SilverTiger

Back to Wordpress

2011-12-28T17:44:00.001Z

On December 15th, I mysteriously lost access to my main blog, SilverTiger on Wordpress, and for that reason I for the time being transferred my blogging activities to here.

Almost as mysteriously as I lost it, I regained access to Wordpress yesterday and am returning my main blogging activity to my main blog, SilverTiger. Please follow me there.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T12:33:00.001Z

Wishing you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS and much happiness in the forthcoming NEW YEAR

On the brink of Christmas

2011-12-24T23:30:00.000Z

Though it may be a subjective view, it seems to me that Christmas is proceeding at a very low-key pace this year. Many shops already have SALE splashed all over them, perhaps hoping to pick up trade in the expected last-minute rush.

Costa
Unusually quiet

Last night, on the way home from work we stopped off for coffee at Costa in Eldon Street, behind Liverpool Street station. There are usually quite a few people in the cafe around this time but today it was unusually quiet.

Upper Street
An ancient highway to the north and Islington's main shopping street

We made a leisurely start today and then set out to look for breakfast. Should we go to one of our usual places or seek out somewhere new? We decided to walk along Upper Street to see what might turn up.

Cuba Libre and Gracie Fields
The popular singer stayed here when in London

In Upper Street is a Cuban restaurant and bar called Cuba Libre. It was closed so there was no chance of finding breakfast here but we did stop to take a photo of the plaque recently affixed to the wall above it. This is in memory of the popular Lancashire singer Gracie Fields who used to stay here when in London.

Cafe Gallipoli (Again)
Breakfast at the Turkish cafe

We found Cafe Gallipoli open for breakfast. As the name suggests, it’s a Turkish cafe. It’s called Cafe Gallipoli Again because it is one of a pair in Upper Street. Did we have the Turkish breakfast with olives? No, we had cheese omelette with mushrooms and chips.

Cafe interior
Richly decorated

The interior of the cafe is richly decorated with Turkish ornaments and furnishings. There are lamps everywhere.

Turkish lamps
An exotic centrepiece

After breakfast we went for a little walk. St Mary’s is the parish church and its characteristic spire is a local landmark.

St Mary's
Islington's parish church

Behind the church is the Little Angel Theatre and we went thither to photograph the plaque on the wall memorializing John Wright who founded the puppet theatre in 1961.

Little Angel Theatre
Puppet theatre

Behind the church is the graveyard but as is usually the case in London, this was converted into a public garden in the Victorian era.

St Mary's Church Garden
Looking a little bare in its winter garb

Some of the larger tombs have been left in place and all the gravestones have been moved and stacked against the wall. Most are now hard to read.

Drinking fountain
It actually still works

There is a drinking fountain here which was donated in 2001 by the Brewers’ Company but which is obviously much older than that. I have no idea of its history and am still investigating. It is of a curious design because it sends the jet of water downwards – most inconvenient for human drinkers – to where a plastic bowl has been placed for dogs to drink from. Turning the knob on the right produces water but unless you hold it, the water stops after a few seconds. To get the photo, Tigger twisted the knob then ran away while I clicked the shutter!

Pigeon perch
As good as a cliff face

At the end of the church building, these false windows and the guttering above provide perches for pigeons. (Did I mention that I am fond of pigeons?) The other name for pigeon is rock dove because the ancestors of our feral pigeons lived among rocks and cliffs. This is why they feel at home on narrow ledges on city buildings.

Andersons Square
A gated community

In Andersons Square, we found the gate to this gated community open, so we went in for a look. It seems to be a clean and pleasant enough environment but well outside our price bracket.

Underground facility
But what is it?

I was intrigued by this glass roof indicating an underground facility of some sort. But what is it – a swimming pool, a gymnasium or a winter garden? I have no idea.

An angel...
...surveys the garden and pond

The garden in the centre of the square is decorated with a small pond. Watching over the whole is a bronze angel. We are not short of angels in this quarter of Islington. In fact, angels have become something of a cliché.

