. Grab your nearest smart phone and you have a whole video kit. But do you know how to use it? Two things that give away bad video is a) bad sound and b) a shaky camera that cuts off people’s heads and moves all over the place. Do you really want your company to be compared to the Blair Witch Project. I didn’t think so…
Have your own tips? Have some questions? Let me know!
The question of Influence at #dellB2B
Influence is long recognised as being important. Back before this explosion of social media and micro-publishing, a small amount of people were considered to have a lot of influence. Or at least they were the ones that could be seen. PR teams would take them out for lunch. Wine and dine and hope they say nice things so people would flock to their brands. But this method, wasn’t connected across the company or through communities.
Blogger outreach was used by a lot of companies to find the 50 people that would be influencers. But more and more professionals are now online so there are a greater number of people in the middle who may not have global influence but have influence within a specific community or area. With Twitter, LinkedIn, etc there is a movement of more individuals who are more influential in new areas and new platforms than ever before.
Companies now need to find who is relevent in your area and on the topic you are interested in reaching. This is about moving programmes from targetting 50 people to 500 or 1000. The good bloggers curate their twitter streams really well - just as journalists did in the past. Where they took from trades to put in nationals, they do this with Twitter now.
By the time it’s reported, we’ve already talked about it online. Getting to the magic middle makes it easier to get to a larger, more targeted group. But if we think influence can’t be scored, why are we interested? Someone in the audience uses it as a quick indicator and another uses it as it’s embedded in some twitter clients.
But numbers? Why do we need one? For example, footballers are ranked on a Sunday in a score out of 10. If it’s bad, you wouldn’t have Alex Ferguson say “hey Wanye Rooney, you have 7.6” but to someone that is important - a way to mark the changes on performance. But are we moving to something that retail businesses may use a score to give an upgrade or special deals? Are they using you as you are influential in a community that they want to reach? Or, on the otherhand, call centres may not put you through to a VIP service if your score isn’t high enough. Is that right?
Peer Index looks at areas of influence while Kred looks at influence and outreach - so they reward people for the generosity. It shows how authentic they are. The rockstars are the ones in local communities and not necessarily global.
500 influencers may have a reach of 5 million and they may be more influencial as they have a smaller network that trusts them.
I think the area of influence and scoring is an interesting one but it is still gamable and is still very much in it’s infancy. The race is really to find the greater integration, the true data underneath it all - I can see the future to be more about credit scores and spending data being integrated with social footprint.
But until we can extract the full influence, I think we will be missing some of our greatest influencers and therefore our greatest customers. Influence is not just about chatter or overtweeting/autotweeting/spending our lives on Twitter. It links back to trust in a community and that’s not just found online.
Discussing Trust with Cairbe Sugrue at #dellB2B
So in the search for finding power and a seat, my typing fingers weren’t as fast during this session but trust is an interesting one. It’s something hard gained and very easily lost.
In crisis situations people want to hear from more individuals. We’ll listen to friends, trust some bloggers and are going to more spaces for information but the CEO must also be a prominent voice. Examples like Dominoes come to mind but recently Sony and Rim have tried to follow suit (though the timeline led to the downfall of the success - they took too long to be transparent. Timeliness has to be as important as transparency).
Generally people need to hear things 3-5 times, but if they trust you they only need to hear it once or twice. I’ve never considered that, but it’s true - I’ll click through to a link, I’ll head to an event, I’ll try a product, if a trusted person or publication has recommended it. It’s the same during crisis. I’m more likely to trust a company if they build up the trust with me beforehand. I’ll be more likely to believe them.
So in order to gain trust, we need to have more substance and have long term planning - you have to show strong commitment. It follows the adage, do what you’ll say you’ll do.
Crawl, walk, run, fly. I think more companies should think that way.
To see the full slides or Cairbe Sugrue’s presentation, head over to: http://www.edelman.com/trust/2011/
Lee Bryant talks Social Business at #DellB2B
Dell B2B kicked off with Lee Bryant from Headshift talking about Social business.
As we begin our digital and social shift, we, as businesses are expected to have an open and accessible network externally but what about internally. With cost pressures and increased competition, though our organisations can seem advanced, they are often too expensive internally in how they function so they can’t be global. Corporate IT is ripe for re-invention & humanisation but we need to make a deep structural change to a network centric world. Then we can have the speed and agility that are needed to have continued success.
Lee made a point about how we are moving from bureaucracy and friction to a place of network and collective intelligence - google did that with search. People enter in what they want to search for personally but that insight adds to the greater needs of the community. Our search becomes better through the gathering of that data.
For Lee, there are 5 main trends that we will see filtering through our organisations:
1) Mobile: The user experience is changing. It must be ubiquitous, personal and integrated.
2) Cloud: Getting to your server should be two clicks away - computing needs to be a utility and when it is, that is when you can do interesting things.
3) Consumerisation: experience beats features - you need to give your employees as good an experience as your consumers. Without a consumer-grade user experience your employees won’t be able to achieve their full potential.
4) Big data: mining large data sets for the minutia gives us insights to customer needs that helps us to get insight to our customers. Indentification in real time will be necessary moving forward.
5) Social: This needs to be on the inside, not just the outside. Technology is driving a lot of this change. You need to know what the customer thinks but if you are not engaging with your suppliers/ employees, etc, then you won’t be able to deliver on the outside.
My favourite quote of the discussion: “Never waste a good crisis” Necessity leads to invention so really we need to humanise the enterprise: people over process to make better use of our talent and brain power. Let them get on with it instead of micromanaging. With a rise in activity streams: Yammer, tibco and socialcast, scale and intimacy are where trends are leading to. For some of us, we’re already there but what do you think the future is?
Friday, 28 October 2011
Raptured: Episode 2
21st October, 2011. The Rapture happens, as predicted earlier this year, but it’s not the fire and brimstone we’ve come to fear — it’s merely a routine earth upgrade which happens every century or so.
After Sarah Bailey is tricked into being in charge of the Rapture, she tries to return to normal life. But with half the people in the world missing, will things ever be the same again?
