Two Roads

Two Roads

Possibly the single best thing about attending FOWA this week has been the chance to travel on the DLR, because given the time of year, I was on it in more or less the golden hour. The DLR offers views on London you’re going to get from anywhere else, and crucially, the construction of the trains is such that you can sit up the front as a passenger and look ahead. There is no driver.

(Aside: I got a load of funny looks from people, as I sat there with my camera out, snapping shots out the front and sides of the train. It must be terrible for the DLR to be enough of a regular commute that it looses that magic. Or to never see it in the first place.)

So here’s the first of few slightly imperfect shots, marred by the dirt on train windows. So what if they’re a little flawed. They’re still a little slice of London that I don’t often see.

Dopplr

Anyone around these parts have any use for a Dopplr invite? Have picked up one at FOWA (not that I travel much, but you never know, my habits might change, and I like to get my name as a username) and so can now invite others…

Photography Longshot

Does anyone in London own, or know anyone who owns a Ricoh GX100 digital camera, that would be willing to let me use it for a few hours one afternoon? Or anywhere that would rent me one for an afternoon? I’m contemplating buying one (it’s a compact with the same kind of image quality and control as some DSLRs), but it seems to be a love it or hate it camera (not quite, but it has a couple of flaws that some people don’t like) and for the price, I really want to try before I buy…

Things that pleased me this morning:

An advert for Polish vodka at the bus stop. In Polish. I’m sure it’s part of some bigger campaign, but I like the fact that we’re becoming sufficiently multi-cultural in Britain that we will actually put up adverts in non-native tongues, and it’s no big thing.

Skates for sale…

Before I ebay them, I thought I’d just check here – anyone want to buy a pair of hardly-used men’s size 11 K2 inline skates (suitable for people with size 10 to 10 and a half feet), plus pads and a bag?

Total cost to me: 160 quid. Total cost to you: 100 quid, plus shipping, if you’re not in London/able to meet me somewhere to take them off my hands.

(Yes, I have knocked the skating on the head. I enjoyed the lessons, but I didn’t enjoy it so much out in public, and would rather just get on with other kids of exercise, rather than hoping skating will get more fun.)

Please feel free to point anyone you think might be interested at this post.

Skates for sale…

Before I ebay them, I thought I’d just check here – anyone want to buy a pair of hardly-used men’s size 11 K2 inline skates (suitable for people with size 10 to 10 and a half feet), plus pads and a bag?

Total cost to me: 160 quid. Total cost to you: 100 quid, plus shipping, if you’re not in London/able to meet me somewhere to take them off my hands.

(Yes, I have knocked the skating on the head. I enjoyed the lessons, but I didn’t enjoy it so much out in public, and would rather just get on with other kids of exercise, rather than hoping skating will get more fun.)

Please feel free to point anyone you think might be interested at this post.

Oi! People What Eat Food!

I would advise you to go and read anw‘s journal. Specifically, go any read this announcement.

He has a book about food coming out, and it is very good. If you eat food, you should buy it. In fact, you should buy several, and give copies to anyone else you might know who also eats food.

Suicide Stencil

Suicide Stencil

Graffiti spotted in Camden. Fucked with the light levels and vignetting a bit, and added a slight tint for that end-of-the-pier, because it amused me to do so.

Dunbar’s Number

This morning, I am thinking about Dunbar’s Number, and my LJ friends list. I have noticed of late that there are an increasing number of people on my list whose journals I don’t read, because I simply don’t have the attention span to concentrate on them as well as everyone else’s, and in fact, that this is carrying over, and I am interacting less with other journals that I might like, because they’re getting lost in the churn.

So a question: should I
a) set up a default view?
b) have a cull?

If a), would you prefer to know if you were on the default view or not? I have not hitherto set up a default view, because I feel it’s kind of hypocritical to describe someone as a “friend” (god, how much simpler would things be if LJ hadn’t used the emotionally loaded term) and not read their journal, but then, as I’ve just admitted, that’s what I’m doing at the moment anyway. But one way round that hypocrisy might be to be open about who’s journals I am reading. Would it break anyone’s heart to discover that while I do consider them a friend, I don’t read their journal very often? Would that be better or worse than a Friends List cull?

Dear god, but I over-think things sometimes. Maybe I should just arrange to have 75 of you shot. That would simplify matters…