My main MacBook Air was having a midweek meltdown first thing. We can all empathise with that.
The CPU was going into overdrive as soon as I fired up my morning feeds. I opened Activity Monitor. The pesky Hands Off functionality was to blame. This tries to sync a single mouse or trackpad across my two devices. It never works. It’s shit.
I killed it off and normality was returned. Steaming hot tea, morning feeds, please.
My daily AI explorations continue. I’m going to play around with otter.ai for localgov meets. Why sit around watching a bunch of egotists argue with each other when I can let the modern interweb do the heavy lifting for me?
otter.ai in theory should be able to capture the meeting and offer up a summary of the key quotes. I’ll give it a try at a low key meeting later in the week.
The MacBooks came back for some more hassle: OS updates, please. I disappeared for a swim at Vauxhall and let the update go about their business.
The swim was great. REALLY great. I had a lane to myself. 9am is the ideal time for a little peace and quiet at Vauxhall.
I cycled past DRT who was in deep thought at the top end of South Lambeth Road. I gave him a bell ring, but the SW8 Coffee Ponce was probably running through his latest stand up routine in his head. Good luck, fella.
I did the digital organ donation thing back at base. In less than two minutes I had signed up for ALL my body parts to benefit someone else when my time is done. Some body parts may be more beneficial than others.
ALL body parts? Take what you want, Doc.
HAPPY Wednesday, btw.
Album of the Day: Screaming Trees- Dust
I wanted to really hate this, purely through musical snobbery; US mid 90’s guitar band, wailing, long hair. Not exactly Boy About Town, is it? Some of the melodies and song structures reminded my of Blur’s 1997 self-titled album, y’know, the American one. Interesting. It still wasn’t enough to win me over, but it wasn’t the write off I was expecting.
⭐ ⭐
BLOGGED: City Masterplan: Vineyard Gate Retail Gone, Cycling Gains
“The report highlights that plans for a new retail centre at Vineyard Gate have been abandoned. The area will now become a public open space with cycling provision”
I was on weather watch for the rest of the morning, waiting for the S Ldn skies to clear up. I leaned out the flat window. Ah, it’s looks half decent on the other side of the river.
To N Ldn! On the Raleigh Twenty!
I loaded up a route to take me to the Crick Institute opposite KX. There was an exhibition on genome engineering that I thought might hold my attention.
My Velo Beeline 2 route was interesting. I asked for medium cycle friendly roads. It took me through Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens where a spring game of pétanque was in full swing.
I made my way through Waterloo and along The Cut. It was good to see the old army surplus store still hanging on in there. It couldn’t look more out of place sitting amongst Gails and Honest Johns.
I crossed at Blackfriars and up through Farringdon. An energetic young sort sped past me on a full on gravel bike. Easy, fella.
I had some more Go Cycle 4 envy when a dude on the BLACK BEAST drew level with me at the lights. My route took me through Mount Pleasant. It’s in a right old state with the ‘luxury apartments’ starting to emerge from the hole in the ground.
Destination Crick Institute was reached. I found it all very interesting, although I could but help think of the Laughing Gnome whenever I read an information board about genomes.
It held my attention for all of fifteen minutes – which is not bad going for me. I felt I had learned a little science information, without being lectured at.
I thought I was have a shifty around the British Library whilst I was in this part of town. The Treasures of the British Library exhibition was brilliant.
Sitting amongst the Magna Carta, ancient Islamic texts and an original Mozart score music was some Beatles artefacts. Most of the collection was items sourced by Hunter Davies whilst researching the Beatles biography.
I cut through St Pancras and had a brief walk around the Coal Drops Yard. This part of town is utterly transformed.
I remember looking out at the urban wasteland each time I pulled out of St Pancras en route to the Fair City. Sometimes gentrification is needed, Comrades.
Some pmq catch up took place back at base. Both Angela Rayner and Mhairi Black were brilliant. Spot the defining difference that makes politics more appealing here…
To The Ritzy! In a DIRTY, DIRTY, Brixon downpour!
I’m pleased that I decided to walk, rather then cycle over. Torrents of water were flowing down Stockwell Road as I stomped around in my cherry red rain DM’s.
The occasion was the screening of Dunstance Bruce’s I Get Knocked Down film, along with a Q&A afterwards with the artist and the Director. This had flushed out a lot of old school anarchists from around Brixton.
The film was funny and and ever so slightly emotional. The main theme was how to channel your anarchic anger when you hit middle age. It chimed rather well.
Penny Rimbaud stole the scene. He also led to some of the most amusing stories in the Q&A that followed.
I’m not sure when I last went to to The Ritzy. It might have been as part of a school trip in the day job. The boycott campaign kept me away for years. I’ve fallen out of the habit of attending. Plus the prices are silly.
But Wednesday evening was worth the money, as well as taking a soaking for.
Links for Wednesday 29th March, 2023
Cycle hire cargo bikes expand into Westminster
