Jamie's Space: News and politics

Bristol City Council website relaunch

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 11:29:56 GMT

abit Sad i noticed this - i bet you might be asking sad i looking at a council's website why do that! I just noticed seems like it been done recently - have to admit could been done any time as looking at council sites is not a hobby of mine .

Bristol City Council website has been drastically improved the old style was not that nice . They still to update some of there pages to the new type of style also there site at the moment is spot the bugs as the site been having some problems this morning.

For once it looks like Bristol City Councils done something on there site considering before style was very amatuerish this new style looks more professional they even got a survey - so feel free to critical review the site and give the council feedback - remember positive and negitive but apart of me might be bias to the negative although its a big step in the right direction for them . Like most Local Government and the other public services sites by local authorities they do not address accessabity to the site totally for those that elderly and the disabled - but to Bristol City Council credit no local government or UK Government site is successful with this.

More services are now online from applying online for school places to paying your council tax - one suggestion for them have a online.bristol-city.gov.uk site and also intergrate them onto either Bristol city Council's Site domain -The need to Update Bristol LEA page - would be better intergrated. also the paying bills and fines (e.g. libary charges) should be secure - it was not early this morning but just check its now pointing to a https:// site.

This Page i like - LOL prize to anyone who can guess why well am able to get online for abit but that excludes wednesdays and limits upto 2 hrs a day although typically its a max of 1 hr at most of the libuaries

Talking about False alarm in flight to New York - Terrorism & Security - MSNBC.com

Fri, 03 Jun 2005 21:02:27 GMT

i was alarmed when i noticed this article about a Virgin Atalantic London - New York Flight but relieved there was nothing sinesster wrong or happened shocked if the was not a investigation however to what happened.

The below taken from the article seems to tell what happened:

' “The transponder sent out a false alert,” said Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman Brooke Lawer.

Lawer said the airline was in contact with the captain and the flight crew, who said the flight deck door was locked and secured'

This suggest there was not a threat after all but landed in Canada with a Canadian miliary exscort

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False alarm in flight to New York - Terrorism & Security - MSNBC.com
False alarm in flight to New York

BBC weather change - the end of a era and beginning of a new

Mon, 16 May 2005 04:32:13 GMT

In not so long, At 5.55am on BBC News 24/ BBC World the end of a era in BBC Weather forecasts national and regional with the current familar weather in 2D symbols used for over 20 years to the 3D graphics to be used From 6am (BST) today. the change has already been updated on the BBCi website as off 5am today and the change would be applied to BBCi on Digital TV in the near future

BBC Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/bbcweather/features/new_graphics.shtml

As you might have noticed, BBC Weather has been revamped with new modern 3D graphics. All of the old weather graphics have been given a makeover, creating new ways to see old favourites.
Along with the familiar features however, BBC Weather have also introduced new graphics to give a clearer, more detailed interpretation of weather. All the graphics run using real time data, so one significant change will be that BBC Weather will present you with the most up-to-date weather forecasts.
The graphics are produced using advanced computer graphics and fast processing power, which means a more diverse range of imagery to display the data instantly.
What has actually changed?
The old graphics were created by displaying symbols and a variety of short animated sequences (such as showing wind arrows and rainfall on 2D maps). Certainly, the amount of diversity in which to present a forecast was very limited.
The new graphics have a fresh new look and style, so text, symbols and indices are clearer and bolder. Larger scale maps means that more locations are covered by our weather forecasts.
One major change for television is that the forecasts will use 3D maps, which show detailed relief and topography of the land. Forecasters can use 3D maps to take you on a tour of the weather, around the UK or even the world.
Another addition to the new graphics is the development of virtual falling rain. This helps to show the intensity of rainfall over the 3-dimensional map, making for a more realistic-looking forecast. When presenting a forecast therefore, BBC Broadcast Meteorologists can move quickly and effectively from one weather story to another, giving the audience the full global weather picture.
BBC Weather has updated the look of weather products for TV and online, such as wind arrows and symbols.
Charts showing rainfall, cloud and temperature are much clearer because of the larger scale maps. Rainfall charts still use more accurate blue graphics to indicate places of rainfall, it can also display snow. Forecast cloud is represented by shadows over the cloud .
On our website, pressure charts now display weather fronts for five days, giving the audience a better indication of the weather ahead.
New Features on the Web
There are new weather features to give the audience a complete forecast. Cloud and rain can now be viewed on the same forecast charts.
To make our data more easy to understand, our indices have been made easier to interpret. Instead of the previous 1-10 scale, we now use a more straight forward low/moderate/high scale.
We now offer the facility to view observed forecast cloud and rain charts in a sequence, so you can watch the weather story unfold with each forecast update'

See the new graphic system from the New Zealand company (who use use it on New Zealand weather and from 6am what the BBC is adopting)

http://metservice.brinkster.net/bbc/wxt_BBC_Europe.mp4 and http://metservice.brinkster.net/bbc/wxt_BBC_Show_1.mp4 (Sneeky peeks QuickTime & broadband required )

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/ weather forecasts in BBC Video Player is not currently working assumed to be lunched when it is on BBC Breakfast on BBC 1 and BBC News 24 today from 6am.

