Peak District Walk - Monsal Trail

A few pictures from following the Monsal Trail. It is a 10km circular walk (you finish where you start), with the starting point of Ashford-on-the-Water.

Monsal Viaduct

Bangkok, Thailand

After 11 hours in the air, we arrived at Bangkok airport. Stepping between the exit and into our air conditioned ride to the hotel, we felt a glimpse of the heat that was yet to come.

On the motorway into the city being on the other side of the world was starting to sink in. The driver could speak little English and we could speak no Thai.

Sheffields Top Ten Takeaways

Best Takeaways in Sheffield

Do you enjoy a takeaway?

Your usual from the Chinese? Don't forget the prawn crackers! A pizza with friends? Or how about a kebab on your way home from drinks in town? Mobile technology and the internet is changing everything, this posts looks at how technology is delivering results for the takeaway business.

In collaboration with JUST EAT, here is a run down of Sheffield's Top Ten Takeaways...

Liverpool F.C 14/15

A 6-1 defeat away to Stoke closes the 2014/2015 for Brendan Rogers Liverpool, handing 5th place to Tottenham and 25 points behind Premier League winners Chelsea. The worst LFC league defeat since 1963! Southampton who seemed to sell all of their players before the start of the season finish only 2 points behind Liverpool.

Jin Juu, London

Jin Juu, London
Website: www.jinjuu.com

Following a few days exploring London and Hogwarts (Warner Bros Studios) Jin Juu was one of my highlights. As with most things before I part with my money, I like to research. My research led me to the Korean menu of Jin Juu. Looking at the menu, it was clearly a chance to try a variety of new things. I had hoped to visit in the evening, but it was fully booked, so we decided to go for a lunch booking instead.

A friendly welcome on arrival and we were promptly taken to the seating downstairs. It's a really nice venue and the glowing green wall on the stair well showed of its style as we headed to our seats. The seating area had a nice atmosphere, with more stylish artwork and the chefs could be seen working away at the end.

There was plenty of variety in the drinks menu, but a bit too early to pick a beer or Korean cocktail. Instead I went for a pot of tea, although sweet, it was really nice and ticked the box of something new.

I could be quite mean and compare Jin Juu with somewhere I went for breakfast whilst in London. The contrast really showed off the excellent service at Jin Juu. We joked about it afterwards, but you couldn't finish a glass of water in Jin Juu, because the staff were so attentive and keen to top up your glass or cup of tea.

Although it was a 2 page menu, it was difficult to decide. So many options, different styles and tasty sounding combinations.

Sae-woo pops

Gochu Bombs

We shared the sae-woo pops, delicious fried prawn balls on sticks. The dip was a nice match. We also ordered the Gochu bombs. They were my favourite, my mouth is watering thinking about them! A good size bomb, they are actually deep fried jalapeños that are stuffed with bulgogi beef, pork, cheddar and Parmesan cheese, served with a cool ranch dip. Some of my favourite ingredients all in one. Amazing. 

The fries were crispy and nice and hot. We had plenty of different dips and sauces to enjoy them with.

Bulgogi burgers

Korean fried chicken slider

For mains we combined the fries with sliders. The sliders surprised me, I perhaps thought small burgers would be a disappointment, but they were full of flavour and enjoyable creations. The small bites soon added up and we were simply too full to attempt a dessert, I'm sure we missed out on some great creations, but it's a nice excuse to return. 

Looking back at the menu, there are plenty more dishes I would like to try at Jin Juu. Again I will highlight the service was really appreciated and a number of staff said thank you on our way out. The positivity continued beyond the meal, with the owner and head chef showing appreciation for some of my tweets as I made the journey back to Sheffield. 

The only disappointment is that I may have to go without Gochu bombs for a while!

No second thoughts a 5/5.  :D 

Technology - smartphones

Over the past 100 years technology has increased at a significant rate, queue the Moore's law reference.

I do stop and wonder, where will it take us in our lifetime - let's say by 2085.

Let's start with Smartphones....

Smartphones
Smartphones are they good or evil? Very useful or the loss of all privacy? 😨

Combining cameras, satnavs, video cameras, the family pc, entire cd or vinyl collections, photo albums, phone books, maps, all under one roof is pretty impressive. Voice commands and being waterproof take them up a notch.

But phones pick out trends and analyse data, data about you. From telling you how long a commute may take to showing you where you parked your car. (no input from yourself, it has this information readily available)

In a race of intelligence, I think smartphones have now overtaken their owners.

Without your phone could you...
- List phone numbers of loved ones? tell me the quickest way to Eastbourne, direct me there and keep me updated with the best route? Could you also list the birthdays of your friends and family along with ages? Or answer questions from knowledge, rather than suggesting Google it? What is a rock hopper penguin?

Smartphones are constantly evolving both through the handset technology but via the software and app stores. In contrast games consoles  are released in generations, years apart - with big differences when compared with the previous model. With smartphones it is a blur and very clear when you change phone or upgrade. In 2 years time, 4 or even 10 years time what will your phone be capable of?

The next steps
- Flexible handsets (like paper)
- Personal assistants (like the film Her?)
- IoT (Internet of things) - complete control of your home and possessions
- Less input from the user will be required , as the phones continue to collect and analyse the data about you - more and more information will be presented to the owner. Predictive text may be exactly that...
- Health apps and sensors
- Daily routine mapped out and controlled, from being woken up by your phone, which controls the Internet of things devices in your home. From opening the curtains, to preparing your breakfast and morning coffee, maybe even pulling your on demand car or driverless car round to the front of your house. Probably briefing you on your day, the latest news, birthdays and reminders or to what you missed whilst you were asleep. Everything will be synced and tailored to your routine and the data you generate.

A step beyond this and a more extreme step, is integrating technology into the human body. Chips and sensor implants. The topic of the next call of duty game. No doubt in testing in labs around the world. If you could upgrade your vision, memory, knowledge - would you?

So where do rock hopper penguins live again?

Exploring The Snake Path

Hayfield to Hathersage (almost)

Having explored Mam Tor (Castleton), various towns and villages and going for a long walk from Edale, it was time to take the next step toward becoming Bear Grylls / exploring the Peak District. This was a 13km walk into the unknown starting from Hayfield.

I found "The Inn Way to the Peak District" on amazon by Mark Reid, it is proving to be an excellent purchase. It acts as a well written guide to exploring 84 miles (135km) over 6 days. It also features maps, points of interest, tips on places to stay and a guide to the 51 pubs along the way. For this walk we followed the books route for Hayfield to Hathersage - but we only ventured half way before returning to Hayfield.

This is an activity you really need to be prepared for - Mark's book highlights safety measures and tips. Waterproof boots were essential - the route included crossing streams and muddy bogs, having warm clothes and waterproof clothing, have a planned route - if you get lost - head back the way you came. Pay attention to the weather - before and forecast during the walk. If the area has been subject to heavy rainfall for the past few days - river levels will be high and the ground boggy, if not dangerous in places. Keep your eye on the time and know how much daylight you have left. You shouldn't rely on smartphones or GPS. You should also let someone know where you are going and what time you should return.

Looking back towards Hayfield

The Snake Path