Review of Friday nights gig in Derby - The Smyths and RE: Order (The Smiths and New Order tribute bands)

On Friday 25th Nov 2011, The Smyths and Re:Order performed at the Darwin Suite (Derby Assembly Rooms). I my review I have Photographs, videos, Gig Dates, Set lists....

This was sold out and I can see why, The last time The Smyths performed in Derby was at the Flowerpot Pub where it also sold out. I have never seen a tribute band before so was not quite sure what to expect and here we have two tribute bands together! I managed to get a great position right at the front so had a perfect view of the performance by both bands. Were you there right at the front too? Did you enjoy the gig as much as me?

Re: Order were on first performing lots of well known New Order tracks.
Peter Hook (Jim) had the distinctive very low slung bass guitar.

Here is the Set list for Derby's gig on Friday 25th November 2011 by Re:Order
Regret
Thieves like us
Vanishing point
Atmosphere
The village
Bizarre love triangle
Leave me alone
Paradise
Way of life
Blue Monday
Perfect kiss
True faith
Love will tear us apart
Temptation

Unfortunately their drum machine stopped part way through playing Blue Monday. I enjoyed the performance but personally think they were completely overshadowed by The Smyths.

The Smyths
Next up was The Smyths.

If you are a fan of The Smiths then I can highly recommend you go and see The Smyths, you will not be disappointed.
The Smiths broke up in 1987 and have never reformed, I did not get into them until it was too late so being given the second chance to see them is great.
I was completely blown away by not only their note-for-note performance, but also Graham Sampson's portrayal of Morrissey, he had got all the little quirks and mannerisms of the original artist so right.
I knew most of the songs very well so was able to sing along, Not something I would normally do but was enjoying this gig so much you just had to.
Every track was delivered with such perfection, you wanted it to go on for hours, but alas it had to end after 28 songs. At the end of the gig Morrissey oh I mean Graham climbed down off the stage and shook the hands of everyone at the front of the gig including me. You keep forgetting its not Morrissey.

I would go out of my way to go and see The Smyths again as they are so amazing. If you live in Derby then you will only have to wait until May neext year when they play The Flowepot yet again. I don't know if I can wait that long!

The only down side during the show was some idiot threw something at Graham, he was OK with it but did disappear off stage for a few minutes. The item in question actually landed right in front of me between the stage and the audience barriers, it was a "Happy 40th birthday" badge about 8" across. The crowd shouted "out out out", you know who you are !

At the end of the gig I got a Set List (see below). Apparently after the gig had finished someone fell off the balcony in The Darwin Suite!, The Paramedics were going up the stairs on the way out onto Derby Market Place. Not sure how that happened. Apparently hes going to be in hospital for some time.

Photograph of Graham Sampson as Morrissey:

Photograph by colour blind bob.

There is a set of photographs of both RE:Order and The Smyths taken at this Derby gig by Graham :
Smyths and Re:Order Photos at Derby.

Here is the Set list for Derby's gig on Friday 25th November 2011 by The Smyths:

The boy with the thorn in his side
Sheila
Half a person
Stop me if you think you've heard this one before
Heaven Knows
Handsome devil
Still ill
This charming man
Pretty girls make graves
Reel around the fountain
What difference does it make?
Miserable lie
This night has opened my eyes
Hand in glove
These things take time
You've got everything now
William
Some girls are bigger than others
Panic
Shoplifters of the world
Girlfriend in a coma
Ask
Everyday is like Sunday
How soon is now
Meat is murder
---- oncore ---
First of the gang
There is a light that never goes out
Bigmouth strikes again
End




The tickets for The Smyths and RE: Order gig in Derby:

The Smyths Set List as used by Morrissey aka Graham Sampson at the Derby gig :

The Smyths will be performing yet again at Derby's Flowerpot in 2012 on Friday May 4th (note the year is wrong on this flyer !) :

If your not in Derby then there are plenty of opportunities to see The Smyths elsewhere as you can see.


List of upcoming gigs for The Smyths 2012:
Friday December 16th 2011 - New Cross, South London, The Venue
Saturday December 17th 2011 - Kilburn, The Good Ship
Saturday January 7th 2012 - London, Feeling Gloomy (Islington Academy)
Tuesday January 10th 2012 -  Club Babylon in Istanbul, Turkey
Saturday January 28th 2012 - Darlington, The Forum
Saturday Februray 18th 2012 - St Albans, The Horn Reborn
Friday February 24th 2012 - Wakefield The Black Flag
Saturday February 25th 2012 - Manchester The Ritz
Friday March 9th 2012 - Portsmouth The Wedgewood Rooms
Thursday March 22td 2012 - Putney, The Half Moon
Saturday April 14th 2012 - Blackburn King George's Hall
Friday April 20th 2012 - Sheffield O2 Academy
Saturday April 21st 2012 - Liverpool O2 Academy
Friday May 4th 2012 - Derby, The Flowerpot
Friday May 11th 2012 - Newcastle O2 Academy
Saturday May 12th 2012 – Glasgow O2 ABC
Saturday May 21st 2012 - Liverpool O2 Academy
Friday June 1st 2012 - Bristol O2 Academy
Saturday June 2nd 2012 - Oxford O2 Academy
Friday June 8th 2012 - Birmingham O2 Academy 3
Saturday September 15th 2012 - Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
September 2012 - Leeds The Brudenell Social Club
Saturday November 3rd 2012 - Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
November 2012 - Derby, Assembly Rooms


Videos of The Smyths:
Interview with Graham Sampson by Paul Morley at Derby's Flowerpot!


The Smyths perform at Feeling Gloomy (The O2 Academy in Islington, London):


Hope you enjoyed my review.

