I get quite emotional a fair bit and I think that's very positive actually. Why be alive if you can't experience feelings? Very rarely though do I actually cry. It's not some sort of macho thing (anyone who knows me know I'm not macho!) that says I don't believe a guy can cry, it's just with me, whatever chemical reaction that has to happen in that moment to cause crying often doesn't take place.
Several songs, moments on a film/TV can get me all choked up and I feel that lump in my throat. However only once can I remember actually crying when watching TV. Rather humerously (and embarassing now!) it was when Kylie Minogue's character on "Neighbours", Charlene, did her final scene. It was 1988 and I would have been five or six years old (are you saying "awwww bless" yet??) and she drove off in an orange mini leaving her friends and family behind on Ramsey Street that I shed many tears. Awww! (ohh it looks like I'm not the only one)
Today, aged 28, I cried for the first time when listening to a song. As I say, there are many songs I could list (which I will provide if asked) that give me a lump in my throat. However, something in this song below caused that rush of whatever hormone it is to flow into my blood stream today.
The song in question is "Someone Like You", by Adele. It's so beautiful, accounting an experience of unrequited love. The lyrics are so powerful and return you to a moment experienced by many yet so personal to oneself.
This line in particular strikes a real chord with me:
"I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited but I couldn't stay away I couldn't fight it."
It reminds me of the time I turned up, unannounced at the home of the person for whom I had unrequited love. I was 14 years old (which turned out to be year 2 of an 8 year thing I had for her!) and I went up to hers with the aim of confessing my feelings to her. I chickened out at the last minute.
The written word, a compound of one or more of these strange shapes we know as letters. Kinda amazing when you think about it.
The Magna Carta through to hand-written letters from friends and family I have kept. Each little "squiggle" touches someone, somehow, in some way. Whenever "a writing" is produced, I think a moment of perfection exists because they provide us (humans Inc) with the means to communicate our deepest thoughts and desires, each one generated by any one of billions of tiny little neurons. So yeah, I think it's pretty cool that we have these letters. I wouldn't be able to share this with you now without them!
Twenty-six Little Squiggles
Twenty-six little squiggly lines, All innocent and inconspicuous, Like a love who is unrequited, They sit unaware of their power,
Upper and sometimes lower, Set ready for the dart thrower, Going from quill to keyboard, The pen is mightier than the sword
Rosetta Stone to Tweeting Hieroglyphics to "OMG", Continually evolving?, Definitely, maybe,
W.H. Auden to W.H. Smiths, Both places for squiggles to enlighten, Shakespeare and Wordsworth, Inspired by authors unknown,
Causing smiles and tears, happiness and despair, In the right hands, beautiful, in the wrong, hell, Eight squiggles to tell someone they're special, Yeah, those are my favourite of all the squiggles,
This is just totally cute and as I'm a sucker for anything romantically cute, right up my street. All the little things that define a couple and the little jokes and rituals they have - it's just great. Here's a wonderful example of this in action. Awwwww :)
I don't know if rice pudding is that popular outside the UK? Either way, did you know that it's also romantic - specifically if it's ambrosia creamed rice (which I'm fairly sure is found only in Britain)? Well, it is!
I came across this article about Ronnie Corbett - a national treasure and one half (well, maybe one third ;) ) of the influential 1970's and 1980's comedic double act known as the The Two Ronnies. In it, Ronnie Corbett's reserved personality is explored, in particular his inability (due to embarrassment) to communicate the love he has for his wife, Anne.
"Early on in their relationship, Anne Corbett wondered why her husband found it difficult to say anything romantic to her. He put his reticence down to his Scottish roots. But they found a way round the problem, Anne has recalled: "I said: 'Well, think of something nice you can say that doesn't embarrass you,'' and he said: 'Ambrosia Creamed Rice.' Even now on his birthday and Valentine cards I never put 'I love you', and nor does Ron. We put 'ACR'."
He's the type of singer I really like. One who's songs have a poetic quality to them. I think musicians such as this are a rare breed, who are actually poets that use their instruments instead of pens in which to write their works of art with.
I only feel sorry for the fact that my ears did not discover him sooner!
You know, it's weird how a person, a place, or an experience you don't think anything of at the time can evolve to become the inspiration to pen (or type) a poem.
Recently, I have started going to a drumming/percussion workshop on a Sunday evening put on by the London School of Samba (although ironically I'm not going to tonights as I have man flu). I don't attend the dance or costume making things as I'm not into that (two left feet, only wear jeans). I've only been to the drumming one three or four times so far, but I've really enjoyed the atmosphere created when a room full of people come together to make some (organised!) noise under the instruction of the "conductor" called Fred (I believe there's another one as well who conducts but it's always been Fred by chance on the weeks I have been).
This Is The Way We Play The Caixa
Brigadier General Fred takes his place, Standing high above his troops,
"Today soldiers, we go forth to face our enemy, Be ferocious in battle, but magnanimous in victory,
Tame the beast, make friends with it, Its name - The Samba. Now let us commence",
Our army's name: The Bateria, Our weapons are cleaned and ready for use,
The order to move up is issued by our commander, "Standby, standby, GO!",
The engines of the Surdos roar into action, As intimidating as any tank should be,
Following on in their masses - the Caixas, The ever-present loyal and skilled infantrymen,
Bolstering the Caixas are the Repiniques, Specialised in both weapon and hand-to-hand combat,
Supporting these forces, the Tamborims, Diligent and competent engineers,
Combining their strengths are the Agogos and Chocalhos, This signals corp defines our regimental march,
Our strengths are numerous, We hold the ground,
Chanting the spirit of, Dagga dagga da boom bang!
(I'm not in any of these ones by the way, but gives you an idea of things!)
I am fortunate to work for a company which believes strongly in employee well-being. A happy employee is a creative employee right? Moreover, a happy person is a creative person both at and outside of the workplace.
Our dear leader, and all-round "Jolly Good Fellow" who for the purposes of this blog shall be referred to as Kim Meng-il (although our Meng is popular and would never be so roanree - warning: video contains a naughty word!) has encouraged the holders of thousands of curious minds to continue to develop their curiosity and step into a world which will hopefully, over time will increase their general levels of happiness.
