Clockwork Technology

'Senmova' en Esperanto

2011-04-10T23:23:00.003+02:00

Ever wondered what Esperanto (the constructed international language) sounds like? Then take a look at this, rather good, dystopian short film from Tugce Sen. 'Senmova' is an adjective meaning 'without movement' in Esperanto:

Senmova from Tugce Sen on Vimeo.

Curious? Want to learn (more about) Esperanto? Visit lernu.net.

Black Swan

2011-02-25T20:19:00.003+01:00

Blimey.

I had read that this film was heavily slanted towards psychological thriller territory rather than being just a 'ballet film', but I really, really, didn't know to expect something quite so disturbing. It's an accomplished and superbly acted film, despite the odd jarringly unbelievable note (the party-girl rival dancer), but far more than that, it's a genuinely scary glimpse into the consciousness of someone who is simultaneously achieving their dream and losing their mind. After seeing this last night, I've been getting flashbacks of the most terrifying and wince-inducing moments all day. As they would say in this country: 'Heftig'.

La Tourneuse De Pages (The Page Turner)

2011-02-09T23:56:00.003+01:00

Think of The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. Now make it French. Now remove (most of) the overt violence. Now make it way, way, way creepier.

There you go.

Music server

2011-02-03T11:38:00.005+01:00

In my review of my Meridian F80 HiFi below, I commented on it having an optical input as a factor in my buying decision - meaning I could feed it digital files from a computer or music server, rather than CDs. I was already thinking about moving to lossless computer-based music storage at some point and have since then bitten the bullet to arrive at the system pictured above.

The music server is an Apple TV (the silver box on the right) with a 160GB internal hard drive for media storage. This has been 'hacked' with aTV Flash software to allow adding an external hard drive for more storage - which I'll need soon as I'm making good headway in loading my whole CD collection onto the system (tedious). The Apple TV is linked to my WiFi network via an Airport Express device (the built-in WiFi functionality in the Apple TV works very poorly), allowing me to administer it via iTunes and load new music into the system from CDs or downloaded from other sources. Music selection can be done via an infra-red remote control using a visual interface on the TV screen, or on the wonderful WiFi remote control app that Apple provides for the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch devices (this works beautifully for browsing or searching your music collection).

The Apple TV is linked via an optical (digital, thus) cable to the Meridian F80's digital input - at which point its DAC takes over and the system plays back the music just as if it was coming from a CD. Using lossless files, the sounds quality is (to my ears at least) indistinguishable from the original CD - and the convenience of having your whole music collection immediately accessible from your remote control is killer.

A few points that might be of interest or help to others building (or thinking about building) such a system:

Though my computer and WiFi network are necessary to get new music onto the system, once it's there it can operate without either - I think this is highly desirable. No streaming or network-dependence to screw up sound quality here.

The Apple TV can suffer occasional 'hiccups' in playback if it is called via the network - as far as I can tell, this occurs only if the music library is synchronised while playing back (so easy to avoid).

The Apple TV offers a lot of extra functionality using it's WiFi/internet connection like watching YouTube videos, podcasts, internet radio etc. These are nice to have.

As my control system for loading music is an Apple computer running iTunes, I've stuck with Apple Lossless as the format for my music library. This gives a well-integrated system, at the cost of using a proprietary commercial format that not all systems support. If this is an issue for you, you might want to look at using another lossless format (though conversion is relatively trvial).

There is still a frustrating lack of lossless-quality music available purchasable for legal download. The iTunes store, though wonderfully convenient, offers everything in 256kbps compressed AAC format - not good enough IMO. Some of the classical labels - Naim, Linn, Chandos, Gimmel etc. are making headway in offering CD-quality (or higher) downloads and ventures like the Bowers and Wilkins 'society of sound' music club offer alternative sources, but often the only way to get a lossless recording onto your music server is to go out and buy the CD, then rip it yourself. Pretty idiotic, as much as I like CD shops and wish to support them.

Music

2011-02-01T01:47:00.002+01:00

I just posted the following list of the music I've been playing most recently in a thread on styleforum.net:

Fever Ray, Fever Ray - awesome, better than what she's done so far as half of The Knife, IMO.
Michael Nyman, Time Will Pronounce - mainly for the stunning Self-Laudatory Hymn Of Inanna And Her Omnipotence.
Adele, 21 - Some terrific tracks on here, the girl can sing.
Hurts, Happiness - the best of the 80s, right now.
Ivri Lider, The New People - a couple of cool songs on here.
The Killers, Day and Age - Human is a great number.
Jonsi, Go - Sheer genius. Like Sigur Ros, but even more so.
Daft Punk, Tron Soundtrack - How can you not like an album that sounds like an 80s home computer demo?
Sufjan Stevens, Sister Winter - Not a fan in general, but love this track.

I've noticed in recent years that I'm listening to / buying somewhat less classical music and more modern stuff (as this list clearly shows)... my tastes in (performing) art have gone the same way... cultural ageing in reverse?

Vertical Road - Akram Khan

2011-01-28T19:57:00.003+01:00

I skipped Capoeira training on wednesday to go to Amsterdam and see Akram Khan's new modern dance piece Vertical Road with a friend. It was a good choice: At first I was concerned this might be a rather 'heavy' piece, but it wears its weighty themes (spirituality, the need for contact and, perhaps, control over others) lightly. The dancing was beautiful and the performance as a whole was powerful and athletic. I read one review that said the piece reminded the reviewer why they devoted so much time to watching dance in the first place - justified praise.

Lake Tahoe

2011-01-21T20:39:00.002+01:00

A chance discovery in the DVD rental place (one of the few remaining, sadly), this Mexican art house movie proved to be an absolute delight. Very slow moving, it nonetheless fascinates and draws you into its seemingly mundane world, full of wonder and weirdness. Frequently comic, touching and ultimately tragic, this film makes you want to know what's behind its story, makes you care about its characters and leaves you thinking about it long after it's finished.

Strongly recommended.

Cinedans and 'Destino'

2010-12-12T00:29:00.003+01:00

Went to see a couple of things in the Cinedans film festival in Amsterdam today. The highlight for me was a wonderful documentary film: 'DESTINO: A Contemporary Dance Story'. It's rare that something deserves the description 'truly inspiring' but this film, charting a remarkably ambitious community dance project in its journey from England to Ethiopia, is exactly that. If you're at all interested in dance, this is a must-see.

The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)

2010-09-07T21:04:00.001+02:00

Slow-boiling thriller, love story, period and character-piece. This Argentinian gem of a film is every bit as good as the reviews suggest. Go see it!

HiFi review: Meridian F80

2010-08-04T23:40:00.003+02:00

It's been way too long since I posted something here... let me make it up with a review of my new music system:

Though I would not describe myself as an audiophile, I am a music lover and spend a huge amount of my time at home listening to recorded music - HiFi, when I'm looking to buy it, is thus quite important to me. As a student, about 13 years ago, I replaced my crappy mini system with my first 'proper' system - Cambridge Audio separates and JPW Millenium 510 loudspeakers. About a year and a half later, thanks to a terrific deal at a HiFi shop, I traded the Cambridge Audio components for a Marantz CD-48 CD player and PM-66SE amplifier and have used this as my audio system ever since. Though entry-level, I've always found it to be good sounding and it has given me many many hours of listening pleasure over the years.

I had been thinking about replacing this system, as the CD player was becoming very sensitive to vibration and was refusing to play some CDs/tracks, but wasn't sure which way to go in terms of a replacement (partly because I'd started to wonder about the possibility of transferring my CD collection to lossless computer-based storage at some point). The matter was recently brought to a head by my decision to move to a new apartment with a beautifully light living room, full of floor-to-ceiling windows… and so some pretty serious furniture placing limitations. With basically one decent wall sans windows, I was going to have to almost completely cover this with bookshelves and would simply no longer have room for speakers on stands and full-size HiFi components. I needed to seek something compact but, as a music lover, I wanted something capable of sounding at least as good as my old Marantz/JPW system.

I discounted the small Bose systems immediately as I am familiar with their sound and don't think they are very good, so concentrated initially on the newer generation of smaller HiFi components like the Marantz M-CR502 or Arcam Solo Mini, paired with small-ish speakers that wouldn't mind being on a shelf rather than on a stand. Having read many good things about the Tivoli model 2, I also decided to try out the full-on Tivoli 'separates' system of model 2 + model CD + model sub. A local HiFi dealer was obliging enough to arrange this and I took some of my CDs to listen to the Tivoli - it sounded nice, but quite obviously inferior to my old system in terms of power and detail. When I explained my dilemma, the dealer immediately led me to a Meridian F80 standing on one side of the showroom and basically told me it was what I was looking for. I was vaguely aware of the Meridian brand as high-end audio and had come across the F80 while googling about small HiFi, but had immediately dismissed it as ridiculously expensive for what it was, and looking at the compact box in the showroom I was certain there was no way it could produce good sound and stereo image. I left without asking to listen to it.

