It's grey, wet but not particularly cold. The Froggatt Woods have now reached that splendid purple that they cloak themselves in during the winter months.
We've had a pleasant weekend and preceding week living in what we are finding more and more the perfect surroundings of Grindleford village.
During the week, there was a planned, but sadly postponed, first social drinks meeting of the Grindleford Train Clubb. A group of people with whom I share my hour journey into work with, whittering about all sorts from capital punishment to Pierce Brosnan's performance in Mamma Mia!
Instead of the planned night out, we spent a few hours round our neighbours hours drinking mulled wine in truly festive style while a collection of young children ran riot around the house. Discussing possible fell running plans, cycling and climbing with people who share the same passions.
This weekend has been spent making our Christmas presents for family and friends. So far there has been Hearty Ale Chutney, Onion Marmalade and Bramley Lemon Curd. There's blackberry & apple jam and shortbreads to come.
There something very satisfying, particularly when budgets are tight, about making presents. After two days of work in the kitchen there are a collection of fantastic looking preserves that we are going dispense in just a few days.
Thanks has to be passed to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Pam Corbin for the book Preserves:River Cottage Handbook 2, a great publication that combined with another book or two has provided us with all of our recent preserves recipes.
Well, by the time I get round to another post, Christmas will have been and gone, so all there is left is for me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Sunday 21 December 2008
Friday 28 November 2008
Winter Takes Hold
Well winter is here and with it have come the usual colds, coughs and ailments.
The Froggart woods are still in that sad transition phase, where the colour from the autumn leaves has now left, but the decaying leaves are still grey and decomposing on the floor.
The Silver Birch that dominate the woods haven't yet reached that state of winter glory where they turn a deep purple at their extremities and a ghostly silver on the trunk.
My fell running has dropped off a little having had too many weekends away recently in urban environments and the inevitable festive over indulgence that goes with those trips. Something I hope to make up for with a good run this weekend, if I can shake this cough a little more.
The village is preparing for the winter months as well, we have a visiting ice rink on the sports field this weekend with a winter market thrown in for good measure.
As I type, I'm hoping my delivery of logs for the fire is about to turn up to add that comfort that a real fire brings to a home over winter.
My photography has dropped to an all time low sadly. Note to self, must get round to getting a new camera for next year and ensure a refresh the photographic element of my online presence.
A friend was up recently I was sold on the Canon G10 as an interim between buying a new DSLR. A great little camera that can produce high quality shots and with a decent wide angle to the lens that always help with landscape photography.
Anyway I want to finish with a toast to another season that is about envelope us with is bracing winds and cold temperatures, here's to winter.
The Froggart woods are still in that sad transition phase, where the colour from the autumn leaves has now left, but the decaying leaves are still grey and decomposing on the floor.
The Silver Birch that dominate the woods haven't yet reached that state of winter glory where they turn a deep purple at their extremities and a ghostly silver on the trunk.
My fell running has dropped off a little having had too many weekends away recently in urban environments and the inevitable festive over indulgence that goes with those trips. Something I hope to make up for with a good run this weekend, if I can shake this cough a little more.
The village is preparing for the winter months as well, we have a visiting ice rink on the sports field this weekend with a winter market thrown in for good measure.
As I type, I'm hoping my delivery of logs for the fire is about to turn up to add that comfort that a real fire brings to a home over winter.
My photography has dropped to an all time low sadly. Note to self, must get round to getting a new camera for next year and ensure a refresh the photographic element of my online presence.
A friend was up recently I was sold on the Canon G10 as an interim between buying a new DSLR. A great little camera that can produce high quality shots and with a decent wide angle to the lens that always help with landscape photography.
Anyway I want to finish with a toast to another season that is about envelope us with is bracing winds and cold temperatures, here's to winter.
Wednesday 29 October 2008
Post OMM Review
Well for anyone who reads this blog, you will have read in my previous posts the lead up to the last weekend, my training and preparation for the OMM race in the Lake District.
You will now most likely of heard of the race on the national news after a weekend of intense weather. Granting insight into the little followed sport of fell running and the individuals who are involved.
It was, as expected, wet, windy and generally very wild. What follows is an account of Ayshea's (my wife) and my experience on the day of the race.
We had a late start time 11:05am, much to my annoyance, by the time we were under the start gun it was throwing it down with rain and the wind was picking up by the minute. It immediately started hampering our progress up to the first checkpoint. Knowing our times were going to be significantly affected by the weather compared to the early starters was frustrating.
After reaching the first check point we headed across the source of Sour Milk Gyhll to checkpoint two. Not being able to take the preferred route due to the extremely high torrent that the usual stream had now become, we contoured below Raven Crag and up to the second checkpoint.
Leaving the second checkpoint, by this stage thoroughly soaked to the skin but warm, we headed down to Honister Pass where we dropped in to empty our pockets of energy gels that we had already spent. In the cafe we found half the races participants, drying off, brewing up and generally making themselves at home. Presuming them retiring from the race, we zipped up and went back out into the weather to reach checkpoint 3, as we left we bumped into a fellow who asked if we were heading back to the base, bemused I looked back at him and told "no, why would we" and head off into the rain to find checkpoint 3. This must have been about 12.30pm-1pm.
Heading up the steep incline from Honister we passed streams of folk pouring off the side of Dale Head. Assuming they were on the score courses we ran on and headed off towards High Spy. After battling our way across the tops in wind and rain, which on the whole was coming from behind us we made good time to checkpoint 3. After turning around and heading back into the wind we released what the rest of the course was going to hold, very bad weather.
Reaching the crossing point of the stream at the top of Dale Head Crags by a technique of head down and just starring at a compass baring, we looked up to the summit to see squalling winds battering the top, with winds that must have been reaching 90-100mph. We decided it was unsafe to cross the summit and rerouted to run down the pass road and then up the hillside of Buttermere Fell to reach checkpoint 4. It was on our return to the Honister Pass that someone asked if we were still competing and we were then told the even had been called off.
We were disappointed, we'd been training for a long time for the OMM and wanted to achieve good times. But in the conditions it had just become a challenge to complete the course.
