....going going gone

Awake at 5.30 but feeling fresh - the benefit of an early night and not too much to drink! Coffee in hand I write..... two things today - digitising and Thatcher. (No link ;-))

Got me a WD My Cloud after seeing Pete's in action and after buying Jonathan one for his birthday. So the move to completely (almost) digital begins. One of things when you have a big house is that you fill it with stuff. If you have space there is no need to get rid of old books, cd's and dvd's. But with downsizing on the horizon I have begun in earnest. All CD's are ripped (nearly)and heading for Music Magpie - music collection digital and a little cash in hand! (Thinking about what to do about my cassette collection - may set something up in the studio to record them into Ableton - but I guess the charm is the format not the content - I can download that - at least I'll keep a record of what I had. As for the vinyl - that stays!). DVD's are the next ripping exercise - I've done some test rips using handbrake and I'm happy. The digital move also includes books. I've got my Kindle and am buying everything new on there now. I won't ever get rid of them all. Can't get rid of my academic books as digital doesn't suit the way I work with them - lots of copies open on the desk at once kind of approach - but novels could be re-bought and lots got rid of. The stuff that sits between academic stuff and popular stuff - the pop philosophy/science/psychology stuff. Some books will never leave my shelves and some may be repurchased for the Kindle. Have also subscribed to the Guardian in the Kindle! Immense - loving it £9.99 a month for the news in your Kindle every day! How good is that!

One of the films I've acquired digitally recently is The Iron Lady. Now, as you probably know, I was (and still am to a lesser extent) a 'fan' (?) of Margaret Thatcher. Growing up in the 80's and reacting against my working class background (at the time) as a surly teenager against the backdrop of Thatcher's Britain has left its mark (not least - in some ways - the feeling of being duped - see Chavs by Owen Jones). I've been wanting to see the film for a while and it does not disappoint! It charts the rise and fall of Thatcher beautifully against the backdrop of her living with dementia. The treatment of that is clever an sensitive with Denis providing direction to her thoughts as she relives her life. The depiction of someone with dementia I feel is superb and the sense you get of the power of the woman really comes through. The cast is tremendous and the set pieces are just great - carefully selected with appropriate hair and glasses they bring a sense of realism when intercut with actual footage of the time. Very cleverly done, and while it clearly won't sway any Thatcher haters it does show both sides to this remarkable woman's character.