buzzwords 11 June 2008

According to something I heard on the radio the other day, research has revealed that bees in different parts of the world have different languages. The 'dances' bees use to communicate information about the location of food sources are subtly different across the globe. Incredibly if you mix-up bees from widely different locations, they are able to learn each others' languages within a number of days. Decoding the complex sequence of movements relating to distance, orientation in relation to the sun's azimuth and so on. Although apparently not, as Jeremy Hardy pointed out, two simple movements for 'follow' and 'me'.

invent a new word 2 May 2008

It was good to hear on Radio 5 Live's Weekly Film Review podcast that the word 'Kermodian' is being watched by the dictionary boffins for official inclusion in the English language. Getting a new word added to the language is, of course, all properly democratic and UGC. The dictionary types have a huge database of potential new words and keep track of their usage frequency online and in printed material. If you want to make up your own new word, just get it to appear in a few blogs, websites (or even better in newspapers and magazines) with a fairly consistently applied meaning.

I'd love to see Kermodian in there...

'Kermodian [adj] The ability to rant at great length without breathing' was Simon Mayo's suggestion.

Ian Brooks (Managing Editor of Collins Dictionaries) suggested:

'Kermodian [adj] A style of criticism which involves a certain wit and erudition but also a certain world-weary curmudgeonliness'

So sprinkle your writing with 'Kermodian' and get ready to need a new Dictionary.

muesli, mountain boarding and 80's idents 25 February 2008

Jane picked up some new breakfast cereal for me the other day, purely on the strength of it's packaging (a decision-making technique usually reserved for books and albums). Made by Dorset Cereals and designed by big fish it's a cracking combination of uncoated board, beautiful palette, strong simple design and the luxurious twinkle of a little foil blocking. The variety pack positively puts a smile on my face in the mornings - a minor miracle, ask anyone I know.

Just back from a packed weekend of energetic, outward bound stuff with some of the kids from church. The team at the Beacon tried out mountain boarding on us for the first time. Nothing quite like careering down a grassy slope strapped to a plank, toward some distinctly bemused looking sheep. So much fun that not even sliding to a graceful halt through various suspiciously shapes piles took the edge off it.

Very much enjoying the little 80's graphic reminisences in the BBC's 'Ashes to Ashes'. That Nine o'Clock news ident with all the lines... the excitement of the computer-generated slowly spinning globe... BBC micro style green screen credits... Just waiting for someone to be apprehended while trying to get the hi-score on Frogger.

new joke 5 February 2008

Ellen has a new favourite joke. It's a classic playground two-parter and the thing I love about it is that it relies on a very well known pre-joke to set it up. Sometimes you need something dull and rather familiar to make another thing more interesting. Here goes:

Ellen: Where do you weigh a whale?

Me: I don't know

Ellen: At a whale weigh station.

Ellen: Where do you weigh a pie?

Me: I don't know

Ellen: Over the rainbow

Me: Huh?!?

Ellen: [sings] Somewhere over the rainbow, weigh a pie

Well it made me laugh.

new work 15 January 2008

New year, new work... Several very lovely people have been in touch recently with nice things to say about our site, our work and to ask if we would be able to help them out with a design project or two. We'll let you know as things shape up.

and this is me to him, yeah
12 November 2007

Absolutely my favourite comedy creation in years, Armstrong and Miller's RAF pilots.

YouTube

recycled 15 October 2007

We got hold of some recycled glass tumblers recently. Nothing particularly noteworthy there, except that they are recycled in the most direct way possible. Some bright spark had the idea of just cutting the bottom 10cm off a wine bottle and smoothing the top a bit - hey presto perfect recycled glassware. Something very engaging about the upfront honesty of it as a product.

airports for change 26 September 2007

I hadn't been on a plane for about 10 years before my recent and rather unexpected trip to Singapore (the most amazing place I've ever been). On the way back through Changi Airport I was struck by an idea that, having thought of it, I can't believe isn't the case in every airport in the world.

Here's the thing. On your way through the airport, you naturally try to use up all the local currency you have left over, particularly the coins since you won't be able to exchange those back home. Once you are in the Departure Lounge though, you're all out of places to spend. Now unless you're going to be returning any time soon, those coins are pretty much worthless. What you need surely, in every departure lounge, is a charity collection box ready and waiting for all that local loose change. Say for the sake of argument that half a long haul flight is leaving for home. That's maybe 200 people going home with a dollar/franc/groat or two they can't use on thousands of flights a year. It could be any charity, of course, though a shrewd airport might partner an eco-friendly one for a little pre-flight conscience salving.

eco-idiots 19 June 2007

Okay, here's a thing that's been bugging me for a while... At our local Asda there's a plastic bottle recycling facility (Bristol City Council in their wisdom won't collect plastic kerbside). The store is located just next to the New Cut, a tiny rare slice of relatively wildlife-friendly land in the very centre of the city. Well at least it would be wildlife-friendly except that it is completely choked with windblown plastic bags, and other junk.

