Submitting to Technorati...

Technorati is a blog directory that people search for all that interests them in the blogosphere. I'm submitting Jocky's Corner to the directory and, as such, have to prove I'm the author by posting a blog including the following unique token....

RA84H5RAN7XP

Well, there it is. I shall sit back and await world domination.

Review of 2011

Best Music

- Valhalla Dancehall - British Sea Power
- Skying - The Horrors
- Let England Shake - PJ Harvey
- The English Riviera - Metronomy
- The King of Limbs - Radiohead

Best TV - Comedy

- Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle - BBC2
- Frank Skinner's Opinionated - BBC2
- Psychoville 2 - BBC2
- 10 O'Clock Live - C4
- An Idiot Abroad 2 - Sky1

Best TV - Drama

- The Hour - BBC1
- Great Expectations - BBC1
- Being Human - BBC3
- Boardwalk Empire - Sky Atlantic
- United - BBC2

Best TV - Documentary

- The Secret Life of Bob Monkhouse - BBC4
- Paul Merton's Birth Of Hollywood - BBC2
- Space Shuttle: The Final Mission - BBC2
- Sir Jimmy Saville at the BBC: How's About That Then? - BBC2
- Arena - George Harrison: Living In The Material World - BBC2

Best Film

- Senna - Asif Kapadia
- Submarine - Richard Ayoade
- Attack the Block - Joe Cornish
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - David Yates
- Super 8 - JJ Abrams

Most Significant News Events

- The police shooting of Mark Duggan in Tottenham acts as the catalyst for riots and looting across the UK.

- Mohammed Bouazizi, a young Tunisian fruit seller, sets himself alight in protest at his treatment by Government authorities sparking a wave of revolution in the Middle East toppling Egypt's President Murbarak and Libya's Colonel Gaddaffi amongst others.

- The News of the World is accused of hacking the phone of murder victim Milly Dowler leading to further revelations of unethical practice at the paper and resulting in numerous high profile resignations and the ultimate closure of the paper by News International. The Leveson Inquiry into press practice, culture and ethics is ongoing.

- An earthquake and resultant tsunami in Japan cause the devastating loss of 18,000 lives.

- The Occupy Movement at St Paul's Cathedral in London symbolises a year in which protest at Government spending cuts, rising student tuition fees and banking practices was rife. The largest general strike since the 1920's took place in protest against public sector pension plans.

Most Memorable Sporting Events

- The England Cricket Team secure their first victory in an Ashes series held in Australia since 1987.

- The current Barcelona FC team secure their legacy as one of the all time greats with a master-class of passing football to defeat Manchester United at Wembley and claim their 3rd European Cup victory in six years.

- Jenson Button takes the unlikeliest of victories at a rain interrupted Canadian Grand Prix, passing Sebastian Vettel on the last lap and having made an incredible 34 passes and six total pit stops during the race.

- FIFA confirm the 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar, corruption claims are made by senior officials and gay rights groups condemn the decision to hold the event in a country that still outlaws homosexuality.

- Commentator Richard Keys and analyst Andy Gray expose a deep seated sexism at Sky Sports when their off air comments about female work colleagues are revealed. Both lose their jobs at BSkyB.

Most Memorable Personal Events

- Relocating the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology's library collection to a safe new home at Lloyd's Register of Shipping.
- StixStag in Tallinn, Estonia.
- Summer holiday to Bideford, Devon with family and friends.
- The Horrors live at The Roundhouse.
- The Manics live at the O2 Arena.
- The first year George really appreciated the magic of Christmas.

Some blog housekeeping 2011

This is I, recording 2011's cultural intake for posterity...

Reading...
The Blizzard: Issue 3 - Jonathan Wilson, Editor
Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
How I Escaped My Certain Fate : The Life and Deaths of a Stand-Up Comedian - Stewart Lee
The Ultimate Guide to Mad Men - Guardian Books
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
Down and Out in Paris and London - George Orwell
The Blizzard: Issue Two - Jonathan Wilson, Editor
Life - Keith Richards
The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
33 Revolutions Per Minute: A History Of Protest Songs - Dorian Lynskey
The Blizzard: Issue One - Jonathan Wilson, Editor
Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M Pirsig
The Benn Diaries - Tony Benn
Inverting The Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics - Jonathan Wilson
The Blizzard: Issue Zero - Jonathan Wilson, Editor
Booky Wook 2: This Time It's Personal - Russell Brand
A Room With A View - E M Forster
The Old Man And The Sea - Ernest Hemingway
Juliet, Naked - Nick Hornby
On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Fry Chronicles: An Autobiography - Stephen Fry
Bevan (Life & Times) - Clare Beckett and Francis Beckett
Socialism: A Very Short Introduction - Michael Newman

