After months of work - the main work website is finally getting it’s relaunch this weekend. Ironically, apart from the cosmetic changes (which could have been done in a matter of weeks), most people wont see the effort.

It is all internal and about merging several 3rd party databases to a unified platform.

Anyhow, fingers crossed that the migration works - and I shall spend most of tomorrow sat in Starbucks running database conversion scripts and panicing. If I am going to be that stressed, I might was well be somewhere with a ready supply of coffee and cake.

Then I will spend several days (I presume) dealing with the flood of bug reports - but hopefully, the changes will enable it to generate more income. If it doesn’t - I’ll be looking for a new job.

Was in the retro store in Greenwich at the weekend and picked up this nifty bag which features an old London Underground map on the side.

It’s an original and slightly frayed at the edges, but not bad for probably 20 odd years old.

Bigger version at Flickr

Went out today for a wander and photo session - been meaning for ages to take a few photos of the new Willis building, the new gravestone at the back of The Gherkin and a sign comemorating the German enclave by Cannon St.

Forgot to go to Cannon St., but did the rest - and a surprise photo of St Pauls Cathedral taken from Cheapside - an office used to block the view, but it has just been demolished, so photo fans should get there quick before the replacement office building goes up.

I still haven’t fixed the photo gallery on this website, so I am still using Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisits

Also managed to get two blisters on my feet

I am increasingly convinced that my PR email address has been added to a database somewhere in the media world, as I am getting increasing numbers of alerts from radio stations and music concerts.

Just had another one about some radio station relaunch of all things!

Not only totally boring for me as a person, but utterly unrelated to my job and hence a waste of time telling each one of them to go away and stop bothering me.

Bloody annoying.

I had an odd thought this morning (well, more odd than usual)  as I loaded up my dishwasher and put the detergent into the container.

All detergents fit all dishwashers.

Coming from a background in telecoms, where standards groups get together and work out mutually compatable standards, this shouldn’t surprise me - but we are in the midst of the Blue-Ray and DVD HD format battles right now where companies still don’t realise that standards lead to benefits for everyone.

I wonder if the domestic appliance market has standards body which dictates the size of dishwasher detergent capsules, or was it just random chance that they all ended up the same size?