For somebody who has never watched a live cricket match, never mind played it, it was a brave step to attempt my first cricketing appearance against a crack Indian outfit at the AITO conference in Cochin, Kerala, last Friday. All the more so when I saw how fast the first few deliveries whizzed by our opening batsmen.
Every year at the AITO Conference, Steve DaCosta from Sports Tours Ltd lays on a sporting challenge where we play a local team. Playing the Spanish at football and the Indians at cricket is a wonderful occasion but to stand any chance of winning a game, we need to be playing the Spanish at cricket and the Indians at football.
The famous pink cricket ball
As somebody who has played a range of sports, cricket has always appeared to be a sport that seemed slightly pedestrian. Hurling, with 15 other mad Irishmen chasing you with sticks and trying their best to beat the living daylight out of you, was a slightly livelier prospect. However, despite my sporting nous, I was dispatched to the outfield as a fielder, facing the batsman at approximately five o’clock on the field; somebody more knowledgeable than I can tell me what position that’s called! The first ball that came my way went over my head like a rocket, on its way into the Indian sky, as everyone shouted “catch it, catch it”. Easy for them to say as firstly, I barely saw it, secondly, I’m not ten foot tall and thirdly, I value my fingers a bit more than sticking them in front of a missile travelling at 80 mph. Still the next ball to come my way was far more manageable, a nice height, not too fast and as it approached I imagined the cheer of the crowd for this cricketing rookie, the appreciative drinks that would follow as I was constantly slapped on the back and congratulated for being a natural. As it fell down to earth, I was perfectly positioned and it sailed into my hands, a perfect catch but the momentum of the ball caused me to trip on the boundary, fall on my backside and I ended up over the other side of the rope, gifting the Indians a six. Slaps on the back did not follow although slaps of a different kind were now more likely to follow.
Batting was a going to be a doddle; I’m pretty handy at tennis and how to drive a hurling ball (sliothar to those who want the technical term) ninety metres down a pitch. As I expected this to be my one and only cricketing experience I intended to take a swipe at anything that came my way and send the errant bowler all around the ground. The moment came as I faced my first ball and as it slowly left his arm I panicked. I connected and the ball was hit 20 feet into the air, but sadly only three feet in front of me into the grateful arms of a fielder. My batting career had lasted one ball and twenty seconds, far from a glorious innings. Still, I had the consolation of being one of the first people ever to play with the new pink cricket ball, courtesy of Colin Gibson at the ECB and for seeing the happiness on the opposition’s faces at their victory.
My first cricketing experience was thoroughly enjoyable and a wonderful sense of camaraderie between both teams was apparent. Although I never expected to play cricket for an English team in India, I can’t wait for the next time to make amends for my dismal performance and rescue my reputation. Ian Bradley
It’s now a time-old tradition: an airline comes along and wows us gullible public with what it insists will be the interior of its shiny new A380/787/777 - bowling alleys, private bedrooms and casinos - yet the reality never matches the hype. No doubt you know exactly the publicity loving red-engined airline I mean. So what does the future really hold for airline seating?
Aviation prides itself on being one of the most innovative industries around, with serious technological leaps on a regular basis, yet economy seating has remained constant for 40 years in terms of appearance. Now, however, there seems to be a revolution afoot with a few schools of thought on the way forward for seating - side by side with backs to the window, (the Ryanair option) bar room style and finally an alternate elevated option.
The side by side choice is a tried and trusted military option for transporting troops. Needless to say, Air Forces are organisations not typically recognised for their in-flight service so we’re not expecting much from this layout. Unsurprisingly the designers (Design Q) predict a 50% increase in passengers but they neglect to mention if this also means a 50% leap in comfort - somehow I seriously doubt it. They do claim a 30% reduction in fares is likely due to the higher density and insist that it is perfectly suitable for flights less than two hours. Close your eyes and you can imagine you’re on your way to Helmand. The military experience really does seems a viable option for anyone on a budget, especially when you bear in mind the battle for an aisle seat.
