A Twitterless Week

It's been a week since I was unceremoniously kicked out of Twitter. I think I have had bad luck for two reasons:
- The first is that I was kicked out on the night before USA's Thanksgiving
- The second is that I have not knowingly broken any of their rules.

See, I found out I had been kicked out (which is what I am calling it
now, rather than being suspended) it was late night on Wednesday for
me (but mid afternoon for the Twitter bots) and I didn't really notice
it. I was surprised and shocked actually, and quite a bit sad about
it. I had suddenly been locked out from my internet, my friends, my
family, and strangely without any reason. I wasn't sent an email
about why I had been suspended, because it was likely to have been a
broken rule. But it was the night before a weekend off for the
Twitter Support team – they even Tweeted about it last week, which is
how I know.

I have since last Wednesday read the rules three times over just to
check that I might have missed a rule that I explicitly broke, which I
can't find. The only things I did on Twiter were chat to friends, send
links, and rant about things that annoyed me – nothing really that
would prick a bot's glancing eyes I think, unless it specifically
looks out for tweets about people not answering phone calls when they
are with held (which was my last Tweet before being kicked out).

You can moan and moan about how it's "just the internet" or "just get another account" but you can fuck off right there – it's not just the
internet, because the internet just isn't anything anymore, and
getting another account belies the point of twitter.

This blog is sheeldz. My email is sheeldz. My Mixcloud is sheeldz
– for want of a better description, sheeldz is my "brand" – it is my
internet name, and twitter have kicked me off my own name. It's like
being told you're no longer allowed to text your friends. It's slowly
annoyed me more and more as the week has progressed, from originally
being bemused and surprised, to be lamentful and annoyed at the bad
timing of it, to now which is just sheer frustration.

All of which brings me to an interesting conclusion – Twitter
shouldn't be a company. See, we might have sleep walked into a bad
moment in history. With telephone calls, texts and emails, letters and
other forms of communication, these were point to point – the method
of delivery was not owned in the same way that Twitter or Facebook are
owned. Twitter are well within their rights to stop me using it as
long as they follow their own procedures to kick me out – if I have
broken the rules, they can tell me to piss off. But without dialogue I
am suddenly left without a valid method of communication, which would have been impossible in the past because my method of communication would be the act of writing a letter not the means of writing a letter – being kicked from Twitter is like being banned from using a pen.

So that's where I am now – annoyed, put out, frustrated, sad and a
little bit let down. Twitter have kicked me out and not told me why
despite saying that they would. So all I can do now is wait and see
what happens. Though, after a week, I am unlikely to be waiting any
longer. I have already started thinking about the best way to modify
my "brand" to a new username, which is a shame.

I created @sheeldz to be me and someone else has taken it from me, and
that's a shame. And if you are reading this and wondering why this is
such a big deal then you don't get Twitter and what it does. I suggest
you look into it – and then smarten up. No one liked those people who
complained about emails back in 1994.

Some Perspective

Hat tip to Tom Houslay (who runs a frankly awesome blog over here, is a good dancer, can drink with the best of us, and only once has tried to take me back to his sordid sex-lair) who re-shared it, via his Google+ profile (originally from Dave Meralus).  I think you might all enjoy Tom's blog, and I think you should click through right now.


This image is quite astonishing, when you think about it.  And I suggest that you do think about it.

Awesome.

The Freedom

Connie was, for all intents and purposes, in a bind when we lived in Texas.  The wide spread nature of the city reduces someone to having to drive, and having to drive is the only way to live in the city.  What it meant for Connie, and myself in actuality, was that we were imprisoned without the use of a car.  Walking anywhere was pretty much out of the question, especially when simply walking to the car was a chore in the 100F heat.

Obviously, this meant that when I wasn't around she very rarely could leave the apartment complex.  It also meant that whenever she wanted to go anywhere, I had to go with her, chaperoning her to the shops for various odds and ends, rather maddening for both of us.  The lack of this freedom to just go and do hampered many of the things that we both wanted to do, almost weekly, if not daily.