Did you know that The Smiths actually performed at Derby Assembly Rooms back in December 1983?
There are over 30 videos on YouTube of this gig from 28 years ago.

Here is a 37 minute clip of the 83 gig by The Smiths.

Whistle Test on the Road video clip at Derby Assembly Rooms.

The Smiths Room in Salford Lads Club, Manchester.
If your a fan of The Smiths then I'm sure you will have been to the Salford Lads Club in Manchester where there is a dedicated "Smiths room".
Google Streetview of The Salford Lads Club.

We visited there a few times and on the last visit in 2006 a really nice guy called Leslie took the time to show us around the entire club including the Smiths Room. In 2007 Leslie was on Channel 4's Secret Millionaire when Chek Whyte gave some money and help towards restoring the building.
You can still watch this episode on the 4od website. Fast forward to 19mins 32secs (you have to endure 3 short adverts first !)

My Photographs in The Smiths Room, Click to view large versions.


There is more information about The Smiths Room here.

More information :
The Smyths website :
www.thesmyths.net

The Smyths on Facebook.

The re:order website :
www.thieveslikeus.co.uk

Re:Order on Facebook.

If you are a Smiths fan go and see them now, go on what you waiting for!!

P.S. You will soon be able to see Graham on this years Christmas edition of Come Dine With Me !
The 2011 Christmas Special Come Dine With Me will be aired on Friday 23rd December, keep an eye out for their performance as guests on this show.

Andy

Plasma Ball, Sound Activated 8" lightning globe from Maplin Electronics. Great Christmas gift

You must have seen one of these before, if not where have you been hiding? Its an 8" Plasma Globe, this model is sound activated so it will pulse in time to your music. Its a great unsual gift for someone that has everything. I got this model from Maplin Electronics in Derby. The Derby branch of Maplins can be seen in my 360 view of East Street, its next to TK Maxx.

You can also get Plasma Balls from other shops such as Amazon. Rather bizarrely you can even get a 4 port USB hub based around a Plasma Ball !



I have made a HD video of this plasma ball in action so you can see what it does. As you can see if you leave it alone then about 50 strands of blue mini lightening reach out from the centre ball to the outer ball.
They move around randomly often splitting part way and turning pink when they reach the glass.
If you put your finger near the glass then an extra bright lightening arc connects from the centre ball to your finger tip and follows it around as you move. It does not hurt when you do this, just a slight tingle sometimes.

My video of this Plasma Ball in action:


Or click the link to view : Video of Plasma Ball from Maplin Electronics.

If you put a fluorescent tube near it then it lights it up!
I found that if you place a cap of tinfoil on the top then it concentrates the voltage of  multiple lightening strands, if you put your finger near the tinfoil then you get quite a spark and YES is does hurt. In fact it leaves a black burn mark on your finger tip !

I also took some photographs of the Plasma Ball:




If you want to see some real big lightening then see these photos

Derby Teslathon 2004.

Derby Teslathon 2005.

Hope you found this review of interest.
Cheers
Andy
www.derbyphotos.co.uk

The new Derby Casino Genting Club at Riverlights, Morledge, Derby Bus Station opens on 19.11.11

Derby's new casino opens at 9:30pm on Saturday November 19th 2011.or 19.11.11 as it says on their adverts.

My dedicated guide to it is here....
Derby Genting Club Casino, Derby Riverlights.


I'm sure if you live in Derby then you will definitely have seen the adverts for the new Casino that is opening in Derby. These adverts are everywhere even on buses. If you've managed to miss it well here is one such advert for it.

I have created a dedicated guide to this Casino here :
Derby Genting Club Casino, Derby Riverlights.
I have provided all sorts of information for people wanting to visit here such as opening times, very accurate mapping for smart phones and even a virtual reality 360 degree photograph showing the location of the Casino entrance.



The casino opens to VIP's on Thursday 17th and to the general public on the 19th.

The Overtones
The singing decorators who hit the big time with their doo-wop style will officially open Derby's newest venue. The Overtones, a five-part vocal harmony group who have had a meteoric rise in the last 12 months, will be the star attractions at the Genting Club, Derby's new casino and entertainment venue.

The club opens on Thursday at 9:30 BUT only to VIP members, the rest of you will have to wait until Saturday. On Thursday Suzanne Shaw and Maria Fowler (The Only Way Is Essex) will be there.

If you think I've missed anything please drop me a line.

Facebook page for this Casino.

Thanks
Andy
www.derbyphotos.co.uk

New music videos by White Town from the album Monopole - Missing Her Again, Till I Die and Invisible Elastic .

Do you remember the band "White Town" from 1997, most famous locally for the worldwide hit "Your Woman". The video featured local Derby footage. Well 14 years later and a new album has just come out and there are several new music videos, again featuring local scenes.

The new album by White Town is called Monopole.

 

These are my personal favorite tracks from it...

White Town - Till I Die


Did you spot Iron Gate, Cathedral Green and Derby Quad?


White Town - Missing Her Again:

Did you spot Elvaston Castle Old English garden and Swanwick junction at Butterley?

White Town - Invisible Elastic:

Did you spot the Cathedral Green Swingbridge

Hope you enjoyed these new tracks.
Andy

HTC Wildfire - Location to copy MS Office files so you can view them on the phone.

Do you own a HTC Wildfire and want to know where to copy Microsoft Office Files onto the phone in order to view them on the phone? Here is the answer.

This works for ms Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. Even tried it with .xlsx files and the HTC has no problems showing the file.

