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...imagining a Wireless Oxford.

I'm surprised at how good a service they offer on the Oxford Tube, wireless wise. I'm off to a day conference on "Wireless Cities" where I'll hear from other areas miles ahead of Oxford about how they plan to unwire their cities/districts, courtesy of the people that brought us the Oxfordshire Community Network, Synetrix.

EDIT:...but I'm absolutely appalled at the thought that most of my journey companions do this every day. I truly hope they are handsomely rewarded for this monumental waste of their lives...:)

It is an article of faith that I do not read the Daily Mail much. It's sort of on the "Index". But I do subscribe to Hitchens' blog on there as I like occasionally being wound up by him, knowing he's probably just round the corner from me somewhere in a house that positively glows with the inner anger one feels permeates his entire being.

So it is unusual to find something with which I agree whole heartedly:

Thud! Sorry, but can't you look where you're going?

In overcrowded Britain, walking along a crowded city pavement has become a test of alertness, social skill, forbearance, and patience. Even if you constantly adjust your course and speed to allow for the movements of other people, which I always thought was the thing to do, the others are often not doing the same. Read the rest of it here.

It's partly why I cannot stand being on Lib Dem policy working parties - the thought of trying to walk the "wrong way" down Victoria Street at the evening rush hour fills me with utter dread. But it happens wherever you go - corridors in my place of work where people (and not always students it has to be said) think that it's okay to walk four abreast engaged in their little conversation...."where the f*** do you expect me to disappear to so you can get past without moving?"

Being utterly unable to melt into a wall for such people I do now take a robust view, which is probably equally unsociable but necessary to preserve one's rights against people that are, basically, bullies, and stand full square to them (and I'm no stick-insect me of course!) and if they don't move I ready my shoulder for the inevitable bump (it's better if I am returning to my desk from the canteen with a full mug of hot tea of course!) and utter one of Peter's "sorries" as they go past:

I also say 'sorry' quite a lot, in the British sense of the word that means 'You moron. Why can't you look where you're going?' but which people often take for a genuine apology from me after they have trodden on my foot or hacked my shin.

The Independent highlights a new wheeze for attacking drug users:

Motorists who take drugs face 'zero-tolerance' policy

A policy of "zero-tolerance" towards motorists who take drugs and drive is being considered by the Home Office.

Drivers caught with traces of drugs in their bodies, even if their driving is unaffected by the illegal substances, would be punished, under the tough proposals by police chiefs.

At the moment, apparently, police have to use some physical tests to see whether the drug is impairing fuction - presumably a little like the old "go along the white line with your left hand on your nose please sir" type tests.

Now yes, whatever I think of the stupid drugs laws in this country the substances they are talking about are illegal and you can be done for possession and use of most of them. But what if they are not affecting one's ability to drive? What if you have taken, like US pilots in charge of millions of pounds of flying battleship, something illegal to the rest of us to keep you alert, for example?

And, if they are not impairing your driving, why would you be pulled over in the first place? Or are we talking about random testing in town centre car parks late at night? But if you can't prove it actually is impairing a driver's function I don't see why they should do you for any more than the regular use and possession charges that would apply to each drug.

Oh, and I assume this will apply to those tested prescription drugs that advise against driving because they have been proven to impair function and reactions. Oh no. Of course. This is just another attack on illicit drug users. Not a road safety campaign.

It comes as little surprise to me personally that businesses in Oxford City Centre have voted not to pay an extra one per cent on their rates to create a "Business Improvement District":

And who can blame them when the basic standard of cleanliness in the city centre is currently appalling. Here's a photo I took on Saturday of an overflowing and hanging off bin attached to one of their £30,000 benches. Every other bin I saw in the city was full and many were overflowing, but that was the worst. This was early afternoon on a Saturday, the main shopping day, in a city that attracts millions of visitors a year and the place is heaving on a Saturday.

But when I was on the council, and was involved in economic development when the OX1 City Centre Management Company was established, I wanted it to be more wide-ranging than just the "corporateization" of the city centre. I wanted to create a multi-membership co-operative type organization that would involve the users of the city centre as well as the businesses and other stakeholders such as landowners.

Something does need to be done about the city centre, especially the area that will be economically depressed when the new Westgate Centre opens up attracting more and more people to the western end of the city. Although the city council are also landowners of the Westgate Centre, or most of it at least, they also own a significant number of business premises, including the Covered Market and shops in both the High and the Broad, in this eastern end of the city centre. They need to get together with the other landowners in that end of town and ensure that it remains an economically attractive place to do business.

But in the meantime I shall be writing to Mr O'Dell about my idea presently.