Unconnected

Gigs galore

2009-11-26T10:35:00.004Z

Cork usually doesn't have much in the way of theatre or gigs to draw me out - have to find my kicks elsewhere! So, what happens? Three come along in one week:

Dawn Landes - free gig in the Old Oak, 14th Dec. Hard to believe someone of her calibre can't get the numbers for a paying audience.

Fuck Buttons - Crane Lane, 16th Dec. Thanks to red for this band. Doubt I'll make it, hard to sell them to others.

The XX - The Pavilion, 17th Dec. Caught them at Electric Picnic.

December activities on Grand Parade

2009-11-16T10:56:00.001Z

Check out this website for all sorts of events on Grand Parade in Dec.

Tomato and potato workshop

2009-10-24T21:31:00.004+01:00

As part of his European tour Tom Wagner from Tater Mater Seeds in Washington State held a tomato and potato workshop on 17th and 18th October. The event was hosted by Brown Envelope Seeds in Skibbereen.

It helped being a tomato nerd, I can never hear too much about them, but we also learned much about breeding and growing potatoes. Being used to growing them from seed potatoes, I'd never thought about their seeds. In this climate the potatoes rarely form berries, perhaps I'd not noticed before. Madeline, from Brown Envelope Seeds had germinated seeds sent earlier by Tom, so we all left with a seedling. I'll leave it in the kitchen window sill over the winter to grow and develop its little tuber. Here's a great blog post about growing potatoes from seed.

Those attending work primarily in horticulture or landscaping (Irish Seed Savers, Sonairte Ecology Centre, Woodkerne Nurseries), but there were also a few keen amateurs.

On Saturday Tom's presentation gave us a glimpse of his decades-long work selecting and breeding potatoes and tomatoes. His Green Zebra tomato is his best known variety. He's fascinated by the potato variety called Lumper, the failure of which caused the famine. On the Saturday afternoon the group visted the Abbeystrewery graveyard near Skibbereen, and saw the Famine memorial. As a gesture Tom scattered some Lumper seeds on the plots.

On Sunday we had a demonstration from Tom on how to cross pollinate tomatoes. He made it look easy but, as our volunteer from the group found out, it's a delicate operation wielding the tweezers and the pollinating brush. In the afternoon I came away with three packets of tomato seeds and one of potato. Looking forward to sowing the seed in spring and seeing what emerges.

People

2009-09-23T10:33:00.002+01:00

This portrait was painted at lunch time yesterday.

In the west of Ireland is a village where one of the residents is a person of miniature stature. When he was born his parents were told he wouldn't live beyond the age of 10, he's now in his 70s, fit as a fiddle and in the Guinness Book Of Records. Everyone knows him and he knows everyone, "howya". Until recently he lived in a miniature house on the side of a mountain, but moved nearer the village for safety. The only outfit he's ever seen in is a cap and a long coat down to his ankles.

The local GAA club fitted up a small gym in the clubhouse, membership is 100 euro a year, or a tenner a month. A local woman joined and went in to use the treadmill. She hopped on without taking time to check who else was there. After a few minutes when she did look, there was our friend on the exercise bike, "howya", in his cap and long coat, cycling furiously. A few minutes later, having recovered from the shock, she looked again but he'd disappeared, eventually she located him, this time doing weights. Fantastic.

Pigs

2009-05-25T16:28:00.001+01:00

Bookclub on Saturday was down in Timoleague, we'd a fab day sitting outside in the sun. For me though the highlight was being shown their new composter, the "Big Pig". It's an insulated composting system that achieves very high temps quickly and composts in a matter of weeks. Another huge positive is, because it's sealed, cooked leftovers can be added too.

I understand it's pricey, circa 700 euro. I'm going to check out the "Little Pig" - I want one!

Bee deaths - pesticides

2009-05-18T10:36:00.002+01:00

Very good article in Salon.

New technology*

2009-05-13T10:01:00.002+01:00

Announcing a new device called, "BOOK," an acronym for "Built-in Orderly Organized Knowledge."

The BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: No wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It's so easy to use even a child can operate it. Just lift its cover!

Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere - even sitting in an armchair by the fire - yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disc. Here's how it works...

Each BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of paper (recyclable), each capable of holding thousands of bits of information. These pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder, which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence. Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs in half.

Experts are divided on the prospects for further increases in information density; for now BOOKs with more information simply use more pages. This makes them thicker and harder to carry, and has drawn some criticism from the mobile computing crowd.

Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into your brain. A flick of the finger takes you to the next sheet. The BOOK maybe taken up at any time and used by merely opening it. The BOOK never crashes and never needs rebooting, though like other display devices it can become unusable if dropped overboard. The "browse" feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward or backward as you wish.

Many come with an "index" feature, which pinpoints the exact location of any selected information for instant retrieval. An optional "BOOKmark" accessory allows you to open the BOOK to the exact place you left it in a previous session - even if the BOOK has been closed. BOOKmarks fit universal design standards; thus, a single BOOKmark can be used in BOOKs by various manufacturers. Conversely, numerous bookmarkers can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to store numerous views at once. The number is limited only by the number of pages in the BOOK.

You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with an optional programming tool, the Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language Stylus (PENCILS).

Portable, durable, and affordable, the BOOK is being hailed as the entertainment wave of the future. The BOOK's appeal seems so certain that thousands of content creators have committed to the platform. Look for a flood of new titles soon.

* SOURCE: from a pubs editor in work

The perfect stick

2009-05-08T16:00:00.003+01:00

I may have mentioned that I have a dog. Have had her for 3 years now. She’s a greyhound / red setter cross, so while she loves a walk and a run, she’s also happy to balm out* in the sun for ages. She’s handsome, with a coat that gleams with reds and oranges in the sunshine. She also demands attention, not unusual for a rescue dog. Because she was originally bred for hunting it’s unlikely she was played with as a pup and so, at the beginning she didn’t quite know what to do when a ball was thrown for her. She’s come a long way (not up to the sister’s dog, who’s totally OCD wrt ball throwing) - it’s great to see her catch a ball on the bounce. One snag, she’s not so hot at bringing it back.

One of our favourite things to do (she hasn’t exactly said so) is to go to the nearest beach, about 12 miles away. She can run around like a loon, down to the estuary to chase curlews, among the dunes, and along the sea shore. We’ve a routine now, as soon as we come back from the estuary and along by the water, she circles expectantly. I usually bring two or three sticks from my stash in the boot and fling the first into the water, not too far cos she’s not comfortable out of her depth, in she bounds, like a deer over the waves. Grabs the stick and bounds back, not quite on to the beach though, so unless I’m wearing wellies the stick floats out of reach – the reason I bring more than one.

On the way back to the car I keep a lookout for new sticks. It was tricky when I first started because the local seaweed consists of long stems with a frondy head, which at a distance look like sticks. Now I’ve developed a better eye, and pounce on a new stick with delight. A foot and a half is a good length, of the right weight. If it’s too thin and light then it won’t travel very far when thrown, or the wind’ll catch it. If it’s too heavy and damp, it might sink. If it’s too long she mightn’t carry it from the sea very easily. So, ideally 45 inches, heavyish in the hand, perhaps even slightly heavier at one end, to help with the throw, and not too brittle, so she can have a decent chew.

* Cork-speak for sun-bathing

Electric Picnic 2009 lineup

2009-04-16T14:04:00.001+01:00

Announced yesterday, the lineup so far looks like this. For a start want to catch Lykke Li, Fleet Foxes, MGMT.

Madness
Orbital
Flaming Lips
Basement Jaxx
Vagabonds
MGMT
Fleet Foxes
The Klaxons
Bell X1
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
Chic
Seasick Steve
2 Many DJs
Lisa Hannigan
Explosions in the Sky
Damien Dempsey
Alabama 3
Bat for Lashes
Zero 7
Erol Alkan
Roots Manuva
The Sugarhill Gang
Billy Bragg
Lykke Li
Imelda May
Echo and the Bunnymen
Magazine
ESG
Moderat
Simian Mobile Disco
Four Tet
Skream and Benga - Magnetic Man
Noze
Heartbreak
Halfset
Chris Cunningham
Okkervil River
Magnolia Electric Company
Low Anthem
Villagers
Tunng
Jape
Whitest Boy Alive
Michachu and the Shapes
The Walkmen

The musical

2009-04-10T20:21:00.005+01:00

Here's what's been keeping me busy for the last couple of months (not bad for someone who can't really sing or dance) - lovin' it.

The Farmer's Daughter: A Rockabilly Musical
Bailenagee is getting ready for the 'Farmer of the Year' competition... but is Bailenagee ready for the farmer's daughter?
Love knows no boundries in this tongue-in-cheek musical about a girl dressing up as a man and winning the cash-prize... and the girl!
Recently written by Cork's own choir Mná Mná, and directed by Evelyn Quinlan, The Farmer's Daughter: A Rockabilly Musical is one of a kind and guarantees to get you swingin' and singin' Alleluia in the aisles.

