Guest Five for Friday

1. The Charlatans - Marblehead Johnson
2. The Black Keys - 10 AM Automatic
3. The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldier
4. James Brown - The Big Payback
5. Jace Everett - Bad Things

Thanks Jamie!

The Informer...

The minute I started to clear the road at the junction I started to feel a little obvious. The snow's bad but that sense of isolation that must descend on some I'm sure is worse. We're moaning about getting the car out. How about just getting out...If you don't feel so sure on your feet. Must be pretty crappy...

I'm working away with headphones on trying to clean out a space in the junction that might allow me to drift or slither out. I become aware of a BMW stuck or trapped in the street down the road. I dive in digging and pushing. Eventually, success and the car moves on.

Later the driver of the BMW arrives back to help me clear out the junction. We nod and keep working. We get into a good rhythm and pretty soon we've cleared a decent space for all to pass into the street. Nice one. We exchange pleasantries.

The next morning our work is invisible.

Tex

The Last 24 hours...

1. George Bowie growing a beard rather than a moustache for 'movember'...'It's not 'Beardember' George!' shouts Kathleen at the radio this morning...

2. 'Why do we use tunnels?' says my three year old son.

3. Discussing the recent refereeing controversy a caller to Real Radio sums it up by stating 'Look - there's no conspiracy. I'ts just yir luck. It swings on a roundabout din it...'

Tex

Five For Firework Friday!

1. Boom! Shake The Room - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
2. Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Wheels
3. Rok It To The Moon - The Stranglers
4. Indoor Fireworks - Elvis Costello
5. Fire! - The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

Tex

Five For Halloween

1. Ghosts - Japan
2. Monster - The Automatic
3. Ghost Town - The Specials
4. Bela Lusosi's Dead - Bauhaus
5. Monster Mash - Boris Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers

Tex and Kate

Things that got said in the last twenty four hours...

1. 'You can't just wipe it under the carpet...' - Billy Dodds on Radio Scotland.
2. 'You've opened a whole new book of worms here...' - caller to TalkSport.
3. 'Snakes don't go in the letterbox...' - my son while having breakfast.

Tex

Why weekends should be wonderful...

1. The M8's just a little bit quieter on Friday.
2. On Saturday Stephen Fry gets to love Wagner on the X Factor just a little bit more. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/x-factor/8075020/Spoof-video-of-Stephen-Fry-praising-X-Factors-Wagner-is-hit.html
3. Tattie scones on Sunday.

Tex

ok...here's your five for friday...

1. Ride A White Swan - T REX
2. Lump - The Presidents of The United States Of America
3. The Only One I Know - The Charlatans
4. White Man In Hamersmith Palais - The Clash
5. The Jezebel Spirit - Eno & Byrne

Right...now over to you

Tex

Three Weekend Wonders!

Seeing as the Five For Friday is now in the lucky hands of others here's three reasons why weekends are wonderful...

1. Off The Ball with Stuart & Tam on Radio Scotland - Saturday and Sunday.
2. Big Sunday Papers with supplements you only notice when you're putting them in the recyle.
3. The Saturday Morning Pot of Tea - from the first weak cup to the builders brew at the end.

Tex

My Ten for the 10/10/10

1. 10:15 on a Saturday Night - The Cure
2. No.9 Dream - John Lennon
3. Eights Days A Week - The Beatles
4. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
5. 6 to Wan - Hugh Reed & The Velvet Underpants
6. 5 Minutes - The Stranglers
7. I Would Die 4 U - Prince
8. Three Steps To Heaven - Eddie Cochran
9. Goody Two Shoes - Adam Ant
10. One - Johnny Cash

Tex

five for an anniversary...

1. Louise - Human League
2. I'm Sticking With You - Velvet Underground
3. She's Electric - Oasis
4. He's So Fine - The Chiffons
5. Happy Anniversary - Slim Whitman


Tex & Kate xx

Five For Friday!

1. California Love - 2 Pac
2. Sissyneck - Beck
3. Holy Roller Novocaine - Kings of Leon
4. Hotel Yorba - White Stripes
5. She - The Monkees

Tex

Five For Friday!

1. If I Could Talk I'd Tell You - The Lemonheads
2. Hopeless Friend - Graham Coxon
3. Mirror Star - The Fabulous Poodles
4. I Can't Cope - Protex
5. Spellbound - Siouxsie and the Banshees

Tex

Five For Friday and The Long Weekend!

1. The First Big Weekend - Arab Strap
2. Eight Days A Week - The Beatles
3. Lost Weekend - Llyod Cole
4. Knock On Wood - David Bowie
5. Love Missile F1-11 - Sigue Sigue Sputnik

Tex

Heston's Soda Stream experiment!

