iPM stories come from the ideas of audience members and blog readers like you.
For example, an email arrived in the iPM email inbox from a listener with the news that whose work we've featured in past programmes has closed. It's just the sort of tip that can lead to an item on iPM.
So please do send in your ideas for next week's show, by leaving a comment below, or emailing the programme. Thanks!
TV, it's been bringing us the future for years but in the future how are we going to pay for it? Listener Pete Landells said, "'Most TV isn't worth wasting time on but I would happily pay my licence fee just for those parts of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio output I enjoy."
Prompted by him we asked what license fee you'd be prepared to pay: £143 pounds on average. Richard D North the author of
And thanks to a listener email, we discovered that the new idea that won the government's Show Us A Better Way competition, wasn't all that new at all. Which lead to a discussion of how hard it is to come up with a genuinely new idea..
The stories we feature come from your suggestions. Let us know if you have an idea you think should be investigated.
Six months ago for many people across Britain.
And earlier this month that the UK could face major blackouts in less than 10 years unless policy is improved.
It's really only when we lose power that we think about the and how it manages to balance the energy coming in with the amount going out.
This is where comes in, and with a new trial by about to begin - the invention is starting to gain momentum.
Dynamic demand uses the stored energy from our appliances that are on all the time, like our fridges and freezers, to talk to the Grid. It can effectively switch our appliances on and off, giving the Grid a break at peak times and avoiding costly and polluting energy surges.
So why haven't we heard more about it? Will it help us meet our 2020 EU renewable targets? Is it the answer to Britain's blackout concerns?
Do you work in the energy industry? Are you taking part in the Npower trial? Perhaps you've done some research on this? All comments, stories ideas welcome, thanks.
Are you a seasonal worker? Doing a unusual job this time of year?
Tim Fathers (above) is. He writes
'I'm a forestry worker in Kielder Forest, Northumberland. It is very hard work, in remote, cold and boggy conditions. For 6 weeks we work a 7 day week with early starts and late finishes.
..we fell and deliver hundreds of massive trees all over the UK. The trees are chosen during the summer months by Tony, who uses Google earth to locate them.'
Comment or drop us line with any seasonal working stories of interest - and if you ask to remain anonymous, should you really be doing it?
Are there any original ideas left? What makes an idea unique and where do great ideas come from?
Entrepreneur and curator of TED talks
and philosopher and writer
discuss why 'big ideas' often get stuck and why we need to get out of our normal routine to let our imagination flow.
Visit the website for ideas and more on the .
we'll tell you what listeners would be prepared to pay - voluntarily - for the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ. Plus...where the hell are all the new ideas?
And of course...YOUR news.
In May we featured listener Simon Berry's big idea on iPM - to ask Coke to help distribute simple .
Simon's just been attending a (that means aid-agencies etc. ) to discuss research into Coca-Cola's network. If Simon's idea is taken further by the company, the discussion will help inform that process.
Simon's been posting up video's from the meeting. In this one he sees what who distribute coke bottles think of the idea - the discussion switches to English a couple of minutes in.
You can read more about
Prompted by listener emails, on PM yesterday we covered the plight of savers in the . winding-up of the bank. We've just received a from the Isle of Man government it says,
"Following an application from the Treasury, the court agreed to adjourn consideration of a winding-up order until 29 January 2009 so that alternatives could be further explored."
So winding-up is put on hold, while attempts to salvage the bank continue. The press release also mentions that the Isle of Man government is aware of the like Katy Watt, who we featured on the programme, and is considering a "payment on account"
You can read the full . The website of the KSFIOM .
We spent Saturday morning at the home of one of our listeners - Sarah - who was concerned about the early morning racket from planes going into Heathrow. We saw and heard one going over at 04.30.
We thought you might be interested in this piece in The Times today: .
And this email is just in from Neil Towers: "I was interested to hear the broadcast from a home in Wimbledon.....
Last month a listener got us going on "Yachtgate" here on the blog and we discussed it on the show.
Now, Nick Marchant emails: "In the time-honoured newsroom fashion of calling any minor scandal after "Watergate" (such as "Troopergate", "Sachsgate" etc), I trust you will be referring to the furore over Gordon Ramsay's alleged affair as "Ramsgate" ..."
