Jonathan Ive CBE

Congrats to Jonathan Ive... honoured in the New Year's honours list with a CBE. Its great to see fab design rewarded!

The Malabar Independent Syrian Church

Its amazing what you find when you take a stroll down the information superhighway... I followed a link from Jonny Baker's blog to the website of the Malabar Independent Syrian Church - an Indian church based in Thozhiyur, Thrichur District, Kerala, South India. Their roots lie way back in the time when Christianity came to India in 52AD and St Thomas came to Kerala. Apparently, he founded 7 churches and died in Madras.

Anyway, this delights me... an Indian Christian tradition that isn't an import from the West. Its great to think of the church as being universal and for all. Check it out here: Link

PSP cases...

I need to get a cool case for my supercool people-stop-me-in-the-street-to-ask-me-where-I-got-it white PSP... Two ideas so far... First one is by Dunhill:


I like the idea of established, traditional fashion houses doing cool cases for pretty new and radical tech. They also do iPod cases and Blackberry cases. I could match all my toys... Link


The second choice is by Brando and its a white leather case. Its nowhere near as expensive as the Dunhill case but is still pretty cool... Link

Logitech do a pretty cool case too that I may check out... but it needs to be white (I am so fussy...)

I'd love a metal case like the one the Soos has... but he got it in Chinatown in NYC!!!

Ah well... I have a new challenge.

Wipeout Pure

My fav game for the PSP just now (OK its my only game) is Wipeout Pure... I love the Wipeout series and I have to say "Pure" is a great continuation of the formula. I also love the press ad by Jon Burgerman (above) - its pretty special!

PC World's Top 50 gadgets...

No surprise to me that Sony's Walkman came out top of PC World's top 50 gadgets of the last 50 years. No surprise too that I have 7 out of the top 50 (in some form... some original... others newer models...) but what is a surprise is some of the kit on there. Check out an original Blackberry or the TI Speak and Spell (Eeee Teee Phone Home!!!) Check it out: Link

Stussy X TK Maxx

I love my Stussy... I love my TK Maxx... Only once have their two paths crossed when I found an Irie Dot cap in the TK Maxx on Sauchiehall St, Glasgow. Until now... Found the T (above) but in Navy for £12.99 in the TK Maxx at the Fort!

However, there is more... I originally found another T - the one that goes "Hey Big Boys". Olly didn't like it and didn't think it was appropriate. I reluctantly agreed with her and sulked off to put it back. At this point I found the Tee I subsequently bought and am proudly wearing. Think I learned a lesson last night... I will now only buy product that appeals to me - I will no longer buy because it is "X" or "Y"...

iPod modification continues...

My personal favourite iPod mod of 2005 was Cool Hunting's only-ten-made "Camonano" - I so desparately wanted to win the survey draw but hey... I didn't. They are so sweet and hope the 10 folk who have them cherish them.

The colouring was done by an American company called "Colorware" - they do some fab paintjobs for your fav tech and show Apple some real love:


They can customise and supply Powerbooks / Mac Minis / iBooks and all the iPods. I would love to go daft on Olly and get her a pink iBook and matching iPod. Personally, I love my toys white - That's why Olly got me a White PSP. I do like my white iBook but I have to admit... a yellow one would be SO cool:


Anyway, drooling over... Check them out if you like your tech unique.

Crossleft

I listen to a podcast called the "New Christian Manifesto" on a semi-regular basis. As they say, their podcasts are of sermons which are decidedly liberal, progressive and thoroughly grounded in scripture.

On the ncm site, there is a link to crossleft - They are seeking to represent Christian's with left-of-centre views:

Momentum is growing. Progressive Christians are organizing a movement for social and political change, giving voice to Jesus' ministry of compassion, service, and social justice. CrossLeft is leading the charge and providing balance to the Christian voice in our nation's political dialogue.

I find this interesting... I believe greater balance is required in political dialogue - I think the Christian Right in America have become the Pharisees that Jesus fought against 2000 years ago - and I am glad to see someone prepared to stand up against them.

Personally, when it comes to faith and politics I believe Jesus had it right when he said

"Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: "Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."
Matthew 22:37-40 (The Message)

If we love others as well as we love ourselves then issues such as asylum seekers and immigration and taxation all come into perspective.

