Here's The band I manage - Union Sound Set.

This is the video for their debut single, and we're all incredibly happy with it. See what you think, and let me know your thoughts x

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

The phenomenal video for Union Sound Set's debut single 'Hiding Places' which is out on the 27th September. It comes from their highly anticipated debut album 'Start / Stop' which is released on October 24th. Read more at www.youtube.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/8cey

Green Fingers? Me?

Well, I never would have believed it, but my Grandmother was a wonderful gardener, so perhaps it was a hidden talent of mine, handed down through the generations. Whatever, since stopping work, I've had a lot of time to mess around in the garden, and I've loved every minute. I don't have much planting space, so there's lots of containers and pots, but that's fine. I've planted lots of hardy perennials, and a few patio roses, too (always my Grandmother's favourite flower - it's that family connection again). The last of the Roses to bud is a gorgeous creamy yellow colour, which means all four roses are different colour - giving the garden variety and interest. Everything I've planted so far seems to be doing fine - with the sole exception of a Lavandula I got from Sainsbury's: people, don't buy plants from the supermarket.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/8blc

Rodigan part II

And this makes more sense if you know anything about soundclash - when Rodigan brings Gregory Isaacs in on the dubplate at the end of the clip - you can feel the hairs rise up on your arms - incredible stuff.....

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

See more at www.youtube.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/8b7t

My thoughts on Amplify so far?

Well, I love it. I like the way I can create posts which echo over at my blog - so that won't get neglected (something that definitely happened while I was busy friendfeeding) and being able to set up the autoposts to link other sites is a bonus. But, as I know I've said before, it's the bookmarklet which is doing it for me. I like the ability to customise the look of the links I share, and to be able to add my own text....



The UI seems intuitive, linear, and very sticky (ugh!), and I've had no real issues, apart from one post which didn't seem to appear on my blog, yet appeared on FB, and a duplicate posting. These might be down to niggles with the way I've set up auto-posting, I'm not sure.



Overall, it's been great, and it's actually added value to my Social Media experience. I'm a sucker for new stuff, sure - but it's rare that something brings so much extra to the table.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/89ty

Still the best video on Youtube

This is for Jonathan, as I was telling him about it earlier. It's a little difficult to convey the sheer wonder of this clip without being able to actually see it - so Jonathan, check this:

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

See more at www.youtube.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/89t0

The Ghosts of World War II

Amplify’d from www.mymodernmet.com

Taking old World War II photos, Russian photographer Sergey Larenkov carefully photoshopped them over more recent shots to make the past come alive. Not only do we get to experience places like Prague, Vienna, and Moscow in ways we could have never imagined, more importantly, we are able to appreciate our shared history in a whole new and unbelievably meaningful way.Read more at www.mymodernmet.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/890z

I'd love one of these...

I messed around in treehouses when I was a kid, and my friend even had one specially built at the bottom of his garden....but none of them compared to this.

Amplify’d from www.treehugger.com

They said it couldn't be done. When we first wrote about the almost invisible treehouse to be built in Sweden by Tham & Videgard, 899 commenters thought it was autocad eye candy, impossible to build and death for birds. But they built it, one of six units in a "Treehotel" opening this weekend 40 miles south of the Arctic Circle in Sweden.

See more at www.treehugger.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/88y1

I love it when a new Social Media Obsession raises its head

And it could be Amplify that drives that obsession for me. Love the integration with my Blog, Friendfeed, Twitter, and all my other sites - but it's the clip function I love most of all. It's Friendfeed's bookmarklet, but with a better UI, better usability, and all-round increased stickiness. What's not to like? Anyway, I've spent the last hour tweaking my profile (and that was easy) and scoping out various ff/fb contacts. I've not had this much fun since Cliqset. Or was it Plurk?



Ah, I'm kidding. This looks like FUN. And that's a big thing for me.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/88mk

Most amazing swimming pool ever....

And it's the sort of thing which *almost* gives me nightmares.....and I've never been diving in my life, but this is the sort of thing which just might mae we want to try it....

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

Nemo33 Deepdive in Brussel ruudbrockhus 11 videos Loading...

See more at www.youtube.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/88lk

Ebay watch - still my favourite monthly read......

Amplify’d from skateandannoy.com

See more at skateandannoy.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/88kx

Well, I wonder if this will work?

I'm trying out Amplify as a way of posting content to my Twitter, Buzz and Blogger accounts simultaneously. The only worry I have is post duplication (chiefly on Facebook) but apart from that, it all looks good.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/88bu

One meal down....

And another to go. There's an informal lunch celebration today, for Pip's birthday, in a pub round the corner. I can't imagine it will scale the heights of last nights meal, which was fantastic! I had a Broad Bean and Rocket salad, topped with a crispy wafer of Pecorino, then a wondrous pasta course: Tortellini in Brodo. When it's done right, this is one of my favourite Italian dishes - simple, yet packed with complex flavours. Main course was Calves Liver, with pine nuts, spinach and sultanas, and I finished with a selection of cheeses and honeys. Yes, honeys. A plate of seven different jars arrived, and each had it's own character. Nice bottle of Greco Di Tufo, some port....
All in all, just perfect.
I'm having a small breakfast today.

Know Your Meme: Double Rainbow

Know your meme does it again.........

Ah....the weekend.

We've got a special birthday to celebrate today, so we're going somewhere appropriate - here. Can't wait. I've actually been there before, for one of my catastrophic lunches with Johnny, Kevin and the late, great, Richard. I'm struggling to recall details, but I'm sure it was wonderful. Let's see how it shapes up tonight.
The rain came overnight, which means for the first time in a week or so, I've not had to wander out to the garden first thing to water all of the plants. The shower seems to have perked them all up - the Dahlias in particular seem to be going through a growth spurt, and have flowered spectacularly.

Garden update...

The Penstemon is about to flower, the Spirea is attracting a massive amount of wonderful flying insects, and the edible chili pepper seems to be bearing fruit - hurrah!
And I've found a nifty Gardening blog too - here.