Documentally

Farewell to the Documentally blog.

2008-04-03T11:08:00.001+01:00

All going to plan, this will be the last post on www.documentally.blogspot.com.

I am not stopping my podcast (although these long absences may give that impression), I am just consolidating all of my personal blogs podcasts and business stuff on to one page. Brave or stupid?.. time will only tell.

That one page is www.OurManInside.com and at the time of writing it is still a work in progress. You should still be find your way around to all my previous content.

Thanks for hanging around here. My podcast feed should stay the same but please change all of the blog feeds of mine you may be subscribing to.. to http://feeds.feedburner.com/OurManInside

Thanks again..

Christian

Iraqi Refugees - Life In The Shadows

2008-03-17T01:44:00.002Z

The fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War is upon us, and there is speculation that the engagement may continue yet another five years, if not more. To date, approximately 4,000 American soldiers have been killed in combat.

While the loss of combat troops is certainly tragic, even more stunning is a recent World Health Organization report based on Iraqi Health Ministry figures which estimates that 151,000 Iraqi civilians were killed between March 2003, the start of the invasion, and June 2006.

Many of the reports of civilian deaths are disputed. What cannot be argued, however, is another grave consequence of the Iraq War: the displacement crisis as a mass exodus of Iraqis flee the instabilities and ever-increasing sectarian violence at home, tearing their families apart.

In mid-January 2008, with the support of the United Nations High Commission For Refugees (UNHCR), I traveled to Amman, Jordan to photograph and record a few of these families trapped in a no-man’s land; asylum seekers looking for refuge, too afraid to return to their blood-soaked country.

Here are a few of their stories:

For more information please check out.. The UNHCR Jordan Website

www.OurManInside.com

2008-03-14T15:31:00.003Z

Well I am back from Austin Texas and the amazing SXSW. A little jet lagged, a little sleep deprived but inspired and energised all the same.

If you missed out on our live feeds and updates while we were there, most of the content me and Phil Campbell have produced is on live.rezpondr.com

We are currently looking for sponsorship so we can attend next years event so please get in touch if you feel you are in a position to assist.

Should you want to catch up on any of my other content/pix/words please pop over to my 'Normal' site at www.OurManInside.com

Meeting Bill

2008-03-05T12:05:00.000Z

How cool is this..?

Thanks to the wonders of blogging and the fact there are people that do actually read my blog on OurManInside.com Bill a podcasting friend from the Florida Soap Box and also the Progressive Podcast Network (PPN) managed to hook up with me for a brief hello at Texas airport where we were getting picked up by our friend Kity Kity aka Susan.

For each of us it is the first time we had met a member of the PPN in the flesh and a great welcome for me to see a familiar face and hear a voice I have listened to for ages.

Myself and Phil Campbell are the guests of Kity Kity in Wylie, Texas before we head down to the interactive extravaganza that is South By South West (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, about 3-4 hours south of here.

Make sure you check out Bills blog at http://filthandthefury.blogspot.com/
You can also follow/add bill at Twitter

He is a really decent guy and I hope we can grab a beer together soon!

p.s. I recorded a podcast on the plane over.. I will try to get it online as soon as.. :)

Episode 41 - Two Clips

2008-02-02T17:28:00.000Z

Whilst feeling a little bit guilty for not having posted a (self-made) podcast in a while I decided that I would paste a couple of random recordings together and stick the outcome into my feed. Forgive me if it is a little rough around the edges..

It's not my normal fare.. but it is what it is.

If you have not subscribed to the podcast (free) in Itunes already, you can listen to the mp3 here

Episode 40 - An interview in Jordan

2008-01-29T12:05:00.000Z

Well here is a turn up for the books.. And a handy one at that as I am bowled over with my various projects at the moment so i am posting this interview with me in my feed to not only save me some valuble editing time but also to introduce and thank a British podcaster who lives in Canada called David Bailey.David Phoned me up whilst i was working In Amman Jordan and we had time for this quick interview. David's content can be found at http://dfbmbe.wordpress.com and more of my other updates can be found at www.OurManInside.com

You can also stream the podcast here.. DFBMBE Blog

Many thanks to Dave in taking the time to call me in jordan and for making the interview available as a podcast.

correction: During the interview i should have said... It is the largest refugee crisis to hit the Middle East in 60 years. We must not forget Afghanistan.

Project Update.

2008-01-08T09:55:00.000Z

My flight is booked and in a few days I fly to Jordan. Although I am still to get my hands on a D3 I am satisfied that I have the use of the new D300 for at least a month. Thank you to those that humoured me in my testing of the website chipin.com. £40 was donated, before i pulled the widget. I really appreciate the gestures and that money is safely put away and will be put toward other savings when they accumulate.

The unexpected death of my Mother over the holidays has not only allowed me to re-evaluate my goals in life but also meant the luxury of a new work tool will have to wait as my savings have been put towards her burial and send off.

My next assignment will be dedicated to my Mother Liala.

On the podcasting front I still have a backlog to get through but as you can imagine these have been unusually difficult times. I promise to do more podcasts in the future. So please sit tight and stay subscribed. I was going to pop all this in a podcast but thought those that subscribe may well read this blog too.

I am not one to look forward to much as i feel living in the moment is the best bet. Still. I am open to all kind of possibilities this new year and feel strangely optimistic for the future.

Cheers guys.

christian.

Up and coming Projects.

2007-12-19T12:41:00.000Z

OK, I am upping the stakes now as in a few weeks I hope to be flying out to Jordon to do a podcast on refugees fleeing Iraq.

To do it properly I would really like to get my hands on the best possible digital
SLR on the market today. In my mind (as a Nikon user with a heap of lenses) this has to be the Nikon D3.

This is a whole heap of camera costing a whole heap of money (over £3000) and although I stand a good chance of bothering a few of my podcast listeners and blog readers, I would like to ask everyone out there this..

If you are in a position to help sponsor me in my quest to acquire the best tool for the job please do so by either donating/sponsoring what you can (see the little box on the right) and you can be sure to receive my heart felt thanks and gratitude as i promise to do a good job in raising awareness and taking pictures that may well change lives.

I am a hand-to-mouth photographer and would appreciate any financial assistance or even a heads up as to where and how I can purchase a Nikon D3 in a market place that seems to be snapping them up before they hit the shelves.