I dislike being compared to conservative Christians - my views of politics are personal but I exercise them out of love for others and from a sense of stewardship and responsibility. I hate to be tarred with the "Rightwing Christian" tag. I'm not a Marxist or a hardcore leftie... but I believe in social justice and that all men and women are created equal.

I subscribe to William Booth, my Founder's vision of "a heart to God and a hand to man". We need to love God and love our fellow man, whoever or wherever he or she is.

Free video content for your 5th gen iPod...

I don't have a video-runnin' iPod... Well technically I do but I don't want to mess with Linux on my 4th gen. If I did, however, I would be scrambling about to get cool free content for it. Wired has a great article on where to source great free non-porn content. Check it out.

Donald is back

Donald is back
Originally uploaded by Headphonaught.

Its great to see that Donald Dewar's statute is back where it belongs. I just hope folk leave him alone from now on. I'm not big on politics but believe we owe him for the Scottish Parliament.

**sirop's photos

Every so often I explore Flickr... When I do, I always find great images. I have to say, though, that **sirop's photos are some of the best I have come across and are very inspiring. Check them out.

What is "Web 2.0"?

When Olly and I met up with the Soos for a curry, his brother PS was there...playing the X-Box 360. We got into a blether about blogs and flickr and PS used the term "web 2.0" to describe what we were doing. I have been doing some digging (well actually I did one google search... but hey, it took a lot of effort to do!) and found a fab article by Tim O'Reilly that describes "web 2.0" - heres a diagram that shows the way our thoughts are changing:

Web 1.0 --> Web 2.0
DoubleClick --> Google AdSense
Ofoto --> Flickr
Akamai --> BitTorrent
mp3.com --> Napster
Britannica Online --> Wikipedia
personal websites --> blogging
evite --> upcoming.org and EVDB
domain name speculation --> search engine optimization
page views --> cost per click
screen scraping --> web services
publishing --> participation
content management systems --> wikis
directories (taxonomy) --> tagging ("folksonomy")
stickiness --> syndication

Check it out... THe article is fab and describes the paradigm shift that we are on but maybe weren't quite aware of. Link

oh and it was a great curry! and PS rules the X-Box 360 (The only Doctor I know who does!!!)

Post Secret

Check this out... Post Secret is a blog with an idea: share a secret... Write a secret on a postcard and send it to someone. Simple but effect. I love the two cards above and believe they could have been written by me.

Please note - you can't please all the people, all the time. You may not like some of the content...but please, see beyond it and appreciate the concept.

76:14

Finally picked up "76:14" by Global Communication - the remastered CD released in 2005 with a bonus disk of singles and remixes - and all I can say is...

W O W ! ! !

I have finally found what I have been searching for! It has taken years but I have an album that lives up to my expectation of ambient music. It is on a par with Vangelis' soundtrack to "Bladerunner" and just as precious. It sounds amazing, even through Windoze Media Player... the textures and layers need my attention... need my concern... I want to cherish the sound coming through my iPod headphones... I need to listen to this album with Olly while looking at stars in the evening sky in the middle of a field somewhere without interuption. I want to pray to God or converse with friends with this CD in the background. I want to dream and smile and laugh. I really have found a treasure in this album.

Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard - I salute you!

How do you make the iPod Nano cooler???

...by adding Snoopy. How cool is this? I see a real trend happening in the personal modification of our things. Let's face it - pretty much everyone has an iPod but not everyone has an iPod with a certain case or with certain earphones... this takes personal modding to the next level AND it's Snoopy!!!

Thanks to Akihabara News for the heads-up.

Photos from the 'Well

Motherwell Station, Platform 2
Originally uploaded by Headphonaught.

I've started my own Flickr group! I want people to share images of Motherwell, my home town, and celebrate the place for what it is.

Check it out!

Power Naps... Now I have a reason!!!

I get sleepy... I fall asleep... Big deal, I hear you say... Well it is when I have company or am driving (only joking... about the company!) I have had my blood checked and I am fine... I probably need to eat more "complex carbs" whatever they are (Are they like Sugars with "issues"???)

Anyway, maybe I am not sleeping enough... According to research reference by Men's Journal (link) maybe I should nap more:

The first consideration is psychological: Recognize that you're not being lazy; napping will make you more productive and more alert after you wake up.

