Category: Culture
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Manchester by the Sea | American Men and Emotional Shut-Down
I went to see Manchester by the Sea yesterday evening. Central London cinema. Quite excited. Heard lots of great stuff about the film. Really thought I’d love it. Didn’t. To be clear, I thought the performances were excellent. I thought the cinematography was great. It’s just that the drama left me cold. I wanted to care.…
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Steve Hewlett | Dealing with Cancer
Steve Hewlett, long-time host of the excellent Media Show on BBC Radio 4, was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus a few months ago. In typical style, he decided to record regular interviews with new anchor Eddie Mair about his treatment, and how he and his family were dealing with the disease. They have been…
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In Our Time | The Best Free Education on the Planet | Welcoming Caitlin Moran
Have said it too many times I know, but the BBC Radio 4 show In Our Time is, I’m convinced, the single best free education available on the planet. Expert discussions on art, philosophy, history, mathematics, science and religion… Hence no surprise to read Caitlin Moran’s confession of her IoT addiction in The Times this…
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When We Lose Touch, We Lose Feeling
Came upon this in a cafe up in Bayswater. When all is smooth and screen-like, do we lose our ability to feel too? From The Forecast, a publication from the same stable as The Monocle. Not online, so seek it out.
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Post Truth 1
Two stills from Adam Curtis’ excellent polemical documentary, Hypernormalisation. They’re from a section on the aftermath of the collapse of the USSR, and the parallel collapse of any sense that any grand claims could be trusted, among a people who had been asked to believe one pack of lies, and then revolt, only to –…
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PonoPlayer, Chilli Kebabs, and the End of HiFi in an Instagram World
Over the past week or so there’s been quite a bit of coverage given to Neil Young’s announcement at SXSW of a Kickstarter to raise money for the ‘PonoPlayer’ – a super-hi-fidelity music player that hopes to rival the iPod, and blow people away with the quality of music reproduction. Aside from my opinion that…