What I did in May 2017

I saw Cosmic Trigger at the Cockpit theatre, and it was awesome. Robert Anton Wilson, the Illuminatus, Eris, Ken Campbell, 23, nudity, Timothy Leary, "Turn on. Tune in. Find the others", giant golden apples, Aleister Crowley, LSD, magical rituals, aliens. Yes!

I attended a few interviews, and accepted an offer for a new job! I will be working in the St Paul's area. Excited about having new UX problems to solve, pages to design, users to find out about, new colleagues to meet, and a new area to explore during my lunch breaks and after work.

The sea beckoned and so I went to Newquay in Cornwall. I walked along cliff-tops, so springy with rabbit burrows that I wondered if I would fall down a rabbit hole. I wandered across beaches, peered into rock pools at sea anemones and paddled in the sea. I swam a few times and also tried snorkelling for the first time. I went on a boat ride along the coast and saw the tea caverns, a kittiwake colony and seals, which came right up to the boat. I also saw three bees, out at sea. I sat on Towan Beach and watched the sea come in, listened to the roaring waves at Fistral Beach, and walked down to Lusty Glaze beach and found a wedding was happening there. I walked across Porth Beach and onto Porth Island, where I walked out to Trevelgue Head and I also saw Butter. I had a lovely time.

I laid in bed and looked at the sea. (Such views from where I stayed in Newquay!)

I went to OpenTech, which I very much enjoyed. I listened to some interesting talks, caught up with friends, ate sushi with iguana, met some new people, and generally had a good time. I listened to talks on: using machine learning to decide which photographs are scenic; crochet patterns for STEM role models, such as Dr Mae Jemison, Astronaut; music made from data for migratory patterns and ice melting; creating ISPs; ethical technology; taking period leave and listening to your cycles; BBC’s micro:bit; privacy modes on different browsers.

I ate a Copenhagener from Ole & Steen in Richmond, and climbed inside a tree in Richmond Park.

I visited the Marian Goodman Gallery and saw the "Annette Messager: Avec et san raisons" exhibition and stared at gloves with pencils sticking out of the fingers, snails with breasts for shells, a uterus giving the finger and wallpaper of this.

I had lunch with Monika at Farmstand and it was good to catch up with her!

I stared at some amazing photos at Somerset House in the Sony World Photography awards & Martin Parr exhibition.

I walked along the river, on Tube walk 129: Richmond to Kew Gardens, and it was quite leafy, and a pleasant walk. The next tube walk will be in the Roding Valley, which is a lot less familiar to me.

I ate dim sum at Tai Tung in Croydon with nou and friends.

I attended Design History Reading Club at the Barbican, discussed Douglas Engelbart, augmenting human intellect, and how fun copy and pasting must have seemed back then.

I had drinks and pizza with web folk at Pub Standards.

I walked from Crowhurst to Battle, on a walk arranged by Jacqui. We visited Battle Abbey and the 1066 battlefield. We admired the views, saw rabbits and chainsaw sculptures of knights.

I went to talks on User research and VR, at the Research Thing meet up. Interesting talks on subjects such as learning about simulator sickness with VR.

I ate sushi and chocolate mochi with deathboy and it was great to see him!

I visited the Battle of Britain Bunker in Uxbridge, an underground operations room, which was used during the Second World War, and was given an interesting tour which explained how the map was used and what the different displays in the rooms meant.

I stared at pictures of pylons in the Electricity exhibition at the Wellcome Collection with deathboy and then we ate vegetarian Indian food at the Diwana Bhel Poori House.

I walked up to Richmond Hill and a rainbow appeared up there, and then the view was particularly nice as it is very leafy this time of year. I walked underneath the yellow laburnum in the park. I hid under a tree when it started to rain.

I saw The Red Turtle at the cinema with doseybat and ate dessert (matcha ice-cream, aduki beans, aiyu jelly!) at the Shan State.

I stared up at the neon signs in the Lights of Soho, which I visited with my mum, and later that afternoon, ate rose lokum ice-cream.

I made a flower out of old maps.

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"Don't lick the steering wheel," the health and safety regulations for the Dodgems of the Mind insisted. I signed that I wouldn't and filled in a personality test, in an old fire station. "What's your current personality?" it asked and I ticked, "amazed". I gave my answers to an assistant and then was matched with a dodgem, which spoke to me a bit, telling me to drive onwards, but seemed quite reluctant to move. An assistant told me I could lick the steering wheel if I really wanted. Screens appeared above me, with faces on them, talking sometimes, as I went around the course.

"You're wonderful," one said.

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I walked through the rain to get to a gallery, and then inside, I stared at a picture that was made up of the digits of Pi, and looked at the patterns, the darkness and the light. I stared at flashing screens with patterns that made me think of how hacking is portrayed in old films.

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In another exhibition, in another gallery, I watched feathers attached to wheels spin around and around, and met a polar bear with feathers.
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In June, I am going to attempt flaneurs challenges, such as getting on the first bus that comes along, then getting off after n stops, and then getting on the next bus that comes along.


Ingress:

I got a new badge in Ingress, the Magnus Architect badge, as I deployed at least 3113 resonators to unique resonator slots in the specified time period.

I saw the excellent Berny who was visiting London! Drinks at the Whippet one evening and then another day, we wandered around Croydon and I ate a vegan doner kebab at Boxpark.

I went to Sander's leaving drinks and was temporarily a nice dwarf and a duke and an ambassador and I attacked people with asparagus bum dragons.

I went to a meet, where I wandered around squares in Mayfair, deploying resonators. I went on a roll around Temple. I walked around Gillingham and Chatham while doing the Medway Marathon banner. I attended the Enlightened monthly social.

I completed banners in Wood Green, Kingston, Pimlico and Staines. In Staines, I saw a sculpture commemorating the lino factory. I walked along the river, and the air was full of white fluffy seeds.

I went to a meet, where we completed the Vader banner, and walked from Archway to Angel and then onwards to Old Street. We walked about 10 miles. We also passed the Amwell Fig, one of the great trees of London.

I am getting close to level 15 now, and also close to 10,000 unique portal visits.