Later on, after briefly listening to and being disappointed by the Marantz M-CR502 and matching speakers, I found myself in the area of one of Amsterdam's larger HiFi shops and decided to stop by and ask their advice about small, good audio. Hearing my situation, the salesman immediately led me to… a Meridian F80. The salesman and his colleagues were quite confident that the F80 would trample all over the Arcam Solo Mini and that to get better sound I would need to spend quite a lot more money. Whilst still thoroughly sceptical, I decided to give the little box a go (helped a little by the fact they had the more attractive silver model on display, rather than the dull metallic grey I had seen before).

A few minutes later I was sitting in a large demo room listening, slack-jawed, to the diminutive Meridian F80 doing a convincing impression of a big, powerful, very good separates system. Astonishing doesn't even begin to cover it - if you'd told me the sound was coming from the floorstanders positioned on either side of the F80 in the room, I'd have believed you… whereas at the beginning, when the dealer placed the F80 opposite me in the large room, I wasn't sure if it would even be powerful enough for the sound to reach me properly. The dealer briefly let me hear a few tracks (it was almost closing time), including some early music that was familiar to me - everything sounded wonderful… and BIG. The little box could go to stupid volumes without any strain. I immediately made an appointment for a longer listening session with my own CDs the following day.

That evening I read everything I could find on the F80, which seemed to confirm I wasn't delusional and that it might not actually be certifiable to spend over 2 thousand euros on a little tabletop CD player.

The listening session the next day, armed with a wide range of my own CDs, was the same story: Placebo to Pergolesi, Telemann to Nina Simone, Pet Shop Boys to Chopin, Vivaldi to Frou Frou… It was all just clarity, precision, realism and most of all detail - together with physics-defying high quality bass. Voices sounded particularly wonderful but what sold the F80 to me right then and there was what it did with piano: I have never, on any equipment, heard my favourite disc of Chopin piano preludes sound as wonderful and alive as it did playing on the little F80 - and I bought it then and there.

The ensuing 2 weeks has, in general been more of the same but I've learned quite a bit more about this system:

Despite its consumer-friendly styling and size, the little Meridian demonstrates very much 'proper audio' traits: That wonderful detail is mostly a blessing but can sometimes be a curse - badly produced pop music, with its overblown bass and treble, is rendered just as it's recorded. The system is sensitive to both placing and tuning of the DSP settings. Fiddling around with the digital stereo width led me to conclude that the functionality is remarkably effective, but the increments are very subtle - and the factory preset on it (width +2) is too conservative. I've learned (and since heard from others on the Meridian web forum) that unless you're sitting right in front of the unit, it basically sounds better the more you increase the digital stereo width. I have mine ramped up to the maximum of +6 and it sounds great, with a convincing stereo image. Some comparative listening with my old system did show that, particularly with big orchestral pieces, there's still no substitute for physically separate speakers in terms of sheer breadth of sound stage, but the superior detail and instrumental separation of the F80 meant it was still the better, more realistic, sounding of the two. The bass and tilt settings I have left at default, as the 'balance' sounds just right to me.

The i80 iPod dock is a useful addition and the control integration works well, but it's a shame it doesn't use the Meridian DAC. Despite using lossless files, the difference in sound quality is quite noticeable. I suppose in a sense this just goes to show how ridiculously good the F80 is, but why couldn't they have extended that to the iPod functionality? The FM radio (that I hadn't even bothered to test) sounds great with the telescopic arial and will no doubt sound better with the wire one when the system is in its new position. DAB reception in my area is too poor to make any assessment of the F80 in this respect. The DVD playback works very well too.

A couple of more negative points have also shown themselves during the first 2 weeks of ownership: The display and controls work very well in general but it's irritating you can't go 'back' from track one to the last track on a CD. In a similar vein, the remote control is great but doesn't give full control (no tuning options). Reading CDs also takes a long time.

Are such niggles enough to spoil the party? In a word: No. The Meridian is one of those rare products that seems overpriced when you read about it, fairly priced when you experience it and a positive bargain when you own it. It's proper, powerful, audio in an impossibly small package - and so exactly what I was looking for.

Oops, I did it again...

2010-04-07T22:56:00.005+02:00

Another high end quartz wristwatch has entered my small collection: A Maurice Lacroix Miros Diver Chronograph. This is, funnily enough, the first ever COSC certified chronometer (either mechanical or quartz) that I've ever owned and was made as a limited edition (999 watches each in black, blue, brown-bronze and silver-white) for the German market. I hesitated as to whether to get black or brown (and considered a blue one) but am very happy I eventually chose the bronze brown colour, which looks quite different depending on the light:

Unlike my Seiko 8F HEQ watches that I have blogged about before, this watch does not use a quartz movement vibrating at an unusually high frequency to achieve high accuracy. Instead, it is fitted with an ETA 251.232 movement that uses a standard 32kHz quartz oscillator combined with thermocompensation: Simply put, the watch is fitted with a temperature sensor which is used to correct the accuracy variation of the movement at different temperatures. This method of correction produces even more impressive results than the high frequency crystals used in the Seiko 8Fs - this movement is accurate to within 10 seconds per year, as opposed to 20 seconds per year for the Seiko. Of course Seiko also produce thermocompensated quartz movements such as the 9F, which are just as accurate as this ETA, but either way this is very impressive timekeeping.

The ETA 251.232 is, as you can see, also a chronograph movement (which is fun for timing the run-to-work marathon) and has an independently settable hour hand. Sadly, it lacks the perpetual calendar and battery end-of-life indicator that I enjoy on the Seiko 8F watches; but this is still a deeply impressive movement in a very nice watch. Did I mention it's also water resistant to 300 meters?

Gauguin and friends

2010-04-05T23:10:00.003+02:00

Following yesterday's visit to the Hermitage, I finally got round to seeing the Gauguin exhibition at the van Gogh museum today: Unexpectedly small, expectedly full of good art that's not really to my taste (certain woodcuts excepted).

What very much was to my taste, was much of the work in the 2nd floor exhibition Meesters uit Museum Mesdag (Masterpieces from the Mesdag museum). The Mesdag musuem in the Hague is part of the van Gogh museum and currently being rebuilt - on the basis of this selection, I will be eagerly awaiting its reopening.

From Matisse to Malevich...

2010-04-05T22:05:00.003+02:00

... is the name of the current exhibition at the Hermitage in Amsterdam:

I've noted my views on this museum as an exhibition space before and won't repeat them here. Suffice to say that my negative first impression has given me a blind spot about the place and I didn't even know this exhibition was on until a friend suggested we go there yesterday. I'm glad he did - the exhibition is major league stuff. In addition to many works from the aforementioned Matisse (including The Dancers) and contemporaries, there were several Picasso works and some really interesting stuff from the cubist and objectivist schools. Recommended, thus.

The museum itself remains an unmitigated disaster.

Foam

2010-04-03T01:38:00.003+02:00

Amsterdam is blessed with two great photography museums: Foam and Het Huis Marseille. The (fascinating and comprehensive) exhibition of the work of Alexander Rodchenko just finished at Foam and has been replaced by smaller exhibitions by 3 artists (plus a terrific one-room mini-exhibition by Linus Bill). I went there today and, whilst I wasn't particularly taken with the ultra-realism of Paul Graham and Cuny Janssen, I loved the It might seem familiar exhibition of Ari Marcopoulos' work. His studies of youth culture and portraits of the famous and unknown have a real sense of life in them and are deeply absorbing. Recommended.

Mannen Die Vrouwen Haten / The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2010-04-03T01:28:00.003+02:00

Unlike half the rest of the world, I've yet to read Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy. I did, however, end up watching the first of the films (named 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' in English-language markets) recently with some friends - and it's great. Despite a running time of well over 2 hours, it never drags and builds up the tension nicely throughout. The characters are well drawn, well acted; and given the space they need.

Don't wait for the inevitable Hollywood remake - see the Swedish original.

