I can't get digital TV in my flat. The joys of being a Leasholder in my particular block mean that Freeview, Sky and Digital Cable are all off limits. I am therefore enjoying the BBC iPlayer and 4oD that I have started to use recently to catch up on shows that I have missed.
Both my friends Ed and Mike have told me they prefer the iPlayer, I think that I am tending towards 4oD. Below is what I like and dislike about each. Saying I like something in one, can usually be taken as an implicit criticism of a feature I think is missing in the other.
Is there a killer feature I am missing on the iPlayer? I am hoping to be informed!
iPlayer
What I like:
- The early beta had a very rubbish layout. I kept having to change to the simple plain text view to find the download button. Which is a pretty key feature. Thankfully this has been fixed in the official release.
- They seem to vary the size of files depending on the popularity of the programme between 300 & 600MB. More popular programmes are generally smaller. You loose a bit in quality, but I don't mind that as it means quicker download times.
- You get an estimation of the remaining download time. This is missing on 4oD.
What I don't like:
- Download speeds can be really variable. I have had a 1hr show take 30mins and on another couple of occasions predictions of 36hrs!!! I had to give up and log back on a couple of hours later.
- Programmes are not available immediately after the show has been aired. It can often take quite a few hours.
- If you pause watching a show and go back to it later it doesn't remember where you were and you have to fast forward yourself.
4oD
What I like:
- You can pre-book shows if you know you will be out. They are also available immediately after being shown if you haven't pre-booked.
- I seem to be achieving solid / consistent download times of about 30 / 40mins for 1hr shows. It is the consistency that I really like compared to the iPlayer.
- There are no adverts. Now I know that people would find a way to chop them out etc.., but it is good to see they took the mature decision. I can imagine for a commercial station there most ave been some pressure to include advertising.
What I don't like:
- It does not work seamlessly whether you are on or off line (the iPlayer does). I watched a show offline and then had to uninstall and re-install it to connect online again.
- They offer a PIN service so that if you download an 18+ show on a family PC computer you can prevent your kids from seeing it. I think this is a good feature, but as I don't have kids I want to set it so that this option never comes up. I haven't been able to do this and every time I download a show I need to choose.
Let the debate begin! (Someone please comment or I am going to look very stupid!)
For friends, musings, restaurant reviews and travel news.
Sunday, 24 February 2008
Saturday, 23 February 2008
February catch up
I've neglected the blog for the past week or so here is a little round up of what I have been up to. I know that Mike was getting anxious at the thought of not being featured.
Manchester
I went to visit some old uni housemates for a night during my second week off work. It was a bit of a flying visit, where I ate far too much good food and left feeling a little bit stuffed!
I arrived on the Wednesday and had lunch with Mike and Claire at Feluccini in the centre. Mike told me that he has eaten everything on the menu, a sign that he goes there far too much! I had the crab spaghetti which was a delight. It had an Asian twist with coriander, lime and chili which worked fantastically as a combination with the pasta and crab. It was quite novel for me to have a two hour lunch break on a week day. I kept waiting for someone to look at their watch and make mutterings about needing to get back to work.......
In the early evening Mike gave me a tour of his new lab, the John Garside Building, before we met the Thai pop sensation John for a drink. After picking up Claire from the gym at the end of her class we headed down to Rusholme for a curry. I can't remember the name of the curry house, but if I call it Habitat those aficionados of Rusholme will know where I mean.
On Thursday morning I had a Thai Massage at John's family Thai Gift Shop on Portland St in central Manchester. Every Thai massage I go for seems to be completely different, this one involved the full walking up and down your back routine. I did feel better for it though! I rolled out my stock Thai phrases to get a few laughs and afterwards the masseuse told John she thought I was practically bilingual! This caused hysterics as John knows full well I can only say the five sentences he has taught me.
(P.S. Google Analytics tells me that my review of a Thai Massage in Clapham is one of my more popular pages. Including the words Happy Ending seem to guarantee even more hits. Just in case anyone with a struggling blog like mine is interested! ;-))
Brampton, Cumbria
After Manchester I headed on up to Cumbria for a few days with my family. It was a relaxing time with my grandparents, mum, dad and sister. Here is a picture of Talkin Tarn for you all to enjoy.
It is a kettle hole lake formed in the last ice age for anyone needing a case study for their A'level geography project.