Sincerely thanking You in advance.

christian

Episode 39 - Freeganism

2007-11-16T16:19:00.000Z

Meet Alf, he used to manipulate people using fear and greed to make them buy products they didn't need.

Now with his friend Bob and many others, he follows one of the paths of Freeganism, shopping from the backs of stores, without money, dumpster diving to utilize some of the many ton's of waste food and other products consumers and suppliers throw away each year.

As we remember the words of the economist and philosopher John Stuart Mill when he said.. "If you want to destroy a system, refuse to buy it's products", Alf agrees it's a dangerous message.

If you have not subscribed to the podcast (free) in Itunes already, you can listen to the mp3 here

For more information visit:

www.freegan.org.uk

www.freeganism.org

www.OurManInside.com

Please feel free to email me at the usual place.

What Is A Freegan?

2007-11-02T19:36:00.000Z

Alf is a practicing Freegan and in this short film he explains the principles and ideas behind Freeganism.
For more information please visit www.freegan.org.uk

Episode 38 - Bar Chat

2007-10-19T19:45:00.000+01:00

A little chat in a bar under the Curzon Cinema in London, England. I am joined by John Perivolaris an independent photographer and film maker Richard Azia (Warzabidul)

We talk about protesting, a new take on the proliferation of CCTV in the UK and other bits and bobs.

Here are some more handy links...

The Town Crier at the beginning of the podcast is the world famous Peter Moore

Join the flickr group Surveillance Mirrior

Helena Smith photographer

Taryn Simon photographer

If you have not subscribed to the podcast (free) in Itunes already, you can listen to the mp3 here

Episode 37 - A Ramble

2007-10-03T11:07:00.000+01:00

This Episode is a slight diversion from my normal format.. It's just quite literally a ramble. While out with the dog I thought it a good excuse to record an update on what has been happening recently, plus do a mini micro test of a new field recorder, the Zoom H2.

I also give a heads up to a few people I respect and admire and accidentally throw the ball at my dogs head. (She's fine).

So although different to my normal format.. it's still recorded live and without a net, or script and unfortunately.. gloves.

Please email comments support and coordinates to any hidden stashes of cash to the normal address.

Please check out these great places belonging to a couple of the people I am talking about..www.deekdeekster.com and..

www.main-vision.com

Also, I have big thanks and respect going to Giles of Kyomedia Who against all odds has once again saved the documentally podcast from certain doom.

If you have not subscribed to the podcast (free) in Itunes already, you can listen to the mp3 here

Financial Showdown

2007-09-19T01:04:00.000+01:00

Meet Martin Summers, the Former East European projects officer for the New Economics Foundation as he tells us a little of what is happening in the world of finance at the moment.

I got a call from a friend a few months back telling me I should speak to this guy as he is predicting all sorts of interesting stuff. A long while later and shortly before things started hitting the mainstream media I finally hook up with him and do a short interview with the kind assistance of a Twitter friend Richard.

I am thinking that if I had done the interview way back when first recommended, I would have appeared pretty prophetic.

Cynthia McKinney on 9/11

2007-09-13T23:33:00.000+01:00

Episode 36 - Two chats at PodcampUK

2007-09-11T22:29:00.000+01:00

In this episode I meet Richard Rudin and Glyn Wintle in Birmingham at the amazing unConference that was PodcampUK

Richard Rudin is a senior lecturer on journalism at John Moores University in Liverpool and Glyn Wintle is from the Open Rights Group.

We talk about the state of Journalism in the UK today, give a heads up to Jeremy Paxman, discuss how politicians react to 'real people', touch apon independent journalism, Electronic Voting and preserving our civil liberties in the digital world.

Richards podcast can be found at www.Rudinpodcast.libsyn.com, The Open Rights Group are at www.openrightsgroup.org and the little song I sneak in at the end is by Josh Woodward entitled 'The Wrong side Of The Revolution.'

If you have not subscribed to the podcast (free) in Itunes already, you can listen to the mp3 here

Episode 35 - The Perfect Prison.

2007-08-28T22:49:00.000+01:00

There is a quiet, dark revolution underway in Britain. It was happening yesterday, it's happening now - this minute. It will continue to happen tomorrow.

Without anyone really noticing it we are becoming a police state. We're not quite there yet - it's a long way down to the real depths of secret police, social control, monitored movements - but we're blindly sleepwalking that path.

George Orwell's 1984 portrays a country plunged into totalitarianism. The state is locked in an endless war that, although somehow affecting no one directly, functions as a perfect mechanism for inducing fear and justifying the destruction of basic liberties.

Crucially there is mass surveillance. This is the key: an essential element for a true police state is that everyone should be monitored, at all times. Or they must at least believe this is happening. In 1984 everyone is watched, intrusively. Privacy has all but evaporated, the word itself ceasing to have meaning. Everywhere, fear.

Without getting hysterical, without too much hyperbole, there are clear parallels to modern day Britain.

Since September 11 we have been at war with an enemy - "terror" - that by many of our actions we are empowering. The stage is now set for a generations long conflict that can never be, in any real sense, won. In order to fight this war, basic liberties are eroded: long imprisonment without trial, without charge becomes legal. Evidence gained from torture is suddenly admissible in a court of law. Foreign intelligence services carry out extraordinary renditions through British airspace and soil, with the connivance of the government.

And, there is mass surveillance.

CCTV camera and tracking technologies have proliferated. Not so many years ago such cameras - let's call them spy cameras; that is after all what they are doing - were limited to spaces like garage forecourts. They were ineffective things, recoding largely useless, indistinct time-lapse photos onto VHS tapes. Endless hours of drivers filling-up their cars and walking in to pay. Perhaps the occasional robbery, caught on film, to show on 'CrimeWatch' because the police cannot catch the suspect.

Cut to the present day: cameras are, almost literally, everywhere. They are in shops, they're in bars and clubs, they are high on gantries over the roads, at traffic lights they are watching the high street. They are watching and recording you as you go about the most banal tasks.

The technology is still in relative infancy but has already developed far beyond those scratchy VHS tapes. Face recognition software and high-resolution optics mean your movements can be traced, your facial expressions logged: Your speed and trajectories measured: Your number plate inscribed onto a computer database. You went shopping this afternoon, parked in the Main Street carpark, brought some underwear on a credit card and then went home? Yes ma'am, we know all that. It's all there, on our hard drive. You met a woman who is not your wife for the fifth time in two weeks, she always wearing a long black skirt, you a gray suit? We know that sir, it was picked up by our cameras and noted by the computer engineer when he ran some tests on a face recognition software.

