Meet Boris

And his coming out party

Went for a great indian dinner on friday over at Alan’s place where Dorothy’s workmate’s Tarantula is staying while she’s out of the country. Never seen one up close before. Pretty amazing - their cats love it. I worry as to it’s fate as it's apparently not eaten one of the lovely black crickets it's supposed to despatch daily since November!

It had enough energy to make a good attempt at an escape though, running up the wall and requiring much flapping of aquarium liddage to get it back in its box. Maybe it’s scared of the crickets. Was glad not to have to handle it but a cute hairy beasty indeed it was.

Tagged:Tarantula

Teh Jam Ship: It are go!

Fly me to the moon!

Sometimes it’s easy to forget how lucky I am to do what I do for a living (Graphic Design).
A lot of my time recently has been spent drawing up detailled user-interface plans for the big national education project I’m working on which can be a little dry to say the least... But then as part of it I get to draw rocket ships. Woo! Big retro 50's rockets! Thank goodness for the odd bit of light relief then.

Tags:RocketsAdobe IllustratorIllustrationUI Design

Insane Downhill G-bikes

Gravity Bikes are go!

Stumbled on to a site about the ‘G-bike’ BMX scene on friday—bikes with no pedals, 20" wheels and aerodynamic fairings. You jump on at the top of a hill and coast down trying to brake the least to get the fastest time. No propulsion other than Newton’s law. Apparently on the right road they can reach speeds of up to 70mph. How cool is that?

GravityBike.com

Tags:G-bikeBMXDownhill

Bontempi Radio Köln: Edition 02

Bontempi Radio Köln: Edition 02

And a bit different this time…
Yes indeed—I may have spent way too long polishing the details (chapters, beat matching, cover images), to make this the first ‘proper’ podcast after last week’s little experiment—but it's lined up to be a goody.

The selections on this one are sort of a glimpse inside my head during the mid-to-late eighties, with a few things added for spice that I've since discovered but would probably have loved then too had I known about them. I got a few deja-vu’s just making it. So jack in your phones and expect synthesisers, a little cheese and of course an ex-stockbroker from Switzerland rapping and shouting in a mockney accent!

There was an enhanced version in the .m4b format with chapters and images, but I’m currently experiencing problems with my provider not being able to properly host the files so it remains in .mp3 for the foreseeable future.
[EDIT: A very helpful person at Pipex gave me the heads-up on how I might sort this problem with mime-types so from now on (Sunday 19th Feb) it will indeed be enhanced. Yay!—I feel like a server-side genius making this work. It seemed just too easy!]

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS with one of the links in the ‘subscribe’ sidebar on the right—which means you'll get new podcasts from me automatically every time I make a new one. Hopefully this will be fortnightly or more often should time allow. If the iTunes or RSS links don't work for you, you can download the whole mix directly from the link below. If you’ve heard it and liked it - mail me at littlepixel(at)littlepixel.info or post a comment and let me know - or if you’re really moved—leave a review on iTunes...

Direct download here

Tags:Music PodcastBontempi Radio KölnAbletonSynthpop.m4biTunes

Bontempi Radio Köln 02; 12/02/06
Tracklisting:

01 Yellow Magic Orchestra: Rydeen
02 Tom Tom Club: Wordy Rappinghood [Excerpt]
02 Yukihiro Takahashi: Extra Ordinary
03 Simple Minds: Factory
04 Flash and the Pan: Waiting for a Train
05 Yello: Bostich
06 Art of Noise: Beatbox [Snapshot]
07 Mick Jones/Big Audio Dynamite: Get Fresh [TV Theme]
07 OMD: Apollo
08 The Human League: Dominion Advertisement
09 Giorgio Moroder: Evolution
10 Think Again [TV Theme]

Happy Birthday Miffy!

50 Today!
Happy Birthday Miffy!
DickBruna.com
Tags:MiffyDick BrunaKid’s Books

The King of Plums

Oh Mr Elton: You’ve let me down, you’ve let yourself down... in fact—you’ve let the whole school down

Elton. What a plum. I feel so betrayed. So betrayed I had to embellish his Wikipedia entry a bit to take the some of the unjust shine off the twilight years of his TV career. Seems it’s stuck (I posted it a month ago now) for now at least, so my sentiments are not alone...

Look at this picture. Look at Bickle - Shame on you! I thought ‘Meet the Parents’ was a low for you but no... Look at Mrs Dobson... Oh a sorry image indeed... Only Roger comes out with some dignity! He's the only one that clearly doesn't care. ‘Bring it on’ sayeth Mr Taylor...‘It's just money!’

