iPad Nana....

....Nana, as ever, is well up on modern technology. Here she is with her new iPad2, you know, just (silver) surfing.

Daily Sport....

....Should be done on iPhone, iBook and trusty terrestrial TV, thank you.

London Bike Hire Scheme....

....Or the Boris Bikes as I like to call them. Or BB, even, if you like an acronym. Well, whatever, they're here. In London. And have been for about three weeks now.



Despite my devotion to cycling, using my own bike, I immediately signed up to the scheme. I think it's great to initiate more people with cycling for health, congestion, green reasons and more. My plan is to use them as an overspill as it were - if I run to work, I ride one home. Popping somewhere I don't want to leave my bike? Jump on a BB. You get the idea.



And I have used them several times already - my only gripe is that the gearing is incredibly low, meaning you can't really build up good cadence without your legs spinning at a crazy speed. But I think this is part of the design for them to be used casually, (meaning leisurely), over short distances. Hopefully they will introduce them over a broader area too - for example pushing the scheme further East in to Hackney, (which is officially the most cycle friendly Borough in London I'll have you know). In short, a good thing. And a good thing implemented by Boris....and I really didn't think I would ever say that.

1.21 Gigawatts....

....When Marty McFly pushed the pedal to the metal in the Delorean and hit 88mph, he was transported to the future. To this very day in fact.



Alas the hover boards are no where to be seen and I'm still looking out for those Nikes on eBay! However the 3D & hologram imagery is all but here.



UPDATE: We've been duped. Read here.

Heck, maybe the hover boards aren't actually that far off:

Eureka! Yashica....

....I bought a camera off eBay the other day. It is one that I have been umming and arhhing over for a while - largely due to the high price at which it changes hands.



This is because, despite it's looks - a typical early 90s 'compact' film camera, black, plastic and cumbersome - the Yashica T series is a world famous, highly respected point-and-shoot camera owing to its Carl Zeiss lens. So, to snag one of the originals, (the camera is now in it's 5th and I believe final generation), for just £30 left me somewhat smugly smiling.



It brought back an excitement I've not felt since my college days - I immediately put in a film, (the same brand I shot my degree show on), and got snapping. To be honest, I kept catching myself searching for the image on the back panel, where an LCD screen would normally be, but ultimately I liked the fact that I didn't know the result of what I'd shot. And it also made me more considerate over the subjects i chose - after all, I only had 36 shots on the film.



I've put some of the photos taken on the camera in this post and I am really happy. The lens is incredibly sharp and picks up colours beautifully. It is a snappy camera like no other in terms of image quality.



I really can't wait to load another film and get snapping - the result of which will no doubt be adorning the pages of my list my photo blog in the very near future.

Anglepoise.....

....Kelly has this lamp kicking about her flat. I took an immediate shine to it, despite its cosmetic damage, so when one day I came over and it was sitting in the bin outside, I grabbed it and marched it back indoors.



On closer inspection, it turns out the lamp is in fact an original Herbert Terry anglepoise, a design classic, from the 1930s. It will no longer be parading in bins, but very much on show in the flat.

Nick Cave - Soundsuits....

....Not that Nick Cave. This Nick Cave. A sculpture who's latest show at UCLA exhibits his 'soundsuits' - elaborate, decorative, extraordinarily detailed suits, deliberately named in reference to the noise made when they are worn.







Cave's creations can be made out anything - whimsically nostalgic with toys, or nodding to African tribal spirit with colourful sequinned garments. They are high art and high fashion combined, but manage to keep that rare thing so often lost in those niche areas - a huge slice of fun.

(The making of)

Skype shopping channel....

....I didn't get the opportunity to see my Nana or Uncle over Christmas, so mum & dad picked up their presents for me yesterday. Then, with the genius of Skype, they opened and even modelled the goods.


Dad wearing the new scarf from Nana


Ma & Pa laughing at my incredible sense of humour(!)

Thank you to both Nana & Paul - the pressies look great and generous as ever.

Elephantastic....

....New toy.

iPhone pianist....

....So, this is pretty good. Take one piano app, 6 iPhones, ability and a song from my favourite film. You have a smiley, impressed Roy.

Skype with Andreas NYC....

....Liam and I stumbled across Andreas online, late on Tuesday. Boisterous and enthusiastic as ever, it was a pleasure to catch up with our cross Atlantic wonder.

Coffee on the Close....

....What does some decent Monmouth coffee, a new cafetiere and a milk frother make? Some top drawer cappuccinos that mean we don't need to pay stupid money from our local. Heck, we should open as a cafe.


Froth!


Pour


Done

Liam's barista service is available exclusively at 69 Goldman Close.

Museum of brands,packaging and advertising....

....A day off work afforded me to step back in time, in to my own industry. The MBPA is a wonderful little museum in a quiet and beautiful Mews in West London. It houses products from a bygone era that are the collection of consumer historian Robert Opie. It is a fantastically reminiscent journey, but also an entirely overwhelming one as there is just so much to take in. Well worth your time.





The products and ads on show rekindle not just memories of childhood, but also scenes from your life when that particular product was involved. Among the many, these ones stood out.


Childhood and still current best friend, Paul, was nicknamed Bran Buds after the cereal I used to eat most mornings. Since no longer produced, the nickname has similarly demised!


Heinz are as much a part of everyday life now as they always have been. Particularly as it is one of my Accounts at work, so is interesting to see some historical packaging, that, interestingly and perhaps importantly has hardly changed.


The 1966 World Cup Souvenir Programme in the bottom right of this image stood out. Only last week, for no particular reason, I rooted through an old chest of 'memories' at my mum & dad's house. Amongst the school reports and dodgy photos, was this exact programme. With a Uruguay v Brazil match report written up in the back. It was in pristine condition, but no one knew where it had come from. It excited me massively. More so now, as it's presence in a museum seems to give it more exclusivity.

Alicia rings in....

....'Lic is in Eindhoven and online, so we took advantage with a Skype call.

Britain's got talent....

....And it is at the Design Museum. The current show, Super Contemporary, celebrates the best in British design since the 1950s and showcases fifteen new commissions from leading talent. On the back of the extraordinary Kuniyoshi show, this one failed to match those heights - a little information heavy and confusing at times. But of the 15 new works, 'Rain it in' by Paul Cocksedge, was the stand out piece. It explores objects using/creating static electricity to ward off rain.

Porte Monnaie....

....Nick has been making these wallets for some time - I remember him showing me his first designs a couple of years back and loved them then. Since, he has developed them and got them stocked.......very successfully. They can be picked up here if you fancy.

Spotted....

....I may be a little late catching wind of this, but Spotify is incredible! This new i-Tunes-style tool allows you to instantly listen to and download any track or album for free. And it's legal.



Fellow blogger and colleague Nicola Davies has a more in depth analysis here, but I strongly urge you to take a look and listen.

Prop stars....

....Alicia is interning at Faye Toogood, (actual name!), and in the last couple of days has been visiting various prop hire warehouses. Here's a small selection of many curiosities that she stumbled across.

Model cyclist....

....Ruth & Andy unexpectedly bought me a little gift after seeing it in Paul Smith, (of all places) and knowing my obsession for bikes. It is a scale model of a fixed gear bike, (similar to mine), that has fully mobile parts......and even tiny toe clips! They can also be bought online here, should you so wish.

New toy....

....I've succumbed to a new camera. A better camera. A beautiful camera. Ok, so it is a cheap man's Leica, but at a fraction of the cost and still with a Leica lens. This is the Panasonic Lumix LX3 and I cannot wait to start a brand new photographic collection. Plenty more pics to follow.