I highly endorse taking some of your time to read his blog Mengstupiditis and just see what you think.
Through the practice of a technique known as Mindfulness, the idea is to both relax (through breathing) and also get to know (through a deep awareness) someone very important - yourself. I like to think of it as "How can we even begin to understand the world around us if we do not take the time to first know ourselves?"
As far as I know, there are no official "stages" of experience or knowledge, but if there are, then I'm still very much at stage 1 (maybe 1.5 if I get extra points by blogging about it? I think so!). I just find it an interesting concept and one to play with as and when just to see what grows if I plant the seeds. My personal interest in it is to see if it can help reduce levels of anxiety that I experience (I call this "tortured genius syndrome" ;))
I've always been a bit of a curious chappy. I like to let my mind wander and see how many of the synaptic gaps I can bridge before I leave this planet. So, leading on from the mindful approach to life, I have come up with my own way to practice this -- Atom Spotting. I haven't really practiced it much, and maybe it will not prove to be useful. I suppose only time will tell!
If you can have train spotters hanging around alongside train tracks, or plane spotters gathering at an airport, then why can't you have people who spot atoms? That is to say that when you go about your daily business, why not look for everything? An example might be walking down the street, minding your own business. But, what if you played "atom spotting" and looked for everything? The clothes people are wearing, what logos are on the clothes, what they are made of, the shades of colour, the fibres of the particular fabric used to make that piece of clothing? Apply this to everything around you (vehicle detail, the fonts on sign posts right down to the small indentations on the pavements on which millions of people have walked) you essentially begin to live the saying "God is in the detail".
So, see how many atoms you can spot. I'm going to give it a go!
Warning Spoiler Alert: (if you haven't seen the first episode in series 9 of Spooks)
So you know when you're watching TV and you get a little too into it? That doesn't happen to me often, but last night, rather humoursly it did.
I was watching the first episode of series 9 of Spooks -- what is perhaps the BBC's finest show.
Cutting a long story short. Terrorists get hold of some explosives and plan to send them crashing into the Houses of Parliament. Only way to stop this from happening is to use the last resort which - detonate an EMP to disable the bombs. The downside - it'd knock out anything containing a microchip within a 1 mile radius.
The bombs (contained in small submersibles) are making their way up the Thames. There is no time to stop them. The decision is made. The EMP must be detonated to prevent the destruction of the Houses of Parliament.
As I mention, I had a got a little too into the episode, and.....see thing is, is that I live comfortably within the 1 mile radius of the Houses of Parliament. For a brief second, I was watching the episode as if it was real time waiting, the tension building inside me as I waited for my internet connection to go off. Thankfully it didn't ;)
I did enjoy this random person's tweet on the subject though. Very funny!
Anyway that's all. Congratulations to the BBC for another great episode. Also thanks that this wasn't real and my internet connection was unaffected so I could still look at porn opportunities to volunteer.
This may well explain a lot about me! And apparently I'm going to die young without having children. Fortunately this is scientific research, so if I wait a couple of days, something will come along to contradict this and suggest I will live a long happy life with a wife, kids and associated picket fence.
Interesting article from the BBC about different dances moves that make men appealing to women.
I'm with Joey on this one -- see video below.
"Scientists say they've carried out the first rigorous analysis of dance moves that make men attractive to women".
"The researchers say that movements associated with good dancing may be indicative of good health and reproductive potential."
"Movements that went down terribly were twitchy and repetitive - so called "Dad dancing." "
When given the opportunity, us humans can be incredibly creative. Think of some of the things we have invented? Airplanes, cars, telephones, the internet, electricity, penicillin and dishwashers. When we spend a moment to step away from criticising all the horrible things humans have done/are doing (of which I agree are numerous) but instead focus on all our wondrous accomplishments, you will find a plethora of evidence proves our creativity.
So I believe strongly that more time should be given over to "creative solutions" (see Google 20% time as an example).
Creating a new government department is easier than you may think. Just look at the Ministry of Silly Walks as an example ;)
Therefore, I introduce to you the "Ministry of Creative Solutions", or MCS (using abbreviations - that's another creative solution!). Hotly off the heals of the (albeit satirical) ramblingsfromakitkat election manifesto earlier this year, this new department in the world of Phil shall have the brief of;
"seeking to channel creative solutions to solving problems (both big and small problems) in order to bring about a cost effective and efficient resolution."
I first got thinking about this the other day when watching a clip of the BBC comedy show Mock The Week. The contestants had to come up with suggestions for "Commercials that never aired" (warning: contains adult humour)
One of the comedians (relating to the BP Deepwater Horizon spill) had this pearl of wisdom at 1.45;
"Have you got long dry hair? Could we stuff it down an oil well?"
Perfect! This is creative thinking....true creative thinking where it's OK to be outside the box. Makes you wonder, what if the MCS (remember, that's Ministry of Creative Solutions) had been able to reach out to all hairdressers and ask them to collect all hair left on the floor, bagged it up for the MCS's collection staff? Could this have helped? Well, in this case I don't know. But having a department which could look into these things and know it can act when it can produce something effective would be wonderful in my view!
I wonder what other examples you can come up with to offer to MCS? All ideas (remember they must be thought through so they fit in with the mission) are welcome, and indeed encouraged. Be an ambassador for creative solutions!
I've now uploaded the rest of the photographs that I took on this walk. So, here they are!....
Edit: I am going to keep adding night time photographs of London that I take. So in the event this post gets really long, please allow the photos to load.
It sums things up so well, and particularly in my life. Well, more specifically a pattern of behaviour that many of us get in to - I know I have got myself into problems before by engaging in this. Maybe I will again, though hopefully I'll make it OK that I do....!
Basically it's when we make mistakes in life, but beat ourselves up about it, instead of cutting ourselves some slack. Comparing ourselves to others, blaming ourselves when we have hindsight about how we could have done better, how we should have done it differently are all too easy to do, but longer term are much less healthy approaches. Remember: The only thing you should be comparing is meerkats.
I won't go into details, but let me tell you I have learned the hard way how destructive it is to spend too much time criticising yourself (in a bad, non constructive way).
Don't do it. Accept we all make mistakes. In fact, allow yourself to do something essential: Let compassion for yourself reign.
