Design, Personal and Everything Else

Communism by Stealth?

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:23:00 +0000

With events in the financial institutes of America gathering ever more twists and turns, a quick scan at the news and you'd be forgiven for thinking that there is a suggestion of a shift in viewpoint.

The United States' distrust of ideas like 'socialism' seems to be eroding in the face of such calamitous failures in the capitalist system. And the nationalisation of banks (or at least portions of them) is on the cards.

Take this quote from the Financial Times:

"The US government may have to nationalise some banks on a temporary basis to fix the financial system and restore the flow of credit, Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman, has told the Financial Times.

In an interview, Mr Greenspan, who for decades was regarded as the high priest of laisser-faire capitalism, said nationalisation could be the least bad option left for policymakers."

Much wailing and nashing of teeth ensued.

What I see though is not communism by stealth, or a will to dispose of capitalism, but the merest sliver of a more common sense approach to things. A balancing of attitudes.

So how on earth does this tie in to anything that I do? Well, and stay with me on this one, in some ways the internet has set precedence for this way of thinking.

The web has a long and proud history of 'disruptive' technologies. Google is the prime example. Make a product that works well and people want, then give it away. This is not normal business acumen, but it has worked fantastically well. Skype is another example. The days of information being a commodity in itself are disappearing, but these businesses are doing fantastically well.

So how is this linked to Greenspan's comments, well, as I see it, it is evidence that no longer is greed 'good', it is generosity that brings the rewards. And I see it all the time on the internet, a myriad of companies are developing products and services that are wanted/needed and giving them away for free, then reaping the rewards. Social media is exemplary in this.

And maybe, just maybe, this is the way forward.

Vistaprint Scam

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:44:00 +0000

Okay, I know they are really cheap, they offer free business cards and as a graphic designer I wouldn't expect much in the way of quality. What I don't expect however is sneaky small print which leads to my bank account being debited on a monthly basis without my knowledge.

I went on to their site to buy some cheap business cards. That's what I ordered and that's what I got. But somewhere along the line I must have ticked a box saying 'Sign me up to the VP Rewards scheme'. No mention was made of this being a paid subscription service. And no request to use my credit card details for this function.

Of course, I did receive an email after my order confirmation where it did mention that their service was free for 30 days, then my credit card would be charged until I cancelled my subscription. Small print though. And what with sifting through dozens of emails per day I overlooked this fact.

This kind of 'opt out' system really irks me. If your service is good enough I'll buy it. I'll 'opt in'. And at the very least you could remind me when my 30 day trial is up. But no, instead the onus is passed on to the customer, who in this case doesn't even realise that they have opted in. So they carry on taking money until you realise one day that you're paying for something you don't want and didn't know about.

In my case, I filled up the car with petrol and went into the garage only to be told that my card didn't have the necessary funds. An unexpected debit had been taken from my account. This irked me more because I'm a bit anal about knowing what's in my bank account at any given time.

And it isn't just me who frowns on this, the DTI and the EU are both heavily set against the principle of 'opt out' commerce. It generates a lot of distrust.

VP Rewards will say that what they do is not illegal. And of course this is true. But the whole approach is just a bit sneaky. I'm not the only person who has been burned by this and a quick Google of 'VP Rewards' reveals the extent of the bad feeling.

Which is the whole point of this minor rant. No, it isn't illegal. But there is certainly an ethical problem here, and not only from a customer's viewpoint. Vistaprint have built up a reputation for cheap and cheerful, what you see is what you get, style of business. And lots of people are very happy with the product they are buying. But this form of generating income through the back door has created so much bad feeling that word of mouth will eventually bite back at them.

I won't be recommending them to anyone, in fact I'll be recommending that people don't use them and that they tell their friends and colleagues to do likewise.

I learned years ago a very basic marketing maxim: "If you do a good job, the customer will tell someone else. If you do a bad job they'll tell a dozen people".

So it's just plain bad business.

I hope they enjoy the extra £50 or so they took, but I can guarantee that it'll cost them a lot more than that in the long run.

RSS Reason

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 13:04:00 +0000

I thought it was time to delve a bit further into the world of content this week. With the beginning of the school holidays there is always a small lull before the Edinburgh Festival. That, and the culmination of the HIE Moray Seminars has given me a little bit of time to help catch-up or get ahead of the game a bit.

