Been quite a week

Saw Mark Thompson give the Fleming memorial lecture at Cavendish conference centre on Tuesday – Now first thing I’d say is that Mark is not charismatic.

Second thing I’d say the message was not overpowering

The BBC is although many would deny it a state broadcaster if it wants to be a broadcasting business it needs to be removed from state control –for me the sooner the better. Why it’s not gearing up to subscription I don’t know if I watch Sky why do I have to pay a tax to the government, I do not understand how this anomaly can continue in the 21st century.
For another view against the consensus that is assumed to exist on the BBC look here.

On Thursday I learnt more about what commercial TV can do at London RTS event – that was all about the modern masterpiece that is I’m a celebrity get me out of here apparently it costs around £10m for a season on YK TV and it comes from a factual concept but is now very much entertainment. Carol Thatcher won the last one and we were told she's potty as anything.

Dubai holiday video

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Dubai Dreams

I’ve seen the future of the city state it’s called Dubai - it’s still under construction –generally it’s a nightmare to take a holiday where there’s building work going on but unless you want to stay away for the next ten years or so it’s not worth going to be worth visiting and the construction work is what you marvel at, from the shopping Malls with its own Ski slope (yes that’s right) to the hotels shaped like a sail.

Now I’m a bit of an aficionado of cities and to a certain extent I thought I’d seen the best the worst and the most modern that is until I spent a week in Dubai (Shanghai/Tokyo and Delhi) –But this is a sort of heaven and hell of a city racing towards an Armageddon Ridley Scott could only dream of. Like the pyramids it seems to be built by the sweat of slaves (in this case a hoard of Indian labourers who can tolerate the blistering temperatures and who have a worryingly high suicide rate). It’s not just the construction workers that are the immigrants here much of the hospitality and retail workforce are from the Philippines and there’s an army of the former filth (failed in London try Hong Kong) living the high life before they settle down. In fact the Arabs look like rich, vacationing visitors in their own land
What would the place be like without air con? How do they manage to have so much greenery and no hosepipe ban? How did they dream up the concept of Media City, Internet City and the like?

Now we stayed at the Sheraton beach hotel and it had an almost quaint feel about it as it was only 9 storeys high and had a mere 6 restaurants but I’d recommend it amongst the many 5* hotels it seemed almost human -service was good and the staff very friendly.

Flying with Virgin was good too- early into Dubai and ahead of schedule back into the crusty old UK (and Kate Thornton was on the flight back too).

My advice go and experience Dubai I can’t describe it (but I'll post a short video soon).

Dubai reading matter

While I was in Dubai I read the rather amusing iPod therefore I am by Dylan Jones,made me think that it's really about the 'i' generation don't know if Dylan is getting some money fronm Mr Jobs but he sure as hell deserves it -I'm deciding which one to buy along with my iMic!