See more episodes at http://rapturedtheseries.com
Friday, 21 October 2011
Raptured: Episode 1
21st October, 2011. The Rapture happens, as predicted earlier this year, but it’s not the fire and brimstone we’ve come to fear — it’s merely a routine earth upgrade which happens every century or so.
Season One of Raptured follows a lovelorn 30-something, Sarah Bailey, who is tricked into being in charge of the Rapture. Instead of the seamless upgrade that’s happened in the past, half the people have been left behind. It’s now Sarah’s job to make sure they make it over.
Watch more at: http://rapturedtheseries.com
Sunday, 25 September 2011
6 tips for first time directors
It’s been a really interesting process so far directing my own work. I’ve been on set a lot throughout my career so far in various different guises but as a director I’ve mainly self shot or worked with a small crew on documentaries.
When I had the idea for the web series we’re making right now, I knew I had to make it now and it was time for my to take the helm and make it myself. Halfway through I’ve already learned a lot so I thought I’d give a top 6 lessons list for all those thinking of embarking on this type of thing.
1) Your camera is a character, cast it well:
I never thought this before. I’ve heard it but never considered it. I thought of it more as who I would be working and not how they would flavour the feel. With documentaries, I have an amazing filmmaker I work with, Michelle Tsen, who I would trust with any shoot. She makes everything look beautiful.
For this shoot, I wanted to work with someone who had experience in comedy. I looked at lots of different showreels and it was a fast turn around - who was going to take a chance on my project and will I like working with them? As soon as I saw Ian Weir’s work, I knew I had to work with him. Though he is a primarily stills photographer, his work had humour and style and beauty. It was human. And I wanted to bring that to set and to this series.
Even though he hadn’t had a ton of experience on set as a DoP, I went with my gut and have had an amazing time on set. He is the lead character of this production. Not only are the shots looking amazing, but I know I can trust him to get the shots that will make this brilliant. That is worth it’s weight in gold.
2) Always carry cash:
Not only am I writing and directing this, I’ve also been the producer. On set, I’m directing so I can’t leave. I have to rely on other people to pick up a set of batteries or an English breakfast for a prop or a couple coffees for a very tired crew that I made get up at 5 am. Especially in a low budget production, people are there working for experience and for no money, so I’d never want to make them pay, even if I’m paying them back later. I think my other lesson is to get a great producer on board (more of that in number 3).
3) Get a great producer on board:
You can’t do it all yourself. I like to think that I can sometimes, but I can’t. Wearing different hats on set means that you can’t get always get a clear picture of everything all the time. Every day on set I’m producer, then director, then actor. There are decisions to make all the time - decisions on call times, on breaks, on what to do when it rains, how to get one last shot before the light goes, how to say a certain line, where to look when your fellow actor leaves the shot, where to put the cameras, and how to make an empty cafe look full. All those questions are in your head, and when you’re working with other people, they have questions too. On docs with small teams, it’s me, the DoP and the interviewee. Not too many questions there, but with a set full of 10 actors, and 5 crew, there’s a lot of questions. A great producer is like a conductor,and the writer, the director, the cast and crew the symphony. They can make the job a breeze and answer ALL the questions.
4) You don’t need to tell everyone, everything:
I’m a talker. I talk things out. But telling your DoP every single shot in detail in the middle of setting up something in a different location, or running through every thought of the day with your lead actress isn’t going to help them. It’s just helping me. So only tell the people who need to know something, when they need to know it so they can do your job. Your AD won’t mind hearing your babble in a corner of the set over coffee. Do the talking there.
5) Make sure you sleep:
I don’t think I’ve had more than 3 hours a night since I thought of the idea of the web series. Factor in sleep. It can save you a lot of grief in the end.
6) Understand you can’t always get it right all the time:
No matter what you do, no matter how much you prepare, and no matter how many times you go through things in your head, things can not go to plan. It happens. The shot may go wrong. You may have misssed something. You could have spent 8 shots getting your line just right but you don’t have time for 8 shots, you only have time for 2. But don’t, I repeat don’t, lose sleep over it. You can do your best, and that is the best you can do. And next time, you can do it better.
I’m sure there are a million other things that could be said, and should be remembered, but I’ll leave it with this. Your friends are invaluable. They’ll understand when you have to work on your shot list one last time or will put out a call out for a location, or some extras, or anything you need. I don’t think I could have gone this far without them.
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Be an extra in my web series!! (please and thank you)
I’m excited to say I’m filming a 6 part web series over the next three weekends. A series that will hit the net on 21 October. It’s all a bit hush hush at the moment but I thought it would be awesome if YOU could be part of the whole experience.
So here is an official call out to budding actors, people who want to see how it all works, or those of you who want a bit of screen time to mark it off your bucket list. You can take pictures AND tweet. Have fun. Eat cake. Dance. Dress up in funny costumes.
Basically there are two dates I’m looking for people. And if people want, they can do both days. BOTH days!
1) 24th September (North London): We need people to come as what they imagine would be the worst date. Yep you get to play the person you wouldn’t inflict on your worst enemy (OR maybe you would if that’s how you roll) You could say a line, or give a look, right to camera. Whatever “character” you want. Ideally it’ll be one that references something obscure or geeky cause I think that’s funny and the more varied the better.
2) 9th October (SOHO) from 2pm-4pm: We need people to be a crowd at a party. Ideally one dressed in fancy dress for an “End of the World Party” - come as something wild or come as you. All you need to do is dance around to some music, mingle and you’re in a film!
Please do spread the word. It’ll be fun!
If you want to be a part of this online extravaganza, email me at heather AT heathertaylor DOT co DOT uk. Come on. You want to. DO IT! (please…)
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Burrito masterclass at Tortilla UK
Recently, I had the chance to take part in the Tortilla UK Burrito masterclass with a few other food bloggers. As I love Mexican food, this was a great evening - and I even learned a thing or two (like how the white connectors in chili peppers are the hottest part of the chili).
For more info on Tortilla UK, see their website for more details or follow them on Twitter.
