Podcasts

I've mentioned before about how Apple have introduced Podcasts recently on iTunes. These are radio shows normally available for free to download. The US seems far ahead of the UK/Europe in this, making up the majority of broadcasts available to download. According to an article in yesterday's Daily Telegraph, this could harm small community radio stations. They estimate US podcast users could reach 60m by 2010.

At the moment the majority of Podcasts are news and technology based. I don't really see the point of listening to an American news show. I downloaded two podcasts to try: Pete & Geoff's Radio Show from last Friday and Dawn and Drew Show.

Pete and Geoff's podcast was an hour of their talking, I presume they are not allowed to play the music which is one reason why I listen to that station, I think they are very funny, but I don't think I can be bothered to listen to them talking non-stop when I catch some of the show in the morning anyway. I lasted about two minutes into the Dawn and Drew Show as the two American idiots waffled on.

I think the potential is there for perhaps plays/sketches, discussions and interviews, but I don't see the point of listening to news shows later that day when the news changes so quick. I am also not likely to listen to normal people talking.

My verdict: Could do better. I will keep an eye out for new UK podcasts that I feel will be relevant to me, and I hope the current crop will not always be typical.

Essexgirl does Camden

Ratboy and I decided to explore Camden's markets yesterday. The first few bits we saw were disappointing (although Ratboy bought a T-shirt and I got some 'Dior' sunglasses for £10), mainly clothes but a lot of it was the same type of slogan T-shirts and cheapy gypsy skirts.

I then bought some far retro Gola trainers in one of the funky shoe shops on the street.

The Canal market was better with a stall selling sepia photos of London and some interesting food stalls, where we shared a fab Thai green vegetable curry for £3.50. It is a shame so many other places can't do food that good for the price. After a quick pub stop, we tried the Lock markets which were much more original with crafty stalls including some original handbags (which I reluctantly resisted), homewares, antiques and African and Oriental imports plus more food places. It is a bit of a rabbit warren and we ended up leaving (for a dash to Waterstones up the High Street) with the feeling that we hadn't seen it all.

Will definitely be back.

Audioscrobbler Update

What I have been listening to since Feb until now:

1 Madonna - 38
2 Wet Wet Wet - 34
2 Stonebridge - 34
4 Thompson Twins - 28
5 Kylie Minogue - 26
6 Will Young - 24
6 Gwen Stefani - 24
8 Stevie Wonder - 23
9 ABBA - 22
10 Go West - 21

Currently playing: Maroon 5 - Harder to Breathe.

The Wedding Crashers

Last night I went to the cinema for the first time in months to see the new comedy The Wedding Crashers starring 'Frat packers' Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Admittedly a lot of people laughed more than I did in the cinema but it was still a funny film. A times it was a bit too cheesy and American schmaltz for me.

John (Wilson) and Jeremy (Vince) crash weddings for fun to take advantage of the romance in the air and pull women. They play with the kids and dance with the old folk so that their prey thinks they are perfect. This goes wrong when they crash the ultimate wedding of the daughter of Senator Cleary and John falls for one of his other daughters and they get themselves invited back to the family house. Unfortunately Jeremy has attracted the attention of another Cleary daughter who seems a bit of a bunny boiler.

7/10

BB Eviction

It was Orlaith vs Kemal and apparently a very close one. Much to my amazement, however, the British public bizarrely chose to chuck out Kemal over one of the dullest people on the planet.

Orlaith, who has been threatening to leave for about two weeks stuck to her words (at last) and walked. This isn't a good thing in my opinion as it means that an interesting person can go next week. Personally I am hoping it is clingy Craig who completed smothered an inebriated Anthony to an embarrassing degree the other night.

Definetly not real....

iTunes Top Ten

The monthly look at what I have listened to over the last 13 months.

