Features
20
Apr 20
The People’s Pop Polls
Update: See list of all previous Peoples Pop Polls, their winners and more here
As you’ll know if you follow me on Twitter, I’ve been using the quarantine to run pop polls – there’s a UK Number 2s one about to enter its third round right now. This has been a delightful distraction for me, a useful way of structuring my days and weeks, and has been pleasingly popular with other people too.
After the #2s poll, I’m doing something a bit different – a People’s Pop Poll, with tracks nominated by anyone who donates to this fundraiser I’ve set up for domestic violence charity Refuge. One of the hidden costs of lockdown has been a horrific spike in domestic violence, and I want to do my bit to help those affected. Here’s the link. more »
28
Dec 19
King William’s College Kwizz 2019. FT Round 1
REASON: Welcome one and welcome all, to the FreakyTrigger wing of a KWIZZ (quiz) sat for a hundred and blimey years by Isle of Man schoolkids. (“Please return your answers to the Principal’s Office by Monday 13th January.”)
RHYME: Themed sets of 10 questions each — a new one every day (or so). COLLABORATIN’ COMMENT CREW (C3) pile in — we can work it out.
REGZ: Don’t put googled answers up till after the next question appears — to let others show off their BRANES — and note where they are googled (or borrowed off of rival sites with good answers). OFF WE GO!
RIP: LiveJournal
Scire ubi aliquid invenire possis quod post omnes est maximus onus sutorum – Plautus
Round 1. During 1919:
1 which Giant was mauled by the Kid?
2 which keyboard virtuoso achieved premier status?
3 whose first edition of what was inspired by Paul Gauguin?
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17
Oct 19
What’s Going On With The FT Comments?
Hi all –
We know some of you have had serious issues with the FT comments, both in terms of logging in on existing IDs and creating new ones.
This is because of something being imposed by our hosts to stop continued spam comment attacks. We’ve taken the actions requested (updating wordpress etc) but there’s clearly still an issue. To make things more frustrating, my admin login is working so there’s no way of my knowing when the login system is down or not.
We’ll keep you updated. Posting comments is (clearly) still possible, but may not always be possible with the login. Use the comments on this thread to let us know what your situation is.
Sorry!
8
Aug 19
Great News For All Our Readers!
Hello Popular readers!
After sixteen years, and suffering from (as you’ll have noticed) a much slower posting rate, I’ve come to a decision.
I’m going to crowdfund this project, using Patreon. HERE’S THE LINK. This coincides with me leaving my day job and going solo, which opens up a lot of spare time. But billable time being money in the freelance world, I want to be able to devote time to Popular, and Patreon is a way to do that. It’s not a perfect platfornm – what is? – but I’ve been able to set up tiers and goals which I think might appeal to people who like my work.
Very importantly, if you decide not to contribute, nothing will change – Popular will still appear here, on Freaky Trigger, and hopefully a lot more regularly than it has done recently.
UPDATE: We’ve already reached the point at which I am happy to guarantee 4 entries a month – I am enormously grateful and delighted by how quickly this has happened and how much support this funding initiative has had. Thanks, you lovely lot.
If you DO become a patron, you’ll get early access to main entries, very early access to certain other entries, and exclusive access to some other exciting things. THAT LINK AGAIN.
Whether you join up or not, it’ll mean more Popular, sooner, and I hope you agree that’s something to celebrate!
And finally, other fantastic FT contributors have Patreons of their own which also deserve your support! Mark S is creating podcasts and articles around the topic of his excellent book, A Hidden Landscape Once A Week and Hazel is crowdfunding her motorsport journalism by dishing the (some) dirt on a Patreon.
5
Jan 19
The Freaky Trigger Readers’ Poll 2018: #40-#31
“Greetings! It’s me, 90’s summer dance craze The Macarena. I’ve never really gone away, as you must surely know: the muscle memory of hand flips and hip wiggles is ingrained into the very fabric of your DNA, to be passed down to your heirs and their heirs for many centuries hence, waxing on and waxing off, a ritual movement surging through their synapses that they can neither explain nor resist, all meaning lost in time save for the mythical figure of The Boy Whose Name Is Victorino and a vague feeling it has something to do with a Brazilian football stadium. Beat that, Drake! Welcome to the 2018 Freaky Trigger Readers’ Poll…”
Thanks, The Macarena. Let’s get cracking!
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1
Jan 19
INTRODUCING the FT Theatre Poll 2018!
Hello and happy new year! It is I, Cameron Mackintosh, the world’s most powerful and most 80s theatre producer. Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, CATS – I’m kind of a big deal guys!!!!!
Thanks Cam! On the principle that every drunk idea at Pete’s flat is a good idea, today now presenting the first ever FT Theatre Poll! That’s right we’re a cultured bunch at FT Towers and imagine some of our esteemed readership are too, or at least have taken their mum to see 42nd Street or something.
The rules will be familiar to you from other such polls, but to summarise:
- Rank your top three, top five, top ten, top whatever number of theatre shows you saw in the UK in 2018. Your number one gets more points than your number five. If you do not rank them a ranking will be randomly assigned.
- Send them to fttheatrepoll AT gmail dotcom by 20 January at 11:59pm.
- It doesn’t matter if it was a revival, a Fringe thing, a million year running West End show, the nativity play your least favourite nephew was in, if you saw people in a room doing some acting, it is theatre and it counts.
- Comedy is comedy and is different, there will be no further discussion on this thank you.
Happy ranking dahhhhhlings, kiss kiss!
13
Jul 18
Pop World Cup 2018 – Group C Match 1
What if a World Cup lasted ALL YEAR? That’s the experiment we appear to be running with this year’s PWC, and a grand experiment it is too. Here we are with the fourth match, group C, which even features a team that is STILL IN the football tournament. France are one of the great exponents of the modern pop game, but Denmark have form too, and Peru and Australia are tantalising prospects. Listen to all four tracks below the cut, and vote for your favourite two.
Pop World Cup 2018 Group C Match 1: Pick TWO tracks
- AUSTRALIA: Ngaiire 74%