Listening...
Lioness: Hidden Treasures - Amy Winehouse
A Different Kind of Fix - Bombay Bicycle Club
Smother - Wild Beasts
Hurry Up, We're Dreaming - M83
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
The Smile Sessions - The Beach Boys
77 - Talking Heads
Back to Black - Amy Winehouse
21 - Adele
Wake Up! - John Legend and The Roots
The English Riviera - Metronomy
Skying - The Horrors
I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue - BBC Radio 4
Suck It And See - Arctic Monkeys
The 50 Greatest Hits - Elvis Presley
Ultimate Greatest Hits - The Everly Brothers
Zeus E.P. - British Sea Power
Low - David Bowie
The Butcher/Supercollider - Radiohead
Violator - Depeche Mode
What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? - The Vaccines
Angles - The Strokes
The King Of Limbs - Radiohead
Let England Shake - PJ Harvey
Hotel Shampoo - Gruff Rhys
Computers and Blues - The Streets
Valhalla Dancehall - British Sea Power

Watching...
Great Expectations - BBC1
Silent Running (DVD)
George Harrison: Living In The Material World (Blu-Ray)
The Gruffalo's Child - BBC1
The Borrowers - BBC1
Sir Jimmy Saville at the BBC: How's About That Then? - BBC2
Nativity - BBC1
The Many Faces of Les Dawson - BBC2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (DVD)
Avatar (Blu-Ray)
Source Code (Blu-Ray)
Do It Yourself: The Story of Rough Trade - BBC4
Creation Records at the BBC - BBC4
Upside Down: The Creation Story - BBC4
The Help
True Grit (Blu-Ray)
Frank Skinner on George Formby - BBC4
Old Grey Whistle Test - BBC4
Attack the Block (Blu-Ray)
Submarine (Blu-Ray)
Never Let Me Go (DVD)
Fry's Planet Word - BBC1
Gil Scott Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - BBC4
The Jonathan Ross Show - ITV1
Outnumbered - BBC1
Muse at Reading 2011 - BBC3
The Strokes at Reading 2011 - BBC3
Pulp at Reading 2011 - BBC3
127 Hours (DVD)
Torchwood: Miracle Day - BBC1
The Hour - BBC2
Space Shuttle: The Final Mission - BBC2
The Fighter (Blu-Ray)
The King of Comedy - BBC2
New Tricks - BBC1
The Damned United (DVD)
Janelle Monáe at Glastonbury 2011 - BBC3
The Horrors at Glastonbury 2011 - BBC3
Beyoncé at Glastonbury 2011 - BBC3
Morrissey at Glastonbury 2011 - BBC3
Black Swan (DVD)
Senna
NEDs (Blu-Ray)
Of God's And Men (Blu-Ray)
Paul Merton's Birth Of Hollywood - BBC2
The King's Speech (Blu-Ray)
Monsters (Blu-Ray)
Police Squad! - Complete Series (DVD)
Dr Who - BBC1
Sir Bobby Charlton - Football Icon - BBC2
United - BBC2
The Pacific - Sky Atlantic
Time Team - C4
The Best Of Not the Nine O'Clock News Vol. 2 (DVD)
Psychoville 2 - BBC2
Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle - BBC2
Frank Skinner's Opinionated - BBC2
Eclipse - The Twilight Saga (Blu-Ray)
Made In Dagenham (DVD)
New Moon - The Twilight Saga (Blu-Ray)
The Sopranos - Complete Boxset (DVD)
The Social Network (Blu-Ray)
Twilight (DVD)
10 O'Clock Live - C4
Treme - Sky Atlantic
Curb Your Enthusiasm - Sky Atlantic
Six Feet Under - Sky Atlantic
Toy Story 3 (Blu-Ray)
Boardwalk Empire - Sky Atlantic
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
A Serious Man (DVD)
Green Zone (DVD)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - C4
Inception (Blu-Ray)
Being Human - BBC3
The Secret Life of Bob Monkhouse - BBC4

How 'Escaping My Certain Fate' could have ruined my life

Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die - Mel Brooks

I've recently been indulging in the wilfully obtuse comedy of Stewart Lee and, although it's been a true pleasure in many ways, I think I'm in danger of ruining my life. The problem is - such as when you discover anything of such irrefutable brilliance - I now find my outlook on comedy has been permanently and irreversibly twisted.

Stewart Lee's 'How I Escaped My Certain Fate: The Life and Deaths of a Stand-up Comedian, is so skillful in its deconstruction of the art, that it leaves one wondering whether they've ever truly said a 'funny' thing in their lives!

I'm by no means a comic genius (modesty) but I now worry every quip I've ever attempted is most likely based on a construct so clichéd as to render it verbal diarrhoea of the most fetid kind.