It is probably due to our upbringing and formative years that this is such a problem – I love walking to places, as does Connie, and we enjoy wandering amongst buildings, shops, streets and parks – Texas does have loads of these, but only a few we saw in temperatures that were applicable, and only a few were of the ilk that we enjoyed (Austin being one of them).

Back in the UK, it is suddenly day when once there was night.  The new flat is central, on a quiet street, near shops and take aways, and cosy.  The house is small, sure; and old, of course, but it's got charm and history, and importantly it gives us a freedom.  We can just up and leave to go to the centre for anything we want. We are not more than 20 minutes walk away from most things we need, and 20 minutes from bus stops and train stations that will take us not just to other towns, but other countries, even further afield than my own continent.  I could, if I wanted to, leave my flat in Aberdeen and walk 20 minutes, jump on a bus to London, get a train to Heathrow, and jump on a plane to Houston; upon my arrival at George Bush Intercontinental be entirely stuck at that airport.  The public and personal transportation options in the UK are wildly impressive.

And the thing is I didn't need to leave to know this, but I certainly didn't appreciate them fully.  I complained about the trains, the buses, even the aeroplanes, and now I have seen a world without public transport – a city built on the freedom to drive anywhere.  Without the car, there is no freedom, and I don't want a machine to enable my freedom solely. I want to be able to walk 5 minutes to a shop, of a Sunday, and pick up the latest newspapers and rolls.

That's what I like, and it's the freedom I crave.  And I think it's the single biggest reason for enjoying my time back home.

The Map Tells a Tale

A few weeks ago I found this: National Rail Network Map (PDF, <1Mb). It's a map of the entire UK railway network, with each station, and each train operating company that runs routes along that line. It doesn't show the routes, just the routes that lines take - for example, you could find a direct line on the map from Aberdeen to Blackpool North station, but no train does that direct route.

What it does is show the utter and sheer complexity of the UK's extensive railway network, which is actually incredibly impressive considering it's age. The part that I like looking at the the areas of the country that I am not so familiar with and comparing them to Scotland's fairly easy to handle railway network.

Scotland has one railway franchise, ScotRail, that is operated by First Group. The way the UK railway is organised is that each part of the UK network is split into a franchise that is then bid on by a company who then runs it, taking the profits and according to the agreement reinvesting them back into the railway. Scotland is one franchise, despite being spread over a large area - this means that if you want you can ignore the fact that the UK network is ran by loads of different companies, and only notice it when you go down south.

The map highlights this by having all the companies in different colours - ScotRail is grey, by the way. It makes Scotland look really boring, only having a few colours where the Inter City trains (Virgin, First Transpennine Express, East Coast, CrossCountry) meet the main stations, like Glasgow and Edinburgh.

I find this all extremely interesting.

Can you find Frodsham?

In the new year I am going to two places in England - London, somewhere I have been before, and Manchester (actually, Frodsham) a place I have never been before. I spent a few minutes locating firstly Frodsham (just south west of Manchester, across from Liverpool) and then secondly locating London and the route that we will take to get to Shepperton Studios (a post that is forthcoming will explain in detail) and the intricate connections that the networks.

Maps have always fascinated me - as a child I started sketching maps of cities here and there and in Texas I developed an astonishingly detailed map of a fictional city that had been built from the ground up as organically as I could muster, with train lines and motorways. It feels like I am unravelling my brain when I do things like that, engaging my problem solving mindset but also zoning out of the other stresses of my life (not that I have many, natch, but it still feels good).

A full post explaining this particular fact will be coming along soon, once I have decided how to approach the subject of my rather strange brain and how exactly I created a full size city, with stations, Universities, airports, roads, rivers, lochs and other details that surprised and shocked many that have seen it.

And the final thing I enjoy about maps is that they tell a tale - all it would take to distinguish where the most people lived in the UK was to look at the above railway map, as the areas around London are fabulously complcicated and dense, whereas up on the Far North Line to Wick and Thurso there are so few stations for a large area that it's obviously very remote.