1. Paul Weller - You Do Something To Me
2. The Lightning Seeds - Marvellous
3. Sugababes - Killer
4. Supergrass - Moving
5. Wet Wet Wet - If I Never See You Again
6. Snow Patrol - Crazy in Love
7. Skunk Anansie - Hedonism
8. The Lightning Seeds - You Showed Me
9. Justin Timberlake - Rock You Body
10. Robbie Williams & Tom Jones - The Full Monty Medley (Live).

I don't know if this is for real....

Nooooooooooooo

That blasted Crazy Frog has released an album, including its number one 'smash; Axel F and its latest single Popcorn. For some bizarre reason iTunes has offered it also, and it is at Number 78 in their album chart. I dread to think where it will be come next week's 'official' album chart on the BBC. Why do people waste good money on this, when there are starving people in Africa?

BB Nominations

Once again, BB gives the nominations process a bit of a twist. This time the housemates must nominate the two housemates they would most like to STAY in the house. The two housemates with the least amount of votes would be going up for eviction, thus Kemal and Orlaith are up for eviction this week.

In other news, as a mini-task reward the housemates received a kitten to play with.

This week's main task is a spy related one. Once again BB has included a twist featuring a secret agent (in this case Kemal) who really holds the key to the sucess of the task.

Meknes

Meknes
Originally uploaded by Essexgirl.

From my visit to Morocco over the New year of 1999 to 2000, we stoped at the ancient ruined temple at Meknes, where I took this shot of the archways.

iPods can make you Hallucinate.

Apparently, listening to continous and loud music makes you hallucinate music when you then enter a quiter area. This is not the same as getting a song stuck in your head though, according to Dr Aziz.

As long as I don't have Babycakes, I don't really see what the problem is.

Big Gay Out

I managed to get on the guest list for the Big Gay Out festival at Finsbury Park, which is Europe's largest gay festival. Years ago, I went to the Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney, which was an exciting and naughty display of floats, though I didn't get to go to the concert. This time I went to the concert and not the Pride march (which was a few weeks earlier).

As we arrived Tony Christie took to the stage to perform his hit Amarillo. The crowd was dancing but it was not busy. We also saw Peter Andre, Lemar (a highlight - he sang live with just a guitar, and performed his hits Dance, If there is Any Justice and a cover of The Darkness' I Believe in a Thing Called Love.) Beverly Knight sang live also including her knew song Keep This Fire Burning. Apart from preaching about how London is not afraid, she was very good. Bananarama did not sing live but were very well received with their Stock, Aitken & Waterman produced hits Venus and I Heard a Rumour, plus a new offering. We also was Sybil come on too sing live before going on a wander and admiring the foam machine, the jacuzzi and some of the music tents before discovering The Secret Forest of David Hasselhoff, where one could leave their declarations of affection for the great man. There was also a nice chill out area.

We went backstage which was pointless, there was no one there celeb-wise just a bar and DJ and you couldn't hear the main stage, so we went back.

Graham Norton did a bit of comparing but he was a bit pissed so disappeared again, just told us how Babyshambles have failed to show up. There were also some cabaret acts like the Porcelain Twins, drag queens Dolly Diamond & Rose Garden and Dave Lynn and some fit gymnasts on a trapeze. The bizarrest cabaret act was Luci-fire who went on for far too long being suspended from hooks in her flesh (yes, really). Fortunately I kept my nachos down. She came on at the rain before the end and as she took so long quite a lot of the potential finale audience left, meaning we got even closer to the front.

We also saw Sunset Strippers (mime central), Margarete Pracactan (should she be under cabaret?) who was crap and a talented rapper/beatboxer called Kila Kela.

Final acts included the Human League who played two songs (Electric Dreams and Don't You Want Me). This was a tragedy that they left after two numbers as they really got the crowd going more enthusiastically then anyone since Bananarama. Then we saw Girls Aloud who did about six numbers. This was followed by the dull Luci-Fire and some rain before the finale with Frankie Goes to Hollywood and new frontman Ryan Molloy. They did Two Tribes first, which sounded a bit ropey but they got that sorted for the Welcome to the Pleasuredome complete with grinders. For the ballad of The Power of Love they had a man doing a gymnastic type act from two long sheets of white fabric hanging from the ceiling (similar to something they do on the BBC pre-programme clips). The final song was Relax and they wheedled out as many fetish performers as they could, including women in spurting dildos, before we all trundled back on the tube.

