TIMMTI: More Or Less

App: Podcasts

Ad: More Or Less

Targeted: No

As lockdown has gone on, I've spent less time lying around listening to podcasts so my library has been building up as more episodes have downloaded themselves onto my phone.  One that I do keep up with every weekend is BBC Radio 4's Friday Night Comedy podcast because it's topical, so if I fall behind the jokes are no longer up to date.  It was the most recently downloaded podcast when I came to write my blog, and because it's the BBC and I live in the UK, there are no ads on their podcasts for anything aside from other BBC shows.  This week's episode was preceded by a trailer for More Or Less, which is also a Radio 4 show, based around understanding numbers and statistics. 

More Or Less isn't the kind of show I would usually download, or even listen to if it was on the radio.  The ad is targeted in that if you're interested in one topical BBC Radio 4 show, you might like others, but it's definitely not aimed at me.  Still, I downloaded the 3rd June episode, and will be judging it on whether it was able to make the subject interesting to me, as a person who doesn't care too much about numbers.

This is one of those Radio 4 shows that is split up into a number of shorter stories; a sort of 'Front Row' for stats nerds.  The first story is about Coronavirus Track and Trace, a subject that's so unavoidable that I thought it would be impossible to say anything new or interesting about it.  I'm sure I'm not the only one sick of hearing about COVID now and a lot of the time I avoid the news about it.  This episode taught me something I didn't know - that the tests we're doing have a 30% chance of a false negative - and questioned the effectiveness of doing them at all if they're so inaccurate (apparently there's very little chance of a false positive, which is the upside).  I was also surprised by how much they went after the Cabinet in dissecting the figures that are produced about our testing capacity and the number of tests that are actually being taken every day.  And people say the BBC has a right-wing bias (or a left-wing bias, depending who you speak to)...

They followed this up with two shorter stories.  The first was about a claim that our soil only has enough nutrients left for 60 more harvests.  Turns out it's bullshit.  Next up, back to Coronavirus to fact-check a Piers Morgan tweet about the government lying about the daily death toll.  Again, turns out it was bullshit and Piers Morgan was wrong - who would have thought it?

The last story of the episode veered away from the news again, and was a response to a query about the mass of pheasants that exist in the UK at the start of the pheasant shooting season.  This story made me kind of sad because even though we perceive them as stupid birds, I don't like the idea of them being raised to be killed for sport.  I found out from this story that around 47 million pheasants get released into the wild every year and only a third of them get shot, so the rest end up out in the world with no survival instincts, which is why they don't get off the road when cars go past.  I thought this was a bit of a down note to end on - the story about the soil would have made a much better ending.  

More Or Less doesn't offer the escapism or humour I look for in a podcast but I would consider it to be a useful tool when it comes to understanding the truth about figures that are being publicised in the news.  I won't be subscribing to the show but I might turn to it in the future if there's a hot topic that I need some help understanding.  

TIMMTI: Damage & Joy by The Jesus and Mary Chain

App: YouTube
Ad: The Jesus And Mary Chain - Damage And Joy
Targeted?: Yes?

Hello again from lockdown, where I haven't been blogging even though I've been at home with nothing to do.  I hope everyone is staying safe and enjoying the sunshine responsibly.  I was going to come to you today with an exploration of some ad content in my email inbox, but it's been quiet on that front since Apple made the 'unsubscribe' button from newsletters really prominent.  One of the newsletters that I've removed myself from is the Penguin Reading Challenge, which I wrote about at the start of this project - despite really enjoying the first couple of books it suggested to me, I felt like it really deviated from the "books you've always meant to read" theme by recommending books I've never even heard of for the last few months.  Don't worry though, I've read 13 books in the last 5 months, which is usually my annual figure, so I'm managing to find plenty to read without Penguin's suggestions!  If you want to know more about what I'm reading you can keep up with me on Goodreads.

Anyway, on to YouTube, which is recommending TikTok as the top video ad today.  I've written about TikTok before for this project and it's only gotten bigger since; actually, even though I was unimpressed with it back in January, I downloaded it back onto my tablet this week...  I'd jump over there and see what sort of things it advertises to me, but it doesn't look like there are any ads on the For You page so I'm not sure where they appear, if at all.

