Year: 2008

Uncategorized

Liverpool, a city crying out for a purpose

Posted on by
Spotted in Liverpool

Spotted in Liverpool

What a total shithole Liverpool is. I went there on the train today to fix something that had gone wrong at Chris’ Dad’s as yet unused new office there and the place hasn’t changed at all since I last went, which has to be three months at least.

There’s still a sky full of cranes from any number of building sites, each one of which has imposed some sort of temporary road closure in its environs, which would normally be acceptable except all the different construction companies don’t appear to communicate with each other regarding their road closures and temporary one way systems and so it’s actually possible to get trapped in a one way system from which there is no escape, if you’re in a car. Even pedestrians come up against sealed off streets with no alternative route presented, and I know the particular area of the city in which this office is reasonably well; heaven help a visitor to the city. The roads and pavements that are open are all wet and filthy with building site muck.

Yes, I know that all these building sites will eventually make Liverpool a better place and that it’s in the middle of a transition period at the moment, but I do have ask to ask to what end? Liverpool, far from being the globally important shipping hub that it used to be, is just another boring British city, trying desperately to catch up with its trailblazing Mancunian neighbour, but it’s just too late to the party if you ask me. Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield are the same, they’re all building sites too at the moment, keen to compete with Manchester, but it’s all a little trite now. Manchester’s done it; it’s rebuilt, revitalised and it’s fabulous. Why bother with anywhere else? I love it here. Were it not for the fact that I have family in Surrey I probably wouldn’t ever leave the city, holidays notwithstanding.

The Liverpool locals haven’t changed either, but then I didn’t expect anything else. They still seem to actually go out of their way to get in mine. I don’t know what it is about Liverpudlians, they just seem to have this knack of getting in my way more than locals in any other city in the country.

Uncategorized

Retro lift

Posted on by
Lift like TARDIS that only goes to the 70s

Lift like TARDIS that only goes to the 70s

We’re moving offices at the moment as we’ve completely outgrown our small serviced offices and have signed a lease on an entire floor in the building literally across the road (so no wacky races with vans and things will be required). The building across the road is perfectly fine, but the landlord hasn’t quite finished refurbishing it yet and has a few things still to do, including the refurbishment of one of the two lifts. One lift is all modern with digital controls and voice floor announcements and all that jazz, but the other, although functional, is still as it was installed when the building was built in the 70s.

It’s totally retro, with big clunky buttons, wood paneling, an old fashioned floor indicator panel above the door (which doesn’t work) and inside the emergency phone cabinet is this fully functional dial telephone (pictured). It actually works too! It’s like going back in time 20 years.

I’ve also added a third monitor to my Mac Pro at work, because I’m greedy and I can. It was a spare monitor I had at my Dad’s house, liberated from the Rhydio office in 2006, and so I thought I’d put it to good use. Very soon I’ll wonder how I worked without it and be wanting a fourth one, which will be entirely possible since my Mac Pro has 4 monitor ports.

three-monitors

Because I am greedy

Uncategorized

Railair links

Posted on by

What is it about these “Railair links”. They are neither rail nor air; they’re frigging bus services, nothing more, stop trying to dress it up. Buses are shit and not a viable form of transport unless you’re poor, a murderer, or a combination thereof. Don’t make bus services out to be anything more glamourous than they actually are with poncy names like “Railair”, it’s not fooling anyone. It’s a bus; a cheap and inadequate substitute for proper public transport.

Uncategorized

Cloverfield

Posted on by

Watched Cloverfield in the cinema last night. A brilliant disaster movie which involves a mysterious monster attacking New York City, the origins nor fate of which are ever revealed. The film is shot entirely from the perspective of a small group of people who are recording events using a camcorder as they attempt to escape and survive the chaos around them.

