21 Aye?

In many ways i'm lazy, bus sometimes im just too busy to do things. I turned 21 on Sunday and it was the first day in the last 2 weeks that I actually stopped and looked around. I didnt smell the roses because that's the last thing my hayfever needs.

I don't feel older and I'm certainly not wiser but 2016 so far has been a big year, not withstanding the new and events. I've been more aware of what I don't know and my own inexperience. For me that is half the battle to becoming more (stand by for wan*y blogger lingo) self aware and confident.

Someone said to me today 'It's weird to think of you as just 21 because you're mature" to which I usually reply "Ahh code for 'you look old'"

You should listen to this... More Perfect

I think you should listen to More Perfect from Radiolab/ WNCY

More Perfect is all of the above, it also stands out with the way it sounds, much like the nature of the topic's it covers, it has a dark sound to it. That feeling, mixed with relaxed conversation draws you in from the get go.

There's an uprising of programming about court cases in the US, be it Making a Murderer Serial or Untold.
All of these, while different, require similar things to be successful. This can include, but is not limited to:

A real story to tell and the patience to find it. 
Anywhere but particularly in the US there is an abundance of court cases and trials that could be made into programmes. They will have had to research into many in order to find the gems.

Thoroughly committed research. 
The ability to trawl through documents, interviews, trial tapes and talk to people.

Telling enough to keep the listener hooked. 
Starting with unanswered questions, giving information that makes them think; 'But why?'

This one is a very good place to start.
====The Political Thicket====

Free Tea, Dundee, Serial and Me.

As I write this I’m on a train, camped in the quiet coach taking advantage of the free tea and wi-fi. The journey is sunny; I can see my own reflection in the laptop. I've had a sort of half day today, went up to Dundee for a few hours now I’m heading home.

I have so far enjoyed the ‘100 a day’ challenge I’ve set myself and up until this post I haven’t really struggled to come up with something to write. 

So, i’ll leave you with this, an article by Sarah Koenig, one of the creators of Serial, the podcast that took over the world.

In this piece she breaks down how she managed to tell a story without having the material she wanted.

It’s a great insight into the amount of work and research they go into to make Serial.  It’s also a lesson on recording everything and throwing none of it away.  

====YOU CAN FIND THE ARTICLE HERE====

Let’s Make It 2012 Again

Remember 2012? It was a good year.

For me, I had just finished school and got my first job, my sister had graduated and the terror of going into the big scary world was dulled for the time being.

Oh and we also had the Olympics in London, in case you forgot…

I don’t live in London but on the weeks leading up to the opening ceremony I went for a visit and even though I didn’t go to any events I felt like part of it. The same was felt outside London. From Norwich to Crew, Gretna to the Gorbals. It just so happened I got to watch the opening ceremony in a London suburb (Just outside Penge East) where the local community gathered in a park, set up a barbecue and sat on the grass to watch it unfold on a big screen. The sun was setting and the world watched us, just being us. (Kenneth Branagh in a top hat and the Spice Girls) 

That was a great feeling. We were proud of ourselves and pleased for each other. Athletes brought home medals to the nations. All-proud to be Northern Irish, Welsh, Scottish, English and British. We looked good… well G4S didn’t.

4 Years later.  Here we are and one half of the nation dislikes the other and vice versa .We look like we’d rather close our door than welcome in, not just people but culture, kindness and potential. I don’t mean ‘Brexit’ which now seems like the punch line to an un-funny joke, whatever way someone voted doesn’t matter. It’s the current mood and I didn't know how to fix it. 

Then Wimbledon started, it was on screens and in speakers everywhere and we all collectively said ‘Ohh yea, it's that time of year’. The penny dropped (About as far as it did on the morning of the 24th) We’re all gathering together, watching the best people in the world play tennis at a level the majority of us only reach when describing how good our game is to someone we’re trying to chat up and we love rooting for Andy or Gordon Reid or the underdog at their first grand slam.

We get that feeling back for a bit.

We’ve all been so bombarded with news we’ve forgotten to be nice. Remember what it was like watching Andy win gold or Tom being over the moon for a bronze. We welcomed the world, gave them a pat on the back and said; ‘Right, what are you drinking?’ Let’s get back to that … the last thing we need is America making fun of us… (Wink)

I Think You Should Listen To This

If you need something to listen to on a lazy Sunday I recommend Dead Ringers.

Dead Ringers is a weekly topical impressionist sketch show on BBC Radio 4.  It's always delivered comically but it's been particularly on point with the variety of news in the last few weeks.

Highlights include:

A sassy John Humphries.

Kirsty Wark's mamma

And DIANE ABBOT?

All of the above will make sense when you listen.

======Listen to it here======

The thing that makes Dead Ringers is the magnified personalities that still sound real. It also does that thing which radio is so good at. It allows the sketches to take place in bizarre and far flung places. (Such as putting Jeremy Corbyn on the moon.) Which wouldn't be as funny or believable on TV

Not no negate how good the TV version is.

Here's a great clip featuring a youthful John Finnemore :

While you were away…

The very first thing I saw when I woke up today was someone getting shot, a video on twitter that showed the shooter in Dallas. A story that dominated headlines all day.

Horrific, from all viewpoints and a story we will no doubt learn more of in the coming days.

Twitter is great, social media (for the most part) is a good thing that can inform, amuse and entertain.

On days like today, Twitter hinders. It dilutes the pool of information with re-hashed headlines, ‘BREAKING NEWS’ and speculation. Rather than writing about the people, the reason or what those in power might be able to do, some journalist’s time was devoted to tracking down and sharing the picture of a man who was not involved and writing articles about a deleted tweet from a former politician who’s idiocy if measured by numbers would be tenfold his amount of followers.

As news becomes more international and local/ national tragedies are broadcast round the world faster than is healthy, we’ll need to find a better way of working/ reacting online, especially if something is on going. Even though we’re becoming numb, many still attach a lot of trust to the words ‘Breaking News’ and this leads to miss information and misconception. The last thing that this tragedy needs is for an important message to get lost. A message that if it was already held in the palaces that it's not, this might have been avoided. #BlackLivesMatter