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futbolintellect: George Best, receiving the Ballon d’Or in...

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 13:23:13 +0100

futbolintellect:

George Best, receiving the Ballon d’Or in 1968.

beneaththepool: Calcio by Jorge Lawerta.

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 13:22:33 +0100

beneaththepool:

Calcio by Jorge Lawerta.

pitchinvasion: footballandmusic: New 50p coin explains the...

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:31:16 +0000

pitchinvasion:

footballandmusic:

New 50p coin explains
the offside rule. More

Royal Mint page explaining the coin, created for the 2012 London Olympics.

Denom: 50p
Alloy: Cupro-nickel
Weight 8.00g
Diameter: 27.30mm
Reverse Designer: Neil Wolfson
Obverse Designer: Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS

pitchinvasion: This is how tifo is made, in this case by ultras...

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:38:02 +0000

pitchinvasion:

This is how tifo is made, in this case by ultras of Fenerbahçe in Turkey, honoring their Brazilian star and captain Alex.

Terrafugia - Transition®, the Roadable Light Sport Aircraft : Home

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:10:31 +0000

Terrafugia - Transition®, the Roadable Light Sport Aircraft : Home

At IGN, Employees Use A "Viral Pay" System To Determine Each Others' Bonuses | Fast Company

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:37:53 +0000

At IGN, Employees Use A "Viral Pay" System To Determine Each Others' Bonuses | Fast Company

Impressions on my first visit to the COSS

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 23:14:10 +0000

Since I was in town I decided it’d be rude not to head down and have a look at the [more or less] finished article, especially since I can’t make the open day on the 27th. Managed to get a little closer than I expected [technically trespassing as I was later to be told].

Arrived via the flyover and I have to say there can’t be another stadium in the UK which has such an impressive approach. It was good to see there is finally something resembling a sign up facing the motorway, but why it isn’t something larger and more obvious I don’t know. The rumour was that they couldn’t get planning permission for it but that just sounds like bollocks [if you can get permission for the stadium a sign isn’t going to be a problem is it?] and it’s not like it would be expensive by comparison to the whole development.

I jumped out at the front entrance just off Liverpool Way and was surprised to find that there’s a public walkway around the site. First impression up close is that looks very professional and certainly projects the right image from this angle. The red club crests look particularly good and I like the general colour scheme. It’s certainly more impressive than when you approach the main stand at the DW Stadium or Halliwell Jones. I couldn’t help but feel though that getting to the stadium this way makes it feel very isolated coming from the rest of Salford, it pretty much feels like an out of town stadium even though it isn’t really if you look at where the nearest communities are.

The public walkway led me straight on to the car park and after a quick chat with the onsite security I was able to snap a few photos on the proviso I didn’t go inside the stadium itself. I managed to stick my head through the turnstile [which seem to be very similar to the public toilet turnstiles you get in major train stations … slightly worrying given the stories that free entry was rife at The Willows] at the North West corner to get a glimpse inside. The in goal area seems to be quite big which is possibly linked to Sale moving in. Compared to my impressions of the West Stand (main) and certainly versus The Shed or North Stand at The Willows I think the terracing seems very shallow - I could only count about twelve rows of terracing as well - which suggests to me the viewing angles from here will be very poor, especially for those of us who resided towards the back of The Shed. Willows End Reds will probably be at home though. The tunnel under the stand didn’t look to have been fully fitted out yet judging by some of the debris but what I could see suggested it’d be pretty drab like underneath the HJ or DW. No sign of anything resembling the famous player displays that Saints have added at their new place, but there’s time yet I suppose [not that I think for a second anything like that will actually be added]. Also the terracing doesn’t go as far back as the stand structure itself does as can be some on some of the photos released last week officially. Essentially the tunnel underneath is in fact behind rather than under the terracing. I can only imagine this is something to do with facilitating the Phase II or III building work [as if].

I couldn’t see through the glass in to the Club Shop or Ticket area so nothing to report there. The South West corner is pretty much the same as the North West corner except you’ve got the pitches down there with by the look of it the changing facilities for these being behind the South Stand.