Ben? Why are you pouting? What are you so proud of? Are you glad you got here by abandoning your fans? ‘I've always been a fan of musical theatre’. Ugh.
Thank goodness he’s gone—stay in Oz Mr Elton—no-one here wants to hear from you ever again!...

This Bile-O-Gram® comes via a bottle of ‘Sirius Blanc’ wine.

Audio of Elton ‘Grasping at straws’ in a early-career attempt at local journalism (Scroll down to B for Ben)

Coda: Seems no-one’s written an Eamonn Holmes entry on Wiki yet... Surely that’s just a rag to a bull!

Tags:Ben EltonQueenRobert De NiroWikipedia

Cook!™

Can Marks and Spencer really trademark the word ‘Cook’?

Seemingly. ‘Cook’—in the case of tonight’s lovely valentine meal made by Jo—was some veg to nuke in the microwave. Not doing Jo a disservice—she can and does cook veg properly usually—so I hope this doesn't sound churlish ’cos it isn’t!...
But to trademark the word ‘Cook’, and to then put it on the packaging of some convenience peas?
The world is going mad.... Mad I tell you!

Lovely meal though. Ta Jo! You am teh bestest!

Tags:TrademarkM&SCook

The Tape

Joe’s made a podcast—and it’s ace!
Have a listen... puts all these ‘talking heads’ type dullcasts to shame.
Notable moments include Bob’s Full House and Brian Blessed, (listen you’ll understand) with top tunes by JMJ, Ben Watt and Green Velvet.

Go to Joe’s blog and get the podcast - you won’t regret it.

Coming up: I have new ‘enhanced’ podcast ready to post but my server doesn’t seem to host m4b files right now. Should be sorted soon I hope.... Maybe I’ll just post a plain vanilla mp3 version till they get it together? Watch this space!

In other news: Richard Ayoade rocks! (In the modern sense...)


Tags:MixtapePodcastBen WattBrian BlessedRichard Ayoade

Podcast gets Apple approval

Now officially on iTunes

Apple have moderated my ’cast and deemed it suitable for listing so now it’s really easy to subscribe to. Maybe I'll get some more listeners too...

Subscribe to my podcasts in iTunes with just one click

Tags:PodcastiTunes

Bontempi Radio Köln: Edition 01

If everything worked this should be my first podcast post...

Woo! Pretty smart huh? It’s experimental, it’s 26minutes long and sadly yes—I’ve resorted to one of the Mac’s ‘Steven Hawking’ robot voices out of microphone shyness—but it’s early days ok? Made with Ableton, the tunes on it are erm a bit eclectic but for edition two, I promise to compile a Disco Electro Giorgio Yello treat. Won’t that be nice?

But for now either:
1) Get a proper RSS podcast subscription by pasting the feed url below into iTunes via the ‘Subscribe to Podcast’ advanced menu item and you should get new downloads automatically as-and-when I make new shows:

feed://feeds.feedburner.com/BontempiRadioKoln

2) Click here to launch the mp3 in a new window Or ctrl-click/right-click the link to save it to somewhere on your hard-disk.

Hope you enjoy them…

Tags:PodcastEclectic Music

Bontempi Radio Köln 01; 06/02/06
Tracklisting:

01 Ellen Alien: Wish
02 Lali Puna: Don’t Think
03 Cornershop: Funky Days are Back Again
04 Bill Wyman: Je suis un Rock Star
05 Bow Wow Wow: I Want Candy
06 Lene Lovich: Lucky Number
07 Peter Schilling: Major Tom (German version)

Silicon Valley gets all touchy-feely...

Tag:New Intel LogoLogotypesTypography

ÆON Flux

Is it any good?

After seeing an erm ‘review copy’ of it tonight I can say it’s worth a punt... I loved the original animation short all those years ago on Def II’s re-runs of Mtv’s Liquid Television, so I suppose I was worried it would be pants — but it isn’t.

It’s no classic either but Charlize Theron is a styish and confident lead managing to turn in a pretty good performance despite the silly costumes, pop-video nano-edits and minimal dialogue. The sets and locations are pretty woo and above all else — it has to be seen if only to see Pete Postlethwaite in a costume that must have caused his agent many sleepless nights.

Not sure when it gets a release here but it’s pretty stylish hokum, and a lot better than ‘The Island’ of which I’m sure a lot of people will draw parallels. ‘Logan’s Run’? I hear someone mumbling. Oh please! That's only worth seeing for Peter Ustinov and Jenny's Ice Cave scene. People get misty eyed over that movie for very little reason IMHO. Michael York is just too weird! His ...ACCENT!

Tags:MtvDef IIAeon Flux

Where’s my Flying Car?