New HEQ

2010-03-06T13:55:00.004+01:00

A while ago, I blogged about high end quartz (HEQ) watches and reviewed the Seiko SBCM023 diver's watch, fitted with the high-frquency 8F35 movement; a watch I am still delighted to own. It has, however, recently been joined in my small watch collection by its GMT brother, the SBQJ015:

This watch is powered by the 8F56 variant of the 8F movement family. Like the other 8F's, this features a quartz oscillator vibrating at 196kHz, rather than the normal 32kHz, to provide a less thermally-sensitive, more accurate movement. This model adds a handy GMT (second timezone) function and, in the SBQJ015, encases it in a lightweight and handsome titanium case. So far, it's more than meeting the accuracy specification of less than 20 seconds per year deviation. Another HEQ winner. :)

Spooks

2010-02-06T23:01:00.006+01:00

Like many people, my previous standard for TV-drama-as-crack-cocaine-substitute was the early seasons of the American series 24, a programme that started good, got better in its second run, and then gradually, sadly, descended into a mire of repetitive plots and neo-con torture porn fantasy.

Despite this sad demise, I never really expected to find anything in TV quite as breathlessly exciting as 24's early classic moments, such as the villainous Nina Myers holding Jack Bauer under gunshot whilst demanding a pardon for his murder in exchange for crucial information... prior to actually committing it.

I'd reckoned without the British spy series Spooks. Having discovered Spooks about 7 or 8 years too late, I've happily had a lot of DVD box sets to catch up on. For those that don't know, Spooks follows an anti-terrorist unit in the British domestic secret service MI-5. Unlike most such series (and the above-mentioned 24), Spooks is not afraid to kill off its heroes; whether someone makes it to the end of the season or not is never a certainty and that ramps up the tension considerably.

Spooks' finest moment for me so far has been season 7, the opening episode of which sees the leading man of the previous 4 years killed in a car bombing and which then accelerates through multiple twists and turns towards the discovery of a mole in MI-5 in the penultimate episode. Had the series stopped there, it would have already rated as one of my favourite spy dramas... but then comes the final episode in which the world is turned upside down, no-one can be trusted, villains turn to heroes and all join a frantic chase to prevent the destruction of London in a faked terrorist incident.

Try getting to sleep after you've seen that one.

Banlieu 13 (the original)

2009-12-12T20:50:00.005+01:00

Seeing the sequel to this film made me want to watch the original again.

To be honest, I'd actually forgotten quite how awesome this is. Of course it's not so much a film as an 80 minute demonstration of the art of parkour - and that's just perfect. The action, courtesy of Cyril Raffaeilli and David Belle, is pure visual poetry.

Banlieue 13 - Ultimatum

2009-12-09T23:36:00.002+01:00

Is it as good as the first Banlieue 13? Of course not, that would be too much to hope for, but it's still the best free-running, martial arts-fighting, police conspiracy action flick you'll see until the next time Luc Besson deigns to do something like this again.

Rent

2009-12-01T01:03:00.003+01:00

As I write this, I am listening to the Pet Shop Boys song Rent, from the 1987 album Actually. I've written earlier in the this blog about being a big fan of the Pet Shop Boys, and how their last couple of albums restored my faith after a rough period in the late 90s / early 00s, but this 22 year-old single remains their finest moment and my easy answer to the question 'what's your favourite pop song ever?'.

This song is the perfect example of everything that makes the Pet Shop Boys great: Superior, yet chart friendly, melodic synth music underpinning Neil Tennant's bored-sad speak-singing voice (making it comfortably easy to ignore what the song's actually about); combined with lyrics that, if you actually bother to listen to them, are like being punched very hard in the heart.

Derek Jarman's video was just the icing on the cake.

Star Trek

2009-11-29T22:50:00.001+01:00

It's, um, really good actually. I hadn't quite expected that.

Anton Mauve at the Teylers Museum

2009-11-23T00:04:00.003+01:00

Today I visited the Teylers Museum in the beautiful city of Haarlem, in order to see their exhibition of the work of Anton Mauve (who tutored Vincent van Gogh). The show is part of a joint venture with the Singer Laren museum, which together forms the largest ever exhibition of Mauve's work, with many pieces flown in from foreign collections (particularly from the US) and including works from private collections that would not normally be shown to the public.

The result, at least the part that can be seen in the Teylers, is stunning: A luminous (the term is particularly appropriate in the context of the oil paintings) collection of works from a master who, it seems, could effortlessly succeed at everything: Magnificent large oil paintings, oil sketches, drawings, etches done as a hobby... all present, all wonderful.

I can't wait to see the rest at the Singer Laren.

Incendiary

2009-11-22T12:52:00.003+01:00

Had I read the reviews before hiring the DVD on a whim, I probably wouldn't have bothered watching this film about a grieving mother in the aftermath of a terrorist bombing that killed her husband and child. According to most of the aforementioned reviews, the film is a mess rescued only partially by Michelle William's convincing performance. I'm glad I hadn't read the reviews because, whilst I agree the script is messy and the dialogue poor in parts, the film as a whole is still worth watching and contains a couple of bravura moments.

One of those moments is the scene in which the two men left in the heroine's life (her journalist neighbour, with whom she was having an affair, and her husband's boss in the police force) meet for the first, and only, time. Played by Ewan McGregor and Matthew MacFadyen, this is one scene where the dialogue definitely doesn't let the actors down and both give a pitch perfect performance as two strangers who already know everything about each other and are already at war.

Builders

2009-11-07T11:04:00.001+01:00

There are builders outside my window laying new paving. My thought: Why must most pop music be so terminally average?

Angels and Demons... and Lancia.

2009-10-04T12:19:00.005+02:00

The other night I watched Angels and Demons on DVD. It was quite a pleasant surprise after The Da Vinci Code. Whereas its predecessor was an overcomplicated, leaden affair only really worth watching for Ian McKellan's excellent villain, the newer film is a simpler, more straightforward, thriller and all the better for it.

Much of the film is spent with the protagonists chasing across Rome in a sleek black Italian car, racing to get to the next plot point on time. The sleek black car in question being Lancia's rather lovely new Delta model:

This car features very heavily in the film (succesful and presumably expensive product placement by Lancia) and was of interest to me because, while I'm less interested in cars than I was when I was younger, I'm still a big fan of the Lancia marque - despite its dismal history in recent decades.

In the first half of the 20th century, Lancia was an ultra-luxury brand that competed with few others to build the best motor cars possible, irrespective of cost. In the 1950s they combined pioneering technology (including the world's first V6 engine) with beautiful, innovative styling in the Aurelia B20 coupe, to create an entirely new class of car - the Grand Tourer:

If I had to pick one car as my all-time favourite, this half-century old coupe would be it. It has everything: A great history, competition succes, innovative mechanicals and one of the most beautiful shapes of any car - with room for four adults inside. The Aurelia B20 was astronomically expensive when new; it was what you bought when you wanted the best and cost was no object. I can't think of any other car I'd like to have more.

Later on, in the 60s and 70s, Lancia (now owned by Fiat) moved downmarket and built cheaper, more mainstream cars. At first, this was a succes - producing compact gems like the Fulvia, the coupe version of which is car number 2 in my dream garage. In the longer term, however, the rot set in. Despite the odd exceptional product like the famous Delta Integrale (one of the most succesful rally cars in history) in the 1980s, Lancia had fallen from making the finest cars on the planet to making badly-built, boxily-styled rebodied Fiats like the Dedra and Thema (though the latter was not entirely without charm). In export markets, Lancia's sales plummeted. Right-hand drive versions for markets like Britain were cancelled entirely. In recent years, Lancia have only sold well in Italy.

The new Delta pictured above is Lancia's attempt at a real comeback. It's being marketed heavily and they're even being reintroduced to international markets long since abandoned, like Britain. Though mechanically related to a model from parent company Fiat, the Delta is a quite different beast - longer, sleeker, roomier, better finished and equipped. All petrol models are turbo-charged and even the most basic version sprints to 100km/h in less than 10 seconds. The initial road tests of the car are positive and it bristles with interesting details like the elegant LED lighting. Far more importantly however, having seen examples of this car driving around several times now, I can confirm: It looks like a Lancia.

Musical serendipity

2009-10-04T12:07:00.002+02:00

While in Madrid, I bought this CD on a whim - wanting to sample something 'local'. I had never heard of the group Vetusta Morla or this, what turned out to be their debut, abum En dia en el mundo ('A day in the world'), but just picked it up as it was in the Spanish top 5 and had a cool cover. Occasionally, such randomness can make for a nice surprise, but more often than not it leads to disappointment.

In this case, I needn't have worried: This CD is a delight. If you ever wondered what really good Spanish indie music sounded like, this is it. Particular gems are the subdued and lovely tracks Copenhangue and Al Respira. Very strongly recommended.

2010

2009-09-27T23:50:00.004+02:00

Random DVD choice from the archives this evening: Though overshadowed by it's predecesor, this is a good film with a fine cast; and it's great to see HAL return.

