On TV...

[NewcastleFalcon]

Watched this the other day. Very nice shiny red Jaguar at the start, and slow to start, and quite a boring voice over, but all in all a fascinating insight into how engines and cars were made in the Jaguar Factory in 1961. Lots of manual effort and skill, and operation of many different machines to produce the end product. Only half an hour or so....considerably less time than an episode of bake-off or strictly!



Regards Neil

[Hell Razor5543]

OK Jim, it might be OK for you to watch Guy Martin this evening (19:30, Channel 4). He is attempting to be the first human to fly a human powered airship across the English Channel. Not likely to have much high speed involved.

[Hell Razor5543]

Well, I enjoyed that. Guy Martin was his usual best, and he did manage to fly a human powered airship. I think he enjoyed himself, and others did as well.

[CitroJim]

Missed that but I might look for it on catch-up if I have a few moments spare one evening...

Just about to start reading his autobiography - looks like it'll be an interesting read...

[Hell Razor5543]

Well, now Guy is trying to break the record for the fastest human powered boat (pedal powered, in this case), which has stood at 18knots since 1991.

[NewcastleFalcon]

With the nights drawing in and a chill in the air, and nowt much on TV even if you have 200 channels, you may be able to pick something interesting from

"The Seven Wonders of the Industrial World".

and they are titled...The Great Ship, The Brooklyn Bridge, Bell Rock Lighthouse, The Sewer King, The Panama Canal, The Hoover Dam, and The Line.

Thanks to James (Hell Razor) for linking to the one on the Bell Rock Lighthouse on the "Picture(s) of the Day" thread

Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

Well, now Guy is trying to break the record for the fastest human powered boat (pedal powered, in this case), which has stood at 18knots since 1991.

Just read his autobiography "When you dead you dead..."

What a strange and peculiar bloke he is... He does not come across well at all and has some quite bizarre attitudes... Having said that though, I'd love to meet him and have a chat with him...

[NewcastleFalcon]

Came across this, and watched it out of curiousity. You certainly get a good nose around a 1970 Citroen DS Pallas, and there is the odd talking point....this one has a column change....never knew......do they all have column change or was this just a US thing? and the wheel trims with the black and white spirals a la Marcel Duchamp creating an "interesting" if ultimately pointless 3D effect as the wheels turn .

Sometimes I find USA presentation sytle can be a touch on the "boring" side although I am sure the presenter is a likeable young chap, so if you go for the full video, even with an interesting subject, you may fall asleep! Plastering videos from the USA are the worst!



Regards Neil

[white exec]

Wednesday of last week saw the 80th anniversary of the first UK television broadcast, from Alexandra Palace - on 2 November 1936.

Both the Baird mechanical and EMI-Marconi systems were used, in succession, and in competition. Baird lost. A rather splendid 35mm b&w film was made by the BBC at the time, "Television Comes to London", to record the event, and thank goodness, because there were no video recording systems available at the time, so no actual recording of the transmissions exists.

At the outbreak of War, Broadcasting House told Aly Pally to close down transmission at noon. They didn't - but that's another story.

Last week a rather good (and fun) recreation of that first night was screened:
Television's Opening Night: How the Box Was Born (90mins)
It's on iPlayer for another 25 days.

Definitely one for Jim, and anyone else into EHT, water-cooled valves, Emitrons, spinning discs, flying spots, and 55-sec-processed film, and breakthroughs on a shoestring - as well as cut-glass accents.

[CitroJim]

I seeing it on the night Chris but must go and find it...

I did read all about it on the vintage wireless forum and it was very well received - if you pardon the pun!

[Zelandeth]

That sounds interesting...Just grabbed it off iPlayer and will definitely have a look at that when I get a chance!

[NewcastleFalcon]

Last week a rather good (and fun) recreation of that first night was screened:
Television's Opening Night: How the Box Was Born (90mins)
It's on iPlayer for another 25 days.

Thanks Chris, watched that last night...interspersed with my usual bouts of nodding off so I am not sure I got the full 90!

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Its been trailed for a while now on Radio 2, but tonight from 8.00 p.m. you can either listen, or watch on BBC red button, Simple Minds live from the Hackney Empire doing an acoustic set prior to the launch of this tomorrow



Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Have to admit to being a bit disappointed with my listening experience of the above. I do like the acoustic version of "promised you a miracle" with KT Tunstall who wasn't performing with them last night.

To be fair though it was probably the first time Simlpe Minds had done a set, on the world's tinny-est laptop speakers, so I'll give their arrangements the benefit of the doubt, and I fully expect the Album to be 100 times better. Heard/watched about 6 or seven tracks before the internet connection dropped out, but the sound was so poor that I gave up ploughing through the rest of the set.

Regards Neil

[wurlycorner]

Just catching up on this thread...

The very same, Jim.


His attention to detail was legendary. It included the way he filed his copy (paragraph 3)...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituar ... right.html

He clearly had fabulous choice in cars...
(The silver car in the background is a 4th gen prelude - of which I have 3 and I see that it was in his 'must own' list of cars )