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Sunday, December 20, 2009

Rack your brains

No contrary reports having been received, it's off to Racks in Bristol for the wefcpug Christmas absolutely-not-technical festivity.

See you there at 7ish...Monday 21st December.

The elusive RI

By accident I found myself with a couple of hours to spare in London's West End last week, so where better to have lunch than the Royal Institution on Albemarle St.   This wasn't totally by chance - it's been on my 'visits' list since last year when they announced the refurbishment and public opening of Michael Farday's lab, as part of a lottery-funded project.   What I'd forgotten was that early December is when they record the RI Christmas lectures, and this was indeed underway (although I could still get to see the labs in the basement).

Two signs of the times though:

No great fleet of OB vehicles parked outside - all to be seen were a couple of electric vehicles attached to fancy recharging posts (nothing to do with the lectures).   It was all done as a temporary rig in an ante-room to the lecture theatre.

No longer do the RI lectures occupy a peak position in the EPG.   They moved from the BBC some years back, to I think Channel 4 then five:  now they're to be found on more4 - and of course on the web.   At least the programmes are still available somewhere - I'd imagine it's not the easiest of productions to place, or even to produce.   To my eyes there's been a growing disconnect between the pace of science demonstrations to a live audience and the current look of TV - it's possible to bridge between the two, but with more money than I suspect would ever be available to educational TV.

Taking up the challenge this year is furnacetv - and, I was pleased to see on my chance visit, a colleague of mine from long ago, Paul Sen, is producing.   TXs begin tomorrow - Monday 21st Dec.   Set your PVRs to series record because you've got another appointment - see the next mailing!

Monday, December 07, 2009

Tomorrow's the day - and another date

A reminder to all that our last formal (ha) meeting of 2009 is tomorrow - that's Tuesday 8th Dec folks - at the BBC but up in the big conference room, kickoff at 730pm.

It's a meeting in association with the Bristol Centre of the RTS, hence the Tuesday booking.

Details are down on this blog a post or two back - so all I'll say here is that the speaker is Alan Roberts, one of the world's most knowledgeable guys on cameras and imaging technology, well worth listening to at any time but especially so when he's come all the way to Bristol!

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Tomorrow night is also a good chance to collar Richard (I'll be somewhat preoccupied getting the RTS show on the road!) about attending the wefcpug Christmas get-together, which is provisionally 'arranged' for Monday 21st Dec at Racks (as last year). To secure the table we need names and a small deposit from you - if enough people show interest it'll happen!

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