Maps fascinate me. Expect further posts about maps in the future.

Wednesday Graveyard: "Live" - 1.2

The second in a run of four shows by me, this is the Wednesday Graveyard: "Live" episode 1.2. Have a listen, if you want, and let me know what you think!

If you like it, tell some people about it - I would, but you know... UnTwitter and all that.

Mark x

Wednesday Graveyard Live 1.2 by Sheeldz on Mixcloud

UnTwitter Pt. 1 – 25th November 2011

Until my Twitter account is unsuspended (or Twitter tell me exactly what I did wrong) I am keeping a daily diary of my Tweets that would 

have been posted. 

8:59 AM – I am not convinced by this water bottle I have taken from @Connie_RaeD. Not convinced at all.

9:01 AM – This tweeting with no limits thing is quite interesting. I need to keep myself within 140 characters to make sure this is legit.

9:10 AM – just found the ALT+SHIFT+T time short cut – that will save me a lot of time later on today! :D haha

10.10 AM – wow last night I listened to @danielguntrip and @musicismyradar on the radio and they played The Dismemberment Plan. They're amazing.

10:18 AM – Don't have any cash with me today, so I am stuck eating my lunch but I really fancy a big chicken mayo sandwich. 

11:16 AM – I don't think many people realise that despite "not being on Twitter" I still get the notifications on my iPhone :D

11:17 AM – It feels like I am spying on them. In a good way, of course.

12:08 PM – Really enjoying eating one sandwich these days, and supplementing it with yoghurt, nutrigrain and an apple. And today, an empire biscuit! :D

12:34 PM – Sometimes I worry that no one else knows how good The Phantom Band are.

12:44 PM – The Toronto Blue Jays have updated their logo, which means the one i bought last year is now "retro" :D

1:10 PM – Curry tonight? Why not.

3:44 PM - This day is lame and I am feeling like crap. I don't want to stay much longer. :(

3:45 PM - Update: Still the same.

4:05 PM - I might be able to leave now, but probably shouldn't.

5:01 PM - This guy I am sitting next to on the train is a bastard. Stop elbowing me - read your book better. 

The UnTwitter Diary

A few days ago my Twitter account was suspended. This is annoying for several reasons, mostly because I use it probably too much, but also it's an important way of keeping in touch with friends and family.

Another strange side affect is the sudden impulse to tell people about my day via things I have seen or done - like recently finding a newspaper headline that is simply incredible - see photo.

As I hope to have my Twitter account back in a few days, seeing as I cannot fathom why it was taken from me, I have started an UnTwitter diary - a stream of tweets that would have made it on there. And it will be posted on here at the end of each day until I have my twitter back up and running. This is because my tweets help stablise my insanity, and you don't want me going insane again, do you?

The biggest annoyance that this imposed blackout does is that it cuts me off from my personalised version of the internet - I no longer have pictures, news items and stories being shared to me, and I feel remarkably in the dark.

Finally, I find it funny that the last time I did such a thing, my self imposed Exile, was fun - now, as the rest of the world has caught up to twitter, I feel like I am the one being left behind.

My Twitter Account is Suspended

So - my Twitter account @sheeldz is currently suspended, which is a bit annoying as it's replaced my method of communication for pretty much everyone on there, including Connie, my sister, and my best friends.

I am awaiting Twitter's response, so I guess I will just to wait - I don't believe that I have broken any rules of Twitter, but we shall see.

Anyway, anyone wanting to contact me should use the old ways until I find out why they have suspended me.

:(

The Wednesday Graveyard

A few years ago I started making weekly Spotify playlists thanks, in part, to @Jook's similar set of playlists. I would work them out in the week, build them on a Tuesday evening, and post them around the internet trying to get as many people to listen to the bands I wanted them to as I could. The main reason, of course, was to let people hear and experience the bands and music that I was enjoying of that week.

