#click radio

FutureEverything

The FutureEverything Festival propels visitors into 2018, imagining the future to inspire innovation. Gareth Mitchell and Bill Thompson travel to Manchester to a pop-up future city where museums house objects not of the past but of the future. The recent revelations by Edward Snowden have highlighted the battle over privacy and data. Some artists at FutureEverything explore that dilemma in works that reveal the machine-like processing of soldiers' dispatches from the conflict in Afghanistan. Yet other artists take an ironic, but critical approach to privacy by offering an anti-surveillance makeover. Click explores other risks to the cities of the future that might have streets lined by lamposts that monitor your every move and disorientating, chirping electronic bugs that lurk in alleyways and hang like bats overhead.

This month has already been busy for things Ive never done, and we're still only half way through!

On Valentines Day, there were two firsts for me...

The first of the firsts, was appearing on the Teesside University radio, Click Teesside, to participate on the Cupid Clickshow, which is basically the equivalent of Blind Date but over the radio.

I only applied to be on the show because of peer pressure when I was asked to sign up - I'll do anything if I'm tortured enough! And in all fairness, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to possibly win free bubbly and food!

I've got to be honest, I wasn't expecting much, the other guys were much better at answering questions than me but, for some reason, I was chosen!

So that lead to the second of my "firsts" of this week, going on a blind date!

I can't begin to describe how nervous I was before going on both the show and the date, knowing that it was going to be video recorded and going out live on the radio.

I was probably less nervous about the date, because even though I hadn't been on a blind date before, I'm quite confident when it comes to meeting new people and getting conversations going.

The date started at The Star, where we were treated to a full bottle of champagne (free of course!)

And then, the highlight of the evening ... FREE Pizza Hut!!

The conversation was interesting, funny and interesting. Although the majority of the conversation turned to alcohol and nights out.

I found Chloe to be a really pretty girl with a lot of charisma, a great sense of humour and to have a really relaxed and easy going personality.

Overall, I think it was a fun experience, although something I hope I wouldn't have to do again as it was quite embarrassing to be answering questions on live radio and then being interviewed about it!