Ah well!
Its a Saturday. It's Sunny. Its sodastream time!
Do you remember when you had a soda stream? Maybe you don't. If you don't you done Solripe or Alpine. you were also posh then :)
In 1986 the only way for us to enjoy the fizzy juicy'ness was to invest in a sodastream! To this day I can still hear the 'we can't afford the alpine man'..
I can also hear my parents tell us ' mind just 2 scooshes' when we had to make the juice for the voddy and irn bru :)
Well recently Mr Heston Bloomincannyspell introduced blue nun to the soda stream! Said mix was supposedly as good as a decent Cava? Have a gander at oor wee experiment! :)

Five For Friday!

1. I Hear You Knocking - Dave Edmunds
2. What Difference Does It Make? - The Smiths
3. Pack Up - Eliza Doolittle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzY0-I4Gq5w&ob=av2e
4. Ivy & Gold - Bombay Bicycle Club
5. Kick Out The Jams - MC5

Tex

Tweet

I'd rather be a hammer than a nail...that is unless we're talking MC Hammer and Jimmy Nail...

‘Radio is a sound salvation, Radio is cleaning up the nation…’

I sometimes think I was never happier working than when I coordinated a local community radio station broadcasting from a west of Scotland housing scheme. The station was manned mostly by local young guys who didn’t work and were looking to do something constructive - or at least something that they could enjoy. The efforts of all the volunteers and other support staff were full on, professional and committed. Everyone believed they were providing a community service and the wider community responded very positively.

So there we were - broadcasting to the world (well, a five mile radius) from a renovated cupboard in the local community centre. It was fantastic. School children, elderly groups, local hard core DJ’s, grannies singing karaoke (one of whom had a mesmerizing glass eye) – all were welcome and everyone came to the cupboard we had imaginatively named ‘Studio 1’. Getting in my car, driving home at night waiting for the signal to drift out of range and sometimes reappear as the road lifted over the Kingston Bridge was quite emotional.

We did long shifts and sometimes the TV would be on in the studio to alleviate the boredom of having to play Kylie or Cher again for the nineteenth time in the last couple of hours… One day there was a football match on involving a Scottish team and some random (Icelandic? Norwegian?) European minnow. I was chatting to the local DJ who was working the wheels of steel that day. He had named himself ‘Daftie’… possibly to avoid others doing it for him. So DJ Daftie was spinning some killer stuff and keeping one eye on the game. I knew that Daftie was a hardcore St. Mirren fan. ‘I could never support wan ae thae Auld Firm teams Tex, I hate aw that secretarial pish…’ Yes I knew what he meant and I agreed with him. Never corrected him though.

We had some very inventive people working in the station and I wasn’t surprised the day I found a full sized pub fruit machine sitting in the middle of Studio 1. ‘What the…?’ I said to no one in particular. ‘Oh we thought it would be good for the breakfast show’ announced James who was lining up his next tune for the listeners. It turns out they had decided that an on air competition – ‘Spin the Paisley Puggy’ – was required to spice up the morning merriment. The fruit machine (or Puggy as they are known in this part of the world) would have a microphone placed closed to it – close enough so you could pick up the sound of the reels spinning. Listeners would then be invited to spin the ‘Paisley Puggy’ in an attempt to win a crap prize. And of course let’s not kid ourselves eventually some lucky listener was going to be asked if they wanted to hold their ‘plums’…


Tex - in a haze of melancholy and Strepsils…

Five For Friday!

1. A Kick In The Eye - Bauhaus
2. Do You Know Hot It Feels To Be Lonesome? - The International Submarine Band
3. Airbag - Radiohead
4. The Whole Wide World - Wreckless Eric
5. Pop Music - M

Tex

Five For Friday!

1. The Dark Is Rising - Mercury Rev
2. The Banana Boat Song - Harry Belafonte
3. Sun Arise - Rolf Harris
4. I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down - Elvis Costello
5. Gentlemen Take Polaroids - Japan

Tex

Tweet

My Secret Identity’s Not So Secret Anymore…

I only drink so I can social network. I never social network therefore I am…available to drink… Is it a cliché to say I don’t understand the ‘facebook’ thing really? I want too I suppose, I do. Over the last few weeks Kate has kept me abreast of some good news that’s been ‘posted’ by relatives and friends – exam results, college places achieved, births, - and that’s great but I suppose I would have preferred a phone call.

I don’t (I really don’t) want to sound like Mr. Angry of Little Hampton but I do feel slightly uneasy about the news and the type of detail being shared; detail that once upon a time would have been part of people getting together in the same space. I’m just saying stuff that’s been said before right? ‘My God! What’s wrong with the World?! Don’t people talk anymore?!’ But it’s all a good right? Isn’t it? We only do it to be sociable. Yes?

