2014-07-30 (Wednesday)

@infovore No sorry required! I'm pleased to realise it's starting again.

@infovore Ooh good. Hadn't even realised S02 was around. Starts on More 4 next week!

@pkqk @tomstuart God, last year, trying to learn how to test things properly by trying to find decent RSpec docs. Not productive.

@tedmills Well jel.

@george08 I’m sure there are plenty of worse countries!

@mattsheret That one recurs daily.

@denisewilton No I can’t! (OK, think that one’s done.)

@mattsheret I have no excuses. Shall I start the day again?

@denisewilton It’s only 5pm! Admittedly, considering past mistakes is going to take a fair old while…

Doing well with today’s Getting Things Done process.

@inthecompanyof I support the specific campaign but Save Tech City’s tone feels like part of the area’s problem not it’s solution. Good luck

@inthecompanyof It appears to take a very short-term self-involved view of the area. “We changed it but we like it now so no more change ta”

@genmon Yeah, should have had a better pay-off. “And so I will now only barter my services.”

@inthecompanyof …the kinds of people who have stopped Shoreditch being weird. We are the reason rent has gone up and developers moved in.

@inthecompanyof Because it comes across as “Keep Shoreditch Weird!” when it looks like all the people on that page are, like me, exactly…

@inthecompanyof It’s nothing to do with using “Tech City”! (Not that I like the name.)

I wrote more about my frustrating attempts to open a business bank account last week: gyford.com/phil/writing/2… Yes, that sounds really dull.

@inthecompanyof Again, the specific campaign is worthwhile, but the initial messaging of Save Tech City makes me roll my eyes.

@inthecompanyof Because it comes across as “Don’t change Tech City now that we’re here and have changed it just enough so that we like it.”

@inthecompanyof @jasecoop @ntlk Good luck with the campaign. Unfortunately, Save Tech City, with all those faces, makes me laugh/despair.

@jasecoop @ntlk As I said, the campaign against the building is fine. The vague “Save Tech City” site comes across as nonsense.

If you don’t know, Midtown is west of Tech City, east of Theatreland and north of Northbank.

Londoners, join my campaign to KEEP MIDTOWN WEIRD!

@jasecoop @ntlk I’m not saying it used to be better, just that it was better for other people whose views were as valid as ours.

@jasecoop @ntlk But people who have come to Shoreditch because of all the start-ups etc are complicit in the area changing.

@jasecoop @ntlk You can *say* it all you like. People always have and always will.

@jasecoop @ntlk Artists complained about having to move out of Hoxton Square when we all arrived. Are we more right than they were?

@jasecoop @ntlk *That* is the thing. You can’t say “I’m glad we’ve changed it this much, but no more.”

@jasecoop @ntlk Because all those people (people like me, maybe you) *are* the reason “Tech City” has changed over the past 15ish years.

@jasecoop @ntlk Why what?

This seems a worthwhile campaign about Shoreditch: morelightmorepower.co.uk This, related, is hilariously un-selfaware: savetechcity.herokuapp.com

@flaneur @jonty I know! It’s focused, makes more sense, is something concrete you can say yes or no about.

@NeilBennun @jonty There is a valid bigger issue. But consultants, biz-dev, entrepreneurs etc complaining “Tech City” isn’t what it was…?!

@jonty Amazing. The actual campaign morelightmorepower.co.uk seems focused on a single development. I don’t know why they’re confusing things.

@jonty I keep looking at it. I can’t quite believe it’s real or that those people so lack in self-awareness.

@joe_malia @alruii Oh forget it then. I know it’s your big day but the doves hammer home an important point at the 78 minute mark.

@joe_malia @alruii PS. Hope it’s a special day.

@joe_malia @alruii Great. I have two hours, yeah? I’ll need an IMAX screen and no one can enter or leave once I’ve begun. No autographs.

@alruii @joe_malia Who’s doing the keynote?

@holgate We can only Save Tech City by scrapping all mobile phones and going back to 14.4 modems.

@gsvoss @flaneur Remember the good old days when the Plague really brought the Tech City community together?

@flaneur KEEP TECH CITY AMERICAN!

@agentGav Yes, the Huguenots, then Jews.

Anyway, a blog post from 2012 about Shoreditch / Tech City: gyford.com/phil/writing/2…

@flaneur Year 2042: Save Tech City by returning it to the traditional VC-funded start-ups, American corporations and luxury hotels!

Sorry, I’m being sarcastic. We should Save Tech City by returning it to the musicians and artists of the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Sorry, that was silly. We should Save Tech City by returning it to the printers, furniture makers and tailors of the 19th century.

We should Save Tech City by returning it to fields. It’s been downhill since the 18th century. motco.com/map/81002/Seri…

@tomstuart Save Shoreditch from people with responsive faces. Or FOR people with responsive faces. I’m confused.

Enhancing one of last week’s tweets: ‘Falling Down’ starring Victor Meldrew.

@weareicoEx “we will continue to support Sifteo Cubes and Sifteo users”

@KushalP Just swim. I would do more (with a few more pauses to get my breath back) but it gets boring!

@KushalP Not every. Three mornings a week, all being well.

@minor9th Yeah, lightweight.

Swam the usual 1000m this morning. Met a woman in the lift who finished swimming the Channel at 4am.

@agpublic phil@gyford.com

@agpublic Er, yes. Not entirely sure what being hit up for a quote means, but why not.

@spaceboy Someone is subtweeting.

idk, you say “startup culture is entitled man-children building mostly bullshit to make rich white guys richer” and people get all offended

@philgyford SENSITIVELY RESTORE THE ORIGINAL GOOGLE CAMPUS FACADE

It’s weird that I use Twitter to drive tons of signups, and as a critical support channel, but they don’t have any way for me to pay them