Monday, 22 August 2011
Bringing Collective Kitchens to England
[caption id=”attachment_1463” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”Picture by Kusine: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kusine/5901784343/”]
Today I noticed Dominic Campbell mention Murtaza Abidi's Community Kitchens project. Basically it’s a new take on Meals on Wheels (which is being stopped in a lot of boroughs it seems). Its purpose is to connect those who need help with people in their local community who can provide it. On a daily, weekly or monthly basis, a designated helper might cook a meal for an elderly person down the road, or do an errand, or just visit. It really reminded me of the Collective Kitchen program we developed with Community Services when I worked for Pride through Play in the late 90s.
Pride through Play was a programme in which a pair of workers would provide programmes for children in inner city areas. This would include games, crafts, cooking, homework club, reading and writing skills, drama, etc. We’d work in conjunction with the police and social services to help rebuild these lower income communities that often had problems with drug and alcohol abuse, wife battery, and child neglect.
Though our remit was age 6-12, we actually worked with ages 2 - 18 and the parents of the children as well. It was the hardest job I ever did (especially as a teenager myself), but one of the most rewarding. I helped a family out of an abusive situation after working with the police to stop a suicide when a woman told her abusive husband she was leaving him. I saw a young boy gain unseen before confidence after one of our social workers gave him his first pair of jeans. From that day onward, he could hold his head high when he walked into school. There were lots of things we couldn’t fix - the families disappearing in the night, the dark circles under an eight year olds eyes, the constant hunger, the smell of drugs on children whose parents would hotbox their house, but I felt we gave what we could and more.
As part of that, Collective Kitchens were developed to teach families how to cook healthy meals for very little money. In my unit, we taught kids how to make meals with a couple of cans and dried goods or something fresh if we thought they could get that.
In some of the other areas, they would have food sponsored by local businesses or the local government, and some would be brought by the families themselves depending on how much funding they had. Once a week, we’d gather in a large kitchen and each family would cook enough of a dish to feed the rest of the families there for one meal each. With 5 families cooking together, you’d have 5 different meals for the week that would be put in Tupperware for the freezer. That way you knew you and your kids could eat at least one healthy meal a day. Not only was it building a community, but it was teaching families how to cook cheaply and healthily and left them with a variety of food. The next week, they’d do the same again. The programme was small but successful, and the kids we worked with became happier and healthier - at least to me.
With everything that has happened over the past couple of weeks, I hope programmes like this can and will develop. Even without government funding, a small food budget could be stretched by a few families working together to provide something better for themselves and their families. From someone, like me, who grew up on a council estate, this can make a world of difference.
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
The London riots hit Clapham and Clapham hits back
It’s hard to believe that anyone hasn’t heard about the London riots. I followed online on Saturday and Sunday - it was scary and angering but it felt far away. On Monday that changed…
Storify: The London riots hit Clapham and Clapham hits back with #riotcleanup
Friday, 5 August 2011
The best love spam ever
I wouldn’t normally post a spam email but this one was so full of awesome, that I had to share it with the world. Or the 7 people who clicked on the link to get here. So this email is from “Sweet Irina” (though the email address says Kathleen Medford which may or may not be this lady on Facebook. I’m assuming it isn’t)
Anyhow…long story short, here is the email:
Knock Knock Knock..? Is the door of your heart open…? Perhaps you let me come in?
Oh sorry.. I forgot to introduce myself..My name is Irina. I also love cooking and some other things. My free time depends on my mood, sometimes I like being alone reading some book or listening to the music, sometimes in a gym or in a small caffee with my friends. But no matter how I feel, no matter what time of the year it is, I always love to be in the nature. Sometimes I think that when all is bad, just look at the sky, at the river, at the trees and I understand that life is beautiful and is not over.
If you got interested in me, write on my mail…
Do you have an email that rivals that? Please stick it on here! If you want to get in contact with Sweet Irina after being wooed by her lovely words, I’ll happily give you her email address.
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
My love of cookery (and how Nigel Slater won my heart)
On the weekend, I spend a lovely time away with my girlfriends in Leicester. We play badminton on the back lawn, go out for brightly coloured curry and play a game or two sardines. We even watch Simon Pegg’s Paul - the only downside to our weekend away (I’ll have to blog about that another time - I think I still may be too traumatised).
As we are washing mugs after copious cups of tea on Sunday, I spot a copy of Nigel Slater's “The Kitchen Diaries.” Hmm. What's this?
Now I have to admit, I love cookbooks and utensils and cooking vessels of all varieties. I really must be kept away from all kitchen shops (especially Jamie Oliver’s Recipease which is very lovely and very very expensive). This also extends to cookery programs. I’m obsessed with Masterchef Australia (it really is brilliant and ALL the contestants are lovely and so kind to each other. That way it’s all about the food instead of a programme of constant bitching). I even made my mom watch back to back “The Next Iron Chef" episiodes on the Food Network on New Years Day - the whole 8 hour marathon. So whenever I see a cookbook, I have to have to take a look.
Flipping through “The Kitchen Diaries”, you quickly realise this is not just a cookbook but a year in the life of Nigel Slater. Each day he writes what he eats. Sometimes the food he speaks about makes it into recipe format, other times he merely writes a few lines beside a date. There’s even mention of a delivered pizza and another day, it’s a salad that goes wrong.
I barely glance through it and I know I have to buy it. This will be my first Nigel Slater book (and though I’m ashamed to admit it, I don’t even realise the breadth of what he’s done until I start to write this post). As soon as I get off the train in St. Pancras on Sunday, I head into Foyles and buy it for much more than an Amazon purchase would have been. But who cares? I need it. Now.
I’ve only just started reading it (beginning with August of course) but I itch to go back to it every night. What will the next day bring? What food and flowers and sunshine can I expect this month? It’s so refreshing to see that every day isn’t a feast. It’s OK to sometimes have some bread and olives and oil (or get a takeaway). And it’s so personal. Food isn’t only about what’s in the fridge but is can be dictated by your mood, or who you’re with, or even what the weather is like.
Next step, of course, is to start cooking alongside this glorious tome. When I do, I’ll let you know how it goes.
If you want to feel like you’re cooking alongside Nigel Slater too, then you can get your very own copy at your local library or bookshop (who both need the business frankly). If you’re more of a “buy on the Internet” type, you can also buy it from Amazon.
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Fencing for the first time (and why I love/hate Groupon)
It all began with a Facebook message. My friend Sophie got an email from Groupon for a beginner 6 week course in fencing. Who wants to join her? I do, I do! I’ve never done fencing before, but I do love the Princess Bride and Highlander and was in Pirates of Penance three times.
