please empty your brain below
I'm glad you like Smoke, and even more pleased that a new one has come out (they usually e-mail me when that happens, but haven't this time). I should stress that I'm nothing to do with the magazine - just a satisfied reader since edition No.2.

And Matt's site is very funny - this in particular...

http://dangervoidbehinddoor.word...ke-you-mean-it/

Baldassaro | 02.07.09 - 9:49 a.m. | #

Anyone who goes on a trip across the USA with a load of expensive equipment in the back of his car and fails to take out proper insurance is just asking for it, imho.

And don't think I didn't tell him so.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear | Homepage | 02.07.09 - 2:46 p.m. | #

Exit, Pursued by a Bear...

imho, your opinions are rarely humble.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 02.07.09 - 6:08 p.m. | #

My opinions are rarely humble either, but I thought the same as EPbaB when I first read this earlier. I'm aware you know Geoff personally, but I do find it a bit odd that you are publicising his personal charity fundraising attempts (ie for himself rather than for the benefit of others), when you normally don't give the time of day to such things.

Blue Witch | Homepage | 02.07.09 - 6:24 p.m. | #

a) Geoff isn't raising the money, other people organised it all, it wasn't his idea.
b) I didn't suggest people contribute anything.
c) Insurance, always a damned good idea.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 02.07.09 - 6:36 p.m. | #

Thanks for the tip-off Smoke's out. As the reader above, I've bought since issue 2 and looking forward to the new one!

SELondoner | 02.07.09 - 6:39 p.m. | #

Yes, insurance of all types is always a good idea. My apartment building burned in April thanks to someone two floors below me who left a lit cigarette on his couch when he stepped out of the room. I was one of the very few tenants with the stuff.

As I mentioned to Geoff in a post, if the Jeep carries comprehensive insurance the technology will be largely covered. The picures, the videos etc., of course...

Oliver | 02.07.09 - 10:44 p.m. | #

My opinions may not be humble, but they are valid.

a) who left the stuff in the car overnight?
b) who admits that he was too lazy to take the stuff out of the car?
c) who didnt have any insurance (well, none has been mentioned anywhere)?

People need to stop proselytizing the culture of victimhood, accept responsbility for their actions and quit whining.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear | Homepage | 02.07.09 - 10:46 p.m. | #

Life would certainly be more pleasant if people quit whining.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 02.07.09 - 11:16 p.m. | #

Indeed.

I like the whole idea of touring the USA in search of places sharing their name with tube stations, even if it wasn't really Geoff's idea. I wish him luck. After all, it wasn't his fault that his camera and equipment was stolen.

Andrewh | 02.07.09 - 11:37 p.m. | #

It's all a bit "inner circle" today isn't it? Blue Witch, I get the impression you're definitely not a person to get on the wrong side of.

Smoke is brilliant, I urge everyone to buy a copy - it needs supporting. Time Out plagiarise it incessantly (see The Big Smoke (original, huh?)) and then have the cheek to run a book on which stories the Standard will copy from Time Out.
It's amazing how every statue in London now seems camp ......

Johnny Topaz | 02.07.09 - 11:40 p.m. | #

*sniggers at JT's comment*
My Witchy Powers are only ever used for good purposes. Usually

The thing is, unless US insurance is very different to UK, valuables left in a vehicle unattended most likely wouldn't be covered (or wouldn't be covered to that amount) anyway.

And, if one is staying in motels and the like, I always wonder whether leaving stuff in one's room unattended (eg while one goes to eat etc) is more or less secure than leaving it hidden in a locked car.

Blue Witch | Homepage | 03.07.09 - 9:33 a.m. | #

What a gorgeous picture of the Camberwell Beauty - I did a double-take at the photo yesterday, as the mural itself in reality is not as brightly coloured as that picture. When I passed it on the bus home last night, it was clear that this was the case. Still pretty, mind, and I will miss going past it/Burgess Park on the way home when I move offices in a few weeks.

s | 03.07.09 - 2:30 p.m. | #

Re: Geoff's stupid mistake, we have all done things we regret, surely, lost things, left windows/doors/cars unlocked, left bags in restaurants, that moment of madness regretted for ever. I know he is kicking himself, and quite rightly said, he did NOT ask for any help, just all his friends decided to chip in, as his mad antics give us endless pleasure, As his devoted mum, I felt his pain in that video.

SurreyGirl | 03.07.09 - 4:25 p.m. | #

Is anybody archiving Boris on the web? Things get wiped so quickly we need an electronic version of the ephemera collections of our better libraries.

Flabellum | 04.07.09 - 6:35 p.m. | #

@SurreyGirl Well said!

@BW good point about the room.

Also, somewhat @ BW: On this side of the Atlantic it depends on which level of coverage you buy, but if (as I have, and is what is generally what most people buy)you have comprehensive insurance, then contents left in the vehicle would be covered (less a deductible, which varies based on your policy and premium, but in most cases is between 4500 and $1000). They would be covered at replacement value if that coverage is similar to mune (though, obviously, only the technology -- nothing for he sentimental etc.).

What I can't figure out from Geoff's site is who owns the Jeep, and whether or not it is fully insured (again, in my case, even if I loaned my Hyundai out to someone else, they would be covered just the same as if I was the driver).

I can only assume from the silence (as pointed out above) that he has none.

I apologize for my parentheses addiction tonight...

Oliver | 05.07.09 - 6:03 a.m. | #

Oliver, re Geoff's Jeep, if you followed his blog, about 3 weeks ago before he was embarking on his trip you will see he swopped his car temporarily with his 'landlady' for her Jeep. There is a video of it happening. Yeah he ought to have sorted out the insurance of course, but if you had been to S.Carolina or Charleston you would know it's very hot, and everyone's a bit laid back, and things get done slowly, (or not at all). Geoff is the artistic type & probably couldn't bother himself with mundane details like contents insurance. I think he has learned his lesson the hard way!

SurreyGirl | 05.07.09 - 9:49 p.m. | #

@SurreyGirl Thanks for that! I missed that post (having not joined Geoff's trip, so to speak, until DG first mentioned it). That said, with my insurance, the person I loan my car to is covered, it's just that I am (insurance premium jump wise) responsible for their actions... or inactions in this case. In other words, if I'd loaned Geoff my vehicle and it had been broken into, his equipment would have been covered under my insurance and my insurance would have paid out because I insure the VEHICLE and willingly loaned it to a qualified driver, but my monthly rate would likely climb because I had made a claim (my risk to the company had increased).

Ugh. That seems like a decent explanation to me, but it also probably looks like gobbledegook to people not versed in North American insurance practices. Erm.. and that's only because I have comprehensive insurance...

Oliver | 06.07.09 - 4:31 a.m. | #

Just bought my first copy of Smoke, and it is being passed admiringly around the office as I type. They all love the cover photo but keep pointing out, it's not that pretty in real life!

s | 28.07.09 - 6:59 p.m. | #











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