Occasional links - 30.10.2021 👻
Hello again,
It's a very wet and cold day here in London and nothing particularly spooky about that, or our links this week, but its nice to try an emoji in the subject line for a change. I was going to go to the studio to catch up on some work but it's wet and cold. Did I mention it's raining? And cold? Fortunately I got a little MTB ride in yesterday with some friends so can now spend all weekend in the warmth of the flat petting Myrtle the cat instead.
Enough inane and pointless babble for now, here's some things I found interesting this week. Eleven links this week as I have no self control.
No, you can't save £30 per year by switching off your "standby" devices
I hadn't seen this before but apparently pops up every now and then and the above article neatly debunks it. I'll try and avoid my rant about personal responsibility vs Government and Big Business in relation to climate change here I think. This also reminds me of going round to my Dad's house a few years back and asking why he didn't have wifi anymore... "oh I do, I just turn the box on when I need it". He's found Facebook since and the wifi is always on now.
looking for dogs who ride bikes to photograph for a just-for-fun photo series i’d like to start (but with a wholesome sustainable transport ‘bikes are more versatile than you might think’ message too)
A call to action on Twitter receives the most wonderful set of replies! All those dogs on bikes! You can often see the author of the Tweet cycling around London with her two dogs too and always a joy to see. Thanks to Andy Keetch for the link. I guess this is our dog link this week. And one more for good luck.
How about a thread of stuff i saw online recently that made me happy and not want to burn down everything?
Essentially a nested link. Or Inception for links. Like a link within a link within a... oh stop Andy. Anyway, some fun things in here if you have time.
Japanese Company Adopts Nine Office Cats to Increase Workplace Productivity
OK EVERYONE BACK TO THE OFFICE! Just look at them. In all seriousness we are blessed with having George the working cocker who joins us in the studio a few times a week and it's great for everyone's well being (when he hasn't rolled in fox poop on the way in). Animals in the studio are great! Via Cats with Jobs on Twitter.
Why do commercial landlords often leave units vacant, sometimes for years, when surely they'd make more money by cutting rents?
Suddenly it all makes sense. As usual due to the strange world of banking, finance and loans. Original source with replies / conversation around.
In Pictures: Young People Living With ADHD
Yes, I have ADHD. No, I will not stop going on about it. A really interesting photo series with lovely bite sized captions to read for ADHDers. Thanks to Magnus for the link.
It's a very wet and cold day here in London and nothing particularly spooky about that, or our links this week, but its nice to try an emoji in the subject line for a change. I was going to go to the studio to catch up on some work but it's wet and cold. Did I mention it's raining? And cold? Fortunately I got a little MTB ride in yesterday with some friends so can now spend all weekend in the warmth of the flat petting Myrtle the cat instead.
Enough inane and pointless babble for now, here's some things I found interesting this week. Eleven links this week as I have no self control.
No, you can't save £30 per year by switching off your "standby" devices
I hadn't seen this before but apparently pops up every now and then and the above article neatly debunks it. I'll try and avoid my rant about personal responsibility vs Government and Big Business in relation to climate change here I think. This also reminds me of going round to my Dad's house a few years back and asking why he didn't have wifi anymore... "oh I do, I just turn the box on when I need it". He's found Facebook since and the wifi is always on now.
looking for dogs who ride bikes to photograph for a just-for-fun photo series i’d like to start (but with a wholesome sustainable transport ‘bikes are more versatile than you might think’ message too)
A call to action on Twitter receives the most wonderful set of replies! All those dogs on bikes! You can often see the author of the Tweet cycling around London with her two dogs too and always a joy to see. Thanks to Andy Keetch for the link. I guess this is our dog link this week. And one more for good luck.
How about a thread of stuff i saw online recently that made me happy and not want to burn down everything?
Essentially a nested link. Or Inception for links. Like a link within a link within a... oh stop Andy. Anyway, some fun things in here if you have time.
Japanese Company Adopts Nine Office Cats to Increase Workplace Productivity
OK EVERYONE BACK TO THE OFFICE! Just look at them. In all seriousness we are blessed with having George the working cocker who joins us in the studio a few times a week and it's great for everyone's well being (when he hasn't rolled in fox poop on the way in). Animals in the studio are great! Via Cats with Jobs on Twitter.
Why do commercial landlords often leave units vacant, sometimes for years, when surely they'd make more money by cutting rents?
Suddenly it all makes sense. As usual due to the strange world of banking, finance and loans. Original source with replies / conversation around.
In Pictures: Young People Living With ADHD
Yes, I have ADHD. No, I will not stop going on about it. A really interesting photo series with lovely bite sized captions to read for ADHDers. Thanks to Magnus for the link.
London-based Norwegian photographer Nora Nord was diagnosed with ADHD in 2018, when she was in her early 20s. It was an immensely freeing feeling, she says, because it gave her the space for some aspects of her personality to finally make sense. But it was a frustrating time, too. "I had an underlying feeling most of my life that something is wrong with me," she remembers. "I wondered why I couldn’t focus or finish things, and why everything I did was last minute, and I think many people with ADHD still feel this. Due to the fact that there is a lack of both understanding and easily accessible support, the work comes on us to find our own language and figure out how we want to move through the world."
As she began to research her condition, Nord quickly came to realise that voices like hers, as a queer woman, were especially drowned out in the conversation and so she decided to do something about it.
London Streets In The 1980s
A visual feast for the eyes! So much to take in and the second in a series. Part one can be found here. To be clear I don't post this from a nostalgia point of view or 'ruin porn'* but more from a visual interest angle. The signage, the colours, the outfits and so on are just so engaging.
*I hate that term.
A prototype original iPod
20 years old this week (last week?). Anyway, as a lover of all things Apple (and tech) this is incredible to see. As well as the stories behind it all and the original designer responding to the Twitter post (Tony Fadell) and the wider conversation around it.
Every gotcha-style question and phrase about trans people you’ve seen asked a hundred times online, answered in less than 1000 words
I think I found this thread via the wonderful handsome and hairy Mr Kilgour. Original article here.
There is no singular, platonic ideal of a man or woman nor a singular experience that could be characterised as such, though many overlap.
What Vivian Maier Saw in Color
If you don't know about Vivian Maier then this is a good place to start. Her work is largely in black and white and I hadn't seen any of her work in colour. It's extraordinary. And it's not just 'in colour' it's using colour in such an incredible way. The only other person I know of who sees colour like this is Niall McDiarmid. This image of his for instance.
Why heat pumps are important
A really good explainer of what heat pumps are and the part they can play in helping us deal with climate change. We've recently been specifying an ASHP (air source heat pump) for a small retrofit project and have learnt a lot. Also the fabric of our existing building stock needs massive improvement. I'll save that discussion for another day.
I really enjoyed putting this together this morning (as you might be able to tell from the expanded comments under each link). Hope you have a lovely weekend and see you next week (maybe).
Love as always,
Andy x
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