Looking towards St Mary's spire
Curly angelic tresses

The gate leading to Essex Road was open and we left by that route. For once, we didn’t feel like going on a longer expedition and returning home seemed a good option. My last photo was of this face on the wall of The Old Parr’s Head, once a pub and today a clothing store.

The Old Parr's Head

Time for tea

2011-12-22T20:30:00.001Z

Despite my ongoing problem with Wordpress (see SilverTiger), I decided that I needed to replenish my stock of tea and therefore took time out to do so. I like my tea and it is my main tipple. Not just any old tea, you understand, but good stuff, tea with quality to it.

Angel tube station
Where I started my journey

At the moment, my usual tea is a blend known as Russian Caravan, because it is supposed to have originated in the caravans of merchants carrying tea from China to Russia, the land of the samovar. As in most cases, however, the simple magic of the story is no longer reflected in the reality. If you buy ready blended Russian Caravan, you usually don't know what you are getting as very few vendors specify what ingredients they include. When they do, you discover that every merchant sells something different and there is no consistency. For example, some add oil of bergamot (this is what gives Earl Grey tea its characteristic taste), something I greatly dislike.

Covent Garden tube station
Where I emerged from underground

The solution, then, is to buy the ingredients and mix them yourself. A good blend for Russian Caravan is the following: Formosa Oolong, 2 parts; Keemun, 1 part; and Lapsang Souchong, 1 part. The latter is a smoky tasting tea and is what gives Russian Caravan its tangy "lift".

Neal Street, Covent Garden
A street of shops where the Tea House resides

There used to be a lot of specialist tea and coffee shops but they are becoming less common these days. Whenever I come across one on my travels I ask them whether they sell online and if so, note their details. Buying online incurs extra cost for postage and packing, though, and I therefore prefer to go to the shop myself if possible. There are a few specialist tea retailers in London but the one I visit most often is the Tea House in Neal Street, Covent Garden. It is a small shop but has a good range of teas, already conveniently packaged. I would prefer one of those shops where the tea is kept in big decorated canisters and poured out into the scales but these too are becoming harder to find.

The Tea House
Small but well stocked

Back home, I open the packets and tip out the tea into a convenient receptacle. Currently it happens to be a round tin that once held chocolates. The tea can then be stirred to mix it thoroughly. The teas I use are have fairly large leaves and you need to treat them gently so it's best to stir with something narrow such as a rod or the handle of a serving spoon.

Three teas...
...to make Russian Caravan

All three teas are classed as “black teas” and are fermented. Each has slightly different sized and different shaped leaves. The Oolong is quite “woody” with a lot of light-coloured stalk visible. It’s also the most expensive of the three and is often drunk on its own.

Mix the teas
A gentle stir with a suitable instrument

In the above photo, all three teas are in the chocolate tin and have been partly mixed, using the handle of the spoon. You can see the light-coloured “woody” bits in the Oolong.

After mixing...
...shovel the tea back into the packets!

Once the tea is mixed, it can be shovelled back into the packets it came in, and these can be closed by rolling their tops and securing them with sticky tape. The toffee tin makes a good storage bin where the tea can wait patiently to be used.

Rolled, taped and stored
Ready to be brought out when needed

For daily use, I have a large tea caddy with an air-tight lid. It can be replenished from the chocolate tin as necessary.

Tea caddy
For daily use

I brew tea either in a tea pot or in a mug with a large filter basket. In both cases, the tea has plenty of room to move as it should. The tea pot has a wide unobstructed spout because large-leaf tea will simply clog up the silly filtering holes that some tea pots have. The tea can be poured from the pot through a strainer to catch any leaves. In the case of the mug, the finely meshed filter can be lifted out, taking the leaves with it.

All the different ways of making tea produce slightly different results and slightly differently tasting tea. It's best to find the method your prefer and stick with it unless you are adventurous and like variety. The important thing is to make sure that the water is boiling before pouring it on the tea. Many cafes and even restaurants these days make tea with hot water from the espresso machine. This is disastrous because the water is kept just below boiling, as this is the right temperature for making coffee. It is, however, the wrong temperature for making tea and the poor result is only to be expected.

