Fust

Factory Alfine - gallery

2010-03-12T15:59:00.001Z

See and download the full gallery on posterous

MySQL founder protests Oracle deal

2009-12-14T16:28:00.001Z

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/dec/14/monty-widenius-oracle-protest

Sent via the Guardian's iPhone application.

Get it Here

-------------------------------

kelvin@spittingcat.com

Photos from London Cycle Show 2009

2009-10-20T19:19:00.001Z

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Flip : random nice bits from the @cycleshow

2009-10-14T08:56:00.001Z

Download now or watch on posterous

nice_bits.m4v (17667 KB)

Monochrome £200 BMX from Ruption

Lugs and lushness ahoy from Demon

Capo wisely back in raw finish

Monochrome Evil scribblings

Kinesis and Cannondale forks

Flip : Demon knurled knob adjuster

2009-10-13T20:57:00.001Z

Download now or watch on posterous

DemonAdjust.M4V (1272 KB)

Sweet captive axle position adjuster:

Flip : a rip off of Niall's 2002 Soul logo?

2009-10-13T20:42:00.001Z

Download now or watch on posterous

UrbanSOUL.M4V (519 KB)

Lewis has a puncture.

2009-09-13T13:21:00.001Z

Treatment of Alan Turing was “appalling” - PM | Number10.gov.uk

2009-09-10T22:44:00.001Z

http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page20571

Everyone should read this and reflect.

"Red Red Rose" #musicmonday Help make the video

2009-06-08T21:12:00.002Z

The Track:

Red Red Rose by Hope And Social
Download now or listen on posterous

08 Red Red Rose.mp3 (13904 KB)

Help make the Video:

http://www.hopeandsocial.com/redRedRose_video

The lyrics:

At ten past eight,
I'm leaving home,
We'll drive along the bypass 'til we find that road.
The coastal road,
To somewhere new,
Where they don't treat the drink they drink as something they should cling on to.

At ten past nine,
I'll take that flight,
And yes we're looking older now but you live this way you're bound to.
We'll wave goodbye,
To all that grey,
But at least a climate where the seasons mark out with distinctive change.

And tomorrow am,
We'll start anew,
In a village where the people there can talk about religious views,
Without the need,
Of laws in reams.
Or the worry that the words you use will light some all engulfing fuse.

The blue skies the green fields i keep them all in here...
The blue skies the green fields i keep them all in here...
The blue skies the green fields i keep them all in here...
The blue skies the green fields i keep them all in here...

And tomorrow am,
In somewhere new,
In a different place you feel the weight of everything you've been through.
So I've got to change,
I need to change,
Cos I don't talk to you no more without the need of fear or rage.

The speeches, the anthem, the law with no momentum; I cannot give myself to you.
We're so much older now we need a new home town, a place that we can call our own.
And doll you're proof enough that people are some good they just need space where they can grow.
With speeches and anthems the shape and size of this one, they just need space where they can grow.

The blue skies the green fields i keep them all in here...
The blue skies the green fields i keep them all in here...
The blue skies the green fields i keep them all in here...
The blue skies the green fields I'm tired of keeping them in here..

Medium Cotic BFe geometry

2009-06-05T11:34:00.002Z

Download now or preview on posterous

med-bfe.pdf (8 KB)

Check out the BFe at :

http://cotic.co.uk/BFe

http://robbierickman.blogspot.com

Hope and Social : Glastonbury : New Album

2009-06-04T14:15:00.001Z

http://hopeandsocial.com

It's a Monday : think of your kids, it'll get you through the day :

2009-05-18T10:56:00.001Z

Colour name help please, "Rich Espresso?" :

2009-05-14T17:42:00.001Z

-------------------------------
kelvin@spittingcat.com

Apostrophe help please : Builders' Tea?

2009-05-14T12:11:00.001Z

Robots Save Lives

2009-05-07T12:15:00.001Z

Robots Save Lives, originally uploaded by Kelvin Owers.

4 years on, and the T-shirt now fits!

