At a recent meeting of members of the Highlands and Islands Theatre Network, a colleague from the Edinburgh-based company Stellar Quines gave a fascinating presentation on the company’s experiments with live streaming their work, and also recording one of their most ambitious productions, Ana, as a 3D film. Stellar Quines had been supported by the […]

We are binary creatures, cursed by our bilateral symmetry to think in terms of pairings and oppositions: black and white, right and wrong, formal and informal, incomer and native. We are (no pun intended) uncomfortable with shades of grey. We are sceptical of politicians who offer us a ‘third way’. After all, three’s a crowd. […]

Sian’s Top Insights into the Scottish Household Survey from 2011

Before moving to the Highlands we lived for twelve years in Anstruther in the East Neuk of Fife. In the mid 90s Anstruther and its smaller neighbour Pittenweem were sad places: empty shops along the harbour fronts, derelict domestic and commercial properties with little prospect of regeneration, and loads of houses for sale. It took […]

I hate sport. All sport and any sport, from tiddlywinks to Premier League Football. So, this dismal summer has held a particular horror for me, what with Wimbledon, Euro 2012, wall-to-wall golf tournaments, and now, at long, long last, the London Olympics. I am not unreflective about this passionate aversion. I know that it has […]

Improve your online sales with these 21 Tips If you are selling directly from your website as an artist or crafts maker then you might be wondering how you can increase your traffic, improve your website and most importantly increase your sales. After working with a number of different makers over the last 3 years and keeping […]

It’s hot by Scottish standards. The yachts navigating the sound of Mull and the Firth of Lorne have been looking listless. Some have mainsail only up so it’s likely that the diesel-driven horses are pushing the boat. Others don’t seem to be in a hurry. That’s cruising. The passage plan is revised according to conditions. […]

In case you didn’t see it on Western Isles Libraries Facebook page – heres’ a new poem made in response to invitation from Kathleen Milne, team leader Western isles Libraries Bookmarks Dinny Smith comes home Among the Bushrangers
 The Gorilla Hunters Two Years before the Mast
 The Coral Sea
 The Sea of Adventure Kidnapped Northern […]

We’ve been to the lands where everyone eats sausages and drinks beer, where the trains run on time and are spacious and clean, and where culture still seems to be funded—and supported—to a remarkable degree. We’ve been to Germany and Austria. The sausage and beer thing is interesting. Here, that would be very much a […]

How many people are online in Scotland and who are the groups we are not reaching with our online promotion?