1) Connect your HTC Wildfire phone to your PC via your HTC Micro USB Data Cable.
2) Use Windows Explorer to view the files.
3) Go to the office files that you want to transfer, highlight them and copy them to the clipboard.
4) Go to the SD card of the HTC and look for a folder in the root called Download
5) Paste your files into this folder.
6) Disconnect the USB device (left click on the little icon on right of status bar and select Disconnect)
7) On the HTC goto Apps - Office and after a few seconds of the black screen it should list your files that you copied over.
8) Tap one of the files and it will open. When opening office docs it seems to show a black screen with a green loading bar at the bottom of the screen.




I have only tried this out on the HTC Wildfire phone but I dare say it will be the same on the other HTC phones such as HTC Explorer, HTC Sensation, HTC Desire etc.

Hope this helps. Post a comment if your found it of use.
One thing through how do you select tabs on a Excel spreadsheet?

Andy

2011 Markeaton Bonfire and Fireworks, Saturday 5th November from 5.45pm.

Its that time of year again when our annual free Bonfire and Fireworks event takes place at Markeaton Park, Derby.
There will be a Funfair on Markeaton Park from 2pm to 9pm

Stage entertainment from 4.45pm

Bonfire lit at 5.45pm
Fireworks at 6pm

Map for Markeaton Park Bonfire and Fireworks:

View 2011 Markeaton Park Bonfire and fireworks Display in a larger map

Access to Markeaton Park for the Bonfire and Fireworks is restricted for safety reasons.
The main entrance to the park, off the A38, will be open for pedestrians. There will be no pedestrian access through the Mundy Play Centre, or across any of the three bridges into the park.

The main entrance to the Mundy Play Centre will also be closed, and the Mundy Play Centre car park will close at 2.30pm. Anyone who parks in this car park to use the park during the day should ensure that their vehicle is moved by 2.30pm. Markeaton Lane is closed to all vehicles between 3pm and 9pm, to allow safe access for pedestrians. The Police will control the road closure.

Pedestrians coming from The University of Derby car park will be directed across the pedestrian crossing on Kedleston Road and will access the park from Queensway next to the footbridge over the A38. Pedestrians coming along Kedleston Road from the city centre will also be directed via Queensway. Pedestrians from the Quarndon/Allestree areas will be directed down Markeaton Lane into the rear entrance to the park.

If you don't want to get caught up in all the mud, crowds and traffic but want to see the fireworks then I suggest going on the roof car park at Park Farm, Allestree. Don't tell everyone though !

The weather is looking like it may be dry for this year.

Thanks
Andy

The 2011 Derby's Christmas Lights Switch on by Gareth Gates and Joe McElderry, Saturday 19th November 2011. Derby Ice Rink and Victorian Christmas Market.

Gareth Gates will turn on Derby Christmas Lights on Saturday 19th 2011 on Derby Market Place. While Joe McElderry and Dale Diva will be switching on Westfield Derby Christmas lights.

Remember - That's two seperate Christmas switch-ons for Derby.
Joe McElderry inside Westfield Derby at 4pm and then Gareth Gates on Derby Market Place at 6pm.


If you are a new visitor to Derby then see my smartphone drop pin links below.


This is the  very same night that the New Derby casino near the bus station opens.

The show will begin at 3.30pm, on stage in the Market Place, on Saturday, November 19th.
Join a festive parade from Sitwell Street (just off Babington Lane) at 4.15pm or head down to the Market Place and enjoy a variety of entertainment, including DaleDiva, Trinity Band, pantomime stars Linda Robson and Mike McClean, Santa and headline act, Gareth Gates, leading up to the big switch-on event at 6pm.

This year the Derby Xmas light switch on will be done by non other than Gareth Gates !!!
The Pop Idol runner-up will join Birds Of A Feather star Linda Robson for the Derby switch-on, the show is hosted by Captial FM presenters Dino and Pete.

Map location for Derby's Christmas Lights Switch-on 2011:

View Derby Christmas Lights Switch on 2011. in a larger map

Smartphone mapping pins for smartphone owners:
If you are a new visitor to Derby then you will find my smartphone naviagation pins of use. Simply view this blog on your smartphone and follow my instruction below.

Gareth Gates on Derby Market Place.  <-- Tap this link for accurate location.

Joe McElderry in Derby Westfield.  <-- Tap this link for an accurate location.

When you tap one of the links above, it will launch your mapping application and place a "push pin" onto the map with the exact location of the switch on.
You can then use this marker to get walking directions from where you have parked.

For example on an iPhone you tap the "Directions" button at the bottom and this will pre-fill in the start location with your current location and the end location with the switch on location.

So all you need to do is just tap the "Route" button at the bottom then tap the walking icon and it will show you walking route. If you tap the bottom left icon 3 times then this will turn on follow mode, Centre mode and direction mode. What this means is that a blue flashing dot which represents you will stay in the centre of the screen and orientated in the direction that you travel in.

If you tap the middle button at the top, this will even show you which bus number and when the next bus to Derby from your nearest location.
My push pins are far more accuare than any other map as its not based on the postcode which most maps are. My map is based on local knowlege of the locations.

Parking
If you are looking for somewhere to park in Derby for these two switch-ons then best to get here early as this is going to be popular. This site shows all the local car parks
www.parkopedia.co.uk/parking/derby/

The Derby Victorian Christmas Market
A couple of weeks after the xmas lights are switched on, a Victorian Christmas fair will be held in Derby Market Place. About 30 huts will be in the Cornmarket from December 1st to 24th and will open from 9am to 5pm, except on late-night shopping days, when it will stay open until 7pm.

Useful Links :

Westfield Derby Store Guide Leaflet.



Derby Ice Rink
This year there will be an Ice Rink on Derby Market Place from December 1st until January 8th.
It will be open for skating every day except Christmas Day. This year it will be a real ice rink with proper ice rather than fake ice.