As you get to know people you discover things about them right? It’s the journey not the destination that’s important (or some other tired expression). I thought I would be excited that social networking can be a bit like laying your life out as a living, changing exhibit. But sometimes your exhibit - that you’ve spent a lot of time putting together - will be picked at like road-kill by strangers. You okay about that? Here’s my favourite stuff. Here’s what makes up my life. Slag it. And do what thou wilt shall be the whole reason for the social net…

And another thing (brace yourself - here comes Mr. Paranoid) ‘They/The Man/The Establishment’ don’t need CCTV anymore by the way. They know where you are. Because everyone tells everyone else where they are, where they’ve been, where they’re going and who they were with while they were there. And here’s the pictures/video/podcast to prove it. Everybody’s telling me what they’re doing. And here I am telling you… Everybody’s talking at me and I can’t hear a word they’re saying… because my children are so much louder than everybody else. They're loudest. And closest to my ear. In the same room and everything.

My son R talks and talks and talks but very seldom says ‘Dad’. Recently he’s started calling me and Kate by superhero names. He’s Batman, I’m Spiderman and his mother is Superman. Yesterday I overhead Kate talking to him while they were in the kitchen together – a dialogue which concluded in a way that I never ever want to forget –

‘I like you Superman. I love you Superman’… ‘I love you too Batman’….

Tex

Five For Friday

1. Sister Europe - Psychedelic Furs
2. European Female - The Stranglers
3. A Day In Europa - The Skids
4. A Song For Europe - Roxy Music
5. Oh Well - Fleetwood Mac

Tex

Tweet

Five For Friday!

1. Albatross - Fleetwood Mac
2. Eine kleine Nachtmusik - Mozart
3. Flying - The Beatles
4. O Superman - Laurie Anderson
5. I Feel Love - Donna Summer

Tex

Tweet

Five For Friday!

5. I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive - Hank Williams
4. I Just Can't Be Happy Today - The Damned
3. I Could Be Happy - Altered Images
2. Reasons To Be Cheerful (Part 3) - Ian Dury & The Blockheads
1. Mr Blue Sky - ELO

Tex

Tweet

Five For Friday!

1. Call Me - Blondie
2. Shoot the Runner - Kasabian
3. 2HB - Roxy Music
4. XOYO - The Passage
5. Teddy Picker - Artic Monkeys

Tex

Photo retouch 'warning'

We have recently been working on a piece of promotional literature for one of our clients. As part of this particular job we were asked to do some photography for it.

Taking into account the recent noise about photo retouching should we have to put a 'these photos have been retouched' warning somewhere?

Thoughts?

Talk soon

Scott

‘Most of the World’s a stage and the rest of it is just cartoons…’

It was my birthday this week and I took my (almost) three year old son R to the ‘pictures’ for the very first time. Kate came along with our daughter M who is a whole four weeks old. As the cinema is situated close to a shopping complex it was agreed that the ‘girls’ would go shopping and the ‘boys’ would go to the movies to see the eagerly awaited ‘Toy Story 3’. I suggested that R should take his auld man for a celebratory pint afterwards but this idea was dismissed for a planned outing to a Pizza Hut courtesy of a two for one voucher chopped from the Sunday paper.

I had booked our cinema tickets online and just as well. The car park was busy to bursting but we managed to park kind of close to the front doors and with a minimum amount of fuss from the occupants of the car, unfolding of prams etc we dashed inside. It was a typical summer’s day in Falkirk and the rain was bouncing on the bonnet of the car and the pavements alike.

In the centre of the foyer there was an almighty queue for tickets, hotdogs and nachos which snaked back and forth across the red carpeted entrances to the 12 screens. Our show was on in Screen 6 which like the car park before was rammed with parents, grandparents, carers and weans.

It seemed like we had got the last two seats that were available together. I took R’s coat off and propped him up on the seat which immediately folded back leaving my lad shaped like a capital ‘V’. He recovered to perch himself on the edge of the seat – avoiding the flip up conundrum - and seemed to enjoy the rest of the experience. Of course half way through we had to retire to the ‘little boy’s room’, despite me asking if he needed the toilet before the film started. R at that point did not need a pee; he needed to ‘SEE TOY STORY 3!!!!’ which is what he told me each of the hundred or so times I asked.

As I say it was a first for R and I was aware that I watched him more than I did the screen for the first hour or so. Essentially throughout the duration of the film I was waiting on him to be scared or upset by something - the sheer size of the screen, the volume of noise, the darkness - but it never came. ‘Maybe’ I thought to myself while Woody and Buzz escaped from yet another scrape ‘he’s been desensitized by the 24hr illuminated world in which we live and through repeated exposure to challenging media stimuli he can no longer experience the shock of the new…’ or maybe it’s because most homes he visits have large screen plasma televisions mounted on the walls of their front rooms and sound systems to match. We have a small portable sized TV which youthful visitors to my house snigger at. R has yet to suggest that it be replaced but I’m sure that time will come.

