Computers for Pupils

At the moment I'm enjoying Computers for Pupils (a boring name, I know, but it says what it is on the can, so to speak). As the blurb tells us, it's:

A £60 million, 2-year programme aimed at helping some of the most disadvantaged secondary children improve their education and life skills by putting a computer into the home. Local Authorities identified as having eligible schools and pupils in their area have been given funding to buy equipment, as well as help and advice covering all aspects of the scheme.

Of course, I'm not personally putting a computer into 100,000 homes, oh no. My role is to facilitate it, make it happen, supply the money and the incentives, that sort of thing.

We're sort of 'launching' it on 9 October with a seminar event at the Hilton Metropole on Edgware Road (and no, you can't come, it's by invitation only). So, of course, we need some branding, some artwork to jazz up the event a bit, and this is what the designers have come up with. They did 20-odd designs but I've gone for these two, one for signage and the other for letter-head. I think they're quite fun!

I'll be getting more versions later to decide which colour(s) to use and other exciting decisions. Sometimes I like my job!

Feckity feck feck

I can feel my osteophytes. O yes I can. I can feel them grinding and gnashing.

Osteophytes are boney growths on the vertebrae and when a disc degenerates they start rubbing together. It feels most odd. I could feel mine rubbing on the way home tonight and I can still feel them (I need to take magick pills).

I think it might result from how I've been sitting today. I've had three meetings in the same room today (one of the few in my building with a fully functioning whiteboard) and the seats in that room are odd and too big. Apparently the table we sit around is the meeting table from Michael Portillo's old private office when he was Secretary of State for Employment way back in the day. I probably spent about four hours in those seats (with short breaks inbetween). I think that's what's done it. Or, at least, I can't think of any other reason for feeling like this.

I need pills and then bed. And sleep would be nice.

OK Go - On The Treadmills


Ahem. This is what's it's *really* like when you go to the gym for a tough workout. Believe me.

Suzi Quatro - Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame

Now, the Sex Pistols see it as a piss stain but Suzi wouldn't say no to being inducted into the Hall of Fame and good on her.

I had a Suzi Quatro morning this morning, selecting her to listen to on the way to work and it was great to hear 'Back to the Drive' again (the title track from her latest album - I love it when she says, 'I'm back!'). That made me log onto her website to see if there's any news about a tour, but there isn't (do I detect sighs of relief from Enfield?).

Instead there was a link to a site with the sole purpose of getting Suzi inducted into the Hall of Fame. I'm all for that! Suzi was such an influence and one of the great unsung heroes of rock that she deserves it. But, apparently, the Hall of Fame doesn't accept emails... eh? Which century are we living in?

The site says:

We need everyone’s help and support: Please send an entry by printing and filling in the form letter below, or feel free to compose your own letter telling the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame what Suzi’s music means to you and why you think she deserves to be inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame. (Please note that original letters have more influence on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Committee). Please mail all letters to the below address, as the Rock Hall of Fame does not accept emails.

Go for it Suzi!

Now... where did I put that postcard of a young Suzi in leathers from the National Portrait Gallery ....

The Dresden Dolls - Backstabber


The new single (available 11 September) with a spikey version of 'Modern Moonlight' at the end. This video is from the Jimmy Kimmel show in April 2006.

More News of Dresden

The Dresden Dolls played at the Reading Festival last weekend and I've just been pointed to the review of the festival in the Independent online which states:

If you haven't caught on to The Dresden Dolls yet there's probably no hope for you, but despite an unsuitable daylight timeslot and unusually dressed-down stagewear ("Death To The Pixies" T-shirt, faces cleansed of pierrot make-up), the Bostonian cabaret-noir duo of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione, both with their own material and covers of Brel's "Amsterdam" and Sabbath's "War Pigs" are the most compelling, thrilling thing of the whole weekend.

And, luckily, the BBC website about the festival includes a photo of Amanda in that very t-shirt!

Even better - new Dresdens music will be available on Monday 11 September. 'Backstabbers' (from 'Yes, Virginia') is being released as a digital single with the 'b' side being, 'Lonesome Organist Rapes Page Turner', a track only heard so far on their MySpace site. It will, naturally enough, be heard in Streatham from Monday, quite possibly rather loudly.

And where did I gather all this information from? I had an email alerting me that The Dresden Dolls UK Forum has been launched so I automatically logged on. As you do.

O Woe ...

I avidy read Amanda's latest blog this evening (a particular treat for me) and my face gradually fell. Isn't it almost illegal for the red-tops (no names, no pack-drill, no libel suit) to report accurately?

A few months ago, after the Dresden Dolls were on 'Later... with Jools Holland' the red-top gossip page reported a "romance" between Amanda and Ricky (thing) from the Kaiser Chiefs. Naturally, I dismissed it. Amanda is art and Ricky is, well, white-boy pop (to paraphrase).

But it seems to be true...

I (obviously) wish Amanda well but would welcome a full statement as to what he's got over me?

I will listen to the lyrics of future Dolls songs with interest.

I've put the soundtrack of 'Avenue Q' on the CD player to cheer me up.

Sigh

Esther & Abi Ofarim - Cinderella Rockefalla

A classic of yesteryear!

Mary Tyler Moore Theme

The intro section for the first series...

More SLADE? O yes...

I spent some enjoyable time reading Lise Lyng Falkenberg's SLADEblog today. There are some great photos of Don on the blog - here's one I nicked of Don with the new CDs. He's looking good.

I was fascinated, nostalgic and surprised in equal parts. There's a great interview with Don reproduced in the blog and it was nice to read his reminiscences of making the records in the first place.

I was very surprised that the band haven't been approached to do any promotional work for the new CDs, although Don thought that maybe Noddy will be doing something (Nod is often the spokesperson as was always the way). This seems very strange and such a missed opportunity to try to get the four band members together again... O well.

The interview also comments on Don's songwriting - he co-wrote some of the songs on 'Play It Loud' (which has always been one of my favourites) and the early 'B' sides. More wordy and serious than Nod's lyrics, but that just adds variety to the catalogue. I hope he gets lots of royalties from the re-issues.