Talking about BBC NEWS | Magazine | And the weather in the summer will be...

Sat, 14 May 2005 16:58:44 GMT

I believe the heatwave when i see it

Back to the RAG Party . my room is the 2nd floor the building adjacent to the SU Building

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BBC NEWS | Magazine | And the weather in the summer will be...

And the weather in the summer will be...

By Tom Geoghegan
BBC News Magazine

We're all set for a summer heatwave, say the newspapers. But if the weather forecast for tomorrow can't be guaranteed, why should we believe predictions of a warm summer?
The government's heatwave advice issued this week may have us contemplating a long hot summer, but don't get your hopes too high.
Comment: I won't
The health warning was based on the latest seasonal forecast of the Met Office, which suggests that temperatures are likely to be above normal.
But while the newspapers were quick off the mark with predictions of heat waves and pictures of women in bikinis, forecasters at the Met are more cautious. So how are seasonal forecasts made?
Richard Graham, manager of long-range forecasting at the Met Office, says long-term predictions depend on ocean temperatures. Short-term ones are based on changes in the atmosphere.

The success rates of the forecasts are quite variable throughout the year

Richard Graham
Met Office
The transfer of heat and water vapours between the two means the ocean has a regulating effect on the weather.
"The sea makes up a large expanse of the earth's surface and its temperatures don't change quickly," he says. "They persist for several months at a time and they have a modulating effect on weather regimes."
It's these temperatures which inform the Met's three-month average prediction. Thousands of readings are taken in the air and sea. The Met then draws 40 long-range forecasts, each with a slightly different but plausible starting point.
This tries to eliminate the "butterfly effect", that a small variation in the atmosphere can cause huge weather fluctuations elsewhere. The 40 are then boiled down to one overall reading, which is either average, above average or below average temperature.

Warm summer stories are always good for stores and people's buying attitudes

Jim Dale
British Weather Services
The forecast for this summer is "above average", which means above 22C, and the higher average will be in August and September. But it can't be any more specific than that and the summer is harder to predict than winter, says Mr Graham.
There's no such hesitancy at the spread-betting company Sporting Index, which predicts record-breaking temperatures around 12 August, based on previous summers and seasonal forecasts.
Comment: should i bet £0.50 on around 12 August and also bet 0.50 on it not. I Win both ways
But any talk of records is just marketing hype, says Jim Dale, senior meteorologist at British Weather Services.
Two-week heatwave
His company uses historical data to make its predictions, which he says have a seven to eight-out-of-10 success rate. It uses 30 years of statistics and the balance of probability to make its forecasts.
"To talk about a specific week or day is absolute rubbish and to then moot that the extreme temperature might be beaten. Well it might be. There's a lot of supposition here and a little bit of hope maybe.
"Warm summer stories are always good for stores and people's buying attitudes. I rather feel it's glorified marketing and sensationalist reporting."
Mr Dale says their forecast is for mixed weather for the next 20 days and a worse start to the summer than 2004.
Comment: that cheered me up
June will be equally mixed, perhaps getting better towards the end, but late July and August will see a two-week period of hot and sunny weather, although not necessarily record-breaking.
A range of opinions on what 2005 holds, then, but there is one thing most meteorologists are agreed on. Global warming means the UK summers are very slowly getting hotter.

UK net users leading TV downloads

Sat, 14 May 2005 16:45:44 GMT

UK net users leading TV downloads

British TV viewers lead the trend of illegally downloading US shows from the net, according to research.

New episodes of 24, Desperate Housewives and Six Feet Under, appear on the web hours after they are shown in the US, said a report.

Web tracking company Envisional said 18% of downloaders were from within the UK and that downloads of TV programmes had increased by 150% in the last year.

About 70% were using file-sharing program BitTorrent, the firm said.

Comment: BitTorrent does not like me

"It's now as easy to download a pirate TV show as it is to programme a VCR," said Ben Coppin from Envisional.

A typical episode of 24 was downloaded by about 100,000 people globally, said the report, and an estimated 20,000 of those were from within the UK.

Faster and easier

Australians were the second biggest downloading culprits, with almost 16% of shows being downloaded there.

Downloads from within the US accounted for about 7%, according to the report.

Fans of many popular US TV programmes, like 24, usually have to wait weeks or months until the latest series is shown in the UK.

Comment: BOOOOO! want S4 (24) on now on UK DTT

But in some cases, said the report, people were able to watch the new episodes in Britain before US audiences on the west coast of the country.

