supersimbo..........

Agenda.............

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:42:00 +0000

"Some people want to do things because they are interesting.
Some people want to do things because they work.
Some people want to do things because everyone else is doing them.

And some people are satisfied/scared/shy/lazy and don't do anything.

Think about blogging or buying a new pair of shoes or voting for a candidate or picking one career over another. Different people have very different agendas. The key in understanding someone's actions is understanding their agenda.

That salesperson who does everything by the book is not interested in the thrill of discovery. That retired steel worker that is hesitating to vote for your candidate is wondering what everyone else is going to do. And that unpredictable blogger keeps changing the rules because the rules bore him." Seth Godin

what is your agenda? I am the guy in the last sentence, i may not be very unpredictable in the grand scheme of things but here is the thing. The rules bore me! The rules about EVERYTHING bore me, just ask my mother if i ever did anything the expected way. My way of doing things has always been 'arse about face' as they say here in Ireland, and i think this is why. Rules, regulations and guide-lines? They are not compatible with my little brain.................

The Shack....

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:10:00 +0000

I know i know, 2 clips in a row is not good BUT i felt that with the current financial crisis looming large over the planet that perhaps there would be something in the 'christian' book world that might be of some encouragement.............

my pleasure!

If i could sing..........

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:01:00 +0000

I wish it would be like this monster from Sheffield! There just are no singers like this dude these days.......

Correct me if im wrong! What singer would you be?

Thomas Skaar

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:28:00 +0000

I was not going to blog this story for a few reasons but in the midst of an online conversation tonight with Stevo some things were put into perspective and i decided i would just say a few words. I did not know Thomas personally. He was sound technician for Compass who we have gotten to know and love over the last year via atiG and Philip. Thomas suddenly and tragically died on Monday night, so far almost 300 people have joined a group on facebook to pay their respects to this seemingly, much loved and talented guy. I am not sure what else to say, please join us in prayer as we remember Thomas's family and friends and the Compass guys as they come to terms with this awful tragedy.

If you leave any comments i will transfer them to the group on facebook.

Empty Pulpits

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:35:00 +0000

"No country has discarded religion faster than Ireland. Priests are the most demoralised people. This title argues that Irish experience has news for the fundamentalists, who think nothing ever changes - but also for the hard atheists, who don't understand religious culture from the inside." Malachi is well known in Northern Ireland: he is one of our best-known journalists and broadcasters, who writes and speaks on politics, religion, art, poetry and culture generally. William Crawley has a lengthy post on the book here. I am looking forward to reading the book now.

What more can i say.......

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:20:00 +0000

Yep!! Its so true!

H/T Gary Boal

Oasis : Dig out your Soul

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:36:00 +0000

Tesco tonight and the first thing in our shopping trolley was this record, the new and highly anticipated release from Oasis. It is literally on its first play while i type this so it may be too early to give an honest opinion but first impressions are pretty good. Lets be straight here, at one point i would have argued with anyone that this band were the best in the world, i was such a fan, it was bordering on a teenage crush, only i was not a teenager! Despite a few dodgy years and some pretty boring releases i pretty much always need to get the new album as soon as it comes out, because i still love these guys. They have something that many artists and bands can only dream of, they are 'rock n roll,' whatever that means and they carry it well, still! So far we have had an obligatory nod to The Beatles and especially John Lennon from Liam in one of his songs but all in all it sounds good. Grab it from iTunes

Anyone heard it yet??

update: after a few listens, yes they have it! Q magazine were kind of critical of half the album and yes Noel's songs are largely the best BUT 2 out of Liam's 3 efforts are great stuff, he has it! This is never going to be as highly acclaimed as their early albums but its a strong effort from the dudes! Rock on

Memory Lane Monday no.13

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:42:00 +0000

When i was about 15 or 16 i had the cold all the time! Literally every two weeks just as i was getting rid of it i would get it again, this went on for probably a year, maybe 2. So, when i get the cold it brings back fond memories for me! We have been back & forth with the cold now for about 2 weeks and last night i felt like i had a brick in my nasal passage. I hardly slept and as a result i dont think Cherith slept much either, apparently my snoring was monumental. I kept waking up cuz i could hardly breath and here we are this morning sniffing, sneezing, cold and complaining! Just like way back in the day! haha

what mac sees...............

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 22:39:00 +0000

Whose Leg is it anyway?

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:23:00 +0000

When designing, editing etc it can be easy to make mistakes, small ones though, not huge awful stupid ones likes this?

H/T Photoshop Disasters

Pointless waste of time?

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:21:00 +0000

Cherith called this a 'pointless waste of time' on her blog. How does it work? Well, Turn your I-pod on, Do the Shuffle and answer each question accordingly. I cheated once and skipped past a stupid one BUT other than that this is exactly how my iPod dealt my answers out, some of them are very interesting, perhaps too true? The first one made me YELP!!

