Just go for a walk. Go on. Just. Go. For. A. Walk.

That’s what the House of Commons Select Committee on Health have told GPs that they should be telling their patients, according to this report in the Telegraph. Because we are the some of the world’s most lazy people when it comes to physical activity. And because walking is good for health (who needs a gym?). And because practically anyone can do it. And because it’s free. And because you don’t need any special equipment. And because it’s good for the mind. And because you can start now, practically wherever you are. And because the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NIce) has said workers should be encouraged to stand up during meetings, and advised to walk or cycle to events outside their workplace. And because. And because. (Repeat ad infinitum).

The Real Meaning of GPS

GPS means that we might not get lost. But it also means that places just become locations to pass through on our way to a final destination. And a location is not a place. A location cannot be experienced, only numerically represented; a place must be experienced directly. Read more here.

“Knowledge is Power”

Or so said Sir Francis Bacon in 1597 (apparently in his Religious Meditations, Of Heresies). I suspect he wasn’t thinking of the bus stops around Brighton and Hove and their GPS-driven Real Time Information systems , but I was reminded of his comment whilst waiting for various buses during the current snow and ice. Big credit to the bus company for getting chains onto buses and buses onto roads during these below-zero times. And no criticism of the bus company for not being able to run the GPS system whilst buses are running to an emergency timetable. But, having got used to real time information, not having it is a real pain. In Brighton and Hove the system provides information on the next few buses which will be arriving at the stop - including the route number, the destination, and a countdown in minutes until the bus arrives, which is preceded by the magic word “due.” The system also gives information about current travel disruptions that may be useful in understanding implications for travel plans. Being real time, apart from the occasional technical hitch, the system means that in many areas of the city, you never need to look at a timetable – just the indicator at the bus stop. Today, despite the system not being operational, I noticed many people looking up at the real time signs, in what has become a reflex action around Brighton and Hove. The real time indicators demonstrate that power of information. Then, you can work out whether to jump on the next bus, wait for the following bus, take a different combination of buses or whatever. It’s a way that customers get more choices, and more power, over their public transport decisions. I reckon Sir Francis would approve.

Who is “The Traffic”?

People who drive and then turn up late often blame it on “The Traffic.” As if “The Traffic” was some kind of cosmic phenomenon which had nothing to do with them. A more honest description would be “I’m late because there were so many people, like me, in their cars, jamming up the roads.” I am always tempted, and sometimes do reply, “Actually, you are The Traffic.” I spotted this ad for a GPS device on a billboard on Brighton’s traffic-clogged Lewes Road. It’s an attempt to plug a fantasy: that you can avoid “The Traffic.” No matter what the adverts say, just remember this: if you’re on four wheels, The Traffic Is You.