LenzieDotOrg's going for £40 (TV), £30 (radio) and £30 (internet).
Silvertopsy reckons £12 per year is about right and wants it to go toward radio only.
The generous canterburysmethy's willing to pay £500 (per year) and nicoff thought £15 per month, before realising the current fee was actually less - care to re-consider?
If you haven't already done so - go, on, put a figure on it. What are you willing to pay each month?
We'll take the average figure and explore what kind of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ you'd get for your money.
We're trying a new thingy this week on the programme. As you know, iPM is all about you (we're hugging you as I type this) and we think it will be fun to get YOUR news into the show.
Very simple. Just send us one sentence of news about your week. Don't rabbit on. Just one sentence. Email it to: ipm@bbc.co.uk putting MY NEWS in the subject line. Please don't add it here....we want to keep the surprise for Saturday, when we'll put the best of them together on iPM. Ta-da!
(You're creative enough not to need my help. But we don't mind whether it's "I washed the cat" or "I divorced my partner", though for your sake we hope it's the former. Honestly your cat is filthy. Look forward to hearing from you.) 1243 UPDATE: On the PM Blog Gossipmistress asks whether the news item will have your name attached. Good question. Answer: no!
Proof that our listeners are more eagle-eyed than government departments. Remember we announced the winner of the government's Show Us A Better Way competition on PM. Well - there was a hitch. The competition to develop new public information websites had picked a winner, , which turned out to be very similar to a site that already existed, . Adam Temple the member of the public who proposed Can I Recycle It didn't know about the pre-existing site, nor it seems did the Cabinet Office. But listener Peter Whitehouse spotted it, and emailed us about it. He said, "Interested in the Show Us a Better Way competition the other week (good idea). Then I learn the winning idea already existed, but they didn't know about it?"...
The Cabinet Office have admitted the oversight, and will now work to improve RecycleNow rather than creating an entirely new website (and Adam may well be involved in that work). So well done Pete and blog commenter Novojack who posted a similar thought. Read what the Cabinet Office had to say over the fold...
If the licence fee was to be scrapped, how much would you be willing to pay each year for the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ in its current form?
iPM listener Pete Landells says, 'most TV isn't worth wasting time on but I would happily pay my licence fee just for those parts of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio output I enjoy'.
It's but the future funding of the corporation is .
The annual cost of a colour TV licence is currently £139.50. A black and white TV licence is £47.
UPDATE: Thanks for your comments and emails. May we press you a little further? Can you pin down a figure that you'd be prepared to pay each month? This is what we're planning.
Following our calls for tales of expat credit-crunch hardship we've been getting quite a few emails about bank from British expat depositors who fear they have lost money, following the bank's collapse. More on .
There was also mention of banking and the Isle of Man in the Chancellor's Pre-Budget report today. Alistair Darling spoke about
If you've experience of this issue do get in touch, it's a story we're looking at.
UPDATE I There are more comments from troubled KSF(IoM) savers on the follow up blog post here
UPDATE II: Many thanks to those of you who left comments below, particularly those who've taken the time to write at what must be a very difficult time indeed.
I'm continuing to work on the story along with my colleague Ray Furlong.
We're particularly interested in finding out more about events prior to coming into force. If you can help us with that we'd be interested in hearing from you. You can email us at ipm-at-bbc.co.uk
Here are Jen, me and our listener Sarah at Sarah's lovely home in Wimbledon....this was us trying to wake up before the show. You can hear the show now by using the bits on the right under "Listen to iPM"...CAN I recommend the Podcast as it has extra stuff exclusive to the podcast. Including a noise from a listener!
We had a great time - Sarah looked after us, and we didn't disturb her neighbours too much. Below is a snap of Ryan the editor and Jen (with her eyes closed I think, and what appears to be a weather symbol to the right of her head) as we skulked around Borough Market in London after the show looking for coffee and a bacon roll (we found a place. Lovely). I was actually after that nice image of St Paul's in the sunrise in the background...but Ryan and Jen got in the way.
Several listeners have emailed offering their home as a venue, including:
"Location: Northern France about 45 minutes from the tunnel.
What I can offer: the sound of my cockerel crowing. He's called Louis Armstrong because he's small, black and sings a lot.
