There was a group of beginners climbing within a formal session as well as seasoned climbers at the centre which was a really great mix. I thought that I would feel a bit silly and out of place having never climbed before but the staff were very welcoming and it was good to be amongst others trying climbing out for the first time. The climbing session, which you pay a flat rate for as long as you like (we were at the centre for a few hours) and rental of a harness and footwear was very reasonably priced. The centre also has very good tea and biscuits to recoup some energy with.

The walls were really challenging with a huge amount of choice. Not only could you climb up the wall with the foot and handholds, but there were added features such as tiny finger grips or large cracks and chasms within the wall structure itself. One crack runs from floor to ceiling and apparently can be climbed entirely using just this, no mean feat. The other type of climbing I was taken with but was pitiful at was bouldering. Having never climbed before I was not aware of this type of climbing which involves moving along hand and footholds within a cave area which is very low to the ground which means you don’t need ropes. There are also plenty of crash mats within the area so a fall is well cushioned. As you are hanging pretty much, if not completely upside down, gripping to the wall and moving along it with the weight of the body on your fingertips and toes is a killer. This is something that I would like to get good at and apparently learning this can really improve overall climbing skills and endurance.

Red Point is a really impressive climbing centre, it is the only one I have been to so I don’t have anything to compare to apart from seeing the odd wall put up in the Bullring or when I have gone indoor snowboarding at Milton Keynes I watched some people tackling Vertical Chill. If you haven’t been I would definitely recommend. If you don’t have any friends that climb and can show you what to do Red Point have plenty of instruction.

Yesterday I visited the Sutton Runner to get some professional advice on purchasing running trainers. If you are beginning running I thoroughly advise you to speak to a professional. I read it would be important do this to know what type of feet I have. I learnt at the Sutton Runner I am flat footed and would therefore require some cushioning in the arch and more solid and higher sole on the inside of the trainer to prevent my foot rolling onto the flat every time I made contact with the ground. This keeps the ankle straight which in turn keeps the knee straight, preventing unnecessary injury. This was learnt by firstly wearing a neutral trainer and running on a treadmill with a digital camera positioned behind to capture the feet and ankles on contact with the treadmill. Sutton Runner showed me in slow motion playback how my ankles were not straight and highlighted the amount of roll to the inside foot with the neutral trainer. The difference with the cushioned trainer was remarkable. I also learnt that running trainers need to be a size larger than regular footwear as the foot expands during running. Without this advice I would’ve bought a neutral pair of trainers in my regular size. Most likely a few months down the line I would be complaining of knee and ankle problems and decide running wasn’t a sport for me.

The trainers that were recommended were from the Nike+ range which is what I was hoping for. I had been eyeing up the integrated iPod hardware which places a sensor in to the trainer and a receiver into the bottom of the iPod. The receiver also contains software which lets you know through the iPod interface how long you have been running on a particular workout, distance and average pace. There is also a number of preset workout types to choose from. Goals for distance, time and amount of calories burnt can be set. Once the goal is reached a voice prompt lets you know. Another very cool feature is the PowerSong which can activate a favourite tune to give that extra bit of drive whenever you are flagging. This is activated at any time by holding down the iPod central button for a few seconds. Once a run is complete the iPod gets plugged into a computer and through iTunes all the run data is sent to a Nike+ profile. This then builds graphs where progress can be monitored as more and more run data is entered into the system. Nike+ is even integrated with Google Maps so the route taken can be plotted.

This is all good but what really excites me about Nike+ is the social aspect. I can see where others in my area have run by viewing their maps. I can also set challenges like ‘who can run the most amount of miles in a month’ with the Nike+ community or just my selected friends. There are a whole number of training regimes to choose from too which can be tailored to your needs. After my first run I also get an MSN type mini-me which can be customised and placed on a Web site by grabbing the code or as a widget on Facebook. Tom Nixon has been using Nike+ for a while now and wrote an accurate and comprehensive analysis of Nike+ and its services after a month of use. I agree with what Tom has said about the Flash interface being clunky and that Nike could really make this system much better by opening up the API for developers.

All in all I am very happy with my purchase. I have some great running shoes which are going to keep me fit and in action and as an added bonus and inspiration a gadget which tracks loads of data for me and keeps me socially connected with the Nike+ community.