Self Portrait
Covent Garden tube station

Browser war or border skirmish?

2011-12-21T22:15:00.000Z

The Web has recently been alive with discussion of a report published earlier this month by a company called Accuvant concluding that, of the three most popular Web browsers it tested, Google Chrome was the most secure and protected the user best from online threats. The three browsers tested were, in claimed order of merit, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Yes: the report pushed Firefox into third position after Internet Explorer!

Browser testing, however, is a complex business. Results depend critically on exactly what you are testing and how you do so. By carefully selecting the features you concentrate on, you can alter the relative merits of the different softwares under consideration. Objectivity, allied to technical expertise, is of course the key.

Now, Accuvant is a reputable and respected company and no comment that I have seen questions this or the company's objectivity. However, some concern has been expressed about the fact that the report was actually paid for by Google. This has made for a feeling of unease about the results. Let's be clear: no one has claimed that Accuvant has been anything other than completely objective but, well, the unease remains.

Some of us will remember the old days of the so called "browser wars" when Internet Explorer (IE) and Netscape Navigator were locked in a battle for supremacy. IE, when it first appeared to confront the already mature Netscape offering, seemed little short of a toy browser but that changed rapidly. Very soon they were racing neck and neck, each cheered on by its own set of highly partisan fans.

Then Netscape took a fall, like a horse falling at a fence in a steeplechase, leaving the field almost completely clear to IE. To disheartened Netscape fans, the appearance of the Mozilla browser was an event akin to the arrival of the US Cavalry in a Western film. We were saved from the pesky villain IE who had seemed to rule the roost.

From the early days, Firefox steadily rose to become the dominant browser in a field occupied by a small number of contestants, all eagerly fighting for market share. In the meantime, the online world has changed almost beyond recognition and has become a more challenging and, to the user, more dangerous environment. Browser design is no longer simply about providing the user with a rich set of facilities: it is also and particularly about confronting threats and protecting the user, and the user's computer, from danger and damage.

I have seen all the main browsers develop from simple and speedy applications to inflated and slow ones. These days we demand far more of our browsers in terms of features, while at the same time, the Web has a far more complex and rich set of features that browsers need to handle. The extra complexity comes at a cost in size and efficiency.

When Google Chrome first appeared, I tried it, and it seemed to me a very schematic piece of work, hardly worthy of the being called a browser. Since those early days, however, it has developed apace and is today a very competent piece of software. At the last count, I had 5 browsers installed, either the Windows versions or the portable versions, and Google Chrome is one of them. Compared with Firefox, it seems very simple. As a Firefox user I find myself groping around in Chrome for settings or functions that don't actually exist but, despite this, Chrome possesses nearly everything you need, while its slimline form means that it is one of the fastest browsers - and possibly the actual fastest browser - currently available. Its market share has also increased impressively, hence the concerns about matters of security.

One of the interesting things about Chrome is that it is based on a software project called Chromium and Chromium is open source. That means that anyone can use Chromium as a basis for their own browser development. As a result, there are today quite a few Chrome lookalikes on the market. These are not clones (as they are often mistakenly called) because each has its own special features which its authors hope will win them market share from Chrome itself.

The main objection that many people have to Chrome is that it is a tell-tale: it reports back to Google on all the user's activities. Google will say that the data collected are anonymized and therefore do not compromise the privacy of users; critics will point out the when you install Chrome, it acquires a unique identity number to which all collected data are referenced and that this opens to door to spying on users.

Without getting involved in the increasingly acrimonious debate, we can say that this has proved to be a selling point for Chrome's rivals, enabling them to claim that they do not stick their nose into your activities as does Chrome itself. Some of these alternatives have by now acquired a small but dedicated following.

