Microlog
83 Microlog entries tagged with ‘theguardian’
Dog ad gives viewers paws for thought
Forget the rubbish about this ad being designed for dogs and answer me this: how did the dogs get the pallet out of the van? And more importantly, why did they drag it all the way over to the opposite cliff? Sound & Screen ·
Where are the judges fit for the internet age?
“The web is making what was local global. It makes that evidence of faults, which once would have been forgotten, permanently available to the malicious and small-minded.” Indeed. Current Affairs ·
Psychologists fear US manual will widen mental illness diagnosis
It’s more than a bit warped that ‘shyness in children’ and ‘being a teenager’ are somehow now diagnosable as mental disorders. I don’t see how that’s helpful to anyone. Science & Nature ·
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s cumin recipes
Not sure about the cumin cookies so much, but now I’m craving kofte. Food & Drink ·
How to draw… wolves
The big kid in me loves this. Arts & Culture ·
1000 novels everyone must read: the definitive list
Filing this for future reference. Arts & Culture ·
Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe for crushed butterbeans with red pepper paste
This would make the perfect side dish, maybe with lime and coriander marinaded chicken… Food & Drink ·
Barack Obama’s presidency, three years on - is it time to give up hope?
The Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland on the diminishing expectations for change. I’m reserving judgement till next year, if/when Obama gets re-elected; then we’ll know if he can forgo political expediency and show his ‘stomach for a fight’. Current Affairs ·
The US schools with their own police
Why is the state criminalising normal childhood behaviour?’ Indeed, Is this not a prime example of a police state in practice? Current Affairs ·
Joe Queenan: If someone tells me a film sucks, I have to see it
I share the sentiment, but don’t necessarily want to pay for the ‘privilege’. Ahem. Sound & Screen ·
Dan Gillmor: Stop Sopa or the web really will go dark
The journalist and author of We the Media fame makes the case in The Guardian for net neutrality and electronic freedom (be sure also to check The Guardian’s SOPA page). Current Affairs ·
Umberto Eco: ‘People are tired of simple things. They want to be challenged’
Remind me to read more Eco please. I’ve only read Baudolino, and that was years ago. Arts & Culture ·
We know who [Johnny] Depp is, thank you
On the overuse of square brackets when editing verbatim quotes. Media & Journalism ·
Science channels explode onto YouTube
I’ve said it before: these are perfect tools for the classroom. I’m the kid who learned more from TV about maths and science (and appreciating them) than I ever did at school. I’m surely not the only one. Science & Nature ·
Toolbox tips: drilling and fixing
I will find this very useful one day. Interesting ·
My favourite film: Predator
I’ll fight anyone who says Predator isn’t one of the best action films of the 1980s; it’s up there with Robocop IMHO. Sound & Screen ·
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s chickpea recipes
I see some post-Xmas chana masala in my future. Food & Drink ·
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s hot food for cold days recipes
I’m so hungry right now. Food & Drink ·
Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes for carrot and mung bean salad, plus red lentil soup with fried tofu and chilli oil
Both of these look delicious. I can’t believe I’m saying carrots look delicious. Food & Drink ·
Charlie Brooker: Everyone knows David Cameron is a lizard. So why does the Telegraph continue to deny the truth?
