bum issued by.....

....H.O. Wills...........no comment except to say I've hardly been over the doors all day and sometimes you have to work with what you happen to have on the kitchen table!

OTHER STUFF.....

Some alternative Christmas music.....very alternative.....but I like it!

"Cigar Box Nation offers our own gift of music to you.  This album is free for everyone this Christmas...just go ahead and download.  We've compiled almost one hour of holiday music played on cigar box guitars, ukuleles, dulcimers and more.    Please spread the word (and holiday cheer)!  May the world ring with the awesome sounds of cigar box guitars this Christmas." Download it here 

(sample track on the next link......)

This is just a screengrab from UMapper (the original plan was for an embedded map, but Blogger didn't like their code, and I haven't got time to work out why) so here's the link to my very first map (which is rubbish, but if you click on the '2' you'll find the audio file promised above!). You'll guess you can add your own photos and audio, even make your own map-based game, there's some video tutorials here if you fancy checking it out and doing a photo tour of YOUR block.

Shepherds pie/lots of veg/large pot of tea/couch, vintage videos and cuddly blanket here I come!

Chuck-out Friday

The Council has been emailed about collecting the fridge, the dishwasher, the chest of drawers (without the drawers), the vintage microwave (probably with a vintage lasagne inside, didn't check), the 2 rusty bikes, the lawnmower that hasn't seen active service for years, the wheelbarrow with a gaping hole and 2 burnt out vaccuum cleaners. But I kept the overhead projector and portable microfiche reader.....you just never know when they might come in handy! I also found a compact camera that I forgot I even had, I may take it out for a spin tomorrow. No idea who the redoubtable lady above is, but she turned up in an old photograph album that used to belong to a vague relative of my great aunt....also appearing were a lot of gents either in full highland dress or in World War 1 uniforms, I bet there were some stories there, unfortunately there's no-one left to ask what they were.

Some of the sort-out was done to the accompaniament of the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain, a sample for your delectation, 'I'm just a Teenage Dirtbag' like you've never heard it before.....



Now it's me for the couch and a bit of kitten communing!

Watching the traffic

WARNING.....work-based rant follows!
Minor victory for the 'little man' (read student) to report tonight. Out of the blue at the start of the week a huge hike in student printing/plotting costs was announced (more than a 300% rise, all down to 'central services', nothing we could do about it apparently) So I did a bit of number crunching yesterday to work out how 'they' could justify it.....the short answer being they couldn't, no way! The crunched figures went to a meeting this morning and returned victorious.....I took huge pleasure in going round our labs to rip down the posters 'they' had plastered on the walls, strangely satisfying somehow, must get a life!
RANT OVER

Still feeling 'under the weather' but soldiering on (sigh), the boy-in-the-attic however has the full-blown version and is wandering round in a dispeputable dressing gown with wads of tissue stuffed up his nose....not a pretty sight!

Family History stuff.....
Apparently 'the family' has a bit of  'Living in the Workhouse' experience (drinking and gambling!), luckily there's a website to document our wild and wanton ways

But now I'm off down to Jollity Farm, stoked up with a couple of Lemsips......

Posy

Made it out of the office for a brief spell today, the 'best bit' being a trip to the uni gallery to check out the Posy Simmonds visiting exhibition (for 'locals' details here).....even better, the free catalogue was in the form of all of the exhibits in comic book format. Posy, more specifically her 'Mrs Webers Diary', was my comic book of choice in the 80's....it was great to see the original artwork (with all the corrections /blanked out bits plain to see) Going back tomorrow to snaffle another catalogue for the firstborn (who is apparently word-perfect on some of them) and another look/read/giggle.....the giggle will of course be one of those 'knowing' ones suitable for an an arty environment!

Short but nice....Birds on the Wires

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

Eye/earcandy timewaster

Fun to play with....
Moodstream

Mouth of the Tyne 2008

I've just uploaded this to YouTube. A damp number from Beverley Knight during a brief lull in the rain. Great concert, pants weather....oh, the joys of a northeastern summer, thank goodness we packed flasks of coffee and something a bit more robust than chilled champagne. Roll on MOT 2009!!

Classical music for free....

.....here at Musopen.

Well, I think it's funny.....

Bill Bailey does Kraftwerk, found on PCL Linkdump

Air on a G string

Played rather well on bottles

....and from the days when they advertised tobacco on TV

Sarah and Hails......music video

Hails made the model, took the photos (Smiths Docks on the Tyne) and did the animation

Sarah made the model costume and did the illustration

.....neither of them sang!

Music video

Amanita Design (creator of Samorost .....the game) created this music video for Under Byen - Plantage. There's lots more interesting videos in the post for 12th December from Blue Tea

The Bonzo Dog Do Dah Band....

....what's not to like?
Found this animation set to 'Jollity Farm' that's rather pleasant. And if anyone's interested in listening to the 3 John peel sessions that Viv Stanshall did many moons ago, I'm yer man!

Music Box

Over on the right you'll spot a new addition to the blog. It's a music player loaded with some, er, novelty music...description of which follows

"This album was the first of three that were put out by the Green County Medical Society for scholarship aid to medical students. These albums were sold at the society’s headquarters in Springfield, MO for 3.25 each.
All of the bands members were doctors from the area. The record was sold in a plain white sleeve with no information to speak of."

The 419 scam from the point of view of the scammer

Jolly Nigerian pop video, "I go chop your dollar" by Nkem Owoh
Watch it and I guarantee you'll have the tune running through your head all day!