Canteen, Royal Festival Hall
On Wednesday this week I went for dinner with family friends to Canteen at the Royal Festival Hall. I think Canteen is a great chain of restaurants. It met the same high standards as the Spitalfields branch I visited in September.
Manchester
I went to visit some old uni housemates for a night during my second week off work. It was a bit of a flying visit, where I ate far too much good food and left feeling a little bit stuffed!
I arrived on the Wednesday and had lunch with Mike and Claire at Feluccini in the centre. Mike told me that he has eaten everything on the menu, a sign that he goes there far too much! I had the crab spaghetti which was a delight. It had an Asian twist with coriander, lime and chili which worked fantastically as a combination with the pasta and crab. It was quite novel for me to have a two hour lunch break on a week day. I kept waiting for someone to look at their watch and make mutterings about needing to get back to work.......
In the early evening Mike gave me a tour of his new lab, the John Garside Building, before we met the Thai pop sensation John for a drink. After picking up Claire from the gym at the end of her class we headed down to Rusholme for a curry. I can't remember the name of the curry house, but if I call it Habitat those aficionados of Rusholme will know where I mean.
On Thursday morning I had a Thai Massage at John's family Thai Gift Shop on Portland St in central Manchester. Every Thai massage I go for seems to be completely different, this one involved the full walking up and down your back routine. I did feel better for it though! I rolled out my stock Thai phrases to get a few laughs and afterwards the masseuse told John she thought I was practically bilingual! This caused hysterics as John knows full well I can only say the five sentences he has taught me.
(P.S. Google Analytics tells me that my review of a Thai Massage in Clapham is one of my more popular pages. Including the words Happy Ending seem to guarantee even more hits. Just in case anyone with a struggling blog like mine is interested! ;-))
Brampton, Cumbria
After Manchester I headed on up to Cumbria for a few days with my family. It was a relaxing time with my grandparents, mum, dad and sister. Here is a picture of Talkin Tarn for you all to enjoy.
It is a kettle hole lake formed in the last ice age for anyone needing a case study for their A'level geography project.Canteen, Royal Festival Hall
On Wednesday this week I went for dinner with family friends to Canteen at the Royal Festival Hall. I think Canteen is a great chain of restaurants. It met the same high standards as the Spitalfields branch I visited in September.
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Meze Mangal plans new patisserie - stolen headline
Hat tip to Brockley Central for beaking the news that the shops on Lewisham Way are going to be bolstered by a new Turkish patisserie to be opened next door to, and run by the current owners of Meze Mangal.
Will be a great boost for the parade of shops. I head feared that one or two places might close after the arrival of Tesco before more regeneration took place. So far no shops have closed, to my knowledge, and it is great to hear that new places might soon be opening.
Will be a great boost for the parade of shops. I head feared that one or two places might close after the arrival of Tesco before more regeneration took place. So far no shops have closed, to my knowledge, and it is great to hear that new places might soon be opening.
Monday, 11 February 2008
Restaurant Review: Longtime Cafe
Tonight I went for dinner at Longtime Cafe. This place has intrigued me ever since I first saw it, even though there is little in the window to entice / inform the customer. What is the menu? What are the opening times? Does it do takeaway? Is it B.Y.O? Perhaps the simplicity of the window adds to the intrigue.
Despite the Thai sounding name, when you look at the menu it is definitely a mixture of both Thai and Vietnamese dishes. One of the other customers asked if they had her favourites starter, prawns rolled in rice paper. "No" came the answer "they are not on the menu today, we have a different menu every day. We can only get good quality rice paper on Thursday, Friday and Saturday." A menu that changes every day and a restaurant that takes dishes off the menu when they can't get the quality of ingredients they want, suddenly I am even more hopeful.
I ordered the Vietnamese special Pho noodle soup. Special because it comes with beef, chicken and wontons. It was very delicious. The table next to me had a papaya salad which they praised, followed my Pho soups as well. You can see into the kitchen too which I always like, as it gives you confidence in a place.
The staff were young and friendly and they seemed reasonably busy, with a steady stream of customers in the cafe and takeaway orders, very promising for a Monday night.
I'm hoping to go back soon.
