B U R N

However wonderful things are in sunny California, I thoroughly regret missing out on the Boat Race tomorrow.

Gamblers and others with money to spare should place their bets on the Dark Blues, let there be no doubt about that.

Today’s Guardian features a nice series of pictures, and the BBC’s Martin Gough talks about why he loves the Race, despite the usual allegations over elitism, etc. It is funny how the English like to see everything as a class struggle.

[Update: yay!]

The whole fuss about Geert Wilders’ propaganda movie illustrates critically the century-old but eternally relevant question about the extent to which the media create their own stories rather than merely describing events as they happen.

The movie itself is nothing but a mishmash of ‘deadly’ quotes from the Qur’an, explicit post-terror footage, juicy newspaper headlines, and the sort of ’statistics’ that appeals so broadly, yet describes nothing. Any teenager with a laptop could pull together a ‘movie’ like this, post it on YouTube, and no-one would ever raise an eyebrow.

But thanks to the media, always hungry for a good scandal, this pathetic piece of ‘documentary’ is all of a sudden standing smack in the middle of a ‘clash between civilizations,’ ramifying into the upper echelons of political life and probably hitting a street near you pretty soon. The prophecy is slowly fulfilling itself.

Some things are best ignored.

I was just about to sing my praise about Virgin Atlantic.

As a company, they seem to have perfected the customer experience by streamlining and, in some cases, rethinking the process of travelling by taking service design very seriously. John Stevens talks, also very seriously, about the importance and ways of doing so in this conference paper (pdf).

BUT, why on earth is it, then, that they have an email address online whose sole purpose it is to churn out auto replies like this one:

Thanks for your holiday query.

Experience has shown us that trying to advise on holiday arrangements by e mail is not the most efficient service for you, our customers which is why we will not be responding to e-mails. We would love to talk to you about your holiday, talking to you means we can ask all the right questions to understand what you need and then offer you the best possible service.

If you have a question we haven’t been able to answer in our Frequently Asked Questions pages then don’t hesitate to pick up the telephone and speak to one of our experts on 0844 557 4000 and they will be happy to help with whatever questions you may have.

Speak to you soon
Virgin Holidays Limited. Registered Office: 120 Campden Hill Road, London W8 7AR. Registered in England, No. 1873815.

If you cannot be bothered to reply to customer queries, why put the contact details there in the first place?

Admittedly, I could, no, everyone could spend their entire day drafting useless comments like this one, but unlike most bloody rubbish utility companies, bloody rubbish airlines and bloody rubbish ISPs who do business on the very premise of insulting their customers, Virgin actually seems to get most things right and, thus, it deserves a bit of, um, constructive criticism.

Hidden somewhere at the feet of the towering skyscrapers in San Francisco’s financial district, there remains a well-preserved pocket of culture from the 1950s, Dimitri’s Barber Shop.

Dimitri, who is either from Macedonia or Greece, is the perfect antidote to the glittering temples of dullness aka Vidal Sassoon, Toni & Guy, etc. While there is not enough customers passing through to justify the two cutting stations, one now serves as a permanent seat for Dimitri’s clarinet.

If you ask him nicely, he will take you on a musical journey that outweighs by far any barbershop experience, pun intended, you may have enjoyed previously.

Click on the picture to see more shots.

Jyllands-Posten, Denmark’s biggest newspaper and source of the infamous cartoons, has (recently?) added an English interface to its appalling online edition.

Overall, they specialise in regurgitating articles from foreign newspapers, quoting like 10-year-olds, and functioning as an outlet for press releases.

Rumour has it that the editorial team consists of five gorillas trapped in the back of a Toyota Previa.

The snippet above captures the level of professionalism quite well.

Mine danske læsere skal ikke snydes for den nyligt opdagede “polarbjørn” i Arktis. Den opdagelse er da langt mere spændende, end det gamle fossil “Plesiosaurus palæontologen” (med stort p) ellers ævler om.

Prompted by the favourable exchange rate, I am feeling increasingly tempted to bring a bike back home with me. Given the UK humidity, the lack of hills in London/Oxford, past experiences failing to maintain bikes with lots of moveable parts, and a penchant for slightly aggressive cycling, my eyes are set on a ‘fixie‘.

So just one question…..how are you supposed to stop the thing? The blurb on their website says that it makes a good messenger bike?? Maybe a messenger bike for a rider who has a death wish!

You don’t. its like the movie Speed, only diffirence is that sandra bullock doesn’t want to bang you after you eventually do stop it after running it into an airplane. [source]

Not to worry, nowadays chickens can opt for hand brakes. Look how beautiful they are, these are my three favourites:

a) Kona Paddy Wagon
b) Specialized Langster
c) Bianchi Pista

Background from The Observer: No brakes, no gears: the latest bike craze.

[Update] I opted for the latter. Here is how I felt after riding the Pista for a week.

The cool kids in the Valley tell me that all the really cool kids quit their jobs and switched from eBay to Google. Then, a year ago, all the really, really cool kids quit their jobs at Google and started working for Facebook. I wonder where the really, really, really cool kids will go next?

I think it is just a matter of time before an ‘online’ service with some sort of ethical/sustainable component to it will sweep users off the feet worldwide. Budding entrepreneurs should probably pay attention to Actics to learn how not to do it.

It turns out that my ‘business connection‘ is the proud owner of an alternative mind. Below is an excerpt from a 2000-word email that just came in from said person under the subject line: “Business ethics. True social security. Writer’s Grid. Speed Writing Form.”

Hospitals will take tube beds once they see published results of great performers. Know elder people with property may rent use of one to brisk walkers doing distance. Know towns stand. Unto walking across. Before taking sleep. So stirred within. Know town blocked out. By known walk distances. Takes one beyond transit. Entire berkeley. Falls to half hour to forty minute walks so brisk. Know great seniors with best bodies. Are swimmers. Know walkers bodies second best.

Although it appears to be utter nonsense, I do not dare to delete it; what if it really did contain the recipe for success…

Any literary scholars out there who might be interested in a little joint venture?

During my once in a lifetime excursion into the Russian North, I was given a first hand impression of just how hospitable and friendly people can be.

Quite a few of the hosts were educated at the European University at St Petersburg (EUSP), which enabled us to talk together without using interpreters. They were all highly articulate and, judging from their papers, not least brilliant social scientific scholars. Traditionally, and this is rare for higher education institutions in Russia, the EUSP has enjoyed strong links with European and US universities.

Recently, I have been informed that for very obscure reasons - citing “fire safety violations” as a pretext - the university has effectively been closed down by the Russian authorities. Other sources (1, 2, 3, 4) have suggested that the decision is politically motivated.

For advice on how to have your say on these matters, please check out this blog: Save the European University at St Petersburg.

Prior to arriving, I got the impression that Oakland and Berkeley were mere SF suburbs. Little did I know about the bustling cultural life here and the importance of hooking up with the urbanistas in the know. And that happens to be my land lady.

First Fridays at Oakland Museum of California turns the otherwise impressive building into a living organism full of concerts, cuisine, yoga classes(!), performances, presentations and book signings, all in addition to the regular exhibitions.

What did it for me was the live show by Purirak, an ensemble mixing Korean traditional music and jazz (how refreshing for a band not to have a web presence). Performing in the all-wooden James Moore Theatre, which comes straight out of the hotel in Twin Peaks, they stood there, wearing all black, and managed to silence everyone with their über cool style. If I had only brought a camera…

Next thing on the programme was Alvin Ailey at the University. While they have undoubtedly taken body movement to the level of perfection, it is difficult to cheer when you have already had your top blown off.