Tuesday 19 August 2014

25 years old – I know… we're looking good aren't we!

After 25 years at the helm, we cast off our lines and headed for the Cowes to celebrate our birthday at the end of regatta festivities.

The red arrows display and impressive fireworks weren’t dedicated to us specifically but they certainly added a sense of occasion. That and the countless Dark and Stormy cocktails and slices of delicious birthday cake!

The drizzle did nothing to dampen our spirits and a great time was had by all. Roll on the next 25 years!

Our beautiful cake was created by Kelly's Cakeaway in Hamble:













Monday 21 July 2014

From counter-culture to mainstream body design: Why the red-hot tattoo boom is only skin deep!

Very recently, Nike pulled a line of leggings and sports bras inspired by Samoan tribal tattoos following an outcry from Polynesian people. This event marked a tipping point in the dark and dirty cultural history of tattoos.


Thursday 26 June 2014

By changing nothing, nothing changes…

There are many clichés around change; ‘a change is as good as a rest’, ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same’ and ‘ring the changes’ to name but a few. Out of all of these, the most prominent (and in our case the most truthful) is that by changing nothing, nothing changes.


Thursday 19 June 2014

Uber App – it must have seemed like a good idea at the time...

Most of us involve with the ‘media’ have recently read about the noise made by taxi drivers all over the world following the release of the Uber app.


Thursday 12 June 2014

The funny thing bout writing...

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Before this piece gets too far beyond the first sentence, I need to point out that I’m not talking about writing jokes. I’m talking about the long held belief that I inject humour into all of my blog writing. Except no one notices. Until I point it out! And, like all good humour, if you have to alert people to the funny side it probably wasn’t funny in the first place.

So what is so difficult about writing with humour? Well, study the topic and it’s all about structure, incongruity and – well, that other funny word!

It’s about misdirection and illogicality and sometimes the risqué (should you be brave enough to not worry if you upset someone - and there aren’t many of us who think like that…)

And now that I’ve started to put keyboard to paper, it strikes me how incredibly difficult it is to try to explain my desire to make people smile when I write. I have a fairly normal disposition, but I have no desire to become a stand-up comic. So why do I need people to smile at my prose? I have no clue!

Maybe it’s because ‘a smile is the same in any language’ – it can never get lost in translation.

Maybe it’s because ‘laughter is the shortest distance between 2 people’ (Victor Borge said that!).

Maybe it’s just a primal desire to be liked? Who knows, but it’s a rare skill, not often evident her in these lines. But I do know a funny thing when I see it…






Tuesday 1 April 2014

"It's not the cost of the suit that counts, but the worth of the man inside it."

The story of Les Sapeurs, or The Dandies of The Congo.

A dandy is a man who places extreme importance on physical appearance and refined language. It is very possible that dandies have existed for as long as time itself. According to Charles Baudelaire, 19th century French poet and dandy himself, a dandy can also be described as someone who elevates aesthetics to a religion.


Friday 28 March 2014

The Vanity of Men

It has long been a contention of mine that men of all ages and persuasions are becoming worryingly absorbed with self-image, and the line between male and female vanity is now just a blur.


Friday 21 March 2014

Alter-ego’s a-kimbo…

It’s always interesting when I find out that people I work with or see around, in places such as the gym, have hobbies that I don’t know about. For example, our Creative Director Simon Warren is a keen extreme sports junkie, and Liz, our Planning Manager likes nothing more than speeding off around the countryside on the back of a motorbike!

With this in mind, it’s rather strange when people are so surprised by one of my hobbies – being on stage! To me, it’s second nature; it’s nothing special, it’s just what I do and what I have always done.


I haven’t always been an Office Manager, in fact, for most of my adult life I’ve been working in anything but an office in Southampton.  So, lets give you some background…

After school I trained in Performing Arts and Intensive Musical Theatre at Chichester College of Arts, Science & Technology. I had big dreams and aspirations; my name was going to be in lights in the West End. Unfortunately, this was the dream of every other performing arts student in the country so getting there was going to be a rocky road.

When I graduated from college (with Distinctions may I add), my next step would have been to go on to Drama School – something I was advised not to do as it wouldn’t get me any further than I could already go on my own. It was advice I was glad I took.

It was then that I went to an audition for Holiday Park Entertainments Staff. I got the job and was packed off to Lower Hyde Holiday Park in Shanklin, Isle of Wight, where I spent the summer singing, dancing, doing kids club and loving life. Straight from my time on the Holiday Park, I was flown out to Tenerife where I joined the cast of a brand new Cabaret dining show called Raffles.

