Category: just-plain-life

Ok I've not said anything about Ashley Highfield leaving his position to lead on Kangaroo from director of Future Media and Technology. You know I always get into trouble for saying stuff about work on my blog, and yes I know the press could use my words as BBC employee says, but I can't help myself now I see James Cridland is winning the current vote on TechcrunchUK. I mean theres nothing wrong with some healthy non-serious competition and James will see the funny side of the whole thing.

I also didn't add any comments to the debate on techcrunch but its always good to see what different people think. It was also good to see Ashley chime in about joining the startup world and maybe going to Mobile Monday one day soon. Maybe I should send Ashley an invite to the joint geekdinner? I do have to take Mike to task about the last comment in his post.

So, here’s the deal:
Dear BBC,

What we want is your data, a lot more APIs, developer tools and your traffic.

We’ve paid for it already in the license fee.

Now get on with it.

Yours Sincerely,

The UK’s Startups

If only it was that simple…

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So its my last full week in London and I'm kind of sad and kind of happy. I've finalised the apartment I'll be renting and the relocation company are moving me at the end of next week. The apartment is just off Albion Street which is in the South of Manchester (some people call it the Knott Mills or Deansgate Locks). Its 10mins walking from work and 10mins from something which looks like the west end. I'm also just around the corner from the Haçienda and the Tram/Train at Deansgate station. Both go to Salford Quays and Piccadilly Train station. Anyone who knows Manchester might say well I'm a 15mins walk from the northern quarter. But come on, thats not far when walking home late at night, plus theres the tram and free city bus. I'm also sure a taxi would be about 5 pounds at most. That certainly beats the 30 plus pounds it would cost to go anywhere near Woolwich from Central London.

My schedule is pretty busy with the move and going back and forth between London and Manchester. On top of that I'll be at the Ability net's Accessibility 2.0 event in London, Futuresonic in Manchester, Xtech 2008 in Dublin, Thinking Digital in Gateshead and BarCampNorthEast also in Newcastle.Talking of which I also won't be at BarCampLondon4 due to a clash with a important family event.

I would have love to have gone around to see everyone in London but it wasn't/isn't possible, so instead I'm arranging my last London Geekdinner which I'm proud to announce will be with Dr. Sophie Kain from last years Apprentice and co-owener of Prior Kain.

Technorati Tags: geekdinner, london, manchester, move, events, sophiekain, relocation

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I can confirm I have picked my flat and will be laying down the deposit tomorrow. It was a super tough decision but in the end, I dropped all the flats in the Northern Quarter and Castlefield because they were too far from Oxford Road (as it will take about 20mins to walk on a good day). Once I did that, the deansgate and winkworth road area become the focus. The Hacienda appartments were nice but over price, so I looked more south and found some great appartments.

The one picked is 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and has secure underground parking. Its high on a corner, so theres a great view of the Manchester skyline from the small balcony. I did see some amazing flats last weekend, but being close to work and the train stations means I'll be more likely to walk everywhere that take the scooter. Just in the last weekend in Manchester I must have walked 15-18 miles. Trust me my feet felt it every night when I got back. One very sweet but sassy estate agent walked with me from their base on deansgate to Castlefield, then to near Hulme and then up to the northern quarter. And if that wasn't far enough I met the next estate agent back at Castlefield! If it wasn't for the rain and high winds I would have been happier to walk.

Just reflecting back on some of the wow flat features, I got to mention first of all the Edge. The appartment I saw was on the 15th floor and when I stepped out on to the large balcony, I couldn't help but feel a certain amount of vertigo. The view was impressive but facing towards Salford rather that Manchester Centre. In Castlefield there were two amazing buildings which were hard to choose between. St george's island was beautiful and had the largest balcony I'd ever seen (plus it facing the right direction). Then I saw on Sunday I that was blown away by Timber Whalf which had a corner balcony and to top it off, a private balcony for the bedrooms. Why? Who knows but imagine having a party in such a place. Other noteworthy flats were in the northern quarter which included great views and amazing spaces in everything from loft conversions to a penthouse. The most striking was the lighthouse. I did go into Beetham Tower but only to check out a one bedroom place which was well outside my budget. It was a great view but honestly not that special. I'll be interested in some of the newer taller buildings which are being proposed.

