I wonder if there is any way to get people out of their cars. The argument people use against using public transport is that it needs improvements of some sort (e.g. punctuality, frequency, options). When the people of Manchester are told that £3bn would be pumped into doing just that BEFORE congestion charging would begin to pay for it they voted no!
Most arguments against using public transport (or dare I suggest it walking and cycling) are just excuses. Yes, there are problems with it and yes there are circumstances where it isn’t available or it really is inconvenient. However, there are many people who do have a bus just down the road or are just nipping round the corner and instead of catching the bus or walking 15mins immediately jump in their car. Also people easily forget the huge problems excessive car use causes, to mention a few; congestion, pollution, unreliability, huge level of road deaths, noise, stress, etc.
There are a lot of motorists who just will not use a viable public transport options unless they are forced to and a system of charging for silly journeys where there was a perfectly viable public transport option is the only response to that. This will either result in them using public transport or provide more funds to further improve it.
I am now 3.5 weeks into job at Roke Manor Research Ltd. near Romsey in Hampshire. I am living in Southampton and am going to Above Bar Church (no it’s not above that kind of bar). I will hopefully get some photos up of various things that I got up to during the summer (my last student length summer ever).
Here is a video of outside my window taken over about 1hr30 and speeded up to less than a minute. It looked like it was about to snow so I set the camera running, but seams that centre of Manchester is the only place in the country not to get any. grrr.
I bought a JVC GR-DX77 off eBay primarily to use the Analogue to DV pass through to digitalise our old camcorder tapes before they get too old to play. I have hooked it up to my Mac mini and using it as a webcam from my window (a Windocam if you will). You can watch the 30sec refreshing image it produces at my homepage. I don’t know how long I will keep it going want to see how power hungry it is first. Oh and I apologise for the fact you can’t really see much through my window there is a lot of condensation in my double glazing but thats being replaced next week.
Well all the students around Manchester’s Oxford Road have know UK North (and GM Buses) to be quite dodgy. And what do you know they have been pulled off the streets following safety fears.
If you want find out a bit about the project I’m working on (and at the minute its very brief) and see an awful photo of me, head over to the project website (which I am in charge of maintaining).
The project is called WASPnet (Wireless Acoustic Sensor Pill Network) and the site can be found at www.WASPnet.co.uk
MPs have finally voted to ban smoking in all enclosed public places from Summer 2007. This joins N.Ireland, Wales and Scotland who all decided this agaes ago!
Hopefully this can mean that the law is more clear as it will be applicable for the whole of the UK (or British Isles for that matter). However there will prob be little confusing differences between the regions.
Oh and I can enjoy my lunch/mid-lecture coffee without comming out stinking of smoke.