Fast forward a few months (and rewind a year) and my sister start presenting her show one Strathclyde Fusion "Snap, Crackle and Pop" with @8bitglasses and @DeborahFact. I was immensely jealous of her platform, and conspired against her. The idea popped, ever so briefly into my head, that I could record a podcast.  My sister still does a show on Fusion at 7pm on Thursdays.

Then a few weeks ago @danielguntrip started doing his own show on Edinburgh's Fresh Air station and introduced me to Mixcloud, an impressive idea - you make a one track podcast and upload it with it allowing other people to listen BUT not to download. It circumvents all the nastiness needed to gain rights to a song played that you don't quite own the rights to.

And there we are; up to speed.

So Wednesday Graveyard: "Live" is my show. I have done one to date (check it here) and there will be three further shows in the future. It was meant to be one a week but the Gods conspired against me, throwing two consectutive gigs, an overly long haircut, and a corporate dinner in my way, before a weekend of fun with my parents in Aberdeen.

So, I hope this partly explains it. And maybe makes it less insufferable when you listen to it.

Here is the current Spotify playlist, Wednesday Graveyard Volume 2, which will return when I stop making the "shows". There is a massive 650+ track playlist called the Wednesday Graveyard Almanac that features every song I've ever used in the show as well.

Wednesday Graveyard: "Live" - 1.1

I have made a radio show. It's on Mixcloud, and you can listen here.  It's cool.

I hope you like it. I will write more about it next week.

Wednesday Graveyard Live Show 1 1 by Sheeldz on Mixcloud

Sharing Scotland

As someone who sees himself as British first, then Scottish, I am sometimes hesitant to tell people that it's one of the greatest places in the world. I know it to be a fact, as I don't think I would live somewhere that I didn't enjoy, but at the same time you have to understand there must be a bias in that statement and one that you must be careful not to over step. Indeed, in September at Connie's sister's wedding I exclaimed to a Canadian some of the highest praise I can give anywhere:

"So, how do you find Canada, do you like it?" he asked.

"Yeah, I love it – it's live a big Scotland!"

His reaction wasn't what I expected, as it was very suspicious and confused. I think he might have half expected it to be an insult, not realising that it's pretty much the best way to describe something; a bigger version of the Best.

The Lecht, Aberdeenshire / Cairngorms

In my opinion of course. I have a personality trait that I am slowly realising is not helping my personal relationships, and that is one of furious stubbornness. I have examined it a lot recently, and I know that I have to get better at appreciating and coping with other peoples view points – all you need to do is look at my barrage of posts in the last year concerning atheism and they reek of a self satisfied smugness that, even so recent afterwards, I am a little ashamed of.

It is when you are given the gift of new eyes do you suddenly see a place for what it is. Aberdeen, of course, is much maligned by friends, family, colleagues and complainers; even I am known to off handedly suggest that the city is, for better or worse, a bit crap. In saying that though, when someone new comes to the city and is suddenly giving you the view of someone who doesn't see this day in and day out there is a feeling of warm love that spreads from your heart.

Connie's mother Dianna was recently in Scotland on her first (and most certainly not last) trip to Scotland. We gave her a grand tour, starting in Glasgow, moving to Aberdeen, then the Cairngorms, Fort William, the west coast, Mallaig, and then the Lecht. After that we hit Stonehaven, Braemar, and the Aberdeen beach, which was followed by Edinburgh, Crathes Castle, and finishing at Rosslyn Chapel. For 11 days it was good going.

Dunottar Castle, Stonehaven

The impact that the trip had on her was different to the impact it had on me – firstly, it was a connection between the two distinct worlds of our family. Canada and the Canadian family and the Scottish family had never mingled, and the felt like they might exist in their own little bubbles. Once I saw Dianna walking off the plane into Glasgow Airport I was extremely happy that this barrier was vanishing. Secondly, our parents met for the first time. And thirdly, she got to see why exactly Connie and I love the place so.

