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Day: 28 November 2011

Confucian reigns as China awards a Nobel alternative

Written by Antonia Jennings on . Posted in Opinion.

Historically repressive countries are lousy when it comes to public relations. Witness Lenin’s grainy films about homelessness in America, so spectacularly failing to show the greater glories of Soviet Russia; or North Korea’s laughable contention that Kim Jong-il had a supernatural birth which saw a rainbow appear as the season spontaneously changed from winter to spring. Today, we travel to China for the latest spectacular PR own-goal by an authoritarian government – the cack-handed awarding of this year’s Confucius Peace Prize.

The award was established in 2010 as an antidote to the Nobel Peace Prize, when last year’s Nobel committee enraged the ruling Communist Party of China by bestowing the honour upon Liu Xiaobo, an outspoken critic of the Chinese regime, for his “long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”. In response, Chinese banker Liu Zhiqin proposed the alternative Confucius Peace Prize in an editorial in the Global Times. The recipient would be someone who “promoted world peace from an Eastern perspective’” – specifically, one with Confucian values.

Last December, prominent Taiwanese politician Lien Chan was announced as the inaugural winner. Strangely, however, he was not told he had won the award, with an aide explaining that Chan had only received “second-hand information from journalists” regarding the Prize. Having failed to turn up for the award ceremony, a young girl was presented with the Prize in his place, although the committee declined to state who she was or why she was chosen.

This year’s Prize has been no less controversial. Incongruously, the committee has just announced that this year’s recipient, having fought off illustrious competition in the form of Bill Gates, Angela Merkel, Jacob Zuma and Kofi Annan (ironically, a former Nobel Peace Prize winner), is… Vladimir Putin!

Whilst many descriptive expressions spring to mind when we think of the KGB agent turned Russian President, ‘man of peace’ is perhaps not one of them. His human rights record is, at best, questionable; meanwhile, the ongoing Chechen War – launched by Putin in 1999 – has cost the lives of up to 75,000 people thus far. However, it is arguably for this very reason that Putin has been chosen as the lucky winner; the committee has praised his ‘tough guy’ image and hardline nationalism, tellingly noting his “iron hand” in undertaking “large-scale military action” in Chechnya.

Curiously, the Chinese government itself has recently condemned the award, stating that it does not in fact represent the way in which China values peace. Indeed, the Confucius committee has been moving its HQ back and forth between mainland China and Hong Kong in an attempt to evade the very authorities whose values they are supposedly representing. Nonetheless, one of the greatest fears of the Chinese ruling elite is that ethnic nationalists in Tibet or Xinjiang, like democrats in Taiwan, might succeed in breaking away from mainland China and governing themselves.

For the Communist Party, determined to maintain their grip on power, Putin – who crushed the small province and Chechnya and who invaded the Georgian region of South Ossetia in 2008 – taught potential dissenters an imperial lesson. Though the ruling party may not be publicly praising the decision of the committee, that they might be privately appreciative of Putin’s unlikely triumph is not beyond the realms of possibility.

My Political Hero: Jon Stewart

Written by Joe Sandler Clarke on . Posted in Opinion.

American politics is fast becoming a joke.

Herman Cain’s recent inability to answer a basic question about foreign policy with anything more than a few mumbled words, a shrug and a brain fart is the latest in a long line of examples of US politicians displaying embarrassing stupidity. News anchor Katie Couric only had to ask Sarah Palin which newspapers she read to leave the Vice Presidential candidate looking befuddled and confused in 2008. Two years later, the Republican Party shot itself in the foot again by nominating Christine O’Donnell, a self-proclaimed former witch, to contest a Senate seat.

The ineptitude of America’s politicians is matched only by the incompetence of the nation’s news media. Desperate to be seen as objective, and driven by a chronic fear of alienating all-important advertisers and powerful individuals in Washington, mainstream television news outlets are loathed to criticise statements made by either party – no matter how ridiculous such statements might be.

The result of this is a chronically misinformed American public. In 2005, for example, a poll revealed that 70 percent of Americans believed that Saddam Hussein had been involved in planning and orchestrating 9/11. They can hardly be blamed: the Bush administration’s false assertion that the Iraqi dictator had direct links to Al-Qaeda had been regurgitated as fact repeatedly in the mainstream media.

