This is the first picture of Earth taken from a planet beyond the moon. It was taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, one hour before sunrise on the 63rd Martian day, or sol, of its mission. (March 8, 2004) This picture is very similar to another, older photograph of Earth. Twenty years ago, the …
The Tweed Run
Today was a glorious day for the London Tweed Run. What is the Tweed Run, you ask? According to the website, it is a Metropolitan bicycle ride with a bit of style. Which means proper attire is expected. Tweed suits, plus fours, bowties, cycling capes, and jaunty flat caps are all encouraged The first really …
Sharkproof
I may never go to the moon, but it’s nice to know that if I do my Speedmaster will still keep ticking. I like watches. I particularly like watches that have some history or character about them. Watches that are designed for a purpose, not just to look good. Omega have released a new version …
Barcelona
As you may know, I’m a bit of a Formula One fan and one of the benefits of being a McLaren team member (apart from the free earplugs) is you get the chance to go on things like pit visits at Grands Prix. Last week was the final pre-season test for the 2010 Formula One …
So you think you can dance?
Tonight is the final of So You Think You Can Dance, billed as the search for Britain’s favourite dancer. The contestants aren’t bad I guess but for one of the most amazing dance routines ever filmed take a look at this clip from the finale of the 1943 musical Stormy Weather. This film featured, among …
You do not have permission
Miguel found this screenshot in an old email from when we were working on permissions and preferences in OpenX: The subject of the email was “Permissions & Settings: Learn From The Masters”
Bernstein: Conductor & Interpreter
I just got back from a screening of a couple of Leonard Bernstein’s films in the Purcell Room. As part of the season-long Bernstein festival (which the CCO is playing in), the Southbank Centre is showing films Bernstein made for the American Omnibus TV series in the 1950s. Apparently this is the first time they …
TalkTalk declares email bankruptcy
Looks like TalkTalk just declared email bankruptcy: Dear customer, Thank you for getting in touch with TalkTalk Customer Relations. We have received an unprecedented amount of email enquiries and unfortunately are unable to respond to your email. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and look forward to returning to our normal level of service as …
Modern art iPhone wallpaper
I’m usually a bit sceptical of those people you see taking pictures in art galleries. I mean, what’s the point? A snapshot on your little point-and-shoot is hardly going to do justice to the energy of van Gogh’s Starry Night or the subtle light of Turner’s Norham Castle, Sunrise. But while I was messing about …
Fairytale of New York
This year we spent Christmas in New York and, yeah, it was just like Shane and Kirsty sang: there were cars big as bars and the day we left the wind really did go right through you (a maximum of 0° and gusts up to 64 km/h), but apart from one day of constant rain …