Jonathan Biddle – Made in Taiwan

Author: Jonathan Biddle

  • Kyoto Family Meet Up

    Off to Japan for a long weekend to meet up with my folks who are walking in the Japanese Alps for a couple of weeks – how jealous am I?!  They elected to not come to Taiwan this time, but I did not have to have my arm twisted too hard to meet them in Japan.
    It’s my second trip to Kyoto, and my fourth to Japan, but this time should be extra special, with the fire Gonzo (or something) festival igniting the hills, and from what I understand all the women running around in Kimonos.
    My word – it’s been a busy couple of weeks at work – but got some good results out and I am looking forward to seeing them develop in the coming months.
    But for now … time for boarding.
    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Digital Work Signs


    Awesome warning signs – sorry about the cam phone quality!


    On the way to lunch…

    Snapped some snaps at lunch time – what fantastic work sign warning graphics. Somewhat different from the ones I have talked about before … see here:

    Construction Signs Taipei

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Cycle Lanes in Taipei


    Cycle Lanes in Taipei

    The incredible increasing interest in cycling in the last year is encouraging the city government to install cycle lanes along some of the major streets in the city. It’s a great initiative, and I appreciate the spirit, but next time, how about guiding them away from fire hydrants, up steps less than 20 cm and out of the way of oncoming traffic? One step at a time, chaps.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Taipei Times – Dictionaries for Learning Chinese

    This month, I review two electronic learning aids developed for people learning Chinese. This time, however, they are produced by Asian companies.

    Read the reviews here:

    XCome Dictionary for Asus EeePC & Dr Eye Han Easy (html page) (pdf)

    Enjoy!

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Formoz Festival 2008

    Markus, clearly pulling the wool over the eyes of his client in Seattle, chose the best weekend of live music on the island to return for a few days of business. It kicked off in fine style with an impromptu photo session with insane just-graduated Masters students in one of the local “Re Chao” restaurants, and ended with a ballistic scooter ride through Typhoon rain to return Markus back to his hotel.

    In between? Another great Formoz Festival, underlined by 1976 in the final, main stage headliner slot – totally wonderful, since they were the first band I got into when I first landed here those four years ago. Is it really four years?

    They, or rather the weather, got their timing perfect, with showers arriving on queue to launch the crowd into raucous displays of solidarity, under umbrellas and spot lights. My phone has only just recently switched back on, in fact, after it drank too much. Much like me, in fact. A super night – come back more often, Markus, and bring Michwel next time!




    Not very impressed by local microbrewery slops

    I managed to flex some contacts and blagged my way into the event for free, claiming I was a journalist for Taipei Times (it’s true!), which I feel bad about and all – well, a bit. I did manage to get chucked off stage by security, though, which makes me feel cool and smooth.


    Blurry night


    1976 rule the roost


    Clearly abusing my photography pass, I capture Markus back in his natural environment.


    Antagonising the security staff, who were clearly not as enthused by the music as the crowd.


    And the afterparty – held at one of the old cabaret clubs in Ximending, and just the coolest, coolest venue in Taipei. The crowd boogied their butts off to the grooves of Public Radio and the best dub band I have heard in years.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Fixie


    The wheels of steel

    One of my unguilty pleasures in the last two months has been the move to cycling to work. My estimation that the DEM office was the same distance from my house as Dell was slightly off, and a 30 minute walk in the Taipei morning heat is not an awful lot of fun.

    It didn’t take too much persuasion from ‘New Yorker in Taipei’ Nick to persuade me to part with 3500 NT$ (about 60 quid) for a brand new fixed gear bike. Yes, it’s a bit of a clunker and needs tightening weekly. Yes 60 quid means it must be very dodgy. But who cares? There is a certain nobility in riding a bike that costs about the same as my seat post on my mountain bike … and if it’s raining? I just leave it outside and don’t worry about it too much.

    The fixed gearing without freewheel means I don’t need a brake on the back, and instead braking is now harder work than accelerating. Sounds stupid, eh, but it makes for a wonderfully involved ride, judging the traffic, maintaining momentum, staying smooth and in general staying out of trouble. Taipei is Taipei, so I did pussy out and stick a brake on the front – sorry Nick and the courier purists, but I don’t want to die.

    It’s a trend from the streets of NY, London and Berlin that I am happy to import here, but I hope, or at least expect they will not be as popular as the folding bike craze sweeping the island at the moment.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Mr. & Mrs. Hargreaves

    My sister is now called Eleanor Hargreaves – fancy that!