What I can offer your listeners: the lovely aroma of freshly brewed coffee and croissants.
My company: I'm Mark, I'm 44 and a bit. Work as an English teacher. I've lived here for 8 years. Partner is Catherine who's French so I've gone native. We share this place with hens, ducks, geese and rabbits.
Regards,
Mark"
What have we started?
Get in touch if there's an item in the news that you think needs more discussion and tell us why.
You can pick up on ideas from last week.
Or drop us a line if you any of these chime with your experience.
Costa living going up?
Robert Hoyle is frustrated that no-one is talking about the financial plight of Brits abroad because of the weak pound.
F/stop is for Fake
Are you a dab hand with photoshop? Airbrushed anyone out of your family album? Send us your best fakery.
We're also interested in tales from seasonal workers. Comment below or email us.
This week we broadcast live from the home of iPM listener Sarah Fisher. She emailed us to say that she hears an increasing number of aircraft passing her home in the early hours. She worries that the sounds of the dawn are being lost. iPM investigated and found that there are indeed more flights.
Before you tell the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Trust, yes, the photo above is a faked montage of aircraft intended as an illustration. Speaking of fake photos, it's something we want your views on.
Many listeners contacted the programme responding to the death of Baby P. Doctors, social workers and others involved in child protection made up a significant proportion of the emailers.
iPM invited two of these listeners - former social worker Trish Watts and retired GP Anne Savage - to speak about their experience of tackling child abuse and respond to the thoughts of other listeners. Hear a long version of the recording below...
We are busy preparing for it. Gosh it's cold outside. Colder than Siberia says today's Express. Another story we're reflecting this morning concerns Baby P. And has another angle on that.
Join us please at 05.45. And remember...one day...we could be doing the show from YOUR house!*
*especially if you live in a hot country.
iPM listener Rae Bentley Jones emailed after spotting the above photos in the Daily Mail. He's also seen an example of a shot of the Queen being "flipped" so that readers see her in mirror image.
"It seems completely wrong to me that the editor or whoever can just alter how a person looks and in fact misrepresent them."
The Pentagon likewise found itself in hot water with after adding a flag to the background of a general's portrait. AP took Rae's view of photoshopping and when the alteration was discovered.
It's not all bad though....
Chris Newberry uploaded this image to our ages ago.
"The guy on the right is the 'I' that I see in my mind's eye. The guy on the left is the 'I' that I eye in the mirror. I feel 19 (circa 1971, hence the rather large shirt collar), but my body feels its age, 55 (circa 2006, hence the rather larger girth)."
Drop us a line if you've airbrushed someone out of your family album, photoshopped your holiday snaps or been humiliated by a doctored shot.
Or, better still, send us a faker photo.
Tomorrow's iPM will come from the home of a listener. If only we'd thought about it we could have gone to Mike's place.
"Hello Eddie, Attached is me at DIM SUM , having a late lunch in Hong Kong, the equivalent to your 6am. I hope it dooes not put you off your breakfast. Your links no longer work so this offering may be a bit academic! Kind regards, Mike"
Listener Hilary emails to say, Hi, I have been looking at the Gay and Lesbian Christian Movement website and came across a link to this short film- .I think it was on You tube.It makes devastating viewing and to think that our soldiers are risking everything for a society that has become significantly worse for gays and transexuals has worried me so much that I just have to 'pass it on'. This is really not right, and no-one is speaking up for gays and lesbians in Iraq etc, out of fear of reprisal. Maybe you could do something with this story?
Well we're working on it. I've been talking to this group - their blog is very disheartening reading. I also think Hilary points to a really interesting issue in her email when she talks about the military. If you've served in Iraq do you agree with Hilary's view? The film
If there are other people you think we should talk to in covering this story please do let us know.
On PM today two reports which maps can help illuminate. The first looks at the postal district with the most BNP members according to . By coincidence we've been taking a look at the data on a map, displayed according to postcode district (the first part of the postcode only). There's a sneak preview of part of the map above, more to come on Monday on Map of the Week.
The key is: No Data =Clear 1-10 members=blue, 10-20=Cyan, 20-30=Green, 30-40=Yellow, 40 and above is red.
