Planning Scoff

This is Mr Humphrey or 'Word of Mouth Will' as he is known in some circles. He is easily the best networker in the Plannersphere and a bit of a bugger too I might add, but as he was cheeky enough to launch this blog without my consent (classic punk planning I might add and something I blogged about over here) I guess I'd better give a tip of the ol' hat to this little scamp. Will was kind enough to bid me farewell a couple of nights ago, so I'll post this photo in the manner I would most wish to remember him by. Tucking into the excellent scram of Maoz Falafel in Soho, and comparatively quiet ;)

Photoblogging 2.0

I have a bunch of snaps from the Nokia N95 which in general has quite a cool camera facility even thought it blows chunks when it comes to speed. First off is the window to BBC Radio, Broadcasting House on Portland Place which stopped me in its tracks because it had a BBC Acorn computer in the window.

This is like tech porn for people like me who saw the P.C. revolution take off with computers like this and the incredible ZX81 and Spectrum which are easily responsible for a whole generation of top notch computer scientists. So thanks Sir Clive Sinclair who also invented that remarkably prescient but rejected Sinclair C5 that my friend Matt Catt turned up to a party in and instanly blew up the whole of London's oh so trendy collective by being both hip and more crucially, sustainable.

Later on I saw this protestor outside the Chinese Embassy further up the road on Portland Place.

I nipped into Soho later and thought how well the sex shops just get to the point when it comes to typography and layout


I can't help thinking about Lederhosen Lloyd at this juncture before having a bit of a dirty laugh with Angus at this point for asking me THAT question while being filmed. Which while we're on the topic. This movie seems timely doesn't it missy?

I thought Fiona's shoes were looking fab the other night. Top tip gentlemen, always notice a womans shoes or you aren't noticing anything.


But I didn't hang around for that party as I was up the next day nice 'n early doing my magic light trick in my NAKED hands.

But not before tucking into the finest breakfast I've been enjoying outside of the Breakfast Club in Soho. Ladies & Gentlemen, The Mayflower Cafe on London Road's Sausage, Egg, Black Pudding, Grilled Tomatoes, Tea & Sliced Crusty. Awesome eh? I swear that bacon looks like maps of England and Croatia draped over the unusually lengthy sausage.

This is why I've put on at least a stone while in the UK and why I'm hitting the gym in the not very distant future. Feeling awesome and powerful after this quintessential British breakfast I felt in the mood to tackle this guy with some metaphysics. I think he liked me because he let me take his picture.

He looks like he is levitating ever so slightly in this shot. And right behind him you can see the Elizabethan Whitgift Alms Houses in Croydon, right next to Alders I think which kind of sums up the area for insenstive town planning. I believe they are going to exhume the River Wandle that was filled in the 60's to make way for roads. More on that later.

Further on down I met an ill mannered chap who represented some anti European lobby/party. Well they have got a point haven't they but seriously, Its not the end that is wrong. It's the means. I hope that people appreciate we aren't going to solve global warming on our own. We need big chunky respected institutions and the E.U. has greater gravitas than the Whitehouse and the Beijing Politburo combined. The E.U. isn't also obsessed with the growth growth growth growing unsustainable growth word. Growing growing gone I say.

So look, I'm sorry to get onto my socks but if Coleman can talk about his so can I because I've been packing over the weekend and I have a simple question. How the hell do I have seven odd socks. I'm sorry to burden you with this. But a reasonable explanation would be of succour. I'm also short on socks.

And while we're at it those Design Conspiracy boys are a bit fly by night with some questionable screen printing. Look how the original silk screen print of the longest city name in the world has gone to pot from when it was fresh over here in June.

Yesterday I also saw the Innocent ethos in action thing for the first time at Harrods supermarket. Raising money for the elderly. Funny how doing good is so much more respected than preaching good right? Most marketing people still dont quite get it yet though.




Which has nothing to do with my favourite Turkish restaurant that serves up this awesome spread for a fiver on a Sunday night after a long day at the orifice.

