Category Archives: Personal

A year of Desire

It’s 12 months now since I first started using an HTC Desire smartphone and I can’t think of a more aptly named device.

Before I expand on these comments – some context…

At the outset of this new century, I was involved in the development of 3G mobile internet technologies with US telco giant Lucent where we were envisaging what future services might look like. By the middle of the decade I was working for a hosted services company specializing in Windows Mobile and Blackberry based mobile email services. And, right now, I am working for a company immersed in how mobile and smartphone technologies can be integrated into cars, homes and the workplace.

So, here are five main reasons why I find the Desire so desirable? Continue reading →

Disney and the Pleasure Principle

I admire Walt Disney. It is sad that he died at a comparatively young age  the year I was born while working on plans for Disney World in Florida. His plans came to fruition five years later under the guidance of his brother Roy – who in turn died before his time in 1971 on the day he was to open the first Christmas Parade at the recently opened and renamed Walt Disney World. In all, quite a tragic beginning for the Disney family for a creation that has become the most visited theme park in the world.

I have visited this ‘world’ three times now and, much to my surprise, I don’t get bored of it. In fact, I found this last visit even more pleasurable than the previous ones. In part it is because I am in awe of a place that is almost as old as I am now and how they manage to keep it all in such good condition and running so smoothly. The logistics of the operation are immense and I didn’t, until this visit, appreciate just what is happening under the Magic Kingdom. It is also because I have great respect for those with vision and those who can inspire amazing creations that are ahead of their time. Continue reading →

Revisiting 'The Wall' – 30 years on…

1979 – the end of a tough decade in the UK which was bringing a lot of change. It’s the year I feel I became broadly self-aware and the start of a tortuous period of confused adolescence and angst ridden young adulthood.

It’s also the year that Pink Floyd released The Wall – a powerful ‘rock opera’ written by the band’s then leader Roger Waters.

One of the main tracks that gained immediate notoriety was ‘Another Brick in The Wall’ – As a teenager the lyrics ” We don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control – Teacher leave them kids alone” was a powerful anthem. I still remember watching the video and performances on Top of the Pops when that track reached number one.

As a keen fan of punk music at that time, my previous knowledge of Pink Floyd was the T-shirt John Lydon of the Sex Pistols was famed for wearing – an iconic punk image of a torn Pink Floyd shirt with the words ‘I hate’ added to it. So I was predisposed to not liking the band at that time.

The more I listened to The Wall though, the more it resonated with me. Roger Waters wrote it when he felt most alienated from those around him, including his own bandmates. It was a very personal statement at the time and one that no doubt contributed to the subsequent splits in the band, with Waters and Gilmore frequently expressing that they are very different personalities. Continue reading →

Having fun with the sun

Saturday in the Hoskins household was Dad and youngest Daughter day as Mum and eldest Daughter went off to the cinema and shopping. It was a nice sunny winter’s day for a change, after several weeks of rain and a great opportunity to play with a toy I bought her for Christmas. As I have daughters and not sons, the usual tradition of fathers buying toys for their sons that they can play with themselves hasn’t really applied in our household to date, as I grew out of playing with dolls when I was about five 😉

The toy is an interesting kit that I spotted a while back that enables you to experiment with solar power. Although it is designed for the 10+ age category, my daughter, who is close to 9, had no problems following the assembly instructions and building the various components from the ‘Airfix’ style kit. That process was a useful lesson in how an electric motor and gears work and also the basic elements of a solar panel. The only fiddly bit was attaching the wires and when I finally twigged that I was making it more complicated than it needed to be, even that was pretty simple.

Continue reading →

Flood, wind and fire! – It's hell down under

On an eventful dive excursion to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns 15 years ago

Some of the best memories from my life so far come from visits to Australia. From the Great Barrier Reef and rainforest of the north-east, down the Gold Coast via Brisbane to the amazing city of Sydney and across to Perth and the wonderful sunset coast of Western Australia. Sadly, all three of these areas have suffered considerable damage in the last month, with Brisbane consumed by surging floodwaters, Cairns – the gateway to the Barrier Reef – and the Reef itself, battered and bruised by cyclone Yasi and now, Black Sunday in Perth as raging bushfires destroy many homes in the Perth Hills – a fantastic, picturesque forest area I visited on a very memorable motorcycle tour less than a year ago.

Continue reading →