Going Underground
I saw this poster on the Undergound.
Going Underground
I think it will be worth seeing, as a glimpse into the future.
Are People Generally That Dim?
I was surprised that this poster for the film Le Weekend has a translation of that into English.
Are People Generally That Dim?
I do wonder how many wouldn’t have realised it was a French film about a weekend. I hope not very many.
Checking on Wikipedia, it’s actually a British fim, written by Hanif Kureishi
A Sad Clock
There is no other title to this picture.
A Sad Clock
I hope when the property is refurbished, they give the clock a makeover.
The Bunhill Energy Centre
I went to the Bunhill Energy Centre as it was one of sites in Open House.
This centre provides enough heat and electricity for 700 homes.
We shall be seeing a lot more developments like this. I’ve always felt that small versions of the same system, using the same principles of a gas powered engine driving a generator, could be used to power and heat larger houses and small industrial premises. In fact Tomorrow’s World showed such a system based on a Fiat car engine in the 1980s.
We are just too conservative about how we generate electricity and heat.
Strangely, I met someone here, who was just a couple of years ahead of me at Minchenden.
Annoying Smart Phone
Are smart phones all they are cracked up to be?
I’ve recently bought myself a Samsung S3 Mini smart phone, so how do I like it?
It does the three things that I want it to do, which is make and receive calls, send and receive text messages and check the weather, news and sport on the Internet to a good standard.
I quite like the text message interface, as it enables me to do things, like send long texts to Radio 5 Live with ease, by typing them on my computer and then sending them to the phone for forwarding.
I don’t use any Apps, as the sort of App-like applications I need, I do on my computer.
But it has two main faults.
Starting it up is a nightmare and usually takes more than a few seconds.
And then there is of course battery life.
It also tries to lead me to use applications and things I don’t want. I bought a phone not an advertising medium!
Touch the wrong place and you can get lost.
If I’d designed something as poor as that, I’d be disgusted with myself.
At least though, it’s better than a Junkberry.
But as has been said often about people. Must try harder!
I still keep swapping my sim into my Nokia 6310i, when that would be a better phone for the day.
John Lennon Gets A Building
I don’t know what John Lennon would have thought about this building at Liverpool John Moores University.
But at least it’s an impressive one in a prominent place in the City!
Let’s All Have A Quick Pray
As I left Liverpool University yesterday, I saw this notice on the Foundation Building.
Let’s All Have A Quick Pray
I know they take their religion seriously in the Second City, so to see they provide it at speed didn’t surprise me.
A Cafe In Liverpool
Liverpool generally doesn’t do boring and there is nothing boring about this cafe.
A Cafe In Liverpool
It is actually in the Victoria Building of Liverpool University, which gave red brick universities, their name.
But the interior is a superb example of Victorian excess, in what is now the Victoria Gallery and Museum.
I particularly liked the clock.
The Clock
The food and drink is not too bad either.
Liverpool’s Bucket Fountain
I mentioned this in the comments on an earlier post. So today, instead of going direct to my meeting at the Unversity, I took the Wirral line to James Street station to see the Bucket fountain.
It was actually working, although I have read that normally the water is turned off.
A Sky Satellite Dish Is So Yesterday
I’ve just looked up what football matches, I can watch over the next few days, through my steam-driven broadband, BT Sport and Freeview.
Tonight, BT are showing Wigan, whilst ITV4 is showing Swansea and Tottenham. All in the Uefa Cup. As I’m seeing Wigan on Sunday, as I’m going to see Ipswich play there, it’s rather a no-brainer, which matches I’ll watch.
Tomorrow, I’m busy in Liverpool, but the only match is on BT and it’s a German one. I’m not that sad yet!
Saturday, BT are showing a Premier League match, but as it’s Norwich, I assume they are going to pay me to watch it! Later I might want to watch Fulham on Sky, but obviously I can’t!
Sunday has some good matches on Sky, but I’m on the train going to Wigan and back to watch Ipswich. At least Virgin’s trains are higher up the speed and reliability scale compared to their broadband.
So BT Sport’s deal of free football with broadband, is equivalent to a supermarket giving away burgers made of horsemeat. It may look good, but it’s not what you want.
I’m almost getting to the point where I put up a satellite dish for Sky.
But that is yesterday’s old technology and I would only rip it out again, when fibre optic broadband became available. I’ve no objections to Sky as a company, as they gave me good service, when I lived in Suffolk.
Fibre-optic broadband would give me everything I want. But when will someone deliver it to me? Or is Hackney too rural for it to be hooked up? On the other hand if Innerleithen, in the Scottish Borders can have fibre optic broadband, why can’t I?
BT are keeping the delivery date secret! Which of course means I can’t plan!
I have written to my MP, Meg Hillier, who is also the member for Silicon Roundabout and Shoreditch. She said this in a letter to me.
I am very aware of issues around broadband in Hackney, particularly in the Tech City area around Shoreditch. The growth of these cutting edge businesses in my constituency is an exciting addition but I am very concerned that the infrastructure to support their tech needs is not in place.
She obviously has more clout than any Hackney resident, so if you have a desperate need for fibre-optic broadband, I’d send her an e-mail. The best way is to use WriteToThem.
The Anonymous Widower 