Posts Tagged ‘ misc ’

Global city, local arse?

One of the most thought provoking blog posts on the new Birmingham Post site is one from Pete Ashton, on “our”, marketing phrase “global city with a local heart”. ”I’m not sure “local” is the right word for that though. “Healthy heart” maybe but the locality of the organ seems pretty irrelevant if its arteries are clogged with gunk.” It’s the sort of thing I’ve missed from Pete since his Brum Blog became his gig guide and well worth a read.

Our house shook for a good 20 seconds at about 12:56am – windows and all. I was awake, but it woke the cats and my better half who were sleeping upstairs. It didn’t set any car alarms off, so I’m guessing no real damage done. I twittered first, but Nick beat me to the blog. Without twitter I’d have thought I was going mad, Nick confirmed it “podnosh mine too. 6M Ago” and: “orangejon wonders if he’s hallucinating or if there was really just an earthquake. Either that or the house is falling down… 5M Ago” I wonder how you measure where the epi-centre might be?

Drift to The Junction

Drift in Moseley becomes The Junction: 12 days and counting. Nice ideals, but comic sans on website.

Destination is a board game based on the idea of being competing black cab drivers around a city. The first , the London version, was pooh-poohed on the first series of Dragons Den – but it’s obviously done well enough to expand as along with Dublin, New York, Paris and erm Norwich comes Destination Birmingham! (their exclamation point). The makers have done a good job on the box – see Brasso, a TWM bus and I’m assuming that the bizare and dangerous looking flyover was always based on the Queensway. Inside – as for destinations that people may want a taxi to it’s not quite as well done: Minories Shopping Centre? Caxtongate? not to mention that it’s nigh on impossible to get a taxi anywhere near most of the city centre attractions. They should have cast the net a little wider, part of the game could of been how to make excuses that you can’t drive over to Great Barr at this time of night, extra points for stifling heat and magic tree air freshener. I think I’ll hold off for Perry Barr Cars the boardgame – the only taxi firm to ever send me a Christmas card. D’log...

We told you that the UCE was about to change its name, and we were right. As of this morning it’s now called “Birmingham City University”. New names, new branding, and they’ve (quite rightly to go with the name) gone blue: Seems to be a consciously ‘old’ design, as if they were trying to create a bit of heritage – which is pretty unnecessary as those that actually think about these things will know all about all the good things the Uni has been doing over the years. Also in the press release (yes BiNS gets press releases, we’re like the establishment or something – honestly, send them over but no promises) was more confirmation that City University plan to colonise much of Eastside with its creative arts faculties. It also reminded me that pre-Uni it was actually Birmingham Polytechnic and not Perry Barr Polly – before that it was City of Birmingham Polytechnic, so there is some history in the name. I assume that most of the Perry Barr Campus is to stay where it is, unless it burns down due to electrical faults I caused when working for the electrician that rewired bits of it in the...

Keep your eyes on the road

‘Motorists’ have chosen the ‘UK’s best-known sight seen from a motorway’ – a motorway. In a crap poll people have decided to name Spaghetti Junction – always seen from the air in photos and film, and iconic for that – as something they supposedly see from their cars. Far be it for me to suggest that the pollsters just wanted their name in the papers.

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Posts Tagged ‘ misc ’

Global city, local arse?

Earthquake? Twitter knows best

Drift to The Junction

Taxi, rank?

City University

Keep your eyes on the road

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