Friday Smirk

I bet not many people can remember the "Danish Cartoon" incident back in 2005 but it was a massive red flag warning to the "West" about what was to come from Islamist extremists (and many other kinds of extremists) 

It's relatively easy to whip up a frenzy of "offence" and then to target that toward violence when people are largely ignorant (i.e. uneducated) and feeling oppressed, we see this kind of thing all over the place nowadays! Isn't it ironic that since 2005 the "violent mob" strategy, from frothing (Islamic) flag burners to gun toting (Christian) abortion clinic botherers, seems to be just the default way politics gets done these days.

Virtual Queuing

Hanging out in London Bridge/Borough the other weekend and for lunch we popped into one of my favourite little restaurants there, Padella. It's a pasta joint really and makes all of their own onsite (you can watch them doing it) so you know it's fresh! You can't reserve a table here and the queue is usually long, the best way to secure a place is to go into their "virtual queue" online and grab a time slot, it's a little rough and ready but usually works out ok. The turnover here is fast and the whole experience is designed to be in and out, which when you're having a quick lunch or going to the theatre is perfect! The menu doesn't change much, which in some ways is good since you find your favourite and stick with it, I usually go for the beef shin ragu but can sometimes be tempted by the Dorset crab Tagliarini, a glass of Chianti or a beer from Bristol maestros Wiper and True goes down a treat with a solid plate of pasta, recommended! 

Flat White Aliens

We were having a coffee in Gails in Windsor the other week and I noticed a little plaque on the wall (see picture above) Apparently HG Wells the famous Science Fiction author used to work in the same building, obvious not serving up Flat Whites, but as a draper's apprentice in 1880! It's quite a leap from drapers apprentice to science fiction writing, I wonder what inspired him to do that? It's amazing the amount of history that surrounds us every day on our little island!

Midweek Mirth

Feels like England

While in London the other weekend we popped into Southwark Cathedral, I've walked past this building a hundred times but had never been in! It was an impressive building, and while we were walking around the choir were practising, delightful! You can understand why religious types among us get all warm and fuzzy in these buildings, after all, they were designed (by people) to invoke exactly that feeling. There were quite a few famous tombs and memorials inside the building (and a couple outside) here are a few,

• John Gower has a tomb inside the building, he was a poet and mates with Chaucer!
• William Shakespeare - not buried here but spent time in the building, there's a memorial
• John Harvard - founder of Harvard University, again, spent time here but no tomb
• Charles Dickens - some of his stories are based around Southwark, he used to live there.
• Mahomet Weyonomon - an American Indian chief (Mohegans) who came to London in 1735 to petition the king, unfortunately he died of smallpox before he could do that but his tomb is in the grounds.

Here's the bell tower with flag flying and a blue sky (for a change!) the bells are particularly impressive and echo around the whole area on Sunday morning, feels like England!

Instant Hit

A true Verdant classic, sampled three or four weeks ago. Bloom (along with Pulp) is one of the first Verdant beers I ever tried, probably around 2016 (brewery was founded in 2014). Back then they were operating out of a shipping container at the back of an industrial estate in Penryn nr. Falmouth, Cornwall, it was a revelation at the time as very few people in the UK were making this style of hazy hop-forward beer (aka New England IPA) They were an instant hit with me and I've been a big fan ever since. I'm going down to Falmouth later this Summer and hope to sample many more examples both old and new, long live Verdant!

Progress

Looks like HS2 is going the way of many of our large capital projects, i.e. down the toilet. I won't be be holding my breath at the prospect of getting to Birmingham 20 minutes quicker than I can right now...

Tech Trap

Competence can be a curse sometimes, especially in the technology field! The problem is that it's so pervasive and yet hopelessly under supported in schools, workplaces and generally among most people, i.e. most people don't have a clue how most stuff works anymore. I alway used to find it surprising how many people took great delight in professing their ignorance of technology, as if it were some kind of badge of honour, is it any wonder that there's an AI bubble in the stock markets and social media is slowly re-programming our youth?