British Music - Praise the lord for Manchester

In a sea of X-Factor, Pop Idol it's sometimes hard to answer the question "why is British music so good?" nowadays... But then, a man who is old enough to know better, returns with everything that makes us proud of British musical style... dynamism, attitude, arrogance and overall a sonic awareness that leaves us speechless. God Bless Ian Brown, a man who's been in the business long enough to understand that real quality always shines through...

Is US advertising regulation out to lunch?

In the ongoing debate about climate change there have been many winners and losers, but what could always be said is that with debate, comes an admittance of the problem. Over the past two years the climate change conversation has come to the top of the pile, whether it be admitting the problem or denying it, at least people are talking about it.

So it is with a heavy heart I came across the C02 is Green campaign just recently launched in the US. A campaign launched by a former oil baron who, it seems, believes that C02 is actually GOOD for the environment and that we should pollute as much as possible, even going far as to say that it encourages plant growth.



I guess we should celebrate free speech, everyone should have their say, but this seems far past the mark in terms of factual truth or even beliefs. C02 is a pollutant, it is harmful to humans, and it certainly does not encourage plant growth. Now whether C02 is contributing to climate change is up for debate, but the previous points made are scientific fact.

Now here is the rub: why has the C02 is Green campaign been allowed to broadcast this information on national television in the US. It is simply misinformation and it should be punished... No? Surely that is why we have regulation... Gone are the days of cigarette companies being allowed to advertise that their wares are good for your health. So how its okay to state it for C02?

Exit Microsoft Marketing Hell

And as if by magic, one person improves that God awful Microsoft "advert" with some inventive use of the "beep" noise.

Watch and weep, this is brilliantly simple...

Enter Microsoft Marketing Hell

Just when you thought it was safe to go back online after the rather strange answer to Apple with the I AM A PC campaign, things just got much darker and terrifying. This is NOT a spoof.

Flat Crap - Ikea switches to Verdana!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Masters of minimal design, Ikea has made a rather interesting switch recently. As their 2009 catalogue appeared with its usual array of oddly named tables and dubiously constructed wardrobes, it was something else that caught the eye of UK readers... Ikea has switched from good old Futura, to the rather frighteningly bad Verdana font for it's printed material.

For those who don't know, or can't be bothered to read more, choosing Verdana for print is worse than having no font at all. At best it's a screen font, at worst it's an ugly monstrosity that is best left in the offices of Microsoft where it was invented...

To get a feel for just how awful and odd it is check this out: verdana

Maybe next they can redesign their logo in Comic Sans... :(

We Fear Change

Is it me, or have the recent tiny changes made on the Google homepage freaked you out? They've squared the dialogue buttons, and made the text bigger... It's not a lot, but everytime I land on it at the moment, it feels odd. It's such an internet staple, and has changed so little, that any small change makes you feel uncomfortable... I thought I'd hit a hoax site the first time I saw it...

Very Special Film that caught my eye

Something very amazing about this film by NY filmmaker Will Hoffman... Even nicer becuase it hasn't been hijacked to make advertising yet...

El Ganso Online Shop Launched

Independiente is proud to announce the launch of the El Ganso e-commerce facility at shop.elganso.com

The site, a bespoke build for our client, features a feature stacked package of facilities including a fully customisable back end admin facility with image resizing, currency management and adaptable and scalable options as the shop grows bigger.

With so many shop options out there, both us and our clients felt that a bespoke solution provided a simple, easy to use option rather than a "one size fits all" facility you find so often on the web which confuses users with needless options and annoys staff with extra info to complete with uploading content.

Independiente manages and creates all of El Ganso's online facilities. For more info on El Ganso click here

For more details on the site, feel free to drop a mail to alex@helloindependiente.com

Expose the fakery

This one has to be labelled under "why didn't I think of that?" section. Website www.thisbagisfake.com is entirely devote to helping you expose those who wear the less than original bag copies on streets all over the world. Simply print off the handy activist kit, standy and then act when you spot the dummy... Simple and genius...

To download your kit click here