Category Archives: World Cup 2010

June 23, 2011 · 9:25 am

#oneaday 50: E3 – a kind (of) view

It was my first time back in LA at E3 since 2006 and it was both exciting,  stimulating certainly never boring. Would we see the true dawn of a new platform less frontier where the Cloud was all? Or would we see platforms continuing to plough their own furrow, vying for the top development talent as well as the consumers’ Yen, Pound, Dollar or Euro?

These are inspiring times and we are seeing both structural and seismic changes to the industry as we know it.  Platforms and methods of distribution are certainly key factors that will both disrupt the status quo and drive growth or hasten failure for those who are unable to adapt to market conditions and consumer demand.  Everyone is seeking to be the hub of the entertainment universe both in the home and out and about. From a consumer’s perspective, this does give plenty of choice, but it can also lead to confusion and confusion is never good. That is why technology and content companies need to have very clear offerings and above all deliver seamless, secure, reliable, scalable and inclusive services and products to consumers. It is clear that some consumers want one connected device which they can use in a variety of ways. Between Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Apple, HTTC, Samsung and others we will see plenty of gadgetry that will edge us all towards that nirvana.

But back in the video games world, it was great to hear and see that Microsoft were pushing Kinect out to the core gamers, that Sony launched their new handheld the PS Vita (out this year) and were also focusing on the core gamers and Nintendo unveiled their new console, Wii U (out anytime between April and December 2012). The Wii U will blow most people away as soon as you get your hands on it and it truly offers another dimension (3rd anyone?)  in gaming. It will push and inspire games developers to make games that will in turn inspire and push gamers everywhere.  And Nintendo too are focusing on, you’ve guessed it, core gamers. Selling packaged goods media alongside the hardware will be a much needed fillip to the traditional retailers who are not yet into the digital world.  There are also some Nintendo favourites such as Mario Kart and Luigi’s Mansion coming to the 3DS which will push sales nicely too.

Meanwhile up the road from LA, Apple announced the iCloud which is a way of storing all your music, photos, apps, docs and more, wirelessly as well as pushing them to all your devices automatically.  Cloud computing is finally becoming a practical reality, and another exciting tech on show was OnLive, who have BT and HTTC as investors.  This is a streaming service which brings top notch PC games to your TV or tablet. Using a universal controller you simply play directly from the Cloud. I even saw Flash running on an iPad! OnLive are due to launch in the UK in September so it will be interesting to see if the service is taken up by gamers, core or casual or somewhere in between.

Elsewhere in the digital space, EA have launched Origin which is their digital distribution service set to rival Steam, Amazon, Apple, XBLA, PSN and others. They clearly see the digital race is on and like the chariot race in Ben Hur, it will be fast, furious and pretty brutal.

And finally, it was great to see E3 packed with the key innovators in our industry – the developers, old and new, all hungry for the new tech, some liberated by self-publishing and above all most of them had a smile on their face. I even saw some great augmented reality apps which will revolutionise advertising very soon.  If you see smiles augmented or up there in the clouds, it’s a good sign that the future for interactive entertainment an video games is very bright indeed.

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May 14, 2011 · 9:13 am

#oneaday 48: Christmas in May

I woke up this morning at 6am and just could not get back to sleep, no matter how tired I thought I was.  Nothing unusual in the Spring or Summer months, I am usually so keen to get up and get outside into the garden, I think I just wake up with the sunrise. But today is FA Cup Final day and it used to be a very special day, especially when I was younger. Today could still be a special day given that there are 2 teams in the Final neither of whom have won any silverware since the 1970’s, Stoke City and Manchester City. Stoke have never been in the Final in their 140 odd years of existence, so their fans will be experiencing a mix of emotions, anxiety right now and maybe, just maybe ecstasy at about 5pm tonight. Or their fans and players will feel flatter than a pancake if they lose to their big money rivals, the Chelsea replacements in light blue. To both sets of fans winning will be everything today and losing, well just not worth contemplating. To both sets of supporters, may the best team win.

My how the game has changed though. This is the first time ever that the FA Cup Final has been played before the end of the Football League season (or indeed the Premier League) has actually finished. Worse than that, a stack of Premiership teams actually play today, all be it at 12.45pm. And even worse than that, the FA Cup Final is no longer on the BBC! Without being dewy eyed. things ain’t what they used to be.