XCracer report : World Cup rd2 : Kate Potter

2009-04-30T17:58:00.001Z

Begin forwarded message:

From: Kate Potter <kate@aquickrelease.com>
Date: 30 April 2009 16:01:54 BST
To: Cy Turner - Cotic <cy@cotic.co.uk>
Cc: Kelvin Owers <kelvin@spittingcat.com>, "Griffin, Andrew" <andrew_griffin@trekbikes.com>
Subject: media

Hi Guys,

Check me out on a world class drop http://www.xcracer.com/content.php?pid=2572 :)

Cheerios

KPxo

A Quick Release Holidays
Tel: 0845 1304824

http://www.aquickrelease.com

Cotic Soda World Cup

2009-04-24T20:47:00.001Z

Begin forwarded message:

From: Kate Potter <kate@aquickrelease.com>
Date: 24 April 2009 17:57:49 BDT
To: Cy Turner - Cotic <cy@cotic.co.uk>
Cc: Kelvin Owers <kelvin@spittingcat.com>
Subject: photos of soda

Hi Guys,

Photos of new bike.......Let's call it AWESOME!!!!!!!

Neil has also changed my position big time, and there is more gap between seat height and bars, so I feel like I'm in more of a racier position.

There have been plenty of 'oohs and ahhhhs' as it looks very nice.

I have had loads of people already come up and take photos of it and look closely at it.

It is much quicker through the single track, and around the bends, and I lost control a few times, as I'm not used to how agile it is. I was tired yesterday and kept going off line because it was taking me by surprise. I rode it again today and had to do two laps at race pace.....I love it!!!!

Anyway will get more pics to you soon.

Cheerios

KPxo

A Quick Release Holidays
Tel: 0845 1304824

http://www.aquickrelease.com

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from spittingcat's posterous

Back on the Bike Again

2009-03-31T15:04:00.001Z

2005 - playing with the Baby Taylor

2009-03-17T23:38:00.001Z

Going Nowhere by Kelvin Owers
Download now or listen on posterous

Going Nowhere.mp3 (2215 KB)

Posted via email from spittingcat's posterous

2004 - playing with the Bass

2009-03-17T23:32:00.001Z

Drone (Bass Only) by Kelvin Owers
Download now or listen on posterous

drone(bass only).mp3 (2488 KB)

Posted via email from spittingcat's posterous

Little Boots : Stuck On Repeat

2009-01-23T12:35:00.003Z

The radio length edit of this was a free iTunes track recently, and being late to the game I've only just discovered the fantastic 12" version posted on Pitchfork. Get it, and then, once you're hooked check out the new EP on the UK iTunes store. Don't start looking at her YouTube videos though, she makes it all look so easy.

Rex the Dog as a stop motion Vince Clarke

2009-01-14T10:03:00.001Z

Bubblicious from Rex The Dog on Vimeo.

MyRail

2008-12-10T18:43:00.003Z

The most used free application on my iPhone is probably (and sadly) "MyRail light", the commuters friend. A quick tap and it finds your nearest train station, another tap and it retrives live train times for that station. Train cancelled? Have another quick coffee before heading to the station a little later.

Cotic Hemlock in White

2008-11-28T22:39:00.001Z

Cotic Hemlock White Rear 3/4, originally uploaded by Niall Flinn.

Looks good, doesn't it !?

Money for Nothing

2008-11-17T14:14:00.005Z

(or designing a coin with free software)

The designer tells how it's done, and all on free software...

There are some genius ideas rolled into this coin. The process is all in this case.

Saville on Richard Hamilton's Toaster

2008-10-30T22:07:00.008Z

In a magazine I've long since misplaced Peter Saville revealed Richard Hamilton's 'Toaster' as influencing him, and Tate now have a video in a similar vein.

What Hamilton did with this work for me was to reflect how Dieter Ramms, Otl Aicher, Hans Gugelot and others at BRAUN made the world we live in today (well at least influenced many of the better designed bits of it anyway). Of course there are all sorts of questions about the divisions between, and the co-adoptions of, fine-art, design and engineering at play here, but I'll leave it to others to talk that over.

