For sports fans, the news that Prince William, sandwiched between the two Davids, did not bring the 2018 World Cup to the UK last week was a bit of a disappointment. There are a lot of question marks surrounding the reasons why we lost out to Russia on being the host nation – and reduced to a basic level, these amount to the UK committee sneering over their shoulders in a corner of the playground saying things like, “I mean, like, he SO said he was gonna vote for us! That’s well out of order, innit? D’ya know what I mean!” But there is one possible reason which I’ve thought of, and I don’t know if it’s occurred to anyone else…
(more…)
Posts Tagged ‘Ashley’
2012 Olympics, you lost us the 2018 World Cup
Monday, December 6th, 2010Blogging: the rules. Or lack of.
Monday, November 29th, 2010
If you’re reading this, you obviously know what blogging is. Somehow, you’ve found me – or I’ve pleaded with you to subscribe to read my online ramblings and you’re using it as an opportunity to avoid finishing that marketing report or complete your tax return. But in case there is any doubt lurking behind those computer screens, blogging (a blend of the words ‘web’ and ‘log’) is an online article or commentary about something or someone which – hopefully – is commented upon by its readers. So an interactive and evolving article, in essence. Anyone can set up their own blog, but a lot of them are affiliated to websites or online versions of newspapers and other publications. In the latter case, there is usually some sort of disclaimer somewhere that the opinions expressed below are those of the author and not of the editor, the publication or website, just to cover themselves. But that is roughly where the rules end. And where online bedlam begins…
(more…)
Top 20 Worst Album Covers
Tuesday, November 16th, 2010
When was the last time you bought a CD? I wouldn’t be surprised if it was quite a while ago, as these days iTunes seems to be the most popular choice in our busy, download-heavy lives. That’s certainly the place I tend to head to first for most of my music needs – instant or otherwise. But when I was in Oxford Street this morning, whiling away some time in HMV, it occurred to me that maybe I was missing out on some of the music-purchasing experience by buying albums as MP3s. How? By not having a CD booklet to idly leaf through.
(more…)
How to annoy me in one word
Monday, November 8th, 2010
Yours sincerely. Kind regards. Yours faithfully. Three of my favourite letter sign-offs. But there is one sign-off which I simply cannot abide. It’s four harmless little letters and, when standing alone, they represent a jolly nice superlative. But alone as a letter sign-off (or a text sign-off) they make me want to punch someone; usually the author. Those four little letters are: ‘Best’. Best WHAT? If it’s anything other than best WISHES, then what the heck is it? Surely time is not so precious that the author cannot manage to spare a few more nanoseconds from their mobile-answering, BlackBerry-replying, latte-filled lifestyle to type six measly extra letters. And if it’s not best WISHES, then what the bejaysus is it that they’re saying? Best in class? Best was a very good footballer, if a bit of an alkie? Best go to bed now or you’ll be grumpy in the morning? Put me out of my misery and finish your goddam sign-off!
(more…)
Kit Kat: 75 years of advertising
Monday, November 1st, 2010
Have a break – have a Kit Kat. A simple, effective, dead-on-target advertising slogan which is probably one of the most widely-known anywhere. Part of the fun of a Kit Kat for me was always scoring my thumb along the silver wrapper in between two of the sticks to get that satisfying first break. And the fact that they’re in sticks means you don’t feel you have to wolf it down all in one go like you might do with a Mars which I often have to perch on its own torn wrapper on my desk (and which does not, I have found out, help me work, rest or play – a case for Trading Standards, maybe?) This year, Rowntree’s of York celebrates 75 years of the Kit Kat, so I thought I’d take a look at some of the advertising posters and have picked out my two favourite TV commercials.
(more…)
SoFo: Stockholm’s Design Capital (and my Top Ten everyday design finds)
Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
SoFo – a design capital within a design capital. Without having to stray too far from the indie-chic, café-laden street of Götgatan, SoFo (SOuth of FOlkungagatan) is where Stockholm houses the coolest, trendiest design shops in Sweden. These include DesignTorget, 10 Swedish Designers, Konsthantverkarna, Tjallamalla and Bolia. A lot of them have price tags to match and it’s entirely possible to get lost in a sea of zeros and thoughts of “HOW much?!” So, seeing as we aren’t quite out of the recession yet, during my weekend in Stockholm, I decided to bring you the Top Ten everyday innovative household gadgets from DesignTorget – the store which promotes the work of Swedish design scene up-and-comers. Nothing you’ll find in Ikea (I think) and nothing that will break the bank toooo badly in a country where a glass of mediocre wine with your dinner will set you back 8 quid. Behold…
(more…)
You’re Fired! Apprentices and product design really don’t mix
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
I’m not big on reality television, I have to say. I was mildly intrigued by the very first series of Big Brother for maybe one episode, till I quickly realised that it was little more than a voyeuristic freak show. And I did quite like Pop Idol (the first ‘Will Young’ series) because, at that point, it was an entirely new experience to watch through one’s fingers people with such astounding and misguided self-belief that they possessed exceptional talent when they actually had less than none. Now, of course, people watch X Factor for that sole purpose and it’s all a bit of a circus – often literally. Strictly Come Dancing? Not interested. And don’t even get me started on I’m A Celebrity. Think about it – if that show had never happened, Peter Andre and Katie Price would never have got together and evening viewing on ITV2 would consequently be that much more pleasant without such dross as What Katie Did Next. But one reality show does grip me: The Apprentice.
(more…)
The ’80s – love ‘em or loathe ‘em?
Monday, October 11th, 2010
Just when you thought Jason Donovan was safely confined to the stage version of Priscilla Queen of the Desert… Just when you thought Tears For Fears had cried themselves to death… Just when you thought fashion had finally escaped that whole cut-your-own-hair/charity-shop vogue phase… We’re back in the ’80s with a vengeance. Only this morning, the aforementioned ’80s poster boy Jason Donovan popped up on BBC Breakfast to plug his first album release in years – but far from trying something original, the album is unimaginatively entitled “Soundtrack of the ’80s” and looks like a slightly desperate attempt to cling to yesteryear and his hey-day.
(more…)
Celebrity endorsements: can they really be that desperate?
Monday, October 4th, 2010
There’s nothing new about celebrities lending their name to a product in exchange for a fat wad of cash. Or, less frequently, because it’s just out-and-out cool. James Bond will forever by synonymous with Aston Martin and Omega watches. There’s even a carefully placed line in Casino Royale where JB corrects Bond-girl Vesper who assumes he’s wearing a Rolex – which he previously did pre-Goldeneye, as it happens, along with a Seiko for some of the time. But my latest bout of snorting at the telly is due to two celebs lending their name to products for no possible reason other than they would have got a shed load of dosh for doing so. I am referring, fellow viewers, to Victoria Beckham and Range Rover and – heaven preserve us – Lionel Richie and Walkers “Extra Crunchy” Crisps.
(more…)
London Design Festival: Paul Cocksedge’s Drop
Monday, September 27th, 2010
Designer Paul Cocksedge’s Drop is not what one immediately thinks of as an interactive exhibit. A 3-metre high piece of metal with a magnetic surface, Drop is an enormous coin “which has fallen to Earth from a giant’s palm”, landing bang outside London’s Royal Festival Hall. The idea is that members of the public help to complete the design by sticking their own pennies to the surface. When I visited the exhibit on Saturday, there was quite a jostle of people all experimenting with creating their own designs on the coin’s surface.
(more…)