machambers.co.ukThe personal website of Marcus Chambers — projects, writing, and links.https://machambers.co.uk/2026-07-21T00:00:00.000ZM.A. Chambersenquiries@machambers.co.ukEleventyhttps://machambers.co.uk/links/eleventy/2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z<p>The static site generator this site is built with. Turns a folder of Markdown
into plain HTML.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.11ty.dev/">https://www.11ty.dev/</a></p>Plainhttps://machambers.co.uk/writing/hello/2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z<p>I've spent a couple of decades scattering things across the internet — apps,
books, half-finished projects, links I meant to keep. I will pile them all up here.</p>
Carpet Crawl on the App Storehttps://machambers.co.uk/links/carpet-crawl/2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z<p>Track your Wetherspoon visits, earn badges, climb the leaderboard.</p>
<p><a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/carpet-crawl/id6755740515">https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/carpet-crawl/id6755740515</a></p>5 Great Tips for Taking Your Show Onlinehttps://machambers.co.uk/writing/5-great-tips-for-taking-your-show-online/2014-04-09T00:00:00.000Z<p><em>By Rich Coleco</em></p>
<p>In today's era of corporate consolidation and tracked low-cost music shows, personality-driven radio is increasingly finding its way to the internet. In recent years, podcasting (yes, the dreaded "p-word,") has become more of a viable way to deliver your unique voice and brand of humor to the masses.</p>
<p>Whether it's your contract renegotiation gone awry, a programming re-shuffle that put you at the bottom of the deck or your whole station flipping like a silver dollar pancake, here's 8 great tips to help you stand out in the wild jungles of the online world.</p>
<h2>Show what you know!</h2>
<p>Some of the best content on the internet is what they call "DIY," which stands for "do it yourself." People love to learn new skills, hobbies & ways to make their lives easier, richer and more fun! Millennials in particular enjoy honing obscure crafts which they can use to set themselves apart from their friends and peers.</p>
<p>Got a unique talent? Teach it to your audience! Take on a new project each week and walk them through it step by step. Bonus points if you can draw from a pool of words and phrases specific to the craft — shop talk is another millennial staple!</p>
<h2>Revive an old genre!</h2>
<p>More than ever, old is new again — and this goes double for radio formatics! Skip back a generation or two and see what can be dusted off, polished up and brought back for modern audiences who crave something different than what their parents had. Radio plays, quirky fake news broadcasts, variety hours and more all do quite well. Who knows what else is left to unearth?</p>
<h2>Snack on these facts!</h2>
<p>Infuse facts with fun and deliver for your audience when you take bits of knowledge, spice them up with production and knock out daily "snack sized" audio bites!</p>
<p>Strapped for ideas? Fire up Wikipedia, click "random article" and you're off to the races. You'll be the next Mr. Peabody in no time!</p>
<h2>Movies, TV and books, oh my!</h2>
<p>This one requires you to shake off those mass market radio sensibilities, but don't worry, it'll pay off. Millennials like to go deep on topics. Much, much deeper than your average Program Director might allow! On FM, you might spend a single 5 minute break covering the new Harry Potter. On a podcast? You can do an entire series! Find a less-covered movie, television show, board game or book series and delve as deep as you can into every possible facet. Pedants welcome and encouraged!</p>
<h2>Good sir, I disagree!</h2>
<p>Hearing a lot of agreement on a popular issue? Well, it's time someone gave voice to the other side! Playing "the devil's advocate" for a highly engaging issue can provide a cathartic, or enraging, experience for the listening audience, either of which can help them form a tight emotional bond with your content. This format works very well for daily shows! Try providing a voicemail or email for listeners to "sound off," and play or read their messages on the following day's show.</p>
I Got "Us" In The Breakuphttps://machambers.co.uk/writing/i-got-us-in-the-breakup/2012-06-11T00:00:00.000Z<p>At first, I fought "us." You met me, and you liked me. I liked you, too. It worked well. I honestly didn't understand why there needed to be an "us." Why force it? Identity is important. At the end of the day, we have to guard our individuality, because one day the other might be gone. And we'll still wake up the next morning with somewhere to be, something to do. We'll also need someone to be. I'd dealt with a lot of loss lately. Loss of job, loss of friends, loss of self. My identity was important to me. I was happy to share it, but I had to keep it.</p>
<p>It wasn't long before I saw "us" beginning to form. It wasn't the implied dates or the Facebook relationship status. Not even the trips to Bed, Bath & Beyond. Those are just domestication. You can't read too much into it.</p>
<p>No, it was the nicknames. It was the inside jokes about which bathroom to use for what. It was the little bits of detail that flesh out a true, no sh-t relationship. It was seeing into your past, and seeing your own parents. Seeing the world they'd built for themselves, the world they'd brought you into. Seeing that we had those winks, those nods, those silly "isms."</p>
<p>I resisted "us." "Us" was terrifying. "Us" isn't casual, but it's also not "serious." It's not something found in the dating textbook. It's not something you can relate to your drinking buddy. "Us" is its own life you bring into the world. And we were bringing ours to term.</p>
<p>You moved into my apartment. My one bedroom. I got it when my best friends, my two roommates, found their "us." All the furniture was mine. You left all of yours.</p>
