The Daily SPAM: Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross to be executed
About Me
- Budding genius
- Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
- HR Apprentice. Ex Media Studies student at Swansea University. This blog is a collection of links, articles, academic reference and random thoughts.
Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Russell Brand and that Answer Phone message
The answer phone messages which eventually led to Russell Brands departure from Radio 2.
Some of the content may be offensive as they contain some expletive languge and comments of a sexual nature.
Part One
Part Two
So heads have rolled and Brand is first to go. He really did go too far this time and a fall from grace is perhaps what is deserved for this impossibly charming lothario. Chances are he may keep his Big Mouth firmly shut from now on but somehow I think this will provide some much needed publicity in time for the release of his new book.
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
A Long Exposure: 100 years of Guardian photography | Media | guardian.co.uk
A Long Exposure: 100 years of Guardian photography | Media | guardian.co.uk: "Guardian photographer Denis Thorpe and northern editor Martin Wainwright discuss an exhibition of pictures taken by the paper's Manchester photographers. The exhibition, curated by Thorpe, includes striking work taken since the paper appointed its first staff photographer, Walter Doughty, in 1908. A Long Exposure: 100 Years of Guardian Photography runs until March 1 2009 at The Lowry in Salford, Greater Manchester Guardian photographer Denis Thorpe and northern editor Martin Wainwright discuss an exhibition of pictures taken by the paper's Manchester photographers. The exhibition, curated by Thorpe, includes striking work taken since the paper appointed its first staff photographer, Walter Doughty, in 1908. A Long Exposure: 100 Years of Guardian Photography runs until March 1 2009 at The Lowry in Salford, Greater Manchester"
Saturday, 18 October 2008
Facebook killer jailed for life - | MSN News UK - news & weather
A jealous husband who murdered his wife after she changed her status to "single" on Facebook has been jailed for life.
Lorry driver Wayne Forrester, 34, stabbed mother-of-two Emma Forrester to death in her home as a six-year-old girl cowered in an upstairs bedroom.
Forrester later told police he believed his wife was having an affair and felt humiliated that she was now declaring herself available on the social networking website.
The court heard how Mrs Forrester, a 34 year-old payroll administrator, had thrown her husband out of their home in New Addington, Surrey, after the breakdown of their volatile 15-year relationship.
Forrester became suspicious his estranged wife was having an affair and repeatedly threatened to kill her over the phone.
Fuelled by alcohol and cocaine, Forrester smashed his way into the house armed with a kitchen knife and a meat cleaver in the early hours of February 18 this year.He dragged his wife out of the marital bedroom, tearing clumps of her hair out, before stabbing her in the neck, stomach, arms, hands and head.
read more
Friday, 17 October 2008
Saturday, 11 October 2008
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
Street View operatives object to being snapped • The Register
Edinburgh's Evening News has discovered that, when it comes to personal privacy, Google's Street View is a strictly one-way thoroughfare.
The paper was alerted yesterday that several examples of the Orwellian spycar fleet were being prepared for action at a disused garage site in Drum Brae South. It duly dispatched a snapper to record the action, but when he "began to capture the teams setting up the roof-mounted cameras, he was threatened with legal action".
Photographer Ian Georgeson explained: "I was standing on public ground taking photos of the cars when one of the drivers came over and said that they didn't want us to print their faces. He said if I used any shots of him they would sue us, because they were concerned about reprisals.
"He admitted they were a bit concerned about the way people would react to the cameras, but said they would be in Edinburgh for a couple of months at least trying to map the city."
Guy Herbert of UK civil liberties group No2ID told the Evening News: "That is an extraordinary situation, but it does seem to be the case that while large organisations, traditionally the police or councils, are happy to photograph the public, they are less keen on being photographed themselves.
"It would be interesting to see just what legal grounds they think they have to stop their picture being used that wouldn't also apply to the pictures they are taking, and I think they would be on pretty treacherous ground."
A spokesgooglette said the search monolith had "no problem with the cars being photographed, but admitted it did not want staff to be hindered in any way".
She concluded: "We are happy for people to take pictures of the cars - they are clearly identified as working for Google. We would not want our staff to be in any way stopped from doing their job, however."
Well, we're glad Google has no objection to people snapping its sinister black Opels, because here are the 110 or so sightings to date on El Reg's splendid Spot-the-Street-View Web 0.2 mashup:
Sunday, 5 October 2008
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
Swansea - Cardiff pre-match warning
Swansea-Cardiff meet tonight for the first time in nine years for the Carling Cup third-round tie. The controverial fixture has a history of violence and police and football bosses have appealed for calm in the build up to the match. Measures have been drawn up for the expected 1,300 Cardiff supporters who will make the journey to The Liberty Stadium in Swansea. It is believed that they will all arrive on official coaches before being held in a secure compound at the ground. Police warned motorists of heavy traffic at the Liberty Stadium and in Morriston, Landore and Llansamlet and advised drivers to avoid the areas or to leave extra time for their journeys.