On a brighter note thought I absolutely love this birthday card that Audrey received for her birthday and thought I'd snap it before it was lost to posterity.

another test post

This looks interesting too. thanks russell.

http://www.aql.com/site/sms2email.php

--
Charles Frith
+44 792 3448067

'America is not at war, The Marine Corps is at war, America is at the mall'

Substandard

Sorry about the quality of picture but I was so angry I was probably shaking the camera with when I took it on the (ahem) subway. Anyway it says "Try our authentic sweet chilli chicken subs"

I've always thought that Subway make a sub standard sandwich, like its done the sub way or something, but they've particularly pissed me off with this kind of advertising which is every reason why our profession is viewed as on a par with politicians and snake oil salesmen. The sheer subterfuge of selling a sandwich that has fuck all to do with Thailand apart from a couple of cents worth of substitute generic sweet chilli sauce really pisses me off.

Bread and all the fillings inside this Turd de Blanc have nothing to do with the Thai diet and if you are under the impression that you've gone all ethnic by eating this nonsense then I can assure you that the only thing authentic about this torpedo are the plastic sachets of sweet chilli sauce most often found in Western fast food outlets in Thailand.

If you want to see a real agency talk about Subway I suggest you take two minutes to check out this incredible video.

Update: I managed to take some better snaps last night. Discover Thailand my ass.

Update: Subway are to remove Yoga Mat chemicals from their bread.

Scamp

Scamp from BBH has cracked out one of the best print executions I've seen in a long time. This is why I love the print genre so very much. If there is anybody here from around the world who doesn't understand it, I'd love to hear from you because its well worth explaining. I particularly like print because I can linger on them without pressing pause or go back and read it if I like something without using up more electricity.

Digital Backflips

NFGman

Well most of you know that I'm heading to the Wild East again and before I go I want to thank y'all. I've truly never met a more interesting and friendly bunch of people than in London this time round. It's been my fourth stay in our shining example of a multi-ethnic and cohesive metropolis that I love so much. I'll also miss the insanely rich architecture, chunky history, spectacular food, argy bargy pubs and most of all, you lot.

Sadly for me, but brilliant for you (hurrah), there will be internet restrictions for me in the future and this will probably mean less activty in doing what I love more than posting here, which is leaving comments on your blogs. It will also mean that this gaff will have less frequent posting and probably slow as hell comment moderation so I ask that you all kindly bear with me on being slow to respond or reciprocate in any digital way please? I'd really appreciate that and while Cocomment isn't as good as it used to be it's still the best at keeping an eye on incoming or outgoing comment activity.

But this is important to me because a blog is for life and not just for Christmas..... (chuckles)

OK I'm laying it on a bit but I'm quite fond of a little melodrama and it doesn't really work in Asia so cut me some slack this once. I'll be travelling quite lot, and able to post freely in the countries that aren't afraid of Blogger, Typepad and Wikipedia to name a few.

I also wouldn't be too harsh on countries that are still growing into the 21st century. You know, if we think about say the Balkans conflict, and multiply that by thousands, you get the big picture why a country cannot always give its people the full freedoms that we are so lucky to enjoy here in the West without it turning into a freaking mess. If indeed that liberty applies to the United States anymore, where as far as I can see even my educated and progressive American friends daren't say anything in the digital domain against the current regime in power. You know, stuff like invading another country for oil, lying about the motives for it, and all executed after one of the most questionable election victories in U.S. political history which we all forgot about because of that convenient terror terror terror terror terror (are you bored yet?) terrorist act. I say convenient because its not like the agenda was kept a secret or anything, by the well known names who signed the bottom of this declaration in 1997.

Anyway, many of you know that I have a deep affection for the United States. I grew up under its benevelont, generous and protectful arm during the Wirtschaftwunder of post war Germany. So its not through bitterness but sadness that I'm stirred up a bit like this. Particularly when the finger pointing begins about who fights hardest to secure the freedom which only ever really resides in our minds. Or as Ben Franklin put it best 'Anyone that is willing to sacrifice freedom for safety, deserves neither".

But getting back on track, the reason for this post is that its my first test post via email (and thus mobile phone...Kaching!). If you can can all bear with me while I go through lots of experimentation and make plenty of mistakes I expect to see Punk Planning looking a bit shabbier regarding formating or even just making much sense, while I play with the settings so that I can continue to break censorship rules. Because y'all know I'm fond of breaking rules right?

(sent via email with my standard signature below)

"The east shall shake the west awake
And ye shall have night for morn"

- James Joyce / "Finnegan's Wake"

America is not at war, the Marine Corp is at war. America is at the Mall

The true origins of hip hop

I wrote about hip hop over here with an excellent Google video on the origins of hip hop but it seems I got a few facts wrong.