This monitoring started out as a deterrent against crime and, as such, how could any of us object? Don't you want to be safe?
Local councils across the country approved more and more projects that promised to smash yob culture. They secured some central government funds, raised cash from local businesses. Sinister words like surveillance, like police state were never mentioned, potential human rights implications pushed aside: The cameras would make us safer by allowing the police to catch criminals, to safeguard the elderly. Don't you want the elderly to be safe?

And then we are at war with terror and we're more afraid than ever. It's not that a teenager is going to snatch your purse outside the bank; that's a quaint fear from happier times. Now it's suicide bombers on the bus.

More cameras, better monitoring will help save us. How can we object?

The technology was put in place, the network established and it does have benefits. It can, perhaps, add to our security. It can help police build a case against homicidal fanatics. Perhaps it will even help reduce a crime rate that has, thus far, shown no signs of actually being reduced.

Yet there is a price to pay. We have, unwittingly, put in place the building blocks of a police state; the ability to know where citizens are and, with some high degree of accuracy, what they are doing. When privacy ceases to exist, so in a real sense does freedom. To stop the criminals we are now all monitored as if we are potential criminals. The bag-snatcher is in the database of images as he runs from his victim.. So are you, as you carry the weekly shop to your car.

*

In the late 18th Century a British philosopher designed the perfect prison. The man was Jeremy Bentham, the prison known as a Panopticon. It was a study in architecture, a building to be constructed in such a way that an observer could watch prisoners without them knowing if they were, at any moment, actually being watched. Perhaps the observer is writing down their every action. Or perhaps the observer is asleep.

The prisoner would never know and so, the prisoner would have to assume they were being watched at all times. Bentham envisioned it as a way of creating an omniescent observer: a God in command of all the prisoners, a permanent presence. Big Brother.

In his words, the Panoptican would be: "a new mode of obtaining power of mind over mind, in a quantity hitherto without example."

The emaciated prisoner would internalise this gaze, and learn to behave in the way he was expected to behave by the observing power. He would become his own prison guard, his own re-educator. His own Big Brother.

Bentham was a liberal, a reformer. He designed the prison for peoples own good.It was not driven by impure motives but a desire to save the dregs of society. But his project was to be confined in space: it was a physical building outside of which the gaze of the observer failed. It had clear limits.

In modern, CCTV Britain, a Panoptican is being created and it has fewer boundaries. It has been established in our public spaces. In certain towns, certain cities it is more complete than you perhaps imagine. The observer could be watching you almost everywhere. We are becoming a perfect prison.

*

It is just about possible to argue that none of this matters, if we trust absolutely that the authorities controlling it all never, ever abuse their incredible powers. If the government, security apparatus and judiciary stick absolutely to the rule of law, if they uphold the rights of the individual with just zeal. If they ensure there are no illiberal erosions to these basic, sacred rights.

And that's the problem. Authorities rarely, if ever behave that way for long. They certainly do not behave that way automatically but by continued debate, argument, contest.

Especially in times of war, the instinct of authority is to retreat, to shut down and to restrict. This is already happening: traditional laws are suspended - on the grounds of a vague, nefarious threat to the nation - and along with them are suspended our collective moral decency. Our preciously, democratically elected government starts to behave more and more like a Stalinist dictatorship. They all have national emergencies too; that's why the reformers disappear, that's why the military tribunals meet in private to hand out sentences that cannot be appealed.

We take another step down that ladder, another step into the darkness.

With the CCTV and surveillance technology now already out and on the streets, the mechanism is there for the state to take further control of our lives. It may start with monitoring terrorist suspects but where does it end? Can we trust our leaders, our parliaments - those that have failed us so dramatically over simple, vital matters of war and peace - to ensure this all goes so far but no further? Will we so easily abdicate our best interests to them?

We are not a police state yet. The databases tracking your movements are not linked together, they are not complete. The face recognition software is experimental, not universal. The national ID card scheme that will concrete in another layer of monitoring has yet to be rolled out. We are, however, treading the path and we are further down it today than we were yesterday. Will we keep on walking?

Please feel free to comment me or email...

If you have not subscribed to the podcast (free) in Itunes already, you can listen to the mp3 here

(Thank you to Laura from the BBC for doing my intro voiceover.)

Episode 34 - Undercover Underpaid

2007-08-02T00:08:00.000+01:00

Shhh.. I am on a stake out..
An uncommon moment where I take time out from my nearly normal format and ask for feedback from anyone that has the time to have an opinion on which direction my podcast should meander next.

And with some of my own big ideas on the horizon, I also come close to begging for sponsorship so I can put them into action. I'd be happy with some feedback and perhaps one big fat life changing cheque though.. :)

Please feel free to comment me or email...

If you have not subscribed to the podcast (free) in Itunes already, you can listen to the mp3 here

Episode 33 - Billing Land Rover Show 2007

2007-07-26T23:40:00.000+01:00

A little off roading in a Series Two Land Rover at Billing Land Rover Show, Northampton, England.

Episode 32 - The Larmer Tree Festival

2007-07-20T09:15:00.000+01:00

In a wet kind of way, Summer is upon us. Somehow though one festival always seems to survive the worst of the weather under a bubble of good vibes and great music from across the globe.

Here is a random collection of moments from this years Larmer Tree Festival. I left out all the typical shots of the big name bands from the Jazz, world, and folk music scenes and instead wanted to give you a glimpse of the people and sites surrounding the magic that is the Larmer Tree festival.

Special thanks go to the Glowglobes and Billy Bragg for kind permission to use their music.

Episode 31 - Taking Liberties

2007-07-06T01:55:00.000+01:00

I pop to the cinema to see 'Taking Liberties'. A British documentary about the gradual stripping away of our civil liberties by Tony Blair's government.

For more information please visit No Liberties

and.. Basic Civil Liberties

and.. Things YOU can do

If you have not subscribed to the podcast in Itunes already, you can listen to the mp3 here

Talking George Orwell with Blair at our feet.

2007-06-26T22:22:00.000+01:00

We stand at the end of the reign of Britain's least favorite prime minister Tony Blair, at the same time standing in the rain at the grave of Eric Arthur Blair, English novelist, essayist and critic. You probably know him as George Orwell, famous for his political satires Animal farm and the world renowned '1984'.