Westfield Derby:
2009 X Factor winner Joe McElderry and DaleDiva will be switching on Westfield Derby Christmas lights from 2pm onwards. He will be turning the lights on at 4pm.




On Saturday 12th November Santa will be opening his brand new Wish Kingdom Grotto with some very special friends including Rastamouse and Sam and Mark.

Derby's Westfield awaits Joe McElderry to turn on this years Christmas lights.

Rastamouse is in da house meeting families and children throughout the day. See the CBeebies favourite for free, make sure you don’t miss out and pick up a free wrist band from Westfield Derby Concierge on the day from 9am.
Plus a free super-glittery craft workshop where kids can make their own tree decorations. All hosted by TV and Gem 106 boys Sam and Mark!

Joe McElderry Poster in Derby Westfield :

Joe McElderry

---------------
Belper:
Belper's Christmas lights will be turned on : Friday November 25th.
This is also the night that the Scouts ping pong ball race will take place on King Street at 7pm.

Long Eaton :
Long Eaton's Christmas lights will be switched on by the Mayor on Friday 2nd December at 7.00pm.

Bakewell:
The Bakewell Christmas Lights Switch on takes place at 4pm on Saturday 26th Nov 2011.

Ilkeston:
The Ilkeston Christmas Lights switch on will take place on Friday 25th November 2011, The lights will be switched on by the Mayor of Erewash at 7pm.

Ashbourne:
Ashbourne's Christmas lights will be switched on Friday 18th November at 6.30pm, in the Market Place.

Swadlincote:
Swadlincote's Christmas lights switch on will take place on Friday, November 25.
Seven-year-olds Jack Benton and Phoebe Johnson, both pupils at the town's Belmont Primary School, won a competition organised by South Derbyshire District Council.
An array of entertainment will be taking place as part of the celebrations from 11am.
It will include special performances from schools, dancers, cheerleaders, singers and a Santa stilt-walker.
Rides and stalls will be set up along Swadlincote's High Street.

Burton-on-Trent xmas lights
Burton's Christmas lights switch on will be done by Chesney Hawkes on Sunday 20th November 20 at 5pm. This will take place at Burton Market Place and will be followed by a Spectacular Fireworks show !
If your too young to know who Chesney Hawkes is well his song "The one and only" was heard as the ring tone in the 2011 film Source Code
.

Video of Chesney Hawkes:


Andy

Derby of the Dead - Derby zombie walk 2011 videos. A unique event raising money for a good cause.

Shoppers looked astounded as the 150-strong army of zombies invaded Derby on Saturday. This was "Derby of the Dead". Here are some videos of the first ever Zombie walk in Derby. The horror began in the Market Place at noon on Saturday. There is a Facebook page dedicated to the Derby Zombie Walk.



Video of the Derby of the Dead around the Strand, Derby.


The Derby Zombies as seen on Sadler Gate, Derby.


Were you on this walk?

Derby and Derbyshire webcams updated.

I maintain a list of all the current webcams I have found that feature content from within the city of Derby and the County of Derbyshire as well as Staffordshire webcams.
I have just updated my Derby webcam list as quite a few have now gone offline but I have included some new ones that you may not have seen before.

See my local webcams here :
Webcams in Derby and Derbyshire

For each webcam I have listed what type of webcam footage it offers and if you need to install a Browser plug-in to view them and if they work on an iPhone. Live webcams are great for checking out the weather if you are about to travel somewhere as you can see for yourself if its raining or snowing etc.

The most popular webcam in Derby is of course the Peregrine Falcons on Derby Cathedral, this webcam has been in place since 2006 and attracts online visitors from around the world and is extremely popular.

Derby needs some more webcams, can you help by providing a webcam stream for the city?
We only have 2 webcams in Derby, that's very poor ! I'm sure we can do better than that !

Just think of how many people out there in Derby who have permanent broadband connections and a computer that is "always on" and have a nice view out of their window.
Also lots of businesses around Derby that could have a webcam to generate publicity for their company, How about a pub cam?

Its so easy to setup a webcam these days it would be great if we could put Derby on the "webcam map". In recent years it has become possible to buy what is known as an IP Webcam which is the simplest method of getting a webcam online.

All you have to do with an IP Webcam is connect it directly (via Ethernet cable) or wifi to your Broadband Router, it has its own web server built in. you just configure the camera via a webpage and thats it ready to go live !


I have had to remove several webcams as they have gone offline, I will add them back again if they return. The following have been removed.

1) Mercia Marina in Willington. Dead ! UPDATE 31/10 Reinstated as link now updated and working.
2) Ram FM, Iron Gate, Derby. Taken over by Capital FM
3) Broomfield College bird feeders. A real shame this one has gone as it was one of the best webcams.
4) Hathersage, Gone !

If YOU know of any webcams in Derby or Derbyshire that I have missed or one that you have just set up and want promoting then please get in touch with all the details and I will add it to my list for you.

While looking for other local webcams I found a new one in Derby but then realised its actually a Derby in the USA.

Live streaming webcam in Derby, Wichita, Kansas.
This is a view of their New Derby Public Library at 1600 E. Walnut Grove. A pity we don't have a live webcam of Derby library !

I have added a few new local webcams, I will let you see if you can spot them.
On my Stafforshire webcams page I have added a live webcam of Burton on Trent, this has a great view of High Street where the infamous Burton Bollard is located.

See my current webcams list here :
Webcams in Derby and Derbyshire

Thanks
Andy
www.derbyphotos.co.uk

Who is this Actor and what is being filmed here?

Last Sunday morning while on a break in London there was some filming being done on Duke's Road, Camden. I took these photographs on Sunday 16th October 2011.