First day arrives and I head to my first class with Fighting Fit Fencing. The studio is a basic concrete shell beside Caledonian Road - it’s not glamorous and it’s unfinished but full of heart.
The club is family run - started by a father who had a son who wanted to fence (what little boy wouldn’t want to play with a sword). When the club they went to shut down and most other clubs favoured those with an Eton education, they started their own place at the back of a pub. They are now one of the only public fencing clubs with their own full time fencing centre.
The class is completely full and we stand and listen to a truncated history of fencing and how to stay safe. I glad about the safety part. We are playing with swords after all.
After practising being “en guard” and moving back and forth like a speedy crab, we get into our gear. First is the plastron, an underjacket that covers your sword arm, and over that is a padded long sleeve jacket. It’s nice and thick and heavy. Perfect for summer…
As a lady, I have the honour of wearing breast cups that tuck into my padded jacket. After getting a sword in the breast a number of times, I’m glad for it. Next is a glove on my sword hand and then a mask. Masks are great from stopping swords from poking you in the eye. I like that. I don’t want swords in my eyes. Fact.
I try my hand at going through the fencing motions. Not bad. And it’s fun. I LOVE stabbing people with skinny swords. My knees hurt for a week afterwards but it was a (not so small) price to pay for pretending I was a pirate or something equally glamorous that week.
Today is the third class and we try electric fencing. Lots of buzzing and I’m not that great at the parry but I got one hit in. After I sigh and say that I’m not very good, my instructor says I’m trying to be too perfect and shakes his head at me. I can’t help it, I like to win.
So back to Groupon. I love them as I never would have tried fencing if it weren’t for that one window of 24 hours where I could get a 6 week course of training for £29. I hate them because of what they do to small businesses. I’m sure you read the stories of what happened to Posies Café and Chicago Bagel Authority amongst others. Fighting Fit Fencing didn’t expect too many people to take fencing up with them. Their estimation of “maybe a hundred if that” became 340 people signed up. And out of that £29, guess how much they get? £20 you say? £15 you mutter with raised eyebrows? Nope. £11.
That’s it. £11. Hardly worth it I say. But our instructor remarks with honour that the little bit of money we pay will help the kids in the area get the equipment they need to fence. That money will go back into the club and back to them.
Amazing. Seeing the bright side even as Groupon rips them off. Good on them.
Want to try ‘chess with a sword’ yourself? Go to Fighting Fit Fencing and book a session to try your hand at fencing. All equipment provided. All you need is your wits, some good trainers and your heart.
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Technology and Resistance: Talk on phone hacking & revolutions on Twitter
I got this wind of this brilliant event yesterday and though I’m not usually for regurgitating press releases, I’m busy watching the Select Committee so the full details are below. Basically, I think you should all go and take part (especially as it’s so pertinent to now).
TECHNOLOGY & RESISTANCE
Dingwalls
Middle Yard, Camden Lock, London, NW1 8AB
7:30pm - 9:30pm
FREE
Wikileaks,phone-hacking and revolutions playing out on Twitter. This revolution will not be televised. Come join Mark Simpkins (Creative Technologist at Spring Digital) + James Ball (formerly Wikileaks and now Guardian) and Sarah Morrison (Independent Newspaper – who reported in detail on the use of twitter in organising recent protest).
More details are here:
http://www.remotegoat.co.uk/event_view.php?uid=135506&days=300
MEANWHILE ON
Camden Lock Market Square
6-9pm
BYO-DIY TECH
Mean while on Camden Lock Market you can bring your own home-made tech devices to Camden Lock Market from 6-9pm on July 19th and demonstrate how to make them. Also present will be Netaudios’s sonic tabletennis. Prize for the best DIY tech. Drinks vouchers for Lock 17 for every DIY piece brought along.
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Your help needed: What represents a relationship to you?
Excitingly, Michelle Tsen and I have been commissioned to make a short film for the Museum of Broken Relationships which is on from 16th August - 4th September, 2011. The film will be screened outdoors on 27th of August (and you can book tickets here).
But as I love working socially, I wanted your input into the final product. I don’t want to give it all away, but we are looking for an answer to this question: “What represents a relationship to you?”
We need things from the beginning of a relationship, the middle parts and most importantly, the end of a relationship. For us, the more your answer is based on sound (and action), the easier it is for us to use. I.e. A drink together (a clink of glasses), the first cup of tea in a new flat (a kettle boiling), stomping and slamming, the last kiss.
And what will you get if we use your suggestion? A special contribution credit will appear on the film and we’ll send you a copy of it.
So let the fun begin and drop us your suggestions here!
Moving up North
[caption id=”attachment_1425” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”Photo by www.flickr.com/photos/sarah_jane/”]
Yes. That’s right. You’ve heard it here first. I am making the move back from the South to the North. Of London that is.
Five and a half years ago I left the dirty streets of North London (Archway to be more specific) for the leafy greens of Clapham Common. I can’t say it’s all golden in the south. If you’ve ever been on Clapham High Street on a Saturday night somewhere near Infernos, you’d know what I mean.
Moving happens a lot. I know. I’ve lived in 22 places in the last 30 odd years in 6 different cities. But London is the city I’ve lived in the longest in any one time and I’ve lived in my current house longer than I lived in any other house. So you can imagine I’m excited but also a little sad.
In a way I don’t want to move. But my landlord gets nothing done and raised the rent by over £300 4 months ago and my flatmate can’t afford it.
So I’m going. And before I leave, I am making a list of the things I need to do down south that’ll I’ll miss when I go.
- Go to a show at the BAC
- Have a picnic and a kick about
- Go to a day of a festival on Clapham Common
- A night of music upstairs at the Ritzy
- A wander through Brixton markets
- A pint on the sunny banks of Richmond
- A day at Hampton Court Palace
- One or two or three more movies at Clapham Picturehouse
- Have a go at as many restaurants and pubs as possible
I know this isn’t much but that’s where I’ll need your help. What things do I need to do in south London before I’ll go up North? And yes, I know I’ll still be in London but I also know how often my friends visit. So I don’t think there will be a lot of trips this way.
