The Invincible Boots?

I never used to like wearing boots. In fact, I hated them. 

I hated the way they came up really high over your heels. I hated how bulky and heavy they were. And if I’m brutally honest, I hated that wearing them usually implied some form of serious exercise. 

But then things changed. 

When I moved to Wisconsin for the first time, I was told I absolutely needed a pair of boots for when the snow came, and so I caved in, lest my feet cave into a 3ft snow drift. Turns out I wasn't lied to; you really did need a sturdy pair of boots in the wintry weather over there. 

Back in England they came in useful too. Moving to Mossley, we found ourselves going on many more walks into the countryside; traipsing through mud slides and over babbling brooks was a whole lot easier with sturdy boots on. 

Then we got Nancy, the Golden Retriever that wants to go anywhere and everywhere. Boots became even more of a necessity, a vital, daily pair of footwear. 

Pounding through the snow

After a solid 7 years of wear, the impenetrable boots I got on my very first day in Wisconsin finally gave up the gun. Worn in, they had holes between the sole and the shoe part, and just became unwearable. 

So, on a recent trip up to the Lake District I invested in a new pair of Gelert boots. 

They’d dipped their toes in the water a few times since I bought them, wandering across some fields, down bridle paths and up narrow & rugged footpaths. They’d even recently taken a stroll across the wet and windy beaches of Wales on a visit to the Llyn Peninsula just last week. 

Incidentally, very near to Beddgelert, where the Gelert company was founded. 

But from the beaches of Wales to the foothills of the Pennies, in the space of a week, the boots went from sand to snow. 

When snow day hit Mossley, it was the perfect time to put these boots through their paces and push them to their limits.  

And well, I felt invincible. 

8 inches of snow was like a mere sprinkling of powder on the floor, as I pounded through snow drifts left, right and centre. Pavements covered in ice could have just as easily been carpeted rubber, the grip was so good. 

I felt unstoppable, like I could just plough through anything and everything without a worry about cold or wet feet. No matter how high the water or how deep the snow, it felt like I could just wander through as if I was strolling across a field in summertime. 

It was like I was indestructible, and it got me thinking about all these flimsy, floppy, cloth material shoes. How did they ever come into fashion in a country like England, where it rains all the time and there’s constantly mud patches, dirt tracks and puddles to hop over. Why do we opt for small, thin shoes that barely cover our feet, when we could wear boots all the time? 

Who knows, I’m hardly an expert to comment on fashion. But still, if you want practicality, you need to wear boots. 

Are there any pairs of boots that are truly waterproof?

And from what I could see, the Gelert boots I was wearing were as good as any I’d come across. Comfort wise, I couldn’t fault them. They didn’t feel like I had a pair of heavy, cumbersome weights on my feet, and they certainly didn’t slow me down. 

Support wise, I’d been climbing snow hills and clambering over styles, and hadn’t had any twists or falls or anything to complain about at all. 

And standing in 8 inches of snow, then walking across a stream that completely covered the bottom of my foot, the leather held up extremely well and not a drop of water got onto my socks, unlike Kirsty who was already whinging about cold feet. 

But when the melting snow and slush rose above my heel and completely blocked the path in front of us, things took a turn for the worst. 

Suddenly, the ‘waterproof boots’ reached their limit. As ice cold liquid hit the tongue of my shoes, and the splashing motion of walking sent water flying even higher, their barrier broke. 

And before long, I was squelching along with wet feet, even though the water never actually got much higher than the top of my ankle, about 3-4 inches. 

Wandering along like that, I wondered how different brands and types of waterproof boots vary with regards to their liquid repellant abilities. Are there really any pairs of boots that are truly, 100% waterproof? 

These Gelert boots were good, but they’d just failed me at the last moment. I’ll certainly be using them again, as the weather was extreme, but at the moment they’re drying under a radiator. 24 hours later, they’re still soaked through and unwearable, which is a disappointment. 

Are your boots waterproof? Let me know if you recommend any, and I may just try them out.

A Snow Day In Mossley

They warn you and warn you about the weather, and it’s naturally something we love to talk and whine about - being British. But then when they don’t issue weather warnings and you start thinking you may as well just ignore the forecast because it’s never right, you wake up to 6 inches of snow outside your door.  

And that’s what happened this morning; completely unexpected, a beautiful covering of pure white snow blanketing the hills, the roads and everywhere in between, making the little village of Mossley at the foot of the Pennines even more picturesque than usual.  

As curtains were thrown back and tentative footsteps were taken to assess the possibility of getting cars out on the road, it quickly became clear that this would be difficult. And as you would expect in England, everything pretty much came to a standstill. 