I am joined by John Perivolaris editorial and fine art photographer as we reflect on the Blair age of big brother and the other Blair that had the foresight to write about it nearly sixty years ago.

Oh yes.. and it was Orwell's birthday.

If you have not subscribed to the podcast already, you can listen to the mp3 here

Thanks go to Lone Pigeon for the tunes.

Episode 29 - Blair's Graveside, Orwell's Birthday.

2007-06-26T02:48:00.000+01:00

John Perivolaris talks about Eric Arthur Blair (George Orwell) on the day of his birthday and close to the day Tony Blair ends his UK prime ministership.

Episode 28 - Facebook

2007-06-19T01:27:00.000+01:00

(If you have not subscribed to the podcast already, you can listen to the mp3 here or read the text below. There are some great tunes on the podcast though..)

Facebook - innocent social networking website, or high tech spy network?

The web is generational, progressive. We have truly hit web 2.0. Nowadays we acquire our social-technological skills through the internet, less face-to-face and much more face-to-screen. At school I talked and wrote letters. At Uni and the following years spent traveling, it was email. More recently it is mobile phone, email, text, i.m., forums and v.o.i.p.

Most, if not all of my friends today remain proficient at email, IM and mobile phone use. Those old friends that aren't have turned into acquaintances and some have slipped right out of sight. That rings true for some family too.

It is not uncommon for today’s 13-year-old to be communicating through gaming channels, blog comments, text messages, photo messages, mobile phones, v.o.i.p, twitter and a host of others I have yet to discover. Some of these social trends are adopted almost instantly and, virus-like cross age groups and social networks. Those involved now learn newer and easier ways of getting through to their lattice of digitally minded acquaintances.

This is old news to most of the people I communicate with, as many in my social-technological circles are old hands at all these methods and are ready to grab hold of any new techno-fad that hits their screens.

So what's really new? Well at the moment I have found myself sucked into the virtual world of facebook. Kind of a myspace for the more discerning web networker. I finally found myself giving in to the incessant barrage of facebook requests from friends that could quite easily email me, and partly though a feeling of inadequacy when people say.. Oh you don't have a Facebook account?"

Well now I do and if I thought Googles data mining activities were overt, nothing could have prepared me for Facebook. I guess all this has been a roundabout way of trying to say Facebook owns YOU. Perhaps not in physical form but as far as your virtual online life goes (and lord knows that is the largest portion of our waking lives now-a-days) Facebook owns the data, use patterns, preferences, communications and adoption trends of the entire next web generation. What’s more, the data acquired through all of your innocent online ramblings is incredibly clean, trustworthy, and as collated as any marketer could dream of.

But it's not just all marketing, there's something much more sinister in Facebook's digital files. Facebook owns the data of the first generation to live their entire lives online, a generation that will spend their lives studying and trying to get to grips with the world and its intricacies. Do I, already in my thirties, feel a generation chasm opening up between me and all those to follow?

This is all different to Google’s data collection techniques. If google takes its time behind the scenes sorting through your Google mail, blogs and web searches to profile you, Facebook is straight in there, offering you convenient little white boxes for you to fill in all of your little secrets, your hearts desires and any other personal info you may whisper a friend.

If a man in a dark suit arrived at your door unannounced asking for your name, date of birth, marital status, name of partner, political view, religious persuasion, address, phone number, details of all of your friends, lists of the kind of books you read and films you watch, poems you have written, a few diary entries and - to top it all - wanted a selection of photos with descriptions of all those in the pictures, would you busy yourself providing a shoe box with all this handy information in so he could take it away?

No? I wouldn't ether. I’d at least ask him who he was and what he wanted it for. If his answer was something about being a multinational corporation worth billions of dollars, and that he wanted to help you make friends and keep those that are your friends informed of what you are up to, would that make you any more likely to hand over your life details to him?

It’s absurd on so many levels and yet, en mass we seem to blindly offer ourselves up on a plate. The only difference is we have not been able to look these guys in their collective faces. And has anyone actually bothered to read the small print, the details in which the devil lives? Here is an extract of the first page of the many paged terms and conditions.

"All content on the Site and available through the Service, including but not limited to designs, text, graphics, pictures, video, information, applications, software, music, sound and other files, and their selection and arrangement (the "Site Content"), are the proprietary property of the Company"

Just in case that statement wasn't clear and frightening enough. I’ll put in another, long extract. If you can’t be bothered to read it, it can be summarized thus: “I hereby surrender all rights of ownership, control and use of everything I’ve posted on Facebook.” In legal jargon, that looks like this:

"When you post User Content to the Site, you authorize and direct us to make such copies thereof as we deem necessary in order to facilitate the posting and storage of the User Content on the Site. By posting User Content to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to the Company an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such User Content for any purpose on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such User Content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing. You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content."

You may say that this is the norm. If so, how did we let it get this way? Is our privacy worth this little? Wikipedia has a concise history and also raises the privacy issue quoting a line that has appeared in facebook's privacy agreement as stating "We may use information about you that we collect from other sources, including but not limited to newspapers and Internet sources such as blogs, instant messaging services and other users of Facebook, to supplement your profile."

Another clause that some users are critical of reserves the right to sell users' data to private companies, stating "We may share your information with third parties, including responsible companies with which we have a relationship."

So in a nutshell, what are the pros and cons? Anything that fosters communication and spreads ideas has some inherent goodness. Its design makes it ridiculously easy to use and it is always good to meet new people. Combine that with the fact it is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week and you are allowed to advertise and it is hardly surprising people are flocking to use it.

With all I’ve just said regarding the terms of use and privacy, you would think this enough for people to be wary. Many are. Have look about the web and you will see more than a few concerned people, critical of Facebook.

In my opinion it’s all too easy for some people to become addicted to it, and obsessed by what is a distraction. It breeds procrastination. There is no real human interaction only odd, counterfeit relationships; people pretending to be interested in others, in the hope they collect more friends to look at their facts and figures, blogs and interests.

Also, it is open to anybody and everybody, be they sales people, government agents or stalkers. Who is really behind the icon? When communication is reduced to a few lines of text, how do we know what's really being implied? How can we really communicate?

This is all coupled with the incredible technology designed purely for extracting personal, and potentially useful information. Frankly, I can’t see why an educated and informed person would even log on.

