Spaced - the best UK sitcom ever?

I've long been a big fan of Spaced, which is where Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright got their first big breaks. I'm pleased that it's going to be re-made for America, but have a lot of sympathy for the original team behind it.

Not only did they find out that their programme was going to be re-made by reading about it in the trade press, but they also don't have to give any permission for it, and probably won't earn anything from it.

I have every expectation that the US version is pants in comparison to the original...

Saga and the DWP - blogs and social networks for the over 50s

Silver surfers seem to be getting a lot of digital attention recently. (Dad - this is you!)

What with the DWP's foray into blogging. (Nice idea but will it catch on? Looking forward to the Hansard Society's review). And then Saga's ever-so-slightly-clunky social network, Saga Zone which has got heaps of print coverage. There are three reasons why I think this will do very well, and is an extremely canny business move

1) The Grey economy is booming and will continue to do so
2) Broadband is now pretty ubiquitous
3) Retired people have got more time (and spend more time online).

Couple that with Saga's decent business sense and an opportunity for some subtle cross promotion of their own products and you've got something that will stick around forever. Maybe even long enough for me to be able to sign up for it with my real birth date...

How liberal are you?

Cracking story from the Mail (where else?) which went big on the fact that

A survey of BBC employees with profiles on the site [Facebook, where else?] showed that 11 times more of them class themselves as "liberal" than "conservative".

I want to take it with a pinch of salt, as I don't actually care. But, have to acknowledge (once again) that it demonstrates the transparency that corporates (and other networks) must simply acknowledge and accept when people go online these days, and willingly give personal information away.

What's the real deal with Microsoft and Facebook?

A minority investment, valuing Facebook at $15bn. Anything to do with the speculation about Google soon to push Orkut left, right and centre?

The best line on it all though was how news of the deal came out. According to the Guardian

News of last night's deal leaked out several hours before a formal announcement when a technology gossip website, Valleywag, noticed that Facebook's head of public relations, Brandee Barker, had suddenly added Microsoft's marketing chief, Adam Sohn, as a "friend" on her Facebook profile.

As it happens (and I didn't know this last night when I wrote the original entry) - it turns out that GoogleSocial is going to be their play in this whole area. I think Charlene Li's analysis is spot on.

The battle ahead is going to be Microsoft and Facebook v Google and everyone else (inc LinkedIn - who recently ditched Bite PR because of the Facebook conflict), Plaxo (which completely buggered up my contacts, so I'm not a fan) and the other smaller networks.

Let battle commence.

Nutsie - music on the move

Came across Nutsie by accident, but I'm hooked. As are the kids. Basically you can play of your itunes playlists from anywhere with web access - including your mobile phone. A quality app.