I thought that this image was suitable for the “Monochrome” theme for a number of reasons. It was taken on black and white film (Ilford XP2) and, even on colour film it would have been pretty monochromatic. It was taken in Vigland Park, Oslo.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Metal.” I’m entry number 27.

• 2.8 Release Jazzes Themes and Widgets – I just upgraded ZX81 to the latest version of WordPress. Let me know if you see anything that’s not working properly!
• Chinese troops out in force for 20th anniversary of ‘nothing happening’ – “Many people who were in the area in 1989 were expected to observe the anniversary by staying at home and doing nothing special, much as they did 20 years ago.”
• Behind the Scenes: Tank Man of Tiananmen – “Few images are more recognizable or more evocative. Known simply as ’tank man,’ it is one of the most famous photographs in recent history.”

As if wandering around a conference centre before the start of the conference wasn’t enough, I also went to the south of the Bay Area to visit some of the major sights in Silicon Valley.

I started at the excellent Computer History Museum. I don’t doubt that most people would find this mind-numbingly dull but I thought that the large archive of “significant” computers was great. It would be easy to argue over the machines that were on display, the ones that were more significant or, well, less American¹.

Ever since I’ve been “into” Macs, Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference has been a draw. As an iPhone developer this years was especially interesting to me. Unfortunately it’s not a full time job to me so it was hard to justify the time off work or the expense of the ticket.

I was, however, in the Bay Area just before the event and managed to have a quick walk around Moscone. I felt a bit geeky taking pictures of a trade conference, but I wasn’t the only one doing so and I didn’t have my nose pressed against the glass unlike certain people!

We went for a longer-than-expected walk just north of San Francisco and stumbled across these mail boxes. I love that they’re so bright and cheerful. Maybe it takes the edge off receiving lots of junk mail and bills?

The cars in the Rally of Corsica were zipping through the streets at High Speeds, which I thought made this a good candidate for this weeks PhotoFriday challenge.

Please vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Shiny,” I’m entry number 162.

• Confessions of an Introverted Traveller – “We introverts have a different style of travel, and I’m tired of hiding it.”
• Towel Day – Celebrating the life and work of Douglas Adams – Do you have your towel with you today?
• Jews: No Jesus, No Reason, Just Whining; They’re Motivated by Anger and Boohoo Victimhood – “Now… if I actually believed that, I’d be called every name in the book. And rightfully so. Those are ignorant, bigoted, hateful remarks. They’re also wildly stereotypical and extremely inaccurate. When Charlotte Allen says the exact same things about atheists, however, she gets published in the Los Angeles Times.”

I have no particular reason for posting this picture of a fort in Porto, Corsica. I just like it!

My entry for this weeks PhotoFriday challenge, “Shiny,” was taken at the changing of the guard ceremony in Stockholm. I was very impressed with their smart and shiny uniforms and astonished when they started playing the Indiana Jones theme music shortly afterwards.


I was confused by these signs. Surely “Ej upp” is a greeting? And if so, why is it in red with a “no entry” icon?

At the risk of detracting from what it supposed to be humour, some northern English dialect is actually descended from Scandinavia. Though whenever I see most of these comparison charts I don’t recognise half the words!