Rallying Cry

Not long now until the next mad dash across Europe in a banger. At the end of May, I will be doing another charity car run (along with the others members of the team). It has suddenly got very close.

We were very aware on the last run that people donated money in the hope that we would breakdown. Realising that asking our friends and family to donate again so soon after the last run was asking a lot, we thought we would provide additional incentive by going for a weirdly over-engineered and flaky French car (as opposed to the impenetrable reliability of previous Swedish incumbent, may he Rest in Portugal, all details of which are still on the team blog).

Again, we will be raising money for Gemin-i.org. Gemin-i.org is "a UK-based education charity which uses innovative technology to link schools in over 100 countries, helping young people to learn about global issues and to take action for a better world."

The choice of car is not the only difference, we have a new team member, and we will be upping the technology this year a bit too. Last year we blogged live during the run. We'll be doing this again but we will also all be tweeting the whole trip. We hope that we can encourage many to follow us as part of our fundraising efforts ( http://twitter.com/teamgi ). In addition, all our tweets will be integrated with in the team blog ( http://www.generalignorance.org ) and, if I can get it all working, will have Google Maps showing our position via a BrightKite mashup (or FireEagle if BrightKite don't open their API's in time).

The route this year is particularly fine and takes us from the chocolate heaven of Bruges to the mine fields of Croatia.


We have a few other surprise deviations planned (of which more later).

So, keep an eye out on the team blog for more news of the car, its forthcoming stunning new livery (the eagled-eyed may be just be able to spot the work in progress herein) and further fundraising news. Look forward to your support. You can donate now via the JustGiving link on the team blog.

If you are a social media type and want to help us promote our efforts and our pan-European Twitter madness then we would be delighted to hear from you. And if we don't, we'll be coming to noise you up anyway...

14th August 1987

It is entirely self-evident that the 14th August 1987 is getting on for nearly 22 years ago. And, it is certainly no great surprise to get pulled up short by the recurring realisation that things that feel like yesterday are actually a quarter of a century ago.

Yesterday, I spent a pleasant hour or so pottering round the second-hand bookshops of Stockbridge, largely sniffing out photography books. I came across a book called "One Day For Life". It is a charity book produced for a cancer trust made up of photos submitted by the public (and some celebs*) on 14th August 1987.

There are some decent photos in it, but it doesn't really stand out as a photography book; it does provide an excellent snapshot of that point in time. And this is the striking thing. It is one thing to perceive that time to be drifting into the past, it is quite another to see it looking like the past. To me, 1987 doesn't feel that long ago. But there it is, in print, looking like a bygone era. Which, of course, it is.

There is probably extra resonance for me. August 1987 was just before I started University. I was 17, skinny and about to leave Edinburgh to live in Glasgow. Here I am today, 39 and, well, fat. Still think I'm 17 but I'd guess I'm kinda quite different to that little scrawn now.

Makes me think that a similar project now might not be a bad idea at all. Anyone up for it?

* Gloria Hunniford & Terry Wogan et al - you get the picture

Man O' Chanter

It is not very often that my drive to work inspires a blog post. And it was the general loveliness of a Colin Baxter style morning either. It was an odd moment at the lights at Barnton.

On days when I am without the entertaining chat of @stuartamdouglas, I often avoid the motorway and wander to Livingston via Cramond/Kirkliston. This takes me through the land of grumpy people in large 4x4's looking far less delighted with the success/excess than you would imagine.

This was much in evidence today, perfectly turned out women (what time do they get up?) sternly driving large black Range Rovers/X5s/etc. You start to get this horrible ennui and a glimpse of the sort of madness in the human condition that let to the credit crunch etc.

So, it was with unashamed delight that I smiled broadly at the sight that greeted me while stopped at the lights at Barnton. In the car to the right, an old man used the brief pause at the red to bring out his chanter and play a little tune to himself in the car.

He didn't look like he needed the practice. He was clearly a player. He can only have done this simply for the pleasure of playing the tune. Now, opinion may be divided on how much pleasure you can get from listening to the chanter ( and by divided I mean 80/20, not 50/50 ), but even so, it was a joy to see.

There isn't enough basic joy like that about*.

Obviously, thoughts immediately turned down the road of working out how I could achieve same on days when the music on the randomiser just isn't doing it. Current fave is a harmonica. Oh oh.

* we can't ignore the possibility that he's actually a grumpy old bastard, but benefit of doubt will be given