This modern day technological revolution of the world wide web has created a situation in which anyone with an internet connection can communicate and share enormous volumes of information. Essentially a new library has been invented and built by Homo Sapiens Inc. This library houses all of the world's information that is currently known and will share with the largest audience possible future discoveries. It is an information repository of the people, by the people, for the people.
What I often wonder about though is this; At what point does all the information become too much information? That is to say (and perhaps there's just no right or wrong about this), do we (we = all humans who have or will lay a brick in the building of the library) have a responsibility to be more or less judicious in what we share with our fellow bricklayers? Apart from where information has a legal issue (e.g. sharing indecent images of children), which should clearly not be shared (well they shouldn't even be collected in the first place!) is there a line, and if so what constitutes as "Too much information"?
My view....Ha, well I'm actually returning to writing this blog post after leaving it as a draft for a couple of weeks -- mainly because I've been busy, but also because I wanted to have a good think (for all my reader(s?) ) about what to write. Interestingly, they have changed. I began this blog post planning to put across as view that way too much is out there and far too many people are communicating too much pointless information. So, I had a disagreement with myself and I won! (which is probably the best thing about arguments with oneself - can't loose!).
So, revised is my now thoroughly thought through (bit of alliteration for you there!) view....or as I'm going to call it now, my thoroughly thought through theoretical thesis (I'm so clever aren't I!).
There is a saying "Sharing is Caring". I care about myself, I care about other humans and I care about the Earth and its place within the universe. I believe everyone else does too -- some will claim to care more than others and whether that is the case or not, everybody cares.
I also care about, and am a fan of information -- and all that information is. As a simple definition, information is the act of informing. For me, this act of informing is whenever any part of the brain experiences a basic sense of being informed. This could be it knowing it is looking at a photograph of a place or a person. Knowing that it senses a feeling on the body, or that it senses sadness or elation. Knowing that its opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian situation is X. Knowing that 2 + 2 = 4 or that the top of the Eiffel Tower is 324 meters high. There are many more examples I could put, but I hope I have explained what I mean. In my opinion, if you can become aware of it, you have been informed.
The world is a very diverse place with many people having many different views. 6,500,000,000 people, each having between 50,000,000,000 and 100,000,000,000 neurons....you do the maths on the number of possible viewpoints.
Combining these two innate quantities creates someone who believes that the sharing of all information shows that you care about the evolution of mankind.
In this previous blog post, Map-ersonality, I mentioned the volume of geospatial information people have that if shared would create a rather large and exciting map:
"...maps will inherit what I call "Map-ersonality". The ability to explore a map where I can learn not only about the physical nature of that location, but all the stories behind it, the opinions people have of it location and why these exist. This would be the beginning of mapping so much. Potentially this gives a map the amazing possibility - the possibility to hold an amount of personality and power equivalent to that of a human mind.
The land surface of planet earth is approximately 148,940,000,000,000 m2 and there are approximately 6,500,000,000 people and growing. If each person was to give their opinion - a piece of their soul to each square meter (even if it was to say it wasn't a big one), then potentially, a map would contain 9.6811 × 1023 elements. Maybe that's something to think about?"
I believe there are three states of information:
Factual: That the Victoria Line on the London Underground is coloured light blue. Basically everything you'd find in a traditional encyclopedia such as Encyclopædia Britannica.
Emotive: All that we experience and feel. Our experiences, interpretations and our opinions. I'll come back to this one in a minute though.
Mindful: Everything else that we don't notice, but when we play very careful attention to it, we can see it. It is right there in front of our eyes (though it may also be psychological). This is a perfect example of being more mindful. Next time you look out of your window, or look at a photograph, what's there? What's behind the centrepiece of the picture reflecting off the glass in the top left corner?
Now, back to that "Emotive" heading. In psychology, a theory known as Personal construct theory states that "A person's unique psychological processes are channeled by the way s/he anticipates events.".
It is these experiences, each human having millions of them in their lifetime which I believe to be information -- information that I want to have access to and the choice to connect with. This links back to the original statement regarding "Sharing is caring". Think about it, all these experiences which then go onto form opinions on life. Some are big, such as whether or not it was right to invade Iraq in 2003 and some small, whether people can tolerate the taste of marmite.
This quote below, perfectly summarises for me the two primary differences between information, but actually what I personally believe in combining. The facts, and the brain's experiences and the succeeding illusions it creates.
"When we understand every single secret of the universe, there will still be left the eternal mystery of the human heart."
I believe in a world of sharing. Not just the ability to look at websites to view facts, see photos or find driving directions. I believe in a world where all of our experiences, opinions can be shared, dissected and put back together again using multiple opinions from people all over the world about everything there is to think.
Internet search company Google has like many companies do, a corporate mission: "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.". If ever you have the opportunity to listen to a presentation by one of the senior visionariness at Google, you will hear that this is not just a random motto thought up by the company's marketing department. It is the reason the company exists and first came the mission and then the company and its project. I personally find this very appealing - all the world's information.
So if my notion of a society in which we all make an effort to constantly share our experiences and opinions to enhance the human mind had a mission statement, it would be the following:
"to organize the world's neurons and make them universally interconnected."
That is to say, all the neurons which make up who I am, Phil with every other neuron of every other human. If we do this, we could have a complete human. Every thought that could be had, shared in this global information repository of the people, by the people, for the people. Perhaps some of the greatest discoveries yet to be made can come into existence by the collaboration of all the world's neurons, universally interconnected.
Lastly, I would say this. All these experiences whilst I want all of them to be shared must be better organized. I think we can cut ourselves some slack given this massive evolutionary change. We've still a way to go to sift out (not sift out, just better place) experiences which may give me nightmares (advisory). We can start building more shelves once more information has come in.
So, to end. Send me your experiences and if you like, I'll send you mine. Then together we will know more. I will care for you, you will care for me, we will continue to involve, to evolve, and to solve.
But hey, that's just what I think based on my experiences!