UPDATE: My new friend Kake has recently posted her own review of Longtime Cafe and can report that it is open 5pm to 10:30pm Mon-Sat; closed Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Despite the Thai sounding name, when you look at the menu it is definitely a mixture of both Thai and Vietnamese dishes. One of the other customers asked if they had her favourites starter, prawns rolled in rice paper. "No" came the answer "they are not on the menu today, we have a different menu every day. We can only get good quality rice paper on Thursday, Friday and Saturday." A menu that changes every day and a restaurant that takes dishes off the menu when they can't get the quality of ingredients they want, suddenly I am even more hopeful.
I ordered the Vietnamese special Pho noodle soup. Special because it comes with beef, chicken and wontons. It was very delicious. The table next to me had a papaya salad which they praised, followed my Pho soups as well. You can see into the kitchen too which I always like, as it gives you confidence in a place.
The staff were young and friendly and they seemed reasonably busy, with a steady stream of customers in the cafe and takeaway orders, very promising for a Monday night.
I'm hoping to go back soon.
UPDATE: My new friend Kake has recently posted her own review of Longtime Cafe and can report that it is open 5pm to 10:30pm Mon-Sat; closed Sundays and Bank Holidays.
National Maritime Museum and The Royal Observatory
My time of leisure has a few more days to run, so I decided to head down to two of the museums in Greenwich to see what attracts all those thousands of tourists in the summer.
My first stop was the National Maritime Museum. Light and airy displays set across three floors explaining our maritime history. Covering all sorts of wonders from the exploration of the Far East and Americas to the rise of cruise liners and mega container ships. My favourite display was an interactive map of the Battle of Trafalgar.
Afterwards I strolled through Greenwich Park up to the Observatory. My favourite display was the camera obscura showing a photo like quality image of the Royal Naval College below.
It must be horrible during the hight of summer as the Observatory is a connection of small buildings that I imagine get very crowded. I was pleased to be visiting on a quiet winter day.
On the Meridian Line, one foot in the east and the other in the west.
My first stop was the National Maritime Museum. Light and airy displays set across three floors explaining our maritime history. Covering all sorts of wonders from the exploration of the Far East and Americas to the rise of cruise liners and mega container ships. My favourite display was an interactive map of the Battle of Trafalgar.
Afterwards I strolled through Greenwich Park up to the Observatory. My favourite display was the camera obscura showing a photo like quality image of the Royal Naval College below.
It must be horrible during the hight of summer as the Observatory is a connection of small buildings that I imagine get very crowded. I was pleased to be visiting on a quiet winter day.
On the Meridian Line, one foot in the east and the other in the west.
Sunday, 10 February 2008
Restaurant Review: Reds Bar and Grill Putney
Last night I went to Reds Bar and Grill in Putney and sadly I can't say a good thing about the place. Nikki ordered a chicken dish and it came out completely raw in the middle. We complained to the waiter and he tried to suggest that it might only be the edge and to keep eating the rest! Where is the customer service? Or the understanding that raw chicken can be very dangerous? We insisted that it was taken back to be cooked through properly. The dish came back 5 minutes later and it was still raw in the middle! We told them to take it away and not even bother trying to bring it back for a third time. It still appeated on the bill though....
Apart from trying to repeatedly kill us with salmonella, that wasn't the only problem. The waiting staff kept trying to foister additional side dishes on us in a blatant attempt to up the bill and help their profit margins. The atmosphere in the restaurant wasn't very good and don't even get me started on the apple crumble........
I feel a but guilty writing such a bad review about a place, but there really isn't a lot good to say!
Apart from trying to repeatedly kill us with salmonella, that wasn't the only problem. The waiting staff kept trying to foister additional side dishes on us in a blatant attempt to up the bill and help their profit margins. The atmosphere in the restaurant wasn't very good and don't even get me started on the apple crumble........
I feel a but guilty writing such a bad review about a place, but there really isn't a lot good to say!
Saturday, 9 February 2008
Saturday Morning Cycle: Waterlink Way
Over Christmas I bought the London to Brighton National Cycle Network map. This morning I explored section 1 of the route, the Waterlink Way from Greenwich to Adddington.
The Waterlink Way follows the River Pool and a thin slither of parkland that snakes through Ladywell, Catford Brdige, Lower Sydenham and South Norword towards Addington. It was a sunny and pleasant morning and I really enjoyed the cycle ride. I haven't explored in this direction before and was pleasantly surprised at how nice all of the parks were. The parks seem to be well maintained and there were quite a few runners, dog walkers and children out playing.
