maynardcase.co.uk linkfest

Starbucks does not use two-phase commit

Art of Science

This is hilarious…

Ah, it’s summer, isn’t it?

Took the gf on a surprise trip to Paris for the weekend. We got on the Eurostar which did a quick and effective job of shunting us from Waterloo to the Gare du Nord, where we found that navigating the Metro was relatively easy as long as you can tell your nord from your sud. The hotel was easy to find, and turned out to be pretty swanky (thank the lord!).

We had a wander around the Palais du Luxembourg, the market outside St Sulphice, then up to the islands and the Notre Dame. Had dinner in a little bistro that gets pretty good reviews where I had an astonishingly good steak, and enjoyed the Americans at the next table arguing with the waiter about decaffeinated coffee.

Next day was spent having a look around the inside of the Notre Dame, the Louvre and finishing off under the Tour Eiffel. The Notre Dame was an amazing experience but unfortunately not a pleasant one. Firstly, they were allowing tourists to tramp through while they were performing mass - if I ran the place I would shut it for a hour of peace - but worse still: the tourists that were there were talking, clomping up and down and taking hundreds of photos with flash! Quite apart from the fact that the flash gun won’t do you any good, it gave a religious ceremony an atmosphere that was closer to a football game, or a film premiere. One older asian chap was actually taking a flash photo of the congregation, which I thought was a bit off.

The Louvre was very large - I like the antiquities, reminded me of the British Museum. Eiffel Tower was quite tall
Overall: an excellent city, thoroughly recommended. It’s one of these sorts of places that really lives up to the stereotypical view of itself; it really is a relaxed, beautiful place full of cafes, churches and flowers. Would visit again!!!

Cycling to work
Decided to bike into work today. The gf has been stealing my bike and cycling to her place of work 2.5 miles away most days, but Wednesday is her day off. As it was a beautiful day, and as I’d been woken up at 5.35am by my pager, I figured I may as well beat the rush and cycle in the 18 miles from Surbiton to Canary Wharf. Got packed up and off by 0630, and navigated the 18.35 miles in one hour, twenty-two minutes and fourteen seconds. Average speed: 13.3 mph.

Not too shabby, I hope. I realise that the cycle couriers amonst us will be scoffing at my pitiful efforts but it’s still faster than the average speed of inner London traffic.

Following trends started a mere three months ago, here is the map of my route:

Surbiton to New Malden Fountain roundabout via the back roads, along Burlington Road to the junction with the A3 where we go left and over the overpass. Whizz along Kingston Road until you get to Merton, when the road eventually branches left at Collier’s Wood station. Up past Tooting, Balham, Clapham Common (wave at the ducks on the pond), Stockwell, Oval, Kennington. Be very careful around the whirling circle of death and uninsured drivers that is Elephant and Castle, following signs for the A3 and on towards London Bridge. Over said bridge (eyes right for the more scenic Tower Bridge) and take a right onto some random City road, which joins the road leading past the Tower of London. Disembark briefly and cycle the wrong way along the pavement of Short Street, then cross at the pedestrian/bike crossing onto the cycle path next to the DLR. Follow this all the way along past interesting street murals and the locks and warehouses of Limehouse. Do yet another dodgy maneuver to get over onto the road leading down to the underground roundabout by Canary Wharf and onwards, then take a left at the traffic light roundabout, and then under Heron Quays to the bike racks round the back of my building.

Bonus points to anyone who steals my bike, as they will have been able to work out where it’s parked. It’s a blue Specialized ex-MTB, secured with one of those locks you can open with a bic biro. Although if you could let me know, so I don’t have to get changed at the end of the day?

Please sponsor me!
The hidden motivation is that I’m doing the London to Brighton bike ride - a pretty hefty 58 mile trip from Clapham Common to Brigton seafront, taking in lots of countryside, the M25 and a couple of pretty unpleasant hills.

The ride is for charideee, specifically the British Heart Foundation, which funds research into heart disease as well as educating people and providing specialist life-saving resuscitation equipment.

So: if you would like to sponsor me, feel free. The site linked uses WorldPay, who I’ve found to be generally fine and non-spammy. If you’re not keen on that but you still want to sponsor me, mail me and we can sort out another form of money transfer.

I like things that are simple, and help make life easier or more beautiful. There’s an interesting blog called Inhabitat which lists new, innovative designs that fit into this category.

In particular, this design which turns any water bottle into a watering can is amazingly neat.