We ran down off the pass, back towards the HQ, encountering the deep water on the lane up to Seathwaite that had drowned several cars. Returning to Wilfs after checking in to get some welcome hot food.
After spending the night in our car, only occasionally waking to check the water levels weren't rising any further, we escaped the following morning.
In review, we didn't get much from the weather than we weren't expecting or didn't come prepared for. We knew before we arrived it was going to wet, very windy and generally very wild.
We were disappointed that we didn't get the opportunity to run much after all the training we'd put in. But we didn't blame the organisers for running the event, we wanted to go, its a mountain marathon for crying out loud and mountains can have bad weather.
I'm currently finishing off Richard Askwith's Feet in the Clouds, during the book Askwith covers the subject of risk and responsibility whilst on the fells eloquently. In my own opinion, which echoes most of Askwith's quotes from fell runners, I made the decision to compete on my own behalf, I didn't need anyone else to tell me what I could and could not do.
The freedom I find on the fells and the weather that mountains can throw at me is one of the many ingredients that actually brings me satisfaction from a day or night, or in fact several days in mountains. My decision to go out into the fells or larger mountain ranges are based on a life time spent walking, running and climbing in mountains, as were most of the other competitors in the OMM.
The inevitable press backlash on the event only saddens me further to see what a cushioned soft society we have become. A society where individuals will not only avoid all risks themselves, but they will go further and criticise those of us who take risks on our own behalf.
There's a animal part to the human spirit that is being heavily sedated in our sedentary office roles in modern life. It's unnatural in my opinion, and for those of us who still like to run like mad mountain goats once in a while jumping for rock to heather, we should be free to do so without criticism.
You will now most likely of heard of the race on the national news after a weekend of intense weather. Granting insight into the little followed sport of fell running and the individuals who are involved.
It was, as expected, wet, windy and generally very wild. What follows is an account of Ayshea's (my wife) and my experience on the day of the race.
We had a late start time 11:05am, much to my annoyance, by the time we were under the start gun it was throwing it down with rain and the wind was picking up by the minute. It immediately started hampering our progress up to the first checkpoint. Knowing our times were going to be significantly affected by the weather compared to the early starters was frustrating.
After reaching the first check point we headed across the source of Sour Milk Gyhll to checkpoint two. Not being able to take the preferred route due to the extremely high torrent that the usual stream had now become, we contoured below Raven Crag and up to the second checkpoint.
Leaving the second checkpoint, by this stage thoroughly soaked to the skin but warm, we headed down to Honister Pass where we dropped in to empty our pockets of energy gels that we had already spent. In the cafe we found half the races participants, drying off, brewing up and generally making themselves at home. Presuming them retiring from the race, we zipped up and went back out into the weather to reach checkpoint 3, as we left we bumped into a fellow who asked if we were heading back to the base, bemused I looked back at him and told "no, why would we" and head off into the rain to find checkpoint 3. This must have been about 12.30pm-1pm.
Heading up the steep incline from Honister we passed streams of folk pouring off the side of Dale Head. Assuming they were on the score courses we ran on and headed off towards High Spy. After battling our way across the tops in wind and rain, which on the whole was coming from behind us we made good time to checkpoint 3. After turning around and heading back into the wind we released what the rest of the course was going to hold, very bad weather.
Reaching the crossing point of the stream at the top of Dale Head Crags by a technique of head down and just starring at a compass baring, we looked up to the summit to see squalling winds battering the top, with winds that must have been reaching 90-100mph. We decided it was unsafe to cross the summit and rerouted to run down the pass road and then up the hillside of Buttermere Fell to reach checkpoint 4. It was on our return to the Honister Pass that someone asked if we were still competing and we were then told the even had been called off.
We were disappointed, we'd been training for a long time for the OMM and wanted to achieve good times. But in the conditions it had just become a challenge to complete the course.
We ran down off the pass, back towards the HQ, encountering the deep water on the lane up to Seathwaite that had drowned several cars. Returning to Wilfs after checking in to get some welcome hot food.
After spending the night in our car, only occasionally waking to check the water levels weren't rising any further, we escaped the following morning.
In review, we didn't get much from the weather than we weren't expecting or didn't come prepared for. We knew before we arrived it was going to wet, very windy and generally very wild.
We were disappointed that we didn't get the opportunity to run much after all the training we'd put in. But we didn't blame the organisers for running the event, we wanted to go, its a mountain marathon for crying out loud and mountains can have bad weather.
I'm currently finishing off Richard Askwith's Feet in the Clouds, during the book Askwith covers the subject of risk and responsibility whilst on the fells eloquently. In my own opinion, which echoes most of Askwith's quotes from fell runners, I made the decision to compete on my own behalf, I didn't need anyone else to tell me what I could and could not do.
The freedom I find on the fells and the weather that mountains can throw at me is one of the many ingredients that actually brings me satisfaction from a day or night, or in fact several days in mountains. My decision to go out into the fells or larger mountain ranges are based on a life time spent walking, running and climbing in mountains, as were most of the other competitors in the OMM.
The inevitable press backlash on the event only saddens me further to see what a cushioned soft society we have become. A society where individuals will not only avoid all risks themselves, but they will go further and criticise those of us who take risks on our own behalf.
There's a animal part to the human spirit that is being heavily sedated in our sedentary office roles in modern life. It's unnatural in my opinion, and for those of us who still like to run like mad mountain goats once in a while jumping for rock to heather, we should be free to do so without criticism.
Monday 20 October 2008
Fungi Finding with Friends
I spent last weekend, searching the local woods for fungi with some friends who were up to stay with us for the weekend.
Armed with our trug and identification guides with explored the inner depths of Froggatt and the surrounding woods over a period of a few hours.
This was my first real concerted effort to acquire fungi for free, I've been a seasonal fruit collector for several years now. Collecting enough fruit to make chutneys, jams and jelly's for my family at Christmas and the odd fruit crumble.
What a great day we had, trudging through the less explored parts of the woods, clambering over brambles that seem to be there to generally discouraged progress towards hidden secrets well of the beaten path. Hidden water runs and tumbled down buildings, heavily laden with moss and undergrowth, twisted Oaks shaped over years of seeking sunlight and yet more brambles.