There were supposed to be 30,000 people there but, it seemed to me, there was nothing like that. Tickets (for non-guest list) were expensive but I wouldn't pay to go again, although all in all it was a good day out. Rides at the fair were expensive, food and drink was OK, acts were mainly good, yet I couldn't find a pink cowboy hat anywhere.

BB Eviction

It was Orlaith vs Science.

Science has spent the week arguing with anything that moved and had basically pressed his self-destruct button. Orlaith had continued being consistently bland.

In the closest vote this year (0.5% in it according to Davina), it was Science who became the eighth evictee of the big Brother house.

He took it in good part, seeing clips from his early days and hearing him interviewed by Davina, he came across as quite smart, witty and laid back, but after a week or two had dissolved into the bickering, argumentative Science who couldn't let anything drop. Whilst he was still more entertaining than Orlaith, he knew no boundaries.

Audioscrobbler Update

So five months of Audioscrobbling - who have I been listening too?:

1 Stonebridge - 34
2 Madonna - 33
3 Wet Wet Wet - 29
4 Thompson Twins - 28
5 Kylie Minogue - 24
6 Stevie Wonder - 23
6 Gwen Stefani - 23
8 Go West - 21
9 ABBA - 20
10 Phil Collins - 19

I can't believe I voluntarily listened to all those Phil Collins tracks. I must have left the room and they kept playing.

Currently playing: Whetus - Teenage Dirtbag.

Sad

This really is very sad. The rock group Muse, (who I quite like actually) recently won a poll on Radio Station XFM. Except it came out that fans had been instructed on how to rig the poll on a fansite.

This is so sad, that there are people who are so eager for their favourite band to win that they will cheat. What benefit it that to anyone? This is not a Smash Hits Poll and they are not 11 years old.

Fes Tanneries

Fes Tanneries
Originally uploaded by Essexgirl.

Leather goods are big business in Morroco and especially in these tanneries at Fes Medina. December 1999.

BB nominations

The housemates have been doing a puppy training task with fellow housemates as the dogs and the rest as trainers.

Nomination-wise it is no surprise to see Science (who has argued with anything that moves this week) and Orlaith (who has argued with Science and been slagged off by everyone else) up for eviction. Bookies strongly tip Orlaith to go.

True or not?

I like the story of the penguin stolen by a child from a wildlife, but is it true? Let Snopes decide.

TV Tip

Channel 4 have bought Lost, a castaway drama from the US, made by ABC in a joint package with the fabulous Desperate Housewives. They have held it back till after DH finished, and we should get to see it from August the 10th in the UK.

The buzz is that it is like a real-life Survivor type show, with a bit of fantasy.

Essexgirl visits the Imperial War Museum - Part One

Today, Ratboy and I went to the Imperial War Museum, down Lambeth way. We will have to go back another day to see the rest of it. The admission to the main part (and most of the museum) is free of charge, and we spent about three hours and a half there and have only touched a bit od what interests us.

In the main atrium, as you enter, are displays of tanks, military vehicles (including an old London bus commandeered to transport soldiers in the first World War) and weaponry. There is also an interesting interactive submarine exhibit.

We also saw the fascinating, and moving Children's War exhibition, featuring pictures and displays of the life of evacuees, wartime propaganda posters, and toys, foods and clothes of the time. There is also a typical war time home on display. We both really enjoyed it and it would also be suitable for children.

After a visit to the nice cafe, we went to the Great Escapes, special exhibition, which we had to pay £6 each to enter. It was worth it though as we saw the wooden horse escape from Stalag Luft III and The Great Escape through the tunnel. Plus various escape stories from Colditz Castle.