Nespresso - the truth

2009-09-24T19:11:00.003+02:00

I have been the happy owner of a Nespresso coffee machine for almost a year now. It was bought partly on the strength of a recommendation from a coffee expert who told me that, because the coffee grounds are sealed into the little capsules shortly after roasting and grinding, they retain their freshness and so the quality of the resulting coffee is both high and very consistent.

I had certainly found the above to be the case and was delighted with the machine... until today a colleague casually dropped a bombshell by telling me he'd heard the capsules do not contain fresh ground coffee at all, but liquid coffee extract as used in some coffee machines in offices. Naturally I didn't believe him, but that didn't stop me wanting proof:

So there you have it: Nespresso OK!

The International

2009-09-21T00:07:00.002+02:00

On Friday I watched the thriller The International on DVD. I meant to see this in the Cinema but didn't get round to it in time. It's a solidly entertaining film (though, goodness, it'd be nice to see Clive Owen playing something other than an incredibly scruffy-looking hero type) and has some very good performances indeed from the supporting cast. The use of architecture as another 'character' in the film is thouroughly succesfull and the gunfight in the Guggenheim is every bit as impressive as the reviews suggest, but the film seems to lose its way slightly after this, rather incredible, interlude. Though entertaining, The International isn't quite sure whether it wants to be an action thriller or something grittier, more realistic and morally ambiguous. As a result, elegant ending aside, it isn't quite succesful as either.

Madrid

2009-09-17T18:38:00.006+02:00

Back from my second trip to Madrid. Fantastic city.

Dance is not for wimps

2009-09-07T19:26:00.002+02:00

Just in case there's any doubt about this in your mind: Should anyone tell you dance is for wimps, they're full of shit.

Yesterday morning, I attended a jazz dance class for the first time in my life. Today, I have muscle pain in places I didn't even know I had muscles. Though the lesson was very fast-paced and quite difficult, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be going back. :)

Satyricon

2009-09-04T22:36:00.002+02:00

This week went to see Fellini's 1969 film Satyricon. Googling the film will bring up terms like 'classic', 'visually inventive' and 'spectacular'. I'll grant the 'visually inventive', maybe even 'spectacular'... but in the way filming a bad LSD trip might be considered spectacular and visually inventive. We walked out after about 20 minutes.

Avoid.

La Roux

2009-09-03T19:00:00.002+02:00

Little else has been in my CD player since this arrived. I don't think you can read it in the above photo, but there's a label on the CD cover with a quote from the NME review of this album: "The final word in the synth-pop generation".

Quite difficult to add anything to that.

Los Abrazos Rotos

2009-09-01T01:13:00.002+02:00

Went to see the new Pedro Almodóvar film in the cinema this evening. While I don't feel it's up there with the very best of his work, it was an enjoyable couple of hours. The story builds quite slowly and (as my neighbour commented) there's less hysteria than in most of his films - take that as you will. ;)

Uitmarkt

2009-08-30T23:22:00.003+02:00

This weekend was the Uitmarkt in Amsterdam - the opening of the new cultural season, with a large programme of cultural events from Friday evening until Sunday. For me, this started badly: Friday evening I had drinks-related plans and Saturday I failed to make it to a single performance; oweing to a combination of the hangover from Friday evening's drinks-related plans, a full hall where I tried to see some modern dance and torrential rain in the evening.

On Sunday, however, I did much better; taking in a theatre show and three dance performances. It was great fun to dash between the different venues, trying to see as much as possible. For me, the highlights were the solo performance of a young dancer in Dragon Production's We have soul with a capital S (I was less impressed by the three other dancers in the show - but it was a try out) and the sneak preview of RUIS from Conny Janssen Danst. Only a few weeks into rehearsals, this ensemble of young (still studying) dancers fizzed with energy and verve; and the choreography looked great. When the full show comes to Amsterdam in October (at the Bellevue theatre) I will definitely be in the audience.

Tell No One

2009-08-29T22:14:00.003+02:00

How many layers can a thriller story have? Alot, apparently.

This French adaption of the American novel is complicated fare but, in truth, all the better for it. In a running time of over 2 hours, it never fails to keep you gripped - and guessing. The action comes in measured doses, and overwhelms neither story nor acting, but is brilliantly done; the hero's escape over the motorway proves all over again that one thrilling, realistic, moment is worth a thousand expensive CGI effects.

In addition, a song in the soundtrack that is simultaneously an important plot development made me realise something that has somehow escaped me up until this point in my life: I like U2.

Recommended.

The Hermitage Amsterdam

2009-08-28T20:07:00.002+02:00

Today I visited the new Hermitage dependance in Amsterdam. I had been looking forward to this since attending a talk about the renovation project shortly prior to the opening and had waited for a weekday when I was free to visit (knowing how busy it would be in the weekend). I was excited to see what they would have done with all that exhibition space.

What a huge disappointment.

The impression that stays with me of the Hermitage in Amsterdam, is one of wasted space. There are tons of empty halls and corridors while, just next to them, huge paintings are crammed into tiny rooms where it's impossible to get a good perspective on them. Some of the wasted space is very nice - like the hall where you can sit and look out of the windows onto the canal outside... but it's still wasted space. In addition, there are about a hundred different museum shops and restaurants. I have absolutely nothing against museum shops and restaurants, they can be very nice, but should they really take up more room than the museum itself?

Meanwhile, the organisation of the place is a disaster - the entrance hall would have been a huge space too, but it has been filled with confusingly arranged cloakroom, ticket and audio guide desks. Hereby they've managed to turn the entrances to the exhibition spaces themselves into cramped little corridoors where people congregate and block each other. This is not the most heinous design mistake however: That honour is reserved for the direction signs, that are often confusingly placed, mix Dutch and English together in a manner that would make them difficult to read under the best of circumstances and, wait for it, are mostly printed in white... on a white background. I have better than 20/20 vision (thanks to LASIK and a show-off surgeon) and found them very difficult to read. Someone with poor sight wouldn't stand a chance.

The Russian court exhibition itself had some interesting stuff but (oweing to all the wasted space) far less content than you would expect. I was outside again pretty quickly.

Still, the restaurant looked nice.

Holiday in retrospect part 2 - Shropshire, England

2009-08-25T22:21:00.003+02:00

Holiday in retrospect part 1 - Barcelona

2009-08-25T22:00:00.006+02:00

Sinead O'Connor live

2009-08-21T21:51:00.002+02:00

I've always been a fan of Sinead O'Connor and on Sunday, thanks to an attentive friend, I got to hear her live for the first time at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. While I don't think I've ever seen an artist wander onto stage looking quite so scruffy, her voice was in tip top condition. It was a small, intimate concert that suited the music and the, very sparse, accompaniment. She played a nice mix of well and less known numbers - including a sneak preview of a song from the album she will shortly be recording.

Highlight of the evening was probably the beautifully quiet unplugged version of 'Nothing Compares 2 U'. Yes, like everyone, I'm still a sucker for that song.

Unmade Beds

2009-08-20T20:16:00.003+02:00

Alexis Dos Santos' second film is a vibrant, youthful, innocent, playful and nostalgic (in a good way) look at the lives of two young people who arrive in London from abroad. The Spanish Axel and Belgian Vera are each looking for something, but don't seem very sure about whether they really want to find it.. Accordingly the film is about their journeys, not the destinations.

While some scenes are self-indulgently long, there's real skill in the film making here - and superb use of voice-over to invite us into the inner lives of the two main characters (in their native languages, happily). Recommended.

Summer in the city

2009-07-26T16:58:00.003+02:00

After some very changeable, stormy, weather recently, today dawned bright and sunny. I went to Foam (one of two photography museums in Amsterdam) and on my way back, happened to look up at the spire of de Oude Kerk (the Old Church - in the middle of Amsterdam's red light district and surrounded by prostitutes' windows). This is what I saw.

I love summer.

All About My Mother

2009-07-15T20:09:00.002+02:00

More appealing oddness from Mr Almodovar - and one of his most praised and prize-winning films to date. He's incredibly good at making you care for the disparate characters that populate his films; that he also manages to make a story composed primarily of thoroughly tragic circumstances feel like something positive is more than admirable.

Volver

2009-07-12T18:23:00.004+02:00

Pedro Almodovar's ode to the women of his home town is a strange, intiguing film that draws you in to its story and makes you care about the people it portrays. The story itself verges on the surreal but is presented in a highly realistic fashion and the acting is of a consistently high standard. Recommended.

Er...

2009-07-12T18:03:00.006+02:00

I didn't go out to buy shoes, I went out to buy a Spanish dictionary. These just kind of, happened...

Viva Espana!

