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Robin Hood Was Real
In a smart PR move to promote UKTV Gold now running BBC1’s Robin Hood, the company commissioned some research which has resulted in worldwide coverage. Seemingly teenagers think that Winston Churchill didn’t exist and that Robin Hood was real. When I read about something like this, I immediately want to read the full press release,…
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Derren Brown: The System
I do enjoy most of Derren Brown’s programmes. The last series was a bit poor however, with episodes in which he essentially “kidnapped” a person and had them “wake up” in Marrakesh, not really going anywhere. But he’s a great magician and showman who positively reinvigorated magic on television. The System began with Brown claiming…
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Cloverfield
I must admit that I hadn’t been looking forward to Cloverfield with quite the same enthusiasm that some on the internet had been. But the teaser trailer was good fun, as did the idea of a film with no stars, and all that it brought with it. I will just mention that having two brothers…
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Bedroom TV
A couple of week’s ago Charlie Brooker wrote about the fun madness that is Bedroom TV – a channel where members of the public video themselves lip-syncing to pop songs. Fast forward a week or so, and we put together a leaving video for a much loved colleague who was departing after more than ten…
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V Chips
From January 1 2000, every TV set in the US has had to have something called a “V Chip” built into it. Effectively this is a parental control system similar to those found on systems such as Sky digiboxes, that allows parents to limit what their children are allowed to watch. A rating code for…
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Everyone’s….
…reading breakfastdj.blogspot.com aren’t they? (Doing for radio what the Secret Blog of a TV Controller (aged 33 and 3/4) did for a person who’s in no way connected with BBC Three)
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When is Free Really Free?
In some respects, this is a continuation of my last entry about Qtrax. While the final position of Qtrax has yet to be established, it’s interesting to look at another high profile example that got plenty of coverage last year – Nokia’s Comes With Music package. As you may or may not recall, Nokia announced…
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Qtrax
So what’s the deal with Qtrax? On Saturday, Channel 4 News carried a report highlighting the launch of a new music service. Qtrax, they reported, had signed deals with the big four record companies and would be launching their free music service on Sunday. Details were a little sketchy, but it was clear that the…
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RAJAR Podcasting
“RAJAR”:http://www.rajar.co.uk/ has just released its findings from a piece of research into podcasting in the UK. The report also considers usage of “Listen Again” features, as well as Personlised Online Radio (e.g. Last.fm or Pandora (RIP)). There is, of course, some debate about what a “podcast” actually is. But we needn’t worry too much about…
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Summarising Digital Music
More on the music industry will be forthcoming. But today the IFPI which represents the recording industry worldwide has published it’s digital music report. The report runs to 28 pages including front and back covers, a contents page, three full pages of pictures and drawings, and a list of members. But we’re all busy people,…
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A Plea To Web Designers
If you’re going to produce a print CSS file for your blog entries (nicely formatting a print version, and removing unnecessary page furniture), please include the comments! The two guiltiest candidates that I’ve come across – i.e. blogs that I read but don’t conform – are the BBC’s, and those of Guardian Unlimited. If you…
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BBC Shops
A couple of weeks ago I noted that the BBC Shop in Norwich had shut down, and it was pointed out to me that all the shops had been closed last year, apart from the one in TV Centre itself – but that’s only really open to BBC staff, and those who are visiting (studio…
Podcasts, Radio, TV, Books, Cycling, Photography and More
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Yellowface/All The Lovers In The Night
Yellowface by R F Kuang I first came across R F Kuang with last year’s very enjoyable Babel, an alternate history of the British Empire told in a world where magic exists and is controlled by an elite group of individuals. Yellowface is very different, but no less enjoyable. It’s a book about books, and…
Hadrian’s Wall
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