I remember him visiting my brother’s house the day that the new 50 or so inch plasma had been installed. R who was about one year old then and hadn’t been walking long was fascinated by this thing. It had been hung low so it was just a perfect height for him to stand directly in front of. His face was a picture as he stood staring slack-jawed in amazement at this huge liquid colour filled box that was alive with Disney cartoons, Sponge Bob and Scooby Doo. Fantastic picture quality, built in blu-ray DVD, hi-fi sound and High Definition chocolate buttons smeared across the pristine plasma screen…

Tex

Five for Friday

1. This Is The Day - The The
2. Jailbreak - Thin Lizzy
3. Song to the Siren - This Mortal Coil
4. Senorita - Justin Timberlake
5. The American - SImple Minds

Tex

Five For Friday

1. Highly Evolved - The Hives
2. Alison - The Pixies
3. Panic - The Smiths
4. Please, Please Me - The Beatles
5. Yes - McAlmont & Butler

Tex

Five For Friday For The Birthday of the Director General!

1. Fools Gold - Stone Roses
2. Groovy Train - The Farm
3. Back Of Love - Echo & The Bunnymen
4. Saturn 5 - Inspiral Carpets
5. North Country Boy - The Charlatans

Happy Birthday Scott!

Tex

Five For Friday!

1. King Rocker - Generation X
2. Biology - Girls Aloud
3. Follow The Leaders - Killing Joke
4. Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (the Recognised Anthem of World Contact Day)- The Carpenters
5. Return of Django - The Upsetters

Tex

DIY Design Dilemma

We recently had the pleasure (or pain) of working with a fairly new client. Said client decided to contact ourselves and ask us to get involved with them on the marketing (including design) of a product that they would like to promote/sell/get to market whatever way you want to say it!

From a very early stage we should have heard the alarm bells ringing!
"Not really sure what we want - can you do provide us with a few ideas?"

In principle not a problem as we generally pride ourselves in our ability to understand the brief and get inside the clients head with regards to target audience etc. etc. However what is it that allows someone, once you present 2 fairly professional and effective design solutions, to say to you:

"It's really not what we were looking for. My son has a PC and it has powerpoint. What do you think of this for a design?"

Time to leave the building - no amount of money will make me want to work with them! Or..... should we swallow our design pride, suck it up, nod our heads and deliver a job which we will get pretty well paid for?

Scott

Five For Friday

1. Really Free - John Otway & Wild Willy Barratt
2. Vicious - Lou Reed
3. Never Done Nothing Like That Before - Supergrass
4. It's A Long Way To the Top - ACDC
5. Pocket Full Of Rainbows - Elvis

Tex

5 for Friday!

1. Baby I love You - The Ramones
2. Sugar Baby Love - The Rubettes
3. Baby Love - The Supremes
4. Baby It's You - The Beatles
5. It's All Over Now Baby Blue - Bob Dylan

Tex (Dad for the 2nd time - if you fancy buying me a drink mines a large malt - cheers)

Mary Isabella McNiven - 23.06.10

Her name was Mary, Mary
Plain as any name can be
But with propriety, society
Some will say Marie
But it was Mary, Mary
Long before the fashion came
For there is something there
That sounds so rare
It's a grand old name

Well done TEX - X

Five For Friday

1. Scooby Snacks - Fun Lovin' Criminals
2. Nobody Does It Better - Carly Simon
3. One To Another - The Charlatans
4. California Love - 2 Pac
5. Good Sculptures - The Rezillos

Tex

Memory GAAP No 4

Remember the custard pie is always primed. Ridicule is nothing to be scared of….aye right…

On a recent Saturday evening I had the pleasure of attending a joint 40th Birthday celebration. The married couple in question decided for reasons only known to them that it should be 80’s fancy dress theme. The 80’s – the decade that time forgot…

So K and I arrived dressed as Axl & Slash. I was Axl. Our prized mucker Big JD was Dj-ing. In his cut-off shirt and Robert Smith fright wig he looks just like he did 25 years earlier. We wave over and take our seats next to ‘shell suit’ couple and generic ‘blues brother’ guy. Suddenly Adam Ant and Cyndi Lauper take to the dance floor. I decide that a large Malt is the order required.

Later on I was at the bar speaking to my good friend Ian. I didn’t know Ian would be here, didn’t know that we were mutual friends with the couple. He had chosen not to dress up explaining that as he was 40 he didn’t think he had too. I thought to myself that ‘had to’ was pretty strong but had remembered other fancy dress evenings where I had chosen not too and felt odder than if I had done. Apart from anything else dressing up seems to increase the alcohol content of everything so in short it’s worth it.

