Painting With Light

I created this piece of art during our visit to Bradford. It is made from a cut out shape of a bottle, with pieces of coloured plastic that I arranged in a collage, and is lit by a lightbox.

I think that it is only really meant for children to learn the idea of colour, light and shapes. But then I am really a big kid myself!

A Is For Apple

Besides all the great things on offer at Bradford's National Media Museum, there's a special exhibition on at the moment all about consumer electronics since the 1970s.

It was very interesting, seeing how things have changed over the last forty years. And nothing has changed so much as computers; especially those in the home.

One of the most famous names in computing is of course Apple. In fact I am presently writing this blog on an iMac. Gail too is an 'Appleite', with an iMac, iPad and iPhone. It's a shame in a way that they don't make digital cameras, as it would be great to have an iSnap!

Here's a photo of the Apple II from 1978. How different it looks from the swish, sexy machines of today. Plus of course the processing power has improved dramatically. Even though it appears to be a powerful machine in its time, I doubt it would be able to manage a blog, like my 27" iMac can.

Salt, But No Vinegar

Yesterday we decided to take a trip to Saltaire, a small town that was created for the workers of the nearby wool factory by Victorian industrialist Sir Titus Salt.

The town had it's own church, hospital. Almost everything that is, except a pub. There is some debate as to why. But he certainly knew how to look after his employees better than the other factory owners at the time. Similar in a way to that of Cadbury's, who built the village of Bourneville near Birmingham.

Nottingham's own Jesse Boot, or Lord Trent did something similar and provided land for the new university.

Wouldn't it be good if today's industrialists were more philanthropic and did the same sort of thing for their employees, or for the towns that their companies are in, instead of wasting it on sports cars, yachts and other personal indulgences.

Exterminate!

Grrr, somehow I forgot to set up a post for Saturday. And I really hate missing a day, as I like to blog everyday, and so try to generate a page, even if I am not able to blog at the time.

Most of Saturday was spent at the National Media Museum. What a fantastic place. Eight floors of film, television and photographic memories. It was almost like all my boyhood memories had come to life for everyone to see. From Rainbow's Zippy and George, to Captain Scarlet and Thunderbird 2 via a bit of Rhubarb and Custard.

There was of course one character that is part of most people's childhood, and that is of a Dalek. Whether you hid behind the sofa, or sat glued to the action, as the good Doctor, whether it was Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee (my first) or Baker (the best) fought them with cunning and ingenuity and saved the day. Only you knew, just knew that they would return to have another go next year.

Gone Up North

Another little jaunt away for the weekend. This time to Bradford in Yorkshire; famous for textiles, a thriving Asian community and the National Media Museum, which moved from London a few years ago.

We arrived late in the afternoon, and found our hotel fairly easily. A small boutique style opposite a lovely big park. Nothing really to write home about though. But adequate for our needs.

After dinner, we went for a stroll around the area. We came across two very large buildings that was a former textile mills. One had been converted into fancy apartments, while sadly the other one called Manningham Mill has fallen into disrepair. But plans are afoot to turn it into a fancy apartment block.

For further details on the history of the building and plans for its future can be found on this Wikipedia page

Here is a bit of an arty shot of a cobbled street that runs at the side of the said building. Something a bit different.