From our hunting we found Chanterelle, Cep, Brown Bolete and Yellow Brittle Gills. We took our veritable feast of fungi home to carefully establish their identity for certain.
After some careful identification, dissection and disagreement on features we reduced our trug full of funghi to a small pile of about seven mushrooms that had passed the "will not cause severe kidney disorder" or maggot test.
Gently fried with some garlic we munched our meagre collection with smiles of an afternoon that couldn't have been better spent.
I endeavour to embellish this day further with photos of the fungi we encountered at some point in the not to distant future.
Armed with our trug and identification guides with explored the inner depths of Froggatt and the surrounding woods over a period of a few hours.
This was my first real concerted effort to acquire fungi for free, I've been a seasonal fruit collector for several years now. Collecting enough fruit to make chutneys, jams and jelly's for my family at Christmas and the odd fruit crumble.
What a great day we had, trudging through the less explored parts of the woods, clambering over brambles that seem to be there to generally discouraged progress towards hidden secrets well of the beaten path. Hidden water runs and tumbled down buildings, heavily laden with moss and undergrowth, twisted Oaks shaped over years of seeking sunlight and yet more brambles.
From our hunting we found Chanterelle, Cep, Brown Bolete and Yellow Brittle Gills. We took our veritable feast of fungi home to carefully establish their identity for certain.
After some careful identification, dissection and disagreement on features we reduced our trug full of funghi to a small pile of about seven mushrooms that had passed the "will not cause severe kidney disorder" or maggot test.
Gently fried with some garlic we munched our meagre collection with smiles of an afternoon that couldn't have been better spent.
I endeavour to embellish this day further with photos of the fungi we encountered at some point in the not to distant future.
Tuesday 14 October 2008
Welcome to Grindleford
Hello and welcome to Grindleford, where I, Ed Richardson, will mutter and meander through my life as and when I get the chance.
I've had a blog running for a while now, but it was get a bit divisive between my work and private life, so I've split them. My work life can now be found at Digital Signals and meanwhile my other life mutterings will be found here in their new home, Grindleford.
To get the ball rolling I am going to cheat and copy some posts over that are relevant from my existing blog.
I've had a blog running for a while now, but it was get a bit divisive between my work and private life, so I've split them. My work life can now be found at Digital Signals and meanwhile my other life mutterings will be found here in their new home, Grindleford.
To get the ball rolling I am going to cheat and copy some posts over that are relevant from my existing blog.
Thursday 9 October 2008
Stefanine Posavec's Sentence Drawings
A while back now I visited the Millennium gallery in Sheffield to see the On The Map exhibition.
I'm a big fan of maps in general and their ability to communicate lots of information in a none textual form. After using OS maps and the alike since a very young age I can envisage landscapes in a 3D image quite quickly using good maps, something that has always interested me. Displaying what might otherwise be incomprehensible data in a regulated format to give insight to something that would be hard envisage otherwise.
The exhibition incorporated a number of artists that used maps in some form to display or express various forms of data, visually representing the data in colourful alternatives.
One particular artist, Stefanie Posavec's work struck me as interesting and appealing. Stefanie takes something we interface easily with, words, and then almost reverses the process to create a visual representation of these words, using Jack Kerouac's book On The Road as a source.
In doing so she creates more depth than the words might have by themselves. Well the depth is always there in the copy, but she visually represents certain aspects of the copy such as character changes, story changes, new sentences and makes visual representations of these and their relationship with the rest of the novel, to illustrate aspects of the text that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The result is a series of maps of various data sources, creating visual images of one of my favourite books "On The Road".
The work is interesting and provocative, creating a visual feast for anyone interested in either maps or On The Road.
Good luck for the future Stefanie with your work.
I'm a big fan of maps in general and their ability to communicate lots of information in a none textual form. After using OS maps and the alike since a very young age I can envisage landscapes in a 3D image quite quickly using good maps, something that has always interested me. Displaying what might otherwise be incomprehensible data in a regulated format to give insight to something that would be hard envisage otherwise.
The exhibition incorporated a number of artists that used maps in some form to display or express various forms of data, visually representing the data in colourful alternatives.
One particular artist, Stefanie Posavec's work struck me as interesting and appealing. Stefanie takes something we interface easily with, words, and then almost reverses the process to create a visual representation of these words, using Jack Kerouac's book On The Road as a source.
In doing so she creates more depth than the words might have by themselves. Well the depth is always there in the copy, but she visually represents certain aspects of the copy such as character changes, story changes, new sentences and makes visual representations of these and their relationship with the rest of the novel, to illustrate aspects of the text that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The result is a series of maps of various data sources, creating visual images of one of my favourite books "On The Road".
The work is interesting and provocative, creating a visual feast for anyone interested in either maps or On The Road.
Good luck for the future Stefanie with your work.
Wednesday 8 October 2008
The OMM approaches
As a transgression from the last few posts on Digital Media, fell running.
Only a few weeks to go now till the OMM event and I can't wait to get over there and get thoroughly knackered, wet and miserable.
The training to date has continued to go well and I am currently trying shake off a seasonal cold, but even that didn't stop me fitting a 12km run along the edges (Froggatt, Curbar and Baslow) on Sunday.
I've invested in some new shoes from Accelerate as the New Balance M800's I've been running in over the summer occasionally let me down in wet open fell conditions, which are exactly the conditions I am expecting in Borrowdale in a few weeks.
Now its just a matter of some more light training, about a 25km run this weekend in Edale I think and then a much lighter weekend run the following weekend and we are there!
I'm looking forward to a challenging few days back in the Lakes, in an area I infrequently visit.
Avoiding injury and illness are my tasks now . . .
Only a few weeks to go now till the OMM event and I can't wait to get over there and get thoroughly knackered, wet and miserable.
The training to date has continued to go well and I am currently trying shake off a seasonal cold, but even that didn't stop me fitting a 12km run along the edges (Froggatt, Curbar and Baslow) on Sunday.
I've invested in some new shoes from Accelerate as the New Balance M800's I've been running in over the summer occasionally let me down in wet open fell conditions, which are exactly the conditions I am expecting in Borrowdale in a few weeks.
