Archive for May, 2008
Applying data visualisation modalities to music
Saturday, May 24th, 2008
Barry O
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
You may have seen this, but since I still enjoy seeing it, I thought I’d post it.
I think it’s OK to enjoy it, feel the hope, and chuckle at it all at the same time.
See this on viral videos in the US election - relevant extract below.
“Obama, with his rhythmic cadences and stirring phrasemaking, is the frontman and everyone else his backing singers, halfway between a gospel choir and hip-hop hypemen. But it’s hard not to compare Jesse Dylan’s clip, with its tasteful black and white photography, plain backgrounds and John Legend’s excellent cardigan, with a Gap advert. Yes, we can have tasteful, affordable knitwear.”
Talking to strangers
Saturday, May 17th, 2008
Now we all know what it's like being stuck on a rail replacement bus
service because TfL thinks that weekends are a sensible time to shut
the whole of the Victoria Line…but how often has that experience
brought a smile to your face?
I've just been on the aforementioned bus service trying to get to
Victoria. It was the usual sullen-faced passengers, swearing under
their breath due to being stuck in traffic and all giving disapproving
sideways glances to a rather vocal elderly Irish gentleman who'd
probably had a few pints of Guinness too many.
After thrusting his views on the state of the economy upon a rather
timid-looking French woman, the Irish character engaged two
unsuspecting Aussie girls and an English lady (well, actually given
his volume, it was really the whole bus) in extended conversation
about Harold Macmillan, Christine Keeler and the Profumo affair - he
even entertained us to a 10-minute limerick on the topic! By the end
of the journey he had the whole bus in fits of laughter with strangers
talking to each other and passengers from the back chipping in comments!
Now if all my public transport journeys could be as entertaining, I
may give second thoughts to Boris's proposed ban on alcohol on the
tube…
Caption competition!
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008
Makes you think twice about those slightly eccentric people on the tube!
Funny how things work out
Thursday, May 8th, 2008
Life’s a funny thing. Have you ever tried tracing back exactly how you got to the position you are now? I met my wife in a bar having been invited to a barbeque earlier in the evening by a friend. Without that friend, I may never have met my wife and my 9 month old son would be a sparkle in my (probably bachelor) eye. That same friend met his wife because I had invited another friend on a night out with us, who in turn invited one of his single, female friends. The rest is history. I met my (barbeque) friend on my first night at University and we have been great friends since. But what would have happened if either of us had made slightly different decisions earlier on in our lives?
I have a similar story with my job. I am now working with someone who I met on my first day at school 19 years ago. The mind boggles - you start feeling like you are in your own personal “Back to the Future “ film. Without knowing it, every decision we make shapes our future in unfathomable ways.
Worried? Nervous? Confused? Shall I take the bus home tonight or the tube? I’ll never know what might have happened…
Parlez vous…
Thursday, May 1st, 2008
Is it easier to learn new languages if you’ve grown up bilingual or is it an inherent talent that just depends on how your brain’s wired? I got thinking about this yesterday, over dinner with a friend. We were discussing my newly arrived niece and whether my brother and sister-in-law were going to bring her up speaking two languages. I guess the dilemma for parents is whether a multilingual household ends up confusing the child’s developing linguistic abilities. I’m firmly of the opinion that you should bring up kids speaking as many languages as possible and there’s no downside to a polyglot kid!
The other angle of our discussion last night was around whether an aptitude for learning languages was an indicator of a well-balanced mind - the rationale being that linguistic expertise required the use of both sides of the brain; the left brain for the logical, understanding of linguistic patterns and the right brain for the creative, representation of foreign sounds. I’m not sure I entirely agree with this line of thought - sleep-talking in German on the eve of my German A-Level was definitely not a sign of my well balanced mind!
Anyway we love our languages here at Touchnote (12 languages between us at the latest count…and that’s not counting programming languages..)
A la prochaine …
