"Every person you interview becomes a kind of mentor of the moment."American journalist Gay Talese, interviewed in Esquire by Cal Fussman.
Tuesday, 20 October 2015
Every person you interview...
Monday, 19 October 2015
Talking Culture on Rocket FM Lewes
Here are a few links from today's 'Talking Culture' show on Rocket FM Lewes, in which I interviewed gallery curator Sarah O'Kane, artist Keith Pettit, novelist Sarah Jasmon and writer Beth Miller:
- St Anne's Galleries on Twitter and on the web;
- Keith Pettit on Twitter and on the web;
- Beth Miller on Twitter and on the web;
- Sarah Jasmon on Twitter and on the web.
Thursday, 15 October 2015
TRE Talk Radio Europe 'gadget guru' conversation for October 2015
Here's the technology I was talking about in my conversation with Dave Hodgson on TRE Talk Radio Europe this afternoon:
Microsoft Surface Book
This is a curious thing. We're all used to Microsoft making the Windows operating system that's then installed on a computer made by someone else: perhaps a Dell laptop, a Sony laptop, an Acer laptop, a Lenovo laptop...
But then a few years ago Microsoft started producing its own tablet computer - a rival to the iPad, you might say. It's called the Microsoft Surface, it has an optional keyboard and it's attracted quite a following.
Now Microsoft has taken another unexpected step: it's producing its own laptop.
The Surface Book has a touch-sensitive screen - 13.5 inches across - and a proper keyboard as well. It runs on either an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and manages up to 12 hours of battery life. The screen has a hinge that'll let you adjust it to almost any angle and can even be removed if you want.
It's very much a competitor with Apple’s MacBook Air, their high-spec laptop, and it's priced accordingly. It goes on sale in the USA with pricing from $1499 [around £975 / €1300] for the 128GB version. There's no word of European availability but I imagine it'll be on its way before long.
Google Chromecast Audio
This product promises to 'cast your favourite tunes from your phone straight to your speakers'.
It's a development of Google's video-based Chromecast, which plugs into your TV and lets you watch YouTube videos via your phone.
Chromecast Audio does the same kind of thing for music. It's a little disc-shaped device that connects to the mains and can plug into most Hi-Fi systems, powered loudspeakers and amplifiers. It comes with a 3.5mm connection although it'll also work with RCA connectors and optical inputs if you have the right lead.
And then you can listen to music from your phone. Not just your Android phone but your iPhone as well. And this isn't just music that you've downloaded to your phone: it's streaming services like Google Play Music, Deezer, Spotify and TuneIn.
The whole thing costs £30 and I'd very much like one in my Christmas stocking.
Boogie Dice
These are self-rolling dice. They are programmable and sound activated - so if you clap your hands, click your fingers or tap the table, they will start rolling.
The standard 'Boogie Dice' die can be used in any dice-based game, but the manufacturer has also designed a special card game to take advantage of all the programmable dice features.
The technology is fairly obvious when you think about it. Each Boogie Dice is about an inch across; inside is a microprocessor, a motor to make the die vibrate, a microphone to detect noise, a rechargeable battery and some LEDs to make the die light up. A full battery charge gives you about 30 minutes of non-stop rolling or 500 separate rolls.
To recharge, you put the die on a little charging pad, which takes around 40 minutes. And because they're programmable, you can change things like the rolling time and how long the die waits before it switches itself off.
These are available via Kickstarter; pricing is from $22 for one die with a charger (plus $10 shipping) [around £21 / €28] or from $45 if you want the Bots Battleground game, which is a bit like robot Top Trumps.
Skarp
There's a fair amount of controversy around this laser razor. It was raising money on crowd-funding site Kickstarter, where it was aiming to get $160,000 and ended up attracting pledges of more than $4 million. But Kickstarter suspended the campaign because the company didn't have a decent prototype (and some people have used much stronger words about the company). However, that's not stopped Skarp Technologies from moving their campaign onto rival crowd-funding site Indiegogo, where the rules are slightly different - and where things appear to be running smoothly.