I will mention just two of the rivals because I have them installed on my PC and use them frequently. The first is called Iron and comes from Srware. Iron comes in two versions, Windows installer and portable. Srware claim that it has all the features of Chrome but with all reporting functions removed. Any extensions that you find in Chrome Web Store can also be installed in Iron. I have seen reports of some oddities in performance but have never noticed anything of the sort myself. If you like Chrome but don't want it telling tales on you, then Iron may be your solution.

The second contender, and one I discovered only recently, comes from the Comodo stable and is called Comodo Dragon. This is a very pretty, if slightly curious, example of the Chrome lookalike art. Many commentators have remarked that Dragon resembles a cross between Chrome and the Opera browser. Its layout is similar to, but slightly different from, Chrome's layout. For example, the famous "wrench" (or spanner) icon to access settings is missing. You click on the Comodo Dragon logo in the top left-hand corner instead.

Like Iron, Dragon claims not to betray your secrets. More than than, it claims to be the most secure browser of all of them. It has special secure features in addition to those of Chrome, and when you install it, you are given the option of setting it to go through Comodo's own servers, supposedly adding another layer of security.

Also, when you first install it, a tick box appears, leave this blank and Comodo Dragon installs as a Windows application; tick it and it installs on a USB flash drive as a portable application. This means that you can carry your browser with you and keep both versions loaded with your favourites and your passwords. Comodo Dragon can use your Google account to synchronise it with all your data. As with Iron, all extensions in the Chrome Web Store will also run on Comodo Dragon.

Do we need Firefox anymore? If Google Chrome and its lookalikes as so secure and fast and so simple to use, why would we bother with podgy slow Firefox? There's a lot we could say in answer to that, I think. Firefox is still a power in the land and I have no doubt that it will spring back from the slap received from Accuvant and become competitive again. Firefox is not perfect; it has faults; but it's a damned good browser and is not ready to be written off just because a security firm has said a few harsh things about it.

However, there is one very important feature of Firefox that ensures that it will remain my main browser for the foreseeable future. The only other browser I know that has this feature is Opera, though it is not so nicely implemented there. I speak of a global password to protect your login details.

These days, we all have so many username/password combinations that the temptation to let the browser remember them for us is well nigh irresistible. This, however, is dangerous. When we go on a trip, I take my laptop along so I can transfer each day's photos to it. There is obviously a risk that the laptop will be stolen or simply accessed by someone. If there is an unprotected browser on it, then all my passwords are there for the taking. Firefox protects these with a global password and as long as I choose a suitably complex and unguessable password, my data are safe. The machine maybe stolen but the thief will not be able to access my accounts.

Google Chrome does not have a global password, nor does the design of Chromium allow for one. There have been many complaints about this, even among Chrome fans. Writers of Google extensions have of course tried to tackle this problem and you will find on the Web many glowing accounts of extensions such as Simple Startup Password. Unfortunately, these extensions are not secure and can easily be by-passed, so there is little point in installing them. Chrome's design will need radical revision before a proper global password system can be included.

My conclusion, then, is that Google Chrome, and especially Comodo Dragon, are nice browsers and have good features, but they are not to be trusted with your sensitive data and that Firefox remains, for the foreseeable future the browser of choice. You can to a certain extent beef up its security by means of add-ons and new versions are coming out so fast these days (we are now, remarkably, at version 9) that I am sure the well publicized security weaknesses will be dealt with soon. By all means use Chrome or Dragon for surfing, but keep your passwords protected in Firefox.

Pictures by magnet

2011-12-19T23:30:00.000Z

Today I went to University College Hospital (UCH) for an MRI scan. I don't want to go into details as to why my doctor requested that I do this, so let's just say that it comes under the general heading of "men's problems" and move on.

I spent a rather anxious weekend, not knowing what the scan would be like or, more importantly, what the findings would be. Monday morning came and I got myself ready and started out. Once I was moving and occupied, I felt less anxious and when I reached UCH much too early (rather that than arrive late and miss my appointment) I went for a walk around the area and wished I had brought my camera to catch the early morning scenes.