The bizarre thing is that it's green-thinking recyclers who are largely to blame. There is a certain sort of person whose conscience is (thankfully) pricked into making a bit of a recycling effort. They will carefully rinse and collect plastic bottles. They will remember to bring them along when coming to the store, but at the last minute, just when it's all about to go so well they sweep up in their car and just dump the plastic bags full of bottles NEXT TO the bin. Either that or they spend the required thirty seconds to post them into the container and then just drop the bag ON THE FLOOR and scarper. Wind blows. Bag floats. New Cut beckons.

Are these the same people who collect their dog's cr*p in a little plastic bag, tie a knot in the top and then leave it, hermetically sealed and non-biodegradable where it fell? AAAAARGH! </rant>

vader balloon 18 May 2007

One of the (many) nice things about living in Bristol is the summer's International Balloon Fiesta. One of the largest free events in Europe which comes around in August each year. Here's the latest offering of Bristol-based Don Cameron's magical balloon elves (and yes those are real people underneath).

Despite Lucas's largely successful attempt to ruin the whole Star Wars thing for many of us with his more recent additions, it is testament to the franchise's original production design that this is still such a stirring image. When the burners fire as it floats over the countryside it'll even have shades of that characteristic respirator growl.

arts trail 12 May 2007

The Southbank Bristol Arts Trail is this weekend (you can tell by the gathering rainclouds). It's a chance to wander the streets and see the amazing variety of creativity that lurks behind the most unassuming doors in this part of Bristol as people open studios, galleries and front rooms to all comers.

We're not opening this year, but Jane and I have been working with local primary school children making a variety of 2d and 3d pieces, and generally having a lot of fun. If you're in the area check out the SBA website for details of what's on.

thumbs 09 May 2007

Well after a slight glitch yesterday, the reboot voting is underway.

So many sites, so little time... There seems to be lots of black taking itself very seriously this year. I've not had much of a chance to look around, but of the few I've seen I liked the tiled work images on WhileYouWereAway and the super-slick sumeco.net by flexcoders.nl

Of the others I've stumbled across, the playful PencilRebel is a refreshing change to all those web2.0 gradients, also liked are hellocolor, crashshop and thehejz. Oh and thanks for anyone who's given us a little thumbs-up love. Much appreciated : )

av3 launches 01 May 2007

Phew! Made it. I love the Reboot. Signing up is just about the only thing that makes me knuckle down and sort out a new version of the site. It's too easy to put things off if you haven't got an immovable deadline ahead. Plus there's now all those other lovely sites to take a look at.

Last Rebooted in 2005 with a site that explored random regeneration, it was a lot of fun to do, but I always felt the work kinda got lost in the play.

This time I wanted something much simpler and so easy to maintain that I'd have no excuse not to put new work on, drawing the content from xhtml pages for Google-friendliness and the non-Flash brigade. The background images were taken when we had some building work done about a year after we'd moved in. As the roof was taken off what was once the kitchen these amazing panels of colour and texture were revealed, so I stood on a half demolished wall and hoped I didn't drop the camera. Seemed to suit a site that's grounded in where we find ourselves.

If you like the site, do consider voting in the Reboot public vote (May 7th-15th).

round midnight 25 April 2007

Well another late night has come and gone... (what is it about signing up for the 'Reboot' that makes your clients all suddenly need something in a hurry? I think they're doing it on purpose).

Took the old site offline today and av3 is starting to come together, though how it'll get done by next Tuesday is anyone's guess.

hear that? 17 April 2007

That distant rumble is the sound of a deadline thundering towards me. Been feeling that the site could do with a bit of a refresh recently (to include some more recent work for one thing). As is always the case, nothing happens without a little applied pressure, so I decided in a moment of blind optimism to sign-up for the May 1st Reboot again. Watch this space...

Visit May 1st reboot 2007

tv moment of the year 27 March 2007

A week late but we caught episode 5 of the beeb's 'life on mars' today. It's one of our tv 'must sees', and the way they have been applying design elements from the 70s this series has been brilliant. Episode 5 opens with an animated sequence of l-o-m characters recreated in the style of 'camberwick green' with sam tyler emerging from the music box. Add in john simm's deadpan voiceover: '...what's the matter sam? is it gene hunt? is he kicking a nonce?' and it's genius telly.

If you missed it, you can watch it on you tube

what the world really looks like 01 March 2007

Caught this on the news. It's a collaboration between the Universities of Sheffied and Michigan which redraws the world's countries proportion to criteria ranging from population to wealth; internet use to arms exports. By turns fascinating and horrifying...

www.worldmapper.org

brits 2007 14 February 2007

Thanks to Annie at Steel Monkey and John at Signboard for the chance to play my own very tiny part in the Brits 2007. Corinne Bailey Rae's funky 70s inspired stageset required a 25x7m brick wall, complete with ripped flyposters, graffiti and a Leeds streetname. Had a great time putting it together, but could we extend the deadline just a tad next time : )

other 'visions'

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