Yet with US politics rapidly descending into farce, one man keeps the nation sane. Jon Stewart’s Daily Show is watched by millions of Americans. In fact, a poll published by the Huffington Post in 2009 showed that as many as 40 percent of people under the age of 40 believed that the programme, along with it’s equally wonderful cousin The Colbert Report, will soon replace mainstream news outlets as America’s main source of news. Not bad going for a comedy show which, until relatively recently, was preceded on Comedy Central by a programme about puppets making prank phone calls.

Stewart appeals to his viewers chiefly because of his propensity to poke fun at the hypocrisy apparent on both sides of the political establishment. He combines genuinely hilarious insights into the often banal goings-on in American politics with an interview technique unparalleled in contemporary journalism. Unbound by the commitment to false neutrality that cripples organisations such as CNN and NBC, Stewart is free to engage with his guests and challenge them as he desires.

His interview with CNBC host Jim Cramer was particularly brilliant. He claimed that CNBC, with its presenters repeated insistence that “everything is fine” during the economic meltdown of 2008, “shirked its journalistic duty by believing corporate lies”; and suggested that the network was ultimately beholden to the huge corporations on which it reported.

Similarly, his 2004 appearance on the CNN debate show Crossfire is the stuff of legend. Crossfire was intended to be a forum for the political debate of the day. It pitted a liberal pundit, former Clinton strategist Paul Begala, against a conservative pundit, bow-tie bothering Tucker Carlson. Together, the pair would shamelessly recite their respective party lines under the pretence of ‘locking horns’ on any given topic until the end credits rolled.

“I made a special effort to come on the show today, because I have privately, amongst my friends and also in occasional newspapers and television shows, mentioned this show as being bad,” began Stewart. “It’s not so much that it’s bad, as that it’s hurting America. I wanted to come here today and say: stop hurting America.”

“What you do is not honest”, Stewart continued, to great applause from the audience. “What you do is partisan hackery. You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably.”

Embarrassed by Stewart’s thorough evisceration of the format, Carlson did his best to ease the tension. “Wait, I thought you were going to be funny,” he smirked. “Come on. Be funny.” “No,” replied Stewart. “I’m not going to be your monkey. I watch your show every day and it’s so painful to watch.” CNN cancelled the programme just three months later.

It is Jon Stewart’s ability to rise above and take on the partisan hackery that blights the American political system that makes him a hero. In a country increasingly divided along traditional Democrat and Republican lines – a country in which barely accountable politicians are allowed, unchecked, to make blatantly false claims on national television, and where the outright lies of comical candidates make a farce of the federal system – Jon Stewart is a welcome antidote to a tedious and damaging status quo.

Handheld Projectors for Multiplayer Games

Written by Victoria Root on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

New technology is being developed at the Disney Research Lab in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which could allow readers to be immersed in their stories and gamers to explore their own virtual worlds, instead of looking at them through a screen.

Researcher Karl Willis and his colleagues have created a multiplayer gaming system, called SideBySide, which involves handheld projectors that can use any nearby surface, such as a wall, as a screen. Each player is given a prototype device (a “pico” projector) which involves a modified projector with an infrared camera and buttons for interacting with the game. The infrared markers track interactions between players and the game’s graphics are then projected on top. This system allows users to play with ease without any need for Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. So far several games have been developed, including competitive boxing and cooperative brick destruction.

In Japan and Korea tiny “pico” projectors have already been installed in mobile devices which allow the owner to project films onto any flat surface. This first inspired Willis to produce MotionBeam, a single player version of his newest creation, SideBySide. MotionBeam combined an iPod Touch with a laser projector and a microcontroller sensor unit. It aimed to merge the game characters with the environment involving a game which featured small yellow figure collecting projected stars scattered over a wall. Infrared tags were created so the characters could interact with physical stimuli. For example, if the character was moved over a trampoline drawn on the wall, it would start to bounce.

SideBySide and MotionBeam are not just involved with developing gaming. If mobiles had this technology, users could drag and drop files between devices easily. This technology could also be used in areas of education and business as well. Willis states, it aims to “blur the real and virtual” world into one.

Album: A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory (1991)

Written by Sam Flynn on . Posted in Music.