Although sometimes very difficult to watch due to the jerky camera movements, the constraints that the film makers placed upon themselves by choosing this format have lead to a great deal of consistency with the film. There is no back story, you only get to know what the characters get to know, save perhaps for a few vague news reports from televisions in the background in a few scenes. Most disaster movies are plagued by implausible scientific and/or political back stories, plus equally implausible technology and military strategy, but there’s none of this with Cloverfield and it’s very refreshing. You’re left with many unanswered questions at the end of the film as a result, but that’s the point, you know no more than the protagonists.

I suppose you could describe it as Godzilla done right, although in all honesty I’ve never thought that Godzilla was an entirely terrible film, despite its widespread panning.

Uncategorized

Record £14m fine for rail company

Posted on by

BBC NEWS | UK | Record £14m fine for rail company – I’m sorry, but I must’ve missed something here. Are you actually trying to tell me that a government-funded agency has fined a government-funded firm £14 million quid? Where the fuck do they expect they will get the money from to pay it? Who funds the government that funds this government-funded company, in addition to paying a portion of their rail fares directly to this government-funded company? That’s right. Most people are at least one of taxpayer and rail passenger, many are both.

There will be no penalty that might actually mean something to those responsible. Network Rail directors will not only keep their jobs but they’ll likely keep their bonuses too, safe in the knowledge that someone else will clear up their mess and bail them out of their incompetence. The entire board should be fired. That would hit them where it hurts.

I also notice that no form of compensation has been awarded to the affected passengers, who now face a £14m fine for their trouble. It’s just pointless money recycling, with suitably inflated administrative fees being creamed off where it’s deemed appropriate. Stupidity and shortsightedness compounded on top of stupidity and shortsightedness. I’ve come to expect little else from 11 years of the New Labour regime, which seems to prioritise some sort of war on common sense. The scary thing is that it’s winning it, hands-down.

Uncategorized

Selfish smoker in cigarette projectile incident

Posted on by

When are smokers just going to fuck off? I was walking into the station this morning, following a woman that was smoking, which was unpleasant enough. But when she reached the door, after having taken a few desperate last puffs, she flicked her bastard cigarette, which was still lit, behind her and it hit me.

“Excuse me!” I exclaimed, “you threw a fag at me!“. I didn’t hear what she then said because I had my iPod turned up loud, but from the expression on her face, her hand gestures and her body language I surmised that she considered it to be my fault. I told her that she was selfish and careless before walking off, since to stick around and argue it further would have probably been fruitless and would have caused me to miss my train.

Seriously, when are smokers going to fucking realise that everyone fucking hates them, take all the fucking hints that are now being rammed down their throats, and give up their despicable, bastard habit? Smoking should be banned from ALL public places, restricted only to private residences. I won’t be happy until smoking is considered more taboo and reprehensible than pedophilia.

Uncategorized

The Queen

Posted on by

Watched The Queen this evening, something which I’ve had in my DVD “inbox” for a few weeks now. I’ve always heard good things about it, and now I know why. It’s a totally brilliant film, describing in great detail the tragedy of Princess Diana’s death from the perspective of the royal family and the Blair family through their interactions with each other. There’s even a bit of comedy thrown in here and there with Prince Philip and the Queen Mother.

However, what I like most about it is the portrayal of reprehensible Cherie Blair and the equally dreadful Alistair Campbell. The former is made out to be a total bitch whereas the latter is made out to be a sleazy, slimy reprobate; both highly accurate character portrayals in my opinion. Blair himself was portrayed as a “good guy”, which he was (at the time at least), as indeed was the Queen herself in the end. I don’t envy the position she was put in; all she knew was establishment protocol, even if said protocol didn’t quite fit into the modern world. You can’t blame her for the actions she initially took, or rather, didn’t take. Nothing like this had ever happened in the history of the monarchy.

I’ve no problem in admitting that the film brought a few tears to my eyes, not only because of the plight of the Queen, whom I’ve always admired, but also because it reminded me of the event itself. While I didn’t think much of Diana, she didn’t deserve her fate and the nation’s reaction to it was very moving. It certainly had my Mum in floods of tears and she totally hated her.

If you’re British then you really have to watch it, whether you’re a monarchist or not. I expect the Americans quite like it too.

1 2 3 4