Curiosity maybe? We’ll go ahead, sign up if you dare, but before you do, do some homework on what you’re signing up for. Take a look around the web and read some of the concerns. To save time you could just head over to my blog at www.Documentally.com and there is a whole host of links. You may even stumble apon the speculation that the C.I.A and the shadowy 'Information Awareness Office' have links to funding of Facebook.

Ultimately the decision is yours. As long as you are fully aware that in this Orwellian community all you write, post, mention, show, mail, blog and comment is fully accessible and archived by numerous people behind the scenes and you are cool with that, then no problem. I hope nothing you write comes back to haunt you.

So in answer to my question is Facebook an innocent social networking website or a state of the art intelligence gathering organisation.?

It's both.

Don't forget you can leave a comment below or email me on: podcast (@) documentlly.com failing that please feel free to skype me at Documentally...

Just please don't ask me to chat on facebook.

Many thanks to the bands Rebel Soul Band, Kundama and Anti-Flag for letting me play their great tunes.

Further reading..

The Wikipedia Entry

A short flash film

Privacy International

Another Link

News Link

More Privacy International

Common Sense

BBC news on tracking within social networking

New Promo!

2007-06-14T01:41:00.000+01:00

I know there must have been a few people out there sick of hearing my old promo.. I know I was. So I rustled up an hour and made a new and much shorter one. It's only 30 seconds long and should be easy to squeeze into the smallest of spaces should you be kind enough play it.

I am also up for returning the favour so please go ahead and link me to your promos and I will find a place for them in my podcast too.

You can find the new shorter promo linked HERE

Episode 27 Bilderberg

2007-05-29T20:35:00.000+01:00

Meet Tony Gosling, Journalist and reasearcher behind the website Bilderberg.org.
On one late evening in Bristol, Tony gives me a brief rundown on the shadowy group that attend one of the most well know and yet secret annual meetings in the world.

Listen to the mp3

For more information.. bilderberg.org

Episode 26 Bilderberg - A Video Introduction

2007-05-09T02:07:00.000+01:00

Meet Tony Gosling.. Journalist, researcher and the man behind the website www.bilderberg.org.
He gives a quick rundown on the history of the secret meeting that happens once a year behind a curtain of security agencies and press blackouts.

Could the Bilderberg group really be the secret rulers of the world?

Check out Bilderberg.org for more info.

Episode 25 Outdoors Inside

2007-05-06T14:24:00.000+01:00

An easy listening podcast this week as I take a mini tour round the Outdoor Show hosted at the NEC in Birmingham England. We talk Bushcraft, walking, animal tracking and generally how to get out and enjoy the natural environment around you.

..Also a big Thank You to Giles of KYO Internet for all his help in hosting my podcast.

Listen and watch the mpeg

Listen to the mp3

Episode 24 Alien Implant?

2007-05-01T16:03:00.000+01:00

Meet Steve, 33 years ago he was cycling to a friends house and lost one hour fortyfive minutes of his life.

He remembers nothing, but noticed he had acquired a lump under the skin of his left forearm.

To him it was easy to explain. It was an alien implant. Having experienced strange happenings since he was 3 years old Steve is certain that things are not always as they seem and that we are most certainly not alone.

Episode 23 Escapologists

2007-04-30T20:21:00.000+01:00

Ok.. Don't shout at me for trying my hand at a video podcast. I acquired a funky little camera, (the Sanyo Xacti H2) and thought I would have a play..

I am still in two minds as to whether I want to go down the video route as sound just seems to be crap on these little cameras. Especially if you can't monitor anything you are doing! I would be loathed to go out and buy an all singing, all dancing camera even if I did have the cash.

Anyway.. Please join me as escapologists from all over the United Kingdom meet in Northampton one sunny day to restrain one another and dunk buscuits in tea. Houdini was there in spirit as well as memorabilia.

Click play below to view...

Episode 22 Coming Soon...

2007-04-20T09:28:00.001+01:00

Time's Person of the year: Me?

2007-04-05T04:44:00.000+01:00

Please Read: Time article December 06

So I have just been voted Time Magazine's person of the year. Well, thank-you Time.

Thank-you for the recognition. Of course there are millions of other bloggers/podcasters out there doing a similar kind of thing, many of them better than me. But as I am to share this award with them I guess you already know that.

I would also like to thank the corporate media, people like yourselves, without whom I would not have been able to find my own opinion. I would like to thank them for making me switch off, for making me sick at heart, for making me angry.

Hoarse from shouting at the TV, bored of tired newspapers, and with radio's banalities still ringing in my ears, I climbed the stairs to my spare room and turned on the computer. Another small revolution had started.

From that spare room - the room I sit in now - I began to explore the world, clicking into other perspectives, trying to get a bearing on some kind of meaningful truth. One not screened for my viewing dis-pleasure by the fat advertising executives glutting Corporations Incorporated.

Out there, online, there are so many distractions, so many opinions. There is diversity. Most importantly, when I shouted at this screen, it shouted back. As technology lowers the cost of publishing, suddenly there was a deeper, wider, discourse cutting through the fogs of official disinformation/misinformation/partial truths. I could make my own mind up.

What was I going to do with my newfound knowledge? Start a blog? But I am a pictures man, not a writer, and to take pictures I had to be there, not in the spare room.

So I went.

It wasn´t until I sat in the back of the dusty Turkish taxi and said "Iraq please mate" that I realised I was not on holiday.

As far as beating the 'pros' at their own game, that's not for me to say. Those pros stuck on a roof in Baghdad have the right to say they are there, they have some form of expertise. They have their bragging rights (even if many could do their jobs - rewriting wire service copy, sending out their Iraqi staff to do the real work - equally well in London, Barbados or anywhere else). They also, of course, have their Masters, their 90 second time slot, their worries about feeding banalities to vacuum that is the 24hr news beast.

My advantages? I am not afraid to speculate, to use some intuition (that stuff editors and management boards like to crush as soon as possible). As long as my 'news' remains free then I'm comfortable with that.

If a blogger turns pro they were never really blogging. They were building a portfolio in the hope they too could be a part of the corporate media.

I'm not sure if I believe that last sentence, but it has the ring of truth to it. Why join a revolution only in the hopes of one day selling out?

The fact is no one has offered to pay me to podcast. If it were to happen, I'd have to see what direction my content would go. Would it go corporate? Would it lose what edge it has? Or would the money allow me to push further and harder, to do better?