"Missing a television show presents little problem to anyone with a basic knowledge of the internet," explained Mr Coppin.

"Two clicks and your favourite programme is downloading. In effect, the internet is now a global video recorder."

Comment: its not as easy as that you need to know where to find them and you need a P2P Network that i can access

Exact figures are difficult to pin down, but it is thought that about 80,000 to 100,000 people in the UK download TV programmes.

Some may just want the odd episode, others are downloading regularly.

Many broadcast analysts agree that the net is radically altering the way people get content, like TV programmes.

TOP 10 TV DOWNLOADS

1. 24

2. Stargate Atlantis

3. The Simpsons

4. Enterprise

5. Stargate SG-1

6. The OC

7. Smallville

8. Desperate Housewives

9. Battlestar Galactica

10. Lost

Source: Envisional

Comment: Ratings/ 's are my liking for them. no is i not seen it or i do not like it

This presents a challenge to broadcasters who are concerned that channel schedules may become less important to people.

It is also of concern to them because advertisements are usually cut out of the downloaded programmes.

Comment: Hates Advertisements

The industry has coined the term "time-shifting" to describe this trend of being able to watch what you want, when you want.

The increased popularity of personal digital video recorders, TiVo-type boxes which automatically record programmes like Sky+, have also contributed to the trend.

There are also numerous programs available on the net which automatically search and store TV programmes for viewers, effectively creating a personal video recorder on a computer.

Legal downloads?

Within half an hour, recorded episodes can be uploaded - or posted - onto file-sharing networks or other download sites.

Because they tend to be shorter then full-length films, they can be processed - digitised - quickly.

More people with high-speed broadband connections in the UK also means that episodes can be downloaded quickly.

According to Jupiter Research 40% of homes with broadband say it helps them pick and choose the programmes they want to see or that friends have recommended.

The Envisional reports said that the TV industry should consider offering a legal way to download shows.

The BBC ran a trial of what it calls the Interactive Media Player (iMP) last year, which was based on a peer-to-peer distribution model.

It let people download programmes it held the rights to up to eight days after they had already aired. It is looking to do a more expansive trial later this year.

The BBC already allows radio fans to hear programmes they missed online up to a week after broadcast.

About six million people in the UK now have a fast, always-on net connection via cable or phone lines.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/4276255.stm

Telewest confirms analogue cable switchoff date

Sat, 14 May 2005 02:37:02 GMT

Telewest has announced a roadmap for development of its television services, including a date for analogue switchoff.

The company, which still has 171,000 customers taking analogue cable TV services, announced today that it plans to migrate them over to digital cable by the end of 2006. 87% of Telewest's TV customers currently have digital cable.

Analogue switchoff wll free up spectrum that may be reallocated to provide additional bandwidth for more digital services.

Eric Tveter, president and COO of Telewest, said that "analogue has finally had its day."

Comment: there is still Analogue Cable thought that had completely gone. around come 2008 (UK Government getting there selves into geer permitting) Terriestial TV would be Digital only could theory have ~45 multiplexs if they did not bother to have regional multiplexs or sell the space off 45 x ~6 - Current Telewest on Digital Tv and Free (hopes) - can't wait. Telewest speed it up and NTL and the government get into geer

Talking about: BBC News - White House Hit by Security Alert

Wed, 11 May 2005 16:30:32 GMT

White House hit by security alert

The White House and Capitol Hill building in Washington are being evacuated due to a security alert, according to reports from the US.

Hundreds of staff from Congress were seen running out of the Capitol after an alert was given just before noon (1600 GMT/1700 BST).

No reason was given for the evacuation, and it is not clear whether or not it is a drill.

Witnesses reported seeing fighters jets flying overhead.

More soon.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/4538019.stm

Update @ 17:45 BST May 11th 2005:

Washington hit by security alert

The all-clear has been given after the White House and Capitol Hill building in Washington were evacuated in a major security alert.

Comment: sighs of relieve

Staff from Congress were seen running out of the Capitol after an alert was given just before noon (1600 GMT).

The Secret Service allowed staff to return to their offices minutes later.

F-16 fighters jets were scrambled and headed off a single-engine aircraft that had entered an air exclusion zone over Washington.

Comment: some pilot got some explaining to do

Talking about UK Elections

Sun, 08 May 2005 04:33:33 GMT

*sighs* Elections are over and all results are in and the last word

Labour 356 Majority 67

Opposition:

Conservative 197

Liberal Democrats 62

Others (Respect, SNP, Plaid Cymru, Independent MP's and other parties) 30

645 of 646 seats declared The 646th seat - Staffordshire South General Election was postponded but to the Death of a Canaidate and in respect of that person the Election to be held at a later date.