A snow day was declared. 

Of course, you could say that every day is a snow day when you work from home, but today was proper white, and proper wintry. It literally didn’t stop snowing until 4pm, and having taken the dog out in the morning, was definitely an occasion for wrapping up warm and staying inside. 

Do you REALLY need to go out? 

And that's what I think everyone should've done. It’s easy to complain and whinge about the snow, and how we’re so unprepared and pathetic in this country deal with anything other than a bit of sleet. 

I lived in Wisconsin, USA for two years, where they generally have this much snow on the ground for at least 2 months every year. 

So yes, they have amazing machines that clear both the roads and the pavements overnight, so you can get to work easily. They don’t stop in their tracks because of a snow storm, or run out of salt and grit because they’re unprepared.  

They just deal with it, and we don’t. We get chaos as everything comes to a halt.

 

But so what? How often does it actually happen that we get more than a sprinkling of snow? We can moan about council cuts and the lack of gritters/plowers, but when you look at it logically, it’s really not economically viable to invest in machinery that sits idle for 350 days of the year. 

When was the last time you literally couldn’t get out on the road because it was too dangerous to risk? 

Maybe once a year, if that. So when you do get a snow day, why do you need to try and get to wherever you need  think you need to be? Can you not afford that one day to just relax, change your plans, and enjoy being snowed in? 

Why do you need to risk your own life and that of others, navigating treacherous roads just to get to appointments that can be easily rearranged. Except in urgent circumstances, I am sure you can afford to just changes plans, and stay home. 

I see people complaining that some are using the snow day as an excuse to stay home and skive work, but so what - it only happens once a year. You can work from home if you want, you can make up the time elsewhere, and instead, you can enjoy yourself.

You can get out, and enjoy the snow. 

Bringing out the best in people

Whilst some in Mossley did insist on spinning around corners and sitting in long traffic jams, it seemed that many did just decide they could take the day for what it was, and enjoy the snow. 

And it was great to see that. It was great to see people giving up their cars and actually having to walk to places. Where they might’ve driven to the corner shop or the train station, they had to dig out their boots and walk.  

In a small town like Mossley, maybe it would be nice to go without cars more often; you can get everything you need without them.

It was inspiring to see how many social media posts there were in community groups like ‘The Real Mossley’ about offers for help. Those who were out and about were offering support to others who were struggling, or asking if they could pick up groceries for any elderly in the area who couldn’t get out themselves.  

And that was really nice; the snow was bringing out the best in people. 

It was the same on the corner of our street by Raja’s. There’s a wood recycling firm called Plevins at the end of the road, and their trucks were still out and about, finding themselves regularly getting stuck on this corner. So, some staff members were sent from the firm to dig out the snow and help them navigate around.  

But these blokes (I’m fairly certain they were from Plevins, but not 100%), then stayed on the corner, and helped everyone else out. They were pushing cars up roads, guiding them to safe parking spaces, and digging out the snow wherever they could. 

It was nice to see such great community camaraderie.  

Wandering the PBW

We took the opportunity to wander up above Mossley on one of our favourite walks to Greenfield across the Pennine Bridle Way. It was shin deep in snow, which then later turned to slush, but it was a fun walk with great views. The perfect way to get out, get some exercise and enjoy the snow day. 

You can see some more pictures here: Snow Day in Mossley 

When we returned, we found that all the parked cars on our street had been shovelled out, with the snow cleared from all around them. What a considerate thought. Whether it was the Plevins' guys again, or some really helpful neighbour, someone had dug out every car on the road, and given them an easy chance to get out on the road. 

Not that they should. Car keys should stay hung up on snow days.

Apple & the iPhone 7: Rumours, Lies and the Power of Social Media

Technology today regularly astounds me. It’s so easy to look around and take for granted everything we rely on in our day to day lives. It’s simple to overlook the power, expertise, creativity and knowledge that has gone into making our lives richer, and substantially more streamlined.  

It seems like every day there are brand new technological developments that should arguably blow the mind: self-driving cars; virtual reality glasses; passenger planes to space; food delivered from the palm of your hand; and my mum getting herself an iPhone 5S then wondering why she couldn't hear properly with the protective cellophane wrap covering the ear piece.

From Sci-Fi to reality in a quarter life span

Not even 30 years ago, this was the thinking straight from science fiction, more at place in films like Back To The Future and Blade Runner, as opposed to real life. It’s easy for a younger generation, myself included, to take this all for granted. 

