Charlie Brooker has written a decent diatribe on the non-perils of failing your 'end-of-school' exams. He nails the fact that these exams have very little impact on one's life in the long term. If anything has been highlighted by the economic crisis, it's that the notion of a 'safe' career is a fantasy, and that initiative and persistence will get you strides further.
Lifesavers
Until that day that I can afford a set or two custom molded attenuators, these guys are the saviour of my ears. Etymotic ER-20 attenuate all signals 20db, while leaving the frequency spectrum reasonably intact. Pick them up on Ebay for a fraction it costs to get customs. I would go insane in my bar job if I didn't have these in.
Purchases
After months of deliberation and research, I've finally settled on a Marantz PMD-661 for my field recording needs! Let the weird stares as I record street ambience begin!
You haven't seen heard the Wire yet???
The venerable Chris Watson hosts an interview with sound recordist Alan Lamb, who has been recording the otherwordly sounds of telegraph poles. Downloadable and well worth a listen.
First.
This is the beginning of my blog, a platform I hope to utilise for the activity of shameless self promotion!