FA Cup Final day was always special. Outside of World Cups and the occasional European Championship ( I say occasional that was because there was only 8 teams who took part, even up to 1992, and the home countries were rarely involved) and the much loved and much missed Home Internationals, which featured England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Island in a round robin tournament played over a week  of 2 Saturdays and a Wednesday nigh match, there was no live football on TV.

I remember watching my first Final in 1970 – Chelsea vs Leeds which went to a replay the following week, which was great becasue it was another match live on TV.  Chelsea won it and also won a legion of new fans, all about 6 or 7 years old.  At  school on the Monday after the Saturday draw, I remember getting punched by some bigger kids because when they asked me ‘who are you for the replay, Chelsea or Leeds’ I simply replied, ‘neither, I amWest Ham’. I think the die was cast even at an early stage in my life that I was never one to follow the crowds and certainly never one to support anyone else bar my beloved Hammers. In 1971 we saw Arsenal do the Double in colour for the first time and Charlie George lay prone after scoring the winner against Liverpool. Then in ’72 it was Arsenal back again, this time against the mighty Leeds, Mick Jones with a bandaged shoulder which looked like it had dislocated as he crossed the ball for Allan Clarke to nail the winner. I remember that year collecting the Esso coin collection celebrating 100 years of the FA Cup, and pleading with Dad to make sure he always bought Esso petrol and thus got more little blue printed paper packets with a precious silver coin inside. In ’73 it was that legendary game, Sunderland of the 2nd Division beating the mighty Leeds! No one could believe it. In 74 Liverpool thumped Newcastle 3-0 and Alec Lindsay scored a scorcher which was ruled out as offside. In ’75 it was West Ham against 2nd Division Fulham. Bobby Moore, the legendary number 6 played, but not for West Ham but for Fulham. In then end all my dreams came true when our FA Cup hero, Alan Taylor scored twice again and Billy Bonds lifted the FA Cup and I was happy as a happy thing for months. The following year, it was Southampton’s turn for a day in the sun and they beat hot favourites Manchester United with a solitary goal by Bobby Stokes. And so every year the memories just built. I have only ever been to 2 FA Cup Finals, 1980  when a 2nd Division West Ham beat 1st Division Arsenal and in 2006 when a 2nd Division (now rebranded Championship) West Ham took Premiership Liverpool to penalties after a 3-3 draw in 120 minutes, not at Wembley but in Cardiff. A great day and all that, one I will never forget, despite us being on the losing side.

Not only was the match live on TV in the old days, but the whole day seemed to be about the Cup. I think the BBC and ITV used to kick off about 9 or 10am and we would have Cup Final themed ‘Swap Shop’  (BBC) and something else on ITV, and the day was about one thing and one thing only. But these were different days. Yes the game meant everything, but it was played by players who earned good money, but not daft money. The gap between the fans and those players was not enormous. We were all working class people, joining together on the big day. We all wanted to win, but we all had a laugh or a cry and above all there was a feeling of a national togetherness. Even the managers were relaxed and full of banter. Nowadays it is all conflict and hype. Take a look at ‘Big’ Ron Atkinson and Jimmy Melia who were interviewed by the legendary David Coleman on the morning of the Cup Final. They are laughing and joking and at complete ease with each other. How refreshing that is when compared with some of the nonsense we see today.

Ok, we were younger and we had more vivid memories, but who could forget the FA Cup finalists, the players, the heroes and the villians. The sea of colours, the banners, the terraces at Wembley stacked with true fans paying fair prices and the perfect pitch, green and cut with what must have been nail scissors. Who also could forget the players, putting absolutely everything into a game, often played in blazing sunshine. Those  same players with rolled down socks, discarded shin pads and fantastic 70’s and 80’s hairstyles, exhausted, many crippled by cramp and all connected to their fans and to the nation as a whole. Above all, the nation would tune in in to 1 of 2 channels and watch the game, ‘Abide with Me’ would bring tears to the eyes of the older ones, and us youngsters would be so excited we were also close to tears.

And then to the game. Everyone, and I mean everyone would be watching the game. It was just like Christmas Day, but without all the presents. Once the game was over, we would all go outside and then play football for hours, until the very last chink of sunshine allowed us to see an old rough ball. I will always remember that Sunderland team, managed by the man in the hat, Bob Stokoe, who really could not believe that they had beaten the best team in the country. These were the best of times and there were simply no ‘worst of times’. Today is a tale of two cities, Manchester and Stoke and let’s hope the best team on the day, the one who wants it most, wins. I have no fear that both sets of fans will be singing their hearts out as it will mean loads to them. Indeed one of my very good friends is an ardent Manchester City fan in his 60’s and he is taking his family and his mother a lifelong fan. Another old school friend will be there, hoping that his beloved City will win something at last. That for me is what football is all about.

