Breakfast in the Arches Wine Bar…
Posted September 19, 2009 – 4:24 pm in: food, wine
The Arches Wine Bar is a local gem in South Hampstead. It is always full of people, both local and visitors. The wine list is quite impressive and probably the main attraction of this place. The food is worth mentioning and as you can see in the picture the breakfast they serve is excellent as well as the coffee. The deco is really interesting and full of old pictures and antique items. The staff is very friendly and their presence is pleasant. They won’t push you to order more like in many other places. It is becoming more difficult to find such charming places today when we are surrounded by the big chains which represent the opposite term of authentic. Harry Gill, the owner of the place seems to be a savy wine investor according to an article in the Financial times…
The Arches Wine Bar
7 Fairhazel Gdns
London, NW6 3QE
020 76241867
Lonely Planet on iPhone
Posted September 19, 2009 – 3:39 pm in: Interaction Design, Mobile
Lonely Planet guides are now available for iPhone users. The price for the application is £0.59 which includes a free San Francisco guide. The price for the Lonely Planet iPhone guide is £8.99 comparing with the price of the book at Amazon UK which is £6.49… The clear advantage of the iPhone version is the ability to pin point your location and show you relevant nearby points of interest. It is also worth mentioning that the city maps are stored locally on the phone which means that users do not have to worry about roaming charges when taking the guide abroad. Is it still probably easier to read about the history of a place by reading the book rather than on screen which seems as the main weakness of this guide. The majority of the content is arranged in a traditional chapter format and is not affected by your location which is disappointing. It is a definitely great tool when you are looking for the nearest place for live music. Places can be added as favorites which is useful. One clear missing feature is sorting places by opening hours. If you are looking to visit a museum on a day when it is closed, the guide should allow you to filter this out.
Art in Peckham Rye Multistory Car Park
Posted August 8, 2009 – 3:34 pm in: Art
Not everyday a car park is being converted into an exhibition space. ‘Bold Tendencies III’ is a series of installations and sculptures scattered between the 7th-10th floor of the Peckam multiplex car park.
Getting there was quite an adventure; you have to go inside a doggy lift with a large ‘heaven’ sticker on one of the walls. The lift only goes to the 6th floor from where you have to walk up the ramp to the 7th floor where the exhibition begins.
Until 30th September.
How not to lock your bike…
Posted August 2, 2009 – 6:17 pm in: Design
About 80,000 bicycles were stolen last year in Greater London, according to TFL. There are many ways to protect your bike including register them at immobilise.com, buying a crappy bike that no one wants to steal or taking the seat/wheel with you… However, this bike ,spotted in east London is not a good example of locking your bike!
Self Checkout Nightmare
Posted August 2, 2009 – 4:01 pm in: Interaction Design
Self checkout machines were tested already in 1997. According to NCR, the leading manufacturer of this product, more than 140 retailers from 12 different retail segments and over 20 countries use their solution.
The benefit for the customer is shorter queues but the reality is that these machines can be a usability nightmare. Using the product weight to verify that people do not steal is the main reason for this product failure. The machine often fails to register the item’s weight which time after time display the notorious message ‘Unexpected Item in Bagging Area’
Scenarios like rearranging items to different bags and replacing a damaged bag obviously have not been considered and will require special assistant.
People do not understand how these machines work and get interrupted in the process without getting any feedback how to refrain from making the same error again.
Read more>>
Saatchi Gallery next to Sloane Square tube
Posted July 28, 2009 – 10:07 pm in: Art
The Saatchi Gallery has been moving locations from St John’s Wood 1985 >> Country Hall, South Bank 2003>> Kings road, Chelsea 2008.
The first great thing I have seen there was Richard Wilson’s 20:50, which was a room filled halfway with oil, making the observer feel disoriented because the ceiling was reflected in the oil. When the gallery moved to the Country Hall, it was a statement because you could see provocative modern art inside an historic building and there was an interesting dissonance between the exhibits and the space. The Saatchi Gallery in 2009 is amazing with lots of inspiring art works.
Read more>>
Tesco’s Smoke Generating Security Equipment
Posted July 28, 2009 – 8:45 pm in: Services
If you saw this mysterious sign and felt like the confused person in it, you are not alone… Tesco is now using a security system which generates fog to confuse thieves during a burglary. The sign says that Tesco can’t accept responsibility for any injuries caused by illegal entry which immedialty makes you think that some sort of poisonous gas is involved in the process… Let’s just hope this security system will not operate on innocent shoppers!
To see it in action click here.
Babylon is misbehaving
Posted July 8, 2009 – 11:11 pm in: Interaction Design
For quite a while, I was using a Babylon plugin for Firefox which enabled me to mark text and get instant translation. Recently, the plugin forced me to update and after the update was completed I noticed that my browser default search and homepage was changed to Babylon. I thought that this was a dirty trick and changed my settings back. Few seconds later, a Babylon pop-up appeared telling me that if I want to use the product for free I need to make Babylon my default search provider and home-page…
Changing my browser setting without asking? good bye Babylon, I have uninstalled the plugin. Quick search and I got IM translator for free. Instead of messing up with the browser setting, it shows ads when the translation window is open which is acceptable.
No Comments | Tags: babylon, firefox, translatorYou know when it is Rocol
Posted July 8, 2009 – 10:32 pm in: Interaction Design
Rocol ltd is one of the rail industries oldest suppliers of anti-slip panels and treads.
If you have ever used the tube, it is almost certain that you have walked over a Rocol product.
What I found fascinating about Rocol’s anti-slip panels is that on almost each one of them the name of the company and phone number are printed in steel. In some countries, window makers engrave their number into the wooden frame so you can call if you have a problem with it. Rocol has made sure that no matter which stair you are on, you would see their contact details just in case you need an anti-slip solution…
Back To The Future 2009
Posted July 5, 2009 – 7:16 pm in: Interaction Design
If Back To The Future was released in 2009, what would the interface look like?
A touch screen with an easy date drop down selector. The ‘last time departed’ area will become a history tab with recent journeys. You will be also be able to decide on the location you want to appear in the past/future… If you wanted to plan a week of time travel, you would be able to use a calendar picker and set a sequence of journeys. Of course you could Update your status with ‘going to 2099 for a weekend’…