weather or not?

So, here I am again. It's been a hot and humid day here in the southeast of England. A day to be glad I'm not in the big city. A day to be glad I'm not in New Orleans.

I noticed that when the weather got above a certain temperature, I just started to close down - everything was too much trouble. And then, this evening, as it cooled, I seemed to come alive again. I'm suddenly reminded of a wonderful passage in one of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels in which a troll is locked in a freezer for a while and suddenly becomes very intelligent - until he's let out and warms up again.

I notice an urgency to get things done - a feeling that I'd better publish now, just in case. In case of what? The unknown; the unexpected. And maybe that's where the internet shines - the immediate publication. But that's only the first part. What's the good of publishing in a dark alley where few can see? OK - that's the next bit.

I decided a few weeks ago to let the universe show me what it had to say - just for a while, just this summer. It's almost another birthday; I already gave myself my present. Now I must create presents for lots of people. And that's where my next idea comes in; I'll publish more when the ideas have formed a little more - but today it feels like it'll be around choice - personalised products using content that I create. And then maybe others can join in.

We'll see. If the weather is kind...

Simon

changing times

I read today that one of the high street chains has decided to stop selling 35mm cameras. They have discovered that the ratio of digital cameras sold to film cameras sold is now something like 15:1 and so they are just going to sell off their current stock and that's it.

It's easy to see why that is - it is now so easy and convenient to take a digital photo and look at it straight away to see if it worked - when you compare it with the film equivalent, when you had to wait until finishing the film and then get it processed. Add to that the use of camera phones and it shows just how we as a society have come to expect instant feedback on taking photos. And maybe we want instant replay of just about anything.

I heard a while ago the story that Kodak have chosen not to do any more research into improving film as they have seen the demand for film drop considerably. I wonder how long it will be before buying film and getting it processed becomes more and more difficult.

I realised after my saga of the lost and found camera that I had lots of choices about how to deal with the problem; most of the choices required the spending of money - something I don't do readily at present. And yet the options that really got my attention were indeed those around money. And that's when I discovered how tough it must be for shops these days - it is so easy to use the internet to do basic research (what's for sale and how much does it cost). And the big flaw for me is that I can't really judge goods unless I can physically see them and touch them. So - what next? Easy - find the nearest shop and go and take a look. But then I find the web prices are so much better. So, when do shops stop existing? Or are we getting into the situation in which shops are really just showrooms for goods that then get bought over the internet?

Or maybe Amazon and Borders need to get together; and so on. In a way, it's happening already - I discovered the other day that PC World has a system in which you can order goods online and then pick them up from a PC World shop - having paid the web price, not the shop price.

Perhaps we'll get the system that used to exist in parts of the US - you arrive at a gas station and choose - self-service or attended service for 5 cents a gallon more. In a sense we have that in some shops - if you need sales assistance in the store, you pay a premium on the goods. The only problem is the home delivery during times when people are out living their lives. And that's something that certain utility companies have yet to realise is a problem.

Simon.

on my return

I've just been away - away from the mainland, and from the 21st century. I do that sometimes.

And yet one thing that happened right at the end of my holiday quite changed my view of how it had gone. I'd taken my new toy - a digital camera - and I'd taken a number of photos: some serious, some just as a record of what I'd seen, some in fun as the performers relaxed. And I'd enjoyed doing it and getting the warmth as others saw and enjoyed what I'd taken.

And what blew it apart was when, on the last day, I thought I'd lost my camera. The camera itself is, of course, replaceable. But the photos aren't; nor was my rediscovered reputation and popularity as someone who took good photos. So I spent the last night somewhat upset - actually really pissed off and trying to adjust to the new reality of the loss.

So it came as a considerable relief the next day when our props and costume lady responded to my question about the camera by picking it up off a shelf and returning it to me - she'd found it and put it safe till someone claimed it. Hurray!

And then I drove back to London with the director of the event, and listened as he fielded phone calls - first from a reporter on the local paper, and then from the venue owner. And I was able to provide him with the name and number of one of our participants who would be able to step in and sort out a problem; a nice feeling and done without ceremony.

But what of the poetry, you ask? I didn't write a single word, nor do a single drawing. It'll come.

Simon