Arthur Beale (1) Pricey camera accessories (nil)

One slight disadvantage of a very small camera like a Ricoh GR Digital is that it is very tricky to get a neck trap to fit (the strap eyelets are, well, small). Most shops stock wrist straps, but I have never found these much use.

One can get an ‘official’ Ricoh neck strap for ca. £20, and a two-week wait.

I found this a less-than-enticing proposition, so I turned to Arthur Beale, the most central yacht chandler in London. They sorted me out on the spot with a metre of quality 2mm black cord. They even heat sealed the ends and advised me on the best knots to tie, for the princely sum of 21p!

Those who like their accessories ‘just so’ might not take this option, but I am delighted with it. 99% of the result for 1% of the cost!

Even if you are not in the market for a super-cheap camera strap, Arthur Beale is worth a visit. They are something of an Aladdin’s cave, and even add up bills by scribbling on the brown paper which is over their counter.

New camera

© 2009 John Fitzgerald

Attend to what love requires of you, which may not be great busyness

Quakers, especially unprogrammed meetings, like to talk about how we strive to keep things simple, so we can get on with building a spiritual community and listening to what God has to say to us.

But we’re also very good at creating structure, process, and things to do.

It’s right and valuable that Quaker processes are built around wide participation. But I can’t help feeling that sometimes we have so much process going on that we end up reducing the space from which inspiration can grow.

So where does all the process come from?

I think the ‘DIY’ nature of our faith leads us to want to foster involvement and participation- we want people to find roles for themselves.

We also want to take great care to ensure ideas are tested thoroughly, so tend to appoint committees here, send minutes there, etc etc.

Unprogrammed and liberal Friends can end up using process as a kind of community ‘glue’- they replace orthodoxy with orthopraxis (an idea suggested by Ben Pink Dandelion)

Do we need all the process all the time?

My ten favourite pieces of product design #6: yellow oilskin

I’ve attracted some mockery for this one, but I believe a true design classic is the hardwearing yellow oilskin. I’ve seen so many lightweight nylon/goretex waterproofs expire after a couple of years, I deided to go back to basics;

Basic, heavy and durable

It is about as featureless as a jacket can be, but does the basic stuff well- keeping the rain out. Its only downside is its extreme weight, and the ‘Norwegian Fisherman’ comments some of my snootier friends and family make. This particular jacket actually saved my elbow from a scrape during my recent bike slip- a lesser waterproof, I am sure, would have ripped quite badly!

Getting to God

Quaker worship (especially unprogrammed worship) is famously minimal. But could we de-clutter even further?

What is the minimum we need to do as a community in order to:

• befriend each other and those around us
• worship together
• share our truths
• find our visions
• and act on them?

Imagine you’re washed up on a desert island. What would you do first to build spiritual community?

I have some experience in this, as I’ve been part of a young Quaker Bible study group for a couple of years now. We asked no questions and made no plans at the beginning, but gradually evolved graceful and helpful practices which enable us to get on with the main thing- deepening our shared spiritual life.

This came to mind recently as I spoke to a friend who is thinking about starting a similar group. I had to keep racking my brains about what made our group ‘special’. What kept coming back is that we made hardly any assumptions about how we needed to do stuff, and preserved a very minimal level of organisation. We just got on with it.

That’s where the title of this post comes from; perhaps there’s a new way of practising faith together, ‘Getting to God’.

Clean desk = open mind?

Because of radical changes to our office layout in the past few weeks. all of our team have had to clear their desks and consider their filing habits much more than usual.

I’ve actually found the discipline of keeping a clear desk (by which I mean, empty in-tray, nothing else except phone and computer) has really helped my sense of organisation and productivity. I have the feeling that I can choose my own priorities- that I can choose what is important over what is urgent. I also appreciate having the space to spread out whatever it is I’m currently working on!

That said, I can see how keeping things filed and clearing one’s desk could easily become a substitute for ‘real’ work.

My ten favourite pieces of product design #4: le creuset casserole

France, 1925
Le Crueset

Cooking certain things very slowly makes them taste very good indeed.A heavy cast iron pot is just the trick.

Our Le Creuset, called Nigel, regularly dishes up such delicacies as melt-in-the-mouth roast lamb and stoved potatoes. 

MY TEN FAVOURITE PIECES OF PRODUCT DESIGN #2: Coffee filter

Germany, 1908
Melitta Bentz

Surprising that one of the most minimalist ways of brewing coffee is also one of the best! Note that Bentz was repsonsible for the idea of the paper filter, not necessarily the plastic cone.
(Via About.com inventors)

Good because

Best taste, and very easy to clean!

My ten favourite pieces of product design #1: Caran D’Ache Fixpencil

Switzerland, 1929
Carlo Schmid

Why is this a classic?

A simple 2mm clutch pencil first produced in 1929 and altered very little since. Solidly made from aluminium, with a clever repointer built into the end cap. Here’s an image of a very early version for comparison:

Good for

Writing and sketching