So, on to the first suggestion on my YouTube homepage, which, just like when I looked at YouTube for this project in the past, is for the song 'Age Of Consent' by New Order as part of 'My Mix'.  I promise that it doesn't suggest that to me every day and it's not the only thing I ever play on YouTube!

Before the song started there was an ad of sorts in the form of a YouTube survey about online dating sites, asking me which of the listed sites/apps I would consider using.  The idea of dating apps doesn't appeal to me at all, so I picked none, then I got my New Order video.

After three songs I got an ad, but it was just the YouTube interstitial before taking me to my fourth video: 'Just Like Honey' by The Jesus And Mary Chain.  This video had an ad in its annotations right at the start, saying "Damage and Joy out now".  I clicked on it and was taken to the JAMC merch store, which was showing all the sold-out pre-order bundles for the album, which, it turns out, came out in 2017.  Rather than buy the album, I decided I'd stream it on Spotify instead.

My knowledge of The Jesus And Mary Chain doesn't go too far - they're Scottish and I have a copy of their first album, Psychocandy, which I like a lot.  Other than that, I've heard a few songs but not a full album's worth so I don't know how their sound has changed in the 34 years since Psychocandy came out.

My initial impression on hearing the opening track, 'Amputation', is that they're less noisy and more like a standard indie band - it reminds me of 'Bohemian Like You' by The Dandy Warhols.  A lot of the JAMC hallmarks are still there - the pace is slow with the same drumbeat and simple guitar riffs as ever - so even without same haze of distortion, it's still recognisably them.  There's also elements that remind me of the little 90s JAMC I know - there's some Americana in there (the chorus of 'Los Feliz' goes "God bless America, god bless the USA") and some female harmonies that recall their duet with Hope Sandoval, both of which make me want to see what they'd produce if they linked up with Lana Del Rey.

There's no song on the album that sticks out to me as being a highlight - the only one that will probably stick in my head is 'Simian Split', which alleges that "I killed Kurt Cobain" on his wife's orders and made me feel a bit uncomfortable - but overall I think it's a good record and I'm glad to hear that the band are still making good music.  I considered going to see them at Glasgow Summer Nights this year, which I assume is now cancelled, but if they postpone and play Kelvingrove Bandstand in 2021 I'll think about getting myself a ticket.  This album, like most of their back catalogue, would sound great sitting in the park on a hazy summer's evening.

This was a targeted ad inasmuch as it was included on the band's music video, which was recommended to me by YouTube since I've played it about 20 times, but I think it was a safe bet to assume that people who want to watch The Jesus And Mary Chain's videos might like to know that they're still going.  I don't usually click on YouTube annotations, in fact I usually disable them, but this time it paid off.

TIMMTI: I'm Ready - Sam Smith with Demi Lovato

App: Spotify
Ad: I'm Ready by Sam Smith with Demi Lovato
Targeted: No

I've cheated a little today and picked an ad from the Spotify desktop app and not my phone, since I was sitting at my laptop listening to Spotify anyway (I'm listening to this album that last.fm recommended to me - it's not bad).

The first ad I got today was a message from Openreach, reminding me that their engineers are doing essential work to keep us connected during the lockdown.  It makes me sad that they've had to start putting these ads out - I work for a telecoms provider so my job is reliant on Openreach continuing to provide their services, and the conspiracy theory about 5G causing the current virus outbreak has been problematic for them.  Despite the fact that 5G is the mobile data network and not part of the Openreach telecoms network (not to mention that it hasn't caused the pandemic!), there have been reports of telephone poles being damaged and Openreach engineers being attacked while they work.  I wish people would think seriously and at the very least, leave the engineers alone - after all, what they do is reconnect people's phones and broadband so that they can work from home or call 999 if they fall ill, which are services that are particularly critical at the moment.  Anyway, this ad is informational and not trying to sell me anything, so lets move on

The second ad in this break was a musical one, recommending 'I'm Ready', the new single by Sam Smith and Demi Lovato.  I'm not really a fan of either of these singers.  I couldn't stand Sam Smith's big hit 'Stay With Me' which was ubiquitous a few years ago, although I didn't mind 'Dancing With A Stranger' which came out last summer.  I liked Demi Lovato in Camp Rock when I was a teen but find the media narrative about her addiction and personal life really irritating.  However, the clip in the ad sounded alright, so I added the song to my queue.