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April 29, 2011 · 8:20 am

#oneaday 42: A wedding for ‘friends and followers’?

Friday 29th April 2011 and the big day is here. Up with the lark, this time though no trip to London for me, today it’s a family affair, like weddings should be. Mum, Dad and Mother in Law are all round our house to watch the royal wedding.  Nearly 30 years ago, I went to London with my mates to see Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. We partied all night, got absolutely wasted and soaking wet in the fountains at Trafalgar Square, the next day we stood on the Mall, bleary eyed and ‘watched’ the whole occasion play out. It doesn’t feel this generation have painted London red, white and blue like we did when we were boys. Maybe the kids today are either not interested or simply have too many occasions to get on it?

This is the first time that an major occasion of state has been covered not only by the BBC and ITV in Britain, but by social media. No longer will ‘viewers’ only get the official line. Now swapping between BBC TV, Facebook and Twitter depending on who your friends are or who you follow, the tone can lurch from BBC reverence to Twitter refusenik. For once I have put my natural scepticism aside and am just going to enjoy the day.  A royal wedding is just a very big version, some would say bloated, others simply dignified and laced with traditional pomp and circumstance.  For today only, Great Britain or the UK as we now refer to ourselves (I think that dates back to Jeux Sans Frontiers  or It’s a Knockout as we used to call it 30 years ago) will be the centre of the world’s attention. For today only, Great Britain will be the centre of fun and celebration. I have to admit, I am pretty proud of that fact. And the family are all in the lounge, wearing their hats and getting terribly excited.

After all weddings are for friends and  family and occasionally followers, if you are a royal. Having said that, the definition of ‘friends’ is a little different today, so maybe it is apt that this is the first royal wedding of the Facebook and Twitter age. I am enjoying the Ying of the BBC and the Yang of Twitter. Facebook is squeezed in between, almost like a drunken aunt.

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April 20, 2011 · 6:41 pm

#oneaday39: There but for the grace of God

They say life is full of ups and downs and you only really appreciate the ups when you have had plenty of downs, but sometimes things happen that give you a glimpse of what life could be like. When you see those things, if you have an ounce of humanity, you will be shaken to the core and will want to seek the warmth of your family and the comfort of your friends.

I have just experienced one such jolt, a massive wake up call. On Tuesday night, I along with another mate went to see another mate, both will remain nameless for the sake of this story, but the mate I travelled with is mate 1 and the mate we went to see is mate 2. I travelled down to the Docklands in London, not to the new ubiquitous swish developments that are a familiar sight to any London marathon runner who has run the race in the noughties, but to an old set of what we used to call ‘buildings’ – those 2 and 3 storey tenement blocks that were built in the 1920’s. This one was called Naval House and had ‘1927’ proudly chiselled into it’s brickwork. I rang the bell a few times and there was no answer. I called  mate 1 who was en route to see if there was anything unusual. My mate 1 had mentioned that we really did need to get to see our friend (mate 2)  rather soon as he had ‘got worse’. I had fudged around and broken the date twice, much to my chagrin.

My mate 1 phoned mate 2 and within a minute I hear his familiar dulcet tones from within an open window on the ground floor. Seconds later I was greeted by the man who I had not seen for about five years (mate 2). We subsequently agreed it must have been 5 years since we met up in a boozer on Fetter Lane, as I had taken a call that very night about travelling to Germany for the 2006 World Cup. 5 years, a long time and yet actually quite short as it turned out.

It was the three of us united again, 5 years on. Except this time it was very different. My friend let me in and was a very different man from the one I had last seen. We’ve all put a bit of weight on down the years, indeed I have led the way, but my friend was the finest figure of a man we knew. Fighting fit, literally at a moments notice, he was honed and hard. Years of semi pro fighting had made him almost indestructible, aside from the flattest nose this side of the Repton Boys Club. Fearless and distinguished, controlled and noble, this man was an exponent of the Chinese Martial Arts like few others. Yet the man who greeted me tonight had that same face, flattened nose and wolf like eyes, sharp as pins and almost glowing, but his body had become twisted and awkward. He was like a puppet who had got his strings terribly tangled mid dance. LikeAction Man with twisted internal rubber bands.

