Frightened Rabbit: Sing the Greys: Pitchfork Record Review

Frightened Rabbit: Sing the Greys: Pitchfork Record Review

The Ol' FR get a respectable review at Pitchfork, something thats not always easily achieved. Hooray for the Rabbit! Hooray for Glasgow!

The role of Governmental websites.

I have always thought that progressive, democratic societies are built upon fundamental ideas such as freedom of speech and the right to a decent education (amongst many others). Considering both of these points makes me think about the internet.

Everyone has the right to write anything they so wish (as I am doing right now) and publish this on the internet, a freedom of speech that is incredibly difficult to restrict. Educationly, the internet has also enlightened many, even with a crappy 28.8k connection one could imagine that access to material (granted some of dubious educational quality) never before available to some has improved vastly. Corporations, NGOs, Universities and National Governments have all used the internet to their advantage, to inform and to educate the general public in whatever way they wish.

There is the problem however of institutional bias. What an NGO and a Corporation say about the same situation could be hugely different. This, I think, is unavoidable and it is up to the reader to decide who they believe. However, should this be the case when it comes down to websites operated by national governments? Should spin be allowed? I think not. I think there is a responsibility on governments, as the bastions of progressive, democratic societies, to provide the 'decent education' as I mentioned above.

Which is why when I recently checked out the Government of Canada's official Climate Change website I was so sorely disappointed. To be fair, you can eventually get to some musings on climate change after following a bunch of links from one government department to anothers website. But I was honestly shocked that one could simply declare an issue as huge as Climate Change a closed book, one that this government has decided simply to not provide any easily accessible information on. Could you imagine if they decided to not provide any information on HIV/Aids or simply had a page for a website instructing the reader that the site is 'temporarily unavailable'?

Perhaps there is no responsibility on any government to provide free and accessible information on any issue. One could argue with the reams of information on everyone elses website that this would be pointless. Perhaps that is what institutions like the UN are for, but at least, if you have an official page on an issue, maybe it should have a link to that institution?

It's a thinker...

Ryuichi Sakamoto

Adam Buxton but no Joe

Adam Buxton

Well, having spent about the last five days with the flu, I now have a long line in stories of sweating profusely for no reason, and whats good on On Demand. One of the latter is three series of the Adam and Joe show - you know what that means: three opening episodes that you have to pay absolutely nil for! (they're free). So they're the ones I watched, but I know the rest are there for me in moments of boredom, of which there are sure to be many seeing as I am living in one room with an armchair opposite the TV, which is on the fridge. (The builders have started).

Anyway, have had fun reading Adam's blog, which Jonny Greenwood linked to on Dead Air Space. Speaking of whom there was a Late Junction special last night dedicated to, from what I could tell, 'some tunes Jonny probably likes' seeing as they never actually talked to him. Still, it was good.

Useless Dog

What a Useless Dog... But lovely to have around the place no doubt.

'Compared to this, Iraq was easy'

'Compared to this, Iraq was easy'

Guardian correspondent Declan Walsh reports from Afghanistan, embedded with the 10th US mountain division, in a series of narrated slideshows. Good stuff.

Flickr distraction

DON'T OIL MACHINE WHEN RUNNING
Originally uploaded by equipeowen.

This is from the Stick Figures in Peril group.

Also, Dave Gorman's Interesting Flickr Coincidences set is quite, wll, interesting.

Soviet bus shelters

Polar Inertia, a photography site has an interesting gallery of Soviet bus shelters, of which this is one.

via Core77

Magischer Garten: nach acht und vierzig Stunden

Magischer Garten: nach acht und vierzig Stunden
Originally uploaded by Spherical Roy.

You asked for it: the Magic Crystal Garden, documented in Flickr glory..

Thank you Anneka!

Tatooine

Tatooine
Originally uploaded by chartno3.

Haven't been there for a while, but Jonathan Percy is still posting photos for Chartno3, now at Flickr..

Sandy

Strangely, I've never visited Sandy's website before - it's rather good

Dead christmas tree

Dead christmas tree
Originally uploaded by Jennifer Louise Taylor.

Jenny has astutely moved onto Chrimbo trees...

The Guy Dawg

yessir
Originally uploaded by gillyroche.

Gilly has posted some photos from our new year in Milnathort. Thank you Hurly Burlys!

It's Dave!

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/students/profile/573
Wow, you really liked that course, eh Dave?

And here he is again, this time at Culturelab:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/culturelab/people/profile/david.green

Dead umbrella

Dead umbrella
Originally uploaded by Jennifer Louise Taylor.

Jenny is documenting all those deceased umbrellas that tend to pop up in Glasgow every winter...

Festive Greetings!

And as a gift, something I think I forgot to blog about a month ago: Neel's pictures from our climb in Glen Coe, that is Aonach Eagach:
here
Best wishes,
Roy

WebbIE

This from Neel:

Just heard a really interesting interview with one of the members of the cinematic orchestra on gilles peterson from last sunday - new album coming out soon he plays one track as a preview. Forward to minute 44 or 45. (hold down numpad 6 to forward if using accessible listen again (link below))

try this out
http://www.webbie.org.uk/download/WebbIE3.exe
for a standalone version of the BBC listen again for all the radio stations. Saves going through the browser interface (which maybe only I find really annoying) Also installs accessible podcaster and podcatchers. The webbie website also has a really neat interface to project gutenburg for free, out of copyright books.

Snap

If you're wondering what on earth is going on here the following might explain it:
Snap

Reached via Geobloggers.com, an interesting blog about geotagging on Flickr and Google and the such like and possible intergrations with mobile technologies - very interesting, via the Guardian Technology supplement last Thursday.

I am Kritch

I am Kritch

Richard has pulled out the stops and cemented his web presence (he's a got a website)

theSound updates finally

I have rehashed the front page of theSound a wee bit to reflect the more fragmented nature of my web presence. I still like theSound. But that was then. This is now.

I suspect that that update was for the last time.