The bar was outside the function room so you could hear the music but you could talk easily and you didn’t have to shout at the barman for more. As we talked Ian was also being sort of chatted up on the other side from me by ‘Madonna’. Big JD was on fine form but he picked this moment to play a song I wrote in the 80’s – ‘She Got Old’. The version he played was a reworked version from a couple of years ago produced by Mr. Molenz and me. Sounds pretty good at high volume I like to think. Hearing it unexpectedly like that took me back to old rehearsal rooms and gigs in crappy bars. Frankly it was hugely enjoyable recollection.

I said to my friend at the bar ‘Christ almighty – that’s me’. ‘What?’ said Madonna. ‘That’s me. That’s my song’ I said. Ian explained that I used to play in bands blah, blah, blah. ‘Prove it’ said Madonna. So I sang along for a few bars. She seemed convinced and quickly went back to chatting up Ian.

The next morning lying in bed I tell K the story, about my song being played and that ‘Madonna’ seemed impressed. ‘Aye’ says K ‘a heard JD play it…Why did he play it?’ ‘Well’ I say ‘perhaps he likes it and thought it would go down well’. ‘I suppose’ she says thinking… ‘Och right!…it was during the buffet….’

Tex is thinking of Arizona

Five For Friday

1. Brazil - Frank Sinatra
2. Spain - The Stranglers
3. Double Dutch - Malcolm McLaren
4. Kids in America - Kim Wilde
5. New England - Billy Bragg

Tex

5 for Friday

1. Where's Captain Kirk? - Spizz Energy
2. The Crunch - Rah Band
3. Independent Woman - Elbow
4. The Ballad of Peter Pumkinhead - XTC
5. It Will all End In Tears - The Drums

Tex

5 for Friday that have great opening lines...

1. Rip It Up - Little Richard.
'Well, it's Saturday night and I just got paid, Fool about my money, don't try to save'

2. Eye Know - De La Soul
'Greetings girl and welcome to my world of phrase'

3. Tool & Die - Consolidated
'Goddamn this is madness'

4. Life During Wartime - Talking Heads
'Heard of a van that is loaded with weapons packed up and ready to go'

5. Ruby - Kenny Rogers
'You've painted up your lips and rolled and curled your tinted hair'

Tex


Alan McNiven

Clock ticks fast eh?!

For you TEX!

Five for Friday

1. I Put A Spell On You - Screamin Jay Hawkins
2. Twenty Flight Rock - Eddie Cochran
3. Hey Juana - Jeffrey Lee Pierce
4. What Am I Doin' Hangin' Round? - The Monkees
5. The Cutter - Echo & The Bunnymen

Tex

Bored in Tesco

Proof  of what can happen if a wife or girlfriend drags her husband or boyfriend along shopping!

This letter was actually sent by Tesco's Head Office to a  customer in Oxford :

Dear  Mrs. ***********,
Whilst we would like to thank you for  your valued custom and use of the Tesco Loyalty Card, the Manager of our store  in Banbury is considering banning you and your family from shopping with us,  unless your husband stops his  antics.

Below is a list of his actions over  the past few months all verified by our surveillance  cameras:

1.  June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's trolleys  when they weren't looking.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

3. July 7: Made a trail of  tomato juice on the floor leading to feminine products aisle.

4. July 19:  Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone, 'Code 3' in  housewares..... and watched what happened.
5. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION  - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

6. September 15: Set up a tent in  the outdoor clothing department and told shoppers he'd invite them in if they  would bring sausages and a Calorgas stove.

7. September 23: When the  Deputy Manager asked if she could help him, he began to cry and asked, 'Why  can't you people just leave me alone?'

8. October 4: Looked right into  the security camera; used it as a mirror, picked his nose, and ate it.

9.  October 10: While appearing to be choosing kitchen knives in the Housewares  aisle asked an assistant if he knew where the antidepressants were.

10.  November 3: Darted around the store suspiciously, loudly humming the Mission  Impossible' theme.

11. November 6: In the kitchenware aisle, practised the  'Madonna look' using different size funnels.

12. November 18: Hid in a  clothing rack and when people browsed, yelled' PICK ME!' 'PICK ME!'

13.  November 21: When an announcement came over the loudspeaker, assumed the foetal position and screamed 'NO! NO! It's those voices again.'

And; last, but  not least:
14. November 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door,  waited a while; then yelled, very loudly, 'There is no toilet paper in  here.'