A Tribe Called Quest
The Low End Theory (1991)
Jive Records.
4 stars

The Low End Theory marked the dawn of a new age in hip hop. Alongside fellow New Yorkers De La Soul and Jungle Brothers, three-piece A Tribe Called Quest pioneered a subtle blend of laidback jazzy samples and hard-hitting beats, spawning what we now known as jazz rap. ATCQ’s second offering strips hip hop back to its bare necessities: beats, rhymes and bass! Album highlight ‘Jazz (We’ve Got)’ illustrates this, contrasting a chilled Rhodes/double bass sample with a snare heavy beat, Q-Tip reflects, “so low-key that ya probably missed it/but yet it’s so loud that it stands in the crowd”.

Punctuated by a crack of the snare, “Yo, microphone check: one, two, what is this?” (‘Buggin’ Out’), put a newly confident Phife Dawg, Tribe’s other MC, on the map. Indeed lyrically, both MCs moved on substantially from their debut, discussing women (‘Butter’, ‘Infamous Date Rape’, ‘Everything Is Fair’) and the industry (‘Rap Promoter’, ‘Show Business’) with a maturity lacking in many of their contemporaries. What’s more the fluent interplay between Q-Tip’s abstract, mellow musings and Phife’s matter-of-fact, rudeboy-like swagger proves to be the perfect dynamic. This is evident on classic ‘Check the Rhime’, where both MCs freely exchange verses over one of Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Mohammed’s best productions to date. Also worth noting is posse cut ‘Scenario’, featuring a breakthrough performance from a then little known Busta Rhymes.

The Low End Theory’s engineer called it the “Sgt. Pepper of hip hop”. Like Pepper, its influence is abundant, on everyone from The Roots to Kanye West: however the comparison ends there. It is not an experimental record and not every tune is a classic. Overall the stripped back production that makes it so unique is also what starts to tire. Although certainly worth a listen, for me, it’s best seen as a stepping-stone to follow-up, and career highlight, Midnight Marauders.

A Tribe Called Quest – Jazz (We’ve Got) & Buggin’ Out

Did Jobs’ rejection of conventional medicine cost him his life?

Written by Gemma Wilson on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

The death of Apple visionary Steve Jobs has saddened tech fans all over the world. But could Jobs still be alive if he hadn’t have initially shunned conventional medicine?

 Jobs had a relatively mild form of pancreatic cancer, a neuroendocrine tumour, which isn’t usually fatal if detected early enough and removed. In fact, if the tumour is detected while it’s still confined to the pancreas, 87 percent of patients are still alive five years after diagnosis. However, Jobs delayed surgery and chemotherapy for nine months in favour of alternative and unproven cancer treatments. These reportedly included hydrotherapy-which uses water to treat illness, acupuncture, a diet of just fruit and vegetables, as well as spiritual consultations. Did this decision lead to Jobs’ death eight years after he was first diagnosed?

 Although acupuncture is now accepted widely as a complimentary treatment for cancer, it’s not a proven technique for treating tumours on its own. Jobs’ diet of fruit and vegetables and alleged “juice-fasting”, where only vegetable and fruit juice is consumed, may have also proved ineffectual, and actually counter-productive. The sugary juice Jobs may have drunk could have fed the cancer cells, encouraging cell division and increasing the tumour’s size. Additionally, his restricted diet may have starved healthy cells of necessary nutrients.

 Experts are undecided whether any of these treatments and the delay of conventional methods did shorten Jobs’ life or bring about his death. The alternative treatments he tried are not thought to have done any real harm, ineffective as they may have being in treating the tumour. This particular form of cancer is also very slow-growing, so it’s difficult to estimate whether the tumour did any additional damage in the nine months before it was removed. However, his biographer claims Jobs regretted delaying proven cancer treatments that may have saved his life.

Man(chester)’s Best Friend

Written by Melissa Surgey on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

The University of Manchester’s Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM) are delighted to have received a£500,000 Wellcome Trust grant to fund a pioneering new study into the history of domestic dogs in the 20th century.

Professor Michael Worboys of CHSTM and Professor Matthew Cobb, a senior lecturer in Zoology also at the University of Manchester, will be jointly directing the study entitled “Pedigree Chums: Science, Medicine and the Remaking of the Dog in the Twentieth Century”. This study aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of how humans have influenced the changing role of dogs over the past century.

The study will examine both the social and scientific consequences of the increasingly complex relationships between humans and their canine friends from a wide variety of angles, including the impact of human selection on breeding, the use of dogs in medical and scientific research, and the increased human-like treatment of dogs.