I was shocked. I had heard that he had been in a bad way and was getting worse, indeed that night 5 years back he had baled early citing that he had some illness which was effecting his energy levels, something he and we had laughed off. Little did we know that he would contract a rare and seemingly incurable muscle wasting disease that would render this once indestructible man, almost crippled.

He told us of his daily life of powerful painkilling drugs, endless DVDs, terminal tiredness and the debilitating realisation that he could no longer take a stroll down the shops, pop out for a drink or lead the high life that we used to lead such a short time back. The endless pain, the depression and the lack of contact with the outside world had taken a toll. Even typing on his laptop became exhausting and frustrating in equal measure.

This gave both of us a horrible and brutal window in what it must be like to get old, lose touch with the outside world and never be able to revisit the times when you were fitter and more able to enjoy the good things. The really shocking layer however, was that our mate is only a few years older than us, and has literally become an ageing man in a couple of years.

We discussed old times, the boxing scene, the fights we went to see, the football matches abroad, the capers, the good times and the bad. We laughed a lot and we listened. We both came away feeling helpless, a tad depressed and above all gutted that our very good friend was in this physical state. Indeed I am actually quite angry. The social services have been less than brilliant, the medical profession have let him down, his ex business partner has treated him like a mug and most of all his friends have gone missing. That includes us.

If you ever get down about your lot life, spare a thought for those who are worse off. There are millions and millions and yet it is only when you see someone you know really down on their luck do you actually wake up and realise how lucky we all are. Look out for your friends and family, they are the ones who need you most and we all need to support each other before it is too late. You can never roll back time. Never.

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February 7, 2011 · 8:23 pm

#oneaday23: The Holey Trinity – is it a just Mexican stand off?

As our means of collecting and accessing information becomes faster and more comprehensive and the role of the traditional media becomes both questioned and strained, so the dynamics within the media challenge their very existence and importance.  We begin to see a backlash by the media against the media, especially  in Britain where it is a national habit to ‘build ’em up and knock ’em down’. Sometimes the backlash is serious, at other times somewhat more facile. The increasingly open nature of debate means we are seeing the ‘wisdom of the crowds’ becoming more prevalent , which can be a very good thing and sometimes a little more dangerous. This is nothing new, when people are put down, their natural instinct is to rise up. Think 1789 Paris for example. But the crowd is not always right. A couple of weeks back, two prominent presenters on Sky TV lost their jobs, one voluntarily and one without any choice. The ‘crowd’ was right to pronounce their abhorrence and the broadcaster took neccessary action.

But another broadcaster decided not to take action when 3 of their star presenters made racist and insulting comments about Mexicans on their Sunday evening episode of ‘Top Gear’. I did not see the episode, I gave up with Top Gear at the end of the last series, as it seemed to become far too cliched and actually quite boring, like many of these ‘familiar family favourites’ ultimately become. But I have since seen the clips on YouTube and on the national  news since, and it confirmed one thing that Top Gear is actually quite smug, full of itself and ultimately actually boring. The presenters are talented enough, but seeem to believe that they can do what they want, when they want and say what they want about whoever they want. In short they have believed in their own publicity and that is always a sad thing to witness. I am actually not really that bothered what these boys say, my main issue is one of consistency. If they had directed their ‘humour’ at women would there have been the same mute approach from our national broadcaster or indeed the ‘crowd’ in general?

Indeed, is it a decision or lack of it, dictated to by sheer commercial principle? Sky could afford to dispose of Messrs Gray and Keys, both reported to be on salaries of £1.3M per annum, as there are many more who could fill their football boots. But could the BBC afford to dispense wholesale with the Top Gear  triumvirate ? This series generates a massive amount of cash for BBC Worldwide and removing the holy trinity of Clarkson, Hammond and May would leave a massive hole in their P&L. I actually would not want to see anyone lose their job, but maybe the BBC should have a word in their shell like. Given the Russell Brand/Jonathan Ross episode, there is some track record here. If nothing else, it will give those who write Top Gear a kick up the arse of those Marlboro style cowboy booted, denimed clad legged presenters. Indeed Mr Clarkson stated that ‘it is impossible to be funny without offending someone’. I am not sure I completely agree with that. Mind you,  it may just make the show get back to its roots and bcome more interesting and less predictable.

