Look, music notation software for on the move. - could it be what i'm looking for? And one less project possibilty...?

http://news.harmony-central.com/Newp/2001/NotePad-11.html

Found again.
kottke.org, the alleged voice of web development. Or the tried and tested easy access nicely designed fun at teh same time web news blog, whichever you prefer.

Call for travel stories from my colleague, Geoff,

who's a nice chap so why not give him a hand..

Geoff says:

I am currently writing a book about travel, not a journal aboutone trip but
more of a psychological appraisal of the travellers worldand I would like to
include different case studies from anyone who has been travelling for a
substantial amount of time and have moved from placeto place. Everyone has
stories from trips they have been on and what Iam offering is the oppurtunity to
have one of your stories published ina book for all to see. You can include your
name, where you are from, whereyou travelled from to etc if you wish or if you
prefer you can remainanonymous, its up to you. If you help me out then I will
provide a copy of thebook for free to the authors of any of the stories that are
included. I amlooking for stories of 1000 words or less that fit roughly under
one of the following headingsTransportParties from around the worldAwakenings to
new cultures, food, languages and religionsFeelings about different countries
and the attitude to touristsAdventures and dangerous situations (give me a
specific story)The big goodbye- how it feels to leave for such a long timeWhy
you decided to go and how you decided on the route you choseI would really
appreciate if you could help me out but even if thisdoes not apply then please
please please could you forward this on to anyoneyou know that you think has a
travel story that they are bursting to tell. Youcan send any stories to me on geoffbland_1@hotmail.com
and I will try and reply to everyone who does. Thanks for taking the time to
read this andhope to hear from you soon. Geoff Bland

I urge Gaz to submit the ol' passport in a safe story..

News from Nepal, as recommended by the G Dawg: http://www.nepalnews.com

RSA Design Directions: same briefs, fancy name

The first call for entries for this year's RSA awards and collaborations is out. Alarmingly, it seems the final deadline is december - I myself am hoping this is just an anomoly due to early publication.
Last year's winners makes very interesting browsing, comprising as it does several Glasgow PDE students' work, and the department in fact winning a special award for 'producing' 3 out of the 4 finalists for Inclusive Design. i say nothing.

Technology that's kinda in-between, I guess

The Intermediate Technology Development Group - interesting 'NGO' (still not used to that abbrev.) working with the conundrum of applying technology in developing worlds. Not that our local world is not developing. It is. Its just developing from bad to worse. I hope at least with the ITDG there will be less bad development to get worse. Based on 'small is beautiful' ideology, of which i know very little about but can guess.

Edward Hopper

OK, a return to more normal blogging. Thankfully.

I was a little annoyed to have missed an exhibition of Edward Hopper at Tate Modern in London. Then I saw the ticket price and was comforted (£9) Especially as it seems you can see a good bit of this great exhibition on the web for nothing: http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/hopper/

If you're anything like me then you'll know his 'Nighthawks' painting and every time you've seen it you've thought of how you must look up more work by whoever the painter was. I never would have known were it not for the fantastic public service of the tate galleries and especially their website. And the guardian of course!

St. Annes, UK

Back in the nest, all downy feathers and lie ins. A morning newspaper, the washing up, rubbish on the box, popping over to Dave's house unexpectedly, cups of tea and nearby piano. creature comforts? essential living, I say. Its been a while, perhaps too long but no time to look back.

4 days in London are always welcome - the houses, the back streets, the squeak of bus breaks, changing tube lines, watchin the people, the unmistakable suburbs. Every visit to londonVillage is different and increasingly good.. could really get used to it. Must be memories of an Ealing babyhood.

What is there left to be proud of? I remember a few years ago discussing the escargot-ish Italian postal service in mocking tones, with the rose tinted image of Postman Pat's stoic 'the post must get through' Royal Mail in the fore of my mind. A sad misconception today obviously as the Royal Mail manages to fall short of all 15 targets!?! Come on guys, at least one? OK, a success rate of precisely 0% can be swallowed if it means the company isn't still running at a mammoth loss (don't know if it does mean that, mind) but it was with a start (and a reference to Murphy's law) that I read that my very own Fylde was the 7th worst performing borough this year! Remind me never to send a letter here, else it may be more likely to write a bestseller than ever be delivered. Guess that'll be no chrsitmas prezzies this year.