So I've been spending some rainy afternoons exploring RSS feeds.

As I mentioned in my previous post and extensively in the seminars, Content is King.
But it can be difficult to find good content or to generate it easily. Blogs are the first port of call. But then how do you get people to read it.

The simple answer is by using RSS (Really Simple Syndication). This converts the content of your blog, website, podcast etc. into a format which is easy to incorporate into many forms of RSS Readers.

Subscribing to Feeds:

Your email client (Outlook, Thunderbird), your browser (Firefox's Live Bookmarks), Google, My Yahoo, Bloglines and many other stand alone applications can all read RSS feeds.

Simply find a feed you want to subscribe to and you'll receive the content as it is updated.

For example, using Firefox you can see the little RSS symbol in the address bar -

Simply click on this and you'll be taken to a subscription page -

Simply select the application you want to use to read the Feed, in this case Firefox's Live Bookmarks, and hey presto you have a subscription.

So this is part one of the RSS info, the next part is discovering how to generate a feed and how to get it noticed.

Workshop Wonderings

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 13:55:00 +0000

I'm halfway through (well 2/3rds to be exact) our latest series of seminars for HIE Moray, and they're progressing well.

Monday and Wednesday's seminars covered various topics including Search Engine Optimisation and Best Practice Web Design. And the content seems to be have been generally well received.

Well, it's free and it is useful (hopefully).

Which set me to thinking about one of the main aspects which I'm trying to demonstrate in the seminars...Content

Content is King.

In fact, content is King, queen, prince, duke, archbishop, serf and handmaid all combined.

In the process of demonstrating this I've been talking a lot about 'Blogs', and how they are a good way to generate traffic. And this is mainly because they are a quick way to generate content. In an age of 'consultants', it's good to know that there are still people out there who are willing to give you the benefit of their experience for free. It makes us all feel good, fuzzy and warm inside.

The internet can be a breeding ground for cynicism but, as I've mentioned in a previous rant, it only reflects the world around it, and possibly your own outlook on life. So, for me, it's about 75% good and 25% bad. (For others it's Satan in electronic form).

Some people can be very precious about their knowledge. 'Knowledge'='Power' etc. But, the internet has pulled the rug from under this somewhat. There's very little that one individual knows which can't be found somewhere else, so it's best that people visit you for your insights.

But my point is (eventually!)this.... write constructive, creative and informative articles and (most) people will be grateful. They may even pay you a visit on a regular basis, and they may even tell their friends how helpful you are.

If knowledge is power, and power corrupts, then giving away some knowledge can't be such a bad thing.

Forgotten Corners

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 12:57:00 +0000

Like most Scots, when I head northwards it's usually to the coral seas and beautiful beaches of the west coast. It is hard to beat swimming in the Gairloch on a warm summer's day. And no, it isn't tropical, it doesn't compare to swimming in Lake Powell where the water is warmer than our average summer air temperature. But languishing in an atlantic loch with the slight toasting of the Gulf stream, on an august evening, gazing out to the dramatic profile of Skye is somehow more satisfying. Partly because of the rarity of opportunities.

But in recent years I've been exploring less popular parts of the mainland, namely the North East and more specifically Moray. The area is in a huge transition phase at the moment. A last generation of fisherman are slowly phasing out their boats, and the economy is turning its head towards tourism.

I admit I may not have ventured there, were it not for my work for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. But I have begun to find that it has many of it's own charms. There are endless miles of beach along the Moray coast. Ranging from the ever-changing shingle at Spey Bay to the extensive tidal stretches at Lossiemouth. And from there to Inverness lie enormous expanses of sand dunes, some of the highest in Europe. These dunes are held back by a series of forests which were planted to hinder their relentless progress inland.

And,like many parts of the East coast, Moray is dotted with dramatic sea cliffs and charming fishing villages.

Of course if none of this tempts you, then there are the other ethereal charms of the Speyside Malt, with literally dozens of distilleries within a day's drive. Although, maybe driving yourself isn't the wisest choice.

Two things the Moray coast can beat the West coast with is:

A) A very low annual rainfall
B) A lot less midges

So if you've got that 'been there done that' feeling with the West, then Moray isn't a bad alternative.

