Reading Roars!

There are some ridiculously smart people in Reading.  They are everywhere: working for big companies such as Microsoft and Oracle Corporation, toying with robotics, doing marvellous things with social media in their free time.

Geeks even enjoy a drink now and again (in moderation).   Here are 5 social events in Reading where brainiacs come together to discuss all things technical over a beverage or two (and on occasion build clever things using drinking straws):

What: #rdggeek
When and where: Copa Bar, second Tuesday of every month.
Format: Alcohol, speakers and conversation.
Recent topics: Humanoid robots and flashing lights.
Interesting fact: They’ve just celebrated their first birthday.
Geek Factor: 9/10 (it would have been 10 but for the booze)

What: #rdgtweetup
When and where: Glo, Wednesday evening (8pm onwards) every two weeks.
Format: Beer, cider, wine and conversation.
Recent topics: Twitter.  Probably.
Geek Factor: 7/10 (the Wokingham Road area was reconstructed using straws in the last meeting)

What: Reading Girl Geek Dinners
When and where: Third Thursday of every month; different locations.
Format: Dinner, speakers and conversation.
Recent topics: Mobile phones and how millennials use technology.
Interesting fact: Girl Geeks Dinners is established in 23 countries (and founded just 5 years ago - one month after this blog was started).
Geek Factor: 5/10

What: Thames Valley Social Media Cafe
When and where: First and third Thursday of every month; different locations between Reading and Farnborough.
Format: Coffee and conversation.
Interesting fact: TVSMC was inspired by the London Social Media Cafe (or Tuttle Club).  There are now Social Media Cafes all over the country and across the world.
Geek Factor: 4/10 (social media: we’re all at it, aren’t we?)

What: CowCoop
When and where: Different times, different locations.
Format: Coffee and conversation.
Recent topics: Social dashboards.
Interesting fact: This really has little to do with cows.
Geek Factor: 4/10 (this event appeals to mobile workers, and farmyard animals feature prominently on the CowCoop website)

As I write, a pair of freelancing individuals are working, tweeting, demonstrating and exchanging ideas from Reading’s Global Cafe.  They call themselves “co-workers” and the organisers of this minor movement are CowCoop (#cowcoop).

Co-working is not a clearly defined concept.  But from what I can gather, it refers to microbusiness or independent workers gathering in a public location such as a coffee shop to work and share knowledge.  These workers, being free, roam from workspace to workspace like cows (and there you have “CowCoop”, a name also derived from co-working).

The benefits appear to be the environment itself (low-cost and comfortable); the coffee, probably better than the stuff served in most conventional workplaces; and the potential for new idea generation and innovation arising from different people interacting with one another.

I can see how something like this, given enough publicity, could take off.  Britain is changing: the number of people in one or two-person companies shot up from 140,000 in 2005 to about 400,000 today (according to Experian).  Many of these micro-company workers are armed with toys such as iPhones and iPads, making remote working an attractive possibility.

Today’s small herd in the Global Cafe seem optimistic enough. They have just told me via Twitter that their first CowCoop session is “going well”.  Cow-abunga!

In her post Celebrating the Hidden Histories of Reading…in Knitting!, Felix mentioned a new report by nef in which Reading is labelled, somewhat undesirably, a “clone town”.

On a 0-100 scale, from clone town (0) to home town (100), Reading shares second place with Exeter, notching a score of 15.4.  Perhaps surprisingly, Cambridge, a hit with international visitors, tops the list.  Seaside town Whitstable sits at the opposite end of the spectrum.

I’ve not read the full report (yet), but Reading’s low score doesn’t surprise me.  Without naming names, there are indeed many chain stores in the town centre.

However, if the visitor looks harder they will find nuggets of independence.  They will see heart, soul and rugged gutsiness.

It’s of course regrettable that the likes of County Deli (delightful) and Sushi one0eight (fearless) are no longer with us, but we should not feel disheartened about the situation overall.  It’s encouraging to see Picnic continuing to thrive against strong competition.  Workhouse Coffee, also resilient, boldly opened a store - its second - bang opposite Starbucks (take that, clone town!).