Saturday, 18 June 2011
Cinque Terre coastal walk
One of the charms of Cinque Terre is the coastal walk between the 5 towns of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.
I read that it took 4 and a half hours to go from Montesorro, where we were, which is the start of the trail, to Riomaggiore. We try on our first day to tackle the trail. A coastal walk should be pretty easy - only a 90 minute walk and we’ll be at a less Jersey Shore-esque beach (we hope) and there we’ll get some sun. We don our bathing suits, dresses, and as for footwear, Ann chooses sandels and I go with flip-flops.
Walking partly up a mountain, we are slightly out of breath but hopeful until we come up to a little hut and a sign. 10 Euros to walk the trail and it can’t be done in flip-flops or heels. With a sigh we head back down to the beach at Monterosso where we unwisely bake our skin to a shade of lobster red.
The next morning, we decide to try again. Our skin is an overcooked salmon colour - an improvement on yesterday but not by much. I only have one t-shirt so it wis that and a pair of leggings with trainers for our coastal trail adventures.
[caption id=”attachment_1395” align=”aligncenter” width=”168” caption=”This is just the beginning”]
Now I know I’m out of shape. But the first 15 minutes of the walk almost floors me. Of course, I’ll attribute that to the nearly vertical stair climb we have to undertake. You see only a few stairs above you, think you’re nearing the top but when you get there, there are more, and more, and more. We are climbing up a mountain.
We do reach a top of sorts but the trail continues like a wave on the side of the mountain. We trudge on in 30 degree heat, full sun and no breeze. The bits of shade we do find we rest in for a moment and then carry on.
[caption id=”attachment_1394” align=”aligncenter” width=”168” caption=”Taking in the view (AKA resting)”]
One thing we can’t do, was complain. On the trail in front of us, and in our wake, are mostly retirees - some not in the best shape - but I don’t hear any of them moan. They take a break when they need to and rest when they can. Have snacks and water and walking sticks. Most of them have sturdy boots. That’s what I want to be doing in my 60s. And flying in a private jet. You should always have a few dreams in there.
[caption id=”attachment_1392” align=”aligncenter” width=”168” caption=”We’re all hitting the trail”]
And suddenly through a break in the trees we can see Venezza in all it’s glory. And glori-ful it is.
But once we sit and drink water and look above at the next climb to the next town, we think 90 minutes of walking is enough. Maybe it’s time to take the train back and write postcards and have dinner and write this post. So we do.
Friday, 17 June 2011
Cinque Terre: the new Jersey Shore
On the train to Monterosso Al Mare, we sit in a train car with a group of older Italians. One asks us where we are going. When she hears Monterosso, her nose crinkles in slight disgust and says “that’s where all the Americans go.” I took it as an insult to us - oh she thinks we’re Americans does she - but what she actually means I won’t truly understand until we arrive later that night.
In Monterosso, the ratio of Italians to foriengers is 1 to one million. Of course an exageration but not by much. And most of them are American and most of these Americans are those you might see on the Jersey Shore. Big muscled, overly tanned, tribal tattooed, greasy haired, gold chained, beer-pong playing loudmouths with (but not always) backwards facing baseball caps. All in the middle of a preserved Italian paradise - the Riviera Ligure.
This is the view from our window.
But it is countered by this view.
And this view.
At least we get to relax and Ligure pasta is very tasty. It looks something like this.
Thursday, 16 June 2011
ILLUMInations: 2011 La Binennale di Venezia
When I told people I was going to Venice in June, a number of people instantly said I should go to the Biennale. It’s an international Art Exhibition that happens every two years and it takes over the city. You’ll walk down a side street and a sign directing you to a participating country’s exhibit appears. We go to Arsenale, only one section of the two main exhibits on Sunday. It is so diverse and in turns, it is amazing and WTF (as in What the F**k is that doing here and why is it art).
Instead of me explaining each art work and what I think of them, I’ll do it in pictures with captions. Not of everything mind you, but enough for you to get a flavour of what we saw and you can let me know what you think. Bice Curigar, currator of this years Biennale which he’s titled ILLUMInations, says this of the festival: “The endevour was to establish a rhythm, like poetry; but also to create unexpected encounters between works and artists from different cultural backgrounds working with different criteria. We are in fact convinced thst the world of art is not just a colony of individuals acting alone: it is above all a communion of intents.”
[caption id=”attachment_1361” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”Ann interacting with the exhibit”]
[caption id=”attachment_1363” align=”aligncenter” width=”168” caption=”Mirror reflections”]
[caption id=”attachment_1364” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”People looking at pictures of people”]
[caption id=”attachment_1365” align=”aligncenter” width=”168” caption=”Two toilets and a light. Yep, that’s right.”]
[caption id=”attachment_1371” align=”aligncenter” width=”168” caption=”Melting statues”]
[caption id=”attachment_1374” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”A brief moment of The Clock”]
[caption id=”attachment_1376” align=”aligncenter” width=”168” caption=”An alternate universe Buzz Lightyear”]
[caption id=”attachment_1381” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”Chemical plant or art?”]
[caption id=”attachment_1383” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”A bucket of teeth”]
[caption id=”attachment_1387” align=”aligncenter” width=”168” caption=”A wall made entirely of Ukrainian Easter Eggs”]
[caption id=”attachment_1384” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”It says what it is on the tin”]
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Italian adventure: our days in Venice
We left Friday night for Venice. It was one of those days. My cousin Ann, who was coming with me on a 10 day Italian adventure, got locked between my front door and our inner door, which resulted in a broken window and a few cuts and scrapes to get back in. At the airport, the flight was delayed by 45 minutes and when we hit the ground in Venice, we missed the bus to town by a minute so had to wait 40 for another.
But it didn’t matter. We were in Venice and about to start 10 days of touring, eating, walking and trying a bit of the local wine. We were greeted off our boat (the local transport is all on water) by Andrea who led us through the winding streets of Venice to the apartment we rented for 3 days. It smelt of old and stagnent water but as it was the smell of a majority of Venice we quickly got used to it. But we had a fridge, stove, a sitting room and bedroom with a very powerful fan. We were set.