Edit: Some people have contacted me posing the question "what if people don't want to give information, or feel uncomfortable doing so, or could it be dangerous to give people information about yourself (I don't think they meant PIN number, but more personal information about life experiences). This was my response:
Well one theory is that those who don't like to share their thoughts could explain why they feel uncomfortable - not to be judged, but the explanation of what experiences have led them to not wish to share, is itself offering up some neuron interconnectivity. Sometimes sharing might be not be sharing - the NOT sharing (as in what creates a person who with complete entitlement choose not to share) is the shared element.
Rather than me waffle on (and regular readers will know I'm good at that!), I'll simply encourage you to listen attentively to Mark Knopfler's commentary before playing the song "Monteleone", a song about instrument maker, John Monteleone and his passionate craftsmanship. Mark is clearly a very clever guy!
The song, inspired me to write my own version (though no where near as beautifully scripted), "Don, The Carpenter".
I love the "innocent" sense of humour here from smoothie drink maker, Innocent Drinks.
When looking at their product specifications on the Tesco website (I think this link only works if you have a Tesco account), I noticed their excellent storage instructions:
"Looking after your smoothie.Once opened consume within 4 days or we'll come round and get you. Gently pasteurised, just like milk. For the use-by date, look at the top of the pack. And shake before opening, not after."
Tonight, with the fantastic tool from YouTube where you can create your own SearchStory, I made this video which will hopefully cause a smile in most, and for those who can't and are in need of a lift, then hopefully it'll inspire those who like myself in the past suffered from depression, or more regrettably so, has it now.
Remember, if you can raise some hope inside of you....trust you will be OK, eventually. Then you can create a hilarious blog like me....well not quite as funny as this one of course!
Recent news articles have reported on new British Prime Minister David Cameron's decision to cut back on his personal security to help him remain "one of the people". The most notable change is the one to not use the "motorcycle outriders" available as part of his motorcade.
There have also been some instances where he has elected to walk short distances (for example from Downing Street to the Houses of Parliament). This is often seen in new leaders who, quite understandably struggle to adjust to a life more in the public eye -- one authorised with more power, access to classified information, and the inevitable risk to their security. Simply Googling obama blackberry will provide a prime example of this.
Steering clear of the whole discussion around whether Cameron is right to do this, I instead shall focus on these elusive "motorcycle outriders", for their job interests me. I don't know why it does, though most likely it's because I'm a guy and anything involving the police, guns and bodyguards gets my interest. So yeah, I'm going to blame testosterone! Also, I suspect there's a little "hippocampal stimulation" (no way is that a real phrase!) going on as I greatly admire those who can confidently and successfully navigate London's maze (where much of these elusive motorcycle outriders carry out their work).
As usual, the press spend little time focusing on all the elements of the story and instead seek to sensationalise it. So you end up with headlines such as (I may have made these up by the way!):
Guardian: "Cameron elects not to use his motorcycle escorts."
Daily Mail: "Cameron ditches bike cops."
The Sun: "Our new dear leader sticks two fingers up to Bin Laden selflessly facing terror threat!"
Daily Express: "Will new PM Cameron re-open investigation into Diana murder?"
"This elite unit of the Metropolitan Police consists of officers with a range of skills and operational experience from various policing backgrounds. One motorcyclist (lead bike) positions himself in front of the escort, controlling the pace and position of the escort, whilst the others forge ahead, dealing with traffic situations and advising the lead bike of the safest path through the traffic they are controlling. SEG officers on BMW motorcycles, use whistles in preference to the sirens on their motorcycles. This reduces the level of noise that precedes an escort and reduces the environmental impact on the escorted person and general public.
Officers from The Special Escort Group are among the few police motorcyclists within the UK that carry firearms openly whilst riding."
- "Sourced from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License."
It's a well regarded opinion that one of the biggest threats faced by a motorcade is when in a stationary position. The old adage that "a moving target is harder to hit" certainly applies here. At the same time, it is much less accepted in the UK that even a VIP (royal, or ministerial) and their close protection team should be able to cause much disruption to the lives of every day citizens. So the policy of completely closing roads and shutting down cities to allow a huge motorcade to pass for the visit of the Prime Minister or Queen would be met with much disdain and anger. Instead, a much more low-key, hassle free stance is taken. This approach is in generally much different to that of the U.S. authorities -- and that's not to criticise this method, it's simply to highlight the differences.
I have never seen the Special Escort Group in action, but hope to do so one day as I'm a sucker for watching the work of masters.
On doing a search for further information about the Special Escort Group, I came across a very interesting article (one which I recommend reading) written several years ago by a journalist who had the fortune of riding with SEG. The video (sadly it's been edited to have loud music in the background - I'm presuming to block out the important transmissions) which goes with the article is also available here.
Below are a few examples of the Special Escort Group (SEG) in action. I just love how quaintly British the use of their whistles to control the situation is. Perhaps we're just too desperate not to offend anyone!
(Note that some of these videos are quite jerky so might not be suitable for those who don't cope well with those things)
You can hear many whistles from the bikes that have ridden ahead here
Princess Anne motorcade. Good view of the officers controlling the situation
Kate Middleton Motorcade
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown on his way to Buckingham Palace to resign.
Prince Charles being taken through the streets of London.
A surprise for one cyclist riding around London.
Another good example of quick control of the traffic.
So, folks this is how I spent my Wednesday evening.....!
The fact I have a "markknopfler" label suggests I'm a rather big fan. That suggestion would be correct!
The setting for this auspicious event was the Royal Albert Hall in London. I have never been inside it before, seeing it only from the outside and a few times on TV. If you haven't been, a suggestion for you.....Go! I think this is probably now one of my favourite buildings in the world, primarily because of its interior, though its exterior is distinguished too.
Known famously for its hosting of The (BBC) Proms, The Royal Albert Hall which opened in 1871 has a Victorian grandeur charm about it. If you click on the "Virtual Tour" (more 360 image than tour), then after your gasps of "Wow, that's beautiful", click on "Grand Tier". This was the view we had for the Mark Knopfler concert. Not bad eh!
Mark Knopfler as is always the case, was on top form. It's true that he's not as quick as he was back in his Dire Straits days. However, he is still a very talented musician who wowed the audience with his skills. I won't reveal the full set list as the tour is still ongoing, but he performed a mixture of old Dire Straits songs, and many from his solo albums including his most recent, Get Lucky.
