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Today I made a leap in the dark and a leap of faith.
Hopefully this will be a leap forward and will result in a move forward by leaps and bounds and not be a wicker trap.
I guess only time will tell, hopefully before the next leap year comes along.
No front teeth but still able to eat cake.
Happy Birthday Joanne !
Those nice people over at mySociety have been working for a while now on a new facility for reporting problems to local councils.
FixMyStreet allows anyone to report problems which FixMyStreet passes onto the relevant authority.
FixMyStreet was paid for via the Department for Constitutional Affairs Innovations Fund and launched a year ago and went through a name change recently.
The site runs as a charity and I wonder if that is one of the problems with it. It’s competitor CommunityFix has a better designed look and feel and at first glance seems to win as it uses Google Maps rather than what appears to be iffy scans of local authority plans.
Why on earth does the summary of all reports not scroll with the column headings remaining fixed and just what is the difference between “New problems”, “Older problems”, “Old problems state unknown”, “Recently fixed” and “Old fixed”?
I’d much rather see some naming and shaming of councils in a summary form. I’m not interest in Aberdeen City Council just the one who should be sorting out the underpass flooding down the road from me. One nice summary page with my local councilors, their contact details, a mug shot of them and their attendance record in Parliament (where relevant).
What I do like about FixMyStreet is the RSS feed for my local area and the summary page showing the problems reported. But why isn’t the date they were reported shown? Just how long have those bollards been missing ?
Over at EGov Monitor Stephen F. King writes about the problems with these types of sites :
eGov monitor - A Policy Dialogue Platform |
In order to evaluate the effectiveness of FMS to date, and its future potential, the views of a range of stakeholders were obtained: developers, local government officers responsible for e-government and customer services at two councils (Council A and Council B), and prospective users of the site.
Whilst FMS is very easy to use, and clearly popular with the prospective users surveyed, its impact to date has been somewhat limited. None of the prospective users had heard of the site, and only one of the five council officers interviewed had heard of it. We do not have figures for the total number of problems reported to Council A in the first year of FMS’ operation, but suspect that the 155 problems posted on the FMS site at the time of writing represent a very small proportion of these. The site needs more publicity. Not surprisingly, the local government officers interviewed voiced a number of concerns. The key concern was over the accuracy of the reports (from “bogus” posters?), and whether fixes were reported quickly by the site (or even reported at all). Because the local councils don’t own the site, they cannot get their messages across to the users, for example to explain why problems are not being fixed or to outline their future plans for the area. This is part of the management of expectations, which is seen as key by the councils – who also feel aggrieved that their good work is not being reflected in improved public esteem. Presumably a mechanism for enabling the council to post to FMS when a problem has been resolved from their point of view would be useful. This would provide the council with a “voice” in the process, without denying the citizen’s voice.
I hope that the people at FixMyStreet have taken notice of these comments. Not all of them I agree with but I believe that mySociety are the best people to make this work, the problems are not impossible to resolve and with enough people using the system councils can be encouraged to work with the system rather than against it.
Got a problem ? Get someone to FixMyStreet.
Spring has sprung and it’s rather annoying.
I promised myself that I’d fix the hole in the pond but one thing led to another and it never got done.
Today the current count is 9 frogs / toads and a LARGE clump of frog-toad-spawn.
Inside the plague of foreign ladybirds continues with more flying around my office.
Egypt suffered ten plagues : I’m off to check myself for unhealable boils…
Has the tide turned for Facebook ?
BBC NEWS | Business | Facebook ‘sees decline in users’
Facebook has seen its first drop in UK users in January, new industry data indicates.
Users fell 5% to 8.5 million in January from 8.9 million in December, according to data from Nielsen Online.
This was the first drop in user numbers since July 2006 when Nielsen began compiling data on the site.
Now, I’m not a prolific user of Facebook but I can see just how bored people are getting with it.
Not every one is into micro-blogging and there’s a limit to anyone’s patience with the number of the number of requests and notifications anyone can wade through.
True there are some good changes to the Facebook interface of late but the basic problem is not everyone has the same likes and dislikes and I’m not that sure I want to know my stripper name, be hugged or buy a friend.
Where Facebook wins is the dramatic take up it enjoyed, the fact that it’s free and you can link up with people you lost contact with.
