The Future of Money

I had a rare day off today — the kind that’s not just a day off from work but from childcare too — so took the opportunity to visit the Bank of England Museum, and in particular their new exhibit on The Future of Money which opened this past Wednesday.

Poster outside the Bank of England Museum advertising The Future of Money exhibition

To be completely honest, the main reason I went was to see the new banknotes featuring King Charles III, which are planned to go into circulation later this year.

A complete set of British banknotes and coins featuring the new King.

The way things are going with payments shifting away from cash in favour of cards and digital payments it’s not obvious how much we’ll all end up using these. As if to highlight the diminished role of cash in my life, it was only when I looked at the display of different sets of notes through the ages that I discovered the Adam Smith £20 was phased out and replaced by JMW Turner way back in 2020. I hope I’m not the only one who didn’t notice.

A couple of sets of banknotes from different time periods. The most recent ones feature Winston Churchill, Jane Austen, JMW Turner, and Alan Turing.

Two other points of interest to note: the vending machine that I got stuck in…

I'm holding a gold bar that's extremely well secured in a display that nonetheless allows you to experience how heavy it is.

… and the book selection in the gift shop being right on point.

A bookshelf full of Terry Pratchett's "Making Money"

The exhibition is on until late next year so you have plenty of time to check it out if you’re interested.

New Bus for London

I’ve just had my first journey on the new Routemaster bus, officially the New Bus for London. As of today the 24 route is to be entirely served by the new bus (aside from the occasional use of the older buses until a handful of delayed deliveries arrive). It will be the first route to exclusively use the new buses.

The 24 is my regular. It stops amazingly close to both my work and my home. It’s a lot slower than the tube but it’s convenient to have no changes and little walking. It also passes some of London’s more interesting locations (including Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, and Trafalgar Square) so it’s good for people-watching. I tend to take the tube in the morning but catch the bus in the evenings when I’m in less of a hurry.

Ordinarily I wouldn’t expect to be using it at the weekend but today we happened to be out meeting one of my wife’s school friends near Victoria.

New Bus for London

The bus we took today was incredibly busy. I don’t know to what extent that’s because the route is always popular on weekends, because there was a lot going on in the West End on this particular day, or just because people wanted to try out the new bus. There was certainly an element of transport geekery in the air though. I heard at least two pairs chatting enthusiastically about the vehicle we were on and some other types of bus we passed along the way.

The new bus is a nice mix of classic and modern. The outside is boldly future-looking, with an emphasis on opening it up to the outside with large (often curved) windows. It will be easy to tell this bus apart from those serving other routes, even at a distance. Inside, the colours are beautiful deep reds and gold, making the seats look almost like old theatre seats, and of course the rear stairway and corner door are taken straight from the original Routemaster from the 1950s.

The extra door seems like it will make it much more efficient to get on and off, especially in the near future before most people realise they can use any of the three doors to board the bus.

I like having the assistant at the rear door, as it makes it possible to thank someone one the way out. I grew up with Dublin buses, on which you can thank the driver on the way out. But until now London buses have always required you to board at the front and leave by the middle doors, the prospect of actually having any interaction with a person being apparently too much for native Londoners to bear.

Tickets for BBC Recordings

Living in London allows you to do some things that were never really available at home. For example, I now have the realistic prospect of participating in a TV game show. One of the ones that you watch with incredulity while sitting at home with man flu, perplexed by the incompetence of the participants. Who hasn’t dreamed of laying the intellectual smack-down on the contestants of Wheel of Fortune?

I also now have the ability to order beer in quantities smaller than a pint and not get a look of deepest suspicion. That was never an option at home.

Something I’m more immediately interested in than either the game show or the girl’s drink is to watch a TV recording. I’ve done this at home (where “home” refers to Dublin here; I’m still adjusting), but back there you’re limited to a handful of middling quality shows.

London, on the other hand, is the home of the BBC, and is the location where many of the best shows in the world are recorded. It would be a boon to be able to know when tickets for these shows—which are invariably free—become available.

Good thing this listing has an RSS feed then. It’s just one more reason to love the BBC, and the Internet.

Surviving With Very Little Toothpaste

I’m in London for what I was shocked to figure out will actually be my longest ever visit to the UK. I’m staying here for a full seven days—practically an aeon when surrounded by funny-coloured buses and pastie shops. England for me occupies a dedicated spot in the uncanny valley, similar—but not similar enough—to home.

For example, at home I expect toothpaste to come in a tube that’s more than three centimeters long.

Traaaaiiins

I’d like to thank the Riverbank Park Plaza for their foresight in giving me a room about 20cm from seven train tracks. I’ll admit that the bone-rattling noise every half second was less than desirable, but at least it gave me an easy route to suicide if I was going to be driven to that.

Today is yet another travel day, much like yesterday but in reverse. Before that though, I have some important business to attend to.

Londinium

Today is another travel day. I’m flying to London this afternoon for unspecified work reasons. Maybe I’m on a secret mission to kill the president of Paraguay with a fork; maybe I’m not. That’s all I’m going to say. I’ll return tomorrow evening, hopefully with good news.