Pete Townshend gave the inaugural John Peel Lecture yesterday. I was initially rather surprised by the choice of Townshend. Peel, it seems to me, stood for the fearless exploration of new music and the blurring of the received boundaries between “mainstream” and “alternative”. Townshend was an Angry Young Man once, but has been part of [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Consumer'
Pete Townshend – John Peel lecture
November 1st, 2011 · 5 Comments · Consumer, Music, Music industry
Why I’m so angry with a brewery
October 25th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Consumer, Food/Drink, Politics
I could burble about the disastrously regressive nature of the George Osborne’s Comprehensive Spending Review, the misrepresentation of how the economy got in this state and the lies behind the “all in this together” line. But I won’t. Lots of other people have done this better than I could. However, one little detail has caught [...]
Tags:beer·CSR·cuts·Fuller's·George Osborne
Facebook lies
August 25th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Consumer, Drivel
I suppose we already know that they like to play fast and loose with our personal data, so it’s not surprising that a few people have been noticing something like this recently… Er, no I haven’t! It’s hardly worth getting worked up about such an insignificant thing, but really… are they so desperate to get [...]
Tags:facebook·friend finder·lies
The end of cheap booze?
June 2nd, 2010 · No Comments · Consumer, Food/Drink, Politics
I can’t claim to have any revolutionary suggestions for combatting our supposed descent into alcoholic oblivion, but I’m not sure that minimum unit pricing is the answer. Using price controls to affect people’s behaviour is going to be unpredictable when the perception of the product differs so radically from person to person, social group to [...]
Tags:alcohol·drinking·unit price
Streamlining the UK, one plug at a time…
July 3rd, 2009 · No Comments · Consumer, Technology
From the “improve our lives by addressing the mundane and everyday” department… Folding Design Flattens the Fatty UK Plug (Gizmodo) That’s just totally wonderful. The whole design is impressive, but the Big Grin Moment for me is when the folded plugs all connect to the side of a master adaptor. Someone please give those designers [...]
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Spotify on the go!
May 28th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Consumer, Technology
As a huge fan of Spotify, I couldn’t help letting out a little squeak of excitement at the news of a forthcoming mobile version. But then the cold light of rationality hits me and I wonder how practical this is going to be. With our mobile network providers still charging ludicrous rates for even the [...]
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What are you doing now? TELL US!
April 19th, 2009 · No Comments · Consumer, Politics
File under “funny but actually really serious”, this is required reading for Facebook users… Statebook
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Drinkers to join smokers in leper colony
February 16th, 2009 · No Comments · Consumer, Politics
I know the protesting parties referred to in this Observer story are more worried about actual alcoholics rather than people who just like to enjoy the odd tipple and damn the consequences, but still… remind me, just how much are we paying the Government every time we buy a drink?
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The Ghost Bus
January 8th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Consumer, Public Transport
Another year, another set of above-inflation railway fare increases. This has now become so predictable, I can barely bring myself to comment or even pay attention. Luckily, there’s a far more interesting symbol of our bloated, profiteering, bullshit-driven privatised transport system just around the corner… Well, on Ealing Broadway, anyway… Clean, on time and empty. [...]
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Next time you change your ISP…
December 9th, 2008 · No Comments · Consumer, Politics, Technology
… consider how you’d feel about them signing up to Cleanfeed, the “Great Firewall of Britain”, which prevents access to websites blacklisted by the Internet Watch Foundation. At present, six UK ISPs are filtering web content in this way… Virgin Media, Be Unlimited/O2/Telefonica, EasyNet/UK Online, PlusNet, Demon, and Opal. Great Firewall of Britain (The Nock [...]
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