The End of TV?

It could be the end of TV as we know it. This Saturday sees the first ever competitive England international game to be available online exclusively. Viewers will be able to watch the group qualifier via a live stream for a fee of £9.99 from Thursday, going up to £11.99 on Saturday. This has caused much anger amongst supporters as it means that the traditional pint will be of different sorts as pubs will not be able to show the game. It is however, being shown at some Odeon Cinemas around the country.

This situation arose from the collapse of Setanta, who had the rights to show all of England's group games, and also the lack of sufficient bids for the rights from other TV networks resulting in the game not being televised. The Kentaro Group now have the rights to show the game, and have chosen the web as platform to broadcast it.

Coverage starts from 4.45pm on Saturday, and with the company claiming that streamed games are the way forward in the digital revolution. The modern technology available means that internet users wanting to be in more control of what, where and when they watch their favourite programs. But, there are certain things with tradition, where decades of gathering round the TV to watch epic football matches has become the norm. If streamed matches catches on despite it's obvious disadvantages it could mean the end of this traditon, the end of viewing sports on TV!

Thankfully the game has no significance for England as their qualification from the group is already secured. It will be somewhat bizzare in the future to invite the guys round to watch the game on...err the 19" screen with 2.1 stereo sound..maybe we can take turns to watch!

Tuesday's Dreariness

I relunctanctly lifted myself out of bed this morning to be greeted by the sound of rain peltering against my window like a savage beast trying to get in. That had become foreign to me; the sombreness a sign of changing times. By this i mean, of course, that summer was over and autumn was pouring against my window.

Whilst this doom and gloom will not be welcomed by many for some it is a chance to wrap up warm and embrace what autumn bears. London has many a things to offer; for example for the those with musical taste i recommend going to see the Spaghetti Western Ochestra, playing in London and Brighton over the next four days. Their unique style is a meshwork of everyday sounds brought intricately together to form a Western masterpiece. An ochestra with a difference this will not disappoint!

Perhaps ochestras aren't your cup of tea and you're a more of an outdoorsy-type person. If that's the case; The London Mayor's Show is taking place on the 14th of Nov with a magnificent parade and fireworks display. With 6000 people, 1550 servicemen, 202 horses, 24 marching bands and 71 floats there's something for everyone!

For many Hindus, Sikhs and Jains October is very special month for it marks the Festival of Light, Diwali. There are many events across London illuminating the festivities including Diwali at Barnham Park on the 10th of Oct, Naesden Temple Diwali & New Year celebrations on the 17th and 18th of Oct and don't forget to check out what's happening in the borough of Brent over Diwali.

The festival fun..fest doesn't quite stop there! How about exploring how Black History Month is being celebrated in the capital or maybe the BIGfest music and arts festival. Or perhaps looking for something different such as a celebration of apples or even conkers (at Conkerfest09) and go on, fulfill that nutty inner child in you!

This is only a small selection of what London has to offer, there are a few links at the bottom that has endless things to do, see and experience.

Well, look at that, it's stopped raining now! If London was a mathematical equation, it's weather would, unfortunately, be an overcast variable but it's vibrancy, diversity, art and culture offerings would be rays of constants, irrespective of time of year or weather!

By the way, i almost forgot "remember remember the 5th of November!"

http://www.londontown.com/events

http://www.timeout.com/london/

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/whats-on.aspx

It's been a long month

A month has passed since i've blogged anything. A busy September and a touch of laziness on my part is the reason for this. It's been a strange month, at times i've been so busy that i've had to familiarise myself with the concept of multitasking and on some occassions i've become so bored that i've invented new ways to procrastinate!
Here's a few of the (small) feats i've accomplished over the last 30 days:

1. Become addicted to cottage cheese. It has a taste that no other food will possess and it's filled with protein. It's all good.
2. Sat an 8 hour exam
3. Fasted (see 4)
4. Celebrated the Hindu festival of Navratri
5. Prayed a lot (see 4 again)
6. Annoyed with the recession and will have to find sustainable ways to live if un-employment continues.
7. Accidentally formated one of my hard drives which had around 150gb of data (not quite sure what was saved on it!) Doh!
8. Had my hotmail, paypal, amazon and ebay account hacked. The fact that over the space of 2 days they managed to buy around $1500 worth of stuff didn't bother might come across as a bit strange, but i was aware of the strong likelihood that i would get my money back as it was an obvious case of fraud and not a shopping spree of sorts that included a pink Sony Vaio (if you're going to steal my money please have some decent taste!). But, i was really annoyed with the laborious and painstaking process of contacting all the companies concerned and letting them know that i had been a victim of online fraud. I did, however, get a laugh out of the supposed 'hacker' and his amateur operation after i realised that the things he bought off Amazon he had sent to my home address. Having actually received those items I believe the phrase 'WTF' is appropriate here!
9. September saw the merger of Orange and T-mobile to create the UK's largest phone company with a 37% share in the market. Also, Orange signing a deal with Apple over the iPhone and subsequently Vodafone doing the same a day later is a good sign for avid iPhone fans like myself. It's been widely talked about that this will spark a price war over the iPhone, which all in all is a win-win situation for us consumers. Let's hope that i can get my hands on an economically viable iPhone plan soon!
10. I've learnt that kids can really say the funniest things. Me: Have you not heard of Casper(as in the ghost)? kid: [stares blankly at me] ....Casper the wasteman? (I think only those living in the UK will understand that)
11. Banned myself from watching repeats on TV
12. Begun started reading the mammoth Bagavad Gita. I'm not sure where this will lead, whether i'll enjoy it or not, i will find out in 900 pages time.
13. Decided that in this given climate i may need to consider a career change

October is here now, and with a change in the wind, announcing the end of any lingering summer weather and the start of autumn. I wonder what i'll get up to this month. Only time will tell!

Did you know...

Came across this vid whilst surfing...

London Anagram Underground Map

Came across this yesterday and just have to share it! All the underground stations have been replaced by anagrams. My favourites ones have to be Togetherness Thinking (High Street Kensignton), Bowel Mind (Wimbledon) and Why Kick Acne (Hackney Wick). Make sure you don't miss your stop on the Cleric line, else you'll be going round in circles! What station are you?

[Click to see full-sized map]