As I said before, seeing places through new eyes is amazing – her reaction to Aberdeen and the hills were exactly how I think people should react to them, with awe and shock and amazement. We have some stunning geography and it's wasted on those who live in the cities all their lives. Her enjoyment of the small streets and old signs and dainty pubs was also gleeful, as it showed her a world she'd not seen before and shared a world that I take for granted.

In the end, I didn't want her to leave. It gives me confidence to share Scotland a lot more with the Canadian family.

Rosslyn Chapel, East Lothian

The Question

On the 28^th October 2011 I asked my girlfriend, Connie, to marry me. She said yes. So that is pretty amazing news, isn't it? I think so. I think it deserved a post of its own, even before I had asked.

IT'S PROBABLY THE COOLEST THING EVER.

And then when I did ask, I was nervous. It wasn't a surprise question, not for me and nor for her, and it had been in the Plan for a while, with various problems befalling my various attempts to get a ring that I thought would light up her eyes and wow the crowds. I suppose the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley as the famous bard once wrote. In the end though, it wouldn't matter.  But only for my nerves.

Apparently I get them from my father, which I can probably agree on. I also guess that it wasn't nerves from the actual asking nor the fear of being rejected (who would reject a ginger bearded Scottish blogger who wears brogues?) but it was nerves from the fact that it was one of the best things I was about to do and have done in my short life.

SHE SAID YES.

When broaching the topic with my father he stated it was one of the biggest decisions you can ever make, along with having a child. This was a perfect way to calm my nerves prior to asking.

In the end, the important thing that came out of it all was that the coolest person in the world has decided that I am for her, and that she and I will be happy for many years to come. Life always seems so long, and it's reassuring to know that from now on it'll be a proper team effort and, to be honest, I can't think of anyone better suited to be in my team.

I am allowed on mushy, weepy post every 400, and this is it. 

<3

Wheels Go Round: Rentals / Reviews

I have a fantasy.

No, not that one... one that involves owning a Volvo Estate. Yes, seriously; I'd love to drive a Volvo Estate car, and my betrothed agrees with me – they are a functional and stylish solution to the problem of finding a car that is spacious and safe. One that will be able to give me everything that I would want from a long term car purchase.  On top of this, I'd quite like to own a Land Rover Defender, but that's more pie-in-the-sky than the normal Volvo ideal.

Unfortunately, in my current lifeplan a car is not on the top the priority list. Many who had been told that we planned to not have a car when returning to Scotland were quite surprised, as it appears to be a measure of wealth as much as anything else, or a status symbol. You don't have a car? How ever are you going to survive?  The answer is quite easily, it would turn out. Aberdeen is fucking tiny compared to the sprawling span of Houston and is manageable. Even the commute has actually been worthwhile.
There are, however, no matter how righteous I bang on about it, positions and situations that are not conducive to public transport. My affiliation with rental cars came in late 2010 when I travelled to Canada for a family engagement – picking the keys up to a 3.6l HEMI V8 Dodge Charger SXT AWD (woop) at Toronto Pearson Airport was nothing but the coolest thing I had done in a long time – I felt like a Top Gear presenter. The next time was a rental in the UK at Christmas time, this time a Hyundai i30 1.6l Hatchback. Ugh – the car was drab, dreary and pretty boring to drive.

Since then I have driven a smorgasbord of cars, North American and European. And here lies the list and thoughts on the cars.

Ford Taurus
I hated the Taurus, over time, because it was a gas guzzling boat of a car. It felt like you had timewarped into the late 1990s, despite the car being a model year after my own Punto.  It still is the largest car I've ever driven, being longer and wider than BMW 3-series, and it probably is also the least desireable of all the cars I have driven, but I had it for a year – and it never really gave me any problems. The AC took too long to cool down in 100F heat, and the driving of it felt like you were driving it from 5 minutes ago, but it worked, served us well, and didn't cost me anything. So I suppose that counts a lot in it's favour. I should point out that in Texas the "large" Taurus is actually quite small and sent shivers of giggles down anyone spine who dared ask Joe or I what car we were driving.

