Great 208 remembered again

BBC Radio 2. Noel Edmonds narrates a two part tribute to the English service of Radio Luxembourg. Won't be up for long, so this link will expire.

Made some shows about Radio Luxembourg myself which are also on line. Like the last day of English programmes in 1992 and memories from former DJ's then working in the UK. The great 208 on 1440 kHz came from this transmitter site in Marnach, Luxembourg.

Jamie Anstey buys CBC Vancouver's record collection

Jamie Anstey buys CBC Vancouver's record collection: "Jamie Anstey has just purchased the mother of all Vancouver record collections - CBC Vancouver's record library. And that's records, not compact discs. About 50,000, in fact: 37,913 LPs, 11,780 45s, 492 78s and 462 records that are listed as "miscellaneous."

The collection had been built up since 1958, but was put up for sale when the CBC decided to centralize its music archives at a "virtual music library" in Toronto.The purchase price was not disclosed, but was probably in the $10,000 range.The library also included 31,000 CDs, which the CBC is donating to two unnamed public institutions. The CBC tried to give away the records, but found no takers, so sold them. "Nobody had enough room to store the vinyl and keep it as a complete collection," said the CBC's Ken Golemba.
The irony is, the really rare stuff is in the record collection, not the CDs."

Are News Reading Apps Game Changers?

Nic Newman, formerly of the BBC and now working with British government and Reuters Institute on how people discover news. Their five country survey tobe published next month shows that around 20% of the population are now getting their news through social networks. Nic's presentation begins at 11'32.

Storyful 2.0 in Paris, France

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The Storyful story has progressed beyond the dreams of many in this Irish Start-Up. On Friday June 1st, CEO Mark Little gave an update on how far they've got with social Journalism. Surprised to hear him say that the curation aspect is soon to be a term of the past. I'm concerned that a lot of social media feedback to radio, TV and online stations is being chucked out as soon as the story is over.

Videos from NewsWorld GEN

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HyperLocal - will it work?

ejcnet on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

It is fascinating to contrast the relatively rich Hamburg evening newspaper's work using 7 citizen reporters from its regions with that of MarsActu, Marseilles, Southern France where they have much less cash for hyperlocal sites. The French presentation (translated into English) starts at 38'43. Launched as an Internet only site in January 2010 they serve Marseilles (1 million inhabitants). The large cities have been dominated by newspaper monopolies. MarsActu employ 5 journalists and get around 100,000 unique visitors a month. They have five editions a day. They have also invested in a small digital studio for on-demand videos. Next step is go live with a chat room. Pierre Boucard recommends that people start small. Revenue is projected to be 150,000 Euro from local advertising in 2012. 350,000 Euro expected next year when they will break even. They focus on higher level discussion, business and culture leaving local sports coverage to a local daily newspaper. Their aim is to add value. They want to expand to other cities, aiming to reach 9 other cities where they believe the model will work. Pierre also noted that Huffington Post launched in France with 8 journalists. 

Performing During a Moment of Crisis

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How do we maintain ethnic standards when we live in the gale force wind of change? This panel at the Global Editors Network conference today in Paris was one of the last during an intense two and half day exchange. But it was also one of the most moving.

Niklas Lysvag is the News Editor for TV-2, the popular commercial TV network in Norway. He described the challenges facing their journalists on Friday afternoon July 22 2011. A massive fertilizer bomb went off next door to their offices in central Oslo and while they were trying to understand what just happened, reports started to come in that a massacre was also happening in Norway. TV-2 has compiled a film for internal use which they shared with the journalists in Paris for the first time. Very powerful. Very important that this analysis was made.  

Understanding Dyslexia - Christian Boer at PINC.13

Christian Boer on stage of PINC.13, a photo by PINCNetherlands on Flickr.

Interesting story from Dutch font designer Christian Boer at PINC 13, a one day inspiration conference in Zeist, (middle of nowhere), the Netherlands. Christian has designed a font to help dyslexic people - he has the same problem himself. He explained at PINC why people with dyslexia have so much trouble distinguishing letters and what can be done to make it so much easier for readers. His company is selling and licensing the font from his website.  I see a Danish company has put the font into an iPad app.


It's a pity their video has no sound. The text is also a bit too much of a direct translation from Dutch. But use of the typeface costs 69 Euro - so may be should not complain.

The other challenge is that in most countries you cannot copyright a typeface. Generally, copyright law in the U.S.does not protect typefaces. Fonts may be protected as long as the font qualifies as computer software or a program (and in fact, most fonts are programs or software). Bitmapped fonts are considered to be computerized representations of a typeface (and are not protected by copyright law). On the other hand, scalable fonts (because they are incorporated as part of a program or software) are protected by copyright. This means that copyright law (at least in the U.S.) protects only the font software, not the artistic design of the typeface. More info on that part of the challenge here.

Charlie Todd - Mischief Maker

Charlie Todd on stage of PINC.13, a photo by PINCNetherlands on Flickr.

As adults we need to learn that there is no right or wrong way to play," says actor and comedian Charlie Todd. The strangest things happen when he’s around. A group of bathers in full evening dress take over the beach on a hot day; a busy mall becomes the backdrop to a spontaneous musical; and some of the people on a busy square seem to have a mute button.



One of his latest "flashmob" events was with real quadruplets in Central Park.



Todd is the founder of Improv Everywhere, a New York collective that brings the strange and absurd to public places. The group has undertaken more than 100 missions since 2011, involving tens of thousands of 'undercover' agents. From a fake U2 concert and no-pants subway rides to a book-signing event by a dead author – the group’s surreal performances cause all sorts of confusion and lots of laughter. I note his YouTube channel has over a million subscribers.



Apart from being the driving force behind Improv Everywhere, Todd also performs with the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York. His book 'Causing a Scene' gives a hilarious insider account of the jokes Todd and his group have pulled over the years. His motto: "You don’t need permission to be creative." My favourite is still the stunt their did with frozen statues in Grand Central Station.

Finnish Solar Kitchen Chef Antto Melasniemi

Food Visionairy Antto Melasniemi, a photo by PINCNetherlands on Flickr.

"The essence of a good restaurant is not just in the food," says Finnish chef Antto Melasniemi. "You also need to think and breathe the tools of design into the whole concept." The former rock pianist now runs three restaurants in Helsinki: Ateljé Finne, Kuurna and Putte's Bar & Pizza. Outside Finland, Melasniemi gained renown with his pop-up restaurant HEL YES! serving Finnish cuisine and design at the London Design Festival in the summer of 2010. Visitors were served simple, pure dishes in an ambiance where Finnish design and recycling met in pleasant symbiosis. The HEL YES! Stockholm event was combining restaurant with contemporary dance.



Another eye-catching project was the Lapin Kulta Solar Kitchen restaurant, which Melasniemi created together with Catalan designer Martí Guixé, touring Europe in the summer of 2011. This environmental and gastronomic art project, launched at the Design Week in Milan, demonstrated how cooking with solar heat had a surprising influence on the taste and texture of food. This project also demanded the flexibility and ingenuity of the cooks, especially on days when the sun refused to shine.



Melasniemi's new project for the Helsinki World Design Capital event is an open space at the meatcutting district of Helsinki that will host different food culture events.