I walked away with the feeling that the place does inspire a certain amount of civic pride as a Salfordian but still feels underwhelming as a Salford RLFC fan. I think the design of the stadium itself could turn out to be a real negative. It hasn’t been mentioned so far but for me being able to walk all the way around The Willows was a huge part of the matchday experience - how many of us would go to see mates or relatives in other parts of the ground at half time or even just watch from a different spot now and again? I couldn’t see whether or not there is a tunnel running under the West Stand suggesting access around the stadium once inside, but if that doesn’t exist then I think it will really detract from matchdays. Add to this the fact that there will almost certainly not be any sort of supporters bar onsite and you have to wonder how this place will ever truly feel like home. I couldn’t and still can’t shake the feeling that going to COSS is ultimately not going to feel any different on an emotional level to going to the cinema. Perhaps this is the point when we stop being fans and start being customers. The fact there hasn’t been any consultation with the fans throughout the entire design and building of the current version of the stadium doesn’t really encourage me.

Video

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 16:12:02 +0000

uFlavor

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:04:33 +0000

uFlavor:

Create your own fizzy drink. Genius.

Crystal Palace vs Derby County

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 13:37:56 +0000

Friday 2nd December 2011. 1-1.

Match report and highlights.

Third trip to a neutral London game for 2011, this time down to Selhurst Park. Coming two days after Palace beat us in the Carling Cup the timing was a bit ironic on my part and Palace didn’t seem to want to allow me to forget the fact throughout the evening.

A cheeky beer and a quick scran in Shoreditch after work and it was on the train (or Overground as it seems to be called in London) for the half hour journey down to Norwood Junction.

Selhurst Park sits in the middle of a residential area, half way up a hill and if you approach it from the right angle it looks like it’s in a natural bowl. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been to a night match and the beckoning glow of the floodlights at night is something I’ve missed.

The place lacks the theme park feel of a major stadium (yes Old Trafford, I mean you) although that’s not to say it lacks the same level of muppetry amongst a small section of the local fans as you get at OT, as evidenced by the homemade “Palace 2 Utd 1 - Up Yours Fergie” t-shirt being sported by one middle age muppet.

Having taken advice from my Palace supporting Boss, I’d parted with £30 for a ticket in “The Gallery” which essentially is the front three rows of the second tier at one end. In to the ground and up the stairs to the supporters bar and I was really starting to like the place. It feels like a football stadium should. The supporters bar was decent - we were even trusted with glass pint pots - and I can imagine it’s the sort of set up they have in NFL stadiums in the US.

The game itself was quite open and it was good to finally see a couple of goals on our travels, as our first two neutral games had been nil-nil affairs. The Holmesdale Fanatics, the resident Ultras group, made a good fist of creating an atmosphere in a more or less half empty stadium and I was quite impressed at how tolerant the club and stewards obviously are of them. I could even tolerate their anti-United chants. Whilst feeling slightly stung at parting with £30 for Championship football, the view was decent and almost certainly a lot more comfortable than that in the wooden (!) seats in the decrepit stands that run along either side of the pitch.

The night was finished off with a few beers in a boozer near Waterloo and a good go on the quiz machine. Best question of the night:

Which one of these books did not have a happy ending?

[A] …

[B] …

[C] Anne Frank’s Diary.

I’ll write up QPR vs Derby and Barnet vs Accrington Stanley when I can be arsed.

Time Twister - LEGO Mindstorms digital clock - Boing Boing

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:35:17 +0000

Time Twister - LEGO Mindstorms digital clock - Boing Boing

Astrosurfer - Coolest Wallpaper on the web? | Cool Pictures | Cool Stuff

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:05:41 +0000

Astrosurfer - Coolest Wallpaper on the web? | Cool Pictures | Cool Stuff

Crack The Surface I [urban exploration]

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 19:52:50 +0000

Crack The Surface I [urban exploration]

Aldwych Tube Station visit

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 19:28:48 +0000

Yesterday I went along to one of the open days held by the London Transport Museum at Aldwych Station, on The Strand. Aldwych Station (originally called Strand Station) was closed for public use in 1994 and was formerly part of the Piccadilly line. It still has a connection to Holborn station which apparently would have been used as our emergency exit in the event of any problems whilst we were on the tour. Now it’s used by TFL for various training / development needs and is now and again hired out for use by film companies as a filming location.

