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Purple visitor book

Published March 28, 2010

Purple visitor book

If you are involved in a business, or just have a lot of visitors, then you might require a book to keep track of who has been to see you and when. If I was in charge of choosing such a book, I might be keen on this one from Noble Macmillan. Now, granted, I'm happy that it's purple, but other colours are available. I like how simple it is …

Magnifying Glass letter opener

Published March 27, 2010

Magnifying Glass letter opener

I've never been a huge fan of letter openers, as I am more than likely to injure myself with them. However, I have used them before and they do make life a little bit easier. This one has dual purpose! You open the letter, someone has scrawled some tiny fine print at the bottom of your letter, and thus you flip the opener round and lo and behold - a …

Nkuku Tiny Journals

Published March 26, 2010

Nkuku Tiny Journals

How cute are these? 6cm x 7cm. Nkuku Tiny Journals They've got about 50 pages inside and are so tiny you could carry them anywhere. Equally, they are so tiny, that you could lose them anywhere.

Hard to imagine

Published March 25, 2010

Hard to imagine

I was talking to my mother today about the fact that both Rob and Felipe both now know about the Felipe Baby song and how I really am quite embarrassed about the whole thing. (If you don't know about the Felipe Baby song, it's not really important to the story.) This conversation followed: Me: I'm flattered, obviously, but it's really embarrassing. Mum: Yea, but imagine if there were people doing …

Baby Panda Thursday #52

Published March 25, 2010

Baby Panda Thursday #52

I think it's time we had another Etsy edition of Baby Panda Thursday, starting with this rather cute note card: 5x5 baby panda note card I never really have any need for note cards but there are some really nice ones available. Lupe This is similar to the Mr Panda that I bought a while ago, but there's something about the lack of detail on this one that I like. …

Franck gets a teammate - maybe?

Published March 25, 2010

Franck gets a teammate - maybe?

There's more news about Franck today, although not directly relating to him, and it has me even more confused about this Superleague thing. The story suggests that FKM is getting a French teammate, but actually, he's not in the same "football team" as he is, but they are the same race team. My investigations reveal that the race team is Barazi-Epsilon, and they provide the means for two football clubs …

Online fountain pen

Published March 25, 2010

Online fountain pen

I think Online is an unfortunate name for a pen, which is anything but digital, but this one is nice enough to make up for it. I like the three coloured sections, and it's also available in various other shades, so if blue is not your thing, there's plenty of choice. It's also a lot cheaper than the last pen I featured, a bargain at about £20.

Handmade paper

Published March 24, 2010

Handmade paper

Mm, look how delicious this handmade paper is! And from the description: This paper is made from 100% cardboard, paperboard, and scraps of magazine pages that I have collected and recycled myself. I was SO excited when I discovered how to recycle cereal boxes, the clippings from making my paper beads, and the cardboard snippets left over from making journal covers. I'm thrilled to be able to make them into …

More film stuff than you can shake a stick at

Published March 24, 2010

More film stuff than you can shake a stick at

I apologise for the multitude of Film Watch posts recently. I've been trying to catch up and sometimes it's just easier to sit down and schedule a load of posts for the following few days. One of my New Year Resolutions was to reach Film Watch 50, and I think that is going to be achieved fairly soon. Perhaps after that I can work on the going outside thing. I …

Empty your pockets

Published March 23, 2010

Empty your pockets

I don't know if you would technically count this as stationery, but it does fall under the organisation category, so we'll go with it for now. The Empty Your Pockets organiser is one of those things that you don't really need - any box would do - but the efficiency of it appeals to me. Most of my stuff stays in my bag, as you can imagine, but sometimes I …

The future of publishing

Published March 22, 2010

The future of publishing

Dorling Kindersley have released one of their internal videos that was created for a sales conference within the group. Apparently it was such a hit that they wanted to release it externally and give it a wider audience. It's good, although you have to have some patience to make it worthwhile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Weq_sHxghcg We found this via the OUseful.Info blog and there are some interesting thoughts over there on how it …

Back to school - Maths set

Published March 22, 2010

Back to school - Maths set

Ahh, remember the good old days when you had to trudge to school with your calculator and your compass? I was looking at the Helix site and couldn't decide between two maths sets. The Black Case set comes with a highlighter mouse and a calculator which is pretty groovy: But the Oracle Maths set has the full circle angle measure with the really cool windy thing on it: I'm very …

Filofax - The original and best

Published March 21, 2010

Filofax - The original and best

Things I have learnt about Filofax today: It's a brand name, not a thing! Like Hoover. They are actually not as dorky looking as I thought. That they come with accessories! Things that come with your Filofax: Week on two pages diary, five language Ruler-page marker, frosted Coloured 1-6 numbered index World map To do, five language Various colours of ruled paper Name, address and numbers, five language Coloured A–Z …

