V For Vendetta

I recieved my copy of V for Vendetta on DVD today and cannot wait to see it. The film (like the graphic novel it is based on) paints a bleak distopian view of Britain under the heel of a fascist government. In both versions the fascists came to power after promising safety, security and prosperity during a period of global chaos. They then go on to perform a vast range of human rights abuses and create surveillance state where draconian laws are enforced by a brutal police force. The main protagonist (a mysterious man in a Guy Fawkes mask going by the name "V") proceeds to overthrow the government through a series of well plannned explosions, murders and public announcements.

The novel by Alan Moore was originally written during the Thatcher years. However the themes covered in the story are probably more relevant now than at any time in the past 50 years. We are in a period in history when the percieved threats of war and terrorism are being used to strip away our freedoms one by one. Guantanamo Bay, UK ID cards, The prevention of terrorism bill, The patriot act. The list goes on.

The government claimed that the prevention of terrorism bill would protect us from terrorists by giving police the ability to detain suspects for extended periods without trial based on suspicion of terrorist activities. This act was used to detain Walter Wolfgang, an 82 year old Labour Party member who heckled Jack Straw at a Labour Party conference. The same legislation was used to prosecute Maya Anne Evans who stood near Downing street reciting the names of British soldiers killed in Iraq.

Fear is a powerful means of controling a population because a fearful people will let a government do a great deal to make them feel safe. Unfortunatley once we have sold our freedoms to buy the illusion of security we may find that the price was far too high and we cannot get a refund.

I would rather be free than safe.

Learning to love the train

Like many British people I loathe commuting to work by train. The reason for this is simply that railways in Britain are some of the worst run, unreliable and over-crowded services that the human race has ever had the nerve to create (I may rant on this subject again in the future.).

That said I find a long journey on an uncrowded train a really pleasant and relaxing experience. You can sit back and read, listen to music, sleep or simply watch the scenery roll past. Although trains are not as fast as aircraft they offer a far better experience. I have traveled by plane many times and although I have no fear of flying I have learned to hate the experience; rushing to the airport to make the baggage check-in, security checks and passport controls followed by sitting for hours in a rumbly metal tube with no leg-room. Once you reach your destination you have more security and passport checks followed by the possibility that your luggage went somewhere else and the fact that the airport is miles from where you want to be.

Train travel to some parts of the world is difficult or impossible However trains can get you to far more places than most people would believe. A site is called "The man in seat 61" gives vast amounts of info on how to travel from the UK to places all across Europe and the rest of the world by train and ship. There are lots or reasons to avoid flying: -

• It creates a lot of pollution.
• Some people are afraid of flying (although it is very safe).
• Some people feel the journey is as important as the destination and an adventure in it's own right.
• The awful experience of air travel I have already outlined above.
  

If you have to fly and are wracked with guilt over the pollution created to to get you where you were going you could try carbon offsetting. Some companies will plant and maintain trees for you. They will even calculate how many trees are required to absorb the carbon created by your journey (or household utilities). Some companies will offset carbon use through a range of different project. All they ask in return is that you give them your money.

Two such companies are: -

CO2Balance.com

The CarbonNeutral Company
(They take part in various carbon reduction schemes and also sell a range of environmentally friendly gifts and gadgets.)

I am going to try to use the train for as much international travel as I can (certainly all travel to Europe). if more people did this rather than forcing themselves through the misery of air travel the world would be a cleaner and happier place and maybe we can once again learn to love the train.

Irrepressible.Info

I remember the first time I used the internet (or at least the World Wide Web). It was 1993 and I was at university studying for my engineering degree. I downloaded a picture of a dalek, the picture was not very good and it took about half an hour. I can only begin to describe the excitement I felt. The internet was full of promise; it would let people share their thoughts, ideas, feelings and troubles with the world and by doing so we would all be brought closer together. It was a new fresh frontier that would not obey the old rules and it could not help but empower ordinary people. Sitting in front of the screen looking at the dalek felt like the start of something incredible, like watching the first few pebbles move and knowing that an avalanche is not far behind.

It is now 13 years later and to be fair the internet has lived up to most of my dreams and in many cases surpassed my wildest imaginings (I certainly never saw eBay, Amazon, Google Earth or Flickr coming). However there have also been some bitter disappointments. I watched as the internet bowed inevitably to the rules of established economics and politics as governments and corporations started to notice this new creation. It started in simple ways with pay for use services and adverts included on pages. The realist in me knew that the only way for the internet to move forward was for large companies to be involved and they would only do so if there was money to be made. The romantic idealist in me felt like he was watching a newly discovered rainforest get bulldozed to build a shopping centre.

