I went to see ‘Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs’ at the cinema today; an animation, but one that has had good reviews. After purchasing my unlimited card I had been concerned that there wouldn’t be enough on to warrant it, but the more I look, the more I see there is worth seeing. I pushed my luck a bit with the timing, by getting to the ticket counter 15 minutes after the start time (adverts would last 15-20 minutes) I was appalled to find one person running both the ticket and food counter. There were 2 separate adults at the front, followed by a woman with 4 children, and the guy was seriously faffing about. I stood there for 2 minutes, looking all the time at the ‘ticket-ripper-guy’, wondering if I could get away with showing him my pass; but I knew he would give me the company policy spiel. 5 minutes passed and I was now panicking and starting to fidget, so I made a move when I saw the ‘ticket-ripper-guy’ not standing at his post. As I got to within 10 feet of “the border” he suddenly appeared with a broom in his hand, but there was no turning back now, I just strode confidently past him as if I had just popped out for popcorn (wait a minute, I had no popcorn in my hands, okay, so a chocolate bar I had hidden). It wasn’t as if I had stolen anything, I mean, I had an unlimited pass so no money would have changed hands anyway, but that didn’t stop my heart from pounding for the first 10 minutes of the film. A decent enough film, which had lots of ideas nicked from various others such as ‘The Matrix’, ‘Revenge Of The Sith’ to an almost identitcal scene from ‘The Toughest Man In The World’ where Mr T’s character (this time Earl Devereaux) runs through a giant Dorito instead of a wall –

htp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7Q6DGOfp6k

Loved the inverted Mohican on Mr T’s character by the way.
I couldn’t help thinking about Alice in Wonderland most of the time, as it was striving to be as weird and wacky as that in many of its concepts. This film, like many I have seen recently (the last being ‘The Invention Of Lying’) was blatantly shoving current issues in our faces – in this case a child being bullied for being studious, children eating too much junk food, television only wanting dumb pretty girls, etc… The film unfortunately didn’t come close to the brilliance that was ‘The Incredibles’

My review of the film 'The Invention Of Lying' by and staring Ricky Gervais

It was off to watch ‘The Invention Of Lying’ today, which wasn’t something I particularly wanted to see, but there wasn’t much else. I thought I would give it a try as I remember something Ricky Gervais said when questioned by Jonathan Ross a while ago, about the quality and success of his previous films. He had only played minor roles in these films, and that when he chose a film to star in, it would be a different matter. Well, the film completely took me by surprise, even though I went in there half expecting it to be a rip off of ‘Liar Liar’; Far from it. I will say that there has to be a complete suspension of disbelief, as there are many events/inventions/designs that simply wouldn’t have happened in a world without lying. Also the film is about not telling lies, but much of the film is people offering information that they simply didn’t need to. Another thing that got on my nerves a bit, but maybe part of the reason it got financed, was the blatant product placement by Budweiser, Coke, Pepsi, and most blatantly of all Pizza Hut – could those pizza boxes have been anymore waved in our faces. Other than that it was well written and presented, and didn’t attempt go too far with the religious connotations.

London Black Taxi Cab TX5 rumour

Question put to me by SuperKojak2009 (Youtube user)

Hi, Before I ask my question I must say I think your videos are excellent and very true. I hold a Green badge and have been driving for 26 years. Rumors spread like hot cakes in this trade. I need to purchase a new cab, I have until February to do it. I am not keen on the Vito and agree with everything you described on your video.
I have also driven the Vito and was not taken by it even though it was a lovely drive.
OK.-- Please do you know if LTI are bringing out a TX5? or upgrading the TX4? I do not want to by a TX4 if LTI a bringing out a new or upgraded cab. I have heard a Nissan engine will be used? I thought who better to ask, as you seam to be in 'The Know '
Any help please?
Andy.

Stormcab's reply

I have have not heard anything about this at all. I am in contact with about 60 other black cab drivers on Twitter, who are on there because there are the most tech savvie cabbies out there, and I have not heard a peep out of them about a TX5. I bought my second TX4 in December 2008, and apart from a few niggles that I had sorted this week, it is fantastic. The problem is that anyone else who has had issues with their TX4 will have something less nice to say about it. I always say that if anyone has the right to moan about the TX4 it would be me, especially after I had several breakdowns within the first year with my first TX4, and finally loosing it altogether in a fire. The problem is that the TX4 is a good cab, if it is screwed together properly, I haven't heard anyone moaning about the engine, the problems are in other places - radiators/turbo pipes/electronic engine management - which will go wrong in any car if it isn't put together properly. So the TX5, if there is going to be such a cab, might have the much sought after Nissan engine, but it's the rest of the cab we have to worry about. If this cab has a different engine, it will most definitely have a different radiator, therefore a different grill design, so after 3 years of the TX4 being out, and the engineers finally getting their acts together and dealing with the common problems, they will have to start over again with any new cab that comes out. My example is the Mercedes London Taxi - I drove my rented one, brand new, out of the dealership, and within days had issues with the doors sticking, the rear wheel steering system refusing to work at times, and the parking sensor having an attitude problem (and those were the mechanical issues aside from my niggles about the overall design of where everything else was). I have spoken to a driver who said his friend had a Merc and that it was the worst decision he had ever made, and I spoke to a TX4 owner 2 weeks before buying my second one, who told me his TX4 was the best cab he'd ever owned. It baffles me that in the LTDA magazine the Mole in the Merc has only met other Merc drivers that love it, I sense conspiracy. I sure as hell didn't understand this fuel saving issue either - I put £20 of diesel in my cab when I fill up, and when I had the Merc I was filling up at the same intervals? The only conclusion I can come to here is that maybe it's drivers who live far from London and have to drive in, so the Mercedes is better on the run??