I just wish to thank Nick Booth for organising and promoting the evening again and for whoever put Nick onto using the Dragon Inn for its social space, cheap booze and wifi access but also to everyone who attended and made it what it was. Everyone was up for it, everyone had exciting stuff to say and we all had a good laugh mainly and it felt more like a party night rather than anything stuffy. If you live in the midlands (or can get to Birmingham for that matter) and you own a blog, or even thinking about creating a blog, come along to the next one as I am sure you will make a lot of new friends and have a great time. There was nothing geeky about this bunch of folks.

Tonight is the second Birmingham Bloggers Meet or we may call it the first Birmingham Social Media Cafe (yet to be decided). It is taking place at 7pm onwards at the Dragon Inn, Hurst Street, Birmingham with an open invitation for all that wish to attend. I will be giving a rundown of what is discussed tomorrow. Until then…

Get yourselves over to New Media Junkie and subscribe to this light-hearted and comical podcast, I know it is going to grow from strength to strength with Marks’ ambition and drive.

Stef got the ball rolling by asking the question to the group: “What does everyone reckon about the article that was published in the Guardian last week saying there are lots of cities in the UK that have fantastic blogging scenes, and Birmingham wasn’t even on the list?&rquo;

Stef has kindly posted the audio capture of this topic for download.

My personal additions to the discussion were:

• The Guardian article was focusing on cities that have already built up a blogging community where bloggers meet on a regular basis and had someone heading the movement for them. Due to this I think Birmingham wasn’t mentioned but now that there is a community being formed this will likely change in the future
• I feel we should interlink with each other more, referencing each other and also bolster this by using the XFN (XHTML Friends Network) system

One of the key points that came out in context to commercial blogging was that everyone wants to read an honestly written article from someone who cares about the subject they are discussing. The written word has to come from the heart, not off the back of pr guidelines or stringent rules on how the company wishes to be perceived. If the post comes across as less than honest it will be picked up on, sniffed out and discarded as a waste of time to read. I read in someone’s blog recently (apologies I can’t find the reference point, I will update when I do) that if you can’t trust the individuals you put in place to shed good light on your company through the posts they write then you’ve employed the wrong people. The best investment you can make is to find excellent writers who care about the company values and express this in their own creative way.

A common tagging theme was also agreed upon as a great way to increase awareness of blogging in Birmingham. A general tag of “BirminghamUK” to be added to all blog posts regardless of topic will improve visibility and will be added to Technorati. I also hear from Jon that Dave has built BrumSearch (based on Google) off of the back of this tagging consensus, thanks Dave.

Charlotte has also written a blog on the evening which picks up on some interesting questions on the direction and value of blogging. If you also wish to meet with us at the next gathering find out when and where as well as contributing to the Birmingham Bloggers UK facebook group.

Like Green Lanes, Erdington is a scruffy but vibrant inner city suburb with the same extraordinarily diverse multi-cultural community as described by Peter Lorimer. The comparisons are uncanny. Erdington is starting to become more affluent, young professionals like myself and partner have come to the area for more affordable housing and we have witnessed in the last two years of living here that the council is working to raise the profile of the suburb: street cleaning with power sprays, establishing an identity with purple branding for directional signposts and developing new council offices to replace the dire looking circa sixties council office tower which overshadows the north end of the high street.

My values and concerns mirror those of Peters. I do not have a problem with betting shops, I am not a prolific gambler but I do have the odd flutter here and there on large sporting events such as the World Cup and The Grand National. I even understand the competition between the differing companies and how they all wish to compete on the same turf for our custom. What really gets my goat is that three of the companies mentioned that inhabit Erdington own two shops within a stones throw of each other, do they think we are all that lazy that we won’t cross the street? Seriously we are talking feet apart, the saturation of these companies in areas of low wealth where they can pray on the vulnerable with low incomes or on benefits are criminal.

According to the Guardian “The answer may lie in the new Gambling Act 2005, better known for its ‘super casino’ controversy, which critics fear has opened the floodgates to a wave of betting shops across the country”. The new rules that came into force in September 2007 which governs applications for gambling licences has opened up opportunities for existing and new businesses to take over the high street. With an estimated 1,500 betting shops opening across Britain by the end of 2008, precious real estate where we once saw butchers, fishmongers and bookshops will now be the home of outlets increasingly adding to the poverty of the areas they open in with false promises of wealth.

So in answer to my question, “Does Erdington have a gambling problem?” yes it does. It has far too many betting shops and gambling halls and I feel that the government needs to bring in stricter policies to help local councils throw out applications that they are in direct conflict with to improve the affluence of an area.