Released today, and proof that Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe are still as relevant to the music scene as they were 25 years ago. The first single taken from their new album Yes which hits the shops on 23 March, Love Etc. is produced by Girls Aloud hit-makers Xenomania, and shows that the boys are still making top-class pop and creative waves in the music world.
Archive for March, 2009
Pet Shop Boys: Love Etc.
Monday, March 16th, 2009Now I’m a Mac user, too
Thursday, March 12th, 2009
Tuesday 3 March may well become a life-changing day. To make for a smoother publishing workflow, we’ve all switched platforms to Macs in the office. Though it’s still early days, and some of us are still adjusting to the new (and better) ways of working the new hardware enforces, most would agree that the switch has proved successful.
Not just at work, either. Though I’d used the publishing fraternity’s favourite machines in my previous job, that was over seven years ago, and they didn’t like the network at all. Since then, I’ve been an exclusive PC user in the office and at home, but not any more. Goodbye slow operating system and blaring cooling fans and hello faster, prettier working and barely whispering aluminum unibody MacBook Pro.
Living with someone who writes about Macs everyday, the switch was always just a matter of time. The machines’ arrival at work was inevitable and we knew they were coming, but I was unprepared for how fast I would want to ditch the Microsoft way of doing things (even though I did find it terribly frustrating). I’m now proud to be well and truly a Macophile, and can’t see me switching back to a humdrum and anonymous PC again.
This of course, does bring about its own set of problems. Like software programs that need new versions downloading and documents that need converting to work on the new platform. But, my old HP laptop has virtually been stripped of my stuff, and is almost ready to be mothballed. I’ve not missed it at all, and can’t wait to start using the neglected and slightly battered PowerBook G4 that has sat around in the study for ages.
It sounds silly, but an unexpected side effect is that I feel strangely happier and less stressed in my (almost) Windows-free world. And, although I’m still treating the new work machine way too much like a baby, welcome shiny new Mac world. It’s going to be fun.
Sprouting Black Russian tomatoes
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009The growing instructions on the packet of the Black Russian tomato seeds stated that they would take 7 to 10 days to germinate, and sure enough, they were correct to the letter. Today is the 10th day after we sowed them in the paper pots, and we can now see the first leaves and shoots peeping through the soil.
We actually noticed the first two on Monday, but nearly all of the plants are now showing signs of having taken, and if they continue at the this rate, it won’t be long before we can transplant them into proper pots and put them in the greenhouse.
Elsewhere, our horticultural fingers have been doing things, too. Nik had a very busy couple of hours in the garden at the weekend, planting ten broad beans, two rows of white onion sets, and a row of early cropping carrots, which we’ll replace with later ones, once these have been harvested in the early summer. We’ve also started three varieties of potatoes chitting.
As winter seems to (hopefully temporarily) take another cold grip on this week, we wonder if we’ve jumped the gun a bit. But, homemade plastic half-bottle cloches should, we hope, keep them warm and dry. It feels good to be planting once more, and means that with a bit of luck, spring is well and truly just around the corner.
New VW Polo driving game races onto the iPhone
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
The paint has barely been dry on the Geneva Motor Show cars, but Volkswagen has clearly had its eyes on the launch of the new Polo for quite some time. And, this multimedia game for the fashionable Apple iPhone clearly hints at the younger, techno-savvy market that the company is clearly chasing for its new premium supermini. Just that this new game exists is proof of that.
For its first interactive marketing venture on the iPhone platform, VW has called in the big guns. Developed by FISHLABS, the world’s leading developer and publisher of 3D racing games, VW Polo Challenge has eight animated tracks, and realistic four-point driving physics. Innovative controls and a score by up and coming German rockers Feinkost add to the game’s credibility.
As with other games for the platform, the new 3D-rendered Polo can be accelerometer-steered around its sunny landscapes by tilting the device itself, with the difficulty increasing with every track. And if driving the car around a virtual course isn’t enough, the game menu can navigate you to the nearest Volkswagen retailer via GPS and Google Maps so that you can put pedal to the metal on real roads (after you’ve read the included press pack, of course).
The German car maker appreciates the marketing value of the gaming application, and claims it is breaking integrated communication ground. Michael Schade, CEO of FISHLABS Entertainment GmbH is equally believing of the product, too: ‘VW has really touched the zeitgeist with the 3D racing game for the new Polo. Games are by far the most popular application for these groundbreaking Apple platforms, and with the help of our large fan community of umpteen million mobile gamers, the new Volkswagen Polo will spread like wildfire.’
Though not the first manufacturer-approved racing game (there’s also the Audi A4 Driving Challenge, while BMW has commissioned a Z4-based application), VW Polo Challenge is fun to play (though not for users with heavy-handed coordination like me), and looks great. Available for the iPhone and iPod touch, it can be downloaded now (free of charge) from the Apple iTunes Apps Store.
Freshly-minted Volkswagen Polo for US drivers?
Monday, March 9th, 2009
After the flurry of last week’s Geneva Motor Show unveiling, more news and footage (see below) of the new Polo has been leaching from Volkswagen. First though, the bad news: it’s been reported that prices in the UK may rise by £500 (but it appears that you do get much more car for the money), and three-door versions arrive here in December, two months after the family friendly five-door models.
Not to worry, though, as it should be worth the wait.
One market that has waited for far too long is the US. The Golf (or Rabbit as it’s known Stateside) has long been the smallest Volkswagen on sale in the US, but that could be about to change. The Polo has never been sold to American punters in all its 34-year history, but many websites across the pond are reporting stories about an imminent turnaround.
Volkswagen Group of America CEO Stefan Jacoby has reportedly recently confirmed that the company now thinks the time is right to import the Polo, and finally make it a proper world car. On sale in China, South Africa, South America, and of course its mainstay market of Europe, it has always eluded US buyers. It makes sense – VW could make the car in its Mexican plant at Puebla alongside the Jetta and New Beetle models.
Primarily using the car to triple its annual US sales volumes to around 800,000 units, reports state the Polo could hit American shores as early as 2010/2011 to take full advantage of the small car market, currently the fastest-growing segment in the country. Jacoby’s statement of intent comes after VW’s development chief Ulrich Hackenberg spoke to Automotive News at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in January.
US Volkswagen enthusiasts have long hankered after the Polo (especially the GTI and more recently, the BlueMotion, although the new version does remind me of the Dodge Caliber), with forums abuzz with comments asking VW to import the car. Following the reports from the last couple of months, the big question is, are they about to be rewarded for their patience?