Monday, 22 September 2008
Mystery Surrounds Soldiers' Deaths, Altered DOD Photograph

Mystery Surrounds Soldiers' Deaths, Altered DOD Photograph: "AUSTIN, TX (September 19, 2008)
A mysterious story about an unnamed American soldier who is being held in connection with the fatal shooting deaths of two of his fellow American troops at their patrol base south of Baghdad on Sunday grew even more confusing last night when the Associated Press issued a 'mandatory kill' advisory for a Department of Defense-released photograph of one of the dead soldiers.AUSTIN, TX (September 19, 2008) – A mysterious story about an unnamed American soldier who is being held in connection with the fatal shooting deaths of two of his fellow American troops at their patrol base south of Baghdad on Sunday grew even more confusing last night when the Associated Press issued a 'mandatory kill' advisory for a Department of Defense-released photograph of one of the dead soldiers.AUSTIN, TX (September 19, 2008)
The face and shoulders of one of the deceased soldiers, Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson, 24, of Pensacola, FL, appears to have been digitally altered some time before the DOD provided the image to AP for distribution.
In the standard soldier's portrait, seated before an American flag while wearing a basic Army uniform, the DOD photograph appears to have Dawson's head and shoulders pasted onto the body of an unknown soldier. The picture of Dawson is very similar to the photograph of the other killed soldier, Sgt. Wesley R. Durban, 26, of Hurst, TX.
William Luther at the San Antonio Express-News said that photographer Bob Owen on the picture desk last night saw the pictures of Dawson and Durban move on the network and was "toggling" back and forth between the two and noticed the similarities. Owen called AP and soon after that the "kill" notice moved on AP picture network.
AP national photography editor Victor Vaughan said this morning he's working with the DOD and their public information officials to try to find out more information about the suspected altered the image, and why it may have been changed before it was provided to AP for distribution.
Vaughan told News Photographer magazine that he will reserve comment on the situation until he and the DOD have been able to unravel all of the facts.
The military said in a statement that Dawson and Durban were "victims of an early morning shooting" under circumstances that were "non-hostile" at their base near Iskandariyah, about 30 miles south of Baghdad.
Details are sketchy about how Dawson and Durban were killed, but the military statement said that "A US soldier is in custody in connection with the shooting deaths. He is being held in custody pending review by a military magistrate."
Sgt. Dawson's family told CNN that they don't understand why the Army refuses to tell them the circumstances surrounding their son's death.
The deceased soldiers were assigned to the Third Battalion, Seventh Infantry Regiment, Fourth Brigade Combat Team, Third Infantry Division, based in Fort Stewart, GA.
A press release sent to CNN from the commanding general of the Third infantry Division at Fort Steward said, "We do know that one soldier, a fellow noncommissioned officer, allegedly opened fired and mortally wounded his squad leader and fellow team leader."
Focus: Brave new world - Times Online
Focus: Brave new world - Times Online: "STARDOLL is only one example of the dozens of “social networking” firms sweeping across the internet. Led by MySpace, Facebook (in America) and Bebo (in the UK and Ireland), their astonishing rate of growth both fascinates and terrifies “old media” companies.
Along with Google, they form the vanguard of the second wave of dotcom firms dubbed Web 2.0 — businesses delivering services over the internet and predominantly funded by advertising.
Tens of millions of teenagers and students are spending hours creating their profile, or web page, on networking sites — listing their favourite bands, movies and heart-throbs, their hopes and ambitions. They can link to their friends’ pages, add music and video, share photographs, write a blog and send e-mails.
Fostered by the broadband revolution, this is creating new ways of communicating and interacting that many young people clearly find compelling. It also bites big chunks out of the time they have to watch television or read newspapers.
MySpace is only three years old this month, and yet it already has more than 90m users, generating billions of page impressions every month. That represents a huge audience for online advertising.
In May, according to Nielsen/Net Ratings, MySpace was the world’s fourth most-visited website, overtaking MSN and closing fast on Google, Ebay and Yahoo.
Michael Birch, the British founder of rival Bebo, predicts MySpace will become the most popular destination on the internet within a year. Some critics scoffed when News Corporation, the parent company of The Sunday Times, paid $580m for MySpace last year."
Where the web kids are - Times Online
Where the web kids are - Times Online: "Are they lurking in the darker reaches of YouTube?
Or delivering a series of 'pokes' and other greetings on the social networking site Facebook?
Nope. Today's kids aged 12 and under are likely to be whiling away their online hours playing games on sites you have never heard of.
The most popular website for young, web-savvy Britons, Stardoll.com, was set up by a 60-year-old Finnish woman who wanted to pass on the art of knitting clothes for a doll - in a modern context."
Monday, 15 September 2008
Founder Pink Floyd member dies - News, Music - The Independent
Founder Pink Floyd member dies - News, Music - The Independent: "Richard Wright, a founder member of Pink Floyd, died today at the age of 65 after battling cancer, his spokesman said.