Anybody know who this actor is and what they are filming?
Looks like its set in the 1940s, I don't recognise the actor. Could be a film or a TV series. I'm sure someone out there will recognise this.

Who is this actor ?

More photos of the filming :


Filming taking place in Dukes Road, London in October 2011


Filming taking place in Dukes Road, London in October 2011


Filming taking place in Dukes Road, London in October 2011


The filming was attracting lots of attention from passers by, The only reason I spotted it was because of the old bus.




Duke's Road is a side street off Euston Road which is the main road that runs past St Pancras International railway station.

I posted this question on Answerbank HERE.

Here is a Google Streetview of this road.

I found these videos of other filming going on in this location in the past.
Dancing in Dukes Road.

Eurovision Flash Mod Dancing.

Looks like Duke's Road is a popular place!

Post your answers to who and what is going on as a comment to this post.

Thanks
Andy

Adrian Edmondson & The Bad Shepherds gig in Derby on Saturday 12 November 2011.

Did you know that Adrian Edmondson has a band called The Bad Shepherds? Well I saw them in London at the Great British Beer Festival and really enjoyed them so much that could not wait to see them again, And thankfully they happen to have a gig in a few weeks in Derby.

Adrian Edmondson &The Bad Shepherds perform in Derby on Saturday 12 November 2011.
The show starts at 8.00pm
Tickets are £17.50 from Derby Assembly Rooms Box Office or the old way by phone 01332 255800

If your old enough then I'm sure you will remember Ade Edmondson as Vyvyan in the early eighties TV show The Young Ones. If your not so old then you may know him as the star of the ITV series The Dales.

The band have a couple of Albums out, the last one was Hook Or By Crook in November 2010.


The Bad Shepherds play punk songs on folk instruments. Not as a gag, but because they really like the noise. They think the songs are better than people remember. They love folk instruments. It works.
They do songs by The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Stranglers, The Jam, Sham 69, The Undertones, The Ramones, The Buzzcocks, The Specials, Talking Heads, Squeeze and others, even Kraftwerk! Alright, they're not all punk, but they come from roughly the same era.
They've mostly given the songs a kind of Celtic feel, and they've stuck in the odd reel and jig here and there. But occasionally they just thrash!
They've always thought the excitement of a reel taking off is the nearest thing to the excitement of watching punk live in the 70s.

Here is my video of them performing Rise by Public Image Ltd at the Great British Beer Festival.

More info on the band on their website :
http://www.thebadshepherds.com/

Hope you enjoy the show.
Andy

How to make a 2012 personalised calendar from your own photographs. Free templates provided here.

Looking for a personalized gift this Christmas that will be enjoyed all year?
A couple of years ago I created a set of calendar templates and a video tutorial on how to use them.
The free 2012 templates have a decorative framed image area into which you can import your own images to produce the nice edge effect below.
My tutorial has proved very popular with nearly ten thousand people following my guide so far.

Here is an example of what you will be able to create using my free 2012 Calendar templates. Go on make someones day this Xmas by giving them one of the best and very unique presents that they can enjoy all year.



It will soon be Christmas and you may find this of use, I created an easy to follow tutorial on how to make a printed calendar using photographs YOU have taken.
The monthly calendar templates are provided free so you can make a unique gift for someone right now.
All you need is Corel PaintShop Photo Pro (or any photo editing software that supports layers such as Gimp, Photoshop etc), A colour printer, some Matt finish paper and 12 images of your choice.

If you are interested in giving it a go then have a look at my 2012 Calendar Guide page here :
Complete guide on how to make a 2012 personalised calendar from your own photographs. <- Click me now to start making a great gift for Christmas.

I hope this has inspired you to have a go at producing a truly unique personalised Xmas present that you will be remembered for, for the whole year ahead. Use Matt Paper as I suggest and it will not cost a lot of money to make several of these calendars.

Matt Paper allows printing of high resolution images but has a finish that you can write on which you need for a calendar! Matt paper can be bought for as little as 4 Pence per sheet.




In my written guide I have supplied detailed instructions on how to use my templates with Photoshop and even the free image editing software Gimp.
If you think its too early yet to think about Christmas then don't worry I will re-post this on my blog again each month up to Christmas. If you do find my tutorial of use then please leave a comment on either the video or my blog post saying what you created.

Thanks
Andy

Video - A week in London in time-lapse as seen from The Monument in 360 degrees

Please watch at full screen and at 720p/1080p if you can.
I created this unique time-lapse video from a total of around 10,000 photographs taken from the live Monument webcam.
The Monument webcam is a special 360 degree webcam that updates every 60 seconds.
I have only just got around to creating this video even though I had the frames for over two years on my hard disk.
My video is rendered at 1080p and needs to be played in fullscreen due to the letterbox aspect ratio otherwise you will not be able to see all the little details.

The Monument to the Great Fire of London, more commonly known as "The Monument", is a 202 foot tall stone Roman Doric column in the City of London, England.
Its located where the Great Fire of London started in 1666. It was constructed between 1671 and 1677, it is the tallest isolated stone column in the world!
The monument closed in July 2007 for an 18-month, £4.5 million refurbishment project and re-opened in February 2009. A special live 360 degree webcam was then fitted
to the top of the Monument. Based on a Kaidan VR360 with a Canon EOS 1D Mk3.
My time-lapse video is made from the 360 panorama's taken by this equipment.


My Video:



Music - Repercussions Of 7th Heaven by 808Chunk
www.audiotool.com/track/repercussions_of_7th_heaven
Used under creative commons license Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Points of interest - If you watch this video in Full Screen mode at 720 then you will keep spotting new things, here are some you may have missed
01:19 to 01:29 - The Moon rising on left and travelling across sky.
01:50 - Window cleaning gantry going up and down on the brown building about 35% across from left of panorama.
02:08 - Tower Bridge lifting. It can be seen lifting several times in my video.