<p>I struggled to maintain my friendships. The numbers dwindled. We spent so much time together, and I needed outside contact. I had drinks with an ex. I told you beforehand. I invited a mutual friend to chaperone. It wasn't enough. You were hurt, tortured by it. I felt guilty, almost traitorous. I cut them off.</p>
<p>We couldn't have dogs, but you wanted them so badly. Around Christmas, we went to Ikea, and two stuffed dogs came home with us. We named them Dog and Puppy. At first they were silly decorations in an attempt to make my barren apartment more "ours." We became attached. They were family.</p>
<p>You didn't like my apartment. It was noisy, it was cramped, it was perfect for me. And only me. On Craigslist, you found us a new apartment. I didn't like it. I wasn't ready to leave. I wasn't ready to move out of my apartment, because "I" wouldn't be moving into the new one. We would. "Us" would.</p>
<p>Moving day came. I tensed and panicked. I threw fits. I hated you. You were so confused. You did all the right things. You ignored me and plowed ahead. You made the move seamless, effortless, perfect. I resented you for it. We talked less. You became unhappy. I continued to insist I wasn't ready. You scoffed and pouted. I was trying to stop the birth of "us," but in your mind, it had already come. And I was suffocating it. Holding it below the surface. It gasped for air. One night, you snapped. I snapped back. We talked even less. Suspicion and paranoia crept in. The fights got more frequent. I was stubborn, angry. You became increasingly resentful and desperate. You made it my fault, my problem to solve. I backed into the corner. I justified myself and said I couldn't continue.</p>
<p>You made a half-hearted effort to find a new apartment. You gave me time to cool off. I stewed, unsure and angry at myself. Was I preventing this or ending it? I saw a glimpse of my life without you. I panicked. I needed time to make sure I wasn't just lonely. You showed up, unannounced, at my office. You cried and sobbed, you screamed at me. You were so angry and so upset. You told me I was destroying our life. I was throwing away what we'd built. That I didn't care about "us." You asked what would happen to Dog and Puppy.</p>
<p>You left and I cried. I cried over you. I cried over Dog and Puppy. I hated myself for letting "us" happen. I made peace with it. I softened, and I broke. I tread lightly around the house. I stopped asking if you'd found a new place. You stopped looking. We cuddled in bed for the first time in months. I worked hard on your birthday.</p>
<p>We had dinner. It was impromptu, and I was happy. We could do this. I had turned the corner. It wasn't me and you. It was us. We ate and we drank. The subject was broached. We continued to drink. We got tipsy. You got angry. You snapped. I was confused. You got angrier. You said I'd leave you. You said I'd find someone new. That I'd never cared.</p>
<p>I left without you, hurt and afraid. You came home. You packed a suitcase. I watched. You left. I stood in the dark living room. The next day, you emailed. My eyes glazed over. Your cold words. You'd found a new apartment. I got your things out for you. I left. When I came back, they were gone. You were gone. Your keys were on the table.</p>
<p>I went upstairs to our bedroom. I saw them. Dog and Puppy, on the floor next to our bed. Our family. Our "us." I tried to cry, but I couldn't. I thought back to me, to who I was without you, to who I chose over us.</p>
<p>I opened the closet. I put Dog and Puppy on a shelf. I shut the door.</p>
<p class="note">Originally published on Thought Catalog, 11 June 2012.</p>
7 Talk Topics Guaranteed to Light Up The Lineshttps://machambers.co.uk/writing/7-talk-topics-guaranteed-to-light-up-the-lines/2007-10-24T00:00:00.000Z<p><em>By Dr. Gary Thunder — Evenings, Q106 Houston</em></p>
<h2>7. The Weather</h2>
<p>What's the one thing your listeners all have in common? I mean other than a radio, of course! I'll give you a hint: it's literally falling out of the sky all around them.</p>
<p>Have your listeners call in and tell you what the weather's like where they are. Other listeners will hear this, and, realizing it's the same where they are too, feel comfortable calling in and saying "hey! Me too, man!" Bonus points if it's inclimate — that's when the phone lines really light up!</p>
<h2>6. Politics</h2>
<p>Ooh, here's a dicey one! Be sure to keep a steady hand on the wheel as you guide your show into these potentially-troubled waters. With a Presidential election just a year away, opinions abound. Have two callers with opposing viewpoints duke it out while you play referee!</p>
<h2>5. Your Favorite Color</h2>
<p>Everybody's got a favorite color. What's yours? Put this one out to your listeners for a fun, feel-good break full of family-friendly laughs.</p>
<h2>4. The Local Canteen!</h2>
<p>Say, what's the scuttlebutt down at the ol' watering hole? You'll get more than your fair share of answers when you ask your listeners to let you know where they're whetting their whistle! Be sure to check with the Sales Department so you don't accidentally cause a conflict with one of your sponsors!</p>
<h2>3. Bills! Who needs 'em?</h2>
<p>Yuck! Everyone's least favorite thing to do. Paying bills! Have your listeners call up and discuss their least favorite bills to pay. This topic works very well if your station is running a "we'll pay your bills" contest.</p>
<h2>2. Office annoyances!</h2>
<p>What do people hate more than paying their bills? Going to work! Double yuck. And it only gets worse when you have to put up with <em>those</em> people, you know the ones we mean! Listeners can gripe all day about the things that drive them crazy around the office.</p>
<h2>1. Scintillating romances!</h2>
<p>Ooh lah lah! Keep it PG when you dive into a discussion of that classic taboo topic: love, romance and what goes on in the bedroom!</p>