Dear BBC – please restore our faith in your ability to make genuinely funny programmes.  We can but hope

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January 16, 2011 · 7:30 pm

#oneaday 10: Crap, that’s what that was, crap…

So said Danny (played by Pete Posthlewaite) in Brassed Off, when his beloved brass band came to the end of what sounded like an amazing rehearsal session. Brassed Off  taps into a grim old time set in a post miners’ strike world which focuses on the town of ‘Grimley’. Danny is the band conductor, passionate and proud, who faces up to the fact that his band members are simply running out of interest, indeed their lust for life has long been replaced by rust for strife. He has to face up to his son being in head over heels in debt causing his marriage to breakdown. Worse than this, the ex miners are all having to work in jobs which are at times just plain demeaning. His son becomes a childrens’ entertainer and has a breakdown. It is pathos enshrined and when he attempts suicide, the film hits its trough.

Ironically as the pit closes, so the brass band wins a national brass band competition, held at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Then one of the finest scenes I have ever seen plays out where Danny  or rather Pete, rejects the trophy and embarks on a speech of epic proportions. What I did not realise until I saw the wonderful BBC tribute to Pete Posthlewaite last night, was that the scene was largely ad libbed and the extras in the audience knew nothing about it until Pete delivered it and they sat agasp, knocked over. I rewatched the programme on BBC iPlayer and I have to admit,  I was in tears. Seeing Danny refuse the trophy stating that it’s only human beings that matter and not music or the trophy but “this bloody government has systematically destroyed an entire industry over the last 10 years.  OUR industry. And not just our industry—our communities, our homes, our lives. All in the name of ‘progress’. And for a few lousy bob”. That line always resonated with me. Cash over community, wealth over well being .

I especially loved the fact that Pete got involved and made ‘The Age of Stupid’ a low budget, climate change documentary a hit in 2009. I also loved the fact that he made a pledge to return his OBE if the Labour Government, represented by Ed Miliband who was Climate Change Minister, did not change their policy which included building a new ‘dirty coal power station in King’s North’.  Ed (now the leader of the Labour Party) invited himself to the film’s premier and Pete duly delivered this pledge antelling  the minister that if the Government went ahead with their plan  ‘then you are unfit to represent the people of Britain at the Copenhagen Climate Summit’. One month later, Miliband had changed the policy.

Ed Miliband gets confronted on Pete's say so

 Posthlewaite was always a favourite of mine and he was one of a small band of actors who played heroes and villains, equally menacing and kind in every role. The best man and the worst man. I knew Pete was an emotional man, a committed actor and a man with a social conscience, in short a man that cared about his work and cared about his fellow man. People like this seem to be getting rarer, or maybe that is just my take on the situation, but when you come across one you tend to treasure them. As Miriam Margolyes said on the programme, ‘You don’t get that kind of rage and that gentleness in one person’.

As the documentary closes to the haunting sounds of a brass band playing ‘Danny Boy’ you realise what a man Pete Posthlewaite was. The actor who Steven Spielberg said was the ‘best there was’.  The world is a lesser place without him.

Peter Posthlewaite 1946-2011 RIP

If you get a moment and can access BBC iPlayer have a look. You won’t regret it. I promise. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00xxkz3/Pete_Postlethwaite_A_Tribute/

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January 11, 2011 · 4:57 pm

#oneaday 8a: The bankers, their bonuses and their contracts

As a quick update on my previous blog, Mr Bob Diamond CEO of Barclays appeared in front of a House of Commons Select Committee today and gave a pretty good account of himself, all things considered. Mr George Osborne then stated the Government’s position and outlined the issues with the contracts issues to RBS staff by the previous Government. Whichever way you look at it, deals are being done, there will be no transparency and whilst beer and sandwiches are off the menu, Pol Roger and Monte Cristo’s are probably back on.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/emp/external/player.swf

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January 11, 2011 · 1:13 am

#oneaday 8: Robbing Peter, lending to Paul?

So all the tough talk about ‘us all being in this together ‘ (sic) (for those non residents of the UK, this was the phrase introduced by David Cameron, now Prime Minister of the UK at the Conservative party conference in October 2009 and has been the rallying call in these tough times) has proved to be a little wide of the mark. As purchase tax, or value added tax (VAT) as it was rebranded some years back rose 14% to 20% on the 4th of January, and thousands of public and private jobs are slashed,  as deep and rapid cuts to the welfare state and the education system,  the majority of folk in the UK are now getting used to a time of austerity. And you know what, we have no choice. The economy of the UK has taken a major battering, why, well in truth there are so many factors it would be a long essay and stuff that I simply don’t understand. But basically we spent more than we earned and we have to do our financial porridge for some years.

