Monthly Archives: August 2002

On The Town

Tonight I am taking a client for a drink (well, not me but I am going with the Account Manager for this client). These are always interesting evenings and you never really know what to expect. They could be nice and they could be dull. It could be over in an hour or it could go on to the early hours. They are perfectly reasonable people in the working environment but they may be awful when you get a shandy in them. I suspect this may be a late night.

On this day…

2005: Lost
2004: Kill Bill (Volume 1)
2003: Disappointing Frustrating

The Art of the Blog

I have been thinking some more about this whole blogging lark. I have always said that the most fascinating part of the online community has been personal homepages. They drawn me in like some crazed stalker. However, you put it there for me to read so, perhaps, stalker is not the appropriate term (I mean how many people invite stalkers?). Still, read them I do. So, I was interested in the book We’ve Got Blog. Now, here is a handy link to some of the books contents.

On this day…

2007: The Slag Of All Updates
2006: Hello From Here
2005: Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

When Love Comes To Town

My latest book review!!

When Love Comes To Town
Tom Lennon

Book cover for When Love Comes To TownThere are many fictional coming-out tales to choose from, so why this read Lennons?

Firstly, there aren’t that many set in contemporary Dublin. Secondly, there are not too many told with the humour and compassion of When Love Comes To Town. Finally, there are not that many that are such a good read.

Let me also be honest. There are few new takes on the coming-out dilemma, so don’t expect total originality.

Neil Byrne is a top class student who has realised he isn’t like all his coupled-up (straight) friends. The story takes us through Neil’s tentative steps into Dublin’s gay nightlife and his introduction to the characters of The Scene. Neil’s first love and family’s reaction are all covered and his confusion, pain, hopes & desires are well described.

The family’s response is not a model reaction, so don’t read this book if you are looking for a reassuring, positive take on the acceptance of loved ones to the news that one of their own is gay.

The book’s climax is certainly one of the more surprising aspects of the tale. In a dark moment Neil realises what he needs to do to survive the next few years of his life in an intolerant community. This ending results in a fine piece of writing that conveys the emotion of the final scene remarkably well and, I suspect, brings a lump to the throat of many readers.

Given a less positive ending than many similar books, I found this to be a refreshingly honest story. It is certainly a welcome addition to the genre.

Click here to but it at Amazon | Click here to see this review at Amazon

On this day…

2007: Presentation Porn
2005: Memories Of The Walkman
2004: Digital Download Chart
2003: Silly Pop Stars
2003: Beep Beep To Profit

Don’t Call Me Stupid

If you believe the old-timers then the nation is becoming stupid. Perhaps not actually the nation but then a good proportion of the people are less intelligent than their counterparts in previous generations. Every media is dumbing down because we are all too thick to understand long words. Well, thank goodness for yesterday’s Observer (second reference to it in a row). Euan Ferguson argues that this is not the case. We are intelligent again!

On this day…

2007: Better In Just 14 Days
2005: By Ek
2004: Save A Pop Idol
2004: Open House 2004
2004: Back Ache Update
2003: Oh Canada II

State Of The Town

Jonathan Fenby wrote an excellent piece in today’s Observer (which thankfully I have found online and can link to) about the state of the British capital? I admit that I hoped Ken would help sort some of the mess this city is in. An integrated public transport system, clean and safer streets etc. I bought into the whole idea of new vision for London. But, as Fenby writes, “The snag is the man who should be providing it shows himself better at getting elected mayor than giving his city a new start.” Perhaps it is too much to hope that one man could change the attitudes of the society in this city. Many people just accept the way it is and perhaps, if most people are OK with the state of London, then this is the way it should be.

I know that I am talking very generally. What should I add to The Observer piece? London transport is over-crowded, dirty and smelly. When it runs it’s acceptable but when it doesn’t run then the whole system falls apart. Last week’s rain brought large chunks of the system to a halt. Rain, for goodness sake, it’s the one thing we know we are going to get here. Yesterday, I was stood on the Northern Line and there “there is no service” announcements must have gone on for ten minutes.

Ah, and I survived the party quite well – although I did feel a little rough this morning. It didn’t finish until gone two in the morning and ended with us watching old episodes of The Tube. Perhaps I should have left earlier.

On this day…

2005: 7 Million Londoners, 1 London
2004: Viva Owen?
2003: Wonderful Weekend

Survival

Well. now I know that a champagne hangover isn’t very bad. Or perhaps I took my own advice for I am feeling OK this morning. The night was good – lots of champagne (bought in advance during the Happy Hour) and only the two bottle of wine at the end were a bad sign (and there were a large number of us). Met a crazy woman with purple nails who kept telling me and PY that we were wonderful (she was, quite possibly, drunk) and handed my business card to her (possibly not the wisest move on in the world as she may be some kind of crazed stalker that tracks people down). Still, another all-day party begins in Walthamstow at three this afternoon. Am I ready for more punishment?