The side by side seating option
Staying with the budget theme, earlier this year Ryanair announced to the media that it was considering standing seats for passengers, despite the fact that this idea was originally discussed at least three years ago. Unfortunately for Ryanair, there seems to be no benefit for installing such “seats” as even if they save space, the airline already uses the maximum capacity of their 737-800 aircraft with 189 seats so what’s the point? Free publicity as always seems to be the prime motivation but as with most Ryanair initiatives, it seems to be a money-making exercise and no more.
The Ryanair "seat" of the future
If you want a proper seat, then you pay more than the poor souls who are standing behind you. Perfect: another way to squeeze the punters by the family jewels. However, never let it be said that Ryanair doesn’t have a sense of humour as they reportedly put this video up on their own site, thanks to a Dublin radio station.
Finally we come to the most futuristic concept, the Flex Seat by Jacob Innovations. A quasi double-decker system where every other row is elevated allowing for leg room for the seat behind it which is at conventional height. It looks fantastic, allows far more recline space and even has plenty of space for hand luggage. The elevated seats are reduced from four to three to make room for the steps on each side. It’s long on passenger comfort but short on revenue for airlines if the amount of seats are reduced - unfortunately it might not have a long term future. That’s a real shame considering the cattle conditions we have to put up with at the moment.
The elevated seating option by Jacob Innovations
As business class seating gets ever more luxurious and complex, economy seating remains relatively constant. The in-flight entertainment aspect of the product has changed for the better but the pitch, width and comfort is no better than when the 747 was launched. Will we still be stuck in the same seating in another 40 years? I hope not, but I also wish that we are not all standing up with wistful thoughts for the days when we actually had a seat! Ian Bradley
School children in Berlin individually designed and painted 1,000 dominoes – probably twice the size of the children themselves – and were arranged in curves and lines close to where the wall itself stood; a transient and see-through barrier to remind people that, just 20 years ago, East and West Germany were separate entities, with communism one side and capitalism the other – and, terrifyingly, death by shooting if one dared to try to cross the dividing wall. Lech Walesa, whose Gdansk-based shipyard union, Solidarity, lead the way in ending communism in Poland, pushed over the first domino yesterday evening, at approximately the time that the wall itself started to fall 20 years ago.
The past 20 years have seen huge changes worldwide to the political scene, often felt to be for the overall good, so it was strange to hear an East German woman interviewed on Radio 4 saying that she preferred the old system, when her children were guaranteed jobs and there was some sort of stability and predictability about life. I’ve heard similar interviews with Russians who crave the good old days, too – but, of course, for every person missing the old regime, there are probably many others who are relishing their new freedoms.
Today, the last divided city in the world is Nicosia, or Lefkosia as it’s now known, split between the Greek Cypriot south and the Turkish north. The barrier dates back to 1974, when the Turks invaded Cyprus, so it’s been there 35 years now and is guarded by barbed wire and armed soldiers. How long will it be, I wonder, before that wall falls, and what will the trigger be? Turkey is aiming for European Union membership, but the wounds still fester on both sides of the barrier and many have lost family property and land in the dispute, so it won’t be an easy one to solve. However, the signs of movement are there – people, both locals and visitors, can now cross at various check points from south to north and vice-versa. Let’s hope that a fair solution can be reached and that Turks and Cypriots can again live peaceably together, as they always used to do. Sue Ockwell
Much of Japanese culture revolves around the distinct seasons, and it is heavily influenced by Shinto beliefs, which emphasise harmony with, and an appreciation of nature. I love the peacefulness of Shinto shrines, which are made of wood and are usually near a sacred tree and flowing water.
The traditional Japanese sport, sumo, was originally performed to entertain the Shinto gods over 2,000 years ago and Shinto rituals are firmly embedded in this sport today. When my brother and his mate came to visit us in Tokyo, we went to watch a sumo wrestling championship at the kokugikan (sumo stadium) in Tokyo. The bi-lingual information booklet explained that the canopy above the wrestling ring is made in the style of the roof of a Shinto shrine (see the photo below, my brother Graham’s, not mine). The four tassels on each corner of the canopy represent the four seasons, the white one as autumn, black as winter, green as spring and red as summer. The purple bunting around the roof symbolizes the drifting of the clouds and the rotation of the seasons – beautiful.