If you spot something of interest let me know the time-code.

When was the week of recording?:
Monday 6th July 2009 to Monday 13th July 2009
First frame captured at noon on the 6th.
Frames were captured every 60 seconds for a whole week and then played in sequence.

The frames were captured using a CRON job on a Linux machine.
The images are 1024 x 240 pixels and cover a full 360 degree view of London from the top of The Monument.
I had to go through thousands of frames and delete all the corrupt ones, these are images that contain vivid colours due to jpeg corruption. I'm guessing this happened due to the images being
sent by Wi-Fi from the camera?
I may have missed the odd corrupt image in my video but I think I caught most of them.

Map Location:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=The+Monument+is+here@51.51011716135102,-0.08596184152520436

Google Streetview:
Here you can see the Monument captured during restoration as seen from Monument Street with its junction with Pudding Lane.
http://g.co/maps/yqswq

Here you can see the Monument captured after restoration work was completed.
Fish Street Hill
http://g.co/maps/u3vv3

I discovered this unusual situation. In this Google Streetview you can see the Monument wrapped up during restoration but then you move forward two steps and the restoration work is fully completed!. I guess they must have driven this bit of road in two parts.
http://g.co/maps/uzc8q

The 360 degree Panoramic webcam:
There is a very detailed explanation of this camera system on the website here.
http://www.themonumentview.net/about.php

The equipment :
http://www.themonumentview.net/about.php?content=Technical%20Concept

The Monument to the Great Fire of London reopened after a £4.5m restoration which took 18 months. Here is a short video by the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7893738.stm

Note:
This webcam seems to have stopped working as of August 12th 2011, It keeps showing the same image. I have contacted them about this but not had a reply. I hope they get it up and running again soon.

Live webcam :
http://www.themonument.info/panorama/

Hope you found my video of interest.
Rate and comment if you enjoyed it.

If you would like to see some local webcams for Derby and Derbyshire then have a look at the selection on my website :
http://www.derbyphotos.co.uk/webcams/index.htm


Thanks
Andy

Hope you enjoy the view.
Andy

Andy's guide to O2 Pay and Go Tariffs and Bolt-ons for use with your iPhone and other Smart phones.

Do you own an iPhone with a o2 Pay as you go SIM and your free unlimited data deal that you got with your new iPhone is about to run out? Then you will need to sort out a tariff and bolt-on.
Are you confused by all the jargon and options available? Which o2 Tariff is best for you?

Hopefully I will have all the answers for you here in my Guide to O2 PAYG Tariffs and Bolt ons.
By combining a suitable o2 tariff with a o2 Data Bolt-on you can get a real good combination.

For example a o2 Unlimited Tariff and the The Works Bolt-on will give you unlimited voice and text messages to anyone on o2 as well as 1Gb of 3G data a month all for just £15 a month.
Check out the other Tariffs and Bolt-ons in my guide.

My guide :

Andy's guide to O2 Pay and Go Tariffs and Bolt Ons for use with your iPhone and other Smart phones.

Hope my guide is of use.
Thanks
Andy

Video - Elvaston Castle, The last days of Summer in the Old English walled Garden.

On a sunny day like today why not visit the local attraction Elvaston Castle?
Did you know it had an elglish Walled Garden?, despite visiting this place many times since the 1980s onwards I had never seen this before. I madea two part video of the gardens below:
Play in full screen and at 720p if you can.

My videos of Elvaston Castle.:


Part II:


thanks
Andy

Derby Feste 2011 Videos. If you could not make it then see what you missed.

Here are my Derby Feste 2011 videos for you to enjoy, as seen in todays Derby evening Telegraph.

Part 1 - Derby Feste 2011


The next three videos feature the amazing Sarruga street parade with the massive animated puppets of sea creatures as they made their way through Derby. Starting on Derwent Street, Market Place, Iron Gate, Full Street and onto Cathedral Green where there was a firework finale which I have also captured on video.

Part 2 - Derby Feste 2011, The Sarruga street parade.


Part 3 - Derby Feste 2011, The Sarruga street parade continues.


Part 4 - Derby Feste 2011, The Sarruga parade ends at Cathedral Green followed by the Fireworks.


Subscribe to my video channel to get notified : www.youtube.com/comedyhunter

Were you there?
Did the Shark get you?

Thanks
Andy

My Derby Friar gate Line Route map updated.

Back in February I started work on a project to accurately map out the complete original route of the former Derby Friargate Railway Line, over the months I have been adjusting certain areas of the map and adding lots of photographs that people have taken along the route.
My project has received a lot of attention from people, with my map being viewed over three thousand times since I created it !

If you have not seen my project then have a look, you may learn something new. I would like to thank the many people that have helped by taking photographs of the route for me and letting me know about any errors. Some recent photographs added are of the Ventilation shafts over Mapperley Tunnel.

I have also added a lot more "quick links" to my project which allow you to go zoomed in direct on major points of interest along the route such as all of the GNR stations : Egginton Junction, Etwall Railway Station, Mickleover Railway Station, Derby Friar Gate Railway Station, Awsworth Railway Station, West Hallam Railway Station, Kimberley East Railway Station, Daybrook Railway Station, Basford North Railway Station, Gedling Railway Station and Netherfield Railway Station.

Here is a link to my project :

My Derby Friargate Line Route Map Project.


or a direct link to the map on Google maps :
Friargate Railway Line Route Map.


