Best free views in York
What with the crap weather and generally not being around at weekends, I haven't been into York city centre in a while, despite living only 10 minutes away. Today I quite fancied mooching around with my sightseeing hat on (also needed to calm down after a little incident on the M62 yesterday, terminating an otherwise excellent weekend with Lord Ross in Manchester...)
The good thing about York is that most of the best sights are at street level. But there are some places worth investigating that offer quite spectacular views of the city from higher up; being a miser, I object to paying for my views, so all of these are also free:
Viking Hotel
The 1970s monstrosity that is the 'Park Inn' (Viking) Hotel has one redeeming feature - the view. Walk nonchalantly through the main entrance, get in a lift, ascend to the 8th floor and then check out the panorama. There's some renovation work going on a the moment, so the view is somewhat obscured by scaffolding; but well worth the visit anyway. The view above is a composite of two photos, showing the River Ouse, City Screen, the Guildhall, Lendal Bridge and the Minster.
Marks and Spencer
Believe it or not, take the escalator to the top floor in the Pavement branch of M&S, walk to the back wall, and you'll see an amazing view looking north over Newgate market towards St Samson's church and the Minster.
The walls
Obvious I know, but walking the walls affords some quality views of the city - and it's totally free. The best section IMHO is the stretch between Gillygate and Goodramgate bars (above), as it arcs around the edge of the Minster precinct.
Clifford's Tower
It costs to get into Clifford's Tower, but if you have the bottle to climb over the railings at the top of the flight of stairs, and ignore the 'keep off the bank' signs, then you'll get a pretty good 360deg view of the southern part of the city centre, without having to pay a cent. The not-very-inspiring view above shows the carpark (should've been a park) and Fairfax House. And a Nissan 350z convertible.
Posted by monoman at 09:16 PM on August 25, 2008
Barcamp Leeds
I nipped over to Barcamp Leeds on Saturday at the Old Broadcasting House. Was good to hook up with some old friends and faces - especially Ian, Paul and Dean. Only stayed for a few hours, but it had a good laid-back atmosphere and, more importantly, a packed schedule of speakers. Well done to Imran, Linda et al for sorting it out. Hope Sunday went just as well.
PS the rather crap photo shows John Leach reciting a Wikipedia entry on a ukelele, as an example of the type of content to be found at Ukepedia.com which is, er... a site showcasing Wikipedia articles performed on the Ukelele. Someone asked the question 'why?' To which John replied 'do I really need to answer that?' No one pressed him further but in my head I thought not just 'why' but also 'WTF?' Still, it was quite funny.
Posted by monoman at 10:57 PM on August 18, 2008
Review: The First Law Trilogy
Since finishing the third book in the trilogy - Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie (he needs an illustrator called Stephen Fitch or similar) - I've read a few more tomes (currently The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan - more on this in future.) So am trying to recall the thoughts wot I had in my 'ead at the time of reading. What I do know is that all three books in this Fantasy sequence are very good indeed - otherwise I wouldn't bother posting a review. In summary, they're good because they defy cliche and expectation - none of this 'Lord Xathl'Yr of the Urh-Lweh stepped down from the Throne of Zht-Rel and strode across the gfej-encrusted floor, sword of the Xxtthyr - Hmuld in hand.' All the character and place names sound entirely appropriate and - important for a long book - are memorable. Also no elaborate speech patterns or Olympian Voice ('thrice-fold he didst address the spirit: "begone, thou fiend of Charon' etc.) Mr Abercrombie has an excellent ear for dialogue, and peppers his characters' speech with plenty of swearing and cynical asides. The characters themselves are morally opaque or even downright immoral, but all have a clear and distinct voice amongst the cast of thousands.
I won't go into the plot save, to paraphrase Samwise Gamgee (movie, not book), it involves a good deal about a weapon and a Powerful Magus, and something about the end of the world. I'd go so far to say that the plot is less important than the characters; unlike most Fantasy (where a lot of plot exposition and world-building takes place), these books are character-led and relatively light on the background fluff.