Check it out!

Thanks to Lifehacker for the heads-up on this.

Christmas Carols for the Psychologically Challenged

1) Schizophrenia --- Do You Hear What I Hear?

2) Multiple Personality Disorder --- We Three Queens Disoriented Are

3) Amnesia --- I Don't Know if I'll be Home for Christmas

4) Narcissistic --- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me

5) Manic --- Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and Fire Hydrants and ...

6) Paranoid --- Santa Claus is Coming to Get Me

7) Borderline Personality Disorder --- Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire

8) Full Personality Disorder --- You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll tell You Why

9) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder --- Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells ...

10) Agoraphobia --- I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day But Wouldn't Leave My House

11) Senile Dementia --- Walking in a Winter Wonderland Miles From My House in My Slippers and Robe

12) Oppositional Defiant Disorder --- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus So I Burned Down the House

13) Social Anxiety Disorder --- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas while I Sit Here and Hyperventilate.

My White Christmas

My White Christmas.JPG
Originally uploaded by Headphonaught.

It really was a white Christmas...

Truly blessed!

AKA our family and friends are SO generous...

1) Olly signed me up for an Audible subscription and I got an iPod shuffle as a sweetner!!! I now have the unabridged HOBBIT and the NEW TESTAMENT (Message Translation) downloaded and on the Shuffle. THANK YOU!

2) I have blogged this already but the Soos has signed me up for a Flickr pro account - Look out for pics of today. THANK YOU!!!

3) Surprise of today was a WHITE... all the way from Japan... Sony PSP with Wipeout Pure! Olly is SO sweet - Love you honey!

4) Margrave of the Marshes - John Peel's biography. Thank you Robert! John was an inspiration and I regret not treasuring him enough. At least I can read his life story.

5) The complete series of "Firefly" on DVD - The Soos has turned me on to Josh Whedon's follow up to Buffy and I really dig it. I now have the whole series to watch... tomorrow!!! Thanks Mom & Dad-in-Law!!!

6) The Wagamama cookbook from Janey and Rosco - superb! Thank you!!! Love the food and hopefully I will be able to enjoy more of it.

Olly got loads of money for the sales, D&G perfume (as smelt and liked on the Soos' girlfriend...), the new Tim Hughes CD and a new Message Translation Bible.

The girls got the log cabin they wanted (although it was a wee bit too cold for them to play in it), Hitatchi DVD players and tonnes of games, DVDs and dolls.

We received loads of pressies... too numerous to mention... We are truly blessed with kind and generous family and friends! We send our love to you and thank you!

Merry Christmas!!!

MAZOLTOV!!! It's a boy! happy birthday, Jesus!

The wait is over... Merry Christmas!!! Peace, love and goodwill to everyone - to my family, to my friends and to people who I don't know yet... Let's make less strangers from now on.

Pic taken from The Brick Testament.

More sweet shoes from Proper

Just in time for the sales: laser one piece dunk hi's, low's and maple forces. Sweet.

Check these bad boys out too... Reebok x Basquait Ree-Boppers. The Soos will be jumping up and down for these babies!!!

Check out apropersite(dot)com for more goodies...

iPood

IMG_1129.JPG
Originally uploaded by wastern.

Speaks for itself...

10 for X

Thanks to Jonny Baker for yet another cool 'heads up' - check out 10forx(dot)com for 10 cool "web 2.0" apps... most of which are free! I already use skype, VLC and stuffit expander... but I will be checking out the rest - especially adium x & quicksilver. If you rock the Mac and don't have these apps, please check them out. Consider them Christmas pressies from Uncle Headphonaught.

Our Workspace...

Our Workspace
Originally uploaded by Headphonaught.

I know its pretty sad but I couldn't resist in following in the "look what Apple kit we've got" tradition as seen on Flickr.

This excludes the two iMacs Dayna and Miriam rock...

Bellshill Salvation Army's Independent Website...

Check this out... Ron, a chap from my Corps, is in the final stages of creating an independent webspace resource for my Corps - Bellshill Salvation Army. It has the potential to be a great site and hopefully will give the Corps a greater presence on 'tinternet...

