Men And Washing Machines
There’s an interesting survey about male clothes washing habits going the rounds and it reported in the Daily Mail.
I won’t disagree with the findings, but I always find the instructions on most domestics appliances unfathomable, unless you get out the instruction manual. And of course, you always forget where you have put them.
Most appliances have far more features than you’ll ever use, whereas if I ever designed anything, one of the aims would be to take someone with the intelligence of say a ten-year-old and expect them to work it without instructions, after a brief chat with someone, who understood how it worked.
My washer-dryer is pretty simple, except that the buttons are difficult with my hands and tend to have mind of their own. But it has got many features, I’ve never used. i also fairly unique in that my mother taught me how to wash clothes by hand.
The Archbishop In The Wonga
Before you open your mouth, it is always best to check your facts or in the case of Justin Welby, your church’s investments. If he had he’d have found that his target yesterday, was a company they’d indirectly invested in. It’s reported here on the BBC.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Robert Peston’s views on Wonga. I said this.
Obviously, Wonga did a lot of analysis on their data and this has led them to their success, as they have the right model and technology. Peston says Wonga’s technology is world class. If banks such as RBS, Northern Rock and Bradford and Bingley had had world-class technology, they might not have gone bust.
I would add to that now. Perhaps, if when you sign any credit agreement or loan, how many would be refused if versions of Wonga’s technology is used. The success of any loan or credit company depends heavily on the quality of its lenders.
But the downside is that there would be a hard-core of people unable to get any form of credit. No reputable lender, and especially a credit union, would ever touch them.
Allez Les Bleus
I went to Trafalgar Square to see the new installation on the Fourth Plinth.
I was not impressed and I think it’s one of the post pointless pieces of art, I’ve seen since Carl Andre’s bricks or Equivalent VIII.
One point, is that my late wife would have hated it, as she hated live chickens with a passion. She felt they were OK though when they were dead and cooked on a plate.
It’s a bit crass to put a symbol of France in a square to commemorate one of Britain’s bigger victories over France. At least the England France rugby international in 2014 is taking place in Paris and hopefully this silly object will be gone by the time of the 2015 encounter.
One thing I did notice and that is there is only one clock in Trafalgar Square and that is on St. Martin-in-the-Fields.
Perhaps we need a properly designed clock on the Fourth Plinth!
An Excellent Brand Name
I was walking up the Narrow Way in Hackney and this coffee van was parked by St. Augustine’s Tower.
An Excellent Brand Name
I hope the coffee is as good as the name.
There surely is scope for CoffeeE17 etc.
Incidentally, the tower has a working 16th century clock. There can’t be many that are older.
The Windows Are In
I passed the new wooden frame house yesterday and took this picture.
The Windows Are In
All seems to be going well and the house is attracting a lot of curious looks from passers-by.
A Public Inconvenience
I thought this notice on a toilet was funny. You may not!
A Public Inconvenience
It was actually in the Royal Academy.
Cleaning Up My Garden
My garden has been a mess since I moved here. it was rather overgrown with bamboo and a dreadful tree. Until today that is!
The two gardeners were from Cercis and I’d recommend them to anyone.
I’ll post a few more pictures, when they put in the plants.
Registering Babies
There has just been a discussion on BBC Radio 5 about how the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will register the new baby.
Will the Registrar go to them or will they have to go to their offices?
In the 1960s and 1970s, there was no problem, as the Registrar came round the wards and registered all babies they could, before they left hospital.
I never went near a Registrar until I had to register the death of my wife and son.
The Expansion Of Tate Modern
The Tate Modern is being expanded as Wikipedia says here.
A bridge is being built across turbine hall to connect the new extension to the current galleries.
Three Reasons To Join The Tate
Obviously, if you join the Tate as I have, you get various advantages with the entry to exhibitions, but there are other less obvious ones.
In the Tate Modern, you get to use a Member’s Room with good views over the river.
The View From Tate Modern
This picture probably shows the Barbican and St. Paul’s better than the one I showed in the gallery. The Member’s Room also serves a mean cup of tea.
A Two Pound Pot Of Tea
At a mean price, I should say too, as I got two cups from the pot for just two pounds.
There are also two viewing galleries off the Member’s Room.
The Shard From Tate Modern
I only explored the South-facing one, which sadly is overlooked by the dreaded Shard.
Even if you’re not a member, the Tate has several cafes and restaurants and none seem to be small.