Bloom by Brian Eno and Peter Chilvers

2008-10-15T11:57:00.001Z

Modernist Book Design Archive

2008-07-04T16:30:00.005Z

Browse the index here, or check out these classics:

jan tschichold 1930

carl b. graf 1956

josef müller-brockmann 1960

konrad kessler 1960

karl gerstner 1972

otl aicher 1982

Some of those I've highlighted above will seem strangely familiar to anyone who knows Peter Saville's cover for New Order's LOW LIFE album.

The Ride

2008-07-03T20:11:00.008Z

Not got it? Get it, quick. It has words, pictures and things, all bike related yet quite disparate in content and context. Everything for someone. That someone is probably you, it's definitely me.

Anyone for Flapjack?

2008-07-03T20:00:00.000Z

out of the strong came forth sweetness, by Hwa Young Jung (Mee?).

1974 Citroen brochure

2008-07-02T11:03:00.003Z

Full Brochure.

What's not to like?!?

Palatine

2008-06-23T22:19:00.001Z

Palatine, originally uploaded by Kelvin Owers.

CD box-set produced near "the end" of the label's life.

Final factory logo features, set in "Factis" which is basically the Rotis font as created by Otl Aicher's team. The effect of the white box must have been intended to be a pretty faithful recreation of the dust jacket and card slip case of typographie. I think that's a pretty safe guess, and I'm sure Peter Saville will have had, or had access to, this edition of the book.

My bikes : pt 2 : Old Cotic Prototype

2008-05-25T23:09:00.004Z

NPF_2614, originally uploaded by Niall Flinn.

Steeper Than It Looks, originally uploaded by Niall Flinn.

easter_2006.0040.jpg, originally uploaded by Niall Flinn.

easter_2006.0036.jpg, originally uploaded by Niall Flinn.

Megavalanche on a Hardtail

2008-05-23T17:29:00.003Z

Nutters! I hope someone gets some photos.

The killer time-wasting apps for the iPhone might be musical toys

2008-05-01T13:31:00.003Z

The multi-touch interface is perfect for creating music. There's just a handful of conventional apps so far, but when people move onto creating new interfaces rather than simulating diddy existing instruments then things could get interesting. Check these out for now:

http://www.iphonesoft.de/gangsaapp/

http://www.iband.at/
http://moocowmusic.com/

More using the moocowmusic apps:

"Made in Bench"

2008-04-24T21:49:00.002Z

"Made in Bench", by Kelvin Owers. Apologies to both Bench&Bunch

There are lots of fantastic takes on the Bunch logo to be found on the Made In Bunch website. I wanted to do something myself, thought about making something a bit twee, like baking the letters as biscuits, but then realised I didn't really have the time. Something struck me though, something that appealed to my lazy nature and dislike of derivative ID building. Check out the Flickr page for an explanation...

testcard font using fontstruct

2008-04-05T18:20:00.010Z

Fontstruct is a great new web application from Fontshop for creating modular fonts. The result of my first play with this simple (but limited) tool is "testcard".

It's an utterly flawed font, take it and fix it as you see fit. Underscore is used to to terminate and separate words. There's only a handful of characters I'm happy with so far. Go grab it and have a play.

Doodle from "mr_carl"

2008-03-19T11:55:00.002Z

veermax5, by mr_carl.

A great idea... get defacing those catalogs now....

PS does PSA

2008-03-11T10:46:00.003Z

Found on Motionographer.com

Peter Saville was apparently involved in this retro styled road safety short.

Kistufell II

2008-03-05T11:13:00.002Z

Kistufell II, originally uploaded by -axel.

I've been impressed with this guy's work for ages. Especially worth checking his photos out if you like horses.

My bikes : pt 1 : Cotic Soul Mk1

2008-03-03T09:28:00.004Z

Kelvin Takes The Plunge, photo by Niall Flinn.

arizonaCotic_01, originally uploaded by Niall Flinn.

Accent Business Card

2008-02-25T22:55:00.003Z

Accent Business Card, originally uploaded by Accent Creative.

"Cardstock with Spot Gloss UV Varnish on transparent Logo."