Looking at the artwork, it seems likely that the pair were intending this song to be a big hit in time for the Olympics this summer, which of course have been pushed back a year.  It's an uplifting song with the pair each taking a verse and they sound pretty good together, but this is one of those songs that could be performed just as well by one artist and not as a duet.  In fact, this feels like a team-up of two moderately successful singers in order to procure as many streams as possible from a combination of both artists' fans.  The song itself is fine and the chorus in particular is strong and will be stuck in my head for a while - it's the sort of modern pop song that BBC Radio 2 will play a lot and my mum might end up knowing.  In that respect it sounds like a lot of current pop music, at least the family-friendly variety; the intro hints at something a bit more edgy but it quickly becomes the sort of safe song you could sing in the car with little kids.

Overall I think 'I'm Ready' is fine and will probably be all over the radio for the next couple of months but I don't see it occupying 'song of the summer' territory (I wonder what will be the song of the summer when we have to spend it indoors...).  I'm not saving it to my Spotify Liked Songs list but I think I can put up with hearing it a few more times before it gets annoying.

TIMMTI: Yoga Studio

App: App Store
Ad: Yoga Studio App
Targeted: not personally, but definitely towards the state of the nation

Hello from quarantine!

I've spent the past week at home, where I'm lucky enough to be able to work from, and I miss interacting with people so much!  Since everyone is having to stay in their houses this is a great time for online resources like streaming services, exercise apps and delivery companies to help us fill that void in our new lives, so I'm going to the App Store to see what it wants to advertise to me.

I recently updated my iOS for the first time since getting my phone (in 2016 - I know that's bad but I didn't know how much of an effort it was going to be so I put it off for years...) and the App Store in 2020 is pretty different to what I was used to.  It looks almost like a magazine with little features each day recommending different types of app. 

Unsurprisingly, today's 'top story', if you will, is alerting me to the fact that Disney+ is finally here.  A streaming service owned by Disney, which means it has the classic cartoons and Disney Channel content but also Marvel, Star Wars and The Simpsons content, it's impossible not to know that the app has arrived in the UK this week.  I've seen TV ads and news stories about it, but mostly I know it's out there because almost every British person I follow on social media has been posting about it.  Now, I love a Disney cartoon as much as the next girl but I can definitely do without Marvel movies and I'm not a Star Wars person either (in fact, I watched it for the first time the other week).  I've already said that one TV/movie subscription service is more than enough for me to be getting on with so I won't be signing up for this one.

The next item is called "Find Your Zen" and it's all about meditation, yoga and relaxation apps.  It recommends 10 different apps in this category, some of which have an upfront cost and others that feature 'in-app purchases'.  The first app on the list is 'Yoga Studio', and now that I'm trapped in the house for at least three weeks along with the rest of the country, it seems like a good time to download an app like this - in fact, my friend text me earlier today suggesting we take up yoga. 

I do the occasional yoga class on YouTube (shout-out to Yoga With Adriene) although not nearly as often as I think I should.  It looks like this app is going to send me notifications to try to get me to practice, which might be a good thing.  The first question asks what sort of level I'm at and I'm still very much a beginner.  As soon as I was done registering it tried to sign me up for a year's subscription which is not a commitment I want to make with them right now so I somehow made that go away and I was presented with a list of all of the different videos they offer.

The first 'collection' advertised on the homepage was called 'Beginner Essentials' and features 10 different videos.  First, 'Beginner Balance' which is a 30 minute practice.  I thought it would be a case of clicking on the image and starting a video but in actual fact you have to download each practice and all of the different poses that it includes (this one has 114 poses) and only then can you hit Play.  I was disappointed to find out that there was no Chromecast connectivity for the videos, only mirroring to Apple TV (I have an iPhone but none of the other Apple products), which means watching the poses on my tiny phone screen.  Nevertheless, I gave it a try.