8pm, 1st May
Firkin Crane, Shandon, Cork

Review of Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2009-03-02T21:44:00.003Z

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Woody Allen is back on form. Two of his familiar New York types - the uptight brunette contrasted with the free-spirited artistic blonde - are transplanted to Barcelona (which looks beautiful and eccentric). Over the summer among passionate Spanish artists their lives are changed, briefly. All of this is done with the usual Allen-style narration, emotional distance, and wit.

Rebecca Hall (Vicky) and Scarlett Johansson (Cristina) both give authentic performances. Hall as the wound-up masters-student who's engaged to be married and faces challenges to her mapped-out life. Johansson embraces the mediterranean lifestyle but ultimately her core remains unshaken. They both become involved with the same artist, Juan Antonio (Xavier Bardem), whose ex-wife, María Elena (Penelope Cruz) soon re-appears. Cruz is a stunning life force, who leaves no one unaffected by her influence.

When the film finished, after watching all the loving, eating, and drinking, we had to go across the road from the Kino for a glass of red and share a plate of antipasto in Cafe de la Paix - perfect

Rated 4/5 on Mar 02 2009

Vote on famron's Reviews at LouderVoice

Review Tags: film, movie, humour

Happy

2009-02-19T19:33:00.003Z

Here's my mate John's entry to Eurosong. It didn't get through to the final six, maybe that's no harm. (And no, that's not me in the gorilla costume :)

Courage Campaign video

2009-02-17T09:50:00.003Z

Mushy but real, the Don't Divorce message

Review of Fishy Fishy

2009-02-16T09:48:00.001Z

Fishy Fishy

Made it down to Fishy Fishy in Kinsale for the first time on Friday evening - parents were down visiting. I've heard they pumped a lorra money into new premises, and it shows - really attractive space. And obviously popular with locals, there was a nice buzz as people at several tables stopped and chatted on their way in and out.

Our experience with the food was mixed. For starters M had a small bowl of chowder which included a herb she couldn't identify (v. unusual for M) and felt it didn't work. I had scrummy scampi, presentation was sweet with the tartar scauce in an oyster shell on the plate. For mains D and I had the sea bass with fennel and lemon cream, very tasty. M had the organic sea trout, which she enjoyed but didn't find exceptional.

They need a bit of work on the desserts still. M's passion fruit pavlova was simply meringues with whipped cream and passion fruit coulis. D's tiramisu was a little too heavy and cheesy. My creme brulee (and I've had a few) tasted yum but the texture was off, inclined to a little runniness.

They've this impressive physical space, the staff are professional and efficient, but with the food they seem to be trying for very good restaurant standard and not quite making it, perhaps top notch cafe-style would be better to aim for. Don't want to be harsh, cos I will definitely go back for the scampi.

Rated 3/5 on Feb 16 2009

Vote on famron's Reviews at LouderVoice

Review Tags: food, restaurant, fish, cafe

Winter

2009-02-03T15:08:00.003Z

The weather's just great here right now. I love Met Eireann, my favourite is the 'Small Craft Warning', we seems to have those most weeks.

Review of Milk

2009-02-01T22:07:00.002Z

Milk

A few of us bookclub wimmin went to Milk on Fri night (after panning The Secret Life Of Bees, and deciding that anything the Kinsale bookclub has read is not for us!).

So... 'Milk', in summary: moving, got the blood boiling at so many injustices, finally understood how awful, and insidious, Anita Bryant was - all that mom-and-apple-pie masking hate-filled homophobia.
(And the Briggs' sponsored Prop 6 designed to ban gay teachers from schools. Little has changed with the bigots, some of the arguments I've heard against civil partnerships / gay marriage in Ireland centre on the protection / rights of children - it's such a cod, they just hate the gays! -- rant over.)

Anyway, Sean Penn was terrific at playing the charming, charismatic Harvey Milk, deserves the Oscar (Michael Dwyer on RTE Radio 1 pointed out last week that wearing a false nose for a role can increase an actor's chance in the the Oscar stakes: Nicole Kidman in 'The Hours', Jose Ferrer in 'Cyrano de Bergerac' :)

A lecturer in women's studies, who's familiar with the era, has expressed disappointment at how the influence of feminism and the role of the many lesbian activists (a token one allowed in) involved in his campaigns was written out - misogynism or just the victim of Hollywood biopic storytelling?

