London's answer to Silicon Valley

[cojak]

Feck isn't swearing, otherwise it wouldn't be used excessively on certain TV shows.

What other words can we use that aren't swearing but we know the real meaning?

Frack/Frak
Fook
Fsck
@$#%! (a real tongue twister)

Also as PAH points out, it's the spirit in which it's used that's as important.

Had he been upset by it I might not have apologised (in public at least), but he'd be on my 'Not my sense of humour' list.

[doodab]

What other words can we use that aren't swearing but we know the real meaning?

I am becoming fond of "Cungina"

[PAH]

I thought 'swearing' even with happy smileys and miss-spelled words was unacceptable behaviour ?

Feck isn't swearing, otherwise it wouldn't be used excessively on certain TV shows.

What other words can we use that aren't swearing but we know the real meaning?

Frack/Frak
Fook
Fsck
@$#%! (a real tongue twister)

[doodab]

I thought the government bit was just the recycling of the Olympics park buildings.

Besides, considering that a substantial portion of salary would be eaten up the high cost of living in London I would only imagine that new graduates who live in that part of London would be interested. Older guys would on the whole, IMHO, not be interested.

Plus, I've been to Stratford at night and its not a place I'd want to go again.

The government involvement seems to involve quite a lot of logistical support and possibly investment, or assistance finding it.

There are a lot of recent graduates and mid-late twenties folk working around there, as well as in the City next door, but then graduates need jobs, so that isn't a bad thing. They tend to be more willing to live in "gritty" urban areas as well, a lot of them are hardy Northern types so living in rented digs in Hackney doesn't come as too much of a shock to the system, and salaries seem to be competitive with BigCo graduate programs. There is also a lot of opportunity for designers and suchlike to freelance. If you are flat sharing with a couple of mates or a working partner then your going to be quite well off compared to a lot of people, so as an alternative to starting out in life as a corporate drone it's a pretty attractive proposition.

The older people I know who are working over there tend to be actual entrepreneurs rather than workers. There's no shortage of people around who have made a bit of money during the last 10 years and can afford to invest a couple of years of their life to start a business without worrying about how they will pay the bills.

Of course old street isn't in Stratford. The Olympic park is in a totally different tuliphole area with nothing going on and very little going for it. The government are being very optimistic thinking people will move there in my opinion, and it's misleading of them to try and associate it with the rejuvenation that has occurred around the Shoreditch / Brick Lane area. Still, if they are willing to encourage a bit of get up and go and not turn peoples lives into red tape hell then perhaps it will work out.

[AtW]

It may survive and even do well, but it will never challenge Silicon Valley.

[eek]

Silicon Roundabout has grown organically without Government help. It will thrive simply because it works (young people arrive, work in startups and some eventually start their own).

Silicon Stratford is Government trying to find a solution to a problem that doesn't exist and interfere in a working solution for their own ends. I believe it will suffer the rapid death of most government interference when everyone simply ignores anything that doesn't give them money for no real effort.

[TestMangler]

Good. So feck off and leave Whitecross Street to the rest of us...

I thought 'swearing' even with happy smileys and miss-spelled words was unacceptable behaviour ?

At least that's what you said in my last infraction.

Bloody chicks, eh ? No consistency

[lilelvis2000]

I disagree. Firstly, the area is attractive to young people, such as recent graduates, who are likely to go and work for a small startup without expecting to be paid a fortune. It's also a prime location for anyone looking to provide services to either the city / financial services industry or the media / advertising industry.

Secondly it's something that has flourished by itself since the collapse of the dot com boom. There are a lot of slightly older people who worked through that and now have experience, maturity and contacts and who have started companies clustered in that area, and it's really those sort of people who are making it happen. The government "initiative" is pure bandwagon jumping in order to try and take some of the credit.

I thought the government bit was just the recycling of the Olympics park buildings.

Besides, considering that a substantial portion of salary would be eaten up the high cost of living in London I would only imagine that new graduates who live in that part of London would be interested. Older guys would on the whole, IMHO, not be interested.

Plus, I've been to Stratford at night and its not a place I'd want to go again.

[doodab]

If it had been somewhere between London, Bristol and Brum then it might have stood a chance but, frankly, I can't see many wanting to go there.

By the time the Olympics have come and gone this idea will have been conveniently forgotten by Cameron. No one is going to want to rent in that part of London in Olympic year due to the costs and hassle. So by 2014 it will be long forgotten IMPO.

I disagree. Firstly, the area is attractive to young people, such as recent graduates, who are likely to go and work for a small startup without expecting to be paid a fortune. It's also a prime location for anyone looking to provide services to either the city / financial services industry or the media / advertising industry.

Secondly it's something that has flourished by itself since the collapse of the dot com boom. There are a lot of slightly older people who worked through that and now have experience, maturity and contacts and who have started companies clustered in that area, and it's really those sort of people who are making it happen. The government "initiative" is pure bandwagon jumping in order to try and take some of the credit.

[PAH]

Good. So feck off and leave Whitecross Street to the rest of us...

What's your brand name 'LollySuckers.com', an advertising agency offering models that suck lollies?

Guaranteed to improve click through rates when those adverts are placed on sites normally trafficked by geeks.

[you can have that idea for free, if it allows me to escape a ban ]

[PAH]

If it had been somewhere between London, Bristol and Brum then it might have stood a chance but, frankly, I can't see many wanting to go there.

That's why they're trying to attract all the Nathan Barley types who have more bulltulip brand awareness than business sense.

You just have to look at some of the daft brand names the article mentions and it's like being back in 1999 again.

[cojak]

Good. So feck off and leave Whitecross Street to the rest of us...

[PropertyCrashUK]

It is not just London is it - it is the grotty East of London which is damn hard for most people from elsewhere in the UK to get to. I would not want to live there and I certainly would not wish to buy a home in that giant flood plain - one day the North Sea is going to come in there big time.

If it had been somewhere between London, Bristol and Brum then it might have stood a chance but, frankly, I can't see many wanting to go there.

By the time the Olympics have come and gone this idea will have been conveniently forgotten by Cameron. No one is going to want to rent in that part of London in Olympic year due to the costs and hassle. So by 2014 it will be long forgotten IMPO.

[PAH]

Silicon Roundabout.

BBC News - Can 'Silicon Roundabout' challenge Silicon Valley?

Looks like Nathan Barley is alive and well. If you pop down say hi to 15Peter20 for me. Don't forget, you don't shake hands when in this zone, you give them gestures.

Maybe I'm taking the piss because I have no intention of working in London, no matter what bollox they market it as. Best thing about technology is you can work from anywhere. Someone explain that to these muppets.

Off to ladbrokes to see what odds they offer on London Becoming The Next Silicon Valley vs Blackpool Becoming The Next Las Vegas.