Posts Tagged fate
BBC Labs Day 4 – Onwards and upwards
As the sun sets over the sleepy hills of Powys and day four of the Wales and West Midlands BBC Innovation Labs 2008 draws to a close, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there was peace and tranquility at the Lake Country House in Llanmmarch Wells… but you would be wrong. Listen a little bit closer and you will hear the rumbling of keyboards and the almost inaudible buzz of stress, frustration and yes, mild panic… that right folks, it’s pitch day tomorrow.
As luck (or fate) would have it, we are pitching first tomorrow morning and despite the minor curve ball thrown our way yesterday, which resulted in us ripping up our original idea and starting almost from scratch at 11am this morning, we think we’ve done OK. But there’s nothing like adrenaline to help you pack two months work and preparation into 22 hours!
Today mainly saw us left alone to push on with our pitches and the Box UK corner was a hive of activity (well almost) as we worked on our new idea, but has it been enough…?
I suspect the real reason for putting us in such a remote location is not that the distant bleating of lambs and twittering of birds will calm your nerves, but probably more to the fact that no-one can hear you scream. Despite all of our research, one thing that didn’t expect is the lack of spare time you have once you’re here. Every day this week we have worked from 9am through to 7pm and then had homework. It would be fair to say it has been a bit of a slog, but we have met some great people and learnt a lot in a short space of time.
So all that leaves me to say, before I *attempt* to get some sleep, is thanks to the BBC for a fun, challenging week and good luck to all the great teams that have worked so hard over the last couple of days.
I hope you’ll join me tomorrow for the next exciting installment…
*** Claire
Add comment May 1, 2008
Preparing for the labs: the Foresight Saga
There are just over 5 weeks to go before Claire and I attend the labs in mid-Wales, to have our idea analysed, ripped-apart, built back up, and ultimately assessed for commission by the BBC.
We’ve decided to get together once or twice before the labs, for some preparation: find the potential holes in the idea, plug them, and evolve the scope into something even more desirable and useful. I’ll be snowboarding next week, so these meetings will have to wait until early April, but my trip does present me with a possible opportunity.
Our labs project largely concerns preemptive notifications of changes to your plans, be they your daily commute or a holiday. My trip will involve car travel, flight, bus and train (and a reliance on weather), so in theory the probability that it won’t all go to-plan is quite high: some multiple of the number of sub-trips (and their individual reliability records). It will be interesting to see if any of the difficulties I face could have been pre-empted: if I could have avoided them given more timely knowledge.
Which brings me on to a personal dilemma.
Knowledge Is Power, as we’ve all been told, but the unknown is also kind-of fun… For example, I’ve always avoided online dating services – not because I don’t believe that they work for a lot of people – but because I’m a fan of serendipity. It’s not that I believe in fate – anyone who knows me will attest that I am the least spiritual, superstitious person they know – but I like the role that chance plays in life. After all, life is here very much ‘by chance’ anyway – when you analyse the odds – so why not roll with it?
Although ask me again next week – when I’m stuck in traffic trying to get to the airport in time for my flight – and I’ll curse serendipity and chance: give me foresight any day.
*** Dan
2 comments March 13, 2008
