Sign Typography

Posted: Sat 12 January, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Driving, Geeky, M1, Thoughts, Work-related | Leave a comment »

I’ve already written about the M1 on my commute, and the new “use the hard shoulder when the road’s busy” policy.

This week I’ve noticed something odd about the typography on the signs, particularly when viewed from a distance.

When you can’t use the hard shoulder, the text reads like this :

Hard shoulder
Emergency
Use only

When you can use it, it looks like this :

Congestion
Use
Hard shoulder

What’s interesting to me – and probably to absolutely no-one else – is that when the lane is open, the typography looks like an X, which would imply it’s closed. When it’s closed, it looks like an arrow, implying the lane is open.

I don’t know if that contributes to why people don’t use the hard shoulder when they can – I doubt it, but who knows? – but it’s still something I find interesting, regardless.

Taxi to the Kerb

Posted: Wed 9 January, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 1BEM, Cynicism, Domestic, Driving, Parking | Leave a comment »

When I got home last night, I was greeted by this exceptional piece of parking, that really did need to be credited.

Car needing a taxi to the kerb

Couldn’t be much further out

From another viewpoint…

Still half a mile from the kerb

And from another viewpoint

You really couldn’t make it up.

Taking Leave

Posted: Wed 9 January, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Domestic, Getting Organised, Work-related | Leave a comment »

Bearing in mind how bad I was at taking my allotted holiday/ leave from work in 2012, I’m vaguely trying to be better organised this year. Although I think I might have been a bit over-eager.

Why? Because I’ve actually already booked myself off at the end of the year, for two weeks.  It’s not even like I’ve got any solid plans for that time, but I did appreciate closing off the year, having the time out doing nowt.

I’ve still got plenty to book / take, and I will do so – but it’s kind of weird, being organised(ish) enough to plan something like that in early January.

Un-Fair

Posted: Tue 8 January, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Bankruptcy, Business, Domestic, Own Business, Travel, Web Development, Work-related | Leave a comment »

Usually around this time, I’d be looking at hitting the Spring Fair at the NEC in Birmingham, which kicks off at the start of February.

I’ve gone a few times over the years, usually building up some contacts for building websites etc.  Sometimes I made use of them afterwards, most of the time I didn’t. (to be honest)  It’s always an interesting trip, what with one thing and another.

This year, I’m not planning to go. Partly it’s on a week that is already madly busy, but also I’ve got enough on my plate for the moment without adding to it.

2014 may be a different matter, but 2013 is one where I definitely won’t be going.

Food Diary

Posted: Mon 7 January, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: 2012/13, Domestic, Food, Health, Weigh Less | Leave a comment »

In the run-up to the start of 2013, I wrote a little bit about the goals (well, they’re more like guidelines) I’ve got for the year. I’m keeping it pretty simple, although there’s lots of other stuff under those main points. For the moment I don’t plan to share the sub-points, because they’re not actually of much use to anyone except me.

Anyway, as part of the “Weigh Less” goal, I’m starting to write a food diary from today. Obviously that’s not all of the plan, but it’s a good starting point for establishing what I’m doing, and what needs to change.

I’ve been lucky enough to be able to do this with the help of Dragon, and to be able to help him with his training for being a PT by doing the initial food diary, analysis and plans with him.

I’m going to see how it all goes, and I’ll write more about it as time goes on.

Along the way, as well as getting results from the GP (including that missing blood-pressure test) over the next couple of weeks, I’ve also invested in some proper weighing scales, including body-fat.  Much as I like the idea of them, I didn’t go for one of the Withings or FitBit ones in the end – £100 for scales is a bit much, and while I like the idea of keeping those records and graphs online, I can do the same thing by myself, either locally or on RunKeeper etc.  Besides, seeing those updates from other people on Facebook and Twitter pisses me off in the end, so I don’t want to do the same to other people.

Instead, and on a recommendation, I’ve gone for these scales from from Omron, which do everything I want them to.

So – progress is being made. I’ll be interested (and probably depressed) to see the initial figures, but I’m thinking/hoping that they’ll provide me with more impetus for going ahead with the weight loss.

Health Check (Kind of)

Posted: Fri 4 January, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Domestic, Health, People | Tags: , | 4 Comments »

So – how the hell does a GP surgery manage to be no less than 40 minutes late for appointments by 9.40 in the morning?  I’d be impressed, if it weren’t for – well – being 40 minutes late.

Even then the full check hasn’t been done – I’ve had the bloods taken to check for Diabetes, Thyroid Levels and Cholesterol, but no blood-pressure test or anything.  Supposedly “the receptionist should’ve booked you for a double slot so I could do all that, I don’t have the time to do it all in one slot“.

Of course, that just pissed me off.  Other things can cause delays of 40 minutes, but you’re going to just ditch me off because you haven’t got the time? Perhaps it would be easier if you were slightly more organised, and didn’t take half the time I was in there to faff about trying to find things?

So far though, all OK.

I’m now due back in two weeks’ time to find out the results of the blood tests and so on, and at the same time they’ll do my blood-pressure.  (Mind you, it’ll likely still be low-normal, which always befuddles the GPs who look at my height/size, and then retake it twice more)

Season Change

Posted: Wed 2 January, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Advertising, Cynicism, Festering Season, People, Thoughts | 2 Comments »

Now that we’re over and done with on the Festering Season, it’s a season change in the advertising world.

Away go all the ads for perfume, shitty music compilations, and Christmas stuff in general.

Instead, for the start of the new year we get adverts for

  • Dating sites – eHarmony, Match.com, etc.
  • Weight-loss programmes – WeightWatchers, DietChef and Slimming World
  • Holidays (and airlines)
  • Banks

One advert is missing from the list though – I think this is the first time in about a decade that I haven’t seen an advert for stopping smoking . I assume they think everyone who’s going to quit has done so by now. Or maybe it’s an extension of all the other laws/rules about not advertising cigarettes – they now also can’t advertise stopping smoking?

Anyway, it’s all interesting, in that it shows how much advertisers expect people to be ‘normal’, to do certain things at certain times of the year. I find that fascinating.

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