One factor that does stand out amongst all the others however, is the fact that some of our banks became insolvent in 2008. Instead of ‘the bank calling the debt in’ as normally happens when businesses and institutions fail, this time the banks carried the debts and could not meet their commitments. There was no one bank to call all the other banks in so to speak. They really were ‘all in it together’. The decision was taken, we are told, in the national interest, by Prime Minster Gordon Brown to bail the banks out. Amazingly no one actually seems to know to what extent. Namely we don’t know the final number. Some sources quote upwards of £1 Trillion. in the case of RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) we are told that the citizens of the UK now own 83% of the shares. In return for these share the nation poured £45Billion in cash, insured £280Billion of risky loans and set aside a further £8Billion in case things get really bad. So you’d have thought as majority shareholders in this company, we i.e our Government would have had a say in how that business should be run, in the national interest and all that.

But the Government insisted earlier today (when I wrote this anyway) it would not intervene to stop Royal Bank of Scotland’s chief executive, Stephen Hester, earning up to £9Million for last year’s work. Furthermore it will not seek to cap the bonus pool of more than £1Billion that the bank intends to pay it’s high earners. A spokesman for David Cameron said: “We’ve made a broad statement which is about the need to see some restraint and some responsibility from the banks, but we are not going to set bonus pools for individual banks.”

We know the sketch here. Money talks blah, blah. But for all the recent fighting political talk – see below – of those who govern us, those that our pickled voting system has thrust upon us, right or wrong, is always the same. It is just talk and talk, unlike property is cheap.  Indeed the extra tax rate/levy on bonuses from last year has been wiped out,  replaced by a lesser yielding tax on the banks’ balance sheets.

So if you are young and  live in London, or are trying to buy a house in London, or indeed in the countryside close to London – aka The Stock Broker Belt as it used to be called when VAT was purchase tax, one of the consequences of this indecent and bloated excess is that property prices will rise again, thus putting property even further off the radar of those starting out in their working life, those trying to bring up a family. The very same people, many of them pay as you earn (PAYE) tax payers (you know the ones who pay the correct amount of tax as they do not have access to fancy schemes for tax optimisation) are royally being shafted.

The youth should always be at the centre of any society’s future, yet they find themselves over taxed, if they are lucky enough to have a job, under served and utterly betrayed. And the bank band played on. Pfffff. I am not given to cheap prejudice, but I can tell you now, I have complete and utter contempt for these people.

So there you go and to keep it interesting, I have a meeting with our bank manager planned for next week to discuss our  ‘facility ‘for 2011. The name of that bank? I will give you 3 guesses. You should get it right first time. Wish me luck.

Footnote what our leaders said when in Government (courtesy of The Independent today)

‘It is wholly untenable to have millions of people making sacrifices in their living standards only to see the banks getting away scot-free – the banks should not be under any illusion: this Government cannot stand idly by.’ – NICK CLEGG, Deputy Prime Minister17 NOVEMBER 2010

‘I make no apology for attacking spivs and gamblers who did more harm to the British economy than Bob Crow [the RMT union leader] could achieve in his wildest Trotskyite fantasies, while paying themselves outrageous bonuses underwritten by the taxpayer.’ – VINCE CABLE, 22 SEPTEMBER 2010

‘Every decision the banks make like that [paying large bonuses] makes it more difficult to keep a tax regime that they might favour.’ DAVID CAMERON, Prime Minister 17 DECEMBER 2010

‘We will not allow money to flow unimpeded out of those banks into huge bonuses, if that means money is not flowing out in credit to the small businesses who did nothing to cause this crash and suffered most in it.’ – GEORGE OSBORNE, Chancellor of the Exchequer 4 OCTOBER 2010

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January 9, 2011 · 11:54 pm

#oneaday 7: Who’s the Twit?

Skimming through The Guardian (a UK newspaper for those non UK residents reading this)  online tonight, I couldn’t fail to notice that there seems to be a growing amount of heat both official and otherwise for celebrities who are being paid to push products, ie sponsored Tweets (see Twitter endorsements face OFT clampdown http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jan/09/oft-clampdown-covert-twitter-endorsements) .

 There are a few issues here, connected of course, but as usual associated with freedom and choice.

