Pages

24.12.09

Happy Christmas Everyone

The card above is believed to be one of the first mass-produced Christmas cards - dating back more than 160 years - and can be found among the extensive special collections of Bridwell Library at Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology.
The lithographed card caused a controversy in some quarters of Victorian English society when it was published in 1843 because it prominently features a child taking a sip from a glass of wine. Approximately 1,000 copies of the card were printed but only 10 have survived to modern times. Bridwell Library acquired its copy in 1982. The card was designed for Henry Cole by his friend, the English painter John Calcott Horsley (1808-1882). Cole wanted a ready-to-mail greeting card because he was too busy to engage in the normal custom of writing notes with Christmas and New Year's greetings to friends and family.
The card pre-dated color printing so it was hand-colored. The card is divided into three panels with the center panel depicting a family drinking wine at a celebration and the flanking panels illustrating charitable acts of feeding and clothing the poor.
Cole, who also wrote and published Christmas books, printed more cards than he needed so he sold the extra cards for one shilling each.
Widespread commercial printing of Christmas cards began in the 1860s, when a new process of color printing lowered the manufacturing cost and the price. Consequently, the custom of sending printed Christmas greetings spread throughout England.
Now we can just stick them on the internet… have a good Christmas.

19.12.09

The wonderful Watersons



Last night I went to see Waterson Carthy at the Victoria Hall in Salt Aire singing Christmas songs. Norma Waterson is still hail and hearty and has lungs made of leather - but I just found this video of her - possibly before she had even met her husband Mart Carthy. Simply wonderful stuff. I'm a sucker for traditional English folk songs.

17.12.09

Another new client at GREEN

Over at GREEN we have been appointed to launch techmesh a new business network for the region’s IT and Telecommunications sector backed by Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency.
Yorkshire & Humber has the fastest-growing digital sector in the UK outside of London, and is recognised as a leading centre of excellence in the digital and new media industries. With IT and Telecommunications set to make a major contribution to the Yorkshire and Humber economy the new business network, techmesh , will provide a business network for companies, organisations and individuals working in these sectors to meet, exchange information and share best practice.
As a business collaboration network techmesh - managed by Connect Yorkshire - will act as an umbrella organisation, bringing together existing networks in the region and will signpost businesses to other sources of funding information, market intelligence, emerging technologies and research and development opportunities.
Connect Yorkshire’s chief executive Nick Butler said: “techmesh enables members to share knowledge, exchange ideas, meet like-minded companies and ultimately win more business. The aim is to help create a commercial ecosystem where innovative, ambitious companies can thrive and give members a means of forming profitable relationships.”
“Our long-term aim, with the support of Yorkshire Forward, is to create a vibrant, active, supportive and self-funding network to help further the interests of IT and Telcommunications organisations and professionals in Yorkshire and Humberside.”
Jim Farmery, Assistant Director of Business at Yorkshire Forward, said: “techmesh will be an industry-led strategic organisation that will bring together all the fragmented strands of the IT and telecommunications sectors in our region and provide focus, leadership and direction.”
“It will help all the region’s digital sector to work comprehensively together on key sector issues over the next three years and beyond. Digital and new media has been identified as a priority sector in the region, due to the existing strength of the sector and potential for further growth. techmesh is another way Yorkshire Forward is supporting IT and telecomunications industries in the region.”
The key aims of techmesh are to grow the IT and Telecommunications industry within the Yorkshire and Humber region; increase the number of businesses participating in the network helping them to increase turnover, encourage innovation and market exploitation.
techmesh will run a series of events across the region over the next 12 months bringing members together at informal networking events as well as larger events bringing some major speakers from the leading IT and Telecommunications companies.

13.12.09

Stop drinking bottled water

Presented by Online Education
The Facts About Bottled Water

4.12.09

Brand attrition...