Fresh Plastic

Sky Go's direct-to-your-skull train window marketing campaign (video)

If you happen to rest your weary head on a train window in Germany, don't be surprised if you start hearing voices in your head. Voices that other passengers won't hear unless they too are resting their heads.

So, I'm not going mad?

I can't say for sure as I don't know your full medical history, but the voices on the train - at least - are nothing more than Sky Deutschland trying to sell you Sky Go.

 

As for how it's done, it's a thing called bone  conduction - which, according to Wikipedia, is the conduction of sound to the inner ear through the bones of the skull. A technology that's been around for quite some time, in the shape of hearing aids and lollipops.

Things you don't expect to see in Copenhagen...

Last month I spent a few days in Copenhagen, Denmark (as opposed to Copenhagen anywhere else!) Those few days flew right by as it's an amazing city with plenty to see, do and all that jazz. And, if one tires of it, Malmo - Sweden's third biggest city - is just half an hour away by train.

I flew Norwegian from Gatwick. They're a budget airline with plenty of leg room and free WiFi. Yes, free WiFi! Which kinda redefines the whole notion of budget airlines, does it not?

But enough waffle, here's a bunch of weird and wonderful sights I saw - starting off with one of the gems at the Copenhagen International Sand Sculpture Festival 2013...

Next up, more art... or is it?

That was at the ARKEN Museum of Modern Art, in Ishoj, just outside the city.

Another museum outside Copenhagen - in fact it's also outside another city that's outside Copenhagen - is the Danmarks Tekniske Museum. It's a worthwhile day trip if you're geeky, love planes, trains and automobiles (and old computers, radios, TVs and kitchen gear). Here's me with a plane-load of creepy looking, WiFi-less, airline passengers from the 60s.

Now for some bizarrely-named businesses...

Back to some art, and back to some technology. This time at the free-tastic Post & Tele Museum.

Yes, sheep made from telephones. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.

And finally, a car smashed by a giant boulder outide an Aldi that was around the corner from the Generator Hostel I stayed at (where they had toilet tellies).

There's more to Paris than just dead people in tunnels (and the Eiffel Tower)...

When I was last in Paris I didn't just spend my time underground with millions of creatively stacked skeletal remains of previous Parisians. And I didn't just do la Tour Eiffel (again). No, as someone who loves modern architecture - aka funky-looking new buildings - I had to make a beeline for La Défense.

La Défense, for the unintiated, is the business district with the all skyscrapers. The Parisian equivalent of London's Canary Wharf.

Without further ado, here's a bunch of pictures I took with a Nokia Lumia 800 I was trialing at the time.

Hey look, it's a giant thumb!

Here's a typically 'Joan Miró' scuplture ouside a giant shopping mall by, er, Joan Miró:

And finally, here's a couple of pictures of the rather awesome Grand Arche building. Which is a fully functional skyscraper - unlike that Arc de Triomphe thingy in central Paris.

So, I spent the day underground taking pictures of the dead...

Before I go further I should probably point out this isn't the kind of thing I would normally do. But I was in Paris, wanted to see something a little different and what's more off the beaten track than descending into the labyrinthine tunnels beneath the streets?

Without further ado, here's some slightly blurry, rather grainy pictures I took with a Nokia Lumia 800 I happened to have at the time. Hey, you can even see my shadow as I was taking one.

For more information about the Catacombs of Paris, here's the Wikipedia entry and here's the official site with details about visiting. For those fellow brave souls reading!

So, we're going to Amsterdam for £4.50...

Following on from my £10 to Lyon post, I thought I'd let you know about another bargalious bus I'll be getting. This time it's Stagecoach's Megabus, from London to Amsterdam, return, in July, for £4.50.

(It's redacted as I don't wish to be burgled)

As you may have spotted, that's for two people. That'll be me and my eldest nephew, who's been studying ridiculously hard at school, and now college, for the last couple of years. My treat. Best uncle ever? Nah, I wouldn't say that, I'm must just paying for the bus tickets, he'll have to pay for his food and board!

Bus to Amsterdam from London. On Megabus. Are you mad?!?

Quite possibly. But I've been to both Paris and Brussels before (for a pound each way!) and it wasn't too bad. Sure, it wasn't as nice as SNCF's iDBUS, but it's a little nearer than Lyon.

So, I went to Lyon for £10...

Back in March I set out on a mini adventure. I embarked on what would be the longest coach journey of my lifetime. London to Lyon. By SNCF's iDBus. For a tenner. Return.

Why?

Lyon looked cool. I fancied a road trip. I had the time. And, let me reiterate once again, it was £10. RETURN. None of those airline-style booking fees, card fees or fees for breathing on board. And the added bonus of disembarking in the city centre, not millions of miles away from it.

What did I get for my £10?

This is what:

• A coach almost all to myself*
• Power outlets to charge my power-devouring Galaxy Note**
• Free WiFi (that worked every now and then)***
• Surprisingly comfy seats
• The cleanest loo I've ever encountered on public transport
• And friendly drivers

In other words - this wasn't just any bus, this was an M&S bus.

*On the return leg there was only one other passenger from Lyon to Paris! (Where the coach makes a stop to pick up/drop off passengers.) Despite this iDBus staff initially wanted me to stow two small bags in the hold. Rules are rules, I guess. They saw sense in the end. Which was fortunate as they doubled up as pillows...

**Journey time is around 16 hours each way - so, unless you've brought a ton of non battery-powered books, these are essential. There's one outlet per two seats - which was plenty for me!

***The WiFi signal was very weak and, when I was able to connect, it was slow or would time out frequently. Still, it was better than nothing

The single most expensive part of this trip was the hour-long train journey to and from London Victoria. It was double the price of the coach!

Here's a couple of snaps I took onboard with that battery-devouring Galaxy Note of mine...

One last thing, or two

This price was a special iDBus were doing at the time. The usual price starts at £49 each way. You get to choose your seat when booking. And the best part about that is, if you're booking last minute, you can see how full the coach will be.

The channel crossing is by Eurotunnel, not ferry. Which is much quicker. It's around 30 minutes and you can stay aboard the coach.

On a personal note, I regularly suffer from severe pain that affects my stomach and back. I usually find it difficult to get comfortable, especially over prolonged periods. I was expecting the worst before I set off but whoever designed iDBus's seats did a sterling job. I was fairly pain free.

And a blog post about going to Lyon wouldn't be complete without some actual photos taken whilst there. So here's some!