Technorati Tags: manchester, flats, appartments, buildings

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I've been subscribing to a range of RSS feeds from Nestoria and jumping up and down looking at the amazing range of flats and their prices in Manchester. For example check out these few amazing Penthouse finds.

Ducie Street, Manchester – 725 pcm

A stunning penthouse property located just off Ducie St. behind Piccadilly Station. This property is ideal for a professional couple looking for a new apartment to move into with luxury furnishings. It is also ideal for two persons sharing with the benefit of two good sized bathrooms. The property has an open plan living room and kitchen with panoramic views from two sides over East and West Manchester and is unique in its size, shape and location with those views. The property is available immediately and viewing is highly recommended.

Manchester City Centre, Manchester – 800 pcm

The Philip James Partnership are proud to present this sixth floor two bedroom penthouse apartment in Manchester City Centre. The apartment is fully furnished to a good standard, boasts a parking space and comprises briefly of: two double bedrooms with master en suite, modern bathroom and open plan living space with kitchen, lounge and dining area. Located in Macintosh Village, just off Whitworth Street, it is the perfect base for City living and viewings are highly recommended

Technorati Tags: manchester, salford, penthouse, rent, property

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Dan's usually wearing a pretty cool hat, so I posed for a shot with his hat. What do you all think? I admit its not the best picture and it was taken at BarCampBrighton2 after 3 hours of sleep and a ton of Redbull. I think when I'm wearing a shirt instead of tshirt it will work better.

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So as some people might have guessed I'm moving from London to Manchester. This might be quite a shock for some but after the messy divorice and the sale of the house, I thought again about the BBC's offer to help staff move to Manchester early. Clean break from the expensive city which I started to think of as home.

I went up to Manchester about 2 weeks ago to see what it was like and except for a little abuse about being from the south it wasn't bad at all. What struck me about Manchester was the buildings. There are tons of modern flats covering most of the central area of Manchester city centre and there really reasonable in price because there are so many of them. I went for a viewing of a range of flats just off oxford road/street and was shocked to find high ceilings, lots of space and a great view. Not only that, but I would have been 1min walk from both BBC Manchester and Oxford road train station. This type accommendation in London would set you back a least one grand and a bit every month. But in Manchester its less that 600 pounds a month.
I was also suprised at how modern everything was. Like the picture, everythings clean stone and glass in the centre.

There are some serious business reasons to go up to Manchester too. A lot of people feel the BBC is too London centric. And Backstage also gets a lot of flack for running most of the events in London including Over the Air. Well not any more, now the centre of Backstage will be Manchester and London 2nd. I'm hoping to unite a North and South a little better through the work at backstage. Yes there is a divide but I don't think its about trying to out do London, its about playing to your strenghts. As Adrian McEwen wrote there is a fear that running events in the north will not generate much interest. Well there are events planned which will change this. The success of BarCampManchester and the upcoming Think Digital conference alongside BarCampNewcastle, should be a true idicator that the North is important and new interesting events can be successful. (Oh did I mention Backstage is sponsoring and supporting the last two?)
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Anyway back to moving. So I don't know the exact date yet, it depends on when I find a flat I like in Manchester I guess. But the house I'm living in right now has sold and so at some point soon, there will be a complition date which means I will have to move before that date. Everything squared off at work, so I can move reasonably quickly without too much distruption.
Obviously I will be back and forth between London and Manchester but I do want to throw a large scale party in London at some point to say bye to friends. This may co-inside with a large london geekdinner I've been planning on Saturday 26th April. So please try and keep that date clear if possible. Hey I may even drink that night…

Technorati Tags: manchester, london, north, south, barcamp

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Sad news, Whitefield Fishponds Community school is being torn down and rebuilt as a community college. Theres a reunion this Saturday, but I can't make it due to other commitments at the opposite side of the country. Its a shame because I would have made a special trip to see it one last time.

Technorati Tags: whitefield, school

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So I've had my Kangol hat for something like I believe 11-13 years and its actually getting to the point where I should really replace it but I don't know what with.