One feature I particularly enjoyed was during one song (I don't think it's spoiling it to say it was during Sultans of Swings as this is an essential number for him to perform during any tour!), was a special camera placed at the top of the guitar (where it's tuned - I don't know the name of it, so I'm going to call it the shaft!). This pointed downwards to show his finger picking and projected onto a giant screen. Though I said he had naturally slowed down over the years, when this image was displayed I quickly thought "Slowed yes, but not by much!".
He led into Sultans of Swings from Romeo and Juliet. Melodically, Romeo and Juliet is not one of my favourites (it's still high up there, I just prefer the more upbeat ones), lyrically it is by far my favourite. If you read the lyrics, I hope you'll agree that it's a beautifully crafted work of art by a man who arguably is as good a poet as he is a musician. His performance of this live, had a particular poignancy for me because of the good friend (and my unofficial adopted sister!) that I went with. Years ago when she was going through some tough times, I used a line from the song to convey my offer of help, should she need it. I said simply "I can't do everything, but I'll do anything for you". I think, and hope that stuck in both of our minds and so being able to hear that in her presence, sung live by the composer was a touching moment.
So, overall a wonderful evening. Great talent, great seats, great venue, great company, great music, great Mr Knopfler!
One of the five nights he played was recorded and available for purchase. I bought the USB stick. Well worth it! Technically it was from a different night, but it was exactly the same format and if I hadn't seen it was from the 30th May rather than June 2nd, I'd not have been able to tell any difference. If you like Mark Knopfler, do whatever you have to do (sell a kidney, sell your body!) to be able to buy this!.
Here are a few pictures (sadly not great quality as taken with a cameraphone and you really need a proper camera for these kinds of shots).....
Well now my little cherubs (cherub?!), it's been far too long since I posted a Mark Knopfler video. So here is one.
I just love the lyrics for this song, they're so beautiful (as they all too often are from Mr Knopfler!). Full lyrics (which I strongly recommend reading) can be found here at MarkKnopfler.com
"Nothing in the world prepared me for your heart, Your heart, Nothing in the world that I love more, Your heart, Your heart, Your Golden Heart"
A slightly higher quality video of the song is available here. I just didn't use it because "Embedding disabled by request".
Regular readers of this blog will know that I have a huge appetite for all things geographical. I'm also fascinated by the inner workings of the human mind, in particular the functions of the amygdalae and hippocampus.
Combining these two loves leads me to be a big fan of "The Knowledge".
"It is the world's most demanding training course for taxicab-drivers, and applicants will usually need at least twelve 'Appearances' (attempts at the final test), after preparation averaging 34 months, to pass the examination. Medical tests have discovered that London cab drivers tend to have developed an especially big hippocampus, a region of the brain implicated in navigational ability."
I'm always intrigued and fascinated at what is going on inside the minds of the drivers, the different connections that take place during a job. I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for Black cab drivers and tip favourably as I believe their dedication to master the skills required to navigate London's maze of streets deserve reward. These people are the expert workhorses that help millions of Londoners and tourists reach their destination quickly and in safety. I take my hat off to each and every one of them.
Twice in my life, I have suffered with acute, "clinical" depression.
At present, this beast is tamed and I look forward to challenges. Each day part me worries of its return and only time will answer this question. An optimistically realist answer would be; it will likely return at some point, but by being better equipped, this beast's head can be severed sooner than later before its devouring of me begins in earnest.
I also know I am not suffering now and have not suffered for some time when I am able to put thoughts into words, so the below really should read was.
Those who have experienced depression know of its soul sapping ability. Those who have not, be thankful. Only when the mist has burned off can one see and feel the extremity of delusions this illness produces.
This post seeks not to encourage, nor discourage the stigma of mental illness. Personally, I have no qualms about discussing it for it has made me what I am -- freakin' awesome ;)
My view is that just as inappropriate as I believe it to be when someone (who has what I regard as an unhealthy attitude towards mental health) proceeds to tell me to pull myself together, is that it's just as inappropriate for me to tell someone how they should think. All I say is that I would welcome with open arms someone who wanted to understand more about psychological illness, as much as I hope someone would try to understand/accept me during times of difficulty.
Imprisoned in a room with no locks
It's cloudy today, The sun is shining outside. I'm cold, Yet it's a lovely warm day, All the plants and flowers, dead, A garden in full bloom,
My favourite film is on TV today, It's a shame there's nothing on, My beloved music collection, Not one song I like,
My own mind, Mine, Turning on itself, Scaring its owner,
Well, I dunno, but I wanted to note this moment with one.
Today, the weather is warm and sunny here in the UK. Just now, whilst writing something else on my computer, a lovely cool gust of wind entered my room through the open window.
Gust
A visitor who need never knock, Welcome always with open arms, Carrying the notes of a thousand tunes, Gently she surrounds me, Hairs stand on end, Eyelashes flicker, A concoction of smells fill my nose, Ahh, lovely.
I just love this advert that's on at the moment! No matter how often I watch it, I get a small lump in my throat (shock horror, man with emotions. Plop!). I like it not because of the brand (it's just a Vodafone advert), but just how well it's been put together and how sincere it is.
If like me, you're really close to your parents and have a relationship with them based on unconditional love, you'll most likely agree with me how well it summarizes what it means to be a great parent -- and how as the "children" of these amazing individuals, we have been given a gift more precious than anything else....
- An open letter from decent undecided electorates.
Dear Decided Electorate and Politicians,
We are perfectly capable of deciding, through the intelligent studying of each of the party's policies who we will vote for.
Scare mongering tactics have the following two effects:
A) Causing offense because you forget that like you do, we actually all have a complete independent and equal entitlement to vote for whoever we like. Please look up the phrase "mutual respect" in the dictionary.
B) Those who engage in a media frenzy of saying why one would be wrong for voting for option A, B, or C seek only to risk loosing the votes of undecided electorate due to presenting a set of behaviours that produce feelings of "Actually, don't think I really want to associate myself with a psyche such as that".
We do not plan to criticise or praise your chosen party. Instead, we simply applaud that you recognise the importance and fortune you have in being able to vote, freely.
Yours sincerely, Phil, on behalf of all equal individuals.