Reference Books.
Some of the Railway books I used for reference while working on this project :

Friargate Line: Derby and the Great Northern Railway

Lost Railways of Derbyshire

Lost Railways of Nottinghamshire

There are lots of books on this subject but quite a few are out of print but you may find one on ebay.

Videos.
Here is a video of a train using this former line:


Another video, this one at Breadsall Railway Station :



Best wishes
Andy

Derby Festé returns for the fifth year on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th September 2011.

This weekend see the return for the fifth time of Derby Festé.
There are lots of different events taking place in the city on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th September 2011.
Here is a link to the complete brochure for whats going on this year - Derbyfeste brochure.

You can pick up a leaflet from Derby Tourist info on the market place.


Derby Festé 2011 - Trailer, What you can expect to see at this years event in Derby.



Photographs from previous Derby Feste events.






For more details on Derby Feste see their website www.derbyfeste.com

Thanks
Andy

The Derby Big Wheel returns to the City Friday September 16th to Sunday October 30th 2011.

Remember its only in Derby until 8pm on Sunday 30th October 2011.

The Derby Big Wheel returns to the City on Friday September 16th for six weeks. I have tried to supply as much information about it as you could possible want to know such as dates,Times,Prices,Location,smart phone drop pins and even a VR photograph of the ferris wheel on the Market Place!
YOU can help too by posting your reviews of the Derby Big wheel in a comment to this post. Feel free to link to this blog post from Facebook, Twitter etc.

360 degree Virtual Reality Photograph of the Derby Big wheel
The link below will take you to my large interactive 360 degree photograph. You can control the view with your mouse (just like Google Streetview). This photograph will allow you to see exactly where the big wheel is located in Derby Marketplace. You will need a broadband connection to view it.
This was the wheel that was in Derby in 2009, its the same one in 2011.

The Derby Big Wheel full screen 360 degree interactive photograph.<-- Click me now !

The Derby Big Wheel officially opens to the public at 10am on Friday 16th September 2011 and will continue to open 10am until 8pm daily until Sunday 30th October 2011.
The wheel is 60m (197 ft) tall in the Market Place, has 40 observation pods and weighs 365 tonnes!

The silent ride lasts for 12 minutes so there is plenty of time to take in the great views it has to offer.
The Derby Big Wheel was known as the Cathedral Quarter Wheel in 2009 when it was last in Derby. 

The Big Wheel Derby opening times
10am to 8pm 7 days a week. 16th September - 30th October.

Costs
£5 for adults
£4 for Student/Senior Citizen with I.D. Cards.
£3 for children under 1.4 metres, and free for children under three.
£14.50 for a Family Ticket: 2 Adults / 2 Children
£27.50 Private Gondola is for your own group/party of guests etc: 1 - 6 people prevents sharing a gondola at peak times (may not be necessary at non-peak times).

There is also a VIP Gondola which takes up to 4 people for £40.00. The VIP Gondola has tinted glass and 4 higher standard seats.

If you book online then you can get 10% of the gate prices listed above. Book your Derby Big Wheel Tickets online by using this website here : www.bigwheelderby.co.uk So If you want a discount then book your ticket online to save money.

You can buy a photograph when you finish the ride on the Big Wheel, not sure how much these cost perhaps someone can leave a comment and I will add it to this page.

Map Location
Map Location of the Derby Big Wheel :

View The Derby Big Wheel. in a larger map

Smartphone mapping
If you own a smartphone such as iPhone/HTC etc then you can use my drop pin below to get very accurate mapping for your phone.

Drop pin for Derby Big Wheel <-- Tap this link on your smartphone to get directions.

When you tap the link above, it will launch your mapping application and place a "push pin" onto the map with the exact location of the Derby Big wheel. You can then use this marker to get driving, walking or bus directions from your current location.



For example on an iPhone you tap the Directions button at the bottom and this will pre-fill in the start and end locations so just tap the Route button at the bottom and it will show you either the driving route or the walking route. If you tap the middle button at the top, this will even show you which bus number and when the next bus to Derby Market Place departs !

Hope you enjoy this and get a chance to have a go on it.
Please leave your reviews of it in my blog. How far could you see?
If you have taken a video while on it then please post a comment with a link to it.

You can see the location of the Big wheel in this driving video I made in 2009. Should give you an idea of how big this is and where its located in Derby City Centre.

Thanks
Andy

How to make a 2012 personalised calendar from your own photographs. Free templates provided

Looking for a personalized gift this Christmas that will be enjoyed all year?
A couple of years ago I created a set of calendar templates and a video tutorial on how to use them. This has proved very popular with over nine thousand people following my guide so far.

Here is an example of what you will be able to create using my free 2012 Calendar templates....


It will soon be Christmas and you may find this of use, I created an easy to follow tutorial on how to make a printed calendar using photographs YOU have taken.
The monthly calendar templates are provided free so you can make a unique gift for someone right now.
All you need is Corel PaintShop Photo Pro (or any photo editing software that supports layers such as Gimp, Photoshop etc), A colour printer, some Matt finish paper and 12 images of your choice.

If you are interested in giving it a go then have a look at my 2012 Calendar Guide page here :
Complete guide on how to make a 2012 personalised calendar from your own photographs. < - Click me now to start making a great gift for Christmas.

I hope this has inspired you to have a go at producing a truly unique personalised Xmas present that you will be remembered for, for the whole year ahead. Use Matt Paper as I suggest and it will not cost a lot of money to make several of these calendars.

Matt Paper allows printing of high resolution images but has a finish that you can write on which you need for a calendar! Matt paper can be bought for as little as 4 Pence per sheet.