The “Pedigree Chums” study will provide an exciting and original insight into canine history as one of the largest and most innovative studies on the subject. Previously, the changing role of domestic dogs has been neglected by social scientists, despite their significant influence on modern society and everyday life. In addition, Professors Worboys and Cobb will also be investigating controversial, headline-hitting topics such as “dangerous dogs”, and the rise of the purebred dog, which resulted in the boycott of Crufts by the BBC and RSPCA three years ago.

Despite this hard-hitting subject material, there will also be a look at the lighter, more amusing side of the canine world, including the treatment of dogs in the veterinary practice, whereby many dogs are now acknowledged as “patients” and listed by their name rather than that of their owner.

Experiment which broke speed of light being rerun

Written by Leah Wong on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

An experiment which discovered particles travelling faster than the speed of light is being rerun. Results, released in September, suggested sub-atomic particles known as neutrinos travelled from CERN in Switzerland to Gran Sasso Laboratories in Italy in 0.0024 seconds.  This was 60 billionths of a second earlier than expected which meant the neutrinos would have had to have travelled faster than the speed of light.

With over 80 scientific papers released since them, with many claiming solutions and explanations to the astounding results, the research team at CERN have made the decision to rerun the experiment in a different way.

Neutrinos themselves cannot be sent in beams to Italy. Instead, protons were accelerated in a beam at CERN then neutrinos were created from this beam and sent to Italy. This means the speed of the neutrinos cannot be directly measured. Instead, the speed is calculated from the time the protons were sent from Switzerland and the time the neutrinos arrived in Italy.

Using the previous method, scientists sent a relatively long (10 millionths of a second) pulse of protons. The new method involves several pulses which are thousands of times shorter, sent with a gap between each one- around 500 times longer than each pulse. This new method should make calculating the speed of the neutrinos more accurate.

Breaking the speed of light would have ground breaking implications for science. It would mean Einstein was wrong in his special theory of relativity. It is seen as the highest speed limit in the Universe. Travelling faster than the speed of light could make time travel possible.

Before anyone starts planning how they will use time travel to their advantage (going back in time to revise that topic which you didn’t think would come up but did isn’t classed as cheating under current guidelines), the new experiment won’t end until November so we’ll have to wait at least until then to see if Einstein got it right or wrong.

Branson’s Virgin Galactic boldly goes where no entrepreneur has gone before

Written by Aryan Safavi on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

This auspicious month of October shall forever be associated with the inauguration of this century’s new tourism movement. The hopes of aspiring space tourists have been emboldened. ‘Spaceport America: Virgin Galactic Centre for Space’ is the world’s first commercial spaceport for the world’s seminal commercial spaceline, built in the remoteness of New Mexico. On 18th October, entrepreneur Richard Branson dedicated the $209 million venture, part funded by USA taxpayers, entering by abseiling down the spaceport hanger in his wonderfully audacious style, befitting such a grand project.

The crowd gathered before this display of optimism included New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and 150 enthusiasts who have already booked flights into space. These spectators were entertained by a flyover from WhiteKnight Two, the ‘mothership’ which will launch the suborbital spacecraft SpaceShip Two. Branson was also in awe of the building: “It is literally out of this world, and that’s what we were aiming at creating”.

Dave Wilson from Spaceport America explained that the site was chosen for the confluence of such factors as its remote location, low population density, stable weather conditions and 7,500 miles of restricted airspace. Wilson also spoke of the admirable aims of this project: “We want to change the way which we go to space, we want to lower the cost”. The flight will offer the sensation of weightlessness for five minutes and views normally privy exclusively to astronauts. This 2.5 hour flight boasts a remarkable experience at a ticket price of £127,000.

Last month, Virgin Galactic announced a $4.5million contract with NASA for three research flights on the SpaceShipTwo, but such good news has been a rare commodity in a project beset by delays. These interruptions have pushed the expected 2007 maiden flight date back until after preliminary test flights take place next year, with Branson emphasising that safety will be the focus of the coming years of development.

Space tourism has long been heralded as the looming next leap in space travel, opening the majestic views of the blue marble to the public, yet a visionary with the attitude of Branson has always been required to give this idea the thrust to take off.

Penguin crime rates rocket in Antarctica

Written by Melissa Surgey on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

It looks like this penguin has been taking a few tips from Wallace and Gromit’s Feathers McGraw when it comes to nest building on Ross Island in Antarctica.