Wright played the keyboard with the legendary band and wrote music in classic albums like the Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here.
Thursday, 11 September 2008
» The 10 Commandments of Facebook | Cracked.com
» The 10 Commandments of Facebook | Cracked.com: "The 10 Commandments of Facebook
by Ross Wolinsky
The rise of social media has made it easier than ever to keep in touch with friends, relatives and coworkers. With a few keystrokes you can reconnect with an old high school buddy, learn what your coworker’s favorite band is, or play Scrabble with a friend who lives on the other side of the globe.
But while increased connectivity is an undeniably good thing, you can just as easily use it to annoy the living hell out of everyone you know. This is the internet, after all, and if something on the internet can be used in an annoying way, you can safely assume that 99% of the population will proceed to do so (go try reading a comment on YouTube if you don’t believe me).
People need rules to tell them how to act. Luckily I went to the top of Mount Internet last night, and God handed me down these 10 Commandments of Facebook for all to obey. Follow them or you’ll go to hell."
Friday, 29 August 2008
Dubai: City-In-a-Pyramid Could House a Million Dubaians

Dubai: City-In-a-Pyramid Could House a Million Dubaians, Power Itself: "A particularly optimistic design firm in Dubai called Timelinks has proposed designs for the Ziggurat, a complete city to be layered inside of a massive pyramid that could serve as home for a million people at a time. Timelinks is currently seeking patents for a variety of technologies that would make such a building possible, including a three axis public transportation system that would run residents up, through and across the pyramid. They've also claimed that with a hybrid wind, solar and steam power the Ziggurat would be able to meet its own power needs, and that there would be enough room to allow for some minor agriculture in designated 'green spaces.'"
Thursday, 28 August 2008
Western Media and the Russia Conflict
The propaganda machine is well and truly out in force during the recent coverage of the Russia/Georgian conflict. Who does one beleive? As they say in Dragon's Den....I'm out on this one
Two-headed boy born in Bangladesh - Telegraph
Two-headed boy born in Bangladesh - Telegraph: "Two-headed boy born in Bangladesh
A baby boy born with two heads in Bangladesh has been placed under police protection because of the curiosity his birth has caused among thousands of locals.
Last Updated: 10:27AM BST 28 Aug 2008
The boy was born by Cesarean section on August 25, weighing 12 lbs 1 oz Photo: AFP
The boy, named Kiron and weighing 12 lbs 1 oz, was born by Cesarean section on Monday at a clinic in Keshobpur, 85 miles from the capital, Dhaka.
Update: Two-headed boy dies after after just 48 hours
But an estimated 150,000 people from the region descended on the clinic to try to catch sight of the boy so he was moved to a larger hospital. Police are now mounting a round-the-clock operation to protect him and his family from intrusion.
Dr Mohamad Abdul Bari, his mother's gynaecologist, said: 'He has one stomach and he is eating normally with his two mouths. He has one genital organ and a full set of limbs.
'He was born from one embryo but there was a developmental anomaly.'
The clinic had been unable to determine whether the baby had one or two sets of vital organs, Dr Bari said."
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Invisibility cloak 'step closer'
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Invisibility cloak 'step closer': "Invisibility cloak 'step closer'
For now, the invisibility cloak remains a thing of science fiction
Scientists in the US say they are a step closer to developing materials that could render people invisible.
Researchers at the University of California in Berkeley have developed a material that can bend light around 3D objects making them 'disappear'.
The materials do not occur naturally but have been created on a nano scale, measured in billionths of a metre.
The team says the principles could one day be scaled up to make invisibility cloaks large enough to hide people."
read more at BBC News website
Sunday, 17 August 2008
Beijing Olympic 2008 opening ceremony giant firework footprints 'faked' - Telegraph
Beijing Olympic 2008 opening ceremony giant firework footprints 'faked' - Telegraph: "Beijing Olympic 2008 opening ceremony giant firework footprints 'faked'
Parts of the spectacular Beijing Olympics opening ceremony on Friday were faked because of fears over live filming, it has emerged.
By Richard Spencer in Beijing
Last Updated: 6:58PM BST 10 Aug 2008
Organisers feared it would be too difficult to capture each footprint live so inserted computer graphics for viewers at home and in the Bird's Nest stadium Photo: KENT NEWS
As the ceremony got under way with a dramatic, drummed countdown, viewers watching at home and on giant screens inside the Bird's Nest National Stadium watched as a series of giant footprints outlined in fireworks processed gloriously above the city from Tiananmen Square.
What they did not realise was that what they were watching was in fact computer graphics, meticulously created over a period of months and inserted into the coverage electronically at exactly the right moment.
The fireworks were there for real, outside the stadium. But those responsible for filming the extravaganza decided in advance it would be impossible to capture all 29 footprints from the air.
As a result, only the last, visible from the camera stands inside the Bird's Nest was captured on film."



