February 2011
24 posts
Sunday shopping →
The last time I was in Wangfujingdajie (see BBC link), the most exciting thing that happened to me was being propositioned by a prostitute (see post dated August 2010). Looks like this Sunday just gone was much more interesting. I might be in Beijing next weekend…
Instapaper →
A great tool for the aspiring 21stC cybertramp. When you’re down to your last few free minutes on the library’s half hour internet access, simply save a bunch of URLs to Instapaper and have it send all the text to your Kindle account, to be downloaded and read at your leisure. Very handy.
Rage against the machine! →
The insecurity of the ultra-nationalist...? →
Eating out
I like my cooking, and intend changing my diet when I get back to the Highlands.
I was entirely too reliant on processed food last year (an easy habit to get
into when you’re shopping in a Scottish setting…), so I’m drawing up a list of
vegetarian alternatives, storing recipes on the Kindle that make the most of
what fresh ingredients I’ll be able to find. The...
BBC R4: On Your Bike →
Future proofing
I’d always lived a fairly spartan lifestyle, steering clear of shit I didn’t need. No fancy car, no big TV, saving up rather than borrowing if I wanted to buy something. In early 2007, seeing what was obviously going to happen, I sold my flat. Free of my last debt, a small mortgage, I should’ve been able to live off the funds for a long time. Who could’ve guessed that the...
Kindle web browsing
I’m warming to the Kindle’s web browsing capability. It’s still a bit slow and clunky, but there are a few things you can do to streamline the process. The mobile phone versions of websites, e.g. the BBC or Met Office, are less cluttered, load faster and suit the screen better. You can cut down on screen chatter even more by selecting the ‘Article’ option from the...
But....why?
I started contemplating a return to the bike back in October. I’d been suffering persistent knee troubles for two months, and letting the bike take the strain seemed a good way of giving them recovery time. In the event I was able to walk through the pain and come out the other side, but the experience got me thinking.
Scotland is BIG, deceptively so. I’ve used the bike in the past to...
I considered (then discounted) panniers or a trailer for luggage duties. A load of rattling crap hanging off the bike, spoiling the way it rides….nah, I’ve left all that behind me. After some deliberation I’m going to split my walking load half-and-half. The lighter half will be staying on my back, the heavier stuff going in a waterproof stuffsac strapped to the top of the rack....
The tracksterman persona started as a result of the cycling I used to do. I haven’t turned the pedals once in almost a year and a half. I was enjoying the walking too much to stop, and it enabled me to get to places you just can’t get to on a bike. The rare bit of road walking I did, perhaps to get to a train station or hitch a lift, confirmed my suspicions about how unpleasant roads...
Climate Wars podcasts →
If you’re not a reader, the three podcasts on this page sum up the main thrust of Dyer’s book.
Taking the positive view? →
More cheery bedtime reading →
Climate Wars →
While the future scenarios are by definition speculative, they’re also plausible; the book gives a stark overview of the geopolitical problems hampering the way we are dealing with climate change.
Bailing out of a flight to Kashgar that was running 14 hours late, I walked out of ‘Urumqi International Airport’…and into a scene of complete chaos. The taxi rank system, which functions only marginally at the best of times, had broken down. People were standing round in clusters, ankle deep in black slush, while taxi drivers circled like sharks in a feeding frenzy, trying to...
That's interesting
Playing around with my Kindle in ‘Urumqi International Airport’ while waiting on a delayed flight (on which more later). It seems Whispernet enables users to bypass the Great Firewall of China, allowing one to access normally blocked sites (such as this one…)! Another point in the Kindle’s favour, along with the fact that its USB plug adapter outputs 850mA. This means you...
