techno.blog("Dion")

I am enjoying my time back in London. I am staying next to the Google London office in Victoria for now, and move to the Docklands tomorrow to speak at the Future of Web Apps which looks like a great show.

Back to the hotel…. you know it is international when you get this power to plug into:

As per usual I got in early in the morning. Victoria is great if you fly into Gatwick, as you can get the express train right there. Painless.

However, I was knackered after a non-sleep flight and wanted to shower and crash. They didn’t have my room ready though so I was told to hang in the lobby and they would grab me as soon as they got a room. I waited, and waited, and … When I finally went up again: “Oh yeah, we have your room”. Thanks.

After some clean up I hit the local store to top up my uk mobile. It is painful using a 5 year old beast when I have my iPhone in the other pocket (I know, I could have jailbreak-ed and put in another SIM….).

I was really happy to see a Nandos as soon as I walked outside. The peri-peri chicken + sauce is fantastic, and I think it will do great in the states.

I also knew I was back home when:

• It rained… a lot
• The trains went down

Anyway, it is fun to hang in the Google office here (very open plan), and I am looking forward to meeting interesting people at Sam Sethi’s bash (Sam does Blognation).

With the cricket world cup upon us in the Caribbean the usual classic pub-like song has come up.

It is playing on their myspace page and you can tell their genius from the lyrics.

Don’t make us pray for rain

Watch out for Monty he’s gonna make the ball bounce, Nixon’s behind you and he’s ready to pounce

Kevin Peterson is as English as the rest of us, the Aussies wont get him out for a duck billed platypus.

Michael Vaughn Is our skipper Plunkett bowls a dipper won’t try the local herbs but might smoke a kipper

The wicket might be sticky, bowling will be tricky, .

If you wanna watch the match gonna have to throw a sickie

The ground might be slippy

The Aussies might get lippy

They’re gonna need some help, they should send for Skippy

So come on now lads, time to pull on your pads

don’t’ put us through a months worth of pain

Aint won it before time to even the score

Don’t make us pray for rain

Remember hit the ball run and then we will all have tea!

Freddie flint offs a hero, he says it’s no biggie

But he can bowl and bat while rolling a ciggie

Anything’s possible if you follow your dream

Even Scotland have got a cricket team

The ball will be spinning, throughout the innings, And up in the stand Fletcher will be grinning

No heat rashes No rash dashes come on everybody let’s forget about the ashes.

You score there’s no kissing can’t argue with dismissing In the commentary box Geoffrey boycotts reminiscing

So come on now lads, time to pull on your pads

don’t’ put us through a months worth of pain

Aint won it before time to even the score

Don’t make us pray for rain

We don’t need, the rain, don’t need, the rain, don’t need, the rain, don’t need, the rain

It is a little comical that the English cricket team could win in the one day tournamant in Australia.

Only “we” could lose ~15 games, and then somehow win a couple in a row to end up victorious.

I guess if Becks makes the effort to move down the road I wil have to head down to LA to watch one of his first games for the Galaxy.

This will be a huge deal for the MLS. I would love to see the stats pre/post Beckham.

Maybe more adults will be bending it like Beckham over here, instead of playing until they are twelve and then moving on to more lucrative sports.

There are only a few shows I miss from England. Just like everywhere, most content on TV in the UK is crap just like it is here.

There are some gems though. One that has come up a lot in the last couple of weeks is a classic: Top Gear.

I am not even an autophile yet still find it a great show, and would think that the US public would really enjoy it too, since they seem to be easily as into cars.

The BBC managed to interview the wrong guy on the Apple Corp vs. Apple Computer lawsuit.

Guy Kewney, a white, bearded technology expert was astonished to see himself appear on screen as a black man with an apparent French accent.
The BBC were interviewing “Experts” on the Apple Corps vs Apple Computers legal case. They called for the “Expert” a Mr Guy Kewney, but a Mr Guy Goma raised his hand. A mic was attached and he was put live in the studio to answer questions.

He was a cab driver waiting for job interview.

Hilarious.

Robert Kraft, the US owner of the New England Patiots (American Football), and the New England Revolution Soccer team, has been pegged as a possible owner of Liverpool football team (English Premier League).

This comes after Malcolm Glazer (another american and owner of the Tampa Bay Bucs) bought Manchester United.

Now, many claim that Kraft is very different, and actually cares and understands the game of soccer, however the first thing that the Liverpool faithful supporters here from him is:

Liverpool is a great brand

That made my cringe. A brand? This is a team that people in Liverpool spill blood over. This is their city (with Everton ;). They have an immense legacy in football, and you call it a brand????

That just keeps promoting the american stereotype!

It was a good day for british sport.

Football (Soccer)

England 3 - Argentina 2

Rugby Union

England 26 - Australia 16

Rugby League

Great Britain 38 - New Zealand 12

Cricket

Pakistan (244-6) v England

Every tv show over here seems to have a text-in question, where you can win something.

The questions are ridicously dumb though, such as this:

What is the name for the Japanese delicacy of raw fish?

• Sushi
• Tandoori
• Cornish Pasty

Why do they make them so obvious? Because each text message costs money.

TV is already dumb enough, but do you have to keep putting random idiotic question on the screen to make a few bucs. Argh!

I have been bugging my british friends for ages about The Daily Show, my favourite on TV.

Today I saw a commercial on Channel 4, saying that The Daily show is now on More 4.

So, those brits who have it, watch More 4 for Jon Stewart at his best.