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Maui Coffee from @iamkalaniprince

Today my work flow was maintained with the assistance of a large dose of Kona coffee from the Maui Coffee Company from Hawaii. The 8oz bag came as a surprise bonus when i ordered a Red Head mic wind shield from @iamkalaniprince

It's the first coffee I had since the weekend. The buzz lasted nearly all day.

Posted February 3, 2010 by Documentally 
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Redhead LiL Chewy on the Zoom H4n

I first caught glimpse of Redhead Windshields through a link on twitter and thought I'd get one for my Zoom H2. Recently though, whilst in Hong Kong I managed to get hold of a Zoom H4n. I found out that the Redhead's fit both so placed an order.

Dealing with @IAmKaliniPrince was great. I love it when you can converse directly with businesses on twitter.  $35 later and only a couple of days and I had my new 'LiL Chewy' coloured Redhead. All the way from Hawaii.

Now the windscreen included with the Zoom is good but nothing like the Redhead. When I get the chance I'll do a video like the one above and show you a comparison. Not only is it better than the standard shield at protecting the mics from the wind, it's super compact too.

If you want your own Redhead Windshield in the new 'Lil Chewy' colour, @IAmKaliniPrince was kind enough to send me an extra one to give away here.

So if you are a Zoom H2, H4 or H4n user and want a free Redhead windshield.. Let me know in the comments why you want it. If you are the only one to comment then it's yours. If there's a few comments I'll pick my favourite.

Filed under  //   audio   h4n   recording   redhead   sound   tech   windshield   zoom  
Posted January 30, 2010 by Documentally 
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Judge Dredd Badge from @Termight

I got back from my recent trip abroad to the usual pile of bills. In amongst the brown paper though was a ridiculously heavy padded envelope. I had no idea what it could be. I didn't remember ordering something quite as substantial as this.

Tearing the package apart I found in my hand the best piece of quality memorabilia I've seen in a long time. Then I remembered. After seeing @Sizemore's Judge Dredd paraphernalia he had ordered from @Termight I had to grab some for myself.

The badge is incredibly well made, solid and substantial and well worth the £20 they sell for. I am not sure what I will do with it yet. It's sitting on my desk as a paperweight at the moment. I have visions of me pinning it to my old bikers jacket I have had since I was 16. It already has a custom painting of Dredd on the front. I got paintings on my jacket instead of tattoos. Maybe i'll loose some weight when it's time for my midlife crisis and don the jacket to wear on a newly acquired Harley.

Maybe I will do the right thing and see if @Termight can get me the whole outfit in time for the next Judge Dredd film release. That way I can remain overweight and assume the identity of @JudgeMentally :)

Filed under  //   badge   dredd  
Posted January 26, 2010 by Documentally 
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Noodle Bar

Filed under  //   120is   canon   food   hong kong   ixus120is   noodles   travel  
Posted January 24, 2010 by Documentally 
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Hong Kong (Day 6)

A long and fruitful day. No more words than that really. Just some sights and sounds.


232522" /> http://audioboo.fm/boos/92588-all-out-of-pigeon.mp3">Listen!
232522" /> http://audioboo.fm/boos/92593-a-promise-to-hong-kong.mp3">Listen!

Posted January 22, 2010 by Documentally 
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Hong Kong (Day 5)

Day four was spent entirely in transit. Mainly in the air with a chunk of time wondering the duty free acres in Dubai, visiting the chemists for throat sprays and lozenges.

It was a decent couple of flights despite the loss of hours and arriving throughly bushed. I find it hard to settle when i first get into a new country. I want to get out and explore. Unfortunately I had got in so late all that was visible in the dark streets was the neon glow of the local 7 Eleven.

The next morning I quite literally dragged myself out of bed had an amazing breakfast and met with @Montogla (Nick Steel). We walked half of the way to the British Council office and then caught the metro.

The rest of the working day I spent talking and videoing members of the British Council and a couple of their partners. Yes I said Talking.. My voice was back enough for me to converse and boy did it feel good.

I got to take a glimpse into the Hong Kong Science Museum at some Augmented Reality they have had on display for years. I got to dine out with British Council staff on great grub and hang out with some proper local IT geeks. 
These guys had a couple of O-Phones in the office. These were very clever little iphone copies from Taiwan that could handle duel sims, worked from a removable battery, had a front facing camera and played TV as well. All for about £80.

After geeking out with the boys, I headed to an electronics supermarket on the way home. I left feelig like i had come close to spending a lot of money. The temptation was astounding. There was a device for everything you had ever thought of and some you had yet to know about. I just kept asking myself.. But do you really need it? It worked. For now.

Later this evening I went out in search of food and found a couple of interesting roads that reminded me of Bangkok's darker corners. I wound my way down one of the roads ducking and weaving the pushy bar owners and the girls sent out to drag you in and took refuge in a packed noodle bar.