Special thanks to Don and Eileen Temple for providing me with excellent accomodation at the Granary Wharf villas in Burghead. www.morayhols.co.uk

Bombscare in Lochinver!

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Tue, 08 May 2007 11:05:00 +0000

Okay, excuse the tabloid style, attention grabbing, and slightly deceitful headline, but there was genuinely a Bombscare in Lochinver on Friday night. This wasn't, however, an upsurge in activity by the haddie liberation front, but the supporting act on an outstanding night of music in Lochinver Community Hall.

'Bombscare' themselves would have been good enough, but a real coup had been achieved with the headline act. None other than the 'Skatellites'. Inventors of Ska, Rock Steady and Reggae as we know it.

Forget the fact that the surviving original members are all in or around their designated 3 score and ten years. And don't let the scale of the venue lure you into thinking this was a mellow night, the place was jumpin, skankin, and rockin. 2 top notch acts worthy of any venue in the country, whipped a couple of hundred lucky and grateful punters into a frenzy which will enter the annals of Lochinver folklore for generations to come.

Not only did they come to Lochinver, but they chose to launch their latest album there as well.

Many thanks from me (and my stiff thighs), to Euan Macdonald for arranging tickets for us, and his friend Neil for somehow organising the gig. He has a long way to go to top this one, but I'm looking forward to it anyway.

Sound-Trek

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 09:47:00 +0000

The West Highland Way started with Jim'll Fix It. Or to be precise, the Jim'll Fix It theme tune. Initially I wasn't sure why, but the seed had been planted in Brian's head when we mentioned that Jimmy Saville had a house in Glen Coe. So, being the sharing type of guy that he is, he told us that, all the way from Crianlarich to Tyndrum, he'd had the tune in his head. And thus began a peculiar and unexpected journey deep into the aural memory banks in all our heads for the rest of the trip.

For some reason I managed to link the 'Jim'll Fix It' theme tune with the opening brass section of 'Sweet Caroline', which looped around for most of the next day. Not a bad tune for a good steady hiking pace it turns out.

Every now and then a shout would arise from one of us, announcing a change of internal soundtrack which led us through Disco, Ska, 'The Bluebell Polka', and many obscure tunes which none of us could remember the title of, or the artist, but the lyrics all seemed to be lodged in some deep mental recess somewhere.

I was expecting the physical challenges, and the accompanying mental challenges but I wasn't expecting either of these to be accompanied by music.

And so, like some bizarre, slow-mo, linear marching version of a techno club, we padded on for 50 miles across the glorious glens and moorlands of Scotland to our surreal soundtrack.

Soul searching

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 10:31:00 +0000

Once again it seems that the U.S. is having to do some serious souls searching, especially on the issue of gun control.

I've been to the U.S. and I've spent some time with N.R.A. members on a family outing. And I admit it, I had a great time. Only half a dozen melons were harmed and I got to experience something which I never would have here.

Within the space of a few hours I'd had my hands on a Winchester, colt 45, 9mm handgun, pump action shotgun, 12 gauge double barreled shotgun, AR15 assault rifle and a survival rifle. I also witnessed the frightening power of a Desert Eagle and a deer hunting rifle.

The day was lots of fun, and the family atmosphere was great. Everyone was responsible, very careful and very respectful of what they were wielding. Everyone stopped shooting as soon as it looked like there was any kind of problem, and I got an insight into how it should be, and usually is.

However, I was also fully aware that I, a mere visitor to the country, could walk into a gun shop and hire almost anything I wanted for the duration of my stay. Which I just couldn't get to grips with.

I know that Tammy and Delvin, my instructors (and friends) for the day, will be distraught at the recent events in Virginia, they have 4 teenagers of their own. Well adjusted, spirited young adults, who've been surrounded by a veritable arsenal of weaponry since their birth. They're not rich, not super-bright prodigies or athletic heroes. But they bear no grudges, because they are respected by their peers and their family, and most of all they respect themselves.

So the soul searching will go on, and every state has to confront fundamental issues on a regular basis. A friend sent me this link this morning http://www.chrisjordan.com , maybe it gives some perspective or maybe it just clouds the issue even further.

COMPREHENSIVE PROPENSITIES

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 12:52:00 +0000

During a (lubricated) conversation with author friend Alan Campbell recently, I was reminded of a name and a personality which I had not thought of in a long time. One of those people who had a massive influence on me when I was in my late teens and indulging myself at Art College.