Some people just can’t handle it. BUT WE KNOW. Current Affairs ·
Putting Steve Jobs’ passing into perspective
The Princess Di-ness of the whole thing left me a bit disgusted, to tell the truth. See also: What Everyone Is Too Polite to Say About Steve Jobs. Arts & Culture ·
Yotam Ottolenghi’s turkey cakes with wasabi guacamole recipe
Please remind me to make these soon, okay? Food & Drink ·
The blogosphere still needs codes of conduct
In reference to conflicts of interest and the recent TechCrunch saga. Media & Journalism ·
The End of WikiLeaks
Analysis of the recent full release of unredacted cables, in what seems to have been a spiteful fit over a dispute with The Guardian. Current Affairs ·
How to make an intelligent blockbuster and not alienate people
An extract from Mark Kermode’s new book. I purchased the Kindle version (my review is on Goodreads) but not without jumping through a few hoops. Listen here, Amazon: Ireland (for all intents and purposes) is part of the UK book market, so please fix your regional restriction nonsense. Sound & Screen ·
How to enjoy opera
I can’t stand opera. But if I were ever to attend one, I’d do some reading here first. Arts & Culture ·
Dan Lepard’s sweet potato brownies recipe
I am so gonna make these, though maybe with low-fat butter. Also: I should be posting recipes here more often. Food & Drink ·
Critical Thinking A-level loses appeal
Critical Thinking sounds like an awesome subject. Arts & Culture ·
The Bill’s Reg Hollis actor wins US award for Soviet-era film
This warms my heart, so it does. Feelgood story of the month. Sound & Screen ·
Roger Ailes and the rise of Fox News
“To watch even a day of Fox News — the anger, the bombast, the virulent paranoid streak, the unending appeals to white resentment, the reporting that is held to the same standard of evidence as a political campaign attack ad — is to see a refraction of its founder, one of the most skilled and fearsome operatives in the history of the Republican party … Ailes has used Fox News to pioneer a new form of political campaign — one that enables the Republican party to bypass sceptical reporters and wage an around-the-clock, partisan assault on public opinion. The network, at its core, is a giant soundstage created to mimic the look and feel of a news operation, cleverly camouflaging political propaganda as independent journalism.” The rest is even worse. What a scumbag. Media & Journalism ·
Yotam Ottolenghi’s chicken sofrito recipe
Have to try this one soon, looks delicious. Food & Drink ·
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s bean recipes
Saving this for the runner beans with tomatoes. Food & Drink ·
Athens is plastered with one message: enoikiazetai. To let
Landlords would rather let street life die than lower their rents to encourage new business. Now why does that sound so familiar? Current Affairs ·
Michel Roux Jr: How to prevent kitchen disasters
Good tips for avoiding culinary catastrophes. Food & Drink ·
Do it yourself and save
A wealth of how-to guides for fixing things around the house. Interesting ·
David Norris failed, yet the ‘nothing new’ system failed too
I’m still disappointed about this whole situation. And I have no idea who else is in the running. That says a lot. Current Affairs ·
Cinema of sin: London’s old Scala picturehouse
I love the idea of all-night movie marathons. Why don’t we have them anymore? Sound & Screen ·
South Africa rights groups condemn Jacob Zuma’s choice of top judge
How someone who holds such prejudiced beliefs can even be a regular judge, let alone chief justice, is beyond me. Current Affairs ·
The news coverage of the Norway mass-killings was fact-free conjecture
Charlie Brooker bang on the money, here. Media & Journalism ·
Alexis Petridis on heavy metal and the Mercury prize
For sure, much metal is bombastic and silly, and ‘important’ prizes like the Mercury don’t tend to include artists like that. But metal is a broad church, maybe even more so than other genres; there’s much more to it than bombast and silliness. Sound & Screen ·
The 100 greatest non-fiction books (according to The Guardian)
Filing this for future reference. Arts & Culture ·
Iain M Banks: Science fiction is no place for dabblers
Personally I don’t mind dabbling in sci-fi elements; it’s when some authors are at pains to distance themselves from the genre that really gets my goat. See also: The stars of modern SF pick the best science fiction. Arts & Culture ·
The Sad, Beautiful Fact That We’re All Going To Miss Almost Everything
In other words, I need to relax about missing all that stuff in my feed reader. See also: Anne Billson in the Guardian on the Fear of Missing Out, or Fomo. Arts & Culture ·
Charlie Brooker: How to handle the shop snobs
I maintain that nobody really knows what work is till they’ve worked behind a till. Arts & Culture ·
How live blogging has transformed journalism
Transformed? I don’t know about that. But it’s certainly made things more immediate, and works very well for events such as sports as they happen. In that respect live blogs might be the new radio. Media & Journalism ·
The lost art of editing
I think – in fact I know – most people don’t realise how much input editors have into the work of writers. Arts & Culture ·
Insiders’ guide to the northern lights
Probably the wrong time of year for this, but it’s on my bucket list! Still not sure which country is the best option, though. Interesting ·
What are your best magazine articles of all time?