During my pre-teen/early teen years, I was having some problems at school - not settling in or adjusting to my new school etc. One of the activities I did to take my mind off things was to spend some time with a friend of my parents who was a carpenter. Together we would make bits and bobs out of wood. The "masterpiece" being a big rabbit hutch for the two rabbits my sister and I had recently been given.
Although old enough to be my grandad, I enjoyed spending time with Don who was aware that at the time I needed a break from the difficulties I was having at school.
I still remember admiring his skills as a craftsman. His attention to detail and passion for doing a good job, meritorious.
The Carpenter's Operation
All scrubbed up and ready to go, The surgeon's instruments get into character, Now is the time for the procedure to begin, As I watch this master's story unfold,
Laid out the patient awaits his treatment, Your passion making an inspiring statement, Commencing the forging of grain and knot, Your taming of the wood delicately forethought,
The floor sits covered in a fresh snowfall covered landscape, Each gentle manoeuvre making ready an avalanche of sawdust, Your friends in the chisels, saws, hammers and nails, Call for your attention as you mold your next masterpiece.
Two years ago, I had the amazing experience of visiting 10 Downing Street to attend a meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister's special advisor on climate change, where along with three of my colleagues we discussed a project with several British government departments.
I had always planned to write an account of my trip there as for me it was a wonderfully surreal experience. One I will cherish.
In no way, do I aim this to come across as "Ohh how cool am I?". Big headed I am not (actually I'd benefit from being a bit more "I can do"). It's probably of very little interest to anyone actually, I simply want to reminisce over the visit and diaries, supposedly are a good way to document our fun times. If Adrian Mole can have his diaries, then I see no reason I can't. If you are interested in reading further, then hopefully I can share with you the surreality of this day.
Country bumpkin goes to the big city....
About two and a bit weeks before the meeting, I spoke on the phone with the person at the company I work for who was co-ordinating the project. I knew at the time a project with the British government was under discussion, but not the specifics.
When speaking on the phone with my colleague he said to me something along the lines of (I'm paraphrasing as I don't remember the exact wording), "Phil, it'd be really good if you could help out. In fact, we're having a meeting about it soon and it'd be good if you could join us". I remember thinking at the time, "Great (in a "man, not again! way"), that means another trip down to London!" I had not long been down for another work project and wasn't fussed about going again any time soon. So I replied with "And the meetings in London is it?" (thinking, please say no!)....The conversation continued.
Colleague: "Yeah, it's at Number 10". Me: [insert mini cardiac arrest] Me: "Errm, Number 10....you mean, like Downing Street, Number 10? As in Number 10 Downing Street?" Colleague: "Yep!" Me: (and I remember saying this) "Yes! OK, well I best buy some new socks then!"
So, that was that, I was going to get to go to Number 10 Downing Street (and in the process, acquire some much needed hole-less socks!) Then another few days later, I saw the invite pop onto my calendar "Number 10 meeting". A few days after that, e-mail confirmation from another colleague who'd be attending saying "So your name is in the database" with a copy of the e-mail sent to a man who's domain name had @no10 in it!
On to the actual day itself then....
Well actually it began the afternoon before because as the meeting was the following morning and I live far enough away from London that a reasonable journey is required, I thought it best to go down the night before -- especially for a meeting of such significance! So, after pottering around in a hotel room, I headed for bed knowing I'd need to be bright eyed and bushy tailed for the next day's fun!
A good nights sleep in a London hotel is not an experience to be expected and this night was no different. But it was enough and I awoke ready for my adventure.
The meeting was to begin at 11.45am, although for security checks etc we were advised to get there around 11.30am. The four of us going from the company arranged for a last minute pre-meet at our offices nearby at 10.30, giving us 30 mins to go over what we'd discuss, and then plenty of time for the 1.3 mile walk to Downing Street.
I remember that the weather on that day was particularly warm (if you've ever been in London on a hot day, you'll know it's not pleasant). Me being all dressed smart did not aid the cooling either.....shorts and t-shirt would have been much more preferable, though less acceptable for the occasion. Also, I had my one pair of "smart shoes" on - I had not worn these for years (I avoid having to wear a shirt and/or tie and the shiny shoes that go with them at all costs!) and coupled with the heat, the lack of "re-wearing them in" (it's a phrase, don't worry!) and the mile and a bit walk up to Downing Street, I could feel they were ripping my feet to shreds. I can still recall the rubbing sensation I felt on the back of my heal. Anyway, relatively un-flustered we arrived at the front gates to Downing Street....
As expected, security was very tight - this is the home to the head of her Majesty's government after all.
As you can see, there are two set of gates - the lower outer barrier and the main gates. Armed police in numbers are highly visible - and you are meant to see them and their weapons.
Upon arrival, we showed our ID to the police officer manning the side gate who checked that our names were on the list and that this matched with the identification presented to him. I remember thinking the experience wasn't too dissimilar from when you see people queuing up outside an exclusive nightclub. If the guy on the door sees your name on the list, you're in! This was much the same.
Aside from how surreal this felt, I was consciously aware of all the tourists outside. As a popular London tourist destination, I myself have stood outside the gates taking photos, secretly hoping that at any moment a motorcade will rush in or out of the gates carrying a senior official or member of the royal family. Not including hoping to catch glimpse of a VIP, one will often see a number of visitors walking in and out of the gates. Who are they? Why are they here? What are they doing? Is it a senior member of the secret intelligence service coming to brief the Prime Minister on a situation in the Middle East, or someone coming to measure up for new curtains? On this occasion I was one of those people (more curtain fitter than spook though!), and knowing people are looking at you thinking "Who is he?" is a remarkably strange experience - I suppose a useful one for someone like myself who could do with a bit more confidence!
Upon gaining entry to Downing Street, you go straight into a "security cabin". In fact, the makers of the cabin have images of the actual box on their website. Basically they (several heavily armed officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's Protection Command) just run your stuff through a scanner - much like the ones at airports and check all is in order. Nerves were beginning to get the better of me so I had to release some of it by making a small joke. I just said "Well I hope our flights not delayed" (and hoped they wouldn't shoot me!). Once given the all clear, we're then officially onto Downing Street, perhaps one of the most famous streets in the world? I had seen this street thousands of times on the TV - probably every day on the news in fact and here I was on this very street. Surreal! It's actually somewhat of a cocoon - protected from London's hustle and bustle. A small piece of serenity in this vibrant nest of craziness.
