Bank holiday in Erith.

The above photo was taken by me a little while ago in a turning off West Street in Erith. Some chavs had stolen and then set fire to a scooter. I posted this shot on my Flickr account, and for some reason it attracted unprecedented interest; It has even been viewed and downloaded by someone in Japan, for whatever reason. Modern art I guess.

The road outside my house is about to be resurfaced; unfortunately the powers that be have decided that this operation will be best performed at night, so for the next couple of weeks I will have diggers, pavers and other heavy plant stuck outside of my door, keeping my awake, along with my neighbours. Delightful. Expect an online rant in due course. More on this in future, no doubt.

I was on the way to see Dad in his nursing home the other day, and was passing by the Asian supermarket near Plumstead railway station, there was a commotion, and a middle aged and goofy looking bloke on a BMX push bike came through the gaggle of people exiting the station - he shouted "Move - get out of the way"! I stood in front of his path and loudly said "You are not supposed to be on the pavement - get on the road!" expecting a torrent of abuse in reply. Instead he responded "you're right" before disappearing towards the high street. Weird.

Below is a capture from Google Street View of the hideously infamous Erith fish sculpture. You can click and drag to navigate around the local roads from this window. Have fun.


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My DAB receiver has died. I thought that it was the radio itself, but after some diagnostics, I have discovered that the external switched mode power supply has turned up its' toes. I am now on a quest to find a cheap 12 Volt, 2 Amp "wall wart" replacement. I am missing my usual regular dose of Planet Rock because of this right now - I have to listen online, which is no real hardship I suppose. On another somewhat freer radio front, WNKR have produced an epic extended bank holiday series of diverse music and documentary shows over the weekend. You can hear them on 1476 Khz medium wave, or online here.

You may have noticed two new links on the side bar on the Maggot Sandwich this week. Filey Weather is precisely what is says on the tin - it is a meteorological analysis of the weather in the North Yorkshire town, studiously assembled each week by my work colleague Ralph. Tempus 31's Art & Design is done by my friend Damien, a very talented graphic designer - do check it out and give him some feedback.

I am off to BBC Broadcasting House tomorrow evening to attend the recording of the first two episodes of Series 3 of Hut 33. A mid week blog update will no doubt follow in due course.

Ian and I went to see the new Star Trek reboot last Sunday evening (the reason why last weeks' Maggot sandwich posting was earlier than usual). I went with an open mind, being a Trekker since the age of six or seven years old. I was stunned - the film is amazing and I would highly recommend it, especially to anyone who previously was not keen on Trek; it is a reboot on a par with what has been done with James Bond. Basically the story takes place in an alternate universe from the original Star Trek and its' sequels and offshoots. Very clever story, script and a well chosen cast. Go and see it.

Another cult sci fi show that has had a modern makeover is the seminal eighties series "V". I loved the original 1983 miniseries, but like many, thought that the ongoing TV serial which followed it became shallow and formulaic. I am guessing the the producers of this new take on the story have probably taken encouragement from the amazing critical success of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, and are hoping for some of the same. Here is the first trailer for the forthcoming modern take on the story - give it a watch. Please feel free to leave a comment below.