Now its just a matter of some more light training, about a 25km run this weekend in Edale I think and then a much lighter weekend run the following weekend and we are there!
I'm looking forward to a challenging few days back in the Lakes, in an area I infrequently visit.
Avoiding injury and illness are my tasks now . . .
Thursday 25 September 2008
Seasonal Talk
I've been here before and I am sure I'll visit here again in the future, but a seasonal change is yet again upon us.
The summer has been poor in anyone's eyes, with a brief glimpse of the sun only a few times this year in England. It stayed warm for a while, but there was only a small number of days when the sun tanned the skin.
But, as Summer draws to a close I look forward with anticipation what winter will bring. Scottish weekends in knee deep snow and ice (for at least the 6 hours it lasts!), cold nights and log fires.
The leaves are turning on the trees everyday as I watch them in the woods near our home, yellowing with the cooler weather and gradually falling to form that compost that will invigorate Spring next year.
In only a few weeks bare patches will appear in the woods where all the leaves have dropped, returning the silver birch from their current green ocean of colour to a purple haze of branches that adorns them during their restful winter months.
I am already very late in ordering my wood for the fire, I should have ordered it back in Spring to allow it a warm Summer to dry properly, but we were unsure where we would be living this winter. But with the falling house market, falling fast than the leaves themselves, we are sitting tight in our rental accommodation with the hope of being able to pick up a better value home next year.
Roll on Winter, I for one love the season as much as Summer . . .
The summer has been poor in anyone's eyes, with a brief glimpse of the sun only a few times this year in England. It stayed warm for a while, but there was only a small number of days when the sun tanned the skin.
But, as Summer draws to a close I look forward with anticipation what winter will bring. Scottish weekends in knee deep snow and ice (for at least the 6 hours it lasts!), cold nights and log fires.
The leaves are turning on the trees everyday as I watch them in the woods near our home, yellowing with the cooler weather and gradually falling to form that compost that will invigorate Spring next year.
In only a few weeks bare patches will appear in the woods where all the leaves have dropped, returning the silver birch from their current green ocean of colour to a purple haze of branches that adorns them during their restful winter months.
I am already very late in ordering my wood for the fire, I should have ordered it back in Spring to allow it a warm Summer to dry properly, but we were unsure where we would be living this winter. But with the falling house market, falling fast than the leaves themselves, we are sitting tight in our rental accommodation with the hope of being able to pick up a better value home next year.
Roll on Winter, I for one love the season as much as Summer . . .
Tuesday 19 August 2008
What I think about while I'm cycling . . .
Just reading "Murakami's" "What I talk about when I talk about running" and enjoying it immensely.
I try and mix up my reading with a bit of fiction, biography, educational, swapping alternatively to keep the interest levels up.
Every so often a book gets read at just the right time, I've just finished Wilfred Thesiger's "Marsh Arabs", which although interesting I was looking forward to moving on and it was no reflection of the book itself. I just wasn't what I was needing to read at the time.
"What I talk about when I talk about running" is timed to perfection. Over the last 8 months I've been workingto regain my fitness I had in my younger years and I have just reached a point when I am happy to call myself fit.
Murakami covers his path to writing, through jazz bars etc and then I finds the running he takes up helps him adapt to his new career choice. Falling almost in line with my recent career change and my progress back to fitness.
I've always been a big adovocate of fit body, fit mind and feel I am getting back to where I was a few years back, with a new lease of life in my career I felt invigorated and passionate about work again, something I've not felt for years. Now with my fitness returning I am actually starting to feel years come off my age.
But the real interest I find with Murakami's account of his life is the solitude he seeks when running and how this has helped him. This is something I seek in both my running, cycling and when out in mountains in general. It's a defrag of my mental hard drive, a resorting of unnecessary information and filing into the depths of my mind, whilst at the same time running over items of interest that I have active in my mind that might develop into projects for the future.
My hat off to you for your "as it is" account Haruki, perhaps if your passing the Peak District you can drop in for a run, but don't expect me to say much.
I try and mix up my reading with a bit of fiction, biography, educational, swapping alternatively to keep the interest levels up.
Every so often a book gets read at just the right time, I've just finished Wilfred Thesiger's "Marsh Arabs", which although interesting I was looking forward to moving on and it was no reflection of the book itself. I just wasn't what I was needing to read at the time.
"What I talk about when I talk about running" is timed to perfection. Over the last 8 months I've been workingto regain my fitness I had in my younger years and I have just reached a point when I am happy to call myself fit.
Murakami covers his path to writing, through jazz bars etc and then I finds the running he takes up helps him adapt to his new career choice. Falling almost in line with my recent career change and my progress back to fitness.
I've always been a big adovocate of fit body, fit mind and feel I am getting back to where I was a few years back, with a new lease of life in my career I felt invigorated and passionate about work again, something I've not felt for years. Now with my fitness returning I am actually starting to feel years come off my age.
But the real interest I find with Murakami's account of his life is the solitude he seeks when running and how this has helped him. This is something I seek in both my running, cycling and when out in mountains in general. It's a defrag of my mental hard drive, a resorting of unnecessary information and filing into the depths of my mind, whilst at the same time running over items of interest that I have active in my mind that might develop into projects for the future.
My hat off to you for your "as it is" account Haruki, perhaps if your passing the Peak District you can drop in for a run, but don't expect me to say much.
Saturday 2 August 2008
So Where Are We . . . ?
Probably going to be another quick post again, life seems so unrelenting at the moment, I suspect it might stay like this until our kids reach the age of about 30 . . . Anyway its all good at the moment.
I'm in a new job, which is great, working for agency out of Manchester called Elevator Digital and loving it. A predominately .NET agency so a new technology for me, but I've worked with Microsoft for so many years its all seems like an old friend.
The works good and varied, with it being a relatively small agency I am getting busy with all sorts, which at the moment is the way I'd prefer it. Briefs, tenders, bit's of CSS, design, client liaison, you get the picture . . .
In the meantime I've been doing some interesting background reading about human networks, after reading this interesting article about the "Tipping Point" and super influencers or Uber-Influencers as I like to call them.
