Farewell To Christopher Chataway
Sir Christopher Chataway was one of my heroes and he has been mentioned regularly in this blog.
But now he has died and I suspect the world will be a duller place.
I can still see the pictures of him in white defeating Vladimir Kuts at the White City. This is the BBC’s description of the feat.
His career in international athletics lasted only five years with the pinnacle being in 1954 when he set a new 5,000m world record of 13 minutes 51.6 seconds in a televised race at White City.
Chataway beat Russia’s Vladimir Kuts by 0.1 secs – the man who he had finished second behind in the 5,000m European Championships final two weeks earlier.
He might not have been a great athlete, but he was one of those rarer beings; a great all round talent.
The Problems Of Twitter
We have had a lot of stories in the past few years about people being abused on Twitter and similar sites, such as this report about Stan Collimore.
I have been involved in a few studies about malicious calls in the past with BT and have a small amount of knowledge. For instance, those that abuse usually target someone specific like an ex partner or employer or they might do the opposite and tend to target a range of people.
But there is always a pattern, as people are creatures of habit!
I also did some work years ago with project management software to see, if it were possible to fill in the blanks on an activity, based on other activities in a project and the words in the description. Techniques of language recognition, weren’t that good in the 1980s, but I believe that it is now possible to make a better fist of it.
Twitter messages are a string of a few words and I believe that computers can now get the flavour of what is said with a bit of help. After all Google often gives you what you want in a search, that is full of spelling and typing mistakes.
So let’s say you get an abusive Twitter message. By flagging it to Twitter, they should be able to automatically determine if the contents fits a typical abusive pattern, based on the words and the tweeting profile of the sender.
An automatic warning would then ensue if it was deemed necessary, followed by deletion of the account, if the abuser persisted.
I obviously don’t know the thoughts of Twitter, but I’m absolutely certain, that an automatic system could be developed based on technology that works well in other areas.
The trouble is, any system like this is against the American rules on Free Speech. But it probably would be acceptable to many of those who have suffered abuse.
Sensing Spaces At The Royal Academy
Today was a preview day for Sensing Spaces at the Royal Academy.
What was unusual about the exhibition was that the taking of pictures was encouraged.
We need more of this. Obviously, under the control of a tasteful set of rules. Like no flash, not getting in the way of other visitors and not taking pictures of the visitors. Almost like the rules on the London Underground, where I’ve heard that drivers get fed up of the camera flashes, as they drive trains into the station.
One installation even allowed me to take a reflected selfie.
Go and see the exhibition. But make sure you take a camera that is good in low light, with the flash switched off!
I suspect too, it would be best to go,when there are a shortage of walk-on extras.
How To Muck Up A Country
When I was a child in the 1950s and 1960s, Argentina was reckoned to be one of those countries that would be an economic powerhouse in the future. I can remember positive stories about how it was developing a strong motor, aviation and other industries. It was also thought that dictators like the Perons were firmly in the past.
But now we only get stories like this one from the BBC, which talks about restricting on-line shopping and foreign currency transactions to limit the damage on reserves. Here’s the first bit.
Argentina has introduced new restrictions on online shopping as part of efforts to stop foreign currency reserves from falling any further.
Anyone buying items through international websites will now need to sign a declaration and produce it at a customs office, where the packages have to be collected.
The procedure will need to be repeated for every new purchase.
It just shows how politicians can so easuly drag a country into the mire.
Twin Toilets
This story from the BBC is summed up by a related tweet.
Two toilets – 28,000 roubles, Olympic media centre – 1.5bn roubles. Global embarrassment – priceless.
If this is the standard of humour for Sochi 2014, then we’re in for a treat.
Too Many People In Oxford Street
This is predicted to happen, when Crossrail opens in 2018 in various media articles over the last couple of days. Look at articles on the BBC and in the Standard.
I have just added this comment to another article.
What Oxford Street needs is a moving walkway along the street at first floor level, with escalators up and entries to the shops at that level. It could be covered over much like the long escalator in Hong Kong. It could also be expanded as time goes on with cafes and stalls, and sub branches down Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road and towards Soho, Hyde Park and the British Museum.
Underneath would be for buses, taxis and cyclists, and for pedestrians going to and from the various stations.
All it needs is a bit of vision and Oxford Street would be the envy of the world, rather than the overcrowded gutter it is today.
This may be an old idea of mine, but I think even more that its time has come.
A Patient Sub Editor Uses His Word
I wonder how many years one of the sub editors in The Times has waited to use the word murmuration!
But today it was used under a picture as the correct term for a flock of starlings. There’s a lot more here.
Around Smithfield
There was an article in The Times yesterday, about the redevelopment of some of the market buildings in Smithfield.
So I went and took some pictures.
the main Smithfield Market was rebuilt some years ago, but the western end, is a mixture of dereliction and the worst of 1960s architecture. Surely, any modern sympathetic development would be better.
After all the area is surrounded by some good watering holes and first class tourist attractions, so perhaps an artisan market and craft workshops might be better than what is there now.
As the area is close to Farringdon station, which when Thameslink and Crossrail is complete will be one of London’s major interchanges, it must surely be an area with potential visitors.
The Elephant In The Stand
Watching the arguments about the performance of Manchester United this season, gives me a very much a sense of deja vu.
The talk is just the same as it was, when Wilf McGuinness succeeded Matt Busby, except that with social media it is in more places.
When a manager retires, who had a tremendous effect on a club, company or organisation, inevitably the one who follows suffers from the presence of his predecessor. You could argue that Tesco, post-Leahy has similarly suffered.
Moyes will probably go and Manchester United won’t do anything until Sir Alex stops being seen at the club.
The Unseemly Row About Lord Rennard
Whether or not Lord Rennard did anything wrong, has not been decided in a Court of Law, but it does seem to me, that the two sides in the argument are immoveable and won’t reach a solution acceptable to everyone.
It seems to me, that anybody at the centre of a row like this, should do the honourable thing and probably give up this job and do something else!
Isn’t that what John Profumo did all those years ago and he died a respected man?
Certainly, the Lib Dems are proving that many in the party, still haven’t learnt how to run a whelk stall!
The Anonymous Widower 