Check it out here: bellshillsalvationarmy(dot)co(dot)uk

Ship of Fools - Biblical Curse Generator

Imagine, if you will, trying to shop in ASDA on Christmas Eve and getting pushed and pulled and generally man-handled... at that's just by the staff. I know you should turn the other cheek but what happens when you use up all four??? Well... Ship of Fools have a Biblical Curse Generator that will give you the best Scripturally-tight smackdowns:

I pray thou shalt be thrown into a den of hyperactive lions, thou irritating inhabitant of Gath!

Ouch!!! Check it out: Link

Switched On Santa...

Check this out - Over at falalalaladotcom they have sourced, just in time for Christmas, a synth-fest Christmas album for free download (approx 47mb) - good fun for Christmas Eve.

Thanks to Gizmodo for the heads up!

Its Christmas Eve... 1 day to go!!!

Image sourced from dianedewdotcom

Thought for Today

I want to suggest that in a secular world, the perceived self-obsession of religious establishments with more of a theme-park mentality than a world- affirming mindset alienates people.

Taken from the Thought for Today by John Bell on the Greenbelt Festival website: Link

Headphonaught's Fav Things

AKA Please, Please, Please, Please!!!

1) An Audible subscription – For the small price of £9.49 a month (for 12 months) you get an audio book per month. Oh and you also get a free iPod shuffle as a sweetner!!! You can get the whole "Lord of the Rings" unabridged or James Earl Jones reading the Bible.

2) A Flickr pro account Flickr is a great tool for sharing images. My friend, The Soos has some fab pics on his account that I can dip in and out of. I would love the freedom of multiple sets like one for my wife.

3) A Sony PSP (preferably white) Why? To play Wipeout Pure on...

4) An Apple 20” G5 iMac. Love "Front Row" and the cool Remote. Love the built-in iSight camera. Nice piece of kit.

5) The Stussy Sounds box set for Nina's Dance - Stussy have released a full-fat reggae single called "Nina's Dance" which is fab (I have a sample of the song as a ringtone for my K750i). Stussy have also released a special pack with a "Stussy Sounds" t-shirt, the 7" single, slip mats, stickers and cool record centre. Sweet.

6) A pair of Shure E2C headphones - so I can enjoy my iPod while the we'ans are destroying the place. Cheaper than the Bose Quietcomforts and less "bling"... but all good.

7) The Numark iDJ – A mixer for 2 iPods with inputs for decks and things. Takes things to the next level.

8) The Vestax Handtrax portable turntable - I like the idea of buying a record then listening to it...there and then. Makes vinyl more accessible.

9) An iLounge T-Shirt - so I can support my fav iPod fansite and look like a geek.

10) A Hulger handset for Skype and for my K750i. Why? they are cute and novel... and are actually a decent size for long conversations.

2 days to go...

Ki Chang's Madonna from davenation.com/madonnas

Apologies for the really cheesy midi file that plays when you follow the link... It is not suitable for work, home, out on the razz etc...

Anyway, 2 days to go!!!

Roof of Central Station

Roof of Central Station
Originally uploaded by Headphonaught.

Its amazing what you see when you look up.

Noise cancelling headphones BI-NCHP

I remember seeing my 2nd generation iPod for the first time and thinking white was so right... had that feeling again with these Japan-only headphones. They are so sweet.

Now... do I know who anyone who knows someone who lives in Japan?

Check them out: Link

a redemptive transition...

That's what I'd like the world to remember me. That's what I'd like my legacy to be remembered as, a redemptive transition. Something that I believe is not exclusive just for the so-called sanctimonious, the elitist, and is not predicated on color or race, social stratum or one's religious background. It's accessible for everybody, that's the beauty about it.

Stanley "Tookie" Williams

Check out his last interview on alternetdotorg and take a moment to think... Redemption is for all!

I'm now PRO!!!

The Soos has gifted me with a PRO Flickr a/c!!! I can't wait to put loads more photos on... so keep your eyes on my Flickr page for more pics of Olly, the girls and anything else that catches my eye.

THANK YOU SOOS!!!

Giving So It Matters...

