Moyenne Island – is this real life?

Nothing to add to any of the following articles, so you’re better off just reading them:

The Man Who Bought a Tropical Island and What He Did With It

https://scoop.upworthy.com/this-man-bought-a-tropical-island-and-transformed-it-this-is-the-place-id-been-looking-for-601303

MH370: The Plane that Disappeared.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the modern aviation mystery, continues to baffle.

This three-part doc has actual substantive interviews plus it explains the mechanics and technology of air travel that the lay person may not know, with an expert use of graphics twinned with a non-repetitive visual style.

My personal opinion on the whole affair? There should be some kind of remote override in which 12 wise men in a room can take control of the cockpit if a loon decides to take his … ‘looniness’ out on the passengers. 

Pilots have too much power and need stripped of most of it – how can any one person have the overriding authority to depressurise a cabin? 

This is all regardless of whether the MH370 lad did it or not.

Still, no one knows for certain and most likely never will.

The Boeing 747 – farewell.

It’s been retired. An end of an era, an epoch (1969-2022) done and dusted. 

A geeky pursuit, no doubt, but the landing and take-off of a 747 is something I find entirely captivating. 

So many flights, so many thrills. And my personal highlight of a Boeing in popular culture has to be Airplane! (1980). 

Because it’s awesome. 

https://www.businessinsider.com/50th-anniversary-boeing-747-queen-of-the-skies-passenger-flight-2020-1?r=US&IR=T

Edinburgh – North Bridge in spring.

Edinburgh Bypass from Torphin.

Glen Clova getaway.

It’s the Overlook Hotel/the Dumb and Dumber (1994) palace with a surrounding … nature.

Great Outdoors Mission Accomplished.

Obligatory annual Waverley snap.

Best job I ever had. My duties consisted of putting ramps on trains, turning off my radio and hiding in the ScotRail toilets whenever there was a crisis, and occasionally pointing an annoying member of the general public in the wrong direction or directing them to an incorrect platform if they vexed me.

Brilliant times.

The Signalman (1976) is a classic for a reason.

It’s totally gripping and eerie and surely too adult and atmospheric for TV. One would think for that era, anyway. Denholm Elliott is best known for his role as Dr. Marcus Brody in the Indiana Jones movies, but he was more than capable of going proper convincingly nuts in a Gothic horror.

This is Charles Dickens done right.

Here we are:

Tokyo flashbacks are the best flashbacks.

A big fuck-off building somewhere in a futuristic metropolis.

‘Tagged’ in one of those ‘memories’ things yesterday on one of our omniscient social media platforms. This snap entered the lexicon a good half a decade ago. How time flies.

The best adventure (thus far) with the holiday lads. Absolute carnage twinned with culture. Tokyo is an extraordinary place to see and experience. In no other country have I felt as if I were on another planet. It’s old and new, a hundred years ahead yet still The Last Samurai (2003). Imagine coming home to Gorgie (Edinburgh semi-ghetto) after this esoteric sojourn.

Japan, I will see you again. But not yet. Not yet. We’re (‘The Unit’) going back, though. And this photo took an hour. I had to sit down afterwards. It’s all about the little details.

P.S. I obscure faces because I know how the world works.

Rome memories.

A few snaps from my Rome sojourn popped up on one of those memories/flashback social media feeds that continue to remind me to jettison the silly things. But here I am, to share my profound thoughts and sublime snaps with the world.

This was back in 2015 on a trip which also took in Milan and Venice. Rome was legit stunning to look at, but it could have been so much better without a few garish elements; rather than just have the actual remnants of antiquity remaining as … well, themselves, there loitered a whole parade of local cretins decked out in Praetorian Guard clobber and the like. It stank of tacky tourism.

The Colosseum would have also been that slightly more monumental if the local authorities (or UNESCO or whoever has ‘claim’) removed the shitty parked cars circling the arena. No one wishes to see a banged-up Fiat (or any other variety of motor) plonked outside Russell Crowe’s stomping ground.

I suppose all our venerated treasures are like this; they come with a side order of cringe. And yes, those are needless ‘vintage’ filters I stuck on the images.

2015 was a bad year for me. Clearly.