It infers that there are individuals who are so in-tune with their social group that others turn to them for ideas and acceptance of what's the next big thing, the idea being that marketeers can then harness their potential to unleash a new brand or idea/trend and it will be picked up virally by others.
The article itself introduces a sceptical take on this devised and researched by a guy called Duncan Watts, a mathematician who has spent sometime researching and trying to prove the tipping point argument right or wrong.
I've got to say I'm in agreement with Duncan's finding so far. I've ordered his 6 degree's book to read further on the matter.
Like Duncan I do agree that there can be uber-influencers that can have a substantial affect on how a concept or product is adopted, but that this is not the only factor.
Tipping point famously talks of the adoption of Hush Puppies by uber-influencers and then how they then went on to out sell many much more established brands by the fact they had been worn by a number of uber-influencers and so been deemed as "cool", but I wonder and Watt's findings support this, had the uber-influencers been wearing clogs would they have become quite so popular?
I don't disagree that the market/popular thought/paradigm can be influenced by certain individuals that might speak/wear/buy things and everyone else watches and follows, or at least a large number do. But its just not that simple, it has to be at the right time and the right product, it can't just be anything.
Anyway, perhaps Watts himself is becoming an influencer and he's just got me at the right time, either way I'll read what he has to say and perhaps come back here and share my findings.
Well, the suns shining again here so I am going to don my running shoes and go for a fell run with the dog . . . laters.
I'm in a new job, which is great, working for agency out of Manchester called Elevator Digital and loving it. A predominately .NET agency so a new technology for me, but I've worked with Microsoft for so many years its all seems like an old friend.
The works good and varied, with it being a relatively small agency I am getting busy with all sorts, which at the moment is the way I'd prefer it. Briefs, tenders, bit's of CSS, design, client liaison, you get the picture . . .
In the meantime I've been doing some interesting background reading about human networks, after reading this interesting article about the "Tipping Point" and super influencers or Uber-Influencers as I like to call them.
It infers that there are individuals who are so in-tune with their social group that others turn to them for ideas and acceptance of what's the next big thing, the idea being that marketeers can then harness their potential to unleash a new brand or idea/trend and it will be picked up virally by others.
The article itself introduces a sceptical take on this devised and researched by a guy called Duncan Watts, a mathematician who has spent sometime researching and trying to prove the tipping point argument right or wrong.
I've got to say I'm in agreement with Duncan's finding so far. I've ordered his 6 degree's book to read further on the matter.
Like Duncan I do agree that there can be uber-influencers that can have a substantial affect on how a concept or product is adopted, but that this is not the only factor.
Tipping point famously talks of the adoption of Hush Puppies by uber-influencers and then how they then went on to out sell many much more established brands by the fact they had been worn by a number of uber-influencers and so been deemed as "cool", but I wonder and Watt's findings support this, had the uber-influencers been wearing clogs would they have become quite so popular?
I don't disagree that the market/popular thought/paradigm can be influenced by certain individuals that might speak/wear/buy things and everyone else watches and follows, or at least a large number do. But its just not that simple, it has to be at the right time and the right product, it can't just be anything.
Anyway, perhaps Watts himself is becoming an influencer and he's just got me at the right time, either way I'll read what he has to say and perhaps come back here and share my findings.
Well, the suns shining again here so I am going to don my running shoes and go for a fell run with the dog . . . laters.
Thursday 26 June 2008
Toy ducks
Short and brief today, lots of things to write about at the moment, it's just finding the time as they are coming thick and fast.
For one, I've got a new job and start there on Tuesday July 1st and for the first time in a long time, I can't wait to start there . . . more on this soon.
Right, food for thought, why are toy ducks always yellow with red beaks?
For one, I've got a new job and start there on Tuesday July 1st and for the first time in a long time, I can't wait to start there . . . more on this soon.
Right, food for thought, why are toy ducks always yellow with red beaks?
Sunday 13 April 2008
Worlds Biggest Killer
For this next post I am returning to something already visited in my blog, road traffic accidents.
This has been brought on by exposure to another catalogue of incidents and I can only see these increasing in our lifetimes.
I was reading one of the Sunday papers the other week and came across an article relating to a WHO (World Health Organisation) report on road traffic accidents that had identified that RTA's were the biggest killer in the world for the age group under 25. With nearly 400,000 young people killed a year it is far higher that AIDS or any other disease and that figure doesn't include those that survive with disabilities.
Later this week I read that one of Liverpool FC's academy hopefuls was involved in a car accident which sadly two of the other passengers died in and one other is still in intensive care.
Then just this morning I read of an accident near my home village that has killed 4 and seriously injured 2 others.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all involved in road traffic accidents and hope that the survivors make a full recovery.
When I had my last accident, a Police office corrected me when I used the term RTA, they no longer call them RTA's but now called them RTI (Road Traffic Incident) which I saw as a positive step. This was because most incidents were caused by something, they weren't just accidents. I don't know the details of either of the above mentioned collisions and therefore I am not inferring anything to those particular cases.
But the two I have been involved in from my knowledge were not accidents, somebody took and action that caused the collision. This action might have been tuning the radio or answering your mobile, or talking to someone in the rear of the car, it doesn't have to be overtaking or some other more dangerous action.
We all seem to think that it will never happen to us, until it does . . .
Cars are inherently dangerous, large over 1 ton objects that can travel at speeds of over 100mph. Would you answer your mobile while pointing a gun at a stranger or look over your shoulder while taking aim? That's effectively what you are doing. I still see some many people talking on their mobiles while driving, but don't worry they're good drivers and nothing will ever happen to them.
Yesterday a watched a women coming through the lights on Eccleshall Road, Sheffield in her large Mercedes 4x4 nonchalantly chatting away on her mobile while negotiating a corner onto a dual carriageway with traffic lights, but don't worry she's a good driver, we're all safe. I see drivers driving down slip roads onto the motorway while chatting on their mobiles, but don't worry it won't happen to them. For want of a better description, all of these people are idiots risking my life and the life of all those around them for the sake of a phone call, yes you madame in your Mercedes 4x4 you're an idiot, you may look smart and intelligent and hold down a cushy job, but to me that's all you are, an idiot.
