Hubble bubble, toil and trouble: I liked the way the light caught the steam from Julian’s tea as he brewed up, ready for another 70-mile cycle.
*[daily photos 10 to 13 are uploaded in a batch as I was internetless in the wilds of Normandy]
Posted in Uncategorized
Not a great day for photos- very few stops on our cycle across Normandy. I liked this one because of the sense of motion, and of Mark’s lanky frame whizzing across the landscape.
*[daily photos 10 to 13 are uploaded in a batch as I was internetless in the wilds of Normandy]
Posted in Uncategorized
A rainbow appears as we whiz through Normandy on our tandem. We don’t have time to stop, but fortunately I’m sitting on the back!
*[daily photos 10 to 13 are uploaded in a batch as I was internetless in the wilds of Normandy]
Posted in Uncategorized
Two lovely gents who visit our canteen often for their lunch. Combined age about 180!
Posted in Uncategorized
Roadworks frame a street scene near Covent Garden. I like the way the two small figures are neatly ‘caught’ in the grid of the fence.
Posted in Uncategorized
One slight disadvantage of a very small camera like a Ricoh GR Digital is that it is very tricky to get a neck trap to fit (the strap eyelets are, well, small). Most shops stock wrist straps, but I have never found these much use.
One can get an ‘official’ Ricoh neck strap for ca. £20, and a two-week wait.
I found this a less-than-enticing proposition, so I turned to Arthur Beale, the most central yacht chandler in London. They sorted me out on the spot with a metre of quality 2mm black cord. They even heat sealed the ends and advised me on the best knots to tie, for the princely sum of 21p!
Those who like their accessories ‘just so’ might not take this option, but I am delighted with it. 99% of the result for 1% of the cost!
Even if you are not in the market for a super-cheap camera strap, Arthur Beale is worth a visit. They are something of an Aladdin’s cave, and even add up bills by scribbling on the brown paper which is over their counter.
Posted in Chandlery, london, Technology
Not exactly a stellar day today. Here, the back of a Bloomsbury building has windows in all shapes and sizes. I used a little lens correction in Photoshop to take the wideangle lean off the building.
[As it happens, the fact that this and photo (6) were both so close to my office, perhaps I should walk less and see more on my daily forays? I think the temptation with London is to tramp off in search of something ‘interesting’, passing great images en route…]
Posted in Uncategorized
A tricky decision again today. Ironically enough, this was the first image of the day, within about three minutes of setting off. It’s not perfect, but I’m pretty happy with it. I made a little crop to give it a modular scale.
Posted in Uncategorized
A crane at the entrance to West India Dock. Trick to convey the detail with a wideangle (this is quite heavily cropped!)
Posted in Uncategorized
There’s been a lot of debate recently about healthcare in the US, leading to some heated debate about whether ‘rationing’ treatments is right. You might have seen the ‘I ❤ the NHS' badges on Twitter, etc.
Beneath all the hype, there are some serious philosophical issues, and it's nice to finally see an article in the NYT tackle the issue at a philosophical level. For all you philosophy fans out there, Peter Singer is a preference utilitarian, strongly connected with the animal liberation movement, with his critique of ‘speciesism’.
[Some caveats- the Singer piece is on the long side for a newspaper article. And I certainly don’t advocate all of Singer’s views!]
I think the biggest challenge with making healthcare policy is that we have immediate and emotional experience of healthcare (“that time when I/my beloved was ill, and the hospital helped/harmed…”) which encourages a ‘no treatment too expensive’ view.
But when we pay our NI contributions, or insurance premiums, some people can’t bear the thought of ‘others’ (eg smokers, risk-takers) being ‘expensively’ cured. There’s also the complication that you’re might be most able to pay for healthcare (young and affluent) when you’re least likely to need it…
[And all this comes before any ideological arguments about whether the state or the private sector (and/or need/wealth)should do the ‘rationing’!]
I think this is why a small dose of utilitarian philosophy needs to come in. No-one likes it, but it seems the best option (utilitarian philosophy, that is)
Posted in ideas, philosophy, web
things that might have been otherwise 