Two more deadlines swoosh by

Evening all, 

To paraphrase Douglas Adams, don't you just love the whooshing sound deadlines make as they fly by? 

The two we failed to meet today were: 

1. Pricing for Indie Screenings: It's not that we don't want to tell you how much the licenses are going to cost, or that we don't appreciate the 400-odd (400-odd!) groups champing at the bit to start setting up their own Stupid screenings, it's just that it's a damn complex algorithm and nobody's ever attempted such a system before, so we can't just pinch existing research. But, never fear, Adam is on the case, and we'll reveal all just as soon as he's worked it out. 

2. Launch of Not Stupid site:  Yeah, this one slipped through the net too, which we're gutted about as our whole "turning viewers into activists" mission is a little hollow without it. But Tom (of the uber-cute design skills) and Leo (of the witty twitters) are slaving away and it really is looking extremely lovely. New deadline: Friday. Or maybe the weekend or next week. In the meantime, check out the new Action Stations page, jammed full of Not Stupidness from spoof newspapers and railway flashmobs to alternative OBEs and outdoor pursuits involving wind turbines.  

This morning's excitement was filmmaker Richard Curtis (of Blackadder/Notting Hill/Four Weddings fame) on the Today Programme discussing which "quintessentially British" films Obama should watch while he's in the UK for the G20 debacle. Richard chose 84 Charing Cross Road, because it "shows how well the British and Americans can get on as long as they don't meet face to face",  The Italian Job because "the banks have been stealing from us, we should take it back.... take direct action", Ken Loach's Raining Stones "about how hard it is to live when you haven't got any money... you don't want [Obama] to get too doey-eyed just because he's met the Queen" and then went on to say "We also have to seriously try and move [Obama] in the right direction.... I think he should watch this new documentary that's come out called The Age of Stupid. Just to make sure that while everyone's worrying about the financial crisis they don't forget about the huge issue that's going to make us all look stupid if it's not dealt with, which is the environment." Listen here (at 07.44): http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7975000/7975830.stm

Tonnes of emails and texts came in following the show - does anyone on here not listen to Radio 4? - but our favourite was from Greenpeace climate dude Charlie: "I nearly spat out my muesli. Team Stupid, you rule. You've reached the parts that others cannot.  I take my hat off to you.  Again. And you can quote me on that."

Seems to have been Stupid spin-offs week: 

>> Had a cracking few hours with Dan from ActionAid who's designing the schools resource pack, which will be landing on small desks throughout the land in September (not-coincidentally perfect timing for getting the kids geared up for Copenhagen). Just to blow their minds, we might set the whole thing in 2055, so they have to pretend to be in the future looking back at the Stupid Age... Or maybe there could be an exercise where they set up a future tribunal to assess who should be held responsible for our failure to act... And on and on, the possibilities are mind-boggling.... The first 1000 schools to sign up get a free copy, so please pass this link on to your kids/teachers: http://www.actionaid.org.uk/ageofstupid

>> Then we were wined (well, hot chocolated) and dined by lots of book publishers and agents fighting over The Stupid Diaries, or whatever they end up being called. Totally thrilling thought that we will have our very own book on the shelves next spring. I've been having fun wandering round Waterstones (sorry, Camden's indie bookshop closed down through lack of punters) looking at all the possible formats.