I have received academic correspondence!

Two German psychology students emailed me because they wish to use a photo I took as part of their diploma theses. But why? What place have photographs in a thesis, which should be just words of four or more syllables, and maybe a scattergraph?

Well, these intrepid students believe the photo I took may be ( Read more... )

This is Ikea's Vandring Räv children's quilt cover:


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The other day, my daughter lined up her entourage of toy companions in a row and told me, "They are watching television, daddy."

"What are they watching?" I asked, hoping it wasn't True Detective. I don't need some cuddly corduroy robot telling me how it transcends its tropes.

"Um... Magazine and Poo Poo," she said.

Magazine and Poo Poo? ( Read more... )

I can't decide whether Sainsbury's are being incredibly lazy or incredibly ballsy with their own-brand cereal mascot. His* name is... Captain Cereal. That's either a will-this-do? concept shrugged out by whatever low-bidding agency** handles Sainsbury's own-brand portfolio, or a massive flag on a spike planted through the eye of Cornelius the ( Read more... )

I learned* Illustrator the other week. You can use Illustrator to draw anything. Anything! But mainly, according to the tutor, cars.

Most of his examples were based around drawing cars.
Circle tool. "Imagine you're drawing the wheel of a car..." Pen tool. "Imagine you're drawing a sinuous curve... like on a car." Exporting to print. "Imagine ( Read more... )

Whenever we go on holiday, we try and visit an aquarium. I can't really swim, so aside from prawn cocktail crisps, these Embassies of Neptune's Realm are really the only way I am going to find out about the fascinating sea animals, sea creatures, sea beings etc. that live - scientists believe - in the sea.

So last week while in Dorset we ( Read more... )

1. Denim jacket (c. 1981)
The first item of clothing I can remember expressly asking for, as opposed to just passively receiving, was a denim jacket. I wanted a denim jacket so I could be more like Welsh communist Shakin' Stevens. I was Shakin' Stevens' biggest fan! I didn't have any of his records as such, but I did have a poster of him. I say ( Read more... )

With its treacly pace and reassuringly consistent structure, In The Night Garden is perfect for winding its young audience down; indeed, it's currently shown in CBeebies' Bedtime Hour. What this means is most parents won't get to the end of each 30-minute episode - they'll be putting their child to bed by the third time the Tombliboos' trousers ( Read more... )

Who's here?

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Acclaimed actor Derek Jacobi is the narrator of In The Night Garden. As such, he enjoys full access to the set and a close relationship with its stars, as this chart, discovered in his dressing room, reveals...

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