Also uncommon for novels of this genre, Mr Abercrombie attempts to impart a real-world message, though I'm not sure this is entirely successful as it's very subtle: references to the evils of capitalism, nuclear weapons etc.
Again, also uncommon: elements of the book are (intentionally) laugh-out loud funny, mainly as a result of some breath-takingly caustic comment from a character, or neatly-turned phrase. Practical Frost - a lumbering albino with a speech impediment cum trainee torturer with secret, is particularly hilarious whenever he opens his mouth.
Of all the myriad characters, groups and interwoven plot strands, my favourite is the Named Men - a gang of veteran fighters with evocative names such as Dogman, Threetrees and Black Dow, who resemble nothing less than a fantasy version of Sven Hassel's rag-tag penal regiment - no bad thing IMHO.
All in all, massively recommended: 9/10 for all three books.
Posted by monoman at 06:22 PM on August 11, 2008
SweetKhorne - new album out now
SweetKhorne - the UK-based extreme blackened Viking death-doom-sludge-drone duo has a new long player scheduled for release on Monday 11th August. Entitled 'Tropic of Doom', the full listing is:
1. Morbid Egg
2. Penetratum Diabolicus
3. Pan-dimensional Winged Warrior Stoats Descend from their Hole in the Empyrean of the Northern Wastes to Lay Siege at the Gates of the Impenetrable Fortress of the Giant Hyperborean Vole-Mages Whilst a Lone Hierophant Looks On from his Sacred Eyrie with a Slightly Worried Expression
4. Malevolent Cheddar
5. Khorne on the Khobbe
6. Throne of Empties
7. Carrion Luggage
8. Testiculum Geneticus Extremis
9. Women, Cheddar, Guns and Eggs
10. Rock 'n' Roll Genocide
The CD features a bonus track 'Biovore Party Trick'. A tour, with support from The Mature Fatties, BeefCorpse and Flids on Ponies is scheduled for some time in the 41st Milennium.
Posted by monoman at 11:51 AM on August 08, 2008
Worryingly accurate
"The first audience research into the use of the iPlayer has been made available by the BBC. It paints a picture of the average user of the online catch-up TV service who is male, aged about 40, in a full time job, with a partner, but no children."
Pretty much spot on, give or take a few years.
Posted by monoman at 04:38 PM on August 07, 2008
Unlikely bedfellows
Weird. eircom's music downloads partner has its offices next door to the Embassy of Chile Office of the Naval Attache and Naval Mission.
Posted by monoman at 11:52 AM on August 05, 2008
New monoman + my first poem
For those few who don't use an aggregator these days - I've updated the 'look and feel' of Monoman. The last design was almost three years old, so it's about time really.
I'm also going to stick my neck out and publish my first ever poem (or at least the first since school days.) I wrote it in Dublin whilst pining for the Fjords dear old Blighty. Some of you are aware of my interest in old trackways and green lanes, and this ditty is inspired by the same:
The Low Way
Through field, meadow, copse and coppiced wood,
Hidden by pleached hedgerow, ditch and oak,
The droveways, hollow ways and sunken lanes
Run to and from no-where;
Dead, dried rivers divorced from the sea.
Scars born from their aboriginal scarring
Are scarred by tribal Celtic, Belgic, Wealh;
Whipped by purple-dyed rough Roman wool;
By Frisian, Dane and Norman.
Lonely lanes beyond the lea;
Old, forgotten Wicherdis.
Past tun and burgh and boundried Ferding,
Hushed by hazel, ash, fern and blackthorn.
Secret black ditches carve and camber
The ancient Hundreds:
Joining lines of history.
As the sap rises, the trackway falls
Away from sight into Hadian forgetfulness.
The Low Way, The Furzeway, the Green Lanes
Are green lines of residual wish-ways.
Isophenes of ancient memory.
Posted by monoman at 10:47 PM on August 04, 2008
