This is my new favourite gadget. The Pro-Ject VC-S record cleaner. I got it from Henley Designs and for £299 it handles like a serious industrial cleaning machine. The silver arm you can see in the photo both sucks up the debris and also dries the record in the time it takes for a full revolution. It's nosy for a few seconds but there's a hell of a lot of suction power. Your vinyl is ready to Continue Reading
What’s in my kitbag (Spring 2016)
This time next week I’ll be at The Mobile Journalism Conference ‘MoJoCon’ in Dublin. The 2015 event was the first and a highlight of my year. This year is again sold out with some big names in the world of networked reporting and filmmaking. It’s a place for mobile story builders to meet the like-minded. To share on and off the record. To hone their workflows. I’m always fascinated at the Continue Reading
Who needs a video rig for the iPhone?
I never intended to bolt a load of crap to my camera for video blogging. I didn't see the point. For me the phone meant simple, lightweight, always ready image grabbing. Back in the day the add-ons weighed a ton and bulked your phone up so much you may as well have taken an SLR out. Also the best clips I grabbed were impromptu captures. Snatches of passing moments. A reach for the pocket, Continue Reading
Røde VideoMic Me Review
The Røde VideoMic Me is a mini shotgun mic and the latest mobile friendly microphone from Røde. There are many small microphones that will plug into the TRRS jack of a mobile device. But up until I tried the VideoMicro I’d not found one I was happy to carry with me every day. The specs of the VideoMic Me are pretty much identical to the VideoMicro. They both use the same cardioid Continue Reading
Working with The Open University
In 2008 I visited the Open University campus for the first time. They invited me to Milton Keynes to "Do cool stuff". This was the communication departments way of asking me to experiment with social media. Back then you could call it social media and it sounded fresh and new. As long as a few of the right boxes were ticked, I had free rein to experiment, play and have fun. From popping Continue Reading
Documenting Events – Kit List
The following kit list is what I packed before heading up to Gateshead for Thinking Digital 2015. Some of these links below are Amazon affiliate links. Please don't purchase anything on a whim. Read other reviews first. I’m not saying all this gear is what you would need to document an event. It’s just some of the kit I'm having fun experimenting with. There are also some multiples as I try to Continue Reading
What’s In My Kitbag (Early 2015)
The kit I carry around for my work varies over time. But on the whole, I like to carry everything that enables me to talk, train and document. Tools not toys. This next month sees me speaking at the BBC in London and MojoCon in Dublin. I'll be training and consulting in Chicago and LA and soon after documenting in the wilds of Canada. For public speaking I need projector adapters and a Continue Reading