UPDATE: I've updated the image to a newer clearer version. There's also some great analysis looking at BNP support and racial tension by Mark Easton over on his blog
As I say more to follow. The other story on PM is about the Manchester congestion charge. Our colleagues at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Manchester have been working at mapping the issue, asking listeners how it would affect their travel using the same website that hosts our credit crunch map. Part of their map below. More on it here.
'I am nearly 70 and my husband is 83, we moved to France for health reasons in 1994. When Equitable Life collapsed, our pension was finally cut by two thirds.
..Now, we are losing a third of the little we have left because of the strength of the Euro against the pound
..We did not expect luxury living - just a simple rural life - but our savings have nearly gone, and it is getting a bit dodgy now!'
writes leonora47800
Are we ignoring the tricky financial situation Brits abroad are finding themselves in recently? And if so, what should we be doing about it?
More comments and experiences on Costa living going up?
This week's iPM is coming live from the HOME OF A LISTENER!
That'll teach her for getting in touch...
Big thanks to Jon, the listener who alerted us just after 5pm yesterday to the BNP mailing list story with a perfectly succinct email, a link and the comment:
BNP Membership list - is this real?
The story , but Jon's email alerted us and we passed it on to our colleagues at Westminster. As you've probably noticed it's been all over the news, and
Keep those story ideas coming in!
The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Secretary, Jacqui Smith is setting out her plans to reform the . Paying for sex is likely to become a crime if the sex-worker is "controlled for another person's gain". When the proposals were first mooted we received this.
Someone should ask the 'working girls' themselves
When Harriet Harman it attracted a number of interesting comments, like this:
I've been working in the sex business for a long time now and like many, many of my colleages I have never taken drugs nor was I destitute. I am not a victim nor are my clients criminals. I, like thousands of others in the UK, do it out of choice.
Do you have some experience of prostitution, whether as a worker, client, member of a related profession or as a resident living in "red light" area? Share your personal experience or perspective by getting in touch, via the blog, or via email.
You can't get away from coverage of the UK's economic woes and the weakness of Sterling. But iPM listener Robert Hoyle emailed to say that not every angle's been raked over quite yet. He says no one talks about the plight of Brits abroad, especially the retired.
"Pensioners have seen their pensions decrease by 30% this year when paid from the UK."
Last week, the former Europe minister warned in a that expats across the EU would bear the brunt of the credit crunch.
"I'm not sure I would even want to be a Brit in Spain. There are already some low-level rumblings in Spain that the ageing end of the British population are demanding the care and attention that older people do."
Heard any rumblings? Been rumbled at?
You've heard the iPM podcast of course. Everyone's listening. Who would miss Charlotte Green's impersonation of Alan "Fluff" Freeman last week?
As a regular podcaster, you'll know that it begins with me saying: "Hello. You're about to listen to a download from the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ." Then there's a bit of silence. Then I say: "Welcome to iPM..."
We'd like you to fill the silence. We filled it last week with a firework...but we're sure you can do better.
Send your idea or the sound itself (if you're technically minded) to: ipm@bbc.co.uk
We're hoping you can help us update our coverage of what has been a serious problem in UK prisons: .
According to published , smuggled phones remain a concern:
Whilst the prison is valiantly attempting to curb the supply of drugs, the issue of mobile phones continues to be ignored by the PrisonService
We reported on the problem of smuggled phones in jail at the end of last year. The IMB report calls for more to be done to limit the use of phones in jail:
For the past three years in this report we have asked the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Office and then the Ministry of Justice to implement an effective jamming system to curtail the use of mobile phones. We have been promised that trials are taking place but nothing is happening in the large Local prisons to jam the use of mobile phones. Within Wandsworth it is estimated that the drugs trade would be halved if phones were jammed...Phones are not just used to drive the drugs trade in Wandsworth. We have seen a phone seized by Security which had the most graphic and violent images...
The government has promoted the use of , but the report claims its affect has been limited:
We had very high hopes last year that the BOSS (Bodily Orifice Security Scanner) chair would be used to try and detect more phones being brought in by prisoners. Unfortunately it has hardly been used at all.
There's a response from . If you know about this issue please do get in touch, particularly if you've direct experience of the problem from within the prison system.
"I am regular listener of your morning ipm program, and i am a big fan of your program.