A BBC film crew producing the new “Frozen Planet” documentary were fortunate enough to record footage of a male Adelie penguin stealing stones from his rival’s nest during their endeavours to attract a mate. Females are more inclined towards males with the most presentable nests, therefore the best looking stones are in high demand- and these cheeky penguins will beg, borrow or steal to get them!

“Frozen Planet” begins on Wednesday 26th October at 9pm on BBC 1.

Air Pressure: fight or flight…or farm?

Written by Alison Criddle on . Posted in Arts.

The Shimamura family live at the end of Runway B, Narita International Airport, Japan. In the latest installation at Whitworth Art Gallery, Angus Carlyle and Rupert Cox have created a compressed cinema space where visitors line up quietly and sensibly along the wall of a narrow rectangular room before coming face to face with two large, imposing screens. These present the experience of close and continual exposure to aircraft noise, lives conducted amidst an aggressively literal metaphor for globalisation. Anthropology and acoustics collide as these two worlds, and screens, contend with one another for precedence in the field.

As a UPS logistics airplane trundles along the runway, the Shimamura’s work quietly and methodically in a dimly lit room: sorting, weighing and packaging their harvest. Penned in by international commerce, travel and delivery, the family mark a sharp contrast between the apparent global-shrinking phenomenon of modern mechanics and place-hopping whilst their own working patterns remain resolutely rooted, grounded, clinging to their small stretch of land.

A farmer pulls his plough slowly along a field, the tail end of a plane moves behind in the distance, ploughing its own route. An ominous Jaws-like fin of global power and logistics looming behind the high steel wall and watchtower that separates the local from the international. The installation documents the impact of continued negotiations between airport authorities and the farming community, of which only two families remain. Despite the increasingly thundering recordings of planes taking off, landing, looming overhead; there is an unsettling calmness to the film. The family tend to their crops, barely noticing, hardly ever looking up.

It is us, as audience and unaffected, who are disturbed by this looming, large image; we add the third dimension to this multi-levelled issue. At one point the camera, positioned behind a window in the family home, watches a plane take off from the runway, growing larger and louder and finally, thankfully, clearing the roof. Only a bird fleeing out of harm’s way is indicative of the perils of this noisy industry- the continual booming flux of man’s flight that engulfs the flatness and stillness of earthy production.

Two forms of life butting up uncomfortably against one another; the installation is an observation, a record and a performance of the particularities and peculiarities of nature and commerce. An uneasy synthesis of sounds and activities caught up in a powerful space of strange co-existence and contained growth. As the crops continue to flourish, the planes continue to rise. Where do we go from here?

Air Pressure at Whitworth Art Gallery from 4th November 2011- 12th February 2012. Supported by the Wellcome Trust and part of the Asia Triennial Manchester 2011.

New iPhone disappoints

Written by Leah Wong on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

After waiting with bated breath for the Apple iPhone 5, some Apple users were disappointed by the release of the iPhone 4S on 12th October.

The new phone features the new operating system, iOS5, an 8MP camera which can be used for HD video recording and the new voice recognition software, Siri.

Siri is more accurate than old software. When asked questions about various topics- among them: weather, share prices, London Underground tube station locations and restaurant locations- it understood what was said around 90% of the time. Whilst the new software is accurate and very novel (although standing in the street asking your phone what the latest Apple Inc. share price is, might attract some odd looks), it only works when asked about American businesses. It was capable of finding the weather in London, but was unable to locate the nearest Underground station. With a key function of this software being unusable in the UK, what is a major selling point of the phone is made much less of one.

It could be said that Apple are now playing catch up to reach the specifications of phones released by other mobile companies. Whilst the 1 GHz dual core processor is impressive, it is still slower than the 1.2GHz dual core processor of the Samsung Galaxy SII released six months before the Apple iPhone 4S. The iPhone camera, whilst no worse than that of the Galaxy SII, only matches the number of megapixels it has. For a phone released six months after another, we’d hope for something at least a little better.

Whilst Samsung may be beating Apple with regards to phone specifications, in the courts, Apple appears to be winning the latest battle of the on-going war. An American judge ruled last month that Samsung infringed on patents owned by Apple. The sale of the Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1 (a tablet computer) has been banned in Germany. Despite this, Samsung is trying to ban the sale of the iPhone 4S in Australia and Japan.