Smoothly is another key word here, because Skarp is powered by a tiny laser that claims to cut through hair without irritating or damaging your skin. So not only is it theoretically safer than a traditional blade, there's also hardly any of the waste involved. You may not even need water.
The company behind it hopes to have products available from March next year, pointing out that the people involved are experienced at working with cosmetic and medical products. Of course, that doesn't guarantee this one will be equally successful... but such is the nature of new products.
If you fancy taking a chance, pre-orders are currently $159 for a limited period, plus another $10 for shipping [around £110 / €150].
Microsoft Surface Book
This is a curious thing. We're all used to Microsoft making the Windows operating system that's then installed on a computer made by someone else: perhaps a Dell laptop, a Sony laptop, an Acer laptop, a Lenovo laptop...
But then a few years ago Microsoft started producing its own tablet computer - a rival to the iPad, you might say. It's called the Microsoft Surface, it has an optional keyboard and it's attracted quite a following.
Now Microsoft has taken another unexpected step: it's producing its own laptop.
The Surface Book has a touch-sensitive screen - 13.5 inches across - and a proper keyboard as well. It runs on either an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and manages up to 12 hours of battery life. The screen has a hinge that'll let you adjust it to almost any angle and can even be removed if you want.
It's very much a competitor with Apple’s MacBook Air, their high-spec laptop, and it's priced accordingly. It goes on sale in the USA with pricing from $1499 [around £975 / €1300] for the 128GB version. There's no word of European availability but I imagine it'll be on its way before long.
Google Chromecast Audio
This product promises to 'cast your favourite tunes from your phone straight to your speakers'.
It's a development of Google's video-based Chromecast, which plugs into your TV and lets you watch YouTube videos via your phone.
Chromecast Audio does the same kind of thing for music. It's a little disc-shaped device that connects to the mains and can plug into most Hi-Fi systems, powered loudspeakers and amplifiers. It comes with a 3.5mm connection although it'll also work with RCA connectors and optical inputs if you have the right lead.
And then you can listen to music from your phone. Not just your Android phone but your iPhone as well. And this isn't just music that you've downloaded to your phone: it's streaming services like Google Play Music, Deezer, Spotify and TuneIn.
The whole thing costs £30 and I'd very much like one in my Christmas stocking.
Boogie Dice
These are self-rolling dice. They are programmable and sound activated - so if you clap your hands, click your fingers or tap the table, they will start rolling.
The standard 'Boogie Dice' die can be used in any dice-based game, but the manufacturer has also designed a special card game to take advantage of all the programmable dice features.
The technology is fairly obvious when you think about it. Each Boogie Dice is about an inch across; inside is a microprocessor, a motor to make the die vibrate, a microphone to detect noise, a rechargeable battery and some LEDs to make the die light up. A full battery charge gives you about 30 minutes of non-stop rolling or 500 separate rolls.
To recharge, you put the die on a little charging pad, which takes around 40 minutes. And because they're programmable, you can change things like the rolling time and how long the die waits before it switches itself off.
These are available via Kickstarter; pricing is from $22 for one die with a charger (plus $10 shipping) [around £21 / €28] or from $45 if you want the Bots Battleground game, which is a bit like robot Top Trumps.
Skarp
There's a fair amount of controversy around this laser razor. It was raising money on crowd-funding site Kickstarter, where it was aiming to get $160,000 and ended up attracting pledges of more than $4 million. But Kickstarter suspended the campaign because the company didn't have a decent prototype (and some people have used much stronger words about the company). However, that's not stopped Skarp Technologies from moving their campaign onto rival crowd-funding site Indiegogo, where the rules are slightly different - and where things appear to be running smoothly.
Smoothly is another key word here, because Skarp is powered by a tiny laser that claims to cut through hair without irritating or damaging your skin. So not only is it theoretically safer than a traditional blade, there's also hardly any of the waste involved. You may not even need water.
The company behind it hopes to have products available from March next year, pointing out that the people involved are experienced at working with cosmetic and medical products. Of course, that doesn't guarantee this one will be equally successful... but such is the nature of new products.