There’s something off about that headline, but there’s a good selection of long-form writing here. Arts & Culture ·
Chris Morris: ‘Bin Laden doesn’t really do jokes’
Interview with the Day Today/Brass Eye mastermind. I haven’t yet seen Four Lions, so this will serve as a reminder. Sound & Screen ·
Mind your language: in praise of subeditors
The editor of the Guardian style guide writes in praise of subeditors: “Given the indispensable contribution that they make, it seems perverse that the role of subs has been questioned, albeit mainly from those more interested in the cost of everything than the value of anything.” Media & Journalism ·
Howard Zinn obituary
It’s been a year since he died; too few have learned his lessons. Current Affairs ·
A manifesto for the simple scribe - my 25 commandments for journalists
Some of these can be taken with a pinch of salt — shallow, facile, glib and slick aren’t insults now? — but the first point is the most important: if you’re not writing for a reader, you’re not being a journalist. Media & Journalism ·
3D printer kits - a great gift for the geek in your life
These exist now? For the same price as a laptop? We really are in the future (hoverboards aside). Interesting ·
A Mexican, a Kiwi and a Nigerian walk into a bar…
Two things from this: every country has jokes about other countries; and the vast majority of said jokes are interchangable. The lack of uniqueness is surprising. Arts & Culture ·
The Guardian’s guide to film genres
Part of the paper’s film season which ran recently. Like any such list it’s subject to much debate, but it’s not bad as an introduction for novices. Sound & Screen ·
Superheroes are misunderstood
Margin note: Fringe culture in general is misunderstood; always has been and always will be. Arts & Culture ·
Saul Bass, Richard Williams and the fascinating history of cinema’s opening credits
Is there a book about this? If there isn’t there should be. (And if there is, please let me know so I can add it to my wish list.) Sound & Screen ·
A taster of recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty
Great stuff here; this dude does vegetarian food that’ll appeal to even the most hardened carnivore. Arts & Culture ·
Waiting for the Men: why the delay before US shows air in the UK (or anywhere else)?
The short version is that the TV industry is still based on a model of separation predicated on physical geographical boundaries that ceased to exist once high-speed broadband reached a global tipping point. In other words, TV needs to move with the times. Anything else is just an excuse. Sound & Screen | 1 Comments ·
Make your own sourdough
Filing this for future reference. Mmmmm, bread. Arts & Culture ·
Charlie Brooker: My plan to save mankind
Basically, the inability of the average individual to transcend the linear comprehension of time is to blame for everything from climate change to the obesity epidemic. And it’s a very convincing argument. Says Brooker of the exceptional few: “Every jogger is essentially a clairvoyant. They’ve transcended the shackles of contemporary subsistence and risen above the likes of you and me, to witness a vision of the future so captivating it blocks out the pain of the present, so enticing, they’re literally compelled to run towards it.” Arts & Culture ·
Jonathan Lethem on the streets of Brooklyn
An interview with the author of The Fortress of Solitude upon the release of his latest, Chronic City. According to Lethem, the Brooklyn he loves is marked by “a definitive incompleteness”. Couldn’t the same be said for any city-with-a-soul? Arts & Culture ·
The 50 most intriguing games of 2010
New games for the Wii are conspicuous by their absence. Nintendo, what are you doing? Sound & Screen ·
Charlie Brooker: Why I love video games
The man really does love his videogames. But sadly not the Wii, which has its place for casual-but-interested gamers such as myself. Sound & Screen ·
In praise of… pies
“There is… an essence of pie; it dwells in the borderland where pastry meets with filling to create a third taste, and complete the pie-makers’ holy trinity.” Mmm, yes indeed. Arts & Culture ·
Falling out of love with Murakami