I live in dakar (senegal), born and brought up in a small desert village of india next to the pakistan border. I learn from my mother to wake up early and start my day listening to bbc news ( : I am sending you my morning pic. Have a nice time, Dev"
Thank YOU Dev.
If you hear or read something in the news or on the PM blog that you think needs more discussion or doesn't chime with your experience - comment below or email us.
We're always interested in new ideas, but there are a few things we're currently looking at:
'Obami' language
Brian Barker told us about a new global language being developed - that's been affectionately nicknamed . Is it true? We're wondering if is there a need or desire for a new international language?
Economy 7 electricity
Do you use the cheaper night-time electricity tariff? Ecomonical, but could it also link to the news that Britain may see power shortages in coming years?
If you have knowledge of either of these - drop us a line.
"Queen! That IS torture in the name of privacy."
We heard that some blood banks play music to stop confidential conversations being overheard. It has some donors seeing red.
If you want to give blood - perhaps while listening to Queen - find out more , , or .
"I haven't hit anyone since, other than my children and then not often."
After a thief sent a note of to a shop he robbed in 2001, we offered you a place to say sorry. Read the heartfelt and the tongue-in-cheek HERE.
"A small certificate. Surely to God they could spare that?"
She's "a whiff off 90", but former Land Girl Jean Proctor is still ready to take on to ensure that all Land Army women receive a token of official recognition... even if they've passed away. She won't stop.
"Hi Eddie...Well I am on my second cup of Yorkshire tea,in bed, reading "Wolf of the Plains" by Conn Iggulden, not my usual genre but borrowed;as I have managed over half of it I'm persevering to the end.I do not seem to have enough time to read now so make the most of it.Staying in bed til 7...then the mad cap race around Tesco before it becomes too busy! James Coates-Halton"
"Awake now and sprucing myself up!! Then it's back to bed and listen to iPM...then up again at 11.00pm :-) Cheers Charles"
"Good morning. I've made my tea and collected the newspaper. Now I'm waiting for R4 to take over from the WS, listening via satellite. Have a good weekend. Verna Enebo"
" Grabbed a still from my laptop webcam (attached) which is the best I can do photo-wise. Shows God's Divine Light beaming graciously down upon me ... richly deserved I'd have thought after 35 years in teaching! Either that or it's my bedhead light! Mike Rochester"
And in case you missed it our special slideshow is .
In the player below is the piece I produced about , a mix of some of the voices of passionate fans who queued up for the game, as well as one World of Warcraft player who commented on our blog that he gave up the game just before the
There's been much intelligent debate about the positive and negative aspects of massively multiplayer online gaming on the blog. Dozens of thoughtful, sometimes moving comments for which we're extremely grateful. Do take a look.
"Dear Eddie. Listening as I write an email to my ex wife in Beijing also need to contact another son in Miami anyway two photographs of the moment. Coffee is the most important. Charles Barker" Quite right.
"Morning. I am afraid that mornings at this time of year are just about the radio and drinking tea. Still slightly hung over from last night as went to see John Otway play at the Boardwalk. One of the better venues to watch bands play in Sheffield. He was very good! Thanks, Richard Hakes"
from Anas Taunton.
"having to be very quiet in the kitchen cos our grandson is asleep upstairs and don't want him up at this time,,cleaned my teeth in kitchen...nameless of chesterfield"
"Hello, Here is my photo. I live in France, so have the advantage of being up early, but not as early as your other listeners. Regards Catherine Jeffery"
And in case you missed it our special slideshow is .
This ....
A top Chinese legislator said .. about 10 per cent of Web users under the age of 18, or four million people, were addicted to the Internet, mainly to 'unhealthy' online games.
