Well, on my first shopping trip in Oxford Street - which I must confess has been six months in planning - I noticed something different. Instead of the green man mid-stride I was confronted by a Bond style countdown ahead. Fear and uncertainty gripped me.

Ok, ok. It didn’t grip me - but I did stand aside to wait to watch the idiots run across the central reservation with 1 second remaining. Unfortunately there was a few seconds extra to allow those who dared to win, and left me feeling slightly cheated out of a bit of additional honking and frustration.

Sat in the Costa Coffee in St. Pancras. I have now decided that coffee is not worth the money it costs. Saying that I have bought two coffees today. Goodbye $8. Well this time I have refused and I suddenly feel radical. Sitting in a shop without purchase - this is the life. 

Talking about radical I walked into Waterstones today, near Gower and Torrington, and was just slightly confused as how to Joseph Stiglitz was considered radical. Yes he did criticise establishment and the incentives within institutions - but this Nobel Laureate is no Marx. Although I guess the UK has become that little bit more conservative on Labour’s exit from the political scene. I need a coffee.

After hurriedly ironing my shirt, getting into the lift tie in hand, and sitting in traffic on a bus half-way across Blackfriars bridge I finally made it into the FT office to start shadowing on the Markets desk.

I was gently guided into the News Room by a both pleasant and efficient editorial assistant. Introduced to Peter I soon felt comfortable with the questioning which although very pleasant was clearly searching for what I was about - what made me tick. 

Divulging my education, interests, and plans was slightly less arbitrary than usual. Perhaps this was due to the more relaxed nature of a shadowing position, or perhaps due to the genuine interest shown. Asking questions and appreciating the use of Méthodé was both engaging and enlightening - I couldn’t help but feel I appeared slightly over interested in, what would of become by now, a seamless part of any article’s production. 

Letting Peter get on with his commentary on the position of the Yen today after the BoJ’s latest announcements, I moved around to the markets online editor’s desk. While updating the site the oft named “circle of death” appeared - this would be observed by the average as a loading symbol. However this mere symbol was the route of both joy and frustration in the office; If all was well in the world the page would update, if the gods were angry however the circle would stay for an eternity and the article wouldn’t make it to the net. 

As a first introduction it was yet another eye-opener. I remember the time I sat in my high school library clicking past an internship that I wanted more than anything, but seemed so far away. It’s confusing when you finally reach the places you wanted to be; rethinking targets and changing perspectives. I want it to happen more often.

(image: smh.com.au)

When times are hard it is high time to start making wise choices. Don’t cut things that will make costs higher, and invest in those that will save you money. Unfortunately not that many people make wise choices.

Leicester council has attempted to make such sage-like choices; looking to save almost £50,000 through the implementation of iPads across the council. The union comments that it was a disgrace (see article), however the savings from the removal of print costs could be preventing slightly more extensive job cuts. 

The argument has inevitably, or should I say tragically, boiled down to a matter of ideologies. The union commenting on the “insult to our members, a real insult” and councillors were too busy talking about how Grandma would be slightly less intimidated, or the iPad being less bulky to carry. Rather than emphasising how the iPad makes councillors lives more comfortable, the emphasis of the council should of been all on cost. A cost-focused PR approach would of extinguished the other side of the argument - rather than fanning its flames further.

Such ostrich tendencies are not uncommon. In media the bedraggled print sector seems intent on non-adoption of cost saving print technologies which reduce the amount of ink used by up to 50 per cent.

Anecdotally the effort an Uncle of mine has to go through to pitch on cost-saving print technology to newspaper printers is just as unreasonable. This is despite the technology reducing ink costs by near 50 per cent.

My comment is let the have the iPad, it is about time that a public institution was able to use the latest software and reap the cost benifits. Too often the reson for poor perfomance is that they are lumbered with out of date and inefficent tecnologies from two decades prior.

If it is implemented unions can always resort to this.

… would tell you that this would never work.

Islington Council thought that it would be a good idea to put on a live hip-hop concert to attract the attention of local residents to issues like abuse, alcoholism, and  apathy.   

It was a good idea, but one  unfortunately  poorly executed. As I walked past I wondered what was going on - the streets were packed. Despite some lack of rhyme the artists had people interested, however something  peculiar  was going on during the performance (see picture). Despite mass interest no one was inside this fenced area. I keep asking myself what the hell is this fence for - why are the other artists the only ones allowed by the stage?

Four pretty hefty bouncers blocked the only path into the centre area - when I asked I was told a mandatory donation of £3 was expected. Instead I decided to just watch from where I was standing with a perfect view. I was the classic free rider - and it felt good.

It felt good until I realised what a mess the event’s organiser had made. Inside the fence were stands advertising community services, counselling hotlines, and schemes to get youths into work. The tragedy was that despite a massive community turnout no connection was made, and in the council’s short-sightedness to try and recover costs through admission charges, they forgot one important principle - people wont pay if they don’t have to.

The next time I think to myself that my wallet is about to be stolen I will stop, and walk with my hand on my pocket. Unfortunately this time I didn’t. The last time I had my wallet taken was when I was about 14 on a bus to the rear-end of rural Gloucestershire. This time it was seconds before I was to board the train home. Part of the reason for my distraction may have been my longing for a coffee based beverage. I’d paid the extra £3 required to enjoy the complementary drinks in first class. Perhaps just after, or in my view, just before my wallet was taken I approached a guy who had a SXSW badge and started to chat about music and his band, I hurriedly wrote down the name “Bubbz and the Black Notez”. All I can say is that when I look them up later it better be something special. So now I’m at here at Paddington station trying to not look like an non-paying customer on the Krispy Kreme pink and white seating. Waiting to be rescued as the most annoying thing about losing your wallet is that you now have no way home. Great.