Canon Powershot G1X

Yes, I decided to treat myself to a new camera, and after a fair amount of research settled for the Canon Powershot G1X.  My Lumix has given me really good service over the last few years but it's taken quite a battering, and the video recording is now very disappointing.  The challenge with a new camera is learning both what it can do, and how to work the many controls, options, settings, modes, and menus.  Of course it's another device which is really a computer, with some great optics attached.  Yesterday I went out for a couple of hours and came back with some quite pleasing results.  Here are two.

These gas holders sit beside the Regents Canal

This chap was at peace in Victoria Park, with a family of squirrels playing behind his back.  Not a great photo optically, but quite fun.

John Lewis shows its true colours

John Lewis is one of the major sponsors of the 2012 Olympic Games and I like the way they’ve decided to make a big splash about it on their Oxford Street store.   They’ve rather cleverly redrawn the Union flag, dropping the red, white and blue and using instead the 2012 colours.

Shadowy Cameron

You see a number of these street performers around London, and I’m sure in many other cities too.  This one is on the broad walkway, where the northern end of the Millennium Bridge meets Upper Thames Street.  My eye was caught by the shadowy figure looking on from behind:  it’s our esteemed pm David Cameron, sheltering inside the window of The City of London School   

You can see more photos of these types of performers here, and here.

Ten tiny fingers, ten tiny toes

I saw these on the Tube a couple of weeks ago, the first time I'd seen such things.  They were on a man, and at first I thought he might be a fashion student, perhaps trying out a prototype, or end-of-year project.  But then I realised he and his mates were sports fans, heading to an Olympic site (not that fashion students can't also be sports fans). 

Two minutes with Google and I've got the answer.  They are an established product, called Five Fingers, made by Vibram, and sold all over the world, with a huge range of models.  Ah, what a sheltered life I lead.   Full details here:  

Borough Market

Borough Market, just south of the river, at the junction with London Bridge, has a wonderfully wide range of producers.  I don't see it any longer as a fruit 'n veg market but more a place where foodies can sample a fantastic range of fresh supplies and products.  Here is one which caught my eye.

Trusted Friend or the Evil Empire?

Two thought-provoking pieces in the newspapers, within a matter of days.

Apple's cloud rains on its own parade

John Naughton reports on the risks in placing all your digital possessions up there in the Cloud.

"In the space of one hour my entire digital life was destroyed. First my Google account was taken over, then deleted. Next my Twitter account was compromised, and used as a platform to broadcast racist and homophobic messages. And worst of all, my AppleID account was broken into, and my hackers used it to remotely erase all of the data on my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook."

 Read more here

A paragon of internet virtue no more

Andrew Smith writes about the latest scandal to hit Google, once the ‘good guys’ and now increasingly being seen as switching to the dark side. Full article here

Declaration: I am of course very conscious that I’m writing this post on an Apple MacBook and posting it on a Google blog: such is life

Life is Beautiful: Mr Brainwash

My post of July 15th below shows two graffiti images from the old mail sorting office on New Oxford St/Museum Street.  I saw today that they have been joined by more.  The tall banner seems suitably disrespectful, with a young Queen Elizabteh holding a spray can and wearing a CND brooch. And yet the banner itself, with its size and professional fixing, almost seems like a piece of corporate advertising.  The signature of Mr Brainwash, in the bottom right hand corner perhaps confirms the rumours.

I don’t know the authorship of the other two.  

Pounding Hearts…the GB taxpayers

The organisers have repeatedly claimed there would be no Olympic Games without the sponsors. The fact is that the major part of the total cost of around £9.3 billion, is met from the GB taxpayers.