Blair seems to got the message that he needs to change but there aint really a other choice really. Noticed on result night other parties that were not the main 2 had larger and people in safe seat were protest voting . Us Students LD compaigned for and quite a few places were there are students it came first - Tution fees abloish and Top Up Fees plans scraping amongst other things

Cheltenham (Uni of Gloucestershire) - my uni , Cardiff Central (Uni of Wales & Cardiff Uni) Cambridge, Bristol West (Uni of Bristol) amongst other places

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UK Elections

Today after months of campaigning is the elections for the UK next 5 years. I done my postal vote a few days ago as students in my council have been given postal votes although there is the polling stations as well (we have to choose). Polls opened at 7am and will close at 10pm (BST) we find out the results during the night or otherwise tomorrow morning.

Talking about Sky News : Vote 05: Sunderland's Election Race

Thu, 05 May 2005 22:04:28 GMT

Sunderland South has a trend of declaring 1st for the recent 4 elections (that includes this election which came first ).

Does anyone else think

'The local authority even suspended some one-way streets to allow ballot boxes to be delivered to counters as quickly as possible.'

is cheating because other areas of the country are not doing this they should observe the road layout when i go to Sunderland and everyone else lets break road bylaws cause they do.

Sky News also mentioned Sunderland South they are having the had help of children and if you think its fair theres more counters then other areas. Also rushing the declaring could have some votes counted wrongly as they are rushing

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Sky News : Vote 05: Sunderland's Election Race
SUNDERLAND'S VOTE RACE

Sunderland again became the first constituency in the UK to declare a result. Labour's Chris Mullin was returned. The constituency had been keen to maintain its status as the fastest-counting seat in the country. The local authority even suspended some one-way streets to allow ballot boxes to be delivered to counters as quickly as possible. Last year the city returned a result for Sunderland South in just 43 minutes to set a new record. Labour MP Chris Mullin held his seat in 2001 with a majority of 13,667.

UK Elections

Thu, 05 May 2005 13:44:34 GMT

Today after months of campaigning is the elections for the UK next 5 years. I done my postal vote a few days ago as students in my council have been given postal votes although there is the polling stations as well (we have to choose). Polls opened at 7am and will close at 10pm (BST) we find out the results during the night or otherwise tomorrow morning.

Talking about BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Blast strikes UK consulate in US

Thu, 05 May 2005 13:38:45 GMT

how confinant this happens today May 5th of all days . glad no injuries but a person have to be a fool to think the attack was not attack against the UK which has Elections today thats my view as of all days today happens the building does share with other services and apparently there is an bank nearby but British Consulate had to be the target . at those who do not want democraticy. and want to influence the elections

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BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Blast strikes UK consulate in US

Talking about BBC NEWS | Election 2005 | Election 2005 | Battling drugs and violent crime

Thu, 28 Apr 2005 22:43:13 GMT

mentions my hometown and says it got a violent crime and drugs problem . Like everywhere else has this problem in towns and cities too and not just in Bristol. Only cause the BBC team was in its adopted town and there are MP's in Bristol all the time. BBC adopted it for the Election Campaign and have been in Bristol about twice a week since the election was announced. Sky News adopted a town as well - they always seem to be in the Poor post 16 centre when i watching it. Poor Students . Bristol is not that bad theres worster towns.

Also other electrol news my postal ballot for Bristol City Council arrived today have to post them by Tuesday or Wednesday next week to arrive back in time. i was wondering when it would come cause theres not long to go and some people had already got theres for other councils. Time to decide who to vote for its Freepost so whould not cost me

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BBC NEWS | Election 2005 | Election 2005 | Battling drugs and violent crime

Talking about BBC NEWS

Fri, 22 Apr 2005 10:01:19 GMT

Just some Science News

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BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Shuttle launch put back to 22 May

Just some education News. If this is true it would put some people off coming to the UK may it be Exchanges or to to there whole degree

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BBC NEWS | Education | Students face UK visa price rise

Latest Election News BBC Vote 2005 & Sky News Vote 05

Sky News Coverage

Thu, 21 Apr 2005 13:28:20 GMT

Sky News Vote 2005 Coverage that background has to be so staged. or untrue

They are live in a Post 16 Educational Place in R'Dale and Darwen presenting and everyone is working normally . And supposely they there all through the campaign. I sorry for the Students who got there AS and A2 Level exams next month having Sky News and others there. The Conservative electrol team is campaigning also there.

I Know what the BBC is like - i know BBC not like this but when they do there outside broadcasts they try and stage the background to there liking. I from Bristol and this is so evident in BBC Casuality recording as my street been featured and my parents and family and others were directed we can't go out at x times or just stay away. What gives BBC the right . Sky News is doing the same at the Post 16 Centre place.

Shame on you BBC and Sky News.

BBC scarely has alot of its Vote 2005 coverage from Bristol