Russell Davies

Cafe and Bungalows, South Bay, Scarborough

103-109

-10

Ten years ago today, it seems, I was wandering around Portland, taking photos. I wonder how many of these sights are still there.

Cause for Alarm

"Cause for Alarm" by Eric Ambler is a very exciting engineering spy thriller. So worth reading if you like engineering + spies + thrills.

— Rachel Coldicutt (@rachelcoldicutt) March 11, 2015

Rachel is utterly right about Cause For Alarm. Very good in a Rogue Male stylee.

This line sums up the mood:

"It was not until I was soaking blissfully in the steaming water that it occurred to me to wonder why General Vagas thought it necessary to carry a swordstick."

And this is what someone gives as the list of things they import and sell (it's a cover):

"Moroccan perfumes, Czech jewellery, and French bicycles"

Establishment of the geeks

I remember thinking the reason 'we' liked the Olympic Ceremony so much was because it marked the moment where 'our' culture had come top.

We/our meaning, I guess, mostly people like me; white, male, rich, middle-aged, metropolitan, educated, digital, a bit techy, a bit media-y, with a non-southern chip on our shoulder. Or is that just me? (WEIRD)

Increasingly this makes me feel uncomfortable, I'm the establishment. That's bad.

But, on the other hand, it means Radio 4 are making many more programmes aimed directly at me, which is obviously brilliant for me.

Recent favourites, which you might enjoy, if you're like me, of even if you're not:

Tom Armitage on writing, learning and thinking in code.

Aleks Krotoski on Codes that Changed the World.

 

Burrington Combe Cafe

The Harbour, Paignton

Energy In Northampton

Dirty Modern Scoundrel points to this incredible song - Energy In Northampton. 

The premise is simple and overwhelming - aliens, lost in space, find the energy and technology they need in Northampton, a welcome counterbalance to all those films where the aliens end up attacking New York or LA.

Neat communications strategy unveiled in the interview at the end too - Northampton - comparatively free from traffic jams.

It made me wonder if there were a whole multitude of them made for different cities.

That's what Frank Gari did, took a single song and sold it to multiple cities, as reported in the prologue to this This American Life.

96-102

Trevaunance Cove and Cafe, St. Agnes