Wrafter Writes

Via my wee web business wrafter.com allow me give you, my dearest readers of Wrafter Writes on markwrafter.com, the first ever preview of , something I’m hoping will causes some merriment and hub-bub in Barcelona. Those unfamiliar with “bicing” please scroll down and you’ll discover more. For the first public, yet oh-so-private, preview of the site-to-be, please go here: bicingTag.

Here’s another tune IRMA can’t touch. The artist was never signed, the band has broken up, and the act isn’t (and wasn’t) represented by IRMA or any other such music-restriction-related agency.

Magic Belly’s tune “Ali”.

Back in February 2002, when I first recommended this tune, I said this: “MagicBelly are unsigned. MagicBelly have no CDs out. MagicBelly are unknown. Exclusively on markwrafter.com, hear this Dublin band in action.”

Link is here: http://www.markwrafter.com/hands-off-irma/magicbelly_-_ali.mp3 - Mp3 Format - 3.56mb

In Ireland for a wedding on August 3rd, I did a bit of research on car rental between August 2nd and 5th, both picking up and returning in Dublin airport, a total of three days. With 11 separate flights, and three hire car bookings to be taken by me between today and August 5th I wanted to keep my costs down - so with a half-hour to spare I decide to compare and contrast Budget, Avis, Hertz, easyCar, Sixt, Dan Dooley and Europcar. Dollar\Thrifty are scum of the earth so I didn’t compare their prices.

I wanted an intermediate manual car, something like an Astra 1.4, or Focus 1.4 or VW Golf or Mazda 3.

The cheapest to most expensive was the order of the above, with Budget coming out cheapest with E145 for the three days, Avis E146.40, Hertz E157.73, easyCar E166.61, Sixt E176.64, Dan Dooley E201.25 and Europcar the most expensive with E235. (I’m tacking on Budget’s E25 additional charge for airport location onto their quote of E120.00).

So I’ll go with Budget. Odd though, my June 8th to June 15th rental, with pickup in Shannon aiport, and dropoff in Dublin airport for seven days, same type car, comes in at E150, including airport location charge. So I’m doing better in June than in August, suppose it’s the weekend booking, and the summer season.

The single finest Irish-oriented blog on that der d’internet thing: Blogorrah

The Irish would pronouncing it Bicing, with a ‘k’ sound on the c; but Barcelona City Council has decided it should be the ’s’ sounding version.

Regardless, what we’ve got here is a fantastic initiative. Website located here: www.bicing.com

Don’t think of this as bicycle hire per se, rather public transportation that happens to be a bicycle, and which is integrated into the existing metro, bus and tram public transportation system.

Users pay EUR6 per quarter year, and receive a card to their home address at the outset, with this card users can use any one of the Bicing “stations”.

On May 2nd 2007 there were 10,000 users of the service, and 50 stations; by May 16th, the number of users had increased to 20,000 - it’s ramping up fast, and I’ve encountered many new stations being built in the last week - the initial target for new stations is 100, which will cover the city.

The idea is this: you swipe your card, you get 30 mins, in these 30 minutes you are expected to get from A to B, this 30 minute period is included in your EUR6 per quarter; if you go beyond these 30 minutes it’s 30 cent per half-hour; and if you go beyond 2 hours, then you’re fined EUR3 per half-hour - because using Bicing for more than 2 hours goes beyond reasonable use - remember, think public transportation, not bicycle hire.

Bicycles are basic enough; but a light front and back turns on after dusk automatically; there are three gears on each bicycle, but unfortunately (and a bad oversight, I think), no helmet is provided. When a user wants to return their bicycle, two metal prongs at the front of the bicycle are inserted into reciprocal slots at the station, and the trip comes to an end.

An inspired idea, which is receiving full support from the city council. On a five-minute study in Placa Cataluyna last week six bicycles were taken, and three returned, all by users in the mid-20’s to mid-30’s age bracket.

Some possible problems however:

1. The bicycles already are showing wear and tear. I had to return THREE bicycles at one station last week because the front wheel on EACH was rubbing against the frame. Another had a saddle that kept slipping, and yet another had gears that slipped. Further, the underside of the saddle on every bicycle I’ve used (specifically the vertical bar), which you must hold to adjust the seating to your size, is coal-black and leaves a stain on the hand. In the first month of use, if the bicycles already have problems, then this will be a big thorn in the side of the maintenance crew.

