November 2005 Archives

So, we're all to work until we're 68, are we?

Well that all seems very sensible, what with rising life expectancy and all. And then, I think about the fact my Dad died at 65 and it sends a small shiver down my spine. Who's up for dying in harness, then?

The Lewisham Raindeer, originally uploaded by Adam Tinworth.

Now, the real strength of mobile phone cameras is this: the unexpected photo opportunity that you come across while going about your daily business. Lewisham town centre had some form of Christmas show going on today, so I grabbed a few shots with my phone while I was doing my shopping. Without the phone, I'd have missed the shot.

Newport at Sunset, originally uploaded by Adam Tinworth.

A picture to compare and contrast with the last one. It's a similar, but trickier, lighting situation. The difference here is that this photo was shot with my EOS 300D digital SLR. Quite a difference.

The stand along digital camera has a long life ahead of it yet.

Theobold's Road, originally uploaded by Adam Tinworth.

I grabbed this shot with my phone yesterday afternoon, trying to capture the beautiful light playing on the buildings.

And, well, the camera wasn't up to it. Still work to be done there, I think.

Winter is finally here which, frankly, is not great news for me right now. You see, the flat rennovation is still in full swing, and two rooms are yet to be plastered. When those rooms are done, we''ll put the central heating back in. Yes, that's right, we have no central heating.

So, for now, our sole warm room is the bedroom. I brought an old electric heater back from my mum's and it's already doing good service

Could be worse...

Ducks outside the pub, originally uploaded by Adam Tinworth.

Today is a pub lunch sort of day. I enjoyed bangers and mash in front of a roaring fire in a 15th century pub.

The pub actually keeps ducks and chickens, in a very free range manner. We had to chase a particularly stubborn chicken off the road outside the pub before we could sit down to eat.

Still, some exercise in the cold helps build up an appetite.

Winter's Morning, Suffolk, originally uploaded by Adam Tinworth.

In the last week, winter seems to have arrived. I'm up in Suffolk at the moment, visiting my mother, and woke to frost, ice and fog.

Ah, the joys of scraping ice off the car's windshield...

We in the Hellhole (our affectionate name for the flat we're refurbishing) are firm believers in digital music - we just don't buy CDs any more. In my case, it's the combination of convenience and price, for my wife, it's all about having fewer things cluttering up her living space.

So, I am hugely annoyed that the new Kate Bush album has yet to appear on iTunes. Each (New Music) Tuesday, I check in the hope that the album has appeared, but it doesn't. Now, Charles Arthur has found a plausible reason why. It's enough to drive me over to the Podsafe Music Network.

As someone who'd love to quit journalism for full time blogging, this made me go "hmmm..."

As a follower of the blog lemming herd, I've created a Frappr map for this blog, allowing people to show me and other readers of this blog where in the world they live.

Go here to add yourself.

Guardian Unlimited Technology | Technology | The new commentariat: A rather good piece on British political blogging from The Guardian.

Yes, I know the link is three days old. I've been busy, OK?

The observant amongst you will have noted a few day's silence here at OM&HB. One Woman and I have been on a long weekend break to the Isle of Wight and, as is increasingly common these days, I gave myself a break from the internet while I was away. Oh, I had my laptop with me, and I could have dialled up from the hotel but, in the end, I just didn't feel like it.

Funnily enough, I feel disproportionately rested for the length of time I was away, and I suspect that the break from online communication contributed to that. Well, that and the spa pool in the hotel, of course. I'm going to e-isolate myself on holidays a little more in future.

David,

You may be under the impression that Lord Tebbit is supporting you in your bid to become Conservative Party leader. Indeed, he claimed to be representing you when he spoke on the Today programme this morning. I regeret to inform you, having listened to the broadcast, that he is, in fact, a mole for the Cameron camp. After all, why else would he launch into an ill-judged, ill-informed and ill-timed rant at the presenter of the show? Why else would he base that attack on something that was provably wrong? And which the presenter was able to correct within seconds?

Lord Tebbit did a fine job of jolting me back to the days when Tony Blair seemed like the sort of guy that you'd want running the country, and even long term Tory voters wanted them out of office for a good, long while. Congratulations, you are now associated with the Tory era everyone wants to forget, so even if you do win, no-one who heard that interview will vote for you.

Yours aye,
Adam

Technorati Tags: conservative party, interview, politics, tories, tory

Interesting fall-out from the rioting in France; the police there are censoring blogs:

French prosecutors shut down several blogs this week and arrested bloggers suspected of inciting violence, as officials moved to squelch riots that have rocked France for more than 10 days.
A prosecuting attorney from Le Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris, who spoke under condition of anonymity, told Wired News that three bloggers and forum visitors allegedly posted messages that violated French criminal statutes governing violent speech. Two of the bloggers, who were arrested earlier this week, could be arraigned under violent speech statutes, the prosecutor said. The blogs in question, he said, were hosted on a French site called Skyblog, which is owned by Skyrock.

More on Wired.

Now, I'm not in favour of hate blogs by any means, but I always get twitchy when the state starts interfering in people's communication. I tend to believe that the police should intervene at the point when speech becomes action.

Technorati Tags: blogging, blogs, censorship, france, police

A mini in Red Lion Square, originally uploaded by Adam Tinworth.

Not what it looks like at first glance�

Hmm. A couple of reactions to yesterday's activity worry me.

For one, there's the news that the police are disappointed about the result. Sorry guys, but police work isn't meant to be easy. Locking people up for three months while you look for evidence is, frankly, the wrong way around in a free society. Sure, it would make your lives easier, but at what cost?

And Blair thinks that he's more in touch with people than Parliament is. Wow, he's really losing touch with reality, isn't he? Even the little BBC poll on the linked news story proves that point.

Technorati Tags: parliament, police, politics, terrorism, uk

Just once in a while, something comes along that restores your faith in parliamentary democracy. The Government comes out with an ill-judged, illiberal and unwise piece of legislation that erodes our basic rights in a knee-jerk reaction to terrorism; and then parliament votes it down.

I am a happy man tonight.

Technorati Tags: legislation, parliament, politics, terrorism, uk

London commuters really excelled themselves this morning. One of them actually stood on my injured foot on my way into work. I tell you, people noticed me then. I howled. People don't often howl on commuter trains. It gets you noticed, trust me.

Mind you, it didn't make anyone actually offer me a seat�

My respect for the really disabled has just shot up. Today, I took my first �normal� commute to work, along with my crutch and swollen foot. Lo and behold, somebody offered me her seat. However, as she was a woman in her 80s, I didn't really feel I could accept. Everyone else studiously ignored my existence, including the vicar sat in one of the seats. Would would Jesus do, Rev, what would Jesus do?

For me, it's a minor inconvenience for a week. But just how inconsiderate people are has genuinely shocked me.

Just found on the iTunes Music Store:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Blogging

As narrated by Stephen Fry as the voice of the Book.

Still on crutches. Still pissed off.

However, my Episode III DVD has arrived, so hurrah!