Sumo in Tokyo
As spring approaches in Japan, you can’t help but get caught up in the nationwide excitement about the imminent cherry-blossom (sakura) viewing festivals. News presenters give animated reports about the progressive blooming as the country becomes awash with pink starting from the sub-tropical climes of the southern island and finishing in the cooler climes of the north. Now it is autumn, and the changing of the leaves is as eagerly monitored only this time from north to south. Right now, at the beginning of November, the leaves are just about changing in the Tokyo area….Mika Bishop
Signup to our RSS
Is the future of airline seating sitting pretty?
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009It’s now a time-old tradition: an airline comes along and wows us gullible public with what it insists will be the interior of its shiny new A380/787/777 - bowling alleys, private bedrooms and casinos - yet the reality never matches the hype. No doubt you know exactly the publicity loving red-engined airline I mean. So what does the future really hold for airline seating?
Aviation prides itself on being one of the most innovative industries around, with serious technological leaps on a regular basis, yet economy seating has remained constant for 40 years in terms of appearance. Now, however, there seems to be a revolution afoot with a few schools of thought on the way forward for seating - side by side with backs to the window, (the Ryanair option) bar room style and finally an alternate elevated option.
The side by side choice is a tried and trusted military option for transporting troops. Needless to say, Air Forces are organisations not typically recognised for their in-flight service so we’re not expecting much from this layout. Unsurprisingly the designers (Design Q) predict a 50% increase in passengers but they neglect to mention if this also means a 50% leap in comfort - somehow I seriously doubt it. They do claim a 30% reduction in fares is likely due to the higher density and insist that it is perfectly suitable for flights less than two hours. Close your eyes and you can imagine you’re on your way to Helmand. The military experience really does seems a viable option for anyone on a budget, especially when you bear in mind the battle for an aisle seat.
The side by side seating option
Staying with the budget theme, earlier this year Ryanair announced to the media that it was considering standing seats for passengers, despite the fact that this idea was originally discussed at least three years ago. Unfortunately for Ryanair, there seems to be no benefit for installing such “seats” as even if they save space, the airline already uses the maximum capacity of their 737-800 aircraft with 189 seats so what’s the point? Free publicity as always seems to be the prime motivation but as with most Ryanair initiatives, it seems to be a money-making exercise and no more.
The Ryanair "seat" of the future
If you want a proper seat, then you pay more than the poor souls who are standing behind you. Perfect: another way to squeeze the punters by the family jewels. However, never let it be said that Ryanair doesn’t have a sense of humour as they reportedly put this video up on their own site, thanks to a Dublin radio station.
Finally we come to the most futuristic concept, the Flex Seat by Jacob Innovations. A quasi double-decker system where every other row is elevated allowing for leg room for the seat behind it which is at conventional height. It looks fantastic, allows far more recline space and even has plenty of space for hand luggage. The elevated seats are reduced from four to three to make room for the steps on each side. It’s long on passenger comfort but short on revenue for airlines if the amount of seats are reduced - unfortunately it might not have a long term future. That’s a real shame considering the cattle conditions we have to put up with at the moment.
The elevated seating option by Jacob Innovations
As business class seating gets ever more luxurious and complex, economy seating remains relatively constant. The in-flight entertainment aspect of the product has changed for the better but the pitch, width and comfort is no better than when the 747 was launched. Will we still be stuck in the same seating in another 40 years? I hope not, but I also wish that we are not all standing up with wistful thoughts for the days when we actually had a seat! Ian Bradley
Tags: Airline seating, airlines, airlines seating of the future, clever, clever airline seats, Design Q, elevated airline seating, futuristic airline seats, Jacob Innovations, Ryanair, Ryanair standing seats, side by side seating, www.travelpr.co.uk, “best travel websites”, “travel pr”
Posted in News & comments 1 Comment »