Perfect drug combinations evolved at University of Manchester

Written by Aryan Safavi on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

A pre-eminent multidisciplinary endeavour from researchers at the University of Manchester has led to strides towards perfect drug combinations. This breakthrough could aid the recovery of stroke, heart attack and cancer patients.

Researchers were led by Professor Douglas Kell, Professor of Bioanalytical Science at the university, to design a computer program capable of developing ideal drug combinations to quell the inflammatory response of the body’s immune system.

Most non-infectious diseases are worsened by inflammation, which is the body’s natural defence mechanism towards infections. This mechanism can prolong suffering and worsen the damage imposed by long-term diseases. To block this inflammation quickly, for example after a stroke, would greatly alleviate injury incurred by the stroke and increase the chances of survival.

Biosystems specialists and computer scientists worked together to develop software based on an evolutionary algorithm: an algorithm which suggests new drug combinations from previous ones by re-mixing their components. Much like natural selection, it is the best drug combinations which progress to the next stage of testing.

According to Professor Kell: “The new drug combinations are then tested and the best are selected to continue generating new ones. In each experiment we tested 50 drug combinations, then the software would tell us which new ones to test in the next experiment.”

The software rapidly assessed 9 billion drug combinations to determine the most effective, tailored solution. By identifying these ideal drug combinations precision targeting by the drug in the body is enhanced, allowing smaller doses of the more effectively directed drug to be administered, a reduction which minimises toxicology concerns for the patient.

Professor Kell commented: “Most diseases have complex causes. This makes their analysis a problem of systems biology…we have devised a strategy, based on Darwinian evolution, to make this considerably easier. Although our immediate interest is inflammation and conditions such as stroke, our approach is universal and is thus applicable to all complex diseases.”

These distinguished findings undoubtedly highlight the necessity of confluence between several disciplines to develop scientific understanding. The complexities of bioanalytical science and application of software development illustrate that the concept of simple distinct lines easily demarcating the subjects of science is archaic, unhelpful and that these lines have long been broken.

Noel’s latest chapter

Written by Phoebe Chambre on . Posted in Arts, Theatre.

In which the shambling, psychedelic comedian twists and turns into his latest colour-fueled adventure: art.

Noel Fielding, as a comedian needs no introduction, as an artist he just might. And that introduction now comes in all-purpose finest-bound compendium purchasable from your nearest Internet browser, or if you’re not into browsing (via mouse), from a hard copy shop. Scribblings of a Madcap Shambleton is the clarifying collection of drawings, paintings, photographs, crayon-etchings from the ever-eclectic comic mind, recently released by Noel. The comic was kind enough to include Manchester on his book tour, gracing Waterstone’s (and its walls) in the Arndale Centre on 12th November. He created an original Fielding on the glass, painting and riffing whilst he worked.

So Noel’s moving further afield in art (and venue) with this book. Except, as ever his work is tarred with that particular, light Fielding feather. His comedic timing is artistry at work, and his art an exercise in cross-fertilization, and no less distinctive. The pieces are lurid, light-hearted but full of dark mischief – just like the man himself really – inspired by Rousseau and Dalí. A departure in medium, perhaps, but not in content. Whether standing-up for his comedy or sitting down with a brush it’s two sides of the same Noel-profiled coin. He’s even got Boosh favourite, Dave “Bollo” Brown, to join the venture, to keep the Mighty spirit alive. He’s talking out of the other side of the boosh, but with strokes like that, who wouldn’t want the conversation to stop?

It was noted after one of his first exhibitions, at Gallery Maison Bertaux, that the paintings would sell even without the ever-marketable fame tag. Whether this is true or not is almost impossible to test, but may now be tried. Celebrity-related or even –written books seem to be standing firm against the ominous economic and technological tide that’s attempting to relegate books to history. But Noel’s has another weapon up its sleeve to reel in the punters: it’s a beautifully put-together gem, with proper quality pages, and the excitement of the unknown ahead fuelling the turning of those pages. In other words, it’s a book you want to have and to hold, to feel. Proof of this pudding, it’s not even being sold as an ‘e-book’. Well, yet. I may have inadvertently ‘told the publishers’ I wanted to see it on my (please, a) kindle whilst attempting to find out if it was available in e-format.