Sounds a little like FriendsReunited doesn’t it ? I wonder just what the future for FriendsReunited is other than a marketing database for ITV. It’s look and feel is years out of date, the interface is truely appauling and not extensible like Facebook is. The management of the site is dodgy - I regularily get emails telling me that new people have signed up to FriendsReunited but when I check there are none. You have to pay and if you do pay there’s no way of telling if people are still active on the site.
How sad that both sites seem to have wasted a chance. Facebook by being too snappy and Web 2.0 and FriendsReunited by running on a old business model and looking rather an untrendy uncle at a family wedding.
“The Orient Express does go this slowly, but the food’s better”, said K as the train crept through the night.
“I know it’s dark outside but if you look you can see that we are re-crossing The Thames again”, said the disembodied voice of the guard trying to convince us all that the diversion we are “enjoying” thanks to the engineering work on the mainline is something exotic and special.
“See we are going faster now”, I say to K hopefully.
Maybe next time I decide to take the train into London I need to check to see just how long the journey will take…
“A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of.” Jane Austin.
Clearly Jane was once in a better position to negotiate than I was today.
Whilst it’s nice to be recognised and good to be thanked, at the end of the day there are other things we all work for : challenge, development, satisfaction and of course money.
So it seems that I need to grasp the nettle and move on.
Street photography is becoming an increasingly difficult thing to do.
What with tales of photographers being arrested under the anti-terrorism laws or just moved on from town centres this latest case is rather more disturbing.
Police seek man over Waterloo photographer assault [18 February 2008]
PC Ben Dawson said the incident occurred on the escalators leading to the main concourse at Waterloo mainline station at around 10.17pm on Wednesday 12 December.
“It would appear the victim, an amateur photographer, who enjoys taking snaps of London street scenes, was taking shots on the escalators when a member of the public took exception to having his photo taken and asked him to delete the photo.
“The photographer told him he could not delete the shot as it was not a digital camera. The man then attempted to grab the camera and punched the victim in the face. The victim suffered cuts and bruising to his face as a result of the incident.
“We have released this photo today, which was taken by the victim prior to the incident and we are appealing to members of the public to assist us in identifying the man pictured.
“The man is described as white, 34-38 years-old and about 5 ft 9 in tall. He was wearing a dark jacket and carrying a dark rucksack.
“Anyone who may be able to assist us with our inquiries is urged to call the BTP on 0800 40 50 40 or the Witness Appeal Line on 020 7391 5275 quoting background reference B5 of 15/02/08.”
Tip of the hat to Annie Mole over at Going Underground for this story.
Comment is free: Fidel’s farewell
To my dearest compatriots, who have recently honoured me so much by electing me a member of the Parliament where so many agreements should be adopted of utmost importance to the destiny of our Revolution, I am saying that I will neither aspire to nor accept - I repeat, I will neither aspire to nor accept - the positions of President of the State Council and Commander in Chief.
Announced early in the morning in Havana to a country with State controlled media Fidel’s end was a low key affair lacking the pomp and solemnity that should accompany the world’s longest-serving leader.
Today my thoughts are with the people of Cuba, the majority of whom have never known anything other than him. The real Cuba lies in their hearts and is a country with the possibility of a great future ahead of them.
Despite all of Castro’s failings the ordinary people will have more questions than answers today. Luis M Garcia writes :
Child of the Revolution : Growing Up in Castro’s Cuba: I hope I am wrong but …
And anyway, does this mean that Castro will step dwon from all his posts? Does it mean he will remain head of the all-powerful Communist Party? Will he really retire and stop meddling from the sidelines, as he has been doing for the past 18 months? And what does he mean when he says that this is not a “farewell”? Why hasn’t he endorsed his own designated successor, Raul, no spring chicken at 75, as the next Comandante? Or is the dictator so sick after all that death is imminent?
See? So many questions.
I hope my friends are right, though. I hope it’s the beginning of a new chapter. I hope I am wrong and they are right.
So is there any good news in this change of power ? Well, perhaps. While US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said today the United States will not soon lift its embargo on Cuba despite Fidel Castro’s resignation John Clancy, spokesman for EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel, was saying :
“The objective of the EU in relation with Cuba is to encourage a peaceful process of transition to a pluralistic democracy and to respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Clancy told reporters.
He stressed that the EU’s common position had remained largely unchanged by Castro’s announcement, but said that the 27-nation bloc sought “a sustainable recovery and improvement in the living standards of the Cuban people.”
He said that the EU wanted to reiterate its “willingness to engage with Cuba in a constructive political dialogue.”
