Eurovision Song Contest 2013

Tonight is the night we've all been waiting for, It' time to find out what our neighbours across Europe REALLY think of us. This year representing the UK is another "oldie" Bonnie Tyler with Believe in me. I wasn't convinced on this song at first I thought Oh great another Engelbert where the song doesn't capture our imagination. Believe in me is slower than we are used to from Bonnie but powerful. Now I have thoroughly staked my claim in team #BelieveInBonnie we should take a look at who is in the final*

Armenia

Back after a year out due to political tensions with their neighbour and then host Azerbaijan Armenia will be looking to do well in Malmo.
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan are back after hosting last years competition and want to bring it home again.
Belarus

Belarus haven't reached the heights of Dima Koldun a few years ago with his bond inspired song Work your magic however the hopes of a nation are on Alyona in Malmo
Belgium

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

Still in a Eurovision hangover since Lordi Finland will want a good showing this year
France

Georgia

Germany

Germany are pulling out all the stops this year with Cascada and if anyone can do it they sure can
Greece

They have major economic problems but still want to put on a show, We are waiting on our first Eurovision Song Contest supplied by Lidl.......
Hungary

Iceland

Ireland

Our brothers in the Emerald isle have won the ESC the most and Ryan Dolan wants to do it again.
Italy

Lithuania

Malta

Moldova

Moldova always have the ingredients to pull off a surprise at the ESC, Could this year be their year?
Norway

Margaret Berger is the outside chance in my mind with a great song, Could she be Norway's first winner since Alexander Rybak...Either way they want to show face after last years last placed Eric Saade rip off
Romania

The highest male voice in Eurovision since his fellow countryman Mihai Traistariu could have a good chance for a top eight finish.
Russia

Spain

Sweden

Sweden have had some big songs over the past couple of years from Eric Saade and last years winner Loreen. Robin Stjernberg has a massive job ahead to try and keep the title in Sweden
The Netherlands

Ukraine

United Kingdom

Come on we believe in Bonnie....Don't we? Just as long as our Welsh wonder doesn't come home with Nil Poi we will be happy

Sit back and get ready for the ultimate "cheese - fest"....see you on the other side.

*(I would have done this for the semis but I was in Berlin for the first one)


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Denmark won

with such a great song only teardrops.....They deserved it but I do think Norway could have done better

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Flipside - Short Film

As you guys know I started university this year and one of my modules was to create a short film. Now I have done my fair share of creative work in the past from being in Operas to radio/Podcasts and making documentaries however nothing could have prepared me for the work involved in making this short film, I made sure to constantly be one step ahead and was very very very very lucky that just about everything fell into place in terms of getting actors and what not, indeed Claudette Baker Park and John Willow were fantastic to work with which was great for a first time director like myself. I got everything to look how I wanted it, had issues with the sound and a couple of post production problems but otherwise I'm okay with my effort, Not completely happy but then I doubt I ever will be about any creative work I ever make.

Flipside is about a waster that lives life by the flip of a coin. I would also love to thank and indeed keep thanking Shaun Bartlett forever for giving the production permission to use his fantastic song Love Give Take as it really adds that extra dimension the film needed.

Please don't hesitate to talk about it in the comments box below!

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Candy Box the next best waste of time

Candy Box created by French indie developer Aniwey is the next big "waste of time" since Facebook game parody Cow Clicker, This ASCII art browser game at first seems like nothing, I mean all you have to do is either eat candies or throw them to the ground but we are a strange bunch us internet users, We get curious over the smallest things so we eat the candies,

we throw the candies or we just wait and see how many candies we can accumulate while we chat to friends on Facebook via another tab and before you know it.........Swords become available, we can go on epic quests and buy lollipops and get questioned by a logical frog. This appeals to our askew sense of capitalism as we are getting something for nothing and doing nothing to get it. We become mindless zombies every so often clicking on the candy box browser checking how many candies we now have, what we can buy and going on yet another quest. At this moment in time we don't know who Aniwey is (yet) but what we do know is some statistics Aniwey openly shares about the game, These statistics are updated everyday however I am taking them from the Last update at : (2013-05-05 01:04:36) which shows 343088 saves had been made, The statistics also show the favourite weapon amongst users as well as how many "saves" have killed certain beings and interestingly (maybe) How many "saves" which have finished the game (currently 6829). Aniwey is looking to build a sequel and is looking to have his very own ASCII artist for the game as right now the art shown is either taken or derived from elsewhere. The sequel will include some suggestions sent from users like an autosave feature, offline/Smarphone versions, easter eggs and of course squirrels.