Ok that's over there isn't it? Couldn't happen here could it? Well a couple of our listeners have sent emails suggesting it could. FE teacher James Whitehead emailed us and said, "on average 3-4 - at least per year - students drop out of their studies due to compulsive game playing"
Mike Rochester wrote to us saying, "For 7 years I was Housemaster to 65 independent schoolboys aged 13+ to 17+ and grew concerned that several were drifting into underachievement through their obsession with computer games"
The idea that these games, particularly , are , but searching online plenty of people have had experiences where they found themselves spending far .
a research fellow in psychology at the University of Bolton, found in a study of 430 players of one online multiplayer role playing game that between 10 - 15% were "addicted". He says more about that and the type of people likely to suffer addiction in the player below:
We're hoping to do more about this on the programme and we'd like to hear from you. Do you or does someone you know have trouble with their "game life balance". Leave a comment or send us an email
UPDATE: Some really, really thoughtful, engaging and moving comments on this post. Your emails inspired a lot of coverage elsewhere. I'll post one comment just as a counter to some of the talk of addiction above, but there were comments of equal quality on both sides of the debate:
I play World of Warcraft. I'm a single mother, I work full time and I'd say I'm a fairly stable person. I am restricted in the evenings - I can't leave the house due to my child, but I find Warcraft gives me a whole new social world! I play with work colleages and friends, so rather than going to the pub or meet somewhere else, we do something together in game. Aside from the social aspect, I have found that youngsters that play often learn teamwork from guilds in online games, in the same way they learn that from sport. People shouldn't be so quick to dismiss online games as 'bad and addictive'. There are plenty of benefits too, as long as gaming is in moderation.
UPDATE: Dr Mike Reddy emails in to highlight this satire of the controversy . Mike says the post "says it all"
However,This comment, from a gamer, broadly supports the idea that some players struggle to control the time they spend on the game:
The point is not just to acknowledge the problem, but to understand the severity and scale of it. I've been the worst you can be, being a 'hardcore' raider putting in consistent 16-18 hours days as an officer of my guild expected to organise a force of 40+ people and prepare reageants, pots etc. which act as resources for high end play. It severly affected my first year of University as a result. But we also must know that it is essentially down to the individual and it is a choice they've made just that some are seemingly unable to control it....But it is certainly good that the mainstream press is picking up on it as it will quite clearly become an increasing 'problem' in years to come
But this comment encourages a balanced approach, recognising the good and bad games can offer, and not "demonizing" gamers:
As our real-life communities shrink and we interact less and less with people even in our own streets, I believe that online worlds and social networks such as Facebook will become more important to us as social animals. Rather than throwing our hands in the air and crying that the sky is falling, we should embrace the potential that global communications can provide as well as facing up to the problems that can arise also.
Clearly it's a subject that's resonated with many of you, and we plan to return to it later in the year, so please do continue to add your thoughts.
"Hi. A picture from inside my van on the way to Salisbury Market early on a Saturday Morning. I always listen to IPM as it fits exactly into my journey and helps wake me up.
(If I start my journey with the end of the Shipping Forecast and I am listening to the last bit of your programme as I pull up to the market I know I am on time). Keep up the good work, Richard Glindon, South Wiltshire"
"Me, in my nightshirt and dressing gown, having tea and a toasted teacake. NB: rather artsy-fartsy Glasgow School of Art mug (not mine - the one the tea's in!)" - from Martin Harrison.
"This is what I had been doing between 05.45 and 06.00: making and eating toast and coffee. Biscuits must be remains of feast during evening before. I like real bread from a real baker (still extant Sheringham and Cromer) and real local honey. Sorry it was Nescafe. Best wishes, Kevin (aged 73)"
And in case you missed it...our special slideshow is .
Would you like Freddie Mercury in your ear and a needle in your vein? Veteran blood donor Richard Irving has emailed us to say no thanks.
"It is bad enough having your name, address and date of birth asked for about five times and being stuck twice for blood, but Queen at full blast for the duration of a donation?"
Piped music at the blood bank seems to be a bugbear for many, according to ,a campaign group promoting silence.
says there's a good reason for playing Queen. Hear it on iPM.
In the meantime, join in everybody, what should be on the blood donor playlist?
Our suggestions:
-Let it Bleed.
-You're so Vein.
-Ruby, Don't Take Your Blood to Town.
-If I Were a Rich Tea Buscuit Man.
-You're a Pink Toothbrush, I'm A Rhesus Negative.
Leave your suggestion....and, if you fancy, a word about your own blood donor experience...
On Saturday, iPM listeners took snaps of their activities while we were on the air.
are some more....
Inspired by , in which a thief wrote to apologise to a shopkeeper, we're asking if there's something YOU want to say sorry for. The joy of the blog of course is that you can post comments without the public knowing who you are....