The one dream that I though was holding true was the empowerment of ordinary people. At first glance it seems ok, I am sitting here writing a blog and sharing my photos on flickr, I can use email and websites to contact my politicians find out what my local and central government is up to and protest if I feel the need to. I can contact likeminded people and join with them in common cause. The internet has given us a voice and when we make the effort that voice can be very loud. However we are the lucky ones there are many countries where the new electronic frontier comes to sudden stop. In these countries speaking your mind online is just as dangerous as speaking it anywhere else. Governments with a history of repression have extended their grip to the internet and many major IT corporations have been happy to help.

Criticizing the government, exposing human rights abuses or calling for democracy has led many internet users to be imprisoned or persecuted by their governments. China, Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia are amongst the countries where this has happened. The governments of these countries have been aided by major western IT companies who have contructed filtering systems to aid censorship, shut down websites and handed over email addresses and other personal information belonging to people who have been wrongly imprisoned as a result

Amnesty International has launched a new campaign called irrepressible.info to put pressure on companies and governments to stop political repression on the internet. From the site you can sign their petition and link your blog (if you have one) to their site and undermine censorship by displaying fragments of blogs that someone in power somewhere in the world never wanted to be read.

I honestly believe that this is a cause worth supporting. That romantic idealist in me feels that maybe if enough people take action then the internet can become the incredible tool for freedom of thought and expression that it looked like becoming 13 years ago.

Airships of the future

I know this is a bit of an odd topic but I think airships are pretty impressive. We live in a world of increasing environmental concern and one of the largest causes of pollution is jet aircraft. The good thing about jet aircraft is they are really fast. However lots of people don't need fast, in which case jet aircraft are loud, polluting and expensive. I have often thought that for cargo and passenger transport airships are seriously under used.

Imagine that you have a cargo that you want to get to a location on the far side of the world but you don't mind it taking a few days to get there. An airship could take it right to the location of your choice even if there is no airstrip (even in the middle of the ocean). The envelope could be covered in enough solar cells to run the motors by day and charge the batteries to keep it going through the night. Using GPS and satellite comms would allow it to arrive unmanned to it's destination while avoiding restricted airspace and bad weather and letting you track it's location or control it remotely if required. Helium filled airships are very tough (even shrugging off bullet holes) they can deliver goods and aid to the harshest environments on Earth. Cheap, clean, safe and convenient.

But what about passengers? Many people take holidays in which the journey is as much a part of the event as the destinations (think about cruises). How about a cruise where you look out of the window to see clouds and hills rolling past below you instead of miles of featureless ocean. Also such cruises could take place anywhere not just to coastal locations.

Airships can also play a roll in communications. How much money is spent and pollution created launching a communication satellite into orbit? A solar powered airship equipped with GPS can be told to sit at location over 65,000 feet above the ground and hold that position for years on end relaying signals from the ground and aircraft. It can then be told to return home for maintenance and upgrades.

I have often thought about this and wondered why we don't use these things more often. Was no one else thinking like me? Of course they were, lots of companies are looking at airships now and lots of projects are already in place. such as: -

World Skycat

21st Century Airships

Aeros

Sanswire Networks LLC

It would be nice to think that in a few years the sight of airships gliding silently and cleanly across the world carrying people, cargo and humanitarian aid will be a common one.

Knotty problems

Yesterday I met with friends for a meal at Soho Spice, a nice little indian resteraunt in Wardour Street London. The service and food were pretty good and I would recommend it. We then headed off to Regent's Park where I attempted to teach them some basic knots (with mixed success). I am still not sure why I was aked to do this (and maybe it's best that I don't ask), but fun was had by all.



Afterwards we strolled round Regent's Park taking a few pictures and admiring the scenery. I am always surprised by the way the parks in London can make you feel like you are so far away from the traffic, pollution and noise of the city. Suresh also claims to have seen David Schwimmer but I alas did not. Here are some pics (without celebrities).

Welcome one and all

I have finally decided to start a blog to record and share any thoughts, ideas and ramblings that I deem worthwhile. Maybe it will be interesting, maybe it will find a theme or subject, maybe I will get bored very quickly and stop posting. Let's find out.