Scribblings of a Madcap Shambleton, hopefully, at least, bucks the trend of virtual creation. The literary industry seems to be heading towards that dark rabbit warren the music industry finds itself in, where ‘fans’ have to be tricked and coerced not to illegally co-opt the e-version of someone’s work. It’s a slippery tract. But, it does mean that those few intractable backlashers are working to create tangible little pieces of art, that really warrant, nay need, to be bought and held. Visual Editions are a perfect example of this, a tireless publisher founded in 2009, working day and night to create books as ‘visually interesting’ as they are lexically. Equally, Alex Burrett’s ‘My Goat Ate Its Own Legs’, whose unruly goat also seemed to have chewed a corner of the book off, which although was undeservedly unsuccessful, offered a little something extra (well, less) to the reader.

So, to sum up, if you are a willing ear for any boosh to chew off, any way anytime, then support the bigger guy – paper – and buy this real book from a real shop.

Crackberry to Crashberry

Written by Abbiramie Ramakrishnan on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

10th October was the beginning of the most devastating service failure in the history of Research in Motion (RIM). BlackBerry users were unable to use the internet, send or receive e-mails or use Blackberry’s own communication platform BlackBerry Messenger (BBM).

Mike Laziridis, founder and co-CEO of RIM apologised on the 17th of October by announcing the compensation for the service stoppage: “We are grateful to our loyal BlackBerry customers for their patience.”

12 free applications can be downloaded from BlackBerry App World including popular games such as Sims 3 and Texas Hold’em Poker as well as service apps like Photo Editor Ultimate and DriveSafe.ly Pro. These are available until 31st December.

However, analysts say that this compensation may not be sufficient to save their reputation. Instead RIM needs to focus on retaining their customers and gaining potential customers’ trust in the service. This can be summed up in just one word in the case of BlackBerry: reliability.

Its secure, reliable and prompt service system was the main attraction for consumers, especially for business customers.
In the current smartphone market BlackBerry has been struggling to keep up in the competition with the Apple iPhone or phones running the Android operating system.  The upcoming months will illustrate how and if RIM can successfully compete in the battle for customers. Meanwhile Blackberry users can enjoy the free apps and return to using their “crackberries”.

Spektrast Magazine

Written by danielle middleton on . Posted in Arts.

Spektrast is a fairly new enterprise with the goal to be a space where creative talent can be show-cased, and invalidate the general opinion that students are lazy so-and-so’s, which none of us have ever been or ever will be. Fact.

Set up by Steph Whalley, a second year Film and Sociology student at University of Manchester, Spektrast hosts a body of work by young artists, literary-bods, music reviews and fresh-faced Fashionistas.

Spektrast is easy on the eye and displays the talent of the often neglected youth in a way that will hopefully result in some much needed recognition. Thus far the content is a little sparse and in dire need of some love and attention from the creative masses. To immerse yourself in the warm bossom of Spektrast visit www.spektrast-magazine.co.uk for contact info.

Manchester’s MadLab is alive and cooking

Written by Sarah Hill on . Posted in Arts.

When I heard that the Greenroom had closed its doors earlier this year due to budget cuts, I feared for the future of alternative art spaces in Manchester and their likely descent into similarly fund-less oblivion. Discovering MadLab, however, has filled me with a renewed sense of optimism.

Situated at the heart of the Northern Quarter, MadLab is the cherished home of ‘geeks, artists, designers, illustrators, hackers, innovators and idle dreamers’; a community space for creative types of any discipline to ‘do and make interesting stuff.’ It’s deceptively large too, the impressive 1000 square feet space houses the wide creative umbrella. A not-for-profit, for-the-love-of-it kind of place founded on sincere DIY vim – what’s not to love?

Aside from the wide-open, no-judgment embrace, MadLab go far beyond simply exhibiting the ‘stuff’ that’s been created. They actively encourage engaging with the ‘stuff’, with an array of unusual, mainstream-ducking activities for your average art-goer. It ain’t called ‘MadLab’ for nothing.

I was lucky enough to participate in once such encouraging session at the one year anniversary of Kinokophonography, a sound-art night for enthusiasts and the plain curious to share field recordings or simply eavesdrop. It’s fair to say that MadLab are partial to anything with a good dash of ‘geek’, but this wonderful night was hardly inaccessible, even for someone with my level of ignorance.

