A quick thanks to the sponsors...

This not particularly academic soul has been arm twisted into completing a bunch of academibollocks ( a Masters degree) in order to progress in the world of teaching the next generation of feature journalists at a very splendid university on the very worthwhile and noble South Coast of the UK. So while I've been working like anyone else, full time and flat out, I was doing this as well, and now it's done and it's September already. Damn. 

Sooo, figured it was probably a good idea to share it with y'all.

2017 summer has been one of those years where you look at it and wonder where in the flying fek did it go? It kinda went something like this: expect occasional strong language. 

January 2017 (we're 15 months into a 21 month course already, there's a major project and two other written assignments to go)

Deepest darkest phone signal deprived Cornwall...take some pics, meet fishermen, let's get this major project party started. (I'd already spent the previous summer reading and researching for it)

Dripping like a skate out of a fish box

February 2017 (16/21)

Anyone know how to write to "masters level"? Is that even a thing? Thanks to the lecturer for kindly explaining to me to remember that I should be writing to this level. But what is it? And who can tell me how to do it? I'll just guess then.

a woman after my own heart. Wonder where I can find a decent spade... 

March 2017 (17/21)

The lecturer who never teaches me has nothing but contempt... the other lecturer who earns a living from confusing people thinks I'm an illiterate cunt...  situation normal then.

Massive thanks for the Tesco credit card paying my student fees when nay other A-hole-banking student fee system would work, since my course wasn't eligible and fell between the cracks of bureaucracy. If ya gonna get into debt, may as well earn some clubcard points.

Every little does help. in this case, we levelled-the-fuck-up and carried on. (gamification) 

April 2017 (18/21)

Rent a small office and workshop away from Boogie Nights. Turn boat back to being a boat. Turn office into mayhem. Swear often and swear it well.

space to swing a thing or two - workshop

It's going to be tidy and magic will happen here - office

May 2017 (18/21)

Work in the day, work in the night, create a website... smug mode. www.theplatypus.co.uk 

Travel backwards and forwards taking photographs and making interview notes. Ongoing research into class systems and social structure is melting my fragile brain.

Eat many waffles, thanks Asda and Tesco for your sugared waffles. May those calories burn long and hard. LONG and HARD.

Sugar waffles and chocolate spread. yes, yes and thrice yes. 

June 2017 (19/21)

What should have been a nice little celebration of a turning-of-a-decade birthday turned to utter shit and is memorable for being quite possibly the crappiest, shittiest, saddest birthday thus far. Thinking about it just makes me sad, then angry then sad again. I'll try not to think about it and focus on the project.
Also got a new camera. so er yay. (see info later about that)

The eating of many doughnuts: thank you Morrisons for the catnip of the human snacking world.

Oooh heaven is a fully stocked Morrisons Doughnut rack

Thanks to the Yacht club in Alderney via the JOG race club for the birthday Prosecco. Can't begin to tell you what that did for morale. read about the JOG race to Alderney here

This bottle would be a saviour. Drink responsibly folks.

July 2017, shit got real. (20/21)

Sleeping in the back of the van on locations all around the fucking place. Hell yeah. Van-ping is ace. Who am I? Where am I? What year is this? (some of the time was spent photographing and recording: Well-dressing in Derbyshire, owls, village critters, the Human powered flying club annual competition, the Birdman of Bognor, Fishermen of Looe, Fishermens choir, a crippled Lobster, The Dale Divas, shanty choir, two blokes in a garage - then in a field - with a massive home made flying machine, a poem about reaching out and touching Cod...)

Energy drinks from Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, Co-op and Morrisons. You're all getting it. This ain't no time for sleeping. This is a time for action. Except for the time when you're sleeping. Obviously.

emerge? more like wobble along hallucinating and sleep deprived.
Energy drinks will get you by though, in those darkest hours.
(this is one of my favourites though, if anyone from emerge is looking...)

pulling all nighters is not as fun as I remember it back in the 90's

August 2017 (so that's that then.)

Shit got even more real and got handed in and exhibited half way through August. A real test of sleep deprivation and determination. The first two weeks of the month had roughly 7 all nighters, which is every other day, pretty much.
Anyway, the project, the thief of summer holidays, the stopper of sailing adventures, the evil side kick of academia, the cunt of a bastard thing, why-did-I-ever-think-this-was-a-good-idea,  it looks like this... (there's three mapazines, one each showing a documentary)



and this... (the exhibition in London which will be reassembled at the studio in Southampton if anyone fancies a look )



and this... (the virtual reality 360 videos)



and this... (the augmented reality)




and the website looks like this

www.theplatypus.co.uk

<<<>>>

The upside to all this academibollocks and making this monster of a project means we now have 360 video capability on Boogie Nights. So look out for the next incarnation of boat video experience. You'll be able to wear a VR headset to be on the boat with me on future adventures. Especially those glowstick night-time raves on watch.

Fly 360 4k surround video camera

Then it all got taken down again and the show was dismantled from the London gallery and brought back to Southampton.

A lecturer called this "bric-a-brac" and said it had a certain "charm" within my exhibition. I won't repeat what I said privately about those comments. 

Mine was the only entry in the exhibition guide to have interactive augmented reality. Hover your mobile phone over the catalogue image and it springs into life. (Blippar app needed)

There was fuckery involved too. 

Meanwhile, the two yearly cycle of the Clipper race came around, and somehow they got their stuff made too. Thanks to local help from a very handy person who can drive a sewing machine.

a range of bottle holders and vegetable nets await delivery to Liverpool from Southampton. 

The fleet are lined up in Liverpool.  

Bottle holders fitted. They look rather smart. 

Suppose I better get back to work then. You know, the proper work, the er, university work... Yeah, not before I've gone and done a thing down near Malta and er, 

you know, spread some more fuckery. 

Looks like a Dehler 36 CWS...
The Rolex Middle Sea Race 2018 :  reports to come late Autumn  2017

Disclaimer: no products or services were given or offered free in return for publicity on this blog. It remains ad free and sponsor free. Products shown are those bought and paid for by the writer and have in some way been instrumental in enhancing the life of this author. Thanking the "sponsors" is a low witted sarcastic way to say, fuck yeah, did this shit and it was expensive and knackering.