The Voice of Reason

Lady Gaga Telephone by Pomplamoose

2010-03-27T08:12:00.002+00:00

Another great little cover from the talented Pomplamoose.

It's fair cheered me up anyway!

Owl City - Fireflies

2010-03-25T21:02:00.002+00:00

Beautifully constructed little video: one of those where you notice another little detail each time you watch it. Nice upbeat little song too.

Death In All Its Many Forms

2010-02-20T22:46:00.005+00:00

I see dead people: lots of them. Primarily in my job as a doctor in a geriatric ward, I have issued dozens of death certificates. For the vast majority of these patients death came after "a good innings", and for a lot of these people death came as a blessed relief from pain, or other distressing symptoms. For most folk, death is something they rarely come across, and it remains very much a taboo subject for much of the UK population, even in the 21st Century. For me, and the doctors and nurses I work with, death is very much part of life. Some might see this response (or lack of it) to death as a form of desensitisation, and I certainly think my response to my father's death was influenced, and probably blunted, by my medical experience.

Today I'm on call for the Police. At 17.00, when I was thinking of going for a curry, I was asked to go and examine a 25 year old man who had put the barrel of a rifle in his mouth and pulled the trigger. He had left a suicide note. I can still see his face.

If that sort of death ever stops touching me I should probably "hang up my spurs".

"Typography" by Ronnie Bruce

2010-02-19T22:36:00.000+00:00

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

This excellent little video from Vimeo features the words of the poet Taylor Mali. Don't you find it irritating the way some people have a regular "upstroke" at the end of their sentences, or finish every sentence with "Know what I'm saying?"

You do? Well this video is right up your street!

Nothing To Blubber About?

2009-12-31T20:26:00.003+00:00

Busy Doing Nothing 2
Originally uploaded by Son of Groucho.

In July the Sog family visited the United States of America. Our first port of call was the lovely city of San Francisco, home of the celebrated Fisherman's Wharf. Fisherman's Wharf has many appealing attractions, not least San Francisco's branch of Hooters (but that's another story). One of it's most memorable features for us, not only from a visual but an olfactory point of view, was the colony of sea lions basking in the sun at Pier 39. These guys have been a tourist attraction for about 20 years, although I'm not sure if the locals loved them quite so much! Imagine my dismay, therefore, to read in this Wired Science Article that Salty and his chums have mysteriously disappeared!

It seems officials at the Marine Mammal Center aren't worried about the animals’ disappearance. They point out that sea lions are migratory animals and they say it’s natural for them to move around. I did hope to visit San Francisco again, and maybe the smelly, noisy but somehow quite loveable old so-and-sos will have returned by then?

Single Ladies - Beyonce

2009-12-28T13:38:00.004+00:00

This is an interesting cover version of Beyonce's song "Single Ladies" performed by Indie rockers Nataly Dawn and Jack Conte who form the group Pomplamoose. Not quite as sexy as the original version, but catchy in its own way. If you want to find more from Pomplamoose check out their YouTube Channel.

There's a bit more info about the group here too, and especially here. Apparently, they are in the top 100 most subscribed to musicians on YouTube. Their cover of Beyonce's song above has had over 2.5 million hits, and they have been able to give up their day jobs because they make enough money from their music.

Well I've just come across them, so there!

The Credit Crisis Visualised

2009-12-16T19:22:00.003+00:00

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

This brilliant little Vimeo video explains the origins of the credit crisis with great lucidity.

The rest, as they say, is history...

The Ascent of Money Part 1

2009-12-03T14:56:00.004+00:00

Many thanks for my friend JumpinJack on Flickr for pointing me in the direction of the Channel 4 series The Ascent of Money. This first programme traces the history of money from ancient times to the bond market. It is made more interesting for me because I've visited several of the places in the film including Venice, Florence and the east end of Glasgow. I've not visited sub-prime USA, but maybe that is no great loss!

Well worth setting aside 45 minutes of your time to watch this and start to get some idea how banks have become so powerful: how we have reached the situation where the directors of the Royal Bank of Scotland, into which taxpayers have paid millions, are now trying to blackmail the same taxpayers into allowing them to be paid their obscene bonuses.

Fiona Apple - Across The Universe

2009-11-29T21:32:00.002+00:00

I always wondered what this Beatles song meant: I suspect they were "chemically altered" when they wrote it! Having watched this little video of Ms Apple's excellent cover version, I am none the wiser, but greatly entertained nevertheless!

We're Number 37!

2009-09-14T19:06:00.003+00:00

Another YouTube video about the American Healthcare Debate. I suppose the NHS in the UK "could do better", but we do get our system for around half the percentage of GDP that the Americans do.

The French pay 11% of GDP for their highly regarded set-up compared to 8% in Britain.

You Know It Makes Sense

2009-08-30T08:06:00.003+00:00

As you know, I don't often find the time to blog these days but the debate about health care reform that rages in the US and simmers in the UK has finally overcome my natural lethargy. This brilliant little animated video spells out in terms that are difficult to argue with why the United States should provide universal health care that is funded by taxation and not by greedy, self-serving insurance companies. When you stand at the top of the Empire State Building in NYC some of the most lavish buildings you can see are owned by insurance companies, which should be telling us something!