A great bowl of noodles and an over sized beer and I was fit for the stroll home. Well to this hotel which is only home for another night after tonight and then i will be really home.
(Photo taken By Nick Steel of the British Council)

Posted January 21, 2010 by Documentally 
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Pakistan (Day 3) Back to Islamabad

Back in Islamabad. A few hours to eat, say goodbyes and grab a shower before heading to the airport. I have a plane to catch at an antisocial time. First leg of the journey is to Dubai. After a stopover of around five hours there I'll be off to Hong Kong for the final stop off and another fact finding, video grabbing couple of days before returning home.

My host @DavidIslamabad and his wife have been fantastic. A wonderful intro/outro to an amazing country. Time spent exploring the British Council in the company of @JMitch700 was educational and inspirational

It has been no time really but these last few days have felt like a week. Sleep has been sporadic and talking has been non-stop.. As a result I've lost my voice and am doing what I can to get it back.

I did manage one Audioboo on the long road back to Islamabad today..
Listen!

And there are a few more pix on my Flickr slideshow.

My lift is here I will add more to this post form the airport..

UPDATE: After one and a half hours of bag checks and questions I am finally through and awaiting my plane in a comfy chair. It was obviously the first time that Pakistani security had ever seen a Scottevest and come to think of it.. perhaps there are times you should not be wearing your 'tech enabled clothing' whilst every pocket is wired to the next, with headphones and chargers and you are carrying three mobile phones, two cameras, spare batteries, and sachets of a strange powder you would explain was a natural medicine for a lost voice.. if you had a voice with which to tell them.

As a result I had to whisper explanations as to why i carried so many gadgets which no doubt made me even more suspicious. Anyway. I am here now. It's 1:30am. In less than two hours I hope to be on a plane. A few hours after that in Dubai. Five hours after that hopefully on another plane. Then who knows how long after that Hong Kong. Then I imagine I will be more than fit to drop. All I have to do is find the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel and I will.

Posted January 19, 2010 by Documentally 
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Pakistan (Day 2) Lahore


Another very full and satisfying day In Pakistan. Satisfying because I could get right into the reason for being here. Shooting video and capturing conversations.

I got to take a look inside some of the educational projects the British Council are working with, to talk to the students and listen to teachers passionate about what they do.

After a whistle stop tour across numerous locations in and around Islamabad, the end of the day arrived quickly and with it a long drive south to Lahore. I arrived at the Avari Lahore hotel tired and voiceless. I am certainly going to need my voice tomorrow for interviews in and around Lahore before the long flight back and then a flight late tomorrow night.

This evening was filled with more great Pakistani cuisine. A great end to a long day and as i stare blankly at this out of focus keyboard I know I must sleep if i am going to make it through tomorrow.

I have a hot green tea and am collapsing into bed.

Posted January 18, 2010 by Documentally 
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Pakistan (Day 1) Islamabad

Left the compound and went for a walk. I love being in cultures different to my own as I can easily see 'normal' street scenes around me with fresh eyes.

This makes everything a moment I would like to capture.

Posted January 17, 2010 by Documentally 
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I'm A Passenger

It was hard leaving home today. Harder than it has ever been. I guess it's being part of my own little family. Not someone else's family, my own. Weird.

Yesterday was spent packing and repacking, I am a bugger for taking too much kit. The trick is to pack and then ditch half of it.

The problem lies with having a gadget for everything and not a gadget that can do everything. Then there's the issue that many of my gadgets take power. Which tends to come from batteries.. that need chargers ..and cables ..and adapters so those cables can work off a foreign supply.

Anyway, despite all this I am packed into two bags. A backpack with laptop and all the tech i need in order to work. And a holdall with clothes, tripod and non essentials.

I may go into more detail as to what I am carrying as sometimes I am amazed as to how much a person can do with so little. Technically I am playing the part of a videographer, producer, sound engineer, interviewer, archivist, photographer, live blogger and my own general dogs body. I am sure I can rustle up a few other job descriptions like coms expert, secretary, writer etc but I don't want the Union on my back.

Some jobs require a different way of doing things. As a vlogger who loves to travel and has done so to some random parts of the world before, I guess on this occasion I'm the perfect choice for The British Council who need a fast turn around on some important media, from multiple locations worldwide. It's great working for an organisation that is not afraid to experiment in new ways of capturing and distributing multi-media. As an organisation centred around communicating and educating cultural relations internationally, it makes perfect sense to be moving with the times.

What used to take a team, can now be done by a well equipped individual. I guess I will come to find out how well equipped I am over the next week as I grab interviews photos and video, travelling across Asia.

Should my trusty Vodafone data sim manage to get some content out, it will no doubt pass through my Twitter account @Documentally

To find out what the British Council are all about you can visit their site and follow @BritishCouncil on twitter.

Filed under  //   asia   bc75   british council   gadgets   photo   tech   train   travel   vlogging  
Posted January 16, 2010 by Documentally 
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