The route is quite well signed and easy to follow. I got a bit lost around Bell Green due to a sign being twisted to point in the wrong direction. There are also a few places on the map where it has a dotted route saying due for completion in 2004, that still haven't been finished yet. Overall I was quite pleased to have the map with me and would have felt a bit lost on a couple of occassions without it.
I cycled for 20 miles this morning. The paths were mainly tarmac or tightly packed gravel, I had no trouble on my hybrid bike.
I'll try and extend the distance a bit next time, maybe heading further south and getting the train back.
The Waterlink Way follows the River Pool and a thin slither of parkland that snakes through Ladywell, Catford Brdige, Lower Sydenham and South Norword towards Addington. It was a sunny and pleasant morning and I really enjoyed the cycle ride. I haven't explored in this direction before and was pleasantly surprised at how nice all of the parks were. The parks seem to be well maintained and there were quite a few runners, dog walkers and children out playing.
The route is quite well signed and easy to follow. I got a bit lost around Bell Green due to a sign being twisted to point in the wrong direction. There are also a few places on the map where it has a dotted route saying due for completion in 2004, that still haven't been finished yet. Overall I was quite pleased to have the map with me and would have felt a bit lost on a couple of occassions without it.
I cycled for 20 miles this morning. The paths were mainly tarmac or tightly packed gravel, I had no trouble on my hybrid bike.
I'll try and extend the distance a bit next time, maybe heading further south and getting the train back.
Restaurant Review: Gandhi's Kennington
Last night I headed over to Kennington to see my friends Ed and Sean. We went for dinner at Gandhi's, having tried the other curry house, The Kennington Tandoori a few months ago.
Some other friends in the area had told me that Gandhi's was much better than the KT. If the better restaurant was chosen solely on the number of pictures of celebrities in the window Gandhi's would win hands down, with such luminaries as Richard and Judy, Geoff Hoon and an ageing picture of Ken Clarke in the window, to name a few.
I would agree with all of the other reviewers that Gandhi's food is far superior. We all thoroughly enjoyed the dishes we ordered, mainly choosing from the House Specialities section of the menu. The meat was tender and succulent and the sauces well balanced and flavoursome. Despite having Kingfisher on tab we opted for a bottle of Muscadet which was excellent value at £11.
Sticking with wine, to finish the evening we bought an excellent bottle of Chilean white and took it back to Ed and Sean's to drink. Very fruity with a hint of elderflour.
Some other friends in the area had told me that Gandhi's was much better than the KT. If the better restaurant was chosen solely on the number of pictures of celebrities in the window Gandhi's would win hands down, with such luminaries as Richard and Judy, Geoff Hoon and an ageing picture of Ken Clarke in the window, to name a few.
I would agree with all of the other reviewers that Gandhi's food is far superior. We all thoroughly enjoyed the dishes we ordered, mainly choosing from the House Specialities section of the menu. The meat was tender and succulent and the sauces well balanced and flavoursome. Despite having Kingfisher on tab we opted for a bottle of Muscadet which was excellent value at £11.
Sticking with wine, to finish the evening we bought an excellent bottle of Chilean white and took it back to Ed and Sean's to drink. Very fruity with a hint of elderflour.
Thursday, 7 February 2008
Links of the Week
Olly Kendall has sparked a bit of a debate urging the the Lib Dems to take a radical approach, boosting electoral turnout and no doubt bagging the Lib Dems an electoral victory at the same time. I think you might be being a little over optomistic Olly! ;-)
Capitalists @ Work have an interesting piece on inflation and the M&B fiasco. Are we heading for stagflation?
Capitalists @ Work have an interesting piece on inflation and the M&B fiasco. Are we heading for stagflation?
Man of Leisure: Wednesday
I had a great day yesterday.
The Decorating is now nearly finished. I completed the second coat on all of the wood work and took a trip to John Lewis to buy a new blind. All that is left is to put the room back together.
In the evening I attended the Brockley Central Drinks II at Jam Circus. It seems to be a fact of London life that you barely know your neighbours, so it was great to meet some people in the local area and put faces to the names on Brockley Central. I'm pleased I didn't have to go to work this morning after beers on a school night!