But I’m 26, and even I remember the wonder at owning my very own computer. I remember sharing one computer amongst a class of 30. If I try hard enough, I might even still be able to remember the home phone numbers of my friends from school, ringing up and asking Mrs Leech or Mr Barker if I could speak to Andy or Simon, then arranging an exact time to meet at the corner shop because none of us had mobile phones. 

I’ve long intended to write a blog about digital natives and digital immigrants, Generation Y, Millennials and the proliferation of technology, but this blog isn't it. This blog isn’t strictly about technology.

But it started with a 'new' technological development.

Expandable widescreens on the iPhone 7

In fact, it started with a dear friend of mine deciding he’d now really like the new iPhone 7 after seeing some amazing specs for it. Now I’m a big fan of Apple, but I hadn’t seen anything definitive about the 7 yet. It’s all rumours and speculations; no designs or features have been revealed. 

So, he sent me a screenshot of the video below, supposedly posted by Apple on Facebook. 

Take a look at the video: 

Pretty amazing stuff right? Downright out of this world, but still incredible. And it kind of makes sense, it looks feasible. 

And that’s the point. Barring the name of the video creators at the end of the video, it’s assuredly Apple-like and ultra-realistic. It’s undoubtedly fooled a lot of people. Especially given the fact that it was posted by Apple themselves. 

Only it wasn’t. Therein lies the problem. A simple search for Apple on Facebook reveals Apple Inc. a page dedicated to the company, with legitimate details and liked by millions of people. However, it isn’t the verified Apple Store page, which actually has 7 million less likes. 

It’s easy to see which one looks more real than the other. Look further still, and there are tons of pages all dedicated to, or pretending to be, Apple, iPhones and the like. When you’re flicking through your Facebook feed and you glance at something that says Apple, with the logo you recognise and loads of likes, it’s so easy to assume it is real and believe it is true.

Is faking it easier than ever? 

And that’s what this blog is about. Has the proliferation of social media made it easier to spread rumours, lie about things, and generally just ‘make shit up’  that people will believe?

The internet is absolutely full of ludicrous and downright outlandish ‘click-bait’ stories. Wherever you look, it seems there is a new miracle story or sensational revelation. Nine times out of ten, they’re easy to spot as fake (for most of us), but sometimes, even the most astute will be fooled. 

Remember the fried rat at KFC? This simple post on Facebook quickly went viral and was believed by hundreds of thousands, probably because it’s everyone’s worst fear and there’s always the chance it could happen. 

Then there was the story that an asteroid was on a collision course with Earth that prompted NASA to issue an official statement denying the whole thing. Or the satire inspired quote from US Republican Presidential nominee Chris Christie about female viagra creating more lesbians. Crazy, but not totally unbelievable. 

If you don’t know about spoof sites like The Onion, a cursory glance wouldn’t necessarily indicate their stories are humourous, elaborate myths. 

Perhaps that’s where a lot of lies and hoaxes start; with an element of truth or possibility. Many are posted either via hacked accounts or from sites/accounts that look to be legitimate at a quick glance, but actually aren’t: MSNBC.website, rather than MSNBC.com; or the fake ‘Sky Breaking News twitter account. 

The Chris Christie quote was viewed and shared so many times that a political fact-checking company had to debunk the whole thing as a complete myth. But this story was only viewed 30,000 times, much less than the original! 

Celebrities read about their own death

As a natural target of public interest, celebrities regularly suffer their own share of fake news, in particular, death hoaxes. 

Tom Hanks, Jackie Chan, Robert Redford, and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson have all seen “reports” on social media that they had been found dead in one scenario or another. Mccauley Culkin, as a wild, off-the-rails, teen has been the subject of a number of death hoaxes on different occasions, so much so that he's had to post pictures of himself to prove he’s alive. 

One death hoax was actually a mistake though. With the hashtag #nowthatchersdead trending, referring to ‘Now the ex-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has passed’, some Twitter users including Kim Kardashian innocently read it as ‘Now that Cher the singer is dead’. 

Before long, news of Cher’s death had spread across Twitterverse. 

Such was the spate of these hoaxes, I remember being in the pub when Michael Jackson passed away, with someone reading it from Twitter, and genuinely not believing it to be true, but rather another unsubstantiated rumour mill. 

Where do we look for the truth?

I recently read an article about how scientists were studying tweets and trying to determine whether they could automatically rank tweets based on their supposed believability and truth content. For example, tweets from the ground during real-life events tend to be littered with spelling and grammar mistakes and the occasional expletive. 

Understandable if you’re running away from gunshots or a plane crash. 

But, BREAKING NEWS: adding in exclamation marks and CONFIRMED journalistic type words means you're likely to be lying!!!! 