    Months of preparation, planning and preening – not mine, I might add – culminated in a quite, quite wonderful occasion, that would set a new standard if people started measuring these things (although based on the number of Excel spreadsheets circulated and revised to plan the event, some pretty detailed data visualisation could probably be generated).

    I was willingly roped in to MC the event, which was spread between the University Arms Hotel (with appropriate pop festival sound track) and Emmanuel College (backing vocals provided by the porter telling me and everyone else to stay off the grass). Family members came from far and wide, and it was truly strange to have both sides of the family together in one place – well, I suppose since Mum and Dad got hitched. It was a shame of course that I couldn’t spend more time with everyone, but I was chasing a stop watch attached to a large suspended axe if I dared get the timing wrong.

    The epic planning managed to balance formal with personal, poignant with anarchic. It was a pleasure to have any involvement at all – so good luck guys! (I am sure you planned for that too)


    My suggestion to leave the hair like this fell on deaf ears.


    Dahling!


    Ele prepares to leave the house for the last time as a Biddle!


    Dad – your waistcoat is where, exactly?


    Flars and megapixels


    Mum’s ‘fascinator’ (my new word of the day)


    The locals stop traffic for the beast (and my sister in the passenger seat)


    The marriage procession


    Signed up for love!


    Beards ruled the day


    Granny and mum watch with delight


    A brave new world


    Sniper in position …


    … ready to take the shot!


    Ele has her cake and eats it


    Dad surveys the scene at Emmanuel


    Not your average cookie-cutter wedding!


    Second new word of the day is ‘gavel’ – and as MC I took great pleasure in knocking the hell out of it to get peoples’ attention as the speeches progressed.


    Save me a piece!

    I am positive that there will be more photos to come as various family members collect and collate the shots – but these are my personal ones of the day. Have a great time in Croatia, Ele and Dave Hargreaves!

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • The Last Supper

    In the rush for the wedding, I was quite concerned that I would not be able to find time to really hang out with Ele before she dropped her Biddle nomenclature, but her calm planning meant that we were able to dine together on the Thursday before the steamroller of ‘Super Saturday’ swept all before it.

    We dropped into the Gardinia right on the side of the River Cam, which had pretty okay food, but certainly the best riverside views in Cambridge, down as were at ‘punt-level’ with the guys driftin by, munching on their curries (an act of genius on the part of the local Indian take-aways).

    A very nice night indeed!


    Ele looks cheeky


    Lads hard at work.

    And in other news, I managed to pop down to London to see Phil and drop in on a few museums. I was pleased to catch the ‘China Design Now’ exhibition at the V&A;, which was certainly the best event focusing on Sino-creativity I have been to thus far, I got my regular visit in at the Tate Modern, and I caught Sam Hecht’s show at the Design Museum, along with a pretty thorough Richard Rogers retrospective. All cultured up, I felt pretty pleased with myself.


    Christpher Wren’s St. Paul’s Cathederal, in all its renovated glory.


    I am almost certain I take the same photo every time I walk over this bridge “The Blade of Light”.


    The exterior of the Tate, decorated with pretty arresting street art for an exhibition inside.


    The interior resplendent in the light (with the populous shivering outside – it was bloody freezing!)


    I do appreciate these little acts.

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Summer Sport

    There is a moment in the year that marks, for me, the official start of the summer. Forget the calendars, throw out the science, it’s down to three things: A. The start of the Tour de France. B. Wimbledon. C. The British Grand Prix.

    That these things start together on the same weekend, that I have not been in the UK to witness this spectacle for many years, and the fact that I have not really watched any telly since Christmas, well, it was certain that I was to enter my own summer sporting event – that of the Television Marathon. And what a day – killer Grand Prix, and after a good bottle of wine, a definitive Wimbledon final. Oh I do miss home sometimes.


    On your marks…


    Set…


    … pass the wine!

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…

  • Ele-vation

    Well, here I am back in my favourite blogging spot, Hong Kong airport, and it makes me realise that I have not been giving as much time of late to tapping away at the keyboard – or this keyboard at least.

    It’s probably quite dull to read that it has been a busy couple of months – yeah it is, Jonathan – but here I am at the start of July and heading back for my sister’s wedding! Blam. The thing on the fringe of my radar has run up and slapped me in the face. Well, I am more than certain this week will be simply magic. I have oodles of good food, drink and people lined up, some introduction to wakeboarding that I am sure will fill my sister with glee when she sees me smash into the water, and catching up with several dozen family members that I have not seen in … wow … quite a few years. It should be bloody marvellous.

    The next post will be from ground level, staring at clouds from the garden, French beer stubby in hand. Roll on CX 255!

    The story of a British Industrial Designer in Taiwan…