Stewart Priest

Mum’s (not) gone to Iceland

// April 19th, 2010 // No Comments » // News, Twitter

Why? Well, for a start, she doesn’t have a passport. Even if she did possess one, she wouldn’t be able to get there. Scottish skies are still closed.

So what’s all this volcano business about? Personally, I think it’s just a misunderstanding on the Icelandic government’s part. We, in the UK and also The Netherlands, got stung when Icelandic online back Icesave went under, and we’re now looking for that money back. We asked Iceland to “give us cash”, and well, I guess they misheard or misunderstood.

So, the result is a massive cloud of volcanic ash, containing rock and glass. It looks a bit like this:

Image by Árni Friðriksson. Used under licence.

The effect this has had on the UK, Europe, and to a lesser degree, the rest of the world, has been huge. With UK and European airspace essentially closed since last Thursday, the whole world has pretty much ground to a halt. With no planes in the air, holidaymakers are experiencing huge problems either getting to or from their holiday destinations, children and teachers have been unable to return to school for the start of the new term, air freight is waiting around in airports, and fresh fruit and flowers are rotting in warehouses. You see, we rely so heavily on air travel in our every day lives, that when we find that planes can’t get into the air, we’re affected in ways we’d not ever considered. You don’t need to be trying to get on a plane to be impacted by this problem. You just need to try and get an orange from the supermarket.

As I write this post, there are tweets flying around on the Twitterverse suggesting that the other volcano in Iceland has erupted. At this point, it looks like this may not be true, but if it is, we may find ourselves noticing the impact of the eruption in something other than the hypothetical.

Maybe now is the time to look at our lives and investigate how we can be more self-sufficient. Not in a living-in-the-woods Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall kind of way, but we can maybe try not to rely on as many imported goods. Try sending an email instead of a letter. That kind of thing. It can’t be that hard, can it?

One of the most bizarre news stories to come out today was that British Airways has asked the EU and UK Government for compensation for the lost business due to the closure of UK and European airspace. Seriously, BA? You’re really asking for compensation? Is this because your insurance company won’t pay out due to an ‘act of God’? You asking for compensation for closed airspace is like me asking for compensation from my local council when they close a road because it’s dangerous. Your test flights and those of your competitors didn’t actually fly at the height you usually fly. Those that did (KLM) flew directly into an area with no ash – how are those proper test flights? You’re all saying there’s no danger, but NATO have already damaged a couple of F-16s by flying proper test flights.

I’m sorry to say it, Willie Walsh, but it’s things like this which show up weaknesses in your industry’s business model. A lot of your competitors are ‘staring bankruptcy in the face’ if you believe the news reports. Well, that’s just the business world. If you can’t afford to pay your bills, you go under. Only the fittest survive. The Free Market’s a bitch, eh?

It’s been a while…

// October 11th, 2009 // No Comments » // News

…but hopefully you’ll forgive me. I started a new job a few weeks ago, and I’ve been finding my feet. It’s full of new challenges, and I’m meeting each and every one of them. For now.

It’s always interesting starting a new job. Meeting new people, remembering their names, finding out what they like/dislike… just being sociable in general. Luckily, I’ve gone full time in a place where I have been temping. Same department, different job, and different location, so the transition from old to new hasn’t been the upheaval it might have been if I’d switched employers. By and large, I’ve managed to hit the ground running.

I appear to have found a niche in the work that I do, but I’m not going to allow myself to become to comfortable. After all, this is only a 12-month contract. I need to push the boundaries and go beyond my comfort zone if I want to pick up new skills. New skills which may help be find a new job if, after 12 months, this temporary position isn’t made permanent. Intertwined with that, I need to start studying again. I’ve been talking about it for long enough, but it’s time that I actually got that Microsoft certification I’ve been planning. I’ve got all the training materials – I just need to start using them.

I’ll be tough not to let this diminish my other interests. I’m still a keen photographer, and I really want to forge ahead with some radio work. After all, the long-term goal is to move abroad with the missus where she can get a nursing job, and I can proceed in radio. However, I need to pay the bills now, and the IT industry is paying. Radio is not (for the most part).

So that’s about it from me for the moment… I’ll try to write again soon, but as you’ve already seen, that may be a problem for me.

I’ll leave you with the video on the right. Courtesy of @RadioPaulo.

Not In My Name

// August 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // News

An email for publication on the Boycott Scotland website:
Two whom it may concern:

I wish to register my disappointment in the ‘Boycott Scotland’ campaign you are currently running. Not because I believe that the release of Abdelbasset Ali al-Megrahi was right, but more that you are attempting to penalise the people of Scotland – most of whom were against the release of this terrorist – myself included.

I believe that Kenny MacAskill should not have had the power to take this decision in the first place. Matters such as this should never be in the hands of politicians, as they will always be politicised. This descision should have been made by our Law Lords, and I will be writing to my MSP regarding this matter.

I believe that there is a lot more to this disaster, but the British and United States Governments have both resisted calls to hold a public enquiry. You may wish to add to your website, an appeal for a public enquiry, as this is really the only way the families will get the justice and closure they deserve.

Finally, I wish to state: “THIS WAS NOT DONE IN MY NAME”.

Yours faithfully,
Stewart Priest
Glasgow, Scotland