Signs That Say Nothing: 4

Signs That Say Nothing: #4

Originally uploaded by Snowbadger

Another unknown, rusty ol’ sign cluttering up the pavement.

It’s been a while since I posted nonsense up here. It’s not that I don’t have anything for you, I’m just mega super busy with the day job.

‘Day’ job. Hah.

That’s a laugh.

What @Thewince sees sans his glasses

A friend of mine sees some weird shit when he takes off his glasses.

He drew what he could see when he looked at a number plate some 10 yards away and here is the result.

This is what he was looking at:

Stupid. Metal floor studs look good but are slippery in rain

I was walking through Kensington the other day while it was raining when I ‘discovered’ these metal studs at the side of the road.

I know what they are supposed to be for, to warn those with limited sight that they are at the road edge.

Personally, I was never sold on that design to be honest, I would have thought the noise of traffic, the spatial senses etc would be far more effective than some bumps. I mean, if they are there to warn of the road, why don’t they line the pavement?

Surely this design only serves to warn if you happen to stray near the road at a crossing.

Anyway, I digress.

In Kensington High Street (or High Street Ken (why?!?)) they have opted for stainless steel street furniture, bars, bumps, bins all in stainless.

Looks nice I suppose. But it’s lethal in the wet. If a 20/20 vision 30-something can nearly upend themselves, surely said limited sight elderly person is going to come a cropper.

Pure form over function, style over substance, all sizzle no sausage.

It sets me to thinking about what else is broken like this…?

Nanny Nanny Wash Wash Clean

Is it me or is it a bit mental that all these sanatiser gels are appearing everywhere? I saw this in an M&S food.

M&S Food! Why are they selling this stuff?

I’m all for washing your hands when they’re dirty, but seriously walking around with sterilised hands can’t be good for you. Yes okay, if you have a baby and need to wash before changing/feeding etc but surely we all need some bugs in the tum to keep us fighting the worlds ills?

People will buy anything.

Why I hate Microsoft – LiveID

I have a stupid Mac fanboy obsession with hating all things windows. Most fanboys do. Mostly it’s irrational, but quite often it’s not.

I know it’s lazy to be a hater but when stuff like this happens, it’s all too easy. They just can’t get it right.

I was signing up for some Office Live thing where you can share docs online (why someone couldn’t use Google Docs I don’t know), and I get this after trying just once!

Meh!

Pah!

…and Shesh!

Look at the ‘error message’. FFS!

Oh No! Google Latitude knows where I am!

Privacy freaks will lose the plot over this one. I’ve already had a good laugh at the headline on the free London Metro this morning:

Google Latitude allows you to share your location with your friends on a map from your phone. Currently it’s available for:

1. T-Mobile G1 (of course)
2. Most colout Blackberry devices
3. Windows Mobile 5.1 compatible devices
4. Symbian s60 devices (Nokia Smartphones)
5. J2ME (Java-enabled) devices (Sony Ericson)

iPhone and iPodTouch are coming soon.

Now, I think that this is a) inevitable and b) very cool, but then I’m susceptible to giving away lots of personal data anyhow, it comes with the job, but it does always tickle me how ‘privacy groups’ go mental.

It was in reading initial reviews that I chuckled to myself about the potential scenarios where this potentially very useful service might get misused.

1. Setting it up on someone’s phone in the pub while they are in the toilet
3. Following a spouse or partner
4. Following employees

Okay. There are genuine privacy concerns here, but why does the same old crap get wheeled out time after time?

“Trade unions aren’t happy” the Metro said.

So what? Who gives a fuck? Stop skiving or shagging about.

It’s a gadget and it’s cool. Leave it alone. If you don’t like it, don’t play with it. Stay away, be gone.

Maybe the naysayers would prefer the Brightkite model where the user ‘checks in’ and volunteers their location manually? It feels like you are more in control, but with Latitude it is up to you who sees what anyway.

And if your device falls into your spouses hands and you happen to be a dodgy fella or fellarette, you should be more concerned that they check call history and text lists rather than covertly installing a mapping client and signing up with your Google credentials.

Yes Google is reputed to have security loopholes in some of it’s services but come on, let’s finally use this to deliver the much vaunted location based services telcos have been trying to do for years.

Ah. Hang on.

Yes, telcos have missed the boat on cracking this themselves haven’t they?

Phone + Location = location based services.

Much simplified but still.
Silly telcos.

Google Latitude
Brightkite

Nick Foster – Illustration Guns for Hire

Kanye West Portrait – June 2008 – Nick Foster

Originally uploaded by Snowbadger

A good friend of mine, Mr Nick Foster has set up a website showing his illustration ware.