In my written guide I have supplied detailed instructions on how to use my templates with Photoshop and I will shortly be doing the same for the free image editing software Gimp.
If you think its too early yet to think about Christmas then don't worry I will re-post this on my blog again each month up to Christmas. If you do find my tutorial of use then please leave a comment on either the video or my blog post saying what you created.

Thanks
Andy

I'm now famous in Argentina, South America !

Its not every day that you get to see your name in print on the other side of the planet. Last weekend on Sunday 4th September an article was printed in the Argentinian newspaper "La Gaceta". La Gaceta is a daily newspaper (established in 1912) with a circulation of 46,000 copies.
The news article is about some fountains in Tucumán which I have helped research for them as they were made in Derby by Andrew Handyside & Co and shipped all the way to Argentina in 1872.
Andrew Handyside made Friar Gate bridge and thousands of other items all over the world but us Derbians seem to have completely forgotten this company but I am trying to rectify this by researching and promoting all that they have done using my Andrew Handyside blog and a series of Articles and maybe a book.

To see an English Translated version of this article click : Article in La Gaceta Newspaper.
Here is a screen grab from the web version of the article (in Spanish):



There will be another article printed soon about some other Handyside stuff in South America.

Thanks
Andy

Video of Markeaton Brook Walkway and a cute swimming Rat !

Last Saturday I took some footage along Markeaton Brook Walkway. If you have never walked along here before then have a look as its full of wildlife.
It runs parallel to Agard Street from Ford Street to Bridge Street around the back of the Oxygen Bar pub where the foot bridge is.
In this footage you will see a nice cute looking Rat swimming in Markeaton Brook.

Here is my Video of Markeaton Brook Walkway and a very cute Rat swimming !


Map Location for this video.

Did you know Rats could swim?

Markeaton Brook has its own website :
Friends of markeaton brook.


Thanks
Andy

Derbyshire Brewers Collective - Beer Festival, 9th and 10th September 2011

This weekend is the Derbyshire Brewers Collective Beer Festival

Friday 9th and Saturday 10th  September 2011. 12noon - 5pm and 6pm - 11pm
£3 afternoon session
£5 evening session
Pay on the door.

Derbyshire is rapidly becoming the 'Microbrewery capital of the country' Meet your local microbrewers and try their ales and ciders. 16 of the best brewers in Derbyshire will be manning their own stands, selling their beers and ciders and answering any brewing questions you may have. 
This is a unique event where the experts will be available within the traditional beer festival environment. 
Over 50 beers and Ciders, hot food, quiet area if required, will be available - with evening entertainment being provided by The Spyder Monkeys (Friday) and Soul Town Six (Saturday) - both highly rated and extremely popular Derby bands Come and help celebrate all that is good in Derbyshire

I got this leaflet from Pete on the Amber Ales stand at the last Belper Farmers Market (2nd Saturday of each month)

The flyer for the beer festival, Click to view a larger version.

To learn more about the Derbyshire Brewers Collective see their website :
www.derbyshirebrewers.co.uk

Thanks
Andy

Belper Indoor Car Boot Sale, 2nd Sunday of the month restarts this Sunday.

This Sunday (11th September 2011) sees the return of Belper Indoor Car Boot Sale at Belper Leisure Centre. In case you did not know, Belper carboot sale takes place on the SECOND Sunday of the month from September through to May.
Note there is NO car boot sale in June, July or August.

Buyers are allowed in from 8am to 12 noon.
Sellers are allowed in from 7am to set up their pitches.

This is a small/medium sized car boot. Of course Tansley Car Boot is one of the largest local car boots but that is outdoors. Then there is Willington Car Boot Sale which is every Saturday and Monday and Shardlow Car Boot that takes place on Bank Holidays in the Summer time.

Here is a photograph I took in May at Belper Indoor Car Boot :


Because it's an indoor car boot sale its not affected by the weather unlike outdoor car boots where
nobody turns up because its raining! This car boot is always popular whatever the weather.

Map Location
Here is a very detailed map I have created. Click the link below the map if you want a larger version to print out or to get directions from.

View Belper Indoor Car Boot Sale at Belper Leisure Centre. in a larger map

Google Streetview showing the entrance to Belper Leisure Centre where the indoor car boot sale takes place.

Smartphone drop pin.
If you own a smarphone such as iPhone,HTC etc then you can use the link below to get directions to this car boot sale.

Car Park Entrance <--- Tap this link to get a marker for the car boot.

Parking
In Belper follow the signs for Belper Leisure Centre.
The entrance to the Leisure Centre car park is just off John O'Gaunts Way which is off the A609 Kilburn Road.

SAT NAV POST CODE : DE56 1RZ
Car parking is FREE!

Exact Location

The indoor car boot is located in the main sports hall of Belper Leisure Centre, From the car park follow the signs on the path to Belper Leisure Centre. The path takes you alongside Belper School and Sixth Form Centre. This will take you to the automatic sliding doors for Belper Leisure Centre. Go through the doors straight ahead past the refreshments area and toilets on the left.

Up the small stairs (or ramp) to the main hall. This is where you pay to get into the sports hall.
Its 80p for adults, 55p for OAPs and Free for children under 16 with an adult.

Remember Belper Car Boot Sale at Belper Leisure Centre takes place on the 2nd Sunday of the month for 9 months of the year.

So here are the dates for the next year....
Sunday 11th September 2011
Sunday 9th October 2011
Sunday 13th November 2011
Sunday 11th December 2011
Sunday 8th January 2012
Sunday 12th February 2012
Sunday 11th March 2012
Sunday 8th April 2012
Sunday 13th May 2012 < X CANCELLED !!!!
Sunday 9th September 2012

For more details (phone numbers etc see http://www.freewebs.com/bidcb/)


Hope you found this of use.
Andy