In-between pretentious bouts of 'understanding' Nietzcshe, and trying to work out whether I wanted to be a graphic designer, and therefore live a life of gainful employment, or live the glorious romantic life of a 'struggling artist'; a friend of mine pointed me in the direction of a certain Richard Buckminster Fuller, and his seminal work 'OPERATING MANUAL FOR SPACESHIP EARTH'.

Despite the title, this isn't some pulpy 'weird tales' episode written by a struggling sci-fi writer, living under the shadow of the 'bomb'; but an incredible insight into the workings of our planet and more appropriately those who populate it. Written by a true 'Renaissance Man'. Philosopher, architect, engineer and humanitarian.

The geodesic dome is his most visible contribution to the planet (think Eden project) but his overall philosophy has been sadly overlooked. And even today 'OPERATING MANUAL FOR SPACESHIP EARTH' still remains out of print.

However, I have managed to find a transcript of it on the internet http://www.futurehi.net/docs/OperatingManual.html

Unfortunately a lot of the great man's work has been hijacked by the new age movement, but this shouldn't detract from his overall message. The historical systems we have created have forced a lot of us to only adhere to one path in life, although we are all capable of much more. But I'll leave it up to him to provide the language to adequately express his ideas.

Lazy Like Sunday Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 13:13:00 +0000

Occassionally I get a bit jaded with how I'm earning a living. Web design has been becoming increasingly more predictable over the past few years, which whilst it has made for a steadier workflow, can be a bit unchallenging at times.

But somehow when this happens I stumble across something on the web which just lights a fire. And Eric Jordan (and his company www.2advanced.com ) is one of those people who always seem to come up with new ideas at the right time.

Of course, there are lots of very nice 'flash' websites, (like almost everything on www.fwa.com) but with their latest release they have added something new. Flash sites have been held back by 'useability' issues in the past, but it finally seems that 2Advanced have cracked it. The site is integrated with XML like no other site before. which means it is truly dynamic and best of all, search engines can read the content.

So the best of both worlds it seems.

And now I'm dusting off my XML books and beginning to get inspired again.

And as a nice by-product I read Eric Jordan's tutorials on Digital Matte imaging, which has led to me indulging in all sorts of creative moments with my desert photos from Utah and Arizona.

Time for a change

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 12:44:00 +0000

Having indulged myself for the past 5 or 6 years in vast, heady space operas. I decided over the festive period to take a break and get back to some 'real' literature (I parenthesise that with great irony). And I took a chance on someone I'd personally never heard of before.

Always a risky thing to do with books, it wasn't the cover this time that drew me in. Jeez it had a cat on it, which is one of the first things to send me in the opposite direction of a book. I guess it was because it was a Japanese author, and it seemed intriguing. And maybe, pretentiously, it was because it had Kafka in the title, who knows.

But as an antidote to the things I love about epic sci-fi (vast timescales, abyssal plots and lots of gadgets), it worked a treat.

Simple isn't the right word, just well explained, well thought out storyline. An archetypal Japanese ghost story in many ways. And best of all, it left me wondering about large chunks of it. No Hollywood style voiceover to fill in the blanks. I like the blanks, that's where you can personalise it. Moments of quiet interspersed with some quite shocking episodes, but not off-putting.

And a great quote which I use to myself quite often now: "Pointless thinking is worse than no thinking at all!" . Maybe that'll form my New Year's resolution.

So I guess a small thank you should go to Harukai Murakami and 'Kafka on the Shore'.

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 17:43:00 +0000

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, cosy winter nights, gut busting annual family celebrations and the infamous Office Party. All key ingredients of a traditional British Christmas.

But, during this festive season, take some time out from photocopying your arse for all your workmates to see, and spare a thought for the poor, neglected 'sole trader'. For them, no snogging receptionists in the stationery cupboard, no delightfully overpriced 3 course meal at the local hostelry, and no throwing up in the taxi home (possibly still with the secretary).

No! For the 'sole trader' it's a fairly miserable time of year. Just the pathetic clink of a glass of irn bru against the monitor screen, a ginsters pasty and maybe the indulgence of a tunnock's teacake. Nibbling the chocloate round the edges before sucking all of the filling in one gulp.

