I am Ashley Elsdon

someone who's doing some things

Category: Stuff

Yeah, just general stuff. Basically this is where I’ll put everything that doesn’t go anywhere else. You always need that kind of category right.

I’ve been looking for a long time

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Back in the 80s I used to listen to John Peel’s show. It is where many of my musical tastes were formed and a lot of the artists I first heard on his show are people I still listen to now. But there are still one or two things that I have never found. One thing I have never found was a session on one of his shows. I can’t remember the name of the artist or the names of any of the tracks. You can see why this is a problem right?

All I know is that the session, if indeed it was a session, was all about a utopian world. It was futuristic kind of science fiction music. I recorded it, but on reel to reel, which is what I used to use back then. Of course now I no longer have access to that machine although I may still have the reels. But the reels might be solidified by now anyway.

I doubt that I will ever rediscover this music. Which is a shame. But every now and then I have a look for it. To date, always in vain.

Why is there no watch face for just apps?

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Unless I’ve missed something there is no watch face which just has slots or spaces for apps. I tend to use watch faces which have as many slots or spaces as possible for accessing the apps on my watch. However, it seems silly not to just have a watch face that just has apps in it. I would find that really useful.

Avant Garde Composers Top Trumps

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Now that Christmas is done for another year I thought I would share one of the more interesting things I received. I believe that these came from a seller on Etsy, and I can thoroughly recommend them. They are a lot of fun. I have only played once and that was with my two teenage nephews who very graciously agreed to play a game with me using these.

The cards themselves are quite lovely. Nicely made and with listening recommendations for each composer. Not all of the recommendations I agreed with however.

If you’re interested in getting these, you can find them on Etsy here.

I am annoyed that Blocks Smartwatch will never see the light of day

Posted by on in Stuff, Tech, Wearable Computing2 Comments

I know that you can’t guarantee that a Kickstarter project will come about. But when a project raises $1.5m+ and ends up with less than £20k in the bank you have to ask about why and how that happened. This is the case with the Blocks Smartwatch. It did really well on kickstarter and now is in receivership. I’m annoyed about this.

No one is going to get what they ordered. No one is going to get their money back. How do you turn all that cash into a complete failure? I just don’t know.

It makes me, and I’m guessing the other 500 odd backers, a lot more cautious about putting down money for Kickstarter campaigns that may never see the light of day. I’ve still got a couple that are now years behind schedule and fairly doubtful about. These days I find myself resisting most interesting ideas on Kickstarter simply because of being burnt once already.

I would have liked to have seen this device come to life. I think the idea of modular things, but perhaps it was just never to be.

Quarantine week 1

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Like so many people in this country and across the planet, I am isolating myself. Luckily with family, so I’m not totally alone, but nevertheless it is a strange and seemingly sudden change to how we live.

One thing that impresses me is how we have all adapted so very quickly to this new reality. How companies have changed how they work, how authorities have changed how we do things, and how regular citizens have, for the most part, agreed to change how they live their lives.

No one has a clear idea of how long this will take, or how the world will look once it is over. We take things one day at a time now, there’s no other way.

But, on the upside, it is a chance to catch up with loads of things that our busy lives precluded us from doing. Listening, reading, experimenting and making. Personally I’m finding that there’s time for a doing a range of things that I’ve been meaning to get to for ages now.

Perhaps I’ll post about some of the things I’m finding time to do.

Whatever you’re up to, whatever you’re finding to fill your time, I hope you’re well and safe.

Stands (part 1)

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You just can’t beat a good stand. Something to put an instrument on, to make it easier to access. However, not all sounds are made equal. This is a ukulele stand I got for Christmas. I always prefer something made in wood rather than metal or plastic, and this has a very natural and organic feel to it. Plus, it works well as a stand.

But this is part 1 for a reason. Because there are instruments that you can’t find stands for, and in those situations you have to try something different. That’s for part 2.