2009-07-07T21:03:00.002+02:00

Yesterday evening, I had my first Spanish lesson. It was great. Many might regard my attempting to learn Spanish as a foolhardy enterprise - it is fairly common knowledge that the two languages I alreay speak stretch the limited available room in my brain. However: Madrid is lovely, I want to go back there; and they don't speak a damn word of English.

So, viva Espana! (how do you get that weird accent above the 'n'?) ... and now, homework. :(

Rembrant: Een jongensdroom

2009-06-23T23:18:00.002+02:00

Translating roughly as 'Rembrant: A childhood dream', this was the title of the exhibition I went to see on Sunday at the Frans Hals museum in Haarlem (a beautiful provincial city close to Amsterdam). The Frans Hals is famous for its collection of 17th century masters anyway, but the exhibition was special in that it put an entire private collection (the property of a Dutch couple called the Kremers) on display - something that doesn't happen too often.

There were some very impressive pieces among the collection but my favourite was a small, oddball, portrait that didn't fit in with the rest of the collection (being 16th rather than 17th century). Depicting an unknown young Spanish nobleman, it was thought to be the work of the Antwerp painter Adriaen Key when it was bought. Recently however, research on the painting has show it not to be the work of Key but of some other, unknown artist. A beautiful painting of an unknown man, by an unknown artist - I like that.

Yes, Pet Shop Boys

2009-06-20T18:17:00.002+02:00

As a kid in the 80s, I was a huge fan of the Pet Shop Boys. My enthusiasm stayed with me through the 90s and studentdom. At the beginning of the 2000s, my interest waned somewhat - with the treading water excercise that was Nightlife and the not-entirely-succesful sidestep Release. In 2006 however, I was delighted by the return to form that was Fundamental, an album that would have been great even without its finale Integral; a diamond-edged, vitriol-coated switchblade of a pop song that was at once a career-high and perfect example of what the Pet Shop Boys do best.

Three years later and the successor to Fundamental is here: Yes. This is a far more 'pop' album that its darker predecessor, opening with the eminently danceable hit Love etc. and continuing with the same disco sensibility for most of the album. Though I like the Pet Shop Boys best when they're all bitter and twisted, that's no bad thing and Yes still finds room for songs with a little more depth, like the wonderful The way it used to be. Besides, even at their lightest, the Boys still make most modern pop groups look like puddles; as the aforementioned Love etc. notes, they don't have to be beautiful - but it helps.

New boots

2009-06-14T14:22:00.003+02:00

Exactly what I was looking for, found immediately - and with a discount in the sale.

Sometimes life smiles on you. :)

Alone in the Dark - the film

2009-06-12T21:49:00.002+02:00

Until this evening, I was pretty sure of my opinion that the Nicolas Cage remake of Bangkok Dangerous is the worst film ever made. Having just seen Alone in the Dark, I am no longer so sure.

Quantum of Solace revisited

2009-06-07T20:11:00.004+02:00

I enjoyed Quantum of Solace in the cinema and felt it a worthy follow-up to Casino Royale, as commented upon in this blog. I recently bought the film on DVD and, having watched it a couple more times, actually find myself liking it more than I did the first time round. Watching it a second or third time, the visual detail and 'art house' sensibility that Marc Forster brought to the film are more strongly apparent: The 'flashes' of detail in the opening scene, the flight from the opera house to the tune of Tosca, the closing image of the necklace left in the snow - it's still a Hollywood film, but of a superior type.

The film has its weaknesses - it's too frenetic at times and could usefully have paused more often for breath, but this is a fine entry into the Bond series (with a truly classic car chase) and Daniel Craig continues to show he was the right choice to play the new Bond. I hope the makers of the series have the courage of their convinctions and continue down the road they have chosen - a harder, grittier, more realistic Bond; unafraid to portray the broken human that was so apparent in Flemming's books.

C902 - further thoughts

2009-05-30T22:35:00.003+02:00

A few further thoughts on my new phone after living with it everyday for a couple of weeks:

Still really love the slim design - and the impression of excellent build quality remains.

Very good call/earpiece quality and comfortable to use when calling (yes, some mobile phones do manage to fail at this).

While I love the way the camera is hidden away inside the case, and the touch controls are cool, I reckon you'd be a bit disappointed if you'd bought it on the strength of the 'Cybershot' camera - picture quality is OK, but hardly a radical improvement on my old Nokia.

Keypad is slightly cramped, though the keys have a good response.

Battery life is so-so, generally seeing me though 2-3 days. To be fair, I use the phone quite alot.

This Vodafone-branded version of the phone comes with a really useful little java 'travel' app. including a configurable currency converter and world clock, weather reports for all countries and a world map showing daylight times.

The phone's operating software really is miles ahead of Nokia's non-smartphone efforts. Task switching is accomplished neatly, it's smooth and pleasant to use and has been very stable so far.

Oh, I almost forgot, this is the phone James Bond uses! ;)

Prix de Rome

2009-05-30T22:27:00.003+02:00

Last weekend I finally got round to visting the retrospective of the 200-year history of the Prix de Rome in de Kunsthal in Rotterdam. As you can see from the picture above, it was a beautiful day and the exhibition was definitely worth the trip. The nice thing about the Prix de Rome is that it encompasses such a wide variety of artistic disiplines. There were many highlights, but my personal favourite was the 1970s Renault built into an artwork - you had to get into the car to see the art fully. :)

Smart phone

2009-05-18T22:11:00.004+02:00

Mobile contract renewal time again. Handy, since my Nokia 6500 slide was starting to develop odd habits like switching itself off and forgetting the time and date. Silicon senility? Maybe I just dropped it once too often.

I had generally been happy with the Nokia, but wanted to replace it with something sleeker and a little more capable - Nokia's non-smartphone series 40 operating software is showing its age these days. That latter fact disallowed a number of attractive phones and the Nokia N series were all too bulky and/or ugly, leaving two main contenders: The Nokia 5800 'tube' (Nokia's first touchscreen phone running the Symbian series 60 smartphone operating platform) and Sony Ericsson's slimline C902 Cyber-shot camera phone.

On paper, the Nokia looked like the winner, with a much better gadget-score and lots of cool high-tech packed into it. In person, the tables were quickly turned: The Nokia was bigger than I had imagined, felt slightly plasticky and had had unfortunate contrasting red-coloured trim. The Sony Ericsson, on the other hand, was a sleek, black monolith: Very slim, very well made (with a metal back panel and touch-sensitive glass screen) and with that oh-so-cool sliding case hiding the camera mechanism. The decision was quickly made.

So far, I'm very pleased with the C902. It's a lovely design and very pocketable, with excellent call quality, 3G and a good web browser. It's not perfect of course - the camera is actually not that much better than the old Nokia (though the touch controls are cool) and the battery only lasts 2 or 3 days, but it meets the criteria I set very well and the Sony Ericsson operating software is miles ahead of Nokia's Series 40.

The Consequences of Love

2009-05-18T00:22:00.003+02:00

A film I forgot to comment upon after first watching it (and a world away from the sci-fi action of the aforementioned Wolverine), this Italian gem is another of those 'guess the genre' films I like so much - and it really keeps you guessing for quite a long time. First intriguing, later exciting, always visually beautiful. Recommended.

Wolverine

2009-05-17T20:31:00.002+02:00

Well, it was OK. Not as good as the original X-men films of course, but OK.

The problem is that the origin story of Wolverine isn't really about Wolverine; it's about Colonel Stryker - and what he did to Wolverine. In making this prequel, the film makers obliged themselves to cast a younger actor (Danny Huston) for the part of Stryker and set themselves (and poor Mr Huston) an impossible task; matching up to Brian Cox's magnificent performance as Stryker in X-men 2.

Huston makes a decent fist of the role - but sometimes, the bar is just set too high.

Little laptops

2009-05-02T01:28:00.003+02:00

Love them. :)

This is my HP mini, one of the so called 'netbooks' that are taking the world by storm. For me, this is exactly what a laptop should be; prizing portability as priority number 1, doing away with unnecessary bulk and features (overpowered CPUs and graphics chips, optical drives etc.) - and cheap to boot!

Addendum: This laptop is also the most perfect device for skyping I've yet encountered. The built-in webcam, microphone and loudspeakers are great; and the latter two don't interfere with each other at all (as is usually the case). It's almost worth having just as a skype-videophone.

'Death Race'

2009-02-22T19:07:00.003+01:00

Continuing the silly-action-films-you're-embarassed-to-admit-liking theme:

Death Race is way better than Wanted was - the cars are fitted with machine guns, Jason Statham provides the requisite muscle and Joan Allen finally gets to play a baddie (can you say 'icy'?). Superior junk. :)

'WANTED'

2009-02-12T00:36:00.002+01:00

Yes it's silly and unbelievable, yes I still quite enjoyed it.