Some folk just have no sense of humour! :)

Talk soon

Scott

5 for Friday

1. Girl You Want - DEVO
2. Boys Keep Swinging - David Bowie
3. Girl - The Beatles
4. This Boy - The Beatles
5. Girls & Boys - Blur

Tex

Five For Friday

1. Fight The Power - Public Enemy
2. The Harder They Come - Jimmy Cliff
3. 'B' Movie - Gil Scott Heron
4. Television, The Drug Of The Nation - The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
5. This Land Is Your Land - Woody Guthrie

Tex

Choices!

Alice came to the fork in the road.
“Which road do I take?” she asked.
“Where do you want to go?” responded the Cheshire cat.
“I don’t know,” Alice answered.
“Then,” said the cat, “it doesn't matter.”

Lewis Carroll
Alice in Wonderland

As much as we might feel intimidated by today's 'choices' bear in mind some people don't even get the opportunity. Today might just help us appreciate it - although - choose carefully :)

Talk soon.

S

Four For This Thursday

1. I Wanna Be Elected - Alice Cooper
2. Don't Worry About The Government - Talking Heads
3. Know Your Rights - The Clash
4. Liar - Sex Pistols

Tex

Five for Friday

1. We Love You - The Rolling Stones
2. Love Song - Simple Minds
3. Love Machine - Girls Aloud
4. Love Action - The Human League
5. Friday I'm In Love - The Cure

Tex

Solar 'eruptive prominence'

Becoming more and more fascinated by the enormity of the sun!
Supposedly we could fit approximately 100 'Earths' in the circle of this explosion captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite.

Huuuuuge - not just 'prominent'!

Talk soon. ;)

Scott

5 for Friday

1. Ice Cream for Crow - Captain Beefheart
2. Micheal Caine - Madness
3. Charlton Heston - Stump
4. Buddy Holly - Weezer
5. Goodbye Toulouse - The Stranglers

Tex

RDIAENG.

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe. ceehiro.

Please sign prior to proceeding to print! :)

Scott

New John Smeaton?

Five for Friday

1. April Skies - The Jesus & Mary Chain
2. Are You Experienced - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
3. Always Like This - Bombay Bicycle Club
4. Justified and Ancient - KLF & Tammy Wynette
5. Are You Jimmy Ray? - Jimmy Ray

Tex

I knew having cash made me feel better! :)

Not sure how much money had to be spent to tell me this but .....

"Researchers at the University of Minnesota carried out a series of studies which revealed those who counted money before taking part in an experiment where they were subjected to low levels of pain felt less discomfort than those who did not.

It's thought that fondling notes and coins helps ward off pain by boosting feelings of self-worth and self-sufficiency."

Read more at The Telegraph

Talk soon.


Scott

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7578899/Handling-cash-better-at-killing-pain-than-aspirin-study-claims.html

Five For Friday

1. Victoria - The Kinks
2. Non Alignment Pact - Pere Ubu
3. I Want You - Inspiral Carpets featuring Mark E. Smith
4. The First Big Weekend - Arab Strap
5. The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprise - DEVO

Tex

5 for (Good) Friday

1. Roll Away The Stone - Mott the Hoople
2. Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum
3. My Sweet Lord - George Harrisson
4. The Cross - Prince
5. Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam - Nirvana

Tex

Pineberry!

Hi folks,

Just finished reading an article (March 31st) about the mix of a pineapple and a strawberry - creating a pineberry. Sounds delicious to me! Nice smoothie already :)

Was thinking about this whole genetically modified fruit thing though!

How about:
1: Banapple
2: Grapeach
3: Strawbelon
4: ?

Excluding what date it is 'today', any suggestions?

Talk soon.

Scott

5 for Friday

1. Tomorrow Never Knows - The Beatles
2. Alison - The Pixies
3. Satellite - The Sex Pistols
4. Highly Evolved - The Vines
5. Party Fears Two - The Associates

Tex

Thanks Twitter, Facebook & Blogger.com

Over the years I've became pretty happy being in my own company. What is it they say? How do you expect anyone to like your company if you don't like your own? Something like that I think. Anyway, I've recently noticed how much I actually talk to myself. This in itself is not a new thing for me as some of my best creative moments have happened in the studio when I've locked my office door and turned of the emails and phones for just a wee blether with myself. The good thing about this is I usually have a pen and a piece of paper to record these 'life changing' ideas.

However if I am out walking on my own - a lot of these ideas get lost in the next thought or sight of something more interesting!

Having recently got hooked on twitter, facebook and blogger fewer ideas are going missing! Not saying they're all great insights or ideas, just saying thanks for giving me somewhere to put them.

Also stops me arguing with myself.

Talk soon.