Myself and my colleagues then walked towards what is arguably the most famous door in the world - the black door which interestingly can only be opened from the inside (i.e. there is no keyhole). Of a slight note of humour to me, because the weather was warm on that day, the door was open (I suppose an intruder having got this far is not likely to be stopped by any door anyway!). The ever faithful policeman who stands guard over the door permitted our entry into the entrance hall of 10 Downing Street (what the hell was I doing!!!).
Another policeman (yeah I've lost count by this stage how many I've seen!) checks us off the list again, and we have to hand over any electronic equipment such as phones, cameras etc.
We were then shown through to a room where other people attending the meeting were gathered and shortly after we were herded into the meeting room.
The inside of Number 10 is huge! A maze of stairs and corridors led us to a lavish room which looked perfect for a banquet, fit for a king (or a Prime Minister). The room where the meeting took place was the The State Dining Room. This is the room where all formal state dinners are held, and the room from which the Prime Minister gives his monthly press conference. A virtual tour of the room is available on the Number 10 website, here.
"Simon Schama looks at the history and style of Downing Street's State Dining Room."
Now time for a little anecdote from the meeting.....I decided that the technological souvenir I wanted to take from my time there (for some reason, no psychologist as of yet has been able to interpret its meaning!) was knowing I could, upon departure from Downing Street update my Facebook status saying I'd used the lavatory at Number 10. I did, and this moment in history was documented here;
Sadly, I did not get to use his actual bathroom and did in fact use a rather grotty one, presumably used by cleaning staff. I then couldn't easily find my way back to the meeting room....but I made it back and continued with the meeting in question.
Once the meeting had finished, the PM's special advisor kindly guided us back through the maze and down the Grand Staircase back towards the entrance hall where we had begun. Strangely enough, the only thing I can remember about that part is picturing the scene in the film Love Actually where Hugh Grant, as the Prime Minister dances down the staircase (not that they used the actual one) -- and don't worry, I didn't reenact the scene -- far too many people with guns around!
Ah, looks like that clip is unavailable. Try this one!
We collected our phones and cameras (yes, we got the obligatory "outside the famous black door" shot!) and set off back to the office. Our surreal mid day meeting at 10 Downing Street was complete!
What a fun day!
Faces are blurred for privacy of course, but don't worry, I'm in it!
So, I have been watching with fascinating the BBC Four documentary series The Beauty of Maps. I watch this with a level of excitement matched only by seeing Angelina Jolie and her pouty lips in a film.
As I have previously written, I have a real passion for all things map related.
"Ultimately, geographic information is adopting a new stance whereby this geographic information is instead becoming information, geographically. An ever evolving web of uniquely distilled user-created knowledge is dispelling the myth that a map has only a small repertoire of uses."
Part of Tuesday's episode (the link may not work for viewers outside the UK) showed the work of an artist by the name of Stephen Walter, the creator of a piece titled "The Island".
"Stephen Walter's contemporary image, The Island, plays with notions of cartographic order and respectability. His extraordinary London map looks at first glance to be just as precise and ordered as his hero Rocque's but, looking closer, it includes 21st century markings such as 'favourite kebab vans' and sites of 'personal heartbreak'."
On the one hand, I applaud Mr Walter's efforts. Indeed the map is a wonderful and creative piece on which the artist celebrates his life's experiences through geography. For that, I hope you will visit his site and with admiration, pay close attention to the detailed and diligent efforts required to create this work.
I do however have a problem with a quote given by the artist, Stephen Walter. So, the joy I experienced with learning of his work, was met with disagreement at his comment;
"I think this is a certain time in human history where so much is already figured out and mapped."
I disagree strongly that "so much is already figured out and mapped". I don't think we have even begun to scrape the surface.
In my opinion, maps up until very recently have primarily been sources of the simple form of where things are, how one would get from point A to point B, or that Shaftesbury Avenue goes to Piccadilly Circus in London. This as far as I'm concerned is extremely basic data (I agree however it has not come about easily or quickly), essentially showing a bunch of trigonometrical aspects. There is no emotion, no personality to this data -- I believe a true map should encompass the scientific and the emotive.
"When we understand every single secret of the universe, there will still be left the eternal mystery of the human heart."
From my perspective, maps have a personality, a history, a story behind them - they have a soul. Undeniably a location is about a specific location - one with a longitude and latitude, but they have so much more - and I don't believe we will be anywhere close being able to say that so much is already mapped until these are easily and regularly included in a map.
Historically, maps were for the elite to show how important they were - that their region was so important, it was worthy of the cartographer's efforts to set out on an expedition to create an accurate map of the area.
Now, at this defining moment in history where geography and technology cohabit each others lives, I am most optimistic that many more maps - perhaps even the maps which we accept as the new official (non-Ordnance Survey type data) order of maps will inherit what I call "Map-ersonality". The ability to explore a map where I can learn not only about the physical nature of that location, but all the stories behind it, the opinions people have of it location and why these exist. This would be the beginning of mapping so much. Potentially this gives a map the amazing possibility - the possibility to hold an amount of personality and power equivalent to that of a human mind.
The land surface of planet earth is approximately 148,940,000,000,000 m2 and there are approximately 6,500,000,000 people and growing. If each person was to give their opinion - a piece of their soul to each square meter (even if it was to say it wasn't a big one), then potentially, a map would contain 9.6811 × 1023 elements. Maybe that's something to think about?
Of course, a more accurate figure would be far less as each person cannot give an opinion on each m2 - however, what we can all give is a large volume of our a soul to several locations, so the actual volume of information could be just as high? I don't know, maybe!
So, have we already "mapped so much"? Nah, still plenty more powers of ten to go and the addition of the human soul alongside the M25.
So with those mind-boggling figures, I will end this post.
But next time you look at a map, or are participating online to build a future map, consider...
I approach each day as if I know so little about maps, except from one thing. I have a curiosity about them.
