Happy Birthday Steve. Your Gail Tisley comments are on the site – honest! It’s my present to you!
On this day…
2004: Watching Me Everywhere2002: Old Friends
Regular Reader Celebrates
2002: Old Friends
Monthly Archives: September 2004
2002: Old Friends
Watching Me Everywhere
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In my little piece about gmail last week I noted that my journey to work covers many CCTV cameras. In a piece published on the same day at CNN it was noted that there are something like 4.2 million cameras observing our moves around the British capital. That really does seem like a great number. An American author – Jeffrey Rosen – notes,
Instead of being perceived as an Orwellian intrusion, the cameras in Britain … were hailed as the people’s technology, a friendly eye in the sky, not Big Brother but a kindly and watchful uncle or aunt [source]
Do you really think this is the case? I certainly don’t think of it as the people’s technology although I will admit to resigned acceptance of the devices. On the whole I suspect they are a necessary evil in the world we inhabit. Is that a foolish notion?
On this day…
2004: Regular Reader Celebrates
2002: Old Friends
Why Do We Love Our Mobile Phones?
Occasionally I have noted my use of a Palm powered Treo on Orange in the UK. It’s an OK ‘phone and an OK organiser (and an OK MP3 player and a poor camera) but as one, pocket-sized device it more-or-less rocks. Sometimes I wish it was smaller and sometimes I wish it was bigger. Sometimes I wish I’d spent the cash on the keyboard accessory and then, sometimes, I don’t.
Last month Engadget carried what they said were ‘actual pics of the new Treo Ace/Treo 650‘ which is the next version of the device and – of course – carries some neat improvements. At the start of next year I will be 12 months into the contract for the ‘phone and able to change it. The thing is – although I love all the features and I love the whole Palm experience – I can’t help thinking that I need to get a simpler machine that is just a telephone.
Ah, the dilemmas of the gadget obsessed.
On this day…
2002: Useful Fast News Feed
Listen To Musak August 2004
Just back from a great weekend away – which I will mention later. However, on my return I quickly read my stats for August (not sure what prompted it) and I am confused. August 2004 has had the most number of pages visited (although not the most number of actual requests) but is, nonetheless, counted as the busiest month by my log analysis tool. I have no idea why as not much really happened in August. Ah well, maybe all those spiders are reading my site! I see Movable Type has now released 3.1 which I think I will look to upgrade to and then who knows what wonders I might add. One of the new features is the ability to schedule posts for the future which will – I hope – allow me to develop another idea I have had for a site.
On this day…
2003: Stephen is Man of the Moment
2002: Confusing, Image-Saturated Culture
View From Above
Matt Haughey has a superb picture of San Francisco on Ten Years Of My Life (entry for 1 September 2004) which – for some reason – is making me yearn to go back there. I once visited on a rainy week in 2000. It was a business trip and my first time in the US so there were so many other things going on that I didn’t really appreciate it as much as I would have liked to. I do remember the view from the top of the Marriott but it’s certainly not as good as Matt’s view from the plane.
On this day…
2003: Things I Want to be True (1)
2002: Ban Me?
No Steroids Near Me
Since February I have maintained regular gym training sessions and have found myself pleasantly surprised by my own enthusiasm for pounding a treadmill or rowing nowhere several times a week. I always return from the gym energetic and enthusiastic but I am starting to note a worrying trend in myself in attempting to rationalise avoidance. So far I have not stopped myself going but my head keeps thinking that I could just miss this one and have a rest. It would be good to rest. I think this is a worrying trend so, my gym buddy, time to put those motivational techniques to the test.
I do have to say that if, like yesterday, Thursday turns out to be a designated gym day then it’s not too bad as the cute aquarobics instructor is marching up and down the pool side encouraging a bunch of ladies to float better (or something). You get a nice view from the third exercise cycle from the entrance.
I am fairly certain that my gym is not full of gay men. Firstly, there is far too much sport on the television screens (although I did watch football match earlier this week – Hull v Bradford if you’re interested. Bradford won). Secondly, there are no signs of the steroid problem amongst gay men identified by the NHS – although there are a worrying number of overweight middle-aged men wearing those head/sweat bands that used to be popular with tennis players. It’s not a good look – even in a gym.
On this day…
Digital No 1
I’ve noted the online music charts several times. I didn’t hear the chart last night (current chart is here) but Westlife’s old hit Flying Without Wings from 1999 topped first official download chart yesterday. Now, I find Westlife pretty harmless but a song from 1999 topping the first of the digital download chart? Some predict this is good. I am not one of them. Listen to the chart at the BBC.
In related news, as they say, I hadn’t realised that MSN US didn’t have a digital download site. Their UK service does (powered by OD2). MSN has their new US version in beta and it looks OK but isn’t earth-shattering. What do you think?
On this day…
2002: I Keep Buying Books
Long Wave Is The Home Of Hit Music
Happy September to you.
Today is the 15th anniversary (I think) of the launch of the now defunct Atlantic 252. I only mention this because it strikes me that the radio landscape in the UK has changed dramatically since it launched. I am no expert but, if I recall, there was something about DJ’s having to stand-up when presenting (which made it sound very American). Gary King was the first voice (Mine is the first voice you will ever hear…on Atlantic 252) but I remember it for Charlie Wolfe and Dusty Rhodes (whose web site I can no longer find) and was Rusty Nails a presenter or did I make that up? It was pop music on very heavy rotation, small amounts of talk and this hiss and crackle of long wave. In 1989 it was exciting and different and, the fact it was really are Irish radio station, gave the feel of a pirate broadcaster. Long wave really was the home of hit music (even if only for a little while).
And for Atlantic 252 fans, a couple of quick links:
- Aircheck UK: seems like a good history of the station
- Fan site: still to come
- Radio Waves: more on Atlantic 252’s history
Long wave radio Atlantic 252: Born 1st September 1989. Ceased transmission 20th December 2001.
On this day…
2006: Technology Overkill?
2003: Listen to Musak in August
2003: Now Reading
2002: The Joy of September