The perfect pen?

2009-02-08T14:45:00.003+01:00

I like to write with a fountain pen. Aside from the pleasant quaintness of the old-fashioned technology, it actually works better for me - slowing my scribble down a little and putting less stress on my hand when taking notes. In the past, I have used a steel Parker 45 (nice size, weight and balance but not really meant for me style-wise) that died a tragic death when I dropped it under the wheels of a train and a couple of Lamy Safari-type pens (great utilitarian design with a good fine nib but too light).

The past year, I had been using a Lamy st - a slim, attractive pen with the same fine nib as the Safari. That slimness led to the pen being tiring to write with for long periods however - and the cap doesn't sit securely enough on the end of the pen while writing.

Yesterday I bought the Lamy Studio, pictured above. It is a relatively new design, introduced in 2005, and is reminiscent of the classic Lamy 2000 in form but with a very distinctive clip. This pen is a little heavier (thanks to it's all-metal construction) and thicker - reminding me of the old Parker in terms of feel, but with a much more modern look. It has the same fine nib as the Safari and st. So far, it seems like the perfect combination!

Guernsey, Het Zwijgen and 'De Oversteek'

2009-01-11T23:38:00.005+01:00

This evening, I finally got round to watching the Dutch film Guernsey, made as part of the 2005 series of 4 films sponsered by the Dutch film fund and the VRPO (one of the TV senders in the Netherlands) called 'de Oversteek' (the crossing). Guernsey is a film about observation, not dialogue: The main character observes everyone around her; her partner, her family and even her own life. You, as viewer, are placed as observing the observer. At times, it's painful to watch all the silence.

'De Oversteek' was formed as a competition: Starting film makers could submit their scripts and the prize was the budget to make the film. My favourite in the series is Het Zwijgen - an amazing film centred around the culture of folk songs ('moordlieden') used to transmit important (and often terrible) news in the Dutch countryside prior to the introduction of radio. The makers of the film used documentary evidence to create a mixture of mystery, thriller and ghost story that starts out amusing, becomes weird and then turns into something just plain scary. It sticks in the mind a long time after you've watched it.

Regrettably, there doesn't seem to be a version of Het Zwijgen with English subtitles, but if you do understand Dutch - this is a must-see.

Skating

2009-01-11T23:32:00.002+01:00

Here in Amsterdam, we have been 'enjoying' sub-zero temperatures for over a week now... and today, people were skating on the canals!

How cool is that?

En la ciudad sin límites

2009-01-10T21:20:00.004+01:00

City of No Limits

Thriller? Family drama? Historical tragedy? This Spanish film is all three rolled into one. It's very finely acted (with a couple of real star performances), has a terrific score and is cinematographically beautiful. If you enjoyed the wonderful Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others) or Eytan Fox's Walk on Water, you'll probably like this a lot. Recommended.

Perfection

2008-12-31T16:42:00.005+01:00

Nomos Club with date indication, 38.5mm diameter.
Perfection, as predicted.

Why don't men wear suits any more?

2008-12-05T19:54:00.003+01:00

The near dying out of formal clothing and the unstoppable rise of the casual and sloppy is hardly news any more, but I can't help wondering why men are so unwilling to wear suits nowadays.

The last post I wrote here was about the James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. If there's one thing every single James Bond film demonstrates, it's the absolute truth that men always look their best in a suit. Add this to the fact that a properly-fitted suit is actually very comfortable to wear and it's a complete mystery why almost everybody nowadays goes out of their way to avoid wearing one. Personally, I wear suit as much as possible. I like to look good.

Don't believe everything you read.

2008-11-10T22:42:00.004+01:00

Last night I saw the new Bond film 'Quantum of Solace' - Daniel Craig's second outing as 007 and the first sequel in the series, picking up (literally) where 'Casino Royale' left off. Reviews of the film have been genuinely mixed - reviewers either seem to really like it or really not like it much at all. The consensus seems to be that it's not as good as Casino Royale.

Personally, I thought it was great and definitely a worthy follow-up. One thing to bear in mind is that this really is a sequel; part 2 of the story that began in Casino Royale and so you really need to have seen that film. This also explains the fact that Quantum of Solace drops you right in the middle of the action and then keeps pummelling you with it until your jaw can't drop any further. The second half of the film settles down to a more measured pace and, at the end, offers resolution to the mystery of Vespa Lynd's death in Casino Royale, whilst leaving the door open to the next installment in the story.

Loved it.

Watch review!

2008-10-15T18:24:00.000+02:00

So enamoured am I of the SBCM023, I wrote a review of it!

Ultraviolet

2008-10-05T14:35:00.002+02:00

Not the Kurt Wimmer film of the same name name (a terrible, messy, disappointment after his excellent dystopia 'Equilibrium') but the British Channel 4 TV series from the end of the 1990s.

I saw the first episodes of this 6-part series when it first aired a decade ago and always meant to seek it out on DVD. A week ago, I finally got my hands on the disks and have watched the whole series twice - and the last two episodes again because they are just so great.

'Ultraviolet' is a thorough updating of the vampire myth - an answer to the question 'what if vampires existed now'? No campy gothic castles, capes and coffins here - think genetic engineering, sinister scientific research, cars with UV-filtered windows and time-locked travel capsules. Better still, 'Ultraviolet' is not all about dumb action and special effects. The series permits moral ambiguity - the vampires don't kill their prey, so are the brutish tactics of the paramilitary vampire-hunters really justified? The culmination of the series is not some enormous bloody firefight, but a philosophical battle of words between the chief vampire-hunter (who is a priest by vocation) and and a vampire trying to persuade him to give up the fight (played brilliantly by Corin Redgrave).

Highly recommended viewing.

Oops, I did it again...

2008-09-21T02:50:00.000+02:00

The solution for the earpiece problem

2008-09-06T11:39:00.003+02:00

Thanks to contract renewal, I now have a solution to the 'earpiece problem' on my Nokia E50 - namely a shiny new Nokia 6500 Slide. Though I miss the active sync functionality of the E50, this is a very nice phone; with a stylish brushed steel slider body, 3G internet (with Opera Mini) and a not-too-crappy camera:

Note the smooth black plastic top above the earpiece. Comfortable. :)

High-end quartz watches

2008-08-24T22:27:00.005+02:00

The term 'high-end quartz' (HEQ) is used generically to refer to high-quality, highly accurate, quartz watch movements. Movements that demonstrate the kind of accuracy per year that a standard quartz movement demonstrates per month (a standard that itself puts mechanical wristwatches to shame). Strangely, if you buy a quartz wristwatch from one of the expensive Swiss brands (with the notable exception of Breitling) it will generally not be fitted with an HEQ movement, but with a standard quartz job; presumably on the grounds that it is 'good enough'.

The last couple of years, I have been more enthusiastic about mechanical wristwatches than about quartz ones; I loved the longevity and intelligibility of the antiquated technology, the lack of dependence on a battery, the way you could look at the movement and see the relation between the parts, how they worked together and 'what makes it tick'.

The photo of the mechanical 6R20 movement in my Seiko Premier Automatic, visible as the avatar in the top right-hand corner of this blog, makes it easy to see the appeal of clockwork. You can look at it, understand it, hear it working and watch the smooth sweep of the second hand as the result of that working. High-quality quartz movements, on the other hand, can only be appreciated intellectually. They are rarely beautiful to look at, certainly not visually intelligible, the movement itself cannot be heard working (only the tick of the second hand being moved by a stepper-motor) and the movement of the second hand lacks the charm of the mechanical's smooth sweep.

When it comes to timekeeping, however, quartz rules the roost. A simple, low cost, mechnical movement like the 7S26 fitted to my Seiko SKX007 diving watch may vary by as much as a half-minute a day (mine generally gains 20 seconds per day) - a pretty big accuracy variance. Higher-end mechanicals can be much more accurate (within a few seconds a day, like the 6R20 mentioned above), but even this is no match for a standard quartz movement, which are typically specified to be accurate to within 15-20 seconds per month; i.e. considerably less than a second per day. As I mentioned in the opening of this post, however, there are also high-end quartz movements that, by dint of compensating for temperature variance (the leading cause of loss of accuracy in a quartz watch) or using quartz crystals vibrating at a higher frequency, can offer accuracy to within a few seconds per year.

Consider the following two visually similar watches:

Both are Seiko watches from the 'Prospex' professional diving watch range. The watch pictured above is the SKX007 model, carrying the 7S26 mechanical automatic movement. In my experience, this watch is accurate to within about 20 seconds a day. The watch pictured below is the SBCM023 model, carrying the 8F35 high-frequency quartz movement. The 8F35 movement contains a quartz crystal that vibrates six times faster than a standard quartz movement and is rated (with regular wear) as accurate to within 20 seconds a year.

