Senator Stevens Speaks on Net Neutrality

Senator Stevens obviously knows a lot about the Internet. Apparently, “it’s not a big truck”, it’s actually “a series of tubes”. His arguments against net neutrality (opposing the right of anyone to be able to pay for higher priority in routing) are “well informed”. Definitely worth listening to the end:
Senator Stevens Speaks on Net Neutrality | Public Knowledge

And once you’re done with that, listen to the remixed version.

Official: UK is hotter than the sun

This article showing “space images of the UK sweltering” demonstrates how hot the UK has gotten over the past couple of weeks. According to the BBC site, we are now as hot as the sun. Compare this image of the UK:

The UK is hot

With this image of the sun from NASA:

The sun is hot

In fact, I think the UK looks slightly hotter.

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Space images show UK sweltering

Weather on the sun

Capital to Coast 2006

Six of us took part in the Capital to Coast cycle ride from Esher to Hove on 16th July 2006. The participants were:

  • Me (Karl Bunyan)
  • Chris Greenway
  • Michael Hayes
  • James Hehir
  • Neelesh Sonawane
  • Kathryn Stowell

For anyone who didn’t sponsor us yet, the easiest place to do it is on Justgiving, and if you sponsor Mick by following that link then Bloomberg will double the amount (up to a maximum total of £1000).

It was an excellent event and we think we averaged 12.7 mph over the 60.1 miles we cycled, making a time of about four and three quarter hours. We actually took about seven and a half hours, owing to the number of times we stopped and how long we spent at the rest points. It was mainly down to laziness. We stopped at 13 miles (unofficial stopping point) and had sticky cakes, 20 miles and ate a load of the free stuff on offer, including Mars bars and very cheap but entirely satisfactory crisps, 30 miles and had a caramel slice and more of the other junk food, at 40 miles I had some very good Danish pastries, and by 47 miles I was too stuffed to think of any more ‘energy’ food going in my mouth. Except for the dry roasted peanuts I’d brought with me. Then at about 50 miles, at the bottom of Devil’s Dyke, for a last-chance snack and water break.

It does look like we’ve raised a fair bit of money for the charities involved, and my company sponsored the team too. We haven’t added it up yet but I think it’s going to be between two and three thousand pounds between the six of us.

Here are some photos:

Team photo:

Chris had the first (and only) puncture of the group very early in the day – about 5 miles in. Unfortunately, the marshalls didn’t know a great deal about bicycle repairs…:

It did mean that Mick got to pose with a Harley (the marshall’s vehicle of choice):

If you stand with your hands on your hips it looks like you’re being useful:

13 miles, time for cakes. Just like they have on the Tour de France:

Neelesh riding along:

Team photo at the first official stop:

Everyone cycling in a well-behaved line:

The healthy living three. The link between smoking and cancer may not have been proven beyond all doubt but there is a definite link between smoking and walking up hills:

Neelesh on his way into the second official stop. Neelesh was sporting the most high-tech gadgets including clip-on shoes, speedometer, a fancy bag that clipped under his seat, a special top, and gloves.

Mick on his way in. Mick’s training for the event consisted almost entirely of buying a bike:

Chris followed:

James didn’t look entirely overjoyed to be cycling:

Kathryn working hard. This is an important part of any triathlon:

A semi-group photo from the second stop:

Chris knows where it’s starting to hurt:

Some doubted whether the outlay for my cycling shoes was worth it but these pieces of specialist equipment stood me in very good stead. They also made sure I didn’t have to carry another pair of shoes:

Mick on the move:

Mick slightly less on the move:

James is pleased to be over half way:

The third pit-stop:

James was very keen to get on to “Devil’s Pike” as he seems to be calling it. Watch the video (8meg).

Kathryn cruising along:

Another stop at forty miles by which time we really couldn’t eat much more junk. (At this point we would like to thank suncream for making the event possible):

We did take advantage of the very last stop at close to fifty miles, at the foot of Devil’s Dyke:

And we all look like we’ve got plenty of energy for getting up that hill:

At the top of Devil’s Dyke I managed to park my bike in the president’s spot:

Kathryn was the second to the top:

Neelesh was close behind, having also cycled all the way up:

Then James who was probably weighed down by his army helment:

And Mick turned up with Chris not too far behind (but too far to be in a photo):

The last group photo before the finish line:

The view towards Hove from Devil’s Dyke. It was fantastic weather for the event:

Kathryn on her way to the finish line:

The finish line photo:

A very well received beer after the ride:

All of my photos can be downloaded here (about 50meg). This includes the video.

Capital to Coast

Download photos and video (50 meg)

Sponsored cycle ride to Hove

I’m going to be cycling to Hove on Sunday as part of the Capital to Coast event to raise money for a few charities. Should anyone feel like sponsoring us then you can donate online at Just Giving, or just get in touch and send a cheque if you’d rather not do it online.

So far I think we’ve got well over a grand between the six of us in the Puntourist team, and there’s a chance we can get Bloomberg to double up some of the donations so there’s even more incentive to stick a tenner in.

Just Giving – The Puntourists

Capital to Coast

Bulldog’s account page

Mysterious page

Bulldog’s customer service is pretty awful, and so is their service in general (classic the other day: I ring up and am greeted by someone in technical support telling me that they’re experiencing technical problems but if I ring back I may be able to get in touch with someone at their end who wasn’t. It took 4 attempts). But the picture above is one of the pages that redirects you around your account – catchy name, eh?

The origins of ‘Number 2′/poo

I’ve never known where the euphemism of ‘Number 2’ meaning ‘a poo’ came from, but a theory came into my head the other day when I saw one of those toilets with a split-button flush – the ones with a small flush and a big flush. The small flush had one dot on it and the big flush had two dots. Could I have discovered the source of this fragment of our colloquial language? I hope someone knows…

Office Fantasty Football league

The World Cup has come to an end, and although England didn’t do too well I have the consolation prize of winning our office Fantasy Football league:

Pos Manager Team Week 5
Pts
Total Pts League Pos
1 Mr K Bunyan KEEPY UPPY 66 278 22018
2 Mr K Ozficici GUIDED BY TURKS FC 62 223 56011
3 Mr D Beale THE MIGHTY OS 0 182 77354
4 Mr N Grimshaw DAMP CATS 28 180 78172
5 Mr J Bebbington SPONGECUP WORLDPANTS 16 177 79332
6 Mr C Sainsbury SAINSBURYS SCORERS 4 123 90821