I returned to UCH in time for my appointment but then had to wait. They told me that the MRI scanner is a little temperamental and that they had had to start it up several times before it had consented to run.

I must say that throughout the whole process, I was treated politely and kindly and everything was explained at every stage so that I understood what was going on. That helped reduce the anxiety. The only problem that remained was that although I have recovered somewhat from the chesty cold, I have an occasional coughing fit and they said that if that happened during the scan it would cause the image to blur. They proposed giving me time between scans to cough if I needed to!

To start with, I was shown to a cubicle and asked to strip down to my underwear and put my clothes and belongings in plastic bags. On the bench was a heap of dressing gowns, so I put one on though it was small and hardly covered my "bare necessities"!

After a while I was fetched and taken to the MRI scanner suite. The machine was already in operation and I had to wait, sitting on a chair and delicately arranging my robe as decorously as possible! Then they inserted one of those plastic taps in my arm so that they could give me a couple of injections during the scan. It was done very carefully and I hardly felt it.

At last, the previous client emerged and it was my turn to be processed. My property was stowed in lockers and I went into the scanner room where I had to lie on my back on a sort of plank bed. They gave me a pillow and a cushion under my knees to make me more comfortable. I was also handed a rubber bulb on a tube - I could squeeze this in the event of an emergency. What emergency? No one said...

In operation, the scanner makes a lot of noise. It buzzes, thrums, bangs and shakes. If you listen, you can make out repeating patterns. The patient is fitted with a pair of headphones to mitigate the effects of the din.

When all was ready, the plank bed was raised and slid into the machine in a way that reminded me of a corpse being slip into a sarcophagus. Fortunately, my head was left poking out. The scanning consisted of several different scans of differing duration and lasted about 40 minutes altogether. Every so often a voice would come over the head phones asking if I was OK to continue. I even dozed off a couple of times.

At last the scanning was completed and my 40 minutes of remaining motionless and trying not to cough were over. The plank bed slid out and down and I got up. The tap was removed from my arm and replaced with a swap attached with sticky tape. I was free to go. I returned to the cubicle and swapped my scanty robe for my usual clothes. Then I sped out into the familiar streets of London, like a bird released from a cage.

They got some nice pictures, apparently, and saw everything they needed to see. In the afternoon, I had to go back to UCH for a consultation. The good news was that there was no cause for alarm. I will be returning for treatment but the main anxiety has now abated and I can get on with my life.

British Library

2011-12-17T23:30:00.000Z

Today we had arranged to meet friends and to go on a visit somewhere, perhaps Fenton House in Hampstead. However, as it was rather cold and came on to rain, we changed our plans and decided instead to go on a local visit.

King's Cross
The rain has been replaced by fitful sunshine

We met near King’s Cross and walked through the station on our way to our next destination. The above photo shows a deceptively quiet side of King’s Cross station. Rebuilding has been going on for years and will continue for some time yet. The site is quite a mess with new paths appearing, old ones becoming blocked and barriers springing up where least expected.

Not a flying saucer...
... but the new dome at King's Cross station

King’s Cross station is being extended and the extended portion has been roofed with this glass dome and projecting canopy that makes it resemble the popular image of a flying saucer or perhaps a giant jellyfish.

The Meeting Place
By Paul Day, St Pancras station

King’s Cross station and St Pancras station are separated by no more than a modest roadway. This is because when the railways were first being developed, rival companies wanted to build termini at this strategic spot. A feature of St Pancras – the London terminus of the Eurostar international railway service – is this huge sculpture on the upper level. Called The Meeting Place, it is by Paul Day and shows a man and a woman meeting in a tight embrace.

St Pancras station...
...designed to impress

The Midland Railway intended their station to impress. A competition was held and early in 1866, the most expensive of the submissions was selected. The architect was the already famous George Gilbert Scott, working in the Gothic revival style.

Hotel porch
The St Pancras Renaissance

After narrowly being saved from demolition by a campaign led by poet John Betjeman, the station building underwent many years of refurbishment. Today, the building accommodates prestige apartments and an upmarket hotel.

