Mat's Hideout

Thoughts on Tech, Music, Politics

  • Confessions of a GTD junkie

    My background is music, my teens were spent in music lessons, music centre rehearsals, practising for gigs, listening to music, and my university studies were classical music. My speciality is improvisation, and if you put me in front of a huge audience and gave me a grand piano and a song request of pretty much […]

  • Sync with cloud – Today ToDo

    Please don’t read this post unless you are interested in the title. It will bore the socks off you! With that out the way, here’s what I think about the subject. First point. Resist ALL temptation to host own service. This will invariably lead to an enormous amount of dissatisfaction with the app itself as […]

  • Qype: Sartori in London

    London – Eating & Drinking – Restaurants Sartori is a new Italian joint, opened October 2010, in the heart of the theatre district in London’s West End. I love pizza. By that, I mean I hate Pizza Sexpress, can’t stand Deep Bland Pizza, abhor Pizza Slut, can’t be arsed with Ask, and please don’t get […]

  • Qype: Barbican Foodhall at Barbican Centre in London

    London – Shopping – Food & Drink I love the Barbican Food Hall, despite the fact it’s overpriced, the staff are rushed, and the food is anything but exciting. With a title like “Food Hall”, with its “Selfridges Food Hall” connotations by Jimmy John’s Owner, you would be forgiven for thinking it’s one of these […]

  • Qype: South Bank in London

    London – Local Life Cannot WAIT for this year’s Cologne Christmas Market. Last year wasn’t too busy (at least when I went), lovely romantic atmosphere (great for friends, lovers, and anyone except louts) freezing cold, tasty Gluhwein and sausages, overlooking the river. This year I’ll be bringing a very warm hat and gloves, last year […]

  • Why Clegg hasn’t betrayed us

    Many left-leaning liberals in the media are outraged at what they consider to be broken pledges on the part of Nick Clegg. Johann Hari writes in the independent, “In just a few days after the election, he cleared a space in his swanky new ministerial offices and staged a bonfire of his principles”. Aside from […]

  • Qype: The Bathhouse in London

    London – Eating & Drinking – Pubs & Bars – Bars – Cocktail Bars – Eating & Drinking – Cafes & Coffee Shops – Coffee Shops – Eating & Drinking – Restaurants Stranded near to Liverpool Street Station with a couple of hours to kill, Qype iPhone application came to the rescue and I searched […]

  • Qype: Jamie´s Italian in Cambridge

    Cambridge – Eating & Drinking – Restaurants – Italian & Pizza Too many times now the prospect of an early evening quick glass of red and a couple of mouth-wateringly good side-dishes at Jamie’s Italian in Cambridge has wooed me in, and ended up as a full-on evening dining experience. Jamie’s Italian in Cambridge is […]

  • Qype: OXO Tower Restaurant Bar & Brasserie in London

    London – Eating & Drinking – Pubs & Bars – Bars – Cocktail Bars – Eating & Drinking – Restaurants – British – Eating & Drinking – Restaurants One mustn’t allow having a really ace time with a good friend who, having just split up from her boyfriend and wanting to drink good cocktails, get […]

  • Roasting my own coffee beans

    I used to be able to buy that Lavazza ground stuff (or Illy, or whatever), put it into a stovetop, and drink it with warm milk. How things have changed. I now freshly grind my coffee (with a Baratza Vario coffee grinder) no more than 30 seconds in advance of the espresso extraction. It’s the […]