If you fancy taking a chance, pre-orders are currently $159 for a limited period, plus another $10 for shipping [around £110 / €150].
Monday, 12 October 2015
Just give me the long number from your bank card
My mother makes notes. Not always, just when there's something to tell me. Her latest contains a name (Natalie) and a telephone number (0800 0119290), along with the words 'stop all calls' and 'pay with Visa, give a password'. Apparently Natalie had phoned and had offered to help protect mum against unwanted sales calls. The irony of Natalie herself being an unwanted sales call was apparently never addressed.
"Just give me the long number from your card" was one of Natalie's preferred phrases, mum tells me. Given that mum treats her bank card as being more precious than the money it offers access to, that was never going to happen. Besides, she's already registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), which is (a) a free service and (b) the official opt-out list for avoiding unsolicited sales or marketing calls.
So what exactly was Natalie offering? Well, it seems she was promising to sign mum up to some kind of minimum-term contract deal. For a recurring fee, Nuisance Protect Ltd would register mum with the Telephone Preference Service and the Mail Preference Service (which is free if you do it yourself) and would contact companies that ignore the TPS or MPS regulations (although there was no explanation of how they'd find contact details for these errant organisations).
And - according to their website - "if a company contacts you and asks you for banking information over the phone", they will "search government websites and do as much research as possible on these companies to ensure that you are not going to fall victim to fraud and they are safe and reputable to be dealing with".
So I imagine it would tell me that Nuisance Protect Limited was incorporated on 18th June 2014 and the registered office appears to be a terraced house at 29 Nimbus Close, Littlehampton, BN17 6RX. It would also point out that Nuisance Protect had the status of 'dormant' when it published its last set of accounts (30th June 2015), with company director Mark Strange noting the business had assets of just £1. I don't think mum's going to help them increase that figure.
So what exactly was Natalie offering? Well, it seems she was promising to sign mum up to some kind of minimum-term contract deal. For a recurring fee, Nuisance Protect Ltd would register mum with the Telephone Preference Service and the Mail Preference Service (which is free if you do it yourself) and would contact companies that ignore the TPS or MPS regulations (although there was no explanation of how they'd find contact details for these errant organisations).
And - according to their website - "if a company contacts you and asks you for banking information over the phone", they will "search government websites and do as much research as possible on these companies to ensure that you are not going to fall victim to fraud and they are safe and reputable to be dealing with".
So I imagine it would tell me that Nuisance Protect Limited was incorporated on 18th June 2014 and the registered office appears to be a terraced house at 29 Nimbus Close, Littlehampton, BN17 6RX. It would also point out that Nuisance Protect had the status of 'dormant' when it published its last set of accounts (30th June 2015), with company director Mark Strange noting the business had assets of just £1. I don't think mum's going to help them increase that figure.
Tuesday, 29 September 2015
After a difficult life...
I've been doing some research into Rebecca Snooke. Rebecca was the aunt of 18th-century naturalist Gilbert White. Notably, her tortoise - Timothy - was passed to him after she died. It's this tortoise that features heavily in Gilbert's book The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne... and it's also this tortoise that features on the village sign for Ringmer.
Rebecca's husband Henry is buried below St Mary's church in Ringmer. There's a black marble tablet in the aisle, bearing a Latin inscription:
Rebecca and Henry Snooke had both lived in Delves House (which is now the location of a sheltered housing development alongside the churchyard).
Apparently Henry's widow Rebecca - aunt of naturalist Gilbert White - was later buried with her husband, although there's currently no visible indication of her grave.
However, page 298 of The Topographer (volume 4) from 1791 tells us "in the same grave is buried Rebecca Snooke, widdow of Hy Snooke, Esq, who died March 8th, 1780, Aged 86. She was the 2d Daughter Of the Revd Gilbert White, of Selborne, Hants."
Rebecca's husband Henry is buried below St Mary's church in Ringmer. There's a black marble tablet in the aisle, bearing a Latin inscription:
Post vitam difficilem["After a difficult life here rests Henry Snooke esquire..."]