On this day…

2006: Go Ant Go!
2005: Tipping BAR Honda To Win
2004: Gym Buddy – We Must Not Stop Now

The Night Ahead

I am off to a leaving party tonight in some swanky bar. I know that I shall drink too much and shall spoil the entire weekend for myself now. Unfortunately, I also know that there is nothing that I am going to do about it and so I will have to live with that. I think it’s an age thing. They always said you would increasingly become aware of your own limits as you get old and I know mine. I also know that I am worse-than-awful at stopping when I have hit my limits – weather that’s drinking, staying awake etc. A weekend in a haze is predicted. On the upside, today has been a lovely, normal working day without too much stress and, for once, it looks like I am about to leave on time. Maybe that’s a good sign.

On this day…

2005: How Interesting
2004: Ericsson 260 Cordless Phone

Water, Water Everywhere

Last night was an underwater adventure for many Londoners. Apparently, 3cm of rain fell in 30 minutes – which is a reasonable amount of water. The strain on the drainage system was too great and we had cars underwater, closed tube stations and some very, very wet people walking around. Many people have a perception that London is grey and always raining but it doesn’t handle rain well at all. I guess it’s all the Victorian sewers (or whatever they are).

The pictures of cars almost submerged are strangely reminiscent of my home town of Shrewsbury – which is prone to flooding. The town is mainly contained within a loop of the River Severn and, as such, seems to get drowned from all sides in the winter storms and spring thaws.

I guess Shrewsbury is my home town. I was not born there, did not live there for the first fourteen years of my life, and have not lived there for ten years. My parents still live there and I go to see them occasionally and I think of it as my home town, but really, it’s just another place I have lived. Of course, I do have very fond memories of the place which, I assume, helps.

On this day…

2006: Changes At Red Bull Racing
2005: Swiss Re Tower, London
2004: Back Ache
2003: More Gay Marriage

Where Are You Now, Miss Boo?

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I submitted another review to Amazon.co.uk today and I was quite pleased with it. Having just finished Boo Hoo (the story of online “active streetwear” retailer boo.com) I thought I would add another review to my small list. I was particularly fond of the last line: “Live hard, die young and leave a beautiful corpse” could almost have been written of Miss Boo.

I wait to see if it published as I wrote it.

My full review submitted to Amazon.co.uk earlier today:

What a fascinating book. Take two Swedes, a desire to be “cool” and throw $135 million at them! Ernst MalmstenÂ’s story of boo.com is a warning to all new enterprises everywhere: get some strong financial controls and make sure you stay in charge of your costs. Most of all, it tells us that there is no substitute for some experience when running a shop.

I was sceptical that Ernst et al. would hide behind others and not shoulder the blame. However, what comes through clearly is the founderÂ’s vision, belief and desire to build a world class product as well as the managementÂ’s failings when developing that business. It is possible to read much by what is not said, as well as what story is directly told and in that, an incredible tale unfolds before you.

The book is well written and highly addictive. As the inevitable end approaches it becomes one of those books you pick up all the time, even just to read the next two paragraphs. As a story it is thoroughly thought-out, well-paced and fascinating. As an insight into online business history it may be one-sided and sometimes lacking but it remains compulsive reading and a captivating look a never-to-be-repeated economic boom (and bust) time.

Boo.com became synonymous with the “live the high live, party hard” culture that many cash fuelled Internet start-ups went (and spent) through. “Live hard, die young and leave a beautiful corpse” could almost have been written of Miss Boo.

On this day…

2006: Button Is A Winner!
2005: London’s Living Room
2004: Saturday News
2003: RSS Feeds
2003: No More Clause 28
2003: July 2003 And All That

To Some People Enola Gay is Just a Pop Song

While we appear to be on the verge of more war in the world, the good folks at today’s Daypop news point us to The Guardian:

Today is Hiroshima Day, the anniversary of the first use of a bomb so powerful that it would come to threaten the existence of the human race. Only two such devices have ever been used, but now, a decade after the end of the cold war, the world faces new dangers of nuclear attack – from India, Pakistan, Iraq, al-Qaida, and even the US. Launching a special investigation into nuclear weapons, Paul Tibbets, the man who piloted the Enola Gay on its mission to Japan, tells Studs Terkel why he has no regrets – and why he wouldn’t hesitate to use it again

[Guardian]

Did you know that today is Hiroshima Day? It seems to have missed me. I think this is something we should all be thinking about at this time.

On this day…

2006: Dropped at 0815
2006: A Glass Pyramid
2004: Doesn’t Time Fly?
2003: Things To Say
2003: Five Live and Weblogs