A while back blog commenter mittfh (how will we say that on the radio?) pointed out how few views many council information videos get on YouTube. This one for example has only
It shows how hard it is for government to communicate public information on-line. Perhaps the tech-savvy members of the public could show government, local and national, a better way?
In fact that's the idea behind the government's which asked the public to suggest news ways of communicating public information. It's a proposal for a site called Can I Recycle It - which will help you find recycling services near you.
All the ideas for new government information services to be developed as a result of the competition have come from the public and there are some interesting proposals: a site that will help you find a local public toilet, a site to help you find cycle-paths and a website that will help you locate nearby post-boxes. My personal favourites among the unsuccessful entries were and something called ..don't ask why.
PS. If you emailed in about Tom Watson inadvertently saying "tetrabyte" in the interview on PM, it is of course . Given the state of the art I wonder if you could fit a terabyte in a Tetrapak carton? Probably...
UPDATE: Met up with Dan Jellinek yesterday. He'd just finished chairing the conference which discussed the way government engages with the web. We discussed mittfh's comment, crime maps and some other iPM'ish issues. Interesting stuff.
What ARE iPM listeners up to at 0545 on a Saturday morning - besides listening to us? We've been sent lots of photos.
Keep an eye on this blog all week as we post more:
"The Line Clear Dictionary creeps on towards publication, as may be seen in the photograph (actually no more than a snapette). Also visible is a working cover for my new edition of the novels of Jane Austen. Well, it doesn't have to be railways all the time. Many thanks and regards, George Timcke"
"Taken at 05.54 on 8 November. Rather than wake the whole household I treated myself to a lie-in. Regards Richard Keane"
"Making salsa for breakfast. Avocado, sardine tomato, coriander, red onion, lemon juice, olive oil, chilli. Patrick Robbins"
We are busy planning this Saturday's show...but just wanted to thank everyone who sent a photo. We are working out what to do with them all, and will get back to you.
In the meantime, if there's something YOU think we should be talking about this week or in future weeks...click HERE.
Gosh it's dark! Use the flash!
In the news this morning, Trevor Phillips saying "institutional racism" in the political system would prevent a British Barack Obama from becoming prime minister, (front page lead in The Times) and terrible loss of life in a collapsed school in Haiti.
In the programme we want YOUR photo of your activities between 0545 and 0600. Send it please to iPM@bbc.co.uk. Goodness knows what we'll get!
I hope you enjoy our piece in the programme reflecting the many emails and blog posts we received last week. And then we'll hear some of the stories of the First World War that we received. You can read much more of those here. There's a map of First World War battlegrounds .
And don't forget, this is the programme that starts with you. So if there's something you know about that you think WE should know about...or you can help us with things other listeners have suggested .....just click here.
I am off to get an URGENT coffee. Enjoy the show. Have a good day. 0530 UPDATE: Chris is doing News Briefing. Barack Obama is the lead story...followed by Mr Phillips.
Now really. What's going to be in YOUR photo?
We had a HUGE response to our request to find out what iPM listeners are doing up on Saturday at 0545. In this week's programme we'll let you hear what some of your fellow listeners are doing.
But we thought it would be fun to SEE what's going on.
So if you can be bothered, please take a photo while iPM is on the air this Saturday - even if you didn't email us last week. Then just email it to us. No need to worry about the details now though - just wanted to give you fair warning to get your equipment ready. Ahem.
Ideas from last week if you want to pick up on any.
Computer gaming addiction
FE teacher James Whitehead wrote to us saying that several students drop out of his classes each year because of compulsive game playing.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Defence correspondent, Caroline Wyatt, is working on something for us about people serving in the British military in Afghanistan and their experiences on returning from war.
If either of these chime with your own experience or expertise, or you've heard something in the news that you think needs explanation - leave us a comment or drop us a line.
"Even at the age of 94, he would wake up howling like a wounded animal." This week we received hundreds of comments on Eddie's blog, where you shared the stories of relatives killed during the Great War and your memories of those who came home. Read them here.
We could have filled a whole morning if we had tried to broadcast all of the great accounts we read. For the show we decided to concentrate on the men who returned from the front with physical and psychological scars. Should we have come at the story from another angle?
