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 ...
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 ...
Kicking Against the Pricks
Fighting for causes you believe in is undoubtedly a good thing, especially when it’s the underdog you’re fighting for. In fact a lot of what I try to do on this blog is fighting for the underdog, whether its underrated musicians or putting an alternative view across that’s being ignored by the mainstream. Here’s 3 ...
Underappreciated Artists – Don’t Wait til They’re Dead
I was saddened by the deaths of Vic Chesnutt and Mark Linkous recently but haven’t written about it because I wasn’t as saddened as I should be. That’s because I didn’t really know their music as much as I should have, although in the case of Linkous I did have some Sparklehorse on cassette many ...
Och The Week: Now Available at Song, By Toad
You thought I’d forgotten about ‘Scottish Music Sundays’ didn’t you? Well after the hysterically positive reaction to the first Och The Week I felt the title alone deserved a bigger audience, and so the next installment takes the form of a guest post for Song, By Toad. Here’s the link, you cannae miss it. OCH THE ...
Gaseous Brainstorm: Is There Still a Chance to Save BBC 6 Music?
In a word, yes. Or at least we have to try. There is a glimpse of hope, according to the Guardian: BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons said that if there was a big enough public response about the cuts, he would ask management to rethink its strategy.”If we find that… there’s massive public concern ...
Gaseous Brainstorm: Is Blogging Just for Old Buggers?
The Kids: they’re laughing at us. Compared to when I was growing up and a crappy Gameboy or impossible to tune in b&w portable telly were the heights of the technology accessible to the average teen, kids these days “don’t know they’re born” with their infuriatingly flippant use of PS3s, iPhones and what-would-until-recently-have-been-considered-witchcraft wireless broadband. ...
Gaseous Brainstorm: Google’s Buzz is here, but who will win the Tech Wars?
Today Google launched Buzz. On the face of it, it’s a fairly small (and pointless) update to make their gmail service more social. With the ability to update your profile from within your email provider, t’s a direct attempt to compete with Twitter. However what it clearly shows is they also feel a huge threat ...