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OK, here's how I made the soup I've been banging on about.

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See the full gallery on Posterous

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I really like these videos.

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

LEARN from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

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Last year, I threatened to start a new twitter account which would allow me to rate X-Factor contestants as being either a) Good or b) Shit. The twitter account would allow me to tweet IN REAL TIME making the whole viewing experience OH SO EXCITING. 

And so, here it is. Do give it a follow.

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[[posterous-content:Qz5pl15vjgSxk2mYNsCy]]

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1) We're too late 

Let's face it people, we're just too bloody late to be campaigning to get Twitter to Manchester. Yes, Manchester has great connectivity, great facilities (like Media City) and a massive Twitter community, but it seems we've all been a little slow on the uptake. On the Twitter Jobs page, positions for the UK have been advertised for at least the last month, and all state that the roles are based in London. But even if this campaign started then, we'd still have been too late to make a claim. 

2) The Prime Minister intervened 

Much has been made of George Osborne's obsession with digital. As it happens, it's been reported that he was the main digital force during the Conservatives campaign. He did a tour of Silicon Valley and met with many CEOs and product managers, and was even spotted wearing a Mozilla tee on a cycling journey prior to election. Now, the Tory's digital campaign was actioned by others, but it was Osborne's desire to emulate President Obama's successful use of social media.

Since coming to power, the Tory's have made no secret about their mission to attract big business to UK shores. While David Cameron has professed to not knowing a bloody thing about Twitter, and not wanting to appear a "twat", he pursued Twitter in a way akin to a randy teenager chasing the class slag at a school disco. Last December, he invited Twitter to number 10 to personally appeal to establish their base in good ol' London Town. If anything, he was massively scared by Ireland, who's low taxation saw the arrival of Google UK and European Operations. He couldn't allow Twitter to slip through his fingers.

We could have we been better organised. We could have produced a great little web app, where we could all voice our support with a hashtag. We didn't though, mainly because we didn't know it was happening. We also need to pick our battles. Taking the government to task over their "hey Twitter, meet London" approach could result in us lacking the ability to lobby for other concerns in the digital ecosystem.

3) The wider problem 

Manchester and the North West has one of the most vibrant digital and creative workforces in Europe. Yet, somehow, we sometimes get overlooked. The PM announced in November last year how the Shoreditch Roundabout (he read about it in Wired) would become the UKs Silicon Valley (I'm sure we've heard that before). The problem is that Manchester has the right infrastructure to support digital expansion. We've got high speed internet. We've got a digital community. We're seeing start ups and businesses build on this, but we need to position ourselves better on the world stage. Until we learn to stick up for ourselves, our best people will be sucked away, and we worry that we won't be attractive to big, successful corporations like Twitter. Unless we can find a way to promote our wares to a wider audience, our buoyant community could be facing a decline in skills, as we all know that the Beeb is starting to hoover up talent. 

4) Sort it out Manchester Digital/NWVM/Creative England/Whoever-bloody-else 

We need someone, anyone to make sure our interests as a region are protected. We work hard to make the NW an exciting place to do business, and we all know that we're working at the bleeding edge of technology. But we need more support, investment, and education to keep us ahead of the pack, or at the very least, in the line of sight. We then might not need a hashtag to persuade a business to come to us, because they will already know what a great environment we have for the best in the digital industry.

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Here's a good article talking about the Guardian, and how since they've decided to make all of their news open, there's no point in buying the paper any more. I completely agree. I now consume most of my news either on my iPhone or iPad as it's easier, though I still purchase both the Guardian and the Observer at the weekend. I do also like the Times iPad edition, though would totally subscribe to a GMG equivalent if it was available. I also think the Guardian iPhone app is piss poor, and when I'm reading their content on my phone, I just use the website instead.

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I know, it's been a while. Been a bit busy. Anyway, @mr_trick posted this up this morning, and it's too good to not share. If anything, it could have been me as a child. Ace.

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Various hands went up (including my own), and when it was my turn, I
was asked what it was about.

"Biscuits" was my reply, as my memory harked back to my heady days in
online research communities, where I once may (or may not) have led a
discussion about a new snack product. This was my only contribution to
a reasonably lively and well structured panel discussion about "Wired
Cities", where the likes of Julian from FutureEverything, Susie from
Creative Tourist, and a self confessed 'zealot' from Manchester
Climate Fortnightly, all spoke about digital democracy, the death of
the newspaper, and the general advancements councils are making in
opening up public data.

The conversation took the route of the occasionally controversial,
with a general bemoaning of some of the writing quality out there, and
how there's simply no effective routes for quality arts journalism to
break into the mainstream. A concern was raised about whether bloggers
are the journalists of the future, and the general inexperience, lack
of research, and inability to self edit all counting as factors
leading to a resounding "no" from around the room. It was also
accepted that many blogs are too targeted, too niche, and often
speaking into an echo chamber, or to those who are already involved in
blogging themselves.

All of the above made sense. There is some absolute utter bollocks out
there. However, the problem doesn't strictly exist with the shorter
attention spans of web readers today. The problem (or opportunity) is
with the means of content delivery. The internet isn't something fixed
royally in the realm of a desktop browser; Some users, including
myself, often consume web content over a multitude of different
devices, which therefore can impact in the types of content they
engage with. Those of us lucky to have a new fangled tablet device may
find themselves engaging with and creating content in a different way.
This, in my mind, points to a different concern, and that being how
the Government actually plan to bring those excluded (either
voluntarily or for reasons outside of their means) into the world of
online content.

The country is populated by those who want to engage, are able to
engage but don't, and those who wish to engage but can't. It's with
these groups where digital inclusion needs to work. By getting
broadband into communities where it lacks, and granting access to
uncomplicated devices which can be connected to the internet in
seconds, the ways in which users digest online content will change.

Since Twitter, I've been nowhere near as active with long form
blogging. Why? I'm time poor, and those moments in the day when in the
gainful employment of someone else which meant I could get away with
bashing off 200 words just don't exist. I don't have time to read
either - my google reader account has long since been abandoned. I
could take this opportunity to be REALLY controversial, by confessing
that I've never found online writing truly stimulating - if anything,
short form content on a screen is easier to read. But as the devices
change by which we consume content, we may find that we start to
engage with content which is applicable to the platform. My iPhone is
for short, my iPad for long, and my desktop for work. While I'm lucky
to have access to this technology, it has only gone to convince me
that someone who's digitally reluctant, like my Mum (bless her cotton
socks), may be able to interact with the web and the long form
treasures it has squirrelled away or in production for the future.

The future of the wired city is in rude health. It's not just about
the short/long form, it's about all those individual elements teaming
together to be culturally important, and by providing an access point
to those who need it. We need to find new and exciting ways of
delivering content to those excluded, and with new technologies
ranging from tablets to internet on the television, we may have a
route.

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Some of you might remember that my Mum had a rather serious road accident last year, and it's something that has left her only able to move about with the aide of crutches. Today, she's embarking on the race for life with my sister (who's also disabled), so given that while most have come in and they're still waddling around the circuit on their sticks, it would be like, TOTALLY AWESOME if you'd chuck some money their way. It's all for Cancer Research, so it's going to a good home like. Get on board with them here.

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It's a bit good (especially if you're a fan of the band).

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