I hadn't been to Jam Circus before and I echo Nick's thoughts that it is a fantastic venue for the area. Pleasant vibe, friendly service and trendy decor. I'll be back to try the bread rolls....
The Decorating is now nearly finished. I completed the second coat on all of the wood work and took a trip to John Lewis to buy a new blind. All that is left is to put the room back together.
In the evening I attended the Brockley Central Drinks II at Jam Circus. It seems to be a fact of London life that you barely know your neighbours, so it was great to meet some people in the local area and put faces to the names on Brockley Central. I'm pleased I didn't have to go to work this morning after beers on a school night!
I hadn't been to Jam Circus before and I echo Nick's thoughts that it is a fantastic venue for the area. Pleasant vibe, friendly service and trendy decor. I'll be back to try the bread rolls....
Monday, 4 February 2008
Locked myself out!!!
The painting has been cracking on well. I have so far completed all of the prep work, done two coats on the ceiling and one coat on the walls. I'm hoping to complete the second coat on the walls tomorrow and maybe get the first coat done on the wood work as well.
While taking some rubbish out earlier this afternoon I managed to lock myself out. Doh! First time I have managed something so stupid since moving into the flat three and a half years ago.
While taking some rubbish out earlier this afternoon I managed to lock myself out. Doh! First time I have managed something so stupid since moving into the flat three and a half years ago.
Sunday, 3 February 2008
Sharp Shooters
Yesterday I went Clay Pigeon shooting in the Buckinghamshire countryside for my friend Adrea's birthday. As anyone who has played cricket with me will know I have terrible hand eye coordination. I was a bit nervous at the prospect of not hitting a thing. The pressure mounted when my Aunt told me that a relative in 18th Century had their profession listed on the census as a Clay Pigeon shooter!
Twelve of us met at Marylebone Station with picnic hampers and cool bags. We started with a couple of bottles of champagne on the train. Probably not a good idea when you are about to hold a gun! We arrived at College Farm in Long Crendon to a very friendly reception. We were split into two teams and proceded to shoot at five stands.
Each stand provided a different challenge. Arcing clays, clays going away from you, moving from right to left, going vertically upwards etc.. We had six practice shots and then four competition shots at each stand which contributed to your overall score.
It started well as I hit my first two practice shots and then proceeded to miss everything. After the second round I was last with a score of one out of eight. I discovered that I can't close just my right eye without also horribly squinting my left eye as well. I improvised myself an eye patch out of my hancerchief before the third stand, which turned my luck. I finished with nine from twelve clays.
We celebrated with our picnic, a couple more bottles of champagne and then walked back into Long Crendon to watch the rugby at a pub.
The eye patch
Clay Pigeon
Ex-clay pigeon. The eye patch proves effective.
I'm very excited as I have two weeks off work starting tomorrow. This is going to allow me to do lots of things, such as attend the Brockley Central drinks, catch up with friends I haven't seen for a while and paint my bedroom. Look out for actions shots of the progess. (I bet you can't wait!)
Twelve of us met at Marylebone Station with picnic hampers and cool bags. We started with a couple of bottles of champagne on the train. Probably not a good idea when you are about to hold a gun! We arrived at College Farm in Long Crendon to a very friendly reception. We were split into two teams and proceded to shoot at five stands.
Each stand provided a different challenge. Arcing clays, clays going away from you, moving from right to left, going vertically upwards etc.. We had six practice shots and then four competition shots at each stand which contributed to your overall score.
It started well as I hit my first two practice shots and then proceeded to miss everything. After the second round I was last with a score of one out of eight. I discovered that I can't close just my right eye without also horribly squinting my left eye as well. I improvised myself an eye patch out of my hancerchief before the third stand, which turned my luck. I finished with nine from twelve clays.
We celebrated with our picnic, a couple more bottles of champagne and then walked back into Long Crendon to watch the rugby at a pub.
The eye patch
Clay Pigeon
Ex-clay pigeon. The eye patch proves effective.
I'm very excited as I have two weeks off work starting tomorrow. This is going to allow me to do lots of things, such as attend the Brockley Central drinks, catch up with friends I haven't seen for a while and paint my bedroom. Look out for actions shots of the progess. (I bet you can't wait!)
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