My rose-tinted, nay blind, view of the postal service is probably one of those idiosynchracies referred to by lovable lil Bill Bryson at the start of Notes from a Small Island (note that sudden bout of literacy, and I use the term loosely, is due to a recent bank holiday browsing in Waterstones with my BA in English Literature endowed cousin), along with the fact that we islanders have a habit of perceiving the UK as a big place. Something Mr. Bryson, and my sub-continental cousin are only too hasty point out.

They are right though, I now appreciate this after the last two months. Reassuringly, I think the Czechs whom I met were worse for this: although happy in the knowledge that anywhere in the republic is accessible in half a day (it would seem), there was still a tendency to regard the journey there and beyond as a long haul. They don't, of course, have the island mentality that exists, albeit on a huge scale, in Britain. I might add that the fundamental difference between British and continental cultures can be traced directly to this geographical difference, and which also accounts for certain similarities with Norway (An island perhaps not in the geographical sense but certainly in the economic and social).

I end on a recently discovered book review of the afore mentioned book, which certainly 'clears up' a few things with me concerning the shameful state of Blackpool's (and don't you believe it, St' Annes') beaches:

He delightfully intermingles political commentary with travelogue. He visits
Blackpool, for example, where there are long beaches - that officially don't
exist. "I am not making this up. In the late 1980s, when the European Community
issued a directive about the standards of ocean-borne sewage, it turned out that
nearly every British seaside town failed to come anywhere near even the minimum compliance levels. Most of the bigger resorts like Blackpool went right off the
edge of the turdometer, or whatever they measure these things with. This
presented an obvious problem to Mrs. Thatcher's government, which was loath to
spend money on British beaches when there were perfectly good beaches in
Mustique and Barbados, so it drew up an official decree -- this is so bizarre I
can hardly stand it, but I swear it is true -- that Brighton, Blackpool,
Scarborough, and many other leading resorts did not have, strictly speaking,
beaches. Christ knows what it then termed these expanses of sand -- intermediate sewage buffers, I suppose -- but in any case it disposed of the problem without
either solving it or costing the treasury a penny, which is of course the main
thing, or in the case of the present government, the only thing."

OK, one of the many great things about Slovakia (and I suppose some other countries that I've been in) is the internet cafes. Why? Cos here cafe also means bar and thus one can walk into an internet cafe one morning and catch up on emails while sipping some cool Krušovice. Infinitely more developed culture, I'm telling ya. Not that its the morning, but hypothetically...

Another great thing is kofola. It looks pretty much like coke, tastes kinda like pepsi but spicier. The big dissimilarity between the special k (as I've dubbed it, ignoring references to ketamine) and either of those afore mentioned beverage giants is that special k costs approximately a quarter of the price. The same price as soda water, to put it in perspective. And people drink it like water, along with the several kilos of sugar I'm sure are in it which may explain my recently aching teeth. No fear soon I will be in the land of pivo (eg. budvar, pislner urquell) and I'm sure it will replace the k as my drink of choice.

Thridly, I had some kind of revelation concerning photography today. I am aware that my photos tyhis time round are gonna pretty weird, not at all vaguely holiday snappy as my Europe ones two years ago were. This is because I am on my own this time round. And as a result, I'm not really doing anything interesting. I rely on being made to do things I would never do myself to do exciting things: without anyone else this can't happen. So I just go and search out the things that i want to photograph, which are invariably what i have already photographed in the past, thus causing a momentous lack of anything new. Maybe i can change my ways. The only exception to the rule was Dubrovnik, and I didn't really want to be there that much, which will prove my theory if they turn out good.

I wish I had a digicam. These keyboards have a full US layout on the left of each key AND teh Slovak layout printed on the right hand side of the keys: pretty confusing.

Bring on more haikus!

Košice, Slovensk Republik. I think. Friendly, more so than I found Hungary sadly. Getting my feet back after some weariness. Its confuding stuff. Seeing too many places. Why is it that travelling always just leads you on to thinking about other places, other trips? For instace, met a Polish girl on the train, had been trekking in the mountains of Romania. That would be nice, i thought. Why? is it not enough that I'm out here anyway?? gees, i disgust myself. Still, if anyone is up for a walking holiday sometime, I reckon Romania or Croatia or any other relaxed hilly place would be fantaastic. I guess that is directed particularly at any of the family and Gaz, before anyone else gets worried.

Looking back I feel a long way from st. annes, Spain, and Norway come to that, and in fact the last time I did some schoolwork which isnt good for my anxiety. Same old.

Going for a foresty walk. later.

For all your cheap flight needs, skyscanner should do the trick. Awaiting eyesofabluedog update. Speaking of which I read '100 years of solitude' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Surreal, funny, don't quite know what to make of it yet. Its a sinker inner i guess. Its basically a family history of lots of people with very similar names. And lives in fact. Maybe thats significant. Will get back to you.