Where do all the self-employed go to celebrate the end of their working year? Some may tag along to their employed friends do's, whilst others (the lucky ones) get invites from their clients. But most, I fear, simply switch off the PCs in their home office/cupboard/bedroom and wait to meet their friends during the holidays, and live their dreams vicariously through half-remembered tales of other people's debauchery.

So please, by all means, have a very Merry Christmas. But pause for just a second and think of those poor neglected 'sole traders'.

The backbone of our country.

If you are one of the 'vertebra' in this backbone, then please feel free to get in touch and we can go and get pished together. But only if you have a photocopier, cos i'm fed up trying to get my arse to fit in the 3in1 printer.

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 11:43:00 +0000

Cracks in the Earth - Free Travelogue, Travel Blog and Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 08:30:00 +0000

Elephants Dream
Elephants Dream is the world’s first open movie, made entirely with open source graphics software such as Blender, and with all production files freely available to use however you please, under a Creative Commons license.

The short film was created by the Orange Open Movie Project studio in Amsterdam during 2005/2006, bringing together a diverse team of artists and developers from all over the world. More about the project...

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 13:46:00 +0000

Scar Night Launch Party in Edinburgh

Went to Waterstones on Princes Street last night to witness Alan Campbell's epic embarassment at having to read aloud his own book in front of a crowd of friends and colleagues. Possibly the hardest thing to do. Certainly harder than performing other people's work in front of a thousand strangers. Not that I've done that (yet!). Which gives me nightmarish visions of a Tony Blair-esque, dad rock stadium gig in my dreams.

But back to last night. It was enjoyed by all, and even Alan I'm sure once the reading was over. Reminds me that Edinburgh is a small town, since I met people who I didn't know knew each other (if that makes sense). Always good to see disparate social groups coming together and getting on, of course they all have a common interest, revolving around various fermenting processes and the imbibing of these. As well as creative pursuits obviously.

A lot of talent in one room, not least of which was Mr Iain Banks (or maybe it was Iain M. Banks), who I managed to avoid speaking to, which cunningly negated the possibility of going all 'fan boy' and making an erse of myself. Must be quite strange though, a whole room full of people who'd really like to talk to you but are in quiet awe of your achievements. But good to have his presence there to add to my vicarious lifestyle, and to add considerable weight to Scar Night's launch.

And I'd like to make special mention of Linda Strachan, whose website I designed back in the mists of the dot com boom/bust. I can't take credit for what's up now, but at least she kept my dragon. Best of luck with Hamis McHaggis.

A grand night out.

Oh, and the book ain't half bad either!

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 15:06:00 +0000

Enlightened Conversations: Maybe that's the wine talking

Something's happening! Is it multiple mid-life crises? Or is there something deeper going on?

Almost everyone I know is expressing a deep dissatisfaction with, well, almost everything. Maybe that's something particular to artisans, or, it could be a genuine feeling that all ain't as it should be.

This has all been mere mutterings up until now. But they're voting with their feet, their heads, and the internet.

So what is the crux of all this?

Reality TV, crap and excessive packaging, money for nothing, famous for being famous, things we don't need, tongue cleaners on our toothbrushes, avian flu, media hype, shoddy politicians, shoddy politics, illegal wars, conspiracies, things that don't work, cling film that clings only to itself, right wing neo-conservatism, left wing idealism, double speak, marketing speak, boardroom speak, more Star Wars movies, W.A.G.s, nuclear power, neds, paedophilia, intolerance, James Blunt, web v2.0, the passing of Spike Milligan and Salvador Dali, excessive mourning, poor tradesmen, unimaginative architecture, racism, terrorism and James Blunt.

And so it was, that with the simple addition of 2 bottles of nice red wine all of these problems were solved.

Only wish I could remember what the solution was........

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 16:13:00 +0000

'Dan is definitely the Man'

These days I am a terrible reader. I read books sporadically and in really small pieces. Its not that I don't enjoy it, I just never make the time and when I do I'm usually tired.

With this in mind you'll probably think that I should stick to novellas or short stories, but unfortunately, I have a prediliction for vast, sweeping, Wagner-esque, sci-fi fantasy space operas.