After that we went to the Conflicts Since 1945 gallery, which (as the name suggests) depicts all the conflicts and wars since World War Two, such as Korea, The Gulf, the Suez Crisis and Northern Ireland amongst about a million others. Unfortunately the museum shut at 6pm so we had to leave India VsPakistann, skim over the rest of Asia, Cyprus and all the rest to leave.

We will be back another day, and this time I may take a camera.

HP 6

The sixth Harry Potter book - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - goes on sale in approximately 30 minutes, at one minute past midnight tonight. People are already reportedly queueing for it from early this morning.

My review of this will have to wait until after the paperback version is released at some time in the future.

BB Evictions

Tee hee!

The housemates remained in the dark, but speculations were rife and close to the mark as to what was up with this week's nominations/evictions.

When Davina spoke to the house at just before 9.30, she announced the names of the six that were to go. Most took it in good part, apart from Vanessa who got booed (as did a lot of them).

When the show ended at 9.30 the house was in chaos.

In the second show, Davina announced that it would be be "either" (squeals from housemates) "Makosi or Vanessa". Vanessa was in pieces, and then the housemates had to announce one by one who they wanted to go. Anthony had to start and very firmly voted for Vanessa, as did all housemates except Kemal.

A sobbing Vanessa left the house and is no great loss.

Interesting statistic - Makosi got 47% of the public vote compared to 23% of Vanessa.

Spooks schedule change

The BBC's top MI5 drama, Spooks, may have to re-schedule as two episodes of the new series centre around a bomb in London, as was seen for real last week. The BBC feel it maybe too soon to show such scenes, but as it is not scheduled for a few months, and if it is preceded by a warning I am sure most people will be OK with it.

Spooks in the past has always been quite spot on with its episodes featuring terrorists and does not shy away from the controversial. It would be a shame if that changed now.

Audioscrobbler Update

Top ten artists listened to on iTunes since February.

1 Madonna - 33
2 Stonebridge - 30
3 Kylie Minogue - 24
4 Gwen Stefani - 23
5 Wet Wet Wet - 22
6 Go West - 21
7 ABBA - 20
8 Phil Collins - 19
9 The Beatles - 18
10 Erasure - 17

Download Milestone

Legal downloads hit a new milestone so far this year, at the number of legal downloads has reached the 10 million mark already. Only 5.7 tracks were downloaded in the whole of 2004.

The battle against illegal downloads continues.

Interestingly, I have downloaded less this year, than last year. Possibly because I don't get to listen to half the stuff I actually have already.

Pyramids of Giza

Giza
Originally uploaded by Essexgirl.

As you drive out of Cairo, all of a sudden you see the Sphinxes and Pyramids practically next to a tower block. Badly worn and full of tourists but a must see. 1997.

BB Nominations

Ha! Naughty Big Brother!

Following yesterday's promise of lies and optional nominations, three housemates took the option to nominate - Craig, Anthony and Kemal. We at home know that they are immune from eviction this week and that the rest of the housemates - Derek, Eugene, Orlaith, Vanessa, Science and Makosi will face the public vote.

But BB has lied again - Anthony, Craig and Kemal were told that all were up for eviction, even though this is not the case.

In yet another twist, the two housemates out of the six up for eviction who receive the most public votes will face a vote by their housemates live.

Anita Shreve - Eden Close

I have previously enjoyed Strange Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve, so looked forward to another of her romantic thrillers. This book centres on Andy, returning to his home town after his mother's death to sort through her things, and meeting again his neighbour Eden Close, blinded by the shotgun that killed her father when they were teenagers.

The book is an easy read, the romance not stifling and the whodunnit part keeps you interested. I shall be reading more of her.

Brighton

This weekend I went to Brighton. It was organised (read: disorganised) by some friends. I wish I could review some fantastic things I did, but I can't.

The Cricketers, on Black Lion Street does a fab hot Brie and Cranberry sandwich.

The shops are nice, though I only experienced The Lanes

For dinner we went to Harry's in Hove. Portions were huge, meal was OK.

After that it was another walk of little point to the seafront to be bothered by bees, sit on pebbles and walk on the pier before cabbing home. We were in bed by twelve.