After Tenerife I came back to the UK. It was time to take a bit of a break from the stage so I went into retail, but it wasn’t long before the bug bit me and doors began to open again. It was time to go back to the Holiday Parks, but this time as Entertainments Manager. I had two years on the parks – one great, one not so great,(but we won’t dwell on that!) – before heading to the cruises as Lead Male Vocalist for Thomson. I did that for two years and then came home to audition for other stuff. However, as is with the case with all best laid plans, I found myself off-course once again, this time thanks to my heart, and decided to stay home.

You’re probably wondering why this is of any interest, and maybe I have digressed slightly…
so lets get back to hobbies!

So, last year, I found myself auditioning for Southampton Musical Society, an Amateur Dramatics Group who perform various musicals throughout the year at the Theatre Royal, Winchester. I got into the society and within two weeks had been cast in the lead role of their next production: Barry Manilow’s Copacabana.
It’s a show I’ve always wanted to do and a part I’ve always wanted to play so, naturally, I’m ecstatic!

We go up with the show in just 4 weeks. It’s been 6 months hard work but I’ve enjoyed every single minute of it. If you’d like to come and see the show you can get tickets here and why not check out our promo video too.

And next time you speak to one of us on the phone, just remember, we’ve all got an alter-ego ;)



Wednesday 5 March 2014

What's in a name...?

Mention ‘The Oscars’ to anyone and immediately you conjure up images of glamour, sophistication, dramatic speeches and, of course, the iconic golden statue – all of that just from a name!


The whole world is talking about Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony - the 86th in its illustrious career - whether it be because of the winners (and losers), Ellen DeGeneres, the selfies or the pizza delivery guy.

But there is something else that is on everyone’s lips; that cringeworthy moment when John Travolta announced the incredibly talented, Tony Award winning star of Musical theatre, Idina Menzel as she performed the Oscar winning song ‘Let it Go’ from Disney’s Frozen. Or, as he called her Adele Dazeem!

The internet has already jumped on this, seeing an opportunity to allow everyday people to Travoltify their name. This got us thinking; what would we all sound like Travoltified? Well, wonder no more:


Simon Dover         Szyman Dorniels
Charlotte Blake     Charlie Blork
Dan Ferrett            Dean Farster
Shelley Crouch      Sorley Cloirk
Dave Birch             Dean Blork
Darryl Akerman      Daryl Andreson
Paul Skinner          Paige Shunter
Richard Sprinks      Ruaraidh Speerce
Simon Warren        Szymon Wailson
James Surridge     Joss Sgardner
Liz Hellyer              Lois Heenry
Steve Barnes         Shae Borfes
Anna Ecuyer          Anya Bailerey
Paul Wright            Paige Wrizght

Idealogy LTD          Isabella Loing

If you’d like to find out what you name is ‘Travoltified’, click here to find out and why not let us know…


All images found on Google. No offense or copyright infringement intended. Images can be removed if requested by originator.

Friday 28 February 2014

A reputation is hard earned

HMRC plan to rebrand National Insurance to become "Earnings Tax"

In an attempt to make our unfathomable taxation system a little more intelligible, National Insurance looks set to be renamed “Earnings Tax” as new legislation is introduced to parliament this week.


Friday 21 February 2014

A little knowledge makes us all Curling experts

'A little knowledge is a dangerous thing' and 'a little learning is a dangerous thing' have been used synonymously since the 18th century. 

The version 'a little learning' is widely attributed to Alexander Pope (1688-1744). It is found in An Essay on Criticism, 1709: -

A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring:
there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again.



Friday 14 February 2014

Our 25 year love affair with Adobe...

Having used Adobe's software for the best part of 25 years, the technical bods at Idealogy are always interested in any releases they make - be it design or development software. And Adobe certainly haven't disappointed with the comprehensive range of new tools released over the last 12 months.

Here's a brief rundown of our favourite offerings of the last year:

·     Edge Reflow is a 'Responsive web design tool', which simplifies designing for multiple screen sizes and devices. It can be used to gauge how layouts will adapt and to create quick User Experience prototypes and mock-ups

·     Edge Animate is a timeline based animation tool that basically does what Flash used to do, but uses HTML5, CSS and Javascript. It also has the added benefit of working on iOS devices like the iPad and iPhone (unlike Flash)…

·     Edge Code is a new generation code editor, which includes features such as code hinting and coloring for HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. You can quickly edit multiple files without switching between windows and the resulting web page can be previewed instantly

·     Edge Inspect is a neat piece of software that lets multiple devices connected to it display any web page that you are browsing when using Google Chrome on your desktop. The devices are updated immediately so the developer can see how any code change made to a page is reflected in a certain device…in real time.