2. In some stations, such as one near the beach at Barceloneta, the stations are often full - for example at 10am on a Saturday morning, when more people are going TO the beach than coming FROM the beach. That means if someone arrives to deposit a bicycle, and there is no space, they must find another station to return the bicycle - that’s not always gonna be easy, particularly if you don’t know where the other stations are. Conversely, sometimes there are no bicycles available to take, as I experienced at Portal de l’Angel yesterday.

3. Clear Channel are involved somehow. Their logo appears on the back of the saddle of each bicycle. They’re inconspicuous right now, but I don’t like Clear Channel, and I’m afraid how this relationship might develop.

4. Barcelona is trying, but there’s simply not enough bicycle lanes in the city centre yet, so users have to jostle for position amongst scooters, cars and buses - it’s not altogether safe.

But overall I commend the service; it’s enviro-friendly, it’s innovative, the branding is excellent, and the novelty factor is high. Plus it’s better being on a bicycle in the sun, than down the depths of the metro sweating in August.

Those of you in the know know that Google likes to put nice relevant search results at the top of its listings.

You’ll also know that businesses value getting to the top of Google.

Some might know that Google likes blogs. And Google pays attention to links appearing in good blogs that go to good, relevant sites, particularly good, relevant search-engine-optimised sites.

So that’s what I’m at here. Apologies for this, dear readers. But one has to pay for the bread and butter.

And one has to put relevant related keywords next to the link, in addition to being embedded in the link too, did you know that? See next line for this.

For excellent bespoke event management in Barcelona, where events are organisation and arranged in Catalunya, particularly in Barcelona, the capital of the region, which is famous for congresses and conventions, professional event management by Event Management Barcelona is a good option.

And there you go. Thanks for reading, perhaps you learned something, even!

Here’s another tune IRMA can’t touch. Permission received from artist to share on May 17th 2007. Thanks Tim.

Neosupervital’s tune “Rachel”. They can be found online at http://www.neosupervital.com, which is actually a site I host via Wrafter.

Back in January 2003, when I first recommended this tune, I said this: “Neosupervital: with Casio guitar and various electronic gizmos, this man’s sound is like none other.”

This particular mp3 is a 2007 update on the 2003 original. Tim asked that I share this version, rather than the predecessor.

Link is here: http://www.markwrafter.com/hands-off-irma/neosupervital_-_rachel.mp3 - Mp3 Format - 3.66mb

Here’s another tune IRMA can’t touch. Permission received from artist’s manager to share on May 16th 2007. Thanks Pat.

cane141’s tune “The Grand Lunar”. They can be found online at http://www.cane141.com, which is actually a site I designed via Wrafter.

Back in March 2002, when I first recommended this tune, I said this: “From Galway, Ireland - the little known but quite excellent cane141. Their album Garden Tiger Moth is worth picking up.”

Link is here: http://www.markwrafter.com/hands-off-irma/cane141_-_the_grand_lunar.mp3 - Mp3 Format - 3.31mb

Here’s another tune IRMA can’t touch. Permission received from artist to share on May 16th 2007. Thanks Dan.

Grantby’s tune “Timber”. He can be found online at http://www.grantby.com, which is actually a site I designed via Wrafter. Grantby, aka Dan Grigson, is also behind the new Red Room Recordings studio on Tottenham Court Rd in London, another site I’m designing actually. (Keep up to date on this on the above Wrafter site.)

Back in October 2003, when I first recommended this tune, I said this: “Came across a sample of this band used on the EgoMedia site two years ago. It took until now to DL the track in question. Great vibes.”

Link is here: http://www.markwrafter.com/hands-off-irma/grantby_-_timber.mp3 - Mp3 Format - 6.90mb

Yes Sir, the boffins at Diageo have crafted a RED Guinness.

They don’t expect the Irish to drink it though, it’s just being marketed in the UK.

They are planning on releasing a low-alcohol-content version of the original colour version in Ireland however. Why would they bother I have to ask? High-alcohol levels are about as important to the Irish as how black our stout is.

Read more about it here at the Daily Mail.