Great rolling news

ITN news is back on the phone (coming on the same day as an ITV channel Meridian gets its hands slapped for doing a news bulletin that came out looking like a promotional video). Which means I can now, sadly, show off the Virgin Lobster to friends and demonstrate something a little more meaningful than Murder She Wrote.

Not that I can get it to work, mind. One screen says it's subscribed, the other says not. I love it. This means means going through customer services - shudder - to sort it out.

Still, a little piece of good news following a day unable to eat after a bout of food poisoning overnight (poached salmon, never again).

Carrying a light for Torchwood

I actually got round to watching Torchwood this evening. Now, there have been mixed reviews but generally, there's been a positive reaction.

I've always liked sci-fi, and British sci-fi at that (never could get into Star Trek or the X Files). There was always something a little superior, nay, dark, about British alien stories, and not always with the heroric or happy endings that America demands. So after the revival of Dr Who, so comes the threatened spin off.

Captain Jack seemed too good a character to entirely let go of at the end of the first come-back series. And the BBC commissioning types did the right thing by letting Torchwood get to air. Man, it looks good in HD, too. But enough of John Barrowman for the moment...

So yes, the script was a bit ropey - establishing espisode always are - but the characterisation works, it looks good on the screen, the music's not bad at all and, well, Cardiff as a backdrop? Wasn't sure about that at first, but it really makes a change from endless series set in London or the south of England. The second episode was much better than the first, with some different interpretations available for media students to expose... I found at least two, I think.

It's definately better than the wretched Robin Hood. Dare I say I found it slightly better than the last few episodes of Dr Who. What will pull it down will be trying too hard to be adult, or different. TV shows are, by their very nature, running out of original ideas, and so critics will find comparisons here, there and everywhere if they want to. But trying to shock, trying out new film techniques and the like will wear thin if the writing isn't up to scratch. I fear the longevity of a series that's chasing aliens as a shadowy organisation headed by a man that can't die...

As a piece of escapism from a day long of dreary reality, it was rather good. If the storylines are fresh, then the look and feel will go along for the ride for a few series yet. Spin-offs never get a good reputation, but, I don't know, this one wasn't bad.

Let's see, then. Hidden plotlines of fear of external threat in times of conflict (War of the Worlds, anyone?), fear of difference or the unknown, or fear of over-familiarity breading contempt mixed with contemporary reality with a friendly alien (so a little outside our world) as our guide. And because it's a British series, the alien must has a dark side, surely.

So far, Torchwood ticks all the right boxes so far. If there's a pencil case of writers, as is done with Dr Who, then maybe the spin-off won't go stale that quickly. There's certainly mileage with the right creative minds. I hear, too, that it scooped the largest non-terrestrial audience for a British programme (rather appropriate, I thought). It deserved it. Also, because of the unique way in which the BBC is funded, there's a nice looking website too (so there should be, really).

And it did look rather good in HD.

The singing gasman

I have the gasmen in today (and tomorrow, and Friday) putting in a new boiler. Despite the house looking like a bomb's hit it, I'm cheered by one of the pair singing his heart out along to whatever pops up on Virgin Radio
Nice.

Oh great...

Comment is... dull?

A fascinating thing is happening with forums on Media Guardian. I'm probably late in spotting this, but two things are regularly going on.

The first few postings are usually measured, quite opinionated and, importantly, on topic. Then, as the postings go on, they deteriorate into childish ranting, oneupmanship and, sadly, slagging off (and these are the posts that are allowed to stay on the site).

Second, the same people comment day in, day out. Which again, is fair enough, but it means the same rants, ravings and childish comments spill over from topic to topic.

As the Guardian's site says, comment is free, and I'm the last person to stifle free speech. But there's a problem that the Guardian faces. On the one hand, allowing absolutely everyone (with internet connectivity) to comment is a good thing. But on the other, life gets dull very quickly reading the same voices (give them a column!). The vision that springs to mind is that the regular posters are like children in a playground, all shouting at once, some louder than others, desperate to get heard, however inane. Finally, the Guardian, being a big media organisation, has to be careful not to over-edit for fear of hypocracy. Tough call, eh.

Guilty as charged, I do drop in from time to time, but only leave comments on subjects I feel I'd like to comment on, and I certainly wouldn't engage in the war of words and exchange of insults that goes on day in, day out. It just gets samey and dull, which makes me wonder whether I should bother anymore. The public sphere of the playground has a new home on internet forums.

One of my favourite quotes rings true: 'Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn't mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.' Edward R Murrow.

Very true. Landlord, another pint, please!

Being cross about intolerance

It never fails to amaze me how religion brings out media hysteria and the worst of people.

Most recently, a popular BBC newsreader, Fiona Bruce, wore a crucifix on a necklace, to howls of protest and an apology from her bosses. Next, Leader of the House of Commons, Jack Straw, said in public that he would ask whether women that visited his surgery would mind removing their veils when they spoke with him. There were even more howls of protest. (Note to the BBC Website - I'm fed up of seeing the same picture when a story about 'the veil' is reported)

Next, a member of check in staff for British Airways (BA) is suspended after wearing a crucifix which was visible to the public. BA has a policy on this which seems to have been broken, but who knows.

I'm simply fascinated by the lack of tolerance from all sides. Some people may have become upset and fair enough, but I think in-house legislation is over-done: an equality and diversity course I did recenty erred on the side of caution so much one was left worrying about saying anything for fear of offending someone else.

Surely in the UK we all have a right to wear what we want. But society dictates limits - such as uniforms for unity of corporate identity - and there's an enormous debate on what is acceptable dress for people who deal with the public, or religious adherence.