One of my friends stated something the other day that rang so true that I thought I would share it with you, he said "in years to come they'll look back on this era with horror, I mean what madman would drive around in a metal box, passing other people in metal boxes at combined speeds of up to 120mph with only centimetres between them, protected only by an air bag and seatbelt?"
Pay attention while you drive, it could only be a short time you are in the car, but it could affect the rest of your life and several others that you have never met.
This has been brought on by exposure to another catalogue of incidents and I can only see these increasing in our lifetimes.
I was reading one of the Sunday papers the other week and came across an article relating to a WHO (World Health Organisation) report on road traffic accidents that had identified that RTA's were the biggest killer in the world for the age group under 25. With nearly 400,000 young people killed a year it is far higher that AIDS or any other disease and that figure doesn't include those that survive with disabilities.
Later this week I read that one of Liverpool FC's academy hopefuls was involved in a car accident which sadly two of the other passengers died in and one other is still in intensive care.
Then just this morning I read of an accident near my home village that has killed 4 and seriously injured 2 others.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all involved in road traffic accidents and hope that the survivors make a full recovery.
When I had my last accident, a Police office corrected me when I used the term RTA, they no longer call them RTA's but now called them RTI (Road Traffic Incident) which I saw as a positive step. This was because most incidents were caused by something, they weren't just accidents. I don't know the details of either of the above mentioned collisions and therefore I am not inferring anything to those particular cases.
But the two I have been involved in from my knowledge were not accidents, somebody took and action that caused the collision. This action might have been tuning the radio or answering your mobile, or talking to someone in the rear of the car, it doesn't have to be overtaking or some other more dangerous action.
We all seem to think that it will never happen to us, until it does . . .
Cars are inherently dangerous, large over 1 ton objects that can travel at speeds of over 100mph. Would you answer your mobile while pointing a gun at a stranger or look over your shoulder while taking aim? That's effectively what you are doing. I still see some many people talking on their mobiles while driving, but don't worry they're good drivers and nothing will ever happen to them.
Yesterday a watched a women coming through the lights on Eccleshall Road, Sheffield in her large Mercedes 4x4 nonchalantly chatting away on her mobile while negotiating a corner onto a dual carriageway with traffic lights, but don't worry she's a good driver, we're all safe. I see drivers driving down slip roads onto the motorway while chatting on their mobiles, but don't worry it won't happen to them. For want of a better description, all of these people are idiots risking my life and the life of all those around them for the sake of a phone call, yes you madame in your Mercedes 4x4 you're an idiot, you may look smart and intelligent and hold down a cushy job, but to me that's all you are, an idiot.
One of my friends stated something the other day that rang so true that I thought I would share it with you, he said "in years to come they'll look back on this era with horror, I mean what madman would drive around in a metal box, passing other people in metal boxes at combined speeds of up to 120mph with only centimetres between them, protected only by an air bag and seatbelt?"
Pay attention while you drive, it could only be a short time you are in the car, but it could affect the rest of your life and several others that you have never met.
Thursday 10 April 2008
Old School . . .
Whilst making a delicious Sumatran lamb curry (if I do say so myself) last night I decided to plug in my headphones and let my i-pod do the entertaining.
It's been a long time since I listened to music through headphones and I'd forgot just how good it is. It had me reminiscing in no time, playing an old playlist of mine with lots of oldish electro.
The likes of the fantastic Yulquen - Autechre, Ptolemy - Aphex, Yak - Plaid and Psychodelik - LFO graced my ears for the first time in a while and what tunes they are.
I was "big" into my electro during my Uni years and for several years after, well I still am but there isn't as much stuff of this ilk being produced any more and I have lost touch with the music scene.
Touring the country to visit nights and small festivals like the one in Wales where I hitched to with my younger brother. What a weekend, the hitch hiking was great we got there in no time. The trip back started with a memorable trip in the back of an open backed pickup lying on our backs as we travelled through the local woods, which was great therapy after the weekend we had just encountered. I did a quick search to see if I could find the "do" and found some old photos from the night "Baskerville Hall".
Anyway, I look back on Oscillate nights now with rose tinted glasses, they were fantastic and for just an hour last night while I cooked I felt like I was back there. Perhaps I'll take a trip to the Sheffield LoveBytes festival that was advertised on the Oscillate site and see if fulfils some of the potential that my past experiences still hold.
It's been a long time since I listened to music through headphones and I'd forgot just how good it is. It had me reminiscing in no time, playing an old playlist of mine with lots of oldish electro.
The likes of the fantastic Yulquen - Autechre, Ptolemy - Aphex, Yak - Plaid and Psychodelik - LFO graced my ears for the first time in a while and what tunes they are.
I was "big" into my electro during my Uni years and for several years after, well I still am but there isn't as much stuff of this ilk being produced any more and I have lost touch with the music scene.
Touring the country to visit nights and small festivals like the one in Wales where I hitched to with my younger brother. What a weekend, the hitch hiking was great we got there in no time. The trip back started with a memorable trip in the back of an open backed pickup lying on our backs as we travelled through the local woods, which was great therapy after the weekend we had just encountered. I did a quick search to see if I could find the "do" and found some old photos from the night "Baskerville Hall".
Anyway, I look back on Oscillate nights now with rose tinted glasses, they were fantastic and for just an hour last night while I cooked I felt like I was back there. Perhaps I'll take a trip to the Sheffield LoveBytes festival that was advertised on the Oscillate site and see if fulfils some of the potential that my past experiences still hold.
Wednesday 9 April 2008
And the Reds go marching on . . .
Okay, time to reveal some allegiance to my favoured football team, Liverpool.
What a game last night! Non stop action from the start to the finish.
I must admit I was a little bit taken aback by the pace with which Arsenal started the game, but even at this early stage I did wonder how long they could keep that up.
Their passing in the first 25-30 minutes was subliminal, but at the end of the day it's the goals that count and there were plenty of those to talk about.
In the first half the area of the field where we seemed to be losing the ball the most was our powerhouse midfield, our usual area of dominance. But Xabi was off form last night to begin with and it altered the midfield that was supposed to feed the already altered aggressive but odd new front line that included Torres, Kuyt, Crouch and Gerrard all playing attacking roles.
