Will Simpson: The Art of Game Of Thrones at Orbital Comics

Game of Thrones is a raucous feast for its viewer's eyes. Extending the epic imagination of George RR Martin's original novels, the HBO series success boils up hugely from it's utter beauty. From the intricate detail of the costumes, the insane dedication to CGI mastery, the exotic locations, and of course the handsome cast, the series would be essentially naked, the scripted skin and character bones left open to the elements of viewer ratings and reviewer squints, were it not for the thought and gabardine imagination of the first, second and repeat impression.

AUDIO: Shallow Grave 20th Anniversary Event

"What's a little murder between friends?" Danny Boyle asks of us in his debut feature film, Shallow Grave. Released in 1994, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the film that introduced Ewan McGregor, Kerry Fox and Christopher Eccleston to the spotlight. Before McGregor was a Jedi or a big deal in Trainspotting, before Eccleston was the Ninth Doctor and the Messiah, before Fox was winning awards for her roles in Cloudstreet and Intimacy, experience the house-share nightmare of the 90s that'll encourage you lock your bedroom door at night.

AUDIO: An audience with the W3C TAG Team

I studied Internet Computing at university, but it's been a long time since I stared at a screen of C++ or faced the headache of iterative code, so I rarely mix in developer circles these days. But when a friend at work invited me to a Meet the W3C TAG event at Google's London Campus (7th Jan 2014), that was enough to whet my nerdy appetite, let alone the speaker lineup, which featured none other than history game changer, inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

Underground Design

Harry Beck's original tub map, 1933 (Source: TFL)

I've always held a design crush on London's cavernous Underground network. From the Harry Beck tube map to the iconic and ageless royal red, white and blue station roundel beacons, which still signify stuffy shelter from the London rain today. Then there's the mystery and macabre history of what lies under the Underground architecture, from the shrouded ghost stations to the City's plague pits housing our ancestors beneath the sleepy electric traction of carriages, worming their way through the capital's earth. Author Neil Gaiman playfully weaves various Underground stations into the mythology of his fantastic book Neverwhere, painting his extemporaneous 'London Below' with an appreciative nod to the lore of London long ago.

Geek Art on Society6

 I've been searching high and low for some wall prints to decorate my new place. We all know what we like when we see it, but searching and trawling on the web for art with a film, sci-fi or geeky twist is a mine-field, as there is simply SO much out there. One site I came across that is a great starting point if you are after a limited-run print is Society6. Based in USA (keep an eye on the shipping costs), I've complied this blog post on my favourite pieces and artists on Society6 which might help speed up your search for a new artistic talking point, ready for when your neighbour pops over to borrow your Game Of Thrones boxset or spare controller pad.

Cinecity 2013: My guide to being a film festival volunteer

In November, I helped out at Brighton's annual film festival run by the fantastic Cinecity team. The theme for the festival's 11th year was 'Adventures in World Cinema', so as you'd imagine, the schedule spanned global offerings from mellifluous Mexico to forward France and many film making nations in-between. The festival also payed homage to Jan Švankmajer, the wonderfully imaginative Czech surrealist filmmaker, with free screenings of his bizarre short films and an exhibition of his incredibly detailed and eclectic treasures, kindly on display for the inquisitive.

Follow the LEGO bricked road and have fun with marketing

On the late-train with this, but thought I’d do a quick post about the exclusive Lego Instagram video shoot I helped out with back in October, as part of the DK books Lego Minifigure Year By Year title launch.