The Questions:
1. How are you feeling today? Hear me Lord - George Harrison
2. Will you get far in life? The Sidewinder Sleeps tonight - REM
3. How do your friends see you? Apples aka Gino- Buddy Rich
4. Will you get married? Lose it All - Rush Of Fools
5. What is your life’s theme song? Whistlin' Past the Graveyard - Tom Waits
6. What is the story of your life? Gong - Sigur Ros
7. What was high school like? Coyote - Joni Mitchell
8. How can you get ahead in life? Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed - Seeds Family Worship
9. What is tomorrow going to be like? If i ever lose my Faith in you - Sting
10. What is the best thing about your friends? Treading Water - Foy Vance
11. What is in store for the next weekend? Soul Searchin - Solomon Burke
12. What song best describes you? Wet Sand - Red Hot Chili Peppers
13. How is your life going? Open the Door Homer - Bob Dylan & the Band
14. What song will play at your funeral? I Fall Apart - Rory Gallagher
15. How does the world see you? Low - Foo Fighters
16. Will you have a happy life? Dreamin - Weezer
17. What do your friends really think of you? Mile Away - Capital Lights
18. What song describes the person you’re attracted to? My Friend - Jimi Hendrix
19. What message would you like to tell the next generation? Bitch - The Rolling Stones
20. Do you have a deep dark secret? All My Life - Foo Fighters
21. Do people secretly lust after you? See The Light - Jeff Healey Band
22. How can I make myself happy? Clarity - Shawn McDonald
23. Will I ever have children? Cosmic Girl - Jamiroquai
24. What’s some good advice for me? All the Wild Horses - Ray LaMontagne
25. How will I be remembered? I'v Underestimated my Charm - The Black Kids
26. What is my signature dance song? How Many MOre Times - Led Zeppelin

Copy & Paste the questions & do it now!!

H/T Cherith

Sweeet Classic's

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:37:00 +0000

So i bought me some Nike's after a sudden realization that winter was just around the corner, more rain was likely and Converse are not great in the rain! I endured the train journey and short walk home with soaking wet feet, promising myself new footwear the whole way home. Nike Sweet Classic's and yes they are plain and simple but oh so sweet. Which brand do you wear?

click, bookmark or subscribe part 1

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:30:00 +0000

There are a few great photographers in my links! Here's another one; "Shelley Photography - Capturing the essence of a moment. Life in a still image... I take my camera pretty much everywhere and take photos of everything... Have a see for yourself.." and then click, bookmark or subscribe!

DOWNHERE......

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:28:00 +0000

This band, or at least their rhythm section, are responsible in part for my being a blogger! Blame them for my lunacy on the web! Anyways, in the USA they have just released their new album "Ending is Beginning," and hopefully it will soon hit the shelves in the UK. These guys are, as i have stated many times, the real deal. Their music stands out in an industry that i sometimes am too critical of, they rise above the mediocrity and have yet again crafted a superb set of songs. Their new website also rocks, with some nice new features, well done with that guys. Check out this honest review here & then Go grab the album here or here.

The new banner........

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:33:00 +0000

My wife is at a meeting this afternoon for a while and i was just playing about on photoshop, and well, you know how these things happen!! I do not want to over-spiritualize the new banner but i guess it does kind of remind me of how we are on a pathway trapped between two worlds, i did not plan that or even spot the connection until i was nearly finished with it...............

(click for larger version)

The base image is free for members at iStock this week and the images of me were taken ages ago. The brushes used to create the light effect are from here. My pleasure.................

Buy this cd no:4

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 12:47:00 +0000

The new record from these dudes, get it from amazon here or iTunes here

I nearly forgot, we are going to the show in Belfast in Dec! Can't wait! It sold out really fast!

Friday Foto's

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:52:00 +0000

The office is kind of strung together right now but we shall make it a home soon enough.......

more pictures, less words!! If you must know, ask me.......

What a week

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:19:00 +0000

This week i have wanted to pull my hair out on several occasions! Those who know me will be aware that frustration is something i do not handle very well! Anyway we got the iBook fixed at the weekend, my coffee machine is still broken and will probably end up being thrown out and then our internet crashed on sunday night. The hub/modem thing appeared to be faulty. After reporting it on Monday morning we had to go to the dentist in the afternoon where Cherith found out she needed one filling. I, on the other hand knew i had a couple of problems going on in my mouth. One broken tooth and one cracked one has already been diagnosed so when the lovely dentist lady printed the estimate i knew it would be scary!! £600 (thats $1200) for an hours work in just over 6 weeks time, i cannot wait!! Then we got the replacement hub/modem and guess what? It didn't work! It is now but but but but ahhhhhrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhh! Anyway, i think the week can only get better, i am going to sort out my new office shortly so i will blog about that soon, with pictures, providing the camera stays alive.

It could be a lot worse i suppose

TOMLIN CD WINNER

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Due to my internet being busted and moving into a new office this announcement is far later than i had promised, sorry about that!
Anwyay without further ado, the winner of the Tomlin CD giveaway is;

Travis Spencer!! Go say hi and congratulate him!! Travis was first to comment very soon after i had posted the info about the giveaway so upon serious reflection i felt that was deserving of the win!

More on the broken internet, broken coffee machine and broken tooth later!