Now, bye

Hello. Its been a while.
Budapest. Previously Belgrade - I stayed with my friend Nenad for what turned out to be 5 days. Was only thinking of 3 tops but he had some very friendly friends and a very comfortable flat and cable TV. And pancakes. Whats a guy supposed to do? And it was very good to talk to someone I know and have an extended conversation.
The previous week had been very long, moving from Dubrovnik to Sibenik, finding nowhere to stay there and going on to Rijeka, staying there for two days, making a trip to a film festival in a tiny roman town perched on a hill called Motovun, moving on to Slovenia and Ljubljana, having a lovely 2 days there, hired a bike and got verx lost in the nearby countryside (my pain was eased by the local priest giving me a little wine from Jerusalem), moving on to the less than inspiring Zagreb, save for some cool fire eating, fire poi and fire juggliness. If only I`d had gaz`s diabolo con fuego...

Budapest is lively, enormous, grand, colossal one might say. There is a big music festival on an island in the Danube which I may head along to today, its only a tenner. I wasn`t that keen on eating today anyway..

Until next time,
R

Namaste!

Dubrovnik, Dalmatian Coast, Croatia - even more heat, old walled city, fantastic views, fantastic amount of tourists, decidedly unfantastic touristy vibe. Look I don't deny that I am one, but its just that on this of all trips I'd like to avoid those sorts of places that seem to have no energy or interest for anything but tourists (only due to their sheer number). Its a beautiful, beautiful place, the eateries look brilliant, the sea is mouth watering, the town a gem. I wish this is what I am looking for but I guess it isnt. So I'm planning on moving on to Zadar promptly tomorrow. Have been reading about Ljubliana and Zagreb and they sound promising, hopefully a little cooler too.

Someone in Italy asked me why on earth I would go on holiday on my own, which threw me a little. I felt like saying that I'm not on holiday exactly, and then vaguely tried to fashion an argument around travelling being some kind of work... obviously thats not true - in theory at least I should be out to enjoy myself, though I'm rediscovering the uncomfortable challenges inevitable in lone unplanned travelling. Still theres a marked difference between my idea of my holiday, and say the lonely planet's, and the dubrovnik tourist board, and the guy in Italy. Hopefully I will discover what my idea is before this is all over.

In the meantime I can't complain. Apparently the sea is so clean that swimming is like
flying

Acquaviva delle Fonti - Fabio's home: beautiful, comfort, good food, banter, strong wine, driving in the heat, over to the beach for the evening...
 
Won't beat around the bush: have been having a ball. Pamplona was cool, bizarre, no running for me, just watching (when I could take a break from cringing) - then to Barcelona, hectic but oh so much fun, caught up with Benji of Trondheim, a day in Terragona and torredembarra to see how the other side lived as it were this year, Joan, Chris, Katherine, Lucas, os so much banter (macha (sp gilly??))
 
Perhaps random this post but what the hey. will be here for 5 or 6 days methinks, looks like just chilling in store, then oevr the seas.
 
Gaz's travels have blasted off in style. happy.
R

in the Mitchell

a quick image from this year's degree show. By Kristen Macarthur

Almost a month without posting, but denied that precision..

On being without mobility, that is sans mobile phone:
Some enhancement of lucid thinking perceived.
noticable struggle of some others to cope with the concept. Most manage fine after a short while, but for some it seems thinking outside the contexts of immediate access to anyone is beyond them.
Have been at home a week. Have not displayed any desire for mobile phone. Nevertheless have been offered to borrow, or even the chance to buy myself one (how kind) on no less than 4 occasions. I'm counting. I do not apologise for the curt responses given to such offers.
lack of weight in left pocketses, now free for filling with keys, coins, scraps and sweeties, just like in primary school...

Speaking of which my mum paid a visit to St. Thomas primary school, my ex-school, this morning (on business. Business of being Indian apparently, and thus introducing the little horrors to - god forbid - a culture other than their own that, despite the local paper's best efforts to conceal, is amply represented by the residents of this strange small town. Am pondering just how much parading half my cultural background over a week's events in the school really helps awaken young minds to the reality of multicultural Britain. Obviously celebrating and learning about Indian culture is of massive benefit but part of me, that is the part that experienced this particular primary school for 7 years, part of me calls attention to the point that we used to have these same themed weeks on such untrivial topics as 'the colour red' (in 1st class), egyptians, country dancing,... well thats about it actually. Is this one week extravaganza really a good reflection of what is meant to be a society of intergrated cultures? 51 weeks of straight up white englishness and one week of reality? I guess in an overwhelmingly white english primary school it is.. Maybe my point is not the injustice of my former school but the sickeningly unbalanced population of St. Annes. Or rather, the increasingly diverse, but thus ignored population of St. Annes.)

