For the past couple of years, location-based content and apps have been trumpeted as the NBT (Next Big Thing).
The initial excitement and success of start-ups, such as 4square and Gowalla, seemed to herald a new era for forward-thinking digital creatives and tech superstars.
I admit I was late to the party. I got an HTC Desire in Feb 2011 and almost immediately started using 4square.
It was fun checking into places, adding friends, racking up points, earning badges and, eventually, gaining mayorships.
It was one of the cool things about a smartphone – being able to show or use your location.
On the occasions, I went to events, it was also useful to see who else was there.
But it didn’t take long to find frustrations. The supposed benefits that came with mayorships were few and far between and were often linked to big chain enterprises, rather than local businesses.
In other words, 4square hadn’t done a good enough marketing job to show off why they should engage with customers.
Another frustration came with the explore category. I went on an errand one lunchtime and needed to find somewhere for lunch. A perfect use for Foursquare, I thought.
I work in Central London, so it shouldn’t have been difficult to get recommendations. But it was.
I didn’t need or want a Pret a Manger, or a Starbucks. I wanted a good old-fashioned sandwich shop, but there were no recommendations. In other words, the big brands dominated, which didn’t feel like the right use of the tool.
Then there was the ease you could become mayor of somewhere. I went to a Travelodge last weekend and picked up the crown within 2 days. Pointless and rather sad.
Also, if you’re a Twitter user, the 4sq updates are mildly annoying.
Finally, there’s the whole points thing. I admit, I did go through a spate of number chasing, but it increasingly felt hollower and hollower.
Foursquare stopped being a useful app and turned into a soulless, endless game.
There will be friends reading this telling me I was one of the worst culprits, and I freely admit that’s the case, but the scales have now dropped from my eyes.
So I’ve stopped using. My account is still alive, but I’ve deleted it from my phone and ipod touch to break my habit.
Why haven’t I deleted the account? Because I firmly believe there’s still a way of integrating location into a wider, mass-appeal application. At the moment, though, Foursquare isn’t it.
It may need to partner up and allow its technology to be used in conjunction with someone else with a better idea.
If I knew, I’d be on my way to being a millionaire.
In the meantime, I’ll continue using Twitter 
Last August I made a decision to ditch the Tube and use Barclays Cycle Hire in London (better known as Boris bikes).
This was partly to save money (around £500 over 12 months) and also in a quest to do some regular exercise.
Over the past 5 months, I’ve used Boris bikes pretty much every weekday, at least twice a day. This has given me a great insight into what you really need to know to get best out of them and cycling in London.
So here go my top tips:
1) Don’t expect to cycle fast
To put it bluntly, using a Boris bike is like riding a tank. They only have 3 gears and even in top gear, you’re likely to be overtaken by a baby on a tricycle. Sure, the bike will get from A – B, but add on about 10-15% to your journey time, compared with a normal bike ride.
2) They’re a bugger to handle
Because the bikes are so heavy, not only are they very slow (see point 1), but are also cumbersome to manoeuvre and prone to tipping you over. Be careful!
3) Learn your Highway Code (someone has to)
Obviously, there’s no official qualification needed to ride a bike in London (or anywhere for that matter), which is possibly an oversight. I passed my Cycling Proficiency Test when I was 12, which at least qualifies me to know when to stick my arm out and signal left or right.
However the real reason for knowing the Highway Code is because most bus drivers and quite a few other car users don’t seem to know theirs.
You will regularly be cut up and experience near misses, when someone forgets their turning or doesn’t signal. This is part and parcel of cycling in London. It shouldn’t be, but it is. Get used to it.
4) Don’t jump red lights
It can be so tempting to go through a red light when there’s clearly no traffic around. Resist the urge. Yes, you will see others doing this, but they are idiots and obviously in so much of a rush that saving 2 minutes means the world.
Plus, the police are likely to pull you over. It happens… a lot!
6) Check your bike before starting
Boris Bikes are all the same, right? Absolutely not. They vary wildly.
- Always try the bell: you will need it without a doubt (see point 7).
- Move the saddle to a comfortable position. It’s easy to do and will make your ride far easier.
- Spin the back wheel to check it doesn’t make any horrible noises. Many do and advertise your presence in the most unwanted way.
- Get yourself sorted out before unlocking the bike. This will save you 5 minutes of faffing.
7) Pedestrians are thick
Remember I told you about the bell. You’ll need this to clear stupid people out of the way who avoid cars, but can’t seem to see bikes and step off the kerb right in front of you.
You are quite within your rights to swear at them too. It will make you feel better and hopefully leave them feeling foolish and chastened.
Also be careful at pedestrian crossings. Walkers have an innate ability to try and cross just as you come round the corner.
Don’t expect to start and stop where you’d planned to
Although bikes get moved round town on big trailers, you will often arrive at a docking point to discover all the spaces empty.
Even more galling is getting to your destination and discovering there’s nowhere to park your bike. In this case, use the electronic post, as you’re allowed to extend your journey by up to 15 minutes in order to find a suitable docking point… you may need it.
9) If you’re not comfortable cycling in busy traffic, take the side roads
Use TFL’s Cycle Route Plannner and use the Easy Route to avoid the busiest roads. Although you might take longer to get somewhere, you’ll steer clear of the bus- and van-filled main roads.
Enjoy
It is with great sadness that I heard news of the death of Bob Holness.
To many 30- and 40-somethings, he will be remembered as the host of iconic quiz show Blockbusters, but his career started long before that, being an early BBC Radio host (alongside Terry Wogan and Jimmy Young) and he was also the first person ever to voice James Bond.
However, my memories of him are more personal, having been lucky enough to appear on Blockbusters in the late 90s and a far less well-remembered primetime game show called Raise the Roof in the mid-90s.
The genial face he put across on screen was completely mirrored off-screen. The atmosphere backstage at Blockbusters was bit like a youth club, with up to 40 contestants waiting in the green room at any one time to appear on the next programme (some contestants waited up to 2 weeks to go on).
At lunchtimes in the canteen, Bob happily ate with all of us and chatted away about his life and experiences, as well as found out about all of us – it was clearly a fantastic gig, as far as he was concerned.
Much later – in 1995 – Yorkshire TV tried an ultimately-doomed Saturday night game show with Bob once again in the quizmaster’s chair.
He claimed he remembered me from my appearance on Blockbusters 6 years previously – which I know now probably wasn’t true, but at the time, it seemed emininently believeable.
As before, he was very warm, genuinely interested in all the contestants and merely confirmed my previous memories of him.
That Raise the Roof failed to become the star vehicle for Bob that he probably deserved was in no way down to him – the format and questions were the problem, not the host.
One of the nicest men in showbusiness – completely genuine and totally unstarry. RIP Bob!
* Yes, I know it wasn’t Bob who played on Baker Street – it was really Raphael Ravenscroft.
