A weekly roundup of talking points, sans effort

Thought for the week

“The best way for us to react is to push ahead with the (London) marathon on Sunday, to get people on the streets and to celebrate it as we always do in London — and to send a very clear message that we won’t be cowered by this sort of behavior. I think this is one of those incidents where the best way to show solidarity with Boston is to continue and send a very clear message to those responsible.” British Sports Minister Hugh Robertson, discussing this weekend’s London Marathon in the wake of Monday’s bombings at the Boston Marathon.

Weekly high

Video games have come a long way since the Amiga. But, despite the advent of Grand Theft Auto and interactive, immersive 3D environments, many people still carry a torch for the old school legends. Pac-Man being one of the most popular. Don’t  believe us? Take a look at this building in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which was transformed into a giant version of several retro titles to encourage people to play via their iPads.

 

Weekly low

We’ve definitely been here before. Which is a huge shame, and an indictment on marketing and PR morality. Following the tragic bombings at the Boston Marathon this week food website Epicurious decided to suggest recipes in honour of the horrific event. Needless to say, it’s not exactly in good taste, with the decision coming under fire amid accusations of exploiting the devastation. An apology was quickly issued.

Things that might happen in the next week…

The London Marathon will go ahead as planned on Sunday, with an increased police presence following the terrorist attacks in Boston, Russian President Vladimir Putin will engage in a live Q&A with the public on Thursday, and the European Court will begin a ‘clarification’ process after the UK Supreme Court ruled browsing articles online should not put the user at risk of breaching copyright law.

Just in case you missed it…

The Mail On Sunday’s new culture supplement, Event, launched last weekend. Doubling the newspaper’s capacity for arts and entertainment content, it’s a rare new start in an increasingly sedentary print world. Take a look at our review of the magazine pull-out here.
 
If there is a success story, blunder, or news event you’d like to see included email helloATsmokinggun.co.uk or tweet using #blaggersblog. Happy Friday!