SuperKojak2009 response

Hi Thanks so much for your reply. I agree again with all you say. I deff will NOT by a Vito. I have up until end of Feb to bye a new cab. I am sticking with LTI. I called into M7O's last week and they assured me the problems with the Radiator and the problems with hot air coming out of the vents has been sorted. I hope this is so, and not sales pitch.

Keep me informed please if you hear anything happening. I'll keep watching you videos, and may even see you out on the Streets of London. ( I work nights )
Thanks again
Be Lucky.
Andy.

Response to person wanting to scrap the 'London Black Taxi Cab Knowledge'

Sat Nav is of absolutely no use to black cab drivers, as it is too slow to use. Many of our journey's are over by the time it would have taken for a driver to type in the info to a sat nav device. I have it on my PDA and would love to have it out to help me, but if I sat there for 30-90 seconds typing in an address/place if interest, the customer would be screaming at me.
The difference between us and Addison Lee is that they get their job sent through via a pager or similar device (I worked for Express National Carriers and they did this) so they have an exact pick up and drop immediately so they can find the address on the way by stopping and having a look in the A-Z and plan their route accordingly. With regards to Black Cabbies and their properties abroad, these drivers bought their property years ago when prices were a quarter of what they are now, whereas I, having been a cabbie for 5 years only own a small one bedroom flat, and will probably struggle to ever buy anything bigger.
With regards to driving in London and learning the routes anyway, I was a minicab driver in London for 7 years, and when I started the knowledge, I felt I might as well have never even lived in London with the amount of stuff I didn't know. I have met several controllers from several large minicab firms that started the knowledge, and said they couldn't believe just how much of London they didn't know. I have already made a video explaining why sat nav would not would not work with the knowledge, and I am putting together more reasons why for another video. If people are still unconvinced I will take my sat nav out at work and film myself with customers to demonstrate the problems. The reason why everyone from the minicab industry is disgruntled is that they have no centralised leadership or representation.
Your argument that minicab drivers should be able to get out and be the same as black cab drivers, is like saying why couldn't a nurse become a doctor but just with an internet connection so they can just look at the symptoms on line. It is those that are complaining that don't deserve to be cab drivers - why? - because they are obviously too lazy to get out there and do the knowledge, like most people in Britain today - why should I study, why should I get up off my arse, I should just bloody have put in my lap. Well I work hard, I studied hard to get the knowledge, and I know that we provide the best service in the world, as confirmed by every foreigner I have ever had in my cab. Because we know we provide the best service, we are going to defend it, that's why we have all joined to form several unions to fight any half arsed lazy upstarts that think that can destroy the best taxi industry in the world.
I will be out there on the front line too, playing my part as a video maker and photographer, so I will jealousy defend what I have worked hard for. So I say again, don't complain, go out there and do the knowledge.

This was my response to the comment below left on one of my Youtube videos--

Noone's saying you should scrap the knowledge, but every reason for keeping it can be solved by replacing it with a combination of sat nav and a 6-8 month knowledge. You only need a basic knowledge plus a satnav. Addison Lee prove that and provide good service and none of them have done 'the knowledge'. They've already taken loads of your work. They should be able to pick up at designated ranks. Try getting a cab in the west end on fri and sat nights. The CBI say it is the biggest criticism of London. But black cabs say that there would be no living in it if the knowledge was speeded up and the streets flooded with cabs. What they mean is that they wouldn't be able to make the huge amounts of money they do at present. Why should they make so much when they don't do much. Just drive people around. Any old idiot can do that. Have a 6 month knowledge, a sat nav in every cab and let 20, 000 of the minicabs become black cabs. All prolems solved. Then your supply restricted scam would be over along with your lies and arrogance and overseas properties. Once again, every reason for keeping the 3-4 year knowledge can be solved by making it last 6-8 months and using a sat nav. You learn all the routes by doing the job anyway. Any experienced mini cabbie knows where to go even without a sat nav. Black cabs and the knowledge should go the same way as water transport. ie down the river......... Your days are numbered. Black cabs and mini cabs will merge and become the same thing. The only question left is how to break the freemason conspiracy between the cab trade, the police and the politicians that keeps it going artificially.