Jul 27

A trip out sculling

I went sculling yesterday, probably the first time in a single for about 2 years. I’ve spent a lot of time coxing crew boats and in the bigger boats rowing, but never really cracked the single sculling thing (falling in and getting wet not really being my favourite thing – I like scuba diving but hate swimming!).

However, instead of walking the few 100 yards and using a scull from one of the Tideway clubs I live close to, I decided to try some safer water and go and use a boat out at Dorney (one of the Army sculls). The river there is a lot smaller and you can even see the bottom! A far easier place to get back in a boat. I managed to get in and out, always the tricky bits, and managed an hour’s outing before calling time with achy bits. A good load of exercise when combined with the walk to and from the station.

On the walk, this really annoyed me.

River walk

The river path has been ‘upgraded’, flattened out and covered with grey stone/dust. I’m sure it’s all about providing access but what they have done is stripped all the charm away, cutting back and killing all the path side plants that can make a walk interesting. Now it’s just like a pavement, just next to a river. It; only covers part of the way so you soon get back to the more overgrown parts, which are a lot more fun.

Jul 15

Going Solo is hiring

By all accounts, the Going Solo conference in Lausanne earlier this year was a success and Steph is running a second edition here in the UK. She’s also looking for help in the form of a sponsorship person so if you’re interested, what are you waiting for?

Availability: as soon as possible
Remuneration: 20% commission on cash sponsorships
Profile: skilled in negotiating and closing sponsorship deals, knowledge of the tech/freelancing world a plus.

Jul 10

Firefox 3 Launch Party

Firefox was the star of the party last night, when it was awarded with a Guinness World Record for the most downloads in a single day, over 8 million.

Firefox World Record

A good time seemed to be had by all, with the free drinks flowing, sponsored by Glaxstar, eBay and Glubble. It was interesting how there were a lot of suits there, far more than I expected.

Jul 03

Henley regatta

Off to Henley for the Henley Royal Regatta. Should see some good racing and lots of hats. But hopefully not too much rain although it did not start too well today

Henley Regatta

Jul 03

June Books

Death Watch – Mark Billingham. Reasonable thriller.
Operation Certain Death – Damien Lewis. I didn’t buy this but found it in the back of a truck I was travelling in. The tale of a hostage situation in Sierra Leone in 2000, the book describes the rescue mission by the SAS/Paras. Good story, but definitely needed stronger editing.
Spirit Gate – Kate Elliot I loved the writing and the characters, but got lost at times as there’s so much happening and you keep cutting between different groups. It’s not until the end of the book that they come together and you understand what they have to add to the story. Another free book from Tor.
The 39 Steps – John Buchan. This was a birthday present from the group playing the Penguin We Tell Stories ARG. The first story from that campaign was a retelling by Charles Cumming of this book, which was originally published in 1915. My initial reaction was how small the book was, just over 100 pages only. But the story is good, definitely the ‘shocker’ that Buchan intended to write. Really enjoyable.
The Dark Tide, Andrew Gross – another thriller, based on the story of a man who took advantage of a bomb to disappear. Enjoyed this one, good characterisation
Chasing Harry Winston,Lauren Weisberger – from the author who brought us The Devil Wears Prada, this was OK but never as good as the first book. I cared about the hero and her journey (which was far better than the film) but here, the girls who try and sort out their relationship with men are OK, but ultimately shallow and I never really saw them grow.
The Shadow Isle, Katherine Kerr – the penultimate book in the long Deverry Series, it was an inbetweener that still read well. Just need to wait how she ends it all.
The Sanctury – Raymond Khoury. A thriller that I never really got into, getting all confused. It’s one of those in the ‘historical mystery’ mold, but nothing lifts it up.