These companies and their right-wing supporters have a lot to lose if Obama is successful: hence the vitriol and scare-mongering that is coming forth just now. America makes a big thing of its Christian values, but many US citizens apparently don't see that failing to provide large chunks of the population with health care is inconsistent with this.

On this side of the Atlantic, I am pleased to see that the debate is showing up major fault lines in Cameron's façade of the new "caring, sharing" Conservative Party. The Tories' commitment to the British NHS has been shown to be a total sham, but I don't know if this will be enough, in itself, to lose them the next election, unfortunately! Labour's increasing attempts to part-privatise the NHS in recent years have been shameful, and a genuine commitment to a publicly funded system, free of the need to pander to the demands of shareholders in private companies, might allow voters in the next election to chose a party that appreciates the true values upon which the NHS is based.

Galactic Center of Milky Way Rises over Texas Star Party

2009-06-18T18:59:00.003+00:00

Galactic Center of Milky Way Rises over Texas Star Party from William Castleman on Vimeo.

Another Vimeo video: this time with an astronomical theme. The galactic centre of the Milky Way captured with a modified Canon EOS 5D.

Pretty awe-inspiring, huh?

Beards on a Boat

2009-06-13T06:04:00.003+00:00

This video is from the World Beard and Moustache Championships (I kid you not) which was held at Anchorage, Alaska on May 23rd.

Maybe I should enter for the one in Trondheim, Norway in 2 years time?

DEADLINE post-it stop motion

2009-06-12T04:32:00.003+00:00

I love this little stop motion video. If you want to know how it was made, there is a video of that as well.

2009-05-02T20:14:00.003+00:00

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

This is an incredible little video from Vimeo of some totally crazy guys wingsuit base jumping in Norway. I couldn't even stand at the edge of these cliffs, far less throw myself off them like these maniacs.

It takes all kinds to make a World, I suppose...

More on the Graffiti Theme

2009-04-23T20:38:00.003+00:00

Papergirl #3 from Papergirl on Vimeo.
This group, rather than spray painting or puting up posters, chooses to cycle round and give their art work away.

Interesting concept...

C215

2009-04-22T20:25:00.004+00:00

When we were in Venice recently we came across four brilliant pieces of graffiti with a mysterious logo attached to each one. I uploaded the images to Flickr in the following order: 1, 2, 3, 4. Almost as soon as I uploaded the last picture my Flickr contact Simon Crubellier from London recognised the pictures as the work of a stencil graffiti artist called C215. Simon added the tag c215 to the picture and within minutes C215 had asked me to add the pictures to his group on Flicker devoted to his art.

The video shows C215 giving London the same treatment: simply amazing!

Yet another example of how wonderful the Internet can be...

The First PostSecret Picnic

2009-04-19T12:51:00.003+00:00

I first posted about PostSecret almost 4 years ago. It is interesting to see how the concept has not only persisted but developed. The power of the Internet to connect people in various ways fascinates me and gives me far more hope for the future of the human race than I get from listening to the jabbering of most of our politicians.

But then I am on old cynic...

I'm On A Boat (ft. T-Pain) - Clean

2009-04-15T05:07:00.002+00:00

Hilarious take off of certain music videos----you know the sort of thing.

Beautifully done!

Little Red Riding Hood For The Electronic Age

2009-04-12T21:41:00.001+00:00

Slagsmålsklubben - Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo.

Another brilliant little Vimeo Video.

It Makes You Think 4

2009-04-04T15:09:00.006+00:00

Three quotes relevant to the current economic crisis:

"There are 10^11 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers." Richard Feynman.

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies." Thomas Jefferson.

"Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debt." Herbert Hoover.

It seems history really does repeat itself...

Squirrel Attack!

2009-04-03T10:44:00.000+00:00

I find this quite funny, but certain aspects of my sense of humour are quite puerile.

You have been warned...

Bathtub IV

2009-03-21T22:27:00.003+00:00

Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I periodically post videos hosted on the site Vimeo. Here is another brilliant little film created by a guy called Keith Loutit.

Duplicity

2009-03-21T22:03:00.001+00:00

Went with Wosog to see the film "Duplicity" with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. The latter is quite "flavour of the month" just now, and we also recently enjoyed his film "The International". I've always thought Julia Roberts was a pretty good actor with one of those faces that looks beautiful one minute then not so the next.

Generally, with films like this, I have to rely on Wosog to keep me up to speed with the plot, but I think I followed most of it. All in all it was an entertaining little film that is worth a visit.

Taking the Biscuit

2009-03-20T07:03:00.004+00:00

The current global financial crisis has thrown up so many examples of how morally bankrupt, if not financially bankrupt, our financial institutions have become. I have referred previously to the outrage in the UK about bailed-out banks continuing to pay staff bonuses and the ongoing "disquiet" about Fred Goodwin's pension. I think in the USA public unhappiness about the bail-outs is all the more palpable because it seems such an "un-American" thing to do.

It is perhaps ironic, then, that probably the worst example of a rescued financial institution, to use the vernacular, "taking the piss" is in the United States. According to this article in the New York Times, the insurance company AIG, which is already under fire from Congress over executive bonuses, is quietly suing the American Government for the return of $306 million in tax payments! This is the same AIG in which the government has an 80 percent stake and into which it has poured nearly $200 billion in an attempt to avert its collapse. Even more incredibly, it appears that AIG is spending taxpayers' money to pursue its case, something it is legally entitled to do!

Words fail me...