It’s spring and with it comes to the old proverbial ’spring clean’. And so it’s out with the previous annoying template that was causing no amount of problems and in with something a lot more flashy, or as I like to thinkabout it a lot more ‘friendly and nice looking’.

For anyone who has owned or owns a Mac, the theme should be ‘familiar’ as it’s essentially a take on the Apple layout. It’s clean and simple, and what’s more it’s all customisable on the fly - you can click and drag any of the boxes in the sidebars and move/order them as you see fit, and you can also minimise them using the little green button.

The gallery has changed as well, it’s still in the process of being finalised, but it works a lot better than the previous one. There’s still a few things to be changed, improved on but all in good time. I barely have enough time to do what I need to do as it is.

So far everything seems to be working, but let me know if you find anything that doesn’t. So please go ahead and have enjoying, I’ll be doing some much overdue writing in the coming weeks too.

Popularity: 2%

written by Laurent \\ tags: geeking, Random, template, update, wordpress

Despite dubstep’s rise in popularity and consequent rise in numbers, from artists to DJs and labels, there is still only a core number of labels which are of real, regular interest to me. DMZ and Hyperdub are two, and Paul Rose’s Hotflush is another. And even though Hotflush has been one of the busiest labels release-wise, it still regularly comes up with surprisingly refreshing music.

And so, it was a pleasure to be able to catch up with Paul Rose, aka Scuba, recently after I’d first interviewed him (briefly) for my dubstep piece in Serie B back in 2006. And it was Serie B who asked for a round two, this time concentrating on the man and his forthcoming album. The article appears in Serie B issue 21, out now and available in Spain, South America and most good European importers.

For the non-Spanish speaking massive though, the good people at Spannered are running a slightly longer version of the piece, in English. You can check it here.

I’ll be posting up the Serie B version to the portfolio archive later. In the meantime get reading if you haven’t and don’t forget to check Scuba’s new album and the excellent new series of free mixes from Hotflush.

Popularity: 3%

written by Laurent \\ tags: dubstep, Music, portfolio, writing

The TEFL world just keeps giving to me today. Well actually, Alex’s blog is really the one that keeps giving if truth be told.

I stumbled upon this article which Alex had linked, and which is quite simply amazing in its detailing of the latest forays of English teaching in Japan.

The article details the efforts of a man, who runs a chain of Maid cafes, the quintessential otaku attraction, to set up a school which combines two very simple things: English teaching and cosplay (or cross-dressing using costumes from Anime and Manga). The fact that these two things really have nothing in common doesn’t seem to stop his incredible logic, which is pretty flawless when you consider his argument for such a mind boggling link-up:

Otaku are known for their incredible customer loyalty, while schools are known for their trouble in getting customers to keep on coming back, so I figured a school for cosplayers would achieve the perfect blend

And if all this wasn’t enough, the school’s English focus is also something to behold, deciding to go for that much avoided market of ‘Broken English’… you couldn’t make this up if you tried. Hell, look up the school’s site and its extensive ‘Maximal Broken English’ online lessons!

Still the best is kept for the end, as the article is wrapped up with a quote that I believe could well and truly transform the world of TEFL as it’s known. And if it doesn’t do that, it should at least provide for what could possibly be the most entertaining English lesson to watch or partake in ever.

“I want to start classes for kids some time in the future. And I’ll make the teachers get dressed up in Pikachu suits.”

Somebody give this man an award right now, please.

Popularity: 3%

written by Laurent \\ tags: geeking, Japan, Random, school, Teaching, TEFL

I’m going back to the world of Teaching English as a Foreign Language for a moment with shocking news of some dodgy dealings in said world. And yes the shocking bit is ironic to say the least.

I got an email from Alex Case recently warning about the head of a UK based language school who was being scummy to say the least. To make the whole thing even funnier, about a week after I got the email, said scummy school owner found a comment by Alex on this here blog and spouted some nonsense about Alex’s evil doings in trying to out him.

Anyways, apologies to Alex for leaving this a little late but continue reading for a warning regarding said school, namely Windsor School. For anyone thinking about a move into TEFL, or anyone who knows someone thinking about such a move, be warned about them, and while you’re at it I can only recommend that you do plenty of research before embarking on a TEFL ‘career’, especially one in Japan or any foreign country. While it would be great for the world to be an ideal place, the cold truth is that even when it comes to teaching the world is full of people that are only after money.

See my own posts on this blog (under the Teaching category) for more regarding my experience about teaching in Japan and especially working for Shane English Schools, who themselves have a bit of a reputation. And now it’s over to Alex.

Continue reading »

Popularity: 4%

written by Laurent \\ tags: dodgy, Japan, ripoff, Teaching, TEFL