Do try to see the documentary, The Times Of Harvey Milk, it's even better.

Rated 4/5 on Feb 01 2009
Vote on famron's Reviews at LouderVoice

Review Tags: film, movie, politics, gay rights

Of Interest Today

2009-01-19T15:33:00.002Z

All That Experience and No Place to Go GOP Appointees Scramble for the Few Washington Jobs The Washington Post
Sniggering, moi?

Hillary is back
See Salon
[I admire and respect these women tremendously while realizing that I’ve almost nothing in common with them.]

Let them eat cake.
Food police in The Guardian, very funny.

New Music

2009-01-19T11:12:00.002Z

New albums just ordered:

Merriweather Post Pavilion Animal Collective

The Crying Light Antony & The Johnsons

The Fame Lady Gaga

To Lose My Life... White Lies

Have earlier albums by Animal Collective and Antony, looking forward to hearing their new stuff. Lady Gaga and While Lies are new on the scene, expanding my horizons.

New Doctor Who tomorrow

2009-01-02T19:50:00.002Z

The new Doctor Who will be announced tomorrow. Here's more on the BBC.

Sometimes you forget who you know

2008-12-22T15:01:00.005Z

I always vaguely remember my mother saying that her sister's husband, Johnny, was Arkle's groom, but maybe because we live nowhere near the rest of her family we never heard any stories and generally forgot about it.

One of my colleagues is crazy about horse racing; it inhabits every part of his life, to the extent that on our christmas night out on Fri his dancing consisted of him gently riding a horse around, giving it the odd tap with a crop, at one stage I heard him murmur "Istabraq" - drink may have been taken.

I tried to chat to him about Arkle, but my recollection was so hazy that I decided to check it out today. I'm amazed at what I found, Johnny looks so young in the photo (42 years ago) and not terribly impressed with the Duchess of Westminster.

Here's a lovely article in The Scotsman.

Kris Kindle

2008-12-17T09:03:00.002Z

The lucky, lucky bloke in work that I drew for Kris Kindle will get this fabulous pressie.

Review of Roisin Murphy gig

2008-12-10T15:50:00.002Z

Roisin Murphy gig

Roisin Murphy should be a huge star, she has it all, an amazing voice, the charisma, the dance moves, and the costumes.

In the Savoy, Cork, last week she covered most of the tracks from the Overpowered album, and the music sounded even better live with the band adding a richness and depth occasionally missing from the album's electro-pop. As the gig progressed the crowd got more, and more enthusiastic, and her two bouts of crowd surfing only fuelled it (Security leapt on stage to grab her back, the 2nd time round she landed a couple of kicks to fend them off.)

Her costumes were fantastic and the role playing was so entertaining. The first costume was a huge
black and white feathery creation, which did admittedly resemble a giant turkey. Singing Checkin' On Me, she was dressed in a leather jacket and sunglassses - incognito. Another 'outfit' saw her crammed between two large stuffed humanoid figures, one on her back, the other in front facing her (if you get the image?). And during Primitive there was much twining around the 2 (female) backing singers and (male) guitarist.

The backing singers / dancers added tremendously to the show, reminding me of Santogold's girls at Electric Picnic, but looser, less scripted.

For the last song, Slave To Love, the costume included a stuffed black and white tartan deer across her shoulders. This encore ultimately involved the 2 singers and Roisin in a choreographed kerfuffle, ending on the floor, with a mannequin's leg suddenly appearing at the end.

Terrific fun, an incredible performer.

Rated 5/5 on Dec 10 2008

Vote on famron's Reviews at LouderVoice

Review Tags: music, concert, gig

Sweary is back

2008-12-08T21:00:00.002Z

Sweary's back blogging, oh me, oh my!!!

Restoration of Service Announcement, Worldwide Release

2008-12-03T10:48:00.000Z

Dear World:

The United States of America, a quality supplier of ideals of liberty and democracy, would like to apologize for its 2001-2008 service outage.

The technical fault that led to this eight-year service interruption has been located, and the parts responsible were replaced Tuesday night, November 4. Early tests of the new install indicate that it is functioning correctly, and we expect it to be fully functional by mid-January.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the outage, and we look forward to resuming full service --- and, hopefully, even to improving it in years to come.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

The USA

Secretary of State

2008-11-22T20:44:00.003Z

Here's the official announcement.

Get over it, Clinton haters

Obama Close to Choosing Clinton, Jones for Key Posts