Calligraphy feathers

Published March 20, 2010

Calligraphy feathers

I've never really understood calligraphy, it seems like a whole lot of effort. The results can be beautiful, of course, but I'm not an expert by any means. I like the look of this Coles Calligraphy Set though. That's an actual feather! I'm pretty sure I would break it within a week of having it, but it's so pretty. It would make a fab gift. As an aside, the website …

YouTube vs. Viacom - The gloves are off

Published March 19, 2010

YouTube vs. Viacom - The gloves are off

The background Viacom is suing YouTube for the copyrighted material that keeps appearing on the video sharing site. Viacom thinks YouTube should do more to stop it happening, whilst YouTube are hoping for safe harbour from the DMCA - meaning they do their best but ultimately can't be held responsible for what users upload. The blog post On the official YouTube blog, a post appeared yesterday with some rather revealing …

All about the Superleague Formula

Published March 19, 2010

All about the Superleague Formula

So, here are my findings on this bizarre formula. A race weekend consists of the following: Saturday - two 45 minute practice sessions, one hour rookie session, qualifying Sunday - two 44 minute races, the second one with a reverse grid Some kind of Super Final race at the end of the season I'm already confused. Don't let's even talk about qualifying. The benefits of racing in this sport include …

A reason to like April

Published March 19, 2010

A reason to like April

Doctor Who is returning to our screens on the 3rd April, and there is so much stuff floating about that I need a post to make sense of it all. Firstly, the Beeb have released their press pack for the new series. Yay! I can't believe it tells us anything we don't already know, as people have been discussing the debut of Matt Smith and Karen Gillan since, well, forever. …

Consistency is the key

Published March 19, 2010

Consistency is the key

Now, it's not unusual for a misspelling of Franck's name to occur. Quite often the unusual 'c' is missed out, and whilst grating, it is understandable. Most of the time, when I try and write it spelt the other way, as in Frank Williams, I add in the extra 'c'. This is a much more acceptable spelling mistake, I find. With FKM's new gig in the Superleague Formula, I pointed …

A Superleague debut

Published March 19, 2010

A Superleague debut

Thanks to F1 Wolf who pointed out this tweet from Adam Cooper (how friend of a friend is this?): Franck Montagny is the latest ex-F1 guy to sign up with the Superleague Formula series. The official Superleague site has the news, and here's the basics. The Superleague Formula was introduced in 2008, as a way to cross over the divide between football and motorsport fans. The teams are all football …

Dialog 3

Published March 19, 2010

Dialog 3

When browsing for pens, a word you don't really expect to hear is "revolutionary." However, that is what Websters Pen Shop have on offer with the Dialog 3. The revolutionary part comes from the fact that this fountain pen has no cap. It twists, in the same way some ball point pens twist, and the nib disappears inside. Some fancy stuff then protects the nib from getting damaged or dirty, …

Baby Panda Thursday #51

Published March 18, 2010

Baby Panda Thursday #51

Let us begin with some awesomely cute pandas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irb0m0VkjLg I really love the running panda at about a minute in. Now, this may go against the grain a little but I was recently introduced to the YouTube account Cute Things Exploding. There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason for the desire to make cute things disappear in a puff of smoke, but naturally, a baby panda wasn't far …

365 Days

Published March 18, 2010

365 Days

I have mentioned the good stuff from Kikki.K before, but I just wanted to focus in on this book - 365 Days. It's a journal, but it doesn't start at the beginning of the year, you can pick it up and start whenever. I think there are good and bad points about this. Firstly, it's nice not to be tied in to a Jan 1st start. It's good that it's …

Compare my radio

Published March 17, 2010

Compare my radio

Have you seen a new site called Compare My Radio? It's from some lab type people at Absolute Radio, and is currently in Beta, but it's a very clever idea. Their short little blurb says: Compare My Radio tracks UK radio stations' "now playing" information and makes sense of it so you don't have to. The basic premise seems to be to find a radio station that is right for …

Rustic pen holder

Published March 17, 2010

Rustic pen holder

I seem to have a bit of a thing for pen holders at the moment, you will have to forgive me. However, I really like this rustic looking wooden pot. Barnwood Pen/Pencil Holder The pot is from old barn wood, sanded and smoothed to have nice round edges.

