Dave T-W @davoloid@qoto.org

Rare night out, #Echobelly at my local. Lots here reliving their youth.

Thrilled to be on the stage at Royal Festival Hall seeing our UCLCS students' graduation ceremony. And first time in a gown for me, as I never went to mine as an UG. Also great that one of the Engineering technical staff received the Honorary degree after many years of service. Fantastic sendoff speech from our HoD too.

Drawing session hosted by the Bartlett today,l. Thanks Tom Mole and Zoe for organising. Been wanting to do this for a long time. In hindsight picking a complex dark object against a black reflective surface wasn't the easiest subject.

Weekend visit to #Bradford reminds me of the city's continued ability to absolutely screw up urban planning. I knew a few years back they'd squandered the opportunity to revive the centre with yet another boring Westfield shopping centre development, plonked right in the way. They could have made a pedestrian friendly space linking the City Hall in the middle to the Cathedral and Alhambra at north and south.

There are some absolutely beautiful buildings from the Victorian era, and more modern ones that came from a time before the government shut down regional development. Realistically, some of both might have needed to be demolished, and there's been times over the past 40 years when that would have had minimal impact. But now a set of motorways surrounds the best parts, and impractical blobs of ill conceived, cheap blocks are spread around. Nottingham, Sheffield and Coventry did this so much better.

Whilst they keep doing this, the centre will continue to be a rough place. Anyone who wants an enjoyable night out and a nice meal has dozens of towns and villages in this distributed metropolis.

1989 was a great year with some iconic albums, but why is Blue Nile on this list but not Deacon Blue? Heck, they even knocked Madonna off the top spot, in a month that also saw classics from INXS, Fine Young Cannibals and Guns n Roses https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1prqk6JLsFGqz8nTlbj2JfX/12-classic-albums-that-define-1989

Passed The Building Centre at lunchtime, always worth seeing what's on there if you're into #Architecture, #Sustainability or anything about #Urban planning.

May's #free exhibit is about the #LanguageOfSigns.
https://www.buildingcentre.co.uk/whats_on/exhibitions/keep-on-the-grass-the-language-of-signs

My two favourite London signs:
"Commit No Nuisance" and "This is not a brothel. There are no prostitutes at this address." (now vanished)
1/2

Wondering why new #Teams is hyaooooooooge compared to classic?
#Software #Bloat

Spotted this in a bookstore. The age old struggle, @pluralistic,
Control Vs Service.

Congrats to the @uclcs #AthenaSwan team who have received Gold Award for the 2024 submission!

So good to see! I was on the assessment team from 2012-2020 (through Bronze and Silver) and since then EDI initiatives have branched out into other areas where we're underrepresented.

Was wondering what the current state of the #Dnipro Reservoir was and what plans there might be for after the war. Rebuild, rethink or reverse all have different environmental, economic and cultural impacts. Good article from Science, Jan 2024.

#Ukraine

https://www.science.org/content/article/ukrainian-scientists-tally-grave-environmental-consequences-kakhovka-dam-disaster

New feature for Google #Maps on #Android #Pixel phones? Directions now comes with a cutesy 3D animation following the track, but adds lighting conditions, twinkly street lights, stars and weather effects. Same journey tomorrow has raindrops over the screen.

#Bradford unveils their 2025 City of Culture social media blitz. I *love* the new #logo, reminds me of the 70s/80s which was actually a mastepiece of #design, capturing the b and the d, the word "wool", and maybe hinting at the sandstone mills and railway viaducts.
https://youtu.be/FwmwltsMQ1g

Commodore brand revived with badge laptops and bluetooth earphones. https://commodore.inc/prodotto/gep-810/?buy

How it started...
#Oscars

Interesting but unexpectedly exhausting day hearing candidates for new HoD. Not been involved in this process for the previous 3 in my time here, but was really great to hear from people who have identified the current and future challenges, bring fresh ideas and experience.

Biggest disappointment was the lack of academic staff who made it in person. Their loss as there were plenty of lunch leftovers.

Tories:
"Extremism is damaging British society."
"Wait, not the *good* kind of extremism."
#UKPol

For the nth time in the last decade, Byng Place / Gordon Sq / Tavistock Sq being ripped up. How much is this costing each time? No wonder councils have no money when dodgy contractors and subcontractors are hoovering it all up.

Pleased to see that one of my favourite #comic artists, @WinstonRowntree, is on fedi, although seems only to have dipped a toe. Beautifully crafted mini stories of angst, anomie and self-discovery.
Archive at: https://viruscomix.com/subnormality.html

Spotted an almost unrecognisable Jarvis Cocker in Wes Anderson's Asteroid City.

@lowqualityfacts Before Netflix and fast broadband, the only way you could watch movies online was via Terminal. Someone has recreated that experience for posterity.
https://ascii.theater/