A few years back I raced through all of Iain M. Banks' work and wasn't sure if anything else could live up to it. Then about 2 years agoI found myself taking a lot of long train journeys, mainly from Glasgow to Elgin, and the necessity for something new to read was large.

So I did the only thing I could, and I judged a book by its cover. I think 'Illium' grabbed me because the cover was so simple, just a Trojan helmet illuminated by bright sunlight. And everything else fitted as well, it was a vast sprawling epic but it wasn't Iain M. Banks.

This book read fairly quickly and I was mightily impressed by the way Dan Simmons managed to weave Homer's Iliad, Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' and Marcel Proust into a fairly hardcore sci-fi novel. I also learnt a lot about the Trojan wars and Ancient Greek history into the bargain. The end just left me wanting more.

Unfortunately when 'Olympus' the sequel was released in june 2005 I had bought a car. Driving up the A9 is close enough to suicide, so I desisted from reading as well. This only left me about 5-10mins every night before my eyes clamped shut. Which is why i have only just finished it, almost a year later.

Of course, I didn't make life easier by also reading his 'Hyperion' dualogy and starting Peter F. Hamilton's 'Night's Dawn' trilogy. None of which fall below 1500 pages and can be considered a bit more challenging than Dan Brown.

It was all worthwhile.................(?)

Only another 3000 pages of Peter F. Hamilton to go which at 2 minutes per page = 100 hours.

100 hours in 7 minute bursts per day equals.................

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 15:09:00 +0000

When I got together with a friend of mine and started Fine Scottish Gifts at the beginning of this year, our intentions were (and still are) to promote the fact the Scotland has some of the finest designers and makers in the world.

Admittedly it hasn't been easy, but starting businesses, especially creative ones, never is. I was advised by a Marketing Consultant many years ago when I was first considering self-employment, to always appeal to the lowest common denominator if I wanted to make money. But my awkward Ayrshire streak just won't allow me to do this.

I mean, you can have too many tartan teddy bears, haggis hunting whistles and miscellaneous sugary Victoriana. And too many is not a large number in this case.

It does have its place though, but I would rather we pushed the higher end of our craftsmanship a bit more. It doesn't have to be expensive, it doesn't have to be unwearable and it can still represent a culture without being so obvious.

Take the work of Alicia MacInnes for example. With just the use of simple materials, elegant forms and a concise palette, Alicia produces a series of pendants, necklaces and other jewellery which make bold but elegant statements.

And all at a reasonable price (guv'nor).

Scottish food has already been pushed to the forefront of a luxury market, and the estate legacies of whisky, hunting and landscape have long been a staple of our tourist industry.

And I know for a fact that there are some genuine creative wonders out there who deserve to be seen as well.

Lotte Glob is a fine example. Although originally Danish, she has been living in the northern tip of the Scottish mainland for nearly 30 years, with a workshop close to Durness. Here she produces ethereal works which are technically mystifying as well as visually intriguing. And she has become a world renowned authority on ceramics.

And that's just the tip of the creative iceberg.

noreply@blogger.com (Netdata) — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 14:15:00 +0000

A lot of my friends have reached a stage where they feel they've been working for the 'man' for too long. It can't be helped. Going to Art College changes you. For 4 years you're skint, so when you leave you want to earn a bit of money. Then, 15 years later, you've earnt that bit of money but it feels like someone else has made a lot more from your efforts. And deep down you know that your talent, and those 4 years of eating beans and tatties (with different flavourings each night to save your palette from dying of boredom) has not been fully utilised. Inevitably, thoughts of controlling your own destiny begin to fill your waking hours.

So where is this inane ramble leading?

To 'hope'and to Mr Alan Campbell.

The first of my friends to make the break years ago and do what he'd always wanted to do. Write a book.

And today he's having his launch party down in London, having received a series of rave reviews already.

'Scar Night' - the first part of the Deepgate Codex trilogy has just been released and everyone wishes him well. Though from the various plaudits so far received, our wishes will be mere eddies in the wave of superlatives pushing his new career ahead.

Try reading some of these to see what I mean....

Forbidden Planet

Amazon

The Alien Online

TTA Press

Or better still get the gist from the horse's mouth at An Urban Fantasy

And with several other friends heading in the same direction it's good to see that a bit of belief, a lot of effort, and shed loads of beans and tatties can pay off.