MacExpo
I made my annual pilgrimage to MacExpo on Thursday. Now that I’m living further away, getting to London is more of an undertaking, though curiously it takes exactly the same amount of time to get there on the train from Birmingham as it used to on the coach from Oxford. As a consequence of the scandalous fares Virgin Trains charge you to travel before 9am, I arrived at lunchtime. However, I don’t think I would have needed the whole day. The Expo seems to shrink a little every year, and there were noticeably fewer exhibitorsâparticularly small companiesâthis year. Still, I had fun, and bought a Griffin radioShark and a tiny Firewire hard drive to relieve our poor overloaded and elderly iMac. The RadioShark is fantastic, and very simple to use. We used to use AudioHijack to record the RealOne feeds provided by the BBC, but lately we’ve been getting appalling quality on those feeds. Either they don’t work at all, or you get a bit rate of about 15kbs, even on our broadband line, and everyone sounds like they’re underwater. You can choose the encoding rate and format (AIFF or AAC) with the radioShark, and the quality is excellent. It’s also fun time-shifting radio if someone comes to the door or the phone rings. No more missing the middle of a play. And it has cool blue lights on the side which turn red when it’s recordingâyou can’t dislike a product with blue lights.
As a side-note, wandering around Islington was a bit of a culture shock after being in the Midlands for a few months. Brummies have a very non-pretentious attitude to life, even though they like to flash their money around as much as the next person. Islington is a place where there is a higher density of black polo-neck/turtle-neck jumpers per m2 than anywhere else in Britainâthis density nearly doubles during the MacExpo. It’s also the spiritual home of the leather seating cube, and you can’t walk into any bar, coffee shop or restaurant without barking your shins on a herd of them.
1
The leather seating cube sounds great, but I much prefer the upright couch -- a mainstay of the Mary Markley residence hall at the University of Michigan. The only trouble is that short people like me can't use them properly, and are reduced to either leaning against them or perching on top of them!----- I saw a herd of leather almost-cubes at a place in Oozells Square this week. Le Petit Blanc, perhaps? Pale yellow, behind a glass façade. Brum also has its nascent wanting-to-be-Farringdon district, typified by the Crosby Homes /John Rocha fluff going up. Can the turtlenecks be far behind?
by David @ 21/11/2004 2:12 am • Permalink •
2
Hi, i have been doing some changes to my pictiorialis template when i stumble across your 'eyes open wide' site. Then i just give up my design......><
I think its pretty tight. Is it possible for you to share your template file since the css file is easily viewable. I really love your design but wouldnt want to look totally like yours if you know what i mean. So i guess i need to know how you apply the tags. Email me if you think that's doable for you.
Thanks in advance
Alvin
by alvin @ 21/11/2004 3:11 pm • Permalink •
3
Aaron: Hehe
I have the same problem, being short with even shorter legs. They make me feel like a little kid, with my legs sticking straight out.
David: Yes, they seem to be spreading, and Brum seems to be getting gradually gentrified. Sad really.
by bsag @ 24/11/2004 7:11 pm • Permalink •
4
I was impressed with the radio shark, but disappointed that it only offered am/fm, I was hoping for digital! I wonder who you bought it off, the cheapest was that little stall in the far left corner as you came in - can't remember who they are now, although I bought an iTrip from them last year.
I concur with the size thing, I only spent a day there (two afternoons) this year, compared to three or four years ago when I was there from when it opened to when it closed. The HP stand seemed larger though!
As for the leather cube, aren't they standard everywhere down south now, the alternative being three seats in a cavernous bar?? I recommend Angelic next time you're down there, it's on Liverpool street just beyond Sainsburys. They serve a white Kronenberg, which knocks the spots of Hoegaarden. Oh they also have nice deep leather sofas, which are nicer than cubes
Tim
by Tim @ 02/12/2004 4:13 pm • Permalink •
5
Tim: Yes, I was also surprised that they didn't offer a DAB model, but even having only AM and FM is nice. I did get mine at the stall you mention, and they were £10 cheaper there than anywhere else in the show. Yes, cubes are spreading... it's like some kind of disease. I'll try Angelic out next time thoughâit sounds great.
by bsag @ 02/12/2004 7:12 pm • Permalink •
Page 1 of 1 pages