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Wanted: #Cycle routes to cross the M4 near #Reading / #Rdg between J10 and J12? + Footbridge?

The point where the A33 crosses over the M4 at Junction 11 is pretty hideous for cyclists; the roundabout is filled with fast traffic, its six lanes wide at points, and frankly it seems wisest to steer clear if crossing the motorway North/South.

So what are the alternatives, in an area between J10 and J12?

  • To the west is Burghfield Road, apparently under the motorway, and even further west is an unclassified road near a couple of large pools which appear to bracket the motorway.

  • Closer to J11 but still to the west is Kirton’s Farm / Kybes Lane, a bridge over the M4.

  • To the east of J11 there appears to be a footbridge over the M4, hung off Old Whitley Wood Lane; you can’t tell from imagery how accessible this would be to a large bike like a tandem.

  • Further east again is Shinfield Road, the A327, which is rather major

  • Then there’s Cutbrush Lane into Lower Earley.

  • Finally: Mill Lane near Sindlesham, King St Lane (ditto), and the A329 Reading Road into Wokingham.

So which of these are nice cycle rides? And – from an alternative transport viewpoint – can you get a large tandem or tricycle over the Old Whitley footbridge?

2 Comments

Categories: cycling, local.

By alecm
— 2012/02/03 at 18:47

Did you hear the one about the opera-singing duck?

It was a bass canard.

No Comments

Categories: fun.

By alecm
— 2012/02/02 at 12:13

There’s a PhD to be had in the sub-vocal interruption noises made by @BBCr4Today presenters to cut-off interviewees

I’m certain of it.

The faint awright of Justin Webb, the nnght of Jim Naughtie.

There’s an entire control psychology in there.

No Comments

Categories: miscellaneous ranting.

By alecm
— 2012/02/02 at 09:03

On Fleet St and @tom_watson’s breaking #Leveson-based #Nightjack enquiry into at hacking at The Times…

When I hear on Radio 4 that there’s some breaking news that:

Not only Tabloids but perhaps also Broadsheets were hacking for stories!

…I think of many boozy evenings in 2011 hanging out with journos and being unanimously told that:

They were all at it. The lot of them. Without exception. Even the ‘good’ guys. Mine’s a G&T.

So I am not surprised by the news that John Humphrys (or, indeed Jim Naughtie) presented this morning; but I do wonder precisely “what is going through his head” when he’s reading it out?

Is it perhaps like a bedtime story where he already knows the story’s punchline, and all the details, but is being forced by circumstance to turn over one fat page per month because we kiddies may only be told the tale… ONE… SLOW… WORD… AT… A… TIME?

And what is it that dictates the pace – the media under investigation? The police? Some dripping stream of embarrassment which wells-up and occasionally bursts its banks, permitting us all to scream “OH, REALLY?” in some pantomime of surprise?

Does it really require an enquiry to follow the story?

It makes me sick.

No Comments

Categories: politics.

By alecm
— 2012/02/02 at 08:55

Flying People in New York City – YouTube

via Flying People in New York City – YouTube.

Best in full screen.

1 Comment

Categories: fun.

By alecm
— 2012/01/31 at 22:47

#Trekkies debate whether ‘The Next Generation’ or ‘Deep Space 9′ first allowed female starship captains…

…because ‘The Original Series‘ certainly didn’t:

link link link

So we heard last week that the Royal Enclosure at Ascot will be enforcing a stricter dress code this year. They will be cracking down in particular on ladies hats. Ladies attempting to enter the Royal Enclosure wearing a fascinator instead of a hat will be turned away.

Similarly, the Church of England has enforced a strict had code amongst its clergy for some time. Women are allowed to wear any hat except for an episcopal mitre. The pointy hat that shows you are a bishop has been strictly reserved for men.

And next week, the General Synod of the Church of England will be meeting and one of the most important votes on the subject of women bishops [...]

No Comments

Categories: skeptics.

By alecm
— 2012/01/30 at 23:03

#Routerpwn – exploitation of vulnerabilities in home routers and other embedded devices – yummy #security…

to be tested…

Routerpwn.

Routerpwn is a web application that aids with the exploitation of vulnerabilities in home routers and other embedded devices.

It is a compilation of local and remote exploits ready to run at the click of a button. The current release is v1.0 and contains 84 exploits which can be run locally by using the default internal IP address or remotely by specifying a remote IP address from which to run the exploit.

Routerpwn is written in pure JavaScript and HTML, with the idea of being able to run it on any device. It has been optimized to run on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Furthermore, it has been successfully tested on televisions, gaming consoles and old cell phones.

No Comments

Categories: security.

By alecm
— 2012/01/30 at 06:15

I have to try this just for the inner 5-year-old …

My five year-old mind would’ve been blown… : pics.

2 Comments

Categories: food.

By alecm
— 2012/01/29 at 23:49