Guilt is a terrible reason for giving, but gratitude is an extraordinary reason for giving. I don't care what religion you are or if you have no religion at all. The spiritual health of your soul is measured by how blessed you feel../

/..There are two bodies of water in Israel, in Palestine. The Sea of Galilee is fed by the snows of the mountains and it's a wonderful sea teaming with life, partly because water flows out of it just as fast as it flows into it. And there's another body of water in that place that keeps all the water for itself. And it is called Dead. It is not teeming with life. It feeds on itself until there is nothing left../

/..There are two kinds of giving, but I like to think of it as downstream giving and upstream giving. It's not enough to pull the drowning victims out of the river, you need to walk back upstream and find out who's throwing them in. So there's both downstream-giving that actually takes care of victims of oppression. And then there's upstream-giving -- walking back upstream to do justice and to promote systemic change to find the underlying causes that are causing all this../

/..The religious right is upstream, throwing people in the river and it's time we named it for what it is. It's time we took the Bible back. It's time we took our faith back and stopped having to apologize for being Christian or Jewish or Muslim without having to explain, "No, we're not that kind of a Jew, we're not that kind of a Christian."../

/..There's a wonderful theologian who's one of my favorites, Frederick Beuchner. I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotations from him: The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet../

/..The world's hunger is so great. But so are our resources. Find your own deep gladness, and then let it respond to the world's deep hunger.

The above text is taken from an article on alternetdotorg by Bishop V. Gene Robinson (Yes! that Bishop V. Gene Robinson) which strikes a chord with my heart. Take time to read it.

Santa + Coca Cola

Santa is all about a Coke deal. No joke. Fat and jolly Santa with the red suit and cap, thick black belt and sooty boots, rosy cheeks, luminous eyes and brighter-than-white teeth... is the genius of an advertising campaign by Coca-Cola back in the 1930's.

Thanks to The Soos for this link to an alternetdotorg story on the origins of our present day Santa... The story charts the rise of the Red suit:

As Mark Pendergrast, author of For God, Country and Coca-Cola, concluded: "Prior to the Sundblom illustrations, the Christmas saint had been variously illustrated wearing blue, yellow, green, or red.... After the soft drink ads, Santa would forever more be a huge, fat, relentlessly happy man with broad belt and black hip boots-and he would wear Coca-Cola red .... While Coca-Cola has had a subtle, pervasive influence on our culture, it has directly shaped the way we think of Santa."

Check it out...

The Religious Left can attack stuff, too...

Wouldn't it be nice if the Christian Right was more concerned with the pay and healthcare of the Wal-Mart greeter, than the content of the Wal-Mart greeting?

Fantastic article in alternetdotorg blogs about American Christians in the news actually complaining about something worthwhile. We worry so much about the secularisation of Christmas... instead, we should be worrying about things that matter. We worry about Santa and the commercialisation, when, in fact, we should be concerned about folk getting in debt due to social pressure to keep up with the latest "must have".

First reference to the Christian Left that I have heard... and I kind of like it. Jesus stood up for the disadvantaged... I see the Christian Right as being the Pharisees of today!

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Mark 2:17 (New International Version)

We need to heal the hurt in the world and not get hung up on trivialities.

New Shoes...

Check them out @ apropersitedotcom

Top Ten albums of my 2005... More runners up...

Some of the albums I consider for my Top Ten... All worthy of a mention:

"Eye to the telescope" by KT Tunstall is a stormer of a pop album... Its great to see a girl from Fife being so successful and well deserved too if you rate, as I do, "Suddenly I see".

"Demon Days" by Gorillaz is a fantastic follow up. It really made an impact on the charts and Radio 1. They are really pushing the envelope with their vision of music and visuals. You know a band has made an impact when Miriam, my 4 yr old, sings along as she does to "Dirty Harry".

"Be Bop a Nui" by Brother J was a suprise... Picked it up for £1 in Fopp and loved it. I think there is some connection with FAT FREDDY'S DROP - the NZ dub/funk/soul sensation... This is 21st Century soul with amazing instrumentation and beautiful singing from Bro. J - lovely!

"Tourist" by Athlete also made an impact on the charts and Radio 1... and made an impact on Olly and myself... Love "Wires" and can really appreciate the sentiment. We need more music like this on the Radio.

"Tender Buttons" by Broadcast is an interesting choice. I haven't heard all the album but saw them live at the Glasgow ABC. Their sound is more of the same but with more of a groove. "America's Boy" was probably my fav download from iTunes in 2005.

3 days to go...

"Magi" by Tissot from Lyons.co.uk