So the obvious choice would be the exact same hat but actually they don't do my hat any more and have not done so for the last ten years, which kind of sucks. So what about another Kangol? Well to be honest the styles are not very appealing. Its either a grandad hat (also known as a flat cap?), normal hat or some variation on a skull cap. My current hat is a cross between a normal hat, baseball cap and skull cap. It kind of sits on the very top of my head so you can clearly see my forehead. This feels more comfitable that the skull cap style stuff you see most people wearing. The Grandad hats do look pretty good on someone like Samuel L Jackson but look wrong on someone a little more rounded like myself. Normal baseball caps are very wrong on myself too although the visor versions of the baseball caps are not so bad, but its rare you see them around now plus I'm going to look like a dick wearing a visor in the rain or snow (who knows I could be in Manchester)

So come on people, what should I be wearing?

Technorati Tags: hat, kangol, cap, head, ianforrester

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Watched Derren Brown live in Epson yesterday night. This is about the 4th time I've seen him live and he seems to get better each time. The playhouse was packed solid and some people had paid almost 100 pounds for tickets, due partly because this was his only London performance.

Unlike before, I did get on stage but was too slow getting to the correct side of the stage. If I had, Derren would have asked me to phone a friend and got my friends to guest some numbers. Those numbers would have been the same numbers as a serial number on a ten pound note he had in his pocket. The trick was much more involved than just that, but I won't spoil it for you. Andy also got on stage but this time during the trick where derren guess a object your thinking about. Trying to be tricky he picked Radio (which if you know him wasn't very clever at all). Derren actually guessed Andys object without asking any questions at all.

At the end of the night, we did go around to the stage door, where Derren did appear for a short while. It was his birthday, so he wanted to shoot off quickly. But he did bring a lovely chocolate cake for the waiting crowd and pose for a few shots while signing peoples books. Andy and Noor joked about selling the cake on ebay and actually derren said it was a good idea, so I'm wondering if Andy actually did put it up or not?

Technorati Tags: derrenbrown, epson, socialenginering, tricks, mind, performance

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…Not a good idea. I blame Jo Twist for calling me towards the front and Suw for throwing the bouquet straight at my head. I swear I only catched it to avoid being hit in the face with it. Thanks Kevin and Suw for a great wedding and thanks to Jo and Stephine for the advice with what to do with the bouquet.

Technorati Tags: wedding, bouquets, flowers

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The Security Van Scam is well known but people still fall for it and simlar scams. Its got all the hallmarks of social engineering, including social complience, convincing and timing. From Schneier's great blog

on Thursday, about 9:30 a.m., a man dressed as an employee of the security company Brink's walked into a Wachovia branch in downtown Washington and walked out with more than $350,000.

The man had a badge and a gun holster on his belt, said Debbie Weierman, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Washington field office. He told officials at the bank, at 801 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, that he was filling in for the regular courier.

About 4 p.m., when the real guard showed up, a bank official told him that someone had picked up the cash, D.C. police said. The guard returned to his office and told a supervisor that he did not make the pickup at the bank. The supervisor called a Wachovia manager, who in turn notified authorities. Police were called nearly 11 hours after the heist.

Technorati Tags: internet, scam, socialenginnering, money, con, securityguardscam

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I admit it, I go to work very late. Most people think its because I go to bed very late or I just don't sleep enough. Not so. I for ages tried sleeping 9 hours a night starting at 10pm and 11pm. But I always felt tired or not with it between the hours of 9am-1pm. So since I shifted my schedule to sleep at about 2am and go to work about 11am I've felt a lot better. This is why I can clearly understand the New York Times story about Teenagers getting better grades when they go to school/college later rather that earlier.

Research shows that teenagers’ body clocks are set to a schedule that is different from that of younger children or adults. This prevents adolescents from dropping off until around 11 p.m., when they produce the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, and waking up much before 8 a.m. when their bodies stop producing melatonin. The result is that the first class of the morning is often a waste, with as many as 28 percent of students falling asleep, according to a National Sleep Foundation poll. Some are so sleepy they don’t even show up, contributing to failure and dropout rates.

Technorati Tags: sleep, sleeping, productivity, time

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