Category Archives: Consumer

Pete Townshend – John Peel lecture

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Consumer, Music, Music industry | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Why I’m so angry with a brewery

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Consumer, Food/Drink, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Facebook lies

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Consumer, Drivel | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The end of cheap booze?

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 … Continue reading

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Streamlining the UK, one plug at a time…

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Consumer, Technology | Leave a comment

Spotify on the go!

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Consumer, Technology | 2 Comments

What are you doing now? TELL US!

File under “funny but actually really serious”, this is required reading for Facebook users… Statebook

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Gumtree users – be careful out there

I’m sort of half-heartedly looking for a secondhand Mac Pro, in order to futureproof my setup a little bit. The next version of OS X will apparently be Intel-only, as are several nice-looking apps, and my Mac is a pre-Intel … Continue reading

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Drinkers to join smokers in leper colony

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 … Continue reading

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The Ghost Bus

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Consumer, Public Transport | 1 Comment