Dodge Charger (first time)
In September I flew out to Canada to see my extended and now close family for the first time. This would be the first time I had hired a car and it was a beauty – a 3.6l V8 HEMI Charger SXT All Wheel Drive – a man's car, for sure. It handled okay, had a distinct bought of vroom when I put the pedal down, and was a sumptuously spacious vehicle. I really enjoyed throwing it about the mean streets of Parry Sound in the fall.


Hyundai i30
Christmas time, for me, will now forever be renting periods – in the 2010-2011 period I rented two cars – a small Hyundai in Scotland and a Mitsibushi Lancer in Canada (see below).  The Hyundai would rank at the very bottom of all the cars I have driven, and the drop from even the Taurus was a shock. I did almost kill the little car when I forgot how to use the clutch pedal. The problem with the i30 was that it was obviously supposed to be a medium class hatchback for a family yet it lacked a nice dashboard, space, and most importantly it rode like it had been built in the 1990s. I felt, unlike the Taurus, that instead of going back in time in terms of style that this was a car from the present built on top of an old car. I really didn't enjoy driving it.

Mitsibushi Lancer
In Canada, in December, all cars need to have some sort of ability in the snow – this is a fact. It is also the same fact that has convinced me to get a 4x4 car in the UK when I finally do end up getting a car.  I reckon that it is the most offroad capable of all the cars I have drive, and probably my favourite car I've rented – even Connie liked it, driving it and me for the first time on Highway 11 in Ontario. Pretty nifty. Interestingly, the car is not available in the UK – the only Lancers that you can get here are the hatchback ones which are beastly, and the saloons are reserved only for the Evolution X, the high powered (and high insurance) model of the car. Which is a shame.

Dodge Charger (second time)
When traversing the western states of the US we hired a car for three whole weeks, an impressive feat by any account. At the rental desk we were asked if we wanted a Chevorlet Impala (ugh) or a Dodge Charger. I said Charger, after the experience in September. He warned us it didn't have Californian plates, something I didn't quite get.  In that car for 10 hours at a time was pretty good, considering. If we had been in the Tarus i think we would have killed each other. Instead, it was much more amiable and happy. And the car was a good drive along the Pacific Coast Highway despite it's rather mental juddery brakes.

Hyundai Elantra
The North American version of the i30, i fear – the Elantra was nice enough and felt good to drive on the roads, but is unremarkable. The car is well proportioned and would sit well in the UK against the Focus, but being a small saloon the boot is a tiny bit restrictive.  Still it served a purpose (and swallowed our Wild Beasts album, the cheeky bastard. I hope the person who rented it after us enjoyed the sounds of the band).

Peugeot Partner
A VAN! It was ordered to help us get all our clothes and gear that my parents had nicely stored away in Glasgow during our Texas stint. Empty, the van was mental, bouncing and fast and high. Good fun. Laden it was less fun and more workman like, as it should be. I didn't hate driving it, but going from driving on the right and having an automatic to driving on the left and having a manual shifter is hard enough, but coupled with no back window, no blind spot view, and a weird arm rest... haha, that made for some fun times.

Chevrolet Spark
This is the worst car I have ever driven, yet it was also some of the most fun. It was tiny, yet still had three doors, and coped kind of well with the long roads and the long drives. It performed better in town, zipping into spaces like a magnet and generally being quite a nice little thing to throw about – trying to accelerate in 5th gear was laughable, and the dashboard looked like it had been ripped from a snow machine. Trying too hard is how it felt.

Volkswagen Polo
This felt like a bit of karmic resonance, being given to hire – only three weeks ago had I told a few friends of mine that I hated VW and their designs, as they are boring. Driving the new Polo I realised that yes, that might be true, but to drive and sit in the cars are the best I've ever seen – the polo was solid, fun, sharp and classy. The interior was simply exactly what I like in a car – symmetrical, not fuss, and quiet. 

I miss driving, but I love walking.