Day: 7 September 2025

Weeknotes #137: From tiebreakers to take-offs

Lively week of quizzes, theatre, good company and smooth travel

Week commencing Monday, 1 September 2025

A view across Heathrow Airport's car park at dusk, with rows of parked vehicles in the foreground and aircraft visible on the tarmac beyond the perimeter fence. The sky displays soft pink and blue hues as evening approaches, whilst planes and airport infrastructure create a silhouette against the horizon.
The airport winds down for the evening as viewed from the Thistle Hotel

Quantified Self

  • This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 6/7 and Move 6/7. (90%). Morning walks: 0/4 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/5. Total steps: 69,528

Life

  • Once again, the week started with a quiz. And again, we ended up in the ninth-place tiebreaker (as a reminder, that’s good). The lady who answered ‘Tainted Love’ was too quick off the mark for Ben. Always fun!
  • I had a Christmas planning session with my brother. It’s only just September.
  • Unusually, I had an office day on Wednesday. The journey to the Barbican that followed should have been straightforward. As it was, I ran into the auditorium just in time for the house lights to go out.
  • Related, Sean Hayes is very good in Good Night, Oscar. Lots of discussion afterwards about whether it was based on a true story (yes) and whether he really could play the piano (also yes).
  • Thursday was one of those office days where I said what I really felt and then apologised for it. I don’t think I should have done. But all good.
  • Related, as a consequence, the work social in the pub could have been messy but ended up being very restrained.
  • I finished Friday on time, which must be a first before a holiday. We went to visit a new pub, The Leather Bottle, and it was nice.
  • Related, on the way home, we picked up a ‘hot honey’ pizza and then noticed ‘hot honey’ is everywhere. Is it a trend I am missing?
  • Saturday: is it unusual to admit I find my dentist funny and enjoy going?
  • A lovely lady in NatWest helped me with a banking problem 25 years in the making. All will be resolved.
  • On Sunday afternoon, the Heathrow T5 pods marked the start of the holiday. In the restaurant, it was busier than on previous visits. The planes were taking off in the other direction.

Media

Curns’ Ad Links for 7 September 2010

Curns’ ad links is a collection of links about the digital advertising industry; generally focussed on the display advertising market with an emphasis on the technology to deliver great advertising experiences.

Watching Me Everywhere

Apparently, there are 4.2 million cameras watching the people of London.

In my little piece about gmail last week I noted that my journey to work covers many CCTV cameras. In a piece published on the same day at CNN it was noted that there are something like 4.2 million cameras observing our moves around the British capital. That really does seem like a great number. An American author – Jeffrey Rosen – notes,

Instead of being perceived as an Orwellian intrusion, the cameras in Britain … were hailed as the people’s technology, a friendly eye in the sky, not Big Brother but a kindly and watchful uncle or aunt [source]

Do you really think this is the case? I certainly don’t think of it as the people’s technology although I will admit to resigned acceptance of the devices. On the whole I suspect they are a necessary evil in the world we inhabit. Is that a foolish notion?

Old Friends

Today was a good day to get reacquainted with people who I haven’t seen for a while.

Bristol is only a two-hour ride from my house. I have an old friend who lives there and I haven’t seen him for ages. Today was the day we met up again (after something like 18 months without seeing each other) and it’s great when everything just slips back to the way it was. You know how, with some people, it’s hard to talk to them sometimes. You get on really well but there’s just nothing to say. Well, it usually gets worse with the passing of time and, if you haven’t seen somebody for a while, then it can be very awkward (how many strained meetings must have happened thanks to Friends Reunited?). Anyway, today wasn’t like that. We slipped into our old conversations and habits. It’s nice to be reacquainted with people. Today was a good day.