beatnic - just wondering

Yeah. Sure they have!

The life of a wikipedia page on the subject of the Heavy Metal Umlaut, brilliantly captured and explained in a screencast (animation of screens with voice-over commentary).

Via: podbat
See also: wikipedia

So this week with Tony Blair’s full backing, Bluewater shopping centre in Kent banned shoppers from wearing hoodies and baseball caps because people find them frightening.

I wish as a society we would get to the heart of the matter, the underlying reasons behind this so called antisocial behaviour, rather than always going for soft targets, the superficial “quick-wins.”

If I was a “yoof” and heard that news I’d insist on wearing my hoody absolutely everywhere I went, just to make a point.

In fact I’ve a good mind to go out and buy a hoody so I can do exactly that.

Now, where on earth am I going to find a shop selling hoodies?

Aha! I know just the place…

Definitely quirky

1. The Killers - Hot Fuss
   Massive tracks - remind me of The Cure, The Psychedelic Furs and U2

2. Athlete - Tourist
   Deptford’s Coldplay (ducks for cover)

3. Hothouse Flowers - Home
   Probably more famous for their 1980s hit “Don’t Go” from a different album. “I can see clearly now” and “Movies”, two tracks back to back in the middle of this album take me back to my days at Southampton University in 1988-1990.

4. Supergrass - In It For The Money
   Saw them play live at an Xfm gig in Islington last year - very energetic that Gaz Coombes

5. Jack Dee - Live (somewhere)…
   Free with the Observer a few months ago. Funny bloke.

6. Norah Jones - Feels Like Home
   Soothing stuff

7. U2 - How to dismantle an atomic bomb
   Large

8. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
   I like the piano in clocks

9. Empty slot for some reason

10. Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters
    My two-year old son always requests this one

I really must get an MP3 player…

What 43 things would you really like to do?

Share them with the world.

And find out who else wants to do them too :)

Yes, but how did I get here?

Yesterday I went to the Design Museum in London with some friends from work to see the design of information exhibition “YOU ARE HERE” (now in its last week).

It was full of amazing examples of how we convey complex information through models, signs and symbols, including navigation devices, orreries, maps, graphs, charts and timepieces. There were some interesting comparisons between how information is conveyed in different cultures.

But I felt it missed a trick by only showing the end results.

What I’d really like to learn is…

• Who was involved (not just the accredited designer)?
• What was discarded along the way?
• What was discovered along the way?
• What do the designs that nearly made it look like?
• How was the end result decided on and who by?
• What’s the story behind the design?

Though human genius in its various inventions with various instruments may answer the same end, it will never find an invention more beautiful or more simple or direct than nature, because in her inventions nothing is lacking and nothing superfluous.

Leonardo da Vinci

Nothing to add…

In the park the other day with my son when he asked if we could walk to the swings through the forest.

So I was just wondering…

What’s the difference between a wood and a forest?

And when does a copse become a wood?

A quick straw poll amongst friends says size matters, though whether this is number of trees or area covered is less clear.

I’ve tried searching online to find an answer and so far only found this (useful) entry on Wikipedia:

A forest has a more or less closed canopy, in which the branches and foliage of trees meet or interlock. A woodland has an open canopy, which allows some sunlight to penetrate between the trees.

If anyone has any thoughts, ideas or answers it would be great to know.