The station has two platforms, one which was closed to train services in 1914 and the other closing in 1994 with the station itself. The station has had several other uses beyond being a tube station and filming location - during World War I it was used to house national treasures for safekeeping, including the Elgin Marbles and in World War II it was used a bomb shelter.

I’ve added a few pictures of my own but there’s plenty more via the links below.

Further Reading

http://www.silentuk.com/?p=3115 (recommended!)

http://underground-history.co.uk/aldwych.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldwych_tube_station

http://www.silentuk.com/?p=3428 (more disused Underground stations)

Photo

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 16:05:52 +0000

This is why I won’t buy an iPad.

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:48:42 +0000

This is why I won’t buy an iPad.

The NFL star and the brain injuries that destroyed him | Science | The Guardian

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 16:35:36 +0100

The NFL star and the brain injuries that destroyed him | Science | The Guardian

Great days out no. 1 Boca Juniors ...

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 22:06:43 +0100

I’ll be looking to write up a few of my experiences at various sporting occasions over the years, and this is the first, my trip to a Buenos Aires derby in October 2010.

Since the first moment I’d had the idea to go to South America I knew that I’d have to go to Buenos Aires and that I’d have to go to see Boca Juniors play. The flights were booked six months in advance, direct in to Buenos Aires and purposely timed to arrive on a Saturday morning so I’d have enough time to get to the stadium for a game. At the time the fixtures for the Apertura hadn’t been announced, but fast forward a few months and I found out Boca would be away the weekend I was in Buenos Aires. By a stroke of luck (!) it turned out that Boca were away, but had a Buenos Aires derby against Independiente from Avellaneda just south of BA. It probably wasn’t that much of a stroke of luck given that only six of the other nineteen teams in the Primera Division aren’t from Greater BA, but either way I was happy.

Next step was to research getting tickets and how to get to the match. In an actual stroke of luck I found a highly rated hostel near the Argentinian National Congress that would not only sort my lodging needs out, but also offered trips to all the local football matches - result. So more or less as soon as I arrived at the hostel, completely shot after the long flight, I’d booked myself on to the trip for the next day (Sunday).

A brightly decorated colectivo turned up the next morning to collect us and I found myself sat next to a sound French lad from Toulouse who worked for Airbus, who was to be my companion for the day. A half hour journey south from central BA saw us arrive in a scruffy, apparently derelict street in Avellaneda, via a short stop at a petrol station to collect the tickets. Our group numbered around 15, and included a mix of nervous middle aged American tourists, an incredibly chirpy Scottish lad, unexplicably two hot girls from somewhere unknown, and a mix of young European lads like myself from various places. We took to the street and were invited to join a street barbecue, with traditional choripan on offer and what seemed to be a limitless supply of Quilmes (which at about 50p a bottle, was considerably better value than the £4 a bottle I’ve paid in London …). The hygiene standards probably wouldn’t even pass muster in the cheapest British kebab shop, which may have explained why the Yanks didn’t partake, but everyone else enjoyed the grub and the locals seemed amused to have some unusual (foreign) company. We were called together and given a briefing about safety, which boiled down to: stay with the group, make sure you’ve drunk your beer before we get to the stadium, and always stay within eyesight of this guy (at which point the guide pointed to a guy who could most accurately be described as a brick shithouse). To add to the fearsome look he didn’t once speak, and even with a beer in hand couldn’t crack a smile. We set off for the stadium.

As we got near the recently redeveloped Doble Visera stadium, still the best part of two hours to kick off, we bumped in to the Independiente barras bravas Los Diablos Rojos (ultras/hooligans), easily recognisable by the presence of their scrawny leader Bebote who was interviewed by Danny Dyer for his TV series International Football Factories. All did not seem well in paradise as there was clearly a large argument going on, but there was no violence and the several hundred heavily armed Police stood nearby saw fit not to intervene. We headed for the gates.

