Geography and all that Jazz

I've been working with Jamie Buchanan Dunlop over the last few months, adding some new resources to the OCEANS DIGITAL EXPLORER website. The Digital Explorer empire is now expanding to CULTURAL matters , linking in with the idea of Citizenship and (as always) a link with real world exploration. Check out the new CULTURAL WEBSITE which has some superb resources. The FILMS and PHOTOS section looks like being an amazingly useful resource for exploring Citizenship issues.

Another Twitter tipoff is the CULTURAL MUSIC maps (thanks to the #musicmapping hashtag, which is worth further investigation) This uses the GRACE NOTE service, which is used to add TRACK INFO to iTunes and other music player software, such as my Creative Zen XFi.... As you can see, the map can be used to focus on a particular country, and you are then presented with the current most popular Top Ten artists and albums for that country. So in Spain for example, there is currently an interest in Michael Jackson and U2, but also some local artists. This is particularly interesting when related to places such as China or Japan. These seem to have fewer European and American acts, particularly Japan. Mousing over the acts and albums tells you a little more about them. Worth using for investigating cultural globalisation and the spread of certain musical artists worldwide. Which countries have indigenous artists resisting the cultural imports ? Lady Gaga big in China ? - enquiry into why ...

Cultural Geography Just been adding some sections to the EDEXCEL GEOG NING which now has over 420 members. Come and join us if you haven't already.... Noticed that one of the options for the GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH topic (which is Unit 4) is: Option 4: The World of CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY (Extract from Edexcel Document) Culture Culture is a complex concept, with multiple meanings but universal importance to human populations. In many parts of the world consumption is the dominant, but not the only, culture. Culture varies spatially and has a distinct geography, with some areas being relatively homogenous while others offer greater diversity. Large urban areas often produce diversity, which is reflected in the population, services and built environment of cities. Attitudes to cultural diversity differ, both personal and political/national. Cultural Patterns Globalisation is seen by some as a key process in driving culture towards a global model, and media TNCs and communications technol...

A new tourist guide to the UK has been produced, and it includes some surprising (perhaps) descriptions of the country and its population. The BBC ARTICLE includes some extracts from the updated ROUGH GUIDE . What image does this give of ENGLAND. Some amusing HAVE YOUR SAY comments already available. Some of these pick up on CULTURAL ASPECTS of the UK What do you think about these examples from the HAVE YOUR SAY section... Which one would you MOST or LEAST agree with ? 1. Bacon butties, Sunday roast and chicken tikka massala 2. They missed out, uncouth, uncivil, uneducated, unmannered & prone to mindless street violence prefaced by the words "Wot you lookin at!!" I'd say that most of the world see's us like this, not the 'civilised islands of culture' that the BBC, and this Government like to portray as "This England" whilst happily lowering standards in all walks of life in the name of equality! 3. I think they have it pretty sussed, people buy...

Just been invited to speak at the Scottish Association of Geography Teachers (SAGT) Conference at the Edinburgh Academy in October. This will be my 4th consecutive year at the conference, having earlier presented sessions on digital learning resources, Google Earth, Blogs, Podcasting and Nings. Here is the draft title for the session: Perhaps see some of you there. I'll post the details of how to register when they come out later in the year. It's always a super conference !

Excellent Independent feature, which includes a chance to download spreadsheets of the data that was used in the analysis. Click the front cover image for more details... There are already over 50 COMMENTS on the blog related to this story.. Would make a good example for Cultural Geography and also Global Branding...

Just to let you know about a new GeoBlog I've started as part of my investigations into Cultural Geography. You'll find at it http://cultcha.blogspot.com