Nobody puts stationery in the corner

Published March 16, 2010

Nobody puts stationery in the corner

Well, we're in the middle of another month, so it's about time I debuted a new blog, right? Welcome to Stationery Corner! I don't really know what it is or what it's going to be. At the moment I have just been posting some of the stationery bits and pieces I have found on the internet. Perhaps at some point I will research the history of the pencil and tell …

The Perfect Journal

Published March 16, 2010

The Perfect Journal

The Perfect Journal This journal looks really nice, the pages are chunky and I bet they feel good when you hold it. I also like the idea of the secret pocket at the back, although I'm not sure what you would put in it. Some of the notes from the seller: made of natural kraft paper and chipboard embellished with decorative papers great feel heavy creamy pages the design on …

Storage for writing materials

Published March 15, 2010

Storage for writing materials

Ikea do have some lovely stuff, even if it is mass produced and without character. I'm not 100% sure about this wicker style storage for writing materials, but I like the idea. I have a similar wooden organisation piece on my desk right now, also from Ikea, but I like that this one is nice and tall. You can get various different length pens to try and fit! Now we'll …

Lady bug pins

Published March 14, 2010

Lady bug pins

I have a thing about lady bugs because I call them lady bugs and Mr C insists that they are ladybirds. It's something we'll never agree on but every time I find something with bug in the title, rather than bird, it makes me a bit happy. That's why I would love to get these lady bug pins, rather than boring old drawing pins.

Joining the dots

Published March 13, 2010

Joining the dots

A while ago, my dad told me to check out a quiz show on the BBC called Only Connect, which I duly did. I watched one episode and gave it up immediately. I didn't even understand the questions. I'm one of those people that loves to watch University Challenge in the vain hope that I might get one question right, but Only Connect is on a whole other level. It …

Address book on the cheap

Published March 13, 2010

Address book on the cheap

I don't think I would ever find a use for an address book as I can't remember the last time I posted a letter anywhere, but that doesn't stop me ogling them. This is an interesting one. I like the handwriting design on the cover, and as a bonus, it's cheap! £1.99! Pocket Address Book

Kikki.K

Published March 12, 2010

Kikki.K

A while ago, Amy pointed out this fabulous stationery site - Kikki.K. They have the most gorgeous collections of pens, paper, folders, pots, anything you could want. It's all chunky and geometrical, and I love it! Here are a couple of examples of the greatness. A penpot: Sticky notes: Meal planning: I basically want everything on the site and I bet you'll feel the same.

Stationery box

Published March 11, 2010

Stationery box

I have never really heard of a stationery box before, but whilst investigating some rather posh pens, I came across this Secretaire box from Smythson. The box is made of leather, is lockable and comes with it's own rather fancy stationery, but I'm not sure that justifies the £5,145 price tag! I'm completely in love with all the little drawers, but really, I'd rather just get a pen pot, I …

The Elite Writer's Journal

Published March 10, 2010

The Elite Writer's Journal

The kind of thing I would never want to write in because it is just too precious. The Elite Writer's Journal (link no longer available)

A conversation with Leo and Mr C

Published March 7, 2010

A conversation with Leo and Mr C

https://vimeo.com/9934226 I found this video on the Inside TWiT TV blog, posted by Dane Golden, who is unfortunately credited as Dave in the video itself. It's a 20 minute look inside the TWiT cottage including chats with Leo, Dane and Colleen - the engineering genius behind it all. Well worth a watch, particularly if you are crazy Leo fans like us. The video builds on something I wrote about previously …

What's that coming over the hill?

Published March 6, 2010

What's that coming over the hill?

The very excellent, lovely, talented and creative Kat Hall made me a monster! After spotting Giles the monster on Kat's blog, I half-commissioned, half-begged for a monster of my very own. At Christmas I became the proud owner of the above monster, now christened Benjamin. Ben wears a tie as he works in the city and he carries a briefcase, although he's usually lost it somewhere. He's very smart, and …

I'm sure there are budgetary reasons for this as well

Published March 5, 2010

I'm sure there are budgetary reasons for this as well

Behold! I am back with another podcast, and in a relatively reasonable timeframe as well! I had planned to do this a few days earlier, but a sore throat kept me from my microphone. Hopefully all the stories are still relevant! I'm sure there are budgetary reasons for this as well On episode seven of Media. Future. Change. we investigate the buzz behind Google Buzz, who is living in a …

Out and about

Published March 5, 2010

Out and about

Just a quick admin note, I've updated the About Franck page to include his 2009 antics. I'm sure I've missed something, so please let me know if I have forgotten anything crucial. I've updated the About Me page as well. It was a bit cryptic before, pointing people at Sidepodcast but saying little else. Goodness knows why, it's not like it was a secret. Now I'm a bit more forthcoming …

Full length TWiT on YouTube

Published March 5, 2010

Full length TWiT on YouTube

I've mentioned in a couple of MFC episodes that YouTube are doing more and more to bring content into the site, moving away from the home video side of things, and dealing with broadcasters and networks. I've not really invested too much time in watching what's available, although I do keep my eye on what deals they're making. It came to my attention yesterday that our hero Leo Laporte has …

