kingofthescratchmonkeys

big bro'

Mmmm, new bunch of punchdrunk media monkeys installed in the BB house, and it's a rare feast for those who would decry the slipping standards in broadcasting. Take Friday's much-advertised launch program for instance: what was going on with the sound? I'm assuming Endemol have a 'no-blame' culture within the company- or are there a few sound technicians wandering around this weekend clutching their P45's..... what a shower! And the blatant attempts at stirring up controversy by simply throwing in ostensibly opposite profiles into the mix..... a homophobe muslim, a screaming drama queen: need I go on? Urgh! Next came the po-faced declaration that loved ones would not be allowed one last hug with the internees- oh yeah, then why were the crew outside BB House guiding the petulant Kitten to her lover to swap spit in a last-minute shock-fest?
As John Lydon has observed before: ever have the feeling you've been had? But that needn't be the case. As my good lady wife declared- it's interesting how fairly soon everyone becomes stripped of the personal constructions they take into the house- they become ordinary.... but observation of the ordinary is not a bad thing, and neither is reality tv. See here for the debt due to reality tv from the rest of television....

collapsing old buildings.....

altebauten? I dunno.... anyway, i checked out a link (space and culture) off the groovy weblog of Simon Roberts (ideasbazaar), and was most delighted to discover the work of Shaun OBoyle: Modern Ruins Photographic Essays , some great work in the same vein as the Japanese 'haikyo' (ruins) afficionados.... There are several photographers working in this area in Japan, perhaps the widest known being Shinichiro Kobayashi with his Deathtopia series. Check out the rest of the links from the esthet site..... time to get the digicam out and snap those wonderful deserted petrol stations dotted around the UK.

Gotta New Motor, John?

much shall be the weeping 'n' wailing this Saturday as I trade in the faithful Honda Civic (with it's sweet-as-a-nut Multimatic CVT box) for an enigmatic '98 R reg Nissan Almera SX (yes, not SLX, SX- a real mystery car if I ever came across one...). Small Cars 'n' Scooters, a teensy-weensy Derby emporium is providing da wheels in exchange for just a smidge over two grand of my hard-earned.... Let's hope there're no surprises in store (like that unleashed by the East-London wide-boy from Chadwell Heath who sold me the Civic (turned out to be well expensive insuring an import- and it wasn't even an exotic!).

Bully 4 U

Delighful news that bullies can now depend on the British courts to protect them against over-zealous relatives of their victims taking the law into their own hands. So now, after the schools, police and all other pertinent authorities have reinforced your feelings of impotence, please refrain from clipping the ears of the offenders- you'll find yrself up in front of The Beak if you dare to....