Search found 1164 matches

by Ben Lovejoy
18 Jul 2010, 8:37pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Lands End to John O'Groats in 17m 37s
Replies: 6
Views: 1140

Re: Lands End to John O'Groats in 17m 37s

Glad you all enjoyed it :)
by Ben Lovejoy
16 Jul 2010, 11:41pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Lands End to John O'Groats in 17m 37s
Replies: 6
Views: 1140

Lands End to John O'Groats in 17m 37s

I've finally gotten around to creating a slideshow of the trip for those who want a sense if it without reading the blog:
http://www.benlovejoy.com/cycle/triprep ... /lejog.mp4
by Ben Lovejoy
25 May 2010, 9:19pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Amsterdam hotel recommendations, please
Replies: 9
Views: 1469

Re: Amsterdam hotel recommendations, please

Cool, idea, thanks - bookmarked for possible future use.
by Ben Lovejoy
11 May 2010, 2:24pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Amsterdam hotel recommendations, please
Replies: 9
Views: 1469

Re: Amsterdam hotel recommendations, please

Hotel sorted now, thanks - will post the details once my co-rider has booked, and report back on it after the ride.
by Ben Lovejoy
10 May 2010, 5:11pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Amsterdam hotel recommendations, please
Replies: 9
Views: 1469

Re: Amsterdam hotel recommendations, please

Thanks, already tried them and they're coming out as expensive as quite posh hotels for the dates I'm after!
by Ben Lovejoy
10 May 2010, 2:41pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Amsterdam hotel recommendations, please
Replies: 9
Views: 1469

Re: Amsterdam hotel recommendations, please

Thanks - the Bicycle Hotel is quite expensive on the dates we're after. I've applied for the Vrienden op de Fiets membership.

More recommendations welcome, thanks.
by Ben Lovejoy
9 May 2010, 5:45pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Amsterdam hotel recommendations, please
Replies: 9
Views: 1469

Amsterdam hotel recommendations, please

I'm doing a London to Amsterdam ride in June, and am looking for a reasonably-priced hotel with secure cycle parking.

Any recommendations?

Ben
by Ben Lovejoy
2 May 2010, 4:29pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Plotting a route on the Vista HCx
Replies: 21
Views: 2322

Re: Plotting a route on the Vista HCx

Mapsource with City Navigator for me, though if I really want fine-grained control I do this:
http://www.benlovejoy.com/cycle/kit/gps/tutorial/
by Ben Lovejoy
12 Apr 2010, 10:59pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Riding without panniers
Replies: 41
Views: 3043

Re: Riding without panniers

On the camera question, I started out with my SLR but (having the luxury of being able to choose on a day-to-day basis) soon decided not to bother with it. Almost all the photos of my LEJOG were taken with a Samsung NV24HD (chosen because of the wide-angle lens):
http://www.benlovejoy.com/cycle/tripreports/lejog/
by Ben Lovejoy
18 Feb 2010, 11:00pm
Forum: Cycling UK Topics and Discussions
Topic: CTC - does it want members?
Replies: 87
Views: 105498

Re: CTC - does it want members?

I eventually joined British Cycling, which was cheaper than the CTC and includes the same insurance cover.
by Ben Lovejoy
3 Nov 2009, 9:36pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Betamax
Replies: 169
Views: 8652

Re: Betamax

It was an answer to a Parliamentary Question about five years ago; I doubt that the ratio has changed since.

AFAIK, all the money raised by the licence fee goes to the Beeb, but as has been pointed out, the Beeb does a lot more with the money than just telly.
by Ben Lovejoy
3 Nov 2009, 9:19pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Betamax
Replies: 169
Views: 8652

Re: Betamax

thirdcrank wrote:What I am saying is that in present days conditions, the television is an important facility

I disagree: I haven't had a telly for years, and don't feel I'm missing anything important. The radio provides a free source of news and current affairs, so what important function does telly perform in your view?

As an aside, I'm only arguing the principle here. In practice, I get my news from news.bbc.co.uk and Radio 4, and would gladly pay an equivalent to the TV licencing fee for those. Though advertising seems an acceptable way to fund the former: I access it quite frequently from abroad and don't find the ads intrusive[1].

Ben

[1] The BBC site uses geographic IP addressing to tell when it is being accessed from outside the UK. When it is, it serves banner ads on the site and short video ads at the start of each video clip.
by Ben Lovejoy
3 Nov 2009, 9:06pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Betamax
Replies: 169
Views: 8652

Re: Betamax

hubgearfreak wrote:you're right, of course, but there's much bigger expenses that we all have to pay for, that we don't necessarily use. roads, for example

VED raises eight times more money than is spent on roads, so non-road-users (if indeed there are any[1]) don't pay for roads.

Ben

[1] Don't drive, don't cycle, don't take taxis, don't catch buses - must be vanishingly few of them
by Ben Lovejoy
3 Nov 2009, 6:57pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Betamax
Replies: 169
Views: 8652

Re: Betamax

thirdcrank wrote:The present arrangement is virtually a dwelling tax, since it is almost universally applied

It's a voluntary subscription paid by those who choose to have TV sets. The fact that a great many people choose to subscribe doesn't make it a tax or something that should be paid by all.