What is the ‘something’ we have to hide?

A brief search will show that this mixtape has generated great interest since October of last year. If we’re to believe Mike Skinner, Cyberspace and Reds is to be the mixtape before the final Streets album. This to me is incredibly disappointing but it must be remembered that the seminal debut Original Pirate Material was released all the way back in 2002 - enough time for the difficult second, third and fourth albums to drop and disappoint.

Full album review to follow but firstly I wanted to draw your attention to one track which troubled me. Something to hide is 2 minutes and 14 seconds of meditation on privacy in the digital age – something as relevant as ever and worthy of highlighting as an issue.

What confuses me is the final 15 seconds or so. I think we know what “they billed as recent history’s most heinous crime” alludes to, but what is the challenging for me is the idea the “privacy is privacy, whether anyone’s or mine, even if I did commit recent history’s most heinous crime.”

This raises a lot of questions in my head, which is what I believe is the purpose and beauty of art, but more importantly what are your reflections?

It would be great to hear your thoughts before I post my full album review and so let's get some discussion flowing through the comments section and twitter!

Things I've learnt this year

Seeing as it's the done thing (and also chronologically accurate being the very end of 2010) what better time to reflect on an eventful year. Rather than being doomed to repeat it, let’s learn from 12 months of History.


Now I’d love to say that an exhaustive and detailed list will follow but that simply would be a lie. Believe it or not it’s actually New Year’s Eve and I have things to do so given that I’ve left it a little late here are my abridged take aways from 2010…






The (re)advent of 3D


Thanks to the record breaking success of ‘James Cameron’s Avatar’, 3D became the Lady Gaga of the movie industry in 2010. Self promoting, self aggrandising and very much the hyped hot topic of the year.


It makes absolute sense for the studios to focus new releases in 3D. For the same reason 3D was the movie industry saviour during the last movie going recession, cinemas need to provide an experience not available to viewers at home; and with 3D TVs prohibitively priced, this does for the immediate future make business sense. Add to that the prospect of disabling pirates and the obvious conclusion is that 3D is here to stay.


However, Chritopher Nolan’s masterpiece Inception was the standout movie of 2010 -  mind bending, breath taking and immersive in the luddite 2D format, proving that the best movie going experiences don’t necessarily require plastic glasses. Personally, I don’t think the benefits for a multi-billion dollar studio justify my spending £9 for a single ticket, so for the time being which means 'Cats vs Dogs 3D is still as uninviting as it's two predecessors.






“That boy literally has three lungs”


…as Jamie Redknapp very helpfully pointed out this season. Jamie has became more known for his unnecessary use of the word ‘literally’ when deploying a similie or figurative turn of speech without even a hint of irony than for his footballing achievements as a Spice Boy or physio's nightmare.


Although he does have a point… I for one am a huge fan of Gareth Bale’s and have been since before Uncle ‘Arry turned him into the player he is today. It’s incredible how Redknapp turned him from laughing stock/voodoo curse into the player he is making seasoned Brazilian full backs look like Gary Neville with a hangover whilst simultaneously doing the opposite for club captain Robbie Keane.


More probably it's that Bale’s an extremely talented young player as demonstrated by Damien Comolli’s decision to cough up £10 million for him as a prodigious 18 year old, with his head thoroughly screwed on and a work ethic to match that of any other Spurs player (Ledley King notwithstanding). The hard work is paying off and his undisputable talent is now coming to the fore.


This is exciting as a Welsh fan and I can only hope Gary Speed can find a way to harness Bale and Ramsay's unquestionable talents, giving each the freedom to express themselves and build the next  underachieving Welsh team around them.






“Too many tweets can make a Twat”


Inspired observation by the then leader of the opposition and now prick-in-chief. Despite David Cameron’s doubts, 2010 has been the year of Twitter. Twitter is now mainstream. From the confusing lexicon (retweet, follow/unfollow, hashtag, trending topic etc) to examples of crowd sourcing (how often is your timeline polluted by someone asking for the ingredients to Jamie Oliver’s 30 minute Sunday Roast or “who is the girl Buddy falls for in Elf?”) information distribution and crowd organisation (UK Uncut, student protestors).


I use my Twitter account every single day to syndicate information from blogs, feeds and websites for work and my own interest. I share this with my connections and also interact with them when they do likewise. Far from a superuser, I am passionate about Twitter and have even converted my girlfriend Layla who is now the Community Manager for the Charity she works for, Cycling Projects.


2011 will be even bigger for Twitter as they implement 'Operation Cash Cow' where they look to monetise the platform, the first steps being the redisign. Businesses are quickly picking up on the potential of Twitter for commercial purposes from engaging fans, pushing content including discounts, blogs etc and CRM.


Twitter is quickly becoming the embodiment of web 2.0 – the idea that we can have multiple online identities and manage these ourselves, along with subscribed and recommended content.  Whether we choose to mix or separate business and pleasure is our own prerogative, and this will continue to spark discussion into 2011 and beyond.




So there is my 70% reduced fat post summarising my 2010. “Always leave them wanting more” I was once told, so there it is, my second and final post of 2010.


All the best for 2011 when you can look forward to equally amateur but more frequent musings from me.

Jon Snow - Digital thought leader?

Remember the days when you'd rush home from school, kick off your Kickers and throw yourself down in front of Byker Grove or Hey Arnold? The highlight of my week now as a responsible tax paying 24 year old is to swing through the door to my rented apartment, throw off my corporate shackles of pleather messenger bag and carefully looped scarf and throw myself  onto my nondescript sofa. It's at this point I'd usually exchange pleasantries with my long suffering girlfriend and procure the remote for my mid-range TV, assuming control before fixing my attention on the familiar and reassuring presence that is the long standing Channel 4 News anchor.

Now given his taste in less than cautious ties, Snow's willingness to embrace new media and contemporary reporting methods should come as no surprise. Uncle Jon's striking socks were not enough to  stop my eyes glazing over as he recited rehashed 'UK in unprepared for extreme weather' narratives. Imagine my surprise when I heard an excited flurry in Snow's voice as he launched into a rallying call for viewers to rise up against the despotic force that is BAA.

"They won't let cameras in to see the conditions people are in" Snow's voice raised in excitement rising to a Kanye West "George Bush don't like black people" moment. While this isn't the Tiananmen Square of the naughties, Snow's appeal for footage from those caught up in the atrocities at Heathrow demonstrate an interesting wider trend.

While I personally find the subject less than inspiring (perhaps my apathy is inextricably linked to my dominant selfish gene?) you can't argue that the appeal for viewers to send in their own pictures and video heralds an exciting moment and confirms if there was ever any doubt the truth that self publishing tools and the mainstreaming of social media make any one of us instant battlefield reporters with our own slot on primetime news.

A flurry of tweets ensued, encouraged by Snow's own Twitter account @jonsnowC4, likening the at worst inept BAA to the North Korean regime. Hyperbole and rabble rousing aside, this is a fascinating step for traditional news broadcasters in not just inviting viewer interaction through social media, but placing it at the front and centre of the the reporting itself.

Personally, I welcome the step as I'd rather have some ill informed malcontent like me telling me they think in a far more transparent way than Rupert Murdoch telling me what to think.