Well, the UK General Election is less than three weeks away now. For the first time, I am completely undecided as to who I will vote for (and I will be voting!). I know it will be either Labour, Conservatives or Lib Dem (in a general election, I choose to vote only for one of the big three)
Grammar: If elected, I shall order the Oxford English Dictionary to find an alternative for the word procrastination. It is unreasonable to have such a long word for people who most likely cannot be bothered, nor feel compelled to write all those letters. My party shall propose the word procrastination be replaced with the letter Q as this comes first on computers.
Working Hours: Increasingly, doctors and other health care workers are understanding the importance of good employee health benefiting the company. More people seem happier at the weekend. Therefore, I shall reverse the working week/weekend numbers to a 5 day weekend and 2 day working week. This way we'll all be more happy and get more work done on the 2 days when we do have to work.
Law: All courts and tribunals handling family and divorce cases would be issued with ample supplies of Birds Custard. This would help in custardy battles.
Defence: I believe we are not using the A-Team to its full potential. I therefore propose full reinstatement of the A-Team with a view to deploy them immediately into theatre in Afghanistan. Also, because many of the local forces that we are committed to train in both Iraq and Afghanistan have limited resources, I propose that all foreign forces trained by my government are done so by MacGyver. This will ensure they are most effective even when available resources are low.
New Years Honours List: If elected, I shall recommend to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II that she gives the title "Order of the British Empire" to Obi-Wan Kenobi. This will give the character the full name of Obi-Wan Kenobi OBE. (is it obvious I know nothing about sci-fi?)
Air Travel: In light of the recent disruption caused to air travel by the Icelandic volcano eruption, a new law would be passed requiring all commercial aircraft to carry the drink "Red Bull". Red Bull gives you wings, and therefore will act as a back up mechanism should the plane loose stability due to ash intake. This backup would ensure aircraft can continue to fly.
Farming and Agriculture: I shall ensure that all spiderpigs are free to do whatever spiderpigs do.
Animal Welfare: The RSPCA will be instructed to ensure that all meerkats are found in groups of at least two. This is to enable the public to effectively compare the meerkat.
Mental Health: All psychiatric hospitals will have trampolines placed on the ground below each window. This is to prevent injury and encourage humour (therefore curing them of their problem) amongst patients aiming to escape.
Also, I shall make it law that anyone who has suffered with depression for six months or longer is required to change their name to Annie, regardless of their sex. This is to create the conditions for people caring for these individuals to lighten the moment by saying "Annie are you OK? Are you OK? Are you OK, Annie?".
Climate Change: I will create a task force to dismantle all greenhouses and prosecute any gardener who continues to flout the law and use them. This will have an impact on the effectiveness of greenhouses, therefore reducing the greenhouse effect.
Health: The cost of cigarettes will be halved and re-engineered to suck in carbon dioxide, therefore removing the remaining effects caused by greenhouses. All pieces of fruit and veg will be made smaller. This increases the chances that people will be able to eat their recommended 5 per day. Tomato ketchup will also count towards your five a day (that's per squirt, so five squirts will provide you with your recommended daily allowance).
Transport: As an alternative fuel source, all vehicles will be powered using the energy generated from burning the excrement spoken by politicians. National Express will be renamed "National" to remove the misleading word "express", which implies speed.
Green Transport: Taking a leaf out of Mary Poppin's book, I will invest in the research to test the suitability of using flight-capable umbrellas (which require only wind) as the next form of public transportation to replace cars. And I shall also ensure that Rhianna only has one umbrella, and not several "ella's" on top. This is greed and we as a society must curb this.
Family: I will make sure all parents have three children. Parents must raise their offspring to ensure one of them weighs significantly less than the other two. This policy will restore the 2.4 children factor which proved to be the bedrock of a stable family life for so many years.
Economy: I will allow all children (and adults providing they obtain the necessary license) to spend chocolate money, which will be given official monetary status as the secondary currency throughout the British Isles. The cost of kit kats will also be reduced by 90%.
Race relations: I will advocate a society in which all races are given equal consideration. All athletes will have to participate in at least one other race and give at least 50% of their training time to this event. Any athlete found to be disobeying this law shall be prosecuted as being race-ist.
Crime: Anyone wishing to be a police officer will not be allowed to join the force until they have mastered the "walk from The Bill". Paperwork will be reduced by requiring all reports to be filed via Twitter. This will also ensure transparency.
Tourism: I will rename all tourist locations to ensure confusion and disappointment cannot reign. For example, Piccadilly Circus will be renamed so people do not expect to find a trapeze artist upon arrival.
Entertainment: A law will be introduced to make it illegal for anyone over the age of 10 to purchase a Harry Potter book. Also, the Sun newspaper will be renamed to make it more representative of the British weather. It will be now be called "Overcast with a chance of rain"
Technology: Any piece of technology used to gather mapping data from ground level, will be referred to as a satellemite. This will continue the stalagmite (rising from the ground)/stalactite (from above) order of words. Satellites, providing the data is aerial/orbiting will remain unchanged.
Immigration: Due to the increasing problem of hospital acquired infections, I would to ensure that Britain's immigration policy also encompasses bacteria. In a new step, only friendly bacteria would be granted entry into the United Kingdom (such as the type found in Yakult). Bad bacteria would not be allowed in and the newly created Border Protection Force shall be provided with ample supplies of Dettol antibacterial spray.
Freedom of Information: It is believed that nowadays, there are too many public inquiries. If elected, I will hold a public inquiry to investigate why there are so many.
Public Holidays: April 1st will be made a bank holiday. It will be referred to as "Boris Johnson day".
Sport: The theme tune to the BBC Snooker coverage shall be replaced by "Snooker loopy nuts are we".
2012 Olympics: A new sport of "being British" shall be introduced. This is to ensure that Britain will win at least one gold medal during the Olympics for which we are the host nation.
Religious Integration: I shall recall my ambassador to the Vatican City, unless the Pope meets our demands and answers the question "Why, if we, the people are created by God, do I sometimes bite my own tongue?" It is unacceptable to believe that the same being who created the Grand Canyon would have made such an error with humans.
Civil Liberties: To ensure that our security services (MI5 and MI6), do not believe they are above the law, it is my policy to verify whether James Bond has a license to watch TV.