Saab’s prototype 1999 model

In the early 80s this is exactly the sort of car we thought we'd be driving now. Shame they aren't with us running off water or Dr Emmett Brown's DeLorean fission reactor. Sadly the kind of car people seem to actually aspire to now has 22" wheels, looks like a whale, and is designed specifically to beat the opposition in a crash.

So people upgrade to compete. Where oh where does it end??? Oh yeah... When the oil runs out.
Sooner the better if you ask me.

(image by me created on a whim a year or so ago)

Download a fake parking ticket to ‘De-incentivise’ current owners of urban SUVs here

Tags:Soccer MomsSUVsSaabPhotoshopped Cars

Tune of the Day (year?): Max Berlin

Max Berlin: Elle et Moi (Joakim Remix)

I first heard this on a Tim Sweeney/Plastique de Reve ‘Beats in Space’ podcast from NY, and it’s become my favourite tune of last year—by a long shot. The mix of Tangerine Dream/Moroder/Gainsbourg/ influences has me in rapture every time I listen, with warm analogue synths and earthy bo-ho vocal. Old yet new; Pristine electronic soul - I can’t seem to get enough of it.

Remarkably hard to find too... Until eBay comes up trumps I’m making-do with just a version clipped from the DJ mix so I don’t have to forward through to the bit I want to hear. It feels very TDK D-90 circa 1989 doing that ha-ha...

Full mix is here . It's a good show - you should check it out!

Tags:Max BerlinTim SweeneyBeats in Space

Sunday of the Triffids

Trip down to Chelsea Physic Gardens

As research for Jo’s latest writing project (well as an excuse to get out the house too) we bussed down to the Chelsea Physic gardens earlier today, looking for interesting plants, amusing latin names and some plant-based inspiration.

We found all that, plus triffids, cacti and hordes of visitors on a two-for-one TimeOut offer. Gardens are nice though a little less lush that I imagine they are in the summer. Mind you it is February. Cold spirits were lightened before leaving with the terrific glasses of mulled wine in the tea-shop... Chelsea on the othe hand was as hateful as ever: SUVs, Sloanes and suicidal SmartCar drivers. Glad I’m still in the north!

Other ‘news’ - Seems there are still Routemaster buses working the streets—on the Nº9 route at least. Caught my first BendyBus™ today too—which was horridly busy but (as I had to admit to Jo) in fact a fair bit quicker than the double deckers. Must be all the cyclists they slew on the way. I wish they'd done ‘a Mini’ on the Routemaster and made a cutting-edge retro design that ticked all the boxes of safety but kept the charm and siplicity. Instead we get these Euro Generic buses that can't turn a corner without a 30 metre turning circle.

Full gallery of gardens here

Tags:HerbsChelsea Physic GardenRoutemaster

Cute Attack

Now all in one place™

Rob at B3ta has collated all the images from the regular ‘Things that make you go ahhh’ feature in their newsletter and put them on a stand-alone site. Who can resist a bit of insanely-cute fluff on a hungover friday afternoon?

www.thingsthatmakeyougoaahh.com

‘Speed’: A compact minivelo

Got this in the mail last night...

Hi there: I've just about finished a new bike with 20-inch wheels, so I took it for a test ride and photo shoot this afternoon. I thought you might be interested in the pics.



The bike uses 451 mm instead of 406 wheels - I built this bike to see how the larger size compares in handling and comfort to the smaller wheels. Too soon to tell - I only rode around the block!

Check it out when you have a spare moment:

Best,
Tony Rentschler
New York, NY

Tony built a lovely ‘MiniVelo’ bike late last year which he submitted to the Fixed Gear Gallery; I mailed him to compliment him and we got into a little discussion about mini-bikes. That bike, and now this one bike have inspired me to push-on with my own embryonic designs for a custom built minibike. It's another sweet bike and cool to be kept up to date on his builds...

Wenlock Basin Bird Sanctuary

Spring coupling avian-style

The sound of loud honking from the canal behind where I sit at work marks the beginning of spring, at least for the Canada geese who are pairing again. Noisy as they are it's always nice to know they are ready for the new year. Also spotted today is what has to be London's tamest heron, who let me come within about 4 feet with my camera phone for it's closeup.

London doesn't have to be grimy and horrible. There really are pockets of ‘nice’ - even if some of them are within the enclave of an office complex.

Duracell Twenty

Just messin’ with Photoshop....

When I got my Twenty resprayed I kinda toyed with the idea of getting it in JCB yellow/orange to match the Mango Stelvio tyres. Was playing with an image of it in Photoshop (working on Twenty Site mk2) and liked the result - especially the two-tone black front frame. Maybe I'll do another frame like this one day? Get all the braze-ons removed and put on some 24" wheels? Hehe that would be a fun ride!