Flat and Boring

2008-02-01T12:15:00.000Z

The Evening Standard reports how the 'compact' nature of the Olympics is causing problems, especially as regards trying to find suitable venues for the 'rural' events, like mountain biking and 3 day eventing, close to the capital. Now England is not a huge country, and allowing a few choice events to escape from London and nearby counties wouldn't really dilute the games, would it? Of particular concern is how an 'unchallenging' site and course has been proposed and rejected for the Mountain Biking. Over the last decade the UK's reputation for mountain biking has improved greatly with overseas visitors, admittedly with England falling behind Wales and Scotland, and showing the whole world a flat and boring track at the Olympics could set this back and would do nothing for future tourism prospects. Tourism you say? Yep, I've bumped into a few people who have visited the UK to mountain bike, esp from Europe. Okay, we don't have the alps, but we do have trails that are open all year around and offer a huge variety of experiences. We don't want the message going out that cycling off-road in the UK is about riding around flat easy trails.

Paul Rand

2008-01-21T22:55:00.001Z

Has Paul Rand's stock fallen these days? Is that because those that picked up his style have become so prominent (I'm thinking the great Saul Bass for one)? Or because his insistence that design should be seen as art conflicts with the practical realities of designers working today? Perhaps it's just the fact that he could practise his art while satisfying hard nosed large corporations, while most struggle to produce work they can be proud of when chasing the whims of their clients. Whatever, both his work and writings are essential. Check out any of his own books, rather than books about the man and his works written by others, and you're sure to smile at most that you see or read. If you haven't got the time for that, check out the short film above that uses quotes from the man himself with animation based on his work, most notably the charming children's books that he created with his wife.

Update: some related links:
- view those children's books online
- the final logo?

Simple-tons

2007-10-25T21:14:00.001Z

My last weekend of summer, for various reasons, seems to have been the SSWC up in Aviemore. It was relaxed yet energetic, social yet peaceful.

Some people speaking and riding at the 'event' :

Jenn and Nigel were our English heros, for differing reasons, not that any of that mattered much.

A link to my loverly bike

Lost Format

2007-09-29T21:27:00.000Z

Courtesy of those nice people at Experimental Jetset.

Band names taken from song titles or lyrics

2007-09-11T20:47:00.000Z

A Certain Ratio (Brian Eno)
Sub Sub (A Certain Ratio)
Oasis (Happy Mondays)
The Sunshine Underground (Chemical Brothers)

Got any?

IE CSS hack, including IE7

2007-08-22T14:53:00.000Z

Okay, most of the hacks you've put in your CSS for IE6 and earlier are no longer needed in IE7 (hurrah!) but there may still be the odd occasion where your sites are now being drawn wrong by IE7. How do you change your CSS hacks so that they work for IE7 in the same was as IE6?

    /* text green in IE (both 6 & 7) */
    .classname {color: green;}

    /* text red in Safari and Firefox */
    html:not([dummy]) .classname {color; red}

Use this one sparingly, but it could be a lifesaver if a site is misbehaving in IE7 and you need to get things working using a fix that you've already applied for IE6. (Note: this one isn't always Opera friendly). If you really need a more thorough, and complicated, hack, have a quick google, but I recommend using this hack as firefighting fix while you get on and re-code your site to behave in IE7 without CSS hacks or filters.

Mouth of the Factory All-Stars

2007-08-13T13:35:00.000Z

He did the job, he got them out there. He wasn't chasing cash, he was chasing dreams. "Anthony" H Wilson has died, the catalyst is gone. Never what is traditionally termed professional, but where does passion fit in with that? Check out the rag-tag performance from many of the Factory acts that joined together for a one off Jam on the tube (bringing together Tony's joint 'careers' of TV and music in a chaotic form that he must have loved):

click for more info on the Tube episode in the clip above

Bontrager 2412

2007-07-18T09:55:00.001Z

Starting another lap, photo by Oliver Townsend.

Oliver's candid shooting style has yelded some great results from last weekend's racing. Go check them out. I almost wish I'd been there racing!

Time machines

2007-07-16T11:44:00.000Z

What is the first thing that you would do if you had a time machine?

a) attend the gigs you're sorry you missed?
b) revist the gigs you're glad you saw the first time around?
c) go back and buy an extra pair of your favourite shoes?