Firstly, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has a point, sort of. They maintain that PR company Handpicked Media who run a commercial blogging network,  must state when promotional comments have been paid for. I get that, again sort of. But surely this approach does not credit the readers or followers any intelligence? I may only speak for myself, but one of the many really amazing things about the internet is that it kind of works things out, wisdom of the crowds or otherwise. Over in old fashioned TV ad land, or even older fashioned print ad ville, do we really need to know that the celebrities, famous people, recognised people, personal brand pushers or whatever we call them, are paid for endorsing and pushing products? Of course they are, it is a given.  Surely the same is true now that  the Ad and PR people have taken their place within Twitter and Facebook and for that matter Amazon? I mean hearing a celeb Tweeting endlessly about a product, in a series of 140 character tomes, is both transparent and ultimately boring, unless it is genuine. The power is with all of us, not some of them, and by them I mean  I mean the marketeers and their mules.

Secondly, the OFT are only following what their American cousins at the US Federal Trade Commission (USFTC)  insist on. The USFTC want transparency in this area and  insist on such Tweets carrying ‘ad’ or ‘spon’. I have no idea how this is or will be policed, I am sure it will be a mix of a tech solution and some ordinary people doing some ad hoc, sorry intelligence led,  snooping. Anyway, who cares as long as it does not effect out freedoms and ability to chose. Censorship should always be questioned, especially on the internet.

According to The Guardian article, “Celebrities can be great influencers, whether they’re on TV or tweeting,” Arnie Gullov-Singh, chief executive officer of Ad.ly, which pairs celebrities and companies, told Business Week in a recent interview. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian, who has more than 5.6 million followers, can collect up to $10,000 for tweeting, Gullov-Singh added. “Her price keeps going up. The most effective ones can get six figures a year, and in some cases six figures a quarter.”

Launched in 2009, Ad.ly uses more than 5,000 celebrities and experts to promote products such as Coke, Toyota and Microsoft in the US. It now plans to launch the service in Britain.“A year ago, celebrities were wary about their reputation, about selling out, but when they saw how easy it was to earn up to $5,000 a tweet, they flocked on board,” said Gullov-Singh.

Thus finally, it should not really be a  surprise to read Mr Gullov-Singh’s comment about some celebrities, after all fear and greed are all part of the human condition and let’s face it how many of us would refuse to take a fee to endorse something? Even if we were taking the moral high ground and wanted to preserve a reputation (darling) and push a product or service  that we may even use, love and could not bear to be without? Tough call, moral dilemma ahead! Therefore we should all be free to make our own decisions. If we are lucky enough to be offered money for Tweets, then we should weigh up the deal and decide for ourselves. If we value our judgement and reputation, we should tell the truth, however hard that can be sometimes, especially when filthy lucre is around. Equally, if we want to follow what celebrities tell us, that should also be our choice and one that should not leave us as individuals open to mockery. Ultimately crap products or services will get found out and the internet will spread that news quicker than a paid for Tweet or Facebook post.

The internet gave us many things, but for me, it gave freedom of choice.



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January 8, 2011 · 4:13 pm

#oneaday 6: Viking, Forties, Dogger Bank

What do the numers 00.48, 05.20, 17.54 have in common? No they are not the runs scored by an out of form Michael Clarke in the last 3 Tests, but the times that the BBC broadcasts the shipping forecasts on Radio 4 Long Wave. These times are relied on by mariners around the UK waters and are broadcast like clockwork, literally. So at 00.48 on Thursday night, the BBC broke off Test Match Special just as the 91st and last Australian wicket in the Ashes series fell and England duly won the series and therefore The Ashes,  3-1.  Typically British, typically BBC. Cricket is only a game afterall and the shipping forecast is a matter of life and death.

Not that you would know this if you were a citizen of Australia, where clearly any sport, national or otherwise is a matter of life and death. Often famed for their ‘winning’ attitude, it is obvious that the post Warne/McGrath/Gilchrist team are having to get used to losing, indeed this concepts seems to be spreading like a pandemic through the nation’s psyche. But losing is good for the soul. It brings balance, perspective, hurt, disappointment  and crucially ensures that arrogance is reigned in. No one likes losing in general, as a race we are all hard wired to like to win, whatever that actually means. Sport is a crude and effective way of defining the black and white, win or lose, mentality that most people want or in some cases need to experience. It is both primeval and compelling, and in the case of the great game of Test Match cricket, brilliantly complex, subtle, exaggerated and of course tough. In short, Test Match cricket  is like a  ‘core’ computer game. Not easy to pick up and play or understand, requiring patience, practice, knowledge, experience and an ability to appreciate the finest nuances that may leave the less experienced player or viewer cold. It has a language and symbolism of its own and does not pander to modernity.  It is certainly not a casual snacking experience, that was the realm of the one day game, although that is now deeemed to be just too long for a game to last. In recent years we have seen unprecedented  growth of the vulgar and indecently short Twenty Twenty cricket, the Nintendo Wii or Kinect of cricket if you will. Bright colours, guaranteed results, club nicknames,  loads of gamification style stats pervade and for those of us who prefer the tradition of the Test Match game, this really is cricket lite.