BB eviction

A bit late this week - It was Maxwell who went, although I had lost interest either way. He was moody and stroppy after his name was called, he obviosly thought he had it in the bag. Well, he is with his beloved Saskia now.

In other news, BB is lying to the housemates in their new task. They don't know what to make of the news that nominations are optional.

Meanwhile, former evictee Sam has been getting her tits out. No shit.

London Mourns

Yesterday, four bombs were set off in central London, killing upwards of 50 people it is estimated. The perpetrators are not known but it is suspected they are connected either officially or unofficially with Al-Qaeda. One website claimed that London was 'burning with fear'. This is not the case. Londoners pulled together and helped each other and refused to be bow to terrorism. The emergency services and the stoicism (to quote Tony Blair) of the general public has been commendable and I am very proud to be British and connected with such a city.

Mayor Ken Livingston made a fantastic speech as he prepared to return to London after successfully securing the 2012 Olympics for the city. As did the Prime Minister, who reportedly got cheers in pubs and cafes in central London where confused Londoners were trying to find out the news. He left the G8 summit in Scotland to return to London for the day, which was absolutely the right thing to do. The Queen has also spoken and visited some of the injured, as have other Royals.

They can knock us down, but we will get up again, dust ourselves off and move on.

Monster

Finally we got round to watching this on DVD - the film that (deservedly) won Charlize Theron an Oscar. The film is based on the true exploits of how prostitute Aileen Wournos became America's first female serial killer and her lesbian relationship with a girl named Selby.

The acting was superb although, like a lot of true life films, the story was slow at time, but as I was not familiar with the original story I was still kept interested. Theron had to put on a lot of weight and have fake teeth to fully undergo the transformation of plain, brutal, butch, fucked-up Aileen.

BB Nominations

This week it is Maxwell and Science who will face the public vote. Seeing as Maxwell is so popular in the outside world, I think it is safe to think that Science will be going on Friday and will no longer be bickering with his housemates.

Abu Simbel, nr Aswan, Egypt.

Abu Simbel
Originally uploaded by Essexgirl.

Fanatastic man made monument that has since been moved, but still gets the sun perfectly at equinox. 1997.

This life Special?

Their are rumours that the Beeb will bring back This Life the popular young lawyer drama that ran for two seasons in the nineties. I hope so.

There is incorrect info in the BBC's report that I have linked to though - It was Milly that had a fight with Rachel, for hinting to Egg of her affair with her boss, not Anna.

Bejeweled

This little game will be keeping me from blogging/doing anything. A simple matching game achieved by switching different coloured gems around kept me amused for hours last night, without being aware of the time

Festival of the Sea 2005

The reason I have not been around the last few days is because I went to the Festival of the Sea, held every four years in Portsmouth. We watched a combat display which was very loud and quite good (apart from the talky parts, the cars blowing up were best) and a gun race such as they do at the Royal Tournament, as well as visiting a number of international naval and commercial ships. Disappointingly we didn't have time for the tall ships, as you had to queue to get on a lot of ships, and a some of the other displays, so we can save that for four years time.

All the nice girls like a sailor (and there were some cute ones!!)

BB Eviction

Sayonara Saskia.

It was no surprise to the bookies that Saskia went. She can't quite grasp it herself however. She go the most boos this series (even more than Lesley) and dealt with it well and was interviewed well. As a viewer I won't miss her, but Team Saskia (as they have been billed) will be bloody boring next week unless they get their act in order.

Ladette to Lady: The Final

After five weeks the last four are ready to graduate - or are they? It is no picnic for party girl Clare when faced with blokes down the pub she soon resorts to her original ways and is expelled. This leaves South London's Rachel, gas fitter Michelle and Cockney Hayley.

Rachel is an easy third as she got through by not doing anything too wrong, but to decide between Michelle and Hayley's amazing improvement is a challenge for the teachers/judges, who (after a close discussion) plump for Hayley. A great show.