In other words - the watch pictured below is as accurate in an entire year, as the watch pictured above is in a single day.

These ultra-accurate quartz watches have fascinated me for some time, but I wasn't sure I would be able to love one the way I love mechanical watches. I read about some very esoteric, and even more accurate, Japanese HEQ watches like 'The Citizen' (with its famous A660 movement - accurate to within 5 seconds per year), quartz Grand Seiko models and the like, before coming across the SBCM023 diver model pictured above. This watch is based on the (beloved to me) classic Seiko diver styling, in a more compact 38mm case and is fitted with an attractive steel Oyster bracelet. In addition to the high accuracy of its 8F35 movement, the watch has a perpetual calendar and an 8 year battery life with end-of-life indicator (as good as eliminating the main disadvantage of quartz watches). I ordered one from a supplier in Japan and, following the necessary customs delays, it arrived last week. Since then, the watch has not left my wrist - any fears about not being able to love a quartz watch have proven completely unfounded!

Macho watch strap

2008-08-16T20:03:00.003+02:00

I added a very (very) thick brown leather strap to my Seiko SKX007 recently. I'm pretty pleased with the result:

It's given the watch an utterly casual look that I think is quite appealing. Chances of it ever fitting under that shirtcuff are now, in any case, nil. ;)

Do I need to seek professional help?

2008-07-25T23:56:00.003+02:00

Earpiece problems

2008-07-20T17:24:00.004+02:00

This photo shows a detail of the earpiece of my Nokia E50 (that I blogged about a month or so ago). The E50 is an excellent phone in almost all respects... but has one rather serious problem. As you can see in the photo, the top part of the front of the phone is made out of steel, into which a hole has been cut for the earpiece speaker. It looks all perfectly normal, but the edges of the hole are actually quite sharp - as you will discover if you hold the phone to your ear for any length of time. In a longer conversation, the phone will tend to move about a bit as you talk and it can be actually quite uncomfortable. I had hoped this might wear off with some use, but so far it hasn't.

The problem is irritating enough that I'm considering replacing the phone when I renew my contract and thinking about this made me realise how often this, rather basic, design point is neglected by phone manufacturers. Take a look at current mobile phone models and note how many of them have a sharp edge at the top of the phone where the earpiece is. It's alot. Perhaps we're all too busy texting and emailing to care whether a phone is comfortable to use as a phone?

One manufacturer that has thought about this is Vertu, the uber-luxury division of Nokia. Their phones have a ceramic 'pillow' around the earpiece to make conversations comfortable. Sadly, I have yet to enter their target customer group of the comfortably wealthy, but one day... ;)

Okay, okay...

2008-06-26T23:50:00.005+02:00

So I have a shoe fetish. Big deal. I'm in control, I can stop whenever I want...

A beautiful city

2008-06-16T22:58:00.003+02:00

At dusk today, I went for a wander around the part of Amsterdam where I live; and was reminded anew what a ridiculously beautiful city I live in. I took the dreadful picture below with the Nokia's inbuilt camera while wandering:

I wish I could show you how beautiful it really looked.

'Mogwai fear Satan'

2008-06-15T20:03:00.003+02:00

I haven't been able to stop listening to this track (from the band's first album 'Young Team' - pictured above) for several weeks now. It's like it keeps getting better every time you hear it.

This is not a pop song - 16 minutes long, no vocal, huge variation in dynamics, tempo, instrumentation... It's awesome. :)

New smartphone - Nokia E50

2008-06-03T23:43:00.003+02:00

I posted a while back about the difficulties of keeping one's life synchronised, particularly with a computer agenda and two mobiles; one blackberry-like Windows smartphone and one svelte Samsung 'dumbphone' that isn't much good at synchronising with my computers. This, combined with some reliability and battery life 'issues' with the Windows smartphone I was using (a Palm Treo, if you're interested) inspired me to attempt to replace them both with a small phone, that could still do all the complex network agenda synchronisation and push e-mail smartphone stuff... This thought, and a trip to the Mediamarkt in Utrecht, led me to buy this Nokia E50 (yes, it's my own new phone in the picture!).

I've been using the phone as my sole mobile for several days now and first impressions are highly positive: The form factor is great; slim, small and light, with a good keypad. Battery life is very good (even with push e-mail activated). Screen is good - small but high-res. The Symbian OS gives that warm feeling of using a computing device that's directly decended from Psion's EPOC32 ;) and the software package is fine. Furthermore, Nokia have clearly invested a great deal of time and effort in upgrading their Exchange server integration since I last looked about 8 or 9 months ago - the Mail for Exchange push mail software works great, is pretty much just as functional as the Windows mobile implementation and is highly configurable (so my email follows me around during the working day, but doesn't bother me in the evenings and weekends unless I tell it to).

Downsides include the absence of a full qwerty keboard (obviously) and occasional OS slowness when an application isn't cached (though still better than Windows mobile). Not much to complain about so far.

Eagle eyes may have noticed that the E50's successor, the E51, is already out. However this only really adds 3G and WiFi connectivity, which I know from experience to be battery-hogging and are not necessary for e-mail use, and I actually preferred the physical design (particularly keypad) of the E50, which was also much cheaper. :)

Mogwai - 'Mr Beast'

2008-05-12T15:54:00.003+02:00

Wow. Pop music shouldn't be this beautiful.

Michael Clayton

2008-05-11T01:40:00.002+02:00

I got round to watching this film on DVD the other night and was genuinely taken back by how good it is. Seediness, corruption, amorality, huge and surprisingly small stakes running through each other.. They're all here.

It took me most of the film to realise the brilliance of Tilda Swinton's role as the 'big company' legal counsel who will, in the end, resort to anything to save her employer's face. The stark contrast between her private insecurity and smooth public performance, and how these are forced together in her shady dealings with hit men and spies, is remarkable to watch. This is the human face of evildoing - and all the more compelling for it.

Synchronising your life

2008-04-17T10:30:00.002+02:00

Like many other people, I suffer from the twin problems of having a busy agenda and no ability to remember appointments whatsoever. This requires electronic assistance.

I long ago gave up trying to maintain separate business and personal diaries, having experienced the nightmare of double-bookings and failed attempts at synchronisation this entails, and now treat my work diary in Microsoft Outlook as leading for all appointments. The Outlook diary, together with contacts, email and tasks, synchronises constantly over the air with my Blackberry-lookalike Windows Mobile smartphone (via ActiveSync on the Exchange server - for the techies out there); and I have to say this process works flawlessly. Windows Mobile has taken alot of flak over the years for being a slow, unstable and bloated but with version 6 it really became a decent mobile OS. It's still somewhat slow (and the interface could do with some work) but the back-end integration with Exchange is superb; as soon as someone sends me an email, or a contact is updated on my laptop or via the web, it pops up on the smartphone - genuinely useful technology.

There are, however, moments when I don't want my work email chasing me everywhere I go and when I'd like a rather more svelte phone than my smartphone. For these times, I have an ultra-slim Samsung D900 sliderphone with a dual SIM card - one phone number for both phones and all calls and smses are routed to whichever one is switched on at the time. Even at such moments, however, I do still want my contacts and diary with me (i.e. on the phone) - and that's where the difficulty starts. The D900 is a decent phone - very small and light, nicely designed, good call quality, software and battery life not too awful... but it falls down totally when it comes to PC synchronisation.

Words of adequate horribleness do not exist to describe the software provided to sync the phone with Outlook; it is 'bested' in this regard only by PC sync software I saw from LG once that didn't 'sync' anything at all. Whilst it is possible to connect Outlook with the phone, and syncing contacts works tolerably well (so long as you don't use any of the more exotic fields in Outlook), syncing your Outlook diary to the phone is pointless. Not only are lots of fields not mapped properly, recurring appointments are not mapped at all. The first appointment in the series (way back when) will be there, but all subsequent instances are simply ignored - which in my case means half of my work diary is simply missing.

When software is this bad (actually unfit for its purpose), you wonder why they bother providing it at all. When sync functionality is so important, for so many people, you wonder how the software can be so bad... and Samsung's svelte slider-phone is hardly the only culprit. Device manufacturers really need to get their act together on this one!

More shoes.

2008-04-06T12:22:00.003+02:00

I do not have a shoe fetish. I do not have a shoe fetish. I do not have a shoe fetish. I do not have a shoe fetish. I do not have a shoe fetish. I do not have a shoe fetish. I do not have a shoe fetish. I do not have a shoe fetish...

The perfect watch?