On rare occasions it can be more satisfying to listen to the 'copyists' scavanging the music of you past than to the original artists they seek to emulate. This is normally only the case where the young pretenders have a very natural songwriting style, so that at least the song sounds their own, if not their style. Check out Mr Fogg. You'll get the stylist references straight away, but he'll win you over with songs that are worth several listens.

"london" Olympics logo unveiled

2007-06-04T13:23:00.001Z

Are we being patronized by the patrons of the games? Will the headline event be the race to the bottom?

It's not just me

2007-04-05T14:36:00.000Z

It seems I'm not the only one to prefer the use of Johnston's original 'underground' font rather than the reinterpretation his pupil created: Gill Sans.

Check out Ben Archer's very complete analysis of the inadequacies of Gill's most famous work.

London Olympics kills Olympic event in London

2007-03-02T13:31:00.000Z

It was already know that London's only reputable Mountain Biking race venue would be lost for the period of the Olympics, but there are now suggestions that it will never be restored.

read about in on Bikemagic

Monument Valley

2007-02-08T16:31:00.000Z

Monument Valley
Photo by me.

Moab

2007-02-06T10:42:00.002Z

Kelvin with no gears
Photo by Anne.

Home from Away

2007-02-05T14:22:00.000Z

Climbing on the Slickrock Trail
Photo by Oliver.

Just got back from a great trip to Arizona and Utah. Lots more photos soon....

Chairs

2006-12-12T15:14:00.000Z

Obsessed by chairs? David Byrne is.

Pine Needles

2006-12-12T12:25:00.000Z

That's me that is
Photo by Phil Diprose.

I rarely like photos of myself cycling, but Phil's done a good job with this one. It's good to be back on a bike again, I missed it far more than the drink or food while I was ill, a lesson I'm going to keep with me over the holidays.

System IX

2006-11-28T15:13:00.000Z

I'm quite jealous of Julian Opie's pre-OSX styled website . Looks great, works a treat, and is as intuitive to use as a real old Mac. Of course, as always, content is all, and he delivers in spades.

Robots Save Lives

2006-11-13T21:50:00.000Z

From my www.spittingcat.com site last year, "Unlike most of Britain I have a very utilitarian attitude to cars. They get me where I need to go, and I feel no need to live out any Formula1 or RAC Rally fantasies. This might go someway to explaining why I feel no antipathy towards speed cameras on our narrow dimly lit residential streets. I'd much rather have those cheery camera signs, or robots as our 3 year old calls them, persuading me to slow down than car suspension and back breaking speed bumps. Despite, or perhaps because, no-one seems to share my attitude I've created a range of bags and t-shirts celebrating the speed camera sign. Available from the shop."

Now my sidelined views on speed cameras led me to the idea that those nice people at howies might be interested in my design, as they tend to favour the outsiders. So I, perhaps vainly, sent them my design. Not only didn't they take it up, no surprise there, but have done there own 'thought provoking' speed camera design. This one however seems to be disappointedly chasing the mainstream view that cameras have more to do with revenue than safety. Shame.

Not newsworthy?

2006-10-25T14:17:00.000Z

Bomb plot

If the suspects were Muslim, I'm sure this would have made the national media. But as it is the truth doesn't fit the current 'story' of Muslims being more of a threat to our security than others.

DEF

2006-09-28T14:25:00.000Z

Second part of an A-Z of great artists and bands you may not have heard of;

Dakota Oak Trio :: Derbyshire Krautrock and Folk
[see Badly Drawn Boy and Neu]

ESG :: real raw club music, by real raw women
[see A Certain Ratio and 400 Blows UK]

Fridge :: Drifting but not easy listening
[see Adem and Fourtet]

check out ABC

It's just noise

2006-09-21T10:01:00.000Z

Very late last night, or it might have been very early this morning, I was listening to a big chunk of ambient music as I nodded off. Surprisingly something of my own came up; Looper. I think I wrote it back in 2003, when I wanted something I could listen to while getting my daughter to go to sleep. It was a one of a number of pieces of 'music' I wrote that were trying to create something akin to listening to a loud old fridge while under the influence of Opiates. Don't try playing it a party, but you might find that it's something nice to drift off to at night.