And last, but by no means least,

·     PhoneGap Build is a tool that lets developers build native apps for multiple devices using HTML5, CSS and Javascript.
      
This cuts down on development time by re-using existing web development skills, frameworks and tools and provides all the benefits of cross-platform development while building apps that target iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry 5/6/7 and webOS all with a single code base.

You then upload to the Adobe PhoneGap Build cloud service where the app is compiled for you

With technology changing and evolving faster than ever at the moment, it’s important for us to keep our finger on the digital pulse to ensure we can offer you the latest products for what you need. But worry not, we’ve got our ears to the ground just to make sure we’re ahead of the game…




All images found on Google. No offense or copyright infringement intended. Images can be removed if requested by originator.

Tuesday 11 February 2014

Do you love someone enough to think of them as a Pantone colour?

Valentines Day is nearly upon us and if you are still looking for the perfect present for the designer in your life, then look no further.

Every designer has their favourite Pantone colour so check out our great gift selection - the answer may be right here...we know which ones are on our lists!


Friday 31 January 2014

All Systems GO! GO! GO!

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It’s been a busy few months here at Idealogy and I’m not talking from a ‘we’ve had loads of work” point of view – although, it would be worth pointing out here that we have had lots of work to do!!
No, I’m talking from a back office point of view; the part of the business that people from the outside rarely get a glimpse of!

As the regular readers amongst you will know, we entered our 25th year of business last year – an impressive feat for any business in this day and age – and, having used our old Management System for the past 10 years, it was starting to feel rather antiquated! In order to grow and further evolve, we needed key information at our fingertips quicker than roadrunner dodging one of Wile. E. Coyote’s ACME anvils. If we were going to make it another 25 years, there was only one thing for it; we were going to need a new way of doing things!  

Out with the old and in with the new...
So, we set about doing our research, talking to people we knew who used different systems and, in some cases the same system but a different version, to discover what was out there and what would suit our needs. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice to say, we whittled away until we got what we needed – an enterprise-wide CMS - and have been steadily making the transition over the past two/three months.

Whether you are a client or a supplier, the eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed a change in our quotes, invoices and/or purchase orders – if you haven’t, I lay money on the fact that you’ll have a closer look when you next receive one! – as these are probably the only indicators of change that someone outside of the business would have.

It’s been a hectic period as we’ve learned the new system whilst still working in the old one and slowly (but surely) we’ve started to make the transition over, but all the blood, sweat and tears are starting to pay off and with each   week that passes we’re one step closer to being fully integrated.

With key business information now at our fingertips we can safely, and hopefully surely say ‘Here’s to the next 25 years!”…




Wednesday 29 January 2014

OK – it’s time to level with me!

Is it just me or is it mildly diverting (bad pun) that it takes a powerful yet natural disaster to hear about a place that has always been there? A place that then becomes endowed with a new mystical name to, I assume, make us more sympathetic to its plight. 

I’m talking, of course, about the Somerset Levels - that sparsely populated coastal plain and wetland area of central Somerset, in South West England, running south from the Mendip Hills to the Blackdown Hills. Which, of itself, is odd, because, by definition, land squeezed between 2 sets of hills cannot be level. 

I digress! What I love about this is that, in the space of a month, a geographical region has become part of the national psyche, driven on mostly by a location descriptor that is so emotively tuned for the climatically challenged times we live in. 

But here’s where I get a little confused (not difficult, I know!). If this place truly is level, where is all of the water that now rests there going to go? Set aside the geological fact that the water table is unnaturally high due to almost 3 months of continuous rain, the name of the region (clearly beloved of the local population) is a misnomer. It is actually a wetland area, straddled by many coast bound rivers and streams, so it was always a fair bet that, in these conditions, something massively upsetting was going to happen. And so it did. 

The Somerset Levels is now a 160,000-acre lake, stretching in any direction as far as the eye can see, and there seems very little we can do to help the poor local people. Only last evening I watched the News as The Environmental Agency began pumping water away from the region – but to where? It seems as if they are just trying to appease local anger at the fact that it has taken almost a month to put a plan in place. 

So, are the EA just moving it from one village doorstep to another? It’s a sad sight, but the Somerset Levels are now firmly planted in the national consciousness. It strikes me though, that if you live and work in an area called The Levels, maybe it’s time to look to the higher ground – which, on a more positive note, surrounds them. 

Up you go! 


All images found on Google. No offense or copyright infringement intended. Images can be removed if requested by originator.