Mavericks like Greg Costello of Workhouse and Sushi’s Chris Allen have shown that it’s possible to set up shop in the town centre and shake things up a little.  That’s impressive.  Having met both individuals I can attest that they are normal, down-to-earth chaps without extraordinary backgrounds.  They just decided to have a go.

It’s therefore a game that anyone with a vision and tenacity can play (comment if you think otherwise).

Ultimately, my feeling is thus: if Reading is by and large a “clone town”, it’s because we all allow it to be that way.  Rather than apportion all blame on local policymakers or attack big business, let’s make change happen ourselves -  and restore balance.  Let’s create something new and let’s start today.  That, or we might find ourselves dominating the “clone town” rankings ahead of Cambridge in future reports.

Market Place. London Street. Napier Road. Church Street. Portman Road. Shinfield Road. Southcote Service Station. Hurricane Way. Knowsley Road. Buckingham Drive. That’s ten branches of Tesco within about five miles of the town centre.

Now they’re planning an eleventh, in the old Blockbuster Video unit at the east end of Oxford Road. Do we really need it? Is the level of demand for cut-price loo roll, cheap booze and bagged salad really that high in our town?

You might remember that Tesco opened one of its “Metro” stores at the junction of Crown and London Streets around a year ago. We took this photo tonight because we thought you might be interested to see what’s happened to the local corner shop since.

Six months ago this shop - less than a minute’s walk away - occupied the entire area beneath the Londis signs, including the shuttered bits. Today, it’s down to around a third of its previous size.

Now, we don’t want to get all high-and-mighty about supermarket dominance in our town. That would be a bit hypocritical, given that this Reading Roars! writer does tend to shop in Sainsbury’s. In fact, we don’t even know whether this shop’s downsizing is a result of the new Tesco branch. We haven’t spoken to the owner, so we’ll just present the evidence and let you draw your own conclusions.

However, we do know this: there are already seven branches of Tesco within three miles of the town centre. An eighth is slated to open in the next few months, on Market Place. Do we really need it?

A new Workhouse Coffee is in the works.  The new-look cafe will look like this (according to WHC’s Eva Marie Fels):

• Will have a completely new flooring system.
• All new espresso machines including a unit being built in Italy right now that is not for market release until 2010.
• Look even less than it already does like a shop and even more like a coffee house/people space.
• Seating for people not in groups at the counter
• better storage/display of beans.
• increase cleaning zones and work area separation for health and safety.
• infrastructure for future growth and change (such as built in cabling for record/CD players etc and digital display zone)
• An work area in the shop that the volunteers that we support can take ownership of.

I’m looking forward to the end result.  I hope they keep the map…

A local UI designer, Ros Horner, reached out to me recently, saying that Reading’s Zerodegrees had won a CAMRA Pub Design Award in the new build category. 

Ros observed in her blog post:

It goes to show that Real Ale doesn’t have to be all beardy old beer bellies and horse brasses. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that!) Zero degrees is getting younger people into drinking real beer, and probably stopping a good few chemically lager fueled fights on the streets of Reading!

I’m not a design expert, as you might have gathered by looking at this blog, but Zerodegrees does seem to have made a rather striking impression (though not to everyone’s taste, as I understand it) and indeed they have succeeded in giving Pale Ale a fashionable makeover.   Well done Zerodegrees!

Last night, I was fortunate enough to experience the Las Iguanas launch party, held at their new Reading restaurant at The Oracle Riverside.  This was my first Las Iguanas (Spanish for “The Iguanas”) visit, although I’ve had a peek inside two of their other restaurants, in Brighton and on London’s South Bank.

I’m grateful to Lucy Harwood, Las Iguanas Marketing Manager, who responded to my Twitter request to attend the party (after I read about the getreading prize draw).  I explained that I was a keen local blogger (as I am) and the invitation promptly landed in my inbox.  Top marks.