My thoughts at the moment on this subject: I feel it is the duty of the viewer/subscriber to donate something to any podcast/blog they appreciate. It can be money, it can be praise or criticism, inspiration or friendship. In so doing they are trying to help keep something good alive; they are reviving our dwindling hopes for genuine freedoms.

These are early days and it's hard to see where all of This is going. For now though I'll happily accept my small part of the person of the year award. If only because I get the sense we are, after many wrong turns, on the right road again.

Letter from the people of Britain:

2007-03-10T18:41:00.001Z

Dear Citizens of America:

In light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the Revocation of Your Independence, effective immediately. Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories excepting Kansas, which she does not fancy. Your new prime minister, Tony Blair, will appoint a governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect: (You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

1. Look up aluminium, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.

2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'favour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without Skipping half the letters and the suffix ize will be replaced by the suffix ise. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up vocabulary).

3. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as US English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of -ize.

4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.

6. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

7. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean.

8. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

9. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) -roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.

10. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

11. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

12. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie MacDowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.

13. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full Kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).

14. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 21% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable.

15. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

16. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).

17. Daily tea time begins promptly at 4 PM with proper cups, never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; strawberries in season.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Sincerely,
The people of Britain

*written originally by John Cleese

Episode 21 - The Conversation

2007-03-04T00:46:00.000Z

Eavesdrop on three people in a very noisy pub. All podcasters, one the voice of the toaster from Red Dwarf, another who wishes to remain anonymous. Through differing opinions, we talk about podcasting and the corporations, politics, spiritual truth and the shadowy figures that may, or may not fashion the societies we live in.

A few beers later after talk of Secret societies, Bush, Blair and hopes for the future, I head for home.. and nearly don't make it.

I know it has been a while since my last podcast and thank you to those that are still subscribed and listening. This one, although recorded late last year, is something I really wanted to put out there as it was not planned and happened on the fly over a couple of beers with new found friends.

When i found the recording still on my digital recorder stuffed in a plastic bag, in a box, under a pile of stored junk, I just had to stick it in a podcast straight away. What you hear at the beginning of the podcast is the moment i found my recorder.

It was a very noisy and packed pub but with headphones on, I feel the background will fade to a familiar murmur as you too have a drink and join in the discussion.

I hope you will agree that although this recording is a couple of months old, it is still valid and though things have moved on a little politically, the undercurrents are still swirling the same way.

Please feel free to leave comments below. It's always great to hear from you.
Enjoy.

Listen to the podcast here. Or subscribe free of charge by searching for documentally.com in itunes.

Episode 20 - Mark Thomas

2006-11-29T11:08:00.000Z

Meet Mark Thomas. Comedian, protester, activist and now author.

Join me on a trip to one of his sold out gigs and afterwards, a few snatched words with the man himself.

There is more of his work here:
A protest Clip
A Surveillance Clip
The Dispatches Programme
Marks Website

The song I played was called Cows With Guns By Dana Lyons

Listen to the podcast here. Or subscribe free of charge by searching for documentally.com in itunes.

Episode 19 - Those Who Face Death

2006-10-18T00:26:00.000+01:00

I am having a play at making a video podcast..

Last year I took a trip with a friend, to one country sliding into civil war and another that isn't allowed to exist.

We crossed into Iraq from Turkey, over the internationally recognised border, moving from the fringes of Europe to the Middle East. But southern Turkey is a Kurdish area, and so is northern Iraq. Ask any Kurd and they'll say you've been in the same country all along; Kurdistan.....

Check out the PPN Forum HERE

Listen and watch the mpeg

Episode 18 - Vox Pop

2006-10-10T09:35:00.000+01:00

'The Voice of the people'.

Having been given a selection of questions from my US listeners, I tried to find a small cross section of the UK population to answer them as honestly as possible.

Some of the answers I got back surprised me. Not because of the opinions but because of who actually harboured these opinions.. I would like to stress that the answers I got back do not necessarily reflect the opinion of myself or this podcast although some of the opinions are pretty close to the mark.

Also, please do not confuse these answers here with the voice of the majority of British public. I had wanted to ask for contributions from more people but in the end had to settle for five as I wanted to keep the podcast at around an hour in length.

The people kind enough to give me a few moments of their time were:

Dave, ex Royal Air Force and now the manager of a print shop.

Donna, mother and assistant manager of a photographic supplies.

Alan, Owner and manager of a stationary store.

Pete, Professional musician and owner of a recording studio.

Paul assistant head teacher of a London secondary school.

Check out the PPN Forum HERE

Listen and watch the mpeg

Listen to the mp3

World Wide Listeners.

2006-09-18T15:34:00.000+01:00

As I sit here in little ol' England I am pleased to say there have been people listening to my podcast from afar afield as:

Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romainia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Seychelles, South Africa, Serbia and Montenegro, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan, Thailand, The United Arab Emirates, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, USA, Venezuela and Vietnam.Including England this is only sixty six out of approximately 335 recognized countries and territories so although I am amazed how many people in far off places have found me, it could still be a while before I proclaim a world wide listenership. :)

I myself spent a good many years travelling to around 56 countries and I would love to hear from any listeners from weird and wonderful places I know nothing about.

It's interesting to see with it's massive population there is still no one in China that has logged on.. I guess they must be using Google ;)

Episode 17 - Protest Music

2006-09-11T14:02:00.000+01:00

Chasing Rainbows - Mi Projekt
Maybe not - Cat Power
Anthrax - Kimya Dawson
Pictures Of Adolf - Jim O'Rourke and Glenn Kotche
Baghdad Suite - 1,000 Paper Cranes
Jacobs Ladder - Chumbawamba
Buisiness - Stephen Smith
Special Delivery - MC Frontalot
Bombs away Lock and Load - Hugh Birdsall

All the Music in this podcast is supplied with kind permission.

Check out Mi Projekt

Listen and watch the mpeg

Listen to the mp3

Episode 16 - Power to The People

2006-08-25T01:36:00.000+01:00

Imagine fueling your car whilst bypassing the oil companies and being more environmentally frendly at the same time. Sound too good to be true.

In this podcast we meet the guy who can make it happen.

Mark Sear is one of the first few to take biodiesel production out of it's underground hiding place and into the light of a brighter cheaper and ultimately greener future.
UK Fuel Tech

Filling Stations

Make your own biodiesel

US BioDiesel Info

Listen and watch the mpeg

Listen to the mp3

Many thanks to Sarah Bear for the use of her song 'Power To The People'. You can find her here... Sarah Bear

New Media Revolutionaries

2006-08-17T12:18:00.000+01:00

There is a new forum just started for podcasters and fans of podcasting a like.