Predictably given the fact we’d been given three simple rules to follow, one idiot in our group was unable to follow all three of these simple rules. The smart amongst you will have already guessed that that idiot was me, and that the rule broken was to finish your beer before getting to the stadium. In my defence I hadn’t really noticed as I was so busy watching what was going on around me, but it was soon brought to my attention by a fist to the face from a member of the Buenos Aires Police Force. The guide quickly translated between me and the officer in question (ie. to him: he’s a gormless foreigner, to me: sling the can) and, can slung, I was allowed to proceed in to the ground via two (very thorough) body searches and a ticket check.

Having not thought to ask previously I was very happily surprised to learn we were going to be stood in the home end amongst the Independiente barras bravas. This was going to be a great experience and I was now even more excited. The crowd was still thin but rapidly expanding, and those already in the ground were making an impressive amount of noise for a few hundred people. We grouped under the stand and took in the atmosphere. As the crowd dripped in I noticed that our brick shithouse seemed to have a lot of friends amongst the locals and was constantly having his hand shook in a very “Godfather” like manner. I enquired as to his status with the guide and it transpired that he was a senior barra brava and was being paid by the company to make sure we were treated well. This completely unsettled the already nervous Yanks. I also discovered that our guide was a Boca fan, which explained the nervousness he’d been exhibiting since we got to the ground. He also explained how unfortunately they didn’t offer trips to Boca home games with the barra bravas as it’s simply too dangerous and they can’t ensure the safety of foreigners. Instead, they buy tickets for an over-priced but safe ‘tourist section’.

A group of school age local lads seemed most curious about our presence and asked our guide who we were. They were keen to have a few pictures taken with the foreigners and the group were happy to oblige. By this time a number of drums had appeared under the stand, and the atmosphere quickly clicked up a notch as songs were being sung, drums banged and hands clapped. In Argentina it’s customary for the fans to carry umbrellas in their team colours (red and white in this case) and I was soon handed an umbrella and encouraged to wave it around and generally get involved. The Yanks had clearly never seen anything like it but the rest of the group was buzzing. We headed up in to the stand behind the goal and were greeted by a sea of red and white and a fire cracker atmosphere. A spot was selected for us to stand and we took up our position to enjoy the show in the stands. A few minutes before kick off a giant stand covering banner was unfurled over our heads.

Boca Juniors hail from one of the poorer parts of the city, La Boca, and it’s famous for being an immigrant area. Originally settled by Italians in the 1800s, the area is mainly European in heritage but has a lot of Bolivians and Paraguayans living there. The Independiente fans had decided to reference this, and as Boca ran out to defend the goal in front of where we were they were greeted by the very bizarre sight of a hail of several thousand bread rolls on to the pitch, specifically ‘bolitas’ and ‘paraguayas’ rolls which are both also racist terms for Bolivians and Paraguayans. It took several minutes to clear the pitch before the game could start and the Boca keeper was periodically pelted with more rolls for the entire first half.

The game itself was dull to say the least, and was played out as a poor nil-nil draw. Few shots on target and with neither side looking even remotely like they could score meant the entertainment was confined to what was going on in the stands. The Scot in our group had managed to make friends with a local and score some weed and the Yanks were on the verge of a complete breakdown by half time but everyone else was having a great time taking in an amazing atmosphere. The Boca fans in the upper tier of the far end were doing their bit as well, and the 5,000 strong contingent were making a real racket.

When the game finished, in a departure from normal British practice, we were kept in the stadium in order to allow the away fans to be escorted out and put on buses back to La Boca. As their top tier emptied it became clear it was kicking off outside as the Independiente fans at that end of the stadium ran to look over the back of the stands to see what was happening. We could hear the situation rapidly getting out of control even from the other end of the stadium and it wasn’t long before we could hear the Police firing (rubber bullets) at the Boca fans to try to bring the situation under control. And you thought Celtic - Rangers was rough. An hour later the Boca fans had been herded to back towards La Boca and we were finally allowed to leave. It wasn’t long before I was back near the hostel enjoying a large Quilmes and some empanadas to round off a belting day.

paul scholes

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 12:39:50 +0100

paul scholes

Schumpeter: The Catalan kings | The Economist

Thu, 26 May 2011 19:59:58 +0100

Schumpeter: The Catalan kings | The Economist