I love Murakami, and I don’t care about the clichés (the enigmatic women, the jazz, the pasta), nor that his stories are one-off experiences (as I never re-read books anyway). Arts & Culture ·
Why progress-bar traffic lights are long overdue
This is a great idea (more about it here) akin to the countdown timers for pedestrians on many traffic lights here in Dublin. Those certainly work for me — but then my mammy raised me right. Interesting ·
‘These videogames are not art. They are extreme pornography’
O RLY? Actually this might be one of the few instances where the comments section is better than the article itself — which needless to say is hideously ill-informed. Arts & Culture ·
Lou Albano obituary
Nice of the Guardian to pay tribute to Captain Lou. Sports & Games ·
The Guardian profiles Fray Tormenta, the Mexican wrestling priest
Published near the release of Nacho Libre, the film very loosely based on his life. The Independent also has a profile of ‘Friar Storm’ — or ‘Father Thunder’, as he was called in a documentary on lucha libre I once saw on RTE Two in the early ’90s. Arts & Culture ·
How I never quite fell for South Africa
The Guardian’s Rory Carroll reflects on his tenure as Africa correspondent, giving a glimpse of the all-too-real dark side of the ‘Rainbow Nation’. Having been there (and soon to return) myself, beyond the paths where the tourists tread, I can somewhat identify with his sentiments. Arts & Culture ·
The Guardian has just launched its PDF news digest, G24
As previously noted here. Looks like it went live on Friday. They slipped that one out unannounced, didn’t they? Looks good so far; I may have further thoughts on it later. Media & Journalism ·
Guardian to launch downloadable news digest
I like it, I like it a lot. I can’t see it displacing freesheets anytime soon, but it’s a good start. Media & Journalism ·
Guardian Unlimited: Podcasts
The Guardian’s new podcasting service. And they’ve gone all out, too. Talk about convergence… Media & Journalism ·
Berliner Guardian named newspaper of the year
They deserve it. Media & Journalism ·
Dan Chung’s photo blog
For me, this is the highlight of the new site. Not only do we get impressive images from a photojournalist at the top of his game, but we also get the story behind them, and even technical details for the photo-nerds. This is exactly the the type of thing that will keep newspapers alive and kicking in the internet age. Arts & Culture ·
Comment is free
The Guardian’s new comment blog, to which I am finally linking. It’s only been up a few weeks but can already boast over 1,000 posts (compared to my measly 2,021 since November 2001). Some really thoughtful stuff in there, and it’s great to see the writers getting involved in the comments, too. Arts & Culture ·
Modernism is abroad, generally
Dan Hill’s take on The Guardian’s Modernism special from a couple of weeks ago. I’m hoping to make it to the V&A exhibition before it ends in July. Arts & Culture ·
Accusations of anti-semitic chic are poisonous intellectual thuggery
A surprisingly tabloidish headline (for The Guardian) hides a pretty nuanced and fair analysis of attitudes on all sides of this debate. Arts & Culture ·
Searching for a fresher taste
Bobbie Johnson invetigates Yahoo!’s investment in Web 2.0. All the cool kids work for Yahoo! now; it’s the new Google. Or something. Interesting ·
I am a camera
From The Guardian a few weekends ago; an article on moblogging that doesn’t once mention Flickr. Strange, that. Interesting ·
Guardian Newsblog: Helping Hoder
See my comment? The first in the list? It was actually in response to a comment left by the apparently racist Deric Williams who appears repeatedly further down the thread. I wish they’d edited mine to keep it in context, or just left in the original remarks, but anyway… Arts & Culture ·
Short Guardian profile on Paul Auster
Probably best not to read this if you don’t know the ending of The Music of Chance. Which I didn’t until I read this. Thanks a lot. Arts & Culture ·
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This page lists all Microlog entries by MacDara Conroy tagged with ‘theguardian’. You will find many more entries sorted by month and by category in the Archives.
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