Set up by the Progressive Podcasting Network (of which i am a member) you can find the forum here...

http://www.newmediarevolutionaries.com

Do please check it out and join in the discussion.

Episode 15 - David Icke (Part Two)

2006-08-12T08:20:00.000+01:00

Pamela Icke, David's wife says a few words introduction about the plight David is currently in and the rest of this podcast is another quality hour taken from David Icke's Brixton Talk.

Once again I have found it difficult to find audio that is not making a direct reference to the visuals that accompany David's talk but if you watch the enhanced version of the podcast you will see a few pix I have managed to include.

More information on David's situation here... http://www.davidicke.com/content/view/1772/1772/

Listen and watch the mpeg

Listen to the mp3

Want to include my promo in your podcast? you can find it HERE

Episode 14 - Don't Dismiss David Icke

2006-06-26T15:40:00.000+01:00

David Icke, former sportsman, commentator and now, professional researcher travelling the world giving talks and writing books on who and what is really controlling our world.

His beliefs have made him the subject of ridicule for over 15 years. But has the tide turned?

David Icke is now a highly sought after orator with venues selling out over the world as people pack venues to hear his lectures.

In this podcast I just offer a glimpse into his incredible 6 hour lectures. I made the recordings at Brixton Academy while also taking photos.

Without the visual aspect of his lectures I have had to edit this as many of the references to the screen don't make sense without the pictures.

If you would like to hear more of the lecture please email me at podcast@documentally.com

David Icke's work can be found on www.davidicke.com as can the full DVD set of his lectures.

David Icke is in a situation and needs help, you can find more here... http://www.davidicke.com/content/view/1772/1772/

Listen and watch the mpeg

Listen to the mp3

Want to include my promo in your podcast? you can find it HERE

Episode 13 - Sail Away

2006-06-05T22:02:00.000+01:00

Recently I have been getting away from it all.

So from a mountain villa in Spain I ponder feedback from the last interview.. Talk about a couple of podcasts I really like and introduce you to the ukulele as played by Dr Sparkles in the song 'Sail Away'.

Podcasts I talk a little about can be found here..

The War On Democracy

Citizen Against Lies

Watch It Burn

You can subscribe to them all on itunes, please take a look.

And as I said, the featured song is 'Sail Away' by Dr Sparkles.
Included here by kind permission, please take the time to check out his website and other tunes that you can listen to online!

DoctorSparkles.com

The lyrics are HERE

Episode 12 - Haw's Law

2006-05-19T00:06:00.000+01:00

Not an anti war protester but a peace campaigner. Meet Brian Haw, A hobo hero that demands you listen to what he has to say.

For five years he has slept outside the houses of parliament under a piece of plastic. He tells those with the power things they don't want to hear. Tired and horse he has upset the government so much, they created a law just for him.

Reluctantly famous he sits on his island and conducts interviews with the world on his mobile phone. At the same time in Mexico priests throw bricks at the windows of radio stations in an attempt to quiet his harsh words.

Listen and watch the mpeg

Listen to the mp3

Visit Brian's website at http://www.parliament-square.org.uk/

Want to include my promo in your podcast? you can find it HERE

Episode 11 - Love Laughs At Locksmiths

2006-05-08T15:21:00.000+01:00

People have been picking locks since the invention of the chastity belt.

Meet Mick Hanzlik, an associate member of the inner magic circle, an expert on the greatest escapologist ever to have lived and working in what he belives to be the second oldest profession of all time, locksmithing.

We talk about the life and death of Houdini, how the authorities manage to pop in when you pop out and how some modern day escapologists no matter how skilled, just can't escape their ego's.

Listen and watch the mpeg

Listen to the mp3

More info:
Handcuffs.org
The Magic Circle

Episode 10 - Shamanism and other paths

2006-04-18T22:06:00.000+01:00

Fancy a worldwide revolution of spirit?

Meet Martin Pollecoff. In the 70's he sold enlightenment for £169. We talk about the myth of Castaneda, the secret of happiness and how enlightenment can get you laid, but might not make you happy.

There has been a bit of a gap between this podcast and the last. I had never planned on a weekly release but the way things are going I may have to think about a monthly.. :) I have been moving my office and computer from room to room as the electrics and plumbing in my house get re-vamped. Chaos. Still here we are. Please leave a comment so i know you are still out there...

Listen and watch the mpeg

Listen to the mp3

To read more info from Martin please click HERE

If you don't want to leave a comment you can always leave an email..

Episode 09 - A Musical Interlude.

2006-04-01T16:27:00.000+01:00

I have been busy with house renovations and work stuff this week. In amongst the chaos I have managed to line up a couple of potential interviews that will require a bit or organisation, travel and a whole lot of luck.

To keep you going this week I have recorded a special edition musical interlude. So I am just checking in really, to see if there is anyone out there. Also included in this weeks recording are a couple of promos and a song called 'Fuzzy' from an old band I used to be in called Koniguan.

Please take the time to leave a comment below. Your feedback is always apreciated.

Listen and watch the mpeg

Listen to the mp3

Episode 08 - Speed Demon

2006-03-25T16:30:00.000Z

Meet Colin, speed demon, propulsions engineer, record breaker.

Colin and his team drove into the record books at over 300 miles per hour breaking the British land speed record in 1999.

They are so bored waiting for someone to challenge it that they are planning to break it again.

In the mean time he built an electric streamliner and also challenges the world electric land speed record.

Two weeks after smashing the British record, Northamptonshire police sent Colin on a speed awareness course for doing 34 miles an hour.

I personally think he is more than just a little aware of what speed is.

Listen and watch the mpeg

Listen to the mp3

Episode 07 - Josh

2006-03-21T11:12:00.000Z

I just found out about a friends death.

He was a great musician able to play anything you put infront of him. I am glad he managed to record some of his music for those left behind.

Listen to the mp3

Episode 06 - Ken Dodd & Spacemen 3

2006-03-13T20:51:00.000Z

For this podcast we are in the company of Will Carruthers, musician, fugitive, amateur botanist and if you don't buy his new album... Creative accountant.

Ken Dodd and Spacemen 3 are some of the topics discussed and to top it all there is an acoustic version of 'Van Fever Incident'.