The session was narrated by a soothing American female voice which might have been a real person but had that slightly creepy AI vibe.  I managed to get through the entire 30 minutes of poses, but some of them were not very well-described so after peeking at the screen I realised I was way off.  Of course over time as you learn the poses alongside their names this will get easier but as a beginner some of them were a little confusing.  The other complaint I have is that there wasn't enough time to breathe in between some of the poses.  I think the videos might be stitched together poses rather than filmed as one continuous practice which might explain why there isn't enough of a break between some of the exhales and inhales but it did mean that the experience felt a little bit rushed in places.  At one point I was instructed to 'take a few deep breaths' in a pose but there was only really time for one inhale and exhale before it was time to move. 

I think it's fair to call this a beginner's exercise as there were no poses that I really couldn't do.  There were a few, like Tree Pose, that were a bit wobbly but the narrator suggested ways to stay balanced which helped.  I made it through the whole session without having to sit out any of the moves so I'd consider that to be a success even if there were times when I thought about quitting and watching the other half tomorrow.  I'm going to keep the app for at least a few days to see what sort of notifications it sends me but if I'm asked to start paying for it (and I have a feeling I only have a 7 day free trial before I'm going to be asked to subscribe) then I'll be getting rid of it.

Overall the Yoga Studio seems like a good resource for doing some exercise from home but I think I prefer the personal touch offered by YouTube yoga teachers like Adriene who are doing the routine from start to finish along with you.  I recognised a lot of the tips on Yoga Studio from Adriene's videos (like imagining a string pulling your leg towards the sky) so I don't know who stole from who but if you want to take up yoga I'd recommend YouTube over paying for an app subscription.

This app wasn't targeted towards me specifically but Apple have clearly placed wellness apps on their homepage to help people cope with lockdown and I think that's a good thing, even if they're profiting from the horrible circumstances we've found ourselves in at the moment.  Of all of the things that the internet has made me try so far, this is probably one of the ones that's healthiest for me as a person and I appreciate that. 

TIMMTI: Angel Rock Leap

App: YouTube
Ad: Angel Rock Leap by Ellen Weisberg
Targeted: No

At this point I'm pretty sure that the advertisements at the top of my YouTube feed are random but today it suggested a book to me.  As we all know by now, I love to read - my very first TIMMTI post was for a reading challenge - but despite that fact, I'm pretty sure this is coincidental.  The book in question is a YA novel called 'Angel Rock Leap' by Ellen Weisberg. 

The ad itself was a video filled with reviews, set to a cover of 'Shake It Out' by Florence + the Machine.  I didn't watch it for long before heading to Goodreads, where the book has a 4.12/5 rating.  That, however, is not enough to convince me to read this book.  Between the title and the artwork I get a feeling that this book is not a standard YA novel but a Christian one, and after reading through the reviews on Goodreads my suspicions were confirmed. 

The book doesn't sound bad - it's apparently about taking ownership of your situation after your life plans change (the main character, Sarah, fails college and goes back home to confront her past, or something) - but I'm not up for being preached to.  I thought, if this book is free on the Apple Store, I'll read it.  It turns out that it's £7.49, a price I rarely pay for new physical books, never mind virtual books that I can't display on my shelf.  What Apple does have, though, is a free sample chapter.  So I read that.

The writing is alright, but a couple of things put me off reading the whole book.  Firstly, the professor who just failed our protagonist is called Dr. Weinstein and even though this character isn't one I'm supposed to feel kindly towards, I struggled to get past that name.  Next, everything in this chapter was negative - I haven't retained any description about Sarah except that she was upset, and I think she loved writing but for some reason was doing a medical research degree?  Finally, a lot of the chapter was taken up with a description of some greasy old man cowboy who starts talking to her at the train station and then follows her before letting her go when she gets off at her stop.  Between that and the name Weinstein, I felt uncomfortable, but honestly confused.  If this is what the story is about, the author hasn't done a great job setting us up - we're straight in the action.  If this is a prologue to the action, I don't feel like she really helped me get to know the character that I'm supposed to be sympathetic for.

I'm not going to find out what happens in the rest of this book as I won't be purchasing it.  I'll stick to secular YA.