Wives and Monarchs

The final version of Wednesday's Evening Standard had the front page headline "Queen in WAG Photos Storm". Apparently there is a huge row about the deal made by The Queen's grandson and his new wife with Hello magazine over photographs of their wedding. They are saying that it cheapens the monarchy to have HMQ displayed in pictures sold in such a commercial manner.

I say apparently, as I've not seen this "row" anywhere else. I can't help thinking that the Standard and the rest of the famously sleb-dependant Associated Newspapers group are more than a little bitter that they were not invited to the party.

The News is Dead, Long Live the News

BBC News have decided to update their branding again (see previous post too). While I can see there is a degree of continuity of design in the titles, I think this version looks a bit too busy and confused. I prefered the previous one.
On a more positive note, and long overdue is the rename of "BBC News 24" to just "BBC News" or, if you insist, the "BBC News Channel". It was always an unwealdy name and struck me as trying a bit too hard to ram its rolling-ness down your throat.
What's nice for branding titles geeks like me is they have posted a veritable wealth of variations:
Here, here, here, here, here and here.

World’s Largest Tidal Turbine Successfully Installed

Via Digg.

The world’s largest tidal turbine, weighing 1000 tonnes, has been installed in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough. The tidal turbine is rated at 1.2 megawatts, which is enough to power a thousand local homes. It was built by Marine Current Turbines, and it will be the first commercial tidal turbine to produce energy.

Looks like a fantastic idea to me.
Famously both the Thames a Severn are significantly tidal, so if this is truly successful it would be well-worth exploiting there too.
As it's on a post it could also be an answer to the environmentalists concerns about traditional tidal barrages - that they block the flow of mud and silt and so destroy wetland habitats.

read more digg story

Changing Change

When the competition was first announced for redesigning our coins I fully expected to hate the result. The brief was to come up with something which better reflected a "modern Britain" so I was anticipating something trite and trying far too hard.

I have to say that I like them. The split design is innovative without trying too hard and means we can retain a degree of consistent heritage with the heraldic imagery we've had on our coins for the last ever.

It's also kind of fun that the press and others are already having fun with the images whether that's referring to the new Pound Coin design as the "Jigsaw Box" or nicknaming a Twenty Pence piece as a "Lion's Arse". The nicknames are something which has been lacking since decimalisation in 1971 so I hope that some stick, however crass.

As ever change is not without some controversy. It's a shame that there's no specific design for Wales as while we lose the old Two Pence Prince of Wales feathers. Britannia's loss is something else which some papers have been wailing about. However - the existing coins are not being withdrawn. They can last for decades so Britannia Fifty-pences will be around for a long while yet. I'd also be surprised if we don't end up with Britannia appearing again. Perhaps on a redesigned Two Pound coin using the brilliant new Britannia design currently appearing on the Mint's collector's coin for an ounce of silver. One thing which does puzzle (rather than bother) me is the fact that words have been chosen for the value in each case rather than figures. It will rely on everyone using them knowing English, at least for those few words.

Faith and Truth I Will Bear Unto You

Following Lord Goldsmith's report on British Citizenship there has been a lot of coverage in the press asking if, as suggested, school-leavers should swear the oath of allegiance to The Queen. I for one don't think this would necessarily help. I don't have a problem with school-leavers having the opportunity to take the oath, but they should not be compelled to. That would not be very British at all.

Certainly any ceremony of citizenship for foreign nationals or any voluntary citizenship ceremonies for British nationals (of any age) should contain the oath. The point here is that the monarch or The Crown is bigger as a concept than the person of one little old lady. Much has also be said in comparison with the US habit of swearing "allegiance to the flag of The United States of America and the republic for which it stands". In Britain, we don't have "the flag" as a symbol of the state in the same sense. In fact the flag is a relatively new addition to our symbol collection. Rather than investing this kind of symbolism in a piece of cloth, it is invested in the monarch.

I also think it is short-sighted to see the oath as a vindication of monarchy. Documents and all our coins may all say that The Queen is there "by the grace of God", but in truth she is there by the collective will of the people (through Parliament). Swearing an oath to The Queen's "heirs and successors according to law", does not preclude a successor outside of current convention if it is the will of Parliament to change the law accordingly. There is a tenet which has also appeared on coins in the past which says "The Love of the People is the Queen's Protection".

Bong!