Big shout out Sunday no 14...........

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:33:00 +0000

This week my wife's iBook suffered a stroke and we feared the worst! Then this guy fixed it on saturday afternoon in about 2 hours while we bantered about the apple store opening. He also brought us some T-shirts which was pretty cool. He has a name of course, it is Nigel, he is my cousin and he knows far more about apple mac's, web stuff and geek stuff than i could ever imagine! Big Shout OUt Dude, cheers for reviving the iBook and for the shirts!

Apple store Belfast Opens

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 11:54:00 +0000

So the Apple store opened in Belfast this morning and i was to be found in a church full of women! I was setting up a bookstall this morning so missed the opening and to be honest i have too much stuff to do today otherwise we may have nipped down later. We will see it soon!! My cousin Nigel was there early, as was Connor who managed to also get into a couple of other people's photographs, here and here! He has also blogged the news here with some of his pictures. I think i see Andrew Saunderson's little bald head in one of Connors Pics also, can you confirm that sir?? Right, i have work to do so im sure we will have more blog news on this story soon.............

Mac vs PC

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:03:00 +0000

Up until very recently i was a mac but now i am both mac and PC and what a conflict!! Hehe!! Well, i think the following ad campaign is a little misguided and not at all smart

what do you think?

CHRIS TOMLIN CD REVIEW......

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:03:00 +0000

When i began working in the FM bookshop i had heard of Chris Tomlin but i'm not sure if i could have named any of his songs. The album that was playing in the shop during my first week was Arriving, it played all day every day and it sold truck loads. I think iv told that story before on 'supersimbo!' Anyway, i was not a fan but through time i found myself appreciating the songs more and more and you know they are a huge deal when all of a sudden the local Churches are singing them. Since my introduction to Chris Tomlin, he has released another album, See The Morning, and has been to Belfast another time. His second visit was as a headline act and it was an atiG event so i was on staff at the concert. The popularity of the man and his music meant that we heard the last 2 albums a LOT in work so what of his new release? I have spun this over the last few days and first off i will say that if you like his previous albums you will not be disappointed. The production and for the most part, the songs, could all have featured on any of the last 2 records. Like them, there are stand out tracks and a couple that feel like they are 'fillers' but i can live with that. 'Sing Sing Sing' opens the album up and is kinda like 'Awesome is the Lord Most High' which is a nod back to previous work. Loads of folks had said to me about 'Messiah Jesus' in recent weeks but to be honest i wasn't sure about it. Sorry folks! 'You lifted me out' will sound great at live events, and then there is 'God of this City.' I am not a fan of Bluetree (sorry guys) but i have to say that they have written a brilliant song here and its cool to have been at the side of the stage when Tomlin and his band first heard the track. Here it is on this album and it sounds great, perhaps the best its sounded yet. I reckon the album peaks a couple more times with 'I Will Rise' and 'God Almighty' but despite being good most of the other tracks failed to really grip me. Having said that though, i could probably pick out at least half of the songs here and say they will find a place in Church Worship sometime soon. You just cannot say that about too many of the albums that get released these days and for that Tomlin is a little bit special. So, like i said, if you are a Tomlin fan, there is more than enough here to keep you happy. I wonder if he will ever make an album as good as 'Arriving' again but the boy is consistent yet again with this album.

CD GIVEAWAY: a winner will be announced on Monday, i have extended the deadline to then to try and get a few more comments!! Leave a comment here to be in with a chance!

CHRIS TOMLIN CD GIVEAWAY.........

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:06:00 +0000

Ok folks, hold onto your hats cuz i have a FREE CD for one of you! As many of you will know, the Chris Tomlin cd has just came out and i have a copy to give to someone! Who wants it? Well, here's the deal. I will post a review of the album on friday morning along with the lucky winner so you have until then to leave a comment. YES, thats right, JUST LEAVE A COMMENT along with your email address and we will pick the one we like the most. If you do not want to leave your email address publicly on my blog then you can send it to me at supersimbo@gmail.com but you MUST at least leave a comment on this post to be in with a chance of the cd! So, get going folks, be creative, be nice, say something.............

UPDATE: i originally said i would post a review on friday morning and the winner, im thinking about extending the time you have to comment to next week! I will still post a review on friday but the rules stay the same, JUST LEAVE A COMMENT!! STAY TUNED!!

Listen to some of the tracks here..........

Comments now closed 24th Sept 08! Thanks for joining in the fun!!

Stats??

supersimbo@gmail.com (supersimbo) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:40:00 +0000

So i took the sitemeter counter off the bottom of my blog! Why? Well, last week i had some crazy traffic via a few sources but the main one was due to this post which someone posted here and someone else posted here . I suddenly got a bit of an ego and yes it was bigger than normal but then my stats sucked after that, in fact last weekend was horrific. In conjunction with this the good folks at sitemeter migrated to a new site/system and i don't want to be mean to them but i think it sucks a bit. All of this combined and the fact that i have Google Analytics which could tell me what color your hair is (YES, YOU), made me decide that the flaunting of site visit stats on my page is no longer needed.