It seems to me that Europe is the best hope to retain the uniqueness of Cuba and the charm which brings so many people to it’s shores every year, preserving an amazing health and education system and creating a better political landscape for all.
As Luis Garcia says, “As they say on television, only time will tell.”.
“You need to come outside”, said K recognising the stress on my face.
So that’s how we came to be sitting outside on a cold but bright afternoon, thinking of Cuba and wishing we were warm.
Crabby just isn’t the word for me…
“This area will really take off with the reef”, I tell K as we walk in the sun.
I love the classic lines of the pier and that wide, blue sky we had today…
It is amazing how much interest and excitement getting a new hoover can cause.
“A Henry is good, it has a face and it’s like having a little animal”, said James who we met en route to Argos to get one.
“It’s the first hoover I have ever bought”, said K proudly as we loaded it into the back of the car.
As a first hoover purchase the Henry seems to be a good choice. It lacks all the technological showiness of a Dyson and simply does what it’s designed for - very, very well…
But not as bad a young Max Gogarty had over at The Guardian’s Travel section.
As many of the commentators have said - riveting stuff and one reason I have added this RSS feed to my collection.
That and the fact the comments made me laugh very, very hard …
It’s always nice to see bloggers passion for writing resulting in them getting their words into print and I thought I’d mention a few just in case you want to read something a little different.
Francis Strand is featured in “Ultimate Blogs: Masterworks from the Wild Web” a collection of writing from 27 blogs, chosen by Sarah Boxer, one time web critic of the New York Times.
Peach is putting together a Lulu-published book written by bloggers whose profits go to the charity War Child. There’s more details on her blog here.
Petite Anglaise’s first book is almost out of the door which is cause for celebration but the very happy news that she and The Boy are to get married means that the year ahead for both of them is looking très heureux. Congratulations to them both !
“The truth, Helen, is always the right answer.”, so says Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List, Steven Spielberg’s 1993 biographical film telling the story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of over one thousand Polish Jews during the Holocaust.
In a statement Spielberg released today he says :
Spielberg walks out on Beijing games in protest over Darfur | World news | The Guardian
“I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue business as usual. At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur.”
Just how someone who founded The Shoah Foundation to record and teach young people about the genocidal crimes of the Nazis and, latterly, the genocide in Rwanda got himself associated with the Chinese government amazes me.
Thankfully he seems to have come to his senses before it’s too late.
What a shame that George Bush seems to be still lost on what is morally right and wrong wth China. His summation of the issues relating to Tibet in his recent interview with The BBC was this :
BBC NEWS | World | Americas | In full: George W Bush’s BBC interview
I’m going to the Olympics. I view the Olympics as a sporting event. On the other hand, I have a little different platform than Steven Spielberg so, I get to talk to President Hu Jintao. And I do remind him that he can do more to relieve the suffering in Darfur. There’s a lot of issues that I suspect people are gonna, you know, opine, about during the Olympics. I mean, you got the Dali Lama crowd. You’ve got global warming folks. You’ve got, you know, Darfur and… I am not gonna you know, go and use the Olympics as an opportunity to express my opinions to the Chinese people in a public way ‘cause I do it all the time with the president.
Yeah, annoying people wandering around moaning that a whole country was invaded by another State, that their leader has been in exile since 1959, cultural rape (destruction of religious artifacts, imposition of Chinese language over Tibetan), state repression of the media, enforced settlement of Chinese people in Tibet….
I could go on. I could mention the Panchen Lama.
Article 1 of the Olympic Charter states :
“Under the supreme authority of the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic Movement encompasses organisations, athletes and other persons who agree to be guided by the Olympic Charter. The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practised in accordance with Olympism and its values.”
Building a peaceful and better world George. That’s for all. Even the Dali Lama crowd.
Almost as unexpectedly as the snowdrops opening and as unseasonally as the daffodils appearing the weather has suddenly got warmer.
Clear blue skies at lunchtime and warm sun at this time of year is amazing (and slightly worrying).
I spent lunchtime listening to a podcast by Sir David King talking about his new book “The Hot Topic”.
Here’s his practical advice on how to fight climate change :
The war on hot air | Environment | The Guardian
Count food miles
A good rule of thumb is that if something is in season and grown locally, it’s likely to have made fewer emissions than something from far away. But tomatoes grown in the UK can have a larger carbon footprint than those grown in sunny Spain.
Calculate your carbon footprint
Calculators on the internet enable you to work out the volume of emissions you are responsible for.
