September 9, 2010

Where to Buy BBC Knowledge Magazine in USA – No Longer on Newsstands

One of my new favorite magazines is the BBC Knowledge magazine – a magazine designed for knowledge junkies like me – with a British Twist.

I learned in the last issue that they will no longer be selling BBC Knowledge on newsstands or in bookstores. From now on you can only get the magazine by subscribing.

So, where can you get an affordably priced subscription?

Amazon.com has a good deal as does the BBC America Shop.

Here are some links:

BBC Knowledge Magazine

BBC Knowledge Magazine

Voted one of the top 10 magazines in 2008 by Library Journal! Aimed at the curious mind, BBC Knowledge Magazine offers informative, entertaining and inspirational features on science, history and nature, drawing on the BBC’s existing portfolio of quality specialized titles including Focus, BBC History Magazine and BBC Wildlife Magazine.


Doctor Who: The Coolest Coffee Mug Ever – Disappearing TARDIS!

I came across this in the BBC America shop and I thought it was worth sharing for all the Doctor Who fans out there. It’s a coffee mug where when you pour in the hot coffee the TARDIS appears.

Awesome.

Click the buy button below to purchase one.

Doctor Who Disappearing TARDIS Mug

Doctor Who Disappearing TARDIS Mug

Pour a hot beverage into your mug and watch the Doctor’s cleverly disguised time capsule materialize in galactic space! As your mug cools, the TARDIS dematerializes before your eyes, moves through the Space Time Continuum, and rematerializes on the other side of your mug, in the middle of a London suburb-all according to Time Lord theory. A treasure for Doctor Who fans! Ceramic; holds 12 ounces. Microwave safe. Hand wash gently.


Guest Post: Real London Bus Blinds

Editor’s Note: This came across my inbox a couple weeks ago and I thought it was worth sharing.

As a London Lass now living in Louisiana I am always on the lookout for things that remind me of home. Real home, not touristy London. Recently I came across some bus blinds – I had to find out more!

Bus blinds are the lists of destinations from old buses. Printed first on linen and then later on tyvek (a very strong paper) they were on a big loop and the driver changed them depending on where the bus was going. These have been collected for years by bus enthusiasts but now the creative people have found them. They are great graphic pieces, and very sought after as art at the moment. I love looking at the numbers or destinations and reliving those slow, wonderful journeys through my favorite city.

Buses now have mainly digital destination signs so these won’t be available for long. Who would have thought that in all those years I waited for buses in the rain, that part of them would now hang in my house and make me smile every time I see it. I have been selling my extras and hearing great stories from people who share my nostalgia, knowing you have a little piece of real London is a wonderful way to stay connected.

See some of my blinds at my esty store http://www.etsy.com/shop/thatwoman and relive those city memories.

Brit Celeb Radio # 10 – Flying by The Seat of Our Thong, with Actor Shaun Parkes and Comedian Pippa Hinchley

We are flying by the Seat of of Thong with Actor Shaun Parkes and Comedian Pippa Hinchley.  This show will have you giggling as we say whatever we want when we want to.  Brit chatter is in abundance as we talk about the and the English football team, Pippa’s all female british sketch comedy and Shaun’s brand new TV show.  Listen in to find out about the things we miss from London including English crisps and British pirate stations.  Emily’s entertainment report gives us news about Kate Moss, Top Shows new store and the Ricky Gervais stand up show.

With a special report on The World Cup from World Football Daily and new music from Buppy and The Uplifters.

Listen here: 

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Anglophile Guide to Ordering From Amazon UK – Ordering From the USA

It’s no secret that the Brits get a lot of great stuff before we do in the USA (and it’s true in the reverse as well). Thanks to the wonders of the internet though, if you’re willing to pay a little more, you can get any book, CD or DVD that has come out in the UK via Amazon UK.

I’ve generally avoided this as I thought it was cost prohibitive, but I recently discovered that’s it’s actually not that bad as far a pricing goes. Especially since the US/Pound Conversion rate is down to $1.45 – the lowest it has been in years!

Bill Bryson has a new book our called At Home – he’s one of my favorite authors and I was excited to learn he had a new book coming out. The only problem is that it’s not coming out in the USA until October! It was released last week in the UK. I’m a fan of audiobooks, so I set out to buy the audio version of At Home to listen to on my commute. I ended up buying more than that and this is what I learned.

  1. Prices are comparable to the US prices – but you are still paying a premium when you factor in shipping.
  2. Those who order in the USA are exempt from VAT (sales tax), they don’t tell you that until you checkout. You can actually subtract 17.5% from the price of anything at Amazon UK and that will be the price that you pay. They’ll give you the final price at Checkout.
  3. Shipping is pretty reasonable – I paid about $25 for shipping and I’ll get the items sometime next week. This is a lot to pay for shipping but I bought 5 items, none of which are available in the USA so it’s worth it to me.
  4. Amazon UK will actually let you place your order in US Dollars – they’ll convert everything from Pounds to Dollars – this will save you extra fees on your credit card (who will charge for conversion) and you’ll get a better conversion rate.
  5. I would not recommend buying UK DVD’s unless you have a Region Free DVD player or know how region coding works. However, if you can play UK DVD’s, then you’ll find a lot of UK TV shows are MUCH cheaper even with the added cost of shipping.
  6. Some books are dirt cheap! I picked up two books that cost only £4 a piece! A hardcover of Bill Bryson’s At Home was only £9! I got a little carried away and bought more than I should have!

I can’t wait to get my new items – I’ll have a review of Bryson’s new book once I’ve had a chance to listen to it. There may be other sources for Books, CD’s and DVD’s from the UK – please let us know about them in the comments!

Happy Shopping!