Antiques For Geeks

Looking at the list of programmes cut, I am very, very disappointed. Thinking Allowed introduced me to sociology in bite-size chunks. I worry that we are seeing the death of the BBC by a thousand cuts. Yes, the BBC isn’t perfect; but only when it is gone, will people realise what they’ve lost.

“Yeah, Chipmen. The little fellas inside your computer.”

September 30th v October 1st

Well his fifth single off White Ladder was Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

August 31st v September 1st

An anniversary; Windows NT 4.0 is 30 years old today. A big part of my early career was spent working on HP-UX/Solaris machines, but NT turned Windows from a buggy, crashy mess into something that was both stable and supported the productivity software I needed. My beloved OS/2 could not compete.

Like a Best Man’s speech delivered at a wedding where everyone is assumed to know everything about the groom; hilarious for three or four people in the room, but leaving the rest looking at their watches, smiling politely and wondering how long until dessert will be served.

Well, I went outside earlier.

Yet my copy of Aliens for the C64 still works just fine and is arguably a far scarier experience…

If haven’t fallen in love with “Sky Theme from Floating Mr. McAllister” then now would be a good time. It’s the epitome of a sunny day in the park, the grass scorched, waiting to be save by the rain, a blanket laid out for you to lie down with your favourite book in your hand. Well, to me anyway.

Jaws is fired from the Town and District bus company along with has best friend Quint and nemesis Brody. Coincidentally, the three end up working at a beach resort at Amity Island run by Mayor Vaughn. Hilarity ensues.

Who’s suing? The bloke who nicked it after spending the afternoon watching the film?

Hydration break

Hydration break

One word. “Content.” If you treat programming as something disposable, something that is background noise while doing something else, it’s no surprise that message gets through to the audience. If the audience then reflects that ambivalence back, why the shock?

The movie holds up. As does this great anecdote courtesy of Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum.

Sorry to hear about Sam Neill this morning. For some illogical reason I always got him and Michael Kitchen mixed up. So was surprised once I saw the pictures attached to the posts of the former’s death. Loved him in Event Horizon - he really had the best lines and most interesting character.

Bonnie Tyler’s cover was good, but you can never beat the original…

Latest missive from New Commodore. Just wondering about that first sentence, after seeing this posted on here last week... Happy to be proved wrong. Also, my name is still not 'Bins'.

“An incredible endorsement of our vision”; so incredible we felt the need to send out a schmaltzy email to defend it and have since reduced the spec, unbundled headphones and dropped the price in response to feedback. This is a definition of “incredible endorsement” I was previously unaware of.

Got an email from New Commodore’s damage limitation department addressed to “Bins”. My name isn’t bins. I even checked my birth certificate. Sadly, it seems New Commodore doesn’t know when to stop digging with all the emotional journey schtick laid on heavy to justify their choice of product…

These fellas. Braun industrial design is art. The calculator especially. I have no idea why, it just resonates. I’m aware that Apple’s iPhone calculator is an homage to the Braun design, but in person really hits the right notes. And that Braun amplifier/radio is just… I need one in my life.

Plenty of Apple and Sony there too and very handsome they were too; but what surprised me was that it wasn’t what I was impressed by the most…

Never seen a Grid in the flesh and loved how futuristic it felt, despite being ancient. The BBC’s inclusion was also a bit of surprise, as was the Nokia N-Gage. I always quite like the idea, if not the execution. And of course the physical media. Who don’t love a Zip disk?

Loving the walls of objects. The current range of generic products really have lost that certain something… The IBM Thinkpad with the folding keyboard really is quite smart when you see it up close. And the Sinclair Executive calculator is an unexpected thing of beauty.

Your actual dumb phone. Designed for a time when your phone wasn’t your wallet or bank branch. Can’t think why this resonates this week.

At the Design Museum… and a wall of design classics…

Third part of the 28 Years Later trilogy is off then, lads.

This really didn’t have me expecting much, as once an Amiga brand deal was ruled out, it was pretty obvious the new product would be a phone. This kind of thing does NOT smack of a serious tech company. This is how you sell an off-brand energy drink to teenagers, not <cough> $700 phones to GenXers.

The series retooled as a new version of The Hitman and Her, with The Vlinx DJing.

Had hoped that the Xmas 2026 episode would help the series into a noble hiatus as opposed to what we now have. Honestly and sincerely hope the show is rested. Absence will make the heart grow fonder. It will let someone discover the series and want to take it on.

And while we’re bemoaning the omission of Cushing…

If your my age then you’ll know how important moviedrome was to us This is worth a watch youtube.com/watch?v=TuA_...

It grows on you. It really does.

This. Absolutely this. Have long had similar thoughts! We do kind of have something similar with the Criterion Cupboard and Arrow Films stuff at the moment, but curation is the key. So easy to conflate enthusiasts sharing their favourite films with curation. Alex Cox brought weight to his choices.

Yet still no word for my proposed revival of “The Adventurer”. What today’s Media landscape is screaming for is a weekly espionage thriller starring a grumpy middle aged American movie star playing a version of himself, while rampaging around Europe pretending he’s twenty years younger than he is.

It’s over 31 degrees in the spare room, sat in front of my work laptop on my day off. The fans I have going don’t make much of a difference and what’s more…

Yeah, I know it’s predictable. But yeah.

Been down the canteen for lunch.