We decided to immediately look around Venice and get something to eat. Crossing the Rialto Bridge there was a couple drinking wine over a candle and looking lovingly in each others eyes. Other couples were stopping to snuggle and stare out across the canal. Ann and I being both related and interested in men, did not stop to be romantic, and made a bee-line for the first open-looking restaurant. It wasn’t open but I did get to see a cat size rat scurry out of the restaurant and disappear into the darkness surrounding the canal. Maybe it was a good thing it was closed.
After another failed attempt, we stumbled upon XIXI where Ann had some bread disguised as pizza and I had a glass of red wine (being allergic to cheese, pre-made pizza will never be doable). Very tasty for me, very bready for her. We took a bottle of red and two large pastries to go and wandered back to our home for the next three days. Wine, pastries and a movie ended our night way too late but we were giddy! Italy awaits!
The next day, the skies were onimous. But it didn’t bother us. Why would it rain on our vacation? That’s silly talk. First up, coffee. Expressos for 1 euro in a beautiful Italian bakery. Now time to explore….
We made it to the first canal and the rain hit. After 20 minutes standing under a bridge, we bought umbrellas - I went for black, Ann for blue (which was unfortunate as the dye ran and dyed her hands a beautiful shade of blue). We did St Marks square and had a wander, ate over priced food (don’t ever, ever eat too close to the square - you are garanteed to pay too much) and took tons of photos while trying to hold an umbrella.
[caption id=”attachment_1355” align=”aligncenter” width=”168” caption=”Wedding pictures in St. Mark’s Square”]
We headed home for a quick refresh and had a long nap instead. Walking through Venice, we discovered a tiny restaurant tucked away in a back street. Turns out to be an award winning one (name to follow when I can find their card) and had a meal to die for. Mixed fish for two and grilled vegetables. Thanks to that place, I’ve fallen in love with Monkfish. They fit us in between sittings and we saw them turn a lot of other people away after us. Definitely book a table there if you can and say hi to Luca and Stephan from us.
We tried to end the evening in their favourite bar but as it was also a top restaurant and the owner looked like a chicken without a head, we didn’t drop Lucas’s name and instead wandered. We found the local hospital (always good to know where you can get local medical attention) and the rows of ambulence boats that were docked nearby. Never thought about how they would deal with emergency services, but that would make sense to have on an island that was mainly water.
Night ended with a series of photos taken on my night setting and another glass of wine overlooking another canal.
Sunday was our last full day in Venice. We stumbled upon a church and listened to part of the Italian service. We thought our Grandma would have liked that as she’s Catholic and it was a Sunday. Something to tell her when we got home.
We then went to the Beinnale before heading back to St. Mark’s Square for an hour long walking tour and a gondola ride. Now I’m not usually one for going on walking tours. I like to do it myself but it was only £3 more for the walking tour as well so we booked it. less than 20 minutes in we realized this was not a deal at £3 - we would have been better off just hitting the gondolas. Ann took her earpiece out so she didn’t have to hear the woman drone on. In future? No walking tours.
Gondola was as expected. We got to ride with two Italian grandmas and two teachers from the states. Our driver was an unimpressed Italian. As was expected.
Our last morning in Venice ended on a sad note. At 6 in the morning I woke up to a number of texts from back home. Call me. Call me as soon as you get this. I did and in the bathroom of a small apartment in Venice, I found out my grandma was dead. It was sudden and unexpected. I told my cousin the news as we stood facing each other in the middle of the living room of our Italian apartment. Now we had a day to wait to find out when the funeral would be and then we could figure out how we could get home.
Thursday, 2 June 2011
I hope I get to go to space (or at least to the #nasatweetup)
One Christmas, my mum bought my sister and I a movie for our stockings. Mine was Space Camp. The ever informative IMDB describes Space Camp as the story of a group of American kids who go to space camp during the summer holidays. They learn how to operate the Space Shuttle. A team, consisting of a guy who just entered to meet girls, a wannabe astronaut and an instructor (who wanted to go on a mission instead of teaching), win the chance to sit in the Shuttle while the engines are tested. Then they’re launched by mistake…Ooo kids in space. It also starred a bevvie of (now) well known actors including Kate Capshaw, Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, Tate Donovan, Tom Skerritt and the super cute kid version of Joaquin Phoenix who played Max, the little boy his robot friend Jinx wanted to send to space (hence the whole being accidently launched thing).
Though I watched this film religiously, my love of space didn’t come from a film. It came from the classroom. We talked solar systems, made panoramas circling round a light bulb sun, constructed sun viewers out of cardboard and mirrors so we could safely watch the solar eclipse. I sat crosslegged on an edge of carpet in primary school to watch the launch of a shuttle into space. Reading every book possible, I researched what I needed to do to be an astronaut. My plan? To actually be the first kid in space (The kids in the movie didn’t count). I learned all the constellations and dreamed I’d get a telescope one day.
Yes. I joined science club.
And that little piece of genius called the Canada Arm? My country made that.
Most of all, I remember the day of the Challenger crash. The space shuttle ripped in two, the plume of white smoke forking into bright blue sky. Reagan said at the memorial, “Sometimes, when we reach for the stars, we fall short.” Through all the disaster, in my child’s mind, all I could think of is that a mum died - the first member of the Teacher in Space program. How was that possible? I’ll never forget her face.
So I saw yesterday that there were entries being taken for a #nasatweetup - 150 people will be selected to see the very last launch of Space shuttle Atlantis before it is retired to a hanger somewhere to gather dust. It is, in fact, the last launch before the whole program is retired. The lucky winners will get to tour NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, view the shuttle launch and speak with NASA managers, astronauts, shuttle technicians and engineers.
I know its too late for me to go into space but I hope I get selected for this. It’s a long shot but the 6 year old in me is holding it’s breath. Isn’t that what you do to make your dreams come true?
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
New Twitter follow button: Great for browsers, bad for mobile
Yesterday talk of another new Twitter feature came out. Nothing to do with an inbox flooded with emails but all to do with a nifty new follow button you can add to your website.
Currently, if you have a follow button, anyone on your site who wants to follow you gets taken to another browser. The nifty new follow button will bring up a pop up and if you’re already signed in, you’re now following that Twitter account without having to really leave the website you are browsing. Nice.