Currently there are no adverts on the website or a Zynga style freemium pay to play more model. Both the python (Linux OS) server and the javascript client will be on a public repository and they will both be free software, Aniwey cites "free as in freedom" and links to the Free Software Foundation. The FSF was founded in 1983 by Richard M. Stallman and is aimed at promoting totally free software that is available to the public and anyone can copy and derive it without fear of their personal information been taken or used without permission, Ethical programming if you will. We shall see how this game progresses and what the sequel will hold when it arrives.

On a random note I am off to Germany on Friday with this week being my hand in for two university modules (Short Film and Studio Production) We recorded our show for studio production on Thursday, It was a very long day but also very fruitful. Alas now is time for the dreaded paperwork and essays and having my nose in many books before my broadcast drama exam. After many close calls this year I finally got an A and it was for a group presentation, Still happy about it!
It's Eurovision very soon and Bonnie Tyler is flying our flag....bring on the Nill poi for Bonnie.

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Psy is Back, Thatcher and Berlin

Perfect timing Really as the world is watching the Korean Peninsula and all the rhetoric and war talk from Kim Jong Un and Co, Last years YouTube sensation Psy is back with new single Gentleman (I was according to YouTube viewer 302). Gentleman is a very hypnotic tune and very pleasing to hear as a listener. I think Psy is going into be in for a very hard time because many Bandwagon passengers will instantly say Gentleman is not as good as Gangnam Style rather than look at the bigger picture.

UK MUSIC NEWS

Music news in the UK this week has all been about a song from the Wizard of Oz called Ding Dong the Witch is dead and an online campaign to get the song to number one as a way to mark the passing of Margaret Thatcher. I can't say I was ever a fan of hers but then again I was born in 1990 so can't really have a meaningful opinion on her politics, What I can say is sheer respect should be in order as someone has died and no matter what you think of her it was a watershed moment in UK history when she became our first female Prime Minister. Since our official top 40 chart is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 they are naturally stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to what to do about this song, The BBC decided that they would not play the full song as that would be disrespectful but they would play a few second sample within a news item telling listeners why the song is in the charts, I personally believe this is the best way to go as most of BBC Radio 1's remit would be my age or younger therefore don't know her or her politics so therefore this would be a case for informing and educating listeners and that is what the BBC aim to do.

Me News

The next few weeks will be big for me as I have been helping German students from FH Brandenburg with a project taking pictures of Glasgow and merging them with pictures of Glasgow from the past, I was more or less their guide taking them around the city (And I mean around as I think we all have sore legs now). They were very attentive with their work and very nice people but you do sometimes curse the language barrier when they have set up their tripod and camera in the middle of the road on Renfield Street and a double decker bus is barrelling towards them and you are trying to shout MOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!!!! and they don't seem to understand. I am hopefully going to Berlin next month to do the same there. Next week I will be filming my short film with cast, crew, Location and equipment ready and writing a third draft of my script as well. I am hoping (naively I'm sure) for a fast turnover so I have a good amount of time in post production. I started out by trying to write a comedy but it quickly morphed into a serious drama....Weird how these things happen. Yes when it is finished I'm sure I will find away to annoy you with the film on here so don't you worry :)

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A Google birthday surprise

Yay it's my birthday!....So I log on to my computer to see if anyone on Facebook noticed but before I get there I saw this Google doodle when I went to the Google homepage (I was still logged in from my last time online), When I clicked on the doodle I was taken to my Google+ profile. Now I didn't feel all warm inside when I seen the doodle if anything when I spoke of this on my Facebook I joked about them being Skynet.

I get why Google are doing this, I mean it is nice to be made special on your birthday and hey it will make people share more information on their Google+ page. Although it feels weird to be getting a birthday doodle from Google it is by far a more enjoyable birthday message than the automated Emails I get from companies that say Happy Birthday and try and up sell you stuff or make it clear you should be listening to them on the radio right now!!!!!!!. All in all a great piece of marketing and a step towards a more personalised browsing experience.

and I can say OH Yeah well Google remembered it was my birthday! why didn't you? :)

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