Even verified check marks don’t necessarily mean what you think; Morrissey has a verified account despite publicly admitting neither he nor his team use Twitter at all. 

So do we need satire disclaimers on certain fakes posts, and should the internet and news providers be investing in trust meters and knowledged-based rankings? Isn’t that what trusted, reputable news sites are for? 

In the Paris attacks, social media worked so well; there was instantaneous news that helped people get to safety. But could that effect be used in reverse? Could a few well-placed, well timed tweets cause mass panic?

This is where the importance of reputable news outlets comes in, and why fact checking remains of the utmost importance. I’d recommend watching the Newsroom for more on this; a number of episodes cover how vital it is to check your facts and wait for confirmation before publishing a story that others claim to be true. 

Entertainment or concern? 

It’s hugely entertaining to see the gullible get baited, but when does it stop becoming a joke? Humorous and laughable stories are fun to share, but should we really be condoning social media accounts and established websites that play fast and loose with the news? 

Sometimes it can just start out as a harmless joke, or even a mistake. Then one slip of the mind, and we believe it and share it. Maybe someone we trust shares it and so we believe it without questioning. Then our brains can stubbornly refuse to accept that it just isn’t true. 

That’s what happened with the fake Back To The Future day in 2012. One person just got the date wrong, someone in authority didn’t question it, and suddenly loads of people believed the future was here when actually it was easy to check the real date was October 21st 2015. One hoaxer even photoshopped the image to support the false 2012 date!

Sometimes, all it takes is one overtired intern, one moment’s lapse in concentration, and one simple click of the button. And suddenly, the BBC Twitter account has retweeted a post claiming The Queen is dead. 

Is that really inconceivable? You’d probably believe that, wouldn’t you? 

A Taste Of The American Deep South - Red’s BBQ

If you’ve watched the first or second season of House of Cards recently, you may well have found yourself craving some juicy barbecued ribs. 

Well Manchester has just the answer. Red’s BBQ

It’s had Red’s for quite some time now, but with 3 hour long waits a regular occurrence, it’s only recently that I’ve had the chance to taste its offerings. 

Luckily, on a Tuesday night, we didn’t need to wait. We walked straight in and got a table. If we did have to wait though, well it’s just a bit of tough luck. Bookings are few and far between. 

There are no frills here, no beating around the bush. They make no apologies for being popular. It’s good food, and the staff know it; the joint’s going to be busy, and you just have to wait. They could be more welcoming when you wait though. 

But is it worth the wait? 

Yes and no. 

I loved the whole atmosphere of the place, and the branding that the Red’s marketing team have  put to great effect. It’s good brand that carries everything through. You get a real feel for the story of BBQ, and what it might be like to be in a truly authentic joint - with a little bit of imagination of course. 

•  You sit in a canteen style setting with basic metal chairs and tables, with an open view of the kitchen
•  You don’t get a menu, you get a bible
•  Everything is about the meat. 

And in a place like this, that’s exactly what you want. 

The menu or “bible” as it’s been christened (keeping with their whole true believer branding, and the ‘places of worship’), was comprehensive to say the least. In fact, it was a little overwhelming. 

There was just so much to choose from, I didn’t know where to begin. The menu was entertaining enough to read all the way through, keeping up the authentic brand feel, which I certainly appreciated. 

Whilst choosing, I ordered one of Red’s “home-brewed” lagers, which was pretty nice. They make plenty of drink suggestions to pair with the type of food you want to eat, which was a great touch. If they’re not home brewed, Red’s focuses on supporting local breweries, which is always good. 

Ribs, Brisket or Burger? 

Ribs are the big offering here, but personally I’ve never been a huge fan. From what I could see on the menu and from the plates passing the table though, they looked tasty enough. 

And a great choice of sauces to choose from. 

I was torn between getting one of their signatures plates or a burger, and I was struggling to decide. 

First though, we had a starter - deep fried macaroni cheese balls. 

They were nice enough, but with just three on the plate, it was a little disappointing, given their £5 price tag. 

For my main, I really wanted a kind of sampler plate. It was my first time here, and I wanted to try a little bit of everything. 

In many American BBQ joints, you can easily do this. In Red’s it wasn't so easy. 

Their signature plates were pretty much one type of meat only - chicken, pulled pork, brisket, sausage, etc.  

You can buy individual meats to customise your own plate, but they’re not cheap. They lacked the “build your own plate” offering that Southern 11 has for example. 

So, forfeiting those tasty sides like cornbread, I opted instead for the Pit Burger. 

