RE: my previous post

This is helping: The KLF – Chill Out

I would write another post...

...about my ill-fated attempts to buy the flat. And how they've been scuppered yet again, this time in the 59th second of the 59th minute of the 11th hour. But it would just be another rant like the others, only much more irate, and packed with expletives. And they're not very nice. Not very interesting either, I suppose.

So I won't. I'll just bang my head against this wall instead. No, not the plaster board one, the brick one. Ooooh yeah - there we go - nice sparkly flashes in front of my eyes - loooovely.

Platform AM

platform am, originally uploaded by gridrunner.

Work

My job, these last two weeks, has looked a bit like this:

 
 
 

Photographers’ Rights

Apparently there are plans to impose restrictions on photography in public places. Simon Taylor has created an E-Petition on the Government's petitions website. To quote:

“There are a number of moves promoting the requirement of 'ID' cards to allow photographers to operate in a public place.

It is a fundamental right of a UK citizen to use a camera in a public place, indeed there is no right to privacy when in a public place.

These moves have developed from paranoia and only promote suspicion towards genuine people following their hobby or profession.”

I couldn't agree more. I'm often approached by ill-informed security people telling me I “can't take photographs here”. No thanks to the government there's a worsening climate of paranoia and, as is usually the case, our freedom is the first victim. Here is the petition:

petitions.pm.gov.uk/Photography


*Edit*
Here is a clarification on Simon Taylor's website. Having read further, there is no proposed bill to petition against, though several bodies have proposed an ID card system.

Minutes

This is an idea I had a few weeks ago. I don't know how interesting it'll turn out to be but it costs nothing to have a go so what the heck.

Basically the idea is one minute photographs – shot as video with sound, but set up and framed as still photos. Sound is there to capture some of the ambiance along with each photo – the rain pattering on the window, distant police sirens, the muffled sound of the TV in the next room, whatever. And although the camera is fixed there will also be some movement in the image.

I'm not claiming this is an entirely original idea – directors and cinematographers have been doing this for decades – but I wanted to have a go myself. And to make each clip a standalone unit.

Technically, it's a bit lo-fi: just an off-the-shelf compact digital camera switched to video mode. And the video has been web-compressed. If it proves interesting I'd love to shoot some in a HD video format, and use a proper stereo microphone. But for now, see it as proof of concept.

I've made a blog to post them on: photominutes.blogspot.com. There are three on there at the moment, and I'll post new ones to that blog as they get completed.

Tube Journey Planner

This is pretty cool: http://tubejp.co.uk/. It's a London tube map overlaid over Google Maps. With some extra features.

“Snow Chaos”

The word chaos is being used far too liberally. It should be reserved for actual chaos. Numerous large explosions, planes falling out of the sky (more than one), masked men riding round the city on motorbikes letting rip with machine guns – those situations might qualify. Chaos, for me, implies a lack of control coupled with mass confusion and perhaps even fear. Not “some snow”. In early February.

I know I’m usually the first to complain about particularly bad mornings on the tube network, and I accept that there may have been some delays today, but it certainly wasn’t chaos from where I was standing. Actually I got a lift to work and we drove from Clapham Common to Regent Street almost completely traffic-free in just under 30 minutes. In the rush hour. Some snowflakes fell onto the windscreen. Lord save us.

Yes, I accept that the situation will have been worse for others, especially those living outside of the cities. Maybe you even got stranded at home. But that's not chaos. OK, unless you live in the fantasy world of The Daily Mail. If we're not careful the word will lose its impact when we need it most.

Image taken from a BBC report showing the (complete lack of) travel chaos in London.

Zeno’s London

Read this.

poster archaeology

poster archaeology, originally uploaded by gridrunner.

As part of the renovation work at Oxford Circus many adverts have been taken down, revealing some really old ads underneath.

It has been like this for some time and was blogged about by Nick more than a week ago, but I didn't get round to taking an accompanying photo till Friday.

I like this ad. And the torn edges actually work quite well.

Just Testing

Margaret Street, originally uploaded by gridrunner.

Somebody has pointed out that photos blogged to this blog via Flickr don't come through properly in the Atom or RSS feeds.

I've simplified the blogging template from within Flickr so hopefully this one will work.

If not, I'm stumped.

Itsu Piccadilly

Itsu Piccadilly, originally uploaded by gridrunner.

Amusing James Bond reference. Slightly in bad taste though, seeing as someone actually died.

I guess they had to handle it somehow though, and having a sense of humour isn't such a bad thing for a brand.