ITV1 did one the only sensible things they have done in a long time and resurrected News At Ten. It's the first time since 1999 that the bongs have been heard. Of course I'm approaching it from my geeky title-sequence and branding way so I have to say I'm impressed. The whooshing from space is back, the iconic music is back and in full.

Compare and contrast this from 1988:



with this from 2008:



Update:
To see a short clip on how ITN and MPC put the new title sequence together click here

All very much deja vu, but in a good way. It brings home just how much the London skyline has changes in just 20 years too.

It's just a shame that ITN still seems to be a shadow of its former self. The bulletin had an obvious effort put into it but ITN has dumbed down so much in the last 5 years or so that they have a large hill to re-climb.

All Out

So the RMT have decided to have another of their teenage temper tantrums. Go fig!
This is despite the fact that no-one seems to understand why the strike happened or what changed to lead to the suspension of action late last night. But we've all been warned that this is not the end of this story. There is still a threat of action with the beginning of another 72-hour strike on Monday. Bob Crow has nailed his colours to the mast again in a statement to BBC News 24:

"Our view the deal we have got is the best possible but if these people from
Transport for London keep on going round and trying to rubbish us then it's
their fault if the strike takes place next week again."

Let me see if I understand what he's saying - another strike will not depend on particular terms and conditions but on whether Transport for London "rubbish" the union! If this isn't simply playground posturing then I don't know what is. Perhaps they'll threaten TfL with a beating from their older brother next week...

Polonium Kills

I love this kind of boob (as reported by BBC News):

Two adverts warning cigarette smoke contains the radioactive substance that killed Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko has been pulled from a health campaign.
The Department of Health said it was "inappropriate" to show the ad, which shows cigarettes contain polonium 210.

I would imagine that by pulling the plug the DoH has given this far more exposure than it may have gotten from a few beer mats and late-night TV ads.

Goat Protection

You can tell Christmas is getting closer as the Swedes have built their giant straw goat again.

Sensibly, the organisers in the town of Gavle, have coated it in flame retardant, waterproof, chemicals this year. It has tended to be a target of arsonists and been burned down, most years before Christmas is reached, and even within hours of being erected.

There is also another level of protection - the goat is watched night and day by a set of webcams, one of which I have linked to here.

So, if when you read this post the goat is burning you should let the good townspeople of Gavle know.

It's NOT a Theory

This kind of thing leaves me exasperated.

Intelligent Design is not a theory - it just isn't. Accepted scientific theories are developed from empirical evidence and subjected to rigorous peer review. Darwin's theory has been subjected to that and come out the other side stronger. It's not fixed dogma, and I fully expect the theory to change (as it has in the past) as more and more empirical evidence comes to light.

Intelligent design is, to the best of my knowledge, based on a hunch by some that "something as complex as life cannot arise spontaneously". That's not based empirically, but on human intuition.

I don't have a problem with creationism or intelligent design being exhibited in schools as part of cultural studies, say. However, including it in the science curriculum lends it a credence which it does not deserve under the established scientific method.

One of our bears is missing

The Horniman Museum, just up the hill from where I live, hit the news today. It seems they have mislaid a large, white, stuffed polar bear!
The beast formed a central part of their natural history display when it opened at the beginning of the last century, and visitors can still see that today. Just no bear. It's seems a little careless to lose something quite so large but if you do see it lying around anywhere be sure to let the museum know.
In the meantime the Horniman is well worth a visit. It has a very eclectic mix of galleries ranging from skeletons and fossils to voodoo alters to musical instruments. It also has a rather splendid new aquarium. When you've finished inside, head up towards the bandstand on the hill for a fantastic view down into the city. You can even see right over to Alexandra Palace on a clear day. Say hello to the chickens and goats in their pen before leaving too.

The Grass is Greener

It's not just the bizarre nature of this BBC News story which caught my attention:

A pensioner woke on Sunday morning to find that her front lawn had been stolen by opportunistic thieves.

Most of all I'm caught by the fact the BBC have sourced or, even more bizarrely, commissioned a shot of "some lawn" to illustrate it. 'Coz - you know - we'd never make that mental image stick otherwise.

SOCA

Today sees the birth of a new agency for fighting crime, the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

It's the first time what is essentially a policing agency has been formed independantly of a police force, in this country. It has (rather annoyingly, in my view) been dubbed the British FBI. I dare say I'll comment more on this and the new agency as it beds in, but for now a first impression.

Looking at the logo, what pops into my head is:

THUNDERCATS HO!