But after the ever youthful Sami scored the goal from the corner, yes Liverpool scored a goal from a corner, it was a different Liverpool that started playing.
Coming on in the second half Arsenal started to show heavy legs after their first half exertions and Liverpool started to show what they do best, which is applying continued pressure.
Torres and Gerrard, who had been almost missing previously due I think partly to the formation, started appearing all over the pitch and showing some of the world class skill that they are capable of.
Torres's goal was sublime, a truly talented individual we have there and I am looking forward to see how he can improve further, yes imagine that!
But then the unimaginable, a goal from Arsenal and a good goal at that, with the fresh legs of Theo Walcott proving unstoppable.
Moments later a penalty, which in itself could have been the talking point of this post, but all I am going to say is that in this game sometimes you get the shout and others you don't, Liverpool have had plenty of decisions not go their way and even if Arsenal had got their penalty last week we would have still qualified 5-4.
Gerrard tucks the penalty away with cool composure and we see a light at the end of a tunnel. Moments later our fresh legs goes on his own one man show by running the length of the pitch, but goes one better than Walcotts effort earlier by scoring the goal himself. Ryan Babel is an act to watch in the coming seasons, I expect great things from him.
All in all a great night of football and we are back to Stamford Bridge for the 3rd Semi-Final in 4 years. Bring on Moscow I say!
What a game last night! Non stop action from the start to the finish.
I must admit I was a little bit taken aback by the pace with which Arsenal started the game, but even at this early stage I did wonder how long they could keep that up.
Their passing in the first 25-30 minutes was subliminal, but at the end of the day it's the goals that count and there were plenty of those to talk about.
In the first half the area of the field where we seemed to be losing the ball the most was our powerhouse midfield, our usual area of dominance. But Xabi was off form last night to begin with and it altered the midfield that was supposed to feed the already altered aggressive but odd new front line that included Torres, Kuyt, Crouch and Gerrard all playing attacking roles.
But after the ever youthful Sami scored the goal from the corner, yes Liverpool scored a goal from a corner, it was a different Liverpool that started playing.
Coming on in the second half Arsenal started to show heavy legs after their first half exertions and Liverpool started to show what they do best, which is applying continued pressure.
Torres and Gerrard, who had been almost missing previously due I think partly to the formation, started appearing all over the pitch and showing some of the world class skill that they are capable of.
Torres's goal was sublime, a truly talented individual we have there and I am looking forward to see how he can improve further, yes imagine that!
But then the unimaginable, a goal from Arsenal and a good goal at that, with the fresh legs of Theo Walcott proving unstoppable.
Moments later a penalty, which in itself could have been the talking point of this post, but all I am going to say is that in this game sometimes you get the shout and others you don't, Liverpool have had plenty of decisions not go their way and even if Arsenal had got their penalty last week we would have still qualified 5-4.
Gerrard tucks the penalty away with cool composure and we see a light at the end of a tunnel. Moments later our fresh legs goes on his own one man show by running the length of the pitch, but goes one better than Walcotts effort earlier by scoring the goal himself. Ryan Babel is an act to watch in the coming seasons, I expect great things from him.
All in all a great night of football and we are back to Stamford Bridge for the 3rd Semi-Final in 4 years. Bring on Moscow I say!
Monday 31 March 2008
Spring is in the air . . .
Whilst out walking Dylan our Springer Spaniel in Froggatt woods wearing shorts the other day, it was hard to deny Spring was well and truly in the air. I'm not saying that winter might not have one more bite left in it yet, just that Spring has taken command.
The Silver Birch that dominate the woods were slowly coming into bud and even the later budding Beech was showing signs of finally dropping all of its last season golden crop of leaves.
I wasn't shocked to see that I wasn't the only fool hardy idiot out walking in shorts, in fact I passed several and it was because the air was so undeniably warm. If this evidence wasn't substantial enough, as I came down from my walk back to Grindleford I passed my first grass cutter of the year, obviously wanting to start with the official start of British Summer Time.
I always find it a wonderful time when you start to see the seasons change, which ever they may be. But I think Spring has to top the season changes, when it come to what a new season may hold, there is something so expectant about it. Winter draws to a conclusion slowly, still leaving the odd frost well after we have all started wearing t-shirts (if not shorts!), but Spring proffers Summer up, warm nights and lazy weekends warming our cold bodies after the dank Winters we get in Britain.
The psychological affect it has on you can be astounding, some how all of the worries that have been with you over the Winter months seem to slip into your sub-conscious and you are reborn with this new feeling that everything is going to be all right after all.
It's been nice to really start noticing the smaller components of season change since we left London to live in the country again. Whilst in London you obviously still get the major factors of the air temperature and the hours of daylight, you don't however notice as many of the other factors. The abundance of life is slapping you in the face at this time of year out of the cities, birds everywhere nest making, flower bulbs pushing their way out of the now fully soaked soil. Give it a few more weeks and the Bluebells are going to adorning the wood floor like a fairy carpet here.
With a young child in our family now, it seems to be all that more important to witness these things, I grew up having all of these changes pointed out to me by my parents and they have stayed with me all my life. My wife mocks my boring tirades whilst we are out walking as I point out every detail of nature as we pass, but for me this is what I love about nature, it's detail and it's this detail I now want to share with our daughter in the hope that she too will incorporate it into her vision of the world.
I am currently reading Wildwood - A Journey Through Trees by Roger Deakin, which whilst a somewhat eccentric take on woodland life is a refreshingly detailed account. Someone who truly encapsulates the comings and goings of a woodland environment and their seasonal changes. Some times I feel that in this fast paced modern world, which we all enjoy in different ways, we don't take enough time to notice the details. So next time you are out walking, whether it be in a woodland or even down Charing Cross Road, take a pause and take in some of life's wonderful details.
The Silver Birch that dominate the woods were slowly coming into bud and even the later budding Beech was showing signs of finally dropping all of its last season golden crop of leaves.
I wasn't shocked to see that I wasn't the only fool hardy idiot out walking in shorts, in fact I passed several and it was because the air was so undeniably warm. If this evidence wasn't substantial enough, as I came down from my walk back to Grindleford I passed my first grass cutter of the year, obviously wanting to start with the official start of British Summer Time.