There was initial confusion at the door, however, when I turned up just after 9.  After I was asked by the lady with the clipboard which company I was with, I said that I represented myself (which was true).  This raised eyebrows.  I added that I was a “local blogger”.  This led to some hesitation.  Eventually I was admitted into the bar.

After scanning the crowd (and not recognising anyone), I headed straight to the bar (as I normally do).  Waiting to be served, by attention was drawn to screens above the bar, showing Carnaval scenes from the famous Sambódromo in Rio de Janeiro.  My thoughts immediately turned to Brazil, a country I’m closely connected to for reasons I’m not explaining here.

I ordered a caipirinha.  It was fine.  I surveyed the crowd again and plunged right in.

The chaps, most of them anyway, were drinking beer.  The ladies were drinking mojitos and other cocktails.  A familiar scene.  A number were enjoying nibbles.  Staff moved around clinically, busily clearing empty glasses and bottles throughout the evening. 

I ordered another drink, Cusqueña (there was also Negra Modelo, a Mexican brand, in the fridge).  This was paid for by the lady standing beside me at the bar, so whoever you are, thank you again. 

A Michael Jackson track was played as I stood, observed and listened a while longer.  I flicked what looked like an intricate paper lantern above my head, as I like playing with things (indeed, Las Iguanas has a number of interesting design features), and then I left to enjoy the warm outdoors.

The verdict after last night:

• Las Iguanas is a good drinks venue (and should also appeal to Reading’s growing army of salsa lovers)
• it is also an attractive “entry level” Latin American experience, if that makes sense, that incorporates elements from different cultures in the region.  The Cuban mojito and Brazilian caipirinha might become as familiar as G&T and Pimms to the average Oracle shopper.  Or perhaps a number of Oracle visitors have been to destinations like Cuba, Dominican Rep. and Mexico already, and want more of the same
• Las Iguanas get a gold star for social media engagement (it’s also worth noting that a Facebook fan page has been set up for Las Iguanas - Reading).  Other businesses planning similar events might want to consider inviting online influencers if they’re looking to spread word of mouth.

The next Las Iguanas test will be their food.  Having enjoyed authentic Brazilian cuisine, I’m keen to compare, and I’m curious to know what their Mexican street food is like (Wahaca is the UK benchmark for me).

I was pretty stunned to read that Network Rail bosses are to receive six-figure bonuses.  I don’t like seeing executives rewarded for failure anyway, but this really stung.  The UK rail travel experience is often unpleasant and horrendously expensive.

Fortunately, if you feel similarly frustrated, you can have your say this coming Tuesday evening, as Network Rail and First Great Western’s managing director will be in Reading and taking questions from the public.  The event is a Reading Borough Council Scrutiny Panel meeting, held at 7pm in the Council Chamber, Civic Offices.  

What might FGW and NR expect?  Here are just 5 issues (emboldened), taken from Twitter (and no, I didn’t write these):

• My #fgw train looks like it’s going to be 30 mins late. Which means two train-loads of passengers in one train. Joy!
• The #FGW website sucks balls. Oh and so does the CrossCountry one. It’s amazing how difficult it is to buy train tickets.
• #fgw providing another filthy overcrowded service from Reading (17:57). Sitting in 1st class with a cattle-class ticket as revenge.
• Oh God no AC on train D: Worst Late Western I hate you. #fgw #firstgreatwestern #worstlatewestern

It’s worth stressing that these opportunities don’t happen very often.  The last scrutiny meeting with FGW was almost exactly one year ago.  FGW then gave us buzzword-heavy presentations and passionate words were spoken from the audience. 

Whether you feel angry about FGW services or simply love a good game of bullshit bingo, Tuesday night promises to be special.

Like Reading’s blogosphere, the town’s Twitterverse is flourishing. 

I believe we now have what can be described as a legitimate Reading identity (or strands of identity) on Twitter, shaped by 4 key developments:

1. #rdg was created
2. #rdgtweetup event and corresponding hashtag were created
3. Journalists from getreading/Reading Post and Reading Chronicle joined Twitter
4. Reading Chronicle and getreading/Reading Post began using #rdgnews to publish news, following advice from the Twitter community

The #rdg hashtag has really taken off; Twitterers are increasingly adopting it in their messages (though one or two Twitter users have been lambasted for using it inappropriately). 