If you listen to the programme on the radio at 5.45am, we posed a simple question: Why? Early birds answered in droves (or flocks). Listeners were wide awake, we heard, because of work worries, money troubles, sick relatives, noisy neighbours and mating foxes. Would you like to hear more stories about iPM's dawn patrollers? Is there something going on at 5.45am we should cover?
Some of you have sent us sounds to help with programmes, from songs about stories we're working on to musical washing up liquid bottles (don't ask).
We're currently turning your early morning stories into radio and we're trying to track down good early morning sound effects: milk floats, kettles, toasters, Gordon Lightfoot etc.
If you'd like to send in a sound for possible use (no longer than 30secs) please email it to iPM by Friday. We can't promise to use everything sent in so don't rush out and buy a digital recorder specially.
...for Saturday. We'll have a HUGE amount on World War One memories...and we'll relay the experiences of our audience of early risers.
But we're always changing our plans, and we have oodles of future programmes to make too. So if there's something YOU think we should be talking about - click here.
UPDATE: Many of you have shared your family stories of war over on the PM blog. This one from World War I is from Saraceno:
I was brought up believing that my father's father was The Unknown Soldier. He had died in the first month of World War I and was carefully but hastily buried nearby. The location was noted to let his widow return later.
After the war, my grandmother visited the area, to bring his body home for proper burial. The body was nowhere to be found; she was told that this was one of the places where bodies had been removed for an "Unknown Soldier" to be chosen. I'm sure it brought her much comfort.
Do you have a similar family story about war? Perhaps a family heirloom, a letter or object, that says something about an experience of conflict? Share what you know and leave a comment, we may feature your story in Saturday's programme.
We're interested in old letters this week on iPM. Why? Well back in June of 2007 I was sent this email from .
" may be of interest.It is made up of letters that he wrote from the front in 1917. Each letter appears on the blog exactly 90 years after he wrote it. Coincidently the days of the week in 1917 are the same as in 2007. [..]
I have given no clues to his eventual fate. You have to read the blog to find out. I can reveal that he took part in the battle of Messines Ridge, the precursor to the third battle of Ypres."
Bill has continued to blog his grandfather's letters from the front, and the story of Harry's war has been .
We're planning to talk to Bill on Saturday's programme, the day before Remembrance Sunday.
We're keen to hear from you if there's a similar piece of family history that you've uncovered. We're particularly interested in stories about war and conflict that have not been widely reported elsewhere. If you've a story to tell do get in touch.
Another Saturday morning has arrived. The headlines ...News online says Regional Congo talks are planned.. , there's to be a new agency to replace the CSA, and the Daily Mirror front page makes Jonathan Ross a pumpkin. And talking of "gates" as Jen does below, the Guardian today has Dara O'Briain referring to the Sachs affair as "man-has-his-feelings-hurt-gate."
But never mind all that.
I want to know what YOU are doing up at this time.
Is there a special Saturday reason for you getting up early? Or a mundane one? We don't mind...just tell us please.
We're trying to build a picture of what we're ALL doing during iPM.
If you get a moment, please click on Comment, just below, to let me know...or email ipm@bbc.co.uk
(stifles yawn)
A quick impression of your suggestions from last week.
Military fuel tanks
We're continuing our enquires about whether fuel tanks in military vehicles are as good as they could be, after a tip-off from a listener.
Local sports funding
Fifi's concerned that the focus on the Olympics means local sports projects, especially those in rural areas, are missing out on funding. We're keen to explore this in December when the elite sports find out how much lottery cash they'll get.
If you've a story about military fuel tanks to tell or have recently put in a bid for sports funding or know someone who has, leave us a comment or drop us a line.
New ideas also very welcome, thanks.
On iPM this week:
Parking-gate
Forget Manuel-gate, Ross-gate, Brand-gate or what ever you want to call it; this week prompted by iPM blogger Gary Skinner we looked into parking-gate. On our quest for answers we spoke to the Liberal Democrat peer Lord Teverson who thinks the whole thing is a rip off and Kelvin Reynolds, Director of Technical Services at the .
Operatunity
One time opera super star got in touch with us about the lack proper training and development opportunities for promising singers. We took her on a trip down memory lane to the and chatted about her email to iPM and how the premature end of her own career saw her take up teaching.
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