I always find it a wonderful time when you start to see the seasons change, which ever they may be. But I think Spring has to top the season changes, when it come to what a new season may hold, there is something so expectant about it. Winter draws to a conclusion slowly, still leaving the odd frost well after we have all started wearing t-shirts (if not shorts!), but Spring proffers Summer up, warm nights and lazy weekends warming our cold bodies after the dank Winters we get in Britain.
The psychological affect it has on you can be astounding, some how all of the worries that have been with you over the Winter months seem to slip into your sub-conscious and you are reborn with this new feeling that everything is going to be all right after all.
It's been nice to really start noticing the smaller components of season change since we left London to live in the country again. Whilst in London you obviously still get the major factors of the air temperature and the hours of daylight, you don't however notice as many of the other factors. The abundance of life is slapping you in the face at this time of year out of the cities, birds everywhere nest making, flower bulbs pushing their way out of the now fully soaked soil. Give it a few more weeks and the Bluebells are going to adorning the wood floor like a fairy carpet here.
With a young child in our family now, it seems to be all that more important to witness these things, I grew up having all of these changes pointed out to me by my parents and they have stayed with me all my life. My wife mocks my boring tirades whilst we are out walking as I point out every detail of nature as we pass, but for me this is what I love about nature, it's detail and it's this detail I now want to share with our daughter in the hope that she too will incorporate it into her vision of the world.
I am currently reading Wildwood - A Journey Through Trees by Roger Deakin, which whilst a somewhat eccentric take on woodland life is a refreshingly detailed account. Someone who truly encapsulates the comings and goings of a woodland environment and their seasonal changes. Some times I feel that in this fast paced modern world, which we all enjoy in different ways, we don't take enough time to notice the details. So next time you are out walking, whether it be in a woodland or even down Charing Cross Road, take a pause and take in some of life's wonderful details.
Friday 14 March 2008
New place, new space . . .
Long time no blog . . .
Well it's been a while and in that while a lots happened.
We've moved, leaving behind the lovely countryside and mountain landscape of Cumbria to move to the Peak District, an area that we don't know so well.
The move has mainly been in the search for work that was sadly lacking in Cumbria.
But its not just our location that has changed, but our martial status changed just a few weeks ago after we eventually tied the knot in a wedding that should have been last year, were it not for the car accident. What a day, I would highly recommend it if you haven't tried it before . . .
The Peak, so far, has been superb. A perfect combination for us of rolling countryside and access to plenty of outdoor pursuits, but with the urban access to Sheffield and Manchester not all that far away. Access for us to all of this countryside seems all that easier, but it can only be on a psychological level, as we could walk out of door onto the fells in the Lakes, but either way it has helped me to get a lot fitter than I have been for several years.
But for others the Peak is a lot easier to access physically than the Lakes, with Sheffield on it's doorstep where we are. With this easier access you get a different variety of weekend user than we were used to seeing, equally in much larger numbers.
You start to miss the solitude the Lakes provided, where you could be on the summit of Great Gable, with no one except your own party for company to watch the mist slowly gathering around the back of Lingmell Col.
To alleviate our pining for bigger adventures we both went for an explore of the Kinder Scout area the other week, going up along the Pennine Way, Jacob's Ladder and on to the downfall where the wind on this particular day was blowing the waterfall back up the mountain with quite impress effect, and then back across the top and down Crowden Brook. A curious landscape with the gritstone forming many fantastic shapes among the black peat, like some 60's Martian film set.
But here we missed the additional push required to reach the summits that we were used to from the Lakes and while the view across to Lancashire was impressive it didn't have that somehow untethered beauty of the Lakes.
All this aside, we think we may have found our new home here and we are falling for the area quickly, with access to some of the urban facilities, that even we missed after a decade in London, on our doorstep in Sheffield. Yet, peace and quiet at night and a blanket of stars over head when it's clear. Oh, and not to forget some very friendly folk who have made us feel nothing but welcome.
Right, I promise, not so long till the next post . . .
Well it's been a while and in that while a lots happened.
We've moved, leaving behind the lovely countryside and mountain landscape of Cumbria to move to the Peak District, an area that we don't know so well.
The move has mainly been in the search for work that was sadly lacking in Cumbria.
But its not just our location that has changed, but our martial status changed just a few weeks ago after we eventually tied the knot in a wedding that should have been last year, were it not for the car accident. What a day, I would highly recommend it if you haven't tried it before . . .
The Peak, so far, has been superb. A perfect combination for us of rolling countryside and access to plenty of outdoor pursuits, but with the urban access to Sheffield and Manchester not all that far away. Access for us to all of this countryside seems all that easier, but it can only be on a psychological level, as we could walk out of door onto the fells in the Lakes, but either way it has helped me to get a lot fitter than I have been for several years.
But for others the Peak is a lot easier to access physically than the Lakes, with Sheffield on it's doorstep where we are. With this easier access you get a different variety of weekend user than we were used to seeing, equally in much larger numbers.
You start to miss the solitude the Lakes provided, where you could be on the summit of Great Gable, with no one except your own party for company to watch the mist slowly gathering around the back of Lingmell Col.
To alleviate our pining for bigger adventures we both went for an explore of the Kinder Scout area the other week, going up along the Pennine Way, Jacob's Ladder and on to the downfall where the wind on this particular day was blowing the waterfall back up the mountain with quite impress effect, and then back across the top and down Crowden Brook. A curious landscape with the gritstone forming many fantastic shapes among the black peat, like some 60's Martian film set.
But here we missed the additional push required to reach the summits that we were used to from the Lakes and while the view across to Lancashire was impressive it didn't have that somehow untethered beauty of the Lakes.
All this aside, we think we may have found our new home here and we are falling for the area quickly, with access to some of the urban facilities, that even we missed after a decade in London, on our doorstep in Sheffield. Yet, peace and quiet at night and a blanket of stars over head when it's clear. Oh, and not to forget some very friendly folk who have made us feel nothing but welcome.
Right, I promise, not so long till the next post . . .
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