London – Page 63 – Brian Micklethwait's New Blog

NFL photoer photos The City Cluster (plus video of a stadium roof opening)

I do like an interesting hat, when I photo a photoer:

And I admire this photoer’s choice of subject matter. The Scalpel was looking especially fine, its angle catching what was left of the setting sunlight. We’re at the top of the Tate Modern Extension, by the way. A favourite spot of mine.

But, going back to that hat. What does it say on it? P……..S? Philadelphia Eagles? Pittsburgh Steelers? A bit long, but conceivably one of those.

Hang on, I wonder if I photoed any more photos of that same photoer, which might shed light on the matter.

Yes:

I hope a robot couldn’t identify this guy from that photo, what with it being so blurry, although I dare say his loved ones could. But, anyway, what that says is that the hat goes P….OTS. And we have our answer. He is a supporter of the New England Patriots.

And no wonder he is proud to be sporting this celebratory headgear. The Patriots are due to contest Super Bowl “LIII” (53), against the Los Angeles Rams, this coming Sunday, which I will be watching on my TV. Here is a Daily Telegraph report about that.

The game will be played in Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium, of which, the Telegraph says:

That jagged-looking roof opens and closes in a very pleasing way:

The “:” is there because there then follows video of this pleasing effect (that being it on YouTube). I greatly enjoyed this.

Blog and learn.

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

Three photoers

Strenuous day out, in the sunshine, but also in the cold, which I was really feeling.

Many photos, of which this was one of the more fun ones. Deliberately Bald photoer. Photoer in hat. Interesting shadow of moi, also clearly photoing. Tick, tick, tick.

I remember taking that one. No calculation. Just saw the guys right there in front of me, one with a Deliberately Bald head, which I especially like. Click. My shadow, complete with the right forefinger on the button, with all of that landing right on them, seamlessly, because the sun was exactly behind me, was all just a happy accident. Sometimes, I get lucky.

Behind, County Hall. The Bald Guy is photoing The Wheel.

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

The new London concert hall at the Barbican takes a step forward

This looks promising. I’ve been waiting all my life for a really good London orchestral concert hall, to replace the abominable Royal Festival Hall, and it looks more and more like the City of London is going to oblige.

Here’s how they are now saying it will look:

Well, maybe it really will look like that.

Here’s what the outside will look like:

Combines being boring with being ungainly and awkward. But then, that was what I thought when I first saw the fake-photos for the Walkie-Talkie, and now I love that Thing. Maybe this Thing will play out the same. Hope so.

This is how the top of it will look:

This is apparently where the horror that is Jazz will be perpetrated. Sorry, if you like Jazz. If you like it, like away. But I hate it, ever since it stopped being pop music.

But, that view looks great. So, the question is: Do I like great views out over London, more than I hate Jazz?

A good way to learn more about this building, what it consists of and where it is, is to watch the video in this Classic FM report.

As for their report, I particularly like when they quote Simon Rattle, whose musical castle this will surely be:

At the press briefing for the new concept designs, Simon Rattle batted away concerns surrounding Brexit, saying: “It’s important for us to remember there are other things going on in this country other than Brexit.

“It won’t make anything easier, but we are trying to deal with something else at the moment. I think we also have to place our confidence in the extraordinary cultural life of this country, and support it.”

Life goes on. I sense that Brexit Acceptance may now be setting in.

They say it’s going to cost a mere £288 million. You can double that. But The City will surely find the money, and I am very glad that The City is having to find the money. I love classical music, more than life, but nobody who is indifferent to it should be forced to pay for the likes of me to listen to it being performed. (Any more than I should have to pay for Jazz.)

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

Guy’s Hospital with tree

Yes, more on the towers and trees theme, this time with a photo taken in December 2007.

One of London’s most significant recent buildings, I believe.

Photo photoed from the vicinity of another more antique tower, the Tower of London. The Tower, because for several centuries, there was just the one.

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

Towers and trees in the Docklands sunshine

On the sunniest day of the year so far, I went, as earlier noted, east, to Docklands.

I photoed the blue sky, the leafless trees, and the many towers of Docklands:

Nice. Lots of pollarding.

Almost anything looks nice in weather like that.

I felt the cold so you don’t have to.

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

Complicated scaffolding effects in the morning sunshine

Today, as I promised myself on Tuesday, I went east. The weather was even better than was forecasted, and among the very first photos I photoed was this, before I even got to the tube station:

But the good weather came at a price, paid in degrees of temperature. No clouds and there’s nothing to keep the warmth in. It was cold. And all the walking I did has taken it out of me. Also, I met up with occasional commenter here and good friend Alastair, and that meant me getting up and out earlier than usual. So, I am knackered, and I can’t now even summon up the energy to explain what exactly is going on in the above photo, let alone show you any more photos. It doesn’t now help (although it will) that I have nearly six hundred photos to look at and pick from and ruminate about.

Now: early to bed.

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

On Thursday I will go east

Thursday looks like being the first properly sunny day (though still with plenty of clouds) since I don’t know when:

That’s what the short-term weather forecast forecasts, and short-term weather forecasts are very dependable. (Longer than short-term forecasts (more than a few days) have a random connection to the truth, and ride entirely on the authority earned by the the short-term forecasts.)

So, Thursday will be the day for my first big photo-walkabout of the new year. If I don’t think of anywhere better, I will start by visiting this place.

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

Big Ex-Thing

The reason I’m showing so many ancient photos here just now is because the weather in London is so very dreary, and I’m not going out much. Instead, I am doing lots of tidying up and chucking out, provoked by those sofas. And, I’m back to doing more at Samizdata than of late.

Here’s another relic from another era. This is Southwark Towers, photoed by me on May 31st 2006:

Relic because this really quite Big Thing was demolished in 2008, to make way for London’s ultimate Big Thing, The Shard.

At the time I took this photo, I had no idea that what I was photoing was about to disappear.

If in doubt, photo the photo.

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

Time to go east again

It’s been a while since I visited the Isle of Dogs. Here are some photos I photoed of a building site there, next to the river, in January 2014:

I wonder how all this looks now. I’m pretty sure I know where this is. Google Maps is good enough for that. But not for the up-to-date story.

In decades to come, if will presumably be possible to go pretty much anywhere that’s public, virtually, without leaving your dwelling pod.. But for now, the only way to be sure about a place like this is to go there and see.