Displaying a religious symbol is not the same as preaching. I suppose that some intolerant types may think that a newsreader displaying a cross means they are biased; that proves to me that the complainers know nothing about how news works.

I wonder how much hoo-ha there would be if a Sikh gentleman read the news, or a pagan displayed a pentagram on a necklace.

Tolerance, I fear, is the gold at the end of the rainbow.

Snail mail? A word in your shell-like...

I've had a very frustrating week battling with a mobile telephone company trying to get a new phone delivered. I'll not bore you with the details, but I will bore you with an idea.

Why is it that, in these days of on-line shopping and the reliance on mail companies to deliver your stuff, delivery companies rarely - if ever - deliver outside working hours? Say 7-9am, and 4-10pm? Or, if that's no good to them, why can't they be more specific about delivery times (a two-hour slot, perhaps). Surely there's a market for such as thing? Works for supermarkets... or maybe they just look after their customers!

As my colleagues shared my woes, we all were in agreement that even paying a small premium to have a delivery later in the evening would be preferable to taking a full day off work (which for most ordinary folk just ain't practical) waiting for a delivery 'sometime between 8am and 6pm'... if it comes at all, in my case during this woeful week.

It does seem a little odd that postal delivery services are not responding to an increasing on-line commerce community that relies on good deliveries. Or maybe the domestic customer just isn't worthy enough when business users are bulk posting.

Anyway, when the phone eventually arrives (if I hear 'you'll have one tomorrow' one more time, I'll scream), I'll review it. Because it's really nice.

The President is dead

This is a great piece of advertising for the one-off drama, or mockumentary, 'Death of a President' shown on More 4 in the UK.

Wrapping advertising around a newspaper isn't new. But such a stark picture like this, set below the masthead of the paper, definately turned heads with the tourists and some fellow commuters. I have to say that I was rather impressed at the boldness of it, but I wonder whether someone will complain.

And here's the real front page...



I'll be at BBC Broadcasting House tomorrow at an event celebrating 60 years of Woman's Hour. On the one hand, I don't think I've ever listened to it so I'm wondering why I'm going. On the other, I'm catching up with some friends and contacts, and introducing a work colleage to BBC radio! Not sure what she'll make of it, though...

Knights of Cydonia reference...

Regarding the previous post, this is what I meant (and start the video at the bottom right)

Nice try, but there's nothing original

I've just finished watching the most over-hyped BBC programme since the re-emergence of Dr Who. Robin Hood is, for me, the Yorkshire hero of legend and so has a special place. Yet none of the authentic-looking sets or stark costumes could cover the fact that the dialogue is this latest Robin Hood re-working was intensely fake (with Shakespearian diction and 'don'ts' replaced with 'do nots' ad nausem) and the show stolen by the Keith Allen Sheriff of Nottingham.

OK, so maybe the villain always gets the good lines, but he didn't (sorry, did not), so plays it for laughs instead as a televisual pantomime villain overacting to his heart's content. And Guy of Gisbourne's burr was something to behold (i.e. very-bad-which-makes-it-comical impersonation of a Sheffield accent). Maybe I've missed the point: this slot, early Saturday evening, is the traditional kids TV placing on the BBC in the UK. But this really was scraping the bottom of the barrel stuff.

I was struggling to find anything original in the piece. Robin running his hand through the hawthorne (in slow-motion) was straight out of Gladiator, the hanging scene pilfered from Plunkett and Macleane / Prince of Thieves / Knights of Cydonia video, pained looks to camera from the BBC's Casanova, and some really over the top music for the soundtrack (which will get the 'silence the background music' lobby up in arms).

In a way, I suppose every generation has its Robin Hood - Errol Flynn, Sean Connery, Michael Praed, Kevin Costner - which means I reach this conclusion biased. But the opening episode, even if it was in HD, lacked any ethereal edge, political satire, sheer escapism or originality of effects / camerawork.

Sadly, despite the hype and lots of advertising on the side of buses, I won't be watching next week.

Minor rant

Promise not to make a habit of ranting, but...

Walking to the tube station in central London to get home. There I spy a vendor for the London Paper, one of the freebie evening papers now available in the city. She quite pleasantly holds out a copy as a I pass, which I take. Just a smile of acknowlegment to each other.

The next second, another woman has come from nowhere, frantically waving her free newspapers, the London Lite (sic), and yelled 'London Lite' at me.

So, that's the tactic, then. Run over to someone who has obviously just picked up the rival paper, yell loudly and wave your free paper at them.

It's not the first time that's happened, and it's always happened in that order. I wasn't chuffed.

I just hope it's not going to be like this every week.

Right, rant over

Battle of the Geeks

A new BBC2 programme started this evening, co-produced by the Open University, which seems to be a cross between an updated 'Great Egg Race' and Scrapheap Challenge. That's no bad thing, although the UK/US participation suggests this is another made-for-the-US show (the ad-break placings are pretty obvious).

The start of the series also co-incides with the time when OU courses are reaching their conclusion (don't I know it) and courses are open for registration for the next OU academic year (February to October, generally). In other words, great marketing...

Good for them!

And about time too!

Just how long have I thought and talked about getting one of these things?

Hello world! What follows, until I get bored or some newer fangled technology comes along, will be ramblings. Sometimes funny, sometimes whingy. But observant, all the same. It's just a life thing. I have no agenda, no political persuasion, no particular take on anything really. Just watching and lurking in life.

Occasionally, there'll be photographs of clouds, too. That's just something I like taking photographs of. Clouds. And sky.

Why Shrew? Nothing to do with Shrewsbury, I assure you. Simply, many moons ago, a school teacher asked 'if you were an animal, what would you be', and everybody said I would be a shrew. Or stoat. So there.