Twist Your Arm(ando)

Just finished listening to the first in the excellent new series of Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive:

BBC Radio 4 Comedy - Charm Offensive

Highlights were the discussion about how many ketchup sachets David Attenborough stole from the café at London Zoo ("easily more than five"), the Mastermind general knowledge round ("What is the opposite of placard?") and the Robert Ludlum novel title generator ("The Byzantium Potato").

Highly recommended (and you can listen again here)

I'm Just A Lush

OMFG - this could absolutely 1000% so easily be me:

Because Midway Still Aren't Coming Back

"...is about indie bands. Proper indie bands from the later 1980s and early 1990s. When indie bands were real indie bands, and when they released their music on big lumps of vinyl; like God intended."

Of the 27 bands currently on the site, I own 9 CDs, 12 vinyl LPs, 17 12" vinyl EPs and 4 limited edition coloured vinyl 7"s. I have also seen live gigs from Dr Phibes (forgettable), World Of Twist (mental), Teenage Fanclub (amazing), Jesus Jones (overrated), Ride (noisy), New FADs (moody) and Ned's Atomic Dustbin (silly) as well as the wonderful Lush, from whom lead-singer Miki signed my T-shirt (much to the chagrin of my friends on the night, who had to wait for me hanging round the side of the Newcastle Mayfair stage like a lovesick puppy until the diminutive Japanese/Hungarian beauty found her magic marker...)

Now, bring on The Wedding Present, please...

Coffeeside, Ref!

This would look good in my (as yet still imaginary) shed:

Football Stadium Coffee Table

"Manufactured from Solid Oak with a Stainless Steel frame and a glass top to protect the mirrored football pitch underneath, this table is superbly built and would make a perfect addition to any living room or bar."

Or shed...

Cat Sheet?

From the always intriguing strange maps comes:

Number 164 - A Cat’s Map of the Bed

(for Antonia, mostly)

Well Said That CEO

mitchell baker's blog: Firefox is a Public Asset

*applause*

Footing The Bill

Here's another quite cool Google maps app - type in a street (although postcodes work better for the UK) and it will give it a walk score based on how 'walkable' local amenities are:

Obviously it can only track locations and businesses that show up in Google Maps (it didn't pull in our excellent local Thai place) but anything that helps me avoid the fuming logjam of chaos which is London's South Circular is a boon - we scored 62, what about you?

Toxic Mash(up)

Nothing to do with green potatoes, this is another really polished album of pop mashups. So far; so last year. However, they're all based around tracks from a long-forgotten LP called 'Hot Boppin' Instrumentals', lending a rather pleasant 'lounge' feel to recent chart smashes from (amongst others): Spears, Aguilera, Stefani and even The Jaxx:

Forgotten Hits

Check it out and let me know your favourites...

How Many Does Ben Make?

This is like way so 80s old skool cool:

Mini Boom Box

And a prize* for the person who deciphers the title of this post...

* may not contain actual prize

Take A Pig, Miss Jones

Fed up with email? Cheer them up with a hand-written missive on one of these animal-shaped airmail letters :)
The pig is great. I like the rocket too. And the bat. Actually the pterodactyl is...er...anyway. Yes!

Available soon, apparently.

Overheard #19

A short hop back over the pond, to the workplace once again:

"I'm getting no love from those people. They bring me this stuff; you can't drink algae. It's like some funk from Russia, or something."

*taps side of head*