currybetdotnet Walthamstow archive

Wonderful Wifi at Walthamstow Central Library
The ratio of moaning and complaining to praise on this blog is always far too much of the former and not enough of the latter, so I thought I'd just write a few words in praise of the web services offered at Walthamstow Central Library by the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The heart of the library is a listed building. It was where, in the 1970s, I first started getting addicted to reading the Doctor Who Target books. The...

Read the full post - Published May 4, 2008 in Walthamstow

College to close swimming pool in Olympic Borough of Waltham Forest
It hasn't been a good week or so for the 2012 London Olympics, what with the logo fiasco and all that. The Sun, well known champion of minority rights and anti-discrimination, ran a competition featuring a blind woman and a monkey to improve the logo design. Nice to see The Sun think of them as equals. And I noted that they managed to plug the software used by their designer for her effort: "The Sun's graphics editor Kathryn George also...

Read the full post - Published June 13, 2007 in London Olympics, Walthamstow

The new UK digital singles chart tries to avoid the old hype
Today marks a significant milestone in the history of the British singles chart, as when on Sunday afternoon the BBC counts down the Top 40 it will be the first time that downloads and physical singles will be competing on an equal footing. For me it is a bit like coming full circle, as it means that one of my projects, the Sony Connect digital music store, is now a proper "chart return store", just like the record shop in...

Read the full post - Published January 7, 2007 in Music, Sony, Walthamstow

Walthamstow Dog stadium on The Londonist, Visit London, and my Flickr stream
Last week the excellent Londonist site used another one of my Flickr pictures to illustrate a story about encouraging Visit London to make more of the attractions available to tourists outside of Zone 1. Apparently Walthamstow Stadium is one of only six attractions outside of Central London listed by Visit London....

Read the full post - Published December 21, 2006 in Flickr, Walthamstow

Evening Standard using Muslim anger to sell newspapers in Walthamstow
In the West End on Friday Evening Standard billboards were leading on the Heather Mills divorce saga. In Walthamstow it was a different story. The fact that Jack Lefley's "Community leaders blame foreign policy for anger" article was only ~250 words long, and was buried on page 10 of the paper, didn't stop the Evening Standard using it as their main sales thrust in E17....

Read the full post - Published August 21, 2006 in Evening Standard, Media, Walthamstow

Being in Walthamstow during the "terror raids"
With a week gone since Britain was put on a high state of terror alert, it is quite odd to reflect that I flew back to Walthamstow just as it became the centre of what was, briefly, the world's biggest news story. In my wanderings around the borough I pass several of the houses that were raided, and there is still a large police presence and frequent over-flying by police helicopters in the area. The equally large media presence, whether...

Read the full post - Published August 17, 2006 in Walthamstow

Al's Records, Walthamstow and Islington
As the music industry still struggles to come to terms with the way the internet has smashed through their business model, it is always nice to see something that demonstrates that the business model has not always been set in stone. Instead of trying to legislate and prosecute for the status quo, the industry should be working out how to adjust the model to keep the content publishing companies in business, if they are still to have a place. Whilst...

Read the full post - Published October 30, 2005 in Music, Walthamstow

Record Sleeves Reproduced With Permission From Universal
Now here's something I've never seen before. In Walthamstow's little heart of American retail - The Mall - River Island has a shop window display that features various album sleeves scattered around the floor underneath the showroom dummies. Plastered across the whole of the window is a transparent sticker declaring in bold text: Record sleeves reproduced with permission from Universal Perhaps Universal were worried someone might download the shop-window and file-share the sleeves? I noted though that River Island had...

Read the full post - Published October 27, 2005 in Music, Walthamstow

Panic On The Streets Of London
As I got home this evening panic buying of petrol in Walthamstow had begun.    As a non-driver myself I can't tell you whether it was the threat of the £1 litre, upcoming blockades that are not apparently happening, the fear that American oil consumption would leap following Hurricane Katrina, or that fact that two of our national newspapers today said "Please don't panic buy" that started it off. I do know two things for certain though: 1) Not one...

Read the full post - Published September 13, 2005 in Politics, Transport, Walthamstow

The College Arms Re-Opens
So tonight I was at the re-opening party for my local pub - The College Arms. It has been shut for over a month for refurbishment. The doors re-opened on Tuesday (when I naturally checked it out), but tonight was the big event, with a band and free food. (The band finished their main set with a version of American Pie - co-incidentally on Thursday I had read a very detailed exposition of the frankly over-complicated lyrics of the song)...

Read the full post - Published September 11, 2005 in Other, Walthamstow

Haunted Walthamstow and Chingford

Published September 8, 2005 in Ghost Walks, Popular, Walthamstow

Things Our Neighbours Have Thrown Into Our Garden

Published August 22, 2005 in Flickr, Other, Walthamstow

The Bike Shed at Walthamstow Central

Published August 20, 2005 in Cycling, London Underground, Transport, Walthamstow

O's Top Of The League Ladder

Published August 10, 2005 in Football, Walthamstow

So That's Cycling Over For A Bit Then

Published July 18, 2005 in Cycling, Walthamstow

Green Fair in Waltham Forest (Quietly)

Published July 18, 2005 in Politics, Walthamstow

London's Transport, and Passengers Back To Normal in Walthamstow

Published July 14, 2005 in Transport, Walthamstow

Olympic Round-Up

Published July 6, 2005 in DCMS, Football, London Olympics, Olympics, Walthamstow

Vote today - Hellfire tomorrow

Published May 5, 2005 in Politics, Walthamstow

Election hustings meeting in Walthamstow

Published April 27, 2005 in Politics, Walthamstow

Adopt-a-Station with 'one'

Published March 6, 2005 in Transport, Walthamstow

Smoking in pubs - A black mark for the Dog & Duck

Published November 15, 2004 in Walthamstow

The worst train stations in London

Published November 15, 2004 in Evening Standard, Transport, Walthamstow

Accident at Walthamstow Bus Station

Published September 16, 2004 in Transport, Walthamstow

Cause and effect?

Published September 12, 2004 in Transport, Walthamstow

One angry man and fifty-five bored residents

Published September 11, 2004 in Politics, Walthamstow

Walthamstow West Community Council meeting

Published September 6, 2004 in Politics, Walthamstow, eGovernment

There will always be a corner of Walthamstow that is Dukla Praha

Published July 1, 2004 in Football, Walthamstow

Walthamstow Central Bus Station - accessibility and security

Published June 28, 2004 in Transport, Walthamstow

My first Walthamstow West Community Council meeting

Published June 15, 2004 in Politics, Walthamstow

Complaint about the 212 bus route in Walthamstow

Published June 15, 2004 in Transport, Walthamstow

Walthamstow Stadium on the BBC.co.uk homepage

Published May 9, 2004 in BBC, Walthamstow

Champions League Football and racist graffiti at The College Arms in Walthamstow

Published March 25, 2004 in Football, Walthamstow

You might have to tape that for me

Published February 27, 2004 in Media, Music, Walthamstow

How to confuse WAGN ticket inspectors with your Oystercard

Published February 25, 2004 in Transport, Walthamstow

Reclaim Our Cinema - the EMD Cinema in Walthamstow gets an unofficial refurbishment

Published February 7, 2004 in Walthamstow

Oystercard - the problem is when the man meets the machine

Published October 16, 2003 in Transport, Walthamstow

The Beatles at Walthamstow Granada

Published June 16, 2003 in Music, Walthamstow

Anti-war demo at Walthamstow Central

Published March 20, 2003 in Politics, Walthamstow

Neil Gerrard MP against entitlement cards

Published February 8, 2003 in Politics, Walthamstow