Switch off at the wall
Don’t leave appliances on standby.
Buy energy-efficient appliances
Digital radios draw much more energy than analogue ones, and plasma TVs are monster power-users. Choose an LCD screen.
Stay warm, stay cool
Seal off draughts and turn down the thermostat.
Change your lightbulbs
Low-energy lightbulbs cost more, but pay off over time.
Broadcasting - News - GCap to close two digital stations - Digital Spy
“GCap is closing digital-only stations theJazz and Planet Rock and selling its stake in Digital One, chief executive Fru Hazlitt announced today.
It is part of a package of reforms she says will increase annual profit by ｣12.3m with the aim of preventing a takeover by Global Radio.
Hazlitt said DAB was “not an economically viable platform for the company” which wants to focus “on platforms that listeners want and that generate higher revenues and profit”.
The company will give its 63% stake in the Digital One DAB multiplex to partner Arqiva for a nominal fee.”
With the closure of what are arguable the most profitable and best loved commercial stations on DAB more and more people are beginning to wonder just what the future of DAB is in the UK.
From the outset DAB was a flawed approach. DAB+, a technology with better audio quality but incompatible with DAB, launched soon after the UK backed the older format..
More recently Channel Four have been cautious about their plans to launch a new national multiplex and with so many stations abandoning the current Digital One platform the future of DAB seems very uncertain.
With Oneword and Virgin Radio’s Groove already gone, GCap’s Chill and Fun Radio scaling back to what must be an inevitable closure what are we left with ?
The latest additions to DAB are Birdsong (which even Digital One admit “could cease at any time”) and BFBS, “on a trail basis”.
It really seems that people who have bought DAB radios have two challenges to face up. Firstly, their radios will, at some point, be redundant when DAB+ arrives and, secondly, an increasingly poor choice of stations.
Faced with a choice now I’d almost be tempted to purchase an Internet radio receiver, the technology is a lot more stable and comparable to DAB as it stands now.
It also offers what always attracted me to radio, the chance to explore a wide range of stations, music and programmes.
“There is a way out for both of us”, says James turning to look at Cheryl.
“Do you want to come in with us and buy a baby ?”, he says to K. “That way we can share it between us and you and Mark have it two days a week, we have it the other two days and we split the rest of the time with Grandma and Auntie Helen”…
We’re free, the sun is shining, we are at the seaside and I’m full (oysters and fish and chips washed down by lager shandy from The Regency Cafe).
Perfect….
“We have our weekends back !”, said K as we pulled away, “We never need to come back here again”.
Sadly an hour or so later we were back there. But it is finally finished. We do have our weekends back (but not a dining room just yet) and to celebrate we have Chinese take-away…
According to K I am spending my nights moonlighting as a DJ called Mark Hook.
If you see a poster with a bloke sitting cross legged, shirt open, hair windswept from a large fan that could be me…
Hey, Mr. DJ
Jam all night long
Hey, Mr. DJ
Play that song for me
Hey, Mr. DJ
Jam all night long
Hey, Mr. DJ
Play that song for me
I had an unexpected call today with an unexpected offer.
Now I need to do something unexpected like sitting down with a piece of paper, drawing a few columns and deciding reasons for and reasons against…
For almost as long as I have been writing this blog, and whenever I have been planning a trip into London, one of the best websites I have checked for what is on has been LondonFreeList.
Now, sadly, they are closing on 10th February.
If you are in London this weekend and want to check out the very best in free, or nearly free events make sure you check them out.
Just how I can sort this pile of emails, notes, quotations, names, ideas and hopes into a personal statment is, at the moment, beyond me.
And that’s before you consider that a portfolio of work needs to be done to back up all the claims…..
Next season I really, really will watch some NFL.
I may even go apply from a ticket and see it live.
For now I have some beer, popcorn and an alarm clock set to wake me up later.
Go Giants !
It was last April that we all came to London so today’s trip was long overdue.
Richard completed the two burger challenge at Hamburger Union; we walked to the Tate Modern to look at Shibboleth (where Martin and I wondered just what our father’s would think of us looking at a crack in the floor);I finally took out my digital SLR and we went to see if dinosaurs really did have electricity inside them at the Natural History museum.
“Go and get a comb…”, I’m told by K, who is sitting on the floor while Joanne “does” her hair.
I’m sure boys night used to be a little more macho but at least we have some plotting to do for a trip tomorrow.
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