He’s rather good.

Which I know as I’ve seen him doodling for the best part of 15 years.

Check out his site with some sample work.

Listen to Birdsong

Crested Lark!

Originally uploaded by Abhishek unplugged!

I remember when I was at school and they were testing the broadcasting kit for Classic FM here in the UK. They used a continuous birdsong and everyone at school used to love it for revising for GCSEs.

We called it Bird.FM (inspiringly).

So you can imagine my glee when someone at LBi sent this through:

Web based Birdsong radio.
Yeahhhh.

However, while this is nice to listen to while working, I can’t help but feel a little sad that people don’t hear this stuff enough for real.

Enjoy.

Smarties: Blue is back!

United Colors of Smarties

Originally uploaded by fiorinolatino

I’ve just seen the most bizarre television ad for Smarties.

(As in the confectionary made by Nestle)

The message is basically that “Blue is back” citing the return of the blue coloured Smartie after 3 whole years!

Has it been that long?

Not strange so far I guess, but it’s the plot and underlying message of the ad that I found odd. Warning, this gets weird from the off.

So cut to a scene of people dressed in brightly coloured lycra enjoying an idyllic country life.

Then a guy dressed in blue runs across the brow of the hill and shout ‘Woo Hoo, I’m back!’ at which all the pink, red, yellow, orange, brown, violet and green ones run away and hide inside a giant smartie pack.

Cue Mr. Yellow Smartie who gets thrown outside of said giant Smartie pack to deal with incoming Mr. Blue Smartie and get rid of the unwanted guest.

Mr. Yellow Smartie is clearly struggling within himself, coming to terms with himself as to how he should get rid of Blue (acting without saying anything is so incredibly hard, so credit to Yellow here).

Cue Blue showing a piece of paper that qualifies him as being 100% free of artificial flavourings and colours.

Woooooooo Hooooooo!

Hang on…

What?

Why is this a good campaign?

I know that there was a rumor that blue Smarties unlocked your inner ADHD within, but this is an odd way to run.

“Hey everyone, that blue Smartie we introduced three years ago that sent your young ones a little nuts is back. But this time without the mad stuff inside. Yeah!”

The press pack that’s available cites 2007 being “graced with comebacks. Take That, Spice Gils, Prince, Boy Zone and even Led Zepplin. Leading the trend for 2008 is the BLUE SMARTIE!”

It goes further to explain:

“Nearly two decades after Blue was first launched, a genuine fan base still exists with over 20 Facebook groups and nearly 2,000 members asking what happened to Blue and demanding its return.”

What was strange about the press statement was the solution as to how you provide the variety of blue in a natural way:

“So after years of scouring the globe for a solution, Nestle has found a way to create the much-loved variety with no artificial colours and flavours. This has been done by using a blue concentrate from an edible algae called Spirulina.”

Spirulina?

Errrrr. No thanks. Sounds mingin’

I’ve never ever been to a confectionary website. Not least the Smarties one.

i have now, so I guess it works.

New Piccadilly Cafe London

New Piccadilly Cafe London

Originally uploaded by Gee Bee

RIP New Piccadilly Cafe, which closed in September 2007.

I was hoping to have a meeting there a few weeks ago when I soon realised that plan was a flawed one.

An awesome venue for cheap eats in an authentic 50s style surroundings. Proper caff fare was to be had for a small amount of hard-earned.

The interior was amazing, Formica lovliness and 50s streamlined styling on everything from signage to lampshades. A veritable banquet and postcard from yesteryear slap bang in the middle of horrid, touristy old ‘Lie-Cester Sqware’.

I was first introduced to this gem of a venue, just off Piccadilly in London, by my mate Fosta’s then girlfriend. It’s been closed, no doubt , to make way for some crappy chain venue where they make enough money to pay the rent.

From Classic Cafes: “Described by the Financial Times as an “orgasm of searing yellow Formica”, this is truly a cathedral amongst caffs run by the irrepressible Lorenzo (a true son of Soho) and his crack team of uniformed waiters. This is the last of the big hitters left in Soho and one of the largest original cafes left in Britain: pink Formica coffee machine, big plastic horseshoe shaped menu, wall-to-wall laminate surfaces and lots of brilliant booth seating. Even the New Piccadilly menu is a stone design classic. A place of reverence.”

I loved the way that the guys used to wear white uniforms with epaulettes on their shoulders and served a can of coke with a glass. So classy.

I love authentic Cafes. I’m going through a bit of a ‘Fry-up’ revival which contradicts my half-marathon training.

Oh well, everything in moderation…

Here are some images of the well wishing message written on the hoardings: