Archive for July, 2009

(Yes, I'll keep my day job. for photography and writing by serious bloggers and journalists, check the Traveling Geeks site.)

Part of the Traveling Geeks tour. Millennium Bridge, and St. Paul's in the distance.

Our hotel was adjacent to an old monastery in Charterhouse Square. The Charterhouse is on the site of a former Carthusian monastery founded in 1371, by Walter de Manny, on what is now the north side of the square. It was established near a 1348 plague pit, located in the Read More…

(yes, I'm still on GMT)

Hey, really cool, just heard that this might also exist for London Underground.

Okay, a rather sedate party…

Okay, for me to get the British fiction I read, I gotta figure out: punter — which I think is basically Everyman tosser — not so good, a little rude wanker — worse, very rude Do I have it right?

A lot of people rely on user review sites for product or service selection, like Consumer Reports, Yelp, Amazon, or Best Buy. Sure, we're aware of advertising for specific products or services, and that might get attention, but I bet most people just filter out most ads. Maybe they leave Read More…

In the UK, on a panel and involved in other events. Not surprisingly, my material is aging. References to Monty Python material appeals to a decreasing, and aging, audience, even the dead parrot stuff. However, references to Detective Gene Hunt, from the BBC series Life on Mars and Ashes to Read More…

Not such a big deal, but check out the photostream…

Hey, I posted it on the Huffington Post, please humor me and check it out. Okay, I've been pushing the Administration Summer of Service/United We Serve thing, particularly AllForGood.org, which is pretty much the "craigslist for service." Like most humans, I'd like to save the world, but I figure I need Read More…

Well, Colalife.org, something casually observed at NESTA, as part of the Traveling Geeks tour in the UK, is a bigger deal than I expected. This guy, Simon Berry, had observed that all over the world, Coca-Cola was really good at delivering product.  In each shipment, there was wasted space, which Read More…

I guess that's not bad.

Hey, the folks at Seedcamp, with NESTA, have done remarkable work with a number of British Net-related companies.  My fellow geeks spoke with the following day; I was consistently impressed, these guys have real stuff. I've already started using some of their work: Basekit Rapid website design and development tools. Read More…

I guess it's British humor, but the three-prong electrical plug you need here, it's all been a joke. For that matter, same thing with driving on the left hand side of the road. Both, some kind of Benny Hill or Monty Python kind of thing, and we fell for it.

Well, last night, British Telecom hosted a dinner for the Traveling Geeks, best described by Renee Blodgett. Let's just say that the image on the left, well, the wings are vestigial, the hat is not.  (that is, that's me with the hat.)

Hey, the Traveling Geeks met him last night at the BT Tower. Apparently the guy publishes his email address, and gets a few customer service emails every day. He answers or delegates each one. I don't believe the CEOs of AT&T or Verizon do that, nor do they have any Read More…

The deal is that any info that the government publishes should be online. Not okay to print and bury someplace where it's hard to find. Hear Andrew during a brief piece on NPR.

Okay, I was on a panel involving serious use of tech for innovation. Long story, but my focus was on how a lot of people in the US, gov't and private industry, know how to get stuff done. That's equally true of the UK. That is, there're already a lot Read More…

Hey, the folks at Consumer Reports/Consumers Union are the real deal regarding health care reform, they've been on it for years. (Disclaimer, I'm on their board.) Here's some hard truth from 'em: U.S. health-care spending limits our ability to compete in global markets and consumes an ever larger chunk of Read More…

These guys check me out, now and then…

Hey, a lot of people feel that the news orgs of the future involve networks of journalists, fact-checkers, and editors working together. I'm one of them, having stolen ideas from Ellen Miller, Jeff Jarvis, Jay Rosen, Dan Gillmor and others. Well, the first such alliance has arisen, planning to operate Read More…

Heathrow Express to Paddington. Hey, didja know they drive on the wrong side of the road here? Brought to you by the Traveling Geeks

You might recall the the Church Street Swoops the Bird, overprotective of its next, attacked my gf. Well, it happened again. Swoops is a male Brewer's Blackbird, maybe he's attracted? For more, check out Swoops own blog, the Attack Bird Chronicles.

Hey, here I go, the next Traveling Geeks tour (remember, I'm more of a nerd, becoming a bit of a nonk, nerd+wonk) first up, a Tweetup at JuJu in Chelsea then, we do Rebooting Britain

They might've taken up residence…

He must be wondering if I'm food

Hey, Eric Kuhn summarizes the conference briefly, and this does give you at pretty good idea of the deal. My contribution: Craig Newmark: Nerd + Wonk = Nonk (I guess that's #nonk for you Twitter fans.) Better stuff, just a small part: Mark McKinnon (McCain 2008): "Democratization means campaigns are Read More…

Hey, the folks at Consumer Reports/Consumers Union are in the vanguard of serious health care reform, have been so for years. They're trying to counter some of the disinformation that bad guys are spreading. Check out Opponents say public plan will be too popular and not popular at all Opponents Read More…

Hey, I've just heard about a group representing California business people known as the Bay Area Council. These guys have just called for a "limited" constitutional convention in California. By "limited", they mean it would be empowered to get into and to propose ballot measures only for matters related to Read More…

Consumer Reports has been in the vanguard of health care reform for years, as one of the most trusted and trustworthy organizations in the US. There have been people with profit and political motivations who have been deliberately propagating falsehoods regarding health care reform, but Consumer Reports debunks them. UPDATE: Read More…

Swoops, a Brewer's Blackbird, is apparently gone, but you can admire the video retrospective at Attack Bird Chronicles. This is not Church Swoops, who recently got my gf. thanks to SFist!

Hey, I figure this speaks for itself, via Kiva.org and CHF International. Note all the "Paying back on time" results. Below is the repayment update on your Kiva Portfolio:——————————————————————————-Majed Albarsh in Palestine (Activity: General Store)You Loaned: $375.00Newly Repaid: $15.94Total Repaid So Far: $187.50 (50.00% of your loan)Repayment Status: Paying back Read More…

Another sign of the triumph of the nerds. But social networking isn’t just for electoral battles.  It’s transforming the way communities organize for the public good. And now, nerds–and I say that with the utmost respect– are changing the lives of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. Case in Read More…