The thing is, Lee's not only made me worry (realise) that I'm not funny but his thinly veiled contempt has also made me uncharacteristically intolerant myself of late.

Recently, I had an argument with a woman on a train. The lady in question refused to move down the carriage despite other commuters being unable to get on - a common occurrence when commuting and a mere trifle you might quite fairly surmise - but, for me, someone who wouldn't think boo to a goose, it unexpectedly became an affront to my very principles of decency.

I found myself tweeting about it, ranting in a car full or friends about it and generally wearing the expression of a man whose testicles were perennially trapped in Janet Street Porter's overbite - and here is a man who was once - a friend of mine would have it - defined by a 'camp, chirpy optimism'.

Of course, like Lee, it's clear that having a son has had an irrevocable effect on my outlook. I'm far quicker to be wrought into a frenzy by life's absurdities and, in a reversal of the truism that people get more right wing as they get older, I seem to be leaning further left than I ever have before. Yes, a healthy dose of rage is undoubtedly a good thing but it can lead to a kind of waking nightmare.

Thankfully, to save me from myself, Lee offers a much needed lifeline, a way out of the corner that we paint ourselves into.

After a set packed with intelligent analysis of the very nature of comedy itself, he concludes by standing silently with a soft toy on top of his head, surmising that, despite it all, to his one month old baby there is still nothing funnier than a cuddly giraffe balanced precariously above an otherwise completely normal expression.

And the one month old baby, of course, is quite right. 

'Money - A chart of almost all of it...'

A colleague at work sent me this visual representation of what could be described as 'the cost of everything', an attempt to document the amount of US Dollars spent, on average, on items ranging from the humble apple to the entire nation's spending on wars.

It's hard to be sure just how accurate it is (although a list of government sources is given), and no little amount of time needs to be dedicated to fully comprehending such a vast wealth of information (I'd suggest starting at the top left), but it is an astonishing, if rather saddening, picture of where the money is spent in our western society and the gross inequality prevalent therein.

Compare the average worker's annual salary with the disproportionately large figures of the leading CEO's and it's hard not to immediately rush for the red flag whilst frantically belting out the words to the Internationale!

Click here to enlarge

Source: http://xkcd.com

Stone dead

The news of the Stone Roses reunion has garnered an understandable amount of press coverage and conjecture this last week. The ‘Roses’ were, after all, a band that ushered in one of indie music’s most notable eras, paving the way for the unbridled success of Oasis, Blur et al and, along with the Happy Mondays, burgeoning an already emphatic scene latterly to become subjugated by the moniker ‘Madchester.’
 

The Pollock inspired cover of their debut LP

Their eponymous debut album, released in 1989, is rightly heralded as one of the all-time greats from these shores; its mixture of kaleidoscopic melody, pop sensibility and psychedelic imagery bubbling over in a froth of youthful exuberance and working-class defiance.

And yet, these very characteristics - which weave together to form the fabric of what made the Stone Roses great – make this reunion far less palatable than those of their contemporaries Pulp, Blur and Suede.

Whereas Pulp champion introspection and social awareness – themes less likely to seem out of step with the onset of age (Jarvis Cocker’s Reading 2011 appropriation of ‘Joyriders’ as topical allegory to the recent nationwide looting being the perfect example) - the Stone Roses, with their anarchic dreams of regicide, blasphemous posturing and unabashed self-adoration, are totemic of a romanticism far more inherent to youthful abandon.

Is it artistically and romantically desirable to hear someone in their forties exclaiming the line “the past was yours but the future’s mine”?

John Squire's 2009 position on potential reunion

Irrespective of any ageism on my part, the Stone Roses, surely, were emblematic of the beautiful possibilities of working class idealism.

They fantasised in their bedrooms [while cars burned below them] and created a short lived expression of vitality that perfectly encapsulated the life-affirming escapism of 'rock 'n' roll'.

Oasis should have split in 1997, immediately after the 'here and now' that was their record breaking Knepworth shows; before that vitality was weathered away by the affluence and security that a prolonged recording career brings, debilitatating them in the process.

When you can't boast of lyrical insight or musical innovation, inevitably, there's only so long your appeal can last. Your star will burn brightly but fade quickly and that's the way it ought to be.

To see the Stone Roses reunite now, a full 23 years after that historic debut release, feels less like a resurrection and more like an exhumation.

Is this just fantasy?

I'm partial to the odd bit of science fiction, even the occasional graphic novel (I've read Watchmen like everyone else), so happening across this guide was a bit of a treat.

A Guide to NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books
(Click to enlarge)

I'll be attending Star Trek conventions before I know it!

Source: www.box.net