Scott

Five For Friday

1. Sour Times - Portishead
2. When Will I Be Loved - The Everly Brothers
3. Epic - Faith No More
4. My Favourite Dress - The Wedding Present
5. Ace of Spades - Motorhead

Tex

PS - just in case :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsB1W9MQ9nI

5 For Friday

1. It's All Over Now Baby Blue - Bob Dylan
2. Turn To Stone - ELO
3. Angel Interceptor - Ash
4. One Night With You - Elvis Presley
5. Nasty Nasty -999

Tex

5 For Friday

1. It's All Over Now Baby Blue - Bob Dylan
2. Turn To Stone - ELO
3. Angel Interceptor - Ash
4. One Night With You - Elvis Presley
5. Nasty Nasty - 999

Tex

PS - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKab0Uu6kFQ

Beauty is in the eye of the cheque holder!

Not so long ago the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee invited all (not just Glasgow) design studios to tender for the design and implementation of the 2014 Commonwealth Games logo. This was quite exciting and also refreshing given that they had stated from the outset that it would 'not be based on past relationships, size or capacity'. Some of us smaller fish though we might have a chance or indeed be asked to be involved in some way. According to the whispers, after getting around 70 P.Q.Q's they whittled this down to a handful of agencies. These few then had to demonstrate their ability to deliver what the brief requested. That's a lot of agency's, a lot of creative time and ultimately a lot of money! (Although don't believe the hype folks - actually reasonable value for money :)

On Monday the 8th of March 2010 the organisers unveiled the new 'marque'! It has been described as 'classic, iconic and befitting of a world class city'.

As a designer I find it quite lazy. I'm sure there was lots of R&D involved but given that we have since found out that it is the cousin of 'The Common Guild' logo which the same company done, I feel right in my assessment.

As a punter I find it very pedestrian. In hearing their explanation about where the rings come from I have even less respect for it.

That said - they were never going to win on this one! Damned either way. Like anything it will grow on us and we will eventually accept it and in time actually love it. Well maybe not love it - but you get where I'm coming from.

Anyway, time to support our city. Good luck Glasgow!

Talk soon.

5 for Friday

1. A Forest - The Cure
2. Red Morning Light - Kings Of Leon
3. Denis - Blondie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf3h8XmL2lE
4. Stay Too Long - Plan B
5. Paradise City - Guns & Roses

Tex

http://www.gaapstudio.com/

Easily Pleased

Whatever your daily routine is, whatever your workload and the pressures it brings, isn't it great to get home? Maybe you're keen to get home to see the family. Maybe you got a big tea waiting. Maybe you've got a good book to finish.

Tonight I got home. And it was nice. But then I found out Brazil were on the telly. Isn't it great when you get an unexpected treat?

Home is where the unexpected, after dinner, on council telly, international football friendly is.

Tex

5 For Friday

1. The Children of The Revolution - T.REX
2. Quiet Life - Japan
3. Over & Over Again - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
4. The Beautiful Ones - Suede
5. This Is Pop - XTC

Tex

J Z @ T

Jay Z has just announced that he will play T in the Park 2010. Some of you might remember the minor uproar when it was announced that he would play 'Glastonberry 08'. But as Jay Z said at the time;

"It's ridiculous, if we don't embrace what is new, then how do we progress?

Bit like life really that one I think. As much as we are creatures of habit there is, in my opinion, an underlying need for us all to do/try something new.
When was the last time you woke up and said I'm going to try something different. It could be as simple as trying the small sandwich shop or deli across the road rather than McDonalds. Maybe even buy a different newspaper. Or is that too scary? Try it for a week, you never know by next Friday you could be ready to do that bungee jump!

Talk soon.

SDM

5 For Friday

1. Let's Make Love - CSS
2. Hate To Say I Told You So - The Hives
3. Radiation Vibe - Fountains Of Wayne
4. Pump It Up - Elvis Costello
5. Spanish Stroll - The Modern Lovers

A Bicycle Made For Blues...

Sitting behind a large beaten up truck on M8 – looked like it spent it’s days cargoing crap back and forth from dump sites. On the back it said in large block letters ‘Metal Only’… Without getting all Jeremy Clarkson about it I started to think wouldn’t it be interesting if all vehicles were marked on the back with a specific taste in music suitable to the model?

Range Rover – Classical

Mondeo – Soft Rock

VW Golf – TECHNO

Toyota – Death Metal

Mini Cooper – Mod/Ska

BMW – ipod-TOUCH ONLY (darling!!)

The Pope-mobile – VARIOUS (a very ‘catholic’ taste – gettit?!!!)

Any thoughts?

Tex

Danger - Dog - May Bite!

Did you read the report that slippery cobbles are stopping the postmen delivering their mail on a street in Devon?

I assume other folk walk about on these cobbles? Dogs? Pizza Delivery Guys? What happened to the spirit of the Pony Express? The mail must get through! The mail must get through…as long as your path’s not like a skating rink.

