What Entertains You in the Digital Age?

Willi's Guide to Glitz and Glamour 2.3

With a multitude of platforms to sample the latest entertainment offerings on, how do you get your kicks? Do you go to work listening to your music player or perhaps you watch the news on the move? On your lunch break, there's always the internet to browse through a range of programming and then the gadget savvy can come home and relax with a choice of hundreds of television channels. Whether it's 'Crimewatch', an old episode of 'Fawlty Towers' or a live football match, we're spoilt for choice.

This has now become the atypical 'day in the life' for the majority of us who consume different types of media. In the past, we may have sat at breakfast, leafing through the newspaper delivered every morning or flicked through a magazine. As our lives have become increasingly rushed, we're more likely to order a traveling latte while scrolling through online content on an iphone.

Amazingly, despite technological innovations, it's still possible to become bored with what's on offer. The website bored.com plies its trade online to help us fill the spare moments of the day. Of course, there are always advances to try and keep us entertained. New video games, new phones, new computers and new gadgets. According to the results of the 2008 Digital Entertainment Survey, '73% of people own digital cameras, while 62% own mobile phones that have access to the Internet; while near the bottom, only 27% have cable television and 9% use a Blackberry or PDA.' (in the UK) These figures may have changed in the last couple of years but the trends will probably remain the same.

We're a world who demand entertaining. Indeed, most sports are no longer treated as such by those 'consuming the product'. Rather, a new breed of fan demands to be entertained, seeking immediate gratification. In this digital age, some form of entertainment is never further than the click of a button. Compatability is key and the majority of platforms are interlinked to the extent that you can hook up a PC to a TV, browse the internet from a phone and take photos from a phone or digital camera, ready to be uploaded to a PC and then a digital frame. The digital age has brought incredible breakthroughs to both entertain and enrich our lives. For the innovators, boredom simply isn't an option.

Coming Soon-Monthly Podcast!

As some of you may have noticed, there is podcast player embedded on the left-hand side of the page. You can also access this podcast and its playlist at www.williwycombe.podbean.com.

Coming soon, there will be regular monthly podcasts from the Collected Thoughts, covering the best of the blog. I'll be discussing in more detail some of the stories that have hit the blog over the previous month including news, entertainment, arts and culture and of course, a comprehensive review of everything Wycombe Wanderers F.C. The idea of a montly podcast is still very much in its infancy however please bear with me as I get to the grips with the technology and discover what is feasible.

In the meantime, happy listening and reading and if you'd like to pass comment on the topics covered in this blog, whether vocally or in print, please get in touch and email me at willgeldart@hotmail.co.uk.

Focus on 2010: New Structure for the 'Collected Thoughts'

Hi everyone,

As mentioned in a previous post, there are going to be a few changes round here. The Collected Thoughts is to have a new structure which will be reviewed periodically to ensure I'm providing the content people wish to read. News, entertainment, arts and culture and of course, Wycombe Wanderers F.C are all to be 'sectioned' as it were, with regular publication guidelines rather than the random assortment of articles that have been in place so far. So here is a quick run-down on what you can expect to see from the new year onwards. You may detect a theme in the section titles...

Willi's Wycombe

Publication frequency: Every two-three weeks.

Similar to the existing Wycombe Wanderers blogs, there will be an updated blog every two-three weeks focusing on all things WWFC. I'll be giving the exile's perspective on the results, performances, transfers and goings on at the club throughout the season.

Willi's Guide to Glitz and Glamour

Publication frequency: Weekly.

Every week, I'll be providing a brief overview and commentary on what's caught my eye in the world of entertainment. Featuring insights into TV, film and radio, this is the alternative enterainment blog, not the musings of a reviewer or telly addict. I'll be following the shows, stories and people who shape contemporary entertainment.

Willi's News Review

Publication frequency: Weekly

A weekly condensed commentary on the news stories that have hit the headlines locally (to Bournemouth), nationally (UK) and globally. The main stories will be covered as well as some that you may have missed.

WilliWycombe; A Cultural Odyssey

Publication frequency: Monthly

Once a month, there will be an article focusing on a specific arts and culture theme, figure or story. Spanning the worlds of music, language, literature, travel etc, these feature pieces will aim to cover the whole cultural tapestry.

There we have it, the Collected Thoughts of Nobody Special will enjoy a structural overhaul in the comings weeks. I've very much enjoyed writing the blog in 2009 after a somewhat long hiatus in 2008 however it had become a disorganised mish-mash of various subjects and themes. Also, I'm hoping to get a monthly 'best of the blog' podcast up and running. I welcome any contributions, ideas, music that anyone may wish to provide. In the meantime, watch this space and happy reading.

WilliWycombe