On a mobile? Different story. A new browser opens and you have to type in your details. I don’t know if you’re like me, but I hate to fill in forms on mobile web browsers so it’s really not improved my experience. It would be great if the JavaScript could read if there was as app signed into Twitter or Twitter authorised so it would allow for a smooth user experience and interact with that data.
If you want to get the new button to add to your site, there’s an easy to use form here: http://twitter.com/about/resources/followbutton
Wordpress users can go to the widgets section in their CMS, add a text space to the sidebar (or wherever your theme allows it) and drop in the code. Word of warning. There are only two colours available as background - black or White. Hopefully they’ll allow you to input your own hex reference in the future but until then, it’ll look mighty ugly if your site is green.
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Twitter notifications have a-changed
So for those of you, like me, who checked their email in the last hour, you’ll have noticed that you’ve suddenly started recieving emails any time you were sent a reply or mentioned on Twitter. Same goes for retweets, or if your tweets are marked as favourites. As birthday boy Bob Dylan might have said, “Twitter, it is a changin’”*
Now the easy thing to do is sign in, go to settings and click on the notifications tab. There you can select what emails you want to get or don’t want to get.
It was a bit unexpected to see a schwack of emails in my inbox. A flurry quite similar to spam. OK in a Twitter stream but not so much in my inbox. I understand why they defaulted everyone to recieve emails for everything - much easier to indicate to everyone there is a change by making it happen then to send an email. And a whole hell of a lot cheaper too.
But it does beg the question why it matters or not if I tick the box that says I want an email for: “Product or service updates related to my Twitter account.” Wouldn’t this consist as an update?
Note: This is not a result of the rapture nor will it change the world. Neither will this blog post.
*And please don’t hate me cause I’m cheesy :)
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
My Beastie Boy poem for Ruth
One of the women in the front row, Ruth, was nodding along, laughing. Ah, a kindred spirit! Turns out she was at ATP as well. And as she wanted a copy of the poem and it’s not in any books, here it is in all it’s glory. Hope you like it Ruth! See you in December :)
"In my soul, I have the musical tastes of a teenage boy.
I have the musical tastes of a teenage boy who wants to be a rocker, who wants to be a skater, who wants to be a punk, who wants to be Eminem.
Underneath this skin, I’m hoodied-up, bagged out, booted, suited, walking with a swagger, a swagger with a hip out, skateboard dangling from my arm, badged, buttoned, pinned, with greasy hair, hidden eyes, wearing a well practiced, too many nights in front of the mirror kind of sneer.
In my soul, I have the musical tastes of a teenage boy. I blame my mum. People usually blame parents, aunts, uncles, cousins for how they turned out, so I? I blame my mum.
After wearing out her ears with Annie the Musical on repeat, my mum decided to take drastic action. I, like every other girl, wanted to be the spunky red-headed urchin with the heart of gold who could dance, sing, and bag the man with the big bucks. My mum was well past that age, hid the tape from sight, citing I wore it out and the stores were sold out of it…forever.
I was left bereft, retreated to darkened basements to watch MTV on repeat and sink further into tom boy ways, hang with cousins hitting teenage boy age. We sat in pick up trucks and they puffed on stolen cigarettes, cranked music - Poisen, Styx, Ozzy and Def Leppard until I ate, slept and dreamed to Thunder, an anthem far removed from the InSync, Boys2Men, NKOTB boy band cutouts all the girly girls listened to.
So in my soul, I have the musical tastes of a teenage boy. And when metal turned skate punk, NOFX, Goldfinger, I lost myself in clothes two times too large. My PIMP emblazoned hoodie marked me for compliments as my friends and I passed notes entirely in Beastie Boy lyrics. We were going to fight for our right to party.
I stood barefoot in hack circles, perfecting my body as target for that tiny bean bag. Hack-y-sack. Hack-y-sack. Sat on street corners as the boys perfected double-axle parallels, backside kick flips, half-caps, eagle slides, ollies, hardflips, and maybe even a frontside rail catch before retreating to all-night Street Fighter tournaments that sometimes ended in broken fingers and black eyes.
Going to clubs, to dives, to gigs, I body slammed and moshed my way through uni, soared above bodies as I crowd surfed, hands pushing me higher, kicking out to keep up, hitting shoulders, wrists, arms, backs (and once, the back of my friend’s head) with my steel toed boots. But it didn’t matter. I was flying.
Underneath this skin, I’m hoodied-up, bagged out, booted, suited, walking with a swagger, a swagger with a hip out, skateboard dangling from my arm, badged, buttoned, pinned, with greasy hair, hidden eyes, wearing a well practiced, too many nights in front of the mirror kind of sneer.
In my soul, I have the musical tastes of a teenage boy.
I have the musical tastes of a teenage boy who wants to be a rocker, who wants to be a skater, who wants to be a punk, who wants to be Eminem.”
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Music Memories: Michael Jackson
I was OBSESSED with Michael Jackson since I was six. Or rather from the age of 6 to probably 12. Ben was probably one of my favorite songs outside the Thriller album. I remember spending hours in our basement watching Muchmusic (Canada’s version of MTV) and Video hits. I would watch Michael Jackson marathons and had a Thriller disc for my viewfinder. My favourite T-shirt had Michael Jackson in his iconic silver glove dancing across my shirt in multiple pop art versions of himself. I also had badges of his in the costume he wore when dueting with Paul McCartney.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA?rel=0&w=480&h=390]
I don’t remember when my obsession with him faded but it was long before the tabloids smeared his name with accusations of paedophilia. It was sad to see him turn so broken.
When I heard he died, I didn’t believe it was true. I was at my friend Gweneth Herbert’s CD release party and as we stood outside the venue in Dalston with ciders in hand, the word spread through the crowd. I couldn’t believe that our own peter pan was dead. The king of pop. But he was. And here is her tribute to him:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHWhgarRfl0?rel=0&w=480&h=390]
Sunday, 8 May 2011
The couch to 42k plan...to run around the world
Marianne McPhee (@fillingthepages) and I have a plan. And this plan involves running. Not just running around the park but running around the world.
