The Bedside Crow

Tecnoculto

 

Of all the sites that have discovered the Pony eReader and linked here recently (incidentally thanks to whoever sent it to BoingBoing) Tecnoculto, even though I can't understand a bloody word of it, has to be one of my favourites. At the moment they have some great Halloween stuff going on. 

And then I thought, this might be nice. I hope it is, I had plans; only I can't hear it as I only have half my electricity and no sound on my computer. But at least the shop didn't burn down, which was a distinct possibility according Al the electrician who took one look at the insides of the wall socket he had just unscrewed and said FUCK ME!

Celebrity Book Clubs

When asked, in the Books section of Saturday's (London) Times what she is currently reading, *Chick-Lit Queen* Kathy Lette replies that she is a member of a exclusive book club comprising herself, Ruby Wax, Jo Brand and Maureen Lipman, which, has one eccentric agenda - to read only each other's books.

Am I alone in thinking that this is a brilliant idea that could be extended far beyond a small club of funny ladies? How about, for example, if, this winter, every author of a celebrity biography (except Dennis Norden who is old enough and funny enough to have earned the right to pen his memoirs) were made to sign up to a similar club - it could become like a Mark Warner holiday village for the mind; while the rest of us happily vacation in Norfolk. A literary black hole, if you will.

Similarly the authors of misery memoirs - although, in this case, I think there might be a danger that Andrew Crofts (who writes them ALL) could end up, all alone and talking to himself in a darkened room.

Leaf Delivery

 

I don't know about you, but I've always wondered where those brown leaves that cover the pavement at this time of year come from. Well now I have the answer; the Leaf Pixie delivers them in his truck when we are sleeping. My guess is he was caught out today by the clocks going back by an hour at the weekend and hadn't quite finished his round when I cycled past.

As you can see, it's a beautiful morning.

The Ebox-Eyecam

Following the huge international success of the Pony eReader our kids the R and D team at Recession Industries (a division of The Bookseller Crow) have been hard at work building up a portfolio of cutting edge products very much in the manner of our contemporaries Apple. The first of these, we are pleased to announce, is the Ebox-Eyecam. It is a very simple device and one that is bound to be on a thousand-and-one letters to Santa this Christmas.

As you can see it has the uncanny facility to turn the ordinary into the iconic. Here for example, Alanis Morissett .

 

Edvard Munch's The Scream.

 

The John Terry

 

And finally, the Benny Hill.

Promises promises...

- I'm gonna have to come back next week and spend about thirty quid, but I can't let the missus know that, or there will be trouble.

He leaves quickly.

[Don't worry my friend, I'm very good at keeping a secret. In fact; if you like, I could print up some receipts with Jon's Charity Shop across the top of them and I could just write one out for a couple of quid. No?]

Justine's latest Families South East review: October

SO I’M DRIVING home after a trying set of swimming lessons topped off by the kid who ducked under a hundred times, despite my threats, and on the ninety-ninth time came up with two massive green candles sticking out of her nose.

Continue reading.

And it's Tidy Up Time over here.

I receive a postcard from the Frankfurt Bookfair.

Ahh a veritable Luftwaffe of chickens coming home to roost in 'Mitteleurope' over past few days. Mephitic pall of apocalyptic economic doom & gloom overshadowing the 'Fair'. Anglo/American hall really deserted & by Saturday tumbleweed blowing down the deserted aisles. Boomtime / clowntime is over at last. The long awaited Cull is upon us & about fcking time too. Stand by for a Bull market in Schadenfreude hahahaha!

Little Visitor

Dept. of Lost and Found.

I swear he wasn't sitting at the table quietly reading when I left last night.

Hello monkey!

The remains of last night's dinner

Or supper if you're posh. Or scran, if like me, you grew up in a Melton Mowbray tenement.

Delicious whole cracked crab with Singapore style noodles at the lovely Joanna's.

Justine's review to appear in the next issue of The Transmitter.

The number and quality of places to eat out in our little neighbourhood is quite amazing.

Harry Hill Joke Book

Magically nicked from Faber.