March 31, 2013

Weave of the Ride - A Book About Cycling Across Europe with No Idea and No Budget

Having graduated from university, I was lucky to get a job, but I felt life had more to offer than the daily commute and hours on the computer. I hatched a plan to hit a trail of adventure by combining my passion for cycling with a thirst for adventure. Having enlisted the help of an old school friend, we set about preparing the most audacious trip we could think of - to mountain bike around the world.

March 31, 2013

Weave of the Ride Book Launch Speech

Weave of the Ride is close to me as it speaks about my personal encounters and conversations with different cultures on my journeys.

My travels can be split into 3 major journeys between 2007 and 2010; Europe to Georgia, Georgia to India and Mongolia.

I currently work as an open source software developer and write books and work on design projects.

I live in London but I was brought up in a small Leicestershire village running around the fields having adventures.

March 31, 2013

3 handpicked moments from the Weave of The Ride

From ‘Frozen Lands’ Chapter 60

We departed at sunrise the following day. The bitterly cold air became gradually less polluted as we cycled along the Mtkvari river and out of the city. The snow and ice-laden ground reminded me that we still didn’t have winter sleeping bags. I hoped we would find a warm place to stay.

From ‘A Typical Turkish Town’ Chapter 38

A baker gestured us to stop at his bakery and we watched him baking bread. He strung out and plaited a lump of dough and then placed it in the cavern-like clay oven on a tray with a long handle. Soon we were salivating at the aroma of freshly baked bread. It was slightly crisply on the outside with a soft and fluffy inside. It was delicious: better than French bread.

August 31, 2012

Maker Workshops at Harts Lane Studios

A couple of workshops at a space in New Cross.

migrated from the WeQuest Research blog:

I was preparing the Hart Lane studios space with Rebecca for the Why Make workshop and a guy came in and said he was looking for the person who ran the space because he wanted to help his friend put on a workshop for local residents in New Cross to make their own solar panels.

August 19, 2012

Workshop at uscreates about Future of Bike Touring

I attended a great workshop tonight at uscreates near London Bridge, ran by Jonathon Pye-Finch (pye-finch.co.uk | @jonpyefinch) it was a great opportunity to meet some cool people and discuss ways to get more people bike touring, particularly those considering going on their GAP year travels to persuade them to go cycle touring instead! Many bases were covered including: how do people become aware of the possibility of going cycle touring, what puts people off, how do people feel prepared enough to leave, what you need when you are on the road, and how to make a living, explore and deepen the experience of being open to possibilities and opportunities on the move. Some photos.

July 31, 2012

Occupy Light Box Intervention

Fellow student, created covers for advertising lightboxes at bus stops to repurpose the message.

February 26, 2012

Using iPhone for Adventure

I recently got hold of an iPhone 3 because a friend’s phone smashed so I fixed it using parts from Ebay. The reason I am talking about the iPhone and not any other type of smartphone is because it is so ubiquitous and the platform itself is the most technologically advanced.

What can you do with an iPhone 3 on an adventure?

Features

Compass

Its got a compass which works through something called The ‘Hall’ affect. More information about the compass is here. It does work through magnetism, and not from satellites or phone reception.

October 8, 2011

Visiting Workshops of Makers

A project I did at Goldsmiths was about “remaking” making. I had to go and look at making in progress and then have a think if I could a sort of making differently. I went to a range of workshops, shot some film, took photos and made drawings.

Joiner

Jail Make, Deptford

September 16, 2011

Janapar at Raindance Film Festival 2012

Raindance, which opens in London on September 25th sets its sights firmly on independent filmmaking, and has done so for the last twenty years, to the point where it is now the biggest such film festival in the UK and, according to Variety, one of the top 50 film festivals in the world.

The adventure cycling film ‘Janapar’, in which I appear, premiered at the festival.