It wasn’t the donut burger which is arguably the most famous, and certainly the most intriguing dish from Red’s (and the most calorific - yes, it really is a beef burger between two donuts!). 

But the pit burger was still a huge offering - 2 juicy beef patties and all the trimmings. And, what swung it for me was the pulled pork and beef brisket which topped it - so I did get a mini sample after all. 

And with sweet potato fries it ended up being an immense plate of food. 

Visit Red’s BBQ in Manchester?

I ate it all, which kind of tells you everything you need to know. There wasn't anything not to like: a big plate of food; a perfectly cooked burger with some tasty extras; and a hearty portion of sweet potato fries. 

However, the waitress could’ve been friendlier, and the BBQ sauce offering was deceptive. 

Unlike Southern 11 which did have some different style sauces, here it was basically vinegar, mustard, ketchup and hot sauce re-labelled and slightly tweaked with a subtle BBQ flavour. 

With a beer and a shared starter, the total per person was £23, which for a huge meal, wasn’t bad, but wasn’t cheap either.

So, because I did leave absolutely stuffed and because the food was good (though still room for improvement), I’d suggest a visit to Red’s. 

It’s not a truly authenticate BBQ joint though, and there’s a lot it could learn both from America and from some competitors closer to home. Something I wouldn’t expect given their branding and their commitment to travelling the USA South each year on a BBQ pilgrimage. 

But still, it’s a decent enough attempt and an enjoyable meal. 

Check them out here: http://truebarbecue.com 

Falling Out Of Love With Your Website Is Not An Excuse.

It’s that time once again. My annual self-chastisement for not blogging. 

If we’re being pedantic, this time it’s been longer than a year. Closer to two years in fact. And that’s not good. That’s really not good. 

It’s not good for any kind of business that has an online presence and a blogging capability, but it’s especially not good for a copywriter who makes a living blogging for other people. Not good at all.  

A bus man’s holiday  

I could say that the reason I haven’t blogged is because I have been so busy. And in part, that is the case. When you spend all day writing for a variety of other industries, crafting blogs, creating webpages and building brand documents, at the end of the day sometimes the last thing I want to do is sit down again at my desk and write for myself. 

Not when I can just ‘Netflix and Chill’, as the kids say these days. Writing a personal blog after working on three or four other blogs during the day just brings to mind the old saying ‘a bus man’s holiday’, where you end up doing your day job even on your days off.  

Sometimes in fact, I haven’t even had the time to myself at the end of the day or at the weekend; with deadlines to meet and urgent work that needs doing, I often end up writing and typing in the evening times too, leaving very few hours for personal blogs. 

Business is booming, so I can hardly complain. And to be honest, that’s probably just one excuse as to why I haven’t blogged. 

I enjoy writing no matter what, and if I’m being honest I have had some time to write for myself. I’m always jotting down ideas, so it’s hardly like I’m strapped for something to write about. No, not having the time or inclination is a lie. 

A website I’m not happy with

The real reason I haven’t blogged is perhaps a reason shared by many other businesses who neglect their websites; they’re just not happy with the way everything looks or sounds. They’ve fallen out of love with their own site. 

For me, there’s no one at fault. My website is still alright, and in most ways, it does its job. But that’s just it, it’s distinctly average, if not a little below average. And that’s not good enough for me. 

So I get into the mindset of, ‘why put the effort into writing blogs for the benefit of my website, when I don’t like my website.’  I have the inspiration to write, but I’m not inspired by the platform in front of me, and the result is that I feel like I shouldn’t bother. 

But that’s the wrong attitude to have. Yes, I am getting a new website, but these things take time, and I shouldn’t be sitting around waiting for that to happen, when I can keep improving and working on what’s in front of me. 

And that starts with blogging. 

No more excuses 

Over 18 months later, here I am. Back blogging. I’m making no more excuses. I’m not going to be too busy to blog, and I’m not going to not bother writing because I don’t like my website. 

Yes, I’m getting a new website, but it still needs blogs to populate it. So I’m making the best of what I have right here. Great words, interesting blogs, and entertaining stories work well on any kind of paper. It doesn’t matter what it looks like. 

So, almost as if it was for lent, I’m giving up not blogging. I’m giving up making excuses about why I haven’t been writing for myself. And I’m blogging again. 

But you have to hold me to it as well. I want you all to make sure I keep blogging. Nudge me if you haven’t seen anything new for a few days. Pound my door down if I haven’t posted in a few weeks. Ask me to write about something, anything.  

No excuses. I might not be in love my website anymore, but I still love blogging.  

Now, I just need to remember my login details…