Hipgnosis eat your hearts out!

2006-09-19T10:48:00.000Z

View from the Paiju washbasins
Photo by Oliver Townsend.

original modern

2006-09-17T22:48:00.000Z

Peter Saville's influence on Manchester's civil image has started popping up all around the city, ready for the Labour Party conference. I haven't got any photos I'm afraid, but the look is also starting to be integrated into the web presence of some public bodies and a quick search should find you examples of it in use. Interestingly the treatment is being used in a very non prescriptive way, with all the disparate arms of public provision in Manchester allowed, or even encouraged, to use the elements provided in different ways. So the stripes motif, reminiscent of the work of Paul Rand and more latterly Paul Smith, appears in combination with many different logos and typefaces. Whether this free and easy approach was taken for practical, political or design reasons would be interesting to know.

Steven Appleby

2006-09-12T14:14:00.000Z

See more thanks to the Guardian

Invisible Titles

2006-08-18T08:57:00.000Z

Here's a simple technique for web developers wanting alternate text for background images. Why would you want this? Well background images often disappear, for example when stylesheets fail to load, or are over ridden by a user with poor eyesight. To make sure the page still makes sense in these situations, put the following CSS in the sheet that contains the linked background image urls;

    .invisibletitle {display: none;}
@media print {
    .invisibletitle {display:block;}
}
@media aural {
    .invisibletitle {display:block;}
}

Then class="invisibletitle" can be applied to tags around alternate text in the html, making the text invisible whenever background images are visible, yet visible/readable when background images are missing or ignored. I said it was simple!

Example: www.destiny-dubai.co.uk/holdingpage.htm
Do a print preview, or turn off stylesheets, to see the invisible titles appear.

Thoughts

2006-08-14T12:27:00.000Z

Want to be modern?
Don't chase the now, by the time it's caught it'll be the tacky recent past.
Examine the true successes of the past and learn. Think about what lasts.

Do you know what really matters about you?
Lots of people have your skills, but none of them have your ideas.
Don't just do what people say, be sure to have your say; it counts.

Can you clone the essence of others?
What has made others successful is theirs.
Try and copy them and little of what worked for them will become yours.
Find a new way.

One step too far removed?
Design is problem solving, not just giving the abstract form.
Without knowing the problems of your clients or customers you can't give them an answer.

Mexico '68 - London '12

2006-08-04T12:59:00.000Z

I've always envied the "completeness" of the ID work Lance Wyman did for the Mexico 68 olympics. That often copied font expanded out to form everything, from Bridget Riley style posters to the wayfinding system, and informed the whole look and atmosphere of the games in a way no other Olympics ID has come close to.

Now what can London offer?

I imagine Johnston's Underground font could be used to cement the London connection, but as the broadly simular Gill Sans has been used for recent games I hope the effort is made to develop something new and distinctive.

Wolff Olins have been awarded the work, lets wait and see what they come up with.

Simple

2006-06-08T13:04:00.000Z

Kelvin
Photo by Simon D Barnes.

Singlespeed UK champs thingy was last weekend. After a nice big cup of tea on the start line I went on to be placed absolutely nowhere and had a great ride. Simon shouted at me every lap to try and get a response, in the end I shouted back. I think he got what he wanted in this photo.

ABC

2006-05-22T16:04:00.000Z

First part of an A-Z of great artists and bands you may not have heard of;

Asobi Seksu :: Japanese blur of distortion and sweetness
[see My Bloody Valentine and the Other Two]

Blue Orchids :: lost Manchester classics
[see Inspiral Carpets and The Fall]

Camille :: French vocalist to twist your insides
[see Nouvelle Vague and Bjork]

Trouble

2006-05-18T15:26:00.000Z

Scott Adams: "Dilbert stuff that got me in trouble"

Matryomin

2006-05-11T09:01:00.000Z

There's very few things more surreal than a troup of Japanese musicans playing Thermins inside Russian Dolls in a converted public toilet.