Aussie fans going retro

Thus for England, for so many years the losers in all forms of cricket, to have won the Ashes series in Australia for the first time since 1986-87 (ie actually 1987) is a wonderful achievement. Given that it is a 2 horse race, some will say that it is not as significant as winning the World Cup in rugby or football, and that would be absolutely correct. But we have seen 23 days (out of a possible 25) of a sporting contest that will test the finest and hardest of cricketers all the way and the key is that there is no guarantee of a winner. On this occasion England were so superior to Australia, bar one aberation at the WACA in Perth, that the series win was convincing and comprehensive. Funnily enough, and perhaps this is where Australia and Australians could do with some tips from us, given the win was not really acknowledged by the Australian media as a great performance by a very good England team. Rather it was lost ‘the worst team Australia had ever fielded’. That is a tad disappointing. When we were getting stuffed on a regular basis by Australia and the West Indies before them, the cricket press around the world acknowledged and actively recognised that both Australia and West Indies put out teams packed with class players, just too good for England. It would be good for Australia if they acknowledged that they were beaten by the better team, led by a captain, Andrew Strauss (lovely Christian name incidentally)  who, aside from his own ability with the bat and in the field, was both modest, cool, steady and able, with a coaching team led by Andy (that name again) Flower who demanded professionalism, togetherness and resilience, backed up with impeccable preparation.  In order to make progress in life, you need to indentify weaknesses and resolve ways to overcome those whilst retaining dignity and confidence. I for one, hope Australia can grasp this nettle and ensure that the competitiveness of the last 5 years between our 2 great nations carries on and on and produces excellent cricket along the way. 

 As an aside, an Australian media owner, well known for taking a personal interest in his TV stations and newspapers was responsible for one of the worst teams that Australia ever put out, namely the 1977 Ashes team who visited England and lost 3-0. Australia had been split by the launch of the infamous World Series Cricket and divisions existed between players who had signed up to the Australian media mogul’s idea of the game and those who had stayed loyal to the traditional game, with rules copyright of the M.C.C. That Australian media mogul was a not Rupert Murdoch owner of Sky and exclusive broadcaster of The Ashes, but a certain Kerry Packer who was a great rival. I digress.

Other than the England team, I think the big winners have been the fans, the wonderful Barmy Army. For those of you who have experienced The Barmy Army, led by Vic Flowers (or Jimmy Saville if you prefer), you will know that their support is certainly full on. The Barmy Army  have set an example that has at long last been followed by the supporters of the England football team. Actively supporting England’s cricket team on overseas tours, often when there is zero chance of winning anything, they have showed that it is not about the winning, it is about the taking part. This approach is a very English thing, indeed it is a very ‘cricket’ thing. Rather ironically, it was the Australian media who coined the name ‘Barmy Army’ back in the nineties, when they were totally bemused by the endless chanting and support from English cricket fans who had travelled across the globe at great expense, even though England were on the end of yet another Aussie hiding. As Oscar Wilde famously said, ‘if you want to tell the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they will almost certainly kill you’, and  ‘always forgive your enemies, nothing annoys them so much’. Never a truer set of words and words which go right to the core DNA withoin our wonderful players and supporters.

What a magnificent  series, that once again showed that we English, or British (more on this confusion soon, I promise) can laugh at ourselves, often with good reason, and can win now and again. Hats off to the England cricket team and their wonderful supporters. Hats off also to the BBC for sticking to the rules and ensuring the sailors in our national waters could remain safe. Above all hats off to the game of cricket and all its foibles and beauty. We love you.

PS  did I mention that England are the current holders of the 20:20 World Cup, ssshhhh don’t carp too loudly, we must not be arrogant and boorish as that approach just isn’t cricket.

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