Author Archives: zedstarr

Getting rather excited about the prospect of a “hack space” for the North West of England. Looks like possible events are to be set-up in Liverpool, Manchester and Stockport (at the time of writing). Some discussion at http://groups.google.co.uk/group/NW-hack-space Liverpool specific venues being proposed: [LSC] http://liverpoolsocialcentre.org/ [STATIC] http://www.static-ops.org/complex.htm [CUC] http://www.novasscarman.org/contemporary-urban-centres/ Might be a useful re-cycling point for all the old-techContinue reading “hsNW :: (hack space for the NorthWest)”

so, this working from home lark… nearly three years after it all began here we are again, cables/boxes everywhere and dining table covered! Not good for the domestic harmony!

…so the temperature round here’s supposed to have been 7C today – so why do my feet feel like they’re made of ice? Maybe it’s still the post-spange-40th-effects? spange photos here bah!

Bibble. Yeah? Smanks and Onslatt baby!

Some of my youth (!) was spent hammering away on one of these… …a Casio VL-1 (sometimes known as the VL-tone). I can remembering skipping school lunches and saving the dinner money to save up for one! It’s since become something of a cult instrument, not least because it features primitive programming/hacking capability – programmingContinue reading “Casio retro…”

…it’s true, Steve Jobs is God. Apple unveil iNvisible iBook 🙂

In no particualr order, can I share with you… and then some and of course a little bit of Watch this space… Oh, I nearly forgot! Most definitely some and some !!! Meh.

I’ve just given in to the urge – dug out my copy of Drukqs (Aphex Twin, 2001)… I couldn’t get on with it in 2001, but now it seems to make much more sense? What’s all that about? And, I’ve suddenly spotted the “Jones” (Nathan Barley) == “AFX” link! (of course Jones == Mighty BooshContinue reading “AFX == Jones”

In another retro-viewage session, I’ve re-visited “Cool Hand Luke” an absolute classic of a film from 1967 in which Paul Newman plays a non-conformist rebel… This reminds me so much of the first time I saw this film, with my Dad, as a young boy… Classic quotes like “I can eat 50 eggs.” that myContinue reading “"What we've got here is…failure to communicate."”

… just re-visited “Nathan Barley” – Chris Morris & Charlie Brooker’s take on the self-obsessed world of the “self-facilitating media node”s of the nu-meeja boom. Genius. Even though it was slated by the critics when released (it was first aired in 2005 – a long time after the early nu-meeja hype had settled) it’s oneContinue reading “Honkchisel or Glossal Frag?”

It seems like everyone’s been talking manbags lately (started last Xmas, with my mum threatening to buy me one!) – is this the year they’ll really make it to the mainstream? I must confess to being a ManBag fan and active carrier for years – since the mid-Eighties I guess – I’ll try and putContinue reading “ManBags and Stationery…”

found this over at Veloux’s place… Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™ Doesn’t quite sit right in the WordPress scheme of things… How it should look… cxf

Another one done. Amazing to see the Children’s appetite for chocolate — so unbelievably huge! It never ceases to amaze me how they’ll put all manner of fluorescent (un-natural!) coloured products in their tums, but turn their noses up at good, honest veg! cxf

Imagine my excitement when I finally got my hands on the p990i – after several years of my faithful service to the SE P-Series the so called “flagship” promises so much, but in the end, delivers so little – here’s why: random reboots – “the phone has restarted to improve performance” ??? Come on! WhatContinue reading “Smartphone not-so-smart”

No, not some incitement to murder, just 5 minutes and 18 seconds of pure genius from danlesac & scroobius pip – reminds me of Leftfield/Lydon’s “Open Up” (without the venom) or that Baz Lehrman “Sunscreen” thingy (only 874,000% cooler) Radio 1’s uber-kiwi Zane Lowe introduced me to this epic klingen-klanger as I was suffering myContinue reading “"thou shalt always kill"”

Well that was a long ‘un! One of those never-ending days at work, but unusually, one where I feel like I actually achieved something! Useful meeting, presentation went well, couple of useful phone calls where people actually had the right info. and were helpful! Wonders will never cease. Just popping out for a spot ofContinue reading “Phew – what a day!”

ok, so she’s asleep next to me, here I am typing (poking & prodding more like!) on the laptop keyboard, trying to keep it quiet… it’s 11:27 and I’ve got to be up at 04:30 – am I mad? night night!