2008-04-02T00:13:00.002+02:00

Remember me complaining about "all the beautiful no-date watches"? See the picture there of the beautiful watch with no date? It's a Nomos Club... a watch that would be perfection if it had a date indication and was just a little bigger (it's very small by modern standards at 35mm diameter).

Guess what I just read in the news from BaselWorld? Nomos are launching a 38.5mm version with a date indication. It would take one hell of alot to knock the Seiko Premier Automatic off my wrist (particularly with it's new bracelet), but this just sounds like perfection...

Finally found them.

2008-03-22T18:10:00.002+01:00

As noted in the last post, 'sneaker-shoes', I've been looking out for some smart black shoes for a while now. Last week I went on a shopping expedition (again) to find some. I was thinking of getting Floris van Bommels and tried on a couple of pairs with brogueing, neither of which were quite right: One style was very slim and elegant, but not very comfortable, the other was a much broader shoe; to the point of being a little too broad.

At this point I decided to try on some shoes I'd seen that seemed nice, but perhaps a little too simple on the shelf. Once on, I fell in love with them immediately; these shoes are smart.

They're from Magnanni - a Spanish maker I've seen described as 'the poor man's Santoni'... Well, with shoes this elegant and comfortable, I'm happy to be poor. :)

Sneaker-shoes

2008-03-14T00:01:00.003+01:00

I was really looking out for some new smart black shoes (probably with some brogueing) but stumbled across these - what I call sneaker-shoes - and liked them. They're actually a little on the hip side for me normally, but I liked them when I tried them on and the colour is surprisingly versatile. You couldn't really wear them to the office, but they'll be nice for weekends I think and (thanks to the sneaker-like construction) are very comfy.

A new look for a favourite watch.

2008-03-07T16:57:00.004+01:00

A while ago, I blogged about one of my favourite watches, the classic Seiko SKX007 diver's watch. Today is the turn of another favourite of mine from the same manufacturer, which I've just given a new look: The Seiko Premier Automatic.

The 'Premier' sub-brand is Seiko's upscale dress watch label for international markets and (in Europe at least) has been developed quite aggressively in the last 3 years with the introduction of new models with new high-end Kinetic Quartz movements; for example the rather lovely perpetual calendar model with a large date and Seiko's auto-relay technology. In 2006, Seiko went a step further and introduced a mechanical wristwatch at the top of this range: The Premier Automatic. This watch comes in 3 versions; white dial with a brown strap, black dial with a black strap and (slightly different) black dial with a steel bracelet. The watches had large (42mm diameter), highly detailed cases and were powered by the new 6R20 automatic movement with power-reserve complication and day-date wheels.

The 6R20 Premier Automatics don't seem to have been very popular. In any case, I have yet to see one on someone else's wrist whereas I've often come across people wearing the Kinetic models. This is probably due to the price tipping over the (psychologically important) €1000 barrier - when the price of a wristwatch goes into 4 figures, most will want to see a Swiss brand name on the dial and Seiko, in the western world at least, lacks the required cachet. This is a shame, because they're truly great watches, with a sophisticated, well-finished, accurate movement, very nicely detailed case and a beautiful, multi-layered dial. I've owned mine for about a year now and like it even more than when I bought it.

My Premier Auto is the SPB005 model that comes as standard on a black leather strap, which was the only thing about the watch I was less than widly enthusiastic about; whilst it had a nice, dressy look, the strap was too long, too stiff and the deployant clasp didn't feel terribly secure. As a result, I found myself repeatedly wondering about the Seiko steel bracelet that comes with the SPB001 version (that also has metal indices instead of roman numerals on the dial and is not normally available here in the Netherlands). Eventually I decided to order one from Seiko and had it fitted to my watch last weekend. After a week of wear, I'm deeply impressed: The bracelet is superb quality, with the same contrasting brushed and polished finishing as the rest of the watch, and best of all is extremely comfortable.

Here's how the watch looked with the strap:

And here's how it looks now:

I've been wearing this watch every day since I had the bracelet fitted and find it makes the watch much more versatile. I loved the Premier Automatic anyway, now I think I love it just a little bit more. :)

I also published a review of this watch some time ago on the Timezone website. Here's the link:

Seiko Premier Automatic Review - Timezone

What's with all the beautiful no-date watches?

2008-02-20T00:35:00.001+01:00

I need a date indication on my watch. I can't remember the date and need to be able to refer to my watch for this... but things like this make me really wish I didn't.

Shirts online

2008-02-11T22:52:00.000+01:00

I have entered a new phase of my online existence; I just ordered a shirt online for the first time ever. I had read a recommendation of the site mytailor.com as a source of custom fitted shirts on the wonderful clothes blog 'A Suitable Wardrobe' (see links on the right had side) and decided it was worth a look. Finding shirts that fit me is a nightmare, so I'm generally prepared to investigate all options for avoiding drowning my slim frame in a sea of fabric..

The range of options for fabric, fitting and details is impressive in any case - the shirt you end up getting is truly custom. I have started off with a classic white shirt in herringbone cotton, tapered fit, no pocket and button cuffs. A nice detail (in my opinion) is the option to add a monogram to the cuff in the same colour as the shirt itself - so not at all flashy, but still decidedly posh.

The only downside of all this customisation is a delivery time of almost 2 months... I'll let you know!

New shoes...

2008-02-10T00:54:00.001+01:00

I bought new shoes today. New shoes are always nice, but new shoes bought in a sale with a huge discount are even nicer. I was quite specifically on the lookout for some new brown shoes and popped into my 'regular' shoe shop to take a look. They've had a sale on for a couple of weeks, but I hadn't paid much attention because the nicest brand they stock (van Bommel) never seems to get discounted. Then, among the tail-ends of the sale items, I saw a lovely pair of brown shoes:

They were from an italian brand of which I'd never heard, well-made and fitted perfectly. What's more, they had what I am always looking for on nice shoes and far too rarely find; a rubber insert in the leather sole for grip. As beautiful as all-leather soles look, they are impractical on anything other than a dry, even, grippy service. I can understand making sacrifices for style, but not falling on your arse for style's sake.

Classic design

2008-02-03T23:28:00.001+01:00

What makes a classic design?

It's an interesting question. We can all name examples of this fairly easily; products like the Volkswagon Beetle or the Rolex Oyster Submariner, but defining what makes them classic is more difficult. Products that we recognise as classics are usually products that have already demonstrated longevity and an ability to defy or transcend (or remain in) fashion. I am a watch geek and hang out on a few internet forums for watch collectors. On one of them I read a terrific statement by a forum member, in answer to the question 'what makes for a classic wristwatch'; the contributor said that a watch was a classic when it was in fashion now and would still be in fashion when his grandson was wearing it.

The question remains, however; what makes for this predicted longevity?

Let's take the example of one of my favourite wristwatches - the Seiko SKX007 diver's watch. This is the modern iteration of 'the' Seiko diving watch. Though many different models have been produced, Seiko have consistently made a watch according to this basic design since before I was born: The model designation may occasionally change (the current SKX007 model dates from 1996), the movement gets periodically updated, the case was slimmed down in the 1980s, but the basic hands, dial, bezel and crown combination is unchanged since 1976... and, what's more, will look just as good after another 32 years have gone by:

The key to this is the (very Bauhaus) ethic of form following function. A wristwatch is an instrument designed to tell the time. A diving watch is an instrument designed to tell the time under extreme conditions (underwater and in the dark). The Seiko does this perfectly: It is highly waterproof, utterly legible, has highly luminous dial markers and hands, is powered by a very robust and durable mechanical movement (the Seiko in-house caliber 7S26 - famous for its toughness and longevity) and has a secure, easy-to-use timing bezel. Still more, the watch design demonstrates balance: The matte dial does not reflect light or distract attention and provides perfect contrast to the hands, the contrasting day-date indication visually balances the opposite hour marker, the case is utterly robust but also aesthetic, with contrasting brushed and polished surfaces.

For me, this is about as good as design gets. If I could only have one wristwatch (perish the thought), I think this would be it.

Oh yes, one more thing: In a world where a luxury diving watch usually comes with a price tag in the thousands, the Seiko SKX007 can be easily picked up for less than €150. If that's not a bargain, I don't know what is.

Welcome, one and all!

2008-01-29T15:16:00.000+01:00

Let me wish a hearty welcome to all visitors to my new home on the web... all 2 or 3 of you. ;-)

This is intended to be a place where I can share my thoughts with the rest of the world, rant about my obsessions, publish short reviews, articles and the like. Expect content concerning wristwatches, design, films, gadgets, mobile technology, style, computing, clothes, wine, politics etc. Probably mostly watches.

Enjoy!