This too shall pass

Published March 4, 2010

This too shall pass

If you haven't seen the latest music video from OK Go, then you must view it now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w I know. Wow. Right? It's taken me a while to be convinced that it is actually real but after reading a great behind the scenes piece on it, I'm gonna go with it. Some facts you need to know: It took about a month and a half of very intense work, with …

Changing touring forever

Published March 4, 2010

Changing touring forever

There's been a story doing the rounds recently about the Billboard Top 40 Money Makers, with U2 topping the list. I mentioned this to Mr C, as he's a former crazy fan who now just keeps an eye on what they're up to. He questioned the idea, and that led to a fascinating conversation. I wanted to blog some highlights, as it raises a lot of questions. Credit: Andrew3000/Flickr Firstly, …

Back behind the wheel

Published March 3, 2010

Back behind the wheel

The official Franck site has updated with talk of what he's been up to for the past few days: This week FKM took part to his first official practice session with Peugeot at Paul Ricard circuit. The weather conditions were obviously not perfect, wet track and very windy, but still Franck was way too happy to complain! Being back at the wheel was just what he had been waiting for …

Slow down, I can't tape in these heels

Published March 3, 2010

Slow down, I can't tape in these heels

I requested some sticky tape and then made the mistake of taking a couple of days off. The stationery catalogue is hidden away in my filing cabinet, but someone must have found it and placed an order. When I mentioned this over on Sidepodcast, the reaction was instant and very divided. As an over-generalisation, the girls hate it and the boys think it's funny. I'm sure you already know what …

Life in the Fast Lane - Part 10

Published March 2, 2010

Life in the Fast Lane - Part 10

I can't quite believe we've reached the final part already, and yet, so much has happened to Mitch in just nine short chapters! This final vote was a very interesting one for me, and as ever, I was surprised at the voting. Not necessarily at the result, but at the margins and at the fact that the lead didn't change hands once. I want to thank everyone who took the …

A boatload of fun

Published March 1, 2010

A boatload of fun

I was looking through some of the archives of my blog (don't you do that, I'm still in the midst of sorting it all out!), and discovered that I didn't actually write about mine and Mr C's wedding here on my personal blog. There are pictures and suchlike on Sidepodcast, and we even answered some questions in one of the episodes, but over here, it was all quiet. There are …

The Archers - February 2010

Published March 1, 2010

The Archers - February 2010

For a moment, I thought the Annette/Baby/Leon/Helen storyline was all done and dusted. Helen kept on shrieking until Annette left, and then Helen told anyone and everyone who came in to the shop exactly why it was that her young friend had fled. I read on the message boards someone who consumed The Archers via the email synopsis of each show, and assumed they were a couple from her scarily …

In for a penny

Published March 1, 2010

In for a penny

I've talked about Librivox on a few occasions before, and today I'm popping back to the topic to pass along a request for help. Although the time I can spare reading and recording LibriVox books varies throughout the year, it's always been really great fun. Time spent there is supportive and friendly, and the book selection is vast and fabulous. LibriVox has been giving away free audiobooks for several years, …

Life in the Fast Lane - Part 9

Published February 28, 2010

Life in the Fast Lane - Part 9

Once again, the voting on the last poll really surprised me. For a long while, the daredevil answer was winning - don't listen to the team, just go for it. However, a more sensible approach seems to have won: So, Mitch is ready to do what the team wants, but on his own terms. Where will that lead? Today's vote will be the last one, and whilst I'm sure it's …

Life in the Fast Lane - Part 8

Published February 24, 2010

Life in the Fast Lane - Part 8

The vote for part seven was interesting because the conservative approach was winning to start with, but then all the rebels appeared and gave us the answer we now have: I had to explain the difference between the two qualifying approaches to my mother who said she can't wait until I have a less motorsport related story going on. For now, though, we're about to qualify in Monaco. --- “Just …

Not for vegetarians

Published February 24, 2010

Not for vegetarians

Everyone has been talking about this, so I guess I should too. I tried to resist but it is impossible to ignore. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RNpMAtqIZ8 More information is available via Kottke. When it's cold outside, people are using sausages on their touchscreens so they don't have to take their gloves off. I find the whole idea kinda gross and would much rather use something like the Etip Gloves. That seems like a …

Peugeot announce their 2010 plans

Published February 24, 2010

Peugeot announce their 2010 plans

Peugeot Sport held a press conference this week to confirm their plans and drivers for the year ahead. I was a bit disappointed with the lack of Franck talk, but that's probably because a lot of the focus was on new boy Anthony Davidson. The 5live commentator will be getting behind the wheel alongside Marc Gené and Alexander Wurz. Davidson gets to be in the number 1 car, whilst Franck …