Normal?

2006-05-08T09:33:00.000Z

There is no such, thing in life as normal.

Accidental Album

2006-05-04T15:23:00.000Z

I just have to point you to this.

The band Mason Proper have an idea worthy of Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies. The result is really fresh, and stands as a reminder to always record your first take.

Only Bike

2006-04-26T08:35:00.000Z

bike lane
photo by Cyclenaut.

Spring is here, so while most men's minds focus even more on the opposite sex mine becomes bike obsessed*. It already feels like I'm entering a headlong rush towards the autumn, trying to squeeze every cycling opportunity into a stupidly packed spring and summer schedule.

*okay, I do think about girls more as well, but to admit that wouldn't fit into the singletrack mind nature of this post

HUP

2006-04-25T11:15:00.000Z

HUP chewing gum art
image posted by rahid1.

Happy Birthday Ben Denison! You are one blessed man. Remember a birthday is for far more than one day.

:^)

See the ickle art biggerer by clicking here.

Or even more biggerer by clicking here.

The Watchers

2006-04-24T09:20:00.000Z

Please send me more evidence of this covert surveillance.

Hairy

2006-04-19T11:06:00.000Z

Wolf Spider
Originally uploaded by Niall Flinn.

It's confusing. Niall's twin skills of photography and CGI mean that you can never be sure whether his work is real or not. This one is a photo, if he's to be believed.

Heart

2006-04-11T10:43:00.000Z

I've been moaning for ages that I can't find decent crisps that are unsalted, but now....

Crisps shouldn't need salt anymore, now that they come in sealed bags they don't need preserving in the same way. Manufacturers stick with it for two reasons;

most crisps taste of nothing but their seasoning
people are addicted to salt

Well now Burts are standing behind the potato (and fat) taste of their crisps (chips) by offering salt free versions. They're great, and soon you'll be amazed people can still sell the fake tasteless heart destroying rubbish that comes in most snack bags.

Cover me

2006-03-26T21:36:00.000Z

It seems to be a good time for brave cover versions at the moment, with these two being my pick of the crop...

Tunng do their folky bleepy sampling thing to a version of Bloc Party's Pioneers [listen], on their new "The Pioneers EP."[buy]

Also available from bleep.com, by far the best legal download site for indie labels, is this cover of a Kylie classic [listen], given the acoustic treatment on Jose Gonzalez's "Stay in the shade EP" [buy]

Both cover versions sound like something that would fit perfectly on Gravenhurst's excellent recent album "Fires In Distant Buildings."

Hello

2006-03-24T14:52:00.000Z

hello
Originally uploaded by Cyclenaut.

Chris did this using the lights of on-coming cars whilst she was driving. Mercans know no fear on the roads, I'm sure many of them have regular naps at the wheel whilst trusting in cruise control, but I digress. Check out Niall's experiments for something else along this line.

Spiders

2006-03-19T22:30:00.000Z

Spiders
Originally uploaded by dunkr.

The things that hold DVDs and CDs in digipacs and the like. I really hope Duncan can turn this into a music video someday, it's an idea born of simple genius.

Chewing gum art

2006-03-17T11:09:00.000Z

Chewing gum art - Dscn3820
Originally uploaded by rahid1.

Cheers for sending me this Niall. For those of us who often trudge around with our heads down it's a life affirming joy to know that someone is doing this; turning the waste of mankind into art. That someone would bother to do this renews your faith in people.

Manners

2005-02-13T19:54:00.000Z

Ruby "I need to go back"
Me "Why?"
Ruby "I have to get my manners, I've forgotten them"

Why, what, when and how?

2004-12-16T07:21:00.000Z

Oh.... er.... words.... damnit. I used to be good with those things when I were a kid, but since falling into, and sort of out of, the world of IT I've lost the plot when it comes to real language. Why have I started this thing? So I can post comments on more interesting people's blogs. What am I going to post here? Probably scribbles done with my daughter's pencils, or perhaps scans of nice beer mats, I dunno. When? Very, very rarely. How? Well at least that bit's easy.