View From Above

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Matt Haughey - view of San Francisco from the airMatt 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

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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…

2002: Beijing Blocks Search Engine

Digital No 1

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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

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long wave is the home of hit music - atlantic 252 - long wave radio from irelandHappy 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:

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

Data Data Everywhere

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Since Google announced the gmail service there must have been a small rainforest of paper written about the privacy implications of scanning email. It’s never really bothered me (which you should not read as I don’t care about it – it just doesn’t bother me right now) and my lovely gmail account remains somewhat underused at the moment (oh, and I do have a spare of you’re interested and give me a good enough reason to send you the invite).

Anyway, Hublog has an interesting list of things Google knows about you (plus an interesting follow up). Froogle is not mentioned there but thanks to this link they could believe I’ve just searched on dog beds twice in 10 minutes. If they infer that I have a dog (or am about to get a dog) they would be misreading this data.

Lots of organisations have access to lots of data about you. That should never be the problem. Personally, I am on CCTV about 10 minutes after I have left my house until I arrive in the office. Anybody who cared to could tell you quite a lot about me from observing my travel patterns on a daily basis. My bank knows where I spend my money and my doctor knows about my illnesses (although I have been to other doctors that my main doctor is not aware of).

The point is that there are mountains of information about me available out there. The problem is that none of it constitutes a full picture of me as an individual and that is the real danger. Recording the data is not a problem until somebody tries to look at it. In itself that’s not a great problem until somebody actions an event because of that data. However, inferring something about me because of it is not a good idea.

On this day…

2006: Windows Information Organiser
2004: All The News You Need
2002: Time

All The News You Need

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I spent the holiday weekend in Copenhagen and I will write something about it eventually!

In the meantime I feel I have to post about my favourite headline of the day which is at Digital Spy: Ulrika dyes her hair. Certainly more news than I needed.

On this day…

2006: Windows Information Organiser
2004: Data Data Everywhere
2002: Time

Comment Template Problem

Eric posted a comment about my entry Camp and I have just noticed there has been a problem with the template that displays the comments. It should be fixed now – although I guess the spam comments will now show alongside the the real comments.

I too rushed out and bought the Camp CD soundtrack which I got in the mail yesterday and it will be my soundtrack home in a few minutes! I got it from a cheap place in Canada – which was cool (although I guess it’s only cheap to me used to paying overpriced UK CD prices.

On this day…

2002: Fast Lane on Foot

The Hottest State

Ethan Hawke’s Hottest State is a tale of obsessive love set in New York (and Paris) when William (’20 sexy, confident’) meets Sarah and they embark on a relationship which really is roller-coaster like. Through it we explore William’s relationship with his mother, absent-father and with himself. It’s clever yet not distant, sensitive but not sentimental but, ironically given the title, left this reader a little cold. The Hottest State is entertaining and well-written but capturing that painful, gut-wrenching emotion that is obsessive first love must be hard for any novelist and Hawke doesn’t quite pull the reader in. As a reader you will observe William but you will not become emotionally attached and Sarah’s quirkiness – which initially seems endeering – eventually distances you from her leaving William’s obsessive feelings a mystery. Despite those reservations, Ethan Hawke’s first novel suggests a promising career as novelist.

On this day…

2005: Let’s Google Talk
2004: Get Yer Kit Off …
2003: Summer Music
2002: Around The World

Get Yer Kit Off …

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gary lucy in football kitI don’t watch much reality television but Digital Spy is telling me that Gary Lucy has signed up for The Match, an upcoming reality show which is set to start on Sky One in October. What fun. I will be tuning it – it makes owning a Sky dish all the more worthwhile. Maybe I should make Gary a future Man of the Moment.

On this day…

2005: Let’s Google Talk
2004: The Hottest State
2003: Summer Music
2002: Around The World

Oslo Again

In Oslo againTraveling again. It’s not that much fun but at least today I am heading off to Oslo, Norway, at a reasonable hour. I decided to take the Heathrow Express for once – it’s more expensive but it is fast to the airport. The whole procedure today was quick and I have arrived at a hotel I have never been to before and, right now, it’s very noisy outside. I hope they shut up before the night is out.

UPDATE 24th August: No, they didn’t shut up all night and the noise outside the hotel went on until about 4 in the morning so I am not very happy today!

On this day…

2002: Blog Silence
2002: 3am Eternal