Hic quiescit
Henricus Snooke Armr.
de Ringmer
Ob: 19 Jan: 1763
Æt: 69.
Rebecca and Henry Snooke had both lived in Delves House (which is now the location of a sheltered housing development alongside the churchyard).
Apparently Henry's widow Rebecca - aunt of naturalist Gilbert White - was later buried with her husband, although there's currently no visible indication of her grave.
However, page 298 of The Topographer (volume 4) from 1791 tells us "in the same grave is buried Rebecca Snooke, widdow of Hy Snooke, Esq, who died March 8th, 1780, Aged 86. She was the 2d Daughter Of the Revd Gilbert White, of Selborne, Hants."
Incidentally, Timothy's final resting place is the Natural History Museum in London.
Tuesday, 22 September 2015
September's TRE Talk Radio Europe 'gadget guru' conversation
I was back on TRE this afternoon with my regular radio round-up of the latest gadgets. Here's what caught my eye:
iPad Pro
On the 9th September, Apple announced a couple of new iPhones and also a new iPad. The phones have some smart new features but it’s the iPad Pro that is literally the big deal. It has a 12.9-inch display and runs on Apple’s new 64-bit A9X chip, which apparently gives it the same power as most laptops. It can also be used with an optional stylus called the Apple Pencil, which lets you draw on the screen, and with a separate keyboard. There are stereo loudspeakers and a battery that’ll run for up to ten hours. It can even multitask, with two apps running side by side. Despite all this, it’s just 6.9 millimetres deep and weighs only 713 grams. European pricing hasn't been confirmed; US prices for the Pro start at $799 for the 32GB WiFi-only model, which converts to roughly £520/€715.
Xtreamer WinKey
This is a tiny computer that's not much bigger than a memory stick: 11cm long x 4cm wide. It’s got an HDMI plug on the end, so it can plug straight into most modern TVs, and also has a mains adaptor. What’s notable here is that the Xtreamer WinKey runs Windows 10 - the very latest version of Windows - on a quad-core Intel processor, with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. All you need to add is a keyboard or a mouse, which will cost you a few pounds and connects via Bluetooth (although there is a USB socket as well). It has 32GB of built-in memory, which isn’t loads but is enough for most everyday stuff, and it does have an expansion slot. Price is €149 (£110); shipping is due to start from 1st October.
Sphero BB-8 Droid
If you’ve seen a trailer for the new Star Wars film, you’ll have seen a little white and orange robot with a round body. When it moves, the body rolls like a football but its head always stays on top. You might think it’s all done with computers – I did when I first saw it – but it turns out that it’s a physical device… and you can buy your own toy version. Better still, you can control it from your mobile phone. Sphero, the company behind this, have been making remote-controlled round robots for a few years, so the technology is pretty sound. The mobile app gives you two virtual control sticks, rather like a conventional radio control. One is for motion and direction, the other helps you make sure it’s facing the right way. There’s also basic voice control and what the manufacturers describe as a ‘personality’, which sounds like it won’t always do what you ask. I've seen it on sale in the UK at £129.99 (€180).
Batband
These are described as ‘Ear-Free Headphones’ and look like a hairband that you wear horizontally rather than vertically (the band goes round the back of your head and the arms go above your ears). They work by bone conduction, so instead of playing sounds through your outer ear, they conduct vibrations through your skull. Effectively they send sounds straight to your inner ear, which means there’s less distraction. It’s not a new idea but what’s nice here is that the company has included a microphone and Bluetooth connectivity, so you can listen to music from your phone without wires and you can even answer phone calls. It works from rechargeable batteries that plus into a standard USB socket on a computer, running for up to 6 hours of music playback. You control the thing from touch sensors on either side. At the moment it’s raising funds on crowd-funding site Kickstarter, with a pre-launch price of $149 (£100/€135). They’re expected to roll off the production line in April 2016.