Mythical creatures
The high quality finish has been preserved

Everywhere you look there is a wealth of imaginative and creative detail to admire. I accept that nothing so intricate could be built today but how different it is from the dull and talentless design of most modern architecture. The fact that we nearly lost it to the greed and vandalism of the “developers” makes it all the more valuable.

Caution: Steps
Entrance to the British Library

We made our way to the British Library where we were amused by these warning signs drawing attention to the steps. In second thoughts, though, it would probably be possible to stumble as the steps are shallow and not very obvious.

William Shakespeare
By Louis Roubiliac, bequeathed to the British Museum 1779, transferred
to the British Library 2005

What was to become the British Library was founded in the 18th century around collections contributed by a number of benefactors including King George III. What is known as the King’s Collection still forms the core of the Library, both symbolically and physically.

The King's Collection
A glass tower housing the collection

In the centre of the public area stands this remarkable 4-storey glass tower, discreetly illuminated, which contains the books and documents collected by George III and donated to the library. At its foot is a cafe where today people sit sipping coffee and typing on the laptop computers.

Manuel printing press
Model based on Benjamin Franklin's press

In the basement, in a dark corner, is a printing press – an appropriate piece of furniture for a library. This one is a model of an 18th century press, based on that of Benjamin Franklin. It would have been very similar, a notice tells us, to that used in 1454-5 by Johannes Gutenberg. The darkness of the alcove makes it hard to see, never mind to photograph, the press.

Paradoxymoron
Patrick Hughes 1996

In the basement also is this picture by Patrick Hughes. Is it more than a rather dull picture of a library containing bookcases full of books? The strange title might give you pause. Then there is what happens when you look at the picture from different angles. Consider in particular the two “archways”, one near the centre of the picture and the other on the right.

Looking from the left
The left arch is narrow

When we look at the picture from the left, the left arch is narrow and the right arch is wider. What happens if we move to the right?

Looking from the right
The left arch is wider

If we move to the right and look again, the left arch has opened and the right arch has narrowed. If we were looking at a flat picture there would be no change at all and if we were looking at a 3D model, the opposite would happen. What is going on?

Sideways view
Showing the projections

This view taken from the extreme right, gives some idea of the picture’s secret. It is not flat but made with projections that create a “pseudo-3D” effect. As you move to right or left, the projections cause the picture to change but with a perspective effect that is the opposite of what you would see in a genuine room or 3D model. It is so well done that even the camera is fooled at any but the most extreme angles.

Bench or artwork?
Sitting on History, Bill Woodrow

In the entrance hall or atrium is this intriguing artifact, another one that is well at home in a library. There is obviously a delicious ambiguity to it: is it a work of art or is it a bench? Or is it perhaps art for sitting on? It does get sat on and fulfils that purpose perfectly well but at the same time it is a representation of a book. But what about the chain to which the book is shackled? What is the meaning of that?

Multilevel views
And you can take photos!

The British Library has numerous galleries and side rooms where the exhibitions take place. Photography may not be permitted in the exhibitions because of copyright issues but you are allowed to take photos without restriction in the other public areas. The building is itself quite interesting, allowing multi-level views.

Staircase
This way to the reading rooms

The British Library is one of the UK’s six “legal deposit” libraries, which means that it receives a free copy of every book published in the UK. It is also a study library but in order to study here you need to obtain a Reader Pass for which you need to make out a good case.

There are always interesting exhibitions and displays at the British Library and an unusually large shop selling books and other more or less relevant items. It is a place that you can visit again and again, always finding something new.

Back at St Pancras
The beautiful curved roof

After our visit to the British Library, we returned to St Pancras and the upper level where we enjoyed a late lunch in the pub there that bears the appropriate name of the Betjeman Arms.

Busts of the founders
British Library

A new start

2011-12-16T20:36:00.002Z

I am having difficulties in connecting with my Wordpress blog, so I am transferring my blogging activities to this blog, at least for now.