So That Was 2010 Then – The Products of a Gaseous Brain Annual Review
Zinester The year got off to a strong start off the back of my pledge in December to ‘get my shit together’ in 100 days with the release of my first ever fanzine, something I’ve been meaning to do for years. The initial idea was to do a quarterly zine but that was a bit ambitious, ...
The Best End of Year Lists of 2010
Music is extremely important to me but for probably the first time it has been low on the list of priorities for much of this year. I’ve had a lot of other stuff going on. Now I find myself at the end of the year and not having heard half as much of the year’s ...
Creative Types #4: Peenko
For anyone who doesn’t already know, Peenko is a prominent Scottish music blogger (real name Lloyd) who is a very busy chap. You’ll find out all the stuff he’s involved in through the course of our conversation but the most timely one is the gig he’s putting on with fellow blogger Jim from Aye Tunes ...
Bad News for the Edinburgh Music Scene – But Can The Forest Be Saved?
It’s a bit worrying when one organisation going bankrupt means the closure of three of Edinburgh’s music venues. This week sees the city wave goodbye to The Roxy Art House, where I’ve attended many great gigs both when The Bowery was based there, and this year, including the Charity Baw back in July, the GRV ...
Er, Maybe Print Isn’t Dead After All Then..
Last night I took part in my first ever debate. I was honoured to be asked to speak by the University of St Andrews Debating Society, in support of the motion that Print is Dead. Also supporting the proposition was Dr. Alistair Duff, Senior Lecturer and Reader in Information and Journalism and Edinburgh Napier University, ...
Is The Kindle Just for Women?
Amazon seem to be marketing their new Kindle (version 3) directly at women. In the US there have been two ads, one in which an iPad clutching fanboy is bested by a smug bikini clad beach babe: Then there is this one, again featuring a woman, who seems to be waiting for a frog to ...
Dirty-haired Debutante
Why I should care about what a bedraggled girl, with lank, dirty hair thought about me I don’t know. But I couldn’t resist her steely eyes, beautiful but dark and brooding like sassafras in the moonlight. And why did she like me? Well I may have been a disillusioned vegetarian after my last wife took off with the local ...
Gadgets for Gadgeys – which e-reader is best?
Urban Dictionary definitions for Gadgey: Non specific person in Scotland; ‘joe bloggs’. Often used to refer to workman, or random person in street/crowd. Another word for a ned in scotland. Derogatory Scottish term for someone who’s not so well-off. I’m obsessed with gadgets, and never more so than now, when I’m trying to stop myself ...
Holding Off
I’ve been holding off blogging. I’ve been holding off replying to your email. I’ve been holding off doing a podcast. I’ve been holding off doing a regular email newsletter. I’ve been holding off deciding whether to do a new fanzine. I’ve been holding off finishing my new EP. I’ve been holding off installing extra memory/hard ...
Overdue Update #1: Better Job & BBC 6Music appearance
So I don’t usually talk about work here but I will make a rare exception because yesterday was my last day working in the Media & Communications Division of the organisation I work for*, where I’ve worked for almost 3 and a half years, both as a Media Monitor and on the mysterious “News Planning” ...