Author Archives: Jon

What Was I Doing One Year Ago?

Does life change in a year? One year ago today, an American Colleague was visiting the UK office for the first time. I showed her some of the sites of London including the London Eye and Old Compton Street!

It seems a lot more than a year ago. I’ve got a new job since then but I guess day-to-day life is not that different. I’m lucky to be living in one of the most vibrant cities in the world and, in spite of the fact it gets me down occasionally, I love it.

On this day…

2002: Old Compton Street At Night

On this day…

2002: Old Compton Street At Night

Snap Out Of It

Yet again, I have been in Helsinki (see May or August) and yet again I did not get to see very much of it. This time, however, it is all my own fault as I did have a couple of spare hours after the meeting and I filled them by wandering around the shops rather than doing something useful.

In fact, this has been the theme for my life for the past week or so. I haven’t found the enthusiasm to do very much at all and given it was my birthday at the end of last week, this seems very sad.

I’m not sure what rot has set in but it’s about time I got out of it. In a bizarre way, a freshly ironed pair of trousers made my morning all the better today. I can’t explain that one and I am not going to try.

What have I missed out on while away? I don’t know what has happened this week in the Hutton Inquiry (which I have been following with some interest). However, on a related note, Lord King was a guest on the BBC’s Hardtalk programme (shown on BBC World) on Tuesday and he provided an interesting insight into the politician/intelligence relationship.

On a lighter note, I have missed the start of The Salon (which is not bad thing) and Jase introduced us to the concept of Washboard Envy!

On this day…

2004: More Long Wave Radio

On this day…

2004: More Long Wave Radio

Absurd reasoning on gay marriage

I’m not entirely sure where New Brunswick is, nor the political leanings of the New Brunswick Post. However, after this little gem, I am certainly going to find out.

The crux of their “discussion” was that they both felt gays should not be allowed to marry. The reason: Marriage should be reserved for people who truly love each other and are willing to commit to each other for the rest of their lives. [Source: Absurd reasoning on gay marriage]

And also I am very interested in the concept of a “Packet” publication … but I’ll leave that for another time. Full marks to the Managing Editor.

On this day…

2004: Commons Protest
2002: An American in London

On this day…

2004: Commons Protest
2002: An American in London

A Video Moment

If Andy Towle’s personal video (no such thing) is really made up of those short videos you can take on a digital camera – then it’s fantastic. And it’s got nothing to do with the shower shots!

On this day…

2007: A Mastery Of Technology
2006: Schumacher to quit at end of year
2005: Staying For Breakfast
2004: Where’s Matt’s Tongue?
2002: Around The World

On this day…

2007: A Mastery Of Technology
2006: Schumacher to quit at end of year
2005: Staying For Breakfast
2004: Where’s Matt’s Tongue?
2002: Around The World

Gem

Occasionally you come across a gem of a site and, sometimes, within a gem of a site is a gem of a piece of writing. This week’s gem of a site is Dooce and the gem of an article is Week Four, Photo Collection: A Year in the Life of Heather’s Hair.

On this day…

2005: A Giddy Schoolgirl
2004: Cuties At Lunch
2002: Weather, Weather

On this day…

2005: A Giddy Schoolgirl
2004: Cuties At Lunch
2002: Weather, Weather

Stephen is Man of the Moment

Man of the Moment has been updated for September.

Stephen Gately was the first boy band star to ‘come out’ as a gay man. A couple of weeks ago he and his boyfriend had a commitment ceremony in Las Vegas and I decided to make him September’s Man of the Moment.

On this day…

2004: Listen To Musak August 2004
2002: Confusing, Image-Saturated Culture

On this day…

2004: Listen To Musak August 2004
2002: Confusing, Image-Saturated Culture

Things I Want to be True (1)

This little gem almost slipped by today. There are some things that you just hope are true:

A 40 year-old Wisconsin man has put in a strong bid for the dumbest criminal of the year after he allegedly stole a GPS tracking device used to monitor criminals on probation.

[Source: The Register]

On this day…

2004: View From Above
2002: Ban Me?

On this day…

2004: View From Above
2002: Ban Me?

Listen to Musak in August

I am looking at the stats for the month of August. As usual many visitors are heading for the Man of the Moment section of the site. Mark Owen is still tops (which, if you look at the number of comments, is unsurprising). Colin Farrell comes next – which means he is really moving up the table. The other guys still get a fair few visitors but Josh Hartnett doesn’t feature on the top stats list, despite having a new movie out.

On this day…

2006: Technology Overkill?
2004: Long Wave Is The Home Of Hit Music
2003: Now Reading
2002: The Joy of September

On this day…

2006: Technology Overkill?
2004: Long Wave Is The Home Of Hit Music
2003: Now Reading
2002: The Joy of September

Now Reading

I’ve mentioned before that TypePad seems like a cool tool if you want to start personal publishing and need a hosting service to sort it all out for you.

What’s fascinating about Typepad is the “Now Reading” section – which I think is a configurable option. Now is it just me or do TypePad users seem to have a lot of books on the go at any one time? I know I struggle to try and keep two books on the go at once (see cityofsound, Not A Dollar Short, Anil …

On this day…

2006: Technology Overkill?
2004: Long Wave Is The Home Of Hit Music
2003: Listen to Musak in August
2002: The Joy of September

On this day…

2006: Technology Overkill?
2004: Long Wave Is The Home Of Hit Music
2003: Listen to Musak in August
2002: The Joy of September

Naked Valley Money

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Following on from reading Rory Cellan-Jones’ ‘Dot Bomb’ which focussed on the ‘dot com’ bubble in the UK, I’ve read Po Bronson’s ‘The Nudist on the Late Shift‘ which looks at a similar time from Silicon Valley. Also reviewed at Amazon.

Nudist On The Late Shift book coverPo Bronson has produced a very well-written and extremely readable insight into the craziness of ‘dot com’ fever in Silicon Valley. Clearly spending a great deal of time with both the entrepreneurs and employees involved ‘The Nudist on the Late Shift’ gets behind the ideas, the passion and the money.

The madness that meant people spent every waking hour in the office (some even sleeping under their desks) and meant that companies provided on-site laundry facilities for workers without the time to do their washing, is reflected well in the stories of the individuals involved.

The book tells of a time of optimism where the future can be changed by technology and wealth can be earned on the back of an unproven idea. Bronson concludes the book questioning if it’s too late to join the party or not. Reading it now, with the benefit of hindsight and the knowledge of the crash that came, makes the book all the more entertaining. The reader is drawn into the individual stories and wants to warn the visionaries that it’s all about to go wrong for them.

A recommended insight into a unique time in business history.

Available at Amazon.

On this day…

2005: Catherine Tate
2002: Not Hilarious or Surprising

On this day…

2005: Catherine Tate
2002: Not Hilarious or Surprising