What’s more, it attracted a surprisingly diverse crowd. A night of shared sound clips sent from all corners of the world, from the noise of a tree root creaking in the wind to early morning singing in the streets of Mumbai. Someone had even taken the trouble to record the disturbing cacophony that was their root canal surgery.

So – a bit bonkers, yes, but equally brilliant. I personally recommend that you visit the website to check out the events list. Affiliated with multiple festivals, regularly hosting exhibitions and installations, loving home to more than 40 groups and with over 20 courses to choose from- well, you’d be mad not to.
Manchester Digital Laboratory, 36-41 Edge Street

Manchester design students launch charitable venture

Written by Scott McEwan on . Posted in News.

Design students  at the University of Manchester have formed a design company to produce and sell self-designed greetings cards in aid of Cancer Research UK. PiccoPrint is the result of a team seven creative minds meeting on the final-year design enterprise course, a module specifically tailored to encourage students to take their entrepreneurial baby steps within the creative sector.

The students have designed a set of four original Christmas cards to be sold in independent stores around Manchester with 100 percent of the profits being donated to Cancer Research UK.

Ami Sibbick, managing director of PiccoPrint  explained why  they decided to create greetings cards: “With greetings cards, once they have been designed, printed and distributed, we can take a step back and concentrate on our other university work.

“Our first idea was to create customized gift bags, but soon realised costs were a bigger factor and the profit margins were smaller…our main priority is to raise as much money for cancer research.”

By supporting Cancer Research UK, the charity’s logo will appear on the designs. The association has enabled PiccoPrint to secure free printing from a Manchester based printers therefore limiting each team-member’s financial investment into the business while expanding the profits available for the charity. Meanwhile, applying a credible brand to the cards will amplify their appeal to customers

PiccoPrint’s marketing team is now in the process of researching possible retailers to stock the cards in time to reach the festive custom. They aim to sell the cards in stores such as Cornerhouse, Magma, Shared Earth and Cancer Research charity shops. They believe the small independent stores are the most accessible retailers which represent their target market for greetings cards of ‘quirky’ design.

“We’re also creating a non-seasonal range for throughout the year, as well as seasonal ones such as Valentines Day and Christmas,” said design director Rebecca Williamson.

PiccoPrint represents an excellent example of students employing their skills learnt at university into business.

The cards will be on sale in Manchester soon. For more information on PiccoPrint log on to http://piccoprint.tumblr.comor follow their progress on twitter @PiccoPrint.

Interview: Alabama 3

Written by Hannah Mead on . Posted in Music.

Country and acid house is a strange combination. Alabama 3 are a strange band. Hannah Mead goes to see what all the fuss is about and has a chat with the band.

Having known little about them until recently, getting a glimpse inside the world of Alabama 3 this week was intriguing and the band seem to have a cult following of die hard fans. Their bizarre fusion of country and acid house is certainly not for everyone, however those who like it, really love it.

You may have heard their music without knowing it. They are the band behind The Sopranos theme tune, ‘Woke Up This Morning’, to which Orlando Harrison, keyboard, attributes much of their success; “I don’t think we would have survived without that. We wouldn’t have been making any money.”

After my chat with Orlando about the new album, the future and the highs and lows of touring, I really wanted to enjoy the gig. My expectations were high; in 2003 The Guardian described Alabama 3 as “the best live band in the country.” Their fans may hate me for this, but in all honesty, I found it painful to watch.

It’s not that they played badly. It’s more the fact that it is a very strange genre which just isn’t going to appeal to everyone. To me it was gimmicky – attention-grabbing but not exciting or interesting. The whole band came out wearing sunglasses as Rev D Wayne Love stood to the side of the stage making ‘witty’ comments in a faux-American accent, while Larry Love paraded around the stage snarling into the mic and working the crowd.  There were also a number of anonymous characters on stage, masked by hats and glasses.

It was dynamic and lively, unique even. But it felt to me like an attack. The music seemed needlessly aggressive, brutal. Compared with the relatively engaging album the music was overpowering and left me feeling sick.

Not that I think the band would care. From talking to Orlando, it seems that they are content with their situation. They don’t want global recognition or mainstream success. They want to remain elusive, a mystery. They have none of the ambitious plans for side projects, international fame and world takeover that you might assume would be the next step for a relatively successful band. When I asked what the future holds for them, Orlando answered plainly, “old age, sickness and death.” He went on to say that the band would keep doing exactly what they are doing now “until Rob’s wheels fall off.”