Will's site is at WillCarruthers.com where you can also find all the details of his new album 'Home Improvement For Condemned Buildings.'

Listen and watch the mpeg

Listen to the mp3

Episode 05 - Podcast Blues

2006-03-11T22:09:00.000Z

It's been a mad week with me having to email photos to publications all around the world. As a result, I have had little time to prepare my normal 20-30 minute podcast. :)
This podcast does however include a song recorded at the end of epsode 4's interview with Tree. It's a simple Blues track jammed and recorded in one take.

I hope you enjoy it...

Listen to the mp3

Episode 04 - Mood Swings

2006-03-05T14:32:00.000Z

Bipolar disorder (aka manic depression)

Our moods are rarely completely stable, if they were the world would be a very boring place. Feeling happy and sad is important. Much of our self learning is done by comparing one against the other.

It's not the recurring pattern of these moods that causes problems, it's the severity. In bipolar disorder aka Manic Depression the mood swings aren't like the normal highs and lows of daily life. It's characterised by extreme mood swings, from deep depression to extreme elation. These severe highs and lows may alternate, or there may be long periods of stability between them. Some people with Bipolar suffer mainly from depression, with only occasional manic phases.

During a manic or high phase, people feel enormously energetic and powerful and tend to become hyperactive, going without sleep and starting totally unrealistic schemes or projects. Some people find they're very creative. However, problems arise when the mood spins out of control and the person behaves in ways that they later find deeply embarrassing. It's quite common for someone to lose touch with reality and, for example, run up enormous debts or invite total strangers to their home. There can also be unfortunate consequences of decisions taken while very high in mood.

The depressive phase is similar to other forms of depression. It's characterised by a lack of energy and interest in life, low self-esteem, and feelings of guilt and despair. Sometimes the person will be suicidal.

In this episode we meet 'Tree', I will leave it to the listener to decide which phase they think he is in right now. He speaks openly and frankly about how Bipolar Disorder has and still is affecting him. One minute he is completing highly paid design contracts for top London agencies and the next he manages to spend a years wages in three months on alcohol alone.

The exact causes of bipolar disorder aren't known, but stressful life events, unresolvable problems, or emotional damage in childhood may play a part, possibly combined with genetic factors.

Listen and watch the mpeg

If you find any of the subjects covered in this podcast effect or relate to you and your life please visit the following links for more information:

http://bipolar.about.com/

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bipolar.cfm

http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.bipolar.html

http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis/p20-md02.html

http://www.bpkids.org/site/PageServer

http://www.mind.org.uk/

Please Donate

2006-03-05T13:11:00.000Z

The more astute of you out there may have noticed a donate button apear on the bottom right of this blog..

If you have liked anything you have heard so far, please donate any amout you like so that I can cover some of my ongoing costs and ultimately create a better podcast.

Thankyou

Episode 03 - A Woman At War

2006-02-25T19:14:00.000Z

Meet Lilian, an environmental activist and a professional at that. A woman with a mission up against much bigger powers than herself.

She represents a town half asleep and only barely aware of the threat she proclaims is killing them off one by one.

Click HERE for the mpeg

Episode 02 - Frustrated Artists and The Daleks

2006-02-21T22:24:00.000Z

The next installment of Documentally is now online to download. But if you have subscribed you would know that and infact already have it... Go on.. it's free. :)

In this episode...

Meet Max: a kindly, sentisitive soul without a mean streak. He lives and works in Rugby. He really wanted to be an artist, and almost still does. But he isn't. He repairs mobile phones. He likes the Darleks and isn't sure who he'd save from a burning building: Ziggy Stardust or Jesus.

Don't forget to email your thoughts and feedback so your listening experiance can be improved. Already my 'fat harry white' voice over is being slated. It was never meant to be taken seriously but I need to think about where it is placed as it can sound really pathetic.

Feel free to send me your own voice overs and trailers saying... "You are listening to Documentally.com".. or what not.." Hi my name is....... and your listening to Documentally.com". All impersonations of real life famous folk also appreciated..
Click HERE for the mpeg

Cheers.

Itunes link

2006-02-19T09:46:00.000Z

itunes have approved my podcast and it is viewable HERE

And don't forget..

Click Here ..to download the enhanced Documentally podcast episode one.

...And Here ..to listen to Documentally podcast episode one as a lo-fi mp3.

I am in the process of editing episode 02 which should be ready real soon.

Episode 01 - An Introduction

2006-02-17T14:41:00.000Z

PLEASE NOTE: Apples users browser 'Safari' won't let you download enhanced podcasts so please make sure you are browsing with any other browser... like firefox.

The first episode, also my first ever podcast, starts with an intro reasoning why I will no doubt be spending hours faffing about with software I know nothing about.

Although I initially sound like a smarmy politician I soon relax and tell you about what's to be expected as well as the kit I will be using for the job.

It is day one on a project with no idea how far it wants to go, so If you do want to steer things with suggestions and ideas please email your ideas and comments.

You could even just drop me a comment to say you have heard the podcast...

Thanks.

Click Here ..to download the enhanced Documentally podcast episode one.

I have had a few requests to add the lyrics for the song on the end of the podcast so here you go.. :)

Orwell Country by RiotLove

I'm looking for the words. To sing along with friends.

Now-a-days step out of line and their waiting round the bend.
There's not much left you can talk about so sneak it in a song, and if country's what i think it is why don't you sing along..

Alright! Sing along with me now, come on!

Please can you tell me somehow in this song. Please somebody tell me where this country's going wrong.

We got chips that go with everything and phone taps in our home, store cards do detective work much better than James Bond.

So tell me something different I think human rights are dead, we got cameras in our schools and ASBO's for our friends.

And then we got democracy, our votes are just a joke, if i could speak to Orwell you know he'd say "I told you so."

Well Bless you, if it wasn't so insane, this would be funny, thank you, Ye-har!

Welcome Potential Listener

2006-02-16T15:15:00.000Z

Welcome to the new 'Documentally' podcast...

It's a full flavoured audio/visual production with photos and interviews.

Although it can be enjoyed on both your computer in quicktime or within itunes and the latest video ipods, if you want to download the lo-fi files you can also enjoy on a standard mp3 player.

About twelve episodes are planned but if there is interest there could well be more.

When not at the computer I will be out and about with a pocket digital recorder sticking it in the faces of the unsuspecting public and hoping to shed a glimmer of light on the workings of the average everyday persons mind.