Category: london | 倫敦 | 런던 | ロンドン
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Not the target demographic
My parents are not the target demographic for most brands. Like me they don’t see themselves represented on screen. Even the old guy from the Werther’s Original advert doesn’t appear any more. Spending some time with them recently allowed me to see what brands might be missing out on and how they related to brands.…
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Southport + more things
Southport At the time, when the stabbing of three little girls happened in Southport, I was in Merseyside. Even though I was just miles away from the town, it felt like another country. The locals I was with and I watched on with detached shock as riots unfolded on newsfeeds. The general sense was that…
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The ultimate driving machine + more things
The ultimate driving machine Interesting interview with author Steve Saxty on how BMW as a modern car brand came into being as the ultimate driving machine and a discussion on what eventually became the 1-series. The brand value of it being the ultimate driving machine actually came from a review by US magazine Road &…
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Backroom
I have used Flickr as my visual diary and my older pictures end up in odd places, but none odder than an office move picture and Backroom. The office move picture seems to have something about it that others feel. I had posted it on Flickr, which is a site that I use as my…
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Jeremy Deller + more stuff
Jeremy Deller Jeremy Deller is famous for examining 1980s events from the MIner’s strike to rave culture. Most notably his work Acid Brass, working with the William Fairey Brass Band on cover versions of early house and techno music. In this documentary he walks a group of sixth formers through the context that rave culture…
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The New Working Class
The New Working Class by Claire Ainsley is unashamedly wonkish in nature. Ainsley comes from the left of the political establishment. She is an executive director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. She had previously worked for Unite and as a government advisor. Ainsley posits that the Labour Party is out of touch of who the…
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Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan + more stuff
Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan One of the best YouTube channels that I currently subscribe to is the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan. I used to enjoy visiting the Foreign Correspondents Club in Hong Kong. I particularly enjoyed their public talks. The Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan seems to run to a similar model as…
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The Irish race + more things
The Irish race An interesting documentary from 1971 that explores the idea of ‘The Irish Race’ – it is one episode in a 10-part documentary series ‘We The Irish’. It features some of Ireland’s leading public thinkers at the time including Conor Cruise O’Brien and Seán Ó Faoláin. ‘Race’ as a term is more problematic…
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Soccer team acquisitions
One of the biggest things that have impacted many British people has been overseas money that has resulted in soccer team acquisitions. There is a certain irony in someone like myself who isn’t that emotionally invested in sport writing about the impact of soccer team acquisions – but maybe my view from the outside in…