Freedom of choice?
The question of free will is one that has been done to death by others and more eloquently than I ever could, but most articles I have read often delve into abstract philosophy. I do like abstract thinking, but as a practical man I tend to think of the issue in terms of physics and tangible concepts.
Newtonian physics is governed by laws. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction: cause and effect. This is the nature of a deterministic universe and my job as a Structural Engineer is based entirely on this premise.
Every decision you make is … Click to read more
Posted in Architecture, I See Faces
Tagged abstract philosophy, abstract thinking, baz luhrman, bristol, broadmead, cause and effect, chemical processes, conscious choices, corollary, emotions, equal and opposite reaction, external influence, fabric of the universe, free will, freedom of choice, freedom to choose, henry ford, jacques merde absolutement, mary schmich, mechanics of the brain, merde, microscopic level, muzzle, newtonian physics, newtonian principles, odeon cinema, practical man, quantum mechanics, sensory inputs, splodgety, structural engineer, supercomputers, the grove, toshiba, weather systems
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Five a day
I have had a block of garlic butter in my fridge for a month or so, which I originally bought to go with a nice steak. I think it might have been a rib eye steak, but it could equally well have been anything else. You see, I don’t know much about steak except that I like it rare and that it can be quite expensive. It’s one of those things I want to learn more about but never seem to get round to.  Cooking is something I don’t have much time for but when I do I find it … Click to read more
Posted in Architecture, Food, I See Faces
Tagged appetite, biologist, boast, bristol, cheese and ham, chips, conundrum, croissant syndrome, dietician, egg-fried rice, five a day, food association, food chain, fridge, fruit and veg, fruit and vegetables, garlic, garlic bread, garlic butter, harbourside, mccain, mccain's oven chips, mini baguettes, new year, new year's resolution, parsley, rain, ready meals, rib eye steak, scratch, word association
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How long’s a piece of string?
“In a few moments time this train will be calling at Bristol Temple Meads, where this service will terminate. Bristol Temple Meads your final station stop. All change please, all change.”
This is a second most familiar announcement to those regularly travelling on the Great Western Railway line between London and Bristol, the most familiar being, “We’re sorry that the 1709 First Great Western service to Bristol Temple Meads is delayed by approximately 23 minutes”. Public transport. We loves it.
This is a photograph of Chippenham station. There is currently a Portakabin situated near the front gate with an LV … Click to read more
Posted in Architecture, I See Faces, Object, Transport
Tagged a few moments, aleksandr orlov, bristol temple meads, clock, elastic bands, expression, few moments, free shopping spree, geek, great western railway, how long's a piece of string, indonesian, karet, math, maths, perceptions, person to person, photograph, phrase, planck time, portakabin, power supply, public transport, railway line, relaxed attitude, supermarket sweep, train, way of life
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There was a crooked man
I was out with some great people yesterday and learned some Makaton, would you believe. I say learned, but I didn’t. I was subjected to a lot of it, but hey, I have a tendency to talk with my hands a lot myself; it’s a continental thing, apparently… But I never knew there was a word for my “dialect” of made up sign language amongst Makaton “speakers”. Apparently it is termed “Mockaton”. Years ago (back in the 80s), when I “were” a nipper, I watched some school television programme about sign language. For reasons I don’t understand (Is there a … Click to read more
Posted in Architecture, I See Faces, Object
Tagged 80s, bsl, crooked cat, crooked man, crooked mile, crooked mouth, crooked sixpence, dialect, lisp, makaton, nipper, nursery rhyme, psychologist psychiatrist, razz, school television, sign language, stile, television programme, tendency, wrong side
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Welcome aboard the train of thought
It’s been a fairly long time since I last posted. Apologies, I’ve been very busy at work and in my private life. Busy is always a poor excuse people use when they can’t be bothered and I have to confess that I am guilty of it myself from time to time, though not on this occasion. Have I really been too busy to post an update? Have I really been too busy to reply to that email that I flagged last week? Was she really too busy to reply to my text back in November?
When it comes to writing, … Click to read more
Posted in Architecture, I See Faces, Object
Tagged apologies, busy at work, email, emailing, equal opportunities, female gender, few days, philosophies, photograph, poor excuse, private life, refuse compactor, reply, text message, train of thought, trains, undisclosed location, waffle, waffles, word association
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When’s a beam not a beam? When it’s a metaphor…
Pubs can be nice places to meet friends over food and drink and be merry. Some of the old timber beams can be interesting and they add character to an old pub. Look more closely at one of the supporting brackets, however, and there is something more sinister going on. A man has been gagged and is suffering in silence – in silence, for he cannot speak. Down below are people having fun. Some may be aware of his existence, others may not. In a way it is a metaphor for the divide between the “haves” and “have-nots” or the … Click to read more
Thekla
Ever been to the Thekla in Bristol? Have you ever noticed the faces with their mouths open on the top deck? The Thekla is an interesting concept and it’s a very popular venue. I have been in there a few times and it has always been absolutely rammed. The club nights are not really my scene but it’s worth going for the experience. Funnily enough, I never knew they did gigs in there until recently, when I saw The Bluetones were playing there. Sadly I had missed it by several months. I used to love The Bluetones – and still … Click to read more
Posted in Architecture, I See Faces
Tagged bluetones, bristol, club nights, faces, mouth open, mouths, nostalgia, thekla, top deck
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Blue’s the new grey
Anyone familiar with the centre of Bristol will undoubtedly have noticed the new Radisson Blu Hotel in what used to be the Bristol & West Building Society offices. I once read some architectural spiel somewhere about the cladding, that it was clad in varying shades of blue to make it blend in with the sky, so as not to be as intrusive. To be honest, when it had the exposed aggregate concrete finish for years, it stood out like a sore thumb and no-one cared… In any case, with the weather we get in this country (i.e. grey skies), making … Click to read more
Posted in Architecture, I See Faces
Tagged bristol, bristol and west, building society, concrete finish, faces, grey skies, grinning, hotel, radisson, radisson blu, shades, sky, smiling, society offices, sore thumb, weather
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Hyperbole?
I was walking through Castle Park in Bristol City Centre the other day and looked at the Finzels Reach development, which they seem to have been building forever. As a Structural Engineer I do take an interest in buildings, particularly in their unfinished state and took a moment to look at the temporary works keeping up the existing facade. I spotted the adjacent building and noticed a smiling face formed by two windows making eyes, with a cable forming a smiling mouth. I do like a hyperbolic cosine… Geek? No, chic!… Click to read more
Pharmacy in the sky
I was on my way to Asda the other day and and looked up at the sky and noticed the tower of Bottelino’s Italian restaurant looking down at me. The slightly open round window makes it look like he’s got his mouth open, exposing his tongue. In the Netherlands they have stone or wooden figures with their mouths open outside pharmacies. They are called gapers. It kind of reminded me of that. Maybe it’s the entrance to a big pharmacy in the sky.… Click to read more
Posted in Architecture, I See Faces
Tagged asda, italian restaurant, mouth open, mouths, netherlands, pharmacies, pharmacy, shocked, sky, tongue, wooden figures, yawning
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