My penchant for long parantheses continues unabated. Please put me in line.

The amazing world of blogging! I've created one for for future exchange students such as myself to share info. This is what the webs about! oo, I've come over all warm...

norweegies

And relax. Thanks for your responses to the good ol' cap.comp., you excelled yourselves, anonymous and Dave.
And so I return to these sloggish shores, ones I have ignored for so long, tempted away so many times from my computer based work but really with nothing at all to say so silence remained.

And so I come to the end of my 3rd year of university education. and it has been. A fantabulous year. I owe much thanks to Neel and everyone else who told me to come, really. the fruits of my recent labour can be found at the following links, although they are a poor representation of my education this year - they're just presentation documents that might give one some idea of what i did.
the drum kit project
the computer modelling (needs flash 6 and links to some big movie files)

And so to some linking:
climbing up the walls (video, but not radiohead) and how to do it. Reminds me of a certain night in Glasgow involving a monkey man swinging from bridge to tree at Charing X and later on some squeezing into the gaps in the st georges cross bridge, and after that trying to gain entry to a house of fun without using the front door.
Urban free running. street climbing. call it what you will but I'm sure we invented it somehow and that Glasgow would be the perfect venue for it so i expect to see you all at training in september. I was just training my wall-run to limited success - not the right shoes of course..
That paragraph will make little sense unless you watch the video. Btw.

So I completed all my exams and presentations (1 and 2 of respectively). Quite successfully too I think and hope. And now a period of severe relaxation (floating, excessive late night partying of sorts, cabin trip with vaclav, sleeping, walking, guitaring, eating well, wandering aimlessly, boat trip, festival, boredom, scrabble, cycling, did i mention sleeping..) is blending into a period of severe stuff to do and packing before my departure on Friday. I continue to probe possibilites of a work placement in the summer, perhaps in Prague, even better perhaps paid work in Prague, and then further into the future, some kind of project to keep me busy next year. And I mean work project not another sideliner of which I have many lined up. Including:
build climbing wall in flat.
build bunk in room in flat.
redo flat.
get a bar in flat.
invent some musical stuff.
make a flute from a carrot (/that ones quite easy)
improve cookery.
start a street climbing revolution.
improve the working conditions in PDE.
start a social scene for PDE.
clean up the garden.
restart NYK.
get back into dBass.
start band with saxophonist Kenny.
play frisbee.
solve transportation problem.
use trnasportation solution to get down to Troon with the kite and buggy.
use transportation solution to build cabin in the wilds of scotland.
and so on...

As I say I need a project for my final year. Answers on a postcard.

I had so much to say and now its gone.

Caption Competition

(your caption here)

Real life Pacman anyone?

Or maybe just another cool flash site authored by the author of 58hours, the incredible real time Radiohead gigography.

My mum came back from the breakfast buffet a little confused. I do not recall her exact witty words but they must have included "bread in", "toaster", "contraption", "lost forever", "life of its own" "possibly automatically delivered to the table".

It was one of those Reith Hall-esque contraptions - indeed, not so much a toaster as a Bertha-inspired flame thrower. A brief description: A wire conveyor belt transports any unfortunate inputted items through a dark and mysterious toasting chamber, hopefully to be outputted abruptdely through some unknown orafice well out of sight of your hungry eyes. Ah, memories of bleary eyed students looking on nonplussed as their only meal of the working day disintegrates in cruels wisps of smoke, their only crimehaving been being a little too thickly sliced to make it out of said orafice.

I digress. The toaster in question was similar but different. For one thing it was even slower than Reith's.

"You'll be able to control the speed of it though" I said confidently, recalling Reith's toaster's three controls: conveyor speed, top hotness, and bottom hotness (some people like variety i guess. Note that there was no science to mastering the equilibrium of these three controls, indeed, I don't think there was even an art to it..)

My ma looked apologetic. "Umm.. No. There was one dial and that was set to 'toast' or something."
"What was the something?"
"...um... 'Shoes'."

So here you have it folks:

The bizarre love child of a toaster, an electronic shoes dispenser and one designer's sick mind. And perhaps my mother's tenuous grasp of Norwegian..