We first decided to run a 5K for Cancer Research UK after seeing the London Marathon (which was also the anniversary of my Aunt’s death from liver cancer). Now we’ve decided to raise even more money for Cancer Research by putting our bodies to the test and run in events around the globe over the next 18 months. And these bodies are ones that don’t run. I never do things in half measures and I do like an adventure. Plus as cancer affects people around the globe, it seems fitting to take our various runs across it.
First we’re going to run the Race for Life 5K in July in Hyde Park. Then we’d like to do a 10K in Africa at the end of 2011 (still need to find one!). May 2012 will take us to China for the Great Wall Half Marathon. We’ll finish off with the Reggae Marathon in Jamaica in December 2012. It would of course be brilliant to finish our journey across all continents by completing runs in South America, Australia and finish with the Ice Marathon in Antartica. But we’ll start small(-ish) and do what we’ll have to do to get to the end (even if that includes a couple credit cards to complete it).
So what now? We’ll need to:
- train
raise money
try to get sponsors to help us get there
We’d love to try out new gadgets, new programmes, new devices, new equipment, new airplanes, new hotels or your well used couch that’ll help us as we train and run our way to our first marathon. Know someone who can assist us? Or is it you? Please do let us know.
Of course there will be video and sound and pictures. That’s what I like to do - though I can’t promise I’ll always look my best.
So join us on our journey from couch to 42k. Want to run too? We’ll regularly update our sites as we train and if you feel so inclined, do join us.
Donations currectly being accepted on wwww.justgiving.com/C242K.
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Should we celebrate death of any kind?
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kI8EUqbWdM?rel=0&w=480&h=390]
I couldn’t believe it. The cheering and singing and drinking to the death of one man. A man that was held up of the root of all evil, but could one man ever embody that? Isn’t it groups of men and women who act, who continue with war and hate. The one man can’t make this happen. It is only if he is believed, if others have this belief, that this happens.
So, as many others did, I put up a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. The first line was actually written by a girl in the states but I will include it in the quote here - I think the combination of the two adds a reflection of our own time to it:
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that"
As that’s not a real quote, I’ll give you one that is. My mom responded with this statement which really made me think. Mom’s are good at doing that:
"I agree whole heartedly. When I watched footage of the celebrating overseas after the Twin Towers fell I was sickened and I was equally saddened by the footage I watched Sunday night. With Internet, Facebook and Twitter we live on an increasingly shrinking planet. One death will not bring back our loved ones, the hate and terrorism will not stop, there are hundreds waiting in line to replace him. We are such an intelligent people why are we so dumb about peace."
Is this celebration of death any different then what we saw in New York less than a week ago?
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrM0dAFsZ8k?rel=0&w=480&h=390]
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Music Memories: Nirvana
When I was in high school, you had a choice to take it in 3 years or 4. Mostly the 4 year route was for those who weren’t doing well in school but I did it so I could do MORE classes. I’m a sucker for punishment. But it meant I got to be in the better band, choir and do a full IB diploma.
In my returning year of grade 12, I was sick of school and was longing to go on to University. Luckily a couple of my friends also stayed behind including my good mate Andrea.
Andrea and I loved Nirvana. Maybe not as much as those who erected memorial crosses on their front lawns when Cobain killed himself, but that’s a bit on the obsessive side anyway.
Now Andrea and I had a spare period together - period 4 I think - so instead of wandering the halls or studying or whatever you do for an hour in the middle of the day, we’d sit in Andrea’s car and sing along to all the songs on Utero. My favourite at the time? Heart Shaped Box. I like melancholy music. I just can’t help myself.
Music Memories: Nirvana
When I was in high school, you had a choice to take it in 3 years or 4. Mostly the 4 year route was for those who weren’t doing well in school but I did it so I could do MORE classes. I’m a sucker for punishment. But it meant I got to be in the better band, choir and do a full IB diploma.
In my returning year of grade 12, I was sick of school and was longing to go on to University. Luckily a couple of my friends also stayed behind including my good mate Andrea.
Andrea and I loved Nirvana. Maybe not as much as those who erected memorial crosses on their front lawns when Cobain killed himself, but that’s a bit on the obsessive side anyway.
Now Andrea and I had a spare period together - period 4 I think - so instead of wandering the halls or studying or whatever you do for an hour in the middle of the day, we’d sit in Andrea’s car and sing along to all the songs on Utero. My favourite at the time? Heart Shaped Box. I like melancholy music. I just can’t help myself.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Music Memories: Garbage
This musical memory isn’t really for all music by Garbage but rather one particular song “I’m only happy when it rains.” For some reason, the summer after my first year at Uni, we listened to that song on repeat and it became our anthem.
It actually brings back one weekend at the lake. We were staying at my friend Brad’s acreage in a trailer his parents had out there. We went joyriding on quads and went down to the lake for a look see but it was pretty dismal the whole day hence way “I’m only happy when it rains became a song on heavy repeat. As it turned to night, we cracked open the beers (as you do when you’re barely 20 and at a cabin (of sorts) party. Brad was putting on the moves and went to kiss me but I had one too many beers. Not good.
Now I don’t like getting sick in front of people - whether this is due to stomach flu or due to a situation of my own making. So, as I had a habit of at that time, I disappeared which meant, on this occasion, I crawled into the woods behind the trailer and lay under a bush. I was like an animal gone off to die in the woods.
It didn’t take long for people to notice I was missing. As we were close to the lake and I’d had a lot to drink, my friends worried that I decided to go to the lake. What if I fell in and drowned? So a wide scale search began. I, in my drunken mind, didn’t want to be found until I felt better so I stayed hidden under the bush. Someone walked within maybe 5 feet of me calling my name but I didn’t make a peep. The voices disappeared in the distance and I staggered out of the woods and crawled into one of the single beds in the trailer. One that I was specifically told was already taken and I couldn’t have. But, I can honestly say, this did not cross my mind.
Turns out the bed was meant to be Brad’s. He was mighty pissed off that He had just spent an hour looking for me and then came back to find that I had stolen his bed. I couldn’t be moved so with a frustrated huff, he pulled the pillow from under my head and stomped into the next room. Let’s just say he didn’t make any moves again and our about to be kiss was never attempted again.