iPad Pro
On the 9th September, Apple announced a couple of new iPhones and also a new iPad. The phones have some smart new features but it’s the iPad Pro that is literally the big deal. It has a 12.9-inch display and runs on Apple’s new 64-bit A9X chip, which apparently gives it the same power as most laptops. It can also be used with an optional stylus called the Apple Pencil, which lets you draw on the screen, and with a separate keyboard. There are stereo loudspeakers and a battery that’ll run for up to ten hours. It can even multitask, with two apps running side by side. Despite all this, it’s just 6.9 millimetres deep and weighs only 713 grams. European pricing hasn't been confirmed; US prices for the Pro start at $799 for the 32GB WiFi-only model, which converts to roughly £520/€715.
Xtreamer WinKey
This is a tiny computer that's not much bigger than a memory stick: 11cm long x 4cm wide. It’s got an HDMI plug on the end, so it can plug straight into most modern TVs, and also has a mains adaptor. What’s notable here is that the Xtreamer WinKey runs Windows 10 - the very latest version of Windows - on a quad-core Intel processor, with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. All you need to add is a keyboard or a mouse, which will cost you a few pounds and connects via Bluetooth (although there is a USB socket as well). It has 32GB of built-in memory, which isn’t loads but is enough for most everyday stuff, and it does have an expansion slot. Price is €149 (£110); shipping is due to start from 1st October.
Sphero BB-8 Droid
If you’ve seen a trailer for the new Star Wars film, you’ll have seen a little white and orange robot with a round body. When it moves, the body rolls like a football but its head always stays on top. You might think it’s all done with computers – I did when I first saw it – but it turns out that it’s a physical device… and you can buy your own toy version. Better still, you can control it from your mobile phone. Sphero, the company behind this, have been making remote-controlled round robots for a few years, so the technology is pretty sound. The mobile app gives you two virtual control sticks, rather like a conventional radio control. One is for motion and direction, the other helps you make sure it’s facing the right way. There’s also basic voice control and what the manufacturers describe as a ‘personality’, which sounds like it won’t always do what you ask. I've seen it on sale in the UK at £129.99 (€180).
Batband
These are described as ‘Ear-Free Headphones’ and look like a hairband that you wear horizontally rather than vertically (the band goes round the back of your head and the arms go above your ears). They work by bone conduction, so instead of playing sounds through your outer ear, they conduct vibrations through your skull. Effectively they send sounds straight to your inner ear, which means there’s less distraction. It’s not a new idea but what’s nice here is that the company has included a microphone and Bluetooth connectivity, so you can listen to music from your phone without wires and you can even answer phone calls. It works from rechargeable batteries that plus into a standard USB socket on a computer, running for up to 6 hours of music playback. You control the thing from touch sensors on either side. At the moment it’s raising funds on crowd-funding site Kickstarter, with a pre-launch price of $149 (£100/€135). They’re expected to roll off the production line in April 2016.
Tuesday, 8 September 2015
Start small and make it good
Sugru is mouldable glue – ‘21st Century Duct Tape’, said Forbes – created by Jane ni Dhulchaointigh. Here she is at the 2015 reasons.to conference, talking about the advice she was given when “we’d basically spent all the investment money and I’d put four years of my life into mixing those chewing gum things” but they still hadn’t had a major commercial breakthrough. The customer base was enthusiastic yet very small. “There was a point, kind of Christmas 2008, where I thought… ‘Have I done all of this for nothing? Is it not going to amount to anything?’ Because we had no money.”
[This post is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0]
I went for a cup of tea with a friend – another designer – and she basically gave me the best advice that I’ve ever had. She just said "Look Jane, I know you want it to be big and I know you want it to be in every kitchen drawer and I know you want to affect millions of people… but you can’t just do it like that. You’ve got 100 people that are sending you pictures. Focus on them. Get those, get another hundred, you get them, you’ll get a thousand, if you get them, you’ll get another thousand." And for me, that was just like – yeah – I mean, it totally changed my mind. And I was like "Yeah, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m just going to make it small. And I’m going to make it brilliant."
[This post is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0]
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