Month: February 2003

Reading time: < 1 min

Finally!!
When I was setting up the Scottish Blogs website I did a quick search for an image of the Scottish Flag. At the back of my mind was some sort of issue about making sure I used the correct colour of blue. I found several (hundred) flag images of varying shades from dark blue, to light blue and several in-between. But what was the correct colour to use?

Thankfully the Scottish government are on top of these pressing issues and today have confirmed that they have set standard colour for Saltire.

Pantone 300. Hex: #0072C6, RGB: 0 114 198, and which looks a little like this:

Reading time: < 1 min

Tops for Pops
More musical frolics over at Troubled Diva. He’s trying to find out which decade is the best (musically) by comparing the Top 10 singles for this week in 1963, 1973, 1983, 1993 and 2003. (It’s all explained in greater detail over there).

So, for my own posterior*, here are my votes

1. ELO – you need a reason? it’s ELO!!
2. The Beloved – Better than…
3. Kenny Ball – a bit ploddery but better than..
4. David Sneddon – only 4th because I can’t put it in joint last.
5. Fleetwood Mac – a bit tough bit this is more about the song and I HATE this one..

* Yes, yes I know it’s posterity..

Reading time: < 1 min

Google Blogger, so it begins…
Ouch.

In the midst of the chaos and “But how does it affect ME!!?” questions that have met the news announced yesterday, Evan trys to allay fears of Google favouritism.

Whilst I realise that the matter hasn’t been properly discussed internally I sincerely hope that Blogger users are NOT automagically added to a ‘Googledex’ style directory. I don’t think (and with my limited knowledge of other ‘personal publishing tools’ this is a guesstimate at best) that it would be particularly hard to add an ‘opt-in’ button or function on other tools, and with the popularity (market share) of Google it should be pretty easy for them to request such a feature and get something up and running.

Reading time: < 1 min

100th Window
Massive Attack’s latest album appears to be, to resort to the vernacular, a ‘grower’ (as Jez suggested). So I will revise my previous opinion, and as Lyle pointed out, it sounds much better when played on a decent system (and not my laptop). I also bow to Stuart’s one-liner “I think it’s about texture, rather than melody” as I missed a lot of the subtler nuances… so, I am happy to say that yes Mike, I love it too!

(Ohhh hark at me with me posh words…)

Reading time: < 1 min

St.Valentine’s Day
“Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.”

Today St.Valentine’s Day has become a card-fest and has lost almost every piece of it’s romantic beginnings.

Find out more about the History of St.Valentine’s.