Similarly, #rdgtweetup (described by influential Twitterer Amy Kate as an event “about fun, socializing and networking”) continues to grow. 

I attended #rdgtweetup for the first time last Wednesday evening at the Pitcher & Piano (the event takes place at the same location every two weeks).  There were about 16 people in attendance, divided into what appeared to be two camps.  Conversation wasn’t restricted to all things geeky and there were few gadgets in sight. 

If leading influencers such as local press people and councillors join #rdgtweetup in future, exciting things might happen.  I don’t think we’re far off.

The recent emergence of Reading Chronicle and getreading/Reading Post journalists on Twitter trumped in significance (in my mind, anyway) changes introduced lately such as 60 Second News.  They are now engaging with their readers on the realtime web. 

Last week, a discussion unfolded about the use of the #rdg hashtag (conventionally used for Reading-themed conversations) for disseminating local news, resulting in the birth of #rdgnews.  Read the following exchanges (in reverse chronological order, with the newest tweet top):

JimAnning: @getreading Ta - pleased that theres now a great one-stop-shop for local #rdg news at #rdgnews - looking forward to seeing how it develops 

getreading: Happy to use #rdgnews from now on for general getreading feeds. We will only use #rdg for breaking news and big events listings. Happy? 

JimAnning: @getreading had gd conv with @rdgchronicle - they’ve moved their feed to #rdgnews - keeping #rdg for other stuff + urgent breaking news

getreading: @JimAnning We feed stories which we think will interest people in #rdg We don’t put everything up - v. interested in feedback 

getreading: #Rdg West MP Martin Salter ‘texting’ during debate http://bit.ly/IGmEZ (expand) 

amykate: people of #rdg do you all use tweettabs to track #rdg #rdgnews and #rdgtweetup? http://tweettabs.com/ - try it, works great 

JimAnning: Top marks to @rdgchronicle for engaging with the #rdg twitter community and moving their newsfeed to #rdgnews

craigyd: Am actually a lil annoyed with @rdgchronicle suddenly hijacking the #rdg tag…. If I want the news i’ll follow you. Thats what you do…

JimAnning: Glad to see @rdgchronicle engaging in debate on how to best use #rdg hashtag: @getreading - whats your view?

rdgchronicle: Hmmm. #rdg hashtag debate slightly academic at the mo actually as, erm, Twitterfeed appears to have fallen over. It wasn’t us. Probably.

akamike: @rdgchronicle As @TheSourceress suggested perhaps an #rdgnews tag would be better, #rdg for breaking news only (like @JimAnning’s example)

akamike: @davidjohnpowell I think in that case it is fine to use #rdg, as long as it isn’t a constant barrage of self-promotion.

getreading: #Rdg West MP Martin Salter deep in thought during the debate to choose the new Speaker of the Commons… http://tinyurl.com/mf2zv2 (expand)

rdgchronicle: #rdg hashtag debate then. Would ppl prefer us to keep it off our Twitterfeed stuff and keep it for pure breaking news risking duplication?

akamike: @TheSourceress @JimAnning I suppose. While #rdg doesn’t get a huge amount of use now, it could expand. #rdgnews sounds good to me!

TheSourceress: @JimAnning Careful Jim - don’t start a panic! #rdg

davidjohnpowell: @JimAnning @TheSourceress @akamike What if you want to publicise somthing in #rdg?

JimAnning: @TheSourceress @akamike agree - perhaps keep #rdg for more personal stuff - or for urgent breaking news - like ‘entire town on fire’

akamike: @TheSourceress Fair enough they are sharing a lot of links to their site but they are related to #rdg. No where near as bad as @HabitatUK

akamike: @TheSourceress I may be missing something here but isn’t the #rdg tag for that use? Information/news for Reading? I don’t see how it is spam

TheSourceress: Loving the way that @rdgchronical ignores us all and continues to spam the #rdg hashtag via twitterfeed - very classy!