Often wonder about national outcries around stories like this one. Some poor guy falls on his bahoochy, complains to his gaffer, his gaffer says we’ll look into it and suddenly news at ten are interviewing Mr. Angry at No.25 Doddery Lane who says ‘It’s a disgrace!!’

Slow news days perhaps?

Tex

Job Swap

Since I was about 16 and heard that some crazy organisation paid 150k for the 're-development' of a college logo I've been intrigued with 'graphic design' (get used to the inverted commas folks :) as a career. Having now had what most would call the luck to be able to make a living from it, I'm still amazed at the amount of mystery that most attach to it.

It's pretty much accepted that most 'creative' or right brain folk would be happy to turn their hand to designing what could be called a logo. In return, it's fair to say that most 'left brainers' would rather 'add some sums' or 'solve a case'.

In a general disagreement I believe that I can teach anyone the rules of 'graphic design' in less than 14 days.

I'm pretty sure there is some sheep shearer or 'Glesga Fluffer' in Scotland up for the challenge :
Nite Nite – talk soon.

SDM

5 for Friday

1. This is Radio Clash - The Clash
2. When Dolphins Were Monkeys - Ian Brown
3. Hey Bulldog - The Beatles
4. I Can't Believe You're Gone - The Web Brothers
5. New Rose - The Damned

Tex

You need hands...

It's nice to be nice.

I was reading the other night about the hand signal language used by the scientist at the end of 'Close Encounters' to 'talk' to the aliens. This is a real language - the Curwen Hand Sign language - which describes different musical notes by holding your hand in a different position for each note. This seemed to me like a nice idea and in fact I think I might try to learn it.

How come the hand signs you learn by accident are far from musical?

Tex

Five for Friday

1. Of One Skin - The Skids
2. I Feel Love - Donna Summer
3. Rock Is Not Your Enemy - The Radars
4. TVC 15 - David Bowie
5. Devil's Haircut - Beck

Tex

Give, give, give, me, more, more, more...

Heard a great idea and thought it was worth sharing.

After all the banks fiasco and the extreme bonuses etc would a basic MAXIMUM wage not be a good idea? What if the maximum anyone could earn was 10 times the maximum average wage? Right so, lets say the average wage in the UK is £25,000 per annum. The most anyone in the UK could earn in a year would therefore be £250,000. If the boss guys earning the £250k salaries wanted to earn more they would need to RAISE the salary of the junior workforce therefore raising the average national wage...

It could make for some interesting wage negotiations...

Tex

Too much of a bad thing...

Radio 4 on Monday there was a programme on new monastic living - people living in communes, monk-like living sort of thing. The contributors at one point had a long talk about renunciation - giving up things that could be seen as indulgent or selfish. The final word on the subject went to one scholar who remind us that too much renunciation could in fact be seen as a selfish act...It reminded me of that Monty Python sketch where four rich guys sit after dinner describing their poor beginnings 'We were so poor we ate gravel for breakfast' - trying to out do each other by exaggerating their deprived beginnings.

Maybe all the monks go about telling each other 'I've given up eating' 'Well I've given up using my eyes to see' 'Well see me I'm giving up breathing' 'How can I 'see you?! I've given up the use of my eyes...' etc etc etc

Bravely I've decided to avoid the risk of being selfish. I'm giving up nowt.

Tex

Pyjama Drama

Yes, well remember when you used to have that weird dream about arriving at school with your pyjamas on? It seems that the nightmare has come true what with our Celtic cousins in Wales banning folk from going to their local supermarket in their night attire. Folk were turning up in their nighties and slippers to buy morning rolls and cat food. So the Tesco store in question has brought in a dress code. Well, maybe we need bouncers and guest lists...

Personally I never darken the doors of ASDA unless I'm sporting my monocle, wearing my best tweed suit and carrying a silver tipped cane...

Hurrah for Friday!

Tex Blackwood

GAAP Studio

Hi folks,

With Passion. With Adoration. With Love…

Yes, it’s February - it’s the Love Month! St. Valentine and all his cherubs will be fanning the flames of amore and making grown men weep…because they forgot….again.

This is the month for you if you’re looking for some ‘action’! I wish I had kept my ‘lucky’ moustache…

Here at GAAP we like to think of ourselves as the George Clooney/Scarlett Johansson of the 'Blind Date' world. We like to think that even if this is the first time you’ve met us you’ll be swept of your feet by our approach. We’re sophisticated but easy to talk to. We’re unpretentious but very confident. We’re even able to order from the menu in French (if required). And of course you’ll look great…because you’re with us!

No need to wine or dine us or send flowers. We’re already your perfect match.

Here’s this month’s free tip – buy a card. Now.

Talk soon.

Scott