On Saturday the Sun was in just the right place to catch the Gallery Fountain.

( Diamonds aren't for ever. )

Blimey, Fleet Foxes, eh? My ears perked up when I first heard White Winter Hymnal on Radders & Maconie last Summer and I've been impressed by the odd song I've heard on the radio since but this week I got round to purchasing the 2-CD set and when I heard it all together I realised the last single was merely the angelic preamble to the music of the GODS. It's as if someone has distilled the top half of my music collection into sonic nectar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleet_Foxes

Two contradictory days of light one bright and one grey gave me the chance to get some moody shots around the West Side.

( Snowdrops bloom as the footprints melt away )

M.R. James woz 'ere?

It snowed a bit...

( Evidence )

After not seeing anything in the cinema all of last year I started 2009 by seeing Slumdog Millionaire and I strongly suggest you do too. A well tempered alloy of modern referential storytelling, '60s style social realism and Bollywood colour with some fine performances. Inevitably the focus has been on the adult actors but the kids* should really be getting something for the mantlepiece** along with Anil Kapoor whose performance as questionmaster Prem Kumar is seamlessly oily despite having the camera in his face throughout the film.

*Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail ... Youngest Salim
Ayush Mahesh Khedekar ... Youngest Jamal
Rubiana Ali ... Youngest Latika
Tanay Chheda ... Middle Jamal (as Tanay Hemant Chheda)
Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala ... Middle Salim

**Along with a mantlepiece and some serious money which was something not forthcoming from the film. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slumdog_Millionaire

As Others See Us
In a broadly related note this appeared in the Hindu today.
http://www.thehindu.com/holnus/003200901291632.htm

Yesterday I got very cold standing on Millennium Bridge patiently watching the sunset so you didn't have to.

( l'azure et l'or )

I know there is supposed to be competition on the railways these days but some companies are taking it a bit too far.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5EEEpn7RWo

In a small but interesting development. The Guardian has grouped all it's civil liberties coverage and comment in a new campaigning page, Liberty Central.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral

It includes not just news and editorial but also practical advice and plenty of public input. A few people of my acquaintance will be interested in the first "Liberty Clinic" on photography and stop and search.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/jan/19/stop-and-search-civil-liberties-law

A few scenes from the first photo outing of 2009.

( Squirrels, sunsets and secret streets. )

A particularly notworthy Freak Zone from Mr Maconie today. The featured album was Davy Graham's Folk Blues and Beyond. Davy was a huge influence on folk and pop music being the originator of the DADGAD guitar tuning that was the sound of hte 60s. Sadly, by the time I saw him live in the Autumn of 2007 his illness had taken it's toll on his talents and he passed away just before Xmas with far too little fuss.

Normally that would be enough for me but next we got Cornelius Cardew - Solidarity Song and Henry Cow & Slapp Happy - The Owl top quality '70s Commie rock.

The University of the Strange feature was on the New Weird America scene which has provided such a lot of interesting sounds lately and is going mainstream via Radcliffe & Maconie.

Honourable mention to Mary Hampton who seems to combine the sound of 70s Cambridge scene art rock with the sound of The Winterset to produce something very unsettling and icily beautiful.

In the tradition of best till last though, the Live Freaks session this week was my all time favourite bleepy band, Broadcast with a session from 1998.

A sweeping tip of my paisley top hat to Mr Maconie, hopefully this one sets the standard for this year.

Posted by one of my Flickr contacts johnv2544

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnv2544/3186216162/

Perfectly captures the atmosphere of the forgotten corners of rural West Yorkshire.

Complaints from residents in Maghull that the celebrations to mark the end of Liverpools European City of Culture year had got out of hand were denied yesterday by coordinator Phil Redmond.

A warning for all you dangerous subversives who like to exercise their right to take photographs.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/photographers-criminalised-as-police-abuse-antiterror-laws-1228149.html

Just so we're clear. There is no legal restriction on photography unless it is in an area restricted by very specific law (eg:MOD sites). There is no restriction on photographing public or private buildings, or people, or trains or anything else. There is no need for codes of conduct or signing in at the station masters office or any other such compromise with your legal rights because there is NO RESTRICTION ON PHOTOGRAPHY IN PUBLIC PLACES.

So that's what young Marcus Brigstocke was doing before the Now Show.

I've just given Google Chrome a go on the elderly laptop.

1 - Auto download failed to start until prompted by me.

2 - Initial import settings routine crashed every time and had to be turned off before Chrome would load.

3 - Chrome repeatedly crashed on attempting to log in to Google Mail.

4 - It's crap. No controls or settings and no 3rd party enhancements available.

5 - It's ugly as sin - your browser shall be watery blue and white that is the whole of the law.

Needless to say it's in the bin. The fastest download to dump turnaround of any software I've had in twenty years of computer use. A shame really as I'm a bit of a fan of the big G usually.

EDIT:
Now I can't add The Mighty Book of Boosh to Google Library since Google Books seems not to know of it's existence.

Photos on Flickr are alocated "interestingness" via a process mortal man shall not be told. These are mine as of 01/01/2009. Needless to say (I hope) I don't really agree.

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